Heritage Reformed Church
Fort Macleod, Alberta
Fort Macleod, Alberta
"Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy-laden, and I will give
you rest" Matthew 11:28
you rest" Matthew 11:28
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True riches are found in Christ alone
Sometime ago, I spent a day at the Calgary zoo with family and friends. We walked
and we walked. We toured the various animal exhibits and then we went into the
greenhouses. After about two minutes walking through the section that displayed the
desert plants my throat itself began to feel desert like – it was burning, parched and
dry. I eagerly followed a friend to the water fountain and hastily took two gulps and....
the water was gritty, insipid and lukewarm., Ugh!. I left the fountain disappointed and
disgusted.
I then began to ponder. My mind went to the words of the Lord Jesus to the church of
Laodicea, "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or
hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of
my mouth" (Rev. 3:15-16).
The believers of Laodicea had become lethargic and spiritually insipid. They were not
on fire for God. Their faith was not neither active nor lively. They had begun to trust
more in the wealth of the city of Laodicea than in the riches of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Their attitude is summarized in the words, "I am rich and increased with goods." To
put it in contemporary language, the Laodiceans were saying, "I have all the resources
I need at my fingertips and the money and power to make things happen myself. Our
city’s economy is strong and my financial situation is secure. I do not need God." This
type of attitude is repulsive to God, just as lukewarm water is to us when we are thirsty.
After drinking the lukewarm water I asked myself, am I lukewarm, am I trusting in
anything more than God? Today I ask you do you trust in the economy and your
resources more than God? If so, how stable is faith that trusts in an economy? How
firm is a life that is built on the dollar? Today we are experiencing an economic scare
in North America. It is on the minds of everyone, everyone is asking, "what will happen
to the economy"? This may be a good thing if we come to see that we will not find
security in our riches or in the economy of our nation.
Are there riches that will provide the security we long for? Yes there are. Listen to the
words of Jesus, "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be
rich (Rev. 3:18)." Christ is saying to us, "I have better riches than the riches of the
world." He has the best riches. The best riches are riches that last through time and
eternity, spiritual riches.
What are spiritual riches? Spiritual riches are the forgiveness of sin, the love of God,
the peace of God, the joy of salvation, eternal life. These riches will never lose there
value. These riches will never deflate or inflate. These riches will never be corrupted by
rust or age. These riches can never be stolen or taken away.
Spiritual treasures are the best riches. You will find these riches in Christ. You will find
Christ in the Word of God. You will find Christ when you seek him through prayer. You
will find Christ in a Church that faithfully and clearly expounds the truths of God’s word.
Seek the best riches. Seek them with all your heart. Do not remain spiritually lukewarm.
If you have any questions about the gospel message and wish to contact Pastor
Koenen you can do so at 1-403-553-4180. If you wish to hear more of the gospel
message you can listen to our archived sermons attached in our web-site.
Sometime ago, I spent a day at the Calgary zoo with family and friends. We walked
and we walked. We toured the various animal exhibits and then we went into the
greenhouses. After about two minutes walking through the section that displayed the
desert plants my throat itself began to feel desert like – it was burning, parched and
dry. I eagerly followed a friend to the water fountain and hastily took two gulps and....
the water was gritty, insipid and lukewarm., Ugh!. I left the fountain disappointed and
disgusted.
I then began to ponder. My mind went to the words of the Lord Jesus to the church of
Laodicea, "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or
hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of
my mouth" (Rev. 3:15-16).
The believers of Laodicea had become lethargic and spiritually insipid. They were not
on fire for God. Their faith was not neither active nor lively. They had begun to trust
more in the wealth of the city of Laodicea than in the riches of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Their attitude is summarized in the words, "I am rich and increased with goods." To
put it in contemporary language, the Laodiceans were saying, "I have all the resources
I need at my fingertips and the money and power to make things happen myself. Our
city’s economy is strong and my financial situation is secure. I do not need God." This
type of attitude is repulsive to God, just as lukewarm water is to us when we are thirsty.
After drinking the lukewarm water I asked myself, am I lukewarm, am I trusting in
anything more than God? Today I ask you do you trust in the economy and your
resources more than God? If so, how stable is faith that trusts in an economy? How
firm is a life that is built on the dollar? Today we are experiencing an economic scare
in North America. It is on the minds of everyone, everyone is asking, "what will happen
to the economy"? This may be a good thing if we come to see that we will not find
security in our riches or in the economy of our nation.
Are there riches that will provide the security we long for? Yes there are. Listen to the
words of Jesus, "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be
rich (Rev. 3:18)." Christ is saying to us, "I have better riches than the riches of the
world." He has the best riches. The best riches are riches that last through time and
eternity, spiritual riches.
What are spiritual riches? Spiritual riches are the forgiveness of sin, the love of God,
the peace of God, the joy of salvation, eternal life. These riches will never lose there
value. These riches will never deflate or inflate. These riches will never be corrupted by
rust or age. These riches can never be stolen or taken away.
Spiritual treasures are the best riches. You will find these riches in Christ. You will find
Christ in the Word of God. You will find Christ when you seek him through prayer. You
will find Christ in a Church that faithfully and clearly expounds the truths of God’s word.
Seek the best riches. Seek them with all your heart. Do not remain spiritually lukewarm.
If you have any questions about the gospel message and wish to contact Pastor
Koenen you can do so at 1-403-553-4180. If you wish to hear more of the gospel
message you can listen to our archived sermons attached in our web-site.