At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus called people to become His disciples. Men like Simon and Andrew – (Mark 1:16-18), James and John – (Mark 1:19-20). At the conclusion of His ministry, Jesus sent His apostles to make more disciples – (Matthew 28:19), teaching them to observe all that He had commanded – (Matthew 28:20). A disciple is a learner, a follower; to be a disciple of Jesus means that we follow Jesus. But as Jesus mentions in our text, such discipleship requires …
(Revelation 3:20)…..Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
For the most part, Laodicea has evicted Jesus Christ from their church. Jesus is portrayed in this text as on the outside trying to gain admission, yet He loves them, and reaches out to them. He says to Laodicea – “I stand at the door and knock.” It should be noted that these verbs are in the …
(Colossians 1:9-12)…..9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who …
(Revelation 3:18-19)…..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 eye salve, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.
Notice the invitation to see, to receive eye salve to anoint their eyes that they may see. Jesus invites them to come to Him so that He can restore their spiritual vision. …
(Hebrews 1:1-4)…..”God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become …
(2 Corinthians 5:1)…..For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. If we expect the world to believe our message of Good News, we should not live like this life is all there is. As believers in Jesus Christ, we should live and die like we believe the Bible, which clearly reveals this life is not the end. As a believer in Jesus Christ, when we leave this body we immediately …
(Psalm 73:25-28)…..Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. 26 My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27 For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish; You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry. 28 But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, That I may declare all Your works.
“Whom have …
(Revelation 3:15-17)…..15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ – and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked –
Remember that water problem I spoke of earlier? Water from the hot springs in Hierapolis six miles …
(Colossians 2:18-19)…..Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.
Once again let’s look at Paul’s epistle to the Colossians to gain some more insight into the church in Laodecia. In verses 18-19 we see there …
(Psalm 51:1-12)…..Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. 4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight – That You …
