To Laodicea || You’ve Gone Divine Mail! || Part 7 (FINALE)

Have you ever sat in church and heard a sermon that doesn’t sit right with you? Have you ever been in a Bible Study and listened to a teaching that triggered a visceral reaction? You see your church struggling and asked the ultimate question, “Does God care about the church?” The idea is about the group of believers gathered under one building, but we are called the church as well.

We’re finishing a series today called “You’ve Got Divine Mail.” Jesus had John send out letters to the seven churches to celebrate them and solve their problems. The goal has been to help you feel encouraged, both to serve church and help the body of Christ reach its maximum potential, and for you to serve God’s people to change the world.

In Part 6, we talked about the letter sent to the church in Philadelphia. We learned about the struggles they were facing and the time of testing that was before them. We learned about their anxiety and nervousness of not knowing when or how this time of testing will happen. We also talked about they stayed tight to their abilities to follow God and tighten their grip to the spiritual strength they had.

In Part 7, we finish this series by talking about the letter written to the church in Laodicea.

Revelation 3:14-22

14          “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen – the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation:

15          “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other!

16          But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!

17          You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.

18          So I advise you to buy gold from me – gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see.

19          I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.

20          “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.

21          Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne.

22          “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”

There’s a spirit of ignorance in this church. They claim to be fine but are struggling. Their complacency in how they function as a unified body in their community is their own downfall. Jesus invites them to invest in his products. To have gold to be rich in purity, compassion, and mercy. To have the garments to avoid be shamed by their spiritual nakedness, and the ointment to see the reality of what’s going on with them. If they do this, Jesus will join the church and feast in their fruits.

Laodicea was one of the wealthiest cities out of the seven we’ve talked about, known for its banking industry, manufacture of wool, and a medical school that produced eye ointment. Already, we see Jesus working. These products that Jesus wants them to invest in through him, are the same products that are around them daily. The city had a problem with their water supply. They had built an aqueduct to bring water to the city from the hot springs, but it cooled by the time it reached the city. It wasn’t not or cool – just lukewarm. What their city is experiencing physically, is the same thing they’re experiencing spiritually. Since they believe they’re fine spiritually, they believed their living conditions were fine physically.

The church there had become lukewarm in their faith and thus distasteful and repugnant to their community. The believers there didn’t take a stand for anything. Their apathy and indifference led them to do nothing. Their nothingness was the beginning of their self-destruction. They became hard-hearted and self-satisfied. We’re living in a time where apathy and indifference is a sign of opposition. There are many social justice issues happening in the world, both in the US where I live and internationally. To not have an opinion anymore is a sign of apathy. God called us to care for his creation, and not doing anything to help those who are being victimized, marginalized, and terrorized is not helpful. It’s not showing compassion, mercy, and grace. It’s not meeting their needs. It’s sitting by and allowing the enemy to destroy them. Let’s Christ guide our faith in these situations, understand our position, and get us into the action.

Some people falsely assume that having lots of money or things is a sign of God’s blessings being poured out upon them. Laodicea was wealthy. The church was wealthy. What they saw and bought became more valuable to them than believing in what is unseen and eternal. Wealth, luxuries, and eases bring us comfort because it’s tangible. It brings us satisfaction and complacency. No matter how much we have, or money is in our bank accounts, we have nothing if we don’t have a vital relationship with Christ. This isn’t a literal meaning though. We can find importance in our family, our marriages, our relationships, our kids, and more, but these are all to be given to God. If we don’t have God as our foundation for this, then we might find common and struggles in these relationships.

Laodicea was known for its wealth, but Christ told the Laodiceans to buy their gold – real spiritual treasures – from him. They were proud of their city’s cloth and dyeing industries, but Christ told them to buy ointment for their eyes so that they could see the truth. Jesus was proving to them that their true value is not on the material possessions of the world, but it’s in a right relationship with God. The possessions and achievements are valueless in comparison to God. Again, let’s not take this point literally. It’s a teaching of Scripture to show that God should be first and the foundation of all of our possessions and achievements. The items and work towards them aren’t to go unnoticed, but from a spiritual perspective it lacks meaning without the acknowledgment of God’s work behind it.

God would discipline this lukewarm church unless they turn from their indifference toward him. God’s purpose in discipline is not to punish us, but to restore our relationship with him. Think of this spiritual concept as like your guardians punishing you when you do something bad. They (hopefully) didn’t do this with ill-intent, but to allow you to learn from your wrong ways and restore the balance in the relationship and learn how to be better.

God may disciple you in a way to snap you out of your spiritual apathy. Again, a movement from God to put you in a position to care for his creation. He does this out of love. You can avoid any disciplinary action by drawing close to him through confession, serving him, worship, and studying the Bible. Just like the spark of love can get rekindled in marriage, the Holy Spirit can reignite our zeal for God, and we let him. The door for this just has to be left open.

The Laodicean church was complacent and rich. They were self-satisfied. They didn’t have Christ’s presence among them. Christ wanted to be in their hearts, but they were so busy focusing on the desires of the world that they didn’t see him standing in the doorway. The pleasures of the world – money, security, possessions, social status, followers, views – can be dangerous because of their temporary satisfaction. We can have $1,000 in the bank one day and spend it all the next. We can have a viral video one day and be canceled the next. What stays around forever is our eternal Creator.

If you find yourself feeling indifferent to God or the Bible, you might be shutting God out of your life. Leave your door open. Allow God to walk in and begin his transformational work in you. It may feel uncomfortable and scary, but it will be worth it. It may be anxious and nerve wracking, but it will be worth it. Let God bring you the fulfillment you need in your life.

Jesus wants in our hearts because he wants to save us and be in a relationship with us. He is patient. He is persistent. He will only come in when we’re ready to open the door. He will not force his way in, no matter how much other Christians force this relationship upon us.

I hope you have enjoyed this series on the seven letters sent to the churches surrounding John to spark a revival and a reigniting of the Spirit of God to the world. I pray that the principles and lessons found in these letters resonate with you and have encouraged you to go out and serve.

Our next series will preview the scrolls that have A LOT of information about what the end of the current world will be. It’s a short two-week series before we start breaking the seals on these scrolls. Until then, stay blessed!

Associated Scripture

Revelation 3:14:        John 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:20, Colossians 1:15-18, Revelation 1:5

Revelation 3:15:        Romans 12:11

Revelation 3:17:        Hosea 12:8, Zechariah 11:5, 1 Corinthians 4:8

Revelation 3:19:        Proverbs 3:12, 1 Corinthians 11:32, Hebrews 12:6, Revelation 2:5

Revelation 3:20:        John 14:23

Revelation 3:21:        Matthew 19:28, Revelation 4:4

Revelation 3:22:        Revelation 2:7