11/29/25 To those Rebuked in Love

As we begin the 2^nd half of the series the focus turns from the message to Thyatira to a message given to the church of Laodicea. While much can be said about any of the 7 churches, that is not why we are examining these two statements.

If you want to understand the Lord & what he calls of us these messages are a roadmap, like all the statements from Jesus himself. If you want to follow the King, and be an ambassador, then we need to understand & have the knowledge of what he said.

Revelation 3:19-22 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 that person, and they with me.21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

NIV has the beginning of Verse as Those whom I love. Before we address love lets get into who it is addressed to, obviously the church of Laodicea but here the GR is the word Hosos meaning the many meaning the audience is broad, the body as a whole. This is not individualized as it was to what we taught from in Ch. 2 to Thyatira. The message Jesus gives here preceding this is just this a rebuke, meaning Of uncertain affinity; to confute, admonish — convict, convince, tell a fault, rebuke, reprove. This means that the address of the rebuke to the entire body is entirety.

Now look at why the rebuke is coming, not necessarily the reasoning but why it makes a difference to Jesus to rebuke. This is a foreign concept to those who listen to modern preaching who teach Jesus is soft, with no boundaries, accepts everyone & does not ask & guide them to change. The reason why he asks you to change is because he loves. He wants you to change to the good & let’s be honest the age of material wealth & possessions has enticed to many of us on each side of the pulpit.

Love is a motivator for rebuke or reprove. In a PC cancel culture world that has trouble handling truth this is a complete counter cultural message should Holy Spirit convict anyone in my audience with this message, because we have arrived to the point as scripture said we would the truth has become an offense & as we have seen this year, those who speak truth are executed for doing so. Love is the reason to speak truth and not operate in the land of make believe. that is the projection of the enemy who because he wanted to make his fantasies come to life being convinced, he could make them a reality by moving against the Most high God, is now a rebel sentenced to his doom.

This foreign concept that well too many on Sundays who frequent churches preaching prosperity gospel, race baiting gospel, & no conviction gospels actually believe that the Lord does not chasten his kids. If you are in angst against me & believe this is me spreading old school gospel that is not theologically correct I present to you a passage, because that is who you test the Word of God is against itself. So when I present this passage & it turns this notion that the children of God are without reproof, & that the Lord does not chasten his children then go repent before him for not knowing his word.

Hebrews 12:⁴ In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. ⁵ And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, ⁶ because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” ⁷ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?

The word in verse 6 for discipline is the same word we use here in Revelation for chasten & discipline is specifically applied to training up children properly. paideúō pahee-dyoo’-o, to train up a child, so they mature and realize their full potential (development). This requires necessary discipline (training), which includes administering chastisement (punishment).

One of the most common uses of this is to correct us from our pride, we need humbled by our Father because we have elevated ourselves above his call. But restoration can be faster during the punishment phase if we just accept that we are indeed in need of punishment for disobedience. The problem is many of us are blinded by the deception of our pride to see it.

What is the answer to all this? Be earnest & repent, or in the original language be zealous & repent. But zealous is a word mostly lost to today’s congregations due to the push that you can be too much into the enthusiasm of the Lord. zēlóō (an onomatopoetic word, imitating the sound of boiling water) – properly, to bubble over because so hot (boiling); (figuratively) “to burn with zeal” (J. Thayer); “to be deeply committed to something, with the implication of accompanying desire – ‘to be earnest, to set one’s heart on, to be completely intent upon’ ”

Jesus is telling the group to be zealous. Be deeply committed to your faith in the Lord in spite of his rebuke & punishment. James 1 gives the counter cultural message of consider it pure joy when you experience various trials. I mean who does that? It is the hardest thing to do unless you have a value in why it is happening. Jesus speaking to Laodicea here but the message is clear to us.

These hardships, the struggles, the trials & tests are done out of love. Have a passion a priority for the Lord & repent from what has brought the reproving.