Indifference (Revelation 3.14-19)

Revelation is an awesome book. It has a reputation of being a scary book, and it is, because it tells us of what will happen in the future, what was, what is, and what will unfold. But, Revelation is also a book of hope. It speaks of the certainty of God’s promises, that Christ will come in victory, and that Satan and his henchmen will be defeated. It speaks of hope, and for this we ought to be grateful, but the book of Revelation also is a book of warning. A warning to all those who haven’t repented, turned their lives around and followed Christ. There is a message to people like that. There is also a warning to the church - God’s people. Last week, Andrew touched and shared with us about the church of Ephesus, and how the people there had fallen away from their first love - Christ, or at least had their first love replaced with something else. There was seven churches in which Revelation was written to, and one of them in particular was the church of Laodecia.

Laodecia was a wealthy city, it was the wealthiest of the seven cities and churches. It was famously known for its banking industry, manufacturing of wool, a famous medicine school that produced eye ointment for eye problems. It was by all accounts, considered a great city. But there was a problem. Laodecia always had a problem with its water supply. To solve this problem of theirs, they built an aqueduct to bring water to the city from hot springs. By the time the water reached the city, it was neither hot, nor refreshingly cold - it was only lukewarm. It’s like drinking lukewarm Nestea or Gatorade after a game of basketball, or soccer. After your hot, tired and sweating, your like “hand me that lukewarm Nestea! Yeah, that’s REFRESHINGLY COOL!” No, right? Remember Summer camp, the first night - what tiring, stressed out, sometimes frustrating and yet challenging game did we play? Mission Incredible, right? A lot of you guys were sweating, if not sweating you were wishing for something nice and cold to drink. You were tired. If I had handed you after the game, a glass of lukewarm water, you’d probably spit it out, or say something like “that’s disgusting!! what is it?” The same thing applied to the church of Laodecia. They were as lukewarm as the water that had come into the city.

Turn with me now to Revelation 3.14-19, and we’ll read the five verses together. The letter starts off by saying that “These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.” The apostle John is simply affirming that Jesus is speaking here not him. And what does Jesus say to the church? He says in verse 15 “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were one or the other!” This was a condemnation towards the church for being lukewarm. The Laodecian church was rich, much like their city. And just like their city, they also gave themselves much praise. They were so well off, that they needed no other help from anyone. What could you possibly need, when you have just about everything? What Jesus is saying here is the opposite of the church’s own evaluation of itself. Christ was rebuking them for being lukewarm. Their deeds, their work was neither hot or cold. The Laodecian christians were lacking in their zeal for Christ. Now, as tempting as it is, when Jesus rebuked the Laodecian church for being lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, it doesn’t mean spiritually hot or cold. It means their usefulness or uselessness. The Christians at Laodecia were lacking in their passion because they were complacent in their living for God, self-satisfied in themselves, and indifferent to the issues of faith in Christ and of discipleship. There were churches like this back in Biblical times, but there are just as many churches like this today. To churches like that, Christ says that He will spit them out of his mouth. Look at verse 16 where Jesus says “...because you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” This is a warning from Jesus that if the church does not change, discipline from Him is inevitable.

Indifference was not the only problem with the Laodecian church, it was also their attitude in refusing to acknowledge their real condition. Jesus tells them “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’” Remember that the city of Laodecia is a wealthy city, one in which had so much going for itself, that they didn’t need anything from anyone else. They were rich and self-sufficient. The spirit of the city and culture had crept into the congregation, and had paralyzed the church’s spiritual life. The christians at Laodecia were blinded to what they really needed. They may have been rich materially, but look at what Jesus says to them in verse 17, “...you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” If I were to go to Bill Gates and tell him, “Mr. Gates, you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” What kind of a response do you figure I receive? Not a pleasant one, for sure. The same thing could be said of the Laodecian church. They were probably shocked to hear what Jesus was saying to them! How could we be wretched, and pitiful? Poor and blind? Naked?? We are wealthy! Filthy rich! The Christians at Laodecia were confused. They may have thought that their material wealth, a blessing from God, revealed their true condition of their spiritual lives. Jesus shattered that thought. The Laodecian Christians thought they were rich and without need, Jesus says they are wretched and pitiful and in great need. They boasted about their city’s famous medical school, Jesus says you are blind. I have clothes to wear! You are naked. I have lots of money! You are poor. In Revelation 2.9, Jesus says to the church of Smyrna that He knows their afflictions and their poverty, yet they are rich! Jesus tells the Laodecian church that, even though they have much, they are wretched, pitiful and poor. They didn’t really know who Jesus was, and because they didn’t really know who Jesus was as their Lord and Savior, they were useless to Him. They had no effectiveness in their lives for Christ.

If you look at the church worldwide. It can be said that this letter written to the Laodecian church is also written to today’s church. Too many churches have lost their focus, which ought to be Christ, and have placed their focus on other things. It doesn’t matter how much money a church has, doesn’t matter how large and fancy the building is, doesn’t matter how many state-of-the art equipment we have - if we have become complacent, listless in our faith and relationship with Christ, then we are in trouble. My parents about a year ago, went to Romania to minister to a chinese church there. In fact, it was the only chinese church in all of Romania. The congregation was of a small size, and they didn’t have loud speakers, electric guitars, and the like. It was a humble place to meet God, to disciple others in Christ and to uplift one another before God in prayer. If compared to churches in North America, they were nowhere near “rich” and “vibrant”, but when my parents showed me the pictures that they took while they were there - it was remarkable, you could almost feel their communion in Christ, their fellowship with one another was far deeper than most could experience here in North America. They were wealthy in the things that mattered most - their faith, their love for God, their zeal and passion for Christ and His Kingdom. This is what Jesus is talking about. The Laodecian church was a wealthy church, but in the areas that mattered most in life, they were wretchedly pitiful and poor. They lived complacent, compromised lives, and they were indifferent, they had no passion, no concern, no desire for spiritual things. This led them to do nothing.

Look at what Jesus tells the church to do. Three things. First, Christ counsels the church to buy from him gold refined in the fire. This is like telling someone who is rich to buy from you gold. Such response would be “Why?” Jesus here is not speaking of materialistic gold, but a gold, a wealth that cannot be taken away from, a wealth that is not stored on earth where rust and moss will destroy. Jesus is counseling the Laodecians to store up spiritual treasures. Spiritual gold. Lasting treasure. The church had already thought they were rich, and they were, but they were rich in the wrong area of life. Christ counseled the church to buy gold from him so that they would become spiritually rich. A rich and wealthy church materially does not make a church spiritually rich. This was the misunderstanding the Laodecian church had. Wealth can become a stumbling block in our lives. It often blinds us to our true state before God. Just because you are well off this morning, does not necessarily mean that you are rich in the sight of God. I pray that isn’t the case, but if it is, take this first advice from Jesus to heart - buy gold from Him. Begin appreciating, begin desiring, begin loving God and His truths. To love God, means to love His truth.

Second, Jesus counsels the church to buy white clothes to cover their shameful nakedness. It feels shameful to be naked. When Adam and Eve sinned against God, their eyes were opened to each other’s nakedness. The first thing they did when they realized their nakedness was to put something on! In a sense, they “hid” from each other. They were embarrassed. They were ashamed. If you notice, Christ counsels the church not to just buy any type of clothing, but white clothes. Why does he counsel the church to buy “white” clothes? No, it’s not because it looks nice. The color white is usually a symbol for purity, being clean. Jesus is counseling, urging the church to put on His righteousness. In Zechariah 3.3-4, Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes standing before an angel of the Lord. The angel said “Take off his dirty clothes...See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you.” This is what God is counseling the Laodecians to do! Put on the rich garments. Put on the righteousness of Christ so that your shame and nakedness will be covered.

Third, Christ counsels the church to put on salve on their eyes so they can see. The Laodecian Christians were not blind. They could see - physically. As much as they were renowned for their famous medical school, and for the salve (the eye ointment) the city produced, they suffered from spiritual blindness. Though they claimed to see, they were blind. Christ is the great doctor, the one who could and can heal the blindness of the church. He counseled the church to put on the eye ointment not the city produced, but the one that Jesus gives freely to. Because the church was confused, they had thought that they were spiritually well because of their material blessings, but Jesus was showing and teaching them that they needed to see. They needed to see that the real value was not in their material possessions or blessings, but in a right relationship & standing with God.

Jesus ends his letter to the Laodecian Church by saying “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.” Like a Father would discipline his son if the child were to ever go out of line. The difference between our Heavenly Father and our earthly fathers is that God disciplines out of love - always. There is never a time when God disciplines simply because he gets a “kick out of it”. God is not like that. God is all loving. He disciplines and rebukes his children whom he loves. He disciplines and rebukes so that we may turn back to Him. He knows what is right all the time. We don’t always know what is right. The last words of this letter is a command. “Be earnest and repent”. Christ is urging the church to turn from their lukewarmness, to turn from their indifference.

What about us? Are we a church that is indifferent to the things that matter most in life? Are we a lukewarm congregation, that is listless and passionless? I urge you today, do not be like the Laodecian Christians. They were a people that God had nothing to commend. Nothing good to say. Are some of you this morning indifferent to spiritual truths and issues of faith? Maybe you have become lukewarm, don’t remain there, heed the words of Christ “Be earnest, and repent.” Some of you here today are perhaps very well off. Consider this letter a warning. The Laodecians were a very wealthy church, and yet God had nothing good to say to them. They were wretched, blind, poor, naked and pitiful. Your material wealth and blessing today does not indicate where you are spiritually. Take a few minutes right now to pray and examine yourself. Maybe you have been useless, and ineffective in your life for Jesus. He doesn’t want you to be remain like that. Ask Him to begin a change. Ask him to forgive you if you have been lukewarm and FLEE to Him. Run like the prodigal Son ran back to his Father. “Be diligent and turn from your indifference.”