We have now come to our last study in our series - Messages to the Churches of Revelation. Today we will look at the church at Laodicea. Many Bible teachers feel that the Evangelical church of today is an example of the church at Laodicea. Why? As we go through the study I believe the answer to the question why will become quite clear.
Laodicea was located about 90 miles east of Ephesus. It was a popular and wealthy city boasting itself in three areas - its medical school, its banking system, and its textile and clothing industry.
The city of Laodicea's water supply came from a hot spring so the people were familiar with lukewarm water. This is a very important point to remember as we study.
Revelation 3: 14-22
14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
So let us just go through the verses one by one:
Verse 14 -And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
Here in verse 14, Jesus refers to Himself as the Amen, the faithful and true witness. I believe by using these words, Jesus is saying that He is the One who has the final say on things. He has the ultimate authority. He is the One to whom we must all give account. He is the One who will judge each of us using the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God in the judgement on that final day.
Verse 15 - I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
Here again Jesus declares that He sees what is happening - He sees their works. Jesus then give the diagnoses the Laodiceans are neither cold nor hot, they are lukewarm - I believe this means they do not see issues as white or black. They want to be "grey" on matters and do not take a stand for the Lord in holiness and righteousness. Being lukewarm is undesireable - be either cold or hot for the Lord. We need to be true to the Lord in living our faith - no faking will do.
Verse 16 - So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Jesus says because they are lukewarm He will spit the Laodiceans out of His mouth. We all know in our own physical life, how we look forward to a nice hot cup of coffee or tea, or we crave a good cold drink of water or soft drink. But none of us would ever be caught saying - " Oh I so use a cup of lukewarm coffee right now!" or " I'm going to get a quick drink of lukewarm coca cola". We know we want either a cold drink or a hot one! As we mentioned in the introduction, the city of Laodicea's water supply came from a spring which produced lukewarm water for the city. They understood what Jesus was saying here. It has a spiritual application. The Lord rejects half hearted Christianity. The Bible teaches in Matthew 22 that we are to love the Lord with our all - Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Half heartedness and a "whatever" attitude is not acceptable in the sight of the Lord. Take a stand for truth, for Biblical principles and do not back down from it. Stand firm for the Lord even in the midst of controversy.
Verse 17 - Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
The people of Laodicea were living in a city that boasted itself in its medical schools, banks and clothing industry. So here Jesus rebukes them for this but in a spiritual sense. We must never let anything or anyone come between us and the Lord. The Lord is our provider, He is our shield and protector, He is the healer of our bodies and souls. Without Jesus we are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked even though we may possess wealth and fame. But with Jesus we are truly rich even though we have very little worldly possessions.
Verse 18 - I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Here in verse 18, Jesus calls the people of Laodicea to come to Him and find in Him the fullfillment and purpose for their lives. He will provide all that we need.
The church at Laodicea was very deceived - they thought they were wealthy and needed nothing but really they were spiritually in great need. They thought they were well clothed with expensive gaments when in reality they were spiritually naked - they needed to be clothed in Christ's righteouness through faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. They thought they could see but they were blind - in need of Christ to open their spiritual eyes.
When a Christian is living in sin it creates a blindness to sin within that person. The deeper a person goes into living in sin, the heavier and deeper the blindness becomes. This is why we see within our own churches people living in the bondages of sin. Through media ( television, magazines, the idolization of celebrities, through the internet and music ) people become desensitized to the evil all around us. Our churches are filled with these lukewarm people. We can see this in the way people dress. Why is there no shame among women in exposing their breasts with the modern day fashions? We see men caught in pornography, couples divorcing due to immorality and affairs, abortions rampant, people are addicted to drugs and alcohol, etc and this among people who call themselves Christians. This is lukewarm Christianity that the Lord Jesus will not tolerate but will spit these out of His mouth unless they repent!
Verse 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Of one thing we can be sure and that is that Jesus loves each of us. He loves us and calls for us to repent of our sins. Turn from your sin and come to Jesus for cleansing and forgiveness.
Verse 20 - Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Here we see a picture of Jesus stand outside the door and knocking - waiting for those inside to open the door and invite Him in. This is a picture of Jesus waiting at our heart's door - Jesus is knocking at the heart's door of every unsaved person - saying "Won't you turn to Me and be saved?" Jesus died on the cross for this very purpose - to save each of us. He wants to come into our hearts and lives and live in us, leading and guiding us to eternal life in heaven with Him. For further study on how to be saved please click to link on salvation here - http://livebyfaithonlinebiblestudies.blogspot.ca/2012/10/salvation.html
Verse 20 is also a picture of Jesus standing outside the church, knocking on the door - waiting for the invitation to come in from the so called Christians in the church. How can it be that the Lord Jesus would not be invited into our churches but would have to stand outside the door - knocking on the door and waiting to be let in? We need to take a hard look at our churches and make changes where needed - Invite Jesus to your church!
I mean really ....We need to let Jesus into our church after all it should be His Church!
Verse 21 - To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
The reward for him that overcometh here is not a crown or a stone etc as we seen in some of our other studies. But here the reward is to sit with Jesus in His throne. Wow!! That is really a huge reward and it can be ours! I can not imagine the immense joy of sitting with Jesus in this way! I do not have words to describe such a blessed place " sitting with Jesus in His throne".
Verse 22- He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
We know that this message to the church of Laodicea is for all of us as Jesus plainly states here - He that hath an ear let him hear. We have ears and we have eyes. We can hear and we can see. The message is for all of us. Listen up and hear the voice of Jesus and He speaks to your heart today!
For further study on the conditon of the church of today I encourage you to also read a post I wrote on my sharingthefaith blog titled "Drought Awakening 2012" . Link to the post here http://sharingthefaith-northernsparrow.blogspot.ca/2012/08/the-drought.html
Laodicea was located about 90 miles east of Ephesus. It was a popular and wealthy city boasting itself in three areas - its medical school, its banking system, and its textile and clothing industry.
The city of Laodicea's water supply came from a hot spring so the people were familiar with lukewarm water. This is a very important point to remember as we study.
Revelation 3: 14-22
14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
So let us just go through the verses one by one:
Verse 14 -And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
Here in verse 14, Jesus refers to Himself as the Amen, the faithful and true witness. I believe by using these words, Jesus is saying that He is the One who has the final say on things. He has the ultimate authority. He is the One to whom we must all give account. He is the One who will judge each of us using the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God in the judgement on that final day.
Verse 15 - I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
Here again Jesus declares that He sees what is happening - He sees their works. Jesus then give the diagnoses the Laodiceans are neither cold nor hot, they are lukewarm - I believe this means they do not see issues as white or black. They want to be "grey" on matters and do not take a stand for the Lord in holiness and righteousness. Being lukewarm is undesireable - be either cold or hot for the Lord. We need to be true to the Lord in living our faith - no faking will do.
Verse 16 - So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Jesus says because they are lukewarm He will spit the Laodiceans out of His mouth. We all know in our own physical life, how we look forward to a nice hot cup of coffee or tea, or we crave a good cold drink of water or soft drink. But none of us would ever be caught saying - " Oh I so use a cup of lukewarm coffee right now!" or " I'm going to get a quick drink of lukewarm coca cola". We know we want either a cold drink or a hot one! As we mentioned in the introduction, the city of Laodicea's water supply came from a spring which produced lukewarm water for the city. They understood what Jesus was saying here. It has a spiritual application. The Lord rejects half hearted Christianity. The Bible teaches in Matthew 22 that we are to love the Lord with our all - Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Half heartedness and a "whatever" attitude is not acceptable in the sight of the Lord. Take a stand for truth, for Biblical principles and do not back down from it. Stand firm for the Lord even in the midst of controversy.
Verse 17 - Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
The people of Laodicea were living in a city that boasted itself in its medical schools, banks and clothing industry. So here Jesus rebukes them for this but in a spiritual sense. We must never let anything or anyone come between us and the Lord. The Lord is our provider, He is our shield and protector, He is the healer of our bodies and souls. Without Jesus we are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked even though we may possess wealth and fame. But with Jesus we are truly rich even though we have very little worldly possessions.
Verse 18 - I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Here in verse 18, Jesus calls the people of Laodicea to come to Him and find in Him the fullfillment and purpose for their lives. He will provide all that we need.
The church at Laodicea was very deceived - they thought they were wealthy and needed nothing but really they were spiritually in great need. They thought they were well clothed with expensive gaments when in reality they were spiritually naked - they needed to be clothed in Christ's righteouness through faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. They thought they could see but they were blind - in need of Christ to open their spiritual eyes.
When a Christian is living in sin it creates a blindness to sin within that person. The deeper a person goes into living in sin, the heavier and deeper the blindness becomes. This is why we see within our own churches people living in the bondages of sin. Through media ( television, magazines, the idolization of celebrities, through the internet and music ) people become desensitized to the evil all around us. Our churches are filled with these lukewarm people. We can see this in the way people dress. Why is there no shame among women in exposing their breasts with the modern day fashions? We see men caught in pornography, couples divorcing due to immorality and affairs, abortions rampant, people are addicted to drugs and alcohol, etc and this among people who call themselves Christians. This is lukewarm Christianity that the Lord Jesus will not tolerate but will spit these out of His mouth unless they repent!
Verse 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Of one thing we can be sure and that is that Jesus loves each of us. He loves us and calls for us to repent of our sins. Turn from your sin and come to Jesus for cleansing and forgiveness.
Verse 20 - Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Here we see a picture of Jesus stand outside the door and knocking - waiting for those inside to open the door and invite Him in. This is a picture of Jesus waiting at our heart's door - Jesus is knocking at the heart's door of every unsaved person - saying "Won't you turn to Me and be saved?" Jesus died on the cross for this very purpose - to save each of us. He wants to come into our hearts and lives and live in us, leading and guiding us to eternal life in heaven with Him. For further study on how to be saved please click to link on salvation here - http://livebyfaithonlinebiblestudies.blogspot.ca/2012/10/salvation.html
Verse 20 is also a picture of Jesus standing outside the church, knocking on the door - waiting for the invitation to come in from the so called Christians in the church. How can it be that the Lord Jesus would not be invited into our churches but would have to stand outside the door - knocking on the door and waiting to be let in? We need to take a hard look at our churches and make changes where needed - Invite Jesus to your church!
I mean really ....We need to let Jesus into our church after all it should be His Church!
Verse 21 - To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
The reward for him that overcometh here is not a crown or a stone etc as we seen in some of our other studies. But here the reward is to sit with Jesus in His throne. Wow!! That is really a huge reward and it can be ours! I can not imagine the immense joy of sitting with Jesus in this way! I do not have words to describe such a blessed place " sitting with Jesus in His throne".
Verse 22- He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
We know that this message to the church of Laodicea is for all of us as Jesus plainly states here - He that hath an ear let him hear. We have ears and we have eyes. We can hear and we can see. The message is for all of us. Listen up and hear the voice of Jesus and He speaks to your heart today!
For further study on the conditon of the church of today I encourage you to also read a post I wrote on my sharingthefaith blog titled "Drought Awakening 2012" . Link to the post here http://sharingthefaith-northernsparrow.blogspot.ca/2012/08/the-drought.html
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