THE GLORIOUS CHURCH  Laodicea – the lukewarm church

Rev 3;14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; ¹⁵I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.  ¹⁶So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.  ¹⁷Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:  ¹⁸I 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.  ¹⁹As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.  ²⁰Behold, 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.  ²¹To 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.  ²²He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

The GREETING;

v14: And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

THE AMEN:

The Talmud teaches homiletically that the word Amen is an acronym ‘El melekh ne’eman’, “God, trustworthy King”)

Popular among some theosophists and adherents of esoteric Christianity is the conjecture that amen is a derivative of the name of the Egyptian god Amun (which is sometimes also spelled Amen). There is no academic support for this.

In Isaiah 65:16, the authorized version has “the God of truth,” (“the God of Amen,” in Hebrew. Jesus often used Amen to put emphasis to his own words (translated: “verily” eg luke 4;24  And he said Verily I say unto you No prophet is accepted in his own country).

The Guarantor of all God’s promises: 2Cor 1;20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. (NKJ)

THE FAITHFUL & TRUE WITNESS: (Not J.W’s!!!)

Cp last week Philadelphia; “He that is holy, he that is true”

Rev 19;11-13 Faithful: “To be trusted, reliable”

True: Genuine (replace for true in: ) 1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. (NKJ)

The BEGINNING OF CREATION:

The beginning of the creation of God;

ie: the source & cause: John 1;3 In the beginning …. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (NKJ)

Col:1;15-18 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:  ¹⁶For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:  ¹⁷And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.  ¹⁸And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Jesus the creator: Realise that evolution is in fact a religion: No proof. It’s a belief. More proof for creation. Evolution does not need God. But; Who made it in the first place? Global warming. Atheism. (Need more faith to be an atheist!) Both deny the power of God. If God created the earth, He didn’t make it so that it would shrivel up because umpteen million people live on it. In fact, Isa 30;26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound. !! “Evolution says that first came the baboon, then the man. Politics shows that it could go either way”.

v15: YOUR WORKS; NEITHER COLD OR HOT.

Once again, Jesus reminds them He knows all about them

All other churches were good or bad: eg Sardis: Rev 3;1 “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. (NKJ)

Philadelphia Rev 3:8 “I know your works. You have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. (NKJ)

But Laodicea neither one thing or the other. eg: Tea: iced tea / hot tea refreshing. Lukewarm yuk! But There is a hidden meaning here too; The Greek words are “Boiling Hot” and “Freezing cold”. The two extremes.

Elijah challenged the people: 1 Kings 18;21″How long are you going to sit on the fence? If God is the real God, follow him; if it’s Baal, follow him. Make up your minds!” Nobody said a word; nobody made a move. (Message)

The seventh and final mark of the church, according to Revelation 2 and 3,
is that they are overcomers.

It is a quality that the church in Laodicea lacked. Jesus says to them: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm (neither hot nor cold) I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (3:15,16, NIV).

“I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You’re not cold, you’re not hot – far better to be either cold or hot! 16 You’re stale. You’re stagnant. You make me want to vomit (The Message)

Physicians of the day used lukewarm water to make people sick. Three times Jesus drives home the point that the Laodicean Christians were neither extreme in their faith nor extreme in their disbelief. Theirs was a complacent, half-hearted Christianity. The ‘cold’ like the unreached could become hot when he heard the Gospel. But the lukewarm once was hot but has cooled off and is now fit for nothing. Demas in 2 Tim 4;10 was such a one: Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica.

So many Christians in the West are like this. How different to those who are suffering for the Gospel; On March 5th two Iranian Christian women, Miss Marzieh Amirizadeh Esmaeilabad (30), and Miss Maryam Rustampoor (27), were arrested by the Iranian security forces, according to reports recieved by FCNN. Their only crime is that they are committed Christians who follow the teachings of Jesus. They are being unfairly labeled as ‘anti-government activists’, because of the hostility of the government towards practicing Christians.
Their shared apartment was searched and personal belongings confiscated. They were hand-cuffed and first taken to the police and security station 137 in Gysha, west of Tehran for interrogation. Later they were taken to Vozara Detention Centre. Then they were taken to Branch 2 of the National Security Section of the Revolutionary Court, they were sent to the notorious Evin Prison where they are being held without charge.
They have been told they could be freed on a bail of US$400,000. This excessive bail level is unrealistic and is designed to intimidate and make release impossible. The families have subsequently been told on several occasions a judge is not available to discuss the case.
There has been a noted increase in government intimidation of the Christians. Last year there were over 50 known cases of arrests and imprisonment. There were some cases of Torture.
There is no up to date news of them. They are only one case of thousands who are suffering for the Gospel.

And yet there is another aspect of lukewarmness. Evangelism has emphasised the “work” of Christ upon the cross when He died for our sins, to the detriment of our relationship with Him. “What he did for me seems to be more important that what He is to me” ( A W Tozer) (emphasis mine).

Because we have this attitude of “Accepting” our salvation, we tend to ‘cool off’ after the initial burst of joy at being ‘saved’. Jesus is looking for a close relationship. “I will come in and sup with Him and he with Me”…

v17: ¹⁷Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

“I’m rich” – but they were poor. Contrast Smyrna: Rev 2;9 “I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich);

They said, “I don’t need anything”; Plenty like that!

Their complacency flowed from prosperity: “You say, “I am rich; I have
acquired wealth and do not need a thing” (3:17). In one of his Father Brown stories, G.K. Chesterton writes of an Eastern mystic who declared, “I need nothing.” This declaration frightened Father Brown because a person who needs nothing does not need God. Whatever their religious pretensions may have been, deep in their hearts, the Laodiceans felt themselves to be
without need.
They had succumbed to the temptation Paul warned Timothy of; 1 Tim 6;10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.  ¹¹But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.  ¹²Fight the good fight of faith,

Note, it is not money but ‘the love of money’ that is the problem. Many Christians have I think fallen into this trap with the so called ‘prosperity gospel.’ “God wants everyone rich”. No, but He will prosper those who follow his Word. Christianity seems to have become very commercialised. Christian Bookshops selling everything from bibles to baubles. Christianity has become for some simply another higher form of entertainment. Let us beware lest we fall into that trap.

Laodicea was a prosperous city known for its textiles and eye salves. Perhaps this is why Jesus frames the Laodicean Christians’ need in such materialistic terms: “You are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” (3:17). The Laodiceans had access to fine clothing and good medicine, but they lacked that wealth and health that only Jesus can supply. “I counsel you,” Jesus entreats them, “to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see” (3:18).

Cp Matt 6;19-21 Lay up Treasure in heaven not earth.

Matt 6:21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (NKJ)

THE CURE;

v18; ¹⁸I 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.

(Buy? Thought the Gospel was free!) cp Isa 55;1-2 very similar - Buy without price! Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  ²Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
Imagine a supermarket where everything was free!! (M&S – 1p sale, packed out.)

Recap Sardis letter; Reminds us of our starting point in this series;

Eph 5;27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Revelation uses the picture of white garments a lot, to signify those who are ‘worthy’. They are robes of honour and holiness.

Jesus uses local illustrations; Laodicea was a banking centre, - plenty of Gold. Made a very expensive black wool – He offers WHITE garments. Made eye ointment – anoint your eyes…

Christ’s message to the first-century Laodicean church is a pertinent message for the 21st-century church, perhaps the most pertinent of all the seven letters. We western Christians are healthy, wealthy and free to worship God according to the dictates of our consciences, without fear of persecution. We are almost unique in church history for our prosperity and liberty. And yet, we too like the Laodiceans are complacent. Our wealth, which allows us to worry about our wants rather than our needs, blinds us spiritually, making us think we are better off than we really are. In the very state of needing nothing, we show how much we need God. We have full stomachs; we need whole hearts. (Author unknown)

HIS LOVE;

v20 Who I love I chasten: Jesus loves the Laodicean Church, and wants them to be a Glorious Church. So He is giving them a good telling off. Chastening is necessary. The do gooders of this world who tell us we mustn’t even shout at our kids are doing them an injustice. Children need chastisement! So do we!

Job 5:17 “Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty. (NKJ)

Prov 27:6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

Jesus wants a GLORIOUS CHURCH;

The whole of these letters are to make the church what He wants it to be:

Even Laodicea: He loves it: Eph 5;25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (KJV)

The Message puts it; “The people I love, I call to account – prod and correct and guide so that they’ll live at their best. Up on your feet, then! About face! Run after God!

BE ZEALOUS & REPENT

be zealous therefore, and repent

Zealous; eager – on fire – fanatical even! Cp ‘hot – cold’ – boiling hot.

Theodore Roosevelt when a child was afraid to go to church on his own. When pressed, he told his mother he was afraid of “The zeal”. Further investigation revealed he had heard John 2;17 read; “The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up”.

Henry Martyn was an Anglican priest and missionary to the peoples of India and Persia. He died of fever at the age of 31, his heart cry was “let me burn out for God”.

“If people were more zealous and less jealous, this world would be a much better place in which to live”

“The cross is easier to the Xtn who takes it up than to the one who drags it along”

Ralph Waldo Emerson “Nothing great was ever achieved without Enthusiasm”.

REPENT: Change your way: Get excited! Zealous!

Rev. 3;20 This is NOT a Gospel text!!

²⁰Behold, 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.

The letter to Laodicea ends with Christ standing at a door and knocking.
Preachers have often used this image as an invitation for nonbelievers to accept Jesus Christ into their hearts. But, in context, Christ is standing at the door of the church, asking those who already believe to let Him in.

How many churches refuse Him entry?

Tramp thrown out of a ‘posh’ church; met the Lord “don’t worry, I’ve been trying to get in there myself for years”

He is knocking. Will we answer? It is surprising how many times Jesus refers to feasting and weddings. Here again he talks of having a meal with us. This is not a quick visit, He comes to stay!

cp Lu 12;34-40 Wedding/2nd coming There is going to be a great wedding feast! Jesus is coming soon. Are we ready? Have you invited Him in?

Let’s not kid ourselves:

“Except the Lord build the House, they labour in vain who build it” Ps.127;1

If Jesus is not in the church we are wasting our time.

Overcomers: ²¹To 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

Sit on Throne with Him.

2 Tim 2;12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

Rev 20;6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

In the parable of the talents, Jesus referred to this; Matt 25;23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

Jesus is coming soon. Let’s be ready to meet Him, and reign with Him.