An UNDESIRABLE BRIDE Revelation 3:14-22 Pastor Tom Olson, Wisconsin, Faith Radio: Most brides are very beautiful on their wedding day, but Laodiea is a picture of a bride that is very undesireable. Revelation 3:14-16 To the angel of the church in Laodicea write These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I AM about to spit you out of My mouth. How would you like to marry someone that you know is not interested in you and demonstrates no interest in you? That would be horrible. But that is how the church of Laodicea treated the Lord. Is there anything less desirable than lukewarm food? lukewarm milk? lukewarm coffee? lukewarm water? We like our food either cold and refreshing or hot and tasty. That is how God likes a relationship with His people. Laodicea was near hot and healing springs of water. In the mountains away from Laodicea were cold, refreshing springs of water, which was brought into the city through a long aqueduct. It was tepid by the time it got there, lukewarm, awful. The hot springs were stimulating, cold springs were refreshing but the lukewarm city water was something to spit out. The church was not refreshing or stimulating but just self-satisfied and in God's eyes very disgusting. They had lost their love of Jesus and their joy of salvation. They were just another empty religion, lukewarm and undesirable to God for a bride. Why was this church lukewarm? Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. Revelation 3:17 They were wealthy. They didn't need God. This was a rich town They had all they needed outwardly, like the American church - we don't need God or miracles or the Holy Spirit. If we have a building, an organ, a copy machine and paper, we can have a church. God doesn't even need to show up, we can do it on our own. There is nothing more destructive to a relationship than not needing each other. The experts say that most divorce today comes from the fact that both men and women have careers and don't need each other. A man used to need a homemaker. A woman used to need a bread winner. Does our church need God to survive month by month or are we self-sufficient? If the Holy Spirit left us would we fall apart or keep on going as usual? Are we self-satisfied SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS The one thing that marriage has taught me is that I am blind toward and clueless about my personal faults. A wife can help a man see many times that he has been heartless, insensitive, out of touch, selfish toward her or the family or others. The mystery is that the MAN is usually clueless about his faults. Most women are blind to their faults too, but husbands do not seem to be as bothered by an imperfect wife. But most of us are quite satisfied with ourselves and make little effort to improve, that is universal. This Laodicea church was totally satisfied with itself and God was showing them that spiritually they were out of touch with His plan for them. Are we self-satisfied and blind to what God wants to do in our midst? Are we satisfied with doing church the way we want rather than the way God wants? Are we reaching this town for Jesus the way God wants? Are we doing what He asked us to do, feed the hungry, visit the lonely, minister to those sick and in prison? Are we building His kingdom or our kingdom? Are we operating in self-willed pride or Spirit-led humility? When our board meets tomorrow night will we be the people God wants there? Will our agenda be the Holy Spirit's agenda or ours? Will we seek the will of God or just vote on our opinions? Will prayer and guidance from the Bible be our first concern? Will we demonstrate that we are hot or cold or lukewarm? Or will we be self-satisfied? TRUE RICHES I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed, and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Revelation 3:18 Gold may be Salvation, the white clothes may be Christ's robe of righteousness, the eye salve my be the Holy Spirit and the illumination Word of God. There is no store to get these things and no money we can possess to purchase them. The rich Laodiceans could not get these precious commodities through worldly wealth. Isaiah 55 helped me understand this. Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters, and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Seek the LORD while he may be found, call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is My word that goes out from my mouth. It will not return to Me empty, void, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the LORD's renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed. True riches can only come from God through His grace. They are purchased with the blood of Christ. We desperately need the Lord in our midst, nothing else matters.
GOD'S GRACE Revelation 3:19-22 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline. Therefore be earnest, zealous and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. God accepts us the way we are but loves us too much to let us stay that way. God disciplines us and rebukes us because He loves us. The awesome glorified Christ, the one who John fell as dead before, this same One wants to have a personal, saving and life changing relationship with us! He leaves the choice with us, we can let Him in or leave Him out. God doesn't send anyone to Hell, we choose to go there. God is holding off your death and His coming again so that you can be saved. Time is running out. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 Are you putting Jesus off? Are you waiting until you are old? How do you know that you will live until then? How do you know if Jesus won't come back first? Don't wait, invite Him in today. Repent of your sins! Confess Christ with your mouth and live in daily fellowship with Him. He is our only hope of Salvation. He blood, shed on the cross is our only hope of forgiveness. CONCLUSION The outward success of a church means very little to God. The biggest, richest and most active of these churches had the most serious spiritual problems and got the harshest rebukes. Those who loved God and stayed true to the Word of God, those who hated sin and did the works of God were the churches that were commended. It didn't matter if they were small or persecuted or outwardly unsuccessful. Seek to be like the Church of Philadelphia, true to the written Word of God, obedient to the voice of God, doing the works of God, dealing severely with sin and false teaching, caring for the needy, eagerly winning the lost to Christ. Walk with God moment by moment and do His will, living a life that counts for eternity. Jesus has His arms opened wide! Amen PRAYER Father, we don't want to be lukewarm. Do what it takes to turn up the fire and make us boiling hot for Your Glory. In Jesus's Name. Amen
THIS IS THE JUDGMENT
that the Light has come into the world,
and men loved the darkness rather than the Light,
for their deeds were evil.
GOD so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have
Eternal LIFE. For God did not send his Son into the world
to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
He who believes in Him is not judged;
he who does not believe has been judged already,
because he has not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God. John 3:16-19
