Sermon Tone Analysis

February 17,2012

By John Barnett

Read, print, and listen to this resource on our website www.DiscoverTheBook.org

Perhaps the most unlikely words to be uttered by the Lord Jesus Christ are in our Bibes today.

Jesus says in modern terms of the church in Laodicea, “You make me sick!”

As we open to Revelation 3:14-22, Jesus writes a letter that all scholars conclude is the most piercing, stinging, and scathing letter He ever wrote to any church.

That means:

*Laodicean is the Worst Church*

Jesus Christ, Lord and Purchaser with His own blood of His Church: is very troubled.

For the first time, after six other letters to churches: Jesus has NOTHING good to say about this church.

The other six each has something Jesus could commend, but not here.

He has nothing good to say about this church.

Jesus graphically expresses His outrage and dismay at their state with an allusion to spewing them away from Him like vomit.

That is a very clear indication of how greatly their conduct offended His holy expectations of their life in Him.

Before we read v. 14-22, always remember:

*These Seven Letters Are a Matched Set*

The Book of Revelation is built around groups of seven.

The letters to the churches are seven in number to represent all churches then, and all churches throughout the ages, and all churches now.

We must always begin with the fact that this letter is part of a set of seven letters to the churches; and each letter has a similar seven-part structure:

1. Assembly—seven separate and distinct churches (Laodicea, is the seventh).

2. Author—Jesus Christ, who identified himself in a unique way through His names.

3. Approval—what the assembly was doing right (except for Laodicea).

4. Admonition—what they were doing wrong (except for Smyrna & Philadelphia).

5. Appeal—to follow Christ faithfully.

6. Assurance—only enjoyed if they responded rightly to Christ.

7. Application—each letter is written to all the “churches”: past, present, and future.

Revelation 3:14-22 (NKJV)/ “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 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.”’”/

Revelation 2-3 reveals what Christ said to the seven churches, a select group representing all early believers.

His message to them speaks across the centuries to us today.

*Seven Messages, Seven Applications: But Only One Acceptable Response*

Each church has a distinct message that resonated with those who first heard these words, and with us today.

• Ephesus, the careless church, left their first love.

Christ said to them and us, “Come back to Me!”

• Smyrna, the crowned church, suffered persecution.

Christ said to them and us, “Be faithful to the end!”

• Pergamos, the compromising church, tolerated evil.

Christ said to them and us, “Separate yourselves!”

• Thyatira, the corrupted church, joined the world.

Christ said to them and us, “Un-Friend the world!”

• Sardis, the feeble church, wasn’t on guard.

Christ said to them and us, “Wake up before it is too late!”

• Philadelphia, the faithful church, was pleasing to God.

Christ said to them and us, “Keep on keeping on!”

• Laodicea, the foolish church, needed nothing.

Christ said to them and us, “Watch out, you’re making me sick; and I will vomit you out of my mouth unless you repent and see that you need Me!”

Jesus reports that what is needed is for them to repent of their apathy in seeking Him; and start whatever it took to get restored.

What exactly is Jesus pointing at in their lives when He issues this “Vomit Alert” to them?

If we unpack this passage word-by-word, we can conclude that there are:

*Seven Bad Habits of Believers That Sicken Christ*

v. 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 know your works” Jesus said.

/

They had cultivated some very bad habits.

Habits that made them unacceptable to Christ, and even worse, sickening to Him.

What patterns in the life of a believer sickens Christ to the point of vomiting?

Here are the seven Jesus notes:

1. Spiritual Neutrality: v. 15 /“I 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."/

• Spiritual Neutrality is when we stop agressively resisting the world.

Living the Christian life is resisting the pressure of the world.

The world is everything that is not focused upon glorifying God.

Anything that is not glorifying Him is pushing us away from His Glory.

2. Spiritual Self-Sufficiency: v. 17a "/Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—/

• Spiritual Self-Sufficiency is when we think we are making it on our own, and don’t need the Lord’s power, guidance, and presence.

We stop “seeking first” the Kingdom of God in our lives and thus began to slowly drift from His righteousness in our lives.

3. Spiritual Insensitivity: v. 17b and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—

• Spiritual Insensitivity is when we lose our spiritual sight, and no longer see ourselves as God’s Word explains we are.

4. Spiritual Wastefulness: v. 18a I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich;

• Spiritual Wastefulness is when we abandon Christ as our investment counselor and start investing our time and money in “get rich quick for earth” schemes, and stop investing in Heaven.

5. Spiritual Neglect: v. 18b and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed;

• Spiritual Neglect is when we drop out of God’s work force, and begin to not get dressed for work any more.

Jesus often told us to dress ourselves with His character, His power, and His armor.

6. Spiritual Blindness: v. 18c and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.

• Spiritual Blindness is just that: blindness to things of God.

We no longer see Him in His Word.

We stop noticing His Hand in our lives, and don’t reach up and grasp that Hand extended to us, to hold onto, and follow Him through life.

We begin to stumble along, acting more and more like lost people who do not know, can not see, and do not follow the Lord.

7. Spiritual Laxity: v. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.

Therefore be zealous and repent.

• Spiritual Laxity is when we drop our guard about unconfessed sins in our lives.

We forget how horrible sin always is to Jesus.

Our sin cost Christ His very life, His intimate fellowship with the Father, and made Him feel the wrath of God in our place.

Get rid of sin, don’t sweep it under the rug.

So the bad habits we must avoid because they sicken Christ, our very dearest and most precious friend in the Universe are: neutrality, self-sufficiency, insensitivity, wastefulness, neglect, blindness, and laxity.

The Laodiceans needed to listen to this admonition of:

*Understanding What Jesus Loves & Hates*

Now let’s go back through and examine these bad habits pointed out by Christ.

1. Spiritual Neutrality: v. 15/ “I 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.

"/

• Spiritual Neutrality is when we stop agressively resisting the world.

We are not cold and refreshing like the springs of water that were enjoyed in Colosse; nor hot and theraputic like the thermal springs of Hieropolis.