Isn't it cool all that God is doing here and uh it it's exciting to be part of it. Thank you, thanks for inviting me um we we met yesterday in the middle of the summer, the heat of the summer, and there are 27 men. Uh, gathered in the lobby and for you guys if you're going, I'm looking for a Bible study where I can get connected. Uh, we do that on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of every month. We meet at 7 and we say amen at 8 so you can get home your. Family might be getting up. You've got some tasks to do. We'd love to have you be part of it, um, and, and I appreciate that John's allowed me to be part of, of this sermon series and especially that I could be the one to speak on Leo Decia because, um. Uh, when we're done, you may be going to John and saying that's the last time, never let him do that again. Um, there, there are 7 churches and John went through a bunch. His dad went, Dave Reno shared with us last week and, and before we get into the church at Leo decia, I think we need to just um. Uh, get some definitions clarified, OK? And, and I remember one time I was on vacation with my wife and her family and her sister was there and she brought a stack of papers with and she was a school teacher and um as she was going through the paper she wrote on the top OT. OT, I'm going OT. I know what OT means, at least at the time I was working in a grocery store and going to seminary and in the grocery store, OT meant overtime. And people were going, is that OT? I come in tomorrow? Um, in seminary, whenever you saw OT, OT always meant. Old Testament And and so I was telling my wife that and she said, and my wife is a nurse, she says, OT. Means occupational therapy. So I, I said to her sister, what does OT mean? She goes, oh these are papers that came in on time and so all of us had a different picture as we saw those letters. A really important definition I think we need to get is what is a Christian if I were gonna ask uh everybody here right now how many are Christians? I'm not asking, you know, but you will raise your hand that the place would just be hands up all over. Um, but I think we need to define Christian because I, I think the word has changed a little bit. Um, our big idea today is being a Christian means following Jesus, that's what it means. And, and so there may be some here today who are going, yeah, you know, I, I don't wanna go to hell and just in case there is one, you know, I'm going, I'm a Christian, um. Jesus helps us understand what it means to be a Christian. Jesus never invited anybody to be a Christian. Did you know that? Never. What he did is he went to people all the time and he said, follow me. Um In Matthew chapter 4 verse 18, it tells us this as Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers. Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. Come, follow me, said Jesus, and I will make you fishers of men. In John 1:43, it says, the next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, follow me. In Matthew chapter 16 verse 24, then Jesus said to his disciples, if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. In John 12, whoever serves me must follow me. Do you get the picture? Uh, because I really believe today that there's many who go, I wanna be a Christian. I just don't wanna follow Jesus, or I, I'll follow him in a bunch of areas, but there's a few areas here I don't want him messing with. You know, I, I, I don't want him messing with my money. It's kind of my money I've worked for. I don't want him. I have an idea what he wants me to do. I just don't wanna do it. And so I can still be a Christian and just not follow him. Or maybe it's in our marriages, you know, I thought Pastor Dave did just a phenomenal job last week when he was talking about the church at Philadelphia and he was talking about Christians who were, um, they were faithful they were true they were going through a tough time. There was, there was hardships and persecutions and Jesus says to them, I see that you're faithful. He says, I see what you're going through and I want you to know I'm coming soon. Hang in there. That's not the church of Laodicea. Uh, we're gonna see that he has nothing good to say to them. They weren't that church. They were a group of people who were going, I'm, I'm Christian, man. Just leave me alone. I'm OK. And I, and I think there's people today who, who maybe it's your entertainment. You're going, you know what? I wanna be a Christian. I really don't want Jesus messing with my entertainment. Kind of the stuff I do, that's my thing and. I'm just not gonna follow him in that area. Maybe it's in your marriage. Maybe you're going, I, I have a pretty clear idea of what Jesus wants me to do in my marriage, and I don't want to do it, and I don't intend to follow him. Maybe it's the way you're raising your children or how you're running your business or. How you're behaving in many other areas you're going, I wanna be a Christian, I'll be good. I, I'll come to church. Uh, John, John, John, I'll even work in VBS. Whoa. There, am I OK? And Jesus says, I want you to follow me. I want you all in. I think the the music team this morning just did a great job choosing songs that talked about that Jesus is beautiful, Jesus is in control, Jesus is the one and we're gonna follow him and we sing those songs, but when we walk out of here, do we mean that? Or do we go, now, there's areas of my life. My sexuality. My business. I, I, I'm just gonna choose not to follow him. But I still want the name Christian. Guys, I just gotta tell you. That Jesus is talking to a church. And he's incredibly strong to this church. And that's right where they were. We wanna be Christians. You got remember this. What I'm gonna read this morning from the Bible is Jesus talking to a church. Not to a bunch of crazies out there who don't want anything to do with them. This is, he's talking to a church. In fact, As as we're talking. Jesus explained. In John 14:6, I am the way. The truth and the life. Hardly anybody gets to go any other way. Is that what it says? No one comes to the father except through me. 3 times in the book of Acts. It, it describes the first people who were part of this movement, they're described as followers of the way. In Acts chapter 22 it says Paul is describing what he did. He said, I persecuted the followers of this way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison. And then in Acts chapter 11 verse 26. It says the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. So if you get the picture. Jesus said, I am the way. Jesus said, follow me. The early members of the movement were called followers of the way. And then later, Years later They were started to be called Christians. But Christians are followers of Jesus. And so we've described, is that where you are? You're here today. And if you're really honest with yourself, are there areas of your life that you go. I just, I don't want him messing with that area of my life. But it's good to know that I'm still good. I want you to hear what Jesus says. To a church that was functioning that way. It says this in Revelation 3:14 to the angel of the church in Laodicea, and the angel was probably the pastor of the church. It it's like Jesus saying, I'm writing to John at Mission Grove. He says, I'm writing to the angel of the church in Laodicea write these words. These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. 333 ways Jesus describes himself. He describes himself as the Amen that actually comes from the book of Isaiah where it describes God and said he is the God of the Amen. What does amen mean? I mean, some of you are going, yeah, I hear that in church every once in a while, so some somebody up front and talking and somebody in the congregation goes, Amen. What is, what does amen mean? Means that's true. That's right. And so Jesus says, I'm the amen. I'm the one who's true, and then it says. If he calls himself the faithful and true witness. How many here are glad? That Jesus is faithful in his grace and mercy. Anybody here? Yeah, OK. How many are glad that he's faithful in his judgment? How many are glad? That the standard that he has Doesn't change How many have ever been part of a business, a school, anything where the rules changed? That that's not, that's not a fun place to be, is it? No, I, I remember working for my father in, in his grocery store. And, and, uh, we had a rule that the staff. The team, the, the employees needed to park on the side of the building. And and they didn't want to park on the side of the building. Because there were no cameras over on the side of the building and they'd come out after work and somebody had broken into their car or damaged it, vandalized it and so they didn't want to park over there. And, and I remember my dad coming in one day when I was working and he said, oh, Dan, I, I didn't know you were here. I go, what do you mean? Why wouldn't I be here? He said, well, I didn't see your car. And I said, Dad, it's on the side of the building. And he says, oh, no, no, no, that rule's not for us. Yeah, I go, Dad, I can't ask somebody to do something that I'm not gonna do. And many of you have been part of that. Maybe he had a teacher who said, here's the standard and you're going yeah well how about for Johnny over there? Johnny never meets that and you don't care. Maybe you had a boss, maybe on the construction site who said, man, you'd be here at this time. And you were faithful and you were there every time. And you saw him fire a guy one time because he was late. But Johnny could come late. When Jesus says he is faithful, what he is saying, he says, when I say this is the standard, this is the standard. And we go. No, I want him to be faithful on grace and mercy. There there's a verse in the Bible that we love, we love, we memorize, we only memorize part of it, um, but we memorize the part we like, and, and it's in 2 Timothy chapter 2, verse 13. It says if we are faithless he will remain faithful. That's so cool, isn't it? That man, when I sin, it doesn't matter that much because God's gonna be faithful. That's not what the verse says. We wanted to say that here's the verse before that. He says if we disown him, he will disown us. Do you get what he and, and then the very next verse, and we could be faithless, but don't think he's gonna be faithless, he's gonna be faithful. To what he said, this is what happens. Isn't this fun? Listening to did Jesus really mean that all friends. He says he's the ruler of God's creation. Why does Jesus get to say I get the standards? I love, I came in yesterday and I saw this backdrop. I said that is so cool, a picture of God's creation, but it's such a little depiction is. God's creation. Some of you have been to the Grand Canyon or some some place. John just came back from Hawaii and he's sitting there showing pictures of the sunrises and the God's creation is incredible. And Jesus says to the church at Laodicea, I am the ruler of the creation. What gives you the right, Jesus, to tell me what to do? All of this? Is mine Jesus said. That's how he begins his letter to the Church of Laodicea. One of the things that we discover about this church is that they're just unaware. They're just, I mean the reason that the title of the message is Who's at the door going through life unaware this morning's message is a little bit hard, so little, little bit kind of in our face. But I would rather we hear that and then go, well, at least now I'm aware of what it says. So they were unaware of their condition. In Revelation 3:15, Jesus says, I know your deeds. He says that by the way, to most of the churches. And almost all of the churches to the church at Philadelphia, he had nothing negative to say to most of the other churches he had something positive to say. I, I see you're, you're doing these things really good, but I have this against you. He's got nothing good to say to the Church of Laodicea. How would you like to be part of that church? He had nothing good to say to them at all. In fact, what he says. I know your deeds that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other. Really? Jesus would wish. That instead of kind of being lukewarm, he'd rather that I, I not have anything to do with them. And and the answer is absolutely. Absolutely you go that this doesn't make any sense. It's easier to reach a person who's cold for Christ than it is somebody who's been vaccinated with a little bit of Christianity, so I feel like I'm kind of OK. I'm OK. And Jesus, I, I, I wish you were hot on fire for me or cold against me. He could reach Paul because Paul was totally against him. I, I, I'm sure many of you, um, John, I know has, I have, I've, I've had people who say, you know what, I can't become a Christian. I am just so bad. I've done so many bad things. You know what my answer always is to them. I always say how many Christians did you kill? Well, I didn't kill anybody. I go, Paul did. And yet God said, OK, Paul, now I can use you. So it's easier to reach a person who's cold. Than someone who's lukewarm. Get ready because Jesus gets really unkind here he's talking to a church he's talking to a group of people who say they are Christians. This is Jesus talking to them. And he says, so because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. Well, that's not fair. I want the nice Jesus back. How many want the nice Jesus back? He says, I'm gonna spit you out of my my my wife will sit and watch sports with me and one of the things she go, oh, that's so disgusting. Guy will come up to bat and he'll he'll be right there and he'll lean over and he'll spit and she go, Why does he have to do that? That it's unnecessary. It is here, this word is stronger than that. It's stronger than spit. It it It has the meaning to vomit. I, I'm gonna vomit you out of my mouth. You know, we would use the phrase today, you don't you make me sick to my stomach. That's Grab this. Jesus is talking to a church. To a church. Who's unaware. Of the of what they're where they are, what they're going through. He says this, you say I am rich. I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing. But you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. The church at Lao deer, the city of Laodicea, was known for three major things. Number one, it was a banking center. Um, number 2, it was a garment center. They made all kinds of garments and then number 3, it had a medical school and they were kind of famous for their, their, uh, sad that they put on eyes. So Jesus strikes them right at the areas, um, where they said we're really good. Charles Coulson, I don't know if many of you know who Charles Coulson is maybe some of the older ones he was part of the Nixon, um, group, um, he was called Nixon's hatchet man, and he went to prison for Watergate, uh, where he became a follower of Jesus. But Charles Coulson says the hardest group of people to reach for Christ are the upper middle class. He says because the upper middle class, which by the way, is most of us here. Think that we can solve all of our problems ourselves. I, I'm rich. I, I got it. We're having problems with your family. I, I know, you know, I, I'll go hire someone to come in and help us with. You're having problems with your finances. I'll go talk to my accountant and we'll get that worked out. They always think we can just fix it. And Jesus says to a church that says, I'm OK, can you just Get off my back. Jesus says you're not OK. You're going through life unaware. And I think there's value for us. We're gonna get to the good news, but there's value for us in each of us evaluating our lives. And ask ourselves, are we on that spectrum there? Are, are there areas of our life that we go, I don't want Jesus messing with. I got a relationship going with someone and I know Jesus isn't happy with, but I don't want it. I don't want him messing with that at all. Maybe there's an entertainment thing that you have going and you go, you know what, it just satisfies me now. Can you just, Jesus, just leave that part alone. Maybe it's your finances. Again, your sexuality, your, your, um, all kinds of different areas. Some of you are sitting here and you're going. Yeah, there's an area. It's my marriage. I just want Jesus to get his hands off my marriage because I know what he wants me to do and I don't want to do it. I know what he wants me to do with my checkbook and I don't wanna do it. I want to know what he wants me to do with my career. But I don't want to do it. And and friends It is too easy today for us to stand and say that's OK. Everything's OK. You're gonna be OK. Jesus doesn't say that to this church. He doesn't say that. He says it's not OK. So they weren't aware of their situation. I pray that for some of us here that we hit a place and we go, I am now aware because Jesus now says if you're aware of it, something else you've been unaware of is you're unaware of what Christ's offer is. Listen to what he says. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in fire. I have the resources. I have the stuff for you. And you may have to go through difficulties and challenges and, and suffering and persecution, but if you go through that fire, I have gold for you. He says so you can become rich and white clothes to wear. So that you can uh cover your shameful nakedness and sav to put on your eyes so you can see. I have the solutions to the things you're looking for and I have them. And and then he says the coolest thing, he says those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline. How many have ever been around a a a parent who just absolutely never disciplined their kid. some of us, some of us knows what the, and the kid always turns out great. Jesus says, you know, the ones I love, I rebuke and I discipline. Why? Because I want them. To have a full life. I, I I remember my son When he was 15, he, he, he asked me, he said, how come you always have to win? And I said, buddy. I'm not gonna know if I win until you're 25. Till you're out of the house living your life hopefully for the Lord, prayerfully for the Lord. I that's when I'll know I want. Uh, when you're 15, I don't know if you're gonna win or not, but I'm gonna do my best to help you get there. Um, Jesus loves. The church And he said, for that reason I rebuke you and I discipline you. But here's what he says Here, so, so be earnest and repent. What does repent mean? It means say, oh gosh, sorry. That's not repent. Repent is to be going in one direction. Seeing it's the wrong direction and stopping and turning and going the other way. The other way, are we ready to do that in those areas that we said, do you know what? I don't want Jesus touching that. Are you ready to say, Lord? This is gonna be hard for me and I'm gonna need your strength, but I wanna go in the other direction. I wanna go your way. I want to follow you. And then he says this. Here I am. I stand at the door and knock. If anybody ever seen a picture like that, maybe in a in a in a church, typically an older church or grandma and grandpa's house or something like that if some hands are going up, yeah, and we always got the picture that that was about evangelism. This is Jesus talking to a church and he says, I'm outside the door of your church and I'm knocking on the door. And he says if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and I'll eat with him. It literally I'll I'll have dinner with him because he, he picked a meal that um in biblical days it lasted a long time. It was an intimate relationship you'd come in and you'd sit it's not a quickie lunch it's not a snack it's not a Starbucks coffee. It's an it's an intimate time together where you get to know each other. I'll come into your life. And spend time with you so that you will know me cause you can't follow me. Without knowing what I want for you. And Jesus offers that to them. I will come in and eat with him and he with me. So they were unaware that that offer was being made. I wanna tell you if right now you're going, man, this has been a hard message. This is a good thing. Jesus is saying a good thing. I'm standing at the, the door of your heart. And I so desperately want to come in and, and Be with you and be intimate and for you to know me. I'm willing to do that. What an incredible offer. Do we want Jesus doing that in our life? Is that what we're looking for? Because he promises I'll come in, I'll come in. The last thing they were unaware of is that what a victorious life looks like, um, they were unaware of that. Jesus says this Brandon read it this morning to him who overcomes I give the right to sit with me on my throne. You know we get so caught up in the moment. I, I, I'm terrified. I'm anxious that my my retirement program isn't gonna come through. I'm, I'm distraught about um this relationship. I, I'm, I'm controlled by this Jesus says you're gonna spend eternity, eternity that's kind of a long time on the throne with me. Not a neat picture. That's where I want you. I want you right beside me on my throne. He says I will give the right to sit with me on the throne just as I overcame and sat down with my father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says. To the churches. So our big idea today. I being a Christian means following Jesus. Is that where we wanna be? Do we want to be following Jesus? And maybe you've gone, I, I didn't think there were these kinds of things. I thought, I thought I just needed to say a prayer. I, I remember that young man who came to Jesus happened to be really rich. And and he came to Jesus and he said, you know what, what do I have to do to have eternal life? And, and Jesus says, gave him something. He said, I'm, I'm there, man. I'm good to go. I'm right there with you. And it says Jesus loved him. And he looked at him and he said, One more thing One more thing. Go sell everything you have. And give it to the poor and then. Come and follow me. And it said the young man dropped his head. And turned and went away. And Jesus said, hey, hey, come back. I got a little prayer if you could just say the prayer, we'll be good to go. Is that what he said? He let him go. Because he said, I need you all in. And if we're aware of an area of our life that we're saying, I'm not letting Jesus have it. And we're not battling to give it to him. We're not doing everything we can to give it to him. I just don't want us to play games. I don't want us confused that everything's OK. Jesus doesn't make it sound like it's OK. But he says, I'm there for you. I wanna be there. I want you to open up the door of your heart. I wanna come in. I wanna be with you. So Brandon's gonna Play a song I really want us to understand. That being a Christian means following Jesus. And, and as Brandon picks a song, he has a he has a song that really is the challenge. And we're gonna stand and sing that song, but at the end of the song. If you're here and you go, you know what, there, there are areas. And I'm gonna need help with that. Brandon's gonna be up here. I'm gonna be up here. There might be other pastors who are up here. We would like to help you on that journey of turning everything over to Jesus. But stand