Facing the Laodicean

There's a section of Scripture in the book of Revelation that nobody wants to be associated with.

It's used as a less than stellar example, when a person wants to tell another person that they're spiritually lacking. It's also used for one church organization to make themselves feel better or more righteous than another church organization. Throughout history, there have been different periods of time that can be discernible. The Renaissance period, for example, was different than the earlier medieval period. The time before World War I, the so-called Victorian age, was very different from the Roaring Twenties. You cannot help when you were born or where you were born. If you were born into an Italian family in Rome during the administration of Mazzolini, you may have just grown up believing that fascism was the best form of government. Or if you're born in China, Cuba, or Vietnam, maybe you think communism or socialism is the way to go. It's based on where you grew up, where you were born, the time frame of your birth. And if you're born into our modern Western nations in the 20th or 21st century, you'd probably think that democracy was the best form of government, although even that is under attack today. So, if you were born in the ancient city of Laodicea during the first century AD, what characteristics would you have?

In Revelation 1, verse 11, the seven churches of Revelation are quickly listed. These were real cities with real congregations of God's people, and they each had their own personality.

And actually, we see some of this personality in God's people since then, down through time, down through the last 2,000 years. You can even see some of these traits in the church today. In Revelation 1, verse 10, we read, I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, because it's the Apostle John in the middle of a vision, and I heard behind me loud voices of a trumpet, saying, Revelation 1, 11, I am the Alpha, the Omega, the first and the last, and what you see write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia. So send this letter, this vision, to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea. So, if you were born in Ephesus, that would be the hand you were dealt with. You would no doubt have the strengths and weaknesses that were part of that cultural environment. If you were born in Philadelphia, you were dealt that hand, an influence by its local culture. It's the same in the case of Laodicea. You had strengths and weaknesses that affected your spiritual walk with God. Now, this decade, this year of 2018, it's almost over now, has been a period of history that we've all had to face. And we can learn from the messages sent to all seven churches of Revelation. Many biblical scholars believe that our time period of history now is a period of history that fits maybe the Laodicean description more than some of the others. Of course, you'll see the elements of all the churches from the book of Revelation today. But I want to focus on the church at Laodicea because it contains a big admonition. Of which we would be good to take heed.

Remember, the seven churches are all told the same thing. Listen. Listen to what the churches are told. For example, Revelation 3 verse 22.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. So listen, and that's after each of the messages that is repeated.

Today we're going to look at just this one church in detail because it's the one that seems to get the bad rap. And of which nobody wants to be like. So let's study it and not be like it. Okay? And the title of today's sermon is, Facing the Laodicean. Facing the Laodicean. I have five sections that will help us remember the major parts, the major lessons. Who is the Laodicean? Are you the Laodicean? Am I the Laodicean? Is somebody else the Laodicean? As we go through the points today, you can decide. The church is one body under Christ. It has multiple organizations and congregations and members scattered throughout the nations.

In our personal correspondence department, we often get asked, you know, do you believe you're the one true church? Our answer is anybody that is filled with the Holy Spirit and converted is in the Church of God. Anybody filled with the Holy Spirit has the Holy Spirit. Baptized and converted is in the Church, wherever they may be located.

But God's people have been scattered quite a bit down through time, down through the ages, down through the centuries. And today, when the United Church of God have 400 congregations around the world, of which about 194 in the United States and about 200 overseas are outside the U.S. Well, in Revelation, we see seven specific congregations. There were a lot more than just seven. These weren't the only seven congregations at the time. There are a lot more than that. But here in this vision written down by the Apostle John, we see just seven that outline the major personalities.

And as we go through these, think, do I see myself in any of these personality types? Is that talking about me?

The overall message is that Christ reveals the dominant strengths and weaknesses of each of those churches, both in John's day, but also down through the ages. We see these personalities and traits down through the ages, including in our own 21st century. And he reveals what appears to be a sweeping picture of the future of his church. Each congregation exhibits its own personality, but within these seven congregations are common virtues, but also common problems that Christians in all generations should either follow or avoid. It's a message to all of us. We are told, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.

And today it seems that we are most concerned that we not be like the Laodiceans. So let's face the Laodiceans. Turn to Revelation 3 with me, if you would. Because Laodicea has the grim distinction of being the only church in which Christ had nothing good to say. So there weren't so many virtues on this one. So what's the problem at the church of Laodicea? Let's read it to get the overview here in Revelation 3, beginning in verse 14. Revelation 3, 14. Revelation 3, 14. To the angel of the church of the Laodiceans. Right. These things says the Amen. Notice these are all capitalized. The faithful, the true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. This is heaven speaking here. Verse 15. I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. You see, on a cold day, you want a piping hot drink. On a hot day, you want an ice cold drink. Not something lukewarm.

Kind of a useless drink at that point. Verse 16. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth. Because you say, I'm rich, I've become wealthy. I have need of nothing. And you do not know that you're wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. Verse 18. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich, and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed, and anoint your eyes with thyself, that you may see. So he tells them they need to start developing some godly character. In verse 19. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. He says, I love you. I want you to learn from this. Therefore be zealous and repent. You see, it is the church. But it's the church that has things that needs to repent of. Verse 20. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and die with him, and he with me. We'll come back to verse 20 later. And verse 21. To him who overcomes our grant to sit with me on my throne. And I also overcame and sat down with my father on his throne. See, so this is Jesus Christ talking. The warning here in verse 21. It's the church... Well, the promise is if the church does repent, then there's a wonderful reward awaiting. And then verse 22. He who has an ear, let him hear. Listen. What the Spirit says to the churches. And so I asked, do we see ourselves at all in any of this description? In any of these warnings? So with this overview, let's talk specifically now, go back and look at some of the problems that occurred in Laodicea, and which seemed to be a warning for us even in our lifetime. And number one, perceived perfect understanding. Perceived perfect understanding. Notice I said perceived. Perceived perfect understanding. It's a danger to think we have all understanding, that there's nothing more to learn, that we don't need to be taught anymore. We've heard it all before. No sermons really have anything new for us to learn from. It's just the same old stuff we've been hearing since the 60s, or the 70s, or 2000s, right? Mind you, it is a challenge to come up with creative things every week. So it's not just the same old thing, but there's more that we can learn from. Revelation 3 verse 17, if we go back to that, because you say, I'm rich and I've become wealthy and I've need of nothing. Do not know that you're wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.

We don't think we need to grow anymore, apparently, here in this verse. We pretty much have the whole package of understanding. We've got it perfectly nailed down.

Now it's true that there are basic beliefs and practices that are part of God's church that will not change. We have our fundamental beliefs. We have the Sabbath. We have the Holy Days. The dietary laws. These are basic norms. These are our best practices. But there's a lot more understanding than just that that you can grow into, that we can study about. There are nuances of the truth that we may not yet have, because we haven't looked deep enough into it. We always need to grow. We always need to be teachable. We shouldn't assume that we have need of nothing, as verse 17 says. We can't make changes and updates in our faith. Look at 2 Peter 3 verse 18 for a moment. Turn there, if you would, to 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 18, because this is something that is very important. It's easy just to read over it, but it's very important. 2 Peter 3 verse 18, But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It's a commandment, basically, grow. And then to Him be the glory, both now and forever. Amen. So don't think you already have perfect understanding, that you can't learn more. We certainly need to be growing in grace and knowledge. And this leads us right into our second main point, what the later scenes apparently felt they had, no need to grow in grace and knowledge. So first was the perceived perfect understanding. Secondly, no need to grow in grace and knowledge. In the Church of God, there's been a tendency from time to time by a few people to get slipshod in their doctrinal research and the biblical research. And unfortunately, that occasionally leads to the point that some leave our fellowship. Go and start their own church to mostly focus on that one little pet doctrine that they're so sure about. To use the rifle analogy, we can't just go off half-cocked like that. The 66 books of the Bible have a lot of material and a lot to say on a lot of different levels. The plan of God is very simple. What he's doing here with his church is very simple. But the more you study, the more depth you find, the more nuances you find. And yes, inspiration is needed. We need to pray for inspiration. But there's also the matter of perspiration. Actual study and work. We need to dig in. We shouldn't think that just because we read a few verses in a couple of different translations, then we got it all. And I read the NKGV and the NIV and the message, and now I got it. We need to see. We need to research what scholars are saying about the original languages, about the historical context. And thankfully, in the United Church, we've got a lot of research has been done by our team that gives a lot of information that can help us really understand what's going on when we study. Our own booklets, magazines, television programs, our Bible commentary, can really help us get a fuller picture and to grow in grace and knowledge. Notice 2 Timothy 2, if you will. Let's turn to 2 Timothy 2, verse 15. 2 Timothy 2, 15.

2 Timothy 2 here, verse 15. Be diligent. See, it takes some perspiration, right? Be diligent. To present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Take some effort to rightly divide. And then verse 16. But shame profaned an idle babbling, for they will increase to more ungodliness, and their message will spread like cancer. And Manaus and Paulidas are of this sort who have strayed concerning the truth. Some actually, even back then, did stray from the truth. Got off on their own little pet doctrines. It happened back then. It can happen today. And it does happen a little bit from time to time here today. We have to know how to apply the Bible, how to stick to the trunk of the tree, and in various situations, how to make it applicable to our everyday life, how to make it applicable at work, at school, at the grocery store, how to divvy it up, how to apply the principles, how to apply the material. See, it takes study and learning. It doesn't just happen. You've got to look into it. You've got to read and look. Requires inspiration, but like I said, also some work and some perspiration. We have here on our laps and on our smartphones a lot of material to study. And you can do it till the day you die and still not really get it all. The full depth and meaning. And it takes work. It takes the power of God's Holy Spirit working in you to come to a perfect understanding. We have to rightly divide the word of truth. As we read there in verse 15. Rightly divided. We have to be willing to dig in and study. We have to have great respect for God's word. We have to be careful not to squeeze it into our own little worldview. We must not twist it so that it comes out the way we want it to come out. And that's how strange teachings emerge. And that's why there's safety in numbers. Safety in the collegial effort we have in the United Church of God to search the Scriptures carefully together and review carefully all that we publish and write so that it's the best it can be. Look at Isaiah 66. Let's go to the Old Testament for a moment. Isaiah 66, the first two verses. Isaiah 66, first two verses.

Thus says the Lord. He's kind of establishing where... He's authority right here. Heaven is my throne and earth is my foot still.

Where's the house that you would build me? And where's the place of my rest? For all those things my hand made. All those things that exist, says the Lord. It's kind of saying, you know, who are you, really? When I use the earth to rest my feet on. But then he says, verse 2 at the end, but on this person will I look. On him or her, who is poor and of a contrite spirit and who trembles at my word.

Someone who has some humility. Not someone that thinks they know it all. So Isaiah is writing here some words from the Lord, basically saying, do we provide anything for God? No, he created everything that exists. He's omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, eternal. And he is perfect love. He's the Creator. He's the Lawgiver. The Sustainer. The Designer. The Designer. And he's our Life Giver. He inspires prayer and then he answers it. He inspires prophecy and then he fulfills it. Who are we?

We have to have a tremendous respect for the Word of God. Not think we have no need to grow in grace and knowledge. We have to take that with us as we study His Word, as we speak of it, as we think about it, as we teach it, as we live by it. We have to grow in grace and knowledge. We have to be one who trembles at God's Word, as we read there in Isaiah 66, verse 2.

Here's another trait from the Church at Laodicea. Number three, spiritual arrogance. Spiritual arrogance. This is something that we need to be very careful about. There's a certain spiritual arrogance that you see when you read about Laodicea, as if we're really something. That we are real spiritual giants compared to others. Revelation 3, verse 18. I'll read it to you. We read it a moment ago. Revelation 3, 18 said, I counsel you, though, to buy from me gold refined in the fire. You may be rich and white garments that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed, and anoint your eyes with eyes that you may see. Talking about seeing spiritually properly.

Jesus Christ says we need to see ourselves as God sees us.

We need to be humble and of a contrite spirit. Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 1. I'm going to read just verse 26. 1 Corinthians 1, verse 26. Why were we called into God's church? Why are we here?

Is it because we're VIPs? Great heroes? Great giants in our field? Well, no, not really. 1 Corinthians 1, 26, where you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. 2 Corinthians 2, verse 27. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world. Why? To put the shame the wise. And God has chosen the weak things of the world to put the shame of the things which are mighty. And the base things of the world, and the things which are despised, God has chosen. The things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are. Verse 29. That no flesh should glory in his presence. So we can't say, you know, I was Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates, and I gave a billion dollars to the Gospel. We can't say that, can we? No. We certainly would not want to glory in God's presence. This is a description of us here in 1 Corinthians chapter 1. But it doesn't mean that none of us are smart or successful or wise. Some few are wealthy in the Church. But as the world sees fame, fortune, and nobility, it's certainly not the majority of us here today. God has generally chosen those who would be despised by worldly standards. But why? So that when the world eventually sees the humble people who eventually become kings and priests and judges, they will then be inspired to obey God themselves. It's so that no flesh would glory in his presence. A very important thing to consider, though, from these verses in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 is that we're not to remain like that. We are to grow. We are to grow in character. We're not to remain foolish and ignorant. Not to remain the foolish ones in the world. It's so that we grow in character. We grow in godliness after God calls us to his way. And so that then we eventually become, you know, spiritual sons and daughters in his family.

Look at Luke 18 for a moment. We don't want to be like the arrogant Pharisee in Luke 18. We never want to slip into this frame of mind. Remember, this third point is spiritual arrogance. Luke 18 verse 10.

We'll read through verse 14. Luke 18 verses 10 through 14. Two men went up to the temple to pray. One a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself. God, I thank you that I'm not like the other men. Extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector over here. Because I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I possess. You know, I'm not sensing any spiritual arrogance here, are you? Verse 13, the tax collector, though, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven. But beat his breath, saying, God be merciful to me, a sinner. And then verse 14, I tell you, this man, the tax collector, went down to his house justified rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. In those days, tax collectors were despised. You wouldn't expect a parable praising one.

Maybe they're despised like some lawyers are today. In those days, tax collectors were, to some degree, looked at almost as criminals. It was common for them to keep a percentage of what they collected. But some had a reputation for being overzealous in that regard, in what they demanded to be paid as taxes. So we're being warned here not to get into that frame of mind, spiritual arrogance, looking down on others who don't do all that you do or who do the things that you don't do, or as in this case, who don't pray exactly like you pray. So who had the better attitude? It's, of course, the humble tax collector. Remember, at least one of Jesus' disciples was a tax collector. He called Matthew. The way we humble ourselves is to have a proper perspective on who we are before God, and particularly compared to Jesus Christ. We need to keep that in mind. Watch out for spiritual arrogance. Number four, spiritual chauvinism. Spiritual chauvinism. So here's another attribute that we see in the church at Laodicea. It appears it had a sort of chauvinism that they thought of themselves as somehow special.

But the Apostle Peter makes a great statement in 1 Peter chapter 2, that we in the church did not come from anything particularly special. So we kind of read something like that in 1 Corinthians, right? Here's another similar passage in 1 Peter 2 verses 9 and 10. 1 Peter 2 verse 9. You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people. Go, wow! Yeah, we are, aren't we? We're great. We're great. But it's so you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. So we were the weak of the world that were chosen. But we've become his own special people now. Verse 10, who once were not a people. See, we once were nothing, but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. See, once you become called, you come into a different category then. You become a chosen people, a holy congregation filled with the Holy Spirit. And so yes, it's very special to be part of God's church. It's wonderful to be a part of the body of Christ, but it's not because of anything we did. Oh, what a great example we set, and God said, boy, I better call that guy.

It's not because of where we grew up, or because of our heritage. Remember, not many might he had called.

Actually, we cannot thank God enough for calling us, for putting us into his church, and for giving us the opportunity for eternal life. He is now giving us the opportunity to help our fellow human beings, one day create a type of paradise again on this earth, to be part of his plan of salvation. But it's not because of how great we are, or how great we were. We were called out of darkness. That's what we read there in verse 9. We come from all kinds of backgrounds, but then we become a community. We become brothers and sisters in the church, in the faith, who once were not a people, but now are the people of God, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. It's an amazing passage.

Here's a very interesting example of spiritual chauvinism. This is a real-life example. There's a standard in the orthodox Jewish community that says the more commandments you keep, the better you feel about yourself, and the more righteous you are.

I might note this is not a biblical standard, but one made up mostly by men, okay? Not even women. According to the orthodox Jews, men have the most commandments to keep, 613 of them. So the orthodox Jewish community, they're in New York City, they've got their list of 613 commandments for the men. The women have fewer, because women have responsibilities for the family in the home. They don't have time for all these rituals that the men keep. They bear the children, they're pregnant, they nurture the children, they're trying to get them to school, so there's less that the women have to keep track of when it comes to the commandments.

And for the men, the commandments have to be kept at a specific time of day, like praying at certain times three times a day. Women are allowed to pray whenever they can get around to it, once they get, you know, the nappies change and the kids off to school. But men have to do it at a certain time. So there's certain commandments in the Jewish traditions that are actually found in the Talmud, not the Bible, in the Talmud, that are dependent upon a certain time of day, and women don't have to obey all those 613 commandments.

So the men say, we're better than you, as a result. In ancient times, Israelites would bring servants into their homes, Gentile servants, and the male servants would become circumcised, and they would, by living in an Israelite home, come to live the lifestyle of the Israelites. And they were potential converts, and these servants would keep many of the rituals. They'd keep many of the commandments that their masters kept.

They would have to rest on the Sabbath, for example. Then finally, at the bottom of the totem pole, below the Jewish men, below the Jewish women, below the circumcised servants, are the Gentiles. If you don't have 613, they have seven commandments to keep. The Orthodox Jews feel that Gentiles only have to keep seven. That puts you way down the list of importance. They call them the Seven Noahide Laws, after Noah.

To give you some perspective on this, here is what Wikipedia says about the Noahide Laws. The Seven Laws of Noah, also referred to as the Noahide Laws, are a set of imperatives which, according to the Talmud, not the Bible, right? According to the Talmud, were given by God as a binding set of laws for the children of Noah. That is, all of humanity. So everybody that came from the loins of Noah after the flood, all of humanity then, if you're not a Jew, here's what you have to do. Accordingly, says Wikipedia, any non-Jew who adheres to these laws, because they were given by Moses, is regarded as a righteous Gentile. And it's the short of a place in the world to come, the final reward of the righteous.

The seven Noahide Laws, as traditionally enumerated, are the following. Not to worship idols, not to curse God, to establish courts of justice, not to commit murder, not to commit adultery or sexual immorality, not to steal, and not to eat flesh torn from a living animal. So it's not even the Ten Commandments, it's the seven other laws for the Gentiles. And it finishes, according to the Talmud, once again, the rabbis agree that the seven laws were given to the sons of Noah.

So there are 613 laws for the Jewish male and seven for the Gentile. So that led men to be really appreciative of being a Jewish man. And here's the prayer that an Orthodox Jew gets up and says every morning. So, Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has not created me a Gentile. Then the next verse, Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has not created me a slave.

And so you remember the slave of the household servant was better off than a Gentile, because he may now become part of the Jewish community, maybe got circumcised, going to rest on the Sabbath, not eat unclean meat, keep God's festivals and so on. So the servant is better. So then finally, in the morning prayer, here's what the Jewish man says, Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has not created me a woman. So I'm sure we're not talking about any kind of chauvinism here at all.

Because remember, the women don't have as many laws to keep. The men had the most obligations, so they felt the most privilege. They were spiritual chauvinists, and we see that in the attitude of the church at Laodicea, even. But, and here is the big but, Galatians chapter 3. Turn to Galatians chapter 3 for a moment, and notice this now, after noting the context of the seven Noahide laws, Galatians 3. Here we see the Apostle Paul completely devastate this idea.

Now as a Pharisee, as one of the best Pharisees, the Apostle Paul probably grew up saying those very things. Thank you, God, I'm not a woman. That's what he would have been trained to do. Thank you, I'm not a Gentile. Thank you, I'm not a servant.

But when Paul became converted, when he was struck down, he came to see the truth of the matter. Look at Galatians 3.26. Maybe you've never, maybe you wonder, well maybe you never did wonder why this is even in here. Galatians 3.26. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ are put on Christ. And then verse 28. There is neither Jew nor Greek, you're a Gentile. There's neither slave nor free. There's neither male nor female. You're all one in Christ Jesus. And if you're Christ, then you're Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. These four verses here destroy the idea that you're so great because you're not a slave. You're so great because you're not a Gentile or because you're not a female. So Paul, a Pharisee, basically completely destroyed that whole concept. Maybe today, in the Jewish community, still follow those sayings, those prayers, those ideas. No. If we are in Christ Jesus, if we're filled with the Holy Spirit, then we are of Abraham's seed. No matter who we are, where we came from, male or female, slave or free, and by which country you're in, we're heirs to the promise of eternal life.

We're all going to be spirit beings, eternal sons and daughters of Jesus Christ. The laws of God, the New Testament understanding that we have of Christianity, levels the playing field for everyone. So many other religions are like those Talmudic sayings, but not the truth. Everyone has an opportunity for salvation, and Jesus Christ leveled the playing field, big time. Every person is essential, so don't let spiritual chauvinism take root, like we see there in Laodicea. And then finally, vanity in knowledge. No. 5, vanity in knowledge. Here's one final point of danger. It's to decide to have some kind of secret knowledge that puts us one step ahead of everyone else, ahead spiritually of other people. Becoming vain in what we know. Remember Revelation 3 verse 17, because you say I'm rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing. The point is, a lot of times what we think we know isn't even really right. We're mistaken. We haven't studied it thoroughly. We haven't vetted it against scriptural fundamental beliefs. But even if we do know more in a particular topic or doctrine than somebody else, our knowledge is not our character.

All through history, there have been those who felt they're in some special privileged group because of some secret knowledge they have. Even today, there are secret organizations, right, that you really don't know much about unless you become a member.

But the later scenes are told, but in fact, you're Luke Wong. God says I'll spit you out. 1 Timothy 6 verse 20. Let's turn there for a moment. 1 Timothy 6 verse 20.

1 Timothy 6 verse 20 and 21. Oh, Timothy, God was committed to your trust. He says, avoid the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge. And by professing it, some have strayed concerning the faith. So it's a big warning here to be careful about getting into special little groups and all kinds of back and forth of what's falsely called knowledge. And for this to be a danger, though, you don't have to be involved in some cultic secret knowledge group. It may simply be people who tend to feel like they're in some kind of insider group, that they're getting insider news that others aren't getting. You know, a website that you visit regularly. Maybe they're subscribed to a special newsletter that you only hand out, you know, after church is over. Or follow a particular preacher that you think is really good who seems to have insider knowledge that's going to get you somewhere. But we must understand something. When end-time prophecies are fulfilled, we're not going to have to be subscribing to some special newsletter to know. Or have our favorite preacher tell us. Think about it. When World War II broke out, it was pretty obvious. You didn't have to be subscribing to a special newsletter, secret newsletter, to let you know that the world was at war. When the stock market crashed, we didn't have to have some hidden newsletter telling us the stock market had crashed. So when end-time prophecies are fulfilled, it's going to be rather obvious to the whole church, not to just one or two in the back. Not against anybody sitting in the back, by the way. You're not going to need a special inside newsletter that no one else subscribes to. If you know your Bible, it's going to be right out there for you and everyone else to see. And there are tendencies that we see quite a bit like this in our day and time. If I join such and such a group, or follow such and such a person, or subscribe to such and such a newsletter, or sign up for a particular website, I'll be there before everyone else. I'll be a true Philadelphian or something. We need to be teachable. We need to be careful in our research. We need to stick to the trunk of the doctrinal tree, not look for some kind of secret knowledge that puts us one step ahead spiritually of other people. We need to be careful about having some special feeling about something of which we actually have no control. Like, for example, the date of Christ's return. There are a number of self-professed Church of God people out there that are saying when the tribulation will begin, when Christ will return. We don't need things like that to make us feel better than everybody else. In Revelation 3.20, though. But now notice the incredible promise to the Church at Laodicea of all churches. Revelation 3 verse 20. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice, if anyone hears me knocking, and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him and he with me. It actually almost reads here like he's knocking but no one's opening the door. He's knocking and nobody's even listening. They're in their own little world and they don't even realize that Jesus Christ is knocking at the door. Would Jesus Christ be comfortable dining in your home? Would you hear him knock? Are you hearing him knock? Are you opening the door? Because as we read here in verse 20, in many respects, the reward is very great to the Church at Laodicea, dining with Christ. Verse 19 says, Bezallis therefore and repent. Do the right thing. Look at verse 21. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with me on my throne. As I also overcame and sat down with my father on his throne.

So yes, this is the Church of God, no matter what problems and issues there may be. Yes, if you're filled with God's Spirit, you're in the Church of God no matter what your problems problems or issues may be that you're working on. Christ says, I'm knocking, listen, change, repent, you'll be forgiven, and you can sit with me on my throne. And then verse 22, once again, He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. So you can go back and read about all of the other six churches too. See what was good, what was bad, what we can learn from, because we do see these traits in our church today and throughout time, for sure. The angels' messages here have great implications for the end time in particular. And in many respects, it is to us that these prophecies and warnings have been delivered. And the Bible is now more available than in any time in history previous. So to recap our main points, number one, don't always think you have perfect understanding and know it all. You've got to keep learning. Number two, grow in grace and knowledge. Number three, watch out for spiritual arrogance. Number four, watch out for spiritual chauvinism. Number five, don't be lured into vanity in knowledge. So who is the latest scene that we're facing? You decide. Maybe there's a little bit of it in you. Maybe there's a little bit of it in me. Revelation 2.7, a final passage. Revelation 2 verse 7. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. And to him whoever comes, I will give to eat from the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God. So pray for wisdom, pray for discernment and strength to oppose the evil forces of this world and be prepared and adorned as the bride of Christ, ready for the resurrection and ready for the paradise of God.