The Lukewarm Church: Laodicea

Revelation chapter three. We will look at the last of the seven churches here in the book of Revelation and See, the message that God has for this particular church. I was trying to get the map back up on the screen for you this evening but it doesn't wanna cooperate again. It seems we've been having some issues with our internet. But we have the seven churches that John wrote to.

They are in Western Turkey today. They're called Asia in in that day. The church that was the furthest east of all these churches is the church of Laodicea that we're going to look at this evening. It is some 100 miles inland from the Church of Ephesus. It was a very prominent city in the area of what's called Phrygia, which was again inland on a major trade route, as we'll talk about in in just a moment.

We read about, we read the message that God had for this church beginning in verse 14 of Revelation chapter three down through verse 22. So, beginning in verse 14, 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. I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot. I would that thou wert cold or hot, so then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. 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.

I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in fire that thou mayest be rich. And white raiment that thou mayest be clothed that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear. And anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten, be zealous therefore, and repent. 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 what's up with him and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne. Even as I also overcame and am sat down with my father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit say it unto the churches. Let's go to the Lord in prayer once more.

Lord, thank you for this day. This opportunity to look into your word this evening. Lord, may you give us understanding in this passage concerning the message to this church and apply it where it is relevant to our own lives that we might become stronger and more faithful Christians that we might see the need Lord of standing for Jesus Christ being dedicated to you. Lord, bless our time here this evening. May Jesus Christ be exalted above all things.

For it's in Jesus name we do pray. Amen. First, a little background on the city of Laodicea. As I've already mentioned, it's the most prosperous in the region of Phrygia. This is a good ways inland from Ephesus.

It was situated on the Lycus River Valley, in the Lycus River Valley, along with the cities of Hierapolis and Colossae. So, are three cities here, actually, within just a few miles of one another, Hierapolis, Colossae, and Laodicea. Of the three, Laodicea is by far the most prominent of these three cities. It sat on a major East West trade route of that day. Thus, it became a busy merchant city, which was widely known for three things in particular, a banking system, which excelled over most that of most banking systems in the world in that day.

It was known for its exporting of black wool. They were quite proud of their wool. It was known as a medical city and one of the things that they were known for was the production of an eye salve that seemed to have curative effects over certain eye problems of the day. There was a fourth thing that it was known for that that wasn't a good thing, And it was known for its tepid or lukewarm water supply, which was piped in from quite a distance via an underground water duct. The two cities that were nearby, one Hierapolis had hot springs, and some of the water was brought in via aqueducts from Hierapolis and its hot springs.

But by the time it got six miles to the city of Laodicea, the water was no longer hot. It was now kind of a lukewarm. On the other hand, there was another city nearby, Colossae. Colossae was known for its cool, refreshing mountain water. Some of it may have also been piped in via aqueduct, by the time it got to Laodicea, it also was lukewarm, and was no longer nice, cool, and refreshing.

So, these things were known about the city. When in A. Sixty, the city was nearly leveled by an earthquake, the Laodiceans apparently turned down help from Rome to rebuild, choosing instead to rebuild with their own funds. When the rest of the cities in that area had a very difficult time recovering from the earthquake, which is mentioned in reference to we mentioned in reference to some of the other cities as well, Laodicea didn't have an issue rebuilding their own city with their own funds. That tells you a little bit about the wealth of this particular city, which will play into the message here in just a moment.

The church, a few things about the church. The church there had evidently been planted as a result of the ministry of Epaphras, one of Paul's associates, who also ministered to the churches at Colossae and Hierapolis. Now, hold your place in Revelation three, and turn if you would to Colossians. Just so you know, this isn't just a matter of historical record that somebody said Epaphras had something to do with these cities. No, Paul had said here in Colossians that Epaphras had something to do with the founding or ministering to these churches here in Phrygia.

So, Colossians one and we're going to look at verses seven and eight to begin with in Colossians. As he also learned, he's writing the church at Colossae, which is just a few miles from Laodicea. He says, as you also learn of Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ, we also declared unto us your love in the spirit, who also declared unto us your love in the spirit. Well, very clearly Paul is saying Epaphras had been at the city of Colossae and had been ministering there. It seemed that he had returned from that ministry and had declared here, wanted Paul to make known the Colossians of his love for them even though he had returned to be with Paul.

Look if you would over in chapter four of Colossians and look in verses twelve and thirteen. Chapter four verses twelve and thirteen. Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. For I bear him record, that is Epaphras, that he hath a great zeal for you and them that are in Laodicea and them in Hierapolis. So here, Paul not only mentions the city of Colossae but of Laodicea and Hierapolis.

So, obviously, Epaphras had ministered in all three of those cities there in that area. Look if you would in verses fifteen and sixteen. Verse 15, Paul says, salute the brethren which are in Laodicea in Nymphas and the church which is in his house. And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. So, Paul says here, final closing instructions to the Colossians was this, make sure that this letter that I've sent to you is also read in the church at what?

At Laodicea, okay? So, these were churches that were close to one another, only a few miles apart in this area that had all been part of Epaphras' ministry when he was then that area. It is likely that he helped to plant these particular churches. None of these cities were actually visited by Paul, at least it isn't recorded that any of them were. It would seem likely that some of the same doctrinal struggles faced by the church in Colossi and adjust by Paul in Colossians were also prevalent at Laodicea.

Particularly the deity and eternality of Christ. This is an issue that is addressed numerous times in the epistles and obviously also in the gospels. There were false teachers in the early church who taught that Christ was not the son of God, that Jesus Christ was not God in human flesh, that he was less than the father, that he was not deity, that he was only a created being, and these heresies and false doctrines affected many people and led many people astray in the early churches and so, we see this particular issue addressed often in the epistle. So, moving on back to Revelation chapter three, one of the things that leads you to believe that the identity of Christ as the son of God may have been somewhat challenged at the church of Laodicea is the depiction of Christ in the latter half of verse 14. He says there, these things saith the amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.

Now, at the beginning of each one of these messages, remember, John describes or depicts Christ by certain titles and certain descriptions. Here, Jesus is depicted as the amen, the faithful and true witness, and the beginning of the creation of God. So, we're going to divide this into two. First, we're going to look at the amen and the faithful and true witness and second, the beginning of the creation of God. The amen and the faithful and true witness are titles which identify Christ is the final and sure word that is revelation of God, testified to by the father and the holy spirit.

Matthew three sixteen and seventeen, and Jesus when he was baptized went up straightway out of the water and low the heavens were opened unto him and he saw the spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him and low a voice from heaven saying, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Here at Jesus's baptism, both the holy spirit and the father both clearly identify Jesus as God, the son. As the faithful and true witness, he is the glory of God revealed in human flesh. The word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory, the glorious of the only begotten of the father, full of grace and truth. I think that's John one fourteen.

Jesus is the faithful and the true witness. The ultimate and trustworthy witness to the faithfulness of God not only in revealing himself but in fulfilling all his promises to man in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Thus, Jesus Christ is not only the faithful and true witness but he is the amen. Word amen means so be it. It's often used to end something, to conclude a prayer, or an exaltation of God or even some of the books in the Bible and with the word amen.

Jesus Christ is the amen. He is the beginning and he is the what? The end, the alpha, and the omega. All of God's promises are fulfilled. In the person and work of Jesus Christ.

There is no other. It is all fulfilled in him. He is the amen. It's interesting to note, if you'll turn to the last chapter of Revelation and if you'll look at the last verse of Revelation, you'll notice this, chapter 22 verse 21. The Book of Revelation ends with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Amen. That sums it all up. That sums it all up. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. That that is what we all need.

And that is all we really need. For the grace of Christ to be with us. Amen. And that concluded the revelation. That concluded God's revelation in the written word, Jesus Christ is the conclusion of his revelation in the living word.

He is the amen, the faithful, and the true witness. Second of all, here he is the beginning of the creation of God. Now, that word beginning might at first glance to some as some have taken it to mean that he is the first, that he's the beginning of creation. As these false teachers were teaching, that he was the first one created as there are several cults today that like to teach the same thing. However, the Bible is very clear.

Jesus is not the created, he is the creator And this word here does not mean that he was the first of creation, it means he was the source, the originator, the initiator of God's creation. It says in John one three, all things, all things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made. Who who is it speaking of? It's speaking of the word and whose does it tell us the word is in John one one? In the beginning was the word, the word was with God, and the word what?

Was God. Jesus who is the word is, was, always will be, always has been, forever will be, God, the creator. The source, the originator of all that is. Not a created being but the creator of all things. Colossians one sixteen, says, for by him were all things created that are in heaven.

That are in earth. Visible and invisible. Whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created created by him and for him. Now, again, the church at Colossi was struggling with some of the same heresy as the church at Laodicea and Paul makes it very clear to this church.

Jesus isn't created. He is the creator and he is emphatic. For by him were all things created, whether in heaven, earth, visible, invisible, so so forth and so on. All things were created by him and for him. It would seem that again, both Colossians and Laodicea were dealing with this issue.

So, the writer here under the direction, the Holy Spirit reiterated the deity of Christ and his work as creator of all that is. He is one with the father as he declared himself to be in the book, as recorded in the book of John. He said, I am one with the father, and indeed he is. So, the works of the father can also be attributed to the son, and the works of the son to the father. So, we see Christ depicted thus in verse 14.

Now, we move on. The next verse says, I know thy works. Now, this this phrase begins most of this to most of the churches begins this section, okay, which usually is a commendation followed by a condemnation or rebuke of the church. But here in Revelation three to the Laodiceans, there is no commendation whatsoever to the church at Laodicea. Only condemnation and rebuke.

When he says, I know thy works, that's not a commendation, that's only God saying this, I know what's going on. I see what's going on in your church. I'm there. I recognize it. I see it.

It has not escaped me. I know your works. Now, we can deceive others and and sometimes our judgments are are not quite correct and we certainly do not know what's going on in other churches. Seems sometimes that maybe we don't know entirely what's going on in our own church but there is one who does. God.

God says, I know thy works. In the church of Laodicea, he doesn't have anything good to say about it. Leading one to surmise that the congregation there was largely carnal and even unregenerate as seems to be the case as we study further in the passage about the church that's there. So, there is no commendation. There is no praise but there's plenty of condemnation and rebuke for this church.

He continues on in verse verse 15. I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot but I will that thou wert cold or hot. So then, because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. The primary complaint of Christ, the church is that the church is lukewarm, neither cold nor hot and therefore, utterly revolting to God. The picture is one picking up something to drink it and when they got it in their mouth, the taste is so disgusting that you turn to spit it out.

I won't demonstrate. Okay. But you get the picture, okay? That's the picture that God is giving here. Unlike the hot springs at Hierapolis that people went to in order for its healing properties or the refreshing cool spring of water at Colossi, the water of Laodicea as I mentioned earlier was both tepid or lukewarm and foul tasting due to the lengthy underground journey to the city.

Often often causing visitors to spit it out of their mouth in disgust. So, John and the holy spirit drew upon that knowledge to ills illustrate the foul taste which the which this church left in the mouth of God. God said to them, if you were cool and refreshing cold water, if you were nice, hot water, but you're not, you're lukewarm water, and you're foul tasting, and I will spit you out of my mouth. Now, it is often assumed and by most commentators that I read, that the water being neither cold nor hot is a reference to either being spiritually dead and thus cold, versus being zealous and sincere in service to God, thus hot. Thus, lukewarm would have to be somewhere where?

In between, okay. You're not cold, you're not spiritually dead, or you're not hot, you're not on fire for God, you're just lukewarm, complacent, uncommitted. That's the assumption of most commentators, and maybe they're right. However, it occurred to me that it may be that the people of John's day would have understood it a little different than we assume it to be when we read this. When we see hot and cold, we automatically assume hot is great and cold is what?

Bad. Okay? However, it's interesting to note here that God says in verse 15, that thou art neither cold nor hot, I would that thou wert cold or hot. Now, it's interesting to me that God would say, I would that you were either spiritually dead and lost or that you were on fire for me, then that you're, you know, kind of carnal and complacent. Now, while I think it would certainly be true that God would want us to be, you know, living for God each day, growing in the Lord on fire for God.

It seems a little bit odd to me that God would say to them, I work that you would either cold or hot because God certainly wouldn't want them to be spiritually what? Dead or lost. Yet, this is the assumption that's often made. That brings us to the conclusion that lukewarm means in the middle. You see, the water that came from Colossi, the water at Colossi was cold.

Was that good or bad? Well, that was good. The water that came from Hierapolis, Hierapolis, that, I can't talk tonight. Sorry, was hot and that was good too. But when the cold and the hot mixed over the journey to get there and became lukewarm and foul tasting, that wasn't good.

And of course, it's a metaphor, metaphor for their spiritual condition. If cold means spiritually dead, then, I would think it not likely that God would say that I work that you were cold. So, it maybe that cold or hot do not represent specifically hot in this way, cold in that way but are part of the metaphor about that which is good and pleasing to God. While lukewarm and foul tasting is what? Not pleasing, displeasing to God which would seem to be the point.

The problem with the church at Laodicea wasn't likely that they were complacent Christians but they were not really Christians at all. Therefore, God would what? Spew them out of his mouth. At best, there was a mix of unbelievers and carnal, worldly Christians likely at that church. Seeing Epaphras administered there and prayed for that church.

Seeing Paul had written the book of Colossians both to the church at Colossians and the church at Laodicea. It seems that there was once a growing group of believers there in that city. That was to be commended. But now, several years later, a generation had passed since the book of Colossians was written and John wrote the book of Revelation and it would seem that the church at Laodicea had also changed. And this often begins with carnal worldly Christians.

Christians who get their eyes off of Christ and get their eyes on the what? On the things of the world. Christians that that want to be accepted by the world. Jesus remember said to his disciples, don't be surprised if the world hated you, it hated me before it hated you. Paul also said, that as Christians, if we live godly lives, we should expect to see persecution for it.

But sometimes, Christians seem to want to be accepted a lot more by the world than they should. And when it becomes important that we're accepted by the world, that we feel comfortable in this world. Remember, God said, we're strangers in this world. It's not our home. We begin to love and give our affections to the things of this world.

Now, God never condemned having a nice home or nice car or having certain luxuries that we enjoy. But we're not to love the things of the world. A matter of fact, we're warned the warned that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil and indeed it is and Christians are not immune to that and if we get our eyes off of Christ, we start getting our eyes on the things of the world. We start wanting to be part of the world and longing for their acceptance. We start loving the things of this world.

Then the love of the father is not in us. In other words, as we begin to love this world, then we love the father less. And then our churches begin to reflect that. If you're living like the world, if you want to feel comfortable in your sin and comfortable pursuing the things of the world, then you don't want to hear preaching on sin. Not so much.

You don't want to be challenged and convicted. You want to be entertained. You want to be made to feel good. You don't want to be made to feel bad or convicted over your sin. And so, preaching on sin begins to go down.

Preaching on feel good tends to go up. The gospel begins to become less evident. And so as new people come into the church, what happens? A lot of them aren't saved. In a church that was once a good church goes from being a good church to a carnal church goes from a carnal church to being a church filled with what?

Unbelievers. Who don't even know who Christ is. Because the preaching on the gospel and the preaching on sin are put on the back burner. Because we want to feel comfortable in the world. It may be likely in this lucrative society and as we continue to read in the passage that that is what has happened at the church of Laodicea.

The things of the world had become too important and so therefore, the church had began to slide away from God. So, that as we continue to read, it would seem that God is now standing on the outside looking in rather than on the inside with the church. And so, it is likely that most of these people in this church at this point may not even know Christ as savior. That would be consistent with the concept of I will spew thee out of thy mouth. They were more like maybe the Pharisees of Jesus day who thought they were good with God but in reality, they were anything but.

They assumed that their financial wealth and prosperity was a sign of God's blessing. They assumed, let read that again, that their financial wealth and prosperity was a sign of God's blessing. That is often assumed by people in this society. America is a place of prosperity. America is a place of great wealth compared to most of the world.

We have luxuries and blessings as you may put them. That far exceed the rest of the world. And one might assume, hey, I'm well-to-do. I'm secure in my wealth. I have a nice home, a nice car, all these luxuries.

God must be really happy with me. But is that the way that God declares his approval Can God bless his children in material ways? Sure. But material possessions, prosperity, power, and success in the eyes of the world is not necessarily a sign. Of God's blessing and they often lead to complacency and then to carnality.

In the lives of his children. Because we get comfortable and secure in the things of earth when we should be looking for our security in the things of Christ. He says here, because thou sayest I am rich and increase with goods, I have need of nothing. And know us not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. John wrote them.

He said, you think you are the greatest church that ever was. You think that everything is great because you have lots of money. You have lots of luxury. Compared to those around you. And things are going great.

Maybe their church was big. Maybe their church was popular. Who knows? But they assumed that those meant that everything was great with God and God had to say otherwise. Thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked and you don't even recognize it.

And that's what the world and the devil do. The devil wants us to feel comfortable in our sin and the devil wants us as a church to feel comfortable in the things of the world and the devil wants lost sinners to come in not to hear the gospel and not to hear preaching on sin. Because he wants them to be comfortable too. We want sinners to come that come into this church to feel loved. That we do not necessarily want them to feel comfortable.

Because while we want them to feel loved, we also want them to feel convicted. By the preaching of the word of God and by the testimony of Christians around them that are different from the world in which they live and different from what they know. That's why God said, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven. Sometimes, glorifying your father which is in heaven doesn't mean they're going to jump up and down and say, hey, this is great. Sometimes, it's going to become as an insult but they recognize there's something different.

They should see that in our love. They should also see that in our testimony and in our in our preaching. There is a need of a savior. If you would turn to second Timothy three one through five. Second Timothy three one through five.

It's interesting here in verse one of second Timothy three, Paul writes, this know also, then the last days perilous times shall come. Now, some thought that they were in the last days then, if so, we are certainly in the last days now. Paul writes this also, this know also the last days perilous time shall come. Why are they perilous? Because men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.

Now, let's stop right there. Now, we could take time to go through this. We won't take time to do that but as you go through that list, every one of those things that we read applies to the society in which we live. But sadly, it doesn't only apply to the society in which we live. But in some cases, those things have crept into the what?

Into the churches. Of today. The churches are no longer standing for the truth. Churches one after another, no longer preaching the gospel. No, they are condemning the truth in many cases and they are promoting the things that are despised and an abomination to God.

Many churches that once were churches that preach the gospel and stood for the word of God are now filled with unbelievers. Who are no longer hearing the gospel and who are being encouraged in their sin. Say, well, pastor, that could never ever happen here. Yes, it could. If we are not careful to guard our hearts, and to contend for the faith I was David's getting letters from colleges right now.

He took the ACT a few weeks ago. He did fairly well and and evidently, that information gets out, so he's gotten information from all kinds of colleges and we were talking. He got something from Brown University the other day, so that led us, we looked at, not that he's thinking of going to Brown University, but he got a letter from them, and so we were thinking about when was that started and who started it, and it was started back in the mid to late seventeen hundreds, So, it's been around for a while. We were talking about Harvard and I got thinking about Yale and something we read about, had about Princeton and all these all those colleges were started as what? Christian.

They were started as Christian colleges. Most of them were began as seminaries. Every last one of them has gone extremely liberal. They are anything, most of them, but Christian today. I had a friend, and if if you went to Wake Forest, forgive me, I'm not picking on Wake Forest, but I just happened to know about this particular illustration.

Wake Forest was, maybe still is, I don't know, a Southern Baptist College. But I had a friend from high school that went to Wake Forest. She couldn't, for the life of me, figure out why in the world I would want to go to Bob Jones where they had all those rules. She wanted to get out on her own where she could make her own decision. That's code for I I I don't want anybody telling me what to do.

And, anyway, so she went to Wake Forest, and I talked to her after she had been there a year or two. She took a religion class at a quote unquote Baptist College. What did they teach her? They taught her that many roads lead to God. As long as you're sincere, it doesn't matter if you're a Buddhist or a Hindu.

At least that's what she said. And that's what she bought into. I happen to be on the internet, found her found her Facebook or something on the internet here a few years ago. She's a yoga instructor now down in Fort Myers, I think. And she doesn't just teach exercise classes.

She really believes in yoga as a religion. These colleges, they all started out Christian. What happened to them? Most of these churches, they once started out teaching the gospel. What happened?

Well, they didn't guard the truth. Allowed heresy and false doctrine in. One thing led to another and you end up with the church at Laodicea. I didn't read verse five yet and we'll conclude with it this evening and we'll finish the message next Sunday night. But verse five concludes with this, having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof from such turn away.

These people he was describing as I mentioned, they identified themselves as religious pious people, Christians maybe, but their lives indicated something different. And this would seem to be maybe where the church of Laodicea was. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. They had the looks. They went through the motions.

They really didn't have. The regenerating power of God and the holy spirit in their life and therefore, God said, I will spew thee out of my mouth. Let's close in prayer. Lord, thank you for this thank you for this opportunity to look in your word this evening. I pray Lord that you would help us as a church to see the need of continuing to take a stand on the things of God, on the word of God, to preach on sin, to preach on righteousness, to preach the gospel without apology for it is the power of God unto salvation that everyone that believeth to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Lord, keep our church true to your word. Lord, till you return. We pray Lord that you would work in our hearts that we might not become carnal Christians, enamored and comfortable with the things of the world and forget about the lost that are around us. That are without hope apart from Jesus Christ. Lord, may we be zealous to live a life pleasing and glorifying to your name.

And to preach the word every day, to proclaim it, to live it so that others will see and hear. In Jesus' name we do pray. Amen.