Letters to the Church: Laodicea
Revelation 3:14-22
Laodicea (v. 14a)
· Very wealthy city
o Where travelers would exchange their money for higher quality currency
· Suffered a major earthquake on AD 60
o So wealthy that they refused aide from Rome to rebuild
· Despite their wealth, the city had no good water source
A Vision of Jesus (v. 7b)
· Jesus describes Himself as:
o The ‘Amen’: The affirmation of God
o Thus, He is the faithful and true witness to who God is
o The beginning of God’s creation: Referring to him being the source & ruler of all of creation
§ Arche: beginning, source, or ruler (see John 1:1)
“I know…” (v. 15-17)
· Jesus’ knowledge of the Laodiceans work leads to His rejection of it
· The city piped in water from the Colossae & Hierapolis
o Colossae had a cold spring of water that issued forth from the side of the nearby mountain which was the most refreshing water in the region
o Hierapolis had hot mineral springs, which were used for healing purposes
o By the time it got to Laodicea, it would be lukewarm, and mineral laden
§ Thus, nauseating
· Like their water supply, the Laodicean church’s works were nauseating to Jesus
o Thus, His declaration that He is about to spit them out
o This is a declaration of the worthlessness of their work
§ Not that Jesus desires that His people be on fire for Him, or be apathetic toward Him!
· And they think that they are rich spiritually
o When they are really the poorest of the poor
· Like their city’s self-sufficiency
o The church had become prideful, boastful, and complacent
Jesus’ Offer (v. 18-20)
· He counsels the church to invest in Him
o To exchange their worthless works for something of real value
§ Like travelers would exchange their inferior currency for the better Laodicean kind
· This call to exchange is to trade their self-sufficiency for reliance on Jesus’ own righteousness
o Which will heal their shame and spiritual blindness
· He reminds them that His discipline is an act of love
o And calls them to repent and rekindle a zeal for God
· This is not a call of first belief
o But rather a call back to intimate fellowship with Jesus (Song 5:2)
The Call to Conquer (v. 21-22)
· Jesus promises those who persevere in their faith:
o That they can sit on His throne with Him
§ Sharing in His rule
§ For their work will be done
So What?
· Are we lukewarm; complacent in our relationship with Jesus?
o Or are we growing and investing in that relationship?
· Are we relying on ourselves or on Jesus?
Meditation Verse: Revelation 3:18
"What's In a Name?" Matthew 1:23 - 25 June 7, 2020
"Tongues of Fire!" Acts 1:6 - 11, 2:5 - 3 May 31st, 2020
"Memorial Day" May 24th, 2020
Into the Tomb" May 17th, 2020
"Celebrating Mothers" May 10th, 2020
"Three Crosses" April 19th, 2020
"An Empty Heart" March 15th, 2020
"A Fitting Question" March 8 2020
March 1 2020
"On-God: God's GPS System for Man"
"Prophet, Priest, and King"
"An Unwavering Walk"
"An Ethos of Life"
"The Sanctity of Human Life"
"The Sound of Silence"
"What We Resolve"
"His name shall be called Prince of Peace"
"His name shall be called Everlasting Father."
"The Colors of Christmas"
"His name shall be called Mighty God"
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