Watch Out for Vomit—Revelation 3:14-22
Notes
Transcript
When I was younger and more immature than I am now, back when I was still in high school in fact, I would play tricks on my brother. He lived down in Florida while I was in Indiana. Sometimes I would go and visit and stay in his apartment. While there, he would step out. And sometimes, people would call his landline.
And I’d pick up.
I can sound just like Matthew. We have the same vocal inflections. I can hit the same register as him. So, I would have a great time having Matthew’s friends think that they were talking to him.
I was a pest.
But, I really enjoyed imitating him.
I really enjoy imitating a lot of people. I used to practice imitating the guards of the tomb of the unknown soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. I had their steps down to a T.
I’ve spent my life imitating people. Some people were worth imitating. Some people were not.
Do you know the one person that I’ve been drawn to imitate, but I just can’t get it right?
Jesus.
As I prepare my sermons every week, I read the passage, I translate the passage, I consider what the main topic is, I create a tentative outline, and then I write out a heart check. Where am I currently with the topic of this passage.
This is what I wrote almost a month ago: “My life is luke warm because I keep putting things ahead of my time with Jesus. I know better, but I believe the lie.”
Too often, I am Laodicea. I am called to imitate Christ, but I don’t. I’m called to pursue a vibrant relationship with him, but I don’t.
I’m sure you’ve been there.
For us who have been there, and for the rest of you who will be there, we have this letter to the church in Laodicea.
Let’s read the passage:
“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
In this passage we are going to discuss imitating Christ. We are going to see the situation, the call, and the need.
Before we dive in, will you pray with me?
1. The Situation
1. The Situation
Let’s look at the situation.
Laodicea was a thriving metropolis. They were known for several things. They were a banking center for the region. They were known for eye powders for sore eyes. Their black wool cloth was famous around the known world. And they lacked a natural water supply.
6 miles north of Laodicea was Hierapolis, who were well-known for medicinal waters. Their hot springs reached 95 degrees.
12 miles to the east was Colossae. They had cool refreshing springs.
Colossae was too far to transport water. But Laodicea had aqueducts bringing water from Hierapolis. As the hot, mineral water traveled those 6 miles over the plains, they gradually became lukewarm, and cascaded over the edge of the aquaducts in full view of the residents of Laodicea. And they drank those lukewarm waters when they had too. And they didn’t like it.
Jesus looks at the church and compares them with the nauseating waters.
Their deeds are disgusting to Jesus. Not because they are bad. Because they are nothing. “Yes, they are professing Christians, but they have fallen short of a true testimony for Christ. They attitudes and actions raise questions concerning the reality of their spiritual life.”
Jesus says:
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
The cold water from Colossae provided refreshment for the weary, while the hot water from Hierapolis provided healing for the sick. The church in Laodicea did nothing to provide for the spiritually weary or spiritually. They were simply ineffective.
“The church in Laodicea is rebuked, therefore, for the useless and barren nature of its works, indicative of its stagnant spiritual condition.”
In effect Jesus says: You've become of no benefit to anyone,' says Jesus, 'and I will not stomach such behavior. When I look up on your lack of zeal, your indifference toward the needs of others, and your blase response to my beauty, I feel like a man who has drunk tepid, tasteless water."
Can you picture Jesus lifting to his lips a cup of what he anticipates being a flavorful and refreshing drink, only to vomit it in utter disgust.
They thought that they were fine. They weren’t doing anything bad. Not like those in Pergamum who listened to those sexually perverse Nicolaitans.
Their deeds, their values, their perspective were just fine.
But they were of no benefit. Their works had no value. They were ineffective.
Just like so many people who follow Jesus. They’ll come to church, most of the time. But, they won’t do anything to serve. They’ll walk past the sign-up sheets. They’ll hope the VBS coordinator doesn’t approach them about helping. They’ll conveniently find excuses not to clean the church. They won’t take part in outreaches. They won’t share the Gospel with their friends. They won’t go to the hospital to visit someone who is sick.
And Jesus says of them: You disgust me. I want to spit you out of my mouth.
I’ve visited churches around the United States. And so many of them remind me of Laodicea. And sometimes, this church reminds me of Laodicea. And too often, my life reminds me of Laodicea.
To the lukewarm, spiritually ineffective Christian and church, Jesus offers a call:
2. The Call
2. The Call
I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
Because of his love for his people, he refuses to tolerate lukewarmness.
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.
He calls the Laodiceans and us to imitate him in 3 ways, and yes I reordered it in the text:
A. In Perspective
A. In Perspective
He calls us to imitate him in perspective.
I counsel you to buy salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
As I said, the Laodiceans were known for their eye salve, created by their medical school. They harvested phrygian stone from the mineral rich valley surrounding them, it probably consisted of zinc and alum, and after grinding it, made a salve to put on eyelids. It probably didn’t work that well, but people bought it up.
Because they wanted to see.
Jesus says: come to me. Let me help you see. Not just physically, but spiritually.
Open your eyes to the needs around you. We are to imitate Jesus in his perspective, the way he saw this world.
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
And it’s still that way. And few are standing up help.
He has called us to care for the sheep, but too often we are like the shepherds in Ezekiel:
As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock.
Do we have the perspective of Jesus? Do we see the world how he sees it? He was willing to die for it.
If we don’t have that perspective, we need to do go to Jesus so that we can see.
B. In Value
B. In Value
Not only does he call us to imitate him in perspective, but also in value.
He told the church of Laodicea:
I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich
As I said, Laodicea was a banking community. Because of this, they were very well-to-do. They had value, but their value was in the wrong thing. It was in money, possessions, status. They were spending their days focused on those things, instead of what Jesus calls his people to focus on, refreshing the spiritually weary and healing the spiritually sick.
Once we change our perspective, we can ask Jesus to change what we put our value in.
As Jesus told his disciples:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The things of this world are good, to be used for good. But value is in things that are done for eternity, for the kingdom of Heaven.
As an illustration: in a few weeks, we are going to be at the fair making balloon animals and painting faces. Those things are good, fun, kids love them. But the time that is spent is not worth much if there is no spiritual component, if the people come to the booth are not introduced to Jesus and his sacrifice.
We’re not going to be able to share it with everyone who comes. But we should be wanting to. Because our value is not in people’s good feelings or our reputation in the community. Our value is people crossing from death to life and weary pilgrims finding rest.
If that is not our values, we need to go to Jesus so that we can exchange them.
C. In Deeds
C. In Deeds
Not only does he call us to imitate himself in perspective and values, but also in deeds.
I counsel you to buy from me white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness.
Laodicea was famous for their black wool cloth. Sold throughout the Roman empire and beyond. Only the rich used it and when it was used, you were considered well-clothed.
Jesus called them naked, because their deeds didn’t match their faith.
Instead of black clothing, Jesus called them to buy from him white clothing.
White clothing is used several other times in Revelation, referring to two things.
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”
These are those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ. The white garments are symbolic of their being declared righteous before God.
The other reference is Rev 19 8
Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
Those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ, who where his righteous, are expected to live his righteousness.
Paul talks about this in Ephesians. The famous verse is:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
But the following one says:
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
When we have the right perspective and values, we will live out our faith in the community. We will have deeds that match our salvation. Good works, reaching out to bring refreshment to the spiritually weary and healing to the spiritually sick.
The Laodicean church didn’t do that. Are we like them? Do we need to answer Jesus’ call?
3. The Need
3. The Need
When we are lukewarm. When we are of no benefit, spiritually ineffective, and we hear Jesus’ call. The need that we have is to spend time with Jesus.
Jesus makes the famous promise to the Laodicean church:
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
People have used this verse for decades to speak to non-Christians. That Jesus is standing at the door of their hearts, knocking for them to let him in. And then the plea is made: will you ask Jesus into your hearts.
This verse is not talking about salvation. This verse is Jesus standing outside his church, the church that became so spiritually lukewarm, not imitating him, that they shoved him outside. They didn’t want to spend time with him. They didn’t want to see him, because their perspective and values were off.
He is begging them to let him in.
The only cure for lukewarmness, for spiritual ineffectiveness. The only way to change our perspective, our values, and our deeds is to spend time with Jesus. To open the doors of our churches, to open the doors of our lives, and say: Jesus, I am so sorry. I kicked you out and I pursued everything else. Sure, I wasn’t bad in the morality of this world, but I wasn’t good in your eyes. Forgive me an change me.
And we spend time with him. Every day, confessing our need, begging him to change us.
And he promised to do so. As we commune with him, he changes our hearts, he changes our minds, as Paul writes in Romans 12 1-2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
As he changes our minds, our hearts, we will see our perspective change about the world around us. We will see our values change about what is important. And by God’s grace, our deeds will change as well. May we not be a Laodicean church. May we be cold, bringing refreshment to the weary, and hot, bringing healing to the sick.
Now, before I close, I need to speak to the spiritually sick. Those who do not have the white robes of Jesus’ righteousness. Most of what I said today doesn’t apply to you. You cannot imitate Jesus, because you do not know him. No amount of good works will get you to know him.
You need to meet him at the foot of the cross. Confessing that you are a sinner and your sin demands payment. And recieving Jesus’ payment on your behalf. Turn to Jesus before it is too late.
To those who have placed their faith in Jesus, the promise at the end of Revelation 3 is for us.
To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.
We do not get to be in Jesus presence for all eternity because of anything that we do. It is only through God’s amazing grace. Not because of myself, but only because of him. Praise to his name.
Turn to him. Imitate him.
