Whoever has Ears, Let Them Hear, Part 4—by Justin Renton
Sermon summary:
Jesus is establishing a culture of what his church is meant to be.
Revelation 3:7–13 Philadelphia. Jesus only has good things to say about this church.
V8 Our deeds are a reflection of the state of our hearts. While good deeds won't get us into heaven, it shows where we're at. An open door=opportunity for evangelism. 1 Corinthians 16:9, 1 Cor 2:12, Colossians 2: 4. God gives us opportunities to share our faith.
Matthew 12 Do we acknowledge him before others, or shrink back? Satan makes us think it's complicated. Be sincere. Be yourself.
V9 Are you a synagogue of Satan—claiming to be Jews/Christians?
V10 There are years of patient endurance. Don't make big decisions on bad days. When you are hurting it's easy to give in to sin and you make terrible decisions; you feel you are a victim, and get your feelings hurt.
V11 Hold on to what you have (your faith).
Part 2:
Rev 3:14–22 Laodecia. The water from the mountains ran in the aqueducts but was lukewarm by the time it got to the city. It was horrible to drink and people spat it out.
"At least" makes your lukewarm faith sound better. To God it's worst than being an atheist.
The mission should be our priority.
Greek work "Zestos" = hot, to the point of boiling.
V17 You say "I'm rich" – wealth is deceptive. It makes you wretched/poor/pitiful. Spiritually you are in poor state and can't see it. You need someone to point out your spiritual poverty.
*NB: Jesus would rather offend people with strong words than comfort them with lies. He wants you to wake up.
This letter is written to people who slipped into mediocrity and who were about to lose their salvation. Make the decision to make Jesus the Lord of your life.
V21 Jesus was honoured by sitting next to God. He is going to pass on that privilege to us—us crowned with life. It will be worth every sacrifice you made on earth.
Watch the full service here (the message starts at 51mins)
