Sermon: "No Static At All"
Back in the late 60’s I became a baseball fan, and started following a team out of St.Louis called the Cardinals. Everybody around this area was rooting for the Baltimore Orioles or the Philadelphia Phillies or the Washington Senators. I just wanted to root for somebody different, plus the Cardinals were a very good team at the time.
The problem for me was, while everybody around here could watch their teams on local TV and listen to their games on local radio, I couldn’t do that since my team was out in the Midwest.
And so for about 5 years I rooted for the Cardinals but could only watch them or listen to them when they came to play in this area. Then came the day when my life took a dramatic turn for the better. I was reading a newspaper and came across an article that was talking about this powerful AM radio station called KMOX out of St.Louis… a station with such a strong signal that at night it could be heard as far south as Mississippi, as far west as Colorado, and as far east as Pennsylvania. I read that – Pennsylvania - and my heart skipped a beat or two.
You’ve got to understand that I was a nerdy 12 year old at the time, and so the prospect being able to listen to my beloved Cardinals got me pretty excited. The article said that KMOX could be found on the AM dial at 1120 – right next to 1130 WEEO for those of you who are my age. So that night after the sun went down and after WEEO went off the air, I turned my little clock radio to that area on the dial. And lo and behold, there it was, the Cardinals, my Cardinals coming through loud and clear all the way from St.Louis, Missouri.
Thus began several summers of being able to lay in bed late at night and listen to my boyhood heroes win some, lose some, but always giving me something to look forward to each night. It was great.
Now that I had found this remarkably powerful station there was just one problem. The signal didn’t always come through loud and clear. I couldn’t explain it then, and I can’t explain it now, but there were a few nights were it was clear as could be, and there were a few nights where you couldn’t get it at all, and most nights where it was somewhere in between. I could hear the game, but there was a lot of static I had to contend with.
And those were some pretty frustrating nights, you spend all day looking forward to a big game that night, and then the static is so bad you can barely make out what the announcers are saying.
I got to thinking, for some of us it’s the same way when it comes to hearing what Jesus is saying. We say we want to hear from Him…we say we want Him to tell us what to do here, and what to do there…and yet sometimes the static in the air is so bad, we can’t make out His voice.
Some of you here this morning are feeling this distance between you and Jesus. You feel spiritually weak and dry…and yet there is a part of you that really wants to be able to recognize and hear His voice. But you’re struggling, and you may not know why.
It got me to thinking about what it is that keeps us from hearing Jesus voice and having fellowship with Him. There are a number of reasons, but I’m convinced that one of the main reasons is because of all the static that’s all around us. And by static I mean all the noise, all the distractions, all the things that this world has to offer that keeps us from hearing Jesus’ voice and having fellowship with Him.
This morning’s message is called “No Static At All” and we’re going to be talking about what keeps us from hearing Jesus’ voice and having fellowship with Him. Then we’ll talk about what can be done about it.
Listen for Jesus and see if you can’t hear Him speaking to you this morning…and if you do, respond to Him and prepare yourself to enter into a meaningful time of communion, a meaningful time of fellowship with Him later on this morning.
Let’s get started by looking at…
1. WHAT JESUS WANTS
Our scripture verse for this morning is found in Revelation chapter 3, verse 20. I think that a lot of you will be familiar with this verse. Listen to the words of Jesus…
Revelation 3:20 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.
The question is…
A. Who is Jesus talking to?
Is Jesus talking to Believers or unbelievers? What do you think?
A mistake that is commonly made by many evangelists is to take this verse and use it as an invitation to the lost…“Jesus is calling you, open the door of your heart and invite Jesus in…and be saved.”
The fact of the matter is these words are written to Christians – men and women who have already placed their faith in Jesus.
Let’s go back one verse and read what Jesus says just before He makes His plea for these Believers to hear His voice and open the door. Jesus says…
Revelation 3:19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.
You see the word “love” here? The Greek word for love here in this verse is never used in the New Testament when talking about unbelievers, but always about those who are already saved.
There is another word for love that is used throughout the New Testament when talking about unbelievers, such as in John 3:16 where we read the words “for God so loved the world.”
Here in our Scripture passage for this morning, Jesus is clearly speaking to the church, to Believers. So, why then would Jesus be on the other side of this door? And why would He be knocking and asking to be let in?
It’s because these Christians in a town called Laodicea have allowed their relationship with Jesus to grow cold and dry… and this relationship has to be restored or – Jesus warns them – they must be prepared to face His judgment. To become vomit as we will come to see later on.
And so to answer the question, “What does Jesus want?”…what He wants is for the men and women of this church in Laodicea to hear His voice, open the door and renew their relationship with Him.
That’s what He wants from every Believer here this morning who has grown apart from Jesus. For those of you who can almost see this door standing between yourself and Jesus.
For those of you who are not hearing His voice coming off the pages of God’s Word or coming from the Holy Spirit.
This morning, Jesus wants you to hear His voice, open the door and renew your relationship with Him. He wants you…and I hope that you want Him too.
And so let’s talk about…
2. WHAT KEEPS US FROM HEARING JESUS’ VOICE?
And again, I think that it’s all the static in the air. The noise, the distractions, all of the things this world has to offer that keeps us from hearing Jesus’ voice and experiencing fellowship with Him.
Can you identify the static in your life? What puts up this door and keeps you from hearing Jesus’ voice? What keeps you from having meaningful times of fellowship with Him?
Let’s not beat around the bush, let’s go right to one that I think makes the static very loud, and that is…
- Willful Sin
When I use the term “willful sin”, I’m talking about deliberate sin…habitual sin…doing, saying, thinking things we know are sin, and not doing anything about it…except to keep on sinning.
Do you have any willful sin going on in your life? Look close. Look deep.
Is it pretty common for you to pass judgment on others? If so, what are you doing to overcome it? To keep it out of the category of willful,deliberate, habitual sin.
Men, is it pretty common for you to view things that you know are sinful either on TV or the Internet? If so, what are you doing to overcome it? To keep it from being willful sin?
Is it pretty common for you to use sharp words when talking to your spouse? Is it pretty common for you to become impatient with your kids? Is it common for you to complain about people or circumstances? If so, what are you doing about it so that would not be defined as willful sin?
If you’re like the people in the church at Laodicea, the answer would be “not much.”
You see, they were the “lukewarm” church. (So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:16)
They had become quite comfortable, they were pretty self-sufficient, and when it came to their relationship with Jesus, they had become pretty complacent.
So, just before Jesus reminds them that He’s standing at this door and knocking, wanting to revive the relationship, He confronts them with the truth…
Revelation 3:17-18 “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.
Strong words from Jesus, and let’s look at one of those words a little closer. Do you see the word “wretched” there? You know the Greek word for that word wretched is only found 2 times in the entire New Testament. Here, and in Romans 7:24….that well known passage where Paul cries out…
Romans 7:24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
The reason Paul cries out this way is because He finds Himself a slave to sin. Just as the Believers in the church at Laodicea were slaves to sin. But, unlike Paul, it really didn’t bother them. They were content, and living quite comfortably.
If you know that you’ve got some habitual sin in your life, who do you most closely resemble? Paul, who hated the power that sin seemed to have over him? Or the Laodiceans who didn’t really seem to care and kept right on sinning?
Every Believer might say they want to hear Jesus’ voice and have fellowship with Him, but I don’t think every Believer really means it. And it’s a bad spot to be in. You want Him to hear you and your requests…but you don’t want to hear from Him. You know what He’s going to say, and you don’t want to hear it, because you don’t want to change.
Many of you here this morning who are Believers are familiar with this verse…
Psalm 66:18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
Not only does willful sin keep the Lord from listening, it creates a lot of static that keeps you from hearing from Jesus. Too locked into sin.
Too locked in to hear Him knocking on the other side of the door, pleading for you to hear His voice and let Him in so that the relationship can be restored.
One other thing that keeps us from hearing Jesus voice is…
B. Busyness
It’s something that we’ve all heard in sermons before, probably heard on Christian radio stations the danger of busyness, read about it in devotionals, Christian magazines and Christian books.
We’ve heard it, we know it describes us, we say we need to do something about it…but from what I can see, we just keep right on going living hectic lives like the rest of the world, and leaving little or no time for Jesus. Romans 12:2 says…
Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
What is “the pattern of this world?” Well, the world has no interest in Jesus, the world is motivated by selfish desires, and so much time and energy is invested in fulfilling those desires. The pattern of this world is to be busy trying to get more of this and do more of that.
As Christians, we should be showing and teaching the world how to conform to Jesus…instead it’s the church that is conforming to the world. We’re running all over the place, living hectic lives, trying to keep pace with the world – ballgames, home improvement, vacations, all kinds of entertainment, including immoral entertainment…and so we find ourselves with precious little time, which for many Believers means “No time for Jesus.”
How many of you see yourselves here?
You can see, can’t you, that your fast paced lives have put this door up between you and Jesus…so busy that you’re not hearing His call for you to open the door and renew the relationship.
The people in Laodicea were in a bad spot and didn’t even know it, and I’m afraid that many in the church today are in the exact same spot…a very bad and dangerous spot…and don’t even know it.
How many people will walk out of here today, knowing that they’ve become too busy to have time for Jesus…and will do nothing about it. Moving ever closer to that point of becoming vomit.
We’ve got to get back in fellowship with Jesus, but there’s all kinds of static in the air. Some of it comes from willful sin. Some of it comes because of busyness.
So…
3. WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT
Today, when it’s time for the Cardinals to play, I just get on the Internet and listen to their games on the computer. But 30 years ago there was no internet and so I was left to listen to the games on my little radio.
There was not only the battle of static, but there were also these stations right next to Cardinals station, one very strong station out of North Carolina for example.
I could be listening to the Cardinal announcers one minute, and I can hear them get excited as a ball is hit deep, and it’s going, going…and then before I find out whether it’s a homerun or an out, I suddenly get this show called “Hello Henry” coming through my radio all the way from North Carolina.
The folks in North Carolina loved Henry, but I grew up despising the sound of his voice…because he kept me from hearing the voice of the Cardinal announcers.
But I soon discovered something interesting…if I had my radio tuned to the St.Louis station, and I had the radio turned “this way”, I could get my game pretty clear. If I turned my radio “that way”, I got a lot of static and a lot of Henry.
It all depended upon which direction my radio was turned.
And it’s the same way for us…it all depends on which direction we’re turned.
If we’re in tune with the world, there’s going to be an awful lot of static and a lot of voices coming through that are going to keep us from hearing from Jesus.
And if we’re in tune with Jesus, if we’re turned in His direction, He can overcome all the static and all those other voices that are vying for our attention. They’re still there…it’s just that Jesus can get through it.
When it comes to overcoming willful sin, the answer today is the same answer Paul discovered 2000 years ago…
Romans 7:24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Paul turned towards Jesus, and what Paul discovered was that when it came to willful sin…the only way, and I mean the only way to overcome it was to let Jesus do the work.
I don’t care if your problem is judging others, criticizing others, lusting after others, envious over others…you cannot overcome it no matter how hard you try. You were born ready to sin. Only Jesus can do it. Why do you think Jesus is saying to the Believers in the Church at Laodicea….“Open the door and let me in?”
You see, there are two great things than can happen when we hear His voice and open that door…He can come in and do what only He can do, and that is rescue us from whatever sin has hold of us…and at the same time, we can renew our fellowship with Him and get back to where He wants us to be.
Church, you want to know Jesus’ will for Your life don’t you? Don’t you want to hear what He wants you to do in this situation and that situation? Don’t you want to be able to read His Word and hear His voice coming from the pages? Don’t you want to put a stop to that willful sin?
Turn in the direction of Jesus, turn towards that door where He is standing and open it up, let Jesus in and renew that relationship that He wants, and that you need in order to break free from the chains of sin. It takes more than Sunday mornings. So…
When it comes to overcoming busyness, I think the answer can be found in that passage in Romans we looked at earlier, where we were told not to conform to the pattern of this world. This command comes right after we’re told to be a living sacrifice…
Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.
If you know you’ve become so busy you have little or no time for Jesus, what are you willing to give up in order to make time?
You see, it’s so easy to say “I’ll be a living sacrifice” and end up sacrificing nothing.
How about all of us that are serious about hearing Jesus’ voice…how about if for just one week, we all commit to sacrificing something significant, something time consuming, and invest that time in our relationship with Jesus. How about if we turn away from the world this week, and turn and face Jesus?
I’ll start. This summer I have been spending about 2 hours just about every night listening to the Cardinals games on the internet. Have been doing it since the beginning of the season back in April. And I love it.
But this week, I’ll sacrifice my ballgames.
And during that time when I’d normally be listening, I’ll invest that time in my relationship with Jesus. I’ll read His word, spend time in prayer, and do some Bible Study on the internet (if you struggle with books this is a great way to go).
And during those times that I’m reading or praying and wondering what’s happening with the game, I’ll recall this verse from Philippians to remind me of what’s really important…
Philippians 3:8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…
As much as I love listening to the Cardinals, I need to remind myself of what life is all about, and remember that everything pales in comparison to the importance of knowing Jesus.
How about you? If you know that you’ve become so busy that you have little or no time for Jesus, what are you willing to do to become a living sacrifice?
What worldly thing is Jesus asking you to turn away from this week so that He can get you turned towards Him, turned towards that door that He will come through the door if you let Him?
As you receive Communion this morning, listen for Jesus to speak to you and show you what He’s asking you to sacrifice this week in order to get him through the door and get the relationship healthy. It won’t necessarily be sin…it may mean sacrificing something that’s not evil but simply time-consuming. Satan doesn’t have to destroy us, he simply needs to distract us.
I can’t stress enough the importance of responding to Jesus this morning. Because Jesus lays out for the Church at Laodicea and the Church at Five Forks the two outcomes…
First, for those who keep the door closed and continue on in willful sin and busy lifestyles…
Revelation 3: 15-16 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
The Greek word for spit is actually better translated as vomit. And while there may be some debate as to what extent Jesus will vomit Believers out of His mouth, I don’t think that any of us really want to find out. It’s a bad spot to be in.
The second outcome is for those who overcome all the static and hear Jesus’ voice and proceed to open the door and renew the relationship…
Revelation 3:21-22 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. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Are you hearing and do you see the two vastly different outcomes…being vomited out by Jesus, or being sat on a throne with Jesus. Which direction will you turn this week? Will you turn towards the world and all the static that’s in the world…or will you turn towards Jesus, hear His voice, and invite Him in?