Laodicea: The Half-hearted Church

Laodicea: The Half-hearted Church

Revelation 3.14-22 NIV

Outline:

“Sort of” usually means nothing. But other times it means everything.

Laodicea

Revelation 3

v.14

Jesus is the Amen/truth personified

Ruler…

• Colossians 1.16b

v.15

• Hot or Cold (Hierapolis / Colossae)

v.16

v.17a

“We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” —  C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

v.17b

• Isaiah 64.6b …all our righteous acts are like …

• Wretched
• Pitiful
• Poor
• Blind
• Naked

“There are three persons living in each of us: the one we think we are, the one other people think we are, and the one God knows we are!” – Leonard Ravenhill

à Am I in any way given over to a view of the Christian faith where I’m just saved and satisfied?

v.18

• Gold refined
• White clothes
• Salve for eyes

• …always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. – 2 Timothy 3.7

The beautiful part of this whole exchange in how we “purchase” these things from Jesus is that we have nothing he needs to offer in exchange for what only he has.

• Isaiah 55.1 – “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.”

• Revelation 21.6 – “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.

v.19a

v.19b

Will you allow this experience of God’s love to raise the temperature of your affections and lead you to repentance?

vv.20-22

• Rev 19.6-9 — Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” 9 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!”