We are continuing our series through Revelation. And I will say, many of you have asked about different things. We're figuring out a way to kind of get some notes in your hands.
Some people have asked me for some additional things of like what I've been teaching just because sometimes they can't write fast enough and things like that. And I get that.
So we're working on some of that to help you out. But I'd encourage you, if you miss a week, go back online and watch this and just really grow, read some extra resources and different things, and just study God's Word together. I love coming in here and teaching this, but this is something that there's so many resources. You can study these things out on your own time as well. And I hope that that helps you.
My desire as a pastor is for you to love God's Word and for you to be in God's Word each and every day and to learn God's Word and so and to meditate upon it each and every day. But tonight, we're continuing, we're finishing up the church age tonight here. In Revelation chapter number three. And so we'll be looking at the final church out of the seven.
So, before we do, we put three things about every one of these churches. Hopefully, you've already filled in the blanks. It's been the same for the last six weeks. And so, an introduction. First, these were what's the blank?
Literal churches, all right? They were actual churches that existed there in the first century, right off the coast of the Aegean Sea. And number two, these letters are what? Applicable to churches today. In other words, we can learn from this.
So, like, we can learn from each church. Even though each one of these churches don't necessarily represent the time period that we're living in, we can still learn things from each one of them. And so, it's important that we take this and we take heed to each one of these churches and what Christ had to say to each one of them. And then, number three here, these letters represent. Time periods in church history.
And so you can kind of see that play out in a lot of different ways. And we touch on that throughout each one of these. Each one of these churches.
So, as we come to the final church, we are going to look at tonight the letter to the church at Laodicea. The letter to the church at Laodicea. This is what they call, many would call the apostate church or the lukewarm church. And so tonight we are going to look at this church a little bit in detail tonight.
So buckle up for this one, okay? I'm just going to tell you. And Christ has a lot of things to say about this church. And so I'm looking forward to studying it together. Let's pray and then we'll dive in.
Father, we love you. I pray that you'd speak to our hearts. And God, in order for you to do so, we have to have open hearts. And Father, we need to really look to your word, not just for knowledge, but also for you to just speak to us and to convict us. Lord, every time we approach your word, we're supposed to do so with humility.
with humility as we approach your word to learn, but also to see and to take heed, and not to try to fit the narrative of Scripture into our life and culture, but rather to conform our life to the narrative of Scripture. And Father, that's what we need to do. God, I pray that you would just speak to our hearts tonight as we read your word. Just bless this, for it's in your name we pray. And all God's children said.
Amen and amen. And so Revelation 3, verse 14 says this: and to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans, write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness. The beginning of the creation of God. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot. I would thou wert cold or hot.
In other words, what he's saying here with that last statement is that he he wishes that they were one or the other, but being in the middle is not where you need to be.
Okay, we'll come back to that a little bit later. Verse 16.
So then, because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth, literally, vomit you out of my mouth. Verse 17. Because thou sayest I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich. And white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest.
See, verse 19, as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous, therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him and will sup with him and he with me. To him that overcometh, Will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with my father in his throne?
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith. Unto the churches. As I do each week, I'll mention a few things about the city of Laodicea because, in fact, what you're going to see about the city just in church history and what you could learn about the city of Laodicea, you're going to find that there's some very similar things, really a play on words that Christ uses in his description and in his rebuke about the church itself. And you'll see that. Laodicea was about 40 miles southeast of Philadelphia.
It was founded by Anticus II. And it was named after Anticus's wife Laetis. It was a very wealthy city. In fact, if you read about it, you can learn that Laodicea at this time was extremely wealthy. It was located around a major trade route, so there was a lot of people coming in and out.
They were known for breeding sheep that produced this black wool that was very common and very expensive in that day. That would really people would travel in and they would buy things at these different stores, this black wool, and they would make attire and clothing and coats and different things. And it was a very expensive thing to be able to make. And so they were extremely wealthy because of that. Laodicea was also known for its medical school.
In fact, they had some medication that they created that would help with eye disease. And you'll see Christ actually does a play on words with some of these things as we move through this, because as you look, there's a lot of things that that city. Was known for that Christ directly rebukes from a spiritual perspective here in this letter to them. The city lacked enough water supply so that they had to rely on these aqueducts from some northern cities, not far about eight miles or so north of Laodicea, in order to pipe in water. And it was said that historically, because of that, the water, when it got to the city of Laodicea, it would actually be lukewarm, which is what they are known for here.
The church at Laodicea in Scripture is mentioned four times in the book of Colossians, and then outside of the book of Colossians, it's mentioned right here in Revelation. What's interesting to me, and I'm just curious about this, is because in Colossians chapter number four, the Apostle Paul is concluding his letter to the church at Colossi, and he mentions the church at Laodicea in Colossians 4, verse 16. And he actually talks in Colossians 4, verse 16, he talks about an epistle that was written to the church at Laodicea. But that epistle that was written to the church at Laodicea did not make it into the canon of scripture. It's interesting to know kind of what that has been said and what Paul was referring to, because I wonder, because as we dive into the commentary here of Christ's letter to the church at Laodicea, it's pretty rough.
I wonder if, like, man, it was like so rough, this letter that he was writing to the church, because there was very, there was nothing good to say about the church. But there was an epistle that he references in Colossians 4 about. About this. And like we do with every one of these, we're going to continue with the same outline just to because Christ has a title that he introduces himself to each one of these churches. We're going to work through that, the affirmation, the criticism, as well as what is promised to those that overcome.
And so we're going to work through this together. First, let's look at Jesus's title to the church at Laodicea. It's mentioned right there in verse 14. You can kind of fill in the blanks. It's not going to be up on the screen, but you can see this in verse 14: that Christ introduces himself this way.
The amen. The faithful and true witness The beginning. of the creation of God. There are so many names. For God in Scripture.
There's so many. And in fact, we did a names of God, predominantly some of the most common Old Testament names in a Wednesday night series that we did a couple of years ago. But there are so many names of God. Even as you work through the book of Revelation, you see like these names of God that we can kind of see. This is the way that Christ introduced himself to the church at Laodicea, the amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.
Let's look at what this means. We're going to break it down into three parts, his title. The first one that we see is he refers to himself as the amen. If you look that word up, it literally means in the Greek. Reliable.
And true. The word could be translated verily. or true. The word could also mean so be it. And it has this idea that we are coming, when you see the word amen, that we are coming to agreement when we say that he is the amen.
And that's why we amen in churches, you're saying so be it, or you're saying I agree with what the word is saying and things like that.
So when we say that he is the amen, we're reminded that he is true and he is reliable, that Christ's word is reliable in any circumstance that you are going through. That you can trust his word here is reliable and true. But he goes on to say that he is the faithful and true witness. In other words, his testimony and words are true and accurate. Remember, this book is the revelation of Christ, not the revelation of the Apostle John.
It's the revelation of Christ. And this book is all about revealing not only just the things to come, but it's about revealing Christ. And here he says he is the faithful and true witness. And so you can trust his word because he is true, and you can trust it because he is reliable. He calls himself the beginning of the creation.
Of God. We know that in Colossians 1, Paul says that all things were created by him and for him, right? And so here he calls himself the beginning of the creation of God. He's talking about his pre-existence. Preexistence before anything was created that was.
And I know for our humanistic minds, it's hard for us to kind of wrap our brains around that idea. But Christ existed before creation. He had no beginning, and he will have no ending. And so he pre-existed before, he was pre-existent before creation, and he calls himself that. The second thing I want you to see: so that was his introduction, Christ, and he does that with each one of these churches that we've seen about.
But we see the affirmation to the church at Laodicea. We're not going to spend any time here, and here's why: it's because there was nothing good to say. There's nothing.
So you can write outside of that, there is no affirmation. There was no, you know, positive thing that he had to say about the church. That's kind of one of the reasons. And this is just. Pastor Josh theology, it's just kind of like me reading into what Paul was saying about this epistle because I'm wondering if it was Paul wrote some pretty direct stuff to churches.
You've probably seen the meme that goes around online that if Paul was around during today, the modern-day church would be getting a letter, wouldn't it? We believe that because there's a lot of things about the modern-day church that need to change, and that you know, is it the way Christ set the church up? And I almost wonder if this epistle that he's referencing in Colossians chapter 4 was just so bad because there was absolutely nothing positive to say or good to say about the church at Laodicea.
So we'll move into the criticism. to the church at Laodicea.
Now there's a lot to say here. And I'll break this down for you in verses 14 or really verses yes, 15 through verse 17. First, I want you to see verse 15 and 16 again. It says this: I know thy works. That thou art neither cold nor hot.
I would thou wert cold or hot. So then, because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.
So the first thing that we find about the criticism here is that they were lukewarm. But they were lukewarm.
Now, I'm not a big coffee drinker. How many of you are big coffee drinkers? Raise your hand, okay? I'm not a huge coffee drinker.
So, for me, a good cup of coffee has to have a lot of stuff in it. You know what I'm talking about? Like, you call those lattes, you call those other things, but I'm not going and just saying I need coffee, okay? But, you know, I do know enough about coffee that for your average coffee connoisseur, a good cup of coffee needs to be really hot. And another good cup of coffee for some people is iced coffee or good cold coffee, right?
But nobody wants that one that's been sitting out all day in the middle. And here's why: is because lukewarm coffee is disgusting, right? If you know coffee, you understand what I'm trying to say.
Well, here's the point: what Christ is saying about the church at Laodicea, it's called the apostate church, it's called a lukewarm church. What he's saying is that a lukewarm Christian is disgusting to God. It's disgusting to God. And that's what he's talking about here: that he's saying the church at Laodicea was lukewarm. They were neither hot nor cold.
And he says in here that he would have rathered them be one or the other. He would have rather them be really hot on fire for God or really cold and pagan and wicked as the day is, which is interesting to me. Because you would think if you kind of meet him in the middle, then that would be better. But what he's saying, and we're going to describe what a lukewarm Christian looks like a little bit here tonight. But what a lukewarm Christian is, is this: it's a Christian that is Christian in name only, but not in practice.
It's a Christian that wants one foot in the church and one foot in the world. And they want both for their life. And what Christ says is that he would rather you have both feet in the church. Or both feet in the world, but what he doesn't want is for you to have both. And he's saying here that a lukewarm Christian, it's disgusting.
They're of no good. Used to the kingdom of God. I think the reason why that he says that he would rather you be in one world or the other, the world of the church, is because I think if you're fully in the world, both feet into the world, he has something to work with. But it's like if you're in the middle and you're trying to toe the fence with Christianity and the worldly philosophy or whatever, it's harder to work with that. It's harder to recognize that that person is a sinner in need of a savior and different things like that.
So he says that he would rather you be in one or the other here. And he says that if you decide to stay in the middle, one foot in both. That he wants to vomit you out of his mouth. That doesn't sound very positive, does it? He wants to spew you out of His mouth, according to verse number 16.
And so the problem with the church at Laodicea was that they were lukewarm. They just they wanted both worlds. And you know what? There's a lot of Christians like that today. There's a lot of Christians who want both sides.
And they want some of the aspects of godliness, and they want some of the aspects of what God can do for them, but yet they still want their foot over here in the world. They still want to enjoy the little temporary pleasures that they get to enjoy over here, you know, and they kind of want to keep their foot there. And what Christ is saying about that type of life is that it is disgusting to him. No, he wants you to go all in with God. He wants you to go all in.
He doesn't want one foot in both places, he wants both feet. In your relationship with God, He wants all of you. Don't be a lukewarm Christian. And that's what we see. But not only that, they were lukewarm, which is the most common what they were known for, but he mentions a lot more things in verse number 17 about the church other than lukewarm.
Before this study, just to be honest with you and fully transparent, before this study, if you had to ask me anything about the church of Laodicea, here's what I said: they were lukewarm. And I would have known a whole lot other. But when you go into verse 17, there's a whole nother list of things that this church struggled with that Christ mentions in his letter here. The second one that you find here is this in verse 17: that the church at Laodicea was self-sufficient. They were self-sufficient.
Look what he says at the beginning of verse 17. Because thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods and have need of. of nothing. I've need of nothing. Laodicea was rich.
I mentioned some of that earlier because they were known for their medical school in the first century. They were also known for that black wool that would be sold there and made there, that they would sell a lot of expensive attire and expensive coats and different things like that. And so they were very rich. But if you look in their history, this was really interesting to me because I think this is kind of the idea of what Christ is trying to get them to see. If you look back early first century in around AD 60, there was a massive earthquake that affected the city of Laodicea so much to the point that the city was completely destroyed.
Homes, building, everything that they had built was destroyed. What happened was, the Roman government comes in after that, and they offer. Governmental assistance to rebuild. Think of it like a stimulus bill, okay? You've heard of those, right?
We're very, very recent memory. And so the government offers this money for them to rebuild. You know what the city of Laodicea said? True. You can read this in history.
The city of Laodicea said: we will reject the Roman money because we don't need it. We're just going to rebuild on our own. And here's the thing: there's really nothing spiritual about that, but that was their personality, and that is what Christ is rebuking here: that they literally felt that they were good on their own. And here's what I want you to know about the apostate church. Because this is what latesty is.
The problem with the apostate church is that they think they are good on their own. Is that they think that they can get by without God? They think that they are fine with their talent. With their preachers, with their way of doing things and different things. And what they end up coming out on the other side of is thinking that we can do this apart from God.
We become self- Sufficient. Where we think that we can do everything on our own and we don't need God. anything. And that was what Christ was rebuking about the church at Laodicea. But he goes on in verse 17, he calls them a list of things that I'll go through pretty quickly.
He says. that they were wretched. That they were wretched.
Now, this is not a word that we use often. Uh this is not a word that we use often until you play the card game rook with Lomax. That's the only time I've ever been called a wretch is when I've played that game with him. But here is it's gonna make Lomax rethink calling people wretched after this, all right? But the church at Laodicea was called Wretched.
If you look that word up, here's what it means, just a little bit about the word. It means sorrowful. It has the idea of a painful feeling, like when you have a lot of stuff, but you still feel like you're missing something. Which was true of this church, and it led them to extreme sorrow. In fact, that word is the same exact word for wretched that Paul used in Romans 7, 24, when he said, O wretched man that I am.
And that's what Christ is talking about to the church at Laodicea. These same people that wanted one foot in the church and one foot in the world, they wanted to tiptoe in both places, Christ said, You're nothing but wretched. To me. Then he goes on, he says, not only are you wretched. Are you self-sufficient?
Are you lukewarm? You're miserable. He says you're miserable. This word literally means the object of extreme pity. Extreme pity.
In other words, they are unhappy. You ever met somebody who has more than enough, but yet they can't find happiness? Which is the Laodicean church. They were rich when it came to money and wealth and financial situation. They were rich, but guess what?
They were still very unhappy. They still wanted more. They were your modern day athlete in 2025. They signed some deal for three years for $200 million, and they're unhappy within the first year of being there. Why?
It's because financial wealth here, like your bank account, does not determine. happiness. It doesn't even determine true wealth. Which brings us to the next point. He calls them poor.
He calls them poor. You know what God is saying? That's his interpretation here when he says poor. God's almost saying, I don't care how wealthy you are financially, because with me, which is the only thing that matters, you are poor. Listen, true wealth is only found in a relationship with Jesus Christ.
It's not found in the world. It's not found in a bank account. It's not found in the stock market. It's not found in a big home. It's not found in things.
It's not found in nice cars and stuff. And I'm not saying if you drive a nice car, live in a great house, or have money, or have a 401k or retirement, whatever. I'm not saying those things are bad.
So please don't misinterpret what I'm saying. But if you're looking to those things to buy you happiness, Then you are looking for happiness in the wrong places because true wealth is only found in a relationship with Jesus. And that's why you meet people from time to time that you come in contact with that have nothing like in terms of financial wealth and stuff, but they might be the happiest people on earth because they've truly found where true wealth comes from. And what I want you to understand, especially if you're young in here, is this, because there's this American dream kind of thing that we chase after and that we're taught and that things kind of show us from media. But here's what I want you to know.
There is a richness Of a walk with Christ that is much more and far more valuable than anything this world has to offer. And the church at Laodicea did not understand that. And so they looked for all the wealth that they could with their fancy wool and their medical school and their medication to heal eye diseases and all these kinds of stuff that we looked at in their history. They're looking to that to find all the wealth that they need. And that stuff crept into the church.
And so you had church people who they were kind of like, man, I really like the financial side here. And I kind of want to go to church on Sunday.
So we're going to tiptoe in both worlds. And God says, that is disgusting to me. You can't be in both. He goes on and he calls them blind. In other words, he's saying you pride yourself on your medical school that you're known for, that produces that stuff, the medication, the iSalv or whatever, that can kind of heal.
You know, your physical problems, but he says spiritually, you're blind. Christ is really, and now we kind of understand, or at least my interpretation of why maybe that epistle to Laodicea is not in the canon of scripture. There's nothing positive to say about his church. They're spiritually bond. And then it says that they were they were naked.
And remember what they were known for. They were known for making fancy, awesome attire.
So, in other words, they were the ones walking around that when you saw them, that they had everything. They looked good on the outside. But what he says is, internally, You are fully exposed in front of God and you are naked before me. You have nothing. It's as if you're naked.
Now, before we move on to the reward to those that overcome, I do want you to see one thing that's so interesting to me about this is in verses 18 through 20. This church Was lack of a better word to say, they're terrible. And you know what though? Christ still gave him an opportunity to repent. Like you see that even in verse 19.
As many as I love, I rebuke. And by the way, you know that Christ loves you when he rebukes you. Chastisement from Christ is a good thing. It's painful, don't get me wrong, but it's a good thing. And here he says, Hey, I love those that I rebuke.
And so here, I mean, this is only rebuke. There's nothing positive to say about the church at Laodicea. And he tells them, He says, Hey, I love you, I rebuke you. And I'm chastening you. But I want you to repent.
In fact, he goes on and he says, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him and will sup with him and he with me. In other words, he's standing at the door, knocking to the church at Laodicea, and it's so sad that they wouldn't repent and that they loved the darkness rather than the light. Like so many people do today. And he's standing there knocking, giving us a chance to repent, and yet they still cannot run away from the pleasures of this world.
They can't break themselves or take a step out of the world and put both feet into the church and both feet in their relationship with Jesus. They love darkness rather than light. And Christ is standing there knocking on the door, wanting... Fellowship, wanting to sup with him, that's fellowship. He wants a fellowship with them, but yet they love darkness rather than light, and they're willing to trade fellowship with their creator over.
what this world has to offer. Isn't that sad? They choose what the world has to offer over fellowship with a holy, righteous, perfect, loving, graceful, merciful God. And isn't that a lot like churches today? Which is sad.
But here's the good thing: there is a reward to those that overcome. In verse 21, he says, To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne. This is so special. Even as also I overcame and am set down with my father in his throne. I get emotional talking about this verse because I love this verse.
And this verse just kind of. Wrecked me some this week as I was studying this because when you look at it, you can see this: that overcomers. will be able to sit with him on his throne. Let that sink in. Just meditate for just a moment on that.
Overcomers will be able to sit with him on his throne. There's a lot there. Jesus says That we will get to sit. On the throne. The way that God allows The sun.
to sit on the throne. What Christ is saying to them that overcomes is this: is that. Christ is willing, and this is so good.
So do not miss this. I know we're about to get out of here and everything, but listen, don't miss this, okay? Jesus is wanting to share in his very own inheritance. With you. And what's amazing to me is that the lukewarm church, the apostate church, sees that and they still love darkness rather than this.
They still love the world rather than this. Jesus is wanting to share with the overcomers, with those that overcome, with the true church. He wants to share in his inheritance. He wants you to enjoy the fellowship with the Father just like he does as the Son of God. That's what Paul talks about in Romans chapter 8, verse 17, when he says, And if children then heirs, heirs of God and join heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him, so that we may also be glorified together with him.
In other words, what he's saying is this: everything that I, as the Son of God, get to enjoy with my Father, I want you to enjoy with our Father.
Sonship. Kingship. Fellowship. All of the things that Christ enjoys with his relationship with the Father, Christ is saying to them that overcome, you will enjoy those exact same things. You will be able to yourself sit on the throne with him.
If that doesn't get you excited. Then I don't know what else does. Maybe you are part of the church of Laodicea. I don't know, in your own heart. Because listen, that should excite you.
That should motivate you. That should make you almost, we don't want to leave our family here on this side of heaven, but here's what I'm telling you: that is what people are saying when they are living here, but they also know that their final home is there. It's that peace that passeth all understanding because we know that to be absent with the body here, we get to share and be joint heirs with Christ there. And that's what we get to look forward to. And that's what Christ is saying here to them that overcome.
Now, the time period with this church, it represents today's church.
Now, so did Philadelphia.
So there's really two streams. You got the church at Philadelphia that still exists today, and I think that's us and a lot of these different revival movements. That's the revivalistic church, that's the true church. And then you have the church at Laodicea. And what's amazing to me here is that this Laodicea apostate church, I said it earlier, they are Christian in name only.
But not practice.
So, real quick, and I know we're out of time, but I really want you to understand what a Laodicean church looks like because we looked at a Philadelphian church last week. And what that looks like. And so I think it's fair and good for us to know: like, hey, what does this look like? And what does wretched mean? How do we look at a church and know if it's more of a Laodicean type of church than a Philadelphian church?
When we say that Laodicean churches have one foot in the world and one foot in the church. Here's what I'm saying. Laodicean churches are shaped by the world. Rather than using their influence to shape the world. It's very important that you understand that.
And that's the problem with a lot of laodicy in churches. And so you got to go deeper because I know when we say that, we're like, yes, but what does that look like? Like, what does that really look like? I'm going to be very, very specific.
Okay. Laodicean churches abandon truth as culture. Shifts.
So, as the culture changes, Laodicean churches will say things like, hey, culture shifted, so therefore, God's word shifts. That's a Laodicean church. If you ever see that, that's a Laodicean church. If you ever talk to a pastor or talk to a church where they have shifted what the Bible says to fit the culture in which it lives, that is a Laodicean church.
Okay? A Laodicean church denies The inerrancy of scripture.
So, if you ever hear of a church that denies that scripture is 100% true without any error. That is a Laodicean church.
Okay, and it's important that you know that a laodician church changes scripture to fit culture. There was a movement in the early, I mean, this is a recent thing while I've been an adult. In around the late 90s, early 2000s, there was a movement. With a guy, his name was Rob Bell, and Rob Bell wrote a book that basically tried to prove that as culture shifted, then the word of God has to shift to kind of match the culture in which it lives. That is the apostate church.
That is the Laodicean church. That's what I'm talking about. The Laodicean church. denies that Jesus is the only way to get to heaven.
Okay, the Laodicean church would be some of the churches that you see would be okay with ordaining homosexuals to gospel ministry.
Okay, Laodicean churches are the churches that abandon things like a pro-life movement.
Okay, you still with me? Laodicean churches abandon also the church's responsibility to be salt and light in the world that we live in. And so they would say things like, hey, we don't have to speak into things in the culture. No, the church has always ran straight into the world and tried to influence the culture. The church has never been absent and on the outside of culture.
No, the church has actually been planted directly from the first century on. Christ intended the local church to be in the middle of culture and trying to influence the culture in which it lives. And so, if you talk to a church or a pastor that says, no, we want to be on the outside of culture and we just want to stay away from any hot button type of issue, that is a Laodicean church. Because a Laodicean church are ones that don't want, they don't want to use their influence to ever speak into. Culture.
Do you understand what I'm saying? And that's what Christ is saying. And here's what he says about that church. Is he saying that that is a Those churches that do that and move from all these things, a Laodicean church. I want to spew that out of my mouth.
What Christ is saying.
Now we've seen it throughout all over. I mean, I was just thinking about this. You know, look at your Ivy League schools. Like the 1800s, right? They all started how as Christian universities.
Look at Cornell, look at Princeton, look at Harvard, Yale, Brown, all these kinds of schools. Here's what I'll tell you: they started out as Christian universities with a motive and a direction to where they wanted to train pastors and missionaries and send people out and stuff like that. And now look at where they've gotten to. That is part of, and I'm just trying to say, I'm not trying to hate on things out there. What I'm trying to get you to understand is the difference between a true church and a Laodicean church.
And that's what Christ is describing here. And I want you to understand it. And here's what's sad. Is we say, like, oh man, how in the world did we miss this?
Well, Christ himself predicted it. He prophesied about it. In fact, in 2 Timothy 4, it talks about it. It says, for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. Is that not the place that we live in today?
We're there. But after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears, which means this.
Okay, after reading that verse, we all kind of were like, are my ears itching all of a sudden? Here's what that literally means: that means that they're going to use how they feel to determine what they believe. That's what itching ears is. That's what it's talking about. And so the point is: in the last days, way back in the first century when Christ was speaking into this, and the churches were speaking, here's what he's saying: is that the Laodicean church represents the movement.
that allows the culture To say what the church needs to believe rather than the church change and influence the culture in which it lives. And that's what the Laodicean church is. And we're wrapping this up. There's nothing great to say here. I'm not going to do an altar call or anything tonight because you'd be so embarrassed tonight.
You'd be like, well, that person's part of the land of sins. And so we don't want that. But Here's what I want you to understand. Last week we saw the Philadelphia church. The revivalistic church.
We saw the different awakenings and the spiritual revivals that we have seen that are represented in that movement. And here's the difference. There's nothing negative that Christ had to say about the church at l at Philadelphia. And now we go to the Laodicean church and there's nothing positive he has to say. Let us be much more like the church.
at Philadelphia. And let us never. Yeah. for a church like the Laodicean Church. Let us be the revivalistic church that stays true to the faith.
and stays true to the sound doctrine of God's Word. No matter what culture says. Let us be a church that stands in the midst of any type of adversity. Because we stand on this book above anything else. And that is how the church at Philadelphia.
Was. May we be more like that than the church at Laodicea. The returning king is coming soon. Listen, next week when we gather, I want you to be here. We'll kind of move out.
We've been in the church age, that's Revelation 1 through 3. And we'll move into some really dark days. Yeah. The world in which we live when Christ raptures us up. And so we'll start looking at that next week.
So I pray you'd be back.
