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Revelation chapter 3, I just 
want to read verses 14 to 22. Revelation chapter 3, beginning 
in verse 14. And to the angel of the church 
of the Laodiceans write, These things says the Amen, the faithful 
and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. I know 
your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you 
were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm 
and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth, because 
you say, I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing, 
and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, 
and naked. I counsel you to buy from me 
gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich, and white garments 
that you may be clothed, that the shale of your nakedness may 
not be revealed, and anoint your eyes with eye salve that you 
may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and 
chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and 
knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come 
in to him and dine with him and he with me. To him who overcomes, 
I will grant to sit with me on my throne, as I also overcame 
and sat down with my father on his throne. He who has an ear, 
let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we rejoice in your goodness to us. We acknowledge, God, that 
every perfect or every good and perfect gift comes from above, 
comes from our Father, in whom there is no turning, no variation. You are the unchanging God from 
everlasting to everlasting. And while some might count this 
a terrifying thing, we count it a thing to rejoice in. And 
Father, we just thank You for preserving Josh and Katie. We 
give You praise and glory for Your divine aid and Your protection 
and Your providence. And our Father, we pray now that 
You would fill each one of us with Your Spirit as we consider 
this portion of Holy Scripture. We pray for the forgiveness for 
all of our sins. We pray for cleansing afresh 
in the blood of the Lamb. For God, we know our acceptance 
with You is never about our performance, but it's solely grounded upon 
the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom we have 
redemption through his blood. May we never forget this individually. 
May we never forget this corporately. And we ask through Christ the 
Lord. Amen. For several years before I began 
to pastor or began to preach, I sat in church services. I participated in the worship 
of God. And very often, when the pastor would point us to 
a particular passage of Scripture, especially something that was 
outside of the norm of what we were studying, I always had a 
suspicious thought in my head, like, I wonder what he's going 
to that passage for, as he sees some things in us. And certainly, 
as we turn to the letter to the Laodiceans, that thought might 
arise in your mind or heart. He has seen something in the 
congregation, and he's going to get us. Well no, this jives 
with what we looked at last week. Blessed are the poor in spirit, 
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. We noted, or we at least 
reflected on the illustration of the church in Laodicea, but 
I think that it's important for us to investigate this more fully. If you're ever at an airport, 
you'll see the guys outside the window that have those orange 
sort of lights or the orange poles that they're showing the 
plane which direction to go. One of the things that I like 
to do is take that orange reflector and tell people to read the book 
of Revelation. The book of Revelation is most 
important for the church. It's most instructive for the 
same. It's something we ought not to shy away from. So I don't 
have an agenda in terms of this text speaks to our situation. 
We need that. We need to repent, though I think 
some of it obviously does. But the broader concern is that 
we understand this book in its context and as a logical outflow 
to our study in that first beatitude last week. are the poor in spirit, 
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Well, as we come to Revelation 
chapter three, it's in a context. Revelation chapters two and three 
are seven letters sent to the churches of Asia Minor. They 
all follow a very similar pattern or a very similar program. What happens is that Jesus identifies 
himself to the church, this identification. Incidentally, comes out of chapter 
one. What John says concerning Christ 
in Revelation one flashes itself out in these letters. So there 
is an identification by Christ about a particular trait that 
I think he uses to show them their inconsistency, and then 
he commends the church for the good that they're doing. And 
then he condemns the church for the bad that they're doing. And 
then he counsels them with specific exhortations. Now, two of the 
churches receive no condemnation. The Church of Smyrna and the 
Church of Philadelphia. Those two. Jesus only says positive 
things to the two other churches receive no commendation. In other 
words, it's only negative. Laodicea is one of them. The other is Sardis. But the 
rest follow that plan or procedure. There is a commendation of the 
good, a condemnation of the bad, and an exhortation or a counsel 
how they ought to align themselves with reference to Christ and 
his word. So the church in Laodicea, like 
the church in Sardis, receives no commendation whatsoever. In Sardis, Christ identifies 
that there were a few names who had not defiled their garments. 
There's no such reference to that in this letter to the Laodiceans. Of all the seven letters, this 
is the worst in terms of a church, and I think we need to understand 
and appreciate that backdrop for what we see as we investigate 
the letter in more detail. We also need to realize that 
the main idea in Laodicea, as we just read here, was complacency, 
self-satisfaction, and self-reliance. I think, to a large degree, the 
church imbibed much of their culture. The city of Laodicea 
was an important place in terms of banking, they had a rich textile 
industry, and they had a medical school. And at that medical school, 
a special ISAB was developed. Just knowing a bit of this background 
helps you to see what Jesus is saying when he counsels them. 
He appeals to those sorts of things. So what had gone on in 
their city, in terms of this being an affluent place, affected 
them negatively in the life of Christ's church. And so I want 
to look at three things this morning. First, the self-description 
of Christ in verse 14. Secondly, the condemnation given 
by Christ in verses 15 to 17. And then the exhortation given 
by Christ in verses 18 to 22. Now, I realize that if you've 
been with us for any time, you've heard this message before. But 
all of Scripture is important for us. We need reminder. And 
if you've heard things in the course of our exposition this 
morning that you already knew, then please just bear with us 
and help us to engage our minds so that we can uncover what God's 
Word says. Notice first the self-description, 
verse 14, and to the angel, that's probably the leadership within 
the church, it's a singular noun, it's the same noun that we use 
for disembodied spirits, the angelic beings, but it's the 
noun that means messenger as well. So the letter comes to 
the messenger of the particular church. with the idea that the 
messenger, the bishop, the overseer, would then read this letter to 
the church so that the church would understand what Christ 
says to the churches. Notice in verse 22, he who has 
an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. 
We just sang a hymn concerning the prophetic office. the prophetic 
ministry of Jesus, from his position of authority at the right hand 
of God, he continues to speak to his church through his word 
and by his spirit. And so we need to give heed to 
that. He identifies himself as first 
the Amen, the true one, the faithful one. I believe that behind this 
is Isaiah 65, where God the Lord describes him in a similar manner. I believe that this is a claim 
to deity from our Lord Jesus. He goes on to say that he is 
the faithful and true witness. Go back to chapter one for just 
a moment. In verse five, it says, And from 
Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and 
the ruler over the kings of the earth. Well, the same thing is 
highlighted here. I think the reasoning is clear. Laodicea was not being faithful. Laodicea was not being true. Jesus grounds His exhortation 
in this self-description to highlight for them an area that they need 
to repent in. George Beasley Murray says this 
element in the character of Christ contrasts strongly with the faithlessness 
and inconsistency of the Laodiceans in relation to the faith they 
profess. That's the issue. And then notice 
thirdly, how he identifies himself. Verse 14, the beginning of the 
creation of God. John is not teaching that Jesus 
is a creature here. John is not saying that Jesus 
was created and then Jesus created everything else. That's how Jehovah's 
Witnesses refer to this particular passage. The backdrop, or a parallel 
rather, is Colossians 1, 15 to 20, where it speaks of Christ 
as being the firstborn from the dead, the beginning of the creation 
of God. Colossae and Laodicea were in 
the same valley. Paul writes to the Colossians 
and says, I want this letter to be read in the church of Laodicea. I want the letter that I write 
to them to be read in Colossae. This is biblical theology highlighting 
not the created nature of Jesus, but the preeminence of Jesus. 
This idea that he is the beginning of the creation of God does not 
indicate that he himself is a creature and probably in view is not necessarily 
the old creation, but the new creation, the church, the eschaton, 
the glorious reality of the kingdom of Jesus Christ. G.K. Beal says, What John has in mind 
is not Jesus as the principal origin or source of the original 
creation, but Jesus as the inaugurator of the new creation. That's what's 
in view. He is solely and alone the one 
who has authority over the church. He is the Amen, the faithful 
and true one. He is the beginning of the creation 
of God. He is the one that inaugurates 
the new heavens and the new earth. He is the one that is King of 
Kings and Lord of Lords in this blessed state. We need to give 
ear to him. Let's move on to the condemnation. Notice, first of all, the problem 
stated in verse 15, I know your works that you are neither cold 
nor hot. I could wish you were cold or 
hot. I would like to get a piece of paper and a pen for those 
who have been with us for a little while and have them write down 
what this means. Just to see if you have been 
paying attention. How do we normally approach this text? How do commentators 
address this particular passage? One man who has a study Bible 
named after him says that Jesus would prefer outright atheism 
over a sort of lukewarm approach to Christianity. Well, whether 
Jesus prefers that or not, that's not the point of the text. Look 
at what Jesus says. I could wish that you were either 
cold or hot. Jesus is wishing that they were 
outright pagans. that they were outright heathen, 
that they were outright atheists, that they would reject and abandon 
all that was good and holy? It certainly doesn't make sense, 
because he counsels them to buy from him good things. The colder, 
hot has to do, again, with that layout geographically. What we 
have in Laodicea is a problem with the water supply. Nearby 
Colossae, a city in the Lycus Valley, had refreshing cold water 
springs. Nearby Hierapolis had what we 
might find in Harrison. They had hot springs. Both these 
cities were marked by a blessed thing. They had hot, medicinal, 
healing water, or they had fresh, cold, exhilarating water. By 
the time water was piped into Laodicea, it was lukewarm. It was yucky. It was something 
you didn't want in your mouth, right? It didn't have that medicinal 
healing property that you had in Hierapolis, and you didn't 
have the exhilaration and the cold that you had when you took 
a nice glass of water from the Colossae water treatment facility, 
right? This is the point. But even if 
we didn't know the geographical makeup of the Lycus Valley, Jesus 
appeals to something that makes perfect sense. For most of us, 
I realize there are some exceptions to the rule. For most of us, 
we like a hot cup of something or a cold cup of something. Not 
many of us prefer lukewarm. Kelly said one day she gave Lily 
some water and it was lukewarm. And since that day, Lily always 
says, I want a cup of nice, cold water. Why is that? Because this three-year-old knows 
that lukewarm stuff is yucky in the mouth. This is what Jesus 
indicts the church in Laodicea for. We want to spiritualize. They didn't have the medicinal 
healing effect upon the society that Christ's church is supposed 
to impart. They didn't preach with vigor 
and fervor and relish the glorious and exhilarating gospel of free 
and sovereign grace. Jesus says, I know your words. You're neither cold nor hot. 
I could wish you were cold or hot. Notice the judgment that 
he threatens against them. Verse 16. So then, because you 
are. I'm sorry. So then, because you 
are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out 
of my mouth. This is where readers like us. 
That's kind of icky imagery that Jesus would actually say such 
a thing. Remember, Jesus is covenant Lord 
over new creation. The Covenant Lord in the Old 
Testament said that if the Israelites went into the land and they engaged 
in the same abominations that the Canaanites did, the land 
itself would vomit them out of its mouth. See, it's covenantal 
language. Jesus is showing that there are 
sanctions associated with the New Covenant, that you cannot 
profess faith in Christ, gather together as a church of Jesus 
Christ, and be lukewarm. without the threat of Christ 
spitting you out of his mouth, taking the lampstand away, closing 
it down and saying, off with all of you. Jesus threatens to 
spit them out. And it is a threat that is conditional, 
not certain at this particular point. So even in this, there's 
grace. Right? Don't miss that. They said, this 
is the worst of the seven churches. How would you have approached 
them? You're lukewarm. I'm going to spit you out of 
my mouth. It would have been just an announcement 
that the time was up. That's not what this letter functions 
as. This letter functions as a blessed remedy to call them 
back to faithfulness as a church of Jesus Christ. I am about to. It's a specific verb. It doesn't 
mean I'm going to necessarily. He is saying that if you do not 
take my counsel, if you do not repent, if you do not buy from 
me those things I produce, then I will spit you out from my mouth. Now, notice his reason for this. This amplifies or explains or 
demonstrates how it is that they are a lukewarm body. Because 
you say, I am rich, have become wealthy and have need of nothing. 
And do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind 
and naked. Smyrna, as we remember, had an 
inaccurate self-assessment. They knew they were poor, but 
Jesus says you're rich. This church boasts in its riches, 
and Jesus says, you're poor, you're broken, you're miserable. 
I think we need to remember, brethren, that as the Church 
of Christ, our acceptance with God never depends upon our performance 
as his people. We stand by grace. We're blood 
washed. We're soaked in the blood of 
the lamb. That is the basis of our acceptance with God. We don't 
come to Christ. We don't begin with Christ and 
then imbibe the Galatian heresy. Well, now we need to do everything 
we need to do to keep us in a position of safety. No, this church had 
gotten to the point where they were saying, I am rich. I have 
become wealthy. I have need of nothing. Perhaps 
initially they respond favorably to the to the call of the gospel. 
And what happens? Self-sufficiency settles in. Prayer no longer was the backbone 
of the church. Scripture exposition and application 
was just sort of a thing that we go through because that's 
what we have to do. One of the scary trends that 
I think is developing within the church at large is the emphasis 
upon small groups. You say, well, Pastor, that sounds 
pretty wicked. You don't want Christians to get together and 
enjoy small groups. I didn't say that. I'm saying 
that people are seeking more satisfaction, more sufficiency, 
more up building, and more help on that Thursday night session. 
And what happens is that the Sabbath day and corporate worship 
and those things uniquely declared by God for the good of his people 
aren't as important anymore. It's a matter of priority, a 
matter of emphasis. Again, don't leave here and say, 
Pastor Butler says we can't get together on Thursday night and 
read scripture and pray. Go ahead, please do so. But don't 
let it take away from the gathering of God's people on the day that 
he has promised to bless and covenanted to fellowship with 
his people. Isn't it intriguing that in Revelation 
chapter one, where is Jesus? Where is he? in the midst of 
the lampstands. He's in the church. The church 
with all of its foibles, with all of its warts, with all of 
its issues, with all of its problems, with all of its imperfections, 
with all of its sin, is where Jesus is. Never forget that. This church is the worst. And 
He says, as many as I love, I counsel. It's amazing. There's more grace 
in this letter to the Laodiceans than I have seen in a long time. The fact that he writes to them 
is an indicator that Jesus loves the church. Again, don't leave 
here and say we can't meet together on a Thursday night or a Tuesday 
night, please meet together. But don't treat the Sabbath and 
don't treat the church as if it's not as important. Right? We need to be careful. We get enamored very quickly 
and very easily with something that appeals more to us at the 
particular time. Right? The church becomes this 
ho-hum sort of thing that we can take or leave at our disposal. Jesus says, here's your issue. 
Here's your problem. You have said I am rich. We made 
it. We got the 1689 Confession. I 
think we're rich based on that reality. I hope I'm not hinging 
my soul upon it. But you see, good things, if 
not kept in check, can even lead us astray. When we get to that 
point where we think it's by our accomplishment, by our doing, 
by our assembly, by our going through the proper means and 
procedures and channels, when we have accomplished this, we 
have failed to reckon with the reality. We do not know that 
you are wretched. You know, a sinner saved by grace 
never ceases to be what Jesus describes here. I think this 
is important for us with reference to our own dealings with one 
another. We need to realize that the best of men are men at best, 
and down deep inside, we're all this. That's it. Right? You're not? You made it? You're 
rich? You've become wealthy? constantly, continuously, always 
dependent on the blood. They lost sight of that. You're miserable. Do we believe 
John 15? Apart from me, you can do nothing? 
Is that just for our bumpers? Fridge 
magnet? He really meant what he says. 
Apart from me, you can do nothing. Abide in me, he says. The individual 
branches die if they're not heartily connected to the vine. We need to make sure our self-assessment 
jives with Christ. He says, you don't know that 
you're wretched. You don't know that you're miserable. You don't 
know that you're poor. Remember last week we pointed 
out every man is poor, every man is impoverished before God, 
every man is worthless in the sight of the Lord God Most High. 
Paul uses such language, and it defends some delicate sensitivities. We have all become what? Useless. You say, well, Paul, that's not 
going to build up anyone's esteem. Oh, it most certainly is, because 
when you see yourself before God, as He identifies yourself, 
healing happens. Giveness, mercy, grace, all those 
blessed things that the Lord God holds up to needy sinners. This church became proud and 
arrogant. They didn't recognize that they 
were wretched, miserable, poor. Perhaps they had some workers 
in the church at the medical school that developed this ISAB. 
They thought they cured blindness. Says, you're blind. Yeah, Laodicea 
may put out a good product. It may help the nations of the 
cities around. You put that on your eyes and 
it may physically help you, but you and the Laodicean church, 
you have an inaccurate self-assessment. You have an inaccurate view of 
the gospel. You have not properly understood justification or the 
dynamic, which is sanctification, which is by the Spirit. And as 
a result, you have devalued or you have degenerated to such 
a place that you are blind and naked. See, all plays, not we 
have to know what's going on in the Lycas Valley, but it certainly 
helps us. You saw those textile mills. Perhaps some of the people 
in the church work there, right? They were quality control engineers 
on the assembly line, so that when those clothes went out, 
they could be proud in themselves that they had done a good job. 
Jesus says, you gather together because you're not hot and you're 
not cold. You've degenerated in this place of a lukewarm nest, 
a state in which I'm about to vomit you out of my mouth. You 
actually think that you are clothed splendidly. You don't realize 
you're naked. You're disgusting. You're not 
what you think you are. You've forgotten the attitude 
of the poor and spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. You 
forgot. If we would build high, we must begin low. You've forgotten 
the reformers and the Puritans. You've forgotten the Lord Jesus. 
You've forgotten the apostles. You have forgotten that humility 
ought to mark the Christian path each and every step of the way. 
Not just individually, but corporately as well. That meekness is not 
something that's up for grabs that only a select few of God's 
holy people actually imbibe. No, we're all supposed to be 
meek. We're all supposed to fall into 
line with what Jesus describes in the Beatitudes. Pride, self-sufficiency, 
and spiritual ignorance were the core of their problems. Right? We need spiritual ignorance. 
You say this and you do not know. It's quite popular today in churches 
and in the world to hire a consultant. The consultant comes in, he talks 
to people, and he says, here's where you've gone off, here's 
where you've gone off, here's where you've gone off, here's 
what you've done wrong, here's where you've gone wrong. This 
is what the letter to the Laodiceans is. The consultant is Jesus. 
Jesus, standing in the midst of the lampstands, has recognized 
these certain truths about the body of Christ in this city of 
Laodicea. He says, you are puffed up. You 
are proud. You have become wealthy. You 
have said you have need of nothing and you do not know. You don't 
know. You're ignorant. They say in 
the South, you're ignorant. Blinders on. It's a bad state, 
isn't it? Churches fall into this. Free 
Grace Baptist Church can fall into this. Individuals who come 
to Free Grace Baptist Church, we can fall into this. Notice, 
thirdly, the exhortation given by Christ. He gives a remedy 
in verse 18. I counsel you to buy from me 
gold refined in the fire that you may be rich, and white garments 
that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may 
not be revealed, and anoint your eyes with eye salve that you 
may see. That's the remedy. What is it? Isn't that beautiful? In the Christian life, the remedy 
never changes. The remedy is always the same. 
Wow, I forgot that I was wretched, miserable, and poor. I was unable 
to see that I was blind. Do you love Mr. Blind Man and 
Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress? I see clearly now. Yeah, really, 
you're Mr. Blind Man. That's the point. Bunyan is showing you for what 
you are. You don't see clearly. But when, 
by God's grace, the Lord Christ comes and by his spirit and word 
brings this to us, what do we do? We come back to Jesus. Right? That's so easy. Sure, certainly there has to 
be more to it. Come back to Jesus. I counsel 
you to buy from me gold refined in the fire that you may be rich. You're not rich. You're poor. 
You're miserable. You're wretched. The way to spiritual 
riches is through Christ. He says, I come and get white 
garments that you may be clothed. He says, anoint your eyes with 
ice that you may see Isaiah fifty five verses one to three. The 
prophet under God says, Oh, everyone who first had him come without 
money, without price by and eat and be refreshed and be exhilarated 
and take a bounty that the good Lord God Almighty is giving to 
needy sinners. This is Christ's word. They were 
proud, self-sufficient and self-dependent. Jesus highlights emptiness and 
brokenness. This is the path. This is the 
way it works. You want a good church? You want 
a good individual life? It's emptiness. It's brokenness. 
Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are those who mourn. 
Blessed are the meek. Blessed are they who hunger and 
thirst. Not after blessedness. Not after experience. But after 
righteousness. Blessed are the merciful. Blessed 
are the pure in heart. Blessed are the peacemakers. 
Blessed are those who are persecuted for the name of Jesus Christ. 
Laodicea forgot those descriptions. They had to see a thought they 
were doing quite well. They thought everything was in 
order. We got our programs. We got our position. We got everything 
going on externally. Everything is set except for 
this fundamental problem. You don't know that you are in 
bad shape. Consulting from Jesus Christ. 
Notice, with reference to the exhortation, he specifies the 
remedy and then he highlights his motive chapter. for 3 verse 
19, the most amazing passage in this letter. As many as I 
love, I rebuke and chasten. We as Christians need to hear 
this. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. You say, Jesus, 
you love the church in Laodicea. You just condemn them for these 
several things. Yeah, but I love them. That's 
why I'm condemning them. You crazy? Lord, they're messed 
up. They're proud. They're self-dependent. They're self-sufficient. All 
things that are antithesis to the Beatitudes, and yet you say 
the motive that is in your heart as you come to this church is 
that you love them? I think one of the most amazing 
letters in this vein is the letter of Paul to the Corinthians. First 
Corinthians, especially. Never hear people say, I want 
to be a part of the early church. It's not as like our church. 
Oh, really? Really? Let's just go back to 
First Corinthians for a moment. Paul says it is actually reported. Actually reported among you, 
he says. Sexual sin of a nature that the 
pagans don't even engage in. And the problem isn't just that 
it's going on. Paul's a realist, he understands 
that remaining sinners is sin. But that you've been arrogant 
about it. See, the church in Corinth knew 
about it. And instead of disciplining the 
man, they knew and were arrogant. You go through these several 
chapters in 1 Corinthians and you see a church that's not All 
that, and yet Paul, writing in 1 Corinthians 1, pours love all 
over them. He oozes love all over them. He's a lot sterner, actually, 
with the Galatians, which should indicate something to us. Yes, 
bad practice is to be condemned and there is to be repentance. 
Bad doctrine is condemned with the anathema of God Most High. But Paul just shows his love. 
This is what we see with Jesus. As many as I love, I rebuke and 
chasten. As many as I love, I rebuke and 
chasten. The fact that Jesus is in the 
midst of this lampstand in and of itself is amazing. The fact 
that he highlights their spiritual malady leads to the path of healing. But then he says the motive that 
is behind him as he does this is because he loves them. I rebuke 
and I chasten you. We parents know something of 
this, don't we? Not like Jesus, not like the 
Father. But we love our kids. When they do something damaging 
to their health, damaging to their lives, we do what? We rebuke 
them and we chasten them. Do our kids say, it's because 
you hate me, you mean guy. Well, if they do, we spank them 
again and bring them to the place where they sweetly confess that 
we're doing it for their well-being. It's the same image. Jesus says, 
as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. The very fact that we're 
gathered here this morning is an indicator of Christ's love 
for us. The very fact that he has guided 
us by his spirit to his word today. I'm not saying this in 
some subjective, mystical way. I didn't just open the Bible 
and say, wow, that's what we're... Not at all. The fact is that 
Christ loves us and wants us to repent. He wants us to forsake 
this self-sufficiency and be about Christ's sufficiency. He 
wants us to forsake self-dependence and be those who are dependent 
upon him. And then he highlights the necessity 
of repentance. As many as I love, I rebuke and 
chasten. Therefore, do what? Be zealous 
and repent. You've heard the remedy. It's 
Christ. Go back to Christ. Zeal was to be a continuous disposition. Repentance was to be the decisive 
event. They were to engage in this and 
then to add motive upon motive. He gives us verse 20. That piece 
of paper back out. I want you to write down the 
proper interpretation of verse 20. One of the most misunderstood 
Bible texts in all of Scripture. We've got the picture of this 
anemic ancient Near Eastern man sort of knocking on the door 
of a sinner's heart. There's no handle on that side 
because, heaven forbid, that he himself opened that door. 
The door handles on the other side. He is at the beck and call 
of the sinner. He's standing there. He's anxiously 
knocking. He's hoping that you'll open 
up to him. He's probably resting his hands and he's just all bent 
up inside, wanting you to exercise your free will and undo the latch 
and open the door. This has nothing to do with them. 
At all. Remember, it's the church of 
Laodicea that had become rich, that had become self-sufficient, 
self-satisfied. Jesus is showing them the way 
of repentance. He says, Behold, I stand at the 
door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and 
opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him. and he 
with me. It is not a personal evangelistic 
appeal to the sinner. It is a promise to the body of 
Jesus to the corporate gathering there in Laodicea. If you come 
in on the Lord's Day, you throw off your sluggishness, you apply 
yourself. Jesus says, I will come and suck 
with you. I will fix your maladies. I will 
fix your ills. I will tend to your needs. I 
am there in the church. Chilton says several reformed 
commentators have pointed out the widespread abuse of this 
passage by modern evangelicals. He gets pretty descriptive here, 
and I think he's right on. He says they rip the verse from 
its context as a message to the elders of the church and turn 
it into a watered-down Arminian request from a weakened, helpless 
deity who is at the mercy of man. That's not Revelation 3.20. Jesus isn't feebly, weakly hoping 
that you'll open up and be saved. He's coming on a rescue mission 
to the church in Laodicea. He's coming on a rescue mission 
to this body that had lost sight of where they were in Christ. 
He's coming on a rescue mission. He says, I'm about to vomit you 
out of your mouth. Here's what my counsel is. Be 
zealous and therefore repent, and know this, that I stand at 
the door and knock. I am present, I have not disowned 
you, I have not withdrawn the last stand at this point. You 
are not Ichabod, you are not over, it is not all finished 
at this particular point. He stands at the door to knock 
at the church so that the church of Christ will open up to him 
and value and prize Lord's Day in corporate worship so that 
they can enjoy his sweet fellowship. Chilton says, We must remember 
that Christ is speaking here is the on the faithful and true 
witness, the Creator and Sovereign Lord of all is not making a feeble 
plea as if he did not rule history and predestinate its most minute 
details is the king of kings who makes war on his enemies 
and dams them to everlasting flames. Nor is he speaking to 
people in general, for he is directing his message to his 
church. Nor, again, is he simply speaking 
to Christians as individuals, but to Christians in the church. You see, that is one of the focuses 
or foci, however you pronounce that, of the book of Revelation. 
The church is dear in the eyes of Jesus. So when John turns 
and he sees the Son of Man, he's standing in the midst of the 
lampstands. The book of Revelation is a document 
promoted or provided to enhance our appreciation for the church. So Jesus specifies the means, 
the remedy rather. He highlights the motive and 
then he gives this blessed invitation. Behold, I stand at the door and 
knock. And he ends by giving this promise 
to overcomers. I'm sorry, verse 21, to him who 
overcomes, I will grant to sit with me on my throne as I also 
overcame and sat down with my father on his throne. Doesn't 
he say this to every church in the seven churches? This is a 
key, a helpful key to the book of Revelation, especially Revelation 
21. Well, the fact that no one's 
turning there indicates that you all know what Revelation 
21.8 says, so let me just remind you. It talks about those who 
will be in the lake of fire. And a particular group of individuals 
that find their way into the lake of fire is the cowardly. If you're like most people, you 
read that, you say, wait a minute, I'm a little afraid of the dark. 
I had a nightlight till I was 18. That's not true. I'm giving 
an illustration, maybe that finds somebody. I'm afraid of snakes. I don't 
want to help. I'm afraid of lions, unless they're 
behind a big fence. That really what God's saying 
in Revelation 21, a the cowardly will be in hell because of their 
certain fears in this lower world. The cowardly are those who don't 
overcome. The cowardly are those who don't 
persevere. The cowardly are those who make 
a profession of faith in Jesus and then leave off because of 
pressure, because of tension, because of difficulty, because 
of hardship. That's who the cowardly in the 
lake of fire is. It's not because you're afraid 
of snakes or you don't want rats running around your head. Any 
sane person would be afraid of those things in my estimation. 
It is this emphasis throughout the scripture. Persevering. How does a church make it? I 
counsel you, he says, come to me for your abundance. Come to 
me for your health. Come to me for your strength. 
Come to me for your dependency. That's the means by which churches 
overcome. That's the means by which individuals 
overcome. It's not because they're better. 
It's not because they're stronger. It's not because they're more 
able. It's just the opposite. Because Jesus is strong. Jesus 
is able. Jesus is powerful. And the righteous 
run to him and find refuge. That's what Jesus is saying. 
Quit playing games. Don't come in here and pretend 
that you're all that when you're not. The next section in Galatians 
chapter 6, bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law 
of Christ. What does Paul suppose? We're 
going to be burdened. Many of you are caught by sin. But those who are spiritual restore 
such a man. Isn't that amazing? It's church 
life. Wow, how could that ever happen? 
No, here's what you do when it does happen. Here's the prescription. Here's the remedy. Here's what 
we need to be about. Overcoming is the recurring theme 
in these letters to the churches in Asia Minor. The way that we 
overcome is close attachment to. close, walking with the Lord 
Jesus Christ, who says, As many as I love, I rebuke and chase 
them. Behold, I stand at the door and 
knock. If anyone hears my voice and 
opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him and he 
with me. Seems to suppose that in the 
gathered context of Christ's local church, some person could 
go out and say, Wow, that was amazing. I communed with the 
Lord. Well, someone could go out and say, That was horrible. 
I wouldn't know Jesus if he bumped into me. You think there's a principle 
underlying this? To a certain degree, we get out 
of church what we put into church. We come with our minds already 
turned off. We've come with our acts to grind already. If we've 
got on dealt with sin, or we have some issue, or whatever, 
and we come in that disposition, now God's greatly sovereign, 
and He can certainly zap. But for the most part, normative 
church attendance in many respects depends on seeking, by God's 
grace, to be faithful, to deal with things, and be receptive. As well, I think this text goes 
against what so many of us are unfortunately led to believe, 
that hearing sermons is a passive activity. That in the midst of 
preaching, there's one man acting. If that is your view, it is unbiblical. The hearing of the preached word 
demands active, wholesale, whole soul engagement. If you wander 
in here and you have tuned out, then it is going to take the 
sovereign work of God Most High to rattle your cage. But normatively, 
those who hear the voice of Jesus, those who open the door in corporate 
worship, have this promise. Not a perhaps, not a maybe. But Jesus says, I stand at the 
door and knock. You open up, I will bless you. 
I will come to you. I will make myself known to you. You will not leave shorted. You 
will not leave gypped. You will not leave empty handed. 
The Christ who stands at the door and knocks is faithful. He is true. He is the Amen of 
God, such that when the body opens up to him, he comes and 
he stops with that. This is an important letter for 
the churches today. Well, brethren, in conclusion, 
some ways of imitating the Laodiceans. I don't say these favorably. 
There's 15 ways we can be like the Laodiceans. I say this to 
our shame. Pride. Pride. Having a loftier view of ourself 
that is warranted. Right? Another theme we'll see 
in Galatians chapter 6. Pride. Having a lower view of God than 
is biblical. So I think we're reading the 
Bible properly if God is glorious and we're not. That's a basic 
fundamental hermeneutic. If you come away from reading 
the Bible and you say, God is glorious and I'm not, you're 
on the right path to happy Bible reading. Pride. Pride. Self-sufficiency, a failure 
to recognize the power of Christ and his words. I would even suggest 
there's a failure to wrestle with, to grapple with, and to 
understand those twin doctrines that we hold dear. Justification 
and sanctification. The idea that our acceptance 
with God is through the blood of Jesus alone. That is liberty. That is blessed. That is glorious. And we mustn't ever forget that 
emphasis. We mustn't ever lose sight of 
our status with God being ground up or bound up with the doing 
and dying of Jesus. When we understand that properly, 
sanctification falls into its proper place. And that's when 
we listen. That's when we obey. That's when 
we seek to do the will of God most high. Self-sufficiency will 
hurt us if we deny both of those. We have an improper view of our 
status with God, we'll think we can work ourselves to heaven. 
We don't understand justification by grace alone, our sanctification 
is going to be twisted. It'll be like the Galatians. 
Belief is good, plus our works. Belief is good, plus what I do. 
No. Biblical gospel is absolutely crucial. Pride, self-sufficiency, 
spiritual ignorance. The Laodiceans did not know their 
real condition under God and in society. Prayerful and accurate 
self-assessment is needed. And probably, brethren, on a 
real practical level, material prosperity. Notice Jesus' words, 
sell your church building, sell all your nice clothes, sell everything 
you have and go live as monks. It's not what he says. There is a way to live in an 
affluent society for King Jesus Christ. I certainly don't have 
it all figured out, but I know that there is a way. What's the 
foundation of economic prosperity in both Testaments? Seek first the Kingdom of God 
and His righteousness, and then all these other things in context 
Clothes for your body and food for your table. Economic prosperity. Seek first God and then these 
things will be added on to you. It was the same case for Israel 
of old. One of the cautions that God 
gave them. When you enter into the land, 
you eat the food that you didn't grow. You live in the cities 
that you didn't build. Do not forget to thank God. He doesn't say, don't use those 
cities, don't use those vineyards, don't use those things. He says, 
when you get there, rejoice that your God has given them to you. 
When you have eaten and are satisfied, give thanks to God. How does 
Paul counsel Timothy to deal with the rich in 1 Timothy 6? The easy answer is go get rid 
of everything. That's Roman Catholic monasticism. 
Did it fix the problem? You get a bunch of guys who sell 
everything and go live in a monastery. OK, we're done with sin. Yeah, 
right. Sure. Not until you pull that 
thing out and throw it away, are you done with sin? He says, command those who are 
rich in this present age not to be haughty. Not to be proud. Not to think they have done this 
in their own strength. Call them to be sharers of those 
who have need. There is a way to have God's 
blessing without denying God. We need to have a right fear 
of God, a proper understanding of stewardship. The earth is 
Yahweh's and the fullness thereof. And in his kindness and in his 
goodness, he gives us a portion. I'm highlighting this because 
we live in an affluent society. The Bible's answer isn't go get 
rid of everything and go live in the homeless shelter. That's 
easy. We could do that. It takes grace 
and the power of the Spirit to have the material prosperity 
and still fear God properly. These guys weren't even trying 
that. Laziness is another reason that people fall into such things 
as these. Laziness in worship. Laziness 
in the means of grace. Laziness in what God has called 
us to engage in. This is not something unique 
to one or two of us. It is something that sets in 
the whole congregation. We get lazy. We look for experience. We're fair weather fans. It was 
an interesting dynamic last night, having to drive across town. 
hearing all the horns and all the revelry about a hockey team. I mean, big banners and the celebration 
of all things hockey. It's an amazing thing. I'm not 
a hockey fan. I'm not into this. But I do notice 
that if the Canucks don't win, that revelry isn't in place. We're kind of like that, aren't 
we? As long as the blessings are there. As long as the preaching 
is interesting. As long as my needs are being 
met. As long as I'm the center of 
attention. I'll be there with bells on. 
I'll honk my spiritual horn. I'll wave God's flag. But the 
moment something rubs me the wrong way, Here's a boring sermon. My felt needs aren't met. I'm 
not waving my God flag anymore. Shame on us. It's unfortunate 
a pagan said this. Ask not what your country can 
do for you, but what you can do for your country. Often thought 
in terms of the church, if that was our mindset, I'm not a formulaic 
man. I don't believe we do this and 
God will reward us this way. But I can't help but think that 
if our attitudes and our mindset change and we saw Jesus as the 
center, Jesus as the focus, Jesus as the everything, I can't but 
think that things will get better for us. Laziness, garden variety, 
laziness. So we see some ways of imitating 
the Laodiceans. Again, don't take notice and 
say, OK, Father, help me to be proud this week. These are things 
we don't normally have to pray about anyway. Father, help me 
to be self-sufficient. God, I really love spiritual 
ignorance. That's not why I'm sort of highlighting these. It's 
to caution us that we don't fall prey. Let's end with the blessedness 
of Christ. This section or passage presents 
to us a blessed Christ. He knows His churches. Take comfort 
in this. Your pastors, your elders, your 
deacons, your spiritual advisors, your friends may neglect you. 
I wish it wasn't that way, but Jesus never will. He's omniscient. He searches the hearts. He knows 
what's going on. You always have one you can pour 
out your heart to in Jesus. There's always the son of God 
on the other side of prayer. Right. If I call, is he going 
to be there? I may not be. Leave a message. I'll try and get back to you. 
Email me. I'll try to get back to you. You don't have to worry 
about that with Jesus. He knows us. The presence of 
Christ is conspicuous. He is with the church. He counsels 
us. He doesn't just come and say, 
you wretched Laodiceans, you're horrible monsters. I'm going 
to cut you off. No, I counsel you. Here's the 
path you've chosen. Here's what I want you to do. 
Come back to me. I'll give you gold. I'll give 
you clothing. I'll fix your eyesight. I'll do everything. I'll heal 
you. Isn't that beautiful? That's what it tells us of Jesus. 
He loves us. As many as I love, I rebuke and 
chasten. See, sometimes we get that backwards. 
We're under the heavy hand of God. We're under some chastening 
of God. And what's our natural conclusion? 
He doesn't love me. Hasn't the Christian life taught 
you anything in a study of the scriptures taught you this? That 
God chastens whom he loves. There's a big controversy over 
spanking. Maybe this shouldn't even be 
taped. I don't know. Maybe the cops will come to my house tonight 
and arrest me. When our kids were little, we 
spanked them. I realized I could go to jail now, so give me a 
call or send me a letter while I'm in the pokey. But you know, 
over the years, they've grown up and not perfect. We've got 
our issues, to be sure. But whenever we've heard sort 
of this anti-spanking mentality, I've often asked the kids, have 
you been emotionally damaged by that? Was there an emotional 
damage that happened to you in the instrument of peace being 
wielded upon you? Are you sort of unable to cope 
with reality now? No. They're not damaged. They are because of sin and bad 
other stuff. But it wasn't that. The chastening 
of God is not designed to destroy us. The chastening of God is 
designed to strengthen us. The chastening of God is designed 
to promote our well-being, not destroy it. The chastening of 
God under the hand of a kind and gracious Lord is his smile, 
not his absence. We need to start thinking like 
that. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. He knows, he counsels, 
he loves, he invites Christians in churches to communion with 
himself. Now, I don't believe this is 
a passage specifically that deals with the Lord's Supper. But I 
do encourage us to think in terms like these when we come to the 
supper. Is it an empty ritual? Is it, as one of my brothers 
says, just a celebration, a funeral celebration? for a departed friend. Or is it a time? Is it a means? We're in the glorified Christ 
by his spirit. Comes. Benefits, encourages, 
strengthens. If I bought children. Come to 
it with that. Though it's not a Lord's Supper 
test, don't forget Revelation three twenty. He knows, he counsels, 
he loves, he invites, and then finally he promises. Verse 21, 
to him who overcomes, and we know based on the rest of biblical 
data, the only way we overcome is by grace alone. It's by looking 
to Jesus Christ. It's by taking heed to his counsel, 
to buying from him, to supping with him, to loving him, to serving 
him. To him who overcomes, I will 
grant to sit, look at this, with me on my throne. You ever read Romans 8, 17 and 
stop to pause for a moment and catch your breath? Do you realize 
that in Christ you are joint heirs with Christ? Do you ever consider the language, 
the terminology that the Apostle Paul uses with reference to our 
place in Christ? He uses, he favors the term adoption. John thinks a lot of begotten. You're born again, born into 
the family of God. Biblical emphasis, beautiful 
emphasis. Paul comes at it in the same 
idea, the same doctrine, but he comes at it in a different 
angle. Not because they're at odds with each other, but because 
John wants you to consider that you've been begotten anew by 
the grace of God. Paul wants you to consider adoption. 
Adoption means legal status. It means full privilege. It means 
whatever the heir has, the joint heirs have too. It means Revelation 
321. To him who overcomes, I will 
grant to sit with me on my throne as I also overcame and sat down 
with my father on his throne. Christ knows. Christ counsels. Christ loves. Christ invites. Christ promises. And all in the 
context of a letter written to a church that had an abundance 
of problems. Just imagine if they were doing 
great, how great he would sound. Well, brethren, please take this 
as an encouragement. If you are not a Christian this 
morning, while this passage does not teach that Jesus stands at 
the door of your heart and knocks elsewhere in the scriptures, 
we read this. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall 
be saved. Elsewhere in the scriptures, 
we see Jesus stand up on the great day of the feast, and he 
says, whoever thirsts, let him come to me. If you are not a 
Christian, there is one place to go with your sin, and it is 
to the Lord of glory, who cleanses, who washes, who purifies, and 
who gives you that white garment that he promises to in the gospel. Well, let us pray. Father, we 
thank you for your word, and we thank you for this letter 
to the Laodicean Church. We just pray, God, that you would 
help us to learn lessons from it, help us to prayerfully consider 
these things, and God, help us to see the glory of Jesus as 
he so clearly displayed in this passage. We just ask now that 
you would be honored and exalted in our church. Do forgive us 
for our sin. Forgive us for pride and self-sufficiency 
and spiritual ignorance. Forgive us, Lord God, that we 
are not more attuned with Your Word. And I pray that You would 
forgive me and Cam as leaders, as elders here. I pray that You 
would wash us afresh in the blood and that God, all of us, would 
seek to align ourselves with the Holy Scripture. We ask in 
Jesus' name. Amen.