Build your house upon the rock

Light on the hill

5 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.  2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.  3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.  4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.  5 And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:

1.      This is a different scene.  A sea of glass mingled with fire.  There is a group that had gotten victory over the beast, His image, over his mark and over the number of His name.  We have the ultimate victory.  We will in our situation. 

2.     They are standing on this sea of glass with harps.  They are about to give a great concert. 

3.     They sing the song of Moses which is the O.T.  the law, the old covenant, the prophets and the connection with Israel.  They also sing the song of the Lamb.  The New covenant, the age of grace, love, the time of the universal gospel. 

4.     The song contains six truths.

a.      Great and marvelous are your works.  You are the Lord God almighty.  Vs 3

b.     Just and true are your ways.  You are the King of the Saints  Vs 3

c.      Who shall not fear you, O Lord, Sovereign.  They will glorify your name.  That is our ultimate calling and task.  Vs 4

d.     For the Lord is holy.  It is character and nature.

e.     For all nations will come and worship before you.  Vs 4

f.       For your judgments are known, manifested and shown.  Vs 4

Note:  these are statements about who God`s is. 

5.     He then saw how the temple of the tabernacle in heaven was opened.  There was more coming.  This is another pause in heaven before the next great series of judgment. 

Don`t allow your identity to be the church

New cloth

Wineskin parable

To the Church in Laodicea

To the Church in Laodicea

14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Let us look at verse 14, There are four truths about Jesus Christ

1.      He is the Amen.  He is the amen because He is true, He is the amen because He is certain.  amen." is used to affirm the truthfulness of what is to be said.  Jesus by His work the amen, or the one who makes the promises of God certain, but every time He speaks what He says is also true. What He did puts the amen to punctuate the promises of God, what He says is always true.

2.     Faithful.  No one can be trusted like Jesus.  What He says He will do He will do.  God is faithful.  He will never forsake us or leave us.  Story of Ruth illustrates this.  Naomi loses all than gets it all back through Ruth and Boaz.

3.     True .  Every time He speaks what He says is also true. What He did puts the amen to punctuate the promises of God, what He says is always true. He is the faithful and true witness. He is completely trustworthy. He is perfectly accurate. His testimony never fails to be reliable. In fact, in John 14:6   He said, "I am the way, the truth and the life." He is, of course, the perfect true witness.

4.     Witness.  Jesus is speaking what He has seen but also knows.  That is what the Holy Spirit does as well.  He takes what is shared and He passes unto us. 

In Vs 15   Jesus reminds them that He knows their deed.  They are neither hot or cold.  This church is known as the complacent, compromising and content church.  Everything to them in Hunky Dorey but it is not.  T

In vs 16 – They are lukewarm and because of that that are about to expelled by Jesus.  They are distasteful, putrid, smelly, like dead fish.  In short they are vomit.  Jesus is warning them that they are about to be dealt with.  This is a graphic illustration but it gives us the point.  Talk about me and eggs and Ketchup

Vs 17 – This is what they are saying about themselves.  “I am rich,” need nothing.  Let me remind that prosperity is the real enemy of the church not poverty.  When you got all the wealth you need or want why do you need God?  Talk about the rich man and Jesus. I have acquired wealth.  This church is focused on wealth, materialism and goods.  Sounds like the prosperity doctrine.  I do not need a thing.  They had people, wealth, programs and pastors but not spiritual life. 

Jesus said they had five things wrong with them.  They were wretched, pitful, poor, blind and naked.  What they said was not how God saw them.  We need God’s vision to see what is happening.