Dr. Tony Evans delivers a powerful sermon unpacking the message to the church at Laodicea from the book of Revelation. Exploring the dangers of spiritual complacency, Dr. Evans challenges us to reevaluate our spiritual posture and invites us to open the door to Christ’s transformative presence in their lives. SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/drtonyev… If you would like to download two encouraging, FREE full-length MP3s of Tony’s popular sermons: “The Sovereignty of God” and “How to Handle a Crisis,” you can do so by clicking on this link: https://share.hsforms.com/1atT9MJvXQN…
If you would like to sign up for our daily devotional bringing you hope and inspiration, please go to this link: https://share.hsforms.com/1CkOLA910Sm…
▶ Do you know Jesus as your Savior? https://tonyevans.org/know-jesus-christ/
▶ Stream Sermons: https://tonyevans.org/podcast/
▶▶ Free Sermon App: https://subsplash.com/tonyevans/app/
▶▶ DONATE: https://give.tonyevans.org/the-altern…
▶ Facebook: 
/ drtonyevans
▶ Instagram: 
/ drtonyevans
▶ Are you a preacher? Free sermon outlines: https://go.tonyevans.org/dr-tony-evan…
Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder and president of The Urban Alternative and author of over 100 books, booklets and Bible studies. The first African American to earn a doctorate of theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, he has been named one of the 12 Most Effective Preachers in the English-Speaking World by Baylor University. Dr. Evans holds the honor of writing and publishing the first full-Bible commentary and study Bible by an African American. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on over 1,400 radio outlets daily and in more than 130 countries. Dr. Evans’ sermons are also streamed and downloaded over 20,000,000 times annually.
our world has so duped us so we wind up
buying things we don’t need with money
that we don’t have and our world is
duping us and Jesus says no I ain’t
going to dupe you I want to make you
truly rich I want to give you real
clothes and I want to open your eyes so
that you can see but the only way you
get any of that is from me I’m the only
one who can give you what you really
need to be what you’re supposed to
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
be
Leo deia was a wealthy
city
known for three
things some 45 miles Southeast of
Philadelphia our last City and last
Church Le oia was known for its Finance
industry its banking
industry it would be akin to our common
day Wall Street it was a very wealthy
place to live work and raise a
family it was also known for its fashion
industry in New York you would call it
the Fashion
District where they made fancy clothes
that would go out to the retailers to
sell to the general
public Not only was it a financial
district and a fashion
district but the city of Leo de was a
pharmaceutical
District it was known for its medical
industry particularly when it came
to eye
diseases it was specializing in this sad
for the eyes to improve the sight of
those struggling with
seeing Jesus as he does in each one of
these churches introduces himself as he
wants you to see him now and he says in
verse 14 to the angel of the church at
Le oysa right the
amen the faithful and the true witness
the beginning of of the creation of God
says this so before he gets into what he
wants to say he wants you to know who’s
doing the
talking he says to the church at leod
deia and our church
today I am the
amen a amen means so be it the final
word on the
subject so when Jesus says listen
because the amen is talking he’s
basically saying I don’t care what
anybody else said to you I don’t care
what other folk told you I don’t even
care what you telling
yourself I am the amen I’m the final
word on the
subject I am the faithful and true
Witness
so I’m going to give you the testimony a
witness is a
testimony and whatever I tell you is
going to be the truth the whole truth
and nothing but the truth so help you
God and you’ll see in a moment while he
defines himself this way he says I am
the beginning of the creation of God now
if you’re the beginning of the creation
that means you existed before the
creation that you began so Jesus Christ
declares himself to be the
pre-creation existing prior to Creation
that is because he is always existed as
the second member of the Triune
godhead and the one who’s responsible
for how history
operates so what he’s saying before he
ever gets into what he is saying is pay
close
attention because I know what I’m
talking about I am the amen I am the
final testimony and witness and I am the
one who existed prior to you even being
here having established
himself to the church at Le oysa he now
makes his
complaint his
condemnation he says in verse 15 I know
your
Deeds that you are neither hot nor
cold I wish you were hot or
cold so because you are lukewarm and
neither hot nor
cold I will spit you out of my
mouth he addresses the problem at Leo
deia Bible
Fellowship of
lukewarmness you are
lukewarm he says their lukewarmness that
is their stagnant spiritual
State they in
between Christian
commitment their mixture that has made
them
unusable
unspiritual is
unacceptable how unacceptable is it
Jesus I want to spew them out of my
mouth the phrase to spew out of the
mouth means to
vomit Jesus says of Leo deia Bible
Fellowship y’all make me
sick and Jesus says this is the amen
talking this is the one who not going to
tell you what you want to hear I’mma
tell you like it really
is this is the one with the Final
witness making the
Declaration because you’re neither hot
nor
cold I can’t do anything with you your
spiritual condition reflects your
geographical
location it is
lukewarmness it is
stagnant and I can’t do anything with
you so it’s possible to be a church that
makes Jesus
sick what it was it exactly about the
the co Bible
Fellowship that made Jesus
sick here’s what Jesus says was the
problem verse 17 because you say I am
rich and have become
wealthy and have
need of
nothing he says I have a problem with
how you view
yourself you say I am
rich I am
self-sufficient I got it going
on got my job got my money got my car
got my house got my
clothes so my going to church is part of
my
style I go to Leo de a Bible Fellowship
cuz that’s what all Christians do but I
don’t go there cuz I need
Jesus I go there to fulfill my religious
obligation
you become so successful in your
financial district Your Fashion District
your pharmaceutical District that you
don’t really need me you just plating me
you don’t need me you just using me you
don’t need me you just acting and giving
the impression that you are close to me
and y’all make me
sick he says to the Leo deia Bible
Fellowship that you have allowed watch
this
now the definition of success in the
world to give you the definition of
success in the
church you think cuz you got money in
your wallet you think because you buy
the nicer clothes Drive the nicer cars
have the nicer job that somehow God has
brought BL you you been falling into
this false theology that if I got
stuff I must be blessed when actually
you and your stuff have made me sick and
you make me want to throw up and spew
you out of my mouth because you have
brought the world into the
church instead of letting the church
Define who you are and how you function
in the world they were
measuring the spiritual by the physical
let me say that again they were
measuring the spiritual by how things
look in the physical I am wealthy I got
this going on so I must be
blessed the fact is the physical and the
more of it you
have
camouflages the spiritual so that you
think the spiritual must be okay cuz we
got this
coding in the
physical and because the coding looks
good the inside must be okay cuz if I
wasn’t close to God why would I be
blessed like this if I wasn’t close to
God why would I have what I have
be where I am have the education that I
have why would all this stuff be okay if
I wasn’t close to God he says all that
stuff is is painting a false
portrait he
says let me tell you what you really
are second half of verse 17 you do not
know you are
wretched and miserable
and poor and blind and naked he
says None of what you think about you is
real that’s right that’s right you’re
living in a dream
world because I see what’s really going
on and what’s really going on
is you don’t know how messed up you are
see it’s bad to be blind it’s worse to
be blind and not know you
blind it’s bad to be naked but it’s
worse to be naked and not know you
undressed it’s bad to be
poor but he says you don’t know how poor
you are it’s bad to be messed up and you
don’t know how messed up you are that’s
how messed up you are you’re so messed
up you don’t know how messed up you
are that’s what he
says
and what’s got you messed up is that
you’ve allowed the
physical to erase the
spiritual and so because you don’t see
things from my perspective you don’t see
things correctly I see you playing
church as lukewarm
Christians oh you coming to church you
part of Leo DEA Bible Fellowship but
you’re playing games with this thing you
you’re not you’re not committed to me
you’re not dedicated to me what you’re
doing is coming to
Showtime at the church you come for the
performance of the choir the performance
of the preacher you come for the
performance of the environment but when
it comes to your commitment you’re
trying to satisfy the public you’re
trying to satisfy the success of Wall
Street and and every place out there cuz
you got it going on in Leo to
see but I’m going to give you the amen
the so be it the final word the
conclusion and what I say is the bottom
line he says well I’m going tell you the
real deal you’ll make me want a
vomit what do you want me to do Lord
what you want what do you want me to do
I’ll tell you what I want you to do
Verse 18 I advise
you so he’s going to give you some
advice me some advice advice I advise
you to buy from me
gold because it’s a financial district
refined by fire so that you may become
rich cuz you’re not rich you think
you’re rich but you’re not and white
garments because it’s a fashion district
so that you may clothe yourself and that
the shame of your nakedness will not be
revealed and iav because it’s a
pharmaceutical District to anoint your
eyes so that you may see
so guess what I want to do I want to
make you truly rich I want to give you
real
clothes and I want to open your eyes so
that you can see but the only way you
get any of that is from me buy from me
in other
words I’m the only one who can give you
what you really need to be what you’re
supposed to be all that other stuff is
fake but see
that’s what the Saints in Leo DEA didn’t
want that’s why they didn’t know they
didn’t want the spiritual perspective
they wanted people to make them feel
good about where they are based on the
world’s perspective
yes and that’s not what the church is
supposed to be not the Church of Jesus
Christ The Church of Jesus Christ lives
on the truth and it lives on the reality
of the Son of God and it lives on the
proclamation of the spiritual and unless
the spiritual is put out front of the
physical and not the physical put out
front of the spiritual you and I will
live in deception individually and we
will live in deception as a church and
we will carry on Services while Jesus
wants to
[Music]
vomit unless the spiritual is out front
and that becomes the standard and the
gauge for every area of life then Jesus
says I can’t do anything with you
because you’re living based on a
facade based on a lie so Jesus says I
got some
advice for folk who put the physical in
front of the spiritual buy from me you
you got to get on my page you got to
start with me not with what they saying
out there not what the television is
saying not what the media is saying not
what the pundits are saying you start
with me
yes because I want to be the standard by
which you operate
therefore I advise you to deal with
me verse 19 Those whom I
love if you’re a child of God he loves
you those who I love I reprove and
discipline therefore be zelous and
repent those who I love
I reprove and
discipline because I love
you but you don’t really know you cuz
you think you all that in a bag of chips
so so you you blind to you but I’m not
blind to you but I love you and I want
to get you
right I’m going to create some
situations in your
life it’s called
discipline I’m going to bring some
corrective measures into your
world I’m going to put you in the
situations money can’t buy you out of
I’mma put you in situations you can’t
dress up for I’mma put you in situations
to deal with your blindness I’m going
I’m going I’m going I’m going I’m going
to bring some discipline into your life
to let you
know that all that stuff that the world
applauds and makes you feel wrong about
yourself with can’t solve your problem
until I can get your undivided attention
now I’m not trying to be mean cuz I love
you but I am trying to correct some
things that need to be corrected so I
don’t have to spew you out of my
mouth him who I
love I’m I’m going I’m going to have to
deal with
you but it’s because I love you because
I don’t want to be I don’t want to be
divided from
you so what do you what do we
do okay watch this now verse 20 behold I
stand at the door and
knock
okay behold I stand at the door and
knock see somebody didn’t hear that
behold I stand at the door and knock
he’s at the door of Leo deia Bible
Fellowship he’s knocking what does that
mean they having church and he not even
there so just cuz you having Church
don’t mean Jesus is in the
[Music]
sanctuary and what keeps him out of the
sanctuary is
lukewarmness he goes on in verse 20 he
says if anyone hears my
voice and opens the
door is there anybody that can hear the
door anybody hear the door knocking
because I’m knocking the problem is
nobody listening they too busy shouting
they too busy praising they too busy
getting their Praise on they they I’m
knocking if anyone does here now he
comes from the church corporate to the
individuals in the
sanctuary cuz even though the sermon and
the message is for everybody Jesus knows
everybody not going to
hear so the question is how do you know
if you heard yeah how do you know if you
are hearing the knocking on the door
here’s how you know you’re hearing the
knocking on the door God is convicting
you of your
blindness you feel convicted that yes
that’s me me yeah standing in the need
of prayer that you feel this tug of God
on your heart you know you playing games
with me you know you just going through
the religious motions you know that
there is not a full commitment to me and
he starts tugging you and you start to
feel uncomfortable you’re squirming in
your seat although you’re not moving
it’s just all on the inside and you know
God is talking to you that means you’re
hearing a
knock and he’s calling your
name he said if anyone hears a
knock and opens up the door anyone who
hears my voice and opens the door you
must welcome him in Jesus will not go
where he’s not wanted either in a
corporate church or in an individual
life if you don’t want
him you can have life without him cuz
he’s not going to force himself on you
this is By Invitation
Only but let me tell you something about
the
invitation the knock on the door is the
disturbance that I know I need to get
some things in order because I’m blind
I’m naked and I’m poor
spiritually now you know how it is when
somebody knocks on your
door and you said well who is
it and if it’s somebody who you don’t
want to see how dirty your house
is you know you got stuff all over the
place you haven’t cleaned up
yet so you start throwing stuff in the
in the
closet hiding stuff under
stuff cuz you want to create a
facade you want them to think you
clean you’re not clean you’re just
hidden it’s all it’s all hidden okay and
then you you open the door invite oh
come on
Jesus Jesus I know it’s in your
closet I know what’s under you know I
know what you got in the attic I know
what you got through in the garage I let
me explain something let me make this
easy he creates the discipline he
says and then he wants to be invited
in the reason he wants to be invited
in is because he wants to help you with
the cleanup
he don’t want more faking he already
knows the stuff that’s not right inside
he wants to watch this dine with
you guess who’s coming to
dinner he wants to dine with you dining
means Fellowship it’s like when you say
somebody let’s have lunch together
you’re not just talking about the food
you’re talking about the fellowship he
wants this intimate relationship and he
already knows the reality cuz he already
told you you’re blind you’re naked and
you know and you’re poor so he already
knows what’s going on he wants to be
invited in for part of the cleanup he
wants to be part of the cleanup because
he’s the one who brought a lot of the
mess or the discipline to awaken us to
the knock and he says if you will invite
me in I will come in and Dy with him or
her and then he goes on and he
closes he says to him who
overcomes as our word
to him overcomes I will grant him to sit
down with me on my Throne as I also
overcame and sat down with my father on
his
throne what did Jesus have to overcome
that we had to overcome because he said
he had to overcome some stuff
too you remember when the devil came to
Jesus The Temptations in the
wilderness and what he tried to get
Jesus to do was to operate independently
from God and he used good stuff to do
it Jesus was hungry Jesus was hungry the
devil said turn these stones into bread
is it legitimate for Jesus to eat if he
hungry absolutely but it’s not
legitimate for Jesus to eat if he’s
hungry if the devil’s providing the
food that’s called devil Foods cake so
see the devil if the devil’s providing
the food you you you he says it’s okay
to it’s okay to eat but not at your
instruction devil he said jump go up to
the Pinnacle of the temple and jump
off cuz then they’ll see you do your
Superman thing they’ll see you float
down and and come down the Earth and
then everybody will know you’re Messiah
and you can skip the
cross he was trying to get Jesus to skip
the cross in order to get the crown but
God the father had already told God the
son you’re going to get the crown after
the cross so he tried to re reverse the
plan of God in his life in order that he
might not be
inconvenienced and then in the third
Temptation Satan came right down to it
he said well let let me tell you uh let
me take you up to this
mountain and uh offer you the kingdoms
of this world and not only the kingdoms
but their
Glory Jesus said be gone Satan for you
shall Worship the Lord thy God and serve
him
only Satan tried to get Jesus
to be divided from the will of the
father he’s after us trying to be
divided from the will of the
father and we must overcome
him as Jesus had to overcome
him and it’s hard because Jesus was
hungry and Jesus was tired and
emotionally he didn’t want to deal with
the cross he prayed let this cup pass
from me so he had a struggle like we
have to
[Music]
struggle yes inde but Jesus said he
overcame
him a bird one day
was walking on a
branch and then the branch
split so the bird had to make a decision
am I go this way or am I going that
way cuz if I don’t go anywhere I’m going
nowhere
the lukewarm Christian is the one who
won’t make a decision he says be hot or
cold but don’t be
stuck don’t just be Church
fied don’t just be
religious don’t don’t just act the part
don’t just play
Christianity just make a
decision be all
in be hot be cold that doesn’t mean
we’re perfect but it means we repent
when God reveals our imperfection so
that we can get back on the
road and when you do and Jesus shows up
he enables us to become Overcomers of
the things we have to
overcome because he’s dining at the
table with us when the devil shows
up thank you Lord and when you do he
says you will sit with
me I see you’re an
overcomer I get to interview you to be a
close associate you close you’re not
just in the vicinity you
[Music]
close
a