Good Morning Church! Revelation 3:14-22 The Lukewarm Church Sofia at 3 years old filled up a bottle from her own savings for Rose of Sharon. Tell story. It is a wonderful ministry to get behind. P a g e 1 Well this morning we are going to continue our study of the Book of Revelation. This morning we will finish Jesus address to His churches. The seventh and final church Jesus will speak to, is the church of Laodicea. This city, Laodicea had a rich and prosperous history. The city itself was founded by Antiochus II in the middle of the 3 rd century before Jesus birth. The city was named after his wife Laodice, and was located about forty miles southeast of Philadelphia there in Asia Minor or Turkey today. It was on the road to Colossae.
Within this city, the people had a profitable industry from the production of wool garments, and they specialized in black wool that came from their distinctive black sheep. They also specialized in the manufacture of a healing eye salve. P a g e 2 The wealth that came to this city was so abundant, that after it was destroyed in 60 A.D. by a devastating earthquake, it refused any government assistance to rebuild its infrastructure. This was a self-reliant city and rested comfortably in its success and riches. Now the pulse of the city, with this self-confidence also permeated into the church there in Laodicea. Now, in the prophetic timeline of Church Histroy the church of Laodicea represents the modern day church. As we discussed last week, two prominent churches shot forth from the Protestant Reformation, and these two will represent the churches of the last days.
Last week, we learned of the first, Philadelphia the faithful little church, who held God s Word to the highest esteem. That faithful little church stands above the rest, and received no rebuke from Jesus. P a g e 3 Now its counterpart, or contemporary church, is the Church of Laodicea, it represents the last church in the timeline of Church History. This will be the last day s church, and it will stand in direct opposition to the faithful church. Instead of holding the Truths of God s Word as the ultimate authority, it will look to make the people comfortable, and man s affairs will be its highest authority. Now the name Laodicea is a compound word meaning The rights of the people. Now no other term could more rightly describe the condition of the church today. We live in the era of democracy; this is in both the world and the church.
P a g e 4 Now although there is a small part of the faithful remnant found now in the last days, the church for the most part is set on pleasing the masses of people, and is bowing to the pressures of culture. The voice and demand of the people, of the majority is quickly becoming the authority in the church, and treated as though it is the voice of God itself. We live in the age of anarchy, where groups of people are demanding the world change to fit their liking. Armies are even sent all over the world, they are being raised up to defend democracy, and the world must be safe for the people. The media and academia even push into our own imagination that America is a great democracy, and we need to protect democracy. America is not a democracy; a democracy can be just as dangerous as a bloodthirsty tyrant can be, in fact, democracy is the tyranny of the masses.
P a g e 5 The United States is a Republic, for which one document the Constitution remains the supreme law of the land. It that protects the God given rights of all of its citizens. Now as the enemies of truth push this message of democracy, the voice of the people is believed to be the final authority. What happens when men are deciding the fate of other men, well the very freedom and basic human rights that the highest law of the land protects are then demonized. And now, as the masses of people are swayed into thinking that the voice of the people is the highest law of the land, we live in a country where our babies are murdered by the millions, and basic human rights are done away with because of the inconvenience of the masses. And the Republic that we were founded under is quickly diminishing.
P a g e 6 That high document that was there to provide the most basic and fundamental liberties in a society has been ridiculed and mocked, and reduced to no more than simple suggestion. They declare it is outdated, and no longer applies to our modern society. Now, the condition of our culture, has now come into the church. Now, the very Word of God, where our Constitution finds it strength, has slowly been taken from our children s schools and other spheres of influence, and the masses are trying to silence God s Word as well. The trumpeters of democracy, have amassed a multitude of churchgoers, who have demanded that we do away with the outdated Holy Scriptures, they use the same argument and declare the Bible is not for our day. We have surpassed the wisdom of that ancient manuscript, and the church, in the name of the
Rights of the People has put the Holy Bible on the shelf. P a g e 7 It has been replaced with social justice, and programs that allow the masses of people to sit comfortably in their sins. If a preacher today dare say the Bible declares your lifestyle is sinful, the preacher, by the voice of the masses is silenced as a hate monger and a fool. You understand this spirit of democracy, how it has changed the fabric of the church at large. Today, when someone is confronted by God s Word in a church, it is no longer they who are expected to conform to God s Will, but the blame now comes to the one who presents the truth. For example Two faithful church members Sally and Jane, they want to get married. The church initially stands on the Word of God, the church stands on the belief that marriage is between one man and one woman.
P a g e 8 Sally and Jane are offended, they have many good friends within the ministry, and the voice of the people come to their defense. Sally and Jane are good people, who love God, and God is a loving God, and surely He understands they are good people. This permeates throughout the church, and soon, there is a sizable group demanding the church to cave to their demands. They proclaim the Bible was written for a different time, and surely it does not pertain to this situation. The leadership, under threat of losing many important supporters, has a choice. To hold true to God s Word, and these timeless truths, or please the people. Well the sad story of many mainline denominations and many huge churches today, is the threat of what they will lose has caused them to cave in to the peoples demands.
P a g e 9 And now corrupted ministers are running ministries all over the U.S. The Word of God is being silenced by the Voice of the People. The lukewarm church at large today has bowed to the pressure of the people, and its goal is no longer to bring those entrapped by the gates of hell, into this wonderful Kingdom of God. Instead, with its enormous wealth and power, it has turned to social justice, and using its wealth to make humanity more comfortable in this world, and neglecting to tell them of their fate in the next life. The church feeds the poor, houses the homeless, clothes the naked, all while neglecting the sin that has separated humanity from a loving God. The gospel of grace and repentance has been hushed, as not to offend those poor suffering souls. Meanwhile, the church is guilty of sending many to an eternity without God.
P a g e 10 The Rights of the people have become the new voice of God, and the wealthy church of the last day s marches on not knowing their sad fate. This message to the church of Laodicea cuts through the heart and fabric of the church in the United States and the world. And it has challenged me greatly this week, as the pastor of this church. As I mentioned often, this church is under the authority of God s Word, if our motivation ever turns from that foundation, to that of pleasing the masses for the sake of filling the pews, well, we will see this morning, that we will find ourselves with Jesus missing from our midst. So let us read this potent letter from Jesus, and then we will go back through and glean all we can. 3:14 "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, 'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 "I
P a g e 11 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. 17 Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 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. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."'" Let us pray
So, Jesus starts off with His address P a g e 12 3:14 "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, 'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: I want you all to take notice to something that is said by Jesus right off the get go, that is different from all the other churches. Jesus addressed the first six churches as the church within the city, The church in and some were really messed up churches, but they were Jesus messed up churches within that city. But Jesus here speaks to the church of the Laodiceans. Jesus makes no claim to this church; in fact, He explains that the church belongs to the culture of the city. I am sure the church started out as believers that belonged to Jesus, but now it belongs to the Laodiceans. The church of the Laodiceans was a well-established church.
P a g e 13 It is mentioned multiple times in Paul s Epistle to the Colossian Church. The Colossian Church was actually instructed to send their letter to Laodicea as well. The church in Laodicea has had that letter in their midst for at least 30 years, by the time Jesus addressed them here in Revelation. That will be important considering the condition of this church. Jesus, speaking to the pastor of Laodicea explains of Himself, that He is the Amen, which means So Be It. We use this term at the end of a prayer to validate the prayer as truth. Here it is used as title for Jesus, and speaks of His sovereignty and the certainty of the fulfillment of His promises. 2 Cor. 1:20 For all the promises of God in Him (Jesus) are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.
P a g e 14 Jesus is declaring of Himself that He is Truth, speaking Truth, and His Truth is the final Word. Then from this title of ultimate authority, He claims He is the Faithful and True Witness. Jesus stands in direct opposition to this church that is faithless and false. The fact that Jesus is faithful and true gives enormous weight to what He declares next Jesus declares He is the Beginning of the creation of God. This means He was the source of the creation of God, creation came forth from Jesus. The universe set in motion, every star thrown blazing into its place, as life was breathed into man, Jesus was there, and Jesus was where it all began. Now, as I mentioned before, a letter sat in the midst of this church for the last 30 years, and Jesus is taking them back to the truths found in that letter. And it declared
P a g e 15 Col 1:15-18 Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 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. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. It all starts with Jesus, He is the source of truth, not the culture, or the people; it is Jesus that has preeminence over all. From this place of authority and truth, Jesus looks to the church of the Laodiceans and assess all that is happening there. And He begins His assessment by saying 15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then,
P a g e 16 because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Jesus here gives the most scathing rebuke out of all of the letters. Remember Laodicea was a very wealthy city, and because of this wealth, they were self-sufficient. Now from the mountains nearby in Hierapolis, this wealthy city was able to pipe in hot water from the natural hot springs there. Also close by was Colosse, which had natural mountain spring water, that was cold and refreshing. The Laodiceans also piped in cold water. These pipes or aqueducts are still found in the ruins of the city. The way the pipes were designed, the heat was maintained all the way to the Laodicea s spas. And the cold water maintained its coolness as it cooled the pipes very naturally.
P a g e 17 This city knew very well the luxury of being able to enjoy the relaxation of hot water, and the refreshment of the cool water. So when Jesus gave this illustration, and it would grab a hold of their imagination and really drive home His point. There is not much that is desirable, as far as beverages come, being lukewarm. We like our tea and coffee hot, that is why the waitress is always filling them, in the same manner, she is always refilling our ice to keep our cool beverages from getting room temperature. Every now and then, I will get busy in my office and I will leave my coffee sitting too long before I get to that first drink, and I will see it sitting there and I will drink and it is lukewarm, and I gag on it. There is nothing desirable about lukewarm beverages or food. The people of this city spent great amounts of money to get each extreme.
And Jesus points out that they are to Him, the very thing they worked so hard to avoid. P a g e 18 Jesus explaining here there are three spiritual states a person can be in. The first is cold; there are a great many people who are cold and indifferent to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet in their chilly state, at least they might perhaps be drawn to the warmth of the testimony of hot person. A person who is on fire as we like to say, for the Lord. These hot people have a spiritual fervor for the things of the Lord, they love truth, and they have a great assurance of eternal life. They have a true testimony in their witness to Jesus Christ. Jesus wishes the Laodiceans were either cold or hot. But they are somewhere in the middle, in this third spiritual state. Where they are lukewarm.
P a g e 19 They have some Christian testimony, yet they also fit in very well with the world. They might even go to a church, yet you can look at their lives and you would have questions concerning the reality of their spiritual state. They perhaps have been touched by the gospel, they enjoy its message, and they enjoy Christian morals, as long as they do not interfere with their own ambitions. Such was the state of the pastor in Laodicea and as the pastor went, so did the congregation. This church was neither cold nor hot. They would not be classified as worldly as those who were totally blind to the message of Jesus, but they surely did not bear a true testimony to Jesus Christ. And it disgusted Jesus to the point of wanting to vomit. This type of church and this type of churchgoer revolted Jesus. This state of Lukewarmness was in fact irritating to God.
P a g e 20 I find it alarming that this professing church here in Revelation represents much of the church in the U.S. and even the world. There is no greater wakeup call then this picture of the lukewarm church as the last day s church. The church for the most part today lives an outward religious experience on its own terms, but the lives of the individuals are unchanged. The people have no inner reality of Jesus Christ. My rights, and my liberties! are the motivation of the churchgoer today. They do not mind even some religious rules for other people. But the individualism of the day has far removed the heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ from the church. The church lives in fear offending and revealing the realities of the truths in scripture. The church today has instead been lulled by the culture into this comfortable place of compromise.
P a g e 21 Where it has become about my happiness, my success, my comfort, my ideas, my, my, my. And I will tell you this, being around ministry my whole life, and in full time ministry for almost 10 years now, there is no one harder to reach for Jesus Christ then religious churchgoer. The person who is really quite satisfied with the level of devotion of the churchy things they do sometimes. I have learned it is far easier to win over the harlots and tax collectors then the religionist. It is much easier to tell a drug addict of their need for a new birth, to help them understand the depravity of man, and the holiness of God. It is the good person, who keeps his nose clean, and even does some charity every now and again, this person and their churchianity are rarely won over to Christ. Because Jesus says next
P a g e 22 17 Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked They were rich in this life, they were comfortable. Their IRA s were maxed out, they had security, they had materialism, they had the career they worked so hard for, they had fashion, the best chariot money could buy, they simply had it all. Yet they lacked the spiritual perception to see their true state. Jesus explains they are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked! This church could go on mission trips to anywhere; they could take elaborate retreats, they could put on spectacular outreaches, they were capable of attracting masses of churchgoers with great entertainment. This church could do anything they set their heart on, yet in this state of needing nothing, they no longer were seeking God, their works were works of the flesh.
They were unable to understand their own wretchedness, they stood before God on their own righteousness, their social causes, their righteous crusades, and they failed to clothe themselves in His righteousness. P a g e 23 Their true spiritual state was one of misery, as they are constantly trying to appease their own conscious by good endeavors, but they are always coming up miserable. They boast of their riches, they excuse their lack of truth, by pointing to all the good they are doing. And Jesus sees past the deception, and declares they are poor. They have gained the whole world at the sake of their soul, and they are bankrupt spiritually. They claim to see new truths; they are more educated than any of the poorer churches. They are more spiritually in tune, they no longer look to God s Word, they claim to have new revelation, and Jesus judges them as blind!
P a g e 24 They come to church in the latest of fashions, overdressed, and these decorated churchgoers have the most beautiful dresses and sleekest robes. They are culturally relevant, and hip to the new trends. And here, Jesus, the One with Fire in His Eyes looks and sees them naked, clothed in the filth of this world. He looks at a confidently religious church, full of selfrighteousness, and spiritual lingo. And He sees an unclean thing, He sees filthy rags, He sees a leaf fading, and hidden iniquities. There are not many passages in scripture that are more searching, more condemning, and more direct then this message to the church today! And Jesus looks at this type of church, and He has not one good thing to say to it, the only hope for them, is to hear the counsel He gives next To open up their spiritual ears, and hear from the Word of God once again Jesus says
P a g e 25 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. Jesus says although they can buy and do anything they desire here on earth, what they need instead is what Christ can only offer. Gold refined in the fire then they will be truly rich. Remember what Jesus told the persecuted church in Smyrna Rev 2:9 "I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); Can you see the connection there? Wealth in this life, in this pilgrimage here on earth does not come from the comfort or success of this world. Jesus says the gold He offers comes through the refiner s fire.
The church here for too long has stayed where they are comfortable; they are no longer dependent on Jesus Christ. P a g e 26 They exercise no faith, but only venture in places that they know they can handle with ease. This type of churchgoer is content on the church serving them; they come to church to be fed, to be lifted up. They search for an atmosphere where they can feel good. They hear the announcement each week about Children s Ministry needing workers, or the outreaches coming up. But that will stretch them, they will be truly uncomfortable, and that is not the type of church experience they are looking for. I don t want to be pushed into any places where faith is needed on my part. The lukewarm churchgoer proclaims.
P a g e 27 I am perfectly content relying on myself, sitting in this pew, I am not hearing you pastor. you are even thinking right now. Well, the gold and the wealth of your Christian walk comes through the fire of faith. Jesus explains next that He is not impressed with their clothing or jewelry. The black wool that was desired all over the world that came from this city was nothing to Jesus. He explains that they need His white garments to cover the shame of their nakedness. And as we have learned before these white garments Jesus provides are from His righteousness. The only true righteousness does not come from the religious endeavors of the churchgoers there in Laodicea, but from faith in Jesus Christ alone. Jesus explains they also need to anoint their eyes with eye salve. They were spiritually blind.
P a g e 28 This city was known for its medicinal eye salve, and Jesus tells them their faith in their all-natural remedies came up short. They needed to see past the physical well-being in this life, and look to their eternal state. Now the eye is one of the bodies most impressive and sensitive areas. Only God, the Great Physician can make it see what it should see. In John 9, Jesus heals a blind man s sight, but his method of illumination came through irritation. He put clay and spit in the man s eyes and has him go down the way to the pool of Siloam to wash the clay out. This man found no comfort in this process, as the grains of dirt washed through his delicate eyes. Again, the process of truly seeing will be far from the easy road, God s methods usually entail irritation and hardship; in fact, the more wearisome road is usually the one God asks you to go on.
P a g e 29 I tell the young man who is about to leave his parents home often, I say young man, you will constantly have two roads before you in life, one easy, that requires little effort, and a most difficult one, that is full of hardship and trials. I tell such a young man Young man, that road found with irritations, uncomfortable places, and hardships is the right road, it will require much faith and trust in God, but it is right. Those trials are what help you too see clearly, what this world is truly about. The easy road will lead you astray, the easy road is the one full of a multitude of people demanding what s owed to them. Some young men listen to me, and others brush it off. But true wisdom and spiritual sight come through the refiners fire. Now, Jesus has told the leadership and the church here in Laodicea the way to find healing, He does this,
because His rebuke does not come from a place of cruelty or bigotry. Truth speaks out of love P a g e 30 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Jesus here begins His closing statements by explaining that those He loves, He rebukes and chastens. He still very much loves this church, but warns them they need be zealous, and repent. Their pride and confidence in themselves was keeping Jesus from them. 1 Peter 5:5-6"God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time The only hope for this church was for them to see themselves in the light of scripture. And when examined through truth they would see their need.
P a g e 31 Jesus is telling the Lukewarm Church to turn from pep talks, and motivational speaking, to stop pampering one another with dazzling messages. But to hear truth. Do you ever wonder why the church today can get away with concealing the truth? Can you imagine a doctor, knowing you had cancer? And just brushing it off lightly, You know, don t try to worry yourself about it. Just think happy positive thoughts about yourself, go on about your life thinking all is well. That kind of doctor would lose his practice quickly. In any field of expertise one can do, if they are found dishonest and not a people of their word, they will not succeed. Maybe except a politician, but there are few exceptions to this, truth even in the world is expected.
P a g e 32 Yet the church, the vehicle God has chosen to preach His truths to fallen man, is guilty of concealing the truth for the sake of not offending the masses. The pulpits of America, the place where truth is supposed to be proclaimed unapologetically, is now a platform for half-truths and deceit. What a mockery, Jesus says to repent! So, hear the Voice of Truth this morning, those He loves He rebukes, He will not coddle those He loves, He corrects them. This church was so complacent, it did not even know that Jesus was outside, knocking to get in! Notice, I called those in Laodicea, churchgoers, not Christians. Christ is not even in their midst, they are a church of religious degenerates. Verse 20 says
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. Listen Jesus is polite; He will not knock down anybody s doors to get in. P a g e 33 Now this misused verse, which is often used to try to convert lost sinners, was not meant for them. Jesus is speaking to you the homeschooler who has learned to play religion his whole life. Jesus is speaking to you Churchgoer, who only finds their way into fellowship when it is convenient for you. He is speaking to you, who come to church on Sunday morning to feel better for being in the bar Friday and Saturday night. He is speaking to you who holds the hand of his wife while sitting in that pew, but treats her like trash when no one else is around. He is speaking to you, the Pharisee who looks down their nose at everyone else to hide your own insecurities.
P a g e 34 He is speaking to you the church gossip, who uses overtones of prayer and spiritual talk to conceal your treachery. Jesus is not knocking on the door of the heart of the prostitute here, or the meth addict, those people know they are miserable, poor, naked and blind. They invite Jesus in, in desperation. But Jesus is here knocking on the door of the churchgoer, who has failed to see their true spiritual state. Jesus wants to dine with you this morning. He is sick of the religious show, He wants your heart, He is done with the plastic Christianity, and He wants genuine faith. The kind of faith that makes you uncomfortable, the kind of faith that drives you to Him in desperation, the zealous faith. Do not be offended if this is you this morning, the message here is clear.
P a g e 35 Jesus loves you, as He loves the whole world, and died that there might be eternal life offered to all who believe. He loves you, but you must repent, open the door of your heart to Him this morning, and He will come and sup with you, or dine with you. What a wonderful picture, here, I do not know if you have ever noticed, Jesus likes food, and He loves to dine with people. All throughout the gospels and even here in Revelation, tables are set for dining with Jesus. It is such an intimate and vulnerable thing to eat with people. Some of Jess and I s deepest friendships were formed over a first meal with someone, then many more after that. Jesus wants that intimacy with you, He wants you to be real with Him, to stop pretending, He knows everything about you already
P a g e 36 And when you humble yourself before Him, and come truthfully and faithfully, Jesus gives you such a wonderful promise next 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."'" As in every message to each church, Jesus speaks here to the individual that says yes, and obeys Him. You who have an ear this morning, Jesus is speaking to you, and giving you opportunity to respond to Him. To see your sin, to see your treachery before a Holy God. Listen it does not matter how many people you can get in your life to help you justify your sin, God s Word is the ultimate truth, the masses will never change the Word of God.
P a g e 37 Yet when you are bold enough to hold your life up to the Truths of scripture and see yourself for who you are, honestly. Guess what? From that point, of total devaluation of yourself, and understanding you are a man or woman with unclean lips, your best works are filthy rags before God. It is from that point, that you can clearly see your value in Jesus Christ, your worth to Him, the Bible says from that wretched place, while you were still a sinner Christ died for you. Christ took your penalty due to you, and placed it upon Himself on that Roman cross, as God s full wrath was poured out upon Him. He then defeated death, and rose again. That any who would believe in Him, and overcome the deception of this world would find eternal life. And Jesus here in these final verses of chapter three explains further.
P a g e 38 That you will one day sit with Him on His throne as He sits with the Father on His. What an amazing hope for a group of people who was so severely condemned. The lukewarm churchgoer who repents will join Jesus in glory. Any sinner, who repents, will find value in these promises. Listen church, I am not trying to be a sensationalist, and wanting to work you up this morning, but the world is getting crazy. The most severe disasters all over the world on record are taking place; there is terrorism like never before, chaos in our streets, wars, and rumors of wars every day. Christ is coming soon, what a shame it would be, if you who are holding out, thinking you had more time, and you found yourself too late in your decision for Christ.
God is warning the world, the birth pains are ever increasing, and a Loving God is calling humanity to choose. Lukewarm will not cut, choose Christ this morning, come in faith, and find assurance for your eternity. P a g e 39 The pastors and elders will be up here during and after this last song. Come, and choose once and for all today, be done with your churchianity, and commit your life wholly to Him! Now, next time we are together, we will put the church age behind us, in Chapter 4 John is swept up into the throne room of God. Let us pray!