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Are you Coming to Dinner?

Words of Faith Final

Are you Coming to Dinner?

Words of Faith 12-14-2020

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2020

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

www.faithfellowshipweb.com

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Revelation 3

[17]  For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, 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 him, and he with me. [21]  To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. [22]  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

 

         What does “Lukewarm” Look like?  Many will try and fill in the blanks. At its core, lukewarm is a failure to recognize our need for God. To be spiritually lukewarm is a condition of self-sufficiency, self-satisfaction, complacence, indifference, and pride that fails to recognize our absolute need for God’s grace and mercy.

         Lukewarm says, “I can handle this. I will let you know if I ever need you, God.” Like the prideful refusal by Laodicea to receive aid from Rome after a catastrophe, the believers had drifted into a place where they thought they really did not need God.  In reality, they were wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

        The first step in salvation is the conviction by the Holy Spirit of how desperately we need God. We must know that we cannot save ourselves. We must realize that we dare not be full of ourselves.

        Francis Chan speaks of this saying, “The irony is that while God doesn’t need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don’t really want Him most of the time.

        What is the Solution for this lukewarm condition? 

        It starts with getting some new clothes. [18]  I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

        The Lord used images they were familiar with.  Buy some refined gold—genuine riches. Laodicea was known for its gold and wealth. Buy some white garments of purity to cover your shame. Laodicea was known for its fashion industry of stylish black wool. Buy some salve for your eye so you may see. Laodicea was known for its medical eye salve.

        What these lukewarm believers desperately needed could only be found in Jesus. As the Psalmist said: “He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness…” (Psalm 61:10). Only the salve of the Holy Spirit will allow us to see with the eyes of Christ. 

         All this is motivated by love. [19]  Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline. The purpose in this is love, but how do you “buy” what is priceless? The Lord issues the call [19b] so be zealous and repent. In warmth, turn around, turn back, turn toward God. And invite Jesus in.

         Verse 20 is one of the most famous in the Bible. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with me.”  These words are often lifted as an invitation to unbelievers or those outside the church. It is, in fact, an invitation to the church to open itself to Jesus.

         It may seem odd that Jesus would ask to be invited for dinner. Still, all this points toward another dinner party called the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Revelation 19:7-8 – “Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.”

         The one who overcomes will sit with me. [21] The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. [22]  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

         How is your spiritual life? How is your relationship with Jesus? Have things grown tepid? Perhaps it is time to turn warmly toward Him. Time to be clothed with His righteousness unequivocally. Time to come in and dine with Him.

 

         Lord Jesus, I desire to walk closely with You with the fire of Your Spirit within me. I desire to walk clothed with Your righteousness alone as I dine with You in preparation for the great Marriage Supper. In Jesus’ Name.

 

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2020

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)       

2820 Business Center Blvd.

Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.