The Letter To Laodicea
Sermon
Paradise Restored
Sermons From Revelation For Lent And Easter
I was reading a murder mystery the other day, a really complex novel, layered with meaning. And I noticed that the story didn't really turn on whodunit or why they dunnit, but on the relationships of the characters. And what tipped me off was a line that was repeated a few times. How many people do you really get close to in your life? And the answer is maybe three or four, and the really important ones are the relationships you form early in life, in the formative years, high school, junior high, college, early career. The implication being when you get older than that, it's too late. You get the idea that you don't need anybody.
My buddy in high school was named Paul. As I look back, our relationship revolved around the music of the early '60s. He was always coming up with some new song or record, and I hadn't heard it. He would quote lines from it, and I would be mystified that he drew meaning from some simple lyrics.
One of these I remember plainly is a Simon and Garfunkel song. Paul quoted lines to me: "I have no need for friendship; friendship causes pain. I am a rock, I am an island." The point of the song was the best you could do was hurt no one, and let no one hurt you. What you don't immediately see is the pattern of Simon and Garfunkel. Sometimes they made the ugly attractive so you would look at it. And then they made it plain. It's ugly.
Nothing is so ugly as the person who thinks he doesn't need anyone else. He's self-sufficient. He doesn't risk loving because loving means to need someone, and he doesn't. "A rock feels no pain. And an island never cries."
In 61 A.D. the city of Laodicea was destroyed by an earthquake. Not unusual in that part of the world. Sardis and Philadelphia were both hit by earthquakes in 17 A.D. Both of these cities got government aid to rebuild. Sardis got tax relief and Philadelphia got subsidies. But in 61 Laodicea refused the Emperor's help and rebuilt their city on their own. Proud folks. We don't need anybody. I am a rock; I am an island.
And the Lord says, "That's what's wrong with you." Look at verse 17. "You say I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked." They have so much, they don't know what they need.
John seems to know a lot about Laodicea. It was a wealthy manufacturing center. It was famous for raven black wool, and wool clothes, and a salve for healing the eyes. Laodicea had a natural water supply, too. It came from a hot spring and was channeled over a distance. When it reached Laodicea it was no longer hot, but it hadn't had time to get cold. It was tepid.
Poetically the Lord advises Laodicea to come to him for white garments, eye salve, and a different kind of riches. Garments to cover their shame, salve that they may truly see, and riches refined by fire.
They have become like their water, neither hot nor cold. They are proud, self-satisfied, and apathetic. Being neither hot nor cold doesn't cultivate relationships. Standing in the middle of the road means you get run over from both ways. With the Lord, there is no tepid; there is only hot or cold.
The Lord says to Laodicea, "I will spew you out of my mouth." Actually the word here is even more harsh than spew. Basically he's saying, "You make me sick."
Look at how harsh he is to Laodicea! Not only "spew out," but I stand outside your church. "I stand at the door and knock." It's a shame they don't know they will be expelled and they don't know Christ the Lord is outside their fellowship and not among them. They think they are fine folks.
You know that famous painting of Jesus standing at the door knocking? Have you ever looked at it closely? There is a message there in the painting. Jesus is standing on the outside and knocking to get in. But there is no handle on the outside of the door. You have to open the door. You want a relationship that is warm, you seek that person's company, you do warm things toward him. Same with the Lord.
But the good news here is that "if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. He who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne."
As always in Revelation we have to look behind the words and see what they actually mean. "He who conquers" has been the key word that has popped up in all the letters. How does a Christian conquer? How does Christ conquer?
It is not evident on first reading this fantastic book that the conquering is just what we are here to celebrate in Holy Week. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus in giving his holy and precious blood that we might live.
Revelation can be seen as a play in seven acts, each act with seven scenes. The vision of the seven letters is one act, each letter is one scene. In the next act John is in the throne room of heaven, and the Lord God has a scroll sealed with seven seals. He wants to know who is worthy to open the scroll and break the seals. John weeps because in all of heaven's throne room no one is worthy. An angel announces the Lion of Judah. Instead, John sees a Lamb. And all who are in the throne room sing, "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation; you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God and they will reign on earth" (5:9-10).
The Lord of the Church, who stands among the lampstands and holds the stars of the churches in his hand, is the Lamb!
In the first letter, the Lord calls the church at Ephesus to task for being the fruit of shallow soil; they began with much love and great and good works, but they have lost their zeal.
The second letter to the Smyrna church is short and glowing in praise for the small church that bravely faces death.
The church at Pergamum he criticizes for accepting the culture around them, adultery, and idol worship. He tells them to avoid even the appearance of evil, because others may not be so discerning in their vision. The strong need to set examples for the weak.
The church at Thyatira has grown in their good works. But they have a Jezebel that corrupts them.
The church at Sardis looks really good. They look alive, but they are dead inside.
The small, weak church at Philadelphia is the most faithful of the seven. And they did it with no great size and no great power.
Laodicea is the lukewarm church, and for this it gets the harshest treatment, because the church is life and death, and you must be either hot or cold; there is no in between.
For John of Patmos, the victory of the Lord at the end of time is sure and certain, and there is comfort for the believers, and an uncounted multitude will be saved. He warns Ephesus that for some, the lampstand will be removed. They could lose their church. They could lose their salvation. For Smyrna he has the promise of a crown of life for the faithful. For Pergamum he promises the hidden manna and the new name on the white stone. To Thyatira he offers the bright morning star, which is Jesus, the Lamb, whose sacrifice ushers in a new day. To Sardis he promises the white garment of purity, and to confess his name before the Father and before his angels. For the believers at Philadelphia he will write on them three things: the name of God, the name of the city of God, and Jesus' own new name. He will make them pillars of the temple of God, and never shall they go out of it. He invites Laodicea to open the door, and all who conquer will sit on the throne with Jesus and the Father.
We have a vision of the Lord of the Church who knows our suffering because he has given his blood for us, and it is in his name that we have patient endurance, test all who come among us, constantly renew our enthusiasm in faith, certain we are different from the world around us, awake and alive in Christ to the door that is open and that no one can shut.
How many close relationships can you have in a lifetime? You can have a lifetime close relationship with Jesus, the Lamb who was slain, because it is he who conquers, in spite of the betraying, the denying, the abandoning, and the crucifying. In fact, because of it. Open yourself to him. Spend time with him, your friend Jesus. In prayer. In meditation. In study of scripture. Follow in his steps. Giving yourself, your life, a gift to the world.
Lord, keep us warm and close in our relationship to you, that we may say no to everything that makes it more difficult to say yes to you.
My buddy in high school was named Paul. As I look back, our relationship revolved around the music of the early '60s. He was always coming up with some new song or record, and I hadn't heard it. He would quote lines from it, and I would be mystified that he drew meaning from some simple lyrics.
One of these I remember plainly is a Simon and Garfunkel song. Paul quoted lines to me: "I have no need for friendship; friendship causes pain. I am a rock, I am an island." The point of the song was the best you could do was hurt no one, and let no one hurt you. What you don't immediately see is the pattern of Simon and Garfunkel. Sometimes they made the ugly attractive so you would look at it. And then they made it plain. It's ugly.
Nothing is so ugly as the person who thinks he doesn't need anyone else. He's self-sufficient. He doesn't risk loving because loving means to need someone, and he doesn't. "A rock feels no pain. And an island never cries."
In 61 A.D. the city of Laodicea was destroyed by an earthquake. Not unusual in that part of the world. Sardis and Philadelphia were both hit by earthquakes in 17 A.D. Both of these cities got government aid to rebuild. Sardis got tax relief and Philadelphia got subsidies. But in 61 Laodicea refused the Emperor's help and rebuilt their city on their own. Proud folks. We don't need anybody. I am a rock; I am an island.
And the Lord says, "That's what's wrong with you." Look at verse 17. "You say I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked." They have so much, they don't know what they need.
John seems to know a lot about Laodicea. It was a wealthy manufacturing center. It was famous for raven black wool, and wool clothes, and a salve for healing the eyes. Laodicea had a natural water supply, too. It came from a hot spring and was channeled over a distance. When it reached Laodicea it was no longer hot, but it hadn't had time to get cold. It was tepid.
Poetically the Lord advises Laodicea to come to him for white garments, eye salve, and a different kind of riches. Garments to cover their shame, salve that they may truly see, and riches refined by fire.
They have become like their water, neither hot nor cold. They are proud, self-satisfied, and apathetic. Being neither hot nor cold doesn't cultivate relationships. Standing in the middle of the road means you get run over from both ways. With the Lord, there is no tepid; there is only hot or cold.
The Lord says to Laodicea, "I will spew you out of my mouth." Actually the word here is even more harsh than spew. Basically he's saying, "You make me sick."
Look at how harsh he is to Laodicea! Not only "spew out," but I stand outside your church. "I stand at the door and knock." It's a shame they don't know they will be expelled and they don't know Christ the Lord is outside their fellowship and not among them. They think they are fine folks.
You know that famous painting of Jesus standing at the door knocking? Have you ever looked at it closely? There is a message there in the painting. Jesus is standing on the outside and knocking to get in. But there is no handle on the outside of the door. You have to open the door. You want a relationship that is warm, you seek that person's company, you do warm things toward him. Same with the Lord.
But the good news here is that "if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. He who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne."
As always in Revelation we have to look behind the words and see what they actually mean. "He who conquers" has been the key word that has popped up in all the letters. How does a Christian conquer? How does Christ conquer?
It is not evident on first reading this fantastic book that the conquering is just what we are here to celebrate in Holy Week. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus in giving his holy and precious blood that we might live.
Revelation can be seen as a play in seven acts, each act with seven scenes. The vision of the seven letters is one act, each letter is one scene. In the next act John is in the throne room of heaven, and the Lord God has a scroll sealed with seven seals. He wants to know who is worthy to open the scroll and break the seals. John weeps because in all of heaven's throne room no one is worthy. An angel announces the Lion of Judah. Instead, John sees a Lamb. And all who are in the throne room sing, "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation; you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God and they will reign on earth" (5:9-10).
The Lord of the Church, who stands among the lampstands and holds the stars of the churches in his hand, is the Lamb!
In the first letter, the Lord calls the church at Ephesus to task for being the fruit of shallow soil; they began with much love and great and good works, but they have lost their zeal.
The second letter to the Smyrna church is short and glowing in praise for the small church that bravely faces death.
The church at Pergamum he criticizes for accepting the culture around them, adultery, and idol worship. He tells them to avoid even the appearance of evil, because others may not be so discerning in their vision. The strong need to set examples for the weak.
The church at Thyatira has grown in their good works. But they have a Jezebel that corrupts them.
The church at Sardis looks really good. They look alive, but they are dead inside.
The small, weak church at Philadelphia is the most faithful of the seven. And they did it with no great size and no great power.
Laodicea is the lukewarm church, and for this it gets the harshest treatment, because the church is life and death, and you must be either hot or cold; there is no in between.
For John of Patmos, the victory of the Lord at the end of time is sure and certain, and there is comfort for the believers, and an uncounted multitude will be saved. He warns Ephesus that for some, the lampstand will be removed. They could lose their church. They could lose their salvation. For Smyrna he has the promise of a crown of life for the faithful. For Pergamum he promises the hidden manna and the new name on the white stone. To Thyatira he offers the bright morning star, which is Jesus, the Lamb, whose sacrifice ushers in a new day. To Sardis he promises the white garment of purity, and to confess his name before the Father and before his angels. For the believers at Philadelphia he will write on them three things: the name of God, the name of the city of God, and Jesus' own new name. He will make them pillars of the temple of God, and never shall they go out of it. He invites Laodicea to open the door, and all who conquer will sit on the throne with Jesus and the Father.
We have a vision of the Lord of the Church who knows our suffering because he has given his blood for us, and it is in his name that we have patient endurance, test all who come among us, constantly renew our enthusiasm in faith, certain we are different from the world around us, awake and alive in Christ to the door that is open and that no one can shut.
How many close relationships can you have in a lifetime? You can have a lifetime close relationship with Jesus, the Lamb who was slain, because it is he who conquers, in spite of the betraying, the denying, the abandoning, and the crucifying. In fact, because of it. Open yourself to him. Spend time with him, your friend Jesus. In prayer. In meditation. In study of scripture. Follow in his steps. Giving yourself, your life, a gift to the world.
Lord, keep us warm and close in our relationship to you, that we may say no to everything that makes it more difficult to say yes to you.
