The Sickening Truth About Self-Sufficiency
Revelation 3:14-22
July 10, 2016
Well this morning we come to the final church of our study
Here in the book of the Revelation.
We are studying the church at Laodicea.
It is a church that we have several times referred to as “The Fake Church”
And that’s really not a hard title to prove.
• They are self-sufficient,
• They are self-deceived,
• They are over confident,
• And to make matters worse, they have locked Jesus outside.
They ARE RELIGIOUS to be certain,
But they ARE NOT REDEEMED and this is a major problem.
We actually find Jesus here looking for “anyone”
Who will hear His voice and open the door to Him.
Let’s look at this church together this morning.
#1 THE CHURCH
Revelation 3:14a
“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:”
Again this section is really more about the town than it is the church.
Laodicea was an important city on a crossroads of two major roads.
• The east to west road that ran from Ephesus to the interior,
• The north south road that ran from Pergamum to the Mediterranean sea.
Those roads crossed at Laodicea.
It was a city that housed a great banking center
(you’ll see Jesus reference to their riches in a moment)
It was a city noted for producing black wool
(you’ll see Jesus reference their clothing in a moment)
It was also a city with a medical school noted primarily for the invention of eye salve which was distributed throughout Asia
(you’ll see Jesus reference that in a moment as well)
Laodicea was a booming, wealthy, industrious, and important city.
Theologically speaking we don’t know a lot except for the fact that Laodicea was located only 10 miles from Colossae and it seems that the two cities were very similar in their theological beliefs.
Paul wrote to the Colossians:
Colossians 4:15-16 “Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her house. When this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part read my letter that is coming from Laodicea.”
That indicates then that we can gather quite a bit about the prevailing doctrines in Laodicea from Paul’s letter to the Colossians.
While the Colossians did struggle with various things like legalism and asceticism and mysticism and the like.
The most glaring concern about Colossian theology
Was their denial of the deity of Jesus.
It was an issue Paul directly settled.
#2 THEIR LORD
Revelation 3:14b
“The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:”
Again (just as with Philadelphia) Jesus draws a reference to Himself
Which is not contained in chapter 1.
But Jesus seems to have a very direct purpose in mind.
“The Amen” is a unique title.
• It is a word said over and over in church.
• It is a Hebrew word that is left as is in the Greek New Testament.
• Literally it means “faithful” or “true”
Deuteronomy 7:9 “Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments;”
“the faithful God” is literally “the amen God”
It is a word involving certainty and faithfulness.
• It is a word that when used by God came to mean “It is so”
• It is a word that when used by man came to mean “let it be so”
The unique thing here is that Jesus calls Himself “The Amen”
2 Corinthians 1:20 “For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.”
Paul said that all of the promises of God are fulfilled in Jesus.
He is “our Amen to the glory of God through us.”
To put it another way, if you don’t have Jesus,
You don’t have any of what God has promised.
Coupled with that Jesus says that He is also:
“the faithful and true Witness”
Certainly we could elaborate on how faithful and true Jesus actually is in all that He does, but this is more than just a statement of Jesus’ character.
John 1:18 “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”
Jesus is the One who shows you the Father like no one else.
Jesus even said to Philip:
John 14:9 “Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”
Hebrews 1 says that Jesus is
“the exact representation of His nature”
In short, no one shows you God like Jesus.
And there is a reason for that. It’s because He is God.
Jesus also identifies Himself as:
“the Beginning of the creation of God”
This doesn’t mean Jesus was the first One created,
It means that creation originated with Him.
Colossians 1:15-20 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.”
So if you want to piece it all together it becomes clear who is speaking.
• It is the One through whom all the promises of God flow.
• It is the One who alone can bear accurate witness of the Father.
• It is the One who is in fact one with the Father.
Let’s just put it like this.
Jesus is the ESSENTIAL ONE
You can have everything this world makes available,
But if you don’t have Jesus, you don’t have anything.
You’ll see why this is such a fitting introduction of Christ to the church in Laodicea.
The Church, Their Lord
#3 THE EVALUATION
Revelation 3:15-17
“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. ‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out My mouth.”
I’m sure you’ve probably heard the phrase,
You’ve probably even heard it explained several ways.
Some love to view “hot” as an on fire Christian
And “cold” as sinful or backslidden Christian.
This can’t be for Jesus certainly would not wish that the Laodiceans were “cold”.
Instead of trying to build a symbolic theology off of this analogy
It’s best that you understand what Jesus is doing here.
• The city of Laodicea rested on a plateau that was several hundred feet
high, and this certainly helped in making the city more secure.
• The one glaring weakness of the city was that their water had to be
transported from several miles away, which they did by means of a man-made aqueduct.
• When the water finally reached the city it came in lukewarm and dirty.
It wasn’t refreshing like a cool mountain spring.
It wasn’t soothing like the hot springs in Sardis.
In reality it was disgusting.
And this is the point that Jesus is making.
YOU ARE JUST LIKE YOUR WATER SUPPLY
What an evaluation!
“because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.”
Again, follow the analogy, but don’t build a theology on it.
I’ve heard it preached that this was about losing your salvation.
No it isn’t.
(Laodicea didn’t even have salvation)
It is likened to what God said to Israel in Isaiah 1
Isaiah 1:13-15 “Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies — I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. “I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. “So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.”
Like God in Isaiah’s day,
Jesus is merely saying that your worship is not pleasing to Me.
It is gross and detestable, and I won’t have anything to do with it.
Laodicea was the church that made Jesus vomit.
WOW…WHY?
(17) “Because you have said, “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.”
They were a church literally dripping with
SELF-SUFFICIENCY and SELF-CONFIDENCE.
They literally thought they needed nothing.
• Their budget was good
• Their seats were full
• Their programs were busy
When they looked around and did an evaluation
THEY REALLY THOUGHT THEY WERE JUST FINE.
And that is such a contrast from what Jesus saw.
Jesus said they were “wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.”
And just let that mental image sink in for a second.
In the backdoor of the church walks in a poor blind man,
Barely dressed and smelling to high heaven.
And you ask if you can help him and he says, “Nope, I don’t need anything”
The Laodicean’s represent the most absurd misevaluation of self
That any person ever gave.
“wretched” is a compound word in the Greek
Which literally means “steadfastly miserable”
It was the word Paul used of himself when he realized he couldn’t escape sin on his own.
Romans 7:24 “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?”
It is a word that means never good; not at all, not ever.
“miserable” in the Greek is a word that indicates “a person in desperate need of pity.”
1 Corinthians 15:19 “If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.”
And then Jesus said they were “poor and blind and naked”
Which are all words we understand.
The real condition of this church was appalling
And yet they thought they were doing great.
Can I give you an example of a person who could have been a member of this church?
TURN TO: LUKE 18:18-25
Of course you know all about this man,
He continues to be one of the most relevant examples for our religious culture.
• Luke taught us that the man was a ruler
• We know he was rich
• Matthew’s gospel tells us he was young
• Because we are really smart, we call him “The Rich Young Ruler”
But if you’ll notice he is the epitome of what the church in Laodicea was.
• Externally he thought he was fine.
• Even when Jesus told him to keep the commandments he said, “All these I
have kept from my youth.”
He thought he was fine.
Jesus’ evaluation was a little different.
Jesus knew he was poor because he lacked treasure in heaven.
Jesus knew he was wretched because he loved his earthly money.
And so Jesus said, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Of course that man chose to stay in his filth.
He chose to remain poor, he chose to remain wretched,
He chose to remain miserable.
But he was an example of the church at Laodicea.
What they thought and what they were, were two very different things.
• All of their achievements…
• All of their goodness…
• All of their accomplishments…
WERE WORTH NOTHING
It is as we read in Isaiah:
Isaiah 64:6 “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”
What looked valuable to them was detestable to Jesus.
They made Him sick.
And just as a note, you should know that SELF-SUFFICIENCY
Is NOT an attitude begetting salvation.
Jesus never asked for people who thought they could do it on their own. (In fact that was really more like the Pharisees)
Remember this story? (also in Luke 18)
Luke 18:9-14 “And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Jesus found no favor in the man who was self-justified.
But give Jesus a beggar who knows his need and Jesus comes running.
It is what we always talk about in the beatitudes.
Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
That wasn’t Laodicea, they just knew they were rich.
How tragic since in reality they were poor.
They had nothing that was of any value to God
And yet they still considered themselves rich.
Friend let me tell you, if you don’t have anything that God values…you don’t have anything.
The Church, Their Lord, Their Evaluation
#4 THE ADVICE
Revelation 3:18
I know you have lots of money,
But you need “gold refined by fire so that you may become rich”
I know you have black wool and make clothing,
But you need “white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed.”
I know about your eye salve that you export,
But you need true “eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.”
And the thing that all of these have in common
Is that you can only get any of them from Jesus.
That is why Jesus said, “buy from Me”
And no, this is not some morbid indication that salvation is for sale.
It is a common reference in Scripture.
Remember these two parables?
Matthew 13:44-46 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
“buy” simply means “to acquire”
Jesus is saying that He alone is the source of true riches, true clothing and true discernment and you must come to Him for it.
Isaiah 55:1-3 “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost. “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance. “Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, According to the faithful mercies shown to David.”
The church at Laodicea had a lot of money,
But they had no treasure in heaven. They had nothing that God valued.
Jesus said:
Matthew 6:19-20 “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;”
The church at Laodicea had a lot of garments
But nothing to clothe their shame.
In Scripture garments represent character.
TURN TO: MATTHEW 22:1-14
We had a man who tried to slip into heaven on his own merit, according to his own goodness, instead of in the righteousness which only Christ can provide.
That man was not found worthy, he was found detestable and he was thrown out.
I don’t care how good your good is, it doesn’t even come close to measuring up to the righteousness of Christ.
The church at Laodicea produced eye salve,
But they had nothing to produce spiritual discernment.
They also needed Christ’s “eye salve”
They were the living epitome of the spiritually blind
Matthew 13:13-15 “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. “In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING,BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’”
Do you understand what Jesus is saying here to Laodicea?
We live in a world that absolutely praises self.
• Self-esteem
• Self-sufficiency
• Self-confidence
• Self-worth
And none of those attributes will get you to heaven
For Jesus called for SELF-DENIAL
Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”
Until you learn to despise your own abilities
And futile attempts at righteousness
You will never be fit for the kingdom of heaven.
• You must be “poor in spirit”
• You must be like the tax collector begging only for mercy
• You must see your sin for what it is and realize that you are wretched
But if you come to Jesus proud of who you are and what you’ve accomplished you will only make Him sick.
• If you really want to be rich…
• If you really want to be clothed in righteousness…
• If you really want to see…
Then you are going to have to deny yourself
And take up your cross and follow Jesus.
He’s the only One who has those things.
Jesus’ advice to Laodicea is that they come to Him.
The Church, Their Lord, Their Evaluation, The Advice
#5 THE ENCOURAGEMENT
Revelation 3:19-20
I absolutely love the way these two verses are written.
One might expect that Jesus wrote this letter with fire in His eyes
(similar to the letter to Thyatira)
One might expect that He was angry ready to come in with His sword
(similar to the letter to Pergamum)
But that’s not it.
Jesus wrote this letter with tears in His eyes!
“Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.”
Earlier I compared this church to the Rich Young Ruler.
Look what Mark’s gospel says about him.
Mark 10:21 “Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
That is the same thing here.
Yes their feeble attempts at righteousness are sickening to Jesus,
But more than anything
He is broken hearted at their lost condition.
• He longs for their repentance
• He longs for their humility
• He longs for them to see their sin and run to Him
And all the while look at what it says:
(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.”
If you are willing to recognize this, there is another example for you here.
TURN TO: LUKE 19:1-10
Zaccheus opened the door.
He was in just as bad a spiritual condition as the Rich Young Ruler,
But he was willing to see that and run to Jesus.
This church had everything, but they didn’t have Jesus.
• “The Amen” who was the fulfillment of all that God had promised.
• “the faithful and true Witness” who could show them the Father.
• “the Beginning of the creation of God” who is God Himself
Despite all their money, and their clothes and their salve,
They had nothing.
Everything they needed was outside knocking on the door, trying to get in
It was time to let go of everything they had and run to Jesus.
Matthew 16:24-25 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”
Do you understand what Jesus is saying there?
You cannot keep this life and gain the next.
• The Rich Young Ruler tried and it didn’t work.
• Zaccheus submitted and found salvation.
By the world’s standards,
Laodicea was a perfectly wealthy, successful, and thriving church
By Jesus’ standard they were the most pathetic.
They needed what only He could provide.
#6 THEIR EXAMPLE
Revelation 3:21-22
Up until now Jesus has always had a faithful few in the congregation who have overcome and thus He uses them as an example.
• Those who overcame complacency in Ephesus
• Or those who overcame fear in Smyrna
• Or those who overcame compromise in Pergamum
• Or those who overcame worldliness in Thyatira
• Or those who overcame pride in Smyrna
• Or those who overcame weakness in Philadelphia
But there are no positive examples in Laodicea.
No one there has overcome.
So Jesus uses Himself as the example.
“He who overcomes…as I also overcame”
“I will grant him to sit down with Me on My throne”
What does He mean?
You are going to have to turn with me one more time
To that story of the Rich Young Ruler.
TURN TO: MATTHEW 19:22-29
Do you hear the concern of Peter?
If we do give up this life to follow You, will it be worth it?
“Truly I say to you,” (Literally “Amen I say to you”)
“that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children of farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.”
That is the same thing Jesus is telling Laodicea.
If you will overcome like I did, then I will let you reign with Me.
So the question is, WHAT DID JESUS OVERCOME?
Philippians 2:5-8 “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
Jesus overcame SELF
It has to go.
Laodicea trusted in self.
Jesus told them they had to deny self.
AND THAT IS WHERE WE ARE THIS MORNING.
Are you willing to deny self, take up your cross, and follow Christ?
• This is the only way to gain His riches
• This is the only way to gain His righteousness
• This is the only way to gain His discernment
Otherwise it is nothing more than outward religion
And all it accomplishes is to make Jesus sick.
If you go through this life and gain everything, but Jesus is kept outside,
You have nothing.
In short, which is going to be; the Rich Young Ruler or Zaccheus?
• Will you leave it all, or will you keep it all?
• What are you going to do with Jesus?
Matthew 13:44-46 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
