Laodicea

Text: Revelation 3:14-22

Title: Laodicea

Setting: Bridge

PP: Christ calls Christians to find their sufficiency and confidence in him and not in themselves.

RTL: You will make Jesus sick because he hates people who are self-sufficient

Points:

1. Know if You are Self-Deceived (vv.14, 16-17)

2. Be a Useful Servant of Christ (v.15)

3. Joyfully Receive What Jesus Freely Offers (vv.18-22)

Intro:

Well you might be familiar with the short story … The Emperor’s New Clothes … where an emperor is tricked into buying a suit made from materials that only smart people can see

the whole punchline of the story its that there’s no materials at all … so they “put the suit on him” …

Then he sets off an a procession and the whole crowd is playing along … until a child shouts out “Hey the Emperor is walking around completely naked!

they were living a lie

This story is a great picture of what Christ says to the church we will be studying today … to the church at Laodicea …

people who thought they were all good before God… when in fact Jesus says you are naked before me …

and the people in this church were confident in themselves … and J says bc of that … you’re making me sick

Today we’re going to learn that … Christ calls Christians to find their sufficiency and confidence in him and not in themselves.

bc the big danger of being self-sufficient and self-reliant … is that you will make Jesus sick

TURN WITH ME TO REV. 3:14-22

You have probably heard this part of the Bible

This is the worst out of the 7 churches

no commendation (nothing good to say)

Let’s see if we can learn from there mistakes

READ

City of Laodicea

It sat at the junction of 2 important roads making it an important commercial city

so it was a wealthy

it was so wealthy that in 60 AD the city went through a earthquake … and Rome offered to help them reconstruct their city … they refused the help and paid for it on their own

it was located in the Lycus valley with neighboring cities … one of which was Colossae (around 10 miles to the East) and Hierapolis (around 6 miles to the North)

The city was famous for 3 things throughout the Roman World

famous for being a banking centre

banks that even Cicero (an ancient philosopher) recommended for exchanging money

famous for black wool they produced

used for clothing and carpets

famous for their medical school

where they produced medicine … specifically eye ointment

This is important bc Christ brings this up in his letter here (v.18)

they found their security and confidence in these things …

they thought they were doing ok but Jesus says you really are not

Church of Laodicea

the church in Laodicea thought like the city … they saw themselves as self-sufficient

they didn’t need the help of anyone … including God

they were all fine by themselves

They thought materially “we’re good”

Spiritually … “we’re good”

Jesus knew who they really were … he responds to them by saying “you’re making me sick”

“I will spit you out of my mouth”

other translations it’s … “I will vomit you out”

I would hope you have never caused anyone to react this way … but think about if you cause someone to be sick to their stomach bc of what you did … you prob did something really bad

now this isn’t just anyone talking this … this is Jesus Christ … the Lord of the Universe

the one of whom it is said in chapter 1 … have eyes like a flame of fire … feet like burnished bronze … a sword coming out of his mouth

this is the one they made sick!

They thought they were fine … v.17 “they did not realize that they were wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked”

they were self-deceived!

See God is a person

with intellect, emotion, and will

in Scripture we see God responding in different ways … with joy … with anger … with sadness … this is one of the scariest to see … God wanting to vomit

It is bc the Laodiceans were self-deceived people

guys if Christ responds this way … we have to prevent God responding this way to us

you have to know if you are like the Laodiceans

if you are self-deceived

1. Know If You are Self-Deceived (vv.14, 16-17)

I hope by studying these 7 churches … you’ve see how these real historical churches … have gotten graded … most of them hadn’t been doing very good

Which goes to show that Jesus is not playing when it comes to grading churches & individual lives

Now Jesus starts this last letter to the Laodiceans by describing himself in 3 ways …

The Amen

the Faithful and true witness

the beginning of God’s creation

As you’ve probably noticed … his introductions matter bc they are related to what he says to the church he is writing to

“The Amen”

… that’s what we say at the end of a prayer or when you agree with something … bc the word means “truly or so be it”

In Isaiah 65:16 God says of himself that is the God of truth

So by Jesus saying he is the “The Amen” … he is making it clear that he is the embodiment of the truthfulness of God … that is completely trustworthy

the second description only adds to this

“the Faithful and true witness”

we get a similar statement in Rev. 1:5

now probably the one that made you pause was when he says that he is …

“the beginning of God’s creation” -

this doesn’t mean Jesus was created … we know he’s the uncreated one … in terms of his eternal divine nature

but if you remember passages like John 1:3, Heb 1:2 and Col 1

especially Colossians 1:15 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”

it means that Jesus is the source of all creation … he is the agent of creation

So by Jesus saying that is the embodiment of truth and the ruler of creation

it’s as if Jesus lays out who he is before indicting them …

“guys I can say this because of who I am”

They were unaware of their true condition

What was their true condition? … well in v.17 Jesus quotes what they said about themselves

they thought they were rich … but they were really spiritually poor

they thought they were prospering … but they were found lacking in what mattered

they were wretched (in a miserable state)

pitiable —-> which is the same word that Paul uses in 1 Cor 15

blind —> remember they prided themselves in what their medical school the produce ointment for your eyes … and yet spiritually they were blind

naked - again what was one of the industries they were known for … the wool they made … but they were found naked before the eyes of God … not clothed

which is shameful and embarrassing

Now in the middle of this … they say “I need nothing”

they thought they were just fine without God

This is what led to v.16 “because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”

See Jesus’ big problem with them was that they were lukewarm

which if you think about it this is where most X’s want to be …

they don’t want to be be hot bc those are only those crazy overly zealous X’s but I also don’t want to be cold

“let me just be in the middle” … Jesus says there are no middle of the line X’s

Jesus says to them you are neither hot nor cold & you make me sick because you are lukewarm

see being in the middle is not a good thing

they thought they were all good … they were self-deceived …

someone who is lukewarm is a person who is self-deceived about their true standing before God

lukewarm people are not X’s

they do not have a relationship with Jesus … they think they do … but really do not

this is the worst place to be … even worse than someone who is cold

someone who knows they do not have a relationship with God

both are bad

See because in order to be hot and actually saved

you have to go from cold to hot

you can’t go from lukewarm to hot

bc you don’t see your need

We learn this from Matt. 9:10-13 where Jesus interacts with those that thought they were right with God but were in fact self-deceived (Pharisees)

Matthew 9:10–13 “And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.””

Do you see how Jesus points out the way the Pharisees viewed themselves

What do you think about yourself?

Do you think you are well and need no help?

… maybe you do think need just a little bit of help?

Or do know you are sick?!

That you have a sin problem before God!

this is where everyone needs to be first in order to be saved

You cannot be right with God until you see that you are sick

The lukewarm person does not think they are sick …

Can you understand your condition before God!

you are a wretch … you are pitiable … poor … blind … and naked

And guys it can be so easy to be self-deceived … coming to church … (maybe you have been here all your life) … growing up in X home … acting like C

which is why you can be deceived bc you “think I don’t do all those horrible sins that other people my age do”

you don’t have to be a crazy blatant sinner externally ….

you already are a crazy blatant sinner internally before God!

you can be involved in church … serving in different places … and yet be blind to where you really are before God

Can we do a little self-introspection …

where do you stand?

Are you hot? … Are you cold? …. or Are you lukewarm?

This is good for all of us … for God to shine the light of his truth into our lives

if you are X … have you just been going through the motions

where is your zeal? … get back on track

Guys there is no in between

it’s like when you go to get coffee … when you order your drink … what the person say … do you want it iced or hot

see there’s only two options … if you are lukewarm … wake up to your need … and call out to the Lord

It’s good thing for us to do … to ask the Lord where we stand … God help me see where I am before you … bc you know

Now we just said that person who is cold at least knows that they are not right before God

By knowing a little bit about the location of Laodicea we see another aspect to why being lukewarm is so dangerous …

the city had no water supply of its own … but Colossae which was nearby was known for their cold refreshing water … through aqueducts …

Laodicea received their water … but by the time it got to them it was lukewarm

Hierapolis which was also close to them … was known for their hot springs … which people flocked to those bc they were thought to be restoring …

they also had aqueducts that connected to Laodicea … but when the water reached them it was lukewarm

So the water they constantly received was lukewarm … and actually it is said to have made people sick

their water was useless … this is exactly what the lukewarm person is

someone who self-deceived and therefore useless to the Lord

For all of us here … after considering where you stand before God

we need to be useful …. useful servants of Christ

2. Be a Useful Servant of Christ (v.15)

Idk about you guys but I was never a big fan of group projects … I guess it would depend on what class it was … but if came to math or science … if it was a group project I would feel useless … you’ve probably been there where you don’t feel you can do anything

Christ has not made us to be useless

The result of the Laodiceans problem was that they were unable to be used by God … just like their water was unable to serve it’s purpose … so were the lukewarm people in this church

I can’t help but think of 2 Tim. 2:20-21 … that says we are meant to be tools in God’s hand

“20 Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.”

v.20 - you can honor and glory to God … or … you can bring shame and dishonor to the name of C

do you want to be a vessel of gold and silver or wood and clay?

do you want to be useful to your master?

then be cleansed of defilement

The 1st way we can be useful servants is to be holy

would God be able to say … “this is my servant blank they are holy in all their conduct”

I use them here … over there … and out there

Are you working out your salvation with fear and trembling … such that God is using your life for his glory?

Now if you are to do this … just as your justification is you being completely dependent on God saving you …

… in your sanctification you need to be completely dependent on God to work in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure

to use you

See a useful servant is a dependent one

this is what is comes down to

You need alien power … you need outside strength

which you get from being dependent on God

This is exactly what the church was not doing

they thought they could do it all … they needed no help … their sufficiency was in themselves … their reliance was in themselves

As you think about the past couple weeks … how has your dependency been?

Do you recognize that you don’t have it all in place … that daily you need God in your sanctification

or do you forget about God during the week … feel conviction on Sunday’s … then go back to live the same way for the rest of the week

We need to be reminded of the analogy that Christ gives us in John 15

that Christ is the vine and we are the branches —-> IOW we are made to be vitally connected to Christ

to find in our life and sustenance from him

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

How often do you remember that apart from Christ you cannot do anything for him?

it starts with him and ends with him

Romans 11:36 “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”

How can you grow in your dependency?

well if you believe that God’s word is “living and active”

that it is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness … able to make you complete … equipped for every good work

is this not what 2 Tim. 2 just said … that God’s work equips us to be useful to the master

Evaluate … how’s your time in the Scriptures … do you value your time with the Lord?

Your prayer life …

nowhere is your dependency more expressed than when you call out to God

Someone who knows they cannot do anything apart from God … knows they need God … every second of their life

A lack of dependency in your life … may evidence pride and arrogance

I say that bc of what God commands us through the pen of the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 5:5–6 “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,”

v.5 - humility = not thinking to highly of yourself

you are humble when you pray … and declare your weakness and inability to please God without his help …

your inability to be useful to him without his enablement

Can you be more dependent through the means of prayer this week?

God promises to answer the prayer of those that come to him humbly

let’s be dependent

How can you be useful to Christ this week?

in encouraging a brother/sis

in exhorting one another

in giving someone counsel from the Scriptures

in taking an interest to care about someone else’s needs this week

in looking for gospel opportunities

I think most us you work and have a job … I want you think back at those dreaded first days on the job … when you’re brand new …. you don’t really know what’s going on … and you’re getting trained by someone else who has experience …

if you’ve worked in retail or fast food … you know it can be nerve racking to face customers … on that first day you are glued to your trainer …

and you know that feeling when they leave and you’re thinking I hope no one asks me anything bc this is my first day and I barely know what I am doing …

you are completely dependent on this other person …

guys this is a great description of Christianity … it’s a dependent life … connected to Christ

Can you dependent … can you be ready to be used … and can you be willing to let God use you

If you guys noticed in our passage … Jesus doesn’t just tell them how bad they were doing … and leave …

he gives him the solution … out of love he reproves and disciplines them

Revelation 3:18 “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.”

but remember he had already told them they were poor … and now he’s telling them to buy what they thought they had … but really did not

how can they purchase these things then? … by a currency called Grace

They can’t buy … they must receive … and joyfully … bc this is something that is free to them … God is being gracious

God ends this letter by telling the Laodiceans to joyfully receive what Jesus offers …

he says to us now … you also must joyfully receive what I freely offer

3. Joyfully Receive What Jesus Freely Offers (vv.18-22)

Isaiah 55:1–3

“1 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 3 Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live;

Isaiah 55:6–7

6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts;

let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

Is this not what Revelation 3:19 said?

“19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.”

See…. receiving what Jesus gives … begins with you repenting …

Let’s see what Jesus offers you if you would repent and stop being lukewarm …

if you stop being cold …

… & if you are hot … can you be reminded of what you have already received

gold refined by fire … that you may be rich … bc you are poor

white garments … bc you are naked

salve to anoint your eyes … bc you are blind

Jesus is not just talking to the Laodiceans …. he says that about every single person here

you are poor

you are naked and shameful

you are spiritually blind

Jesus says I willing to give you

spiritual riches found in the gospel

rescue from God’s wrath

new clothing …

these white garments are symbolic of righteousness

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Do you know the Bible says that you if you do not believe in Christ or think you do have a relationship —-> you are spiritually blind … your mind is blinded .. you do not see the light of the gospel

God says I can make you see!

How do you get this … repent and transfer your trust to C

And what else do you get …

well Jesus says I will have fellowship with you (vv.20) … I will come in and dine with you

he also will give you the right to sit with Christ on his throne and share in his victory (v.21)

So Bridge Student … are you self-confident … are you trusting in yourself … you tell yourself you are a X … but you are not —-> repent and trust

Do you know you have no spiritual life … you are not a C —-> then respond to Jesus’ free offer by submitting to God

Are you a X but you have not been depending on God … can you start doing that … can you remember what Jesus has given you

See the question is … How is Jesus going to respond to you …

is he going to be happy at you (bc you are clothed in his righteousness and have no sin on your account)

Or are you going to make Jesus sick because you think you are right with him … but are not really

He who has an ear … let him hear what the Spirit says to you …

are you going to listen or will you ignore him?

LET’S PRAY