NOMINAL OR TRULY CHRISTIAN?

Revelation 3:14-22
Bob Bonner
October 30, 2005

Whether you look in our local telephone book or another city’s telephone book under “churches” you will find numerous churches listed. Many of them hold the denominational or traditional titles of Christian churches, but if you attend some of them, you will find that they are nominally Christian. By that, I mean, even though they may have a Christian heritage, they no longer believe the Bible is the word of God, Jesus is the only way to salvation, etc. In short, they no longer preach the gospel, they are no longer Christian. Spiritually, they are dead, and Jesus would evaluate them as such.

But lest we become too comfortable or arrogant about the correctness of our own doctrine, let me add that I’m convinced that there are probably individuals who attend this church, people who may agree with our doctrine and maybe even financially support this ministry, yet, these individuals have never committed their lives to Christ. Like those in some of the historic denominational churches who have turned their backs on the Bible, and who have not committed their lives to Jesus Christ, we may have such people here. 

This morning, we are going to look at a church that I believe went the way of some of our denominational churches in our own country, a church that is Christian in name only, but did not truly worship Jesus Christ. It is the church at Laodicea. It is the only church to which one of seven letters were sent that Jesus had nothing, absolutely no good thing to say about them. Furthermore, after truthfully evaluating their spiritual condition, Jesus’ instructions to them are clearly the same instructions you would give to non-Christians, if you were going to instruct them in how to be saved.

Therefore, before we begin looking at this text, I suggest that we ask the Spirit of God to help each of us evaluate our own lives as to whether or not we are truly members of the body of Christ. In other words, could Jesus have written this letter with me in mind?

Let’s take a look at this final letter of Jesus Christ to the seven churches in Asia Minor. Jesus writes, verse 14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: ¹⁵‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot ¹⁶So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. ¹⁷Because 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, ¹⁸I 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. ¹⁹Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. ²⁰Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. ²¹He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. ²²He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Laodicea was the ancient capital or the judicial seat of the province of Phrygia.  It rested about 40 miles southeast of Philadelphia. It was a part of a tri-city metropolitan area which included the cities of Hierapolis and Colossae. Located in the Lycus Valley on a major highway, the city was surrounded by mountains. This made Laodicea an excellent fortress to guard the main road to the greater metropolitan area.

This fashionable church was planted in the midst of this city known for its prosperity. The people had plenty of money, nice homes, plenty to eat and a broad spectrum of entertainment to amuse themselves. More than once the people of the city rebuilt the city without ever seeking the financial aid of Rome. In A.D. 62, following an earthquake in the days of Nero, they boasted in their lack of need to ask for help from the Roman government to rebuild their city.

Laodicea was the center of the banking industry in Asia Minor. It’s bankers were famous, even in Rome. They had an excellent reputation of never short-changing or adulterating the gold they issued to their clients.

A second major industry unique to Laodicea was its natural, raven-black wool production. From this wool, they would produce carpets and beautiful garments. It’s wool was known for its extremely soft texture as well as for its glossy black color, making it highly desirable around the empire.

Third, it was renowned for its medical school. It’s physicians claimed success in mixing medicines for various diseases. In particular, they were known for the manufacturing of a special ointment for the eyes, that brought relief for several different eye problems. They also produced powders, which Aristotle called “Phrygian powder” that was supposed to cure ear ailments as well. Being that this was a culture steeped in the worship of Greek gods, the physicians demonstrated allegiance to their serpent god, Asclepius, who dominated the medical school in Pergamos.

Interestingly, each of these three industries (banking, black wool and eye salves) are reflected in Christ’s words of instruction to this church, in v. 18. He instructs the church to buy the Lord’s gold, to acquire from Him garments of purest white and to anoint their eyes with a spiritual eye salve. 

As far as the church at Laodicea was concerned, they were healthy and being blessed by God for their faithfulness to Him. However, they were wrong in their assessment. The church at Laodicea was blind to its real spiritual condition. Ray Stedman puts it this way: “Translated into a twentieth-century cultural context, we would say that they had a beautiful sanctuary with padded mahogany pews, a mighty pipe organ, a golden-throated choir, a dynamic preacher, the wealthiest and most prominent donors, and the respect of the entire community. The Laodicean believers thought they were doing extremely well.”

Yet Christ’s words to this church reveal that this was not just an unhealthy church, it was dead! Whether it was Christ’s intention or not, it appears to me that Jesus leaves His last letter for the worst church or most unspiritual church in Asia Minor. Different than any other letter to the seven churches, Jesus does not have one positive thing to say about the members of this church. There is no hint that any of them were doing anything right or that any of them were even saved.

In verse 14, Jesus addresses His audience by first drawing attention to who it is that is presently speaking to them. Knowing the diagnosis He is about to make of this church, He is careful to set out His credentials for making such a diagnosis. He points to four characteristics about His very nature, four credentials on His spiritual physician’s resume.

In verse 14, the Lord presents Himself as “the Amen.” In Greek, the word “truth” and “amen” are one and the same. When you read Jesus’ words in the Gospel, “Truly, Truly I say unto you....” you are also reading, “Amen, amen, I say unto you...”  The point? Jesus is declaring that He is the truth and speaks the truth. Whenever Jesus said this, He was underscoring for His listeners that what He was about to say needed to be taken seriously.

“Amen” also is an expression used to affirm or indicate assent or agreement to a stated fact. That’s why in days past, when a preacher said something that rang true with Scripture, oftentimes people in the audience would cry out, “Amen!” They were agreeing with the truth of God’s Word. 

Amen is used also as the final word, such as that which is used to end a prayer. Once you say “amen” there is nothing more to be added. Judicially “amen” refers to that which has been said and is the final word of authority. When Jesus says it is so, there is no other higher court to which one can appeal. His judgment, His assessment is true and must be accepted. He holds the last, the final word. He is the ultimate authority.

Hence, the point of calling Himself “the Amen,” a unique title of Jesus Christ that is only used here in Scripture is to say that what He says is true and totally reliable, there is nothing else that can be said, thus they must agree with His assessment of their condition and they are encouraged to respond accordingly.

After examining the spiritual condition of the church at Laodicea, Jesus is preparing His audience for His true diagnosis of their spiritual condition. Unfortunately, when it was all said and done, they either did not believe or agree with His diagnosis, or they ignored it altogether. 

Imagine, just from a human perspective, that you were a member of one of those denominations that has been historically committed to Christ, but since then, has turned away from Him. How would you react to His words? Wouldn’t it be hard to receive such a verdict about your present condition or your church’s condition? What would it take for you to hear and believe a true diagnosis that you or your church was not Christian? If you were ever going to take seriously such a diagnosis, you had better believe that the one giving it has the authority and expertise to do so. And maybe even then, you may still search for “another opinion.”

Sadly, this is true of many people sitting under the spirit-filled preaching or teaching of God’s Word. They hear it, maybe even respond, “That was nice or interesting” walk away and do nothing. They choose to listen to God, but with no anticipation of heart that says, “God, I come, expecting to meet and to hear from you. Whatever you say to me this morning to do or to change or to stop, I will do.” Instead, many of us just come to church, listen and walk away. I know, because I’ve done it myself. 

Every Sunday, I have to remind myself that I am not attending a Rotary meeting or some other club meeting. I’m attending a gathering where the supernatural creator God of the universe, the “Amen” is present and has something to say to me. So, I had better be ready to listen and to respond. By being ready to listen, I mean going to the Lord before I get here and praying, “Lord, if there is any unconfessed sin in my life, sin that will make me an uncleansed vessel and deaf to your instruction, reveal it to me, that I might admit it and seek forgiveness, thus be cleansed and ready to hear whatever else it is you want to say to me.” If you want a vital walk with Christ, if you want to experience a greater intimacy with Jesus, I encourage you make this a spiritual discipline for your life every Sunday before you come to church. Commit to the Lord that you are coming ready to hear the “Amen” speak and ready to respond to whatever it is that He has for you.

The second title Jesus holds on His resume listed here is “the Faithful.” As in 1:5, the word “faithful” does not mean reliable or loyal but rather accurate and complete. Some might call it “the hard facts” kind of person. Someone who speaks of those things we don’t necessarily want to hear.

Then Jesus adds that He is the “True Witness.” There is no error in what He has to say. Therefore, one can have confidence in relying upon or taking to heart whatever it is that He has to say.

When faithful and true witness is put together, Christ’s meaning is obvious. He is saying to these people, “I have come from God as His witness to tell you the truth, the whole truth, the accurate diagnosis of your spiritual condition. Listen and take to heart what I have to say!”

The last title on Christ’s resume is found in the phrase “The beginning of the creation of God.” This title does not suggest that Jesus was created, and therefore not the eternal God. Rather, the word translated “beginning” means “source, origin.” In other words, Jesus is reminding them that He is God, equal in essence and power to the God who had created heaven and earth. As Paul reiterates in His letter to the Colossians, Jesus is the source from which all creation was made and is presently being held together.

But don’t presume that Jesus only has in mind here, that He is the creator of things past. He is also the creator of things present and things to come. He is the one who makes a person a “new creation in Christ.”  Hence, if we want to live as a new creation, even in this world, we must pay attention to our creator’s instructions.

Having clearly stated His credentials and right to give them the results of His examination of their spiritual condition, Jesus begins His diagnosis with an illustration that had significant meaning to those who lived in Laodicea. It was an everyday illustration that would remind them of His evaluation of their spiritual condition and the danger they were in every day for the rest of their earthly lives.

The city of Laodicea enjoyed indoor plumbing. They received fresh, cold water from the neighboring city of Colossae and their hot water from their other neighbor, Hierapolis. Hierapolis had some natural hot springs from which they withdrew hot water. But one of the complaints of the citizens in Laodicea was that, by the time the water had flowed from Hierapolis to their homes, it was no longer hot, but lukewarm. And to add insult to injury, that lukewarm water tasted awful. If you drank it, you would want to spit it out rather than swallow it.

Knowing this, Jesus says, similar to their complaints about their hot water, that He has His own complaint against them. His complaint is that these churchgoers in Laodicea remind Him of their water system. They were neither cold (totally against anything that smelled of Christianity) nor hot (committed and fired up about serving Christ), but instead, they were lukewarm.

Lukewarmness refers to a spiritual state of having some interest in spiritual things. These churchgoers professed to be followers of Christ and regularly attended church. But their lifestyles, their immoral attitudes and actions revealed the true state of their spiritual condition. They had been touched by the Gospel, but they were not saved. 

Lukewarmness does not speak of a Christian who is not living the Spirit-controlled life, but rather lukewarmness points to being a non-Christian. These churchgoing non-Christians manifested no enthusiasm for Jesus, no sense of urgency to reach the lost, no sense of compassion for the souls of men. It is why I believe that Christ’s invitation, in v. 20 is properly given to what I see here to be non-Christians. The members of the church at Laodicea probably heard about Christ from Mom and Dad, but had never truly committed or turned their lives over to Jesus. They had never recognized or acknowledged their need for a Savior. They had never invited Jesus into their lives to take control of their lives.

Hence, these lukewarm pseudo-Christians were comfortable, complacent, and did not realize their need for the Savior. Dr. Theodore Epp put it this way: “The church at Laodicea was popular, prosperous, pragmatic, polished, and proud. But it was powerless.” If the nominal Christian in Laodicea, or the U.S for that matter, were cold or hot, at least he would feel it, and seek the Savior! But these nominal Christians had no feeling for their dangerous lukewarm condition.

Like the horrible taste of the lukewarm water from Hierapolis, Jesus would rather spit out these churchgoers, reject them, than claim them as His own. The term “spit” is a very weak translation. The word should be “vomit.” The Lord is not merely saying He finds the works of the Laodiceans as unappealing, but He finds them downright nauseating.

But if being lukewarm is not bad enough, Jesus furthers His evaluation of these nominal Christians with five descriptive terms. In their pride, they believe themselves to be rich, not only in this world’s goods, but spiritually. Yet, Jesus uses five terms one would not typically use as modifiers of true believers. In fact, in John’s Gospel and in his epistles, these same terms are only used in discussions concerning the lost. He tells them you are “wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.” Their lifestyle, their attitudes, actions, habits and convictions all speak of unbelieving hearts.

To this spiritual problem, Dr. Jesus, Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals, prescribes a remedy. In verse 18, He recommends three “pills” that each person must take. Each one uniquely points to the curing of what ails a lost person. The first pill was to “to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich.”

These Laodiceans were “poor, blind and naked” but they didn’t realize their spiritual need. The Lord tells them that He possesses the wealth, the only spiritual gold that will meet their spiritual need. What does it take to buy this gold? Peter answers that question in his first epistle. He speaks of “the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire.” (1 Peter 1:7)  In other words, purchasing Christ’s gold could only come to them by investing their faith or placing their complete confidence for their own salvation in Christ’s finished work on the cross as their Savior and Lord.

The second pill they needed to buy from Christ was “white garments.” These garments stand in stark contrast to the black wool garments the wealthy wore in Laodicea. “White garments” in Scripture point to Christ’s righteousness. This righteousness is the basis upon which each person has been approved, accepted, forgiven and ultimately saved by God. Without personally taking hold by faith of Jesus Christ as one’s Savior and Lord, we cannot possess these garments...we cannot possess God’s forgiveness, acceptance, full approval or salvation...we cannot cover up our shameful, sinful nakedness before God. But with them on, He sees us pure, holy and acceptable before Him.

The third pill to complete their spiritual remedy was to, by faith, buy and apply Christ’s spiritual eye salve by which one can truly see. When the apostle John writes elsewhere about seeing spiritually, he does so in context of understanding the truth about their spiritual condition and being able to understand the Word of God. Until you are willing to accept “Dr. Amen’s” diagnosis of your life, you can’t understand what is necessary for you to live today and forever with the Lord. It requires that you be born again or be saved first. Then, once saved, this eye salve enables you to see clearly the truth of Scripture. The Word of God then begins to come alive and speaks into the deepest recesses of your being.

Having said these very honest, true, but hard-to-listen-to truths about their condition, in verse 19 Jesus reveals that He still loved these lukewarm sinners. That’s why He adds, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.” He loves these lost souls. He wants to save them. He is not trying to hammer them or hurt them but to reveal to them their desperate need and His ability to meet their need. To prove it, Christ offers them a personal invitation. An invitation not addressed to the group but to every individual. He says to them, “If you show me that you desire to take these three pills by turning away from your evil lifestyle, by repenting, then I offer you this invitation.” We read about that invitation in v. 20. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” You can’t get more personal, more intimate with the living God than that. He knocks at the door of the individual’s heart, your heart and invites you to ask Him, by faith, into your life as your personal Savior and Lord.

One of the most intimate expressions between two people is to share in a candlelight dinner alone. Jesus is inviting you to enjoy that kind of intimacy with Him. How incredible, how ironic that Christ should stand outside a church that bears His name and knock, asking to be invited in!!! Talk about lukewarm! How gracious of Him, how longsuffering of Him, how compassionate of Him to still knock or seek after us!

And to those who respond to the invitation and place their present lives and future into the hands of Christ, Jesus makes a promise. This promise is to all true believers. This is the basics that all will receive as believers. Whereas in the previous letters, the “overcomers” there were already Christians, and those promises were limited to those who chose to faithfully obey and follow Christ’s specific directions, this promise is for all believers. He says, “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne.” That promise is one of an eternal relationship in which we will reign or rule with Christ.

Then, in the typical fashion of the previous six letters, Jesus concludes with these thought-provoking words, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

I’m convinced that Jesus deliberately included this seventh letter last, so that we the readers would seriously think about our own personal spiritual condition. This passage in 2 Corinthians 13:5 came to my mind as I was meditating on these verses. It is the apostle Paul’s challenge to those who named the name of Christ as their Savior in the city of Corinth. He challenged them: “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!” Probably the greatest tragedy an individual could ever experience is believing that he is a Christian, when he is not. To think that just because you are a part of a Christian youth group, you will spend eternity with Jesus in heaven; to think that because you have a service or an area of ministry in the church means that you are saved–what a great tragedy!

May God grants us His eyes to see the truth about whether or not we are in Christ, and if we are, whether or not He sees us living as His faithful servants.

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