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
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