Christ Alone Should Be Sufficient

How many Coca-Cola drinkers do we have here today? How many Pepsi drinkers? How many of you like Dr Pepper? How many of you like Mr Pibb? Have you ever been in a restaurant and ordered a Dr Pepper and they say they don't sell Dr Pepper but they have Mr Pibb and try to pass it off as the same thing? Or you order a Coke and they say we have Pepsi, or vice versa? It's just not the same, is it?

It can be an odd sensation, a surprise, to take a sip of a drink only to discover that, instead of the Coke you ordered, they served you Pepsi. Or the piping hot coffee you were expecting to drink turns out to be lukewarm and bland. Or the soup was hot - an hour ago. It may look fine on the outside, but a quick taste or sip tells you otherwise. Can you relate?

Well that is where we're going with the message today. Churches also can look good on the outside, but when you “taste” what they're doing, you find it's only a facade. That was the case with the church in Laodicea. Christ dictates another letter to John to send to this church. What Christ has to say to this church in Laodicea speaks to us today.

We will still be in the Book of Revelation chapter 3 today. This is Jesus' last message and it's to this church located in Laodicea. Unlike the other letters, Jesus didn't give them any words of encouragement or commendation. In fact, it was just the opposite. He spoke very sternly and boldly as He told them that they were neither hot nor cold. This was a phrase that the people would have understood very well. Because Laodicea didn't have a good water supply to the city itself.

Laodicea was just 10 miles to the east where the cold, pure waters of Colossae were, and 6 miles to the north where the hot, therapeutic springs of Hierapolis were. Water was piped into the city from these two sources, but by the time it arrived, it was lukewarm - neither refreshing nor therapeutic. What is God going to tell us today?

Revelation 3:14-17 - "Write to the angel of the church in Laodicea: Thus says the amen, the faithful and true witness, the originator of God's creation. I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth. For you say, 'I'm rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing', and you don't realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked."

The heart of the problem for the church at Laodicea was their self-sufficiency. Their sin was that their immense wealth had led them to believe that they didn’t need any help from anyone. This led them to spiritual complacency as well. While they may have viewed themselves as being a spiritually wealthy since they were economically rich, in God's eyes the church was severely lacking and impoverished.

Laodicea was known for its wealth. It was the financial and banking center of the whole region. It was so rich that, after the earthquake in 17AD that damaged the city, it refused any financial help from Rome. The city rebuilt itself entirely from its own money.

Apparently, that self-sufficient attitude also was in the church. They relied on themselves rather than on God. Can this problem exist in our churches today? Of course, it can, and does. Self-sufficiency is the opposite of faith. So, Jesus set the record straight. In verse 17 He said, “You don't realize that you were wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.” They may have been wealthy in material goods, but they were destitute in true wealth and things they needed that come only through trusting Christ.

So even though this city thought themselves to be rich, Jesus told them they were poor and in extreme poverty, which was a poke at the city that bragged about its commerce and banks.

Jesus called them blind, which was also a dig at Laodicea’s proud medical school and eye salve. This city was also known for their fine garments made out of the famous black wool, but Jesus called them naked. In the Old Testament, nakedness symbolized humiliation and judgment.

While they may have lived in big homes, wore nice clothes, and even had servants waiting on them, the Laodiceans had actually hit bottom in the only way that really mattered. Spiritually they were at rock bottom.

Can you see the warning of Jesus' words to our churches today? We have a lot of resources available to us. But if we're not careful, we can tend to rely on them, causing us to become lukewarm in our relationship with Christ. If we're not trusting and relying on Him for all that we are and all that we have, we are useless.