Number 12 In A Series of Studies on Revelation -

Laodicea: The Closed Church - Revelation 3:14-22

The seven letters to the seven churches of Asia provide an interesting view of church life then and now. One by one Jesus goes to each church sending them a message by way of their pastors.

Revelation 2 & 3 contain what John Phillips calls:

1. Practical truth.

2. Perennial truth.

3. Prophetic truth.

· Practical truth in that these letters were written to real churches with real people with real problems and were offered real solutions. These were contemporary, real, historical, local churches. (Contemporary)

·Perennial truth in that from the first church at Jerusalem to the last church these messages will always be pertinent. The warnings, exhortations and promises have met the needs of the Lord's churches in every age. (Composite)

·Prophetic truth. This should not be discounted, because the Book of Revelation is a book devoted to prophecy. Each of the seven churches, as they are listed, may represent the progressive history of church-life from the Apostolic church of Ephesus to the Apostate church of Laodicea. (Chronological)

I will not twist the Scripture or force an application of a passage for the sake of a sermon, but the Laodicean church sure could represents the churches of the last days. Could it be that the Lord was looking beyond the first century church in Laodicea and seeing us?

1. City. Laodicea was located about 45 miles southeast of Philadelphia, 90 miles due east of Ephesus. It was part of the tri-city area with Colosse and Hieropolis. It was a center of wealth, commerce and medicine. Ray Steadman said, "Laocicea was a kind of first-century Bank of America, Macy's and Mayo Clinic rolled into one."

The name Laodicea means "judgment of the people, people's rights."

2. Church, Revelation 3:14. "Unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write..." Whose church was this? In this day of "seeker friendly" church-life, it is easy to get the idea that church is all about man - taking care of man's needs. Before Bill Hybels started the Willow Creek Church outside of Chicago he surveyed people to see what they didn't want in a church and left those things out.

True churches belong to the Lord, not to the people. Churches are not sanctified country clubs where the members needs are met. God's churches are not to be determined by opinion polls.

3. Christ, Revelation 3:14. "These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God."

"The Amen..." This word means "so be it, truly." Jesus used this word many times. Our King James Bible translates it, "Verily, verily." Jesus Christ used this phrase to alert his listeners that what he was about to say was extremely important and absolutely true. "Amen" is the last word, the final word, the complete word. Christ is God's "amen." Beyond Christ God has nothing more to say to this world.

"The faithful and true witness..." This lets us know that Jesus not only tells the truth, but He consistently tells the truth.

"The beginning of the creation of God." Jesus Christ is the origin, the source, the beginning of God's creation.

4. A Commendation, Revelation 3:15. "I know thy works..."

This phrase, "I know thy works," simply means, "I know what is really going on in your church." Imagine receiving a phone call from a stranger who said, "I know what you did." Would you feel gratitude or ashamed to know someone knew what you had been up to?

Unlike the church at Philadelphia where there was all commendation and no condemnation, the church at Laodicea was all condemnation and no commendation.

God did not charge this church with doctrinal unsoundness. It had neither the Nicolaitans nor Satan's seat nor Balaam's doctrine nor a Jezebel, but something much worse.

5. A Condemnation, Revelation 3:15-17. "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would that thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked."

They were afflicted with apathy, v. 15-16. This church was indifference. They were neither hot nor cold. They were lukewarm. What would you do if you had a lukewarm cup of coffee? Microwave it! And a lukewarm Dr. Pepper? You would be asking for some ice.

A reporter was taking a survey for his paper. "Which is worse: ignorance or apathy?" A man replied, "I don't know and I don't care."

They were not like the cold, dead church at Sardis. But neither were they like the hot, alive church at Philadelphia. They were somewhere in between and that was the problem.

Archaeologists have discovered the Laodicean's water supply was a hot spring in Hierapolis about six miles away. The water was carried by aqueduct from the spring. It started out hot but by the time it reached Laodicea the water was neither hot nor cold - it was lukewarm. Cold waters came to Laodicea from the mountains around Colossee, but by the time they reached Laodicea they were not cold nor hot – it was lukewarm. What was true of their water was true of their spiritual condition – they were lukewarm.

This spiritual apathy sickened Christ. "I will spew thee out of my mouth!" The Lord was not merely saying what these people were was unappealing - it was downright nauseating! "Spew" is a word that means "vomit." "You gag me!" Yuk!

How do you get lukewarm water? You mix a little cold with a little hot. This church had become lukewarm by compromise. Like so many in churches today...

They believe in the Bible, but they are not sure which Bible.

They believe in church, but can't tell one from another.

They believe in evangelism, but don't want to offend anyone.

They believe in Sunday School, but don't want to force their children to go.

They believe in Sunday worship, but can't risk loosing their jobs over it.

They are for church sports teams, but can't make it to the ball game and Wednesday service both.

They believe in Sunday School classes, nurseries and other ministries, as long as they don't have to do any of them themselves. They love great preaching, as long as the preacher doesn't preach on their sin and doesn't go past noon.

How would you like a doctor who was lukewarm about disease?

How would you like a teacher who was lukewarm about education?

How would you like an airline pilot who was lukewarm about safety?

How can we be lukewarm about Christ and be what we ought to be?

But beyond a passive apathy, there was also active arrogance , v. 17. The only good thing in Laodicea was the church's positive opinion of herself — and that was false.

Look closely at the contrast here: "Thou sayest..." "Thou art."

Why was the Laodicean's appraisal and the Lord's appraisal so far apart? Because they were measuring by different standards.

The Laodiceans were using a worldly standard - money, growth, self-appreciation.

"Rich....increased with goods....have need of nothing." Boastful, sufficient, arrogant. And these are church people! Today we measure a church by buildings, budgets, and baptisms and feel pretty good about ourselves. They were a well-to-do church in a well-to-do city. Folks, God has prospered this church.

But the truth is we would be better with half our money and twice the Christ! The Lord used an eternal standard. Yet, God saw them as completely different. These are dramatic terms: "wretched...miserable...poor...blind...and naked." God sees the heart, the soul.

Let me get something out into the open. This has been a closet secret of Christians and churches forever. We try to deny it, but we can't. Try as we will, it will not go away. You are a "got-it-together-looking" group, but we all know better. There are no super-Christians! There wasn't then, and there isn't now! The only people God has ever had to work with was a needy, bankrupt, helpless, often even wicked people! There's not a person here who isn't over his head in some area of life. We need God...God's Son...God's Word...God's Spirit...God's church...God's people.

What arrogance for us to proclaim our self-confidence, our self-control, our self-congratulation. It is really self-deception and self-destruction! In our attempts to be trendy we have fallen for the psycho-babel that has absolutely no biblical basis. We are a needy people! We are!

- 2 Corinthians 4:5 "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God."

Get someone to help illustrate our need. Have someone hold their breath as long as they can. We need God more than we need our next breath! If you don't have that next breath you are a goner!

Prosperity has become the anesthetic that has deadened the soul of the church to God.

* Why depend on God, we have good credit down at the bank?

* Why wait on a miracle from God when we can have instant gratification at 18% interest?

J. R. Graves said in 1887, "We may not shut our eyes to the painful truth: Spiritual declension and religious indifference, wide-spread, inveterate and increasing, characterize the churches of this period, and furnish indubitable proof to us that we have progressed very far into the Laodicean church period." What would he say more than 100 years later?

This arrogance saddens Christ. God is rebuking His churches today, but nobody wants to listen. v. 19. In this user-friendly day of the church we need the heart of God and its challenges our sin!

So what happens when apathy and arrogance are inside the church?

6. Counsel, Revelation 3:18-20. "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent."

"Buy of me.." God has everything we need to live and thrive and succeed. The emphasis is not on "buy" but on "me."

"Gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich..." True riches.

"And white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear..." True righteousness. Isaiah 64:6.

"And anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see." True reality. Remember, they were in the clutches of self-deceit.

His love, v. 19. "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten..." Being a parent is not all hugs and kisses and bedtime stories. Many times there is pain and tears in the parent-child relationship. Is it not amazing - Christ still loved this self-willed, self-satisfied, self-servicing church?

"Be zealous therefore, and repent."

The Laodiceans continued to meet and pray and give and preach, but the most important One was not there - Jesus Christ. Look at ...

His location. Christ is outside the church — incredible. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock..." Christ is no longer in the church, but outside the church. Think of it. A church operating without Christ. Such a thought is frightening to me. Is it to you? They had a religious form, but did not want the power and presence of Christ in their midst.

Jesus on the outside, not at the center. But, let's be honest. How much of what we do has Christ at the center?

A little boy was given a quarter to place in the offering. The boy had it after the services and was asked why He still had it. "I wanted to give my quarter to Jesus, but He was not there!"

What had Jesus told His disciple? "Without me ye can do .... ?" "Nothing!"

We have allowed every kind of thing to take the place of Jesus.

Programs...outings... cantatas...all that can be well and good, but they can also be a cheap replacement for a missing Christ.

His longing! This comes to me with such power and persuasion. Knowing all there is to know about His church (apathy, arrogance) — Christ still wants in His church!

Here is a strange scene. The Owner is on the outside seeking to gain an invitation to the inside. Jesus was an outsider to His own church. This is a strange sight because He is the Almighty One — the one who stills storms, changes nature, controls the destiny of nations, casts out demons, heals sicknesses, raises the dead. This One is knocking! He could enter without the door being opened, John 20:19, 26.

The appeal turns from the institution to the individual. If He is outside our church and not in the midst of His candlestick, will you open the door to Him? "If any man will hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him..." He comes, He stands, He knocks, He calls, He waits. In context, this is not an invitation to the sinner to receive Christ by opening his heart's door. This is an appeal to the lukewarm, backsliden Christian to come back to Christ and open the church's door so the Lord of the church can at least have access to the church through us.

What fellowship awaits those who will open the door. "I will come in to him and sup with him, and he with Me."

Two girls at a picture looking at Christ knocking at the door. "Maybe they are down in the basement and can't hear Him knocking?" Too often we are in the cellars of our sin.

7. Comfort, Revelation 3:21 "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne."

To any of the Laodicean church who gives evidence of this repentance, he promises in verses 20 and 21 perhaps the most majestic reward of all - a seat at the divine banquet and a place on the throne of heaven.

8. Challenge, Revelation 3:22 "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."

The question is not, "Is God speaking?" The question is, "Are you listening?

This message to the Laodicean church is a message to this church.

Prepared and delivered by
Dr. Jerry D. Locke
Lake Worth Baptist Church
4445 Hodgkins Road
Fort Worth, TX 76135-2136