The Lukewarm Church

The Letters to the Churches - Laodicea The Lukewarm Church - Revelation 3:14-22 July 27, 2025 Good morning, today we will be finishing up the letters to the churches in chapter 3 of the book of Revelation, verses 14-22 in the letter to Laodicea. This letter may very well be the type of letter that describes many Christians in the world today. We'll dive into the details shortly, but this letter exposes the Christians who have not really made a true commitment. I pray that this does not describe you. Let's see Jesus' most scathing letter by reading His words from Revelation 3:14-22: 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.' " Let's begin, first by learning more about this ... CHURCH Like last week, I want to share two facts about this city and church that is useful to know as we look at the contents of this letter. First, * Laodicea was known for its banking, medical, and clothing industries. o As a result, they were very wealthy. o Apparently, back in AD 60, the city was destroyed by an earthquake and rejected financial assistance to rebuild the city. o They didn't ask for help, and they apparently didn't need help. o According to Tacitus, a Roman historian: "Laodicea arose from the ruins by the strength of her own resources, and with no help from us." o Second, * Laodicea was known for its poor water system and supply o Apparently, Laodicea had to source its water from neighboring cities, such as Hierapolis and Colossae. * This was because the closest river, the Lycus River, was muddy and therefore undrinkable. * Hierapolis was known for its hot and medicinal waters, while Colossae had cold, pure waters. * Some report that a large aqueduct was created to get these two sources of water into their city, resulting in lukewarm waters. * Later, we will see how Jesus uses this picture in His rebuke to them. As we've seen in the other letters, the next structural part of these letters have to do with the character of ... CHRIST Here's what this letter reveals. And, as we pointed out in the last couple of letters, Jesus characterizes Himself in direct response to the context of the city He is writing to. Here, we see three descriptions: * The Amen o In Isaiah 65:16, God is called the "God of Truth," or literally, the "God of Amen " o Thus, this was a title of God. * Laodicea was also very Jewish, so they would have made this connection o The term also describes certainty, reliability, truth, and affirmation o Jesus then characterizes Himself as ... * The Faithful and True Witness o This could mean several things. o Jesus may be emphasizing His Message to the churches as faithful and true o He may be emphasizing the Message of the Revelation to John (as a whole) as faithful and true o He also may be emphasizing His own life, death, resurrection, ascension and promise to return, as faithful and true. o He may be emphasizing all of the above. o The general idea? * He is trustworthy, and as such a reliable source that should be listened to. o Next, Jesus is ... * The Beginning of God's Creation o Last week, I used the example of Colossians 1 to emphasize and illustrate Jesus' presence and role in Creation. o Today, let's look at John 1:3 which reads: 3 ALL THINGS WERE MADE THROUGH HIM, AND WITHOUT HIM WAS NOT ANY THING MADE THAT WAS MADE. o This is what He means here. o Unfortunately, because we like to interpret the English, instead of the word that was translated, we can misinterpret the meaning. o This is not saying that Jesus was created. o Beginning means "preeminent" * It means "chief" or "rule" or "origin" or "the source" o David Guzik said it well when he states: This verse does not teach that Jesus was the first being created, but that He is the ruler, source, and origin of all creation. It has the idea of first in prominence more than first in sequence. o Once again, an emphasis on His position, and His authority. o Next, we need to identify the ... PROBLEM in the church in Laodicea. Here we see two primary problems. First: * The Church in Laodicea was lukewarm (15-16) o We alluded to this a bit earlier and can see why Jesus used this description. o The wording - if not careful - could be a little misleading. o Jesus is not saying that being "cold" is a good thing, and of course we see from the text that being lukewarm is not the correct choice, leaving only "hot" as the appropriate temperature. o He is using this term to describe the churchgoer or Christian who is compromising or indifferent to the things of the Lord. o There is no change in this person's life or actions o This person lacks enthusiasm and feels half-hearted about when they say they believe. o It actually reminds me of a place I had worked for a short period. I was the HR Director, a one-man band, so I had responsibility over all areas of Human Resources, including recruiting and hiring. Unfortunately, management, ownership, and the executive team were more than subpar, so when we had key positions open with talented people applying, I had a very difficult time offering them a position. Similarly, I had a Sales Director at the same location at the same time, who felt the same way. She had a hard time selling the product. That was a miserable place to be for both of us. We were lukewarm, we were there, we were present, we did our job, but we lacked passion and conviction. o This was Laodicea. o There's another problem with this church, found in verse 17. * The Church in Laodicea were self-sufficient (17) o This is a major problem. o Our dependance must be on the Lord. Not ourselves. o When our North Wing flooded last year, we had insurance, and they took care of the claim, but we never stopped praying. We knew that it was the Lord who provided. o Jesus is putting a mirror before Laodicea, showing them exactly who they are. Providing them with two facts: * With the first fact, Jesus emphasizes their view of themselves, when He says to them YOU SAY, I AM RICH, I HAVE PROSPERED, AND I NEED NOTHING * This almost seems like a slap in the face, doesn't it? * Imagine telling someone who loves you, "I don't need you" * We know that Jesus still loves them. Verses 18-20 reveal this to us. * Imagine telling Jesus that you don't need Him. * Fact two, Jesus reveals the truth when He says, YOU ARE WRETCHED, PITIABLE, POOR, BLIND, AND NAKED. * As verse 14 already made clear, He is the faithful and true witness, He knows the truth about us, and He reveals that to us. * He knows that their works (verse 15) are utterly useless (see James 2:14) With big problems, like these, requires a big correction. So, what does that look like? I think we can summarize the rest of our message today with the main idea: Jesus is the antidote to the lukewarm Christian. Here is where the council and challenge sections of this letter come in. So, let's review the ... PERSONAL APPLICATION from this letter. First ... * Don't depend on self, depend on the Savior (18) o It is Jesus who makes us "rich" * Rich, of course, in the spiritual sense. * Jesus is clearly telling the church that they are not to look within themselves, rather they need to seek Jesus. * Not only does He provide ... o It is Jesus who makes us pure. * Because of His sacrifice, we can come to Him, and He can make us pure, no longer hiding from God. No longer ashamed of ourselves and our sin. * And ... o It is Jesus makes us see * We have record of Jesus physically healing the blind, and we know that He will spiritually open our eyes as well. * Notice how this promise, yet again, is tied to the city's personality and industry. * The eye salve, for example, in verse 18 is connected to the medical industry that we mentioned earlier. o Next application from this letter is that Christians should ... * Expect and accept His discipline (19) o He disciplines the ones that He loves according to Proverbs 3:12 which is cited in Hebrews 12:5-6. o We don't like this one, do we? o But, we know this to be true, because a loving parent disciplines their children. o When we're disciplined, it provides an opportunity for correction. o Which is why He says next, to be ... * Be zealous and repent (19) o Notice the warning in verse 16 to these lukewarm Christians. * Jesus said He would spew them out of His mouth. * That's a bit graphic, isn't it? But it's easy to understand. * When I was younger, my mother gave me some cranberry sauce to try (you know, the stuff from the can), well, at least I thought it was. Turns out it was beets ... needless to say, I nearly spit it out. * To this day, I don't like beets. * With this description, Jesus shows us how He feels about those who are lukewarm in their faith. * It disgusts Him. * So, as has been customary for most of these letters, He calls for repentance. * And He calls them to be zealous. * Zealous for what? * Well, they were zealous for their businesses * They were zealous for their money * And maybe even for their fellowship, but as we will see, something - or Someone - was missing. * Their zeal was misdirected. * So, let's look at this a bit closer with the next application where Jesus invites Laodicea to ... * Open the door and receive Him (20) o This is a good time to remember that this is written to Christians, more specifically, it was written to the Church in Laodicea. o So, the picture here is that this church has left Jesus out. o He is standing outside, knocking and requesting to come in. o There is a reward for those who "let Him in" o So, finally, let's review the ... PROMISE ... ... to the overcomers. First, the overcomer can say ... * I will have fellowship with Jesus (19) o This really is the ultimate promise. o Here, Jesus uses the illustration of a meal, which was a primary way of fellowship in His day. o It is very possible that He is also referencing the Marriage Supper, which is found in Revelation 19, and likely alluded to in Zechariah 14. o What is clear, though, is that when we look at the picture of fellowship with Christ, it stands in contrast to the picture of eternal separation from Him, which is the result of unforgiven sin through His shedding of blood. o Next, a promise that ... * I will rule with Christ (20) o What does this mean? o Could refer to number of references. For example ... o Luke 19:17 describes rule as part of the reward for the faithful servant. o In 1 Corinthians 6:3, Paul addresses the Christian's authority over the angels o In 2 Timothy 2:12, Paul speaks to the overcomers reigning with Christ. o And in Revelation 20:1-6, John describes the scene of the Millennial Reign, where verse 4 describes a group of saints who will rule with Christ during the physical reign of Christ on earth o The overcomer will receive Jesus and be rewarded for their faithfulness. o Let our response be one of thanksgiving and awe. So, as we close this letter, and this sermon series, I think it is a good time to quickly recap what we have learned. While each specific letter had a specific purpose for a specific church, I think there are several overarching themes or threads throughout. Here are a few that I think we should take note of, as we close this morning. First, * Jesus is Lord. o In each of these letters, Jesus affirms His deity. o In an age where false god worship was rampant, He had to consistently remind these churches who He was, and to Whom their worship should be directed. o For Christians, that means we must continue to keep our eyes on Jesus. o Next, * Jesus is the Head of the Church. o In each of these letters, He not only shows us His deity, but also His authority over the church, and the world. o This is critical because He reveals our shortcomings and advises us on how to get right with the Father. o His call of repentance cannot be ignored. o His invitation to change and follow Him authentically cannot be ignored. o Finally, * Jesus is coming back. o In each of these letters, He reminds us that He is living and active. o In many cases, He warned of judgement, thus reminding us that He is not yet done, and when the time comes, He will return. o With these warnings and promises, He reminds us that we still have time to repent and follow the Lord. o And for those who have been faithful through it all, He encourages us to persevere. Each of these call for a response. * Is He your Lord? * Have you repented and asked for forgiveness? * And are you trusting Him as you wait for His return? Let's pray. 2