Revelation 3:14-22 "The Lukewarm Church"

Good Evening Calvary Chapel Lake City!

Please turn in your Bibles to Revelation 3. Revelation 3:14-22 this evening.

We come to the last of the seven churches of Asia Minor whom Jesus addressed in Chapters 2 & 3 of Revelation.

These were real churches in John’s day… and you can visit their archeological ruins in Turkey today.

In one way shape or form… every church… in every age mirrors one of these churches.

And in some semblance each individual Christian’s walk reflects one of these churches… hopefully for the good things said about them… and not the corrections.

In each of these churches, Jesus’ provides some or all of the following notes to these churches:

Commendation

Correction / Rebuke

Exhortation/ Warning or Appeal

Invitation and Promise

5 of the Seven Churches received all of these notes, and only 2 of the churches were void of any correction.

This final church is one that many people in the United States tend to relate to… as it was a complacent church at best… if a church at all.

Let’s take a look at Revelation 3:14-22 “The Lukewarm Church”…

And before we do… Let’s Pray!

V14 “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:

Laodicea is a compound word which comes from Laos meaning “the people”; and dicea “opinion or justice”… therefore it may be rendered, “Justice of the People” or “Ruled by the People” or “Opinion of the People.”

It was founded and named by Antiochus II Theos of Syria in honor of his wife Laodice.

It was one of the wealthiest cities in the world… it was a prosperous Roman city… known for banking, producing black wool, medicine, and trade.

It was so wealthy that in 60 A.D. an earthquake destroyed the city and the citizens rebuilt it without the aid of Rome.

It also had a lukewarm water supply (from aqueducts)… and Jesus will tie this into His rebuke of the people of this church.

Jesus portrays Himself as the Amen… (Lit. “So be it”)… the word we say at the end of our prayers testifying of truth and agreement.

As a title of Christ Amen testifies of His Sovereignty and the certainty of the fulfillment of His promises… when He speaks and declares promises… it is truth.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:20 “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”

And He echoes his description in Rev 1:5 as the “Faithful and True Witness”… which will contrast the Laodicean church who were neither faithful nor true.

And Jesus portraying Himself in this light gives additional weight to what He will say in this letter to Laodicea.

And Jesus describes Himself at the Eternal Witness… the One who was at and is “the Beginning of the creation of God.”

Jesus was Not created, but was before creation…

John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 1:3 “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”

Colossians 1:16 “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”

And so… while the Laodiceans were materially wealthy… and self-sufficient… this description of Christ stands as a reminder that all things come from Him… for He is the Creator.

Jesus skips any note of commendation… which makes this letter unique compared to the other six.

Note that: Jesus had nothing positive to say.

My momma used to say, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

But that wouldn’t be truthful… or profitable. Jesus had nothing nice to say, but to hold back and not correct them for their errors…

This affords them no opportunity to soften their hearts… and turn from the error of their sin and back to Christ.

This was a church… in the church were people who professed belief in Christ… but they were in a bad state…

And Jesus tells them with a scathing denunciation… harsher then any former rebuke… of the error of their ways…

vv15-16 “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.”

And so here was the indictment… they were neither cold nor hot.

Scholars explain the cold and hot in two main ways.

Using a historical example… some see ‘cold’ and ‘hot’ as a real reference the Laodiceans could relate to.

Two of their neighboring towns had water that would flow to Laodicea…

Colosse had cool water that was a refreshing beverage.

And Hierapolis had hot spring water know for medicinal effects.

But when water arrived from either city to Laodicea it was lukewarm… and lost it’s qualities of hot or cold.

In that example both hot and cold were useful and effective, but lukewarm water was NEITHER useful nor effective.

One view.

The other view is more spiritual where there are many in the world cold to Christ, His word… and His gospel is not of interest to them… they are cold to Jesus and all things of Him.

By contrast there are those hot to Christ, where they show genuine spiritual fervor… and fervor is a great word to use for it can be defined as “intense heat”, as well as “intensity of feeling or expression.”

The third state is lukewarmness. Walvoord defines this state as, “… those who have manifested some interest in the things of God. They may be professing Christians who attend church but have fallen far short of a true testimony for Christ and whose attitude and actions raise questions concerning the reality of their spiritual life. They have been touched by the gospel, but it is not clear whether they really belong to Christ.”

And whether you prefer the historical example of cold, hot and lukewarm water… or the spiritual example of the cold, hot, and lukewarm spiritual state…

In the end, Jesus was clear that He despised that middle state. Lukewarmness was disgusting to Him… thus he vomited or spit the lukewarm out of His mouth.

It was disgusting to Him. The messenger… the leader of the church… and the congregation had settled into this state of lukewarmness…

Thus Jesus had only condemnation for them… and He explains why… though they were materially rich, they were spiritually poor…

Look at V17 “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—

Jesus rebuked them for their attitude of self-sufficiency. In their wealth, they became prideful and felt that they had “need of nothing.”

Even some thirty years prior in 60 A.D., when that major earthquake leveled the city… they proved to the world just how self-sufficient they were…

The Roman Historian Tacitus in his Annals wrote, "One of the most famous cities of Asia, Laodicea, was... overthrown by an earthquake and, without any relief from us, recovered by its own resources."

This attitude of self-sufficiency because of wealth was warned against early in scripture.

God instructed Israel in Deuteronomy 8:11–14 “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, 12 lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; 13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; 14 when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;”

Israel was warned them not to forget how God led them out of Egypt with many miracles… and sustained them forty years in the wilderness…

Even testing them with manna to see if they would depend on and believe in the Lord’s word.

Otherwise an Israelite who stopped obeying and looking to the Lord would become proud and in their abundance, they would say as written, “My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’”

And this is similar to what happened in Laodicea… in V17… they were blinded by their wealth… but in reality… though they would not see it… they were in fact… “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.”

Which describes their spiritual state… material wealthy, but spiritually impoverished… like much of the United States and first world countries today.

And this five fold description “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked”… paints the picture of utter destitution.

Wretched describes their mental state… they are afflicted…

Miserable is how people see them… they are pitied by others.

Poor by def. means “one who crouches and cowers” implying one who is reduced to begging.

And without eternal riches, one is reduced to a blind beggar.

And blind is on the list. Blind is without sight.. and there are those who do not see spiritually.

A Messianic promise for the end times is “the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.” Is 29:18

Israel especially will gain National sight to perceive that Jesus is Messiah and they will call on His name.… confessing with their mouth and believing with their heart… and they will be saved out of the Tribulation.

Presently… they are nationally blind to Jesus being their Messiah who came and will come again.

Naked is without clothing… which is promised to them if they repent… then they will be clothed and will stand unashamed.

So much of the modern world fits this five fold description and indictment of the Laodicean church.

Much of the church is lukewarm… complacent… spiritual eyes are veiled… and content in their temporal sufficiency.

So Jesus exhorts in vv 18-19…

vv18-19 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.

Jesus counsels them to buy those things that money can’t buy.

There may be an allusion here to Isaiah 55:1 “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price.”

What we read about in V18… speaks not about things purchased in this lifetime… nor things purchased with earthly currency…

But spiritual… buy Gold from Christ that is refined in the fire making it pure gold… alluding to true spiritual riches that are shrouded in the glory of God… then they will be truly rich.

And wear white garments… the clothing of the saints and the clothing of the bride of Christ… white garments only obtained through the righteousness God provides through faith in Jesus Christ.

Laodicea was known for it’s famous black wool garments… what a contrast between what their merchants could provide and what God alone could supply.

In faith, the shame of their nakedness… caused by sin… would then be covered.

Their blind eyes would be anointed with eye salve to see… which was a promise for spiritual insight.

This would resonate with the Laodiceans as there was a famous medical school… in one of their temples where eyesalve was produced.

That’s not what they needed. Their need was spiritual.

And in V19… Jesus informs that His rebuke and chastening is extended to those He loves. This is said to Christians… lukewarm, but still Christians.

In love He warns them. He shares hard truths.

Rebuke by def means to “expose, convict, reprove.”

Chasten means “to train children; to correct or discipline.”

To believers… Heb 12:5-6 uses similar wording as V19… Hebrews 12:5-6 states, “And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked [or convicted] by Him; 6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.””

This is not a judicial conviction or rebuking… but parental.

Proverbs 3:12 “For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.”

Walvoord wrote, “God is not seeking to discipline those who make no pretense of following Him but rather deals with those who claim to be His children.”

The alternative is to chasten yourself. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:31–32 “For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.”

Also know… in God’s desire for all to be saved… the Holy Spirit, also God… will also convict unbelievers…

Jesus promised the Holy Spirit “… will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin because they do not believe in Me...” (John 16:8-9)

So, God is so gracious… doing His work to draw people to belief in Christ… and once justified… He doesn’t leave us there… He continues His work as a Father trains His child.

So what should the Laodiceans do with all this? look at the end of V19… “Therefore be zealous and repent.”

Therefore… because of all that was said prior…

Be zealous- meaning “lit. be jealous” or “to have warmth of feeling for or against.”

It’s a call to be hot…

They are lukewarm… and they need to “repent”… to change their mind or purpose. To not be lukewarm, but to be hot.

They… and anyone today… can totally shift from their love for the world and temporal wealth… to an on fire love for God and matters of the Spirit and eternity.

And Jesus closes with an invitation and promise… of this reality.

vv20 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.

Now that Jesus concludes His letters to the Seven Churches… this message now is said.

For sure this invite and promise is for Laodicea, but overarches all the churches.

Behold… Look! See!

Jesus is standing at the door and knocking.

HEAR His voice… if anyone ANYONE opens the door to Him… He will commune with them.

Dining and Communion in Jewish thinking symbolized unity… oneness.

And if One does not respond to let Jesus into their life through belief… He remains outside.

So, if you’ve never believed and let Him in your life… do so today…

He promises…

V21 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.

Overcomers are believers… they have overcome by faith and are victorious over the world.

1 John 5:4 declares, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”

And the promise is difficult to imagine… to sit with Christ on His throne… just as He overcame death and sin and is now seated at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us.

Thrones are promised to the Apostles to judge Israel… in…

Matthew 19:28 “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

And again in Luke 22:29–30 “And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, 30 that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.””

And Thrones are promised to Christians in general… here in V21…

And in 1 Corinthians 6:2 “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?”

Will will serve alongside Jesus during His Millennial reign judging matters of those who survived the tribulation in belief… and gained entrance into the Millennium judged as a sheep (a tribulation believer) and not a goat.

And we will judge those who were born during the Millennium.

Great responsibility lies ahead… in our positions as overcomers… serving alongside Jesus.

And that repeated close in V22…

V22 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’ ”

Only those with spiritual sight will have spiritual hearing… and this comes through belief.

And that one can hear what the Holy Spirit has to say to the churches.

Let’s Pray!