From the Faithful and True Witness Scripture Reading: Revelation 1:1-3, 5 Good Morning Brothers and Sisters. The book of Revelation, from which I would like to share with you this morning, pronounces a blessing on those who read and hear its words and keep the things written in it. This means that God is waiting and ready to bless us as we study this morning. Let us pray and claim that blessing right now. Prayer. Revelation begins with a view of Jesus. In chapter 1, verse 5 we see him presented as the faithful witness. He walks in the midst of the seven churches holding their leaders in His hand. This shows us His great love for His church, His people who profess His name. Chapters two and three are a collection of love letters that Christ has written to his church during seven distinct periods of earth’s history. In 1856 the leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist church came to the conclusion that the seventh church in Revelation referred specifically to the period after the great Disappointment of 1844 and thus specifically to Seventh-day Adventists. This became clear from the fact that the name Laodicea means, “a people judged.” The message of 1844, was “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come.” It became clear that God was speaking to the Seventh-day Adventist church living in the time of the great Investigative Judgment. Accordingly, there was a great revival and reformation among many Seventh-day Adventists. But as time passed, many church members again fell into sleepy indifference. We live much closer to the coming of Christ than they did in 1856. Do we not need this message more than they did? Let us then study it in detail. In looking at the seven churches of Revelation, we find that unlike the other churches, Laodicea does not receive even one word of commendation. This being the case how would we define Laodicea: Would she appear to be more spiritual or less spiritual than the other churches? Certainly we would assume that she would be less spiritual. Let us read verse 14 of Revelation chapter 3: 3:14 And unto the angel (messenger) of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; Jesus is the Amen. This word Amen in the original Greek, means: Verily, or truly. It is the same word Jesus often used in the New Testament when He taught. We have an example of this when Christ was speaking to Nicodemus in John chapter 3, verse 3 when he said: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Here we see Jesus, who cannot lie, giving a message to the leaders (angels or gr.: messengers) of the Laodicean church, a message to give to the rest of the members. As the faithful and true witness, He is going to give it to us straight. He does not waste words, so every word here is important. He tells it like it is. This is the same Jesus of whom John wrote in the Revelation when he tells us in John 1:3, “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” Here in Revelation 3:14, John calls Him the beginning, or the origin, of the creation of God. Is creation an important part of the Judgment message? Revelation 14:7 tells us that the first angel proclaims “worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” Worship God, for He is the Creator. Charles Darwin wrote his first essay on Evolution in 1844, in the same year that the judgment began. Thus we see an important issue that Laodiceans would need to understand. That Jesus is the Creator. This is an area where the enemy has attacked our church in in some quarters. The Bible tells us that the world was created in seven literal days, evening and morning and not seven thousand years. Either we believe it or we don’t. Either we accept it or reject it. There can be no compromise between Christ’s truth and Satan’s lies. Let us study this message that the Creator the Divine Son of God, who cannot lie has for us His creatures. It begins in verse 15 of chapter 3. 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes 12:14: “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether [it be] good, or whether [it be] evil.” He knows our works; He knows the motives that lie behind those works. We may deceive our parents or our children. We may deceive our friends and our neighbors. We may even deceive ourselves, but we cannot deceive the one who can read even our thoughts. What does it mean here to be cold or hot? Let us turn Matthew. Matthew 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. Why does love start to cool off? It is because there is so much iniquity in the world around us. There are two ways that this can happen. I talked to a man once in Virginia when I was canvassing and he told me that he didn’t believe that God really existed because of all the evil in the world, that if there really was a God, He would take away all sickness or suffering and pain. When people begin to think like this, their love for God becomes chilled. It is easy to get into this position. When we start doubting God’s love because all of the bad things happening in the world around us and in our lives we lose our connection with Him. Our faith in Him becomes weak and our prayers begin to go unanswered. Another way that my love can become cold is that as I see the sins of those around me, I begin to see sin as less sinful and more desirable and I join in and thus my love for God becomes chilled, as I begin to love the things of the world more and more. I begin to associate with sinners for the sake of pleasure rather than to win them to Christ. Which one of these describes you? Which describes me? In the Bible we read a parable of the 5 wise virgins and the 5 foolish. These virgins represent God’s people in the last days waiting for Jesus to come. How many of these virgins went to sleep as they were waiting for the bridegroom to come? None of us are exempt from this message. We all need it. The Bible tells us in 2 Timothy 3:13 … evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. Iniquity is abounding in this world and in the lives of other church members around us. Does it chill our love for God, or does it increase our faith in Him? How much has your love cooled off? The opposite of a cold, chilled, diminished love would be a hot, boiling, zealous love. God wants me to be one or the other. He wants it to be clear which side I am on. He wants me to “love . . . with a pure heart fervently,” according to 1Peter 1:22. In this context the one who holds this fervent love until the end the same shall be saved. Let us look next at verse 16: 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. In order to spew or spit or vomit us out of His mouth, Jesus has to first have us inside of His mouth ready to swallow to either eat or drink us. This makes it very clear that He wants us to become a part of Himself. In John 13:8 Jesus said to Peter, “If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.” When we become joined to the church, we are given the opportunity to behold Christ and His character of love. What does that love do for us? Does it motivate us to love Him more in return? If we are motivated more and more to be like Him, we are becoming hotter and hotter. If we become members of Christ’s body or, his church but are not made clean by our connection to Christ, then Christ will have to say the same of us in the end, as He said to Peter would be the case with him if He did not wash his feet, and as he did to the goats in the parable “you have no part with me. Depart from me you workers of iniquity, I never knew you” (Matt. 7:23). Self-righteousness is nauseating to the Lord Jesus Christ. If we want to be clothed with Jesus Christ, in Christ, we must be stripped of our self-righteousness so that we are palatable to Christ. Revelation 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. Do you want Jesus to take up your name in His mouth and confess it to His Father or do you want Him to say, I never knew you? Let us continue. Going on to verse 17, we read the following: 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: What does it mean to be rich? James 2:5 gives us the answer. Let us read it. Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? Thus those who have faith are rich. Those who have love for God are rich. In Galatians 5:6, we read: For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. Why do faith and love make us rich? Because with faith and love we can have something that money cannot buy. No amount of money we have will buy for us heaven. No amount of money in the world can buy us peace and joy and happiness. No amount of money in the world can buy us salvation or God’s favor. But if we have faith and love, we have all of these things. If we have faith and love then we have everything! To be rich, means to have the gold of faith that works by love. Then what is faith? In Habakkuk 2, Romans 1, and Hebrews 10 we learn that “the just shall live by faith”. We are also told in Deuteronomy 10; Matthew 4 and Luke 4 that man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Thus living by faith must be the same as living by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. If I am living by faith then on the outside it will look like I am obeying every word that comes from God’s mouth. I will obey that word even though I don’t understand it completely. I will obey that word if I don’t like it. I will obey it at any time and any place in full confidence that God will reward my obedience and faith. That is living by faith. When Abraham had faith in God’s word he was obedient to that word and as hard as it was still went to sacrifice his son. When Abel had faith, he brought the offering that God asked even though it cost him his life. All showed their faith by their actions. What is love then? In John 13:35 Jesus said that the world would know we are disciples of Jesus by the love that we had for each other. But Jesus did not say that we should only love Christians. In fact, the kind of love that Jesus was talking about is defined more clearly in Matthew 5:44, 45. Luis spoke about this last week. Let’s read it together: Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. If I show a video of Africans starving to Laodicea she will have tears in her eyes. But I could also show the same video to secular humanists and they would also have tears in their eyes. This is not the love that Jesus is talking about. It is only sentimentalism. The kind of love that Jesus is talking about is love for enemies, love for strangers, love for those who are unkind and ungrateful and wicked, love for that person who cut you off in traffic, love for that brother or sister that really gets on your nerves, love for that person that you haven’t talked to in years because he or she did something so terrible to you that you cannot even talk about it to anyone. This is the kind of love that will accomplish the work that God wants to accomplish at this time, a love for the lost that will make us willing to give all, to live and labor and sacrifice our selfish interests and plans even unto death to lead them to the Savior. This is the same kind of love that was demonstrated by Christ our Savior when the Jewish people repeatedly rejected and eventually crucified Him. It is the same kind of love that Christ demonstrates to us each and every day we do not heed His call to repent. Laodicea lacks this kind of love. Paul said that if I lack this kind of love, I am nothing. All my words are as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. In summary thus far, Laodicea is poor in the faith that works, that takes God at His word and lives by every word that proceeds from His mouth. She is poor in the love that loves even the unlovely. Revelation 3:17 also says that Laodicea is wretched. There is only one text in the Bible that defines what it means to be wretched. It is in Romans chapter 7. Let us read verses 21-24: 7:21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Apparently Laodicea, though she knows what is right, she cannot do what is right. She is a slave to her sins. She wants to do right but sin is her master. Have you experienced this? I know I have. It truly is a miserable existence. But Christ has the power to set us free. Will we take hold of His strength? Laodicea is also referred to as miserable. There is also only one text in the Bible that describes the condition of the person who is miserable. Let us turn to 1 Corinthians 15:16-19: 1 Corinthians 15:16-19 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: (17) And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. (18) Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. (19) If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. To be miserable is to have hope only in this life. I have heard it said that even if there was no God, that to live the Christian life would still be the best life. But that is not the position of Paul in this text. If living the Christian life were living with my family out in nature and enjoying peace and tranquility that might not be so bad, but if at a young age, I go to a foreign mission field and suffer adversity and poverty and pain and die a martyr’s death then that is not a good life. Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:8 that according to the gospel that he preached Christ is raised from the dead and thus we have hope of heaven. On the other hand many of us try to find fulfillment in our nice homes, in our cars, in our lifestyles or in our relationships with other people. We focus primarily on getting things for this life. But this will not buy for us heaven. Without hope of a better life in the future, we are truly of all men most miserable. Laodicea is miserable because she is living a good moral life outwardly because it seems like a good way to live. She expects that she is on the way to heaven, but her hope is vain. She is deceived. What about the meaning of the word “Blind”? Paul was sent by Jesus Himself to the Gentiles for what purpose: Acts 26:18: 26:18 To open their eyes, [and] to turn [them] from darkness to light, and [from] the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. Those that are spiritually blind, are in spiritual darkness, under the power of Satan. Their sins are unforgiven, they do not have faith in Christ and are therefore not sanctified and thus have no inheritance in heaven. This is the condition of Laodicea. What about being naked: What kind of garment should the church be wearing--The righteousness of Jesus. If she is not wearing it, then is she on the way to heaven? Luke 15:22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him. Will any robe do? It is the best robe, not an angel’s robe, not the pastor’s robe, not your own beautiful robe, but Christ’s robe. The best there is and it is a gift from the Father. Jesus speaks to Laodicea in so many metaphors, that we cannot miss the conclusion that she is not converted. She doesn’t have faith that works by love. She is still enslaved by her sins so she cannot obey God’s commandments even though she wants to. She has a hope in heaven, but that hope is vain. She is still under the power of Satan. She is not sanctified by the faith that is in Jesus. She has not yet received the forgiveness of her sins. She doesn’t really have the kind of faith and love that she needs. She lacks the garment of Christ’s righteousness. This picture is pretty bad is it not? But Verse 18 offers hope and encouragement to us and a way out for us, for Laodicea is us. We are Laodicea. 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. It is Jesus Himself that is counseling us and Jesus always gives very good advice. His counsel is “Buy of Me”. Isaiah 55:1-3 tells us: Isaiah 55:1-3 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. (2) Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. (3) Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. “He that hath no money”, does this speak to Laodicea whom the heavenly witness says is poor? In 4 places these three verses urge us to listen carefully. v. 1 Ho, v. 2 hearken diligently unto me v. 3 Incline your ear v. 3 hear The passage cannot be more emphatic. How can poverty stricken people buy what they need? They can pay attention to what God has to say. Does that harmonize with the rest of the Bible? “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17. What are we spending our money on? What is it that is distracting us from the most important goal of becoming Christlike in our characters (Cable TV, Video Games, Movies, Expensive Clothing, Purses, Shoes, Sports)? Instead of spending our money and time on things that will distract us from God’s word, let us buy faith, buy love by reading God’s word. As you read God’s word and claim His promises, your faith in Him will grow. As you read God’s word you will see how much He loves you and your love will grow. It costs nothing but your time. Are you willing to get the true riches? If we are not contemplating the love of God each day, then we will not have the faith and love necessary to reach heaven. White raiment: There is confusion among Adventists whether the robe that Christ gives is imputed or imparted. The reason is that if I say that Jim is righteous, I am either right or I am wrong. However God’s word has creative power. If God says Jim is righteous, His word goes on a mission to create righteousness in Jim. So though we can define imputed and imparted righteousness, we cannot separate them in experience. If God pronounces you righteous, then you are becoming that way through His creative power. Jesus does not tell us in these passages that He is the Creator for nothing. He tells us to encourage us. This work can happen in your life and mine. We can become Christlike. He can create in us new hearts. Colossians 3:10, 8, 12, 14 3:10 And have put on the new [man], which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 3:8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Are you easily angry, do you hate your brother or sister, do you speak wicked words? Can people see whether we have put these things off? 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 3:14 And above all these things [put on] charity (or love) which is the bond (or glue) of perfectness. We have a garment to put on and a garment to put off. In the parable about the investigative judgment a man came into the feast without a wedding garment. It is obvious that if we do not have on these attributes, our nakedness is seen by angels and men. They see our unlovely traits of character and it is shameful. Jesus is asking us to wear something to cover the shame of our nakedness. The fig leaves of sin don’t do a very good job and our nakedness shows through the holes and gaps between the leaves. But Christ’s righteousness is a righteousness that comes from within as Christ lives in us (Colossians 1:27). As Paul said in Romans 13:4, put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh. Eye salve: Luke 4:18; 1 John 2:27 Christ tells us that we must apply this eyesalve or ointment to our eyes ourselves. The eyesalve stings and burns, but it shows that it is working. Jesus opened the eyes of a man who was blind by making mud from clay and his saliva. Jesus made man in a similar manner. He made him alive through breathing into a lump of clay, the breath of life. The combination of the clay, God’s word spoken through the human instrument, and the saliva (or water) of Jesus will perform a miracle on our spiritual eyes, to make us see the truth. Whose work is it to teach us truth? Jesus told us in John 16:13 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” Laodicea especially needs the gift of the Holy Spirit guiding her into all truth to apply the word to her practical experience and to understand the future for she is living on the brink of eternity. She needs to be reading and studying her bible so she can better understand her condition. As her eyes are opened, they will begin to hurt from the sudden bright light. As the Holy Spirit brings conviction to her mind that she is a sinner, it will not feel good. It will be painful. She may even want to close her eyes to her condition again, but she must get used to it and walk in that light and be obedient to every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. This is a confronting real love a tough love so to speak. When little Jimmy is begging his mom for a Popsicle, soda or candy in the store, he begins screaming at the top of his lungs. Finally mother gives it to him. Is this the kind of love that Jesus has for Laodicea in Revelation 3:19? As many as I love, I confront and punish. Leviticus 19:17 Teaches the same kind of love. Leviticus 19:17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. True love will risk wounding a relationship in order to save another person. Proverbs 9:8 Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. If we are wise we will accept Christ’s rebuke and reproof. Scorners will be spewed out of His mouth. Zealous: Another word for hot. Here we see that though Jesus says He would rather we be cold or hot, He really wants us to be hot. Repent: Turn in the opposite direction. What kind of love does Jesus show to us? It is a love that confronts and punishes. What kind of love should we show to Him? It is a love that is ashamed and turns quickly at His rebuke instead of scorning the message and rebelling. 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. If any man hear: Or if any person will hear. It is no guarantee that we will hear because we don’t read it. The testimonies to the church (1T Chapters 25 and 33) that describe our condition as Laodicea sit on our shelves or in the shelves of our Adventist Book centers or church libraries and go unheard and unread by many of us. If we had heeded this message as we should have then we wouldn’t still be here in this world. The Gospel would have already been lived out and preached before the whole world and Christ would have come to take us home. How do we open the door, we turn away from the sin for which he has rebuked us and get it out of the way of the door so we can open it and that he can come in and remove it from our hearts. Sup with him and he with Me: There is a special fellowship between Christ and the one who hears his voice and responds to his rebukes and punishment by turning away from his sin, a special closeness of fellowship not available to anyone else. 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. Overcometh . . . even as I also overcame: Jesus compares the overcoming of Laodicea to His own overcoming. Christ overcame in the same way that we may overcome, by the word of God. Every time temptation came to Him, he knew just what God’s word said about that thing and was able to trust His father and be obedient. Do we want to overcome, then let us consider how Jesus overcame and we will be able to sit with Jesus in His throne. In summary, Laodicea is an unconverted church. Jesus speaks to her the truth. He tells her what she needs. He tells her how to get it. He sends her rebukes and punishments. She feels the punishments, but she doesn’t always hear the rebukes. If she did hear the rebukes and she would open the door by turning from her sins, she would have special fellowship with Him. That is how she would overcome. And if she does that she will reign with Him. And if she doesn’t, she will be lost and Jesus will miss her presence throughout all eternity. Let us not any longer live in our sins but let us open the door to Jesus Christ so He can come into them and fill them with His presence and that presence can crowd out everything else out and we like Mary Magdalene of old will focus all of our attention on Him so that nothing else matters as much as focusing all our attention on His words and His teachings so that we may be ready for His soon return. In the words of Revelation: 3:22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Jun 2013 01:20:18 +0000
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