The Seven Churches (Laodicea)

Between South Tampa’s malls, boutique districts, and neighborhood centers, South Tampa is home to home 400 retail stores.

Ranked as one of the top ten cancer centers in the US, Tampa is home to one of Florida’s prominent hospitals.

In the 1920’s, when Davis Islands began to be developed, it offered a new experience that enabled water front property and living.

However, what we have seen is the increase in flooding issues…

I haven’t lived here long but I have learned that leaving the office and walking to my jeep on Como becomes a no no until the water from the storm retrieves.

All in all to say, aside from the flooding, our community is pretty impressive…

Lots to do, affluent and resourced, and proud of it, even with some unavoidable headaches.

This reminds me of our last church we are studying this morning.

This series in Revelation has been one of my favorite studies I have ever done.

This book shows us there is so much more going on in our world that happens in the unseen.

It reminds us that the real enemy is Satan.

It encourages us to hold fast to God’s greater plan of redemption.

It guides us with the vision it provides to see the world as it truly is, and to learn to love the Lord as we seek to love others…

As we have taken each Sunday to study one of the seven churches, it has been vitally important that we remember that Jesus is writing with an intentional approach.

He is writing to real people who composed real local churches.

He is writing to them as a collective body of believers, not to a particular individual.

He is writing to those churches, not to us. However, these letters, although not written to us are for us today.

This morning we will be studying the last church Jesus wrote to-

The church in Laodicea.

I wanted to start off by discussing some relevant breakdowns of our community because this church is honestly the most similar to us.

It is difficult to teach, not because it is hard to understand, but because it addresses what is rampant in our culture today and across our nation.

It address a church that is comfortable, affluent, and socially safe.

Yet spiritually asleep.

They faced no persecution. This led to apathy and a contentment, even stagnant ministry.

You could say they were subnormal in their Christian walk.

In the twentieth century most of us have become so subnormal in our Christian life that when someone comes along and begins to act normal in their Christian life, we label them as abnormal.

(Vance Havner, Author and Minister)

Let’s read the letter to Laodicea.

Revelation 3:14–22 ESV

14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. 15 “ ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 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. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so 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 eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered 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.’ ”

Laodicea was known for similar things like we are in South Tampa.

As a thriving city it was known for…

Wealth

It was a banking center, like wallstreet in NYC.

In 60 AD, it was destroyed by an earthquake… Rome offered to help rebuild the city but Laodicea was like, “Nah, we got this.”

They were fiercely independent and proud of it.

Fashion

They were famous for their black wool garments.

Everyone wore black…

Their soil was very rich. They raised special goats and lamb that produced posh, shiny, black wool. This was exported around the world.

Medicine

They had a renowned known medical center that produced an eye salve that restored vision.

They had one problem that plagued their community.

Bad water.

Their were two nearby cities that the source of water was drawn from.

One was Hierapolis- it contained it’s hotsprings.

If you go on our tour with Pastor JJ in April, you will be able to swim in them! They are still active today.

The other source was from Colossae. It’s water came from the nearby mountains, making it cold.

The laodicean’s built a water system that drew from these sources.

However, the pipes used to transfer the water included really rich minerals. By the time the water was being received in Laodicea, it was lukewarm, harsh, and smelt horrible.

Not cold like Colossae, not hot like Hieropolis.

These were the physical markers of the city- but there were also spiritual markers.

That city Colossae might sound familiar to you… There was a church there that Paul wrote a letter to- the letter of Colossians.

Just like we see trends, both fashion and philosophy, move from east to west, Laodicea was effected by what was happening in the life of the church in Colossae as well… This shapes the meaning of the way Jesus intros Himself in this passage in revelation.

Colossians 1:15-16 gives us insight…

Colossians 1:15–16 ESV

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

The people in the church of Colossae were being confronted with the teaching that Jesus was just man, not fully God.

If our Christology is off then our Christianity will be off.

All of these things that bring Laodicea to life were hinted to in some form or fashion in our passage this morning…

Revelation 3:14 ESV

14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.

When I preached around the state of Alabama as an 18 year old, I remember arriving at a rural church one morning to fill the pulpit of a pastor.

This church had about 15-20 people left. It was dying.

To the right of the pulpit, there were a couple rows of pews. I asked what they were for…

It was the churches amen corner.

And to my joy, later that morning, one member sat in the second row and amened my message until he couldn’t breathe anymore.

Amen isn’t just an expression of agreement.

It is a declaration of certainty.

When Jesus says he is the amen, he is affirming his identity as being divine to a community being influenced by the teachings that might have been creeping in to their community from Colossae.

The faithful and true witness was to pierce the hearts and expose the deception they were living in- the idea that even though their church was big a beautiful and seemed to be doing well… they were not.

The beginning of God’s creation was another reference to his deity… He was the initiator of all of creation-

Remember Colossians 1:16

Colossians 1:16 ESV

16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

The laodicean’s may have been living passively forgetting that God had identified their purpose...

To live for Jesus and to bring Him glory!

And because they have become careless, comfortable, and content to be who they are and in what they have been doing…

Revelation 3:15–16 ESV

15 “ ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

Remember their water situation…

To drink the water was horrific because of it’s smell, its temperature, and it’s taste.

It was so bad, the community used the idea of “spewing something out of your mouth” as an every day phrase…

Jesus is saying this to the church…

Your faith makes me sick.

Their faith and ministry wasn’t cold (refreshing like the mountain waters of their neighboring city) or hot (healing like the springs of Hieropolis), it was room temperature.

The law of thermodynamics in regards to water is simple.

Cold water is kept cold by cooling. Hot water is kept hot by heat. Lukewarm water- you get that by doing nothing.

A famous physician once described the law of thermodynamics like this…

You can’t win, you can’t break even, and you can’t get out of the game. (C. P. Snow)

In other words, there is a always a need for implementing what is needed to bring about what is desired.

You don’t experience growth without being fed.

The faith of the church in Laodicea had become lukewarm much like their own water- and it made Jesus sick…

Lukewarm faith is when Jesus becomes your accessory, not your aim.

Pastor JJ says it like this…

Lukewarm faith…

Sings songs but won’t surrender.

Sits in church on Sunday but won’t serve.

Claims Christ but lives comfortably.

They church in Laodicea had it good- no persecution, wealth, health… prosperity…

But Jesus was saying that they really had none of those things…

Revelation 3:17–18 ESV

17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 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.

The Loadiceans were proud of what they had…

But what they had wasn’t near as good as what Jesus offered.

In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis says,

Pride is the complete anit-God state of mind. (C.S. Lewis)

Jesus touches every point of their pride revealing their true need…

Gold refined by fire: Come buy what I am offering! True spiritual riches…

Notice, it is refined by fire (persecution)

White garments: shame covered by righteousness.

Eye salve: Spiritual sight to see clearly

Revelation 3:19 ESV

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

Be jealous and envy these things and repent from those! Come choose me and what I have!

And then he says…

Revelation 3:20 ESV

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 eat with him, and he with me.

Remember, without something from the outside, nothing is effected…

Where is Jesus with regards to their church?

Outside the door…