-April 30, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln's Proclamation for a National Day of Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer.
Too proud, too self-sufficient, too intoxicated with success, all this is deceitfulness in our hearts, in the USA, ten times as much today as in Lincoln’s time, and it reminds of the letter to the church of Laodicea, in Revelation, it says this:
“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 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 that person, and they with me.
21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” -Revelation 3:14-22
Today we focus in on the city of Laodicea in the ancient world. It was a city of about 40,000 people, which is about the size of my home town. It wasn’t as big as Pergamum, but it was powerful and affluent. This city had two theaters, not just one, like Pergamum which had a population of 200,000 people. So this was a rich city. It was located at a key point on the trade routes of Asia minor.
This was the banking center of Asia minor, working with money, and power and influence, business and jobs and industry, manufacturing, and goods and products. Reminds one of the United States of America, so much money, so many goods and services, and so much abundance.
The city was known for the productions of textiles, clothing and garments, and was known for a particular kind of wool. It was very soft, and black, and would be worn by the residents of the city, to display their wealth. You’d find a city full of black robed people.
It was also known for the production of medicine useful for the treatment of eye conditions. Once again this led to great wealth.
Laodicea had everything it needed. The people there tended to be wealthy and influential in the region. They were proud, arrogant even, and accustomed to getting what they wanted, accustomed to entertainment in the theaters, and many forms of pleasure.
But it did have a problem. It was not near any particular water sources. So water had to be piped in from outside the city. The water source they had was full of minerals as well, which gave the water a putrid taste. Additionally, piping in the water from far off, and then having to gather it in the hot sun, would leave the water lukewarm, not very enjoyable to drink.
In contrast, in nearby Hierapolis, they had hot springs to get their water from, bubbling hot springs. And in nearby Colossae they gathered their water from nearby mountains, from the ice melts, nice cold water.
So when Jesus gives this letter to the Laodicean church, it’s interesting he says you’re lukewarm in your faith, just like your water, and it’s offensive to me. I wish you were hot like the water in Hierapolis or cold like the water in Colossae, but you’re lukewarm, so I’m going to spit you out if you don’t repent.
The city of Laodicea had once been hit with a devastating earthquake, common in parts of Asia minor, the city was so wealthy and powerful, with so many resources, that Rome offered to help them rebuild, and Laodicea said no thanks, we have all we need.
This is the only letter to the seven churches that doesn’t give any encouragement, but only rebuking and correction. Jesus says to them…
“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” –Revelation 3:14-16
He tells them right off the bat, I’m the ruler of the creation. You may think you have a nice car, a fancy house, lots of money, influence, but, it all belongs to me. I rule the creation. Everything in creation is a gift from God.
He says I’m about to cast you out. I’m about done with your nonsense. You are not where you need to be. You are half in and half out. Lukewarm.
I know each of the churches in Revelation have spoken to us in a unique way, but I wonder who this one is for today, I gotta say, I see few Bibles open when we read the word here. People don’t seem very hungry. I know many of you don’t really pray much at all outside of church. You just kinda think you have everything you need, and church is something you add on to the end of the list, like yeah I guess I’ll do that too. And that is lukewarm. So listen very carefully to what Jesus says here, if that’s you.
And I think from time to time we may all have been guilty of this, being lukewarm, half in, half out, but the important thing is that we repent, we let Jesus into the depths of our heart, and give ourselves afresh to Him, we repent and turn it over again, and we go deep, all the way in, because he stirs in our heart a sense of dread and concern and fear and stress and conviction to say oh my, I’m broken, I’m not who I should be, I need to repent! If you feel God stirring your heart this morning, as He did with me last night, just say in your heart right now: “Jesus help me, I repent, I let you into my heart, I open the door to you now! Change me!”
Next the Lord says to them: “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ –Revelation 3:17a
That’s what the Laodicean church is saying to themselves, “I’m rich. I have money. I don’t need a thing.” They are relying on their wealth. Oh wow, this is exactly what we do in America. We rely on our wealth, our stuff, our cars, our bank accounts, our roads, our bridges, our bikes, and houses, and we think to ourselves, in blasphemy against God, I don’t need Jesus, I have all I need. I have Youtube, I have a smart phone, I have a nice place to sleep, I have all I need. Howe we should be ashamed to dare think such a thought. Repent!
Jesus says to them, you think you’re just great, sitting on a beach sipping a drink out of a coconut.
But here is your true condition before a Holy righteous God of heaven and hell, “But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” –Revelation 3:17b
Jesus says you have this delusion in your mind about what you are. Very common for Americans I think, we all think we know everything, no one can tell us anything.
But Jesus says I see deeper than that delusion. He says you’re wretched, like, a total mess, miserable, callused, hard of heart. He says you’re pitiful, you’re a shame to look at, basically he’s saying. They think they’re rich but Jesus says you’re poor. You’re blind too. You can’t really see. Even though you have that fancy eye clinic in town, you can’t really see much of anything. And not only that you’re naked, they all have these fancy black coats, but Jesus says actually you’re naked. Just like Adam and Eve, naked, covered in sin, and pitiful, and hard hearted. A big mess. But they’re rich, so they think, no I’m fine. I’m just fine. Jesus says no you aren’t. In fact you’re in serious danger right at this very moment.
Many of us have been amazed to see the revivals taking place on Christian colleges like Asbury, Lee, and now dozens of colleges. We wish we could see the same thing in our area. But what I’m telling you now is the key to revival, true revival always begins with heartfelt repentance, people realizing deep down they need God desperately, completely and this total repentance and submission to God leads to revival.
There is hope for revival in our church and our city. Just like there is hope for these dirty, pitiful, wretched people described in Laodicea.
Jesus gives them the solution. This is how you solve this horrible problem you face, of all this wealth that has made you lukewarm…
“I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.” –Revelation 3:18
He’s telling this rich church, you need gold refined in the fire. Faith refined in the fires of problems in your lives. Then you’ll really be rich.
You need white clothes to wear, to cover your nakedness. They need to turn to Jesus to cover over their sins. And real salve to put on your eyes, not that stuff in your clinic, spiritual salve of the Holy Spirit, so you can see that life isn’t about money or wealth or entertainment it’s about serving God in the fear of the Lord!
So for the church of Laodicea, and I’m sure some of us today we’re convicted by the Holy Spirit, sometimes conviction feels pretty uncomfortable, like woe is me! I’m so upset, I’m broken, I’ve done wrong, what do I do Lord!
And we start to think, wow, God doesn’t love me, no one can help me, it’s hopeless for me. It’s over. And it’s like the gates of hell close around us. And we think we’re doomed forever. We’re going to hell. We’re in sin. And there’s nothing we can do. But Jesus gives them the instruction, here’s how to repent, to change your ways and begin to live differently.
I’ve worried about many of you. I worry you’re pretending to be a Christian. You’re showing up to church but you don’t really live for Christ alone. And you’ve got to repent and give it all over to Jesus. Repent of your pride. Repent of your rebelliousness. Repent of your thefts, your lies, your manipulations, your sexual immorality, your selfish indulgence, your constant entertaining yourself, and turn to Jesus before it’s too late.
It's truly disturbing to see us marching toward hell, while sitting in church pretending to be Christians, and I’ve been guilty of it too. I’ve been a hypocrite and a white washed tomb. And I need to repent too.
But Jesus doesn’t tell us all this to condemn us, but to discipline us. He says in Rev 3:19:
“Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent” –Revelation 3:19
He says I love you, that’s why I’m rebuking you, correcting you, telling you to change your ways. Make a change! Be earnest, be honest, be real with Jesus, and repent. Right now. In your heart. Make a change. Ask Jesus to help you. Be earnest, be real, repent.
You may think to yourself well God loves me, Jesus loves me, he would never send me to hell. Well, that’s actually not biblical. It says in God’s word he is coming for a bride that is holy and spotless and blameless. He is not coming for a bride who has soiled their garments in sin. And if we’re living in sin, or lukewarm when Jesus returns he’ll say to us, “Why did you call me Lord, Lord and not do what I said to do?” -Luke 6:46
Depart from me, I never knew you, you worker of lawlessness, you who lived a double life. I never knew you.
Jesus is love, and mercy and grace and kindness, but he is also truth and justice, and firm, and insists upon our obedience to His ways. That is how we abide in Him in fact, “those who obey me are those who abide in my Love. “
“If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. -John 15:10
You might be thinking “this is pretty intense pastor” I hope you see it as this is how much I love you, I’m willing to risk offending you to bring you to heaven and not hell.
We’ve made out Jesus in our modern era to be a bit of a Mr. Rodgers, but he’s not that, he’s loving he’s righteous, he’s firm, and he will by no means clear the wicked of their wrongdoing if they don’t repent (Exodus 34:7). Remember that.
So then the letter concludes like this: “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 that person, and they with me.
To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”–Revelation 3:20-22
The church of Philadelphia was told, I have put before you an open door that no one can close. For the Laodicean church, they have the door closed. But Jesus is still knocking at the door of their hearts. But they need to open the door. They need to by an act of opening their heart let Jesus in.
He says hear my voice, listen for the voice of the Lord, and he will come in and fellowship with them, eat with them, together, in relationship.
He also says, if you’re victorious, if you overcome the temptations of wealth and power, and convenience and pleasure and entertainment, you’ll sit down with me on my throne, whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit is saying right now.
So I challenge you today, are you like the Laodicean church? This is the letter for our era if you ask me. America is in shambles today, torn apart by sin and corruption because the church as not held it’s post and kept society pointed in the right direction. We’ve become smug, complacent, hard hearted, and focused on pleasure, entertainment, self-indulgence, pride, and money. It’s all around us and its’ difficult to not get sucked into it. But instead, we must be different. Totally different and realize the only reason we have anything in life is because it’s from Jesus.
All of the wealth of America is because our founders honored God in the founding of the country. And unfortunately, our generation has lost sight of that. Judgment will come one day on America, sooner than we think, and we should be ready for that, totally set apart, with faith like gold refined in the fire, white clothing centered on what Jesus did for us by dying for our sins, and Holy Spirit filled hearts that see with discernment, the truth of everything. Repent today, and give your whole heart to Him, ask forgiveness for doublemindedness, ask forgiveness for laziness, ask forgiveness for whatever sin you’re struggling with today, he will forgive you. Come the altars now. Give it all over to Him anew.
