The Faithful and True Witnesses - The Church That Jesus Detests: Part 2 - Revelation 3: 17-19

1:10Have you misjudged Jesus? Think about that. What degree is your judgment of Christ correct? You know, even as we go through the scriptures and certainly through John's writings, it becomes very evident that as we judge Christ, we judge ourselves. Ourselves. He is the truth, and those who receive his testimony are of the truth. So, as the way we judge Jesus, we judge ourselves. Before I read the text, I want to ask you a question. Would you rather be wounded, struck, or kissed?

1:55Think about that for a second. I think most of us would say, well, we kind of like the easier. But I guess it all depends on who's doing the striking and who all is doing the kissing. Well, let's jump into our text this morning. Revelation 3, verse 17. Because you say, I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing, and you do not know that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked, I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed. And eyesalve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline. Therefore, be zealous and repent.

2:58Now there are. Two lies that I think pervade our times, and we can see them through history. Two lies, two premier lies that are on two extremes. One is that you are worthless, that your life really has no value, is really a source of depression, and as the way a lot of young people these days just choose to end their life, somehow they come to the idea that their life isn't very valuable. You are worthless. That's one lie on the end of the spectrum. On the other end of the spectrum is you are wonderful. You are wonderful. In fact, you are everything wonderful, everything beautiful. You should just become intoxicated with yourself because you are so amazing and so wonderful. These are two extremes. And it's almost like to counteract the one, we know deep down we're fundamentally pitiful, not very significant in the great cosmos. And so to counteract that, we wanted to tell ourselves, okay, you are the greatest. You're wonderful. Both extremes are contradicted by the Bible.

4:25You know, in verse 14, if you look back, We just read these verses. There are these two lies are going to be fleshed out in our text this morning, or going to be answered. We're going to see the biblical contradiction to these. But let's just start with a look at where we've been. Verse 14. Jesus refers to himself as the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of creation of God. So to the angel of the church at Laodosia, the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God, says this. So we've already looked at his ministry as the Amen or the judge. His name, Amen, implies judge. He is the so-be it, the one who speaks, and it is so.

5:17He is the judge of all things. The final say in all matters. And we get a glimpse of his ministry here in verses 15 through 16. We've already looked at this. Verse 15, I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of my mouth. And so it's evident that in these verses, that judgment is going to be based upon his knowledge of us, not our selective memory, and his standards of right and wrong, not our standards of right and wrong.

5:58This morning, I want you to look at that second statement, the faithful and true witness, in verse 14. The faithful and true witness. And in our text this morning, we're going to get a glimpse of Jesus' ministry as the faithful and true witness. We want to look at his witness for the purpose of receiving his witness. He is one who is testifying. He is one who has come for the purpose of testifying to the truth. He is the faithful and true witness. And so, that's what we want to look at this morning. There's three of them here: three truths. Three aspects of it. As the faithful and true witness, first of all, Jesus speaks the truth. Not hard to see. Faithful and true witness, guess what? He's going to do? Speak the truth.

6:49As taken testimony, as sworn testimony, his testimony is going to be true. Why? Because Jesus wants people to know their true condition. That's why he speaks the truth. He wants you to know the truth, and he wants you to know the truth about yourself, about him. But look at what he speaks the truth about. He speaks the truth about this church at Laodicea, their condition. And so, let me notice, look back at verse 17. Notice their self-regulation. Perception, by the way.

7:32Three terms there. Because you say, I am rich and have become wealthy and have need of nothing. So their self-perception, this church at Laodicea, thought they were pretty swell, that they had arrived. I am rich. I have become wealthy. I have need of nothing. Look at each one of those. The statement, I am rich, is, by the way, I think he's speaking directly to the pastor here. He's talking to the pastor and the congregation here. This idea that you notice to the angel, what is the angel? We've looked at this before. I think it is a human messenger, probably the pastor. I don't think it's a celestial being somewhere next door in heaven that he's writing a letter to or some guardian angel, because for this to be a guardian angel, this almost sounds like it's Satan himself. I have become rich. I am wealthy. I have need of nothing. That isn't the disposition of an angel in heaven, but perhaps a fallen angel. So I think he's speaking clearly to the human agency here, the leadership here. The name angel means messenger. Can be sometimes it's you, John the Baptist was referred to as a messenger. I think that's what you have here. But the I, the emphasis, I, I am rich.

8:58Certainly the Pastor persona is reflecting the church, and I don't know what comes first, the pastor that leads the church there, or the church that wants this kind of pastor over them, but they seem to go together and reflect him. I am rich. Second, I have become wealthy. I have become wealthy. And this statement adds a little degree of their self-exaltation. It's like they're saying, I am rich, and I have achieved this wealth on my own. I have become wealthy, self-made man, that kind of thing. My success is due to my efforts. And so their self-perception, they are exalting their material wealth as a church, but also their genius in which brought it about. I am rich, and I have become wealthy. See what good things I have done. Is this not my kingdom that I have built with my hands? Remember Nebuchadnezzar? But then they, third, I have need of nothing. And this statement reveals this attitude of self-sufficiency, that smugness. I've arrived, not just materially, but I have arrived spiritually. What a statement. It's against this backdrop that we're going to see them. Ministry of the true and faithful witness.

10:35He's going to minister to them faithfully. He's going to tell them, You're not everything wonderful. Let me tell you about your true condition. And he goes on. He's got five expressions. Notice their true condition. Verse 17: And you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. They're over there thinking, I'm rich, I've become wealthy, I'm in need of nothing. Jesus said, No, your true conditions, you're wretched, you're miserable, you're poor, you're blind and naked. Let's look at each one of those. Wretched, five expressions here. First, being wretched, and this is even more expressive. It's do not know that you are, and it's got the article in front of it, you are the wretched one. You are the wretched. Among all the seven churches, you are the wretched one. You think you're the rich one? You're the wretched one. That's what Jesus is saying.

11:41You lead the group in excelling in wretchedness. Second, you are miserable. The idea for miserable, you are to be pitied. It's the idea of you need compassion. You say you have need of nothing. No, you're miserable. You have more need than you can ever imagine. You're poor. You're poor. Despite the material wealth, you are destitute. You are bankrupt. You are dependent. You're the exact opposite of being rich. Very different. perception, isn't it? But he goes on: you're blind. Not only are you wretched, miserable, poor, you are blind. You cannot even see your true condition. And this blindness is part of your poverty. You're so destitute, so in need of mercy, and you can't even see it.

12:55You have deluded yourself to somehow connect that all this outward material expressions of wealth and success are somehow reflected to your inward spirituality. They are not. They are evidence of a perverse heart seeking perverse things. So you're wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. Naked. You are not beautifully clothed in some of those black garments that were. Popular at the time, and you're in need of covering. You're in need of covering. You are pitiful. Now, I'll make a couple of comments about modern dress in our society. The older I get, the more you're kind of, you go through life looking at, so that's the style.

13:54And you think you look good in that. Sometimes you need to put more clothes on. I think we've all know what I'm talking about. We go from style to style, and sometimes it's like, not that tight. I didn't work them for you either. I don't mean to be unkind, but I think we've all probably said, observed these kinds of things, looked at somebody who some fashion guru has somehow sold them a bunch of clothes and have come to the idea that, okay, you look good in this. And I think we've been saying, no, you really don't. And I think the era of skinny jeans are over. Is that true?

14:40Yeah, we can. Somebody made a lot of money off that. But I think we all understand that sometimes we think, you know, put some clothes on or cover yourself appropriately. You don't look near as good as you think you do. And that's what Jesus is saying to this church spiritually. You know, exposing a person's nakedness was a way to degrade a person in the Old Testament. Let me give you a snapshot of time here. Just take you in your mind back to 2 Samuel 10, to David's reign, and a situation that occurred in the Ammonite kingdom. There was this king who had shown David kindness, and he died. And his son, Hanun, took his place. So in 2 Samuel 10:1, David said, I will show kindness to Hanun, the son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me. So David sent some of his servants to console him concerning his father. But when David's servants came to the land of the Ammonites, the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun, their Lord, Do you think that David is honoring your father because he has sent consolers to you? Has not David sent his servants to you in order to search the city, to spy it, and to overthrow it? So Hanun believed the counselors, took David's servants, shaved off half their beards, cut off their garments in the middle as far as the hips. That's pretty high.

16:33And sent them away. When they told it to David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly humiliated. And so David said, stay there, Jericho, until your hair grows back and all that kind of stuff. But what a picture. You want to humiliate somebody? Expose their nakedness. Now, for the purposes of this illustration, let's put a little clothes on them. Let's suppose that they didn't take off their under loin, which could very well have been. They did have loin coverings. So let's just, in your mind's eye, imagine them with loin coverings. They may not have had them, but we're going to imagine that they did.

17:18Could you imagine going into the church at Laodicea, big, beautiful, ornate, whatever it was, and the preacher getting up there and preaching. Half his beard shaved, cut with a robe all the way up past his hips, and he's going on thinking he's really waxing eloquently. How would you feel? Put some clothes on. But that's the metaphor. Spiritually, what is he saying? Put some truth on. Put something befitting a true parody. Pastor of the king on. You look ridiculous up there.

18:06You see, to be unclothed is shameful then and even now. You know, last week we were talking about so many churches that are closing. 800 Southern Baptist churches, 4,500 churches worldwide closing each year. Why? What is happening? We have more seminaries now than we ever had. PhDs and theological studies are a dime a dozen these days. You would think that the whole caliber of our churches would be elevated by such efforts. Well, I think we have many, many mornings as people stand before the pulpit. They're not wearing any truth.

19:00Put some true biblical content into our words. Listen, I have no business being up here at all championing any kind of wisdom that I have resident in myself. A pastor-teacher's responsibility or any leader is to take the Word of God in its plain, simple form and speak about it, communicate it, apply it. There isn't anything else we have, there isn't any wisdom resident in us. Put some truth on. How did they become like this? Becomes the question. How did they become like this? Well, they were fervent in their quest to be affluent monetarily, but lukewarm in their desire to please God.

19:56They were fervent in their quest to be affluent monetarily, but lukewarm in their desire to please God. As a banking center, Laodicea, they ultimately sought the approval of their investors or their VIPs over God. And so Jesus doesn't want this church to be rich toward material wealth, rich to their investors. He wants them to be rich toward God. And so he wants them to know their true condition. So as the faithful and true witness, Jesus speaks the truth.

20:43Second, his counsel is reliable. You get that? Faithful and true witness. He's going to speak true truth. But also what he says is going to be reliable, faithful, something you can build your life on, something that you can. Really trust in. So the faithful and true witness is going to provide reliable counsel. Look back at verse 18. I advise you to buy from me gold refined by the fire so that you may become rich. And white garments, so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed. And I salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Three pieces of advice. Advice. The word for advice there is counsel. Let me tell you, in light of your situation, let me give you some good advice. Let me give you some valuable counsel.

21:49And his piece of advice comes in three metaphors, all with the metaphor of buying something. I advise you to buy from me. Notice who the buyer is. You, church people, Laodicea, and for that matter, Spirit speaking to all, you need to buy from me. The buyer is the one in need. The seller is Jesus. The buyer is the wretched one. The seller is Christ. And what does Christ want people to have? Well, he wants them, first of all, to have gold refined by fire. What does that mean? That. Pure gold.

22:34See, the result of buying pure gold is to make one truly rich. What is this pure gold? Well, he wants them to seek true wealth. He wants them to go after true wealth, not this temporary, fleeting, passing wealth. What is that? Well, true wealth is an authentic relationship with God. An authentic relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. So it's the favor of God is what makes a person truly wealthy. If there's anything I want anybody to have, it's the favor of God upon their life. That is what I pray for. That is what I pray for y'all. It's what I pray for this church. What I pray for others. What I pray for everybody that I know and have a con, I want the favor of God. I want to orient my whole life to see that the favor of God be upon their life.

23:29Favor, that is the true riches. If you have the favor of God, you have everything. 2 Corinthians 8:9 says this, For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for his sake became poor, so that through his poverty might become rich. He became poor so that we can identify him, so that we could. Understand him so that we could track his life through this life, so that by tracking it and understanding, we could be drawn to his heavenly father, so that we could be drawn into that relationship, that way into God's favor.

24:19You think about this as we keep reading, you're going to see in Revelation 4 and 5, you're going to see the richest, wealthiest, and most esteemed individual in all of heaven is Christ. He's personified as the Lamb who was slain. Now, think about this: if the greatest person on earth sacrificially loves you, guess what? You're going to be wealthy. You're not going to have material life. Somebody in this world just thinks about you and gives you, wants to sacrificially dispose themselves to meeting your material needs, you're going to be rich. Now, think about the most popular person in the world. If the most popular person, whoever that may be, these days it's kind of hard to tell. But anyway, whoever that is in your mind, if that person sought out your counsel or sought out to have dinner with you, or you would all of a sudden be rich in relationship.

25:17If you knew the richest and you knew the most popular, and that person was absolutely enamored with you and loved you, you would be rich beyond a degree just by. Association. Rich in supply, rich in relationship. Well, imagine the most wealthy in heaven, rich beyond any human ability to even conceive the creator of all things, the Lamb of God. Also, the one who is the most adored and worshipped in heaven. He wants to dine with you and me. He wants to come in.

25:59So, if you think about it, as God's people, we're materially set. No matter what happens in this life, this isn't all there is. And we are relationally set. Special friendship with Christ is worth everything. In fact, in 1 Peter 1:7, Peter speaks about the proof of genuine faith. You see, the Laodiceans' deeds were void of evidence of real faith, of real passion. Their deeds reflected a lukewarm attitude and lukewarm desire towards Christ. But proof of genuine faith is worth more than gold, is what Peter says. Proof of your faith is much more than precious gold, which is perishable, even though it's terrible. Tested by fire. And so his counsel is: seek the true riches, seek the favor, seek the favor of God and grow in that favor. Well, how do you grow in that favor? Well, by responding to it, by believing him, by walking in his ways. Seek true wealth. Second piece of advice: put on Christ's righteousness. Look back at verse 18. He's telling them to buy white garments so that you may clothe yourself and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed.

27:42When is he going to reveal it? Well, at his coming. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 4:5, Paul says, do not go on passing judgment before the time. There is a time for judgment, but wait until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts, and then each man's praise will come from God. You see, white garments speak about proper covering. They need true righteousness.

28:23They were wretched, and they needed something to cover their wretched nakedness. They needed to be properly clothed. What is that? They needed a new kind of humanity. In fact, you're going to see when you get to Revelation 19:8, there's all these people coming with Jesus, and they're dressed in white, and he tells you what they are: clothed in righteousness. They are the acts of the saints. That's what the good acts of the saints, the clothing in white, is putting on the righteous acts of the saints. Somebody who's been sanctified in Christ, somebody who's put on his humanity. What do they need? They need to put on Christ's righteousness. You and I need to put on Christ's righteousness.

29:09We need judicial righteousness, two levels of this. We need judicial righteousness. That is, we need to be cleansed of our sins. So we need to be declared clean, free, our guilt removed. But we also need a disposition toward righteousness. That's what true righteousness is. It's about being cleansed, and it's about putting on a new humanity, his humanity, Christ-like humanity. You know, going to the Old Testament, you know, proper clothing was a way to honor people in the Old Testament. You remember in Genesis 41, 42, Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand.

30:00Clothed him in garments of fine linen and put the gold necklace around his neck. Daniel 5:29, Belshazzar gave orders, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck and issued a proclamation concerning him that he has authority as the third ruler in the kingdom. Perhaps this is most vividly displayed in Esther. You remember when the king of Persia wants to honor Mordecai, and he asked Haman, his archenemy, what should I do for the man that the king wants to honor? And Haman's like, great, this is my chance, because who does he want to honor more than me? Let me tell you, O king, what you should do for the man you want to honor. Haman said to the king, For the man whom the king desires to honor, let them bring a royal robe which the king has worn. Something that the king has worn. Put that on him. Take him out on the horse, king's horse, crown, put the crown on his head, parade him around, show him off. Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor.

31:19The king says, Yeah, go ahead, take Mordecai and go do all that. You remember the account? But I love this picture. Let him bring the royal robe. Which the king has worn. You know what we need? We need the right kind of humanity. We don't need the fallen Adam. We need that covering that our king wore. We need that kind of humanity that is birthed in his righteousness. We need that humanity, that Christ-likeness put upon us, cloaked around us. And guess what God is going to do with those who put on his righteousness? He is going to array them. He is going to forever set them as stars forever.

32:12Why? Because to show off his glory. And that's what Jesus is saying. Let me tell you about true righteousness. Let me tell you about your nakedness, and let me tell you about a way to clothe that. Buy from me white garments so that you may clothe yourself and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed. Listen, Christ does not want to put people in open shame on Judgment Day. That's not what Christ is waiting to do.

32:51He does not delight in revealing the deep, dark secrets, exposing people's nakedness before the whole universe. He wants to cover you in his righteousness so that if anybody brings a charge against him, it's an issue with him. He can say, I have forgiven. I took that sin away. I have put my humanity upon him. He is clean. She is righteous. That's what he gives. And this righteousness inevitably ends up showing up in the deeds that we do.

33:37So his counsel is reliable. Seek true wealth. Put on Christ's righteousness. Third, let God open your eyes. This metaphor comes in the command to buy or the advice to buy eye salve. Look back. I advise to you, buy I salve, to anoint your eyes so that you may be seen. See, what they really needed was discernment in spiritual matters. They were miserable, poor, naked, wretched, and they couldn't even see it. All the time, they think they're the greatest thing. Is that not a picture of our world today? It's not a picture of us. Pride blinds you.

34:28Pride blinds. Before they could do anything else, they're in need of illumination. They needed to have their eyes opened so that they could see their true condition. How does this happen? By listening carefully to the faithful and true witness. He's testifying by receiving his testimony, by believing his testimony. And then you can start seeing. How do you see yourself? How do you judge Jesus? Is he not a faithful, true witness? Or is he the faithful, true witness? Let me tell you what he says about us apart from him. He knows we're wretched, poor, blind, naked, and in need of mercy. That's his assessment of us. What's your assessment of yourself?

35:23Is your assessment that which accords with the faithful and true witness, or do you hold yourself up as the faithful and true witness? Whose words are you going to build your life upon? So he tells them, buy gold, garments, and salve. The gold to offset their poverty. The garments to cover their nakedness. The salve to counteract their blindness. Then there's a lingering question just can't get away from. Buy with what? He's telling the church, come and buy this. What do they have?

36:11Well, we read a little bit in Isaiah 51: Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters, and you who have no money, come, buy, and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why do you spend your money for what is not bread and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me. Sound like the same personality? Yeah, same personality. Listen carefully to me and eat what is good and delight yourself in abundance. Incline your ear and come to me. Listen that you may live and I will make an everlasting covenant with you according to the faithful mercies shown to David.

36:58Whoa. We all think, well, that David sure entered into a wonderful covenant relationship with God. And we saw that even after he did all that with Bathsheba and all the horrible things that David did, you still, God was willing to forgive him and a faithful God to David. And he's saying, Here, come, buy without money, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you according to the faithful mercies shown. To David. Don't you want that kind of faithful mercies upon your life? That's what he's proposing. He's saying, Come, buy it without money. Well, so the question is: if not money, what is it? What do we have?

37:43Truth be told, apart from Christ, all we have is wretchedness. I look at my account. I don't have anything. I don't have any amount of money. I can't wow him with my money. I can't wow him with my merits. He isn't going to like my collateral, and he's not going to like my assets. All of that's going to fall way short. So what do I have? I look at my account. All I see is wretchedness, poorness, destitution.

38:11That's all I have. He says, I'll take that. That's what I want. Give it to me. Give me your wretchedness. I want it. I want all of it. Give it to me. That's what he's saying. We exchange our wretchedness for his righteousness. This is the gospel. That's good counsel, by the way, to take your wretchedness and exchange it for his righteousness. No one else wants your wretchedness. I guarantee it. But he will take it. All of it. Give it to me.

39:04Why does the faithful and true witness say these things? Well, because he loves people. Notice as the faithful and true witness, Jesus speaks the truth. His counsel is reliable, even if it's hard. But he does so out of a motive of love. His motive is love. Look back at verse 19. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline. So now we've come to Jesus' good purpose for this sharp rebuke of this church. Notice the change in form. He goes from, I will spit you out, to those whom I love.

39:56It makes it very clear that Jesus loves truth, he loves righteousness, and he loves people. And the reason he is saying these things to this church comes out of heart of love. But notice there are two things that he does for them. You can just see them real quickly. Two things he does for those whom he loves. He reproves and he disciplines. He reproves those he loves, literally. I am reproving. What does that mean? I am exposing for the purpose of. Bringing conviction. I am convicting. This is what I do. He isn't just saying these things to the church because he wants to vent some kind of anger and frustration. No, he is exposing their sin. He exposes our sin in order to bring about true inner conviction so that we will seek the remedy.

40:55The fact that he hates and judges evil is connected to his love for people. I'm telling you, Jesus is so misjudged. All of his expressions, hostility, and hatred of evil is connected to his love for people. He does not want people void of true Christianity. He doesn't want them void of a true relationship with his heavenly Father. And so he speaks truth about their sin to convict them about their sin so that they will seek a remedy. Seek him. Second thing he does is he disciplines those he loves. He disciplines. Literally, it's the expression: I am disciplining. I am disciplining. I am instructing. I am training those I love.

41:48Listen, everyone he loves, it's an expression. He says, Guess what? Everyone I love, guess what I'm doing? I am reproving them and I am disciplining them. Everyone he loves. That comes. In different forms throughout our life, but he's got a purpose. He is reproving. He is convicting us of our sins. He is turning us and training us in righteousness. He is disciplining us because he loves us. Do you believe that? You know, we all know that the greater one's desired goal, the greater the discipline it takes to achieve it. Whether it's you're an athlete, if you want to aspire to the highest level, you're going to train at the highest level. Same with being a scholar. If you're going to study at the highest level, I mean, if you're going to be at the highest level scholastically, you're going to have to study at the highest level. Same with business. Same with everything in life. The greatest discipline is necessary to achieve the greatest results. Well, what is Jesus trying to accomplish in his people? He wants to take his people from being poor, wretched, miserable, and naked. He wants to cover them in his righteousness, and he wants to transform them into his image so that they will perfectly reflect the glory of his Father forever.

43:28That's a noble outcome. And because he has put himself as that desired outcome, it's going to take the highest level of discipline and reproving. Same personality. We've seen this personality in Scripture. Proverbs 3:11, my son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord or loathe his reproof. For whom the Lord loves, he reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights. See the same personality, don't we, in Christ? Well, as a faithful and true witness, Jesus speaks the truth.

44:22His counsel is reliable, and his motive is love. So then the question becomes: how do we respond? How do we respond to all this? Well, the same way Jesus wanted the church at Laodicea to respond. Look back at your text. In light of everything that Jesus has just said in verses 17 through 19, we've looked at this morning, he says at the end of verse 19, Therefore, therefore, be zealous and repent. You be being zealous. You be being fervent. If I could get that. I know it's horrible English, but it gets the point. That's what he's saying here. And repent. There's two actions that are commanded here. This is where we get to the command. The first speaks of a new habit, zealousness. To replace your lukewarmness, I want you to cultivate a lifestyle of being zealous for the things of the Lord.

45:22You don't need to be lukewarm. There's nothing about Christ that was lukewarm. There was nothing about his love for you that was lukewarm. There is nothing about his love for the Father that was lukewarm. Lukewarmness has no place with those who are married to Christ. He will grow you out of that. And so, put on. Realize that God wants you to be passionate for him. But second, the second verb, repent, speaks of a decisive moment of change. He comes to that church and he's saying, Look, this is where you are, lukewarmness. And this is evidence because you're miserable, poor, and all those other things.

46:08That's why you're lukewarm. Put on zeal. Recognize where you are. Come to that decision. Say, that's not where I need to be. I do not need to be apathetic about the things of God. I do not need to be lukewarm about the things of God. I need to be passionate about the things of God. Because God created me. He put me in a place so that I would seek him, so that I would know him, so that I would live for him. He is worth everything, and so I know that that's the desired state. So I am going to be repenting and putting on fervency, zealousness.

46:51We do not, well, let me say this about Jesus. Coming back to this idea that have you misjudged Jesus? I think he gets a bad rap. Two of the lies: either we're worthless or we're wonderful. Well, no, we're not worthless. Jesus' heart moved to the point of giving himself up on the cross. You're not worthless. Tremendous value from that light. Apart from him, wretched, poor, naked, but with him. Incredible value. Cannot be overstated. The other lie, apart from him, you're not wonderful.

47:34You're in need of compassion, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. That's how we are apart from him. John 7:7, Jesus said, The world hates me because I testify that its deeds are evil. Have you misjudged Jesus? Why does he testify that its deeds are evil? Because they are. Before Pilate, John 18, 37, Pilate said to him, So you are a king. Jesus answered, You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.

48:25You see, Jesus wants you to know your true condition. So he speaks truth. And he wants you to know your true condition so that you can seek the true remedy. So he gives good counsel. And why does he do all this? Because he loves people. Because he loves you. So we don't need to be afraid to confess our sin. We don't need to be afraid to agree with Jesus Christ about our wretched condition. In fact, we need to. We don't need to be afraid because he is full of love and he tells us these things so that we will have a thirst for the remedy and come to him.

49:14Have you misjudged Jesus? Let me tell you why sin is exposed in Scripture. It's because it's not good. And it's not good for you to walk in it. Its desire is to have you. To destroy you. I asked you, would you rather be wounded or kissed? Proverbs 27, 6 says this: Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy. Faithful are the wounds of the friend. Jesus' view of us is faithful, but the kisses of an enemy. These can be the philosophies of our times that make us sufficient in ourselves and attached, detached from God. But faithful are the wounds of a friend. I pray that you will prefer them.

50:21Let's pray. Heavenly Father, help us to receive your testimony and your counsel. Help us to come to you and see you as the faithful and true witness in our lives. And that you come and you speak the things that you do. You testify about the things you testify because you have an intense love for people. And so, Father, we want to respond to that this morning by believing you, by accepting your testimony. Forgive us where we have. Made ourselves the true and reliable testimony or witness. Forgive us, for we have not accepted your counsel. Father, help us to walk in it to the end that you may be exalted. In Christ's name, amen.