The Letter to the Church at Laodicea Sermon Series on the 7 Letters to the Church in Revelation Peter B. Barnes June 15, 2014 (Rev. 3:14-22) Introduction. How many of you are coffee drinkers here today? My wife Lorie LOVES coffee, and I make it for her every day. I ve never personally developed a taste for it myself, but Lorie is religious she has her quiet time in the morning, and she drinks her coffee. Now that Lorie is traveling internationally with her work with Samaritan s Purse, she has to get creative to make sure she gets her cup of Joe in the morning. Sometimes she takes a traveling French Press coffee maker with her. Other times she takes small packages of instant coffee and mixes in bottled water, and then heats it up in the hot water pots that are in the hotel rooms all over the world. When it comes to Lorie and her coffee, hot is good. She even likes iced coffee, especially in the summer. Hot coffee and iced coffee are great, but what about lukewarm coffee? That s never good, and Lorie won t drink it. If she discovers that her coffee is lukewarm, she ll pop it in the microwave to heat it up because she likes it hot and she likes it cold, but never lukewarm. The point is, hot or cold is how coffee ought to be. It s also what Jesus wished the believers in the church in Laodicea were. However, they were lukewarm in their commitment to Christ, and Jesus wrote them a letter to express His concern. Let s take a closer look. I. The Historical Background to the Letter. About 40 miles southeast of the ancient city of Philadelphia and 100 miles due east of Ephesus, three famous cities were clustered in the valley of the River Lycus. North of the river stood the city of Hierapolis, while on its south band were Laodicea and Colossae. Laodicea was founded in 250 BC by Antiochus of Syria, and it was named for his wife Laodice. It was a strategic city because three major highways came together and intersected there. If you wanted to travel from Europe by land and go to the Middle East or to Africa, you had to go through the Lycus Valley and through Laodicea. As a result, it became a booming center of commerce. Laodicea became very wealthy, and they had more money that any of the other cities in Asia Minor. And it wasn t old money. It was new money. The Laodiceans were highenergy people who were quite mobile, and they were very creative. They saw an opportunity, and they seized it. And it made them the envy of the world.
Page 2 And they thought on a big scale. Let me give you an example. In 26 AD, they put in a bid to build a temple for Tiberius who was the emperor of Rome. In our day, it would be like an ambitious city putting in a bid to host the Olympics. It would be very prestigious to be awarded the honor, and a lot of money would come into the city as a result. So they put in a bid to Rome to build the temple, but Rome turned them down and said, We don t think you have what it takes. The response in Laodicea was, We ll show you, Rome. Over the next 30 years, they pulled off an economic miracle. It was one of the greatest examples of the creation of wealth in the ancient world. Then in 60 AD, when there was a massive earthquake in Laodicea, the Roman government offered them financial assistance. It was sort of like FEMA today, only faster! The city actually responded to the emperor, who was Nero by this time, by saying, No thanks. The Roman historian, Tacitus, writes: One of the most famous cities of Asia was, in that same year (60 AD), overthrown by an earthquake, and without any relief from us (no financial assistance from Rome) recovered itself by its own resources. The city motto for the city of Laodicea could have been, We are rich. We have acquired wealth. We don t need a thing. One of the ways Laodicea became so wealthy was because they were a leader in technology and cultural trends. They developed a textile industry that produced inexpensive garments made of black wool. The sheep that grazed around Laodicea were famous for their soft, violet-black wool, and they massproduced inexpensive outer garments, especially a tunic called a trimita. This impressed everyone all over the world, and it became a big export item. Welldressed people across the Roman Empire ordered their clothes from Laodicea. Another way they grew wealthy was that the city became an educational center that featured a prestigious, state-of-theart medical school, and they were pioneers in the field of Ophthalmology. There was a man there who was particularly well-known named Demosthenes Philalethes, who may have been the first to develop medicines to
Page 3 treat eye disorders. They developed a salve made from Phrygian powder that was exported all over the world, and it took the world by storm. They were leaders in applying the high-tech solutions of their day to the field of health care, and the money just came pouring in. In the middle of all this affluence and innovation, in the center of this technology and educational significance, was a church. And Jesus had John write a letter to them to express some concerns. II. The Message of the Letter. There were two things Jesus mentions that were disturbing to him about the church in Laodicea. The first had to do with their spiritual apathy, and the other was related to their arrogance and pride. Jesus says, I know your deeds that you are neither hot nor cold. Would that you were hot or cold. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I m going to vomit you out of My mouth (3:15,16). The attitude Jesus criticized is the attitude of spiritual indifference or apathy. It s the attitude that says, I made a commitment to Christ sometime in the past, so I m good with God. I don t need to work on my relationship with God anymore. I ve got my ticket to heaven, so it s all good. This kind of faith isn t vibrant and real in the present. It s cooled off from the fire that once burned bright in the person s heart, and now they are cold to the things of God. Jesus says tepid faith like that is actually nauseating to the Lord, and He would prefer that we be decisive. Be hot or cold. Be for Me or against Me. Get in the boat or out of it. Quit straddling the fence. Quit being lukewarm about your commitment to Christ. In his book Crazy Love Francis Chan says some pretty provocative things about what he calls lukewarm Christians. He pushes his readers, and he lays it out in uncompromising ways. Listen to a few quotes from his book: Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter. Lukewarm people don't really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin. Has your relationship with God changed the way you live your life?...lukewarm living and claiming Christ's name simultaneously is utterly disgusting to God. He wants all or nothing. The thought of a person calling himself a 'Christian' without being a devoted follower of Christ is absurd. The core problem isn t the fact that we re lukewarm, halfhearted, or stagnant Christians. The crux of it all is why we are this way, and it is because we have an inaccurate view of God. We see Him as a benevolent Being who is satisfied when people manage to fit Him into their lives in some small way. We forget that God never had an identity crisis. He knows that He s great and deserves to be the center of our lives.
Page 4 I remember times in my life when I ve been apathetic toward God. I ve taken Him for granted, or I haven t worked at my relationship with Christ. I get lazy, and I don t try as hard. This passage pulls me up short whenever I feel like that, and it explains that God would rather I be opposed to Him than I be indifferent and apathetic. The shadow mission of the church in Laodicea The wealthy church for wealthy people who have it all together and don t need a thing. The other attitude Jesus criticizes is arrogance and pride. It s the sin of selfsufficiency. The believers in Laodicea were a product of their culture, and they reflected the same arrogance as the people of their city. The thought, I don t need God s help; I can do it on my own. I m strong enough, and smart enough, and wealthy enough to do it myself. I don t need to depend on the Holy Spirit or trust in Christ to get it done. I don t need any of that, because I m my own person, and I rely on me. The church in Laodicea was a selfsufficient church, and I think the shadow mission of the believers there was: The wealthy church for wealthy people who have it all together and don t need a thing. They thought, We re rich. We ve acquired wealth. We don t need anything. Isn t God lucky to have us on His side? Just think what can happen for the kingdom of God through us. That kind of attitude turns God s stomach. In effect Jesus said, This may come as a shock, but you don t realize your true condition. You re actually wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked (3:17). It s interesting that Jesus doesn t say, You re rich and educated, so just remember to stay humble. Remember to be grateful and give generously. Christ doesn t say any of that. Instead He knocks them between the eyes with a 2x4 and calls them out for the very things they thought were their strengths and assets. The church that thought it was wealthy was actually spiritually poor. The church that was in a city known all over the world for medicinal salve to heal the eyes was actually spiritually blind. The church that was in a community known for its beautiful clothing was spiritually naked their righteousness was as filthy rags. Jesus takes them to task on the very things that gave them an inflated sense of self-importance and self-sufficiency. It s a healthy warning to you and me. Our strengths can actually become our weaknesses. Money is temporary, and clothes don t last, no matter how beautiful they may be. Jesus says, For those of you living in a land of miracle drugs for the eyes, let Me do a laser procedure that will heal your spiritual blindness and help you see the world and see your life as it really is. I ll give you 20/20 vision like you ve never experienced it before. Let me help you with this self-sufficiency thing. It involves developing a whole-hearted commitment to Me. III. Whole-Hearted Commitment to Jesus. I want to talk a bit more about this whole image of being lukewarm which is nauseating to God. Earlier in my sermon I mentioned that Laodicea was midway between the cities of Hieropolis and Colossae. Hieropolis was and still is the home of some hot springs. These became famous all around the Roman Empire, and people came from all over the world to
Page 5 take advantage of what they thought were the therapeutic qualities of the springs. To the south and a little east of Laodicea about 10 miles was the city of Colossae. The letter to the Colossians was written to the Christians in that city, and it mentions Laodicea a number of times. Colossae was the home of cool underground springs, and the water there was wonderful to drink. They were sort of like Perrier or Evian today The city of Laodicea was right in the middle, between the hot springs of Hieropolis and the cool springs of Colossae. They had money, so they built aqueducts up to Hieropolis and down to Colossae to pipe in their water, and these aqueducts have been discovered by archeologists in recent years. The problem was that by the time the water was piped to Laodicea, the hot water wasn t hot, and the cold water wasn t cold. It was all kind of tepid, which is the backdrop to Jesus statement, Be hot or cold! The point Jesus is making is that hot and cold is what the people in Laodicea preferred when it came to their water, but lukewarm is what they always had. Jesus saw a spiritual parallel in this, and the Christians in Laodicea were lukewarm in their commitment to Him, and it turned His stomach. The late John Stott once 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 [one]. It describes vividly the respectable, sentimental, nominal, skin-deep religiosity which is so wide spread among us today. Our Christianity is flabby and anemic, we appear to have taken a lukewarm bath." One Sunday the pastor was standing at the door as he always did to shake hands and greet people after the service. He shook the hand of one man and pulled him aside at the door. The pastor said to him, "Friend, you need to join the Army of the Lord!" The man replied, "I'm already in the Army of the Lord, pastor." The pastor asked him, "Well, how come I only see you here at Christmas and Easter?" The man whispered back, "It s because I'm in His secret service." Many of us are half-hearted when it comes to Jesus. We re in His secret service. And Jesus says, I wish you would be more decisive. I wish you d make up your mind and quit straddling the fence. Fish or cut bait. Get in the boat, or stay on the dock. Quit your vacillating, and make up your mind. Conclusion. This passage closes with a famous saying of Jesus: Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with Me (3:20). Many people use this verse whenever they share the gospel with non-christians and invite them to give their lives to Christ. While it certainly applies to someone who doesn t know Jesus, the primary audience of Jesus words is the believers in Laodicea. It s to the Christians in that city Jesus wrote these words. He s talking to people who claim to be His followers. The Greeks had three meals in a day, and they used three different words to describe them. The first meal was breakfast akratisma. It consisted only of a piece of dried bread dipped in wine. The second meal was the midday meal ariston. A person didn t go home for this meal; it was simply a picnic snack eaten by the side of the road or in a colonnade. It was a meal eaten on the way. Then there was deipnon. This was the evening meal. It was the main meal of the day, and people lingered and sat long into the evening as they ate together. The word Jesus uses here is this last word deipnon. It is Christ s desire to come
Page 6 and dine with you and linger in conversation about your life. He wants you to experience deep fellowship with Him and for you to know His unconditional love. But the choice is up to you. It s your decision to make. Will you invite Him in? There s a famous nineteenth century painting by an artist named Holman Hunt that is called The Light of the World. Maybe you ve seen it before. Jesus is standing outside a door that is overgrown with vines and weeds. He s holding a lamp in one hand, and with the other He prepares to knock on the door. Notice that Jesus is in His royal robes and wearing a King s crown. He s not coming to ask for something, but to give something. Notice also that it s getting dark. The day is almost done, and the time to let Him in is almost up. But also note that there s no handle on the outside of the door. Fifty years after he painted his picture, someone suggested that the artist had made a mistake. He failed to paint a knob on the door. Holman Hunt corrected the person, and he pointed out that he painted it that way on purpose. The door upon which Jesus is about to knock has no handle on the outside because it can only be opened from within. No one can unlock or open the door to your heart but you. Say yes to Christ, like Frank, and Eric and Michael whom we baptized this morning have recently done. Develop a whole-hearted passion for Christ like they have recently expressed. It s the most important decision you can ever make. Complacency is a blight that saps energy, dulls attitudes, and causes a drain on the brain. The first symptom is satisfaction with things as they are. The second is rejection of things as they might be. Good enough becomes today s watchword and tomorrow s standard. Complacency makes people fear the unknown, mistrust the untried, and abhor the new. Like water, complacent people follow the easiest course downhill. They draw false strength from looking back. Amen.