THE CHURCH AT LAODICEA
(Rev. 3:14-21)
I. INTRODUCTION.
A. Laodicea was a large, beautiful, and wealthy commercial
city on one of the great Roman roads leading to Damascus
and Arabia.
B. Four of the churches of Asia had a mixture of good and
Evil; two had nothing but good; nothing good is said of
the church at Laodicea.
C. The church at Laodicea at one time was strong and stead-
fast. Col. 1:7; 4:12-16; 2:1, 5.
II. THE WITNESS.
A. Faithful and true. Verse 14.
B. He alone can speak with absolute positivity-no inaccuracy
in His words. Heb. 4:12; II Pet. 1:3, etc.
C. The soul is the object of Christ's words. Matt. 10:28.
D. The value of each church is not what it is in the eyes of
man, but what it is in the eyes of the heart-searching
Lord.
III. THE TESTIMONY BORNE BY THIS WITNESS.
A. Lukewarm. Verse 16.
1. Self-satisfaction-harder to convict.
2. Self-deceit-undisturbed until too late.
3. Confesses his responsibilities, yet takes no pains to
discharge them.
4. Implies that a height had been climbed and, because
of cowardice or weariness, had fallen from it.
5. Doesn't mention their being guilty of murder, fori-
cation, etc., yet nothing good is said of them-lost!
B. Neither cold nor hot.
1. They confound zeal with eccentricity; fervor with
wild and ill-considered schemes; earnestness with
rant; enthusiasm with mere delirium and extravagance.
2. We can understand why he would want them to be
"hot," but why cold?
a. No disguise, concealment, nor pretense,--more
honest.
b. Coldness more honorable than hypocrisy.
c. Many an ardent convert gets his first chill from a
lukewarm member.
3. Continual rocking will lull a warm and crying baby
to sleep.
4. A corpse in religious cloak offensive to the Lord.
5. "I will spue thee out of my mouth," Nauseating. Verse
16.
IV. "I AM RICH, AND INCREASED WITH GOODS, AND HAVE
NEED OF NOTHING."
A. Congratulated themselves on being moderate, sober-
minded people, and they pity the poor, deluded enthusiast.
See Rom. 3:18.
B. No one could be better off than to be in the condition ex.
pressed in this verse. This was their assumed condition.
V. THEIR REAL CONDITION.
A. Wretched-Refers to their condition, rather than the con-
sciousness of the state.
B. Miserable-A pitiable state. They did not even know.
C. Poor-Their worldly property could not meet the wants
of the soul. Would be lost if death came upon them.
D. Blind-Didn't see the reality of their condition. If a man
was in this condition physically, someone would have to
provide for him wouldn't live without help-so it is
spiritually.
E. Naked-spiritually. Salvation often represented as a gar-
ment. Matt. 22:11, 12; Rev. 6:11; 1:9, 13, 14.
VI. THE LORD'S ADMONITION.
A. "Buy of me gold tried in the fire."
1. Pure gold. See I Pet. 1:7, 8. Obtain from the Lord
that which would make them rich.
2. Gold here is emblematic of Christianity.
B. And white raiment."
Clothe the soul with righteousness.
C. That the shame of thy nakedness do not appear."
1. As the body is to be clothed, so is the soul that its sin-
fulness may, not be exhibited.
D. "Anoint thine eyes with eyesalve."
1. Remove all prejudices, envy, etc., so they could see
themselves as they were.
2. See James 1: 22-25; Heb. 3:8-13.
E. "Be zealous" and "repent."
VII. JESUS OUTSIDE (verse 20)-WHEN IS HE OUTSIDE?
A. When? When there is respectability instead of fervor.
B. When? When pulpit eloquence is placed above the truth.
C. When? When wealth and status are more highly valued
than growth and grace.
D. When? When the tongue names Christ, but the heart is
far from HIM.
VIII. HIS THREAT. Verse 16.
A. "I will spue thee out of my mouth."
B. One can be lost. Heb. 3:12; Gal. 5:4; jno. 15:6.
IX. PROMISED REWARD. Verse 21.
A. To him that overcometh.
B. Must let Christ into our lives and live with Him until
death. Verse 20; II Pet. 1:5-11.
|