Church At Laodecia

Revelation 3:14-22

This is a pretty powerful letter to this church. We must understand that there are churches, human conditions like this today. As we read the words of Christ we must read with an hear to hear the warnings of Jesus!

This church was the worst of the churches. This city was a very prosperous city. It was situated much like the city of Philadelphia. It had the same hot springs as they had and they also had 3 major roads that came through there. This city was extremely rich! Do you remember me telling you about the earthquake of AD 17, in Philadelphia. That earthquake affected many cities, including Laodecia. Do you also remember me mentioning that Tiberius Caesar paid for the rebuilding of the city? Well, after the earthquake the same offer was made to Laodecia and they refused. They were so rich that the city funded the complete rebuilding of the city was still rich. The city was rich, the citizens were rich, it was a very prosperous city!

They had 3 major industries: 1.) Banking 2.)Making wool (Black wool) 3. Medicine (most notably eye salve).

They also had an inadequate water supply. The water-supply of the city which appears to have been drawn from hot springs at some distance, so that it arrived at the city lukewarm. This forms a contrast with the hot springs at nearby Hierapolis and the cold, refreshing water at Colosse. ‘Hot water heals, cold water refreshes, but lukewarm water is useless for either purpose, but caused folks to vomit.’

With all of this in mind, let us deal with Christ’s letter!

Jesus begins as always to introduce Himself as the qualified (anointed One) One to give this judgement on the church!

Faithful and True Witness, The beginning of the beginning, of God’s creation!

He is qualified!

He knew their works, they were neither hot nor cold! They were not on fire for Jesus, but they didn’t reject Him either!

They had no spiritual zeal for the Words of Jesus, instead they were lukewarm, hypocrites professing to know Christ but they did not truly belong to Him!

This church knew all about this hot and cold thing with the water! They also knew that the water that came into their city would make you throw up!

So, Jesus uses this as an example of how their lives were to Him! It made Him sick! To throw up for the body is a mechanism to rid your body of something that is bad and doesn’t belong!

“Vomiting is a reflex that allows the body to rid itself of ingested toxins and poisons,”

In many cases, throwing up is a protective reflex to rid your body of viruses, bacteria, or parasites in your digestive system.“If you were to eat something that was spoiled or poisoned, your body would get a signal that something was wrong,” says Bruno Chumpitazi, MD, of Texas Children’s Hospital. Then, you need to get rid of it.

So, when Jesus told John to write this down and then it was read before the church, they knew full well what He meant. They had had the hot water of the hot springs of Hierapolas, the refreshing cold water of Colossae, and their water, and they knew from Jesus’ description, that they had nothing of value, matter of fact they were toxic and Jesus did not want anything to do with them in that condition!

What was that condition, Jesus reveals it in the next verse:

The first thing we should notice is the reason for their wretchedness is because of what they say or believe about themselves..... “Because you say......”

I am rich, increased with goods and have need of nothing!

This reminds me of the rich farmer in Luke 12:15-21...............

This church, these people saw no need for God in their earthly walk, they laid up treasure for themselves and were not rich in God!

Don’t you know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked!

No matter our circumstance, the human condition without God, without the need for God, this is our state!

We, probably like the Laodecians live our lives according to something. We live according to our wealth, we live according to our circumstance!

The true life is to live according to God! That is now for us through Christ! We must live in the wretched state!

In the sermon I quoted this morning Alistair Begg said: “If I do not preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to myself all day and everyday, then I will find myself beginning to trust myself, trust my experience, which is part of my fallen nature! If I take my eyes of the cross then I can only give lip service to It’s effect.”

This is the condition of the church at Laodecia, they only had lip service, they truly didn’t feel a need for God and Christ, but they said they did! This is so foul to God and it stinks in His nostrils that He wants no part of those in that state!

They believed they were rich, but really they were poor, the church at Smyrna (1 of 2 good churches) was actually poor but Jesus called them rich!

You see everything this church was in their earthly walk, they were none of those things in Jesus’ view!

Jesus counsels them to turn from their wretched condition and buy from Him........

Jesus is using something that we find in Isaiah 55:1-3...........

This is not buying they we think of, invest your life in the life of Christ and live!

Everything that Jesus has:

Gold: rich before God in Christ Jesus Who has done been tried and is true!

White raiment: Which is Jesus Christ, we are clothed in Him: Romans 13:14 “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Isaiah 61:10 “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”

Anoint with eye salve that you may see: The reality of the Spiritual life!

He tells them those that He loves, He calls for them to turn, not necessarily saying that this church was in a saved condition or ever had been, but that He loved the whole world and He calls on every one to repent and turn to Him!

Behold He stands at the door and knocks, the door of our hearts and minds, do we dare let Him in?

Receiving His testimony and believing it, is opening the door and being granted a place at the table of God is unfathomable! To sit at His throne is unimaginable! Overcome as Jesus did!

Listen, Listen, Listen and believe!!!