Never Shut Your Door

 

Revelation 3:14-21

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.

 

There are 7 churches mentioned in Revelations and they are the Asian churches. Each Church has her own weakness. The problems of those churches back then, are no different at all of today.

 

Laodicea was the last and worst of the 7 churches. What is the problem with her?

 

This church is wealthy in the Asia Minor and being a trading route is rich in commercial trading and a leading banking center. They produced black wool where they manufactured cloaks and carpets. It was the home of medical institution. They manufactured collyrium, an eye cleaner. They don’t need help from the Roman government and Senate even when there was an earthquake in AD60, because they have the means to finance themselves.

 

These Christians in Ladociean had everything. A good bank account, nice houses, blessed families with smart kids, good jobs and successful business. Outwardly, they have everything, but inwardly they have nothing.

 

God says they are poor, pitiful, naked, and blind. They are not on fire, not even hot; they lost the passion. Their lifestyles caught up with them and their focus is all about themselves. That is why they are not hot, which means not interested in the things of God.

 

They are weak in faith, because they are not overcomers. They are immature and thus are weak spiritually. I am not saying that they are not interested in God. They are. They still come to church, because they need God’s blessings. But God is just a security blanket to ensure their future, like a having a bank account and you just go to the ATM to get money.

 

Luke warmness is a spiritual disease. It is better to be cold, because at least the person knows where they stand. But luke warm is living in denial that everything is fine with themselves and God. With God it is yes or no; there isn’t a middle of the road.

 

1 Kings 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

 

We throw up or vomit, because we are sick. This luke warmness is making God so sick that He wants to throw up the people in Laodicea.  So can Christians come to this stage or how do they arrive here?

 

The Spirit of Luke Warmness:

 

The church of God is not built by the craftsmanship, might, and strength of man. The church of God is built on the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

These days the church is full of showmanship. Who has better music, who has better preaching, or who look the best. Who are its members, how well are they connected? God is disgusted here with a church that carries His name but not His nature. When confidence is on the wealth and status of the people, the church is saying that they no need God.

The church in Laodicea is not a house of prayer nor are they a people of power. If you trust in the arms of flesh more than God then He is outside, not inside. This church is dead, the soul is starving and need desperately a revival. Their riches brought their spiritual downfall.

 

Where Did It Go Wrong?

 

The question: How did the very passionate church reach this stage?  How come old time Christians became spiritually blind and poor?

 

This church is the only one that Jesus says I stand at your door and knock. Their problem? They kept Jesus out. We don’t need anyone, even God, because we are doing okay. We must be okay. Even if things are good and ok, we all still need Jesus, not only when things become bad for us.

 

Shutting the door is self-reliance and self-dependence. It is pride and pride is a sin. If I come to your house, I have to knock, because your gate or door is shut. But if your door is open wide, I’ll just walk in. I don’t need to knock at all, it is already opened for me to enter.

 

If we open our doors wide, Jesus doesn’t have to knock. He is given full freedom to walk in and out of our lives. The problem is that when life becomes successful, they become full. There is no more space for God.  No time for God. Christians think that coming to church on Sundays is enough.

 

Jesus says I will come in and dine with him and he with me, which means that it is a very private meeting. There are no spectators. There are things he wants to correct us in and he will not shame us in front of people.

 

Revelation 3:21 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.

 

Sitting with Christ is a privilege, because it means that you have been raised to a higher level of blessings. You have fought and won and got the price. God has given you that honor of sitting with Him.

 

The church in Laodicea are not overcomers, because they are weak. They are not strong in their faith. They fail the test of the enemy. They depended on everyone except God for their answers. God was the last choice.

 

Jesus says I counsel you to buy gold refined in fire. They must receive only from Christ. Grace, righteousness, and authority comes from Christ.  Strength comes from Him. Answers come from Him.

 

Remedy For Us Today:

 

God wants us to return to the basics. That is to come back to the altars of revival, the altar of prayer and worship. God rebukes us because he loves us.  He allows troubles in order to get our doors opened. He is more precious than answers to our solutions, because He himself is the answer.

 

Opening the door brings the presence of God. In his presence is joy. In his presence is peace. In his presence is faith to believe. We still may not have the answers after prayer. But we know that the peace is the assurance of the answer to come.

 

Overcoming Our Battles:

 

We lost the battle, because the fresh fire and zeal is burnt out. We had it before, but now it is lost. Before we were fearless, but now we are fearful, because shutting the door shuts the power of the Spirit of God.

 

When you overcome you, it means that you have learned to fight your battles. We become more than conquerors and fight greater trials in life.  God has to fight together and for us our battles. God will help you strategize. He will give you the revelation in His word and in your spirit.  Even in dreams he talks to you. But you got to keep your doors open and allow Him anytime just in case something comes up.

 

That is why the bible tells us to pray without end. Be alert, be watchful. That is how we keep our doors open always. We wait on Him, for Him, when our doors are opened.

 

When God fights our battle, He wins and become the champion. If there is a winner, there is a loser. The loser of the battle becomes crushed.

 

The enemy is always bigger than us, but God will never let the problem be too big for our strength. He knows how much we can fight. But it is an exercise that he wants us to undergo. Otherwise we get too fat, lazy, and useless.

 

When he comes in and dines with us, he will train us, work with us and give us the ability to win our enemy. We follow his instructions, because if you don’t you will destroy the strategy.

 

When you open the door during your warfare, he will:

 

-Give you peace

– Teach you how to fight through his word/revelations

– Win your fight

 

It is your door. I have got mine; we don’t share doors. It is personal. When you opens the door, he will enter. When you shut the door, he’ll be waiting outside. When Jesus comes in, he brings in his entourage with him; the whole heavenly armies. You are not alone.

 

Enemy’s defeat:

 

What does it mean when God wins the war for you? When the battle belongs to the Lord, it means God will vindicate with his judgment. The winner gets the victory, but the loser gets the judgment.

 

The judgment of God is different from the judgment of men. When God’s hands release his judgment; no man, no power, no money, no medical genius can remedy it.

 

Let me show you a verse where God promises to fight for a specific group of people:

 

Deuteronomy 10:18 He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.

 

God specifically takes care of this group of people, because they are defenseless. No one will take their side. In fact, they are being disregarded in society. They are the outcasts.

 

This Is How He Defends Them:

 

Exodus 22:21-24

21 Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

22 Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.

23 If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry;

24 And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.

 

This is a strong warning on his judgment. This group of people have been oppressed in their rights. Whatever legal or moral right, it was stolen from them. They were robbed from whatever little they had.

 

There is nothing humanly they can turn to for help. But all they have to do is to open my door, because when they cry, He surely can feel their hurts and pain. He will fight their cause and when he does he will bring down judgment on the oppressors.

 

That is why when Satan attacks we are unable to fight him with our strength. Like the orphans, we are defenseless. But when Jesus is in the room of our hearts, he will dispatch his armies of heaven and bring down his weapons. The battle belongs to the Lord. We just stay secure in his presence, in his safety and protection.

 

Make sure that you are ready for Jesus any time of the day or night. It may be your busiest hour, but if He chooses to drop in you better make time for him, or you may miss the chance of his blessing.

 

Keep your doors opened even if it means you will sacrifice sleep and supper so as to dine with Him for His presence and comfort of joy. Never miss out this special divine appointment.