The Church of the Closed Door

Is your presence here today an indication of your curiosity of the Gospel and desire to hear what we believe?

I'm so glad you've come. Keep listening. Is your presence here today an indication that you believe that God can't see your religious play acting in your make-believe? A lukewarm heart that really can take church and the assembly and the things of God or leave it?

Listen to the warning, my friend. Stop playing games with God. Lukewarm Christianity is actually nauseating to the Savior who gave his all for you. How many people claim the name of Christ but are living in a state of what we would call lukewarm? You're familiar with that term. When it comes to their passion for Christ, they're neither hot nor cold.

They're just lukewarm. Today on Wisdom for the Heart, you're going to be challenged to get off the bench and get serious about your faith. If you've grown complacent and comfortable in your walk with Jesus, you need to hear this lesson. Stephen Davey takes us back to Revelation right now with the message that he's called the Church of the Closed Door. For one last time, let's dig into the divine mailbag, shall we, and pull out the last of seven letters written by Jesus Christ to a church, this time to the church that mirrored its culture, the church in Laodicea. Revelation 3, verse 14, and to the angel of the church in Laodicea write, the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. Once again, Jesus Christ signs his name at the beginning of the letter and chooses descriptive phrases of himself that fit the message that he's going to deliver to this particular church.

Would you notice there are three of them? The first descriptive title tells us that he is the first and final. He is the conclusive word. He calls himself simply the Amen. Amen in the Hebrew language is simply the transliteration of the word for certainty or truth. In the New Testament, our Lord would often use the word, and in your King James Bible or maybe your New American Standard, whatever you may have, it's translated verily, verily, or truly, truly, amen, amen.

Transliterated gives us the word, amen, or somebody with a deep southern accent, amen, right? Jesus Christ says, I am the Amen. I am, as it were, the word of certainty. I am the word of truth. Now, when you amen a song, a singer, or a preacher, you're effectively saying, you are telling the truth, and I'm buying into that.

I commit to that, so use it sparingly. Jesus Christ follows this similar description up with another reinforcing title, verse 14. Again, he calls himself the faithful and true witness. He says he is faithful in his consistent witness, not only first in his conclusive word, but he's faithful. In other words, what I'm about to tell you is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, as any witness should do when they enter the witness stand. They will be a faithful witness, that is, they'll only tell the truth.

They'll tell you the whole truth, nothing but the truth. And so, Jesus Christ says, that's exactly what I will do, I will tell you the truth. In fact, it's interesting that it is the resurrection, is it not, of Jesus Christ, which is the greatest evidence that he was indeed telling the truth? The third and final description which Christ says about himself is this, he is the first in his creative work. He refers to himself in the text as the beginning of God's creation. Since the English translation can be ambiguous enough often to mislead the English reader, the English reader can interpret here that Christ is the beginning of God's creation, in that I suppose he was the first created being. However, the Greek word for beginning is the word archē. It doesn't mean he was the first created being, it means he is the source.

You could write the word source in the margin of your text. He is the beginning of creation in the sense that he is the one who began it. He began it all. He is the beginning because he started it.

It also carries the nuance of source in this word archē. In him is the beginning of creation. Genesis chapter 1 says, say it with me, in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Okay, everybody else say it with me, here we go. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. He was at the beginning the source of its beginning. It's interesting that Colossians chapter 1 will inform us that it is actually the son of God who was the creative agent of that creating moment. Paul writes to the believers in Colossians chapter 1 that Christ is the image of the invisible God. He is the first born of all creation.

There again is another word that can be easily twisted, prototikos. First born literally means or refers to the one who has first place. He is supreme over all of creation. He is sovereign.

He is supremely first. That's very likely that already the seeds of Gnosticism will have influenced in its early moments in this church at Laodicea, certainly Colossae, they would teach that Christ was a created being. That he was simply one of many emanations from God like you and I are emanations from God.

And of course the Gnostics claim to have secret higher spiritual power and wisdom and insight into the things of God. So they received their letter from Paul who told the Colossian believers to pass the letter on. After you read that I want you to pass it on. Guess where? He says in Colossians 4 16 and when this letter has been read among you, but also read in the church of the Laodiceans. Send it along to them.

They need to know it too. He is the supreme being over all of creation. He is the source of all that is in him and by him were all things which were created. Colossians 1 16. So Jesus Christ is saying here at the outset of this letter to the Laodiceans, I am final in my conclusive word. I am faithful in my consistent witness and I am first place in my creative work. Now here comes his diagnosis verse 15.

I know your works. You are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot. The words Christ uses here are extreme opposites. Ice cold is the word he uses. Freezing and boiling hot. I wish you were either extreme.

Either extreme has benefit. I wish you were ice cold or boiling hot. When the little girl was picked up after Sunday school, her mother asked her to recite the verse she had learned. The verse was many are called but few are chosen and it came out like this. Many are cold and a few are frozen.

Here's my theme verse then. I wish you were cold. This text by the way has nothing to do with climate or body temperature.

It's a reference that the Laodiceans would fully understand. See the only downside to living in this incredible city was their drinking water. It was lukewarm.

It was brought by aqueduct from Hierapolis six miles away. And by the time that refreshing water arrived it was tepid. It was lukewarm. Listen, on a hot day there's nothing more refreshing than cold water, is there? How do you get lukewarm water out of the tap? You turn on a little hot water and you turn on a little cold water and you get lukewarm water. Lukewarm is a wonderful analogy for compromise.

In the middle of the road, on the fence, in neutral. You're lukewarm he says verse 16. Because you are lukewarm and neither hot or cold you're neither comforting or refreshing.

I will spit you out of my mouth. Some churches make the Lord weep. Some churches make the Lord angry. Some churches grieve him. Some churches make him sick.

I find you and your empty religion and your compromise nauseating. These believers were self-sufficient. They were self-enamored, self-absorbed, skin-deep, anemic.

They had no interest in providing either comfort or refreshment to anybody around them. Would you notice what they thought they were and what Christ knew they were? Look at verse 17. You say you are rich. You say you've prospered and need nothing. But this is what you are.

You are, he says, poverty-stricken. You're playing as a lukewarm body, religious games, while the world around you pursues their empty dreams. What's even worse, we would believe from this text that the church in Laodicea was pursuing the same dreams, the same comforts, the same goals, the same toys, the same stuff, the same lifestyles as the citizens around them. The believer was effectively absolutely indistinguishable from the world around them in their purpose for living, in their passion for Christ. And Jesus Christ says to that church and to any church filled with people who are playing games this stunning truth, you make me sick. Can you imagine?

I think that's why he began it by saying, I want you to know I'm going to tell you the truth and the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Frankly, I'm a little embarrassed that we add a service to Easter Sunday, possibly communicating a desire to accommodate a religious game. Many pastors I know are excited about Easter. This is the Sunday when attendance records are broken, not me. I wonder if this is the Sunday above all others where the heart of God is broken. Is your presence here today an indication of your curiosity of the gospel and desire to hear what we believe? I'm so glad you've come, keep coming, keep listening, keep learning.

Welcome here. Is your presence here today an indication that you believe that God can't see your religious play acting in your make believe? A lukewarm heart that really can take church and the assembly and the things of God or leave it? Listen to the warning my friends, stop playing games with God.

The lukewarm Christianity is actually nauseating to the Savior who gave His all for you and for me. They said, we're rich. Jesus Christ said, you're wretched. They said, we don't need anything. Jesus Christ said, you're poverty stricken.

They said, we're prospering. Jesus Christ said, you're blind. No vision for the world, no passion for the Lord. Jesus Christ is telling them the truth and evidently much of their problem in Laodicea probably stemmed from their comfortable lifestyle and their material wealth.

We struggle with the very same thing in our culture which is so easily identifiable by the Laodicean culture. So I thought about this, I thought I'd bring two dollar bills along with me. I've just folded them up and you know it's interesting, I can put them in front of my eyes and you're still out there. I can hear you but I can't see you. The Bible is still in front of me somewhere but I can't read it.

The world is out there somewhere but I can't see it. Two lousy books blind my eyes and if I put them in the wrong place they can keep me from seeing. I wonder how much has it taken to blind you. This is the diagnosis of their true condition from the one who has the last word, from the one who tells the truth, from the one who is sovereign. This is his diagnosis but our gracious Lord doesn't stop there.

He goes to the prescription for their total recovery. Now it's identified with three features that come out of the culture of Laodicea that they would certainly have understood immediately. In verse 18, Christ says, I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich. In other words, I know you know all about gold. You got so much of it to spare that when you have a natural disaster you don't have to have the troops come in and the government help out.

You just empty your pockets and rebuild. I know you understand gold. In fact, you have so much of it in the banking system we learned that when Cicero was traveling through Asia Minor he waited until he got to Laodicea where he could cash out his letters of credit. You know gold but you need to get my gold which is identified as refined by fire. The Bible refers to our purified faith as refined gold.

Job said when he suffered that when God had tried him he says I will come forth as purified gold. God is saying be willing to pay the price for the gold I offer you that comes from tested faith. Christ goes on to counsel them to not only buy gold refined with fire but to wear white garments of faithfulness.

Notice verse 18. So that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen. Jesus Christ says in effect, you might be shipping name brand stuff all around the world but you are naked. You major on garment manufacturing but you're naked to the eyes of God who sees through us. The symbol of white clothing is used throughout the book of Revelation to speak of the righteous deeds of the saints. Revelation chapter 19 verse 8. In other words he is saying the nakedness of your inactivity and passivity and lukewarmness needs to be replaced with the righteous deeds of those who belong to me. Faith that is genuine is demonstrated. It's busy. It's serving Christ as Lord. At the end of verse 18 the Lord counsels them to pursue one more thing. Sav.

He says you need to buy from me Sav to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Laodicea was famous for its medical centers. They were especially proud of an ointment they developed from Nard to help those who suffered with ear aches. People would come to Laodicea to be helped. They were even more famous, however, for their well-known Tephra Phrygia. It was a tablet. It was eye powder that was considered in that ancient world capable of helping weak and ailing eyes.

The substance was exported all around the world in tablet form and you'd get your tablets and you'd grind them up and then you'd add a little water and you'd make a Sav and you'd cover your eyelids with it to help your eyes. Jesus Christ says to them you are known around the world for helping people to see but you are blind. Come.

Get Sav from me. Let me put my truth and my discernment and my grace on your eyes so that you can see and detect true needs. You can discern true opportunities. You can spot danger. You can identify godly direction.

You can make pure and wise decisions. Come to me and I'll restore your spiritual sight. I will restore your spiritual vision for the things of God and the true needs of the world.

Listen. When the church read this letter it must have sent them reeling. Imagine getting a letter from the Lord saying you nauseate me. Can you imagine that? Everybody gathers, got a letter written by Christ to the messenger and then sit there and hear him say, church at Laodicea, you make me sick. Wow.

It would have been devastating to read that in reality we are poor and naked and blind. The Lord compassionately reminds them then in verse 19, those whom I love I reprove and discipline. Isn't that good?

He just kind of sticks it in there. Look, the only reason I'm saying this is because I love you. I'm reproving you because I care about you. I'm disciplining those whom I love. The worst thing to ever be is in a position where God leaves you alone. I love you and I don't want you to live in this condition. And those whom I love I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.

Change course, turn around, confess your sinful pride and self-centeredness and arrogance and get moving. You see, my friends, he's writing Christians here. He's writing to people who had become indistinguishable from their culture. They fit in. They related. They never caused anybody any heartburn over the gospel.

No trouble. They didn't come across as fanatics for Jesus and they weren't atheists. Somebody saw them bow their head before lunch.

But they were lukewarm and everyone was comfortable around them. C.S. Lewis wrote it this way. He said, Christianity if false is of no importance and if true it is of infinite importance.

The one thing it cannot be is moderately important. No such thing. Finally notice the invitation in verse 20. He says this wonderful text. Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come into him and eat with him and he with me. This is an invitation, by the way, to the church. This is still a valid church.

They're in grave danger but there is still hope. Though often this text is used as a text for an evangelistic appeal. It's an invitation from Christ to the church to let him in, to fellowship, to eat supper. There were three meals. The first one was a little slice of bread and dipped it in juice, wine. The second meal was on the run, on the road, out in the field. The third one was the long one, it was where you sat around and talked, fellowshiped, enjoyed one another. That's the word he used. I want to come and eat with you.

I want to eat that meal with you where we can linger and talk. Would you notice here that he's knocking. He doesn't break down the door. He doesn't barge in. He just knocks.

Can you imagine the condescension and humility of the sovereign Lord that in order to have fellowship with not only the corporate church but you and me individually that he would actually knock. This is the door of fellowship, my friend. He waits for you to wake up in the morning and say something to him. He waits for you to read his word sometime during the day. Do you need wisdom? I'm here if you ask. This is the mystery of fellowship with Christ.

He reminds them then in verse 21, as he often does, that there is coming a day when we will rule with him on the throne. Let me give you two challenges from this letter. First, don't stop halfway. This is what I read here.

It's how it strikes me. Christ didn't stop, did he? He didn't go halfway. He gave his all.

He set his face as a flint toward Jerusalem. He suffered it all. He went all the way to the cross. He went all the way through the valley of the shadow of death. He went all the way into the grave.

He went all the way then to the resurrection and all the way to the ascension, and he will come all the way back. There's no halfway. So the challenge would be for us to do the same, to pick up where we've left off. Finish the job. Finish the task. Plug back in. Start over.

Sign back up. Don't stop. Secondly, don't settle for half-hearted.

There's no place in the Christian life for neutral affections, for coasting. Engage. Daniel Cox, a former jet pilot turned business leader, tells his readers in a book entitled Seize the Day that when jet fighters were first invented, they flew so fast, much faster than their propeller, some pilots, instead of letting go, would keep a grip on the seat. Terrified by the speed with which they flew through the air, not to mention the g-forces on their bodies. So the engineers went back to the drawing board and came up with a solution. The new design called for a strap. One end attached to the front edge of the seat under the pilot. The other end attached to an electronic take-up reel behind the headrest. Two seconds after ejection, the electronic take-up reel would take up the slack, literally force the pilot out of his seat, freeing the parachute to open. He writes, bottom line, fighter pilots needed a device to launch them out of their seats.

The question is, what will it take to launch us out of ours? It is a hard-hitting letter, like this. It is a reminder to be zealous for Christ. I was copied on an email from a college student who asked for prayer from several people in our fellowship for a guy she knew in high school, and somebody sent it to me and said, this is wonderful, and I didn't have a chance to ask her, so I'll leave all the names out, but she writes this. Back in high school, I made friends with this young man. He was one of several Jehovah's Witnesses in my school, who, by the way, believe that Jesus was created.

At first, we enjoyed our common sense of humor, which built a great friendship. Sadly, he received a lot of pressure to either convert me or deny me, and not even talk to me. So four years ago, he gave me the ultimatum, I didn't convert, he no longer talked with me.

Four years later, now, just recently, he contacted me. He said that he had realized that his faith didn't make sense. He no longer accepted that the 12 men that make up the Watchtower Society were in themselves the way to salvation. He didn't believe that anymore. It had concerned him that they had banned Greek and Hebrew to compare the original translations of the Bible to make sure their version of the New World translation was accurate. Most importantly, he refused to accept that the Watchtower Society had more authority than the Bible. He now considers it manipulation to keep their followers from thinking for themselves. As a result, his family has disowned him.

His friends won't have anything to do with him. He finds himself more alone than he has been in his whole life. Now, notice this, but he is very excited about his decision. He's been visiting churches to try to find one that honors the Bible as the only true authority. His email to me today was full of anticipation of finding a church that gives him a strong support system.

I find myself, she writes, in awe of his story. Years ago, he was the most faithful of Jehovah's Witnesses. To see the change in him despite having lost every person in his life is amazing. There is a joy and light in him that was never there before. His pursuit of Christ and the truth of the Bible has become the most important thing in his life, and he has willingly given up everything.

She ends it by saying, it's true, the Word is alive. How great is our God. Amen?

Jesus Christ would say, that young man is truly rich. This is his word to every one of us who are thinking of stopping halfway, settling for being half-hearted. Maybe you're tempted today or distracted. Maybe you're disobedient. Repent, literally invite him in, as it were, to dinner. The risen, sovereign Christ condescends to knock on your door and mine. Answer it. Answer it.

Answer it today. Answer it and surrender. And welcome him into the fellowship of your heart. And then, in the strength of his fellowship, follow him and live for him.

And know one day, because he is telling the truth, we will reign with him forever. With that important truth, Stephen brings to a close not only this lesson, but this series. We've been working our way through this portion of Revelation in a series called Special Delivery. If you missed any of the lessons in this series, we've posted them to our website, wisdomonline.org. You can go there anytime to listen to each message or read Stephen's manuscript, free and on-demand.

This series is also available as a CD set. You'll find information about that online as well. Or call us at 866-48-BIBLE. And then join us next time on Wisdom for the Heart. .