Havasu Christian Church
March 10, 2024
Revelation 3:14-22
Laodicea, the last letter
INTRO: Have you ever known someone who had GREAT POTENTIAL but never seemed to care if they lived up to that gift? You could see just how good at something they could be, but they just didn’t care, or more likely, didn’t want to put in the work.
This can happen in education… “Why should I work hard to get an “A” when I can coast and get a “B”? This can happen in sports… this can happen in a job… We once hired a woman to work in the Preschool who came in to interview, all dressed up. She was GREAT on paper. She interviewed very well. But she talked a lot better game than she actually brought to us. But it also can happen to a Church! Today we look at the letter to the church in Laodicea….
The Church that didn’t live up to their potential.
Revelation 3:14–22 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:
15 ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.
16 ‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.
17 ‘Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,
18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.
19 ‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.
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 will dine with him, and he with Me.
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.
22 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ ”
- Jesus, the Amen, the faithful and true witness!
- Jesus is the Amen
From thebiblesays.com: Jesus says He is the Amen. Amen is a transliteration of the Greek word “amen” which is a transliteration of the Hebrew word “amen.” In our modern era, we tend to think of “amen” as “the prayer is ended.” Both the Greek and Hebrew word “amen” has as its root meaning the idea of certainty. It means “so be it” or “it is surely true.” Jesus is the I AM. He is existence. All that exists has its form and substance in Him
- The word translated “Amen” is the same word Jesus used when He said “Truly truly I say to you.” Truly, truly = amen, amen
- Faithful & True
- Jesus is always faithful!
- In this instance, Jesus is reminding the people of Laodicea that He is a Faithful Witness!
- Jesus is always true.
- He never lies!
- He never deceives.
- He is always loyal.
- He always wants what is best for us.
- He never wants any less than that!
- Jesus is the Faithful and True Witness!
- He Sees everything!
- He KNOWS WHAT we do.
- He KNOWS WHY we do it!
- Jesus is the “beginning of the creation of God.”
- Some would have us believe that this is saying that Jesus is the first created being…
- He is the One who began the creating.
John 1:1–3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
- Jesus HAS ALL the authority! He made us!
- Jesus speaks to the Church in Laodicea.
- You are not hot, you are not cold….
- It’s possible that Jesus is saying that they are just trying to float through life without being enough of a Christian to get them in trouble, but enough to be saved.
- Everyone knew them as "Christians" but there wasn't enough CHRIST in them affect their lives! They aren’t “all in” in their service to Jesus.
- Instead, they should have been giving Jesus their best, and their all!
Facebook Meme: “I want to be so full of Jesus that if a mosquito bites me, it flies away singing “There’s Power In the Blood!”
- Jesus tells them being against Him is preferable to their apathy!
- I suspect that most of us would rather have an enemy than a fickle friend.
Stephen’s “friend” who “changed sides….”
- But maybe there’s another idea here???
- People enjoy HOT coffee. People enjoy iced coffee. Very few people enjoy room temperature coffee. That’s what microwaves were invented to fix!
- Perhaps the idea Jesus is giving them is that they need to DO SOMETHING!
- God opens & closes doors in our lives… True enough!
- But sometimes, God gives us options! Laodicea, PICK ONE!
- The Church in Laodicea isn’t seeing things as they really are.
- They think they are rich and self sufficient.
- But the reality is that they are “are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.”
- Without Jesus, they have nothing of eternal value!
- Jesus is the answer to their problems!
- If they come to Him, He will help them!
- If they want Him to, Jesus will help them with their “Heavenly finances.”
Matthew 6:19–21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
- What we do for Jesus has eternal value.
- If they ask Him, Jesus will cover their nakedness by clothing them in white robes.
- Again, their fancy clothes don’t cover their “Spiritual nakedness.”
Galatians 3:26–28 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
- If they are willing to let Him, Jesus will fix their eye problems.
- He’s going to help them “see straight” so they can see what’s really important!
- We allow so many things to be important to us that really aren’t.
- Again, we need to have “eyes for eternity” to concern ourselves with things that have eternal value.
- Jesus reminds them that He reproves and disciplines those He loves.
- You don’t go around the grocery store telling other people’s kids how to behave….
- Maybe you do, KAREN! But you shouldn’t.
- They aren’t yours to discipline.
- Jesus reproves those He loves.
- To scrutinize or examine carefully, bring to light, expose, set forth.
- To bring a person to the point of recognizing wrongdoing.
- Jesus disciplines those He loves.
- To provide instruction for informed and responsible living, to educate.
- To assist in the development of a person’s ability to make appropriate choices.
- Jesus tells them to be zealous and repent.
- Change your mind! Be converted!
- They belong to Him, but they apparently aren’t really living for Him!
- Jesus is “standing at the door and knocking.”
- He wants them to want His help!
- It’s SO much better to give help that is asked for, rather than unwanted help!
- Open the door, and we’ll have dinner together!
- Eating together has always been a way to bond with friends and with family.
- Talking across the dinner table, you get to know someone….
- Jesus wants to be an important part of their lives!
- Jesus makes an amazing promise to those who choose to overcome!
‘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.
- This promise is conditional.
- You have to choose to be an overcomer.
- It’s up to you whether you are an overcomer or not!
- You choose to walk the path and Jesus sees to it that you have the power to do it!
- Every one of these Churches has been encouraged to be overcomers!
- Ephesus: “To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.”
- Smyrna: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.”
- Pergamum: “To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.”
- Thyatira: “He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS.”
- Sardis: ‘He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
- Philadelphia: “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.”
Being an overcomer is NOT AN OPTION if you belong to and serve Jesus!
- Jesus promises the opportunity to sit with Him on His throne!
- Big throne? Take turns?
- I think Jesus is saying that those Christians from Laodicea will have the opportunity to be forever near Him!
- This is a theme we’ve seen in other letters as well as this one!
Conclusion: Jesus didn’t have a lot to praise Laodicea about…. Actually, He had nothing good to say about what they were doing! OUCH!
- But Jesus LOVES THEM!
- Jesus wants to help them to fulfill the potential as His children that He sees in them!
- He is willing to forgive them!
- But Jesus will not “break down the door.” They must WANT His help!
- They have to want to be Overcomers!
- When they “get their heads screwed on straight” and live for Him, They will be with Him Forever!
- These same promises apply to us!
- Jesus Loves YOU!
- Jesus wants you to follow Him with your whole heart and being!
- Jesus is willing to forgive us, even when we go far, far astray…. If we come back!
- Jesus will heal our spiritual blindness.
- He will cover our spiritual nakedness.
- He will make us rich in the eternal things… the things that really matter!
- But Jesus will not break down the door to have that close relationship with us… We have to be willing to open the door!
- If we do, we are HIS forever!
