Revelation 3:14-22
The Last Church
Last week we looked at the Church Road, a rather hasty journey
through the seven churches to whom Jesus wrote the book of
Revelation. As I began that message, I told you that I believe God
picked those seven churches with a purpose, in fact, with several
purposes.
I do not believe God does anything without a purpose. You and I may
not be able to discern His purpose, but God is too big, too powerful,
too knowing to do anything without there being a purpose.
The purpose that I gave last week was that I believe each church
represented a spot on the Church Road and that every church which has
ever been, which is, and which will be is located on that highway.
Today, I want to reveal what I think is a second reason for God
writing to those seven churches. I believe each of them represents
a time period in church history. Each age occurred just like Jesus
prophesied in this letter, even in the same order. Bear with me for
a moment while I summarize the history of the church as prophesied in
the book of Revelation.
Soon after Jesus left, the first time period of Ephesus began, a time
in which the church still did good works but their heart drifted
away. Then came the time period of Smyrna when the church went
through intense persecutions. After which, we came to Pergamos, a
time period in which false doctrine crept into the church. Then the
Jezebel period of Thyatira, where false prophets taught and directed
the church. All of that lead to a time period of more than 1000 years
in which the church was spiritually dead. It is referenced by the
church name Sardis. But, beginning in the early 1500’s, God gave the
church revival through the reformation; and the age of Philadelphia
began. Philadelphia was the church of power and opportunity. And in
recent years, we have entered into the age of the Laodiceans.
It is the last church age that I want to speak to you about today. I
believe we are well into it. Let is note in detail some of the
characteristics of the "I don’t care" church.
I. It is the Careless Church.
Rev 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither
cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
A. As I pointed out last week, the Bible described this church’s
CONDITION as the lukewarm church.
1. That is a vivid picture of this church’s condition by the
Lord.
a. They never got hot for the Lord, meaning they never
got excited about God.
(1) These folks had church services but the Holy
Spirit was never able to move on them.
(2) They never rejoiced over their salvation.
(3) They never worshipped with tears.
(4) They never shouted with excitement as the Holy
Ghost of God walked through their heart.
(5) This church just never caught fire and burned
with fever or excitement for the Lord.
b. But neither did they run cold for the Lord, meaning
they never quit on the Lord.
(1) They did not shut down the church.
(2) They did not throw away their Bibles.
(3) They did not cast away their faith.
(4) They did not go back into the depths of the
world, acting like pagans and heathens.
(5) People who came to this fellowship would have
left thinking their service may have been but
that the people were good people, maybe even
godly people.
2. The problem was that the people just did not care that much
for God or for God’s things.
a. Friend, may I share with you that I think of all the
ways you can treat God that perhaps the worst way to
treat Him is with apathy and carelessness?
b. Who likes to be ignored?
(1) You know they say that children will act up just
to get their parents’ attentions?
(2) If that is true—and I think it is— then a small
child would subconsciously rather be yelled at,
spanked, and even mistreated more than he wants
to be ignored.
(3) Why? Because no one likes to be ignored.
c. How does God feel about being ignored?
Rev 3:15 …I would thou wert cold or hot.
(1) God would first rather we catch on fire for Him.
(2) But if that is not going to happen, God would
rather we quit on Him.
(a) That is what running cold means.
(b) God would rather His people just wander back
into the world than to lose devotion to Him
and hang around in a lukewarm manner.
B. By the way, just as the term "lukewarm" is a vivid picture
of the church’s CONDITION, the RESPONSE OF GOD to this church
is also very vividly pictured.
Rev 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and
neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my
mouth.
1. There is no nicer way to say what the verse means than the
way the King James translators put it, "spewed out."
2. The Greek word means "vomit."
3. We could call it punk if you like, but it is all the same
thing.
C. Notice the CLUE that showed Christ that the Laodiceans was a
careless church.
1. It was not their lack of knowledge.
a. It is possible that this church was a very
knowledgeable church.
b. In fact in our age, Christians know more about the
Bible than any generation before it.
c. However, it is possible to know all of the right
things, and still not lead the right life.
2. It was not having false teachers.
a. No doubt they had some false teachers. Every
generation does.
b. In fact in our age, we have a good selection of false
teachers, lazy teachers, and apathetic teachers from
which one can choose.
c. But we also have some very knowledgeable, dedicated,
and hardworking teachers as well.
d. Yet, you can have the right kind of pastors and
teachers and still not live the right life.
3. No, what showed Jesus that they were a careless church was
their works, their actions, their deeds.
4. Or perhaps we should say, it was their lack of dedication
and consistency to their works, their actions, and their
deeds.
5. What deeds would that be?
a. Jesus did not say.
b. So the problem was not the deeds. It was the
Laodicean Christians and their lack of concern and
commitment.
c. Let me pitch a thought to you.
(1) God does not need us to do anything for Him.
(2) He is God. He can do whatever He wants or have
it done by any means He chooses.
(3) The reasons God gives us tasks to do is so:
(a) We can demonstrate love to Him by serving
Him.
(b) He can demonstrate love to us by rewarding
us for serving Him.
(4) This entire church was hurting themselves by not
dedicating themselves to the work God set
before them.
(5) Whether we agree right now or not, whether we
understand right now or not, every Christian
will one day both agree and understand with that
everything God commanded and asked of us was for
our own good.
(a) For His glory? Yes.
(b) But also for our good.
(c) And in that day we will regret that we were
careless and lukewarm in the things of God.
II. It is the Commandeered Church.
A. Here is something that I had never noticed.
1. Look at the introduction of this letter.
Rev 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the
Laodiceans write….
2. Do you see who it was written to?
a. "the church of THE Laodiceans…."
b. Five of the other letters said to the church OF and
then the city, i.e. Philadelphia, Sardis, Smyrna… so
forth.
c. The first letter said "to the church of Ephesus.
d. But this letter says to the church of THE Laodiceans.
e. That subtle statement meant that this church belonged
to the PEOPLE of Laodicea.
f. It is not addressed to the church at the city of
Laodicea but "to church of THE Laodiceans."
3. Notice also how this letter winds down in verse 20.
Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock:
if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I
will come in to him, and will sup with him, and
he with me.
a. Jesus is the One speaking in that verse, but He is on
the outside of the church, knocking to get inside.
b. Why is Jesus on the outside of ANY church?
c. Because someone else has commandeered it.
B. Get this:
1. If the people of a church are not concerned about the
things that God is concerned about, not surrendered to
the things that God would have us doing, not obeying the
Lord who has saved us, then the church is no longer
Jesus’ church.
2. It becomes the members’ church.
3. Let me tell you something else:
a. Churches are not the property of the members.
b. The members are the property of Christ.
III. It is the Confused Church.
A. Look at how this church saw itself:
Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and
increased with goods, and have need of
nothing….
1. They saw themselves as the excellent church.
2. They had wealth; they had goods; they did not need
anything.
3. What could be better than a church that has everything it
needs?
a. How about a church that looks at spiritual and not the
physical?
b. How about a church that looks at the eternal and not
the temporal?
c. How about a church that looks at souls and not silver?
B. How does a church get into this condition?
1. There is not but one way.
2. Someone had the idea that the church needed to operate not
like a ministry but like a business.
a. Don’t get me wrong.
b. A church does have some reason to be concerned over
facts, figures, and bottom lines.
c. But only because finances is a tool to accomplish the
church’s ministry.
d. A tool, just like a bus, a podium, and a light bulb.
e. But churches do not make major decision based on its
bus, podiums, or light bulbs.
f. They make their decision based on their ministry to a
lost and dying world.
3. If a church ever loses tract of that, it will become a
Laodicean church.
C. Jesus used the remainder of that verse to describe what He
saw in the church.
Rev 3:17 …and knowest not that thou art
wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind,
and naked:
1. What a poor excuse for a church this fellowship was.
2. But even so….
IV. It is the Counselled Church. Jesus counselled them to do three
things:
Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried
in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white
raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that
the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and
anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest
see.
A. Purchase the right kind of riches.
1. That will not be anything on this earth.
2. Nothing on this earth—save the souls of mankind—are
worth much.
3. Three things come to my mind that are worth all the
riches a human can amass.
a. His own salvation.
Matthew 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he
shall gain the whole world, and lose his own
soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for
his soul?
b. The salvation of others.
c. A close relationship with God.
4. Jesus is telling us to exchange our earthly wealth and
treasures for salvation and for a walk with God.
B. Purchase the right kind of raiment or clothing.
1. Again, that will not be anything you can find on this
earth.
2. The kind of garments Jesus was speaking of was our
heavenly garments and our heavenly garments are made
from our own righteousness.
Rev 19:8 And to her (lamb’s bride) was granted
that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean
and white: for the fine linen is the
righteousness of saints.
3. Jesus is telling us to exchange our earthly wealth and
treasures for a life that is right with Him.
C. Purchase the right kind of eyesalve so that we can see.
1. God wants us to quit looking at life though earthly eyes
and start looking at them through spiritual eyes.
2. Jesus healed many blind eyes while on earth but the worst
blindness there is to be blind to the eternal things.
V. It is the Cared For Church.
Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock:
if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I
will come in to him, and will sup with him, and
he with me.
A. Why was Jesus standing outside knocking on this church’s
door?
B. Because He loved them and cared for them.
But we are not merely speaking to a church that lived 2,000 years
ago. We are speaking to an entire church age, a time when the
majority of churches are like the church at Laodicea. We may even
being speaking to our own church for the churches in this age do not
see themselves as needing anything at all. And if by God’s grace we
are not speaking to our entire church, there is little doubt that
we have some who are like the church at Laodicea in our fellowship.
That means Jesus’ counsel is for you. It also means Jesus is
standing outside of your heart’s door this morning, knocking. Won’t
you let Him come inside?
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