The Church at Laodicea
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Introduction
Introduction
I want to welcome you again this morning.
First, to those joining us online, we are so thankful for our online technology that allows you to be a part of our church family today.
I also want to welcome those who may be joining us for the first time today. I hope your time with us today is encouraging and helpful, and I look forward to meeting you.
I would also say if you are new to our church today, it would be helpful for you to know that we practice a form of preaching called “Expository Preaching”.
What that means, is we believe the Bible is best taught by taking books of the Bible and then breaking them down from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. Our goal, to better understand not only what God’s Word says, but what it means in our lives today.
That being said, if you’re just joining us, today we are finishing up a series we started several weeks ago called “The Seven Letters”. A series based on the first three chapters of the book of Revelation.
And we’ve called it the seven letters because the book of Revelation was orgional written to seven specific churches that existed at the end of the first century.
And it’s in the first three chapters of Revelation that Jesus personally addresses each of these churches. And that’s important for us for a couple of key reasons:
First, as we’ve learned, the churches that Jesus addresses are meant to represent the universal church.
Which means, the book of Revelation wasn’t just written for those 7 churches, but for all churches of all time.
Second, in addressing these churches, Jesus either addresses them as a church He is pleased with, unpleased with, or somewhat pleased with. And then based on the condition of each church, Jesus addresses them accordingly.
Which means, if we want to be a church that is pleasing to Jesus then we need to know what is and isn’t pleasing to Him.
So, if you haven’t been with us, I’d encourage you to download the app so you can listen to this series in its entirety.
Today however we are finishing out our series as we come to the last of the seven churches. A church that Jesus refers to as the church in Laodicea.
And unfortunately, it’s a church that Jesus is not pleased with. In fact, like the church at Ephesus, this is a church that Jesus is basically issuing a final warning too.
That being the case, it would be a good idea for you and I to have a full understanding of what is happening at the church in Laodicea, because I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be a church that Jesus has to issue a final warning too.
So, to help us get a better understanding of what is going on, I have three goals this morning:
First, we are going to spend a few moments looking at what life was like in the city of Laodicea at the end of the 1st century.
This is important because it gives us the context of what the early Christians were facing in this city.
Second, we are going to look at why Jesus was so dissatisfied with this church.
Finally, after looking at what Jesus has to say to this church, we are going to look at how His words apply to our church in our context.
In other words, we are going to ask ourselves, “How do we compare to the church in Laodicea”
And so to get us started this morning, I want to begin by painting a picture for you of what life was like for early Christians in the city of Laodicea.
Like many Roman cities, Laodicea had a booming economy, mainly because it was located at the crossroads of two major trade routes.
But unlike other Roman colonies, it’s affluence was more than most, because along with being a major trade city, it was also the banking center of the region, and as a result, it was a very wealthy city.
In fact, in modern terms you could call it the Beverly Hills of the ancient world. A city with everything you can imagine when it came to commodities, the newest clothing trends, name brand stores, and an excessive amount of material possessions.
For example, if Laodicea existed today, it would be the place where you might see a Lamborghini or some other kind of expensive foreign car driving down the street.
Or it could be the place where the whose who of the ancient world be seen dining at a fancy restaurant.
In addition to that, it’s wealth had been further increased because Laodicea had the market on an eye salve used to treat chronic eye problems and diseases.
As a result, people from all over the ancient world would come to Laodicea to receive treatment for vision problems.
All that to say, Laodicea was a [posh city. So wealthy that when the earthquake of 17 rocked Asia, the city officials in Laodicea told Rome they didn’t need financial help to rebuild the damaged parts of the city.
Now, you might be thinking, “Wow pastor, sounds like a great place to live or vacation.”
Well, maybe vacation, but to live there came with a couple of challenges.
First, to live there you would have had to have the financial means to do so. Because to live in Laodicea would have been expensive.
Second, while Laodicea had a lot of wealth, it lacked in another important resource. In fact, they had the same problem that Las Vegas has.
You might ask, “Pastor, did the people there have a gambling problem?”
Not that I know of. But they did have a water problem. Because just like modern Las Vegas, ancient Laodicea didn’t have a reliable water source.
As a result, Laodicea had to pipe it’s water in from miles away through a clay piping system.
The problem with that is unlike today, there were no water purification systems in cities. And people didn’t have water purifiers in their home. Which meant when the water finally got to Laodicea through the clay piping system, it was warm and dirty.
In addition to that, the water that was piped in came from a water source that was full of all kinds of minerals and impurities, which meant the water tasted bitter and it stunk.
So, not only was it warm and dirty, it smelled and tasted terrible.
You can be sure, if Laodicea existed today, it would be a city where everybody would be drinking bottled water because the local water was putrid to drink.
But guess, the gluiness who invented bottled water wasn’t around yet, so all they had was the putrid lukewarm water. So, if you were going to live in Laodicea, you had to learn to stomach the water.
Finally, like all Roman cities, Laodicea was a city full of the worship of false gods. Which meant, if you were a Christian living in Laodicea, you would have dealt with the constant pressure of giving into the culture and forsaking your faith in Jesus.
Which now leads us to what Jesus has to say to this church. Because as Jesus arrives in Laodicea, despite the affluence of the city and its people, He’s not impressed with what He sees, especially in the church.
So, what does Jesus have to say? Let’s find out as we pick up in verse 14:
14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.
Like all of the churches, Jesus begins by introducing Himself to this church based on John’s description of the resurrected Christ back in chapter 1. And in this case Jesus focuses in on two specific references from 1:5 and then a third from Isaiah 65.
So, let’s start with the two references that come from chapter 1:5.
Notice first, to the church in Laodicea Jesus says that He is the “faithful and true witness”.
As I said, this is a reference back to chapter 1:5 where Jesus refers to Himself as the “faithful witness”.
If you recall the title “faithful witness” comes from Psalm 89 where the Psalmist prophecies concerning the promised redeemer. A prophecy that says it will be through the line of David that the redeemer comes.
And in making this promise, God says this:
37 Like the moon it shall be established forever,
a faithful witness in the skies.” Selah
The idea here is that God’s promise of redemption is something we can count on. In fact, it’s just as sure as the moon in the sky above.
Which is why Jesus is the faithful witness, because Jesus is now the sign of that fulfilled promise.
Second, to the church in Laodicea Jesus says he is “the beginning of God’s creation”.
Again, this is a reference back to chapter 1:5 where John says Jesus is the “firstborn of the dead”. Which basically means that Jesus’s resurrection from the dead represents the first of many to come who put their faith in Him.
In other words, just like Jesus was raised from the dead, those who put their faith in Jesus will also be raised from the dead and to walk in new life. And Jesus was the first, and we will follow.
Finally, Jesus says He is the “Amen”. This is a reference to Isa 65 where the Bible refers to God as the God of Amen.
It’s the idea that God is the God of truth. A God you can trust.
So, what does that tell us about Jesus in His introduction to this church? It tells us that He is the trusted, promised, and established redeemer of mankind.
The question then is, “Why does Jesus introduce Himself to this church like this?” That’s what we are about to find out as Jesus now addresses the issues He sees in the church at Laodicea. We see this in verse 15 as Jesus goes on to say:
15 “ ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
Wow, that doesn’t sound good, does it? And it’s not.
So, what exactly does Jesus mean by this?
Well, interestingly enough it doesn’t mean what many Christians have been taught it means. Because unfortunately this is one of the most mis taught sayings of Jesus in the Bible.
Some might ask, “How has it been mis taught?”
Well, what most Christians have been taught about this passage, is that when Jesus accuses this church of not being hot or cold, what He’s saying is that their not hot or cold for Him.
In other words, they’re not Jesus Freaks and their not all out unbelievers. Instead, their just lukewarm Christians.
To put it in terms we used a couple weeks ago, they are pretenders. They are people who say they follow Jesus but only at a surface level. They are Lukewarm Christians.
And so what’s taught then is that Jesus doesn’t want us to be Lukewarm Christians. In fact what Jesus would rather you either be on fire for Him or not at all. Because that’s what Jesus says, right? He says:
15 “ ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
Jesus says enough of the Lukewarm living. Either follow me or don’t. Be hot or cold!
And you know what, that sounds good, and to some degree it makes sense.
But let’s stop and think about that for a moment. Because while it’s true you are either following Jesus or you’re not, do you really think it’s God’s desire for you to be cold for Him?
I would say it’s not. And I would base that on something Paul says in 1 Timothy 2 where he writes:
3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Notice what Paul says. He says God desires all people to be saved. Which means, His desire isn’t for you to be cold for Him.
So, if that’s not what Jesus means in this passage, then what does He mean?
This is why historical and geographical context are important. Because Jesus’s statement here relates directly to one of the main problems Laodicea faced, which was it’s water problem.
Which means when Jesus makes this statement, the Christians in Laodicea would have known exactly what He was talking about. Because in Laodicea, you had one of three choices when it came to the putrid water that came through the piping system.
Choice #1 - You could try and drink it without gagging and spitting it out of your mouth.
Choice #2 - You could boil it to get the impurities out of it so that it was drinkable.
Choice #3 - Or, you could travel 10 miles to the neighboring city of Colossi and get fresh cold water that melted off of the mountains.
That was the reality for people living in Laodicea.
And so when Jesus says to the church in Laodicea, “You’re neither hot or cold, but instead your lukewarm”, here’s what He’s saying:
He’s saying, “Spiritually speaking, you know what you taste like to me? You taste like that lukewarm putrid water that is piped into your city. And I can’t stomach it. In fact, just like you spit that putrid water out of your mouth, I’m about to spit you out of my mouth. I’m about done with you. Because what I would rather you be is hot or cold. I’d rather you be water that has the impurities boiled out or water from a fresh source.”
You see, what Jesus wants is for this church to be spiritually healthy. Hot or cold.
But they’re not. instead, they are like their water, they are spiritually putrid. And Jesus can’t stomach it.
Which leads us to the question, “Why is this church so unhealthy?”
Jesus is about to tell us. Because He goes on to say:
17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
Jesus now gets to the core problem in the church at Laodicea. And the problem is they have fallen prey to the culture and thinking of the city. They’ve given themselves to the idea, that their wealth, health, and possessions are the sign that they are spiritually well.
In other words, this is a church that has become consumed with materialism. A church that is focused on keeping up with the Jone’s. A church full of Christians who measure their spiritual health and success on their material possessions. A church full of Christians who find their security in how much they have in their banking account. Christians who have given themselves to the culture and its way of living.
And apparently it’s not just a few of them, but all of them. Because according to Jesus, there’s not a Christian in this city that hasn’t fallen into the trap of making money and possessions their god.
You see, they’d made the same mistake the Israelites made when they entered the Promised Land. Because before they entered, God issued them this warning:
10 “And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, 12 then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 13 It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. 14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you— 15 for the Lord your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.
God told the Israelites, “Listen, don’t let the blessings I’m about to give you cause you to forget where they came from. And don’t fall into the trap of thinking because you have all these blessings that you don’t need me. Because if you do that, you’re going to end up serving false gods. And if you serve false gods, then I will deal with you accordingly.”
And guess what, that’s exactly what the Israelites ended up doing, and it’s what the Christians in Laodicea have done as well. They’ve allowed the riches of this life consume them. And as a result, they’ve put their hope in the gift and not the giver. They’ve forgotten where true blessing comes from. They’ve forgotten who they’re true hope should be in. They’ve made money and material objects their god. Because why do they need Jesus when they have everything they need.
In a way, they’d adopted the same attitude the Laodiceans had towards Rome when it came to rebuilding their city. Remember, they said, “We got this. We don’t need your help. We have everything we need.”
Not only that, but their prosperity was more than likely due to the fact that they were participating in the business practices of the culture, which would have required them to worship the false gods. Required them to pay tribute to Caesar. Required them to give into idolatry and sexual immorality.
Which is why the Christians in Laodicea aren’t facing persecution. They’ve given into the culture and bought into the wealth of the city.
You might ask, “Pastor, how do you know that?” I know that because that’s the only way you could do business in a Roman City. To become like those who lived there. Which is exactly what the Laodicean Christians had done.
And so to this church Jesus says, “You think you’re rich and have prospered, but from my perspective, you’re wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. And I’m about to spit you out of my mouth.”
You see, the Laodiceans are materially rich but spiritually bankrupt.
And it’s at this point that Jesus offers a solution. Look at what He says:
18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.
Jesus now gives this church a way to fix their spiritual problem. A solution that will require them to get off of Amazon.com. A solution that will require them to quit putting their hope in how much money is in their bank account. A solution that will require them to get their focus back on Jesus.
What’s the solution? Well, using terms they would understand, Jesus says, “It’s time to start shopping somewhere else.” The solution is for them to start buying what they need from Jesus.
So, what do they need to buy from Jesus? Jesus says they need to make three spiritual purchases:
Purchase #1 - Spiritual Purification.
This is what Jesus means when He says, “…buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich...”
The idea here is that they need to be spiritually refined.
Because that’s what happens when you refine gold. In the process of gold refinement, the impurities rise to the top and are baked out, and then all that remains is the pure gold, which is where the true riches are.
So, what Jesus is saying is, “Like gold that is refined, you need to be spiritually refined. The impurities you’ve allowed into your life need to be baked out so that you can be truly rich. A richness that isn’t based on material possessions but in a relationship with me.”
So Jesus says, “Buy spiritual gold from me.”
Which leads to the second purchase Jesus encourages them to make:
Purchase #2 - Spiritual Clothing.
This is what Jesus means when He says, “…and white garments that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen...”
This is a direct reference back to Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil. A decision that not only opened the door to sin, but opened their eyes to something else. Here’s how the writer puts it:
7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
The writer says after eating from the tree God told them not to eat from, their eyes were opened, and in that moment they realized they were naked. Which means in that moment the shame of sin came upon them. And so what did they do? They made loincloths in order to try and cover up their shame.
And that’s exactly what the Laodiceans had done. That had become their solution to try and cover up the shame of sin.
To cover it up by buying more stuff on Amazon. To cover it up by giving themselves to sexual immorality. To cover it up by drinking more. To cover it up by doing whatever they could do to fill the hole of emptiness, shame, and regret that sin had created in their life. That sin creates in all of our lives.
And so Jesus says, “Instead of trying to cover up the emptiness with the material, why don’t you cover it up by putting your hope back in me. How about you let me take away the shame. Because I’m the only one that can take away the guilt. I’m the only one who has the power to fill the void that sin has created. So, instead of going to Amazon, instead of going to the bar, instead of engaging in sexual immorality, why don’t you buy the garment I’m offering you. Why don’t you put me on.”
You see, what Jesus is inviting them back into is a relationship with Him. To the place where true riches and true hope are found. Because after all, He is the God of the Amen, the God of truth.
This leads to a final purchase:
Purchase #3 - Spiritual Eyesight.
This is what Jesus means when he says, “…and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.”
You may recall Laodicea had the market on the eye salve. So, again using terms they would relate with, Jesus now encourages them to buy the eye salve he alone provides. One that isn’t for the physical eye but the spiritual. A salve that will heal their spiritual blindness and help them see the truth.
Because that’s what happens when you’re not walking with Jesus. That’s what happens when you adopt the worlds way of thinking and living. You become spiritually blind. Paul puts it like this:
3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Paul says when you walk according to this life, you are blind. And so Jesus says, “Buy gold from me. Put me back on. Let Me open your eyes to the light of truth once again.”
This is the heart of Jesus. It’s a heart that wants to heal those who have fallen away. To give them sight once again. Which is why Jesus goes on to say:
19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.
Jesus says, “Listen, I know I’ve said some hard things. But it’s because I love you. I’m being firm with you because I want you to repent. I want you to be back in a relationship with me.”
Why? Because I’m the true one. I’m the one who provides redemption. I’m the one you can always count on. I’m the only one that can fill the void. And so put me on. Come back to me. And I will heal you.
These are Jesus’s words to the church in Laodicea. Words of rebuke. Words of warning. But also words of promised redemption if they will repent.
The question now is, “How does this apply to us?”
As always, it applies in a number of ways. But for our purposes this morning, I’d like to suggest it applies in two specific ways:
APPLICATION #1 - Jesus wants me to be spiritually HEALTHY.
The fact is, Jesus wants to be in a healthy relationship with Him. But for that to happen you have to be healthy. And in order to be healthy, you can’t be lukewarm. You have to be hot or cold.
The question then is, “How do you move from being lukewarm to to being hot or cold?
Well, it depends on where you are at with Jesus. So, for starters, you have to begin by asking yourself where you are with Him.
It goes back to what we talked about a couple of weeks ago as I challenged you to consider whether you are a pretender or a true believer.
A pretender being somebody who has the appearance of being spiritually rich, but is actually spiritually poor. The appearance of having a relationship with Jesus, but in all reality you have no relationship.
So, you have to ask yourself, “Am I a pretender?”
Or are you a true believer. Somebody who actually has a relationship with Jesus. A relationship that has resulted in spiritual fruit. A life that would display who Jesus is.
So, which are you? Are you a lukewarm pretender or a true believer? That’s where you have to start.
Now, you might say, “Good news pastor, I’m a true believer, so I guess this doesn’t really apply to me.”
Well, here’s the deal. All the Christians at Laodicea started out as true believers as well. But over time they got spiritually sick. They got Lukewarm. And so if it happened to them, it could happen to any of us.
So, if that’s the case, maybe the question we need to ask is, “What do we need to do in order to avoid being lukewarm? How can we make sure that we become or always stay hot or cold?
Well, let’s start with what it takes to be healthy in the sense of being hot.
Being hot means you have to be willing to boil the impurities out of your life. In other words, when it comes to your faith, you have to be vigilant in identifying impurities in your life.
How do you do that? Here are a few suggestions:
Suggestion #1 - Ask your spouse.
That’s fun, right? But let’s just be honest. Who better to see a blind spot in your life than your spouse who lives with you and sees not only the mask you put on out in public, but also sees what’s behind the mask at home when you take it off.
I can tell you right now, there have been times that Denise’s honesty with me about an issue in my life helped me grow in my faith. Helped me stay hot.
Was it pleasant? No. Did it make me mad at first? Yes. But it’s what I needed to hear and it’s what refinement does. It burns us a little bit, but in the end, it makes us better and more spiritually pure.
Suggestion #2 - Ask a close friend.
The fact is we all need accountability in our life. Somebody who isn’t afraid to say hard things to us. Somebody who will tell us the truth. The Bible puts it like this:
17 Iron sharpens iron,
and one man sharpens another.
The idea here is that as we hold each other accountable to one another, we make each other better. And guess what, sometimes that’s uncomfortable. Sometimes that creates sparks and discomfort in our life. But in the end, it makes us better. It’s called refinement.
Suggestion #3 - As the Holy Spirit.
The truth is, while it’s wise to ask our spouse or a friend to help identify some blind spots or impurities in our life, sometimes those impurities aren’t always apparent. Sometimes they’re buried deep in our hearts where no human eye can see them. And sometimes, we don’t even know they are there. Which is why we need to be willing to ask the Holy Spirit to identify them.
So, how do you do that? The Psalmist gives us some direction:
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!
In this passage the Psalmist cries out to God to reveal his heart. To discover his thoughts. To help him determine if there would be any wicked way in him. And then once identified to lead him out of it.
And that’s what we need to be willing to do. To ask God to reveal the impurities, and then burn them out.
And yes, at times it will hurt. Because when we ask God to uncover what we can’t see, more than likely it’s going to be ugly and difficult to deal with. Why? Because for years you’ve covered it up and pretended it wasn’t there. And now it’s being brought out into the light. And that can be painful.
It’s like when you’re getting carpet replaced that hasn’t been replaced in 20 years. And as the carpet is pulled up, you begin to see all the grime underneath. All the stains. All the dirt. All the pee spots. All the impurities that you couldn’t see, but they were there.
It’s called refinement.
And I’m going to tell you right now, in order to get those impurities out and keep from becoming lukewarm, you have to be vigilant. You have to be zealous. You have to be willing to tear the carpet out. Which is why Jesus says concerning this, “…so be zealous and repent.”
So, that’s what it takes to be a hot Christian. You have to be willing to burn the impurities out.
Which now leads us to what it means to be a cold Christian. Or maybe a better way to say it would be, “What does it take to be a fresh water Christian?”
So, what does that look like?
Well, sense finding cold fresh healthy requires going to a different water source, what I’d like to suggest to you, is that in order avoid becoming lukewarm, you have to be willing to go to sources that provide spiritual health. Which means you need to first stop going to the sources that don’t.
You might be thinking, “What does that look like pastor?” I’m glad you asked, because I have a few practical suggestions for you.
HOW TO BE FRESH WATER FOR JESUS:
Suggestion #1 - Stop feeding your mind with negative and impure content.
What I mean by that is quit watching shows, reading articles, or browsing content that creates unhealthy thinking in your mind which leads to impurities in your heart.
For example, and I know this is going to step on some toes, but recently somebody encouraged Denise and I to watch a show called “Yellowstone”. A show that stars Kevin Costner and is about the adventures of a ranching family up in Montana.
To be honest, my first thought was, “Oh cool. I love Kevin Costner and I like shows like that. Maybe it will be like Dancing with wolves.”
So, Denise and I sat down to watch it. But amazingly we had to turn it off after about 60 seconds. Why?
Because unfortunately the show is full of content that isn’t healthy for a Christian to watch.
For instance, when it comes to sexual content, here are just a few things you can expect when you watch this television series. And this is just from Season 1 Episode 1:
Sexual Content:
In one scene there were multiple posters of fully naked and near naked women in a mobile home.
There is a scene of Husband and Wife in room where she's in revealing panties and part of her rear end showing.
Later on in the episode there’s a Sex scene with a breast shown, and according to critics of displays a rather raunchy scene.
I’m sorry, but no Christian should purposely watch something with that kind of sexual content. Because whether you want to admit it or not, that’s pornography. You’re basically watching a porn.
When it comes to language, here’s what you can expect from this show:
Langauge:
In every episode the F-word is used several times, as well as other uses of strong language, specifically langauge that refers to a females private parts.
And maybe worst of all, the name of “Jesus” is used many times as a swear word.
Again, not something any Christian should purposefully be giving their attention too.
You see what we need to understand is that this is exactly what the Laodiceans had done. In order to fit in, they went to movies like this. In fact, Laodicea had two theatres where graphic and pronographic plays were often done.
They had become a part of the affluent culture. A part of the do what you want, watch what you want, live how you want culture. It’s what allowed them to fit in. It’s what allowed them to prosper in a pagan city.
And Jesus says, “I’m about to spit you out of my mouth.”
And there would be other forms of content that would be healthy for you to avoid as well. Everything from other shoes like this, Facebook, to maybe even some of the cable news stations that you fill you your head with on a daily basis.
I guess what I’m saying is, if you want to be spiritually healthy, then you need to stop watching, listening, and reading stuff that isn’t healthy. The writer of proverbs warns us like this:
“As a man thinks in his heart so is he,” (cf. Prov. 23:7)
In other words, garbage in, garbage out.
So, if you want health in your life, get off Facebook and get in your Bible. Stop watching impure content and give yourself to something that is pure. Do something that leads to spiritual health.
Now, you might be thinking, “Well thankfully that’s not me pastor. I don’t watch that kind of stuff. I only watch the Christian Broadcast Network.”
Well, that’s great, but even then you need to be careful.
For example, there are a lot of of pastors and teachers on cable tv and Facebook who push the prosperity gospel. The gospel that teaches the more faith you have the more money you’ll have. The more prosperous you’ll be.
The problem with that is it’s not a Biblical teaching. Yes, God will bless you for being faithful. But the blessing isn’t just for you. The blessing comes so you can be a blessing for others. Not so you can live on a 25 million dollar compound.
Because here’s what we need to understand about Christianity and financial blessing. For the Christian money will do one of three things:
Number 1 - It will serve to make you more generous as God funnels His blessings through you to bless others.
Number 2- It will make you corrupt as you put your hope in it instead of God.
Number 3 - It will bring out the corruptness that is already inside of you to a greater degree.
Now, does that mean if you’re a Christian with financial blessing that you can’t have nice stuff and enjoy it? Of course not. What it means though is you need to makes sure you’re willing to give it away if God asks you too, and that you don’t fall into the trap of making it your god. That your faith isn’t in the gift but the giver.
All that to say, just because somebody says they’re teaching the gospel, doesn’t mean they are, especially when it comes to the prosperity gospel.
Suggestion #2 - Stop mingling in places and with people that are unhealthy.
What I mean by that is if you want to be healthy, don’t put your self in places and around people who lead you to unhealth.
For example, going to the bar on Friday night is not going to be healthy for you.
Making your best friends people who don’t love Jesus isn’t going to be healthy for you. The writer of proverbs puts it like this:
20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,
but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
This is one of the reasons going to church is so important. Because it’s in a place like this that you’re going to find health. It’s in a place like this that you’re going to find friendships that are healthy. It’s in a place like this that you as a couple are going to grow stronger together. That as a parent you’re going to find healthier support. Where your children are going to be taught something that brings life not death, truth and not untruth. A place that is healthy.
Bottom line, if you want to be spiritually healthy, go to places and have people in your life that are healthy.
This leads to one final application, and I’ll close with this:
APPLICATION #2 - God wants ME to put MY trust in Him, and not in what He’s given ME.
I wish I had more time to expand on this today, but let me say this. The danger of living in a materialistic culture and society like America, is that you and I would begin to base our spiritual health on what we have on the outside versus what’s going on on the inside.
For example, that we would base it on our financial successes. That we would base it on the home we live in or car we drive. That we would think prosperity means health when in fact Jesus says it doesn’t.
Because if we do that, here’s what’s going to happen. Over time we will give ourselves over to the idea that because we have what we need, we don’t need Jesus.
And that’s a big mistake, because everything you have comes from Him. And without Him, you have nothing.
The church at Laodicea had forgotten that. As a result they became obsessed with the gifts not the giver. And instead of being Rich, Jesus said they were spiritually bankrupt. And today, America isn’t much different.
Because as wonderful as the materialistic prosperity of America is, it’s proving to be our greatest downfall. Because unfortunately we’ve become a country that is become spiritually bankrupt because of our success. A country that has basically told God, “God, we don’t need you anymore. We’ve got it covered. So get out of our schools. Get out of our government. Get the “Under God” verbiage our of our anthem. Get out of our science. Thanks but no thanks God, we got this. We no longer need your help. It’s time for you to get out.”
And as believers we can’t make that same mistake. Because I’m going to tell you right now, America is in for a rude awakening, and as the church, we need to be awake and vigilant to the reality of how much we need Jesus. Because when the awakening comes, we need to be ready to point people to the truth. To point them to the real source. The the true one. The promised one. The redeemer of mankind. To remind them that these are:
Revelation 3:14 (ESV)
‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.
Because the good news is, Jesus comes to us like this because He wants to have a relationship with us, even though our country and some Christians have abandoned him. Jesus puts it like this as He closes out His words tot his church:
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
What I find amazing is that even though Jesus has been cast out of this church and this city, Jesus is still outside knocking. Still wanting to have relationship with them.
And what was true of Jesus then is true today. Jesus stands at the door and knocks. He knocks for those who have grown lukewarm. He knocks for those who have forsaken Him. He knocks for those who have put their hope in the wrong thing. He knocks because He loves you and He wants to restore His relationship with you. He wants to heal you. And so He knocks.
And for those who open the door He makes a promise. And the promise is that He will come in, not to discipline. Not to reprimand. Not to punish. but to redeem you. Listen to how Jesus puts it:
21 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.
Jesus says, if you let me in, I will establish you with me on my throne. I will offer you a place at my table. I will make you my child.
22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ ”
Let’s Pray
