John K. Jenkins Sr - On The Outside Looking In

The Book of Revelation is the writing of the Apostle John that he wrote while he was confined to the isle of Patmos. It is a book that reveals the future and gives us insight into coming events . He begins writing this book of Revelation by addressing letters to the seven churches in Asia Minor that existed at that time . Jesus speaks to John and tells him to write these seven letters to these seven churches. The seven churches are the Church of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. It is this last church , the Church of Laodicea, that I want to spend time discussing today . I feel the tension in the room, as somebody might be wondering why we should care about these seven churches that existed thousands of years ago. The reason you ought to care about these churches is that you are a member of one of them. Your life , your walk, and your journey fall into the category of one of these seven churches. My question is, which church are you a member of? I wanted to talk about this particular church because the Holy Spirit pressed it upon my heart, and I couldn't shake it off. It kept resonating within me, urging me to talk about the Laodiceans. I always strive to be obedient to what God tells me to do, and I felt the Lord prompting me to speak to you about this church for just a few moments this morning.

I want to discuss this church , and I want to point out that in every letter written to the seven churches , the format is exactly the same . In other words, there is a structure to every letter, and this structure is consistent across all churches. Here 's the structure: five components, to be exact. These five points or areas of this letter are what I will address today . The first component is the description of Christ; somebody say, "the description of Christ." Secondly, there are commendations of the church, where He commends the church for good things. Third is the rebuke of the church, where He admonishes them for things that require correction. Fourthly, He provides exhortation to the church , encouraging them on what to do . Finally, He gives a promise to the church. Let me recap those for you: a description of Christ , commendation of the church , the rebuke of the church, the exhortation of the church, and the promise for the church. For these next few moments, I want to examine these five aspects as they relate to the Church of Laodicea. This is, in fact , the church where Jesus finds Himself standing on the outside , knocking on the door, trying to get in.

We don't have much historical information about the Laodicean church or the city , other than the fact that it was built by a king who later named the city after his wife . The remains of this city can still be found in some parts of that region. However, I want to focus for these moments on what Jesus says to this church. Area number one: I want to talk about the description of Christ-what He says about Himself to them. What is the description of Christ? What did He say about Himself? It's right here in verse 14 . He says to the angel of the Church of Laodicea, "Write these things ," says the Amen. He is the Amen; somebody say, "He's the Amen." He's the faithful and true witness . Jesus says He is the Amen! While I am preaching, and you say "Amen," it means "that's the truth." Amen. Thank you very much; I appreciate those amens! It means He's the truth. He is the truth; He doesn't just say truth-He embodies it.

John 14:6 states that Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no man can come to the Father except through me." He is the true way to God . You can't get to God through any other means besides Jesus Christ . I know that might not be politically correct , but it's scripturally accurate. Come on, talk to me for just a moment! There is only one way; He says, "I am the Amen." He also states that He is the faithful and true witness. What I say about myself is true; what I declare and teach to you is faithful to what God told me to say. He is a faithful and true witness, and therefore we can trust what He says about Himself.

In verse 14 , He identifies Himself not only as the faithful and true witness and the Amen but also as the beginning of the creation of God. That 's significant because when God initiated creation, the Bible states He delegated the power to create to His Son, Jesus Christ. Everything that was created was made by Him. John 1:1 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Nothing was made that had been made except through the Word. He made everything; He created everything. He created the heavens and the earth. He created everything that is visible and invisible. He has all power in His hands. I'm so glad we serve a God who is so awesome ; we did not buy our God off a shelf!