A Christ-less Church / Una Iglesia Sin Cristo
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Introduction
Introduction
There are many things that we naturally associate as belonging together:
Peanut butter and jelly
Chips and salsa
Chips
Apple pie and ice cream
In the same way, it is appropriate to associate the church with Jesus Christ himself.
He is the Lord of the church
He is the bridegroom, the church is the bride
He is the savior, the church is formed by sinners whose sins have been forgiven through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
So, it would be extremely unusual to consider a church without Christ. Just consider the following statement: a Christian church that does not have an association with Christ.
Unfortunately, this is something that does occur. It is possible for a group of people to call themselves Christians but ultimately have no relation with Christ.
Today, we consider the last letter written by the Lord Jesus to the 7 churches in Revelation. We will focus our thoughts on the message to the church in Laodicea who was in fact: A Christ-less Church.
We will consider the message of the Lord Jesus to this church under three headings:
A prosperous city
The spiritual state of the church
The call to repent
I. A prosperous city / Una ciudad prospera
I. A prosperous city / Una ciudad prospera
Verse 14 tells us the location of this church. This church was located in the town of Laodicea:
This town was a very wealthy place.
There were many thriving industries:
Banking
Medicine
Wool / clothing
Each of these industries will be in some way associated with the message the Lord Jesus writes to this congregation.
It is very common for cities to be a place of great sin and rebellion against God. In fact, two of the first judgments from God that we see recorded in the Bible are directly tied to prosperous cities:
Babel - many of us remember that the builders were engaged in building a great tower that would reach the heavens.
Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”
What we may miss is they were also attempting to build a great city. It was not God’s will for men to build great cities.
The command from God was no multiply and spread across the face of the earth.
Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
Luego dijeron: «Construyamos una ciudad con una torre que llegue hasta el cielo. De ese modo nos haremos famosos y evitaremos ser dispersados por toda la tierra.»
Sodom and Gomorrah - these cities were filled with many immoral practices. People lived as they wanted without giving attention to God’s will for marriage between one man and one woman.
Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)
Lot levantó la vista y observó que todo el valle del Jordán, hasta Zoar, era tierra de regadío, como el jardín del Señor o como la tierra de Egipto. Así era antes de que el Señor destruyera a Sodoma y a Gomorra.
I am pretty confident we would all agree that our large cities in the United States are not only known for their great wealth, entertainment, diversity, and progress but also for their great sin, greed, injustice, and rebellion against God.
Such was the case in Laodicea. They were prosperous, they had great wealth, they had many advances in medicine, they had the best clothes (for that time) and yet their sin also abounded.
II. The spiritual state of the church / El estado espiritual de la iglesia
II. The spiritual state of the church / El estado espiritual de la iglesia
One would think that a church living in a city with so much wealth, so many advances, a modern city, a city that was known throughout the ancient world - one would think the church would be strong, healthy, vibrant, alive!
One would think the church would be using their great wealth to advance the kingdom of God.
One would think they would be taking advantage of the medical advances to bring comfort to the sick.
One would think that a church that was living in such a prosperous place, without the immediate danger of persecution, would be working night and day preaching the gospel, reaching the lost, instructing the believers, and strengthening the local church.
Unfortunately, the church in Laodicea was in an extremely negative state:
A. The church was lukewarm / La iglesia estaba tibia
A. The church was lukewarm / La iglesia estaba tibia
Jesus tells this church:
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.
Conozco tus obras; sé que no eres ni frío ni caliente. ¡Ojalá fueras lo uno o lo otro! Por tanto, como no eres ni frío ni caliente, sino tibio, estoy por vomitarte de mi boca.
The Laodiceans lived near a source of hot springs. The city had built aqueducts that would carry water over a long distance, from the source to the city center.
During this journey the water would gradually cool off, gather additional minerals in the aqueduct.
The result was that when the water eventually made its way to the city center it was lukewarm and tasted awful.
People that were not familiar with Laodicea’s water would drink and eventually spit it out.
The Lord Jesus also tells his church they were not cold (like the cold springs in the city of Colossae). Cold water was good for refreshing oneself, removing stains, decreasing inflammation, soothing a tired aching body, and cooking.
The Lord Jesus also tells his church they were not cold (like the cold springs in the city of Colossae). Cold water was good for refreshing oneself and reducing a fever.
In other words, the Lord Jesus tells the church you are useless. You may call yourself a church but in reality you no longer serve any purpose. You are simply a group of people that are gathering up on a regular basis but you make me sick.
B. The church was poor, blind, and naked / La iglesia era pobre, ciega, y desnuda
B. The church was poor, blind, and naked / La iglesia era pobre, ciega, y desnuda
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.
Dices: “Soy rico; me he enriquecido y no me hace falta nada”; pero no te das cuenta de cuán infeliz y miserable, pobre, ciego y desnudo eres tú.
Rev.
Remember the three industries that were so prominent in Laodicea?
Banking
Medicine
Wool / clothing
Jesus used those prosperous industries to send a message to Laodicea to ensure they understand their awful state. Jesus calls them poor, blind, and naked.
They were poor for they lacked a true spiritual life. They lacked the word of God. They had great wealth but spiritually they were poor. It is possible they ate enjoyed great feasts, enjoyed great banquets - but spiritually they were starving, they were malnourished.
They were blind because they could not see their true state. In fact the Lord Jesus tells the church that she does not realize her true state. She is deceived. She sees great wealth all around them, she sees the prosperity in Laodicea but does not realize she cannot even recognize her own spiritual ruin. It very much like unbelievers who will tell us night and day they do not need God. Basically, this church was acting like the unbelieving world.
Lastly, this church was naked. Nakedness is associated with shame, nakedness is associated with humiliation. This congregation was in an extremely deplorable situation that it should’ve felt shame for being in such a terrible situation but yet it did not feel any remorse whatsoever.
C. The church had run Christ out of the church / La iglesia había corrido a Cristo
C. The church had run Christ out of the church / La iglesia había corrido a Cristo
This church was so worldly, so tied to this world, this world was so much associated with the traditions and ways of this world that it had separated itself from Christ.
We see this sad reality in verse 20.
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.
Mira que estoy a la puerta y llamo. Si alguno oye mi voz y abre la puerta, entraré, y cenaré con él, y él conmigo.
Many have used this verse to speak about how Christ knocks at the heart of a sinner / unbeliever. He knocks at their heart with the hope the sinner will come to their senses and repent of their sins. I think this verse speaks of a much more serious matter.
Remember this verse is written to a group of people that call themselves Christian. The Lord Jesus is telling them, “you call yourself a church, you call yourself a Christian church, according to you my presence is in your midst. The reality is you have run me out of the church. My presence is no longer with you. You are alone. You have removed me from your midst.”
This is the reason why the Lord Jesus is knocking at their door. This church has literally locked the Lord Jesus out of the church. They have decided to be a church according to their own thoughts, desires, beliefs. They are not willing to submit themselves to Jesus’ authority.
Is there any hope for this church? Will God show mercy and grace to a church that has run Jesus out of the church?
III. The call to repent / El llamado al arrepentimiento
III. The call to repent / El llamado al arrepentimiento
We serve a God of mercy. Even a church in such a terrible situation such as Laodicea is shown God’s grace.
Since God calls Laodicea a poor, blind, and naked church he shows her the way to restoration.
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.
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.
Por eso te aconsejo que de mí compres oro refinado por el fuego, para que te hagas rico; ropas blancas para que te vistas y cubras tu vergonzosa desnudez; y colirio para que te lo pongas en los ojos y recobres la vista.
Re
Por eso te aconsejo que de mí compres oro refinado por el fuego, para que te hagas rico; ropas blancas para que te vistas y cubras tu vergonzosa desnudez; y colirio para que te lo pongas en los ojos y recobres la vista.
Since Laodicea is poor the Lord invites her to buy fine gold from him. Ultimately, he is the source of everything that is good. If the church is sincere and goes to God he will enrich its spiritual life, he will give the church riches beyond comprehension. The spiritual riches that God can give do not compare to the riches of this world.
What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?
For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?
Mar
¿De qué sirve ganar el mundo entero si se pierde la vida?
¿De qué sirve ganar el mundo entero si se pierde la vida?
The Lord also tells this blind church to purchase from him salve to be able to see. This would be very familiar to the Laodiceans because of their advances in medicine. There was a well known eye salve that, produced in Laodicea, that people used to soothe irritated eyes.
The church must go to the Lord Jesus Christ and ask for discernment such that it can see the reality of its spiritual life.
The church must be able to truly discern the difference between right and wrong.
The church must be able to know the truth and act accordingly.
There are occasions where the truth will be uncomfortable to the congregation, nevertheless we must not fear men but fear God.
Lastly, the church is told to put on white garments so that it may cover its nakedness. These white garments are described in the book of Revelation as being “righteous deeds”
Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
Rev. 19:8
Rev.
y se le ha concedido vestirse
de lino fino, limpio y resplandeciente.»
(El lino fino representa las acciones justas de los santos.)
y se le ha concedido vestirse
de lino fino, limpio y resplandeciente.»
(El lino fino representa las acciones justas de los santos.)
In other words, the church must not only preach and hold on to sound doctrine but it must live a holy life in accordance with the word of God. A healthy church actually lives what it believes.
The Lord shows his grace to the church. But we must not forget the seriousness of this matter. The church in Laodicea needed to be shaken up.
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.
Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth.
Yo reprendo y disciplino a todos los que amo. Por lo tanto, sé fervoroso y arrepiéntete.
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.
y se le ha concedido vestirse
de lino fino, limpio y resplandeciente.»
(El lino fino representa las acciones justas de los santos.)
Su crin parecía cabello de mujer, y sus dientes eran como de león.
Rev. 9.8
Yo reprendo y disciplino a todos los que amo. Por lo tanto, sé fervoroso y arrepiéntete.
The Lord rebukes his church out of love. He does not rebuke his people to destroy but rather to restore them to a right relationship with him.
The church must consider Jesus’ words with all seriousness. We must realize that we too live in a prosperous society. We are surrounded by comfort and convenience.
Rev. 3:20
Let us pray that the Lord will deliver us from nominal Christianity.
Let us pray that we the Lord deliver us from simply being a social gathering.
Let us pray that the Lord deliver us from being a worldly church.
There is a promise to him who repents:
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.
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.
Al que salga vencedor le daré el derecho de sentarse conmigo en mi trono, como también yo vencí y me senté con mi Padre en su trono.
Al que salga vencedor le daré el derecho de sentarse conmigo en mi trono, como también yo vencí y me senté con mi Padre en su trono.
This promise speaks about intimate communion with God. We cannot expect communion with God in eternity if we do not desire close fellowship with him as we journey through this life.
Let us never forget we cannot love the world and God at the same time. Either we will love sin and hate God or we will hate sin and love God.
