Laodicea: The Lukewarm Church

OPENING

We are finishing up our “Red Letters” series this morning.

This week we are looking at Laodicea: The Lukewarm Church.

The city of Laodicea did not have its own water supply.

So water was brought by aqueduct from the city of Hieropolis, 6 miles to the north.

The water in Hieropolis came from a hot spring. It was believed to have healing and therapeutic properties.

But by the time the water reached Laodicea, it was not longer hot, it was lukewarm.

It is also believed that they brought water in from the south, from Colosse, about 10 miles away. The water in Colosse was cold and refreshing. But again, by the time the water reached Laodicea, it was lukewarm.

Jesus likened the spiritual condition of the church in Laodicea to their water supply: lukewarm.

Jesus said, “I wish you were either hot or cold.”

“But because you are lukewarm, I will spue you (vomit you) out of my mouth.”

And we dealt with this topic back on September 25, 2022 in a message titled “White Hot Holy Fire.”

In that message, we talked about the importance of staying on fire for God.

We’re not going to go back and focus on this topic today.

Today we’re going to look at this letter from a different perspective.

We are going to look at the root cause of their lukewarm spiritual condition in Laodicea.

Their lukewarm condition was the result of a 5 letter word that Jesus addresses in this letter: Pride.

Let’s read through the entire letter together.

SCRIPTURE

Revelation 3:14–22 KJV 1900

14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 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: 18 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 eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 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. 22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

MESSAGE

We’ve gone through the previous six letters and identified 7 parts:

Address

Introduction

Compliment

Rebuke

Command

Promise

Exhortation

By now you should be able to go through this letter yourself and identify each of these seven parts.

So I’m not going to take time to go over them this morning.

In this message today, we’re going to focus on the subject of pride.

Let’s go back and look at verse 17.

Revelation 3:17 KJV 1900

17 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:

“I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing.”

Laodicea was a wealthy city.

There was a prominent medical school there and they made and exported an eye salve that was used to treat various types of medical conditions.

They also exported a black fabric material that was very expensive to make. The dye for this fabric came from a specific type of oyster that was difficult to get.

Because of their wealth, Laodicea was a very proud city.

There was an earthquake in A.D. 60 which devastated the city of Laodicea.

Rome would have normally stepped in an helped provide funding to rebuild.

But Laodicea refused any help.

They used their own private funds to rebuilt the city.

And Jesus says here that their wealth had become a source of the type of pride that is sinful.

Pride is one of the devil’s schemes to cause you to sin.

1 John 2:16 NKJV

16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.

Pride will lead you down a path of destruction.

Proverbs 16:18–19 NKJV

18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. 19 Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the spoil with the proud.

Pride is one of the things God hates.

Proverbs 6:16–17 NKJV

16 These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood,

Pride will steal your desire to seek God.

Psalm 10:4 NKJV

4 The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts.

And one of the ways the devil sneaks pride into our lives is through the love of money.

Money is not the root of all evil, the love of money is the root of all evil.

1 Timothy 6:10 NKJV

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

The love of money is deceptive and will keep the Word of God from changing your life.

Matthew 13:22 NKJV

22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

You can’t serve God and mammon.

Matthew 6:24 NKJV

24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Money cannot buy your salvation or the things of God.

Acts 8:18–24 NKJV

18 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! 21 You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.” 24 Then Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.”

At the end of your life, the only thing that will matter is the condition of your soul.

Luke 12:16–21 NKJV

16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ 21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

The love of money can keep you out of Heaven.

Matthew 19:24 NKJV

24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

The rich man lifted up his eyes in hell.

Luke 16:23 KJV 1900

23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

And knowest not that thou are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.

Paul described himself as being wretched because of his sinful nature.

Romans 7:24–25 NKJV

24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

Money will not buy you happiness.

The pursuit of the things of this world will leave you miserable.

They thought they were rich, but Jesus said they were spiritually poor.

I’d rather be poor by the standards of this world and to be rich in the things of God.

Better to be a poor rich man, than a rich poor man.

Jesus said that they were spiritually blind.

They were known for their eye salve.

But they could not spiritually see what was most important.

Jesus said they were spiritually naked.

They were known for their textile exports and their expensive and rare black cloth.

But they were not clothed with the righteousness of Christ.

Revelation 3:18 NKJV

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.

“I counsel you to buy from Me”

Only Jesus has the true riches that will last for eternity.

You say, “but wait a minute, I thought salvation was free?”

It is, but faith is the currency of Heaven.

Isaiah 55:1–2 KJV 1900

1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, And he that hath no money; Come ye, buy, and eat; Yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And your labour for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, And let your soul delight itself in fatness.

CLOSING

Don’t ignore Jesus’ rebuke. He is calling you to repentance.

Revelation 3:19 NKJV

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.

He is standing at the door of your heart and knocking.

Revelation 3:20 NKJV

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.

There is a promise for those who overcome.

Revelation 3:21 NKJV

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.

ALTAR CALL