Attacking Apathy
Revelation 3:14-22
Purpose: To show how the church in Laodicea was unknowingly lifeless.
Aim: I want the listener to feel their own need for a closer relationship with Christ.
INTRODUCTION: Today we are looking at the last of seven letters from Jesus Christ to seven churches in Asia Minor. These letters are in the order of how they would have been received. I don’t see any indication in the text why these letters are given to us in this order.
When you look at all seven letters you notice that three things are said in each letter: #1 “I know your works,” #2 “He that has an ear, let him hear,” and #3 “He who overcomes.”
We must never forget that God knows what we are really like, that we must listen to what He says, and that only overcomers go to heaven. If you are not in the process of overcoming sin in your life then you may have forgotten that God sees everything about you or you may be dull of hearing. The question we should ask in light of today’s text is this: Is it possible for faithful church members to go to hell?
The church in Laodicea lost their passion for Christ; did they also lack forgiveness?
REVIEW:
1:1-20 I. John’s Vision of the Past “the things which you have seen”
2:1-5:14 II. Christ’s Vision of the Present “the things which are”
2:1-3:22 A. The testimony of the church on earth
2:1-7 1. Ephesus: the loveless church
2:8-11 2. Smyrna: the hurting church
2:12-17 3. Pergamum: the worldly church
2:18-29 4. Thyatira: the compromising church
3:1-6 5. Sardis: the dead church
3:7-13 6. Philadelphia: the faithful church
LESSON:
➽3:14-22 7. Laodicea: the lifeless church
We are going to see at least five reasons why this church had NO life in it.
#1 Jesus is about to SPIT them out of His mouth in verse 16
#2 Jesus calls them WRETCHED in verse 17
#3 Jesus also calls them BLIND and NAKED in verse 17
These are terms that are applied to unsaved people in the Bible. For example, Romans 11:8 “God gave them [unsaved Jews] a spirit of stupor, Eyes to see not and ears to hear not, Down to this very day.” (NAU)
Jesus said that we must be properly covered in order to go to heaven. Matthew 22:12-13 12 and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. 13 “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (NAU) The only covering that allows us to be with Christ is the righteousness of Christ.
#4 Jesus only uses the Greek word “phileo” (brotherly love) in verse 19 when He describes His affection for this church instead of “agape” (selfless love) like He did in verse 9 of Philadelphia.
#5 Jesus is pictured as outside the church in verse 20.
I hope that Jesus would NEVER feel left out in this church. The dangerous truth is that Jesus can be left outside of a church and the people in the church don’t even know it. The best way to keep this from happening is to focus on:
➽Vs.14 a. The character of Jesus Christ
The three aspects of Christ’s character that are mentioned here are critically important in order to avoid being a lifeless church that is POOR, BLIND, and NAKED as Jesus says in verse 17.
➽(1) Jesus guarantees His promises “The Amen”
AMEN “This Hebrew word means firm, and hence also faithful (Rev. 3:14). In Isa. 65:16, the Authorized Version has ‘the God of truth,’ which in Hebrew is ‘the God of Amen.’ It is frequently used by our Saviour to give emphasis to his words, where it is translated ‘verily.’ Sometimes, only, however, in John’s Gospel, it is repeated, ‘Verily, verily.’” [Easton. (.). Eastons (electronic ed.)]
Jesus has the wealth and the power to guarantee that He can supply what He promises. 2 Corinthians 1:20 For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us. (NAU)
The church in Laodicea, on the other hand, was POOR because they did not rely on God’s promises.
➽(2) Jesus displays truth “the faithful and true witness”
Jesus said in John 3:31-34 31 “He who comes from above is above all, …. 32 “What He has seen and heard, of that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. 33 “He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true. 34 “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure. (NAU)
Jesus is completely true and accurate in the way He revealed truth to us. The church in Laodicea, on the other hand, was BLIND to the truth.
➽(3) Jesus created everything “the Beginning of the creation of God”
Jesus had a beginning as a man, but as God He is the beginning.
Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (NAU)
Colossians 1:15-17 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (NAU)
John 1:3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. (NAU)
In contrast to Christ who created everything, the church in Laodicea had nothing of their own. They were NAKED.
We can protect ourselves from becoming apathetic about Christ if we keep in mind that Jesus guarantees to keep all of His promises (we must not rely on our talent or resourses), He displays truth perfectly (we must look only to Jesus for truth—not to anything human), and He is the all powerful Creator (Jesus is the only one who can cover our sin).
➽Vs.15,17 b. The condition of this church
“Laodicea is almost 100 miles inland from Ephesus on the south bank of the River Lycus. The city had been founded as a major urban center around 250 B.C. by Antiochus II (Seleucid) and named for his wife, Laodice. The city at the time of the mid-first century was prosperous as a commercial center, noted for its black wool and carpets. It also had a medical school and was well known for the eye salve called Phrygian ointment.
“We gain some insight into the wealth and independent spirit of Laodicea from the Roman historian Tacitus (Annals 14:27) who notes that Laodicea refused government aid from Rome after the earthquake damage of A.D. 60. Another interesting feature about this city is the fact that Laodicea, which had no local water supply, had developed a stone aqueduct system to bring water from the hot springs of Hierapolis some six miles away. By the time this water reached Laodicea, however, it was tepid and distasteful.
“The Jewish population in Laodicea was large and wealthy. According to William Ramsey, Flaccus collected more than twenty-two and a half pounds of gold from the 7,500 Jewish males who lived in Laodicea for an offering to the temple of Jerusalem in 62 B.C. [Palmer, E. F., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1982). Vol. 35: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 35 : 1, 2 & 3 John / Revelation. Formerly The Communicator’s Commentary. The Preacher’s Commentary series (145). Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc.]
➽Vs.15 (1) They didn’t serve others “neither cold nor hot”
The word HOT means “to cause to boil” or “glow.” The same root word is used in Romans 12:11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; (NAU)
“The contrast here is between the hot medicinal waters of Hierapolis and the cold, pure waters of Colossae. Thus, the church in Laodicea was providing neither refreshment for its spiritual wary nor healing for the spiritual sick.” [“Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament” by Rienecker & Rogers. P.821]
Vance Havner described this kind of church this way: “They traffic in unfelt truth and refuse to get excited over religion. Their idea service is a mild mannered man standing before a group of mild mannered people, exhorting everybody to be more mild mannered.”
Most modern Christians only have hot heads and cold hearts. All we have to do is compare the attendance at a church banquet with a prayer meeting.
“The image of lukewarmness is powerful and contemporary, because they know from experience the reputation they have for their nauseating water. Now it is they, the people of the Lord, who are accused of the same distasteful condition.” [Palmer, E. F., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1982). Vol. 35: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 35 : 1, 2 & 3 John / Revelation. Formerly The Communicator’s Commentary. The Preacher’s Commentary series (147). Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc.]
They looked like a church, but they weren’t really doing anybody any good. They may have helped people physically, but they failed to move anybody closer to Jesus Christ. If a church doesn’t show you how to get closer to Jesus that church is worthless.
➽Vs.17a (2) They bragged on themselves “I am rich”
Why were these people lukewarm? They became lukewarm because they saw virtues in themselves and became self-confident. They gradually lost their sense of a great need for God. It’s like the dangerous effects of drugs like cocaine, alcohol, or marijuana were a person thinks that the drug is sharpening their mind when the opposite is actually the truth. Self-confidence will deceive us into thinking that we are smarter and more powerful than we really are.
Be careful of someone who claims to be a Christian, but is quick to point out what a good Christian they are. A Christian should never be satisfied with how close to Christ they are.
“A heart without words is ten thousand times better than words without a heart.” John Bunyan
“This kind of church begins at eleven o’clock sharp and ends at twelve o’clock dull. The best part of the service is the benediction. The only time the people get excited is when they are mad about something petty. Sound like the modern church? We go to the ball game to do our yelling, to the movies to do our crying and to the church to do our sleeping.
“Laodicea teaches us that the easiest thing to lose in life is enthusiasm. We lose it on the job, in our marriages and in the church. All we have to do to lose it is nothing.” [“From Suffering to Singing” By Bob Marcaurelle P.101]
➽Vs.17b (3) They were unaware of their true needs "do not know”
They couldn’t think of anything they needed. The Lord, on the other hand, saw things much differently. Literally Jesus called them “the wretched miserable.” MISERABLE has the idea of someone who should be pitied. They probably pitied those who didn’t have as much money as they did. They should have pitied themselves.
Then Jesus described them as “poor and blind and naked.” This is even more shocking when we learn what the city of Laodicea was known for.
They thought they were rich because Laodicea “…was a center for the banking industry, and included a prosperous economy with manufacturing of cloth as one of its primary assets. [They also thought they were well clothed because Laodicea had…] Beautiful garments and carpets were designed from the wool of the black sheep of this region. The wool was known to be extremely soft is texture and glossy black in color, making it highly desirable around the empire. [They were also proud of their healthcare because] Their medical school was quite famous, and its physicians claimed success in mixing medicines for certain diseases. They produced and ointment for the ears as well as a powder for the eyes. Aristotle called it ‘Phrygian powder.’” [“The Coming World Leader” by David Hocking P.95]
Life’s comforts tend to mask spiritual sickness.
➽Vs.16 c. The coming judgment on this church “I will spit you out”
Literally it could read, “I am about to spit you out.” Doom was near. The time for repentance was almost over.
“The city’s water supply originated from hot springs six miles away at Denizli. In the process of traveling through the aqueduct to Laodicea, the water became tepid—neither hot nor cold.” [Gregg, S. (1997). Revelation, four views : A parallel commentary (Re 3:14-22). Nashville, Tenn.: T. Nelson Publishers.]
These people were about to hear Jesus say, Matthew 7:23 ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ (NAU)
“Lukewarmness as a spiritual, emotional disorder is so insidious and so self-deceptive that it takes the kind of vigorous shock we witness in this letter to clear the air. Lukewarmness, when it becomes a way of life, so completely blurs and dulls the colors that it becomes almost impossible to tell differences when they occur. Lukewarmness is low-grade paranoia, low-grade cynicism, low-grade immorality. The result is always fatigue, and finally despair.” [ Palmer, E. F., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1982). Vol. 35: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 35 : 1, 2 & 3 John / Revelation. Formerly The Communicator’s Commentary. The Preacher’s Commentary series (148). Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc.]
➽Vs.18-22 d. Christ’s challenge to this church
➽Vs.18 (1) Pursue Christ “buy from Me”
How do we pursue Christ?
➽(a) Search for God’s wealth “buy from Me gold”
Remember Jesus said they were poor.
Jesus called these rich people poor. They needed a new kind of gold, one that God had refined. Fire pictures purity and passion. We need to see that a close relationship with Jesus Christ is more valuable than anything this world can offer us. Do we really live this way?
➽(b) Search for Christ’s righteousness “white garments”
Remember Jesus said they were naked.
Revelation 3:5 ‘He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. (NAU)
Paul rejoiced that he would be, found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, (NAU)
If you are not clothed in the righteousness of Christ you have no hope of living with Christ.
Are you trusting Jesus to cover all of your sin?
➽(c) Search for God’s glory “that you may see”
Remember that Jesus said they were blind.
What does God want us to see? The glory of God as revealed in the Gospel. 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, …. 6 For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (NAU)
Only God can open our blind eyes to see His glory. If life seems dark and hopeless then surrender your heart to Jesus and He will turn the light on. Remember that, 1 Corinthians 2:14 a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. (NAU)
Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (NAU)
➽Vs.19 (2) Repent of your sin “be zealous and repent”
The Lord may be disciplining you for ignoring Him, but don’t just endure the discipline. Earnestly desire to be close to Christ and see that every sin in your life is hindering that closeness.
Proverbs 15:31 He whose ear listens to the life-giving reproof Will dwell among the wise. (NAU)
➽Vs.20 (3) Embrace Christ “dine with him”
If we will open our hearts to Christ He promises to start an intimate relationship with us.
Revelation 19:7-9 7 “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” 8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ ” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.” (NAU)
Our relationship with Christ begins in the dining room and then it moves to the throne room.
Instead of Christ spitting us out of His mouth, He offers to eat with us.
CONCLUSION: Take a moment and write down what is the most critical need you have in your life right now. If you could ask God for anything, what would it be? If you can’t think of anything then you sound like the church in Laodicea when they said, “I have need of nothing.’
If you are not writing anything down, maybe it’s because you are a dull hearer. Your mind is not on God’s Word when it is being proclaimed. Maybe it’s because you aren’t used to the idea of thinking of yourself as needy.
Paul wrote down what he thought his greatest need was: Philippians 3:8-10 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9 …10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; (NAU)
Becoming more like Christ is what you and I need more than anything else. If you ignore this need, one day Jesus will spit you out of His mouth.
If you haven’t already, please come to Jesus admitting that you are poor, blind, and naked before it is too late.
➽God puts away many in anger for their supposed goodness, but not any at all for their confessed badness. John Trapp [Thomas, I. (1996). The golden treasury of Puritan quotations. Includes index of authors. General index created by Christian Clasics Foundation. (electronic ed.). Simpsonville SC: Christian Classics Foundation.]
