Revelation

And he says,

I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot.

I wish that you were cold or hot.

So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold,

I'm going to vomit you out of my mouth.

And I've got to tell you, when the subject of vomit comes up,

I cannot get past the memory of our family going home to Weewar

after holidays in Yamba.

We were inland, we had to travel over the Great Dividing Range to get home

and that meant five children in the car, winding roads and gentle heat.

And one of our kids didn't handle warm days and winding roads very well

and neither did I when I was a kid.

A lot of experiences won't even tell you about me.

You can ask my mum and I won't let her tell you.

But Kerry was prepared for the journey ahead.

She gave the child an ice cream bucket.

She gave them some chewing gum to keep them occupied and away we went.

And halfway up the mountain, the inevitable happened,

the pale and clammy expression,

the sudden noise and vomit all through the back of the car.

When I was at high school, we called that a technicolour yawn.

Why didn't you use the bucket?

Well, they did.

They took the chewing gum out of their mouth

and put it in the bucket for safekeeping

and vomited into the car.

Policeman pulled us over a few hours later.

One of the lights on the trailer wasn't on.

He stuck his head through the window.

He pulled his nose back and he said,

go.

Now, despite the humour,

there is nothing funny

about how the Lord Jesus describes his church at Laodicea.

You make me want to vomit.

You make me sick.

And it's pretty hard to understand at first

because Laodicea in those days was a very modern city.

Deb Gould's been there, she told us, the other day.

And she said that up the top of the hill

and the city above Laodicea,

there's another city called Hierapolis.

And up there, there's hot Turkish steam baths

fed by the natural spring water

that comes up out of the ground.

And down at the bottom of the mountain,

down below Laodicea,

there's a beautiful, fresh water river

with the water running from the snow melt

in mountains far away.

Beautiful water for drinking.

And the Laodiceans lived between the two,

halfway up the hill.

And they were very clever.

And they built a series of pipes and pumps

to carry the colder water up the hill

to meet the hotter water that was coming down the hill.

And so they gave themselves a diluted water supply,

a mix of the two,

lukewarm water to provide water for their town,

their city.

And people who were very clever,

good at taking care of their comfort

and looking after themselves.

But in mixing that water,

the Laodiceans had a reputation for water

which tasted disgusting.

Lots of minerals, terrible taste,

terrible smell, lukewarm.

Now Westfield warms their water.

You go to Westfield,

you want to refill your water bottle.

Lukewarm water tastes disgusting,

except it hasn't got the taste of minerals.

So when John writes that the Lord Jesus

would want to spit them out of his mouth,

they knew exactly what Laodicean water tasted like

and they knew exactly why he had written it like this.

And he's no longer talking about water,

he's changed from walking to talking about,

talking,

he's changed from water

to talking about people

who called themselves God's people in that place.

And so John is writing to a proud,

self-sufficient church

and he gives them this really frightening serve.

This is the only church of the seven

that he has absolutely nothing good

to commend them for.

I know your works.

Verse 15,

you are neither cold nor hot.

I wish that you were cold or hot

and because you're lukewarm

and neither hot nor cold,

I'm going to vomit you out of my mouth.

Laodicea is a proud city.

They are like a few of the others in Revelation.

They are a city that was absolutely destroyed

by a massive earthquake in AD 60.

But they were different from the other cities

because the other cities accepted

the emperor's help to rebuild their city.

Money from him,

you know the disaster relief fund

that rebuilt their city.

Well the Laodiceans said,

thanks but no thanks.

We're rich,

they're skilled,

they're self-starters,

they're initiators,

they're independent people

who achieve much by their own effort,

self-made men and women

who did not need handouts

even when confronted by natural disaster.

And so they would be getting

award after award in Australia

for their can-do attitude

in facing such a disaster

and incredibly difficult times.

But the huge problem in this passage,

and this is the crux,

was their self-assessment

was different from God's evaluation of them.

So verse 17,

you say,

I'm rich,

I have become wealthy,

I need nothing.

And you don't know

that you are wretched,

pitiful,

poor,

blind,

and naked.

They filled out a survey,

they've given themselves

nine out of ten,

and God fills out his survey

and he gives them two.

And this church is described

as incredibly needy

and desperate for charity.

My first four years

out of Mill College,

I was serving in a church

in the Campbelltown Valley

and it was probably

one of the neediest suburbs

in Sydney at the time

and to some extent still is.

And we were very dependent

on Anglicare's support

for ministry positions

at church,

for food,

for gas and electricity bills

for some of the people

in the congregation,

for counselling support.

In that parish,

people's neediness

was incredibly obvious,

everybody could see it,

and it was something

that had to be dealt with.

We as a parish,

we as people,

we knew we were needy

and we were hungry for help.

But I've also been

in wealthy churches

where need was hidden,

where people have problems

in their families

and their homes.

Sometimes we have the wealth

to hide them,

they're not obvious

and not easy to see.

Gambling addictions,

destroying family finances.

Drug and alcohol abuse

to cope with unsustainable lives.

Uncontrolled temper,

somebody loses their temper

in the family

and somebody else lives

with dreadful fear

of them going off again.

Hidden addiction

to pornography

that many of us

have grappled with

where we pursue deep

inner need

in empty

and harmful ways.

We hide it,

we get trapped

in secrets,

and we all

have very deep

need and brokenness

and even for myself

I go back a few years

I needed two years

of fairly significant

support in counselling

for some of the things

that were going on

in my life.

We are broken

and we are needy.

Now privately

we know that we're

in desperate trouble

but publicly

we're too scared

to admit it.

and so we fake it.

Surely those things

couldn't be a problem

amongst the people of God.

We don't feel like

we can reveal those things

when we come into a group

of people like this.

We put on a face,

we don't cry out

needy for help.

We try to present

as though we're holding it

together in a self-sufficient way.

And Jesus speaks

to his church

and he says,

you say

I'm rich.

I've become wealthy.

I need nothing.

But you don't know

that you are

wretched,

pitiful,

poor,

blind,

and naked.

And the incredible

gospel truth

here is that

Jesus does not

condemn them

for being wretched,

pitiful,

poor,

blind and naked.

He's merely

pointing it out.

This is a universal

condition.

The gospel's

starting point

is that all people

are fallen.

All people have sinned

and fall short

of the glory of God.

Romans 3.23

The same gospel

is wonderfully

expressed in Ephesians 2.

As for you,

talking to us,

you were dead

in your transgressions

and sins

in which you used

to walk.

And then further down,

because of his

great love for us,

God who is rich

in mercy

made us alive

in Christ

even when we were

dead in our

trespasses

and sin.

I think some

of the saddest

and most difficult

people I meet

in ministry

are self-made

men and women,

often rich,

people that perhaps

we put up on

pedestals because

of their wealth.

I think of a man

I loved and respected,

a man who was

kind to me,

who was more moral

than some of the

Christians that he

dealt with in business

and some of the

moral issues that

were even going on

in our church family.

He was rich.

It was a principle

of his never

to borrow money.

He paid in cash

and he was a man

who bought some

really big stuff.

He was the biggest

giver to a new

church building

in the parish

that I was in.

And he died

earlier this year

as far as I know

he died without

Christ.

But brothers and

sisters,

he had a way

of life

that we would

sell ourselves

for.

Outwardly,

really connected

to church

but he didn't

know Jesus

and he built

walls around

himself that

stopped anyone

really knowing

him and getting

near what was

deep inside.

I loved him.

Jesus loved him

even more

but my friend

did not know

Jesus.

See,

we fear being

laid bare.

We fear rejection.

If other people

really knew what

was going on

inside us,

do they really

know how anxious

I am about

these exams

coming up?

Do they know

how difficult

it is for me

not to have

the boyfriend

or the girlfriend

that I've really

been hoping for

or the struggle

which is going

on in my family?

And we hide

although some

of us have

places that

we can share.

The Bible

is consistently

scathing of

our efforts

to present

ourselves as

something to

God,

faking it

with him.

Isaiah

Isaiah 64:6

chapter 64

verse 6

says,

all of us

have become

like one

who is

unclean

and all

our righteous

acts are

like filthy

rags.

God wants

our hearts

and throughout

the Bible

he calls us

to humble

ourselves

before him.

So in Isaiah

66 it says

this is the

one I esteem

he who is

humble and

contrite in

spirit and

trembles at

my word.

And you come

into the pages

of the Bible

and you see

that the way

of the cross

is a journey

from independence

and self-sufficiency

to dependence

and complete

reliance on

Christ.

Jesus speaks

to this proud

church with

an incredible

invitation.

He says in

verse 18

I advise you

to buy

from me

gold refined

in the fire

so that you

might be

rich

and white

clothes so

that you

may be

dressed

and your

shameful

nakedness

not be

exposed

and ointment

to spread

on your

eyes so

that you

may see

this is a

rich trading

city

and these

people are

the Chinese

of Chatswood

and I'm

not using

it in a

derogatory

way they

know about

money they

know how

to do a

good deal

and they

have gold

supplies and

they're famous

for their

black woolen

rugs

they're sold

all around

the world

and their

ear and

their eye

treatments

everybody knows

about them

and Jesus

offers them

something that

they already

feel self

sufficient in

what do you

do when

somebody offers

you something

which you

already think

you have

enough of

you don't

want anymore

you say

something like

what do I need

that for

I've already

got it

and it's

almost an

expression of

pride of

self sufficiency

of saying I'm

okay thanks

I don't need

it

and Jesus

looks deeper

than they are

capable of

looking he

knows their

need and he

says he says

to them he

says that you

are wretched you

are pitiful you

are poor you

are blind you

are naked

come to me and

receive real

wealth true

cleansing removal

of shame he can

help them to see

what they are

completely blind

to

it's the

gospel

it's the

cleansing power

of the cross

it's the work

of the Holy

Spirit which

takes the

eye scales

away and

helps us to

see

can you see

the dynamic

Jesus has

absolutely nothing

good to say

about this

church and

yet he stands

there and he

offers them the

most magnificent

and generous

invitation

verse 8

19 as

many as I

love I

rebuke and

discipline so

be committed

and repent

listen I

stand at the

door and

knock if

anyone hears

my voice and

opens the door I

will come into

him and have

dinner with him

and he with

me

Jesus is

speaking to a

church he's

speaking to church

people you and

me people who

call themselves

Christians who

hang around

churches who are

proud of their

standing in the

church community

speaks as a

father to a

wayward son or

daughter that he

is still in

relationship with he

has not given up on

relationship yet

those I love I

rebuke and I

discipline wake up

he speaks a word to

insiders not to

outsiders and he

says let me in

last week when I

preached on the

letter to the

church in

Philadelphia Jesus

was portrayed as

the faithful steward

of God's house he

has the swipe card to

every room in heaven

and he opens and he

closes doors of

opportunity to ministry

and ultimately to

heaven itself if he

opens it you can't

close and if he

closes it you can't

open it awesome

power but the door

here in Laodicea is

different this door is

a door that we have

the ability to open

and that we are

ultimately held

responsible for if we

don't open it and

Jesus says to us to

his church be

committed and repent

it's a call to

commitment to stand

in Christ to move

from lukewarm fence

sitting and

half-heartedness to a

life which is devoted

to Christ to repentance

to a turning back to

what we already know

a turning back to the

gospel giving up the

faking it and allowing

Jesus to do his

cleansing work in us

it's a call to humble

dependence and

repentance and it's a

completely undeserved

invitation into a

renewed and refreshed

relationship with Jesus

I will come into him

or her and I will have

dinner with him or her

and they with me

it's the intimacy of

knowing Jesus the

closeness of having a

meal together

real relationship with

him

being able to pour

your heart out to him

and knowing him

personally and knowing

that he cares for you

it's not about doing

and performing

it's about abiding

and resting

and refreshing

in joyful obedience

of our saviour

Jesus Christ

I thank God for the

man who taught me

when I was first a

believer to relate to

God in a real and

intimate way every day

in coming to his word

and speaking with him

in prayer and also

sharing the faith with

my friends

and I grew

and I was refreshed in

my relationship with

Jesus and I felt alive

and I felt dependent on

him and it was just a

deep thrill being his

person

and after a few years

and some of them in

theological college and

it's not college's fault

but it became a chore

and a task

and a duty

and more about getting

over my guilt

than enjoying Jesus

and I was very

half-hearted

and lukewarm

in coming to the

scriptures

and I used the

language of commitment

but was trading on the

past not on the

present

and it's a really

lonely place to be

and Jesus invites us

into something which

is rich and

intimate and

relational with him

and so I thank God

for the woman and

not Kerry another

woman I thank God

for Kerry let me tell

you but this other

woman who 25 years

later helped me back

into joyous times with

Jesus in his word

and in prayer and in

understanding that I

was his son and who

helped me to

experiencing the

intimacy and the

grace and the

exceeding joy of

dining with him and

living for him

of being able to

come safely into his

presence despite being

a person who was

wretched

pitiful

poor

blind

and naked

it's the greatest

thing in life to

know that we are

loved by Jesus

it's an enormous

privilege to treasure

him together

there's incredible

encouragement from

coming together as

the people of God who

just love him

and Jesus stands here

with this church that he

has nothing to commend

to or to commend them

for and he offers them

extraordinary grace and

mercy and kindness

I think it's

incredibly similar to

the sort of teaching

which is going on in

Luke's gospel from

round about Luke

Luke 18 · chapter mention

chapter 18

you know the rich

young man who comes

up to Jesus and he

says to Jesus what's

the what's the good

thing what's the one

good thing that I must

do to inherit eternal

life

and he says Jesus

says we know the

commandments he said

I've kept all the

relational commandments

look I've never

committed adultery I've

never murdered anybody

I've never lied I don't

steal and I really

honour my mum and dad

and the whole community

listening on they would

have looked at the

bloke they would have

known his history and

they would have said

yeah he is like that

that's the sort of bloke

he is but Jesus drew

out his heart and he

said you still lack

just one thing sell

everything you have

and give to the poor

and you will have

treasure in heaven and

then come and follow

me and he walked

away from Jesus very

sad because he had

great wealth he would

not let go of one

treasure to lay hold

of a better treasure

the Laodiceans are

being called to let go

of something which was

a treasure to them but

which made the Lord

Jesus want to vomit

and in his great grace

he wasn't just calling

them to leave something

precious or what was

precious to them he

was calling them to

something precious

something far more

precious he wanted

them to have something

so much better he

wanted these wealthy

self-satisfied people

to have him as their

greatest treasure to

repent to see that

they needed to let go

of the false treasure

and lay hold of him

and Jesus was very sad

when that man walked

away from him a great

gift was being offered

and he didn't take it

because he thought he

had something better

no thanks I don't need

it really is what he's

saying even though he

didn't say it like that

and Jesus said how hard

it is for a rich person

to enter the kingdom of

heaven it is easier for a

camel to go through the

eye of a needle than for a

rich person to get into

heaven and the people who

were listening and the

people were looking on

they were astonished at

what Jesus said they were

shocked and the disciples

who can be saved

and the question gets an

astonishing answer with

the encounter with the

chief tax collector

Zacchaeus in Luke chapter

Luke 19 · chapter mention

19 wealthy greedy rip off

merchant trader he's all

those things a great story

for a current affair you

know do one of those

ambush interviews with

Zacchaeus coming out the

corner in Jericho up the

tree gotcha Zacchaeus as he

gets out of his filthy

looking Mercedes Benz or

whatever it is to climb the

tree what's it like to

live the high life on

what you've stolen from

other people in Jericho you

dog

that's how you do it

isn't it

he's a true Laodicean

wretched

pitiful

poor

blind

and naked

and he encounters Jesus

and he is transformed

isn't that incredible

Lord I give back half of my

possessions to the poor

and if I've ripped off

anybody in the year I have

I will pay back four times

what I've stolen from them

so he does he exchanges one

treasure for another he is

received and accepted and

loved by Jesus shame is

removed his eyes are open

he's loved by Jesus who

declares the impossible

Jesus says today salvation

has come to this house this

guy gets it

church in Laodicea is called to

exchange one treasure for

another they're called to

overcome

you see the starting point

the starting point for all of

us here is one of our value

statement humble authenticity

seeing ourselves as Christ sees us

and the way that Christ sees us

is all we've begun at this point

wretched

pitiful

poor

blind

naked

incredibly needy

somebody asked me a question

the other day about how I would

cope as a minister if I was

leading a church with a number of

attenders who live

an openly gay lifestyle

and it threw me for a bit

and I spent quite a bit of time

reflecting on the question I'm

going to continue to do so

but part of the answers in this

passage

to see myself as Jesus assesses me

to see me before I see them to

see me as wretched pitiful poor

blind

naked

very needy of the grace of

Christ

starting point for us all

because it puts us in a place

where we won't be too quick to

exalt ourselves over others and it

reminds us of the grace that we

all need

that's not a complete answer to

that question but it is a

starting point

and I think going with that I

hope that our church and I think

that our church is a safe place

for people from all sorts of

places and struggles

to consider the claims of the

Lord Jesus Christ

a church where we understand that

we are all a work in progress

that we haven't arrived

and that we're at the mercy of the

Lord Jesus Christ and he is the

one who has lifted us up from

where we were

where the Lord Jesus looked on us

and saw us as wretched pitiful

poor blind

naked

deeply broken before him

I've only got to go to the

Sermon on the Mount to expose my

heart

and reveal me to be

I read the Sermon on the Mount

and I see straight away that I'm

in God's eyes a thief

a murderer

an adulterer

an immoral man

and I don't glory in that

but it drives us to be like the

tax collector in the temple in

Luke 18 whose starting point in

relationship with Christ

is to beat his breast and to cry

out Lord have mercy on me the

sinner

Revelation 3 finishes with the

words of Jesus to this church

to the one who overcomes

verse 21

to the one who overcomes I will

give the right to sit with me on

my throne

just as I also won the victory

and sat down with the father on

his throne

now it's pretty clear through this

passage that the the overcomer is

not the self-made man or woman

they are the person who takes up

Jesus invitation

and buys from him gold refined in

the fire so that they may be rich

and white clothes so that they may

be dressed and their shameful

nakedness hidden

and ointment to spread on their

eyes that they might see

so the overcomer that we are

called to be is the one who turns

to Jesus who comes to Jesus who

receives from Jesus who depends on

Jesus

and we can do that because he is the

great overcomer he is the one who

has overcome for us

and he says

I also won the victory and sat down

with my father on his throne

he overcame

God in the flesh

allowed his creation to reject him in

the most wicked and final way that

they could at the cross

he overcame he is the resurrected

Christ the first to overcome sin and

death

he overcame right now he sits with

his father on the throne of heaven

ruling over the universe

we overcome when we give way to him

when we see ourselves as God sees us

as wretched as pitiful as poor as blind

and as naked

we overcome when we turn from

self-sufficiency to independence

to turn from self-sufficient independence

and we overcome when we humbly receive

the grace that God wants to shower

us with

we overcome when we treasure Jesus

Amen

Amen

wam

Maps

master

os