Revelation 3: 14-22
THE COMPLACENT CHURCH
[Matthew 2:19-34]
The letters to the seven churches are God’s X-rays, given so that we might examine our own lives and ministries. Judgment is going to come to this world, but it first begins at the house of God (1 Pet. 4:17). This refining fire is aimed at returning the Church to its Founder. Thus in most of these letters we find rebuke as well as encouragement.
Churches that start well, often don’t finish well. If the cause for this is because its members want to participate in the worldliness of an affluent society, the Church will face the judgment of the Lord. The Laodicean Church had become complacent about the cause of Christ because its members were immersed in the worldly activities of the affluent society in which they lived. Jesus tells them that He would not accept their luke-warm attitude toward Him. Jesus wanted them to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (CIM).
I. CHARACTERISTICS, 14.
A. Greeting, 14a.
B. Christ’s Titles, 14b.
II. CRITICISM, 15-17.
III. COMMAND, 18-19.
IV. CALL TO COMMITMENT, 20-22.
The seventh and concluding message to the seven churches of Asia is addressed to the angel of the church in Laodicea. The city was situated about 40 miles southeast of Philadelphia on the road to Colossae at the intersection of three important roads. It was one of the richest commercial centers in the world and a picture of affluent society. Laodicea was a prominent center of banking and industry. The city was famous for a beautiful glossy black wool used to make clothing and carpets. A pharmaceutical eye salve made in the city was exported far and wide.
The city of Laodicea was rich and so were the people of its church. The church had apparently been established by the preaching of Epaphras (Col. 1:7, 4:12f). The Laodicea church was even written a letter by the Apostle Paul (Col. 4:16) which in God’s providence has been lost.
[B. Christ’s Titles, 14b.]
Christ gives His titles in the second part of verse 14. The Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Source of the creation of God, says this:
Jesus Christ presents Himself as the Amen. (This is the one letter where Christ’s titles are not drawn from His description in chapter 1). The word Amen is the Hebrew word truth (Isa. 65:16). In Greek it means "so be it", "let it stand" and it is usually translated verily or truly when part of the gospel declarations of Jesus. As a title of Christ it indicates His sovereignty and the certainty of the fulfillment of His promises (2 Cor. 1:20). When Christ speaks, it is the final word, and His will is always effected.
Christ also entitles Himself The Faithful and True Witness in sharp contrast to the church in Laodicea which was neither faithful nor true. The fact that Christ is both a faithful and a true witness gives special solemnness to the words which follow. The Lord is about to tell this church the truth about their condition.
Finally He is the Source of the Creation of God. The word source or beginning (arche, can mean first in time or first in rank) is translated principal or ruler in other places in the New Testament (Eph. 6:12). He is the source, the fountain head of creation.
II. CRITICISM, 15-17.
Verse 15 begins Christ look at the church. He says, I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you were cold or hot.
The letter has no word of commendation, neither is there any word of censure for false teaching or immorality. The trouble at Laodicea is that they were neither hot or cold. The Greek words are striking, and we are left no doubt concerning their meaning. Cold means icy cold and hot means boiling hot. Jesus Christ would prefer us to boil or freeze rather than simmer down into an insensitive lukewarmness. Outright rejection of the faith is better than the insensitivity to it of the Laodiceans. To profess Christianity while remaining untouched by its fire is a disaster for the church and for the world. Their coolness, their aloofness, their self-centeredness, was a denial of the meaningfulness of Christ and what He had done. They said they believed but lived like it was unimportant.
Our inner spiritual fire is always in constant danger of dying down. It needs to be poked, fed and fanned into flame. The idea of being on fire for Christ will strike some people as dangerous emotionalism. Fanaticism is not what is intended here. Fanaticism is an unreasoning and unintelligent. It is action without reflection. What Jesus Christ desires and deserves is the reflection which leads to commitment. If Jesus is true, if He is the Son of God who became flesh; died for our sins and was raised from the dead; if Christmas Day, Good Friday, and Easter Day are more than meaningless holidays, then nothing less than our wholehearted commitment to Christ will do! This means putting Him first in our private and public life, seeking His glory and obeying His will. Better to be icy in rejection than to insult Him and the gospel with half-hearted indifference that communicates to the world that it holds little significant value to you.
Compromising what He died for is an insult which causes Him to experience a repulsing nausea down deep! Verse 16 says; So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.
A very strong warning here is given to the spiritually indifferent. Jesus’ repugnancy is expressed in a descriptive fashion, He will spit, literally vomit them out of His mouth. Lukewarm Christianity makes Jesus sick! If you are unmoved or unaroused by the gospel of His life, death, and resurrection, you make Him sick. Christ get angry with apostasy but He gets sick at indifference.
The Christian church has often been scared of enthusiasm. John Wesley and his friends found that out, as have so many others before and since. But enthusiasm is an essential part of Christianity. Christ warmly approves of it, even if the church doesn’t.
Verse17 digs into the depth of their problem. Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.
Affluence had lulled the church to sleep. The members were wealthy in material good, but poor spiritually. The lack of spiritual receptivity, devotion and faith in God manifested in a lukewarm state is revealed in the exaltation of material wealth in contrast to spiritual riches. The Laodiceans were prosperous as far as material goods were concerned. Christ quotes them as boasting I am rich and have become wealthy and have need of nothing. Their economic wealth has blinded their eyes to their dire need of spiritual riches.
Christ needs to be blunt to open their eyes to their true spiritual condition of these complacent, self-secure Christians so He tells them their true condition that you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.
This then is Christ’s view of us--of Christians who are not really wholeheartedly committed to Him. Morally and spiritually they are naked, blind beggars. They are naked beggars because they have nothing with which to purchase their forgiveness or entry into the Kingdom of God. They are blind because they have no idea of their true poverty or spiritual condition.
OUT THE DOOR NEED
A black preacher once said that a good many of his congregation would be lost because they were too generous. He saw that the people looked rather surprised so he said, "Perhaps you think I have made a mistake, and that I ought to have said you will be lost because you are not generous enough. That is not so; I meant just what I said. You give away too many sermons. You hear them, as it were, for other people." There are a good many who listen for those behind them; they say the message is very good for neighbor so-and-so; and they pass it over their shoulders, till it gets clear out of the door.
The Laodiceans are typical of the modern world, which revels in what the natural eye sees but is untouched by the gospel and does not see beyond the veil of the material to the unseen real eternal spiritual riches.
III. COMMAND, 18-19.
So many want give advice. Christ Jesus now gives those who will receive it some advise for eternity in verse 18. I advice you to buy from Me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich, and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see (18).
Can you read this verse without being moved? We have a God who is content to give advise to His creation. He is the Lord of the expanding universe. He has countless galaxies of stars at His fingertips. He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things, the Lord God Almighty. He has the right to issue orders to us to obey. But instead He gives advise which we do not have to heed. He could authoritarianly command, but He counsels. He respects individual responsibility and the freedom of choice.
What then is His advise? He counsels them to buy from Him. They emphasis that is it comes from God. They must no longer trust in their riches but come to Him for eternal riches. They considered themselves self-sufficient but they must humbly find their sufficiency in Christ.
There is a gentle irony in the exhortation for them to buy these needed spiritual things. Though they were well endowed with the riches of this earth, what they need they could not buy (Isa. 55:1). They were to obtain gold from Christ, that is, the true riches and more specifically, that which corresponds to the glory of God Himself.
The church is also summoned to cover her nakedness with garments of purity and sincerity washed white in the blood of the Lamb. They needed the white garments of God’s righteousness and grace (Rev. 19:8). Like the emperor in Hans Christian Anderson’s story (The Emperor’s New Suit), these Christians thought they were clothed in splendor when they were really naked. To be naked meant to be defeated and humiliated (2 Sam. 10:4, Isa. 20:1-4) for you would be naked for no other reason, unless you have lost your senses.
The Laodiceans were blind and could not see their spiritual condition. They needed the Holy Spirit to anoint their eyes with spiritual sight so they could see, understand and accept the truth of God. They were blind to the things of God, and worse, they were blind and could not see Christ at the door bidding them to repent.
Let them come to Jesus! He can enrich their poverty, clothe their nakedness and heal their blindness. He can open their eyes to perceive a spiritual world of which they have never dreamed. He can cover their sin and shame and make them fit to partake of the inheritance of the saints in light. He can save and sanctify them. He has died for them and risen again. Through His blood they can be cleansed and by His living presence within them they can be changed.
Verse 19 tells us why Jesus is so concerned for them and us. Jesus is concerned for us and our spiritual condition because He loves us. Jesus says, Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; be zealous therefore, and repent.
Jesus still loves even lukewarm saints. Even though their love for Him had grown cold, He would not forsake them. He planned to reprove and discipline them as proof of His love (Heb. 12:5-6, Prov. 3:11-12).
Discipline means to train, bring in-line or educate. God disciplines His children. Rebuke and discipline are evidence that you are a true child of God. Obviously this commitment of love is not addressed to the unsaved. It was addressed to half-hearted Christians who needed to regain a heart for God.
CARING FOR SHEEP
A lady in England was out riding and she saw a shepherd who had some dogs driving sheep. If the sheep stopped to drink out of the pools in the streets, he would have the dogs after them. She kept saying to herself, "Oh, you cruel man!" But by-and-by the shepherd came to a beautiful park, opened the great iron gate, and let all the sheep in there where the grass was knee-high, sweet, fresh grass, and a beautiful river running right through the park; and she said, "He isn’t a cruel shepherd after all. He didn’t want them to eat and drink by the roadside where danger lurked. He was only trying to get them to a better place." Christ is here using reprove and discipline to move His church to a better state of spirituality and maturity.
The verb tense changes in verse 19 to imperatives and they are commanded to be zealous and immediately repent. Let them then be fired up with zeal. The fallenness of complacency and compromise must be replaced with humility and repentance.
To repent is to turn with resolution from all that is known to be contrary to God’s will. Like the Laodiceans we have to renounce the old life with its complacency to Jesus and spiritual matters. Smug self-satisfaction is not appropriate for one who bears the name of Christ. Shallow esteem never saved anyone. We must break from complacent, compromising attitudes. In repentance we must spit them out of our life.
ZEALOUS FOR THE LOST
Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) was a brilliant theologian whose sermons had an overwhelming impact on those who heard him. One in particular, his famous "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," moved hundreds to repentance and salvation. That single message helped to spark the revival known as "The Great Awakening" (1734-1744).
From a human standpoint, it seems incredible that such far-reaching results could come from one message. Edwards did not have a commanding voice or impressive pulpit manner. He used very few gestures, and he read from a manuscript. Yet God’s Spirit moved upon listeners with conviction and power.
Few know the spiritual preparation involved in that sermon. John Chapman gives us the story: "For 3 days Edwards had not eaten a mouthful of food; for 3 nights he had not closed his eyes in sleep. Over and over again he was heard to pray, ’O Lord, give me New England! Give me New England! When he arose from his knees and made his way into the pulpit that Sunday, he looked as if he had been gazing straight into the face of God. Even before he began to speak, tremendous conviction fell upon his audience."
Let’s confess our spiritual lethargy and lack of love and ask God to make us zealous for the lost. Let us ask for the fire of God to fall once again on our church and land!
[Be zealous if you desire to see souls converted. If you wish to place crowns upon the head of the Savior and see His throne lifted high, then be filled with zeal. The world will be converted by the zeal of the Church. Prudence, knowledge, patience, and courage will follow in their places, but zeal must lead the charge. It is not the depth of your knowledge or the extent of your talent that will triumph. It is your zeal that will do great exploits. Zeal draws its power from the continued operations of the Holy Spirit in the soul. If our spiritual life dwindles, we will not know zeal. But if we are strong and vigorous within, we will feel a loving eagerness to serve Him who served us at such sacrificial cost.
A deep sense of gratitude will nourish Christian zeal. When we look at what we were redeemed from, we find many reasons why we should live and give for God. Zeal is also stimulated by the thought of the eternal future. It looks with tearful eyes down to the flames of hell, and it cannot slumber. It looks up with a longing gaze to the glories of heaven, and it cannot help but rouse itself. Time is short compared with the work to be done. Therefore, it devotes all that it has to the cause of its Lord. Finally, it is strengthened by the remembrance of Christ’s example. He was clothed with zeal as with a cloak. Let us prove that we are His disciples by manifesting the same spirit of zeal.]
IV. COMMITMENT, 20-22.
The greatest invitation possible is contained in verse 20. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me.
To all who will hear, Christ gives an invitation. The primary meaning is that He is standing outside the church wanting an invitation to come inside the fellowship. Our church must invite Christ to come in and become the center of heart-felt worship, adoration, and love. Yet it is also true of each and every person, just as it is of each and every church. The opportunity is ours to accept or reject.
So hear this appeal personally. Although it is addressed to the church, it also applies to individuals. It applies to you. Christ says if anyone. God does not force Himself upon anyone. No one is saved against His will. No one is compelled to obedience who wants to be rebellious. Our heart or soul is likened to a dwelling place and we must open the door of our life to Christ. Each of us likes to rule the roost, and be king of our own castle. But we must admit the Lord into our life. We must open our life to Him and let Him take control. We must surrender to His Lordship. We must submit to His will and word and freely, lovingly obey. It is not attending religious services or leading a decent life or believing a creed. It is opening our lives to Jesus and letting Him be who He is, Lord of Life, in us.
If we open the door of our life to Jesus and let Him in, He will bring an end to our spiritual poverty. He will transform us from pauper to prince. He will cleanse and cloth us. He will sup with you and you with Him. This pictures the sharing of joys, of intimate and reciprocal fellowship.
Sit down, converse, get to know Him. Find His strength, His love, His peace, His self-control. Learn His interests. Become His disciple. O what sweet communion is offered with the Lover of our Soul! Let His objective truth become your subjective experience.
[LOVE THAT WON’T QUIT
Day after day, the loving father came to the hospital, often with flowers in his hand. He would sit beside the bed of his comatose 6-year-old daughter, talking to her about the wonderful world outside her window. Sometimes he would tell her a story. But in her unconscious state, the only sound she ever made was her labored breathing.
One day her nurse, touched by the father’s unrewarded faithfulness, ventured to say, "It must be hard giving so much love when she’s like this."
He quickly responded, "I’m going to keep on coming and bringing flowers and telling her stories even if she’s oblivious to it because I love her whether or not she loves me back."
What a tender and poignant picture of God’s love! Patiently, untiringly, He is in love with us. We may be unaware of His presence, as though we are spiritually comatose. But we don’t have to be that way. What our loving Lord said to the church of Laodicea He says to each of us: "I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me".
Today, as always, God is reaching out to you. Respond now to the love that won’t quit loving.]
Verse 21 contains another precious promise to God’s overcomers. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne (21).
This prospect seems to exceed all the other promises to the overcomer in glory. A throne is the emblem of conquest, authority and royal honor. A throne shared with Christ is the highest honor conceivable for a Christian (Mt. 19:28, 28:31). The honor is for those who overcome as Christ overcame.
Christ overcame by the way of obedience even unto death and sets the pattern for His followers (Phil. 2: : Heb. 12:2). Though they face difficult circumstances let them never forget that the Cross, which seems like Christ’s defeat, was in fact His victory over the world. They need not fear that they are called to overcome the world for as Christ conquered, they too will conquer.
Whatever way we take the promises to the overcomers in these letters they award honor, privilege, power, and blessing greater than eye has seen or ear has heard or the heart of man has conceived.
Verse 22 concludes this letter with the same consistent challenge to truly hear, meditate on it, and then obey His Word to the churches. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
At the end of each letter to the churches, the believers were urged to listen and take to heart what was written. Although a different message was addressed to each church, in the message is a warning and exhortation for every church of every age. The question to us today is how will we respond as a church body and as individuals? It would be foolish to turn a deaf ear to these urgent messages.
CONCLUSION
The letter to the church in Laodicea reminds one of the legend of King Midas. In return for acts of kindness performed for the gods, King Midas’s wish was granted that everything he touched should turn to gold. For a while he was fortunate. But when even his food turned to gold, he saw that he would starve in the midst of plenty. He begged for the curse to be taken away.
The church in Laodicea was wealthy. But it was a false prosperity. The church needed to trade in the robes of self-satisfaction and complacency for the white robes of a new commitment to Christ.
The only solution for the luke-warm church is that it must repent and readmit the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the same solution for the lost person or the luke-warm Christian also.
To such people, Christ extended the invitation to fellowship such as dear friends enjoy. Holman Hunt captures the drama of this scene in his painting "The Light of the World." The door to the human heart is barred shut. Jesus knocks in the nighttime with the lantern of conviction in His hand but with mercy on His face. Thus He stands at every heart’s door seeking to claim it for His own.
Will we open our hearts to His knock instead of letting the lure of possessions and power make us unwilling to hear His invitation to commitment?
A loving God would have men hear and believe and turn from the idols of sin and self and in faith open up their life to the Son of God, who loved them and gave Himself for them.
