7 Churces - Laodicea
Notes
Transcript
This morning we come to our final church in our series on the 7 Churches of Revelation!
This last church, is a church that has no praise, just a complaint! IN some ways this is one of the most known churches of Revelation that has been preached on for years. Seems to be a favorite - THE LUKEWARM Church!
It often receives the highest or criticism, but in this church I see some of the greatest promise Christ gives to them if they would recognize their NEED for HIM. This church is called to come TO RELATIONSHIP with the SAVIOR in an intimate way.
Of all the cities so far, this is perhaps the wealthiest of them all! Laodicea was a 300+ year old city started by Antiochus and names after his wife Laodice - it was along the most MAJOR of trade routes, and when the Roman Empire brought military protection it surged in prosperity!
Three prominent things it was known for that are actually addressed by Christ in the passage - in fact exemplified in their shortcomings and how He could turn them into something SPIRITUALLY POWERFUL...
WEALTH - BANKING CENTER and RICH! IN fact in 61 AD the city was destroyed by an earthquake and had enough wealth to turn down assistance from the Roman Empire because it had the ability to rebuild itself! This wealth was the greatest cause for the apathy in the church.
Black WOOL Textiles - the sheep raised there had a violet black glossy fur and they were known for their extensive exporting of black woolen textiles - another contributor toward their wealth
A medical school that created and exported eye and ear salve. Especially the eye salve was know across the empire for its healing properties and restoration of sight.
Another thing the city was known for was its tepid, nasty water! Their closest spring being 6 miles away had to travel to the city and was lukewarm and known for not being good to drink.
Hot springs are desired, cold springs are desired, but tepid waters are useless.
Jesus had a way of addressing all of these things in His appeal to this church.
14 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation:
15 “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other!
16 But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!
17 You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.
18 So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see.
19 I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.
20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.
21 Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne.
22 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”
1. Wealth Does not Replace Our Need for Truth
1. Wealth Does not Replace Our Need for Truth
It is so important to see how Jesus presents Himself to this church. This church’s greatest issue was it failed to see its need of Christ!
They were so self sufficient from their wealth, they failed to see their need of Jesus! Thus their faith was very tepid!!!
It is amazing how people in times of crisis (heat) or struggle (out in the cold) have little faith. We also refer to people running passionate (hot) or distinerested (cold)
In the middle seems to be horrible - but we will address that shortly.
The reality, is that this church was in dire need of getting into relationship with Jesus.... Their wealth and success left them feeling self sufficient and not needing Him much.
How often do we see this in the American church especially. We are a blessed nation, even those with little have much. We travel, entertain, indulge, have food to eat and homes to live in… we often are not pressed with need to turn to God for help. Thus our wealth and supply keep us apathetic toward Jesus and His Kingdom… because we have no need driving us....
However, our wealth does not remove the need for HIS TRUTH IN OUR LIFE!!!! In fact, we cover over our problems with everything but HIS TRUTH - thinking the distractions will keep us occupied from what we lack.
Jesus, however presents Himself in three ways...
The AMEN (A proclamation of something being TRUE - LET THE TRUTH BE )
The Faithful and True Witness
The Beginning or Ruler of Creation
What do each of these names say about Jesus --- the WORLD began with Him and He is overall, He is TRUTH --
20 For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.
36 For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.
He is also FAITHFUL and HIS WITNESS or TESTIMONY - HIs WOrd is TRUTH and He keeps it...
There is no other as faithful and true, than Jesus Christ.
2. Worldly Gain Has Little Usefulness
2. Worldly Gain Has Little Usefulness
He is our hope and truth, but He saw this church not as rich, but poor, and not as clothed but naked and not as insightful but blind!
The complaint against the church about being lukewarm amounts to this - you have no real purpose or usefulness in what matters!
If Jesus is TRUTH, the RULER OF CREATION — then to be focused on what your wealth brings you has no intrinsic value!!!
8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ
9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.
10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death,
11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.
13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,
14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
If you are not depending on being right with God, you really have no true faith or are in right standing with God.
What is TEPID water --- USELESS!!!
Cold water is refreshing, can keep things preserved, and thirst quenching
Hot water cleanses, soothes aches, cooks food
The same with food - whole foods are normally needing to be chilled to near cold or served hot… for safety and taste
The Greek Word CHLIAROS for lukewarm also means useless...
A CHURCH or a CHURCH PERSON without PURPOSE IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD is USELESS!!!
The things of this world have no value in the eternal!
He says you are not rich - you are poor - spiritually poor
You are not clothed in your fine raiments - you are spiritually naked
You are not insightful in the wisdom and ways of the world with your medicines and cures - you are spiritually blind and unaware
Look at our society today, people losely call themselves Christians and yet never experience the spiritual wealth, robes of righteousness and insight for living a Godly life because we are distracted and tepid from all that we have!
3. Called to Find True Purpose in Relationship with Christ
3. Called to Find True Purpose in Relationship with Christ
SO, what does Jesus do --- HE CALLS THEM BACK TO RELATIONSHIP!!!!
The words - I WILL SPIT YOU OUT OF MY MOUTH are so focused upon in these verses, but the bulk of what Jesus says is that - that is what He says happens to useless things...
First he warns them - You are unaware at how poor, naked and blind you are!!!
THen HE CALLS OUT TO THEM.... to come into relationship with Him
20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.
Jesus is calling us to experience the benefits of relationship with Him!!! To know HIM personally
Buy gold refined in the fire…
True gold can be put to the fire and still have something remaining - fool’s gold yields nothing. REFINED by fire means the garbage is removed from our lives....
7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
Jesus wants to take you through the testing to purify your life. You can fight it, jump out of the fire or seek to use your advantages in this world to ignore the refining… but it is only in HIs refinement in our lives that we become like Him and useful for Him and He is glorified - that is when our true value shines!
He then says He will cloth our nakedness with white robes....
Interesting a wealthy city with fine black woolen textiles is called to put on the white garments ---
all that we gain from the world still leaves us spiritually naked....
Think back to the garden of Eden… When Adam and Eve ate of the tree of good and evil their minds were made bare and they were aware they were naked...
There is a certain shame we cannot escape or get rid of in this life… until we have truly surrendered to Jesus and asked Him to clothe our nakedness with His righteousness.
Nakedness before sin was not an issue… man is trying to make it that way again in many ways… however, Adam and Eve knew they needed to be clothed because their minds were naked and their spirits felt shame....
God allowed innocent animals to be sacrificed to cover their nakedness… (and then they sacrificed meat and ate it so it was not wasted), but Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice and His blood cleanses us from shame...
We need HIs righteousness in our lives to be spiritually clothed, to walk in the righteousness He has called us to walk in… Jesus invites us to be covered by His righteousness
Wants to restore sight to our blindness...
19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, “He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness.”
20 So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish.
6 Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten.
Why is it that if you have money or success by this world everyone thinks you have wisdom and insight???
Maybe to the things that matter to the sinful world, but to the spiritual one!!!
Many a wealthy or successful person is completely blind to relationship with God!!!
There were plenty of medical scholars that could help greatly in healing eyes with their salve in this city but had no knowledge of seeing TRUTH - SEEING THE AMEN, THE FAITHFUL AND TRUE WITNESS!!!
True SIGHT comes when we see JESUS CHRIST...
In all of this Jesus was reaching out to this church and saying, come back to relationship with me and find true wealth, be clothed in my righteousness, and gain your REAL sight!!!
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
The final promise - to those who are victorious - YOU WILL SIT ON MY THRONE WITH ME
I am not sure about you, but I would rather reign with Christ for ETERNITY than have a little wealth and power in this world temporarily!
It is time for the church to shift our focus.
This week, things may truly change in our world. Regardless of who wins the election they are anticipating great unrest in our nation.
We could see that which we hold onto for security, those things that make sense disappear — we need to put our focus on the eternal and prepare ourselves in the things that truly matter!