Wholeheartedness Series

During the first World War, just after the turn of the 20th century, Teddy Roosevelt thundered against what he called hyphenated Americans. He meant people who had divided loyalty. We use hyphenation to describe ethnicity. Roosevelt said, “America is not a polyglot boarding house. (A “polyglot” is something made up of several languages.) “America is not a polyglot boarding house. If you are an American and something else, you are not an American.” By the same token, one could say if you are a Christian and something else, you are not a Christian. There isn’t such a thing as 50% or 80% loyalty. A husband who is loyal to his wife 85% of the time is not a loyal husband.

Vance Havener, a preacher of a previous generation, used to distinguish between “noun” Christians and “adjective” Christians. The word Christian can be used as a noun and an adjective. He would say what we need today is Christian Christians. We need Christians to act like Christians. This is what the church at Laodicea needed. They needed loyal Christians to live like Christians.

The strongest words of rebuke are reserved for the complacent, lukewarm, apathetic Christians at Laodicea. Could one explanation for America being the world’s largest consumer of drugs, the world’s capital for murder, and the greatest debtor nation in history is that the rich American church is lukewarm in its commitment to Christ. The church at Laodicea challenges us to give our best to the Lord Jesus.

These seven churches give the marks of a church alive with its relationship with Jesus. John Stott helpfully gives one-word descriptions of what it means to be the church of Jesus Christ. The true church is characterized by love, suffering, truth, holiness, reality, outreach, and wholeheartedness. These seven letters show the church hard pressed by sin, error, and complacency from within and persecution from without. This final letter is a call for Christians to give their best to Jesus.

As he has in the other letters, John begins the letter with a description of Christ.

I. THE CHARACTER OF CHRIST (REVELATION 3:14)

(14) “Write to the angel of the church in Laodicea: Thus says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the originator of God’s creation:

A. Consistency

Jesus is described as the “Amen.” It means truly. It is an adverb of assent. It affirms what is said or done is true or trustworthy. Jesus’ favorite formula for emphasis was to say in the KJV, “Verily, verily” or in modern translations, Truly, truly. Amen doesn’t mean “The end” when you conclude your prayer. It means you trust what you prayed is true and agreeable with God’s will. When you amen someone’s song or sermon, you are saying you agree that it is true and trustworthy.

In Revelation Jesus not only says Amen, He is the Amen. Jesus is the personification of the real God. God is not an abstract idea dreamed up by needy man. He is real and Jesus is the visible representation of God. This word is stressing Jesus’ reliability. This is in contrast to the church’s lack of faithfulness and consistency.

How valuable is consistency? Let me ask you some questions:

What will guard us against foolish extremes?

What characterizes those who are habitually successful in sports, sales, or some skill?

What single quality in a business builds respect deeper than any other?

What brings security in relationships?

What makes us choose a particular brand name over all others?

What’s needed most by parents in the home?

What draws you to the same restaurant time and again?

What do you want most from your mailman or the direct deposit of your paycheck?

What will add more weight to your witness for Christ than anything else?

The answer? Consistency. Someone said there ought to be added another Beatitude: “Blessed are those who fulfill their positions.”

One of the most beautiful qualities about Jesus is His consistency. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” When you need Him, He is always there. When you pray, you never catch Him in a bad mood. You’re never requested to call back at a more convenient time.

When you’ve been given an assignment, can people say, “Amen,” or do they hold their breath until the work is done?

This church is not giving its best to Jesus. John reminds the church that Jesus never fails to give His best for them. He is consistently faithful and true to them.

Jesus is trustworthy because Jesus and His words are true. This is the second description of His character.

B. Trustworthy

Jesus is “the faithful and true witness.” His words are true and dependable.

The media has an 11% approval rating according to one TV broadcaster this week which means no one trusts what they say. Mothers may question if their child brushed their teeth. Verbal promises are no longer enough when you make a purchase and some employers have employees take lie detector tests. We struggle with trust, but you can trust Jesus. We’ve bet the farm on Jesus that He will give us eternal life and a home in heaven. How irrational to pick anything over devotion to Jesus. He deserves wholehearted commitment.