Apostles Church

Church of Laodicea. Rev 3:14-22. The City was a center of Finance (banking center); of Fashion (black wool, fine carpets); and of Medicine (esp. eyes – Phrygian Powder used to give relief to diseased eyes). It was wealthy and very progressive.

The Church – Jesus addresses the spiritual condition of the Church – lukewarm. It had no spiritual influence upon the city. The key is understanding the city had no water source of its own.  The hot springs of Hieropolis; the cold springs of Colossae. By the time both reached Laodecia it was lukewarm and not healing or refreshing. In fact, due to mineral deposits in the water coming in from Heiropolis would make one vomit. So, Christ is saying that this church is useless, ineffective. It is not bringing spiritual healing or refreshment to its city. Something about its spiritual condition made it absolutely inconsequential in the city. Lives were not being changed. The church in the city was of little consequence to the city. The reason this church of is no significance upon their city is because they lack true faith in Jesus marked by passion and zealous devotion to him and his Gospel. They are Christian in name only; they are nominal Christians. Maybe they grew up in the Church and it was just a part of their personal history; they embraced church but not Christ; they are a part of the church for social and cultural reasons, but have no authentic vital personal faith in Jesus; They come for the fellowship they found with people, but are missing real vital faith and zealous devotion to the person of Christ. In fact, Jesus is nowhere to be found in this Church. He is outside of the fellowship because this gathering was not about him. These people professed the title Christian but they lacked Christ. They did not know him, belong to him, love him or pursue him and his vision for their lives. This world is full of nominal Christians who have the label Christian but whose lives do not reflect a vital trust and devotion to the historical person Jesus. Jesus talked about the fact that there will be people who look like Christians but who do not truly know Him. Matthew 13:24-30; Matthew 7:21-23. So when Jesus calls these people lukewarm he is saying that they are people who are not all in on him; they are people who lack a real, vibrant, faith that trusts and treasures Jesus and lives for him and his kingdom. They have taken His name, but have not taken Him. And he says, this sickens me and I am going to vomit you out of my mouth. This is a statement of full rejection. It is the most shocking way Jesus can say it. Nominal Christianity makes him sick and results in judgment.

What does it mean to be a Christian? What makes a person a Christian? Some might think – a Christian is one who attends Church, follows the 10 commandments, helps others, cares about justice, has had religious experiences, seeks to love other people…Here is what the Lord is going to teach us: A Christian is someone who has seen their true condition before God and fled to Christ as their only hope for salvation.

Jesus says this Church is oblivious to its true condition: Self sufficient – rich have need of nothing. Illus: recovery from Earthquake of 60 AD. "Laodicea arose from the ruins by the strength of her own resources and with no help from us."  Tacitus, the Roman historian. This church was compromised of wealthy people who had everything they wanted and did not sense a need for Jesus. Hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God, because they rarely realize their spiritual needs due to physical comforts. They were not desperate for him is because they were so content with their riches, they were oblivious to their true spiritual condition before God. So Jesus exposes them. What you are before people matters very little; it is what you are before God that counts.

This people within this Church have not come to grips with their true condition before God – Jesus says, “you do not realize; you have not come to know that you are...” So Jesus exposes their true condition. Behind the façade of religious respectability, prosperity, decency, Jesus saw their true condition – “I know.” Wretched and Pitiful – such an awful condition that they are in a desperate need of pity and care. Then Jesus’ further description hits the idols that were at the heart of the city and this church. They took pride in their wealth, the fashion, their medical advances and boasted in these things. Jesus says, you are Poor, Blind, Naked. Poor: They were spiritually bankrupt; they lacked the currency that counts with God. They were rich in the things of the world, but poor before God. Blind: In a city known for its medical advances in that helped people see clearly, they were blind to the most important thing, unable to see and unwilling to love the glory of God in the face of Christ. Naked – consistently in Scripture a metaphor for our sinful condition before God, our guilt and shame before Him. We are void of the proper attire before God; we have violated his dress code. To be naked before God means to be guilty of sin and void of the righteousness that he requires and therefore to under his just displeasure and condemnation. So confident in their fashion, and Jesus says, before God you are naked and full of guilt and shame. To sum all this up, Jesus is telling them that what the Apostles Paul told the Romans – all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and stand before him guilty and condemned; We are all rebels who as one pastor put it, we have all put a revolver in the face of God. We have belittled him, not loved him, honored him, trusted him, worshiped him, obeyed him, served him in equal measure to his worth. We are all under sin and therefore under God’s just condemnation. There is no one righteousness, not even one. We are spiritually bankrupt with nothing to commend us to God. We are poor; blind refusing to see and savor the glory of God, and we are naked  - guilty and condemned before God. If you are to be rightly related to God, to be a Christian, it must begin here. You must see your condition before God. Jesus is exposing their condition. But then they like us must flee to Christ as our only hope for salvation.

Jesus counsels them. Let me give you some advice. In a world full of commerce Buy from me: Gold refined by fire – Refined gold is superior, valuable, rare and lasting. Jesus says come to me for that which is true value. The Apostle Paul calls Jesus the surpassing value. In Jesus we have the forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, eternal hope, the gift of the Holy Spirit who transforms and restores God image in us. Without him we have nothing. Illus: US Today article that people are turning to Church during this recession looking for benevolence. They are coming to the Church for benevolence, but are they turning to Christ for true riches, salvation? White Garments to cover your sin. Theme in Scripture. Gen 3; fig leaves and animal skins Gen 3.21 “And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” Is 64.6 “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment… Is 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,” Jesus says, we need righteousness to cover us like a garment and only He can provide that for us. “The Creature must be stripped of his unrighteousness, or God of his purity before they can come together” – Charnock. Stop trusting in your own fig leaves... Eye Salve for your eyes. Clear vision for life that has Christ and his Gospel at the center.

How do you buy these things when you are bankrupt? You use the currency of God – faith, not by working for them. You come broke and begging. Rock of Ages - Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling;  naked, come to thee for dress;  helpless, look to thee for grace;  foul, I to the fountain fly; wash me, Savior, or I die.  Illus: Spurgeon All of Grace - A painter painting a street scene asks a poor beggar to come to his studio. The man shows up all clean and dressed up so the painter sends him away. What he invited was an unclean beggar and that is all he would take.
This faith involves repentance. Verse 19 – Jesus is using hard language, so he explains it in tender terms. Illustration: Mean Jesus.  I strike you with these words because I love you. I want you to leave this nominal, false faith and embrace a true, vibrant, saving, transforming faith that gives you riches, righteousness, and enduring vision. So, be zealous, boiling, serious, passionate, urgent, about responding to this invitation.

Jesus concludes this letter by telling them that he is standing outside the Church and outside their individual lives knocking. If anyone will respond to his initiative, and will open the door, Christ will come in to that person’s life and enter true genuine fellowship with that person. If we zealously open the door because we know that Christ is our only hope, we will be saved and enter into fellowship with Jesus. Some will respond that way. Others will not. Article this week: Following atheist trend, Britons seek 'de-baptism.’ More than 100,000 Britons have recently downloaded "certificates of de-baptism" from the Internet to renounce their Christian faith. The initiative launched by a group called the National Secular Society. "We now produce a certificate on parchment and we have sold 1,500 units at three pounds a pop," said NSS president. These are nominal Christians who have said, I will not be zealous and repent; I will turn cold and renounce Jesus and this faith.

Maybe you are not a nominal Christian. You are a follower of Jesus; you have seen your true condition and have fled to Jesus for Salvation, but have lost your zeal. You do not boil for him; you do not love him with all your heart; you do not give yourself fully to his purposes. The best way to regain your zeal is to sit long in remembrance of how Christ has saved you. You must go to his cross and see him dying for your lack of zeal and hate the very sin that killed your Savior. Only then will your sin be seen and hated as utterly sinful and Jesus be seen and loved as glorious Savior.