You Make Me Sick!

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This is a sermon based on Rev. 3:14-22 regarding the church at Laodicea. This is part of a series of messages that have covered the messages to the seven churches in Asia as given by the Lord to John in Rev. 2-3.

Written Excerpts:

Introduction:

It is truly interesting to look at the words of Jesus in this last message to the seventh church and try to put His words into modern language in a way that would do justice to the intended meaning. I don’t know if you will agree with me or not, but in summarizing the message to the church at Laodicea, the only words I could think of are: “You make me sick!”

Why would the glorified Lord make a statement like that to a group of people who profess His name? We’re going to talk about that in just a few moments, but first we need to discuss some background information about the city of Laodicea.

(Reasoner) Forty-three miles southeast of Philadelphia was the town of Laodicea. It was established by Antiochus II and named for his wife Laodice, whom he later divorced in 253 B.C. This was a prosperous town, famous for its medical school, especially its “Phrygian powder,” which was mixed with oil to make eye salve, and ear ointment. Laodicea also produced glossy black wool. They bred sheep to get a certain color of wool. It was also a banking center. The town was destroyed three times by earthquakes; the last time it was rebuilt in A.D. 60 without government aid because of wool revenues. It was proud and self-sufficient. Of the seven cities, only Laodicea is today uninhabited.”

The outline we have been using for the previous messages to the other six churches included these points:

I. A Word of Revelation

II. A Word of Commendation

III. A Word of Accusation

IV. A Word of Exhortation

Using this same general outline let us consider…

I. A Word of Revelation (v. 14)

A. The Amen

This descriptive term or name is not one of the ones that appears in the first chapter vv. 12-18.

(Reasoner) While “amen” occurs ten times in Revelation, this is the only time it is a proper name for Christ. Usually it is used as an affirmation of truth; here it refers to the One who guarantees and fulfills the promises of God. See Isa 65:16, where “truth” in the phrase “God of truth” in Hebrew is “amen.”

(JFB) …it is the language peculiar to God, who avers by Himself. The New Testament formula, "Amen. [KJV-verily] I say unto you," is equivalent to the Old Testament formula, "as I live, saith Jehovah."

B. The Faithful and True Witness

(Barnes) This is presenting the idea implied in the word Amen in a more complete form, but substantially the same thing is referred to. He is a witness for God and his truth, and he can approve of nothing which the God of truth would not approve.

C. Beginning of the creation

The word used for “beginning” in this verse is a different form, but same root word as the word "ruler" or "prince" found in Rev. 1:5

(Reasoner) [A theologian by the name of Thomas] Coke said the meaning was that “the whole creation was produced by him, and he is the Head and Governor of all that he has made.”

There is no way, especially when viewed in light of numerous other Scriptures, that this can be intended to mean that Jesus was the first “created” being.

II. A Word of Commendation

This is the only church out of the seven that did not have any word of commendation offered by the risen and glorified Christ. How sad for a church to stand as the only one to whom Christ could not and did not offer any words of praise or commendation.

III. A Word of Accusation

What faults or defects did the Lord define against these people?

A. They possessed no beneficial zeal or passion. (vv. 15-16)

They were not cold or hot. This likely is a deliberate reference to the condition of the water supply in that city and the surrounding area.

(Reformation Study Bible) Laodicea's water supply had to be provided from a distant source through pipes. The resulting water was lukewarm and barely drinkable. By contrast, the neighboring town of Hierapolis had medicinal hot springs, and neighboring Colossae was supplied by a cold mountain stream. Christ urges the church to be refreshing (cold) or medicinally healing (hot), rather than like the Laodicean water supply.

(S. Zodhiates) …hot and cold represent beneficial qualities just as hot water soothes the body and cold water slakes one's thirst…. The Complete Word Study Dictionary – New Testament.

The point seems to be that these people, just like lukewarm water, did not exhibit any passionate qualities that would have a positive effect on their culture or their world. Therefore, they had no value other than to make God sick and, by implication, others sick as well.

In a literal sense, lukewarm condition can be attained by cooling of something that was hot, or the warming of something that was cold. The same is true spiritually.

B. They could not accurately assess their own condition. (v. 17)

In addition to the fact that they lived their lives in such a passionless, lifeless, manner as to make the Lord sick, they also had no ability to accurately assess their own status or condition. They viewed themselves exactly opposite of the picture that God sees. Compare this with the words of Christ to the church in Smyrna (2:9). He told the people in Smyrna that He knew about their poverty, but that they were rich! Now, He is telling the people in Laodicea that they think they’re rich and in need of nothing, but don’t realize their extreme poverty and wretchedness.

Scholars tell us that the city of Laodicea (and undoubtedly the church too) was very wealthy. Some think that their material wealth helped cause them to assume that their spiritual life was doing great as well. They viewed themselves as doing just fine and in need of nothing. (probably materially or spiritually)

How can people get in this condition of blindness? I believe it is through the common habit of comparing ourselves with ourselves. We Christians look at the attitudes and behaviors of the unsaved and unconverted “pagans” around us and, as long as we’re “not as bad as they are”, then we think everything is okay.

God is not asking us to just be a little better than the average sinner. He’s not looking for us to be a little more religious than the common “Joe” down the street. God is looking for people that are genuinely born again and full of passion and zeal to live out our faith in obedience to Him in full view of a skeptical, unbelieving world.

Christ is seeking people who love the Lord with all their heart, with all their mind and with all their strength. He desires each one of us to be passionate, zealous and have a positive influence for godliness and righteousness in our world. He’s not looking for people who will simply “do no harm.” He wants people who will love Him so passionately that they can’t help but make a positive effect on their environment.

IV. A Word of Exhortation

Finally, we want to consider Jesus’ exhortation for the church at Laodicea.

A. Be zealous and repent. (v. 19)

The matter of repentance is a frequent theme of Jesus Christ to these churches in the province of Asia. A person can’t become what God wants him/her to be without genuinely turning away from the way they have been going or the way they have been living.

But Jesus adds another concept here because of the unique condition of this congregation – Be zealous, earnest, or intensely motivated. In other words, get on fire!

How was that going to happen?

1. Seek true spiritual riches from Christ.

2. Seek true spiritual clothing

3. Acquire spiritual eye-salve to provide genuine discernment.

All three of these items mentioned were part of their daily lives in a literal sense, but now Christ is making a definite spiritual application to their spiritual lives.

B. Admit the Lord into their hearts. (v. 20)

The Lord gives the Apostle John a tender word picture. Christ is standing at the door of the church, equivalent to the door of each individual heart, and he is knocking. Christ desires to enter and set things right and initiate sweet fellowship and passionate communion with those who think they are already well-off.

He says that He only rebukes and chastens those He loves (19).

God hasn’t taken a lukewarm, nonchalant attitude toward them like they have toward Him. No, God is passionate about saving them from their certain destruction. God is passionate about giving them whatever they need to break out of the lukewarm, half-hearted, self-righteous status quo into which they have settled. The Lord isn’t content to just let them drift along and lose their souls. He is rebuking and chastening and pleading and calling to them. He is urging them to do something about their sad condition.

Conclusion:

Dear friends, this condition of lukewarm spirituality and half-hearted practice of faith was not just a first-century problem. There have been congregations and individuals in every period of history that have exhibited the same characteristics.

The remedy for the problem is still the same: Repent, become passionate and zealous for God and seek the true spiritual riches, clothing and eye salve that He offers.

Susan B. Anthony is credited with saying this: “Cautious, careful people, always casting about to preserve their reputation and social standing, never can bring about a reform. Those who are really in earnest must be willing to be anything or nothing in the world's estimation.” (Illustrations Unlimited.)

She obviously wasn’t talking about spiritual matters, but the point applies. If we want to be on fire for God, we can’t be worried about what others think of us.

We’re the ones who are living half-heartedly about our faith. What would happen if every one of us here this morning would really live like we say we believe? I’ll tell you what would happen. Revival would break out.

My prayer today is for God to “Revive Us Again.”