Please turn in your Bibles this evening to Revelation chapter 3 as we continue our study through the Word of God.  Tonight we are going to finish up looking at the letters that Jesus wrote to the 7 churches that were located in the Roman Province of Asia Minor, or the western part of modern day Turkey.  As we have done with the previous letters, tonight we are going to focus primarily on the historical and prophetic aspects and then on Sunday we will look at this letter individually or how it relates to us.

            And, as we have done with the previous 6 letters we have studied here in Revelation chapters 2 and 3, we will be looking at the 7 key principles of this letter: the destination, the title or description of Jesus, the commendation except for Laodicea, the rebuke but as we saw Smyrna and Philadelphia had none, the exhortation, the warning and once again Smyrna and Philadelphia had none, and then we will finish up with the promise that Jesus gives to all who will listen and obey these words that the Spirit is speaking to them!

            With that said, let’s begin reading in Revelation chapter 3, starting in verse 14 and see what the Lord has for us this evening as we look at this last letter that Jesus wrote to the church of Laodicea.

REVELATION 3

VERSE 14

            The destination of this letter is Laodicea.  And as with the other letters that Jesus wrote, He once again is writing to the pastor of the church of Laodicea who was then responsible to share this with the people that God had entrusted to Him. Once again we are going to take a look at this city of Laodicea because it will help us to understand this letter that Jesus wrote to them.

            The city of Laodicea was located about 40 miles southeast of Philadelphia and 100 miles due east of Ephesus.  Laodicea was part of a triad of cities, along with Colosse, which was 10 miles to the east; and Hierapolis, which was 6 miles to the north; and they all were located in the Lycus valley. This city was located on a plateau several hundred feet high, and thus, geographically it was nearly impregnable. The city was founded by the Seleucid ruler, Antiochus II and named after his first wife sometime before 253 BC, when he divorced her.  They also had to pipe water into this city from several miles away because their water supply was not sufficient and Jesus is going to use that in the next verse to illustrate their condition.

            Laodicea was one of the richest commercial centers in the world. In fact, it was so wealthy and so independent that after a devastating earthquake in 60 AD that leveled the city, they refused help from Rome and rebuilt their entire city on their own with the resources they had!  The idea here is that they were so self-sufficient that they needed help from no one, and as we will see with the church, not even God!

            Laodicea was known for three main industries.  First, financially speaking they were wealthy and were a strategic banking center.  Secondly, they were known for their wool production. They raised black sheep and this wool was made into carpets and clothes, which were very expensive and they made a huge profit off the selling of these products, this wool was something that many sought after.  And lastly they produced this eye salve that was produced at the temple of the Phrygian god Men Karou and within this temple was a medical school that was famous for this eye salve they developed.  This eye salve was exported all over the Greco-Roman world!  Thus, their riches, their self-reliance, their programs ended up being their downfall, at least for the church.

            The church in Laodicea probably got started when Paul was in Ephesus or sometime thereafter.  We are told in Acts 19:10 as Paul was in Ephesus, “And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.”  Now it is possible, according to what Paul wrote in his letter to the Colossians, that the church was planted or at least ministered to by Epaphras, (Colossians 1:17, 4:12-13).  And it is also possible that Archippus, Philemon’s son, was the pastor there.  There is a fourth century document, the Apostolic Constitutions that names Archippus as the Bishop in Laodicea, (vii, 46), (Colossians 4:17).  So this church had a good start but by the time that Jesus wrote this letter, some 30 to 40 years after Paul wrote his letter to the Colossian church, the church had deteriorated into nothing more than a great structure with no true life inside.

            What is interesting to me is that the name “Laodicea” means “ruled by the people.”  You see, LAO means people and DIECE means rule.  That was one of the problems.  A church is not to be ruled as a democracy but the pastor is to shepherd or lead the people.  You don’t see sheep leading a shepherd.  And at any given time, in most churches, 10% of the people are on fire for the Lord, 30% are just getting fired up, and 60% are new believers or unbelievers.  So if the church is run by democratic rule, you would have the church being lead by new believers and unbelievers!  That is not good and it is not scriptural.  The pastor oversees the church and the elders assist in the work of the spiritual matters and the deacons help with the cleaning and upkeep and then the congregation, but the pastor leads.  And so this is the church of Laodicea historically speaking, it was a real church that existed in John’s day.  And Jesus wrote this letter to this church in around 96 AD.

            Prophetically speaking, where does the church of Laodicea fit into the church age or the age of grace?  First of all this period of time began with the day of Pentecost when the church began and will continue on until the Rapture or the church being caught up to meet the Lord in the air.  Now as we have seen in our studies so far, the church of Ephesus represented the apostolic church or the church of the first century and that lasted to around 100 AD.  This was the church that left their first love, Jesus Christ. We then came to the church of Smyrna or the persecuted church from around 100 AD to 312 AD where Rome put to death some 5 to 6 million Christians for their faith in Jesus Christ.  But in this persecution, as they were being crushed, the fragrance of Jesus was released from their lives touching the lives of others.

From there we moved to the church in Pergamos or mixed marriage where the church and the state were united under Constantine, as Christianity became the state religion and thus, this church was known as the church of compromise. And what the persecution couldn’t do, this relationship did, this compromise weakened the church and this covered a period of time from around 312 AD to 590 AD.

Now, these last four churches are all in existence today, and some, if they don’t repent, will be cast into the Tribulation Period.  Out of the compromise of Pergamos we come to the church of Thyatira, which means “continual sacrifice.”  This represented the Roman Catholic Church that denies the finished work of Christ on the cross of Calvary for our sins and they believe we must atone for our sins that we commit now.  That atonement is accomplished on this earth through the Mass and other sacraments and in Purgatory waiting to get into heaven when your work is done, at least that is what they believe, it is not found in the Scriptures.  This covered a period of time from around 590 AD to 1517 AD and this period of time was known as the dark ages!

            Out of the dark ages came the Renaissance or “rebirth.”  This is the church of Sardis and it represents the Reformation movement where the call was to get back to the truths of God found in the Word of God and away from the doctrines, the philosophies of man.  They held to the truth that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone!  But over time this movement became dead, lifeless, cold, mechanical as they were no longer moved by the Spirit of God. The time frame here is from 1517 AD to 1750 AD.  They still had a name, but there was no life in them!

            Out of the deadness of what was the Protestant Reformation movement came two churches. One was the church of Philadelphia that represented the Great Awakening of the 1700’s to the late 1800’s and into the early 1900’s. Men like Moody, Spurgeon, Carey, Taylor, Wesley, Finney, Edwards and others whom God used as He put away the old wineskins and used the new wineskins to work through.

            The other branch that came out of the Protestant Reformation movement was the church of Laodicea or the lukewarm church.  They were into higher criticism and began to deny the truths of God found in the Word of God and what began in the 1900’s continues on today.  This church is big, it is strong and it is experience driven instead of Spirit lead. It goes by feelings instead of the Word of God. It is the apostate church of the last days and we are seeing it grow before our very eyes! This is the church prophetically speaking.

            Now the title or description of Jesus that He uses really doesn’t come out of Revelation chapter 1, as we saw with the church of Philadelphia.  Jesus begins by saying that He is the “Amen.”  That word was used to punctuate a statement; it is a word that means, “so be it.”  In other words, He is the one who will have the final say in all things and since Jesus is God, that just makes sense and it truly makes sense as He speaks to this apostate church!  It is as Paul said in II Corinthians 1:20, “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”

            What is Paul saying?  Paul is saying that all the promises of God are guaranteed through the work of Jesus Christ.  You see, the blood of bulls and goats could not take away our sins but the shed blood of Christ could and did!  Listen to what John tells us regarding Jesus in I John 2:2, “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”  You see, God became sin for us, He paid in full the penalty for our sins, enduring the wrath of God that was due us!  Thus, Jesus does not defend us by manipulating the evidence because we are guilty before God. What He does do is say that our penalty was paid in full by Him, and He can show the scares to prove it, case closed!  What is interesting to me is when they were translating the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, back around 250 BC, the Greek word they used for Mercy Seat is the same Greek word that John uses for propitiation, HILASMOS!

            In other words, on the Day of Atonement, when the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies and poured out the blood upon the Mercy Seat to atone for the sins of the nation, Jesus has become our Mercy Seat and it is His blood that was shed to atone completely for our sins! In fact, Paul tells us in Hebrews 7:25, “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

            Jesus is also the “faithful and true witness” but of who?  He is the faithful and true witness of God.  Remember what Jesus said in the Gospel of John, that if you have seen Me you have seen the Father. He represented the Father to us because He is God!  Thus, when Jesus says, “ . . . ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” He had the authority to proclaim this. (John 14:6).  And it was important for this church to hear that because they did not believe it!

            Now He also says that He is “the beginning of the creation of God” and when cults hear this they jump to the conclusion that Jesus is a created being, and thus, He is not God or maybe He is just “a god.”  That is poor Bible exegesis or interpretation.  Listen carefully, this is important because, like I said, the cults will try to hit you on this one denying the deity of Jesus!

            The word “beginning” is the Greek word ARCHE and that speaks of origin.  In other words, Jesus is saying that He is the source or the origination of creation. He is not a created being, He has always existed because He is God and He is eternal.  In John 1:1-2 we are told, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”  Also, in Micah 5:2 tells us, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”  That phrase, “from everlasting” speaks of His eternal existence and can be translated “beyond the vanishing point.”  Thus, Jesus is eternal, He is God!

            Why was it so important to make these statements to the church of Laodicea?  Keep in mind Jesus does not waste words and the reason is simple.  The church in Laodicea was being infected with the heresy that was being spread in Colosse, which was only some 10 miles away. Some believed the material universe was evil and thus Jesus was only spiritual, He had no flesh or bones.  Obviously the Scriptures deny that very clearly.  Others believed that God created Jesus and that He was some distant emanation of God.  Thus, they were denying the deity of Jesus Christ. And so we see Jesus telling them as the God of truth and the faithful witness of the Father, the only one who has seen the Father, that He is the originator of creation.  The one who holds your existence in His hands is speaking to them!

            As we will see, there is no commendation for this church that was lukewarm in their relationship with the Lord and we will see that as we move on.

VERSES 15-17

            God, who knows their works, rebukes them and He does so like a machine gun firing off in rapid-fire succession.  They seem to be unaware, indifferent but the Lord tells them they are lukewarm, wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked!  You see, they had no excuse now, the Lord is showing them their error and it is up to them to listen to what the Spirit is saying and respond!

            It seems that Laodicea did not have an adequate water supply so they had to pipe it into the city from Colosse, who received their water from the mountains. And in Colosse the water was cool, it was refreshing but by the time it reached Laodicea it was lukewarm, distasteful, it was no longer refreshing.  Also, from Hierapolis they had hot springs that were therapeutic to the body. But once again, by the time it reached Laodicea this water was lukewarm, it was no longer therapeutic.

            Now you need to understand that Jesus is not speaking of believers, but unbelievers.  You see, those that were hot are speaking of those that were saved and on fire for the Lord.  Those that are cold were the unsaved and they knew where they stood and there was always the possibility that they would desire the warmth of the Lord and turn to Him.  But this church was not hot or cold, they were lukewarm, which speaks of them being religious but unsaved. This is the most dangerous place to be because they were in a condition that made them feel safe, secure but they were still lost in their sins.

            Think of it like this. The thief on the cross was cold, indifferent to Jesus and he knew it and saw his need for the Lord and got saved.  The apostle John was hot towards Jesus; he had a personal relationship with Him. But Judas, he was lukewarm.  He followed close enough to Jesus to be considered a disciple but never giving his life over to Jesus to be saved. That was this church, the people here in Laodicea, they were lukewarm!  It is as Walvoord said, “There is no one farther from the truth in Christ than he who makes an idol profession without real faith.”

            The Lord desired to see them saved or at least cold, but they refused and for those who believe that by just being religious, just believing in something is acceptable before God, think again.  The Lord says to those who are lukewarm, “I will vomit you out of My mouth.” This Laodicean church made Him sick and the same is true for those who are lukewarm like this church!  The Lord doesn’t want anything to do with a false profession of faith – that is hypocrisy!

            Remember when we were studying the church of Smyrna, this persecuted church who were small, they were poor having absolutely nothing and many were at the point of death for their faith.  Now from a worldly perspective, they were nothing.  But as the Lord looked at this church who had nothing physically, He saw them as spiritually rich!  Here we see the exact opposite with the church of Laodicea. They were self-sufficient and were in need of nothing, not even the Lord!

            You see, from a human perspective they saw themselves as rich or wealthy, in need of nothing but the Lord looks at the heart and sees what is really going on and says that they are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked!  As Christians we do struggle with the garbage in our lives and it is the Lord who sheds His light upon them exposing them for what they are so they may be purged from our lives if we will give it to Him!  This is an ongoing process and many times it is hard for us to let go, but that is God’s desire for us.

The Psalmist tells us “O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.  You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. . . . Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.”  Psalm 139:1-4, 23-24.  We need to let God search our hearts and expose those evil things so we can be more like Him as this stuff is purged from our lives!

            In regards to the church in America today, it truly is a sad state. John Stott writes these words in regards to the church and this was written back in 1980.  He wrote: “Perhaps none of the seven letters is more appropriate to the twentieth-century church than this.  It describes vividly the respectable, sentimental, nominal, skin-deep religiosity which is so widespread among us today. Our Christianity is flabby and anemic.  We appear to have taken a lukewarm bath of religion.”  (John Stott, What Christ Thinks of the Church, p.116).

            As we move into verse 18 Jesus is going to exhort them in what they need to do.

VERSE 18

            The exhortation here is threefold as the Lord calls for them to buy three things from Him and the idea of buying is an invitation of salvation, it is free and must be received by faith.  It is as we are told in Isaiah 55:1-3, “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price.  Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you — The sure mercies of David.”

            First of all they were a proud, wealthy banking center and yet Jesus calls for them to buy gold from Him that will make them rich.  Peter tells us in I Peter 1:7, “that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”  Peter is saying that our faith, like gold, is heated up through trials, it is tested.  Thus, this gold is not bought but it is received by faith.  They were spiritually bankrupt and God wants them to make them spiritually rich because real faith is more precious than real gold!

            Secondly, they manufactured black wool from sheep and made these expensive garments from them.  But as Jesus looks at them He sees them as naked because they are clothed in their own righteousness, which are like filthy rags, instead of the righteousness of Christ imputed to them by faith, the white garments.  Remember the parable of the marriage feast in Matthew chapter 22, let’s pick up in verse 11 where we are told, “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’  For many are called, but few are chosen.”  Matthew 22:11-14.  You see, apart from Christ you are lost, but in Christ you are clothed with His righteousness, you are as white as snow as the blood of Christ cleanses you!

            The third point that Jesus makes deals with this eye salve that was produced at this medical school with an allegiance to the serpent god, Asclepius.  This eye salve was famous and it was called Phrygian powder. The problem was these people were spiritually blind, this eye salve was not going to help them with their spiritual blindness.  They needed their eyes opened by the Holy Spirit so they could see the things of God. It is as Paul said in I Corinthians 2:14, “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

            God wants to help them, but they must be willing not only to listen, but to obey what He is telling them, to come to Him and receive the gift of life that is found in Him!

            Let me read this to you and then I will tell you who wrote it.  We are told:

            The extent to which sheer frivolity and utterly inane amusement have been carried in connection with some places of worship would almost exceed belief. . . . There can be no doubt that all sorts of entertainments, as nearly as possible approximating to stage-plays, have been carried on in connection with places of worship, and are, at this present time in high favour. Can these things promote holiness, or help in communion with God?  Can men come away from such things and plead with God for the salvation of sinners and the sanctification of believers?  We loathe to touch the unhallowed subject; it seems so far removed from the walk of faith and the way of heavenly fellowship. In some cases the follies complained of are even beneath the dignity of manhood, and fitter for the region of the imbecile than for thoughtful men.

- Charles Haddon Spurgeon

            Believe it or not, that was Charles Spurgeon who wrote those words, can you imagine what he would write today!  The church in America needs to get back to the basics, as Acts chapter 2 tells us, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.  Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. . . . And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”  Acts 2:42-43, 47b.  That is the key to lukewarmness, turning back to God!

VERSE 19

            Jesus exhorts them to repent, not to remain in this condition but to turn to God.

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote this in regards to repentance:

            Repentance means that you realize that you are a guilty, vile sinner in the presence of God, that you deserve the wrath and punishment of God, that you are hell-bound. It means that you begin to realize that this thing called sin is in you, that you long to get rid of it, and that you turn your back on it in every shape and form.  You renounce the world whatever the cost, the world in its mind and outlook as well as its practice, and you deny yourself, and take up the cross and go after Christ.

- D. Martyn Lloyd Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount

            Can you imagine something like that being said in church today? Folks it needs to be for without true repentance, there is no salvation!  You must turn to the Lord and ask Him to be Lord and Savior of your life!

VERSE 20

            Here is the obvious reason this church, these people in this church are not saved, not one of them. Jesus is outside knocking to get in. He is calling for anyone to open the door.  How is that done?  What did the Lord just call them to do?  He called them to repent and that opens the door for Christ to come into their life and folks, it only takes one person for the Lord to work through and others can catch that fire!

Holman Hunt painted a picture of Jesus knocking on a door, and this painting hangs in St. Paul’s cathedral in London.  As this painting was unveiled, a critic came up to Mr. Hunt and said, “You’ve made a mistake, Mr. Hunt, there’s no handle on the door!” “That was intentional,” replied Hunt.  “The door opens only from the inside!”  You see, the only one preventing you from going to heaven is YOU!  Jesus is telling you to open the door of your heart so He may come in and be not only Savior but Lord of your life!  It is as Jesus said in John 14:23, “ . . . ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.’”  And for a church, all it takes is one person to open the door and that may be the spark that ignites the church for Christ!  But it is always the Lord doing the knocking and pursuing, all we must do is respond to His call. And the Lord is urging them to repent and have fellowship with Him before the night of judgment falls upon them, before it was too late!  That is the warning to this church.

VERSE 21

            The promise to them is they need to overcome this obstacle that is before them and if they do this they will sit with Jesus!  But how do we overcome, we just don’t have the strength it seems?  In I John 5:4-5 we are told, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”  You see, if Jesus is your Lord and Savior you have overcome by faith in Him!  They still had a chance by the choice they make, either to open the door or keep it closed!

VERSE 22

            This letter that Jesus wrote is truly a wake-up call to the apostate church today, which is growing very quickly!  If they refuse to open the door of their heart and the door of the church, they will go through the Tribulation Period; they will not enter the Kingdom of God and sit with Jesus!  They are traveling down the road of self-righteous deception that is leading them to the gates of Hell and if you think that all roads lead to God, you are deceiving yourself and you are arrogant and self-righteous because you are saying that God is wrong and you are right! That is foolish!

            As we close this seventh letter to the churches in the Roman Province of Asia, we close out church history.  We have covered the apostolic church of the first century through the apostate church of the last days. And the next time you will see the church on the earth, the true church of God, His Bride, is in Revelation chapter 19 when we return with the Lord. And we will look at that next time when we move into Revelation chapter 4.

As I close this evening, let me leave you with these words from Jude who tells us, “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever.  Amen.”  Jude 24-25.