Preached by Chaplain Rick Brewer 9-4-13
Revelation 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
[15] I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
[16] So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
[17] Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
[18] I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
[19] As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
[20] Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
[21] To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
[22] He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Definition: “Rights of the people” this Church is Lukewarm
How to keep from being a miserable Christian
Learn to Examine yourself
2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
Learn to see the signs
1. A miserable Christian is: uncommitted – Lack of commitment
[15] I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
Look at the lack of commitment today in work ethic, relationships, church attendance
2. A miserable Christian is: untruthful
[17] Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
We often see a greater movement of the Politically correct mindset OVER the truth of the word of God
3. A miserable Christian is: un-teachable
[18] I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
4. A miserable Christian is: unrepentant
[19] As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
[21] To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
There are those who will not overcome
Jesus Sits by the door and knocks
[20] Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Compare to Revelation 3:7 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
This was written to Christians…
2 Peter 1:9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
The church that is described in this last age they did not know that they were wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:they did not examine themselves to see whether they be in the faith. I believe very much that we are in the last days and that what we are seeing is an empathy of the New Testament church. A situation whereby we seek the world’s comforts within the house of God rather than the truth. The fact that the church as a whole is bowing to these comforts does not mean that the individual needs to.
We must examine ourselves.