Revelation Ch3v14-22 - Our Spiritual Need

So we're going to read Revelation chapter 3 on Wednesdays.

Revelation 3 · chapter mention

We've been looking at Revelation also and we've been looking at these particular messages from chapters 2 and 3 and we're going to be looking at the last one today.

So let's read God's Word. Chapter 3 starting at verse 14.

To the angel of the church in Laodicea writes,

Amen.

Like the people you call us to be.

We ask for your help because without you we have no good thing.

Amen.

So I wonder how would you describe the spiritual condition of this church?

If you were to set up your spiritual monitor indicator and place it around at various pews or chairs as they are, what would be your findings?

Would the little dial flicker towards weak or strong?

Or would it go from rich or poor?

What's the spiritual condition of the church?

Or let's make it more personal.

What about you?

What about me?

Would you say you're in a healthy condition spiritually?

Or an unhealthy condition?

Where would you be on that monitor?

Well, starting in chapters 2 and all the way through to the end of chapter 3,

we have a series of messages from Jesus to the church.

And the purpose is to identify any weaknesses so that we can take corrective action and strengthen the church.

Because once we know where the cracks appear, we can firm up the foundations and we can be strong together as we live in this world.

You see, we might make our assessment, but the only one qualified to make an assessment is the Lord Jesus.

Look at verse 1.

To the angel of the church in Laodicea write, these are the words of the Amen.

Jesus is the Amen.

Now, Amen isn't just a word that you attach at the end of your prayers.

To indicate you're finished.

It's a declaration of certain undeniable truth.

So when you pray a simple prayer like,

Thank you, Jesus, for your love towards me.

Amen.

You're actually ending by saying,

The truth.

And if you say Amen in response to somebody else's prayer,

you are declaring,

The truth.

Yes, Jesus does love me.

That's right.

It's true.

Now, Jesus is the Amen.

In other words, he's the declaration of God's truth.

Everything he does and everything he says is true.

He is, look at verse 14,

The faithful and true witness.

The ruler of God's creation.

So what he has to say to us today through his word is absolute.

It's certain.

It's unquestioning truth.

In other words, we can't argue with it.

It's not up for debate.

In fact, the only right response is,

Look at the end, verse 22.

Whoever has ears,

Let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Listening to the Spirit is submitting to the word.

It's to accept the assessment of Jesus

So that we can, in response,

Take corrective action

And become the strong people that he calls us to be.

So what does Jesus have to say to us today?

Well, we're going to see three things in particular that he says.

First of all, we're going to see there's a loving rebuke.

Then there's a gracious invitation.

And an eternal reward.

So here we go.

A loving rebuke.

Verse 15.

I know your deeds.

Now in nearly every other church that we read about in these messages,

There follows a commendation.

He goes, I know your deeds.

And then list them out.

I know your hard work.

And how you didn't renounce your faith.

And how you persevered in service.

And how you served wonderful cups of tea.

And had the best biscuits.

And had a great welcome.

And what a wonderful church.

And how you are.

But instead of a list of the church's strengths.

Jesus launches straight into a rebuke.

Verse 15.

I know your deeds.

And here they are.

That you are neither cold nor hot.

Now let's be honest.

Now let's be honest.

None of us find rebuke easy, do we?

We don't like it when somebody points out our faults and our failings.

In fact, we probably get quite defensive and immediately push back and go,

No, no, that's not me.

That's not what I meant.

That's not what I said.

But this isn't about naming and shaming.

This isn't about piling on the guilt and bashing you on the head.

No, look at verse 19.

Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline.

Jesus' rebuke is evidence of his love.

He loves his church.

He cares deeply for his church.

A parent who doesn't discipline or rebuke their son or daughter doesn't care about their welfare.

But a parent who does correct loves their child.

They want the best for them to grow in maturity.

How much more then does Jesus, who died for us, love us?

His rebuke is evidence that we are deeply treasured by him.

He exposes our weaknesses so that we can take corrective action and strengthen the church.

So what is his loving rebuke?

Well, it comes in three parts.

Here's the first part.

First, he says, you are lukewarm.

Verse 15, I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.

I wish you were either one or the other.

And one of the things I enjoyed on holiday was the lovely hot weather.

Blistering hot.

And opening up your bottle when you're really thirsty and taking in a drink.

Oh, there's nothing worse than a bottle that's been sitting in the sun.

It's disgusting.

Give me a cold drink or a hot drink.

But don't give me that tepid, lukewarm stuff.

You don't go down to the shop and buy warm tea, do you?

It's either iced tea or hot tea.

Or if you're a bit posh, a frappuccino or a cappuccino.

Well, says Jesus, that's what the church tastes like.

When I put you in my mouth, there.

Verse 16.

Because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I'm about to spit you out of my mouth.

The spiritual condition tastes so bad, it would make you feel sick.

Oh gosh, that's all a bit harsh, isn't it?

It might be true of the church in Laodicea, but I mean, that's not me.

That's not this church, is it?

Well, let's read on.

Not only are we lukewarm, we are self-sufficient.

Whoops.

The reason why the church tastes so bad is because they live as if they're self-sufficient.

Look at verse 17.

You say, I'm rich, I've acquired wealth and do not need a thing.

We see being self-sufficient as something to be pursued and to be prized.

If you can get to the point in life where you are financially stable, that's a sign that you've made it, that you're a success.

My mortgage is paid off.

My pension is doing well.

My savings are safe.

I do not need a thing.

In fact, I'm doing so well, I no longer have to ask God for anything.

Isn't that what we want?

I mean, why be a burden to God and have to ask him for things?

In fact, maybe God has blessed us so much, rather than have any kind of needs, I can meet everybody else's needs.

If someone's in need today, in need of assistance, just ask me.

I know we're living in a cost-of-living crisis, so I'll pay your electricity bill.

I'll fill your car up with petrol.

And if any of our mission partners or anyone in the Court Carry Project, if they need a handout, no problem.

I've got the resources to help.

I'm rich.

I've acquired wealth.

I do not need a thing.

Is that what you pursue and prize?

Well, it seems the church in Laodicea had become so prosperous

that their financial self-sufficiency has become their spiritual self-sufficiency.

They've looked at their bank account and go,

I like what I see there, and they've immediately translated as,

I'm doing spiritually well.

Now, please don't misunderstand me.

Money and wealth is not wrong.

It can be good to make money and use it for the blessing of others

and the building up of his church.

Scripture encourages us to work hard, make a living.

It commands us to give and to care for the poor.

In fact, the people of Carigoline Baptist Church,

you know what, let me say this,

you are extremely generous financially.

Anytime we've come up with a need for people overseas,

people have given more than I've ever expected or imagined.

Our financial health is excellent.

We're doing so well as a church

that we're wanting to appoint an assistant pastor

and be able to afford to do it.

Thank God for generous giving.

Thank God for people like you who give so well.

But the danger is our financial self-sufficiency

can become our spiritual self-sufficiency.

In other words, our financial health

can have a disastrous effect on our spiritual health.

We are not just lukewarm and self-sufficient.

Perhaps we've become spiritually poor.

Look at verse 17.

You say I'm rich, I've acquired wealth and do not need a thing.

But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.

Now I'm sure we've been listening to the same news

and getting the same feeds in our social media

and we're concerned about the cost of living crisis.

We've had the conversations, haven't we?

We've reflected and thought,

how is this going to affect me and my family?

Maybe you have checked your bank balance,

done the sums and taken action,

decided, well, we're going to use the car less,

not take so many trips.

Or maybe, as in our case,

it's not spending 15 minutes in the electric shower.

You do the calculations and you say,

it's all right, I've worked it all out,

we're going to get through this.

Because the pressure to be financially strong and secure

is right in our face.

That's what everybody tells us.

In fact, it can be so strong

that we can lose our focus and end up spiritually poor.

We might breathe a sigh of relief

that we were able to pay our electricity bill,

but at the same time, we've forgotten all about Jesus.

We can pride ourselves that we've survived the crisis,

but at the same time, we've lost our love for Jesus.

Verse 17.

Let's turn it into a question.

The end of verse 17.

Is it possible

or that you do not realise

that perhaps you've become wretched,

pitiful,

poor,

blind,

and naked?

You see, the sign of a healthy church

is one that actually knows their needs.

Rather than celebrating material fullness,

what we see is our spiritual emptiness.

Rather than declare,

I don't need a thing,

we desperately shout out,

I need Jesus.

We need to be so careful

that our material wealth

does not blind us to our spiritual health.

physically,

we can be well housed,

well insured,

well clothed,

prepared for any financial crisis,

but at the same time,

we have become

spiritually poor.

Is that us today as a church?

Is that me?

Have I become spiritually poor?

Have I become spiritually poor?

Well, how are we going to change

these things around?

Well, not only is there a loving rebuke,

there is a gracious invitation.

Look at verse 19.

Those whom I love,

I rebuke and discipline,

so be earnest

and repent.

Repentance always means

turning back to Jesus.

And Jesus shows us

how to do that.

Listen to his

gracious invitation.

There's two

wonderful invitations

for us today.

Here's the first.

Jesus says,

buy from me.

Buy from me.

Verse 18.

I counsel you

to buy from me.

Well, how can we

buy anything?

I mean, we've just seen

that we are

spiritually poor.

But that's exactly

the point.

We buy from the Lord Jesus

with our spiritual poverty.

The currency

that Jesus accepts

is emptiness

and brokenness.

we come with

nothing else

but our

desperate,

needy self.

You see,

this is the

amazing grace

of Jesus

towards us.

He invites us

and he says to us

today,

come to me

as you are.

Right here,

right now.

and I will

satisfy you.

Verse 18.

I counsel you

to buy from me

gold refined

in the fire

so that you

can become rich

and white clothes

to wear

so that you

can cover

your shameful

nakedness

and salve

to put on

your eyes

so that you

can see.

I,

says Jesus,

will give you

spiritual riches

and eternal

home

and eternal

blessings

forevermore.

I will supply

you with

spiritual clothes.

I will cover

up all

your guilt

and all

your sin

with a robe

of my

righteousness.

I will give

to you

spiritual eyes

so that you

will be able

to see the

emptiness

of self-sufficiency.

and see

in Jesus

the beauty

of all

sufficiency.

You see,

this is an

invitation

not to come

and get

things

or an idea

or a philosophy.

This is an

invitation

for us

today

to get

Jesus.

He's what

we need.

In Jesus

we experience

all the

spiritual resources

that we need

for life

and death

and for

all eternity.

buy from

me.

Come with

your spiritual

poverty

and exchange

it

for glorious

riches.

Jesus.

In fact,

Jesus not

only invites

us to

come to

him,

he desires

that he

come to

us.

Not only

does he

say,

buy from

me,

but he

says,

eat

with

me.

Look at

verse 20.

Here I

am.

I

stand at

the door

and

knock.

Now it's

interesting to

note,

isn't it,

who is

pursuing

who here

in this

relationship.

Where's

Jesus?

Jesus

is on the

outside,

knocking on

the door

because he

wants to

meet with

us.

He's

saying to

you and

I today,

let me

in.

Now very

often we

think of

this verse

as speaking

to unbelievers,

but remember

this is

speaking to

believers,

to the

church.

Let me

come

back in.

You see,

this is what

self-sufficiency

does.

It pushes

Jesus out

of our

lives.

He no

longer becomes

our need.

We don't

need him.

We can

live without

Jesus,

so he's

on the

outside.

Now

amazingly,

Jesus

doesn't

walk away

in a

huff,

does he?

He

doesn't

do a

stroppy

and go,

that's

it,

you don't

want me,

I'm

out of

here,

I'm

not

talking

to

you

again.

If

you

want

me,

well

then you'll

have to

come

back and

talk to

me.

Isn't

that how

we

react in

our

relationships

with

each

other?

No,

Jesus

hasn't

gone

anywhere.

He's

there

knocking

on the

door.

Listen,

Jesus

is calling

your name.

Can you

hear him?

He's

speaking your

name.

Look at

verse 20.

I stand

at the

door and

knock.

If

anyone

hears

my

voice

and

opens

the

door,

I will

come in

and eat

with that

person

and they

with me.

Meals

have

kind of

lost

their

significance,

haven't

they?

For

us at

least.

Eating

has

become

nothing

more

than

just

a

refueling

exercise.

Stuff

as much

as we

can in

as quick

as

possible

so we

can get

on and

do other

things.

We

even

eat on

the run.

We

don't

have

time

to

sit

down.

But in

the first

century,

and for

Jesus

as he's

speaking,

to sit

down and

spend time

with people

and to

eat with

someone was

a sign of

deep friendship

and acceptance.

It was the

way of

renewing

fellowship

with somebody

where you

had fallen

out.

And that's

what Jesus

is saying

to you

today.

What a

wonderful

picture this

is.

he's

knocking

on the

door.

He's

calling

your name.

Johnny,

I want

to come

in.

I want

to sit

with you.

I want

to eat

with you.

I've

come to

renew

fellowship

with you.

Let

me

in.

In

fact,

I want

you to

experience

spiritual

resources

in all

their

fullness.

I want

you to

enjoy a

meal with

me and

to receive

from me.

Look,

let's not

beat about

the bush.

We can

all get

ourselves in

a desperate

mess,

can't we?

Our sin

pulls us

away from

Jesus.

We listen

to the

messages

about

financial

security.

we've

got to

sort

ourselves

out,

but we

just get

pulled

away.

And we

think,

I've got

to do

something,

I'm going

to change,

I'm going

to make

things

different.

What do

I have

to do

to make

Jesus

give me

what I

need?

What do

I have

to do

so that

Jesus is

going to

accept me

back again?

Well,

the problem

is we

can never

ever do

enough.

In fact,

our sin

just reminds

us that

we need

to start

the whole

process

all over

again.

No,

there's

another

way.

Do you

hear his

gracious

invitation?

Jesus

comes to

us.

Jesus

is the

one

taking

the

initiative.

He

always

does.

Do you

hear his

voice?

Buy

from

me.

Eat

with

me.

Come

with

your

spiritual

emptiness

and

brokenness

and I

will

fill you

with

treasures

forevermore.

Not

only do

we have

a loving

rebuke

and his

gracious

invitation

but a

promise

of an

eternal

reward.

You

see the

big

point

here

is this.

The

call

upon

our

life

today

is to

invest

in

our

life

spiritually

even

if that

means

financial

poverty.

In

other

words,

we are

better off

being

spiritually

rich

and

financially

poor

than

being

spiritually

poor

and

financially

rich.

Do you

believe

that?

It's

true.

Look

back to

the church

in

Smyrna

chapter

2

verse

9.

They

were the

flip side

of

Laodicea.

Jesus

says to

them in

verse 9,

I know

your

afflictions

and your

poverty.

They

didn't

have

anything.

Oh,

they

did.

You

are

rich.

They

were

rich

in

Christ.

So

what

will it

mean

for you

and I

to

invest

in

and

prioritize

our

spiritual

health?

Well,

let me

throw

these out

in very

general

ways.

Maybe

you're a

younger

person

or consider

yourself

younger

today.

You're

still in

school

or you're

about to

embark on

your career

and you

have

ambitions.

decisions.

You're

making

choices and

decisions about

your job and

your future.

Well,

let me say

this.

Make sure

you

prioritize

mating

with God's

people.

Before

committing to

a career,

be committed

to your

local church

because they're

going to be

watching out

for your

spiritual

health,

responsibility

and

accountability,

you will

need it.

You won't

survive

without it.

But maybe

you're

thinking,

well,

I'm a

little bit

further on

than that

and I'm

thinking,

well,

how can I

better my

financial

situation?

How could

I move

up the

ladder,

maybe take

on a bit

more

responsibility

at work

and increase

the paycheck

at the end

of the

month?

Well,

that can

be good.

I'm not

saying that's

bad.

But sometimes

what we need

is not

more,

but less.

Not more

hours and

more pay,

but less

hours.

Sometimes

we need

to reduce

things so

that we

haven't become

so busy

and flustered

that we

don't have

time for

Jesus.

retirement.

Or maybe

you're kind

of at the

other end

of the

scale and

you're

thinking

retirement.

Or maybe

you already

have retired.

Time to

cash in,

isn't it?

Get that

pension going,

treat yourself,

spend the

kids'

inheritance,

oh,

that would

be nice.

well,

again,

I'm not

saying it's

wrong to

do any

of these

things.

But watch

out.

Watch out

that in your

older age it

doesn't grab

you and

consume you

and you

forget your

spiritual love

for Christ.

You see,

the truth

is none

of us would

ever make

a decision

that would

compromise

our financial

health,

would we?

We're very

careful about

our monies.

But we all

have a habit

of making

choices that

compromise our

spiritual

condition.

We do it

all the time.

Yes,

this investment

and prioritising

our relationships

with Jesus

will be costly.

It may mean

we don't get

the career we

want or the

wage increase

or that

pension plan

and that

can be

hard.

And maybe

you're thinking

well I'm not

sure I want

to go down

that road.

I'm not

sure I'm

ready to

make those

decisions.

Is it

worth it

to throw

my lot

in for

Christ?

Absolutely.

100%.

Don't

believe me?

listen to

what Jesus

says,

verse 21.

To the

one who

is victorious,

I will

give the

right to

sit with

me on

my throne

just as I

was victorious

and sat

down with

my father

on his

throne.

What a

promise.

It's

out of

this world.

world.

If we

make Jesus

our pursuit

and prize,

if we

prioritise

dependency

on Jesus,

you know

what we

will receive?

We're going

to get to

rule the

nations

with Jesus.

We're going

to sit

in the

place of

all rule

and power

and authority

as God's

people.

all that

he is

over,

we will

be over.

All that

is his

will become

ours.

Now,

I don't

know where

you are

on the

calculations,

but I

don't think

you can

get a

bigger

reward

or greater

riches

than that

for all

eternity.

Look,

we can

pour our

life into

financial

security,

we can

strive for

success

and self

sufficiency,

we can

reach the

heights where

we can

say,

I'm rich,

I've

acquired

everything,

I do

not need

a thing.

Be

careful.

Listen to

his invitation.

he's

calling

your name.

Buy

from me.

Eat

from me.

Look

upwards

to your

glorious

reward.

Invest

in your

spiritual

health

and you

will be

eternally

rich.

Let's

pray.

Pause

and

respond.

Lord, we

are so

quickly

distracted

and so

easily

deceived

by other

things,

particularly

financial

resources

and

wealth.

Help us

to prioritise

you,

to make

you our

prize

and our

pursuit

in life.

Knowing that

in you are

all that we

need for

life and

death and

for all

eternity,

that you

are sufficient.

Help us

always to say

that apart

from you,

I have no

good thing.

Thank you

thank you

that we

have

rewards

that are

bigger and

greater than

anything this

world could

ever offer.

Eternity

with you,

ruling

with you,

enjoying

your

blessings

forever

and forever

without end.

thank you

Lord for

your blessings

to us,

for our

financial

resources

individually

and as a

church.

Help us

to use

them for

your glory,

for your

kingdom,

and for

the good

of others.

In

Jesus'

name we

pray.

Amen.

Amen.