The Church that Sickens Christ
Revelation 3:14-22
October 15, 2006

Tucked away at the end of the Colossian epistle, Paul identifies another church nearby in the Lycus Valley, the church at Laodicea. Presumably, Epaphras, converted during Paul’s ministry in Ephesus, began both churches. So we find Paul giving a special instruction for these two sister churches. “When this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part read my letter that is coming from Laodicea” (Col. 4:16).Though the apostle had been to neither city, he felt a kinship with both churches, and sought to exhort them in the truths of the gospel.

Scholars have debated exactly what letter Paul wrote to the Laodiceans. Some speculate that it was Philemon; Marcion, an ancient heretic, said that it was Ephesians; others have identified it as a pseudepigraphal document written in Latin known as Epistle to the Laodiceans. The fact is, no one knows. This epistle wasn’t preserved for us. But we do know that the Laodicean church heard, and likely treasured, the Colossian epistle.

Laodicea understood apostolic revelation. What more majestic picture of Christ can be offered than the one found in Colossians 1-2? That was read to them, and probably expounded upon and discussed. It likely spurred some of their hymnody and shaped their prayers and witness. Can a clearer statement on biblical sanctification and Christian growth be offered with more conciseness than the one found in Colossians 3-4? The Laodicean Christians had the distinction of receiving this letter from Paul that became part of the body of Holy Scripture. The Apostles likely wrote many letters but only a few were preserved by the Holy Spirit as the inspired Word of God. The Laodicean Church holds the distinction of being singled out as a recipient of this divine treasure.

Yet for all of the spiritual blessing heaped upon them, some 30 years later they had grown smug, arrogant, and self-dependent. They attributed their material prosperity to the blessing of God, and rightly so, but they equated this with true spirituality—a disastrous conclusion. Numbed by materialism, the Laodicean Church met with the sternest rebuke of Jesus Christ in the seven letters to the churches in Asia Minor. None of its members were singled out as exceptions, unlike what happened at the spiritually dead church of Sardis. Christ had nothing good to say about them; they stood on the brink of judgment. But only at the brink, for Christ’s exhortation demonstrates His kindness and mercy toward them.

The Laodicean Church had lost its spiritual bearings. They still called themselves Christians and a church; but their condition nauseated the Lord of the Church. This is not a problem of history; we find the Laodicean problem in more churches than can be numbered. We must sense something of the urgency and grief of Christ in this letter. Every church must find its bearings through the revelation of Christ. The church has no right to call itself a Christian church unless its life and ministry bear clear testimony to Christ. Laodicea failed to be Christian, and yet found mercy in Christ’s warning. So, whether an individual or a church that has embraced the Laodicean spirit, Christ calls us to repentance and restoration. Do you struggle with some Laodicean version of Christianity?


I. Attention to the Church’s Head
Once again, the Lord introduces Himself to the church, and does so in a way to convey the sentiments of His message to them.

1. The Amen
I know that “The Amen” appears unusual to us, as those accustomed to “amen” signaling the end of our prayers or our agreement with a statement. The term comes out of the Hebrew language, capturing a Semitic equivalent to “faithful and true.” The word has its origin in God’s revelation of Himself in Isaiah 65:16 where He is called “the God of truth.” The Reformation Study Bible explains, “The Hebrew word translated “truth” is “amen”,” and then cites the same passage we’re studying in Revelation 3:14 as a parallel [page 1044 footnote; also see Greg Beale, NIGTC: Revelation, 298-299]. He is the God of Amen, or as in our text, He is “The Amen.”

The title “The Amen,” points to the Lord’s reliability, His steadiness, His trustworthiness, and His dependability. The addition of “the faithful and true Witness” explains what is meant by the title “The Amen.” He can be counted on to remain faithful and true, never wavering from the revelation of Himself that we find in the gospel. Unlike the Laodicean church that changed from a warm-hearted congregation during Paul’s ministry to a lukewarm church in the late first century, Jesus Christ never fails in honoring His promises and keeping covenant with His people. The church is ever to mirror “The Amen” in bearing witness to the truth of the gospel.

2. The Beginning of the creation of God
The language of this letter, “the Beginning of the creation of God,” bears striking resemblance to the language in Colossians 1:15-20. That’s certainly intentional since this church had received the same letter to be publicly read among them. There the Apostle Paul describes Jesus Christ in the loftiest tongue.

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” What God is invisibly, Christ is visibly, Paul is saying. He is not created but head of all creation. That is further noted in the next verse. “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.” The apostle makes sure that he includes everything that has ever been created, whether visible or invisible; whether on earth or beyond. That includes both visible and invisible powers.

What part does Christ have in the creation? “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” or literally, all things consist. His eternal existence is declared as well as His sovereign might in sustaining every molecule in creation throughout all time. So, whatever exists in all creation, Jesus Christ is Lord over all!

Is it different for the church? “He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.” Here Paul demonstrates that Christ is Lord of the new creation of the redeemed as well, having reconciled us through the blood of His cross. There’s probably an allusion in “the Beginning of the creation of God,” to Revelation 1:5 where Christ is declared to be “the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.” Nothing in the old creation or new creation through His death and resurrection, exists outside of Jesus Christ’s sovereign rule. While the Laodicean church may have been enamored with the power of Rome or their own resources, it failed to see the greater might of its Sovereign Lord, Jesus Christ.

II. Conditions to which a church can sink
If the letters to the seven churches do anything, they expose us to the dangerous pitfalls facing every church in every age. Some churches leave their first love; some embrace worldliness with religious fervor; some engage in immoral lifestyles in the name of religious tolerance and enlightened spirituality; some give way to false teaching; some can only be described as “dead”; while others are incomplete in their obedience to Christ. These things happened among the churches that we’ve already considered. The Laodicean church drops to the lowest level of all the churches. No commendation is made to them. Even the name, “Laodicean,” has become part of our vocabulary meaning someone “tepid or lukewarm in religion.”

1. Tepid spirituality
Laodicea joined Colossae and Hierapolis as the three cities in a triangle of the Lycus Valley. Hierapolis, six miles from Laodicea, was known for its thermal springs where people would come to find healing from their illnesses and aches. Colossae, ten miles away, had an unending source of cold mountain water. Laodicea had neither; just the Lycus River water that was “nauseous and undrinkable” [D. Johnson, Triumph of the Lamb, quoting Hemer, 90]. An ancient aqueduct indicates that Laodicea piped in the hot water from an area several miles south of the city. But by the time it arrived, the water was lukewarm. And it wasn’t good water, perhaps tinged with an overabundance of substances found in the region [cf. Beale, 303]. Drinking the calcium carbonated water would be like having “Alka Seltzer” for tap water; not very appealing.

Like their water, the Laodicean church had a tepid spirituality. The word “tepid” means something that is moderately warm or lukewarm. It’s not cold; it’s not hot. It straddles both worlds without satisfaction to either. “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.” Jesus has zero-tolerance for straddling true Christianity and no Christianity. “So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.” That’s a bit mild, and also misses the implication of Christ’s assertion. “I am about to vomit you out of My mouth.” There’s urgency in this. It hasn’t happened. Christ offers warning of the seriousness of His judgment that will soon take place if they are not zealous and repentant.

What is meant by this condition of lukewarmness? Obviously, something of the affections of these professing Christians has to be in mind. Rather than “hot” or to use the term found in verse 19 that is synonymous with it, “zealous,” there is lukewarmness. There’s no ardency for Christ. There’s no zealousness for following Him or obeying His commands. Instead, one finds coolness and indifference to the gospel, to the life of a disciple as set forth in the Sermon on the Mount, to the disciplines of the spiritual life, and to the holy life of the church. Christ prefers that they were “cold,” completely opposed to Christ and the gospel, having nothing to do with the church, than to be “lukewarm.” William Hendriksen describes it. “The people of Laodicea knew exactly what that meant. Lukewarm, tepid, flabby, half-hearted, limp, always ready to compromise, indifferent, listless: that ‘we’re-all-good-people-here-in-Laodicea’ attitude” [More than Conquerors, 76]. Shockingly, Jesus prefers coldness to lukewarmness, which spurred Andrew Fuller to write, “Corrupt Christianity is more offensive to God than open infidelity” [The Complete Works of Andrew Fuller, III, 217]. If coldness equates lostness, then Leon Morris is right. “To prefer a rejection of the faith to the way the Laodiceans professed it is startling to say the least (2 Pet. 2:21)” [TNTC: Revelation, 82].

If the church’s affections have grown lukewarm then that directly relates to its witness and ministry. Greg Beale offers an important insight in this regard [303-304]. The waters of Hierapolis provided healing with its heat and the waters of Colossae provided refreshment with its cold mountain spring, but the water of Laodicea provided neither. The same was true with the church’s witness and ministry. Because of the tepidness of their Christianity, no one learned the truth of the gospel from them. No one could look at the lifestyles of the believers and see the distinction made through the gospel. No one could learn the truth of Christ as Redeemer and Lord by listening in on their conversations. No one could see the fruit of the Spirit in their lives. Nor did the church bother with Christian witness or ministry. They had no concern for those about them dying in their sins, separated from the living God. They had no thought of serving one another in the name of Christ, not realizing that they were never to think of themselves as an island but as a body of believers intricately woven together through Christ to live out the beauty of holiness.

I’ve seen it firsthand; where a church bears the name of Christ on a sign in front of a building but demonstrates nothing of His character in their lives, nothing of passion for spreading His glory among the nations, and nothing of love for hearing and living the Word of God. Sometimes, I grieve to say, I’ve felt this same tepidness in my own soul. His word of love and reproof became the balm to my own walk. Do you ever find yourself there?

2. Smug arrogance
Twice in the first century, earthquakes destroyed Laodicea. The first was in 17 AD. Rome underwrote the rebuilding effort. The second took place around 60-61 AD. But this time was different when it came to rebuilding. The leaders of Laodicea, assessing their financial success, rejected Rome’s offer for assistance in rebuilding. They declared proudly that they had the resources to do it themselves.

Laodicea was located at the intersection of three major highways in the ancient world. This obviously led to an abundance of trade. Additionally, they were a center of banking for their region, manufactured black wool that for clothes and rugs, and were known as a center for ophthalmic treatment, producing a renowned eye salve made from Phrygian stone. All of the historical background intertwines in Christ’s message.

Rather than the humility that should mark believers, the Laodicean church said, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing.” They had plenty; they had achieved success on their own; they didn’t need anyone’s help. “Not only did the church boast in her supposed spiritual well-being,” G.E. Ladd points out, “she boasted that she had acquired her wealth by her own efforts” [A Commentary on the Revelation of John, 66]. They knew nothing of the church in Acts 4 that cried out to the Lord in their need. They had no spirit of the publican, “O God, be merciful to me, the sinner!” Nor did they have that spirit of Paul wrestling with the inward struggle of sin, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” They knew nothing of the spirit of blind Bartimaeus who cried, “Jesus! Son of David! Have mercy on me!” They didn’t even understand the Lord’s Prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread…lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing.” Yet Jesus declared, “And you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.” The wretched misery of their condition describes desolation, deprivation, and destruction. Jesus identifies “poor and blind and naked” as central to their spiritual need. They valued the temporal, including impressing others with what they owned or had accomplished, more than walking humbly with their God. They made the mistake of thinking that because they lived in an economically thriving area so that they had lots of “things,” that God had rewarded them. They equated “things” with real spirituality. Their bank accounts and houses and land holdings held greater value than being holy people. They could not see, due to their spiritual blindness, that they lacked the kind of righteousness that pleases God. They could not see their own spiritual condition nor could they see their desperate need for the grace of God.

Do any of these things strike a chord in your heart? Has lukewarmness—the loss zeal for Christ—crept into your heart?

3. Christianity without Christ v. 20
How can we put it more clearly than what is pictured in verse 20? They had Christianity without Christ in their midst. They carried on the programs and organizations of the church without Christ. Their arrogance and self-dependence had denied need for the Lord of the Church. They had, as Luther pointed out, a “theology of glory” so that they focused on man, rather than a “theology of the cross” that centered all on Christ. Ladd adds, “The church that is prospering materially and outwardly can easily fall into the self-deception that her outward prosperity is the measure of her spiritual prosperity” [66]. In the midst there is a church without Christ. Songs may be sung about Him; prayers may be made in His name; nice little sermons can sprinkle mention of Him amidst a man-centered theology of glory; and all the while, Christ is not present.
The Lord of the Church does not sit idly by, hoping that the church will change its mind and act differently. He boldly calls on the church to become zealous, to repent, and to open its door to the intensity of fellowship with Him.

III. Christ’s compassion and expectation for the church
Jesus Christ does not offer opinions for the church. The church belongs to Him. He makes the call on what the church is to be, how it is to function, and the manner that its members relate to one another and the world. We see something of His expectations in the exhortations of this letter.

1. Faith embraces Christ’s provisions
The church is preeminently a people of faith in God’s revelation through Christ. I know that we hear much about being “a person of faith” in our day. But the kind of faith that we’re considering is not generic, neither is it self-focused. Rather the Bible calls for faith that has been born in the heart by the regenerating work of the Spirit. You know that this faith has been kindled when you hear the voice of Christ in the gospel. It is the kind of faith that clings to Jesus Christ in all of His power and rests in the work of Jesus Christ in all of His sufficiency. That’s precisely what Jesus tells the Laodicean church, destitute and impoverished by its own arrogance, to do. “I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.”

“Buy?” “You want us to buy something from You?” “Well, we have plenty of gold, lots of merchandise, and even medical products. We can buy whatever we want.”

The kind of purchase Christ advised did not involve money. Isaiah 55:1 is the foundation for this divine advisement. “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” How do you buy when you have no money? How do you buy without money and without cost? It is only when someone else has made the provision for you. Jesus Christ points to Himself as He advises the Laodicean church.

They had valued things that would pass away. Christ told them to buy gold refined in the fire. Peter used similar language as he spoke of “the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:7). Believe Christ as He is revealed in Scripture. That’s buying gold refined by fire. Instead of finding the things of the world to be most valuable, see Him as the “pearl of great price” and as “the hidden treasure” (Matt. 13) that you gladly sell all to won.

The Laodiceans thought their material possessions impressed God and man. Instead, Christ told them of their nakedness in regard to righteousness. The same imagery is found in Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Hosea that uses nakedness as a metaphor for lack of righteous standing with God and evident unrighteousness before men. Rather than pride in their black wool, they needed Christ’s provision of righteousness to clothe them in white—an obvious metaphor for holiness. Though the city was known for its famous eye salve that healed various diseases of the eye, the church was blind. They needed a good dose of the gospel concerning “the Light of the world” (John 9) to open their eyes to see both their own wretchedness apart from Christ, and their constant need for Him.

2. Love kindles passion and obedience
Jesus Christ had not abandoned them. He affirms His love. “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline.” Christ’s disciplining hand is evidence of His love and our sonship (Heb. 12:4-11). “Therefore be zealous and repent.” I don’t think this means, be zealous to repent, rather it is first a call to fervency and passion in one’s walk with Christ. Be passionate about the gospel! Be passionate about worshiping Christ! Be passionate about spreading the glory of Christ in the gospel! Intentional zealousness or passion in your Christianity is implied. In that zealousness, deal with the sin and disobedience that has cooled your love for Christ. “Repent” of these things, confess them to the Lord, and turn to Him in whole-hearted obedience. Do you regularly confess your sins to Christ? Do you acknowledge your weakness and proneness to sin, and ask the Lord to rekindle your obedient faithfulness? Do you die to the deeds of the flesh? Do you apply the gospel to your daily life?

Lukewarmness can stifle and entrap us without difficulty unless we regularly examine ourselves, deal with sin, and renew our devotion to Christ. All of us have regular habits of life. Let us give attention to developing habits of holiness, devotedness, and obedience before the Lord.

3. Relationship welcomes fellowship with Christ
The metaphor of verse 20 has been often taken out of context and used strictly as an evangelistic text. But the message is to the church—its individual members and its corporate body. The church that tries to function without Christ must hear the Lord’s call.

The Lord initiates the relationship and restoration of fellowship. He knocks. He calls. The perfect tense shows Christ ever at the door, reminding us of the need for fellowship with Him. It is only those with ears to hear, “anyone who hears My voice,” that Jesus Christ seeks renewed fellowship. The promise of Christ is restoration of the joyous, enriching, and intimate fellowship that belongs to the church with Christ.

I recall one particularly barren time in my Christian life. I had grown lukewarm in my zeal and faithfulness. It distressed me but I felt trapped. Then I heard Christ through the preaching of His Word. My heart excitedly trembled with confession and repentance as the joy of fellowship with my Lord renewed. Have you been there? Or maybe you are there right now. Hear the call of Christ to open the door in repentance and welcome His strong presence.

Conclusion
Christ calls for triumphing over lukewarmness, self-centeredness, worldliness, and laziness. He calls you to the triumph of union with Him, seated with Him in the heavenly places, knowing the intense satisfaction of relationship with Him even as He enjoys relationship with the Father on His throne.
Do you have ears to hear?

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