An 80-year-old woman wanted to marry her fourth husband. Understandably, the pastor doing the required marriage counseling was compelled to asked about her husbands, past and future. “Tell me about them?” She took a long pause and replied, “My first husband was a banker, but we had financial problems. The second was an actor, but there was too much drama. The third was a preacher, but it was 24-7 church; and, now, I want to marry a funeral director.”
The pastor looked at her, quite astonished, and asked why four husbands with such diverse backgrounds. She smiled and explained, "I married one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, and four to go."
The women obviously had commitment issues. Her marriages were marriages of convenience. She wasn’t fully invested in the relationship. Neither are some churches with Christ. They are not “all-in” in their relationship like the Laodicean Church. On a temperature scale, Christ measured them as “lukewarm” and that won’t work for His bride.
How will God judge the half-hearted Church who is short on commitment—the lukewarm church? We see Laodicea, the lukewarm church, in Revelation 3:14-21. They are the last of the seven churches of Asia Minor that Christ measured for fitness to be called his committed church. Laodicea is the final installment in our Lenten Church Series: Lent: It’s not just what you give up, but what you gain.
As you look within to examine what you should give up in your Christian walk, and look forward to what you gain as his committed church, consider Laodicea. First, we will see in Laodicea, the failings of the lukewarm church; second, the fix for the lukewarm church and finally, the future of the committed, on-fire church. You may be in church for all sorts of reasons: one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, and four to go. This is Palm Sunday. The day Christ rode triumphantly into the city as a suffering savior. Someday, He will return as the bridegroom. The question this morning is: Will you be a committed bride ready to go?
First, the failing of the lukewarm church is a lack of commitment. Jesus—the “Amen”, the affirmation of truth—identified the true condition of Laodicea in temperature terms: lukewarm.
15 "I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. 16 So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
Water boils at 100ͦ Celsius and freezes at 0ͦ Celsius. Laodicea was neither. They were the 50ͦ Celsius church, lukewarm, a metaphor of their spiritual condition. We see it in verse 17.
17 For you say, 'I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,' and yet do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
Laodicea’s thermometer reading was inconsistent with Christ’s temperature reading. They thought they were hot-stuff but they were not. They were lukewarm, halfhearted. What caused Laodicea’s half-heartedness was their self-sufficiency:
• Laodicea trusted in her material wealth. She had so much wealth that when the city was destroyed by an earthquake, they refused help from Rome to rebuild. They didn’t need “no stinking Roman’s money.” They treated God the same way. They didn’t need God. And when you don’t need God and you’re the church house, you’re headed for the poor house. Look at His assessment of their portfolio: “You are miserable and poor”. Money can make you spiritually poor. That’s why Christ said it’s harder for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than a rich man to get into heaven. You can’t worship God and mammon.
• Laodicea also trusted in her physical health. She was famous for her eye salve. If you wanted to see better, you went to Laodicea. Yet, Christ called them, fittingly, spiritually blind. They trusted their physical health insurance, but not in God’s blessed assurance. Do you know anybody that spend hours in the gym and minutes on their knees? They have Lasik 20/20 vision, but they keep bumping into stuff: abusive relationships, neglected children, and unjust causes. They are spiritually blind.
• Laodicea also trusted in her external appearances. She was famous for dark wool and sold it for top dollar. Thus, they were the best dressed church around, yet, Christ called them “naked.” They trusted in the outside, but neglected the inside. Do you know anybody or church like that? They are were dressed to kill, but in reality, they were spiritually exposed, dead. Their cathedrals are mausoleums.
Look within, and check your commitment. If you trust your wealth, health, brains and brawn to the extent you don’t need God, you’re not hot nor cold. You’re in that middle place that makes God sick to his stomach. Like rancid milk, He will spit out.
Second, the fix for the lukewarm church is a passionate commitment to Christ that comes by repentance and faith. Christ advised Laodicea to repent, to buy into a fix for the underlying effects of a lack of commitment: their spiritual poverty, nakedness and blindness. We see that in verses 18.
I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich, and white garments to put on so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed, and buy ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may see.
Christ advised Laodicea to repent, to buy into His purity as a fix for their spiritual poverty. That purity is symbolized in gold refined by fire. Christ-sufficiency is more valuable than self-sufficiency. Christ, who passed through the fire of suffering and death, is the only currency that fully paid the price for your sins. Think of Easter as a check cleared.
Christ also advised Laodicea to repent, to buy into His righteousness as a fix for their spiritual nakedness as seen in His white garments. We exchange our filthy rags of sin for a wardrobe of grace andforgiveness, whiter than snow. That’s why we sing “What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
Christ advised Laodicea to repent, to buy into His healing salve as a remedy their spiritual blindness. If Christ can spit in the dirt and make a mud mask to open a blind man’s eyes in Mark 8, then surely, He can open the eyes of a church who has lost its vision, clouded bythei man’s preoccupation with wealth, health and stealth.
Repent—turn from self-sufficiency to Christ-sufficiency—and turn up your passion Christ. We see it in verse 19 in the word “zealous” which literally means to burn.
19 'Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; be zealous therefore, and repent. Rev. 3:19
You’ve got to get zealous, to have the passion of Christ, again, not the movie, but the Messiah’s mission. And if Christ has to light your fire with a little discipline, then so be it. I know He and I heated up when He allowed foreclosure, unemployment, and bankruptcy to redirect my life. It was a loving thing to do. Discipline is what good parents do according to Hebrews 12:6.
Not only is repentance a fix for a lukewarm relationship with Christ, faith is an invitation to intimacy—a closer communion with Christ. There is a knock at your door. It’s not a blind date, but a relationship you know that you must trust again. We see that in verse 20.
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. Rev. 3:20
Church, look within. Like a good salesman at the door, Christ is persistently, knocking at the door of your heart. He wants in. He wants you to have what is behind that door: spiritual wealth, wardrobe and vision. Answer the door while there is time, while your doors are still open. You hold the key of faith to unlock a promising future.
The future for the committed church is a seat at the throne of Christ to rule and reign. We see that in verse 21.
'He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”
First, the church—the one elect, committed church—a composite of all the seven transfigured churches of Revelation—will rule with Christ on His throne in the new heaven and the new earth. No longer will the heavy hand of narrow-minded men to judge you. They won’t be there. You, as judge, will mediate a world with no conflict. So, your job will be to mete out blessings and honor to angels forever according 1 Corinthians 6:2 . Talk about a Supreme Court appointment.
Second, the one elect, committed church, will reign with Christ on His throne. No longer will men define what you can speak of you and your children. You will have a seat at the table according to 2 Timothy 2:12 because “… If we endure with him, we will also reign with him.” Your position will speak for itself. You are royalty, children of God, thus heirs to throne. You have authority there because you a place of grace at the table here.
The Laodicea Church lacked commitment. Self-sufficiency failed her, made her lukewarm. The fix for her lack of commitment is a passionate relationship with Christ again. Christ is knocking at the door. Faith is the key. Open it. You have a future seat next to Christ to rule and reign.
Image refreshed: Churches come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, rhymes and reasons: “one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready.” The question this morning is: Which Church is ready to go?
If you are a Lenten Church willing to look within to give up things in your Christian walk that must go, so you can look forward to gaining the marriage ban of the one church Christ is coming for as his bride—a composite of the seven churches, anew—then you will be ready to go as …
…the new Ephesus Church—once loveless, now who loves their first love again.
… the new Smyrna Church—once suffering, now victorious in the end.
…the new Pergamum Church—once Schizophrenic, but now true.
…the new Thyatira Church—once compromised, now faithful.
…the new Sardis Church—once hypocritical, now authentic.
…the new Philadelphia Church —opportunistic, who Carpe Diem, seizes the day.
and …the new Laodicea Church—no longer lukewarm, but on fire.
It’s Palm Sunday—Christ triumphant entry of as a suffering savior. He is coming again as a Bridegroom, looking for his bride, the Church. Until then, it’s Friday, your time of suffering, but Easter Sunday is coming —old things are passed away, behold, all things have become new with the resurrection of Christ. I can’t wait to see you at the wedding. Let’s go together.
コメント