Where Is There?

Devotional

Day 1: Tracking Dots on a Map Toward Unseen Fields

The frustration of navigating four city blocks to reunite daughter and father mirrors our spiritual disorientation. We often know the general vicinity of where God calls us but miss the specific path. Like real-time map tracking, discipleship requires persistent course correction and willingness to ask for directions. True arrival isn’t about coordinates but presence – showing up where life happens, ready to participate in what God’s doing. The struggle to find the exact softball field becomes a metaphor for our halting progress toward divine appointments. [51:11]

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
(Galatians 6:9-10, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you been circling the right general area but missing the specific field God wants you to enter? What stubborn determination might He be inviting you to apply to your spiritual navigation this week?

Day 2: Moses’ Mountain View of Unentered Promises

Standing on Nebo’s peak, Moses saw the fullness of a promise he’d never personally inhabit. His life’s work became a bridge others would cross. This tension between vision and participation challenges our metrics of success. Like scouts surveying territory for future generations, our faithfulness today stocks supply depots for those who’ll claim the land tomorrow. The promised land isn’t diminished by our temporary role in it but expanded through obedient stewardship. [58:32]

“Then the Lord said to him, ‘This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, “I will give it to your offspring.” I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.’”
(Deuteronomy 34:4, ESV)

Reflection: What legacy project are you currently investing in that may bless others more than yourself? How does this eternal perspective reshape your definition of personal achievement?

Day 3: Laodicea’s Deceptive Fullness in Empty Hands

Comfort masquerades as completion, wealth as wellness. The church that claims “we’ve arrived” stands naked before the Amen. Lukewarm self-sufficiency ignores our need for refined gold and healing salve. Like settling for tracking apps instead of actual presence, we substitute spiritual busyness for white-robed purity. The knock at Laodicea’s door isn’t from a stranger seeking entry but the Host demanding the feast begin. [01:06:33]

“For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”
(Revelation 3:17, ESV)

Reflection: What areas of your spiritual life feel “settled” in ways that might actually indicate complacency? How might Christ’s prescription for gold, garments, and salve apply to your current season?

Day 4: Pickleball Courts and Unexpected Altars

The crack of paddles becomes holy ground when we engage our communities where they play. Like the park’s open invitation to join the game, discipleship thrives in shared spaces beyond church walls. Adult friendships forged through hobbies become bridges for divine appointments. Every backhand volley carries potential for eternity when we see recreation as re-creation – not escape from mission but immersion in it. [01:13:58]

“And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people.”
(Acts 2:46-47, ESV)

Reflection: What ordinary activity in your schedule could become sacred space for building Christ-centered relationships? Who might be waiting for your invitation to “play tag” in life’s park?

Day 5: White Robes Earned in the Marching

The multitude’s palm branches wave calluses earned through tribulation, not complacency. Our robes stay white through continual immersion in the Lamb’s blood, not initial dip. Like Joshua’s army circling Jericho, we’re called to persistent marching when walls still stand. The finish line isn’t a place but a Person – and He runs with us, knocking from the outside until every last friend hears His voice. [01:16:17]

“They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple.”
(Revelation 7:14-15, ESV)

Reflection: What worn-out areas of service need fresh vision of the throne they’re preparing you for? How can you partner with Christ today in scrubbing robes rather than preserving them?

Sermon Summary

“There” can become a place people chase their whole lives. The story of a daughter trying to find her dad’s softball field shows how getting there is not the end of anything. The daughter arrived at the field, but she still had a reason to be there: to cheer, to spend time, to show up. The question is not simply, “Are they there?” but, “What are they doing once they get there?”

The future can become a trap when every season is treated like a waiting room for the next one. Children grow up, school ends, careers begin, families come, houses are bought, and suddenly people look around and believe they have arrived. A hundred-year celebration can raise the same question. The first believers gathering in homes could hardly have imagined a hundred years later, yet the church cannot assume that a long history means its work is finished.

Moses shows that seeing there is not the same as entering there. God brought Israel out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and toward a land flowing with milk and honey, yet Moses only saw the Promised Land from Mount Nebo. Joshua led Israel into the land, but even after tribes received territory, God told Joshua that “there remains very much land yet to be possessed.” There is always more beyond a comfortable little world.

Laodicea names the condition of people who think they have reached there. Christ says they are neither hot nor cold, rich in their own eyes but actually wretched, poor, blind, and naked. Comfort can lull a heart to sleep. Checklists of church attendance, giving, prayer, family responsibilities, and good intentions cannot replace a zealous, repentant life that keeps coming to Jesus for gold, white garments, and eyes that can truly see.

Revelation gives the real destination: a great multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language standing before the throne in white robes. Jesus is there. The redeemed are there. Friends, family, neighbors, and people met along the way matter because nobody should be left alone at the finish line. The church is not there until the sky parts, Christ comes, and the whole redeemed family rejoices together. Until then, sleep must be shaken off, new connections must be made, and love must become visible through time spent with people in the middle of their tribulation.

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Key Takeaways

1. Comfort can become spiritual sleep. [01:08:53] Laodicea did not believe it lacked anything, yet Christ named its blindness and nakedness. Spiritual danger often does not feel dangerous when life is settled and routines are working. Christ’s rebuke is love calling comfortable people awake before comfort becomes indifference. [68:53]
2. There is always more land. [01:03:01] Joshua had grown old, every tribe had a place, and yet God said much land remained. Arrival in one assignment does not cancel the call to faithfulness. God keeps opening territory beyond the boundaries people have learned to call enough. [63:01]
3. Jesus is the true “there.” [01:17:01] The promised land, a completed career, ordination, security, and every earthly milestone can only point beyond themselves. Christ is not a reward added to an already successful life. Christ is the destination that gives every season, struggle, and relationship its meaning. [77:01]
4. Go back and get people. [01:16:17] The multitude in white robes comes through tribulation, not around it. People facing fear, loss, loneliness, and confusion need more than distant concern. Love shows up, spends time, shares meals, and refuses to leave others behind on the road toward the throne.

## [76:17]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[49:40] - Where Is There?
[50:33] - Trying to Find the Softball Field
[53:06] - Getting There Is Not the End
[53:50] - Chasing the Next There
[55:30] - A Hundred Years and What Comes Next
[56:29] - Moses Sees the Promised Land
[59:16] - Joshua and Land Yet to Possess
[63:43] - The Churches of Revelation
[65:47] - Laodicea and Comfortable Faith
[69:31] - Never Thinking They Have Arrived
[72:37] - Finding New Ways to Connect
[74:23] - The Multitude Before the Throne
[76:17] - Go Back and Get Them
[77:42] - Shake Off the Dust

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Revelation 3:14-22
“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: 'The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Observation questions

What words does Jesus use to describe the Laodiceans’ spiritual condition, and how does that differ from the way they describe themselves? [01:06:21]
What three things does Jesus tell the Laodiceans to receive from Him, and what need does each one address?
According to Revelation 3:19–20, how does Jesus respond to the people He rebukes, and what invitation does He give them?
What examples show the difference between simply arriving somewhere and having a purpose once there? [53:21]

Interpretation questions

Why might lukewarmness be more difficult to recognize than open rejection of God? How can comfort make a person believe that nothing is missing? [01:08:41]
The Laodiceans had works, resources, and confidence, yet Jesus said they were poor, blind, and naked. What kinds of religious “checklists” can create confidence without keeping a person close to Jesus? [01:09:59]
Jesus’ rebuke is followed by the words, “Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline.” How does this change the way a believer should hear correction from Christ? [01:06:49]
Jesus stands at the door and knocks. What might it mean that He is inviting Himself into fellowship with people who believed they already had all they needed?

Application questions

What “there” have you been chasing—a milestone, a safer season, a finished responsibility, or a personal goal? Once you reached it, did it satisfy you as much as you expected? [54:01]
Where might comfort be making you spiritually sleepy right now? Consider your prayer life, worship, relationships, service, generosity, or willingness to grow. [01:09:18]
Jesus calls His people to be zealous and repent. Is there a specific attitude, habit, or area of spiritual passivity that you need to honestly bring before Him this week?
What would it look like for you to receive Christ’s “eye salve” and see your life, needs, and neighbors more clearly? What may God be helping you notice that you have overlooked?
Who in your life may be walking through loneliness, fear, grief, or another kind of tribulation? What is one simple way you could show up for that person through a meal, a conversation, an invitation, or regular time together? [01:17:16]
What new place, activity, interest, or rhythm could help you form genuine relationships with people beyond your usual circle? How might that become a way to make Jesus’ love visible? [01:13:33]

Sermon Clips

66s

#JesusIsTheDestination

“You see, Moses could see there. Joshua, like, we're there, but there's still more. Laodicea got to a point where, we're there. We don't need anything. But the redeemed, they're the ones who are finally there. We can go through different seasons and different trials and all of these things, But there isn't a place. There is Jesus. That is the ultimate destination. Our there is with Jesus. Our there is bringing our friends with us to the throne. Our there is spending time with people so that they can feel loved in the tribulation and not be afraid of all of the things that this world is going to bring upon us.”

41s

#ThroughTheTribulation

“We are in a tribulation, and yet, most of us are thinking we're comfortable and that we're there. But scripture tells us that the ones who get through, that are standing there in the white robes shouting blessing and glory and honor, are the ones who went through the tribulation. You're not at the finish line, friends. There are people in this world that are in great tribulation. Go back and get them.”

54s

#BreakFreeFromComfort

“This condition that we all seem to fall into is just this condition of comfort. And yet, in the space of comfort, Jesus literally says, you think you have everything you need, and I'm telling you you don't. I'm telling you you're missing the elements. I'm telling you you think you have all the clothes and all the things that you need, and I'm telling you you're blind. I'm telling you, you need to get from me the things to see the world properly. You think you're clothed? I'm telling you, you need to get your robe of righteousness back. I'm telling you that the things that you think you have, you don't have. You think you're comfortable, but you've been lulled to sleep into the comfort of there.”

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