Transcript

Laodicea-The Lukewarm Church

Revelation 3:14-22
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Pastor Randy Smith

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I was watching a documentary recently that featured two American soldiers that had escaped from a hostile POW camp. As they traveled only at night, they were deprived of food, water and sleep. Yet on the verge of death, they commented that their senses were shaper than ever before. They said it was almost as if they could see in the dark, hear the faintest sound, react on the quickest impulse and smell the minutia of scents. In their survival for life, their physical bodies kicked into overdrive.

The same can be said for our spiritual lives as well. It's amazing how deep we can dig into the Scriptures when someone challenges our faith with something at the time that we were unprepared to answer. It's amazing how sweet the fellowship with other believers becomes when we are harassed for being a Christian in every circle we find ourselves. It's amazing how close we feel to the Savior when a heavy trial is pressing down upon us.

However, when we get comfortable physically our physical senses are dulled. We become complacent, lazy and anesthetized. The same can be said in the spiritual domain as well. In that sphere we call it lukewarmness , carnality, compromise, worldliness and spiritual deadness.

Instead of the spiritual disciples such as Bible reading, prayer, church attendance, evangelism, fellowship and serving acting as a nonnegotiable lifeline to Christ, we approach them as a regrettable duty, often dismissed in our deception for more so-called appealing activities.

As we study the last of the seven churches from Revelation, chapters 2 and 3, we will see a great example of how comfort often results in spiritual deadness which can then subtly deceive a church into thinking she's great when in reality she has lost all spiritual discernment and is nothing more than a lifeless corpse.

Let me take you to the ancient church of the first century located in western Asia Minor in a town named Laodicea.

1. The City (verse 14)

I don't wish to bore you with historical information, but properly understanding the historical aspects of Laodicea will greatly clarify our understanding of this passage.

Laodicea was founded about 250 years before Christ by Antiochus II who named the city after his wife, Laodice . The Apostle Paul mentions the church in Laodicea four times in his letter to the Colossians (Col. 2:1; 4:13, 15-16).

Located on the junction of two important imperial trade routes, Laodicea had a very prosperous economy. Its great wealth came from the very fertile ground in the region that made it conducive to raise sheep. From the sheep, the local ranchers produced a black wool that was sought after by the world. In addition to their textiles, they also were known for a successful banking industry and a medical school that produced a very popular eye salve.

Unfortunately the town was founded because of its location on the major road systems and not because of the abundance of natural resources. Therefore a major weakness of the town was their inability to get fresh drinking water. Archeologists have discovered large stone pipes hallowed out in the middle so the townspeople could transport water in from the closest spring that was six miles to the south. Sadly, when the water arrived it was lukewarm, contaminated with mineral despots and thus difficult to drink.

2. The Christ (verse 14)

Moving to the second point, as always, Jesus early in the account to each church introduces Himself with an expanded description He used of Himself back in chapter 1 (in this case, verse 5). In the remainder of 3:14 we read He calls Himself, "The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God."

So in 1:5 Jesus calls Himself the "the faithful witness." The same is said here in 3:14. Yet why is that significant to the other two titles Jesus connects with that in Revelation 3:14? I believe this is the answer. The only other time we see "Amen" used as a title is in Isaiah 65:16 where the Father calls Himself "the God of Amen." Then the very next verse in Isaiah 65 reads, "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be remembered or come to mind" (Isa. 65:17). So God the Father is the Amen and He will create a new creation.

In Revelation 3:14 Jesus calls Himself "the Amen" thus equating Himself as God with the Father and then adds that He is "the Beginning of the creation of God." I don't believe this is a reference to the first creation, but rather staying within the context of Isaiah which Jesus is alluding to in Revelation 3, a reference to the new creation.

You see, when Jesus came on the scene it was the dawning of a new era. From His Resurrection on (Rev. 1:5 - "the firstborn of the dead"), the new creation of God has been inaugurated. God's kingdom is at hand. He dwells and reigns within His children. He has already begun recreating His people through the power of the Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us that believers are the new creation in Christ, the old things have passed away and the new things have come. God's new creation will be culminated when Jesus returns, but it was inaugurated after His first coming.

We'll just stay within Isaiah. Israel was called to be "a light to the nations" (Isa. 42:6). We know they failed as a witness. So the Father raised up the Messiah (Isaiah 53), the second Person of the Holy Trinity, Jesus Christ who would serve as (Revelation 1:5 and 3:14), "the true witness" to the nations.

On a side note, when we finish a prayer we conclude it with the word "amen." Amen meaning, "so be it," is a word of agreement with the prayer that was just uttered. We say "amen" at the end because we need to make sure we agree with what was just said. Did you know that when Jesus spoke He said "amen" before He uttered any words? Commonly in our Bibles it's translated, "truly, truly (I say to you…)." In the King James it is "verily, verily." In the original Greek it is "amen, amen." Because Jesus is the truth and always spoke nothing but truth, He could say "amen" before anything He said was ever heard. He is the Amen!

So, back to the titles in Revelation 3:14. The new creation has dawned. God is receiving and transforming sinners in Christ. Jesus who is "the Amen" speaks truth, coming from the very lips of God Himself. And He is faithfully witnessing on behalf of the salvation that is now available in His name. So Israel rejects her Messiah. And instead of witnessing to Jesus as they should have, Jesus is now found as the true witness to Himself.

Also remember what we have learned before. Jesus uses a description of Himself in the introduction to highlight a specific problem in this church. Jesus is the true and faithful witness. Remember that…

3. The Commendation (none)

Next, Jesus usually has some good words of commendation for the church. Unlike the other churches, Laodicea receives nothing.

4. The Condemnation (verse 15-17)

Let's go right to the condemnation, our fourth point. Look at those famous passages in verses 15 and 16. "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth."

Let me first give you the popular interpretation. Here it is: Jesus is disgusted by halfhearted churches . He'd rather they be hot for Him or cold, by not even professing His name, than claim to be His people and serve Him with lukewarm mediocrity.

Of course Jesus wants His churches "hot," but is He really satisfied with humans created to worship Him being "cold?" ("I wish that you were cold"). Of course He does not want half-hearted Christians, but can we say Jesus is content when people created to worship Him ignore Him completely?

We go back to our history. In the nearby town of Hierapolis there were hot waters that had a medicinal effect. In the other nearby town of Colossae there were cold waters that had a refreshing effect. Both the hot and cold water was desired. As I mentioned, those in Laodicea did not have a natural water source. They tried to pipe the cold water into their town, but by the time the water arrived it was lukewarm. We all appreciate hot water for making a warm beverage. We all appreciate cold water to quench our thirst.

Nobody likes lukewarm water. Take a sip of it by accident and you will what? You want to spit it out of your mouth!

Staying within the context, I believe the Laodiceans were not a faithful witness for Christ. Remember, Jesus used that description of Himself intentionally to make a point - verse 14 - He is "the faithful and true witness." This church was the opposite. They were useless, nauseating, distasteful for the Lord. Point - the church exists to be a lampstand to enable Jesus, the Light of the World, to shine brightly. When we fail to witness for Jesus, either through inactivity or an ungodly testimony, we have become useless and distasteful.

As I said earlier, a lot of good industry in Laodicea. You'll remember from our studies, all the industries had their respective trade guilds, similar to unions today. Back then the deal went like this: On schedule times you would go to your trade temple and do the things necessary to worship your patron deity.

The Christian that refused faced the judgment of the world. They would be ostracized from their trade and thus be unable to sell and earn a living. However, the Christian that participated faced the judgment of Jesus Christ. Pretty hard to witness for Jesus Christ and then have people seeing you bowing down to idols later in the week. It appears the Laodiceans went with the flow of the world and thus were totally ineffective in their witness for Jesus resulting in the Lord's desire to spit them out of His mouth.

However, the problem with this church is that they thought there were doing great!

One of my former students visited me this week at the church. I coached him in wresting and lead Bible studies for him back in the early 90's. Last summer he connected with me on Facebook and told me of his marriage and call to be a missionary in the Philippines. As we spoke, we recalled those days of youth athletics.

Every year, whether it was wrestling or football you had the kids (and parents!) who couldn't understand why they weren't getting more playing time. They thought they were the star of the team. Sadly their perception was far removed from reality.

This church in Laodicea could have been called the worst church of the seven churches we have studied. Yet they didn't happen to see things that way. This is deception at its finest. This is scary. Despite the spiritual failure taking place in Laodicea, they said, verse 17, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing."

Remember I mentioned that this city prospered economically? They were doing exactly what many professing Christians are still doing today. They looked around at their wealth and success and concluded that it was all a result of God blessing them. Their self-sufficiency caused a spiritual insensitivity. Probably safe to say that their wealth was because they were participating in the idolatrous trade festivals. Either way, like the rich man who kicked back and thought he was fine with God from Luke 12:19, this church receives a scathing rebuke from the Lord. Continuing in verse 17, "And you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked."

Now, working off those five words, this becomes interesting. "Wretched" and "miserable" are just two general terms that describe their pathetic spiritual condition, but the words, "poor," "blind," and "naked" were specifically customized for this church in particular.

Remember how I mentioned they prided themselves on their banking industry? However, despite their material wealth, in the eyes of Christ they were spiritually "poor." Remember how I mentioned they prided themselves on their medical schools and eye salve? However, despite all they did to improve physical vision they were spiritually blind. Remember how I mentioned they prided themselves on their wool business? However, despite their incredible garments, in the eyes of Christ they were spiritually "naked."

A Commentary I read this week written by Vance Havner put it like this:

"The cause of Christ has been hurt more by Sunday-morning benchwarmers who pretend to love Christ, who call Him Lord but do not His commands, than by all the publicans and sinners. They say they are evangelical but not evangelistic. They glory in being… disciples of the Lowest Common Denominator. They traffic in unfelt truth and refuse to get excited over religion. Their ideal service is 'a mild-mannered man standing before a group of mild-mannered people, exhorting everybody to be more mild-mannered.'" Havner goes on to say, "How many nice, comfortable, lovely people rest smilingly in church pews, their conscience drugged, their wills paralyzed, in self-satisfied stupor, utterly unconscious of their danger while the Lord of the Lampstands warns them, "I am about to spit you out of My mouth" (Repent or Else, p. 86, 88).

5. The Command (verse 18-20)

So what does Jesus say in regard to this as we move to the fifth point? Verse 18, "I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see."

What do I draw from this?

One, it is not sinful to be financially wealthy. But financial wealth is not equivalent to one's spiritual wealth. Some of the poorest are spiritually rich and some of the richest (like the Laodicean church) are spiritually poor. Remember what Jesus said to the church in Smyrna? "I know…your poverty (but you are rich)" (Rev. 2:9). They were financially poor, but spiritually rich. Laodicea was the opposite.

I also see the resources that we need to be spiritually rich all come from the Lord. They can't be found in the world or from within ourselves. What we need spiritually comes directly from His hands. And in His gracious compassion and love He offers it to us freely if we come to Him in humility, empty of our own resources. Basically the solution for this dead church is the life that only Jesus Christ can infuse. And it all begins for them with renewing their relationship with the Savior.

So I ask you, is your life composed of spiritual gold? Is Christ transforming you to His nature to be more like Him? Is He using you in serve for His glory? Are you His ambassador to build up His church and witness to the lost? If not, you need spiritual gold - go to Christ!

I ask you, are you clothed with the white garments? Are you pursing purity and holiness? Are there any idols in your life? Are you reserved solely for Jesus Christ as a faithful bride for her husband? If not, you need spiritual white garments - go to Christ!

I ask you, have your eyes been anointed to see and love all people in a way that Christ does? Do you see the world's decisions from God's perspective? Do you have spiritual discernment? When you read, do understand Scripture? If not, you need spiritual eyes - go to Christ!

You might think the Lord is a bit tough on this church. Yet leaving them alone, whereby the fake believers are not confronted and the true believers are not receiving maximum joy and the church is not serving her divine function - that would have been tragic! It would also show the Lord didn't care for them. God speaks these things to them and us because He does love His own and because He cares for us and has our highest interests in mind. To leave us in our misery is not what good shepherds do. The Good Shepherd goes after His own just like a good parent, and calls His own back to Himself and wants nothing but their ultimate best.

Verse 19, "Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent" (cf. Pr. 3:12).

Despite their rejection of Him, Jesus refused to give up on them. He is calling His people back to Himself. He is calling them to "repent" (verse 19).

Verse 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 will dine with him, and he with Me."

Again, not an evangelistic campaign for unbelievers (as it is almost always used), this verse is addressed to those within the church. They were doing church business that was marked by self-reliance and self-sufficiency. They were cranking it out, thinking everything was fine while the Lord was excluded from their daily affairs. In a sense we can say they excommunicated Jesus Christ from His church.

Little did they know there was Jesus on the outside waiting to be invited back in. There was Jesus who had every right to give up on this faithless church, persevering with them and patiently waiting for their hearts to change. There was Jesus, not forcing Himself upon the church, but wanting the church in their own hearts to desire rich and intimate fellowship with Him once again by inviting Him in.

6. The Contribution (verse 21)

If they refuse, Jesus will move on and dwell within churches that have a heart to serve Him. If they repent, our Lord will forgive and rejuvenate and enlighten their dead hearts. And if they come back to Him, they will show themselves to truly be His church and thus heirs to eternal blessedness. Verse 21, "He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne."

And with that, we wrap up our study on the seven churches in Asia Minor. I close with the words from one author. "These messages of our Lord are not limited to their application in Asia Minor centuries ago. They cover every kind of church situation today. Any church can find that its picture has been taken long ago and put on exhibit in the second and third chapters of Revelation. We need to find which picture in the gallery fits our church.

It may be a composite, a combination of two or more but it is there.

We do well to ask: Is my church an Ephesus, orthodox and busy but without love? Is it a Pergamum, a worldly church tolerating what it ought to condemn? Is it a Thyatira, allowing false teachers to lead its people astray? Is it a Sardis, known as a life but dead in the sight of God? Is it a Laodicea, neither cold nor hot but lukewarm? Whichever type it may be, it needs to repent. It needs revival (Vance Havner, Repent or Perish, p. 96).

Verse 22, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."