Laodicea: Wealthy And Yet Bankrupt

Laodicea – Wealthy and yet Bankrupt

Revelation 3: 14-22

Today we come to the seventh and final church Jesus addressed in the book of Revelation. The church in Laodicea had been heavily influenced by the culture in which it was situated. The people there were very wealthy, creating an attitude of self-sufficiency. However, Jesus viewed the church from an entirely different perspective. They may have enjoyed economic wealth, but spiritually the church was facing bankruptcy. Jesus urged the church to rely upon Him rather than the wealth and riches they possessed.

"Laodicea was located about forty miles southeast of Philadelphia and about one hundred miles east of Ephesus. It became the leading commercial city in the Lycus River valley, due mainly to its location on a main Roman road that ran from Ephesus in the west to Syrian Antioch in the east. Hierapolis, with its hot mineral springs and white limestone cliffs, was only about eight miles to the north, while snowcapped mountains stood just a few miles to the south. Unfortunately, Laodicea had no reliable water supply of its own…In addition to serving as a leading banking center, the city was well known for manufacturing garments made of soft, black wool and was home to a famous medical school specializing in the treatment of eye diseases. The city was earthquake prone, however, and was virtually destroyed by a massive quake in AD 60. Yet instead of leaning on Rome for money to rebuild as Sardis had done, Laodicea paid for everything itself." (i)

The focus of this particular letter is a stinging rebuke for the church’s self-reliance and lack of dependence upon the Lord. Jesus desired they return to fellowship with Him, seeking to receive the provision only He could provide. In Laodicea, we see an alarming similarity to the western church in our day. As we discuss the realities within the text, I want to consider: Laodicea – Wealthy and yet Bankrupt.

I. The Condition of Laodicea (14-17) – Jesus came with no words of commendation for them. In fact, He saw nothing pleasing, only problems. Jesus certainly has the authority to address the church. He is the Amen, the final authority. He is the faithful and true witness, revealing truth about what He sees. He is also the beginning of creation. He is the origin, the founder of the church. All we do is founded upon Him. As Jesus viewed their condition, He mentioned:

A. Their Indifference (15-16) – I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. [16] So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. They were neither cold nor hot, but lukewarm. Their lives at church mirrored the water they drank. Remember, they had no viable water source. Hot water was piped in from the north, and cold water came from the south. By the time either reached the city, it was at an undesirable temperature, neither cold or hot.

They were not completely cold. They were attending church, but there was no zeal for the Lord, no desire to live for Him. They weren’t hot either. They were a miserable temperature of lukewarm. They were satisfied with “their” church and had no desire for change. Jesus warned that He would spew them out of His mouth.

You know, I don’t really care for anything lukewarm. Apparently, many churches in our day love luke-warmness. They come together on a regular basis with no desire to serve the Lord. They are no longer moved by the sacrifice of Christ, the redemption of their soul, the need of themselves and others, or the wicked state of our world. A lukewarm, indifferent church will never grow and prosper for the Lord! I fear that Jesus is sick to His stomach with the modern church!

B. Their Arrogance (17a) – Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing. Remember this was a wealthy city. They refused Rome’s help in rebuilding the city. They were an arrogant people. They had all they needed and weren’t interested in help or input from others. Jesus saw them as lukewarm and pathetic, but they thought all was well.

May I remind you that God hates pride! If we ever accomplish anything, it will be the result of what Jesus has done for us and through us. We cannot make it without Him. Our spiritual position and the work we need to accomplish are not justified by the buildings we sit in, the clothes we wear, or the money in our building funds. Our service to the Lord isn’t about us or our finances; it is all about Him! I pray we will never get to the place that we feel we’ve arrived and see no need to press on or improve.