THE USELESS CHURCH OF LAODICEA

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There are a lot of characters in the Bible who present some very interesting scenarios. One of those characters is a man by the name of John Mark. Mark, as he is best known to us, was the cousin of Barnabas, as well as the author of the Gospel of Mark. He was most likely the young man who witnessed the events in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of Jesus betrayal. After Jesus was arrested he fled from the garden naked, leaving his cloak behind. When Paul and Barnabas set out on their first Missionary Journey they took Mark with them. But shortly afterwards Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem. It appears that Paul interpreted this as an act of desertion. So, when he and Barnabas were starting to consider taking a second trip, Paul refused to allow Mark to join them. This case a strong division to occur between these two godly men. Therefore, he and Barnabas split ways.

However, years later Paul’s attitude toward Mark changed. Writing to Timothy from a Roman prison he mentioned that everyone but Luke had deserted him. But he encourage Timothy to come to him and to pick up Mark and bring him with [him], for he is useful to [Paul] for service.

In Paul’s esteem Mark had transformed from being useless to being useful.

Sometimes entire churches become useless to Christ, and the church of Laodicea was one such church. Christ, the Head of the Church, wants His local assemblies to be useful and not useless. In my morning readings this week I read this passage which jumped out at me:

Luke 14:34–35 NASB95PARA

“Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Unlike salt, people can go from being useless to useful. And I believe that is the thrust of our passage this morning.

As we go through this passage this morning we are going to reflect on several questions: What does a useful church look like? Why was the church of Laodicea useless? Was this church even a regenerate church? And, how does Christ see Britton Bethel Baptist Church?

Let’s read our passage together.

WHAT DOES A USEFUL CHURCH LOOK LIKE?

A useful church provides refreshment and sustenance for weary pilgrims

In John Bunyan’s classic allegory, Pilgrim’s Progress, the main character, a man named Christian, was journeying to the Celestial City. As he grew weary from his travels he found an oasis which the Lord of the land had provided for weary pilgrims. And he stopped there for a time of rest and refreshment. And that is, in part, what a useful church should look like.

The Christian life is a weary journey. It is not nearly so happy as some would make it out to be. I’m sure you’ve heard a sales pitch that went something like this: “Come to Jesus and you will never have a sad moment again; or all your troubles will vanish away.” My experience with the Christian life is that there are trouble a plenty, mostly surrounding our sin nature and propensity to live as if we are slaves to sin. Honest Christians will admit that they often struggle with depression or other such things. And often the reason for that struggle is the inability to conquer the sinful desires that seem to have amplified now that they are Christians. Of course that is because we are now aware of our sin, and its offense against God.

A useful church provides healing therapy for spiritually sick and wounded

In the 1980’s Steve Green had a song about wounded spiritual soldiers. The lyrics went like this:

See all the wounded Hear all their desperate cries for help Pleading for shelter and for peace Our comrades are suffering Come let us meet them at their need Don't let a wounded soldier die

Come let us pour the oil Come let us bind their hurt Let's cover them with a blanket of His love Come let us break the bread Come let us give them rest Let's minister to healing to them Don't let another wounded soldier die

Inward goal

Obeying their orders They fought on the front lines for our King Capturing the enemy's stronghold Weakened from battle Satan crept in to steal their lives Don't let a wounded soldier die

Outward goal

Come let us pour the oil Come let us bind their hurt Let's cover them with a blanket of His love Come let us break the bread Come let us give them rest Let's minister to healing to them Don't let another wounded soldier die

WHY WAS THE CHURCH IN LAODICEA USELESS?

Let’s look at a couple of reasons why the Church in Laodicea was considered by Christ to be useless.

Luke 14:34–35 NASB95PARA

“Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

They were useless because they had an inaccurate assessment of their spiritual condition

Close Christian friendships help us to garner an accurate assessment of ourselves

Churches also may need outside help in order to get an accurate assessment of themselves

They were useless because they were lukewarm

I remember being taught by some well meaning folks that God is more pleased with cold, backslidden believers than He is with those who are somewhere in the middle. That is not what is being said in this passage. To understand it we need to consider the circumstances in Laodicea. This wealthy city had a problem with water that would rival Flint, Michigan. Their water was so repulsive to drink that it tended to induce vomiting.

Now in Colossae, which was a mere ten miles away, there was a refreshing cold spring. You can actually still travel there and drink its refreshing water. In Hierapolis, which was seven miles away in a different direction, there was a hot spring which was rich in mineral deposits that physicians sent patients to for the healing therapy that it provided.

Therefore, when Christ said that this church was lukewarm they would have understood well what He meant. They were useless. And Christ has no use for a useless church. One commentator noted:

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 12: Hebrews through Revelation 7. To Laodicea (3:14–22)

That is to say, they were useless to Christ because they were complacent, self satisfied, and indifferent to the real issues of faith in him and of discipleship.

Hot mineral springs in Hierapolis 7 miles north

This brings us to a very intriguing question; one in which commentators do not agree:

The water supply in Laodicea was known for inducing vomiting

WAS THE CHURCH OF LAODICEA A REGENERATE CHURCH?

I spent a large portion of my time this week considering this question. One the one hand you have commentators saying that claim that this church is not regenerate and that is why He is standing outside the door of the church. Then you have others that say that this letter belongs to the church and not to unbelievers. Spurgeon wrote:

The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, Vol. XX An Earnest Warning against Lukewarmness (No. 1,185)

This text belongs to the church of God, not to the unconverted. It is addressed to the Laodicean church. There is Christ outside the church, driven there by her unkindness, but he has not gone far away, he loves his church too much to leave her altogether, he longs to come back, and therefore he waits at the doorpost. He knows that the church will never be restored till he comes back, and he desires to bless her, and so he stands waiting, knocking and knocking, again and again; he does not merely knock once, but he stands knocking by earnest sermons, by providences, by impressions upon the conscience, by the quickenings of his Holy Spirit; and while he knocks he speaks, he uses all means to awaken his church.

One of the more interesting views comes from a contemporary commentator, Robert Mulholland, who wrote:

Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: James, 1 - 2 Peter, Jude & Revelation Notes

The individual believer rather than the church is indicated as the subject/object by the singular terms that follow in the verse, lit., “anyone,” “come in to him,” “eat with him,” “and he with me.” Jesus continually stands at the closed doors of our lives and knocks. This is, most likely, the loving knock of reproof, as well as the invitation to open to nurture.

Note some things that hint that this letter was written to an authentic church:

Christ holds the angels of the churches in the palm of His hand

Christ only disciplines those whom He loves

Though at the present time they had become useless to Christ, there was still hope that they could become useful

They could become useful by:

Buying gold refined by fire, from Christ

This could refer the the spiritual gold that is tested by fire

1 Peter 1:6–7 NASB95PARA

In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

One aspect of this testing can be enduring through times of persecution

Buying white garments from Christ

Laodicea was known for its industry of black wool

This may refer to being robed in the righteousness of Christ

Buying eye salve from Christ

Laodicea was renown for their advances in ophthalmology

The people of this church needed to see themselves as Christ saw them

Communing with Christ

Note verse 20 of our text. This text is often used as a picture of salvation. But really, it is probably best to see it as an invitation to a renewed communion with Christ. This is probably an allusion to

Song of Solomon 5:2 NASB95PARA

“I was asleep but my heart was awake. A voice! My beloved was knocking: ‘Open to me, my sister, my darling, My dove, my perfect one! For my head is drenched with dew, My locks with the damp of the night.’

R. C. Sproul wrote: “This is not an invitation for the readers to be converted, but to renew themselves in a relationship with Christ that had already begun, as apparent from vs. 19. The allusion to the Song of Solomon points to a focus on renewal of a relationship, since there the husbands knocks on the door of the bedchamber to encourage his wife to continue to express her love to him and let him enter, but she at first hesitates to do so. Christ, the husband, is doing the same thing to His bride, the church.”

Communion with Christ and with His local body of believers is an essential part of the Christian life

1 John 1:5–10 NASB95PARA

This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

HOW DOES CHRIST SEE BRITTON BETHEL BAPTIST CHURCH?

Does He see us like the orthodox, yet loveless church of Ephesus?

Does He see us like the faithful, yet suffering church of Smyrna?

Does He see us like the compromising church of Pergamum?

Does He see us like the unrepentant church of Thryatira?

Does He see us like the incomplete church of Sardis?

Does He see us like the loyal church of Philadelphia?

Does He see us like the useless church of Laodicea?

Let’s pray.

Closing Song: Rise Up, O Church of God (No. 433)

Verse 1

Rise up, O Church of God!

Have done with lesser things;

Give heart and mind and soul and strength

To serve the King of kings.

Verse 4

Lift high the cross of Christ!

Tread where His feet have trod;

As foll’wers of the Son of Man,

Rise up, O Church of God!