We have probably all heard of the princess uttering the words, “Let them eat cake,” when she heard that the peasants had no bread. The quote is often referenced as an illustration of someone who has lost touched with reality because he or she lives such a lush and pleasant life, removed from the real hardships of people in the world. In our own day, this may have been matched by former basketball player Latrell Sprewell, who turned down the offer of a 3-year, $21 million contract, supposing he needed more money than that, saying, “I’ve got a family to feed.” Or perhaps we might point to another basketball player, Patrick Ewing, who in the negotiations between the players’ association and the NBA team owners, tried to represent the hardships of professional basketball players by saying, “Sure NBA players make a lot of money, but we spend a lot too.”
These examples are obviously easy to laugh at, but it may be that we’re in similar places. Now by that, I don’t mean that we don’t understand that people are living in poverty, oftentimes without food, or that we think $21 million isn’t a lot of money. I don’t think any of us is that unaware. But consider for a second how easy it is for us to get so accustomed to our lives, our settings, and our abilities that we forget that we are sojourners and exiles in this world, that we are at war against “cosmic powers over this present darkness” and “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12), or that apart from Christ we can do nothing. Isn’t it easy for us to become oblivious to such realities as well? And are these realities any less true, sure, and real than the reality that if people don’t have bread, they probably don’t have cake either?
You see, our settings can dull our senses, can’t they? Living such an easy life can dull our senses to the fact that we are at war and that there is an enemy seeking whom he may destroy. Consider how embarrassed we should be, then, as we find ourselves expressing surprise at the fiery trials and suffering that come to us. Consider how out of touch with reality we show ourselves to be when we barge into our lives each day without praying for God’s strength and grace. Don’t these things reflect as much dullness to the real world as someone acting like $21 million may not be enough to feed his family? Are we reflecting any more understanding of reality than the basketball player who thinks that the burden he must bear is that he likes spending lots of money? Certainly not.
Perhaps the good news for us, however, if we find ourselves in a place where our settings have led us to become dull to the true and certain spiritual realities around us, is that we’re not the first who have been there. As Jesus spoke the letter in Revelation 3:14-22 to the church in Laodicea, he was speaking to a people who were very much in the same place. It seems that they had lost touch with reality. They’d forgotten what they were supposed to be about as believers in this world. They were almost certainly not a people pursuing obedience to the Great Commission, with love for Christ and neighbor in their hearts, who wanted most to make sure they heard the words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” Rather, they were a people who’d become comfortable, dull to all they were to be about, and utterly useless.
Now, I don’t use that description “useless” lightly. That’s a bold statement, isn’t it? I use it because I think that this is what Jesus is saying of this church. Jesus introduces himself as the one who’s words are true and certain, the one who carries the authority to pronounce judgment. He identifies himself in verse 14 as the one who is the “Amen, the faithful and true witness.” These are probably meant to parallel each other. To say that he’s the faithful and true witness would be a reminder to them that his words are always true and trustworthy. And that is what the word “Amen” is used to communicate. “Amen” could be used to say, “Truly.” So, for example, when Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you” in John 3:3, that phrase actually begins, “Amen, amen.” It’s used to say that these words are sure and certain. Therefore, here, Jesus is introducing himself as the one who speaks truly and faithfully.
And when he adds that he is the beginning of God’s creation, I think this is a reference to the new creation. This is most likely, I think because back in Revelation 1:5, when Jesus is called “the faithful witness,” it is followed by the phrase, “the firstborn of the dead.” That is, Jesus is the first of the new creation. He is the first one who have a resurrected, glorified body. So then when we turn back to Revelation 3:14, Jesus follows the statement that he is the faithful witness, I think, by affirming that which he did in Revelation 1:5, namely, that he is the beginning of God’s new creation. And if that is the case, then he probably says this to communicate his authority as the head and preeminent one in God’s new creation. Thus, we may conclude that Jesus is saying that his words are true, faithful, and authoritative.
Why is that so crucial? It’s because he’s about to expose this church to their real position in this world. He says, “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” (3:15-16).
Now, growing up I always heard that this cold and hot was a reference for spiritual vitality. To be hot was to be “on fire for the Lord,” if the will, while to be cold was to be antagonistic to the Lord, so that Jesus was saying, “I’d prefer even if you were outright antagonistic to me rather than half-hearted in your commitment and obedience.” But I don’t think that’s how Jesus is using these references here. Actually, he’s probably referring to a well-known reality with them concerning their water supply.
Laodicea was a rich city. I’ll go into this more in a second, but for all their riches, the one thing they didn’t have was a good water supply. There was a town near them on one side that was known for its hot springs, water that could be used for bathing, soothing sore muscles, and other medicinal uses. Then, there was a town near them on the other side that was known for its cold springs, water that could be used for drinking. However, Laodicea had neither of these. Rather, they tried to pipe water in from surrounding areas, packing in numerous chemicals to try to keep it from becoming stagnant, but nothing worked. The result was that the water that came in to Laodicea was lukewarm, tepid, and undrinkable. It was the kind of water you’d quickly spew out of your mouth if you took a drink. It would even make one nauseous. It was useless, good for nothing.
I think that’s what Jesus is saying to this church. You’re not like the hot springs of Hierapolis, which have many uses, or the cold springs of Colossae, which have many others uses, but you’re like the lukewarm water of your own city, that is good for nothing but to be spit out. Jesus is saying to this church, “You’ve become utterly useless, and you’re so nauseating to me that I want to spit you out of my mouth.” Those are harsh words and a hard judgment on this church. And it’s my contention this morning that perhaps more than any other church, it is easy for the church in North America in the 21st century to become like the church in Laodicea because their setting most parallels our own.
Therefore, this morning, I want to give us two warnings, a word of hopeful encouragement, and a goal that we should labor toward. The warnings will serve, I hope, to keep us from becoming like the church in Laodicea. The word of hopeful encouragement will remind us that even if we’re already there, there still is great hope. And the goal, I hope, will serve to focus us on what we should be seeking, so that we do not lose focus, as it is easy to do. So, with that said, let me begin with a warning from this text.
Now, I said earlier that Jesus doesn’t use “hot” and “cold” to refer to being hot and cold spiritually, as if he’s using these to refer to their spiritual vitality. So when he says lukewarm, he means to say to them that they are “useless” rather than simply judging their spiritual vitality to be lukewarm. However, ironically, they probably are lukewarm in regards to their spiritual vitality. They are probably an apathetic people, who are just not very impassioned about living for Christ.
I say that because later, when Jesus calls them to repent he says, in verse 19, “so be zealous and repent.” That is, he’s calling on them to show a little passion, some earnestness, and some zeal that they were lacking. They were probably a people who professed faith in Christ, gathered for corporate worship on the Lord’s Day, and yet were generally apathetic about living for Christ. They lacked any fervent passion for making their lives living sacrifices for Christ.
So, how did they get there? Well, it seems, one thing that helped push them toward apathy was their riches. Jesus says in verse 17, as a reason for their condition, “For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” Their material prosperity was blinding them to their spiritual neediness. These weren’t a spiritually desperate people.
It’s probably safe to say that their lives pictured the city in which they lived. A massive earthquake around A.D. 60 had hit this part of the Roman Empire, devastating many of the cities in this area. And, as in our own day, it was common for the empire to come alongside of these cities, offer them financial help, and assist them in rebuilding their cities. And other cities gladly took this imperial funding. Laodicea, however, said, “No thanks.” They didn’t need anything. They were self-sufficient. This was a rich city, which had prospered, and needed no outside help.
The city was a centrally located along three major trade routes and was a center of currency exchange, so that they had great riches. They were famous for a black sheep wool, that perhaps wasn’t the most comfortable of wools but was quite sturdy and tough. And they were home to a medical school where they’d use an eye salve to help pull debris out of one’s eyes, as they were accustomed to getting dirty and even infected in the ancient world.1 This was a city that was rich, prospered, and had need of nothing.
And the church had been lulled into thinking the same thing of itself. They had lost sight of eternity and eternal realities, began thinking that this world was their home, and in within that structure, they saw that they were doing quite well. The problem was that their earthly riches were blinding them to their spiritual poverty. It’d led them to lose sight of their desperate need for Christ. They were a people who probably prayed rarely because, well, what did they need? They were probably a people who didn’t witness much if any because they were chasing after the same things as others in the city. They were probably a people who weren’t seeking to show the kingdom of Christ because they were so capable at building their own kingdom.
And this same reality could become true of us. You see, as wealthy as the Laodiceans were in relation to the rest of the world, all of us are probably wealthier. What this means for us is that every one of us is in a dangerous place. Every one of us is in a place where it can be easy for us to forget that we need God. It can become easy for us to go through our lives without prayer (pretty much whatsoever) because we just don’t feel that there is much we need. And sadly it might take the loss of a job or loss of health before we’re jarred back into being a people of prayer, only for the recovery of a job or health to push prayer to the backburner again.
What this means is that we need to labor extra hard to make sure we see ourselves, our world, and reality as it really is. We need to make sure that we’re exposing ourselves to the Scriptures so that we don’t lose sight that we’re sojourners and exiles, that we cannot do anything on our own, and that we are at war with cosmic forces and spiritual powers, an enemy who would seek to destroy us. We need to hear the preaching of the word so that we can have something outside of ourselves to show us what is true when our senses are dulled by our riches and prosperity. We need brothers and sisters who will gather around us in our small groups and remind us of our needs, pray for us in them, and walk alongside of us, fighting for our spiritual growth as they do their own. We need all of this because we are not in a safe place. As with Laodicea, so here, we need to hear the warning that riches can serve as a hurdle to obedient, Christian living, blinding us to our desperate need for Christ.
The first warning – riches can become a hurdle to obedient Christian living, blinding us to our desperate need for Christ. And now another:
There’s a joke I heard growing up that the poor church loved to sing “When we all get to heaven” because they were so eager to leave this world behind while the rich church loved to sing “This is my Father’s world” because they were pretty content to stay right here. And though the joke is not particularly funny, it does highlight an important reality. That reality is that when the world around you offers you much, there can be a great temptation to settle for lesser things.
Let me show you why I say that from this text. After saying that they’re poor and pitiable, Jesus actually counsels them to buy something from him. Now the reason this makes sense is because what he’s offering them is something that you can buy without money. This is why I had us open our service this morning reading the words of Isaiah 55, where we read, “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and you labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in rich food” (Is. 55:1-2).
What the Lord is saying in Isaiah 55:2 is that they’re settling for lesser things. They’re setting their focus on food that money can buy when he wants them to have a food that will nourish them with eternal life. I think that same thing is being said in Revelation 3:18.
Jesus says, “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.” You see, he’s saying that they’re settling for the gold that they have in their bank accounts in the city when they can have riches that aren’t temporary. They’re settling for black sheep wool to clothe themselves when they can be clothed with the white garments that will cover the saints in eternity. They’re settling for the salve at the medical school that can get some debris out of one’s eye when Jesus is offering to take their blindness and give them sight. Their problem isn’t that they’re too ambitious but not ambitious enough. They’re settling for lesser things that their city offers than the greater things that Christ offers.
They thought they were in the greatest seat of power and prestige in the Roman world, and Jesus was offering them the blessing of sitting with him on his throne. That’s what he says in verse 21 – “The one who conquers [in their case, repents and zealously pursues Christ], I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.” They were settling for much less than Jesus wanted for them.
This is one of the greatest temptations for us in our world. There is much available to us. We have and can easily pursue more riches and more things. Most people throughout history have only dreamed of being able to do the things we can do. We can live in lush houses, travel the world, and eat the nicest of foods, often. We can spend more time in leisurely activities than most anyone, celebrating the pleasure of “rest.” We can pursue our lusts more easily and in less publicly shameful ways that at any other time in history. Lustful images can be found via almost any electronic devices which are almost always at our fingertips. And Jesus is saying to us, “Don’t settle for those things.” He wants to offer us greater riches, a truer rest, and deeper and more lasting pleasures. Let us be a people who make intentional choices to pour our riches into his kingdom through generous giving now, who seek true greatness through service to others now, who seek lasting pleasure by fleeing from lusts and delighting in Christ, his work, and his people now. Let us see the temptation to settle for lesser things and turn from it to greater, lasting treasures in Christ.
Those are the two warnings, I wanted us to see this morning. But let me know share a word of hopeful encouragement.
Jesus realizes that his words are harsh and hard to hear. Being told you’ve become useless is tough to take. Could you imagine Jesus saying those words to us as a church? Yet, Jesus quickly affirms that he is acting out of love. He says in verse 19, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.” That is, Jesus is saying, “I wouldn’t be saying this if I didn’t love you. But I want more for you. Therefore, turn from your sin, repent, and zealously pursue me.”
If this morning you’re finding yourself convicted by these words, then it’s a sign that Jesus loves you. I’ve mentioned before that we usually don’t reflect on someone’s love for us by reflecting on their discipline. We usually don’t say, “Dad, I was just thinking the other day about how much you love me, and I remembered those precious spankings you gave me as a kid.” We usually don’t say, “Let me tell you about one of my closest friends; he is terrific at giving rebuke.” But Jesus wants us to know that his discipline is a sign of his love.
If Jesus didn’t love you, he’d let you remain blind, poor, and pursuing hell, wouldn’t he? If he didn’t love you, he wouldn’t be fighting to help you seek those things that are lasting. If he didn’t love you, he wouldn’t care whether you repent of your sin. But he does love you. So, if you’re feeling the discipline of his convicting word in your heart this morning, why don’t you repent, and then thank the Lord for loving you enough not to leave you where you are? Isn’t that such a hopeful, encouraging word in verse 19?
So, we’ve seen two warnings and a hopeful word of encouragement. Let me now end by pointing you to what should be our goal.
The idea of fellowship is more than just hanging out with someone. It carries the idea of a partnership. And among believers or believers and their Lord, it carries the idea of an affectionate partnership. We walk in fellowship with one another because we’re about the same task of honoring the Lord in our lives, and we love one another. Well, Jesus wants the Laodiceans to walk in close fellowship with him. He says in verse 20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”
This verse has been used by many in witnessing. We may have quoted it to the unbeliever, saying, “Jesus wants to come into your heart. He stands at the door of your heart and knocks. Let him in.” But this verse isn’t directed toward the unbeliever; it’s directed toward believers. Jesus is saying that he’s willing to walk in fellowship with him.
Now, I say “fellowship” because the imagery Jesus gives is coming in, eating, and drinking together. That is an image of affectionate fellowship. There’s a reason why we call eating meals together “fellowships.” It’s not because fellowshipping solely consists of eating but because we often show our affectionate commitment to and partnership with another by eating together. Sharing a meal with another is a great thing. It’s not unique to our culture so show hospitality and affection to someone by sharing a meal with them. It was also true in the culture of Revelation 3.
So, Jesus is saying to his people that he wants them to walk in close fellowship with him. He wants them to make their lives about him. And, interestingly, he uses language that he uses to communicate being ready and prepared for his second coming. In Luke 12:35-37, Jesus had said, “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home for the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.”
Why would he mix this imagery of being ready for his second coming with a call for the Laodiceans in their present setting to seek walking in close fellowship with him? I think it’s because the way to make sure we’re ready for that coming day is to live our lives now by making our focus and goal to walk in affectionate, obedient fellowship with our Lord now. If you make that your goal today, you’ll be found ready on that great and coming day.
This morning we’ve heard two words of warning, a word of hopeful encouragement, and a reminder of what should be our goal. But I don’t want us to leave without realizing that at the center of all of this is the gospel. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is why we can repent and know he’ll receive us. It’s the clearest evidence of his love for us as he calls us to turn and obey. And it’s the reason that sinful men can walk in close fellowship with the holy one. As we come to the table, may we continue to remember and proclaim Christ’s death as our hope. May we echo again the words with which we began our service, “Sinners Jesus will receive. Sound this word of grace to all.” Amen.