Dinner for Two
Revelation 3:14-22 14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm-- neither hot nor cold-- I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you 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. 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
Intro: One of the harshest letters to the churches. This is the only church that receives no pat on the back or words of praise. And yet we see that Jesus loved this church very much. He said, “Those who I love I rebuke and discipline.” Jesus was not venting. He was not berating these followers b/c He disliked them. Rather, he was dealing with them as with sons and daughters. He only wanted them to get it, to get Him! He wanted them to care more about loving God and people than loving themselves. They had been blessed financially, but were basking in it instead of using it for God’s glory. They had no vision to reach those around them. They were just satisfied with who they were and where they were at. But contentment is not always a redeeming quality. Sometimes it is repulsive! And that is why we read such strong language as Jesus firmly takes this church to the woodshed.
-What Jesus wanted more than anything was for them to become passionate about their relationship with God! He wanted them to live the Greatest commandment, to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. So let’s take a look at this letter and ask the Lord to show us what He is saying to us today.
1. Words about Jesus
-The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation
-Jesus is reminding them who He is. He is the Almighty One who affirms what God the Father says. When He speaks it is pure truth. His words drip with reality!
-Jesus wasn’t making stuff up to get a loud Amen! He was speaking razor sharp truth that would cut through a calloused heart, bringing the proper response of total surrender. Since He is the ruler of God’s creation, the appropriate response to Him would be complete surrender and wholehearted service.
-Such was not the case in Laodicea! Let’s take a look.
2. Words about the church’s condition
• Their self-perception- 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.'
-These are words filled with self-satisfaction. “I have acquired wealth.” “Look what I did. Look how good I am. I don’t need anything else. I have arrived.”
-Where did their wealth come from? What would happen to it when they died? They were living in self-deception, so Jesus tells them what their reality is.
• Their reality- lukewarm, wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked
3. Words of Correction
18 I counsel you 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. 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.
(Buy, Repent)
20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
(Listen, Open) – These words call for action. You may not have all the answers you are looking for. All you know is that Jesus is on the outside and you want Him on the inside! You’ve been hearing His voice as He speaks to you in various ways. Now it’s time to open the door so He can come in and bring life and meaning. He does this in the individual heart and in His church!
4. Words of Promise
-I will come in and we will dine together … Dinner for Two!
-Having a meal with someone back then indicated that everything was okay in their relationship. Table fellowship is what friends shared together, talking heart to heart, listening and sharing.
-Jesus also promises to include the overcomer in His reign, sitting with Him on His throne. We don’t know what God has in store for us in heaven and throughout eternity. But we do catch glimpses of actively being involved in His great kingdom. The reward will be great for those who keep the faith and live the surrendered life for Jesus!
Close: As we close, 2 words come to mind from this letter. Hear (or listen), and Open. My prayer is that you will hear what God is saying to you today, and that you will open yourself completely to Him! If you’ve neglected or excluded Christ from your life, listen to what He is saying and open the door to Him. How? Through repentance and surrender. Lord, I’m sorry. I’ve been focused on myself and haven’t stayed connected with You! Help me to turn around. I want to let You in!
Jesus wasn’t knocking on the door of the Brewery...
He wasn’t knocking on the door of the Brothel...
He wasn’t knocking on the door of the Night Club...
He wasn’t knocking on the door of the Casino...
He wasn’t knocking on the door of the Crack House...
He was knocking on the door of the LUKEWARM CHURCH! (Paul Steffens, sc)
-The words of Jesus to the churches are important to us today. Why? B/c Jesus has chosen to use the church to reach the world. Not the church institution, but the church - people of God doing life together! We’ll never get the job done if we are complacent. We’ll never make a difference if we start believing that we are just fine the way we are. Without some sense of urgency to change and to grow, we will become stagnant and will lose our vitality.
