Pastor Don Mackintosh, Pastor of the Weimar Campus Church, teaches how conversion is necessary to live in the end of time.

<p>Pastor Don Mackintosh, Pastor of the Weimar Campus Church, teaches how conversion is necessary to live in the end of time.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Weimar University

Don Mackintosh

Living in Denial

Father in Heaven, Lord bless us today as we open your Word.

May you speak individually to us and to me as we each need your Word in our life, which is Spirit and life.

The title of our message today, Living in Denial, and our scripture reading was about the Laodicean Church.

Last summer some of us had the privilege of visiting the 7 churches.

And Laodicean Church is a great location.

And Hierapolis is right across from Laodicea.

It has many theaters, some built into the sides of the, all of them are built into the sides of the countryside with great vistas that you can see.

Had a large Jewish population because they knew that they would work hard and make a lot of money for their city.

They gave them a special dispensation to have the religion as they would like it.

And many even moved to Laodicea from Jerusalem because of the great amenities and the baths and the luxuries.

When it was leveled by an earthquake, it was rebuilt using their own resources.

And Tacitus says, Laodicea arose from the ruins by the strength of her own resources and with no help from us.

And they really didn't think they needed much of anything.

They thought everybody needed what they had to offer.

Source of their wealth was cloth, the clothing industry.

And interestingly enough, they loved black garments.

They would have been doing a great business today.

And they were known for basically 4 different black garments and their famous black wooled sheep.

They also were known for their health work.

They had a health center built around Asclepios, the god of healing, specifically known for its eye powder.

And so they were going along in life and in the luxury of Laodicea completely unaware of their need.

I titled the sermon Living in Denial, but they weren't even in denial.

They did not even know, our text told us, that they had problems.

Because you say I am rich, I have become wealthy and have what?

And do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.

I mean they were selling black garments and Jesus said you need white garments.

They were selling eye salve or eye powder as if they were helping people see.

They were selling clothing and Jesus said, you're naked.

Look in John Chapter 3, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John Chapter 3, the famous story of Nicodemus.

There was a man, a Pharisee, the top 2% of the nation, named Nicodemus the ruler of the Jews, verse 2.

This man came to Jesus by night and said, Rabbi, we know.

He came across his knowing quite a bit, kind of a know-it-all.

Jesus said to him, most assuredly I say to you, unless 1 is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Nicodemus couldn't even see the kingdom of God.

Nicodemus said to him, how can a man be born when he is old?

Verse 5, Jesus answered, most assuredly or verily, verily, and as I'm speaking, my father is speaking through me right now, I say to you, unless 1 is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Verse 7, he makes it explicitly, do not marvel that I said to you, you must be born again.

This word harao, it's not blepo, which is the common word for seeing, it's horao, which means to see with the mind, to perceive, to discern.

You're not using your mind, you're not perceiving, you're not discerning the problems in your life.

Desire of Ages, page 171, says this, he felt that he needed no change.

Hence his surprise at the Savior's words.

He was irritated by their close application to himself.

Jesus had first sang, I say to you unless 1 sounds general, but then he became more explicit and he said, You must be born again.

This is the top 2%, the cream of the crop.

This is the top of spiritual Israel, it's a Pharisee.

It'd be like him saying to the general conference president, you must be born again.

Now, the interesting thing that is in the New Testament, in the Gospels, primarily, every story Jesus tells, everything Jesus talks about, is with people that are already believers.

It's not like he's talking to Gentiles, it's not like he's talking to people that are outside of the world view of belief, even Samaritans.

When he talked to them, they believed in God.

And all of his stories, which we often apply to someone else other than us, would have been applied to us rather than someone else.

Luke chapter 3, they all came to be baptized by John the baptizer.

Change of mind, repentance, meta nos to change the mind, meta to change nos the mind, and remission, which means what?

Atheists in Greek, which means free from bondage.

He's saying you need to change your mind because you, within this world view, you believers already, must be born again.

And then he goes as far as to say, when they came out to be baptized, he said, you need the gift of repentance as well.

And you need fruits of repentance, because If you don't, you're basically a brood of vipers.

It bites you and with an 11-step you're dead.

And he's saying, your little snakes, little snakes are more dangerous than because they don't know how to control their venom.

I heard a lot about venom last night and these snakes, these snakes don't know how to handle their venom, they just let it all go.

And he's saying to the church you might say, you need to change your mind folks.

You're in bondage, you don't even know it.

What about Peter, another luminary in the New Testament, Luke 22, 32.

Peter, I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail.

Each, by the way, is given a measure of faith, Romans 12, 3.

Each is given faith, it's a gift, it's not something you generate, something that's given to you.

But you can grow it, your free will can make it diminish or grow based on your choice, which is also given to you, the gift of enmity.

You can't even claim that freedom of choice is your own, it was given to you.

And he's saying, I prayed for you that Your faith may not fail.

And when you are converted, some verses say, when you come back to Jesus or return to Jesus, but the word there is really to revert, to turn around, to convert.

Peter, when you are converted, strengthen the brethren.

So he's even saying to Peter, you're not what?

I remember I was going to the seminary, and my friend in the seminary used to say this to me every day, hey, Don, when you're converted, strengthen the brethren.

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Living in Denial

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