Dear brother Richie,
I continue to hold you up in my prayers for your continued success in school.
Your post on this church is great. Your reference to gambling is a good example of pursuit of worldly pleasures. As Christians, we should be sold out to Jesus. We should be as zealous for him as He is for us. The Laodicean church did not allow Jesus to be their Lord. They wanted to rule themselves.
Here is what I have learned.
And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,
The name Laodicea means "rule of the people". This is reflected in Jesus’ address to the church: the church of the Laodiceans (Rev. 3:14). For the other churches, it was the church of Ephesus (Rev. 2:1) or the church in Smyrna (Rev. 2:8) or the church in Sardis (Rev. 3:1). But here, it is the church of the Laodiceans.
Laodicea was an important, wealthy city, with a significant Jewish population. Like other cities in the region, it was a center for Caesar worship and the worship of the healing god Asklepios. There was a famous temple of Asklepios in Laodicea, with a more famous medical school connected with the temple.
After an earthquake devastated the region in 60 a.d. Laodicea refused Imperial help in rebuilding the city, successfully relying on their own resources. They didn’t need outside help, they didn’t ask for it, and they didn’t want it. Tacitus, the Roman historian, said "Laodicea was too rich to accept help from anyone. Laodicea arose from the ruins by the strength of her own resources, and with no help from us".
Laodicea was also a noted commercial center, and some of its goods were exported all over the world. Laodicea prided itself on three things: financial wealth, an extensive textile industry, and a popular eye-salve which was exported around the world.
One of their problems was a poor water supply that made Laodicea vulnerable to attack through siege. If an enemy army surrounded the city, they had insufficient water supplies in the city, and the supplies coming into the city could be easily cut off. Therefore, the leaders of Laodicea were always accommodating to any potential enemy, and always wanted to negotiate and compromise instead of fight.
Their main water supply came on a six-mile aqueduct from the hot springs of Hierapolis. Because the water came from hot springs, it arrived unappetizingly lukewarm.
These things says the Amen: Jesus is the Amen, the “so be it,” the “it is done.” As (2 Cor. 1:20) says, For all the promises of God in Him are “Yes,” and in Him “Amen.” Jesus is the personification and the affirmation of the truth of God.
You are neither cold nor hot: This picture of lukewarmness would immediately strike the Christians of Laodicea because the water they drank every day was lukewarm. Jesus says “Just as the water you drink is disgustingly lukewarm, you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot.” In this spiritual sense, lukewarmness is a picture of indifference and compromise. It tries to play the middle, too hot to be cold and too cold to be hot. But in trying to be both things, it ends up being nothing - except to hear the words, “I will vomit you out of My mouth.”
Does Jesus mean to say that these Christians are intrinsically cold, but warmed up by their religious trappings? Or, that they are essentially hot, but cooled down by their apathy and self-reliance? Both are possible, but since He is talking to His church, there is an emphasis on the later.
There is no greater curse upon the earth than empty religion. Is there any soul harder to reach than the one who has just enough of Jesus to think they have enough? The church of Laodicea exemplifies empty religion. Tax collectors and harlots were more open to Jesus than the scribes and Pharisees.
Satan will have us any way he can get us, but he prizes a lukewarm religionist far above a cold-hearted sinner.
I could wish that you were cold or hot: What Jesus wants to change in us as much as anything is the deceptive playing of the middle, trying to please both the world and Jesus.
I could wish that you were cold or hot also points to another aspect of lukewarmness, as a picture of uselessness. Hot water heals, cold water refreshes, but lukewarm water is useless for either purpose. It’s as if Jesus says, “If you were hot or cold I could do something with you. But because you are neither, I will do nothing.” The lukewarm Christian has enough of Jesus to satisfy a craving for religion, but not enough for eternal life.
The thief on the cross was cold towards Jesus and clearly saw his need. The Apostle John was hot towards Jesus and enjoyed an intimate relationship of love. But Judas was lukewarm, following Jesus enough to be considered a disciple, but not giving his heart over to Jesus in fullness.
Deep down, there is no one more miserable than the lukewarm Christian. They have too much of the world to be happy in Jesus, but too much of Jesus to be happy in the world.
In his sermon An Earnest Warning against Lukewarmness, Spurgeon described the lukewarm church:
· They have prayer-meetings, but there are few present, for they like quiet evenings home.
· When more attend the meetings they are still very dull, for they do their praying very deliberately and are afraid of being too excited.
· They are content to have all things done decently and in order, but vigor and zeal are considered to be vulgar.
· They may have schools, Bible-classes, preaching rooms, and all sorts of agencies; but they might as well be without them, for no energy is displayed and no good comes of them.
· They have deacons and elders who are excellent pillars of the church, if the chief quality of pillars be to stand still, and exhibit no motion or emotion.
· The pastor does not fly very far in preaching the everlasting gospel, and he certainly has no flame of fire in his preaching.
· The pastor may be a shining light of eloquence, but he certainly is not a burning light of grace, setting men’s hearts on fire.
· Everything is done in a half-hearted, listless, dead-and-alive way, as if it did not matter much whether it was done or not.
· Things are respectably done, the rich families are not offended, the skeptical party is conciliated, and the good people are not quite alienated: things are made pleasant all around.
· The right things are done, but as to doing them with all your might, and soul, and strength, a Laodicean church has no notion of what that means.
· They are not so cold as to abandon their work, or to give up their meetings for prayer, or to reject the gospel.
“If they did so, then they could be convinced of their error and brought to repentance; but on the other hand they are neither hot for the truth, nor hot for conversions, nor hot for holiness, they are not fiery enough to burn the stubble of sin, nor zealous enough to make Satan angry, nor fervent enough to make a living sacrifice of themselves upon the altar of their God. They are ‘neither cold nor hot.’” (Spurgeon)
I will vomit you out of My mouth: How are churches in the mouth of Jesus?
They are in His mouth because they spread His Word.
They are in His mouth because He prays for them constantly.
What a terrible thing - in either of these ways - to be expelled from the mouth of Jesus!
You say, “I am rich and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing.” The church at Laodicea lacked a sense spiritual poverty. They looked at their spiritual condition and said “rich.” They looked again and said “wealthy.” They looked a third time and said, “We have need of nothing.” They are the opposite of blessed.They are the poor in spirit Jesus spoke of in (Mt. 5:3).
And do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked: It wasn’t that the church at Laodicea wasn’t spiritually poor - they were, they were simply blind to it. Jesus looked at their spiritual condition and said, “wretched.” He looked again and said “miserable.” A third time Jesus looked and said “poor.” He looked again and said “blind.” A final time Jesus looked, and He saw that they were spiritually naked.
The city of Laodicea was famous for its wealth, but the Christians of the city were spiritually wretched, miserable, and poor. Laodicea was famous for its healing eye salve, but the Christians of the city were spiritually blind. Laodicea was famous for its fine clothing, but the Christians of the city were spiritually naked.
The contrasts are shocking between what they think they are and what they really are; between what they see and what Jesus sees.; between the wealth and affluence of their city and their own spiritual bankruptcy.
I counsel you to buy from Me: The change in the Laodiceans had to begin with understanding their spiritual poverty. As long as we believe we can meet the need for wealth, clothing, or sight ourselves, we can never receive them from Jesus. We must seek these things from Jesus instead of relying on them ourselves.
Therefore be zealous and repent: He commands them to make a decision to repent, and to continue in zeal. “Turn your way,” Jesus says. “Don’t look to your own riches and resources, because they are really bankrupt. Turn around and look to Me.”
Behold, I stand at the door and knock: Jesus gives to this lukewarm church The Great Invitation. He knocks at the door, asking entry to come and dine with us, in the sense of sharing warm, intimate time. It only happens as we respond to His knock, but the promise is made to all: If anyone hears my voice.
The idea of Jesus at the door applies to the sinner and to the saint just the same. Jesus wants to come in to us, and dine with us, in the sense of having a deep, intimate relationship.
The key to opening the door is to first hear His voice. When we give attention to what Jesus says, then we can be rescued from our own lukewarmness and enter into a “zealous” relationship with Him.
I will come into him: What a glorious promise! If we open the door, He will come in. He won’t ring the bell and run away. He promises to come in, and then to dine with the believer.
If anyone: Notice that Jesus gives the call to individuals. He didn’t say, If any church, but if anyone. “We must not talk about setting the church right, we must pray for grace each one for himself, for the text does not say, ‘If the church will open the door,’ but ‘If any man hear my voice and open the door.’ It must be done by individuals: the church will only get right by each man getting right.” (Spurgeon)
To him who overcomes: Jesus’ promise to the overcomer, even at Laodicea, shows that we don’t have to be Christians who are compromising and lukewarm. If we are, we can change and become one of Jesus’ overcomers.
I will grant to sit with Me on My throne: Those who overcome the battle against indifference, compromise, and self-reliance, receive a special reward. They enjoy a place with the enthroned Jesus.
This is the worst of the seven Churches, and yet the most eminent of all the promises are made to it, showing that the worst may repent, finally conquer, and attain even to the highest state of glory.
Let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches: We must hear what the Holy Spirit says here, because He speaks to the churches - including us. May God deliver us from the self-reliant, compromising lukewarmness that marked the church of the Laodiceans!
