Synopsis of Sermon 9.22.24

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III 

Revelation 3:19-21
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

I.               INTRODUCTION

1. It is important to understand that God desires relationship with you. Even if you have been in a setting, where people said you were not deserving, God wants you. He wants all that He has placed inside of us, to come to fruition.
2. What is certain, God is right there. He is there waiting on you to let him in.
3. So many people go through life looking for things, not realizing what they need is close to them.
4. Everything you need is at the door. Your healing and your breakthrough is at the door! Your peace and your joy is at the door!
5. In the last few weeks, we have been talking about the 7 Churches of Asia Minor. Today we will be talking about the church This is the only church that did not receive any positive commentary in John’s letters from God.
6. They were the lukewarm church. Rather than being spiritually passionate, they were passive. They were accused of being too familiar with God. God said they either had to be hot or cold. Their lukewarm state made God sick!
7. Even though they were lukewarm, God still gives them a chance to repent. He urges them to change their spiritual condition.
8. God wants you to be prosperous, but he doesn’t want us to forsake Him for our blessing. Christ wants a deeper relationship with all of us. Many people are willing to serve God, but once they receive what they asked God for, they give all their time and attention to that blessing, while turning their back on God.
9. God:
   1. Request for Hospitality – He wants us to have a relationship with you.
   2. Seeking Access or Permission – The Lord will never mess with free will. It is up to you to let Him in. he will not force Himself on you.
   3. An Opportunity for Relationship – There is so much that waits for you when you get into relationship with God.
   4. Urgency or Persistence – Even when you were out there doing your dirt, God was still knocking.
   5. Invitation to Opportunity – A whole new level of life is waiting on you.

II.               RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST PROVIDES DISCIPLINE

• There is no relationship with Jesus, without accountability. God wants you to hold up your end of the covenant.
• To be in covenant with God:
  • We have to first submit to his word – When you go on a job and they give you a manual, you have to comply with what is written in that manual. The employers is not going to change their manual to suit you. Their manual tells you how they operate and how you are supposed to operate.
  • You have to serve His will.
  • We have to surrender in worship. – Some people can’t worship, because they like to be worshipped.
  • Sharing our witness. – We have to be willing to share our witness. We must tell people how good God is.

A.    God Loves Us Too Much To Let Us Lose It 

1. All of us have sinned and come short of the glory.
2. God essentially saved you from yourself. God will cause you to become disoriented sometimes, to save us from ourselves.
   1. Ever had your car not start? This is an example of God saving you from yourself. God kept you from being in a bad situation, because your car not starting, kept you from being at the wrong place, at the wrong time.
3. God loves us so much; He won’t let us lose our family or our career.

B.    It May Hurt Now, But It Will Help You Later 

1. God chastens us, because He loves us. God’s chastening is meant to be a deterrent and turn us away from bad things.
   1. Story: A lot of us can relate to getting whippings from our parents. They used to say it was for our own good and that it would help us up the road. Although we didn’t see it then, most of us are thankful for it now.
2. Sometimes God whips us to disrupt our plans, for our own good!

III.               REPENTANCE FROM YOUR PAST DEEDS

• This Church in the story was zealously passionate, but God needed them to repent. If you are truly sorry, why are you still doing the same thing?
• Repentance is:
  • Recognition of Sin. – If you don’t think it is wrong, you won’t repent. You have to first acknowledge it.
  • Sorrow for Sin – If you can do dirt and not feel bad about it, then you don’t have the Holy Spirit.
  • Confession – We can openly admit our sins to God.
  • Commitment to change-
  • Seeing transformation

A.    This Is The Season To Get You Together 

1. It can be triggered by a bad event or something else. This is the moment when you realize that this is the season to get your life together.
2. This is the moment that you are done with the foolishness and done playing games!

B.    Don’t Go Back To The Buffoonery 

1. This zeal is about moving forward. At this moment, you’re not going to let the enemy rob you of your best. Buffoonery could have cost you your job, your name, or your family. How much more would we have if not for the buffoonery?
2. We want to pause and give God thanks for delivering us from the buffoonery. I’m reaching forward to the things that God has promised me!
3. Once you repent, maybe you will hear the knock. Before you weren’t able to hear God’s knock, because you had too many people knocking at your door.

IV.               RECEIVE HIS PRESENCE AT THE DOOR

• Now you’re at a place where something new can happen in your life.
• Its almost like a person wearing strong perfume or cologne. You can smell something there, even if you don’t see it.

A.    What You Need Is At The Door 

1. Once you realize you need God, you will know what you need is at the door.

B.    He Enters By Invitation Not By Force 

1. The Lord does not force His way into our lives. Some people are too salty. They go overboard on sharing. They are on spiritual mode so much, it runs people away instead of drawing them.
2. Sometimes we try to force Jesus on people. This doesn’t draw people. Jesus doesn’t knock the door open or kick it down. He comes in by
3. You have to get to a place that you want him to come in.

V.               REJOICE IN THE PROMISES OF YOUR DESTINY

• Jesus says, when He comes in, He’s going to dine with you.
• He overcame and because He’s an overcomer, He sits by his father.

A.    Prevail Over Hell 

1. Jesus says you’re an overcomer, because He has overcome the world, you will over come too.
2. Remember Jesus told the disciples, “Greater things will you do…”

B.    After Every Victory There Is Promotion 

1. Because you overcome, that means God can trust you. Every time you come out of battle; you will give God glory!
2. If you remember the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, you know that they were thrown in a fiery furnace and the Lord brought them out. Afterwards the king promoted them and he made a decree for all the kingdom to start worshipping their God.
3. When Paul is snake bit, he gets promoted. Those waiting to die, asked him to lay hands on them, so that they may be healed. This was the same hand that was bitten.
4. If would think back, you will probably remember that God has taken you higher after every adversity you have had.
5. When you let God in, since He is an overcomer, your whole life will experience elevation and promotion.
6. Story:
   1. Bishop tells the story of a time where he was going through a tough season. He had been at a convention all day and had to preach that night.
   2. It was about 3pm in the afternoon and he had to be picked up to go preach by 6:30pm. He was so tired, that he just wanted to go to the hotel and crash for a couple of hours. He didn’t even want to take the time and get something to eat. He was willing to settle for the
   3. He got in the elevator and just as it was about to close, he heard a faint voice from down the hall say, “Can you hold the door?”. Bishop wanted to act like he didn’t hear it, but the Holy Spirit convicted him, so he put his hand in the door and held it for him.
   4. Bishop saw him push the button for the 27^th floor and Bishop was kind of glad, because he was getting off on floor 17. He thought it would be good, because the guy wouldn’t be stopping between floors.
   5. The guy said that Bishop looked tired. Bishop replied back to him, telling him that he was tired and had to go back to speak that night. He even told him that he was just going to hit the mini bar and go to sleep. The guy said, “don’t do that!” He asked Bishop to come on the 27^th floor with him.
   6. The guy was a CEO of a big company and there was a floor that was on the Club Level of the Hotel. This guy had access to it. So, when they got off on this 27^th floor, there was a big spread of food that was supplied for special guest for free. Almost anything you wanted was there! There were even waiters coming around with food and drinks on a tray.
   7. Bishop was about to settle for the mini bar, but since he answered the door, he got access to all that he needed. He was If he hadn’t let the man in, he would have missed out on his blessing.
   8. Are you missing your blessing by not answering the knock? God won’t force you to let Him in. He will only come in if you answer the door and let him in.
   9. Everything you need is at the door!