Rev. 3:14-22
Laodicea the Lukewarm Church
Intro: There are a few things that
are more disagreeable and unappetizing than lukewarm foods or Drinks
A.)
Nice
cold glass of Chocolate milk is Delicious / And on a Cold night a cup of Hot Chocolate really hits the spot
B)
Every morning – a cup or two of Hot Tea - Cinnamon my
Favorite
1)
Every afternoon a glass or two of Ice Tea – Love it
( Drink more Water )
C)
Hot Cocoa & Hot Tea great / Cold Chocolate Milk & Ice tea are also
wonderful – but
either of those things – Luke warm – Gross
1)
Sometimes in the Morning – get so into study – time passes
tea becomes Luke Warm – Rancid Spit out
A)
And here in this 7th letter Jesus compares the church in the
city of
Laodecia to a cup
of lukewarm drink/
Make me Sick – (Read
verses)
B)
Now Jesus referred to Himself in the gospels as THE GREAT
PHYSCIAN
- and what we have here is a sick Church
C) So as we look at this letter 3 things
we want to consider :
1st
– The Description of the Physician
2nd – The Diagnosis of the Patient
3rd – The Declaration of the Prescription
1st The Description of the Physician
: v.14
A) The Amen : The Word Amen is used 77 times in the Bible / mostly in the N.T. –
B)
In the O.T. it
was used when the Lord would declare a Blessing or a Judgement to the People –
through one of the Prophets
1)
They would Answer – Amen –
actually Ameen – in the Hebrew – which means SO BE IT – OR LET IT BE SO
A)
In the N.T. Jesus often used it in the Beginning of Sentences – Say verily verily I say to you or Amen Amen
1)
Implication:
Jesus was declaring : What I am about to
say to you is the
Absolute Truth & extremely important
Now Jesus is called
the Amen – Because when He speaks it is the Absolute Truth – because He is the
Truth
A) This is underscored by the Fact that Jesus also refers to himself as
the Faithful & True Witness
B) In Jesus we can be assured that we are not going to hear what we want to hear / but what we need to hear ( Friend Look Great sauce on Chin)
C) He is Faithful to tell us the truth – the whole truth &
nothing but the truth
1)
What we hear from Jesus will not be Diluted – watered down or Distorted
– Falsified in any way
D)That is exactly what we would expect in seeing a Physician – if we have a
terrible Disease
we don’t want Him to say that we are not very sick
1)
If we need an operation or some medicine we don’t want Him to say its is Just a
cold you will get over it
By revealing Himself
as the AMEN – THE FAITHFUL & TRUE WITNESS –
A) Jesus is declaring that His diagnosis is
totally reliable
B)
Also THE BEGINNING OF THE CREATION OF GOD
Now this Phrase has bothered some
& caused confusion in the minds of others who have misread it to say that Jesus is part of God’s Creation
A) The J.W. for instance claim that God created Jesus & that Jesus in turn Created everything else .
B)That however is not a proper understanding
of what this verse is declaring
1)
The Word Beginning in the Grk is the word Ar- Kay – it is a word that means source of or the Chief – He is the one who is over all
Creation
John
1:1 In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the
beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was
made that was made.
Col.1:
16 For by Him
all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and
invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things
were created through Him and for Him.
17 And He
is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
Now what is implied here in this
Description of the Physician is that Jesus is the one who knows
everything about you –
A) He has an accurate understanding of Your Condition
–and being the Source of God’s Creation
–He can do something about it
B) Now
that is the Kind of Doctor that you want !!!
1)
Think about it – how would you like to go into surgery for a very
delicate & Dangerous operation & have the doctor come up & say
I
have never done this operation before in my life – but I am a nice guy & I
will try my best -
C)NO THANKS - I want a 2nd
opinion & a 2nd Physician
1)
I want the best doctor I can
possibly get to do my Surgery – one who is very Capable
D)Jesus is the Great Physician who is the Most Capable in dealing
w/ our Spiritual Condition –
1)
( In fact – Specialist – Only one w/ the Answer &
the Ability !!!)
E)
So there we have a Description of the Physician
2nd – The DIAGNOSIS of the PATIENT
15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could
wish you were cold or hot.
16
"So then, because
you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will
vomit you out of My mouth.
A) Some background on the city gives us insight into the Diagnosis – the terminology that Jesus uses
The city of Laodecia
was located about 100 miles directly east of Ephesus. It was part of the
tri-city area of Colossi and Hier-apolis
A) Laodecia was a Wealthy &
Independent city / in fact in A.D. 61 there was an Earthquake that devastated
the city – So wealthy declined help from Rome
B.)
Laodecia was also famous throughout the Roman Province of
Asia as a center of wealth; heavy commercial activity
1.) a
textile and clothing industry flourished in Laodecia/
Famous for their Black Cloth – Black wool
b)
Laodecia
also was known for it’s medical center and school
which produced a very effective eye Ointment
C.)
Many
large beautiful homes were built in Laodecia - and
some of those expensive homes were owned by Christians
D.) As a center of wealth, commerce
and medicine, Laodecia was a kind of 1st
Century B. of America/ Nordstroms & Scripps
Clinic rolled into one!
Archaeologists have discovered
an interesting fact about the city of Laodicea. The city did not have its own
source of water
A) – so it’s water was carried
by way of Aqueducts from two locations :
Colossi – Cold Springs - / Heir- Opolis / Hot springs
B) Problem was by the time the
water made it to Laodecia it didn’t matter from what
source it came from the result was the same
1)
LUKE WARM – Unfit to Drink
-
So the Lord used the
lukewarm water of Laodicea as an analogy for the lukewarm character of the Laodicean church.
A) And in verse 16 Jesus makes
a startlingly statement - 16 "So then, because you
are lukewarm, neither cold nor hot, I
will vomit you out of My mouth.
B)
KJV= Spew - nice way to say – vomit –
Jesus is saying to this Church that their Condition makes him want to Puke /
makes Him sick
A) I find it Interesting that
when the Lord looks at the apostasy of Thyatira He becomes angry – I will come against her
1)
But when He looks at indifference and becomes ill!
In the bible there are
3 possible heart temperatures: Luke 24:32 describes burning hearts -
A) Matt 24:12 - describes the
cold heart - speaking of Last Days - “Because of an increase of wickedness love of most will grow
cold”
B) then there’s the lukewarm
heart - of this last church
C)
Why would He say that He wished they were cold or Hot
– Hot is on fire
Understand : but
why cold ? cold
knows need a Doctor
1)
The Lukewarm person sits in church thinks fine / thinks saved when
they might not be / or saved but not growing
True description of many in the
Church today! Not Hot or on fire for the Lord / not cold – or unsaved – but
Luke Warm
A)
Many are so afraid of being
on fire for Christ - because they don’t
want to be labeled as fanatics or extremists!
B)What is sad is in every other area of life people shed their coolness to
show enthusiasm
1.) I’ve watched some of the most - mild mannered
people I know - go crazy watching a football or basketball game ( Same person)
A) I read the story of a man in
S.F. who walked around town with a sandwich board slung over his shoulder
1)
the front of the sign said “I am a fool for Christ’s sake”
D) As he walked down
the streets he was ridiculed by those who saw the
front of his sign
1.) until he walked by and they read
what was written on the back! “Whose fool are you”
E)All of us ARE FOOLS FOR SOMETHING – All have those things that get us
really Excited – show some enthusiasm –
1)
As Christians one
of those things should be our Relationship w/ the Lord !!!!
When we lived in Oregon – there
was a year that the Trailblazers went to the NBA Finals – (
people that are pretty reserved Laid back – crazy)
A) ONE SPORT STATE – Everywhere you went saw banners on Homes / flags
& Bumper stickers on Cars – GO BLAZERS
B) People honking & thumbs up – amazing even nicer to each other
1)
Now we lived about an Hr. from Portland & people were still that
enthusiastic – give anything – one of their kids see a game
A) A year later we
were having a Harvest crusade w/ Greg Laurie in Eugene Oregon which is an Hour
in the Opposite direction
1)
We couldn’t get more than 4 or 5 Churches interested in going / and the
reason I heard over & over from Pastors – TOO FAR
A) Guys there is something
wrong w/ that Picture – More excited
about a Ballgame than being a Part of
& seeing people get saved
1)
Impacted for Eternity
A) Something wrong when we can
go to a Game & yell & Cheer / do the wave – comes to worship – don’t
clap / raise our hands
Question: How did the
Laodecia church get into such a state? Suggest 3
Reasons / Compromise
& Self Sufficiency & Self Deception
A.)
1st COMPROMISE : How do you get lukewarm out
of the tap? You turn cold water a little and warm water a little
B.)
Or
if you have one of the single handle kitchen sinks just keep it right in the
middle
1.) Result
is a Lukewarm compromise
C.)
Lukewarmness occurs when we seek to live in the middle - one foot in the Lord - one in the
world! Stradler
/ Fence sitter
The Luke warm
person experiences no conviction – never affects their conscience
A) Luke warm person doesn’t take the Bible
seriously
“ “ “ “ Jesus
seriously
Sin seriously / Lost World
……
B) The Luke warm person is VERY
CASUAL about the things of the Lord VERY Erratic & Sporadic concerning
Fellowship / it is not a Priority
C) The
Luke warm person doesn’t let the Bible serve as the Guide
For
their lives / Just a book read once a week or so
D)To the Luke warm Person Jesus is merely a Part of their lives
instead of the very reason they live
& move & have their Being
1)
So Compromise was
the First Problem / One foot in each
Place
The 2nd
Reason was Self Sufficiency :
16
you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of
nothing';
A) The name Laodecia = RULE OF THE PEOPLE – and
they were a Church that thought they really had it together
The Church of Laodecia was a Church that thought they were better off
than they really were /
They had an ELEVATED VEIW of themselves
A)
There was once a Lion that had the Same Problem – He was enamoured by the Fact that Lions were the King of the
Jungle
it too !!!!
1)
Went first to the Bear – Who is the King …./ lion Roared approval
2)
Then to the Tiger – Everyone
knows …….
C)Then to an Elephant – who proceeded to pick the Lion up by his trunk –
he twirled
that Lion around – 5 or six times /
threw him up against a tree
1)
Then he sat on him / picked him up again threw him into the river
They were SELF SUFFICIENT !!!!!!
3rdly THEY were plagued by SELF DECEPTION
A)
Jesus says you say, 'I am
rich, have become wealthy, & have need of nothing' But you YOU DO NOT KNOW that you are wretched, miserable, poor,
blind, & naked;
B) How could Jesus have such a different view of them / than what they had
of themselves ?
1) It is because they were
being measured by two different standards.
C) I might say to you, "What is the temperature cold winter night "
and you would look at a thermometer and say, "It is 32 above zero."
1)
But I might check another thermometer and say, "No, you are wrong. It is zero."
A) The truth is, we would both
be right because one thermometer was Fahrenheit and the other was Centigrade.
1)
Zero in Centigrade is 32 above on Fahrenheit.
E)
If you use two different standards of measurement, you will never be able to
agree on what the true temperature is.
That is what was
happening here. They were being measured by two different standards. Laodicea
was using the standards of the world.
A) By that Standard - It was pleasant, comfortable, approved by the community around them . they thought they were doing well.
B) But Jesus is using the standard of what he intended his church to be like.
C) They said, I’m Wonderful, He said your Wretched!
They said We’re Marvelous/ He said your Miserable!
1) They said ….We’re Prospering/…. your Poor!/ …. We’re Beholding/
He … your Blind!/ We’re clothed from Nordstroms/ your Naked!
We laugh at the story of the Emperor new clothes! –
A) 2 guys who bamboozled the king with invisible clothes that “only the wise could see ”.
B)
He paraded himself in his scivy’s,
while all the people were saying look at his clothes one
boy shouted Mommy why is the King naked?
C) Jesus was like the little boy
who yelled, “Laodicea
has no clothes” they’re “naked as a jaybird” spiritually!
Naked
speaks of shame, humiliation:
A) 2 Sam. 10:4 “Therefore Hanun took David's servants, shaved off half of their beards, cut off their garments in the middle, at their buttocks, and sent them away.
B)When they told David, he sent to meet them, because the men were
greatly ashamed.
1)
And the king said, "Wait at Jericho until your beards have
grown, and then return.”
John Stott wrote: “The Laodicean
church was a half-hearted church. Perhaps none of the seven letters is more
appropriate to the twentieth-century church than this. It describes vividly the
respectable, sentimental, nominal, skin-deep religiosity which is so widespread
among us today. Our Christianity is flabby and anemic. We appear to have taken
a lukewarm bath of religion.
The church is not to be a country
club operating for the benefits of it’s
members
A.)
The
church is not a performing arts center
where one is entertained w/ great dramatic productions heart
warming speeches & wonderful music
B.)
And
The church is not a political action
group or a protest movement taking sides on issues in world’s political
arena
1.) Richard Halverson…, the once esteemed chaplain
of the U.S. Senate said “The more I listen to evangelicals talk the less I hear about the hope
of Christ’s coming again and the more I hear about making the USA Christian
nation, a prosperous nation … sometimes I think if Christ would come back, it
would constitute a terrible interruption of their plans.”
A)
Salt - add flavor ; preserves - heals
B)Like salt sprinkled out of a shaker - church should have an impact
upon
it’s community
A.)
Lighthouse
- guiding lost souls into harbor of God’s grace!
1) People are Lost
B.)
Because
of it’s Lukewarmness the
church in Laodecia had ceased to be both of these
things
1.) “What
good is salt that has lost it’s
saltiness? Isn’t good for anything
thrown out trampled on the road
C.) Blinded by their compromise the church had
become - use a popular expression - fat,
dumb, happy!
What is the cure for their
condition?/ In
V.18-22 Declaration of the
Prescription
A.)
Some
people think they don’t need a doctor -
“I can take care of myself - nobody needs to tell me what to do”
B.)
Then
they get a gripping pain in their chest - “Quick call a doctor”
1.)
The
man recovers but the doctor gives him some strong advice on the need to change
his lifestyle
C.)
In
the verses 18-22 Jesus gives them some
specific prescriptions for this sick church
1.)
4
things he mentions for them to do! Before we look at these - take note of 2
things in v.19
D.) 1st - Jesus heart - “Those whom I love I chasten”
1.) The church had grown indifferent to the Lord;
in fact He is described in v.20 as being outside the
church knocking
E.)
The
one who was to be focal point center of attention had been forced outside
1.) The church had grown indifferent to Him - but
although it made Him sick - He wasn’t indifferent towards them
Jesus didn’t take an attitude of “Okay - you want to be sick then be sick -
see if I care”
A.)
But
because He loved them He rebuked and chastened them – mark of a real Christian
- Seek to walk in sin – Lord will
Chasten you –
a) You can walk away from the Lord – but He is going to make it
hard !!!
1)And if it isn’t hard / if not being disciplined indication not saved to
begin w/ - what You need is to truly give your life to the Lord !!!
B)As a Loving Parent – he says – this is your Problem & I don’t want
you to
remain in that
state
C.)
2nd thing see in
v.19 - therefore be zealous - or earnest
1.) notice He doesn’t say think about it
or when you get around to it - but do it now! Priority!
Now w/ those two
things in mind - let’s look at Christ cure for Lukewarmness
- 4 things
The first three are found in
v.18 - Jesus says “I counsel you to buy from me:
Here He challenges their self-sufficient attitude
A.)
This
is a very key principle: The Lord wants us to see that everything we need to
love, thrive, function, is found in Him
B)Now what does Jesus mean when He says that we need to buy from Him
isn’t God’s
Grace free ? Answer is Yes
1) Idea is to
become sufficient in Him
Is 55 - 55:1 "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And
you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price Why
do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not
satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
#1 - Exchange
wretched poverty for pure gold
A.)
Laodecians had put their faith in their own wealth and
sufficiency and had ceased to depend of the Lord
B.)
They
had ceased to live by the refined gold of faith in Jesus alone!!!
Why Pray – I
will just write a Check !!!!
1.)
They
needed to get back to being completely dependent on HIM!!
C)
Rich Toward God / Rich in God by being Close to Jesus !!!!!
1)
Rewarder of those who Diligently seek Him – Needed to get back to
having Jesus as their Primary Passion
D)
Not just a part of their lives – but their Main Focus
#2 – Exchange Their stark
nakedness for white garments
A.)
Everyone
is morally naked before God. Every one of us knows something about ourselves
that we would not want anyone else to know.
B)But God knows! He sees us in our nakedness. What does he offer for it?
The righteousness of Christ!
A) All through these letters we
have seen that white clothes stand for redemption, for righteousness imparted
by Christ
D)
We are no longer to be clothed with our own self-righteousness, which
Isaiah says is nothing but filthy rags in
the sight of God,
1)
but we are to be clothed with the righteousness of
Christ himself, a perfect righteousness which God accepts.
1.)
How
are these garments obtained? Personal confession
#3 - Exchange blindness for healing eye –OINTMENT
A.)
Again
they were known for their healing eye ointment that helped cure vision problems
/ eye infections
B.)
But
they needed Him to anoint THEIR EYES spiritually so they could see ? What
does this Anointing of the Eyes speak of ?
C.) Ref to H.S. - 1 John 2:20, But you have an anointing from the Holy One,
and you know all things.
- “Anointing from the Holy One”
D.) Get
back to this place where sensitive to the spirit’s voice - tug on heart -
conviction!
1.)
Dependent
upon His power
4th Prescription found in v.19 is really
a Doorway to the other 3 / Jesus says Be ZEALOUS &
REPENT!!! Do it now
A.) The word Repent = Change your mind - attitude
- “Change your
mind and God can and will change your heart” Quit going own way / God’s
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 dine
with him, and he with Me.
A)
Word Behold means – Study /
look at understand – Wake up
B)
1st They were to wake up to the Fact that Jesus was on the
outside of their lives / they needed him
to be on the inside
C)
2nd They were to open the door of their hearts – Jesus won’t
knock it down / Famous Picture St. Paul’s Cathedral
1)
Jesus standing on the outside – the Knob is only on the inside / Because
only you can open the Door of Your Heart
A) And When You do He Promises to come in
A) Maybe Walked away – LUKE WARM – approaching being cold
1) Religious / No Relationship
John
promises in his Gospel, 12 But as many as received
Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe
in His name