Greg Laurie - What Makes Jesus Sick (11/05/2017)
- Watch
- Donate
- Become Partner
Pastor Greg Laurie warns that lukewarm faith makes Jesus sick, using the church of Laodicea in Revelation 3 as the example. He explains why being neither hot nor cold nauseates Christ, urges quick repentance and zeal, and closes with the invitation from Jesus who stands at the door knocking, calling people to open their hearts to Him for true fellowship and salvation.
Opening Welcome and Family Series Preview
Hello, everybody. You can all be seated. Grab a seat. What a great time of worship. And even more, what a great God we worship, who's coming back again. That's why we do it. Looking forward to starting this new series on the family on Sunday that Jonathan was mentioning. Just such an important topic. One that's very near and dear to my heart. And I think we all need help with our families and some more than others. And some are single. And I'll have some things to say to singles, by the way, on Sunday morning. So if you're not married yet, you'll want to hear what the Bible has to say.
Quick Poll on Marriage and Singleness
Just a quick poll. How many of you are married? Raise your hand if you're married. Okay. How many of you have children? Raise your hand up. Okay. How many of you are not married? You're single. Okay. That's quite a few of you. Would all of you who are single just stand up for a moment? No, sir. Just stand up if you're single. That you're a little... That was very eager of you. He stood up so quickly. He's texting. He doesn't even know what's happening. Okay. Okay. Just stay standing for a second. If it's okay with you, I'd like to have you stand through the whole message. And then just kind of look around. No, I'm kidding. Don't. All right. You can be seated. I can't believe you guys all stood, too. That's great. Yes. Someone just yelled he's desperate. Okay. That's... Rule number one. Yeah. Okay. Let me do the jokes. Okay. All right. All right.
Harvest America on Daystar Network
Also, we have a little pre-roll video mentioning that Harvest America is going to be on the Daystar Network this coming... Well, it's actually tomorrow. How many of you ever watch Daystar Network? Okay. It's out there. It's on DirecTV and other places. It'll be on 5.30 P.M. Pacific Standard Time and also 10 o'clock P. M. Again, Pacific Standard Time, our time in other words. And it's 90 minutes of the Harvest Crusade. So if you know people around the country, you can text them or you can use your social media to promote it and say, this is going to be on. And Daystar pretty much is around the United States and around the world. And so let people know it's coming because they'll be able to hear the gospel as it was presented at AT&T Stadium.
Returning to Revelation Series
All right. Well, let's grab our Bibles. We're in the book of Revelation. And by the way, we've been sort of in and out of this series because of the busyness of the season. But now I'm here for a while. And we're going to drill down deep in the book of Revelation. How does that sound? We're going to just go through it together. And we're in a very important transitional moment because next Thursday we're going to go over to Revelation chapter 4. And we're immediately catapulted into heaven. And we start getting that big picture of this amazing book. So read ahead to Revelation chapter 4. You can go ahead and read Revelation 5 as well. And we'll be looking at that together. But tonight we're wrapping up this message on the seven churches in Revelation chapter 3.
Opening Prayer for Revelation 3
Why don't we pray. Now Lord, as we open Your Word and we hear what Jesus has to say to the churches, we pray that we will, well as the Scripture says, have ears to hear. You've told us that the person who comes to this book will be blessed if they read, hear, and keep the words of it. So we're going to read it. And hopefully we're going to hear it. And it's really up to us if we keep it. But I pray, Lord, that we will act on what we hear tonight. Speak to us from Your Word we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.
Sermon Title: What Makes Jesus Sick?
All right. Here's a sermon title I've never used in all the years I've been preaching. Title for the message tonight, What Makes Jesus Sick? Does that intrigue you a little bit? We're going to find out the answer to that in just a moment. But let me start with a question. What if Jesus Christ showed up in this church tonight? Now, yes, He is here. But I'm talking if He showed up physically. Now that's not possible, of course. He wouldn't come to us in that way. But if He were to walk into this congregation, would we know who He is? Would He be the guy with the wavy brown hair with blonde streaks in it? And with a lamb wrapped around His neck? Maybe a staff for good measure wearing a white robe? Or would He kind of come undercover? But more importantly, what would He think of what He sees in this church right now? What would His reaction be?
Jesus at the Door of Your Home
Because let me personalize it for you. Let's say you went home after church tonight and you're having a late night snack and there's a knock at your door. And you look and it's Jesus. How do you know it's Jesus? Because you have a glass door. You know, it's kind of hard to act like you're not at home when your door is made out of glass, right? Because you see them and they see you. And so you realize it's Jesus. And you don't necessarily want to be interrupted at the moment. You really don't want to share your late night snack. And so you just go back to preparing it. How do you think Jesus would react to that? Well, hopefully we would run to the door. I mean run to the door. And open it and pull him in. But some might leave the door closed.
It reminds me of a little adventure I had with James McDonald. You all know Pastor James. He spoke here recently. And James is kind of a wild guy in real life. You need to know. I mean, I'm kind of a crazy guy. My friends will tell you. But James is even crazier than me. Because he'll just do things that you wouldn't think he would do. I don't mean bad things. I mean just funny, nutty, crazy things. He was in a restaurant once. And someone's eating next to us. And he said, how much you give me if I get that person to give me a bite of what they're eating? I said, they're not going to give you a bite of what they're eating. How much do you give me? I'll give you two dollars. Okay. And so he starts talking with his people. And doggone it, four minutes later they're giving him bites of their food. That's James. He's always pushing the envelope.
The Famous Knock at the Door Verse
So one day we're down in Balboa Island walking around. He was in town speaking at a couples conference. And we're somewhere on the island pretty far from the main strip there. And James says, I have to go to the restroom. I said, well let's go back downtown. There's a restroom we can use there. I think it's Starbucks. And he goes, oh no, I'll just go up to someone's house and use their restroom. I'm like, no you won't. No, I'll just walk up and ask permission. I said, look, I don't know how things are in Chicago, James, but you don't just walk up to homes here, especially in a place like Balboa Island and have someone let you in. He goes, how much you give me if I use them? And trust him. I said, I'll give you like 10 bucks for that. Because I know it's not going to happen. And I know I just made 10 bucks. Okay. So James walks and knocks on the door and I see a person open the door, looking up for a moment and shut it very quickly. James is a big guy, you know. And so now he's at another door. Now this is one of those Dutch doors. You know what I'm talking about? Where the bottom is closed and the top is open. So he's knocking. And Kathy and I are standing there watching him at a distance. And suddenly James McDonald opens the little door and starts to walk. And I said, let's go. He's going to be arrested. Well, to the point he never got in. James McDonald, the great preacher, was at the door, but nobody wanted to let him in. Well, what if Jesus were at the door? Would we let him in? And by the way, I won that bet too.
But here now are some of the most familiar words in all of the Bible that we'll read in a few moments where Jesus says in Revelation 3:20. And I bet we all know this verse. And if you do, say it out loud with me. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man will hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and have fellowship with him. We'll read who Jesus said that to and why he said it.
Overview of the Seven Churches
Now, as we come to the end of this section in Revelation, we're looking at the message of Christ to the seven churches. These were actual churches that existed. In fact, they followed a postal route. But they also represent states of the Christian life. They represent certain churches that are around today. And they might even represent individual Christians. It started with the church of Ephesus. We'll call them the loveless church. Revelation 2 verses 1 to 7. Jesus commended them for their hard work and their discernment. But a problem was developing. They were in danger of leaving their first love. And this is where the breakdown began that we will see fully realized in the other churches. To them, Jesus says, remember from where you have fallen. Repent and do the first works quickly. So if you find yourself leaving your first love with Christ, the three R's of getting right with God. Remember, repent, and repeat.
Then we come to the church of Smyrna. That was the persecuted church. Revelation 2, 7 to 17. To this church, Christ brought words of encouragement as they were suffering and they were being persecuted for their faith. He had no critical words for the church of Smyrna. In fact, He promised them a crown for their faithfulness. And if you're suffering for your faith, Jesus promises you too will be blessed and you will receive a reward.
The third church was Pergamos. Now this is where compromise enters into the church. Revelation 2, verses 12 to 17. The devil is not stupid. Please know that. He's evil. He's wicked. But he's also very smart. And he's been honing his craft for a long time. And I think the devil operates by the old adage, if you can't beat him, join him. So with the church of Pergamos, in a sense, Satan joins the church. This is a church that is compromising. This is a church that's being infiltrated. This is a church that is turning to sin.
So things are getting bad, bringing us to the church of Thyatira, the fourth one. Revelation 2, 18 to 29. We could call them the corrupt church. Now compromise has run its full course and immorality is rampant. What was winked at in the church of Pergamos is fully tolerated and in many ways embraced in the church of Thyatira. And that's always how sin works. It starts small and then it gets big. It starts with a little issue and then it metastasizes and spreads to the system much like cancer and shows itself in so many ways. And Jesus warns them if they don't repent, they'll go through the tribulation period.
Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea
Then we come to the church of Sardis. We'll call them the dead church. Revelation 3, 1 to 6. That which was sick in Thyatira is pretty much dead in Sardis. And out of this church come two streams. And we could call this the church of the last days. And we have the stream of Philadelphia and we have the church of Laodicea. Philadelphia is a church that is going through open doors of opportunity. This is a church that is full of passion and fire and they're coming back to life. And then we have Laodicea which is a church that is in full compromise. In fact, they're so messed up, Jesus is on the outside trying to get back in. And this is the church that Jesus actually says in so many words, you make me sick.
So Revelation chapter 3 starting in verse 14. Let's read together. To the angel of the church of Laodicea write, these things sayeth the amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. I know your works that you're neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. So then because you're lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I want to vomit you out of my mouth. Now you may have a King James version and it says spew. That sounds very polite. But the word is vomit. Regurgitate. I just want you to understand what Jesus is saying. I'll vomit you out of my mouth because you say, verse 17, oh I'm rich and I become wealthy and I have need of nothing. Don't you know you're wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. 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. At the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed and anoint your eyes with eye salve that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chase in. Be zealous therefore and repent. Now verse 20, that very familiar verse I mentioned. Behold, I stand at the door and I knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him and he with me. To him that overcomes, I will Grant to sit with me on my throne and as I also overcame and sat down with my father on his throne. He that has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. So we'll stop there.
Background on Laodicea
All right, Laodicea. Just a little background. This was an actual place with an actual church. Laodicea was noted throughout the Roman province of Asia for its great wealth. It was also known for its commercial life and medical practice. It was the banking center of Asia. It was the most prosperous of the seven cities that the churches were located in. In fact, many large, beautiful homes were built in this city and the ruins of those are in some cases still visible and some were probably owned by Christians. Laodicea also had a flourishing clothing industry. There was a particular breed of black sheep that were raised around this area and the glossy black wool was woven into special clothes that were only sold in Laodicea. The city was also known for its medical practice and specifically for its eye salve, as Jesus mentions, that they should anoint their own eyes. And that was exported all around the Greco-Roman world. Laodicea was sort of like the Bank of America, Gucci and the Mayo Clinic, all in one location. So it was a destination for many people.
And here is what Jesus has to say. You know what? Because you guys are lukewarm, I want to vomit you out of my mouth. You know, some churches make Jesus sad. Some churches make Jesus angry. And some make Him sick. And this is one of those. You know, that is a pretty harsh thing to say to someone. You could say, Oh man, you broke my heart. Or I am really upset with you. But if you say to someone, You know what? When I see you, I want to vomit. Wow. That is pretty harsh, right? I mean, does it get any worse than that? And that is exactly what Christ says. But why does He say this?
Jesus' Diagnosis of Lukewarmness
All right. Let's look at His assessment. His diagnosis of the real problem. And understand, don't disconnect and say, Well that is some church that existed 2,000 years ago. This is His assessment of a certain person. There is not only a lukewarm church. There can be a lukewarm person. You or I can be that person. What does it mean to be lukewarm? Verse 15. He says, You are neither cold nor hot. Now the church of Sardis was a cold church, a dead church. In contrast, the church of Philadelphia was hot, alive, and vital. But here in Laodicea, we have a church that is neither hot nor cold. It is merely lukewarm.
And by the way, archaeologists have discovered a fascinating fact about this city. It had no local water supply. But obtained their water through an aqueduct from the hot Springs at Hierapolis, some six miles away. So if you were staying in a hotel in Laodicea, and you turn on the tap to get a cold drink of water, you probably spit it out because it was always tepid and lukewarm. Because traveling that distance, the hot water had partially cooled down and it became nauseating and repulsive. Okay, so things are not good lukewarm. There's very few food dishes you would serve lukewarm. They're either hot or cold. Take coffee. Coffee is great hot. Cappuccino, latte, Espresso. Coffee is good cold. Ice coffee. Coffee or fish is good hot. Right off the grill. Fish is good cold. Sushi, right? But if fish has been cooked and has been laying around for a few hours and gets mushy, well, that's not very appealing. And Jesus is saying lukewarmness makes me want to throw up.
Spiritual Temperature Check
Now, look, I don't know about you, but I hate to throw up. It's just, I fight it. If I'm feeling nauseated, I do not want that to happen. My wife, she is like one of the best barfers I ever met. Now, I don't watch her when she does it. But she'll say, I don't feel well. Oh, really? Then she'll disappear. She'll come back. I'm good. What happened? I threw up. You threw up? Oh, yeah, I threw up. I'm good. Yeah, okay. Me, it's like, oh, no. I have to throw up. I don't want to throw up. I hate throwing up. Oh, no. Oh, and I fight. Come back. And afterwards, I look like I've been through a war. Oh, you know, it's awful. You know, some people are better at this than others are, I guess. But here's what Jesus is saying. This really nauseates me.
So here's my question to you. What is your spiritual temperature right now? According to the Bible, there's only three options. You can either be boiling hot, you can be icy cold, or you can be miserably lukewarm. Again, boiling hot, icy cold, miserably lukewarm. What does it mean to be cold? He says, because you're hot or cold. It means frozen or icy cold. This is pretty much a description of a nonbeliever who has no interest in God. They have no interest in spiritual things. They're just cold. They're cold as ice, right? Their heart is like a rock. They don't want to hear about godly things. They don't want to hear about what Jesus has to say. They're just cold. In fact, the Bible tells us in Matthew 24:12, one of the signs of the last days is the love of many will grow cold.
And believe it or not, it's better to be cold than it is to be lukewarm. And I'll explain why in a moment. The word hot comes from a word zestos in the Greek. We get our English word zest from it. It means boiling hot. The Bible tells us in Romans 12:10, to be fervent or hot in spirit. Another translation says we should maintain that spiritual glow. A preacher in the New Testament named Apollos is mentioned as one who was fervent in spirit. And when we're starting to cool down, the Bible says that we should fan into flame the gift that God has given to us. In 1 Timothy 1:6, fan into flames is a spiritual gift that God has given you.
Staying Hot for God
And we all know people that are on fire for God. There's no other way to describe them. They're just on fire in their faith. And how does one stay on fire? Well, you feed the fire. If you have a fire at home, I don't mean a Duraflame log or a gas fireplace. But if you have an actual fire you build with actual logs and such, you feed the fire to keep it going, right? And the same is true in our spiritual life. When we find ourselves cooling down, we feed the fire. And how do we feed the fire? Excuse me. Thank you for that applause. How do we feed the fire? Well, you're doing it right now. By sitting here and watching me choke. No. By hearing the Word of God. I mean, you're at a midweek Bible study. This isn't Sunday morning. This is Thursday night. And you said, tonight I'm going to go and hear the Word of God. Most of you work. And you're busy. And you have a lot going on. But you made a choice to be here tonight. And I commend you for that because you're feeding the fire, right?
And when you open up the Word of God every morning, you're feeding the fire. When you listen to music that honors the Lord, you're feeding the fire. When you have fellowship with fellow Christians, you're feeding the fire. Remember those two discouraged disciples on the road to Emmaus after Christ had been crucified? They thought He was dead and gone forever. But of course, He was alive. And He met them. But He was incognito. They didn't know it was Jesus. He didn't have a lamb wrapped around His neck and a staff or something like that. They just thought He was a stranger. But He happened to be a stranger that knew the Word of God very well. And as they walked along, He opened to them the Scriptures. And their hearts that had cooled down began to burn again. And at the end of their journey, they said after He left, did not our hearts burn within us while He opened up the Word of God to us on the way? You want to keep your heart hot. You want to stay on fire for God. You fill it with the Word of God every single day and night.
The Danger of Lukewarm Faith
So that's hot. But what about lukewarm? Well, that's a whole other condition. You know, some people will say, well, Greg, I'm a Christian and I'm a believer, but I don't want to be perceived as fanatical. I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable with what I believe. I don't want to come off too extreme or overboard. You know what the reaction of Christ is to that kind of thinking? He says, it makes me sick. It makes Him sick. Because He says, He doesn't want us to be crazy or fanatical, but He wants us to be on fire and committed. And you can do that in a relatively sane way. And by that I mean you don't have to become a weird person, but you can become a very dedicated person, a very committed person.
And sometimes we might think, well, okay, lukewarm isn't as good as hot, but it's better than cold. No, it's actually not. G. Campbell Morgan, he's a British Bible commentator. He made this statement in one of his books. And I quote, There is more hope for the man outside the church and all of its coldness than for the man within the church who is near enough its warmth to appreciate it and far enough from its burning heat to be both useless to God and man. There is a greater chance for the non-believer who has not heard the gospel than for the man who has become an evangelized non-believer. End quote. Is that not a great quote? Do you get it?
See, there's someone sitting in a bar right now. They're nursing their fourth beer. They're miserable. They don't know what direction their life is taking. I suggest that person could be potentially closer to the kingdom of God than someone sitting in this church right now. Say, well, you lost me there. Are you saying we should all go out and get beers after church? No, I'm not. But here's what I am saying. That person in the bar, they're looking at their life. They're assessing it. They're saying, my life, it sucks. I've made so many bad decisions. I need to do something drastic. I need to get right with God. They're contemplating their state.
But there's someone sitting in church right now and you're completely bored. In fact, you're updating your Facebook page. You know who you are. You're totally distracted. You're texting a friend. You're daydreaming. Now, I'm not saying that's a bad thing to daydream, but maybe you're here because someone pressured you to be here. You don't really want to be here. Or you're looking forward to this getting over with. Here's the problem. To be an evangelized non-believer. Oh, well, I go to church, so I'm good. Well, maybe if you're listening and if you're putting into practice what you're hearing, but if you're going to church and not putting into practice, this can turn you, listen to me, into a lukewarm person.
Self-Deception in Laodicea
Don't forget this is the church of Laodicea. And don't forget that contextually, when Jesus says, behold, I stand at the door knocking, if you'll hear my voice and open the door, he is speaking to people in the church. Not necessarily Christians, but people in the church. Just because your name is on the church membership role doesn't mean it's necessarily in the book of life, right? So this is a self-deceived person. Lukewarm people are often the last to know that they're lukewarm. They think they're good. Look at verse 17. Because you say, I'm rich, I become wealthy in need of nothing. Don't you know that you're wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked? They're blind to their own spiritual condition. They don't even see their own state.
Have you ever heard of Hans Christian Andersen? Wrote many stories. And one of his most well-known is called The Emperor's New Clothes. And in this particular story, there was a very vain emperor who only cared about his appearance. And he hired two tailors. He wanted them to make him a beautiful robe to wear. And these guys were slackers. And they didn't do the job. And the king came in for his robe. And they realized, you know, they were in trouble. And maybe would even be beheaded. And so they said, Oh, oh king, we've made you a beautiful robe. In fact, this is different than anything we've ever made. Because this is a special material that is invisible. They cannot see this garment if they are unfit for office or if they are stupid. So only those who are good people will see this beautiful garment. And they pretended they were holding a garment when they really were holding nothing. And they began to cut it and fit the king. In reality, they were doing nothing. They were making gestures. And they said, Wear this king. And so the king walks out of the palace completely naked, thinking he is in this beautiful garment. Because he himself did not want to admit he was stupid or unfit for office. And as he is walking through his kingdom, all the people are bowing down before the naked king. But nobody wants to state the obvious except one little kid who points at the king and says, The emperor has no clothes. And then the king knew he was busted.
And that is what a lukewarm person is. Because you say, I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing. Jesus says, Actually, you are in big trouble. Verse 18, You have the shame of your own nakedness. So he tells them to buy gold refined in the fire. In other words, he is saying, You guys, you know, think about your soul. Think about your spiritual. life.
Jesus' Love in Rebuke
Now here is a very important point. Why does he say this to this church? Because he loves them. Effectively, Jesus says, You are poor. You are miserable. You are blind and you are naked. And you make me want to throw up. But I love you. It is true. He loves them. Because look at what he says in verse 19. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. As many as I dearly, tenderly love.
You know, there is a lot of ways we can express our love. The most obvious is saying to someone you love, I love you. That's very important to do, isn't it? Don't forget to say that to your husband or your wife or your mom or your dad or your son or your daughter. Just tell them you love them. Say those words to them. That's important. It really means a lot. But there's other ways to show love, too. I mean, if someone I loved, maybe a child or grandchild was running toward the street and I saw a car coming and I grabbed them and yanked them back, that might seem a little abrupt, but that was love, too. I'm trying to protect them from harm. Another way I might express my love is if I see a person doing something that's destructive to themselves, I might bring it to their attention and try to get them to stop doing that thing. That's a form of love.
And if you're a parent, you don't just indulge your children and give them whatever they want and give them candy. See, that's the job of the grandparent. But if you're a parent, you have to be responsible. You have to teach them manners. You teach them to have respect. And when they do something wrong, you may discipline them. Well, God does the same thing. Hebrews 12 says, The Lord disciplines those He loves. He punishes those that He accepts as His own children. If you endure this divine discipline, remember, God is treating you as His own children. Whoever heard of a child that was never disciplined? Listen to this. If God doesn't discipline you as He does all of His children, it means you're illegitimate and you're not really His children at all. See, you only discipline your own children. You don't discipline someone else's children. Though at times you would like to. But you better not. Or you might get arrested. No, you discipline your own children. And because you are a child of God, He will discipline you.
The Meaning of God's Discipline
Now let me explain what that means. If you're a Christian, God has given you a conscience. And the Holy Spirit will speak to you through your conscience. And when you start to do something wrong, the Lord will say, don't do that. Or apologize for that. Or don't cross that line. And so forth. He's there helping you. He deals with the ones He loves in that way. Now if you can go out in life and say you're a Christian and go have sex with your boyfriend or girlfriend and feel no remorse. Or if you can go out and party and get drunk with your friends and feel great about it. Thought you had a great time. Even prayed before you went out. Lord bless us as we go get drunk and fornicate and stuff. You know. Probably didn't say it that way. But I mean... If you're comfortable with that, you know what that says to me? You're not a Christian. Amen.
Judge not lest you be judged. Glad you brought that verse up. The word means condemn not lest you be condemned. I can't say who is or who isn't a Christian. But I'll say this. If a person can live in sin without any pain of conscience, that is an indication to me they are not a Christian. You say, Well, where do you get that from? From what I just read. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. And if you're without discipline, then you are a fatherless child. God doesn't discipline someone that doesn't belong to Him. But He does discipline those whom He loves. So if you say to me, Greg, every time I cross the line, every time I start to compromise, the Lord just nails me. God bless you. God just said, in so many words, I love you. It's a good thing. You see? It's a good thing.
So He loves these people. And that's why He's telling them the truth about their real condition. You know, I've told you this before. We have an overly sensitive smoke alarm in our house. And I've had to pull it off the wall a couple of times. I keep putting them back, you know. Better to have an overly sensitive smoke alarm than one that doesn't work, right? And if your conscience is tender and responsive, that is a very good thing.
Call to Repent Quickly
So here's what He says to this church. Verse 19. You need to repent. Be zealous, therefore, and repent. Interesting phrasing there. It can literally be translated let them repent at once and irrevocably let them continue always to be fired with zeal. If you're in this state, now listen to me. If I'm talking to you right now and you're saying, wow, I'm actually that person you just described. I'm the person living in two worlds, doing the things you said a Christian should not do and I don't feel that bad about it. Here's what God is saying. Quickly repent. Why quickly? Can I do it in a week or a month? No, do it immediately. Be zealous, therefore, and repent. Why? Because the lukewarm person is seriously ill and they need to take action now. And if you continue in this state, you can get a hard heart.
I just read this sad story of comedian and actor Gary Shandling who died of a heart attack. And he was a relatively young man in his early 60s. And that's young to me now, of course. And, you know, he was saying to his friends he didn't feel well. And he actually called his doctor and said, you know, I don't feel well. I feel like there's almost pressure on my heart. And the doctor said, well, Gary, you know, if you feel that way tomorrow morning, call me or call the hospital. Well, he woke up the next morning still feeling this and he called 911. But by the time they got there, he had already died. See, this man was sick and he needed to be taken care of. He needed to be taken to a hospital immediately. I mean, if you're having chest pains, call 911. It's okay. Better safe than sorry, right? So the same idea is communicated here with this church. If you see these symptoms, act on it. Don't put it off. Well, I'll do it tomorrow. I'll do it in a week. No, do it now lest you get an irreparably hardened heart.
Hebrews 12 addressed to believers says this, but we're brothers. speaking to believers. Lest any of you have an evil heart of unbelief and departing from the living God but exhort one another daily while it's called today lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin for we become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end. So the idea is act on this now.
Deepening Fellowship with Christ
And here's the most important thing. Enter into a relationship with Christ. Now you say, Greg, I'm already Christian and I don't need to hear this. Hold on. You actually need to hear this. Even Christians need to enter in to a relationship with Christ and to deeper fellowship with Jesus. Now look again at verse 20. Behold, I stand at the doorknock if any man hears my voice and opens the door I'll come into him and dine with him and he with me. Now by the way there's nothing wrong in quoting this to non-believers. I do it all the time. You've heard me quote it. The Bible says, for as many as received him he gave them the power to become sons of God. So when you become a Christian you really do invite Jesus to come into your life.
Heard about a mother that was telling her daughter, you know, Jesus comes and lives in our heart. The little girl took it literally and put her ear up against her mommy's chest and listened for a moment. Her mom had a little heartburn and her stomach was gurgling. The little girl says, Mom, right now I think he's in there making coffee. So... But he really does come and live inside of us. Not a tiny little Jesus living in us. But Christ lives in me. Christ lives in you. Christ lives in us. So it's true for non-believers but yet these words are contextually as I said to the church.
The Meaning of Dining with Jesus
Now let's understand what Jesus means when he says have a meal with you. If you have a King James Bible he says, I will come and sup with you. By the way, in the south they call dinner supper. Right? My Aunt Willie is here and. you all know Aunt Willie from the Fred Jordan Mission. And her parents Charles and Stella McDaniel came from Friendship, Arkansas. And she along with my mom and her other siblings were raised in a home where my grandmother made everything from scratch. The best fried chicken you've ever had in your life. Even better than Babes in Texas. If you saw that little video we did but Babes was quite good I must say. She made this amazing biscuit. I've never had one as good. First thing I want when I get to heaven is one of Mama Stella's biscuits. That's what we used to call them. But in the south and in Mama Stella's home they would call dinner supper.
Now we may not use that word supper. It's the main event. And in biblical times dinner was the big event. They didn't come home and watch you know Netflix. Okay? They didn't play video games. They didn't update their social media. No the big event was coming home and being with family and friends. That this was the thing. So when Jesus uses the verbiage I want to come and have a meal with you the idea that's being communicated is I want to take time with you. I want to hang out with you. I want to have long moments with you. I want you to open your heart to me and I'm going to open my heart to you. Right? So this is very important for us to understand. Because in our fast food culture we don't do this like maybe we did in another generation. You know we're on a rush. We're on the road. We're eating our burrito on the road. Sometimes we shift our burrito. We need our stick shift. We get confused. So the idea of a long meal may be lost in us.
So understand that was the culture of the time. And you know sometimes people say you want to go out to dinner. A lot of people I don't even know say I'd like to take you to dinner sometime. Well thank you very much for the invitation. But chances are I don't know that I'm going to go out to dinner with a complete stranger. And I'm definitely not going to go out to dinner with someone making a sales pitch. You ever had someone come and say you know I want to talk to you about this. because as long as I'm with them in the restaurant I'm stuck until we're done. And then they order you know their appetizer and then their meal then their dessert and their coffee and they're still talking and I just want to escape okay. I like to eat with people that I like to be with. Family, friends. So I'm very that's something I'm selective about.
So here's the idea that's being communicated here. It is Jesus is saying I want to have this relationship with you. And I heard about a dating service. I've not used it of course. I'm married now for 42 years. But I read about it. It's called Just Coffee. The idea is instead of having to go out with someone on a date, a full date, you just go for coffee. After they screen you and they screen the person and say now you meet them just for coffee. So I'd be like to say well good cup of coffee to your bite. You might do that in a minute. Who knows? Might go longer. And sometimes we're that way with Jesus. Hey just coffee? Get a quick cup. I'm out of here. Lord says I don't want to have just coffee with you. I want to have a lot of time with you. I want to have intimacy with you. So that's being. communicated.
And you remember how Jesus would meet with his disciples. And they would have meals together. And how he would share important truths with them over those meals. And so he says that's what I want. I want to come in and have fellowship with you.
Christ Dwelling in Our Hearts
Now there's a very interesting verse in Ephesians chapter 3 verse 17. We looked at this in our Live Love Fight series. But it says that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And that you being rooted and grounded in love. It's an interesting passage because to Christians Paul says my prayer for you is that Christ would dwell in your heart by faith. Now why would you pray that a Christian would have Christ dwell in their heart when Christ already dwells in their heart? Well a better understanding of the word gives the answer. It's a compound word which basically means to live in a house. But it's given with a prefix. so it could be put together saying Jesus speaking he wants to settle down and be at home in our hearts. Paul is saying I pray that Christ settles down and is at home in your heart. not just there but really there as not just a guest but as a person who lives in that place. And do you think he settled down in your heart right now?
There's an interesting little book written years ago by a man named Robert Boyd Munger. And the title of the book is My Heart Christ's Home. And he uses the idea of Christ coming to his actual house to illustrate this. And this was written a long time ago when Holmes had what was called the study or the library. Not many homes have a study or library anymore. They have a family room or maybe a TV room or a game room. Very few homes have a study or a library. But he talks about Jesus coming to this room and he writes these. things on the table the pictures on the wall. As I followed his gaze I became uncomfortable. Strangely enough I had not felt badly about this room before but now that he was there with me looking at these things I was embarrassed.
So let's go back to the idea of Jesus actually showing coming up at your house so you let him in and you are watching TV Jesus says what are you watching. well I'm not watching it now well let's turn it back on I don't know if you. Would there be a discomfort in your life if Jesus knew your personal history? Would there be a discomfort in your life if Jesus knew what movies you were just watching? And by the way, that's all recorded. It's documented there. People can look at histories of things. Would it bother you? Well, maybe you should rethink those things because that's the idea of Christ settling down in your heart. He's in control. He is the Lord. He is ruling there. You're having fellowship with there. He's welcomed. But this is not the lukewarm person. They don't want Jesus in that kind of way.
The Promise to the Overcomer
I heard the story of a pastor who went to a family's home one day. He knocked on the door, but no one answered. He knocked again. Still no answer. He thought he heard someone inside, so he expected them to answer, but no one did. So he wrote a little note and slipped it under the door. And it said, Hi, Pastor Joe came by today. And he wrote a scripture, Revelation 3.20. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in. So a couple days go by and he gets a note from the lady that lived in the house. And she just wrote down Genesis 3.16. Excuse me. Genesis 3.10. So the pastor wondered what... I don't remember what that passage is. So he looked it up. And it says these words. I heard the sound of you in the garden. And I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself. It has nothing to do with anything. It is just... So to the person who quickly repents and opens his heart to Christ, this promise, verse 21, to him who overcomes, I will Grant to sit down with me on my throne as I also overcame and sat down with my father on his throne.
You know, in Scripture, a throne is a symbol of authority and conquest. As Christ conquered the world and the devil and was exalted at the Father's right hand, so the conquering Christian will be honored as well. As Christ shares the Father's throne, the Christian will share Christ's throne. I don't know what this means exactly. But I do know that when we leave this world and we go into the afterlife, when we go to heaven, one day heaven will come to earth. And the Bible says that we who have served the Lord, we will rule and reign with him. We'll have responsibilities. We'll have things that we'll do. We'll have rewards given to us for our faithful service to him. So it's an amazing thing. As we let him rule in our life now, he'll let us rule with him one day.
Responding to the Knock
So let's land this plane and bring this message to a close with this verse that we've looked at a little bit of Jesus standing at the door and knocking. You know, I became a Christian at age 17, but there were moments in my life that I can reflect back upon where Jesus was knocking. I can go back to my childhood, remember certain experiences where I sensed God, I sensed my need for God, but I didn't know how to get into this relationship with him until it was explained to me. And maybe you can look back at your life and think of times that Christ has knocked. Maybe it was that close brush with death that you narrowly escaped. Maybe it was the unexpected death of a loved one that was sort of your wake-up call. Maybe it was a call from the doctor where you thought your life was coming to an end soon, but then they told you the test came back negative and you were okay, but you were alarmed there for a time. Maybe it was just hearing the gospel and you came so close to committing your life to Jesus Christ, but you didn't take that next step.
Well, you see, here's the thing. If someone is knocking and you don't answer the door, that's a way of saying, go away. I mean, if I came over to your house after church and I'm knocking at your door and I know you're inside and you're not naked and you're not hiding yourself like the one woman, you know I'm there. I know you're there. And you don't answer your door. You know how I will interpret that? I don't think they want me to come in. So maybe I'll be really patient and I'll knock for, you know, an hour. I doubt I would, but let's just say I would. Let's, for the sake of a point, say I knock for four hours continuously. Finally, I say, well, they don't want me and I leave. So when Jesus is knocking and we're not answering, that's our way of saying, go away. I don't want it.
So when people think that Jesus will always be knocking, there'll always be that opportunity. Well, maybe there will be. Or maybe death will come suddenly. You wouldn't even have a moment to get right with God. Or maybe your heart will get so hard by saying no to Him over and over again that you just won't care anymore. You don't end up with that cold heart we talked about. You don't want that to happen. Right now, in some of your lives, Jesus is knocking. And you know it. You know who you are. And you sense it. This is my moment. I need to get right with God. And to not say yes is to say no. To not invite Him in is to turn Him away.
Invitation to Open the Door
What do you want to do? Would you like Him to come and forgive you of your sin? Would you like Him to come and take residence inside of you and know you'll never be alone again? Then what you need to do is open the door, so to speak. And by the way, the doorknob of your heart, so to speak, is on the inside only. He won't kick it in. He won't open in and forcibly enter. He'll wait until you hear His voice and open the door. It's not even enough to hear His voice. You can say, well, Greg, I know what you're saying is true. And I know Jesus is calling me. Great. Now you've got to open the door. And guess what? I can't open that door for you. The person who maybe brought you here tonight cannot open that door for you. Only you can open the door. Only you can say, Jesus, come in. But if you do, He will come in. And He will never regret that decision. He will come. He'll clean your life up. You'll get rid of the junk you don't want in there. He'll replace it with things that are far better. And best of all, He Himself will live inside of you. And you'll never be alone again. Isn't that good news?
So we're going to close now in prayer. And I'm going to give you an opportunity to open the door of your heart. to say yes to Jesus if you've not done that yet. So if you need to respond, respond now as we pray.
Father, thank You for Your Word to us. Thank You for sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins and then to rise again from the dead. And now, Lord Jesus, I pray for every person here that may not yet know You, those that are watching, those that are listening. I pray that they will see their need for You and that they will come to You and believe in You at this very moment.
Now when our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we're all praying, maybe some of you would say tonight, Greg, I need to open the door of my heart and life. I want Jesus to come inside. I don't want to be alone anymore. I don't want to live in sin anymore. I want my sin forgiven. I want a fresh start in life. I need and I want Jesus. Pray for me. If that's your desire, if you want Jesus to come into your life, if you want Him to forgive you of your sin, if you want to go to heaven when you die, wherever you are, would you lift your hand up? And I'd like to pray for you. God bless you. God bless you. Anybody else? Lift your hand up or I can see it, please. God bless you as well. Anybody else? You want His forgiveness. God bless you here in the front. You want Christ to come into your life. God bless you. Raise your hand up. God bless you too. There in the back. God bless as well. Anybody else? Raise your hand up. Let me pray for you. Anybody else? You haven't lifted your hand yet. Lift it now. You want Jesus to come into your life. Let me pray for you. Lift your hand up. God bless you.
While our heads are still bowed, maybe some of you would say, You know what? You've been describing me. I'm the lukewarm person. I know it's right, but I'm not right with God. I'm living in two worlds. And I want to repent. Jesus said repent quickly. And I want to do it right here, right now. And recommit my life to Him. If that's your desire, if you want to make that recommitment to Christ because you are that lukewarm person, would you raise your hand up? Let me pray for you right now. God bless you. Anybody else? Raise your hand up. Let me pray for you. There might be a few more. God bless you. You've been trying to live in two worlds. You've been doing things you know you should not be doing as a follower of Jesus. But He has lovingly convicted you of it by His Holy Spirit. And you're saying, Lord, I heard you. And I'm committing myself to you. Anybody else? Raise your hand up. God bless you. God bless each one.
And now I'm going to ask that every one of you, if you would please, that have raised your hand. I want you to stand to your feet. And I'm going to lead you in a prayer of commitment to Jesus. Stand up. If you raise your hand, even if you did not, but you want to make this commitment or recommitment to Jesus, wherever you are, stand up. And we're going to pray together. That's right. Stand up. Others are standing. You won't be alone. God bless you that are standing. Stand up. We're going to pray together. Maybe you did not raise your hand, but you want to make this commitment or recommitment to Christ tonight. Stand to your feet. We're going to pray together. Anybody else? Stand now. God bless you. Anybody else? God bless you. I'll wait one more moment. There might be a few more that want to stand. You want Jesus to come into your life? You want to recommit your life to Jesus? Stand to your feet. We're going to pray together. God bless you. God bless you. Anybody else? Stand now. All right. God bless you that are standing. God bless you too. Anybody else? In this final moment, stand now. God bless you. God bless all of you.
All right. You that are standing, I want you to pray this prayer out loud after me. You're saying to Christ, you're sorry for your sin. You're turning from it. You're choosing to follow Him. Again, as I pray, pray this out loud after me, right where you stand. Pray this after me now.
"Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner. But I know that you're the Savior who died on the cross for my sin and Rose again from the dead. Now Jesus, come into my life. Be my Savior. Be my Lord. Be my God. And be my friend. I choose to follow you, Jesus, from this moment forward. Thank you for calling me and accepting me and forgiving me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen".