"Dear Church...." 6-30-24

Overview

Dear Church: A Word to Laodicea—and to Us

The risen Christ's letter to the church in Laodicea Revelation 3:15-22 is not pleasant reading, but it is essential. Jesus tells this church, "I know your works…you are neither cold nor hot…I am about to spit you out of my mouth." Lukewarm means apathetic, tepid, indifferent—and no one is moved by "eh." Jesus would rather have a cold heart he can warm than a complacent one that doesn't care. Remember the promise of Ezekiel 36:26: the Lord takes a heart of stone and gives a heart of flesh. He can work with cold; lukewarm presumes it has no need of him.

The Laodiceans' problem was self-sufficiency: "I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing." Jesus replies that they are actually "wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked." We fall into the same trap whenever we build a résumé of good deeds and try to stand on it before God. Like the emperor parading in his "new clothes," we are deluded—and as Hebrews 4:13 reminds us, all things are laid bare before the Lord. The law always exposes us; trying to make penance for our sin only sends us back under the law, where we are always guilty. True repentance turns us away from our works to the gospel and the work of God.

So Christ counsels the church to "buy" from him refined gold, white robes, and salve for the eyes—language that echoes Isaiah 55:1-3: "Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price." The white robe of righteousness has already been purchased for you in the blood of Jesus. He stands at the door and knocks; he does not wait passively for us to decide. As the Good Shepherd in John 10 says, his sheep hear his voice. And as Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 12:3, "no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit." Even the faith that opens the door is God's gift.

Christ's reprimand is the discipline of a loving Father, calling us to be earnest—to pursue fiercely the faith he has given. To the one who conquers, Jesus promises a place with him on his throne, because he has already conquered sin in our place. We stand before the Father not laid bare, but clothed in the white robe of righteousness purchased by God's own blood. Notice who signs this letter: "the Amen, the faithful and true witness" Revelation 3:14. Jesus does not merely close with "amen"—he is the Amen, the certainty of God's love and forgiveness for you. Our life begins and ends in him.

Transcript

Very simply returned with a group. 3s

We did a mission trip in Costa Rica. 7s

The youth that went to Colorado just returned a couple of evenings ago and you know 10s

if you have ever been to Colorado Costa Rica or anywhere that is mountainous. 16s

You know that that includes a lot of up and downs and twists and turns and windy roads 22s

and the drive is not always pleasant. 29s

It's not always pleasant and as we go on our Sunday drive today, as we tour to the church 33s

of the of Leia de Cia, we are going to see that we're in for a bit of a bumpy ride. 42s

We're in for a bit of a bumpy ride because in this letter Jesus gives his revelation to 48s

John and in this letter he is writing to the church at Leia de Cia and the letter the letter 55s

is not very pleasant to read. 61s

It's not very pleasant to hear but it's a very important, very important letter for us to 65s

hear to study and to really consider what Jesus is saying to us. 73s

So I invite you to please open your bibles to the book of Revelation the third chapter. 80s

It's on page 219 of the New Testament if you're using a Pue edition of the Bible. 87s

Revelation chapter 13 beginning in verse 15, where Jesus through John says to the church, 94s

I know your works, you are neither cold nor hot. 105s

I wish that you were either cold or hot. 109s

So because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 112s

Notice in here that Jesus is acknowledging the works of the church in Leia de Cia. 124s

He is saying, I know you have works but he's not commending them for a job well done. 132s

He's not commending them for the works that they do or have done. 139s

Instead he comes right out and says that you are lukewarm. 145s

You're neither hot nor cold in all your works, you're lukewarm. 151s

Now I don't know about you but I know that I have never thought to myself, Gully, I am just craving a nice lukewarm glass of milk. 157s

No, if we take a lukewarm glass of milk it touches our tongue and we immediately spit it out. 170s

Because we don't know how long it's been sitting there, we don't know if it's going to be okay to drink or not. 178s

We know it does not taste good but there may be a danger in drinking that lukewarm milk. 185s

And so Jesus is saying to the church, I know your works, I know what you've done, I know what you do. 194s

You're neither hot nor cold, you are lukewarm. 202s

And he would prefer that the church was hot, air cold, because lukewarm means apathetic. 207s

Tepid, just eh. 217s

I don't know a single person that has been moved by eh. 222s

I don't know that the Holy Spirit speaks to us through eh. 229s

Jesus says I wish that you were hot, because hot is active, hot is on fire. 240s

It's moving through the Holy Spirit with the power of the Holy Spirit and he says, 250s

or I will take you cold and now why would Jesus want the church to be cold because he can warm it up? 255s

Because something that is cold can be heated, can be warmed, can be used. 264s

Jesus tells us through the word in the prophet is Ekeal that he will take that heart of stone. 272s

Well stone is cold and he will give it a heart, he will give the people a heart of flesh, the war. 278s

Of the body. 284s

So Jesus can work with cold, he is working with hot, lukewarm, just doesn't care. 288s

And he says I am about to spit you out. 301s

He continues in verse 17, for you say, I am rich, I have prospered and I need nothing. 315s

You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 323s

Jesus says the church's lukewarm because the church in Leodicea is relying on what they have done. 334s

They are relying on their own successes. 345s

They are relying on how they have prospered. 348s

And we all fall into this trap. 353s

Don't we? 356s

We all fall into the trap of beginning to make that resume of all the things that we've done, 357s

the good things, the good deeds that we have done, and we try to build our righteousness, 364s

build our justification on this resume of everything that I've done in my power for the good of humanity. 372s

And Jesus says you have this all wrong. 381s

If you are relying on the resume of the good deeds that you have created, the good deeds 387s

that you have done, you are wretched, you are pitiful, and you are naked. 394s

Because you see when we rely on those good deeds that we do for our glory, for our righteousness, 404s

we are relying on our ability to stand under the law. 416s

And we're relying on our ability to be good under the law. 423s

We're delusional. 432s

It's like the fable of the Emperor's new clothes, where the Emperor in town wants a new 436s

a new suit, and so some swindlers come through, and they say we're going to make you a beautiful new suit. 443s

But this fabric is so special that only the wise can see it. 449s

And so they begin making motions and measuring just air. 454s

But of course, the Emperor can't admit that he doesn't see this fabric, he can't admit that 460s

maybe he's not wise, and so he goes along with the ruse. 465s

And he ends up getting this new suit. 470s

These new clothes, and he perades through town, wearing this new fabric. 474s

And the people, they go along with it until one little boy comes out and says, 480s

why is the Emperor naked? 487s

He was delusional, delusional, thinking that he was wearing new clothes, and we are delusional, 491s

when we think that our righteous acts, the resume that we try to build for our self, 500s

we are delusional when we think that that is what makes us right before the Lord. 507s

Adam and Eve tried to hide their nakedness from God, but they couldn't. 514s

In Hebrews 4th chapter, the writer says that we are all laid bare naked before the Lord, 520s

and you and I are no different. 527s

When we come before the Lord, whether we are trying to hide, whether we are trying to 530s

hide behind our list of good things that we've done, we are naked, and the Lord sees through 534s

all, and he sees us for exactly the people that we are. 543s

And the truth of the matter is that we are sinners. 552s

We are born sinners, we are born seeking our own, success, we are born, 557s

seeking our own will, we are born, seeking what good for me. 565s

And the Lord says that when we try to hide behind that, when we try to justify ourselves 574s

in that that we are wretched, poor, pitiful, and naked, 584s

he continues in verse 18, therefore I counsel you to buy from me, gold refined by fires so that 595s

you may be rich, and why robes to close you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being 603s

seen and solve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. 609s

The Lord's counsel is to buy from him refined gold, white robes, and solve. 617s

And that can drive us to think that he is seeking us or telling us to seek righteousness 628s

through our actions, through what we are doing, or what we are purchasing from him. 634s

But really it's with the same vein that we are given in the prophet Isaiah the 55th chapter, 642s

where the Lord through the prophet tells us, oh, everyone who thirsts come to the waters, 648s

and do you that have no money come, buy and eat, come buy wine and milk without money, 655s

and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for 662s

that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me and eat what is good and delight yourself, 669s

enrich food, incline your ear and come to me, listen so that you may live. I will make with you 676s

an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. The counsel that he gives us to buy the 684s

refined gold to buy the white robes is the same counsel that the prophet gave the people of Israel 695s

to come, drink, come, eat, come live in the abundance that is provided. The very white robe 703s

that God tells us to come and buy is already purchased for you in the blood of Jesus Christ. 717s

We continue in verses 19 and 20. Jesus says, I reproove and discipline those who my love be 729s

earnest, therefore, and repent. Listen, I am standing at the door knocking. If you hear my voice 737s

and open the door, I will come into you and will eat with you and you with me. If you hear my voice, 744s

it's just like in the gospel of John the 10th chapter when Jesus says that he is the good 755s

shepherd. He says, my sheep know my voice. They hear my voice and they know me. When we hear 760s

the Lord's voice through His Word, when we hear the Word preached and read to us, we are hearing 769s

his voice. And what does He say? He says that when you hear my voice, I am standing at the door 777s

knocking and He does not say, He will wait until you decide that you will let him in. 784s

Absolutely not. He says, listen, I am standing at the door knocking, if you hear my voice, 792s

you're hearing His voice every time you hear His Word preached. If you hear my voice, 801s

and open the door, I will come into you. I will eat with you and you with me. 807s

He is going to enter in. He is not waiting on you, but He knocks and says, I'm here. 815s

Even our faith is a gift, even the confession that Christ is Lord is a gift from God. 826s

Paul in 1 Corinthians says, no one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. 836s

Even our faith is not our own doing. It's the work of God in you. It's the work of God through you. 844s

So Jesus begins this letter with a reprimand telling the church that He is ready to spit them out. 852s

But He softens it. And He says, He does this. He tells this to the church out of love. 864s

Out of the love that a father has for his child, love so that He will discipline that child. This is the same, 874s

love that Jesus comes to us to share His letter to the church. 883s

No one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. And it is the Holy Spirit 890s

that calls us into faith. It is the Holy Spirit that as Jesus knocks on the door, the Holy Spirit 901s

opens the door and Jesus enters in. And that faith is created by the Lord Himself. 909s

He continued saying, be earnest, therefore, and repent. 920s

Ernest means serious. Be serious and repent. In the ESV, another translation of the Bible 926s

says, be dulless. Be dulless and repent and to be dulless is to pursue fiercely. 933s

He says, per se, fiercely, this faith that He has given us and re-paint and repent. 941s

And when we think of repentance, we think of that turnaround, we think of pouring everything out, 951s

that great confession to the Lord and confession is part of that repentance. But there is such a 959s

thing as a false repentant. There is a false repentance. The false repentance is when we 967s

when we try to make ourselves right in what we do to make up for our sin. 974s

The law that is before us that is ever before us shows us our sin. And we see that we are sinful 985s

before the Lord. And then we try to make a list. But when we try to make up, when we try to have 993s

penance and try to make up for what we've done, we will always return back to the law. And under the law, 1003s

we are always guilty. And so when we are continually in a cycle of penance, we never achieve 1016s

repentance. We never get to repentance. Because when we're always trying to seek to make things 1028s

right for ourselves, we're always turning back to the law. And repentance, repentance calls us 1037s

away from the law and turns us to the gospel. It draws us away from our own works and it opens our eyes 1044s

to the work of God that He has done and that He is doing and that He continues to do. 1053s

He invites us through His word into the everlasting covenant with Him. Verse 21, He says to the 1063s

one who conquers, I will give a place with me on my throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down 1075s

with my father on His throne. Jesus conquered our sins. Jesus conquered our resume of what we think 1082s

we've done to earn salvation. He covers the sin where we put our reliance in that. And instead of 1094s

giving us a list of things that we must do to earn those white robes of righteousness instead, 1106s

Jesus Christ went to the cross and He died once for all sin for all time. And when He rose again, 1114s

He conquered all sin, your sin, my sin, and we are promised that He will wrap us in those white robes 1124s

of righteousness, the white robe that covers the shame of our sin. And so when we are called 1135s

into our eternal home before the Lord, before the Father, at the throne we stand there. 1148s

No longer laid bare, but instead wearing that sweet white robe of righteousness that was purchased 1157s

for us by God's blood. And so we can stand in the presence of the Almighty Father 1166s

because we stand. We stand in the white robe of righteousness that we have in Jesus Christ. 1176s

We may be certain. We may be certain of the forgiveness that we have 1189s

in Christ because we receive the forgiveness by faith. We receive the forgiveness by the faith 1195s

that God has created in us and our faith rests upon Jesus. He is the object of our faith. 1203s

And we know that we can trust. Jesus, we know that we can put all of our faith in Jesus. 1211s

Because He has sacrificed Himself for us. We don't trust in our works. We trust in the work that 1222s

God has done for us. It's that faith in which we are saved. And it's that faith in which we move 1232s

and act in our daily lives. And if faith is worth anything, that faith is worth everything. 1240s

And it's that faith to which we are called. It's that faith in which we live. It's that faith 1255s

in which we share the good news. The final verse of our reading today, verse 22 says, 1265s

let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. This word is for 1276s

the church. It is for the whole Christian church from Christ Himself that we are called. 1284s

We are called to wear those white robes of righteousness, not of our own doing, but of his doing. 1294s

And I want to jump back up to verse 14 because we want to know exactly who wrote this letter. 1301s

Verse 14 says to the angel of the church in Leodicea, right, the words of the amen, 1309s

the faithful and true witness, the origin of God's creation. 1315s

The amen is the one who writes this letter. Normally we say amen in in the ending or the 1321s

closing of a prayer or we say amen as a response to something that someone has said. And we 1328s

we gather and we say amen and it's a finale and it's this let this be so or it is certainly true. 1334s

But here Jesus does not begin or does not end with the amen. He begins with amen in the gospel 1343s

of John. Anytime you read Jesus where he says, truly, truly I say to you in the great, it's amen 1351s

He begins with the amen because the amen is the certainty and Jesus is the certainty of God. 1359s

He is the truth. He is the witness that we can rely on of God's love, God's mercy, 1367s

and God's forgiveness for you. The fact that he begins with amen, the fact that he begins with a 1373s

certainty is because he is the certainty that we have in God. It is the authority that he speaks 1383s

from, that he has as the Son of God. This is where we live. We live functioning and moving and living 1394s

and living. A life that begins and ends in amen because our life begins and ends in the one who has created us, 1410s

the one who has redeemed us and the one who has promised that we will be with him for all time 1425s

and all eternity. Amen. 1433s