What Would Jesus Say?

By Dr. Mike Friesz

America was built on a Christian foundation. While always allowing for a diversity of thoughts and a variance of religious expression, the values of the nation were consistent. Listening to the voice of God, as spoken through Scripture, was critical to the early leaders.

We have fallen far from those early foundations. We have abandoned the values that shaped us. How would the Savior, who formed the church and ordained the nation, speak to us today, in our post-Christian age?

We are familiar with the phrase, "What would Jesus do?" This book explores another significant question: "What would Jesus say?" If He came to us today, what would His message be?

You will be surprised at the wide variety of messages we might expect to hear from Jesus today. We will hear His words to the churches in Revelation and in other passages of Scripture.

Be prepared to be challenged, encouraged, and reassured by Jesus's words.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9798890432360

Book preview

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What Would Jesus Say?

Dr. Mike Friesz

ISBN 979-8-89043-235-3 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-89043-236-0 (digital)

Copyright © 2023 by Dr. Mike Friesz

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Dedication

Prelude

Introduction

Is America a Post-Christian Nation?

The Foundation of Faith

The Foundation Destroyed: Signs of Change

Overview of the Book

Section 1: The Messenger and the Speaker

The Messenger and the Speaker

Chapter 1

The Servant and His Place

Chapter 2

Who Is This that Speaks?

Section 2: What Does Jesus Say? Listen to His Voice

What Does Jesus Say? Listen to His Voice

Jesus Asks, Do You Know Me?

I Am Holy

I Am Eternal

I Hold You

I See You

I Am the Righteous Judge

Hear the Applause from Heaven

Praise for Your Tireless Commitment

You Are Passionate in Your Pursuit of Truth

You Have Displayed Courage in the Face of Wickedness

Nevertheless

I Saw What You Did

Your Love for Me Is Tepid

Your Discipleship Is Indifferent

Your Character Is Compromised

Despite Your Reputation, You Are Dead Inside

Your Reputation Is Tarnished

I Give You a Choice: Get Back on Track

Wake Up

Remember

Repent

Get Dressed

Open the Door

Overcome

Hold On

Conclusion

You Have Entered the Danger Zone

You Sacrifice Your Status as a Church

I Will Spit You Out

I Will Fight Against You

I Will Cast You and Your Children into Painful Times

Conclusion

Promises, Promises (Sprinkles Are for Winners)

Words of Protection

The Second Death Can't Touch You

I Will Protect You from the Great Trial

I Will Provide the Way: Strength for the Journey Back

I Offer You a New Name

I Offer You Daily Sustenance

I Offer You Stability

I Offer You an Open Door

I Offer You Words of Promise

I Am Coming Soon—Look for Me

You Are in the Parade

I Will Vindicate You

You Will Be Crowned

You Will Reign with Me

Section 3: Is That Your Final Answer? A Prescription for Change

Is That Your Final Answer? A Prescription for Change

You Are in a Crisis Moment

Jesus Did Not Suggest Change—He Demanded It!

Daniel: A Model of Seeking God in Trying Times

How Do I Live in Babylon?

Conclusion

Appendix

Appendix 1: Text of Revelation 2–3

Text of Revelation 2–3

Appendix 2: Background of the Seven Churches

Background of the Seven Churches

Introduction

The Church at Ephesus: The Danger of a Love Grown Cold

The Church at Smyrna: The Pain of Persecution

The Church at Pergamum: The Threat of Doctrinal Compromise

The Church at Thyatira: The Danger of Moral Compromise

The Church at Sardis: The Danger of Being Spiritually Dead

The Church at Philadelphia: The Unchastised Church

The Church at Laodicea: The Peril of Lukewarm Faith

About the Author

Dedication

This book is dedicated to those churches and their leaders who have shaped my life.

Having grown up at Sterling Baptist Church I was shaped by leaders and given my first opportunities to serve in your midst. Thank you to so many pastors and leaders: Roy Fields who helped me come to Jesus, Leland Redfern who guided me through the teenage years and the call of God on my life, and Don Word who as a youth leader provided so much direction. Each Sunday School teacher and deacon played a role in my early development.

The churches who endured the leadership of a young preacher boy while I was in college. Thank you for your patience and investment in me.

The churches I served after graduation (all in Missouri): First Baptist Church Bakersfield, First Baptist Church Gainesville, Glidewell Baptist Church, Calvary Baptist Church Independence, Skyline Baptist Church (Later Connect Ministries), Bethlehem Baptist Church, and currently Calvary Baptist Church in Perryville. Each of you added something to my experience and allowed me to learn. We served together and you continue to serve.

The church as the body of Christ is made up of individuals and congregations across the world. We may be flawed, but we are His body. Thank you all for allowing me to serve beside you. Let's learn together as we grow and continue to build in His Kingdom. I dedicate this part of the work to you. Be faithful and grow.

May you know that blessing as you receive His words.

Prelude

Split in two! Ripped from the top to the bottom! This momentous event changes everything. The curtain in the temple torn in two disrupted the entire system of religion then and opened a cavernous pathway for you today.

For centuries, the veil in the temple stood as a perpetual Do not enter sign. Humanity was warned to stay away.

On this side of the veil was humanity with all its deep-rooted sinfulness. On the other side was the forbidden place. That side of the curtain represented the very holiness of God.

The veil's tightly wound fabric could not be traversed. Standing sixty feet long and thirty feet wide, it was both impressive and imposing. The ancient historian, Josephus, described it as ornately decorated and made of blue woven fabric.

As the temple was dedicated, God reminded Solomon that He could not be contained in a building. God is the Creator of life, Maker of the universe. His glory and His person cannot be defined by a building. At its most beautiful, creation reflects but a shadow of His greatness.

And yet God poured His spirit into the temple.

When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple.¹

The glory of God was so powerfully on display that none could go in. The relics of their faith were placed on the far side of the curtain, reminders of God's power. The veil hung as a silent witness, declaring humanity unfit for the presence of God.

Nothing man could offer God would atone for his sinfulness.

For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.²

That is where the curtain hung since the rebuilding of the temple. None dared enter that holy place. The only exception was the High Priest of Israel, who entered once a year with great fear and trepidation, waiting the judgment from God that would announce he had entered incorrectly.

As Jesus breathed His last on the cross and hung His head, the veil ripped. One can only imagine the effect this had on the religious leaders as they watched it tear. It is so significant that three gospels record its destruction.³

God's message is clear: My Son has removed this veil and eliminated the need for it, through a single, perfect, once-for-all sacrifice that cleanses the redeemed from their sins forever. The way into My holy presence is now open to every believer and the access is free and unobstructed.⁴

His blood has made it possible for you to come in right now to the holy place to enter the very presence of the living God. The author of Hebrews said it well. All who believe in Jesus may now enter boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

The effect is monumental! As you pick up this book, Jesus invites you into His presence. He wants you there. He wants to show you Himself and let you hear His voice. You are invited to listen for what Jesus would say. Come close now.

Introduction

A fire burned brightly. The warmth of it drawing people from all places. Neither background, wealth, walk of life, or vocation mattered by the fire's radiant warmth. This fire, like any fire, will fade without careful attention. Absent deliberate actions, the embers will soon be all that remains.

This book makes two strong assertions. First, America has been torn from its foundational belief in and commitment to God. We are not the nation we were. Because of that departure we are in grave danger.

The second foundational assertion is that a massive part of the problem rests at the foot of the church. The failures of the church have contributed mightily to the fall of spirituality in our nation.

Avoid two extreme positions in relation to talking about the church. First, don't see everything as a condemnation of the church, dismissing the relevance of the body of Christ in the world. This is not an indictment on everything related to church or religion.

The church, as defined by Scripture, is Jesus's body. The body of Christ, His church, is still His presence in the world and the best hope the world has. In so many ways, the church continues to show the beautiful work of Jesus in the world.

This will not be a denunciation of the church but an appeal to Jesus's body to respond to Him. The hope of the world is that the church is the church and returns to its role in shaping the moral compass of the nation. We must listen to His voice and return.

The second extreme avoided as we listen for the voice of Jesus is to use this book as an apologetic for the church. You will find no excuses, no defiant reasoning. I call you to take a hard, honest look within.

I find a great challenge to the church in the words of the biblical author, Jude.

They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.⁵

Painful words rightly spoken. The church can be called clouds without water and fruitless trees. Holding vast promise of refreshing rain and filling truthfulness, the church is often empty, offering nothing to a watching world.

We can also see truth in the description that we are waves, foaming up shame, raging waves, stirring up dirty water but offering no substance. The waves we make do nothing but stir up our shame. Instead of bringing people to light, people end up only in gloom that leads to eternal darkness. We are, indeed, wandering stars, having lost our way.

We do well to understand that God judges. Jude continues with the warning.⁶

See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him. These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.

The danger is to point fingers at the world and offer a quick word of judgment. Jude's words speak of the ungodly, the sinners. Yet in his description, we see a reflection of the righteous, as well as the ungodly.

The starting place of this book is the belief that the church today is in a post-Christian time. To support that assertion, it will be important to establish two truths: first, that we were once a Christian nation; then second, we must make the case that we have fallen from that foundation.

Is America a Post-Christian Nation?

The Foundation of Faith

Our founding fathers had a fire burning in their hearts. The desire for freedom raged. It was both a desire for freedom from taxes, oppression and a freedom to worship in freedom, formation of a distinct government, etc. The flames of freedom grew, demanding a response.

In this generation, that fire has faded. Like a campfire, it drew people together and captured the attention of a watching world. People were drawn to America's freedom and ideals.

America has undergone monumental shifts in the most recent decades. Of gravest concern to our nation is the transformation of our country from a Christian foundation to a post-Christian system of beliefs and practices.

We are painfully divided. Every move, every word is contradicted immediately without regard to the rightness or wrongness of its content. Mention any cause or subject, and wait for the inevitable result.

America has faded from its founding principles of a fear and respect for God. It is not historically accurate to assert that our nation was founded specifically to be Christian. While it is true that most