Laodicea - The Church That Made God Sick Pt. 2
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Introduction
Introduction
Tonight, we will finish up what we started this morning looking at Laodicea - The Church that made Christ sick!
This morning, we looked at the Church of Christ, the Coming of Christ, and the Complaint of Christ…Tonight, we will look at three more things concerning this passage of Scripture.
The Counsel of Christ
The Counsel of Christ
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
We can see counsel concerning three areas in this verse:
Christ’s Counsel concerning their SPIRITUALITY: “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich..”
The gold is figurative of the righteousness of God that is produced by trials in our life.
7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
Christ’s Counsel concerning their SHAMEFULNESS: “...and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear...”
Lukewarmness leaves a person spiritually naked. Jesus told them to buy of Him white raiment. The fancy wool garments that they were known for making were not sufficient for their spiritual problems. They put so much emphasis on outer garments and neglected to clothe their souls. White raiment was a picture of the righteousness of Christ. They were proud of their own righteous deeds, but the Lord considers those as filth.
6 But we are all as an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; And we all do fade as a leaf; And our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
The shame of their sinfulness was apparent to everyone that looked upon them…Here Christ is counselling them to allow His righteousness to flow through them!
Christ’s counsel concerning their SIGHT: “...and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.”
The Lord Jesus counseled this church to anoint their eyes with eye salve that He would provide. They were spiritual blind—spiritually darkened to the way things were. The Lord Jesus used various methods in healing—He at times spit on the ground and took the mud and rubbed it on the eyes of the blind and instructed them to go and wash and they came seeing.
The Lord called for this church to take His eye salve and anoint their eyes so that they could come seeing. The people of Laodicea would have known what the Lord Jesus was talking about and relating to.
In Laodicea there was a medical school at the temple of Asclepius.
The medical school offered a special eye salve to heal common eye troubles.
One of the medical products manufactured and exported from this center was a tablet that was sold all over the Roman Empire.
This tablet was used to heal a wide range of eye ailments, the instructions said to crush the tablet, mix it with a small amount of water, rub it on the eyes, and wait for the healing.
The Lord Jesus used the common knowledge of all those in Laodicea to relate to their spiritual blindness. The Lord Jesus says that they were spiritually blind, but that there was hope.
Only after Doctor Jesus touches us can we truly see!
Can you discern spiritual truths and realities?
Do you see with the eyes of faith and believe God?
Do you see your neighbors, family, and friends with spiritual eyes?
The Chastening of Christ
The Chastening of Christ
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Even to the indifferent and independent church Jesus shows His great love. The Lord Jesus gives a word that should encourage us and show us His love for us. If we’ve ever been rebuked and chastened by the Lord Jesus it is because we needed it, and because He loves us.
11 My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; Neither be weary of his correction:
12 For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; Even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
The Lord Jesus loves the church, and He gave Himself as a sacrifice for the church. The Lord Jesus corrects those who belong to Him. To be rebuked and chastened is painful, but it is for our own good.
The word Zealous in this verse means ‘be boiling’ or ‘get set on fire for God.’ Instead of being lukewarm, be on fire, instead of being ice cold, be on fire for Jesus.
The Lord Jesus says to repent.
Adrian Rogers wrote, “You cannot simply waltz to heaven in a lukewarm condition without God meeting you along the way to chasten you. His word says, “Repent!” Lukewarmness is not weakness; it is wickedness. It is not a small sin; it is a great sin. If the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, then the greatest sin is not to do so.”
The church must repent of indifference, independence, and indulgence.
We must repent of self-sufficiency, pride, boasting.
For a sinner to repent means that one comes to Jesus, for the saint to repent means that one goes with Jesus.
John Phillips wrote, “Repentance is the very last thing a sinner wants to do, and it is the very last thing a saint wants to do. We would rather do anything than repent.” But the Lord Jesus called for that church and He calls for this church and all churches to repent!
Love is never cruel, but it can be tough. Discipline that educates and brings about repentance and change is what our Lord extends to Laodicean churches. If we reject His discipline, He will spit us out. If we receive it, He will come in and stay with us as the next verse beautifully promises.
The Call of Christ
The Call of Christ
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Christ wanted fellowship with these people and to be close to them, but they had to open their lives up to Him.
The Lord is a gentleman. He does not force His way into our life.
Many apply this verse in trying to reach unsaved people for Christ, but technically, this verse is meant for believers. It is written to backslidden Christians.
The Lord Jesus is pictured outside the church wanting to get in. The church at Laodicea had excluded the King. They had no place for Jesus in their midst. The verb knock is in the continuous present tense. That means that Jesus is always standing and always knocking.
This is a sad picture of much of the professing church today. The Lord Jesus is trying to get into the church buildings, into our homes, into our lives, into our hearts.
I once read a church sign that says multitudes of what many believe today.
On the church sign it read: In this New Year let Jesus be part of your life. That is the problem with the church today. All we have done is let Jesus be a part of our lives. The word of God calls for us to die to ourselves and deny ourselves and take up the cross and follow Jesus.
The Lord Jesus is not to have just part of our lives, but He is to have all our lives.
The Lord has bought us at a price and we belong to Him totally and completely.
The Bible tells us in these final verses that overcomers will rule and reign with Christ in His coming kingdom…They’ll sit down with the Lord who is on His throne.
22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Conclusion
Conclusion
As we look at Christ’s message to the seven churches, we find His message for us even today. He reminds us to return to our first love, remain faithful to Him, repent of any sinful ways, to hold on to His truth, to wake up and obey what we have heard, to hold on to what we have, to be on fire for Him. Have you gotten the message or are you a half-hearted Christian?
Where does this message find you?
Are you saved by His grace?
Are you zealous and committed to the Lord and His work?
Or, are you indifferent and apathetic toward the things of the Lord?
Can you hear His voice calling: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
Is the door open? Does it need to be? He wants our fellowship with Him; does He have it?