Sermon Tone Analysis
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Revelation 3:14-22
Stephen Caswell © 2004
Statistics On Temptation
The magazine /Discipleship Journal/ asked its readers to rank the areas of greatest spiritual challenge to them.
The results 1. /Materialism,/ 2. /Pride,/ 3. /Self-/centeredness, 4. /Laziness,/ 5. (Tie) /Anger ~/ Bitterness and Sexual Lust,/ 6. /Envy, /7.
/Gluttony,/ & 8. /Lying./
The respondents also noted that temptations were more potent when they had neglected their quiet time with God and when they were physically tired.
Note, */Materialism is the number one danger for the Church today.
/*
Last week we saw Sardis, a */Complacent/**/ Church/* that was operating without the Holy Spirit.
It was about to die.
Today we will look at Laodicea, a */Comfortable/**/ Church/* who thought they were rich.
The Church regularly met together, yet Jesus Christ wasn’t present.
/Materially the Church had everything, spiritually they were destitute because they lost their fellowship with Christ./
Today we will see 3 things: */The Correspondence, The Condemnation and The Counsel. /*
*/Firstly/*, The Correspondence
/ /
*Revelation 3:14a: */And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write.
/
/a.
The City/
· Laodicea was about forty miles east and inland from Ephesus on the Lycus River.
· Laodicea was in a spectacular place, a great valley.
It was a very illustrious city.
· Out of the Oriental East, the great camel caravans traveled through Phrygia and Laodicea.
· It was a place of science and of literature.
Cicero held court in Laodicea.
· It had an excellent medical school where they made ointments to treat eye and ear complaints.
· The temple for Zeus was the very center of all society, administration, trade, and religion.
· Laodicea was famous for its fine black wool and garments which were exported far and wide.
· Because of all this trade, and tourism Laodicea became an important center of commerce.
· The citizens of Laodicea were very wealthy.
The city boasted large banking assets.
· When Laodicea was destroyed by earthquake in 17 ad.
they refused imperial help to rebuild it.
· They completely financed the city's rebuilding themselves.
They were very self sufficient.
/b.
The Church/
· Epaphras a convert of Paul founded the Church.
Colossians 1:7; 4:12-16 tells of this.
· Epaphras, Tychicus, Onesimus, and Mark seem to be the early Gospel messengers there.
· The Church had celebrated over thirty years of ministry when John sent this letter to them.
· They had beautiful buildings and a good reputation in the community.
· Very early it became one of the chief seats of Christianity.
Church Council a.d.
344–363.
· Laodicea, *Λαοδίκεια* means */justice of the people.
/*/They were healthy, wealthy and wise./
· There are 3 Churches amongst the overgrown ruins discovered at Laodicea.
· Two earthquakes have left the place deserted, called by the Turks Eski-hissar or */old castle./*
· This describes the Church age from 1900 a.d. to the present time.
· It describes a wealthy Church materially but poor spiritually since Christ is standing outside.
/c.
Jesus Christ/
*Revelation 3:14: */And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:/
*/Firstly,/* Christ calls Himself /the *Amen.
*/The word*/ amen, /**ἀμήν**, **/means truly, verily, surely, /*and when used at the end of a sentence it means*/ so be it.
/*The Lord*/ /*says to the Church that He has the final word.
What Christ says, will happen; so take Him very seriously.
*2 Corinthians 1:20:* /For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us./
*/Secondly,/* Christ says that /He is the faithful and true witness/.
The Church had an opinion of its own spirituality.
Sometimes people don’t want to hear the truth.
*/This Church was blind to its own needs and unwilling to face the truth.
So Christ revealed to them the plain truth./*
People aren’t always told the truth.
Governments, the military, the media and even liberal Churches lie at times.
In contrast, Jesus Christ tells us the truth.
He is faithful.
*/Thirdly,/* Christ says that /He is the beginning of the creation of God/.
Put simply He is their Creator.
Jesus Christ made the worlds and everything in it.
*Colossians 1:15-16:* /He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.
All things were created through Him and for Him./ */Why emphasize this?/*
Because the Laodiceans thought they were rich materially.
Yet, it had all come from God’s hand and belonged to Him.
The Church had become ungrateful.
They forgot God’s goodness.
Application
This Church believed it was rich and even said so.
Jesus Christ appears as the One who will give an honest appraisal of their Church./
*Let's have a look at how He sees them.*/
/ /
*/Secondly,/* The Condemnation
/ /
/a.
They Had Lost Their Vigor/
/ /
*3:15-16:*/ I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot.
I could wish you were cold or hot.
So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
/
/ /
To be spiritually */hot, /**ζεστός**,* refers to saved people.
Hot water in a jug is bubbling, full of life.
No doubt you have heard the expression */on fire for Christ/*.
*/If you are on fire for Christ others will know about it./*
/You talk about the Lord often.
You witness to the lost.
/To be spiritually */cold,/* *ψυχρός**,* refers to someone who is lost.
It refers to one destitute of Christian faith.
They are cold or indifferent to spiritual things.
The Lord knows where both hot and cold people stand.
But */luke warm,/* *χλιαρός**,* people are hypocrites.
These people are between hot and cold, they are tepid.
They want the spiritual riches of salvation and heaven and the riches of this world.
This Church didn’t boil and bubble over for Christ.
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