The Book of Revelation: Part 9

Revelation 3:14-22

To the Church in Laodicea

We are in week 9 of our sermon series on The Book of Revelation, and today we are looking at the 7th and final letter to seven different churches. This one is written to the church in Laodicea.

All seven of these churches were in what is now known as Turkey. Looking at a map, if you start in Ephesus and go in the order that Jesus spoke about them to John, the locations of these churches follow each other clockwise to almost form a circle. Each church is roughly 30 miles from each other, and Laodicea, just south of Philadelphia, was located about 100 miles east of Ephesus. So perhaps the letters were spoken in the order in which they would have been delivered to the churches?

At the time this letter was written to the church, the city was very wealthy. It stood along an important trade route and was the banking center for the region. In N.T. Wright’s book Revelation for Everyone, he says that Laodicea even boasted of a medical school that specialized in the healing of eyes. He says it “was a good place to get hold of a particularly popular Phrygian eye-powder.” He also mentions that the city was known for its wool production, including a rare black wool they specifically bred (p. 37).

Today, the nearest town is Denizli, and if you visit, all you can see of nearby Laodicea are the remains of an ancient aqueduct, various walls and columns, baths and theaters, all giving hints of what used to be. But the city is long gone; its only inhabitants are archaeologists and tourists, hoping to uncover the past.

Laodicea is mentioned in one other book of the Bible. In Colossians 2:1-3 it says, “For I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me face to face, that they may be encouraged in heart, knit together in love, and filled with the full riches of complete understanding, so that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” And then again at the end in Colossians 4:15-16, it says, “Greet the brothers in Laodicea, as well as Nympha and the church that meets at her house. After this letter has been read among you, make sure that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.”

If Revelation was written in the late 90s A.D., then this tells us that Laodicea had been a church for a while before this letter was written to them. We don’t know if Paul ever made it to their city to visit them face to face, but we know he was concerned about them. He wanted them to grow in their faith. I wish we could read the letter they had written to him, for then we’d know even more about them.

But now, with all that background in mind, let’s read the letter we do have.

Revelation 3:14-22 (BSB) says:

14 To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: 

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Originator of God’s creation.

15 I know your deeds; you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were one or the other! 

16 So because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to vomit you out of My mouth!

17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. 

18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. 

19 Those I love I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.

20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me. 

21 To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

It seems like Paul was right to have been concerned—he had said he was struggling in prayer—for those in Laodicea. I wonder what he would say about them at this point, for they were not “filled with the full riches of complete understanding” of the Lord because if they had been, they would not have been lukewarm in their faith. The letter they receive here in Revelation is the most critical of the seven, for they are commended for nothing. Even Thyatira, who was tolerating Jezebel, was commended for their love, and Sardis, who received no praise, had at least “some” in the church whose faith was not dead. Laodicea seems to have none who are not lukewarm; the tepid spiritual temperature of this church was consistent throughout.

It’s worth noting that, like the other churches that received rebukes, this church doesn’t seem to be suffering under any persecution. In fact, it seems to be the opposite: they are wealthy and self-sufficient.

Now let’s read through the letter again, one verse at a time. Verse 14 begins as all the others and says, “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:” and then it adds its unique statement. It says, “These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Originator of God’s creation.”

Remembering that this letter is part of the greater book called “The Revelation of Jesus Christ,” we should look first for what more this letter is revealing about Jesus. Here we see words that Jesus uses to describe Himself. He says that He is the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, and the Originator of God’s creation.

Let’s look at each of those titles one at a time. First, how is Jesus “the Amen”? Amen is a Greek word that, according to HELPS-Word studies, “is usually translated ‘amen,’ and sometimes ‘verily,’ ‘of a truth,’ ‘most assuredly,’ ‘so let it be.’” So “Amen” basically means what Jesus says of Himself next: that He is “the faithful and true Witness.” He is true and what He says is the truth. 

Then, third, He says He is “the Originator of God’s creation.” Other translations say, “the Beginning of God’s creation.” I see why the BSB would want to clarify that this verse is not stating that God the Father created Jesus, which this verse could be misunderstood as saying if we translate it as, “the beginning of God’s creation.” Jesus wasn’t the first created; He is the originator of all creation. He was present at the beginning of our world, creating everything.

We see this same word in other verses of the Bible. In Greek it’s “arché,” and it means “beginning, origin, ruler, authority, principality.” Colossians 1:18 says, “And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning (arché) and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence.” Also, Revelation 21:6 says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning (arché) and the End.” We see this word means much more than “first.” It’s better understood as the source.

After that introduction, then Jesus addresses the church and tells them what He sees. Verse 15 says, “I know your deeds; you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were one or the other!”

This verse can be confusing because why would Jesus wish that people were cold toward Him? That can’t be what He’s saying, can it?

Something interesting to know about Laodicea is its water system. Laodicea seemed to have everything it could need, but it lacked something vital: it didn’t have good water. It had to pipe in its water using aqueducts. North of the city were natural hot springs, and even though it started out hot, by the time it arrived in Laodicea, it was lukewarm. From the south, icy water was piped from the mountains, but by the time it arrived, it too was lukewarm. So, it seems that Jesus, once again, is using a metaphor from their personal experience, speaking to this church in a way that they would particularly understand.

But this verse has become one of the most well-known verses of Revelation. It’s a very effective illustration. Jesus does not want us to have a “lukewarm” faith. It’s not that He wishes people were cold toward Him; He just really dislikes those who are lukewarm. As to why, I like how Barnes’ Notes on the Bible explains this. He says: “I would thou wert cold or hot—that is, I would prefer either of those states to what now exists. Anything better than this condition, where love is professed, but where it does not exist; where vows have been assumed which are not fulfilled…The most hopeless of all persons, in regard to salvation, are those who are members of the church without any true religion; who have made a profession without any evidence of personal piety; who are content with a name to live.”

The person who is lukewarm is actually a liar. They are pretending to be something that they are not. And because of that, they are closed off from the life changing power of the Gospel.

MacLaren explains why this state is worse than being cold. He says in his commentary, “Because there is no man more hopeless than a man on whom the power of Christianity has been brought to bear, and has failed in warming and quickening him. If you were cold, at absolute zero, there would be at least a possibility that when you were brought in contact with the warmth you might kindle. But you have been brought in contact with the warmth, and this is the effect. Then what is to be done with you? There is nothing more that can be brought to bear on your consciousness to make you anything higher or better than you are, than what you have already had in operation in your spiritual life.”

I do have to say that from experience, the most difficult people I’ve witnessed to are those who say they are Christians but it’s obvious they are not: they are nominal Christians, which means they are a Christian in name only. The problem is they don’t think the Gospel’s call to repent applies to them because they think they’ve already “been there and done that.” So, when pressed, they brush off attempts to evangelize them by saying, “Oh, I’m Christian, so you can save your worry.” But they are blind to the real situation they are in. They don’t actually follow Jesus. They might go to church, but they don’t have any evidence in their lives that shows that Jesus is Lord of their life. They aren’t actually saved because they don’t actually have faith in Jesus—they just think it’s a good idea to be a Christian.

And about these kinds of “Christians,” Jesus says in verse 16, “So because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to vomit you out of My mouth!”

It’s quite the word picture, isn’t it? But back to the water system in Laodicea, that lukewarm water that was brought from the hot springs, it wasn’t good to drink. It was too rich in minerals. People only drank it if they literally needed to throw up.

Then Jesus describes these lukewarm people. In verse 17, He says, “You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.”

As I mentioned earlier, Laodicea was a wealthy city, but proof of just how wealthy it was is seen by what happened after it was struck by a devastating earthquake. In 60 A.D., Laodicea, as well as the surrounding cities, had suffered a terrible earthquake. Laodicea was severely devastated by it. According to the ancient Roman writer Tacticus, the Roman government offered to give the city money to rebuild Laodicea, but Laodicea proudly refused any help, and they rebuilt their city by themselves.

They were so wealthy they thought they didn’t need anything. It seems like this church had adopted the same mindset as its surrounding culture. But instead of being like their culture, Jesus wants them to realize that they need Him, because without Him they are not wealthy—they are actually “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.” And so, He says in verse 18, “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.”

The Laodiceans may have been materially wealthy, but they were not actually rich—not rich in the things that matter. Jesus counsels them to buy from Him the true gold He offers, to put on His pure garments, and instead of using their eye salve, to use His eye salve so they can truly see. He’s using metaphors, so how do we obtain what He’s really talking about?

Let’s look at all three of these things. The first thing they need is to find true riches. How do we buy this gold that Jesus offers? Scripture tells us that true riches are found in knowing Jesus, just as we read in Colossians 2, when Paul expressed that he hoped the Laodiceans would be “filled with the full riches of complete understanding, so that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

But because it is gold refined in fire, this is also speaking to godly character refined by trials. 1 Peter 1:6-7 says, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trials so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

So, we can receive this gold refined in fire when our faith is strengthened through trials and we endure.

Second, they need to be clothed to cover their nakedness. This white garment He offers is the same garment mentioned in the letter to Sardis. In Revelation 3:4, He said, “But you do have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments, and because they are worthy, they will walk with Me in white.”

I really like how succinctly MacLaren explains this. He says, “‘White raiment.’ Pure character. Covering before the Judge. Festal robe of Victory. ‘Buy’-how? By giving up self.”

Straight and to the point, and this is also what Revelation 19:8 tells us, and we will discuss this more when we get to that chapter, but it says, “For the fine linen she wears is the righteous acts of the saints.”

So, we can receive these white garments that cover our shame when we put on Christ through faith and walk worthy of what He has given us, obeying His commands.

Third, they need “salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.” As I mentioned, that is something that this city was known for: its medicinal eye salve. But the salve Jesus has cures our spiritual blindness. 2 Peter 1:5-9 tells us how we can receive this eye salve from Jesus. It says: “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities and continue to grow in them, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever lacks these traits is nearsighted to the point of blindness, having forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.”

So we can receive the eye salve when we are healed of our spiritual blindness by working to add to our faith all the fruit of the Spirit and growing in our knowledge of the Word.

The Laodicean Christians needed to stop being lukewarm and apathetic in their walk with the Lord. They needed to let the Lord refine their faith so it could become like gold; they needed to start doing righteous acts and walking in purity; and they needed to be healed of their spiritual blindness by growing in the fruit of the Spirit. But if they don’t do those things, Jesus says He will “spit them out” of His mouth.

But if they just do those things, He will forgive them, because look at what He says next. Verse 19 says, “Those I love I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.”

First, let’s take the first part of this verse. Jesus says, “Those I love I rebuke and discipline.” That might seem strange to some of us. We don’t usually think of rebuke and discipline as demonstrations of love, do we?

Think about receiving a rebuke or being disciplined for a moment. It’s often deeply painful, isn’t it? It hurts to be rebuked. Oftentimes our pride is deeply wounded, or at best, our feelings are hurt. And it hurts to be disciplined. Whether we are disciplining ourselves through exercise or self-regulation, or someone else is imposing discipline on us, it’s uncomfortable and it can be painful. When God rebukes us or disciplines us, at first, it can deeply hurt. But I think this is why A. W. Tozer, in his book The Root of Righteousness, says, “It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply.” It hurts to be rebuked and disciplined by the Lord, but He only does this because He loves us. He rebukes and disciplines us so that we will repent and He can bless us. 

Jesus says that if we don’t want to be rebuked and disciplined, we need to “Therefore be earnest and repent.”

The word translated as “earnest” is the Greek word zeloos, and it means, “To be zealous, to be jealous, to desire earnestly.” It’s a word that is deeply emotional. To be zealous means that you’ve moved way beyond a casual interest in someone or something: you are intensely passionate, even fanatical. This is the opposite of being lukewarm—it’s burning hot.

But to those who will be zealous for God, who will repent of being lukewarm and apathetic toward Him, He says in verse 20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me.”

I think a lot of people, if you asked them where this verse is located in the Bible, would guess it’s in one of the Gospels. I love this verse, for it clearly gives us a picture of how the Gospel works—how salvation is received. Jesus tells us that He is standing and knocking at the door of every person. If anyone hears His voice and opens the door, then Jesus will come in to dine with that person. Salvation is offered to all people who will let Jesus in.

And though this salvation is available to all people, it isn’t something that we receive and then go on as before, unchanged. The picture is one of a loving relationship and fellowship. And it’s an echo of what Jesus said in John 14:23, which says, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” It’s a familial, intimate love based on mutual love. 

Then Jesus makes another promise. He says in verse 21, “To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”

Depending on how you interpret this verse, it has the potential to create some odd theology. I can imagine that someone might read this and think that it means he or she will rule as an equal with Jesus on His throne. I don’t think it’s implying that. At all. I think it means only what He’s said: if you overcome, you can sit with Jesus on His throne if you want to.

Think of a loving daddy sitting in his office chair. His child arrives at work and sees Daddy sitting in a chair. That child can go and sit in that chair with Daddy. It doesn’t mean that the child can do Daddy’s job. That child simply has the right to sit there because it’s Daddy’s chair.

It should not be lost on us that even though this church is severely rebuked by Jesus, He gives them the most intimate of promises. His rebuke is because He loves them. He wants them to repent of their ways and return to Him so they can be with Him—so they can be given the right to sit with Him.

He had threatened to vomit them out of His mouth but then He promises them that if they would just “be earnest and repent” and open the door to Him; if they would just stop pretending and follow Him in earnest; if they would just overcome the temptations they faced, then they could sit with Him on His throne. The Lord’s mercy toward all of us who will just repent and turn to Him never ceases to amaze me. This letter is proof of the great mercy and love that Jesus has for us.

Then, verse 22 concludes with the familiar refrain. It says in verse 22, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Let us hear what He is saying to this church and look into our own hearts and minds: do we see ourselves in this church? Have we become lukewarm in our faith? Do we think we are self-sufficient and don’t need His help? Have we melded into our culture so much that we look just like it? Let me ask you: Is there any difference in behavior between you and the non-Christians you know? Is your faith hot?

Our faith in Jesus should affect every single area of our lives. We cannot compartmentalize our faith into a little box labeled “Christian things” that we only access occasionally and think that will please the Lord. If we try to do that, we will be spiritually poor, covered in sin, and spiritually blind to the things of God. That seems to be the definition of a lukewarm Christian.

Let us not be like the church in Laodicea. Let us buy gold refined in fire, confess our sins and repent so we can be cleansed, and then set about doing the good works Jesus has for us to do so we are filled with the fruit of the Spirit, let us and study God’s Word carefully so we are not spiritually blind. If we have all we need and do not need the Lord’s help, if we fit in well in our culture and do not face any persecution, if we think and act just like everybody else, we might be just like the Laodiceans: we might be lukewarm. If that is you, it’s not too late. Be earnest and repent! Overcome the temptation to fit in. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you and warm you up with His love.

Let me conclude with more thing MacLaren wrote. He said, “A sure mark of defective religious emotion is absolute unconsciousness on the man’s part that there is anything the matter with him. All of you that have no sense that the indictment applies to you, by the very fact show that it applies most especially and most tragically to you…So, dear brethren, let us get near to Christ’s love until the light of it shines in our own faces. Let us get near to Christ’s love until, like coal laid upon the fire, its fervors penetrate into our substance and change even our blackness into ruddy flame. Let us get nearer to the love, and then, though the world may laugh and say, ‘He hath a devil and is mad,’ they that see more clearly will say of us: ‘The zeal of Thine house hath eaten him up,’ and the Father will say even concerning us: ‘This is My beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.’”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we pray that You would forgive us for the times when we have been lukewarm toward You. We pray that You would fan our love for You into flame. As Romans 12:11 says, “Do not let your zeal subside; keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” Lord, we pray that You would help us by Your Holy Spirit to be zealous for You, so we can serve You wholeheartedly all of our days until we meet You face to face. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.