Overcomers Part 2

AI Transcript

Amen. If you have a Bible, let's get started here. Revelation chapter three is where we're at. If you're just joining us, we're working our way through this book, this apocalypse. And we are in the midst of these seven messages to seven churches. So that's where we're at. We'll cover the last three churches today. Have you ever noticed how pervasive culture is at shaping a people and their values and their thoughts?

We may not notice how much we are shaped by our culture, but we can certainly notice it in others. My wife has a whole degree in this, cultural anthropology, so she notices it. But have you ever noticed how nations have culture about them? And the people of that nation think certain ways and act certain ways. And in those nations, states have cultures and cities have cultures and towns and churches have...

Cultures that shape people. Families have cultures. You can think about like New York City and you can think, well, what's the culture there? What's the cultural value? Well, you might say it's economic power in New York City, but then you think about DC and you think, that's political power that shapes that culture. You think about red states and blue states and you think there's some different culture there. You could think about just how culture is shaped by history and even geography.

We're in the US West in Colorado. And so there's a kind of individualism. There's a kind of cowboy, lonesome, a lone ranger kind of individualism that is the cultural air we breathe. And that's why Denver is the third loneliest city in America. Because we're on our own, but that shapes us as a culture.

It shapes us that we do not want to be tied down by anyone or anything. We don't want to have obligations or commitments to others. And this is why in the US West and in Colorado, church membership is so difficult to sell people because we're like, no, the Bible actually calls us into something together. And we're like, no, I'm on my own. I'll do it myself. mean, culture shapes us. Do you ever think about how Parker is shaping you?

Mark Oshman (02:25.336)

Probably not, but it is. Did you know that 80134 zip code was like the, in the top 10 most moved to zip codes in America in the last six months? People are coming here for something. They're going to be shaped by something. They're gonna shape you like culture shapes the people and sometimes in good ways and sometimes in not so good ways. We're in these messages to these,

seven churches in the book of Revelation at the end of the first century and they're real churches with real problems facing real persecution and real dark days ahead. But they're also in cities and in a culture in the Roman Empire and sometimes that culture unbeknownst to them is shaping them and forming them in ways that is not great. And so these letters are written and you see these like historical and cultural

things being played out and Jesus is calling these churches out in most cases sometimes commending these churches for pushing back reminding these churches that yes you live in the world but you're not of the world you are called to be a culture a colony of heaven amidst a kingdom of death this is what we're called to we should be culture shapers not shaped by our culture and this is where where

Jesus is going at with these people. In the book of Revelation, see that there, as Rick already talked about, are glimpses of unseen realities, not just in the future, but in the present. There are unseen realities happening. When we see evil unfold before our very eyes, our struggle is not against flesh and blood. There is something going on. There are forces. There are demonic forces. There are...

powers and principalities that work in this world and Revelation helps us understand some of that that's going on and renews our mind renews us to be a colony of heaven amidst a kingdom of death. So these seven messages there's some repeated themes and the theme is how are we going to be conquerors or overcomers in the midst of the land and the culture that we live in how will we persevere in the end and in each

message it is both timely for them and for us and timeless it applies across time and space to the church of Jesus so at the end of every kind of message there's this repeated refrain for example in our passage today verse 6 he who has an ear let him hear what the spirit says to the churches so it was a message in this case to Sardis but it was a message to the churches now here's the thing

These seven messages apply across time and space, but they don't all apply equally to every church. There are some churches where a message, a particular message to a church that they would really hold on to. For example, today, the message to the Church of Philadelphia, a church that is small and persecuted and powerless, but they are faithful and so.

What happens in the world even today, not here in America, but elsewhere where the church is persecuted, where the church is oppressed, they go to the letter to the Philadelphians and they hold tight to the promises of that. Well today we don't have time to dig too deep into Sardis and Philadelphia because I wanted to spend most of our time on the last one, maybe the most famous message, but it is also the message that is the clearest mirror to the church.

in the West and maybe to us and maybe to us individually as well. So let's go ahead and jump in and see. Again I will just go quickly through these first two but you'll see this pattern that we saw last week. There's this pattern where Jesus addresses Jesus has shown up and it's pointing back to chapter one where Jesus stands among his people. He addresses some problem that they're facing. He gives them.

commendation or confrontation he gives them a solution and then a promise pointing to Revelation 20 21 and this is the pattern so look for that pattern even as we go quickly through these first two churches listen carefully this is God's Word says then to the angel of the church in Sardis the words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars this is Jesus from

Chapter one, seven spirits of God just means the Holy Spirit. Seven is this symbolic number throughout the book of completeness and wholeness. The seven stars we know from chapter one are the angels of the seven churches. He says this, know your work, Sardis. You have the reputation of being alive. were well known. that church is killing it. Look at all that they're doing. Look at their services. Okay, I told you I wouldn't preach this, so I gotta keep going.

You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. The Spirit has left the building. Wake up. Strengthen what remains and is about to die. For I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. So there's the problem that they are doing works apart from the Spirit. John 15 says, apart from me, you can do nothing and they're doing things, but they are spiritual zombies. But this is Jesus' grace to them to call them back.

Here's the solution. Verse three. Remember then what you have received and heard. What did they receive and heard. Remember the gospel. Remember the gospel. See a church that moves on beyond the gospel is on a certain path to death. They might do a lot of stuff but it's on a path to death. So remember and repent. If you will not wake up I will come like a thief and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you still have a few names in Sardis. People who have

not soiled their garments and they will walk with me in white for they are worthy. Here's the promise. Verse five. one who conquers or overcomes will be clothed thus in white garments and I will never blot out his name from the book of life. And we see this later in Revelation. I will confess his name before my father and before his angels. He who has an ear let him hear what the spirit says to the church. So Sardis.

Remember and repent. Now we move to Philadelphia. To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write the words of the Holy One, the true one who has the key of David, that becomes important, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. I know your works. So Sardis had nothing but confrontation.

that there was nothing good to say about Sardis and now in Philadelphia there's nothing bad to say about Philadelphia. Says, I know your works, behold, I have set before you an open door which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not.

but lie, behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet and they will learn that I have loved you. Here's what's going on. This is why Jesus stands with the key of David. This is why Jesus says, I will open a door for you. Here's what's happened in Philadelphia. Remember, the Jews in the Roman Empire had legal protection. They did not have to worship the emperor as Lord, but these Christians, many of them Jews themselves,

We're in the synagogue pointing them to the Messiah and they rejected the Messiah. In fact, they didn't just reject the Messiah. They kicked the Christians out of the synagogue and shut the door in their face. And they were exposed to Roman persecution. They were dying for their faith. And Jesus says, Hey, I have the keys to David. I have the key.

the keys of David. have the real keys to the kingdom and I'm going to open a door and you can come in. The synagogue might be shut in your face, but it's not a true synagogue. It's the synagogue of Satan. They don't follow me. They don't really know me, but I'm going to open a door and you can go in and you will find salvation there. He says, because you have kept my word, you've been faithful about patient endurance in the midst of your suffering. have not

Given up you've been faithful about patient endurance. I will keep you From the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world to try those who dwell on the earth now Let me just say something real quick about this because some will say well see verse 10 there says that this church is going to be raptured before the the trials and tribulations come that that may be an interpretation or it may be more like the history of

God's people more like the Old Testament. So for example it isn't that God takes his people out of persecution and suffering but rather preserves them in the midst of his righteous judgment on the land. So you have Noah and Lot. Noah and Lot aren't raptured but they are preserved amidst God's righteous judgments coming. Or you have Israel in Egypt.

They are still there when all the plagues come on Egypt, God preserves his people in Egypt. But most likely this refers to Daniel chapter 12, verse one and following where it says, my people who are faithful amidst a land that is persecuting them, I will preserve them. So when God's righteous judgment comes on the earth in these great trials and tribulations, it won't fall on the people of Philadelphia because they are.

persevering in their faith. God will preserve his people. Well, here's the solution to their problem. It's not really a solution. It's just an encouragement to keep on keeping on. Verse 11, I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have so that no one may seize your crown. Keep on keeping on. Persevere. Verse 12, the one, and here's the promise, the one who conquers or who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my

God never shall he go out of it and I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God the new Jerusalem which comes down from my God out of heaven and my own my own new name he who has an ear let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. So in Philadelphia there was all these pagan temples and and someone with a.

of good reputation. would set up a pillar in the temple and put their name on it so everyone could see. But in Philadelphia there were a lot of earthquakes and so these temple these pillars would always fall and break. But Jesus says hey I've opened the door for you to go into the actual temple of the true and living God and I'm going to set up a pillar and I'm going to put your name on it. And guess what it's an unshakable temple. It will be there forever. I'm to put your name on it. I'm to put God's name on it. It's just this promise. You are apart.

of the kingdom forever if you overcome. So now let's look at Laodicea. Again, look for who Jesus is, what the problem is, what the solution is, and what the promise is. This is verse 14. To the angel of the church in Laodicea, the words of the amen, the faithful and true witness and beginning of God's.

creation. is Jesus. is the amen, the truth. He is faithful. What he's about to say is true. He is the beginning of God's creation, meaning he's the Alpha and Omega. He is the creator of all things. This is who stands and is about to address the Laodiceans. Again, he doesn't have any words of commendation for them. These are actually very hard words for a church, but you need to know this. They are hard words from a soft heart.

You will see in this passage, Jesus will say himself, what I'm saying to you is hard, but it's because I love you. Again, when we think about which of these seven churches most maybe reflect in general, the church in the West and maybe us and maybe some of us individually, Laodicea is probably the one that has the clearest echo. So let's see what the problem is. Verse 15.

I know your works. You are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot. Again, he's speaking about a well-known cultural, historical, geographical phenomena in Laodicea. Jesus isn't saying, I wish you were on fire for me or I wish you really hated me. He's not saying that. Here's the deal, Laodicea was this.

on a superhighway of sorts in the Roman Empire. It was this center of economic and cultural hub. It had so much going for it, but it did not have its own water supply. It had to get that from elsewhere. Nearby, five miles away, Colosse had a fresh river going through there. And so you could go there and get a refreshing drink of cold water that has come down the mountain, and it would refresh your soul.

Or you could go by to nearby Heropolis. in Heropolis, they had these hot springs where you could go in and sit and receive all the healing properties of the hot springs. But not so in Laodicea. You either had to carry water five miles away from Colosse, or there was an aqueduct that would carry water in. But as it traveled those five miles, it got warm, it got stale, it started to take on a sulfur type of...

to it. even though Laodicea had all this wealth, all this power, they were lacking this one thing. This one thing that could either revive people physically or heal people spiritually. And Jesus says, I know you're neither hot nor cold, just like your water source. that you were either hot or cold? And then verse 16. So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

Wow. And in fact, that translation is pretty benign. The word is spew or vomit. You disgust me.

You initiate my gag reflex. Jesus says this to a church. I will spit you out of my mouth. These are hard words. No doubt when Laodicea received this and it got to them, they were wondering what Jesus was going to say because they would be shocked by this. Like, what are you talking about, Jesus? We're doing well. Our services are full. We've got programs for husbands and wives and children and we're...

doing well in this city. What what why would you say that he goes on for you say I am rich I have prospered I need nothing I am rich I am proud I have prospered and I need nothing. This was the cultural heir of Laodicea not just of the pagans but in the church. This was a wealthy city Laodicea was known for three things. It was known for one for their wealth just

that they had a tremendous wealth. One time the temple in Jerusalem needed some repairs and they asked the Laodiceans, Jews to send some money. They sent 22 pounds of gold, like 22 pounds of gold to help in the repair of the temple. In the year 60 AD, when an earthquake kind of leveled some of the temples and buildings of Laodicea, the Roman imperial empire said, hey, we'll come and help you rebuild that. And they said, no thanks.

We got this. We can do it on our own. We are self-sufficient and self-satisfied. This is what Laodicean said. This was the cultural air that they breathed. And this is what has shaped the church in Laodicea. So they were wealthy. The other thing they were known for is their textile industry. They were a hub of fashion. They had produced this kind of glossy black wool. And so that they were the envy of the Roman Empire in their dress and their clothing.

They were known for that. And the third thing they were known for is one of the pagan temple gods, had a medical school in there. And in this medical school, they had developed a salve, an eye salve for anyone that had kind of eye irritants and stuff like that, that they would travel to Laodicea, put this in their eyes, and it would have this healing and antibiotic properties to it. It actually worked in many cases. And so this is what they were known for. Wealth, clothing.

eye healing. And Jesus says this, for you say I am rich. The people of Laodicea and the church would say that, we're rich, we don't need anything, I have prospered, I need nothing. I need nothing. Not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

You think you're rich, you're poor. You think you have good clothing, you're actually naked spiritually. You think you can see, you're actually blind. These are hard words from a soft heart. There's some irony here. Where does this compromise come from? Where have they gone off track? Well, they've compromised with the surrounding culture.

They've become so much like the culture outside the walls of their church that you couldn't really tell a difference. They had the same values, the same pursuits, the same goals, the same ideas. Hey, we're rich. We got this. So they compromised with their culture. They also ignore the spiritual dangers of wealth, security, and comfort.

This is like Jesus's number one topic, by the way. On repeat. Hey, it's actually dangerous for you to be wealthy. It's actually dangerous for you to be comfortable. It's actually dangerous for you to think that you don't need anything. Because you can blind yourself to the fact that you have need of me. Jesus says this is the greatest danger.

This was the greatest danger for the Laodiceans. And is this not the greatest danger of living in Parker, Colorado? Like, it's spiritually dangerous for you to have money in your bank account. We don't think so. It's spiritually dangerous for you to be comfortable. It's spiritually dangerous. And when I say spiritually dangerous, I mean like eternally dangerous. Like your soul is at risk. And we say, well, no, I need nothing just like the Laodiceans.

I need nothing. say often times when was the last time you prayed the Lord's Prayer give me this day in my daily bread and mint it. No we don't mean that. I'm good. I'm rich. I'm well clothed. I can see Jesus says don't you get it. Don't you get it. You can't see that. See when Christians from other parts of the world come to America that they're appalled by our lukewarmness.

Did you know that? They're appalled by our lukewarmness. They're appalled by our prayerlessness. Why? That's born out of self-sufficiency. Why should we pray when there's no sense of urgency to pray? This is what the Laodiceans felt. They're appalled by our greed. They're appalled by how much we make and spend most of it on ourselves or store most of it for ourselves in the future. They're appalled by that.

They're appalled by our lack of bold witness. We live in a country that says you have religious freedom. You can tell anybody, you can tell your neighbors and anyone else about Jesus. And they're like, no one's telling anybody here. Back in our country, we tell people and then we get arrested and we get thrown into prison.

This is lukewarmness. Jesus says, I vomit you out of my mouth.

Maybe sometimes, maybe I've already made the mistake and done too much exegesis and explained things and you're like, oh yeah, that's the hot water and the cold water. But do you see the plain reading of the scripture here? You're like, well, are they Christians? I don't know, you tell me. Where else is Christians described as being vomited out of Jesus's mouth? Right? Or a wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

I once was blind and now I'm still blind. That's not how the song goes. Like these are hard words, but they're gracious words. See, our struggles mirror the struggles of the Laodiceans.

Probably worse, right? Like if we go on a time machine and live back there, we're like, you guys actually don't have that much. I don't know what you're talking about. Just because you have some nice clothes. Come to 2025 Parker. That's where it's at. They would have been, you know, seeing the temples, you know, in the temples, there would have been statues of different gods. I think this picture would have fit well in one of the statues in Laodicea.

except for you won't find that in Laodicea. You'll find that a half a mile away from here. This is the statue of the self-made man. You can walk down Parker and get to Main Street and Parker Road and you'll see this statue. The self-made man. Is this not the air that we breathe? I mean, if he hammers down far enough, he might chisel out some bootstraps and pick himself up, right? We love it. We are self-made. I need nothing.

Jesus says, don't you know? That's a very dangerous place to be. Don't you feel that at all? Don't you care about the worth of your soul? What does it gain a man to get the whole world and lose your soul? Consider what the Laodiceans knew about Jesus. Just consider for a moment.

So at the end of Colossians, don't put it on the screen yet, this is at the end of Colossians. So Colossae is five miles away. So listen what Paul writes to the church at Colossae at the very end. says, he's just wrapping up his greeting. says, give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea. And when this letter has been read among you, so when you get this letter of the Colossians among you, have it also read to the church of the Laodiceans.

and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. So a couple of things we know from this. Paul had written a pastoral epistle to the Laodiceans. So they've been taught by the apostle Paul. Not only that, they have a copy of Colossians. And so we know from Colossians one, and I'll put this on the screen, we know that they know this about Jesus. Where do I start? Verse 15. Can we get to the Colossians one? Yeah, verse 15. Well, that's Philippians.

Let's try this again. Okay. Here's what we know. They knew about Jesus. Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation for by Jesus, all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things and in him, all things hold together and he is the head of the body.

the church. is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead. That's an echo from the letter to Laodicea. That in everything he might be preeminent, meaning nothing is above, more valuable, more beautiful than Jesus. For in Jesus, all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his.

They knew this about Jesus. And they were like, meh, yeah, that's not gonna really shape my day to day. I'm glad I got Jesus so I get to go to heaven when I die, but have you seen the latest fashion trends on Main Street of Laodicea? That's where my affections really are. They knew about Christmas morning.

that Jesus left his throne and glory, put on flesh, and was born among us to live a life of poverty among us. They knew that. They knew about Jesus' teaching and his miracles. They knew what happened on Good Friday when he went to the cross and bore the sins of the world and took their sins on the cross for him and gave them his righteousness. They knew that. They knew three days later that Jesus had conquered sin, death, and the grave and had rose again.

They knew that 40 days later Jesus appeared in the flesh to His disciples and He gave them the great commission, go make disciples of all nations. They knew that He then ascended to the right hand of the Father and He reigns and rules from there. They knew all of that. And they're like, meh. What I really like is what's in my bank account.

As C.S. Lewis said about Jesus' life, Jesus Christ produced mainly three effects. Hatred, they hated him. Terror and adoration. There was no place, there was no trace of people expressing mild approval.

mild approval, hat tip to Jesus, tip Jesus when the offering box comes by.

And Jesus says, that lukewarmness? it makes me sick. It makes me sick.

Maybe you're here. We should ask the question. Listen, I don't know anyone's heart. I've just been wrestling with this all week and wrestling with my own heart. it's really dangerous for me to be in Parker, Colorado. I have a really nice house. I've got, I mean, I was a financial advisor, so I've got a Roth IRA that I put money into every year and it's grown a lot. But Lord.

Can I survive in a place like Parker, Colorado? I don't know. This may be the most dangerous, most difficult place to reach on the planet. Because you say, I am rich, I have need of nothing.

Do you sense any lukewarmness in your affection for Jesus?

If you do, then that's God's grace to you this morning. That's God's grace to you this morning. There's going to be a solution. There's going to be a hope for you. You don't have to live in that space. You don't have to be spit out of Jesus' mouth. That's awesome. But here's the thing that keeps me up at night as a pastor in the wealthiest place, in the wealthiest time in the history of the world.

Maybe, maybe there's some here that sense some lukewarmness and you're okay with

You're okay with

It's so dangerous. And even worse than that, as Francis Chan preached on this 20 years ago, you're lukewarm and you're loving it.

Luke warm and loving it. I get to have it all. I get to have all of the promise of the American dream and I get heaven thrown in when I die. This is awesome and Jesus is not awesome. It's so dangerous. Do you not care about eternity. Did you really think that all that matters is this little speck of dust in the cosmic universe and your little plot of land and your your bank account. Do you think that's all that really matters.

Jesus is saying hard words to wake them up, to shake them, to call them to Himself. And this is where the solution begins to come. Look at verse 18.

Sasa.

You're not realizing that your wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich, actually rich, and white garments so that you may be clothed, actually clothed, so that you may clothe yourselves, and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Now this is an odd command.

buy from me. How do you buy gold with no gold? Well the key word there is from me. It's a way of Jesus say come to me with your empty hands and your recognition that you have nothing to offer and say Jesus I need your gold. need true riches that only come from you. Jesus I need your clothing not my clothing. I need to be covered in my sin. I need your

righteousness to cover me. Lord, I need to see. I need your eye ointment to open my eyes because apart from you I can do nothing. So buy from me. Buy from me. See verse 19 says, those whom I love I reprove and discipline. So be zealous and repent. Jesus tells us. He's telling this church this because he

loves them. He's not trying to be mean. He wants their eternal best. He wants their eternal joy. Those whom I love, I reprove in discipline. So be zealous. Have a zeal and repent. Turn back. Jesus is nauseated by our lukewarmness, but he doesn't stay there. He moves towards us. This is the gospel. While we were sinners, Christ died for us. He is coming.

close. Look what he says in verse 20, behold, look, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him and he with me. Sometimes we use that as an evangelism verse, but he's saying this to a church, a church with Jesus on the outside. He says, I'm coming to you, I'm knocking, I'm inviting myself in, all you have to do is let me in.

Let me in and I will come in and I will eat with you and you with me." This is the promise. This is grace to us. This letter has the most stinging confrontation of all the letters, but also the sweetest invidation.

says, you do that, if you have this intimate relationship with Me, if your zeal rises again, if you don't trust in your own wealth and your own clothing and your own seeing, if you come to Me, here's the promise. The one who conquers or overcomes, I will grant him to sit with Me on My throne.

Now, if that doesn't stir you at all, it's one of two things. You have no idea what he's talking about.

or you don't care. Next week chapter four the apocalypse is going to be pulled back and we're going to go into and see the throne room of God. Here's the promise Jesus said if you overcome if you if you don't let this world become your whole thing and you you renew your zeal and you repent and you come to me I will bring you into the very throne room of God. We're to get a picture just a glimpse of what that looks like.

where God is on his throne and there's there's there's lightning and smoke and fire and rainbows and and diamonds and and the 24 elders and they're falling down and and the angels the multitude upon multitudes the the millions of angels singing holy holy holy is the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come and they're falling down and then there's this is this picture of worship of the the eternal God and Jesus says you'll be there right there with me.

Yeah, but I'm thinking about a mountain house. That's what really captures my attention. Stupid! That is the stupidest thing. Anything of this world is so dumb compared to being with Jesus on the throne room of God. Like, do you get that? Does that stir you at all? If not, man, you should be on your face right now desperately pleading to the Lord. Lord, I am lukewarm. I am lukewarm, but I don't want to be. I don't want to be lukewarm.

I want to live for you. I want to live forever with you on your throne.

how will we be invited into the throne room of God? Because Jesus earned it for us. The second half of verse 21, as I also conquered, as I also overcome and sat down with my father on his throne, Jesus earned it for us. How will we get his riches? Because he who was rich became poor, that we might become rich in him.

Why will we be clothed in His righteousness? Because He who is clothed in glory in heaven laid that aside and came down and went to a cross and was stripped naked to have His shame exposed before the world to take away our shame and to give us His clothing, His righteousness. He earned it for us. How will we see?

Because on Good Friday he was beaten in the face, his eyes was closed shut, he went to the cross, he plunged into the darkness of darkness so that we might be brought into the light and see he earned it for us.

And so the invitation is to open the door.

however that looks like in your life today, right now, this week, open the door, invite the Lord of all to be Lord over all of your life.

Jesus is persistent about this. He's not just your Savior. He's your Lord. That means everything. Every area. Every spot. Every relationship. Every dollar. Every spot on your calendar. Jesus is Lord. Let's pray.