Overcome // Week 10

The Lukewarm Useless Church
Rev 3:14-22 July 28, 2019
I. Introduction:
A. The struggle that the church in Laodicea had is probably the biggest struggle that
suburban churches in North America face. The temptation to be self-sufficient
because of our many resources rather than relying upon the All Sufficient One –
Jesus!
B. Laodicea was known for three things: it was a wealthy city with many banking
centers, the soft black wool they produced and the eye salve that was produced
there to treat medical conditions for the eye.
1. This city was so wealthy and self-sufficient that when a major earthquake
destroyed the city about 34 years before and Rome offered them money to
rebuild that they wrote a letter back to Nero telling him that they were
wealthy and in need of nothing and that, they could rebuild it themselves.
C. But they did have one glaring weakness: their water supply!
1. Twelve miles to its east was Colossae. There refreshing cold water came
down from melted snow and rain from the mount that towered above it.
These waters were valued for their ability to refresh and reinvigorate people
2. Seven miles to its north was Hierapolis. It was famous for its hot springs,
which were used, cure ailments.
3. In Laodicea, the cold streams from the east and the hot water from the north
met which created a lukewarm water that was not either good for refreshment
or healing. It tasted awful and could make the people sick!
• As I read this letter from Jesus to this church, note how he used their cultural realities
to connect with them with what was going on in their church. Note how their
material self-sufficiency had deceived them regarding
II. Their spiritual condition!
A. Read Revelation 3:14-17
B. In v16 we see their problem was lukewarmness
1. Many without considering the cultural context of their water situation would
interpret this something like this: I wish that you were either very passionate
and on fire for Jesus or apathetic and cold toward Jesus rather than just being
a middle of the road Christian!
2. In light of their cultural context, it appears to be referring to their usefulness
rather than passion level for Jesus. Like the lukewarm water in Laodicea, it
was not useful for healing and it was not useful for refreshment.
3. The next verse tells us why they were useless! Note “because” at start of the
verse explains the cause of their lukewarmness and uselessness. As I read
note there are two reasons – their self-sufficiency and their self-deception
regarding their true spiritual condition.
4. Read v17
C. One of the great temptations for churches, for individuals, for countries that are
wealthy or can easily get resources in their hands is to think that they really do not
need anything, they can pull it off, and they are self-sufficient.
1. In Deuteronomy 8 God warns Israel that when they come into the land of
milk and honey, the place where they will not lack anything, a place where
they will be satisfied listen to his warning.
a) Read Deut. 8:11-14 “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God
… when you have eaten and are satisfied… then your heart will become
proud and you will forget the lord”
2. In 1 Timothy 6:17-18 what Paul instructs wealthy believers to do
• So the great temptation to wealthy churches, wealthy nations and even wealthy
Christians is to be self-sufficient and deceived as to how that condition has put them
in a dangerous place spiritually. Next Jesus tells them of
III. The cure
A. Read v18
B. To buy is a figure here that means to acquire these things from Jesus. You do not
get things from Jesus with money but rather by faith. You buy from Jesus without
money but through faith and probably even more specifically through believing
prayer.
C. In v17 Jesus said you were materially rich but spiritually poor – therefore get the
true spiritual riches from Me Read v18a
D. In v17, they said they needed nothing, this city that made some of their wealth
from the sale of black wool and wore luxurious clothes, but Jesus said you were
naked – therefore get spiritual garments to cover your shameful life. Read 18b
E. In v17, Jesus refers to their spiritual blindness, right in the middle of the city that
was known for their eye medication and v18 tells them they need to get the eye
medication He has so they can see clearly regarding their spiritual lives! Read
18c
• Then finally Jesus makes a
IV. Call to the Church
A. Listen to this call to the Church. I say church for three reasons
1. We see in v14 it is written to the Church. The Church is made up of
believers gathered together and we learned earlier that the Church was Jesus’
lampstand to bring light to the world. Unfortunately rather than bringing
light to the world, the world has permeating the Church!
2. Secondly, I say this is written to a church of believers and not to a group of
unsaved religious people going to church is because of what verse 19 says.
Read
a) Daniel Wallace, a Greek scholar, says this about this Greek word love in
this verse “phileo” this word is never used in the New Testament of God
or Jesus loving unbelievers! Only the word “agape” is used in the New
Testament of God’s love for unbelievers!
3. The third reason is that many people take v20 to refer to Jesus coming into
the life of an unsaved person to save them.
a) Watch closely as I read “will come in to him” not “come into him”
b) Again Dan Wallace says the author could have used the Greek word for
into so as to indicate the penetration into a person’s life but instead he
used the Greek word that means coming towards or before someone
B. So all of that goes to say that Jesus here is making an invitation to this church to
come back into fellowship with Him, not to lost religious churchgoers to be
saved!
1. Read v20
2. So Jesus is simply summing up what He has said and wants them to turn from
their self-sufficiency and turn to Jesus and they will be back in a place of
fellowship and usefulness to Him.
C. To those who respond to that invitation listen to what Jesus says to them! Read
v21-22
V. Let me finish with an
VI. Application
A. I personally believe that the greatest expression that MVC can have that we are
not trusting in the many resources and wealth that are available to us here in the
south suburbs of Chicago is prayer that comes from the heart of those who have
the very first character trait that Jesus said is true of a kingdom person – poor in
spirit! A church who recognizes their spiritual poverty apart from Jesus!
1. If you are one of those persons I would encourage you to join us at
Wednesday mornings as we, as a church together, declare to Jesus that what
we are doing here at MVC is not about us or from us but about and from
Him!
2. If we want to fulfil our function as a light to the suburban culture, we will
desperately need to call upon Jesus to move in and through us. Because we
live among a people who think they are doing fine and need nothing when it
comes to spiritual things. But the reality is that they are poor, naked and blind
deeply in need of new life from Jesus Christ.