Sermon Tone Analysis
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This letter is particularly difficult.
The letter to Laodicea is a tough pill to swallow because of the seven churches, this one above all others finds parallels in the American church.
Jesus has a harsh rebuke for this church because their wealth has caused them to abandon him.
And most people, when they hear “wealth,” think they are excluded from that category.
Let me give you a biblical definition of wealth just so no one closes their ears to the message of Jesus:
Do you know where today’s meals are going to come from?
Do you walk everywhere you go?
Do you worry about how you’re going to heat your home?
If you answered “no” to those questions, congratulations, you’re rich.
According to how the Bible defines rich, you are rich.
We all are.
We have better medicine, better opportunities, we eat better, and we are far more comfortable than even Caesar dreamed in the days of the Roman empire.
We have devices that we carry in our pockets that have access to all the information of all people throughout history, and we use them to watch cat videos, post selfies, and gripe about how hard our lives are.
According to how to Bible defines it, you are wealthy.
And let me say, being wealthy isn’t a sin.
It isn’t wrong to be wealthy.
As long as you haven’t come by your wealth immorally, there is no shame in having stuff.
The issue for us, and the issue of the Laodicean church is who your master is.
No one can serve two masters…
The Laodiceans chose theirs, which will you choose?
As your pastor, I have a great burden for your souls.
Making sure that I am diligently leading you in truth is a heavy burden.
And I hate talking about money.
But I would fail you if I didn’t hammer this point now- you can serve money or you can serve Jesus.
You can’t serve both.
And if you’re not giving to this church, and you’ve been coming here and calling this church your home, (and I truly don’t know, I don’t look at the money), you need to give.
Not because we need your money, but because God wants your heart, and you can’t love something or someone you’re not investing in.
Yes, we use that money to pay the bills and fund ministry, but if you didn’t give God would provide for his church in other ways.
It’s not for the church that you give, but because there is a direct line between your wallet and your heart.
Forsyth Christian Church Illustration
And so Jesus’ message to the Church in Laodicea is “Repent!”
Hear his hard-hitting words:
Jesus is the Amen.
Amen just means, “Yes!” or “I agree”, and so Jesus is the one who agrees with all of the Word of God.
He is also the beginning of God’s creation.
He is first.
Not that Jesus is saying that he was created, because we have the same author say:
He is first in preeminence.
Jesus is the most important in all of creation.
He is the inaugurator of a new covenant by being the first to rise from the dead.
And because he is the beginning of new creation (instigator and first participant), we get to join with him in it if we are in him.
He is preeminent.
In fact, many commentators link verse 14 to Colossians 1, another letter that the Laodiceans have received, and I’m just going to read it, not put it on the screen.
Listen:
Preeminent.
Top.
Nothing above him.
Nothing else to gain.
Nothing else to get.
The goal.
The end.
What it's all about is Jesus.
Following Jesus is not going to make you wealthy.
Following Jesus does not guarantee that you're going to be healthy.
The message of Scripture and the Gospel of Christ is not that in following him, everything goes right, but that he is ENOUGH no matter what happens.
That's the message of the Gospel.
And it's maddening to me that the Prosperity Gospel is so unbelievably popular among people who then have to completely disregard Scripture as well as Christian history.
Every apostle in the Bible dies horrifically!
They get beheaded.
They get crucified upside down.
They get boiled in oil.
They die poor.
And they're slaughtered.
Spurgeon, the "Prince of Preachers", struggled with depression his whole life and then died.
Christianity has been built, and has carried through the generations on the blood of men, not on the wealth.
This is an absurd idea that would make Christ not preeminent, but what he could give you.
That is not Christianity.
That is something entirely different.
And it's heresy that would have gotten you burned alive 200 years ago.
it is a ridiculous notion.
Jesus is enough.
He's enough.
He's enough.
We pursue healing.
Maybe we get it, maybe we don't.
He's enough if we don't.
This is the message- that Jesus is sufficient.
Jesus is preeminent.
Top of the chain.
Nothing else to want.
Nothing else to pursue.
He is enough.
(Matt Chandler, “Jesus is Enough”)
And this is the message that the church in Laodicea has forgotten.
So Jesus says:
Every lexicon I consulted about this word says that it should be translated "vomit" and some "convulsively vomit".
Why do our translations shy away from uncomfortable language?
ATLAS
Lukewarm- Hieropolis hot springs, Colossae- cool springs.
The water at Laodicea the moment you take a drink from it, it makes you want to vomit.
Once the water made it from Hieropolis to Laodicea, it was lukewarm.
Hot water is useful.
Cold water is useful.
Lukewarm water is good for nothing.
Stop being good for nothing.
3 Reasons for their wealth:
Banking center- tons of gold
Laodicean clothing line (couldn't get their dark black wools anywhere else)
Eye salve- hospital that was performing cataract surgeries.
Famous eye salve would heal a lot of ophthalmological issues.
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