Laodicea

Revelation 3:14 “To the messenger 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 zealous 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 that person, and they with me.

21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

In Colossians Paul addressed the Church at Laodicea, speaking of Epaphras, the pastor of the Church that met in the home of Nympha.

Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. 13 I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14 Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. Colossians 4:12-15

However, in the 10 to 20 years after these brief remarks the Church has taken on the characteristics of the culture around them. Here Christ makes no mention of persecution by either the Jews or Rome, nor is there any mention of false teachers within the Church. The Church at Laodicea had become nominal, self satisfied, and complacent.

Does this remind you of any Churches today: outwardly prosperous, self-satisfied, and complacent?

Revelation 3:14 To the messenger of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen.

Christ is the Amen because in him all of God’s promises are fulfilled.

Whoever invokes a blessing in the land will do so by the one true God; whoever takes an oath in the land will swear by the God of Amen For the past troubles will be forgotten and hidden from my eyes. Isaiah 65:16

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. II Corinthians 1:20

This bears repeating, Christ is the Amen because in him all of God’s promises are fulfilled. Or as Christ taught his disciples:

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Matthew 5:17-18

Revelation 3:14 the faithful and true witness

Christ is the faithful and true witness. How do we know this?

Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life. John 14:6

Jesus said, If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:31-32

See also: Luke 24:13-26

Revelation 3:14 the ruler of God’s creation.

The Laodiceans should have recognized, in this reference, a familiar concept from the letter to the Colossians, which they had received earlier. Colossians 1:15-18 Christ is both the source of creation as well as being sovereign over all of creation.

Christ tells the Church that he is the truth, he is witness to the truth, and he is sovereign over all of creation. As such he can pierce through all appearances.

Revelation 3:15 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.

Laodicea was located between two important cities, Colossae and Hieropolis. Colossae was at the foot of towering mountains whose icy streams were the source of the city’s water supply. Hieropolis was famous for its hot springs, believed to have healing properties, but as the water left the city and crossed the high plain before cascading down a cliff to Laodicea, it became lukewarm. So the water in Laodicea was neither cold for refreshment nor hot for health.

Likewise, Christ was unimpressed with the Church’s deeds. They were ineffectual, providing “neither refreshment for the spiritually weary, nor healing for the spiritually sick. It was totally ineffective, and thus distasteful to its Lord.” M.J.S. Rudwick, “The Laodicean Lukewarmness”

The Christian is not called to lay low and quietly blend in with the culture around him. We are called to instruct, heal, love, convert, reform, renew, rebuild the pagan cultures and communities of the world. If the Church, if individual Christians are not involved in providing healing, renewal, and peace, if they do not speak of the ways, wonders, and works of God, is their faith real?

As God must continually warn his unfaithful children:

Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled.  25 Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.  26 But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the foreigners residing among you must not do any of these detestable things,  27 for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled.  28 And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you. Leviticus 18:24-28

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. Matthew 5:13

When the beliefs and actions of the members of the Church become indistinguishable from the beliefs and lifestyle of the unbelieving culture, what good is the Church?

Revelation 3:17 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.

At the time of this letter Laodicea had three industries. It was a wealthy and important banking center, it had a textile industry, producing a very fine black glossy wool, and it had a medical school which produced an eye salve. Christ ruthlessly attacks them, pointing out their weakness in what they believed to be their strength.

  • Banking: They think they are rich but are poor.
  • Textiles: They think they are clothed but are naked.
  • Eye salve: They think they can see but are blind.

Contrast these characteristics to those Christ commends to believers in Matthew 5:3-6, Blessed are the poor in spirit, Blessed are those who mourn, Blessed are the meek, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…

The complacent Church is a proud Church but the spiritually rich Church is poor and humble in spirit. To be spiritual is to be sensitive to sin. The complacent don’t see sin. They rationalize that they are pretty good and they may even believe that they can attain a sinless life.

Revelation 3:18 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.

Christ’s counsel to the Church in this state is, “Buy from me.”

Christ had used this language earlier in his ministry…

Matthew 13:44 & 45-46: The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.  46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

Christ says to the rich Laodiceans, the Kingdom of God is so important you must be willing to give up everything for it.

What did Christ tell the rich young ruler? Luke 18:18-23

What were they to buy?

  • Gold: I Peter 1:7 refined to purity
  • White garments: Genesis 3:7

Nakedness is symptomatic of disobedience.

Nahum 3:5  “I am against you,” declares the Lord Almighty. “I will lift your skirts over your face.
I will show the nations your nakedness
and the kingdoms your shame

Being clothed in white is a symbol of righteousness with regard to both justification and sanctification.

Fine linen, bright and clean. Revelation 19:8, you clothed me. Matt 25:35-36

  • Eye salve: Christ gives sight. John 9:1-25

Psalm 146:8 The Lord gives sight to the blind

How is the Church to buy these things?

“Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
my faithful love promised to David. Isaiah 55:1-3

The Church buys gold (true wealth), clothing (clothed in righteousness) and eye salve (sight to the spiritually blind) by coming to Christ and accepting his free gift of salvation.

Revelation 3:19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be zealous and repent.

Christ will discipline those that are his. Hebrews 12:5-11

What are the Laodiceans instructed to do?

  • Repent: take a good look at their actions and their inactions and repent of their faithlessness.
  • Be zealous: Embrace and live out the truth genuinely with enthusiastic activity: live out loud.

Revelation 3:20 I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

Christ is seeking repentance so that his people may share in the communion supper with him.

Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.  54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.  55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.  56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.  57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. John 6:53-57

See also: I Corinthians 10:14-21, 11:27-32

Revelation 3:21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

  • Christ has entered his Kingdom. Colossians 1:13
  • He has disarmed Satan. Colossians 2:15
  • He reigns now. Acts 2:29-36
  • Over all of creation. Ephesians 1:20-22
  • With all power in heaven and earth. Matthew 28:18-20
  • Putting all enemies under his feet. I Corinthians 15:25
  • Until his Kingdom fills the whole earth. Daniel 2:35 & 45
  • We are made in his image. Colossians 3:10
  • We are kings and priests. Revelation 1:6
  • Heirs, given title to all things. Romans 8:32, I Corinthians 3:21-22
  • Appointed as prophets of God. Numbers 11:29, Acts 2:17-18
  • Ambassadors for Christ. II Corinthians 5:20

In summary, the letters to the Seven Churches make it clear that Christ “has not promised us safety, but participation in an adventure called the Kingdom. That is great good news in a world that is literally dying… God has entrusted us, His Church with the best story in the world. With great ingenuity we have managed to make it boring… He is inviting us to again to engage the enemy…” Stanley Hauerwas, “Preaching as Though We Had Enemies”

The Christian faith is the most exciting drama that has ever staggered the imagination of man! Dorothy Sayers, “The Greatest Drama Ever Staged”

In these seven letters Christ has given the Church two alternatives:

  • Communion with Christ, Creator & ruler of the universe or,
  • Being spit out of Christ and His eternal Kingdom.

The unbelievers in the world frequently, stridently and unapologetically express their opinions and demands about temporal things that will not last: behaviors and attitudes that are antithetical to God’s truth. Lifestyles for which the Holy God will condemn them. On the other hand, it is too often the case, that Christians, those that God has blessed with the words of eternal life, are ashamed of God’s revelation and willing to compromise with those who oppose the eternal truths. To which Christ says, “Wake up!”