INTRO: Imagine yourself going to a doctor’s office for a check-up and you ask the doctor, "What can I do about my hair falling?" and he says to get out of the way. Another occasion you ask doctor what would you give me for this cold and he replies, "I don’t know. What would you take?" or "Doctor, something’s wrong with my stomach." And he replies, "Well, keep your coat buttoned and no one will notice." Or you ask, "Doctor, am I getting better?" and be replies, "I don’t know."
If you went to a doctor like that, how many would want to get a second opinion.
-Today we’re going to have a spiritual check-up just like Christ did at the church at Laodicea.
-Out of all the churches we’ve covered this is the church you would not want to belong to. This is the only church Christ has nothing good to say.
TITLE: The Church That Makes God Sick
TEXT: Rev. 3:14-21
I. Doctor Jesus credentials - three things in v. 14.
A. Christ is the Amen - Amen is the word put at the end, guarantee its truth. The final word sometimes you will see it translated truly, truly, I say to you.
-This would mean that Jesus Christ is the one whose promises are true beyond all doubt.
B. Described as faithful and true witness.
1. Faithful and true - He is always accurate, never wrong.
-Would you like to go to a doctor, mechanic, or someone whom you rely on (depend on). They are never wrong.
2. Witness - three things in order to be a witness.
a. Must see with his own eyes - God sees everything even things we don’t want Him to see.
b. Honest - God is holy.
c. Ability to tell what He has to say.
Christ meets all these prerequisites. He can tell of God because He came from Him. We can rely on His words for He is the Amen. He is able to tell His message because never has anyone spoke like Him.
C. 3rd Credential ruler of God’s creation - scripture tells us in Him all things are held together.
-God knows you better than you know yourself. Jesus is the master creator.
John 1:3 "Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made."
IL Examination v. 15-16 (Read)
-Doctor Jesus took their temperature neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm.
A. Condemnation of Laodicea church gives us a crude picture of how it makes Jesus sick.
ex Jr. high - got to go swimming with older brother and his friend, Ken. Ken was a strange sort. One thing I remember about Ken is he could spit a long distance. Nobody could match this skill.
Swimming and being with older brother and friend they liked to drown me, so I got what I thought was a safe distance away. Just as I said, Ken clearing his throat and about ready to spit. I was swimming away, as I came out of water I opened my mouth to take a deep breath and something landed in my mouth (you guessed it). Of course, instantly I felt terribly sick and spit it out of my mouth.
-You see, that’s how Christ feels about this church. It makes him sick.
-Or imagine taking a drink from a hose that’s been lying in summer sun all day long (warm tasting hose water).
B. These Christians - They had just enough religion to keep them from getting the disease.
1. They had a religion but not a relationship with the living God.
-They were professing Christians, but not possessing Christians.
2. Many today feel - I’m OK, if I just go to church every week and I can do what I want the remainder of the week.
-German theologian, Dietrich Bon Hoeffer, talks about this and he calls it cheap grace. Idea of going to church as a duty, task without getting to know the master personally.
ex.....Go out and ask ten strangers if they are a Christian and you will probably get 90-100 percent to say they were. But you could only get 1 or 2 to tell you what it means to be a Christian or what their responsibilities as a Christian are.
-The people at Laodicea had this problem of being lukewarm.
3. William Barclay writes - "Hard as it may sound, it is better not even to start on the Christian way than to start and then to drift into a conventional and meaningless Christianity." Why: Because you will be judged worse on judgement day because you knew the truth and you disobeyed.
ex Folks, it’s meaningless to do things out of duty, task. But you do them out of love for Christ.
-Too many folks have fallen into the rut of religion. (Religion is man’s way to God, impossible) (Rut is a grave with the ends kicked out)
4. God gives each and everyone of us an opportunity to get to know Him personally. III. Diagnosis - v. 17 (Read)
A. Church prided itself on its financial wealth - city was one of the most wealthy cities in Asia Minor.
1. How rich - 30 years before this letter written 61 AD tremendous earthquake destroyed the city and Rome offered to help rebuild, finances. They turned it down because they were so wealthy, they rebuilt it by themselves with own money.
a. City was known for its black wool - clothing was very famous around the world. This was the brand name of clothes you wore to show your wealth.
b. City was also known for its medical ability especially its famous eye salve, the leading people dealing with problems with the eye and salves for it.
2. Jesus diagnosis - He ties in what they perceive their strengths are.
a. Laodicea prided itself on wealth - Jesus calls them wretched, pitiful, and poor. -They thought they needed nothing. They thought money could buy everything.
1. It can’t buy happiness.
It can’t give health, either of body or mind.
It can’t bring comfort in sorrow.
It can’t relieve the pain of loneliness.
It can’t buy salvation, personal relationship with God.
b. Laodicea prided itself on it’s clothing - Jesus calls them naked.
1. Ancient world - to be stripped naked was the worst humiliation. They prided themselves on their dress and Jesus says they were naked.
c. Laodicea prided itself on its famous eye salve - the truth they were blinded to their own poverty and nakedness.
d. Greatest need - they couldn’t recognize their need for a savior (materially wealthy/spiritually poor) (materially fine clothes/spiritually naked) (finest eye doctors/spiritually blind).
IV. Cure 18 (Read)
A. Buy gold from me - Jesus not speaking of gold, because they had gold, but faith.
I Peter 1:7 "These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."
-Faith is the currency in the kingdom of God, and it’s often described or compared to gold.
1. Jesus is telling you to get the genuine faith.
B. Get the white clothes - take off the black wool and get the white clothes. -This describes the righteousness from knowing Jesus Christ.
1. Become a Christian - Jesus put His righteousness on us "imputed righteousness" that’s why we can go
boldly to the throne of God and ask for request because Jesus has wrapped His white robe around us.
-Problem this church in Laodicea was depending on its own righteousness. Saints, never let us think we have earned the right to be with God. It’s only by His grace.
C. Get my salve - If you want to really see, try my salve so you can really see.
ex.....Saul on his way to persecute Christians - blinded by Lord - had to be lead by hand to Damascus. Lord sends Ananias to pray with him, filled with Spirit and his eyesight was restored. Saw things in a different perspective.
-He saw Christ as He truly was. V. Prognosis v. 19-20 (Read)
A. Those who God loves He disciplines.
ex.....2 boys fighting and this man ran and jumped in and broke them up. This man dragged this one boy over to a bench and started spanking him. The stranger watching this all take place noticed this man did nothing to the other boy.
Stranger went and asked him why he didn’t discipline the other boy. The man replied, "This boy is my son and the other one is not."
-God disciplines those he loves (proof of ownership).
-The purpose of God is not so much punishment as it is illumination
-The discipline of God is not something which we should resent, but something for which we should be devoutly thankful.
B. V. 20 most famous picture Jesus - standing at door knocking.
-Two things stand out here.
1. Warning that the end is near. The coming of the Lord is at hand.
-Like your ride is here. You better open the door and get going or you’re going to miss your ride.
2. Showing God’s love - stands patiently waiting for you to open the door to your heart. -Jesus is the lover of souls patiently waiting for us to open the door to our hearts and let Him in.
a. Come in and eat with us - description of an evening meal. Culture at that time was you were invited in, ate and had fellowship together.
3. Imagine Christ outside the church knocking to get in.
-That’s what He was doing in the church at Laodecia.
Sadly there are some churches like this today.
CONCLUSION: v. 21 (Read) To him who overcomes, right to sit with God on His throne.
A. First you must receive Him. Maybe today He’s knocking on your heart’s door wanting to come in.
-You let Him in and He takes all the brokenness and trash out and brings His furniture in. He may have to knock down some walls to get His stuff in, but He asks for your permission.
B. Trade our junk for His treasure!
