Turn with me this morning to
Revelation chapter 3. We'll complete our study in Revelation
3 on our Lord's letters to the seven churches in Asia. And as we've seen time and again,
it's not just to them, but it's to all His churches in every
age. I titled the lesson today, counsels
of Christ. The four Gospels, if you read
through them and pay attention to how our Lord dealt with his
elect, he always dealt with them tenderly. I think tenderly is
the word that describes best how he dealt with his own. The
Bible over and over uses words like long-suffering. He's long-suffering
to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all
should come to repentance. And so it is here at Laodicea. This church was in a bad way.
It was in a bad way. Their ease of life and outward
success had led them into a state of just apathy and indifference
and complacency. They just, like they didn't care. Like they
didn't care. They just kind of floating along
with the current. You know, whatever is, is. And
that's the way they were looking at things. And he describes this
church as lukewarm. And lukewarmness is almost always
attributed to self-satisfaction and carnal security. Wherever
you see that, that's where you'll find this apathy and complacency. And then where it's allowed to
continue, if the Lord doesn't do something, if He just allows
this to continue, it's always followed by reprobation. Read
the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. The church at Laodicea was in
a bad way and the Lord, as only the Lord can, rebuked this church
very sternly. He told them, he said, I'm ready
to spew you out of my mouth. That's a pretty stern rebuke
when the Lord says something like that to his church. And
I want you to know this, this world is full of churches where
once the glory of God was preached. And Christ was exalted and sinners
saved, but now they're just a memory. Just a memory. Four pastors pastored
that church where Charles Spurgeon was. Four faithful pastors. And each one pastored that church
for nearly 50 years. So between the four that church
stood there, having preached the glory of God and sinners
saved and men grounded in the truth, and sat there and served
God for 200 years. And now it's just a memory. Just
a memory. And I guess the saddest thing
of all is that those upon whom this judgment comes, they still
gather together in those places and they still meet and they
still go through the motions and imagine that God's still
meeting with them. That's the saddest part of all.
God's wrote Ichabod on the door and they don't know it. That's how much they knew about
His presence when He was there. When His presence was taken away,
they didn't see any difference. But not so where His people are
concerned and where He intends to call out His sheep. In that
place, Christ will come in tenderness and gentleness, and He'll open
to us His counsels of love and grace. Now look here in Revelation
3.18. This is after our Lord had delivered
that strong rebuke to these people. He tells them in verse 18, He
said, I counsel, 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 eye salve, that thou mayest
see. As many as I love, I rebuke and
I chasten." You know, I remember growing up as a child, my dad
didn't, he didn't rebuke the neighbor's children. He rebuked
his. He didn't punish the neighbor's
children. He punished me. And this is what the Lord's saying
here. He said, as many as I love, I rebuke. And I chasten. And the scripture goes a little
further over in the book of Hebrews and it says, he that I chasten
not, he's not a son. He's not a son, not my son. So here he says, as many as I
love. Now here's the question, who
does Christ love? Who does he love? Well, turn
with me to Romans chapter nine. In the first several verses of
Romans nine, the apostle's telling us about the true Israel of God. And he represents this nation
called Israel, this people called Israel, he represents them with
three men. Three men by which this whole
nation was known from their beginning to the end. He tells us plainly
that the Old Testament promises to Israel were not made void
because natural Israel rejected the Savior, Romans 9.6. not as
though the word of god had taken none effect for they are not
all israel which are of israel now israel if you'll remember
is the name that god gave jacob he changed his name from jacob
to israel and this is what he's saying all these ones who identify
themselves as israel children of israel children of jacob they're
not all of israel not all of Israel. Romans 9 verse
7, neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all
children, but in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is,
they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the
children of God, but the children of the promise are counted for
the seed. Now you remember the story about
Isaac and Ishmael. Ishmael was a son produced by
natural reasoning. Now we're old, Abraham, Sarah
told him, and I'm past the days of childbearing and you're past
that age too, you're over 100 years old, there's no way we're
gonna have a child this way. So I'll tell you what I'm gonna
do. Why don't you take my handmaid to wife and she can produce the
sun. That's natural reasoning. Natural
reasoning. And that's what Ishmael, he stands
for that natural reasoning. And that's what men do. That's
how men reason. They're over their head in this
thing of salvation and they try to reason it out. They try to
figure out some natural way for this thing to be done. get people to come down aisles
and sign cards and all of these things, join the church. But here's what he says, Romans
9.9, for this is the word of promise, at this time I'll come
and Saviour shall have a son. Now, Galatians 4 plainly tells
us that those two sons represent the two covenants, one the covenant
of works and the other the covenant of grace. And then he tells us
again in Galatians 4.28, now we brethren, as Isaac was, are
children of the promise. Now here's two. Here's Abraham and here's Isaac
and here's their representative. You see what he's teaching us
here in Romans chapter 9? In these three men, all of Israel
are represented. In these three men, Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. Then in Romans 9-10, and not
only this, but when Rebekah also had conceived by one, even by
her father Isaac, for the children being not yet born, neither having
done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election
might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth, it was said
to her, the elder shall serve the younger, as it is written,
Jacob have I loved, but Esau Have I hated? And all of God's
elect are represented in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Abraham, he's
the father of faith. He's the father of the faithful.
If you be Christ, then are you Abraham's seed and heirs according
to his promise. We're represented in Isaac, the
son of promise. At this time, I'll come and you'll
have a son. And we're also children of Jacob.
that the purpose of God according to election might stand. And
this is what he says of that. And this is what I want you to
see that in Jacob. Jacob have I loved. What's he
talking about? He's talking about all his elect. When he said Jacob have I loved,
all Israel is represented in that man Jacob. And all those he loves who find
themselves in a state of indifference and apathy, he tenderly rebukes
and loves and says to them, I counsel of you, you come buy me gold
tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich. Now there were
many who were rich and increased with goods. They held high stations. They had much security. They
had vast holdings and investments. But they were poor in spirit.
They were bankrupt beggars in the spiritual realm. And the
answer, of course, is to buy of Christ gold tried in the fire. All right? How you going to buy
it? What are you going to buy it with? We're bankrupt beggars. That's what he told them. You
don't know. He said, you think you're rich
and increased with God, with goods, but he said, and what
you don't know is you're poor and naked and wretched and blind.
That's what you don't. Well, how's this poor sinner
gonna buy anything from Christ? What do we have to purchase with?
Well, you have what God has given you. The faith of God's elect. That's what he's given us. I
used to take my children. They looked forward to me. I
was working out on the road, and sometimes I'd be gone for
days. And when I come home, one of the things that I like to
do with them is I give them each a dollar and take them down to
the little gas station down the road and turn them loose. And
they'd shop in there sometimes for 45 minutes with that dollar.
But they didn't have anything to buy with. They had what I
gave them. But what I gave them, they were
able to buy with. And this is the thing, when we
come to Christ, he gives us faith. Otherwise, how are you going
to lay hold of Christ without faith? How are you going to be
led to repentance without faith? You see what he's saying here? Here's a scripture that makes
it really clear. Over in Isaiah 55-1, he said,
Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come to the waters, and he that
hath no money, Come ye and buy without money, without money.
And eat, ye come and buy wine and milk without money and without
price. Well, what is this gold tried
in the fire? It's Christ himself. Christ Himself,
tried in the fire. He made of God unto us wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. And to have Christ
is to have it all because God's given all things into His hands. Everything that He's purposed
to give to His elect, He gave to Him according as He's chosen
us in Him before the foundation of the world. To have Christ
is to have everything God has for sinners. To have Christ is
to have redemption. Listen to this, Ephesians 1 saying,
in whom we have redemption. Where do we have it? In Christ.
In Christ. We have redemption through His
blood, the forgiveness of sins. To have Christ is to have acceptance
with God. Again, he says in Ephesians 1,
to the praise of the glory of His grace wherein He hath made
us accepted in the blood. We have acceptance in Him. and we're to buy of him not only
this gold tried in the fire, but we're to buy of him white
raiment that we might be clothed, that our nakedness might not
appear. Well, what is this white raiment?
That's the righteousness of Christ. That righteousness of Christ,
which He's given to us, covers our nakedness, making
us to appear before God spotless before the presence of his glory.
That's hard to even imagine, isn't it? You stand before the
mirror and you see the truth. You see the truth. I look in there every morning,
and every morning I see a new bump, a new wrinkle, a new something
in that mirror. It tells you the truth. You see
in what's there. But when Christ sees you, I mean,
when God sees you, He sees you through His Son, through the
righteousness of His Son. That's how He sees you, spotless
before the presence of His glory. Covers our nakedness, makes us
appear before Him, not only in this righteousness, but this
righteousness is our wedding garment. And then He said, you're going
to have to have some of this too. You're gonna need some eye
salve, because you don't see very good. You're gonna have
to have eye salve. Clear up your vision through
the gospel enables us to see the glory and necessity of Christ's
work. All right, now let's spend the
remainder of our time here in verse 20. Revelation 3.20, having told
them these things, give them this sweet counsel. Now listen
to what he says. Behold, I stand at the door and
knock. If any man hear my voice and
open the door, I'll come in to him and I'll sup with him and
he with me. I couldn't count the times that
I've heard this verse quoted in Armenian religion when I was
growing up and applied to the general message that was delivered
to the congregation and telling them that Christ is knocking
at the door. He's knocking at the door. Now,
if you've been to Armenian churches, you know exactly what I'm talking
about. They use that so often. Christ is knocking on the door.
You don't come in unless you open the door. And that's the
way they apply it. But this verse is not a universal
call to sinners. It's a husband knocking at the
door of his wife. That's what this is about. You
can read about it over in Solomon's Song, Chapter 5. Here she is. She's in her room. And her husband
comes and knocks on the door. But she don't wake up. She don't
wake up. She doesn't stir. And then he reaches his hand
in through the hole of the door and he stirs her. And suddenly
she's startled. She sits up in the bed and she's
wide awake and she runs to the door and opens the door, but
he ain't there. He ain't there. He's gone. He'd withdrawn himself for a
little bit, Oh, she said, my soul fainted when he spoke. I failed to hear him. I wasn't
prepared to hear him. And then I sought him, but he
could not be found. I called, but he didn't give
no answer. And the watchman found me. Who's that? That's the preacher.
The watchman found me, and he wounded me. With sharpness of speech and
plain language, He exposed her in her complacency, and He wounded
her in her heart. You see, these letters Christ
wrote to Laodicea, He wrote them to their pastor. And these rebukes
that the Lord made, they were made through the pastor to that
church. And these things wounded her
and exposed her exposed this complacency and it took away
her veil, that's her excuses. And then she began to cry out
for her beloved and oh, when she did, how she could describe
him. With what detail did he come
to her mind and heart when all this took place. Where has she
gone, she cried. And then when she'd searched
for him with all of her heart, he made himself be known. And I'm going to tell you something,
he ever knocks at the door of his beloved, even when she's
asleep, even when she don't hear the
knock, he's forever knocking. I'll never leave you. I'll never
forsake you. That's what he said. I stand
at the door and knock, and if any man will hear my voice and
open the door, I'll come in. I'll come into him, and I'll
sleep with him. and he with me. Now a church at any given time
is made up in its congregation of believers and unbelievers,
the dead and the living. Only the living can hear his
knock. If he doesn't give you ears to hear, you're not going
to hear anything that he has to say. You're not going to hear
anything. You're not going to hear him
knock. You're not going to hear his rebuke. You're not going to hear
anything. Only the living can hear his
knock and only the let can be stirred in their heart. He reached
his hand through the hole in the door and stirred her heart. And only his beloved will open
to him. And then he said, I'll come into
it. Come where he is in the bride chamber. I'll come in unto it.
I'll come where he lives, where he sleeps, where he dwells. And
I'll sup with him. Our Lord took that bread. This
is the Son of God in the person of a man. And he took that bread
and he gave it to his disciples. And he ate the bread. He ate
the bread. And they ate the bread. He supped
with them. And he poured that wine and he
drank that wine with them. And how often did he enter into
their homes and had meals with them when he walked upon this
earth? Can you imagine eating and drinking
with the Son of God? Well, this is what true worship
is. That's what sent all those disciples away scratching their
head. He said, except you eat of my
flesh and drink of my blood, you have no life in you. And
they said, he's talking about cannibalism. He's crazy. And
they walked away. But he said, my words are spirit
in their life. And then in Revelation 3, verse
21, he said, to him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in
my throne, even as I also am overcome, and I'm sat down with
my father in his throne. How do believers overcome this
world and all of its temptations? How do they do that? 1 John 5 verse 4, whatsoever
is born of God overcometh the world. He enables us, He makes
us meet to be partakers of that heavenly inheritance. He enables
us by His grace and by His Spirit to overcome this world. And he
enables us to do it by our faith. Who is he that overcometh the
world but he that believeth that Jesus is the Christ? So true
saving faith sees oneself put by the sovereign hand of God
and for his glory into a perfect and eternal union with his Son. And he sees himself in Christ
manifesting a perfect righteousness. That's why I keep pointing you
to Christ. You'll never manifest a perfect righteousness, but
if God put you in a son and he did, then you manifested that
righteousness. You did it by virtue of your
union in Christ. He sees himself in Christ manifesting
a perfect righteousness and he sees himself in Christ bearing
his own sins before a holy God and satisfying that holy justice
of God. And he sees himself buried with
Christ and raised up together with Christ and seated at the
right hand of God, fully accepted, fully glorified in the person
of the Son. And now he tells us in verse
22, Revelation 3.22, He that hath an ear, let him hear what
the Spirit saith, not to Laodicea, but to the churches. believers
have by the grace of god hearing ears and not only that but they have
eyes to see and not only can they see and
hear but they obey what they hear they obey so if you're here
today and you don't understand what i'm preaching i pray the
lord will give you eyes and ears and a heart to understand