FIT TO VOMIT (Rev. 3:14-22 October 27, 2002)

Transcription

1 FIT TO VOMIT (Rev. 3:14-22 October 27, 2002) A devoted Christian woman had a dog. However, every time she knelt down to pray in the morning, she found that the dog would leap up to her face and start licking her cheeks. She wanted her communion with the Lord to be strong and focussed so before she prayed, she put her dog on a leash and tied him to the bedpost. Every morning, she would pray like this for forty minutes, and then she would let the dog loose. As her daughter grew, she watched her mother tie up the dog morning after morning and pray. She adored her mum and learned so much from her. So, as a young girl she fell into the habit of tying her own dog to the bedpost, and then kneeling down to pray. However, as the years went by and she had her own home, her faith wavered. At times she still prayed, but often she would just make the beds or dust the room instead. But she still tied the dog to the bedpost each morning as she had always done. This woman, in turn, also had a daughter this daughter loved and idolised her mother. And from a young age she imitated her mother and began to tie her dog to her bed while she got ready in the morning. But, the faith of her grandmother was not in this girl and she never took the time to kneel by her bedside to pray. But morning by morning, she still tied her dog to the bedpost. Finally, a close friend asked her why she actually did it. She replied: To be honest, I really have no idea. I guess it s just one of those family traditions! The externals were still there, but this was no longer a habit of faith it was tradition. Somewhere, this very Lord s day, there will be a church that will stand and sing some of the feel-good songs of the faith such as I am His, and He is Mine; I Am a Soldier of the Cross; I Am Thine, O Lord and I Have Decided to Follow Jesus. A church with men and women who have always sung such songs. They have gone to church faithfully. They were baptised and are members. And if you ask them, they are convinced that death will usher them into the presence of Christ where He will welcome them into His kingdom. But, the truth is that they are not His. Their hearts and lives belong to the world. They have failed as witnesses. 1

2 At death they will enter the presence of Christ but the welcome will not be what they anticipated. Instead He will vomit them from His mouth and banish them to the flames of hell forever. This is a tragedy of eternal proportions. How can churches who claim to worship the living God, churches with the Word of God, churches with access to the truth how can such churches end up despised by Christ? Let me tell you the churches and the Christians in them lose contact with the living faith that alone can sustain the saints. And over time, they became so worldly, so lacking in spiritual zeal that they end up no more than whitewashed tombs filled with dead men s bones. Those called to be flaming torches of the gospel of Christ are in reality no more than burned out shells devoid of any saving faith. Slowly and subtly, the cares of the world choked any spiritual life from such men and women. And what is left is a husk. Men and women who keep some traditions, who claim Christ but who do not know the power of saving grace. One church that was nothing but a white-washed tomb. One church filled with deceived souls was the church at Laodicea. The seventh and final church. Of all the letters to the seven churches, this one seems to strike a cord with Australian Christians. Because the sin of Laodicea is a sin into which we may so easily fall. Turn with me to Revelation chapter 3 verse 14: To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: Laodicea was one of a triad of three cities in the Lycus Valley. It was the wealthiest, most prosperous of the seven cities. It was also the most worldly and Christ had not one positive word to say to this church. This city was wealthy so wealthy that after a devastating earthquake in AD 60 they declined any help from Rome and were able to rebuild the city using their own resources. It was located on major trade routes and had the military advantage of being located on a plateau. However, the city had one major problem water. Its water supply came from aqueducts and all an invading army had to do was cut off the water supply and the city had to soon surrender. The city was famous for three things. First, it was a strategic banking centre and as such became immensely wealthy. Even the Talmud spoke scornfully of the life of ease and laxity lived by those in this city. 2

3 Second, Laodicea was famous for its soft, black wool. Clothing made from this wool was in great demand. And thirdly, this city was home to a famous medical school. It produced an eye salve known as Phyrgian Powder that was widely used. This was a wealthy city a powerful city and the church was wealthy and powerful. But, like Sardis we have to ask why it was so. This city was a hub of emperor worship. It housed a very large Jewish population. And it was the centre of the worship of the Phyrgian god Men Kartou. If this church was faithful in its witness if it was proclaiming Christ if it was salt and light then it should have been persecuted by these groups. It should have been like Philadelphia a church on the edge of extinction. Ephesus faced the opposition of false apostles. Smyrna faced the opposition of emperor worshippers and Jews. Pergamum faced the opposition of emperor worshippers. Thyatira faced the opposition of the pagan guilds. Philadelphia faced the opposition of Jews and possibly emperor worshippers. But like Sardis, Laodicea seems to face no real opposition to its existence. This is a church satisfied with the world. But, note one thing if you will as bad as Sardis is and Sardis was bad Laodicea is worse. In verse 4 we find that there are some in Sardis who have not soiled their garments and still walk with Christ. But in Laodicea alone there are no words of commendation no mention of any faithful remnant nothing at all positive to say. To understand why the wrath of Christ was directed at this church, remember back to the first sermon I preached on Revelation. There, I told you that a key word, perhaps the key word in this book is the Greek word the word for witness OR martyr. Throughout this book Christians are urged time and time again to be a faithful To proclaim the glory and gospel of Christ even unto death. This is why we were called and saved. And this book also makes it very clear that those who are faithful to proclaim Christ will suffer and many will die for the gospel. But, that is why we are here. 3

4 In these seven letters, the churches are described as lampstands because they are called out to be light to the world. They are to bear testimony to Christ. They are to Christ to a lost world. But, Laodicea had lost its calling, lost its impact, lost its identity as a lampstand of Christ. So, notice how Christ describes Himself: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: The Amen. This Hebrew word means truth. Christ is the truth of God to men in bodily form. John 1:1: John 1:14: John 14:9: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. Jesus said, He who has seen Me has seen the Father. But, there is more to this word In verse 5 of chapter 1 we find that Jesus was a - a faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, who loved us and released us from our sins by His blood. God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son. Christ witnessed to the world of the love of God the Father and this love was disclosed most fully on the cross. He died to show the world the love of God. Christ was faithful as a witness. And it cost Him His life. He did not live comfortably, surrounded by wealth and having no impact on the society around Him. And if we belong to Him, we will follow Him in His witness and His sufferings. And because He was a faithful He became the Beginning of the creation of God. This phrase is an echo of a number of passages that refer not to the original creation of the world, but to the recreation of the lost achieved on the cross. Christ was a faithful witness and became the firstborn from the dead, the head of the new race of redeemed men and women. 4

5 And the point of these references is easy to see. Christ, the eternal God, the One described in such awesome terms in chapter 1 He did not die on the cross so that we could live insipid, comfortable lives. 1 Peter 2:9 says that He died: So that we might proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvellous light. We were called to be lights in this dark and lost world. And the Lord of the lampstands will not tolerate those who fail to shed His light on the world around them. 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. Some might think that hot and cold refers to spiritual zeal. Hot is on fire for Christ. Cold is indifferent to Christ. And the Laodiceans were lukewarm saying they were Christian but really spiritually dead. But, if this were the case would Christ say I wish that you were cold or hot? Would He put hot and cold together? Would He say being spiritually cold is better than being lukewarm? I believe He means something else with these words. The background to this passage comes from the geography of the region. The Lycus Valley had three prominent cities. Colossae was wedged into a narrowing in the valley at altitude. Its water supply came from the icy streams coming from the surrounding mountains. Hieropolis was famed for the hot mineral springs that surfaced in the midst of the city. And between the two was Laodicea. Its water supply came from Hieropolis. The hot spring water of Hieropolis flowed out into a stream, across a high plain and down a cliff into the aqueducts that fed Laodicea. By the time the water reached Laodicea it was tepid and had picked up impurities which made it putrid. The water in Colossae and Hieropolis made an impact. The icy water was bracing and refreshing. The steaming mineral water was therapeutic and healing. 5

6 But, the lukewarm, foul water had no impact in Laodicea. It was only fit to vomit up. Christ is making a point about the church s witness, their impact on the city. Churches impact in many ways prophetic beacons that warn society, showing the love of Christ in acts of service, declaring the gospel but true churches make an impact. Hot or cold in some way they impact and are not ignored as irrelevant. Laodicea was lukewarm no impact on the city failing in their task of being a lampstand. And Christ declares that He will spit them out or vomit them from His mouth. He died that they might proclaim Him declare the glories of Christ see the lost hear the gospel rejoice at the salvation of those around them. And to find a church that has failed in its prime reason for existing disgusts Christ. He will spew them from Him. Don t just skip past this. The language is meant to shock you. The word is vomit. Christ will vomit out those who went week after week to church to say I love you Jesus. This is a church. They meet to worship Christ. They go to sleep at night thinking that death will bring them to glory. They want Christ to return. But Jesus declares they are only fit to vomit. They disgust Him. He will remove their lampstand. He will banish them into hell. This is meant to shock us. The language. The thought. Because this is shocking. Churches which fail at the very task they were appointed for. This church Grace Bible Church exists primarily as a lampstand. We were called to worship. To proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us. And if all we do in our lives is meet to say how horrible society is, how wonderful heaven will be and how glad we are that we are in Christ without reaching this world. Then we will find ourselves with the Laodiceans and those of every age who failed Christ spewed from His mouth. That is a thought I barely want to think about. Verse 17: He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Because you say, I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing. 6

7 In the parable of the soils, Jesus said this in Luke 8:14: The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. Brothers and sisters love of this world is death to our souls. We can have the world or we can have Christ we cannot have both we cannot have both. The world is the greatest danger we face and our flesh and Satan exploit it so well. You need to know that at the fall your hearts were turned from desiring God above all things to desiring the things of this world above all things. And we fight this curse till the day we die even after our redemption. That is why the first of the ten commandments is this You shall have no other gods before Me. That is why the first great commandment is You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. These are not just saying don t worship Krishna and Baal. This is talking about loving the Lord more than you love any other thing in this world. Treacherous things like sexual pleasures and drugs. Heart enticing things like wealth and material pleasures. Any of these things can consume us and draw our hearts from the Lord. We all know the treacherous things are wrong. But in our society, our culture it is that heart enticing group that so often traps us without even knowing it. My brethren, we are all in danger here. I shake my head at times when I hear someone say well brother X is rich and I m not. They need to live more simply, but I m doing OK. Let me be very clear every person sitting here is rich in material terms. You are in the wealthiest 1% of people on this planet. Yes, even the hard-up university students spend more in a month than 99% of people in this world earn in a year. Don t just compare yourself with other Australians, look at this world. We are rich. The pension is more than most families see in a lifetime. But living in a wealthy country is not in and of itself an insurmountable problem. We don t have to sell everything and move to Calcutta to be godly. 7

8 Money itself is not the root of all evil. It is the love of money. And the very poor can have this as badly as us who are rich. It is the drive to acquire more for yourself at the expense of the Lord and His work that is at the heart of the problem. You are stewards of His resources and you will be held accountable for how you used them. The problem in Laodicea was not necessarily that they were wealthy it is that they were consumed by the love of wealth. Yes living in a wealthy city made it harder, but the problems was that they used their wealth for themselves not for God and it distanced them from the Lord. David Chilton in his commentary on Revelation put it this way: It is not a sin for a church (or an individual) to be rich. What is sinful is the failure to use our resources for the spread of the kingdom. 1 Laodicea was wealthy. In fact so wealthy they could say, I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing. They accumulated so much that they lost their dependence on God. Who needs to pray for our daily bread when you have enough money to live well for the rest of your days? This city was so wealthy it needed no help to rebuild after the earthquake of AD 60. How many of us have enough sitting in the bank to not worry about claiming any insurance if our house burns down? This city was that wealthy. This church was caught up in such extravagance. But while they thought they needed nothing, the reality was far different: You do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. They saw themselves as respected, and wealthy. They had the best medicine for the eyes. They had the best woollen clothes to wear. They could take care of their own needs. But the truth is they had nothing. What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? They were wretched and miserable. When Christ spews them from his mouth who will care how many possessions they had in this world. They were spiritually blind. They could not see how lost they were. 1 David Chilton, The Days Of Vengeance, (Fort Worth: Dominion Press, 1987) p

9 They were spiritually naked. They had nothing. 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. They were poor and needed everything. In true terms, in eternal terms they had nothing. This is not advice they can take or leave this is eternal life or death. Listen or perish. Note that Jesus is not saying that you can buy or earn salvation. He is alluding to Isaiah 55 which speaks of buying the wine and milk of life from God. It is merely a figure of speech that says the only things worth having are found only in the Lord. He is the only true source of what matters. The true gold the true riches are in Christ. They had black woollen garments of finest quality. What they need are the white garments of righteousness to clothe themselves with on the day of judgment. They need their nakedness their foul sin covered before a holy God. They need heavenly eye salve. They were spiritually blind to their lost condition. They needed to see. They need to know where the only path to salvation is found. Living in Laodicea they would have been wealthy in terms of the things of this life. What they needed was spiritual wealth. Unfortunately, the lust for the things of this world drew their hearts away. Instead of using the Lord s resources to reach the lost they used them to pamper themselves. How does this apply to us? It is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom he has a lot to sacrifice and many entanglements to loose. I don t want you to be mistaken. In our society, every one of us has a lot of baggage. But, material wealth or relative poverty in and of themselves are not the issue. The issue is your heart. Where is your heart? So often passages like this get us looking around. Well, yeah I m glad we are talking about this because I was just thinking about how Fred recently bought a new car mine is six years old so I m OK but he could have given that money to missions. First, Fred might be a very dedicated giver to whom the Lord has entrusted much but more than that don t think about Fred think about yourself. 9

10 Fred has to stand before the Lord in his own right and so do you. How are you dealing with your stewardship? Are you giving sacrificially and cheerfully to the Lord s work from the resources He has entrusted to you? I know some of you are. But, I also know some of you give very little very little. I know some of you are terribly poor stewards. God requires that you give faithfully and sacrificially for His work. Maybe you think the leaders should use the money differently well we have to give an account for that you have to give an account for what you gave. Are you using the resources you have to proclaim the gospel? Have you got a house? then use it. Have people over. Host an outreach. Have you got money? Give to missions. Have you got a car? Bring people to church. Are you using your time to get more for you rather than serving more for the kingdom? Do you take on more and more to get more and more and do less and less for Him? This is a huge trap. Beware. On the final day what matters is where your heart was. You cannot serve two masters. This can even flow into retirement. Retirement gives you plenty of time and often sufficient resources for His work not just to kick back and enjoy the fruits of your labours until glory arrives. Many of you know Michael Stathis. Michael is a surgeon. He worked hard. Retired early. And uses his resources to fund himself going overseas for large chunks of the year relieving missionary doctors in all parts of the world. Just ask yourself How am I dealing with my stewardship? How will the Lord rate my use of His resources? And if many of us are honest that is a very scary thought. Verse 19: Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. Read this verse over a few times. I trust that you are as staggered by this as I am. This letter to the Laodiceans is one of the greatest expressions of Love. The love of Christ knows no bounds. He loved us enough, while we were sinners, to die for us. 10

11 And He loves this worldly, apostate, putrid church. He says He still loves them. We might expect Christ to slam the door on this bunch of hypocrites. But not Jesus. His love knows no bounds. It reaches even to those who He called out to be lights and end up besotted by the world. Christ loves the church. He died for the church. He is the Lord of the lampstands. The churches are His. But, because He loves the church He reproves and disciplines it. This letter to this church is harsh. But, this reproof and discipline is done so that they might have their zeal for Christ stirred up and repent. This is love. He has reproved it. And if they don t repent He will discipline it. They must turn from the world to Christ. Buy the gold that cannot perish. Put on the white garments of righteousness. Lose the baggage and gain Christ. And if they are willing to truly repent, 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. Let me make a comment. This verse has been sorely misused. As an example, consider the famous paintings by William Holman Hunt. There are three versions of his The Light Of The World all based on this verse. I m sure you have seen the picture. Jesus is standing outside an old door overgrown with weeds holding a lantern. 11

12 But perhaps the most noticeable feature is that this door has no handle. Why? The artist himself was asked by some friends if this was an omission or not. To which he replied, You forget the handle is on the inside. The implication is that only we can open the door to our hearts. Jesus is outside knocking but He has no handle unless we open the door unless we respond to His invitation He can t get in. We exclude Him or let Him into our hearts. This verse is used in this way in so many evangelistic appeals: David, right now Jesus is knocking on the door to your heart. He loves you. He wants to come in. But you must open the door to Him. Will you do it? What codswallop! 12

13 Jesus knocks on no one s heart hoping they will let Him in. And no one invites Christ in. What happens is this. As sinners we do everything we can to bar our heart to Christ. We would never let Him in. But when He choses us He comes and kicks in our hearts and drags us screaming and kicking to the cross where He subdues us. But this biblical version just doesn t play quite so well evangelistically. This verse has nothing to do with evangelism. Christ writes not to the lost in the world He is writing to an apostate church. He tells them that He has not discarded them. If they repent. If they rekindle their zeal. Then, fellowship with Christ will be restored. Brothers and sisters, the message is this. If you have sinned, your transgression need not separate you from Christ forever. You have not committed the unforgiveable sin. Believers sin. They can commit adultery murder divorce covetousness. You can sin horribly and if you repent genuinely repent if you are broken to the core of your being the blood of Christ will cleanse you from all unrighteousness. You can know fellowship again. The love of Christ knows no bounds. He longs to see restored fellowship. Even these putrid, insipid, vile Laodiceans can some in and dine with Him in full fellowship. That is love. And if they are restored. If they know fellowship. Then, 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. Name the wealthiest Australian of the eighteenth century? Name the wealthiest Australian of the nineteenth century? Who is the wealthiest man in Brisbane? I don t know. I don t actually care. They may live long lives, and have an impressive gravestone. But, even the world soon forgets them. The Laodiceans and you and I need to know that there is only one type of prominence that lasts. And that is being in Christ. If we are His by being in Him, we will rule with Him. We will sit on His throne. 13

14 Here is the choice facing the Laodiceans. Love the world and the things of this world enjoy their feeble pleasures for a time and be spewed forth from the mouth of Christ into eternal torment. Or repent. Fan the flames of zeal. Live for Him. Use every resource to proclaim Him. And be greeted as princes to reign with Him forever. Verse 22: He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Brothers and sisters. Too many churches and Christians go through the motions. There is a shell of devotion. Adherence to some traditions. But no zeal for Him. No witness to the world. And too much entanglement in the world. I preach to my own heart even more than yours. Just this week several incidents have shown me how worldly many of us are. How superficial our Christianity is. And how dangerous the lure of the world is. We need to take heed. Repent! This letter is quite explicit in its implications. You and I were called by Christ and equipped by His Spirit to be lampstands. To proclaim His excellencies to a lost world. We were given spiritual gifts, talents and resources as His stewards to bring about the praise of His name among the nations. And when the Master returns if we have squandered His gifts, talents and resources through neglect or to benefit ourselves to say that He will be displeased is a gross understatement. He will scoop us into His mouth. Swill us around and spew us forth as those who were given much but failed dismally as stewards. Or we can ask ourselves what stewardship do I have? How can I use these resources for the kingdom? And faithfully use them to witness of Christ to a lost and dying world. And then at His return He will declare Well done My good and faithful witness come enter into the rest prepared for you come reign with Me come enter the New Jerusalem for all eternity. 14