Rich But Poor: A Tale of Two Kingdoms (Week 5)

So, for a long time, many years, I thought I was a good listener.

And there was a reason for that.

I read books on active listening.

My wife, Kaylin and I, we went to marriage seminars where they talked about good communication skills.

Hear what the other person is saying, show interest.

Make sure you understand what they're saying.

And I learned that key phrase, so what I hear you saying is, anyone else?

When we go through these kind of techniques of listening, we we are trying to help to engage with the person we're talking to.

And I felt like that's the way that I talked with people.

And so if you were to ask me, Tony, are you a good listener?

I'd say, yeah, I'm a pretty good listener, actually.

Uh and so there was one thing that I was completely oblivious to, and I didn't realize I was doing.

I would cut people off.

I wouldn't let people finish talking.

And so, as an example, somebody would come to me and they say, uh, hey, I just went to Colorado on a snowboarding trip, and it was amazing.

You know, we were on that first day we got out there, and in my brain, as they're talking, it's like, click snowboarding.

I've been snowboarding, so then I interject.

You know what?

I've been snowboarding.

Now, I've been one or two times, and both times were kind of a disaster, and then all of a sudden, we're not talking about their snowboarding trip, we're talking about my snowboarding trip.

And I don't give them the chance to continue what they were saying.

And that is because I didn't know.

I had no idea that I was cutting people off.

And so what happened was my wife came to me and she said, Hey, this is a problem.

And it's not not one of those, yeah, it happens from time to time kind of problems.

It was to the point where she was embarrassed when we met with people and were talking because almost every time she would describe, again, I'm oblivious, I'm oblivious to it, she would describe that I would cut somebody off really frequently in even one conversation with somebody multiple times.

So it was a major issue.

And if I'm honest, that was hard to hear.

And it's still hard to hear because it's still an issue for me.

So I apologize if you've been in that crossfire.

Um because I thought I was a good listener.

I knew the techniques, I asked the questions, I even asked the follow-up questions, and I genuinely cared about what the person was saying.

But I had to confront this disconnect.

My confidence and what I thought I was didn't match the reality.

And so that's a relatively small example, but I think that it gets to the point what we're talking about today in Revelation.

You can be convinced that you're doing well in an area of your life and be completely unaware that your perception doesn't match reality.

So here's the question: How can you know something about yourself that by definition you can't see?

Someone has to show you, and that person hopefully loves you when they show you.

Well, good morning.

My name is Tony.

I'm one of the pastors here, and we've been walking through the book of Revelation together.

And one of the things that we've been trying to keep in front of us about the book of Revelation is that it's not primarily a book meant for us to panic or obsess over the decoding of the symbols in it, but rather it's a revelation of Jesus.

It shows us who Jesus is, it shows us what he is doing, and it gives us the example of the of what it looks like to live faithfully in a world that is often opposed to him.

And today we're going to finish our journey through the seven churches, the letters that have been written to these seven churches, and today is our last church in Laodicea.

So we'll be in Revelation chapter 3, verses 14 through 22, that James just read.

Revelation 3:14–22

And in a similar fashion to what I experienced, the church in Laodicea thinks that they are doing really well.

In fact, they have some pretty significant blind spots that they are damaging their spiritual life with and their witness with.

Most of us would never say, I don't need Jesus.

I think we think we do, but it's possible that we can say that we need Jesus while living in a way that we already have everything that we need.

Not only is it possible, but maybe it's something that we struggle with daily.

Can we become so comfortable, so secure, so self-sufficient that our lives tell a different story than our words?

And if that was happening, would we even know it?

That's the danger Jesus is exposing in Laodicea.

And here's the central truth of this letter.

The church that acts like it has everything it needs is the church that desperately needs Jesus.

We're going to see Jesus respond in four different ways.

First, he exposes what we can't see.

Then Jesus supplies what we can't provide.

Then Jesus offers what we need most, and finally, Jesus shows us what true victory looks like.

And as we move through the passage, there are going to be some areas where we can have some examination of ourselves, but I'm going to hold off that really some time for us to give space to consider this for us later on as we close.

So before we get into the uh chapter 3, verses 14 through 22, let's pray.

God, we thank you for giving us life eternal that's only made possible through the work of Christ.

And it's not of ourselves, so that no one no one can boast.

It's a gift of God.

May we be reminded of that beautiful, precious, eternal gift today.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

So as we've been looking at these letters, we've seen this uh pattern that we've seen.

It's kind of like a doctor-patient relationship.

So here, Jesus is starting this passage with the credentials.

In verse 14, he says, and to the angel of the church of Lady Isaiah, right, the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation.

So I'm going to point out three different descriptors that Jesus gives of himself.

The first one is the amen.

So we're familiar with the word amen.

We say it at the end of prayer.

And the meaning of amen is truly, certainly, or so be it.

And so when we're saying amen, what we're saying is, yes, I want what has been said in this prayer to actually happen.

But here's the thing: Jesus doesn't say amen.

He says, I am the amen.

Meaning everything God has promised ultimately is fulfilled in Jesus.

So when Jesus speaks to his church, his word is completely certain.

Then he calls himself the faithful and true witness.

And that description speaks directly to the church of Laodicea.

Because in a few verses, Laodicea is going to give us their own assessment of how they're doing.

And Jesus is going to give us the complete opposite assessment.

And so before he tells them what is true about themselves, he reminds them, I am the faithful and true witness.

In other words, I am the truth teller.

Laodicea has a self-awareness problem.

Jesus doesn't.

And when our self-diagnosis disagrees with Jesus' diagnosis, guess who wins?

I'll tell you who wins.

It's the beginning of God's creation.

Number three, the beginning of God's creation.

That wording can sound confusing because it might sound like Jesus is saying that he is created by God, God's first creation.

But that is not the correct interpretation of what he's saying.

Because the word here in the Greek is archae, and it carries the idea of ruler, source, or origin.

Jesus isn't a part of creation.

Instead, he is the one who is the creator.

He's the one who rules over all creation.

It's giving Jesus the supremacy of being the creator.

And we know this because the Bible speaks of it in many different places.

And one of those is Colossians 1.16.

It says, For by him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and for him.

Jesus is the source of creation.

And that's significant for Laodicea.

Because they're about to say, I need nothing from the one who provides everything.

Do you see the problem here?

They look at the source of everything that they possess, and what they're saying is, we're fine.

And the danger that is at the heart of this letter is there.

The church that acts like it has everything it needs is the church that desperately needs Jesus.

So now it's time for his diagnosis, which leads us to that first point that Jesus does.

Jesus exposes what we can't see.

Listen to verses 15 through 17 again.

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

Would that you were either cold or hot.

So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

Jesus says, I know your works.

In other words, Jesus doesn't need Laodicea to tell them where they are.

He already knows.

But the church in Laodicea thinks that it's healthy.

And Jesus is saying otherwise.

He says, You are neither cold nor hot.

Would that you were either cold or hot.

Now, you probably, if you've been around church for a little while, have heard this passage used before.

It's a common one that we hear often.

And often we hear the picture of what this means as hot is someone who is passionate for Jesus, cold is someone who wants nothing to do with him, and then lukewarm is somewhere in the middle of that.

But here's the thing: if this was the case, then Jesus' words would be a bit awkward because he says, I wish you were either hot or cold.

Why would Jesus prefer someone to not want anything to do with him?

So I think it's a little simpler than that.

Cold can be refreshing, hot can be useful, but lukewarm is neither.

Nobody wants that cup of coffee that you forgot about two hours ago.

In fact, I have a cup of coffee here that I forgot about on my desk, and on Thursday, when I remembered it was there, I'm like, oh, this is good for me to remember what lukewarm is, because there's no way I'm drinking this.

There's milk inside, there's a little bit of crust around the rim.

You know, I was thinking about, we should probably have like a camera angle so you can see inside, but it's pretty disgusting.

It's not good, it's not pleasant.

Whatever else we may say about the imagery Jesus is using, his point is unmistakable.

Their present condition is not pleasant to him.

And he uses even stronger language.

He says, Because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

That word spit actually is translated vomit.

And so what Jesus is saying to this church is that they make him sick.

He's repulsed by what they're doing.

But it's interesting because this church, who by the way, didn't receive one good characteristic from Jesus like he did with all the other churches, this is the one church that he doesn't say anything positive about.

And he's speaking this hard against this church.

But so far we haven't seen anything obvious.

I mean, we've just walked through six other churches where there was idolatry, sexual immorality, open rebellion against God, things that were really clear.

But here in Laodicea, we're not seeing those types of things.

So what could possibly be happening in this church that Jesus would use such strong language?

Look at verse 17.

For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.

There it is.

It's a little under the radar, but Jesus says self-sufficiency is their problem.

Their wealth has taught them we're fine.

We don't need you, Jesus.

Then Jesus adds what may be the most frightening words in his diagnosis, he says, not realizing.

And so they don't simply have a problem, they don't realize that they have a problem.

And before we wonder how they can miss something like this, I think we we need to ask, could this happen to us?

Where are you most tempted to say, without ever actually saying it, I've got this?

Keep that question in mind as we hear what Jesus sees.

The patient thinks it's healthy, the doctor says, you're in serious condition.

And then the contrast in verse 17 is stark.

They look at themselves and they see wealth.

Jesus says, You're poor.

They believe that they have everything that they need.

Jesus says, wretched and pitiable.

They think that they see clearly.

Jesus says, you're blind.

And they think they're covered, but Jesus says, actually, you're naked.

Their self-diagnosis, and then Jesus' diagnosis could hardly be more opposite.

And remember who's speaking?

It's the faithful and true witness.

So, whose assessment is right?

Laodicea or Jesus?

And this is in stark contrast to one of the other churches that we read about, Smyrna.

If you remember, Smyrna was actually the opposite of Laodicea, where they were poor, but Jesus called them rich.

And here, Laodicea, who is rich, Jesus calls poor.

Why?

Because appearances can lie.

Their city had the appearance of success, and now their church apparently had appearance of success.

But Jesus saw something completely different.

He saw the heart and realized that their appearance was lying to them.

And this attitude fit Laodicea remarkably well because a few decades before this letter was written, there were some devastating earthquakes that happened in the region.

Rome came in, brought some resources and some funds to help rebuild.

And the Laodicean said, No, thank you, Rome.

We've got this covered, we have enough.

They began to build a reputation for, I've got this.

And now the same spirit of self-sufficiency has made its way into the church.

And this is where we need to hear Jesus' words turn towards us.

We may not see ourselves as clearly as we think we do.

So we ask Jesus, show me what I'm not seeing.

Are we bold enough to ask Jesus to show us what we're not seeing?

Because Jesus exposes what we can't see.

But a good physician doesn't just diagnose a disease and then walk out of the room.

He tells you what you need next.

Now that Jesus has exposed what Laodicea can't see, he tells them what they cannot provide for themselves.

Let's look at verses 18 and 19.

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline.

So be zealous and repent.

They're also known for their textile industry.

Laodicea had had a thriving textile industry where they produced this fine black wool that was very sought after and expensive.

There were also a medical center for the area, and people would come there for eye treatments.

And so look at how Jesus is speaking directly to these things that make up who they are as a city.

He says, To the people who are wealthy, you're poor, but buy gold from me.

To people known for their clothing, he says, You're naked, let me clothe you.

To the people known for their eye medicine, he says, You're blind, but let me give you sight.

Everything they had known physically, Jesus is saying spiritually, they lacked.

And that makes those words at the beginning of verse 18 so important.

He says, Buy from me.

What they needed most couldn't come from their resources, couldn't come from their economy, couldn't come from their successes.

It had to come from Jesus.

Jesus supplies what they cannot provide for themselves.

And here's a question: What do you do when you realize a spiritual need?

Do you turn to Jesus in prayer or immediately start figuring out how you're gonna handle it by yourself?

I know the feeling.

Even our attempts to grow spiritually can become another way of saying, I'll take care of this myself.

Reading the Bible can become an exercise in gaining knowledge, checking a box.

Or we try hard to get rid of sin out of our own will and our own effort, leaving Jesus out of the process, leaving the Holy Spirit away from doing the work that only he can do.

And the very things that are meant to draw us into a closer relationship to him are the things that we try to accomplish without him.

And then in verse 19, Jesus could have walked away.

He could have said, I'm done with you, Laodicea.

But he doesn't.

Here's what he says Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.

This gets at why Jesus has been so strong with this church.

It's because he loves them.

If you're a parent, you understand this.

It's not about humiliation, but it's a wake-up call.

Turn off the screen, go to bed, be home by 10.

When our kids hear this, they don't hear it love coming out of that.

They just hear a set of rules and burdens.

But we know that we want what's best for them.

And so we set these parameters.

And Jesus is saying the same thing.

I discipline and reprove those I love.

But it comes from a place of love.

He loves them too much not to confront them.

And because Jesus loves us, he tells us the truth, even when it's hard to hear.

But it's not just reprove, but it's also discipline.

There is a cost for following Jesus and being formed by him.

Sometimes he exposes the things that we'd rather hold on to that we don't want to let go of.

The things that we've grown attached to, Jesus might be saying, You need to give that to me.

You need to release that.

Sometimes obedience means surrendering something that we would just rather keep.

And that makes his next command very direct.

Be zealous and repent.

To the lukewarm church, the one that Jesus wants nothing to do with, he says, turn around, take this seriously, stop living as though you already have everything you need.

Repentance here is not try harder or fix it yourself.

Repentance means admitting, Jesus, I cannot give myself what only you can give me.

Maybe you were at the vision meeting last Sunday and you heard about our plans that we're going to be moving towards over the next five years through the launch initiative.

And you left that meeting potentially thinking, Okay, what is this gonna cost me?

What am I gonna have to give up to pursue this?

Now, those aren't necessarily bad questions, but a better question would be, Jesus, what do you want from me?

And Jesus, what do you want from us?

And that's perpetu, that's part of the purpose why we've started this season of prayer and fasting as a church.

So our launch initiative, we we have decided to put together a list of devotionals, daily devotionals.

And if you've not joined us, you can you're welcome to join at any time.

Go to cvconline.org slash launchpad.

And there you'll find devotionals on the book of Nehemiah that our staff has put together.

Because the purpose of why we're doing this in this season is because we know there's a lot ahead, but we don't want to get ahead of Jesus.

We don't want to try to do these big things for the kingdom of God and do it without the one who sits on the throne of the kingdom.

We need Jesus.

We want him to lead us.

Because the answer can't simply be work harder, give more, accomplish more.

That would just continue to preserve our self-sufficiency.

He's trying to restore our hearts.

But restore them to what?

It's not about better behavior, more discipline, or doing more, sacrificing more.

He's trying to restore their hearts, to bring them back to himself.

He's exposed what they cannot see, he supplied what they cannot provide, and now he offers them what they need most.

Verse 20.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock.

If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

Now, this is probably one of the most famous verses in all the book of Revelation.

We hear this talked about a lot when it comes to those that haven't yet put their faith in Jesus.

And that's great, but think about who he's talking to here specifically.

Now that we're in the text, he's talking to a church.

And that makes this picture very startling because they're living as though they have everything they need.

And Jesus is pictured on the outside of the church.

He's on the outside.

But he hasn't walked away.

He stands at the door and he knocks in pursuit of their hearts.

And when they open it, here's what he says: I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

That's more than just getting Jesus back in the room.

That's restored relationship.

Sitting down, communing with each other.

Jesus is looking for intimacy.

And when you think about everything that Jesus has just said to them, that's incredible.

He's exposed their condition, he's confronted their self-sufficiency, and he's called them to repent.

But the goal of all of that is not simply to get them to behave better, he wants them back.

Maybe Jesus has already brought something to your mind.

A place where you've grown comfortable living without depending on him.

Hear this invitation personally.

He wants you back.

You don't have to wait until you fix that part of your life to turn to him.

That's what makes this invitation so powerful.

The church that said, I need nothing, needed Jesus himself.

And that's ultimately what he offers them.

Not more resources, not better behavior.

Himself.

This is what they need most, and this is what we need most.

And then in verse 21, Jesus takes it one step further.

The church that thought it understood success, Jesus is about to show them what true victory looks like.

It's amazing.

21, here we go.

The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as all I also conquered and sat down with my father on his throne.

Throughout this letter, Jesus has been redefining what wealth looks like.

To the church who thinks they have it all, Jesus says, I have actually what you need.

He's redefining victory.

He says, the one who conquers.

This is something that Jesus has been giving to us over the last six churches.

Conquering.

If you remember, Smyrna, he says, be faithful unto death.

Pergamum, he says, hold fast my name.

Thyatira, keep my words until the end.

Philadelphia, hold fast what you have.

So conquering isn't about becoming powerful and impressive.

It's about sticking with Jesus to the very end.

Jesus says, true victory is remaining faithful to him to the end.

And then he gives them this amazing promise.

I will grant him to sit with me on my throne.

Jesus says, in effect, you have no idea what true riches are.

Everything they can accumulate in Laodicea pales in comparison to what Jesus offers them right here.

Do you realize a share in his victory and a place with him in his reign is something bigger and greater and more magnificent than anything you could ever put yourself into?

Nothing in this life compares to being seated with the King of all creation on the throne, in communion.

It's incredible.

It's a share in his victory and a place with him in his reign.

And I really like how this passage moves from verse 17 where they say, I am rich, and in verse 21, Jesus says, No.

Sit with me on my throne.

Do you want to know what wealth really looks like?

All their wealth is going to fade away.

They're not going to be able to carry it through.

But Jesus gives us the wealth that is forever.

You think you know what riches are?

Let me show you what real glory looks like.

That's what Jesus is saying.

And the really cool thing is that the next chapter that we're going to be moving into next week brings us into the throne room.

So he's saying, look, I have so much more for you.

Let me clothe you.

Let me give you sights.

Let me give you wealth and gold.

And let me bring you in on really where glory sits.

But that's next week.

They thought they had achieved success, but Jesus offers them victory.

Jesus has given their credentials his credentials.

He's given the diagnosis, the prescription, and the prognosis.

Now, one question remains.

Will they listen?

Verse 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

For seven letters now, Jesus has been speaking to his church.

And before we move on from these seven churches, I think we need to take a minute and actually listen.

Because somewhere in these letters, there's probably something that Jesus has put on your heart and something that you need to hear.

That's true for us individually, but it's also true for us as a church.

God has given CVC a lot.

We have people who love Jesus, gifted leaders.

We have resources, dynamic ministries.

If you're not plugged into blast after service that's happening after this service, amazing ministries.

We have fresh mission and fresh vision that we we just brought out.

We have the discipleship pathway.

We have a whole initiative that we're moving towards the next five years on what God can do here.

Some really incredible stuff.

And I'm grateful, grateful for all of it, which I hope you are too.

But the wording of Laodicea is it is possible to have a lot and slowly begin to live as though we have everything that we need in our programs, in our strategies, in our success.

Church?

We don't.

We don't have anything without Jesus.

We can plan for baptisms, but it's only Jesus that can change a heart.

We can recruit residents to come in and be raised up as the next generation of leaders to go out, but it's only God who can call them into ministry.

We can have our great plans, our reimagining of what this could look like, our starting to build, and if we do all that, but don't let God produce the fruit.

This is where we are.

Church, we need Jesus.

Brothers and sisters, you need Jesus.

That's why we have begun this season of prayer and fasting.

Because we don't want to have our plans and start building and then not allow Jesus to come and to direct and to guide and to commune and to bring comfort and peace.

And what is true of this church can also be true of us individually.

For years I thought I was a pretty good listener.

But the reality was I wasn't listening as well as I thought I was.

Someone who loved me had to come and to tell me about myself that I couldn't see for myself.

And maybe that's a fitting way for us to end these seven letters.

The question isn't simply, have we heard what Jesus has said?

The question is, are we really listening?

Are we willing to hear what he's saying to us individually?

Even if it's not what we expect.

So I want to ask you, where in your life have you learned to function without depending on Jesus?

Maybe it's in your finances.

You think that you're secure because you have enough in the bank account.

Maybe it's your career, your success, your title, the way that people view you at work, that's become what gives you the barometer to say if I'm okay or not.

Maybe it's your kids, and their success has slowly become a way for you to gauge your success.

Or maybe it's what people think about you at school, your friendships, or whether you're included, your social status, whether you're invited in to circles or parties, and that helps you to feel like you're doing okay.

Maybe it's entertainment, always having something available to distract you, occupy you, and to help you escape.

None of these things necessarily causes us to stand and say, I don't need Jesus.

It's usually much less obvious.

And slowly we learn how to live without much dependence on him.

And then we find ourselves in the same place Laodicea is here.

I don't need you.

I've got this.

Thanks, but no thanks, Jesus.

So if that's happened to you, and Jesus puts something, uh, his finger on something today, remember what he says.

Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline.

He's not exposing it because he wants to push you away.

It's because he's calling you back.

Repent where you need to repent.

Open the door.

Jesus is still standing and he's still knocking.

And begin to depend on him once again.

I want to give us a moment to do that right now.

So would you bow your head as we pray together?

Before you say anything, just listen to this.

Ask Jesus, where in my life have I learned to function without depending on you?

And then ask Jesus, what would it look like for me to depend on you there again?

Get honest.

He already knows.

Whatever he shows you, don't hear correction as rejection.

It's an invitation.

The Jesus who exposes what we can't see is the Jesus who supplies what we can't provide.

He offers what we need the most.

Himself.

He wants you back.

So let's take the next few moments together and listen to what the Spirit is saying.