LETTER TO THE LAODICEANS, REV. 3:14-22
Note to preacher:

verse 14.
How you Sign the word AMEN is an issue in this sermon.  So please fingerspell AMEN, until the Sign issue comes up.  (See: www.deafjesus.org >> vocabulary)

verses 15-17
In explaining the "hot" and "cold" Christian, put "hot" on one side, "cold" on the other side, and "lukewarm" in the middle.

verse 20.
I wrestled with the problem of translating the phrase "hear My voice" into a deaf-friendly rendition, as I have done with final admonition of each letter.   However, I finally chose not to take that liberty, leaving the text as-is.   

As I discuss this issue with my deaf friends, I appreciate that they do not have a uniform perspective, so there is no single right way to handle it.  Therefore, I trust your judgment as to how you want to treat this topic in your presentation of the sermon.

Pastor Ron Friedrich


Today we end our study in Jesus' letters to seven churches, kept for us in Revelation chapters 2 and 3.  Now we ready the last letter:

Revelation 3:14-22
    Jesus said:  Write to the announcer for  the church in the city named LAODICEA:
    [quote]
    I am AMEN!  I am the Witness, faithful and true.
    I reign over everything God finished made.
    I tell you:
15 I know what you do.  
        You are not hot.
        You are not cold.
    I wish you were either hot or cold!
16 But you are LUKE warm, between hot and cold.
        And I will spit you out from my mouth.
17 You say, "I am rich.  I have enough.
        I don't need any more."
But you don't see,
    you are really...
        terrible,
        pity,
        poor,
        blind,
        and naked.
18  I have gold made pure in fire.
    I advise you: Buy that gold from Me;
        then you can become really rich.
    And buy from Me white clothes for covering your naked shame.
    Buy from Me medicine for your eyes; then you can truly see.
19  I warn and discipline people that I love.
    Become eager, and change your hearts and your lives.
20 See, I stand in-front-of the door and I knock.
        If you hear My voice and you open-the-door,
            I will enter and eat with you,
            and you will eat with Me.
21 Every person that wins,
        you will sit with Me on My throne,
        same-as I win, succeed!
        and now I sit with My Father on His throne.
22 My Holy Spirit now speaks to your churches.
        Every person must pay-attention.

LAODICEA.
That city was wealthy ---
    many businesses
    many banks.
If you succeeded in life, you wanted to live in Laodicea.

And the Christian church in Laodicea also seemed successful.
While we read Jesus' letter to that church,
    We don't see any problems that other churches had.
    We don't see any false teachers.
    We don't see any open sexual sins.
    We don't see any financial problems.
    We don't see any persecution.

But did you notice?  Jesus didn't have any praise for that church in Laodicea.   None!

Why?

If we study deep in this letter,
    we see that church is comfortable, but that's all.  
Yes, they taught God's Word,
    but they had no zeal (enthusiasm).   
Yes, they believed in Jesus,
    but they had no in-heart fellowship with Him.

We will also see that Jesus has a better way.

Jesus opens His letter naming Himself:
    "I am AMEN!"

That's a strange name.  "AMEN"  
That word means what?   
    We pray, and then say, "AMEN"
        meaning "The End."   Right?
No!  AMEN is a Hebrew word that means:  "TRUE"
In the Bible, people say "AMEN"
    for showing they agree,
    meaning, "That's true!"

Now, which Sign for AMEN shows that meaning best?
Amen 1
Amen 1
 Amen 2
Amen 2
 Amen 3
Amen 3
(See: www.deafjesus.org >> vocabulary)
Which?  [Let people respond.]

Jesus names Himself:
    "I am AMEN.  I am the Witness, faithful and true."

Today we live in a world that seeks truth in POLLS -- questioning many people for their opinions.

When people try to teach truth about God,
    they start, saying, "I think that God ...."

Hold!

What I think doesn't-matter.  The important question is:
    What does God think?

And Jesus can tell us what God thinks, because Jesus is God.
    And He finish tells us what He thinks!
    He tells us Truth,
        as any good witness must do.

Jesus says,
    "I reign over everything God finished made."

The Greek word here for "reign" is a powerful word.  
That word means "First Begin" --
    He is First in time as maker.
    He is First in authority as king.

That is the same word we see in John 1:1

    "In the Beginning was the Word [meaning Christ].
    The Word was [finish] with God,
    and the Word was [Himself] God."

Next Jesus tells what He thinks about the church in Laodicea:
    [quote]
    "I know what you do.  
        You are not hot.
        You are not cold.
    I wish you were either hot or cold!
    But you are LUKE warm, between hot and cold.
        And I will spit you out from my mouth."

The city of Laodicea really had a water problem.  
Other cities near them had water springs.
    Some cities had cool water, that tasted good.
    Other cities had hot springs, that felt good.
But Laodicea had only warm water that tasted lousy.

That's a good picture for showing how the Laodicea church tasted to Jesus.

What Jesus means with "hot" and "cold," we can explain that in different ways.  Example:

A hot Christian can mean a person that
    wants to know Jesus more,
    wants to live in His love and trust.
A hot Christian says, "I need Jesus!"

A cold Christian can mean a person that
    wants to experience more worldly philosophy and pleasure.
A cold Christian says, "I need the world!"

A LUKE warm Christian is proud that
    he is not a religious eager FANATIC,
        same-as a hot Christian.
And a LUKE warm Christian is proud that
    he is not a dirty sinner, same-as a cold Christian.
A LUKE warm Christian is satisfied with himself and says,
    "I have enough.  I don't need any more."

A cold Christian knows that he needs something.
But the lukewarm Christian has nothing to offer him[cold Christian].

Notice his church thinks only about itself:
        "I am rich."
        "I have enough."
        "I don't need any more."

They were not eager to touch lost people
    that didn't know Jesus.
They felt comfortable in the SUBURB fellowship,
    and they had no desire to serve people that have needs.

That church in Laodicea seemed really good in acting religious.
    But that's all they had.
    Their religion missed true fellowship with Christ Himself.

Jesus said [quote],
"You don't see,
    you are really...
        terrible,
        pity,
        poor,
        blind,
        and naked. "

The Bible says:  Things that impress us, don't impress God.
    We look-at outside appearances (looks).
    God sees what's really in our hearts.

Jesus says,
    "I have gold made pure in fire.
    I advise you: Buy that gold from Me;
        then you can become really rich."

Gold?  Means what....?   [Let people respond with ideas; and affirm them]

Clearly, Jesus is not talking about money,
    but He means true spiritual treasure.

Gold can mean several different things...
    Forgiveness
    Wisdom
    Faith in action
    Deep fellowship with God
    .....etc.

But notice that Jesus says that His Gold became pure in fire.

Fire means what?

If we ask the other churches in Asia (western Turkey) what "fire" means, they can tell us.  Persecution!   Maybe that church in Laodicea was skilled in avoiding persecution.

Often the Bible uses fire as a picture for suffering.

If the "gold" Jesus has is forgiveness,
    He won that treasure for us
        through His suffering on the cross.

If "gold" means Faith and Wisdom,
    we get that through studying God's Word,
    following His Word through life's hard experiences,
    and obeying the Holy Spirit.

Jesus says,
    "Buy from Me white clothes for covering your naked shame."

Our shame means our sins,
    But Christ covers us with His Holy sacrifice.
    He covers us with His Holy death and His holy life.

We can't hide our sins, but Jesus can cover and forgive our sins.

He says,
    "Buy from Me medicine for your eyes;
        then you can truly see."

The city of Laodicea had a medical school -
    many doctors, and many medicines.
But none could help those Christians.

If we are spiritually blind, we don't know that we are blind.
Really, we need God's touch, with His Word, to help us see truth.

Jesus says,
    "I warn and discipline people that I love.
    Become eager, and change your hearts and your lives.

    I stand in-front-of the door and I knock.
    If you hear My voice and you open-the-door,
        I will enter and eat with you,
        and you will eat with Me."

God desires fellowship with us.
    But we ignore fellowship with Him.
We want God always paying-attention to us.
    But don't always pay-attention to Him.
We expect God always to listen to our prayers.
    But our hearts turn-off His voice.

Maybe our greatest obstacle to fellowship with God is what?
    We are too busy.
Let us stop for a minute.  
    Turn off the TV.  Turn off the computer.  
    That job can wait a few more minutes.
Jesus wants to talk to us.

 We pray:

Father in heaven.

Thank you for the lessons we finished learning
    from your letters to those seven churches.

Help us trust Your Word.

Help us become wise and
    test all religious teachers with Your Truth.

Help us become eager to share Jesus with lost people.

Help us never become careless about sin in our lives.

Help us never become comfortable and satisfied,
    thinking we have enough.

Show us ways we can serve people in need with Your love.

If You invite us to suffer for the honor of You Name,
    help us keep our eyes looking-to you.

Our heart's door is open.
    Please come-in and help us to know you more.

While you speak to us,
    please help us pay-attention.







Amen!