I trust you have had the opportunity this week to at least read some of what is happening during the opening week of the United Nations.  It is that time of year when the world leaders, and those who pretend to be leaders, come to New York to give speeches before the General Assembly there.  And what a week it was.  The President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmandinejad - one of the most polished speaker of our day, and one of the most dangerous as well - gave an invective against the Western World in general and the United States in particular.  Here is a man who has been defiant of all the United Nations resolutions concerning their nuclear capabilities, yet he has the audacity to blame others.  He was followed by the dictator of Venezuela, a man who, I believe, would be nothing if he did not have oil dollars behind him.  He gave one of the most evil speeches ever heard, at least not heard since Nikita Krushav's address in the early 60's.  His speech was so blasphemous that even one of the most liberal of Democrats spoke out against it. 

 

And then there is the matter with the Pope.  In an academic address in an academic setting in Germany, Pope Benedict XVI cited an exchange made between a Byzantine leader and an Islamic leader back in the 14th century - friends, that is more than 600 years ago.  This exchange is part of recorded history.  And it is a verifiable statement.  Yet the Muslem world took great exception to it and violence and death ensued.  And what was the gist of that 14th century exchange - that Islam was a religion of violence.  As one radio commentator said, when asked about the validity of what the Pope had cited, "After 9-11, how many mosques were burned in the United States?  How many Muslims were killed?  I think I have proved the Pope's point."  Friends, these are so very uncertain days - really unlike any that our world has seen since the early part of the last century.  Aren't you glad that your hope is in the Lord?  I am!

 

This week we examine the last of the seven churches.  The letter to the church at Laodicea is found in Revelation 3:14-22.  This is the second church (Sardis being the other) about which God has no commendable words.  It is a message that we need to listen to carefully today for our age can be characterized as having a Laodicean spirit.

 

 

    A.  Physical Description

 

          1.  Located 90 miles east of Ephesus

          2.  Known for its wealth; was a center of banking and finance

          3.  Had a school of medicine; creation of a special eye salve known as "Phrygian powder"

          4.  Famous for its glossy black wool cloth; often made into carpets

          5.  Water played a role in Laodice: Heirapolis, just to the north, was famous for its hot, medicinal springs; Colossae, just to the south, had springs of pure, cold water; Laodicea's water came through 4 miles of aqueducts, so was lukewarm

 

    B.  Spiritual Description

 

          1.  They were blind to their real condition and were not willing to face the truth

          2.  God portrays Himself to them as the "amen".  God is about to be honest and truthful with this congregation.

 

    

     A.  Lost Enthusiasm - verses 15-16

    

          1.  There are 3 spiritual temperature: cold (Matthew 24:12) - here is a person totally turned off to the things of God; hot (Luke 24:32) - here is a person totally excited about God and His plan; and lukewarm - these are people who are comfortable, complacent, at ease, and having no vision

 

          2.  It is God's desire for us to be spiritually alive - Romans 12:11, Colossians 4:12

          3.  As a lukewarm cup of coffee needs to be refilled to remain hot, this church needed to be refilled with the presence of God in order to become hot once again.  Yet Christ was kept outside of the Church.

 

    B.  Lost Sense of Values - verse 17a

 

          1.  Forgot what really was important - their values depended upon their offering plates and bank accounts

          2.  They had adopted the standard of the world - the visible was important; this was a things-oriented church; they focused on buildings, lands, properties, fixtures, and equipment; everything in this church was for display only

 

                I am reminded of the following story: Once a man attended a fair and saw another man leading a fine, well-groomed horse.  He inquired, "Is that a saddle horse?"   The other replied, "No sir.  This horse will buck off a saddle.  Nothing can stay on his back."  "Is he a driving horse, then?" the man asked.  "No, he was hitched up once and made kindling wood  of the vehicle he should have pulled."  "Well, what is he good for?  Why is he here?"  The answer was, "Style, man, style.  Just look at the picture he makes."

 

              I am afraid that characterized the Laodicean Church, and unfortunately, many of our churches today.  It is all about style! 

 

          3.  What this church needed was gold refined by fire; some old-fashioned persecution that would shake them from their comfortable pews and easy lifestyle

 

    C.  Lost Sense of Vision - verse 17b

 

          1.  They forgot what really counts - people.  They did not see opportunities to minister.  They did not see the needs of people around them.  All they saw was themselves.

          2.  They needed an eye salve from God; they needed to have God open their eyes.

 

    D.  Lost Sense of Virtue - verse 17b

 

          1.  In the Old Testament nakedness meant to be defeated and humiliated - 2 Samuel 10:4

          2.  Here the word means pride.  He was a church that was standing before God stark naked and they did not know it.  God had exposed them for who they really were.

 

 

       A.  God still loved them - Because of His love, He was gong to discipline them - Hebrews 12:5-6

 

      B.  He sought their repentance - God wanted them to be sensitive to their sinful condition

 

      C.  He sought to be accepted into the life of the Church

 

            1.  Christ was standing outside the Church at Laodicea.  Here was a church so busy for Jesus that they were not even aware that He was not around.

            2.  "Knock" - Christ sought entrance through circumstances and opportunities given to the Church; yet they turned a deaf ear to God

 

Thought to Ponder: Money...this church had plenty.  Programs...this church was busy with them.  From all outward appearances the church at Laodicea was very successful.  If you had been new to the community, this would probably have been the very first church you would have visited.  This church had everything...except God.  In all of their busyness of being a church they had abandoned the one they were to represent.  They had wrongly assumed that they were the ones responsible for their own success.  It is great to be successful, but that can often lead to pride which can then lead to a separation from God.  The world viewed this church as successful.  However, God viewed it as miserable.  And friends, God always has the correct viewpoint.  God warned these people to repent or He would vomit them out.  I do believe that this is God's message to the church today.  If we fail to heed it, then our witness for Christ will become worthless.

 

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.  (Abraham Lincoln)