May 5 Sermon: Rich in Wealth, Poor in Soul

This week, we look at Revelation 3:14-22. Discover the stark differences between being spiritually lukewarm and actively setting a faithful temperature in your walk with Christ. Are you a thermometer or a thermostat in your faith? Join us as we delve into this vital question for every believer.

Consider these questions as you listen to this week’s message from Revelation 3:14-22:

1. In what ways can a believer act more like a thermostat, actively influencing their environment rather than merely reflecting it like a thermometer?

2. How does the concept of being 'rich in Christ' challenge the modern Christian's understanding of true wealth and prosperity?

3. What practical steps can Christians take to avoid becoming spiritually lukewarm, especially in comfortable or affluent circumstances?

Transcript:

There are several words in the English language where a change of just a few letters completely changes things, even if they kind of sound the same. The easiest example that I came up with as I was thinking about this was dessert and desert. They look the same. It's one letter that's different, and if you're like me, you probably have to stop every time you need to spell one of those words and remember which one it is that you're trying to spell and which one has one S and which one has two. But they're completely different things. I don't think a dry, barren wasteland and a tasty part of the meal have anything in common, but they look the same. They even kind of sound the same. And two other words that are similar that come to mind for me are thermostat and thermometer. Mind for me are thermostat and thermometer. Now, I'm guessing most of us know the difference, but I bet that I'm not the only one who's made the mistake or heard someone else made the mistake of using the wrong word to describe what they're talking about, and honestly, it's relatively easy to do this because they're both related to temperature. You could just easily have the wrong word pop out of your mouth while you're talking about it. But we know that while the two words are pretty similar, there's a big difference in what those two devices do. A thermometer reads the temperature, a thermostat sets the temperature. So as we come to this last address to the churches in Asia, in these opening chapters of the book of Revelation, we're coming to arguably the most famous of the seven addresses, because here, in these words to the church in Laodicea, we see the idea of temperature in this famous statement. I know your works. You're neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth Again. Famous words, and they are intense words.

And as we consider this passage today, I want us to do so with two very personal questions of application ruminating in the background while we think about the text. So the first question I want us to think about is what is my temperature? Am I cold or hot or am I lukewarm? And the second question I want us to consider as we go through this passage today Am I a thermometer or am I a thermostat? Do I look around and sort of read the temperature of the room and then adapt to what's going on around me or am I able to stand firm In my life? Am I a thermostat? Do I stand firm for the word of God and set the temperature based upon what God has to say, or do I adapt to the culture and the pressures of the world around me? So with that in mind, with those questions going on in our minds while we look at the text, let's get into the text and again we'll come back to those questions as we apply the passage towards the end of the message this morning.

So as we start, we see this formula that we've been seeing with all of these addresses to the churches in Asia Jesus speaks to the angel of a particular church and then what does he do? He appeals to his authority to be doing this speaking. So, like last week, the passage here doesn't call specifically to that image of Jesus from Revelation 1 that we looked at. Many of the addresses have done this, but last week's and this week's have not done that. But still, this is a statement to remind us that Jesus is above all things and that he has authority from before all time.

So the title that's used for Jesus here today is unique. It's only used as a title one other time in scripture and that's back in the book of Isaiah, and the idea here is that he is the God of amen. It was the same in the book of Isaiah that he is the God of amen, or it could be translated he is the God of truth, and the idea here is that what Jesus is saying and what God has to say is definitive. It is final, just as we say amen at the end of a prayer because we're done or because amen means so be it. That's the idea here that what is being said is final. So God is the God of amen, he is the one who speaks and it is definitive.

And once again, the book of Revelation is going out of its way to give us this idea that Jesus isn't the new kid on the block, that, yes, he hasn't been around terribly long by human standards, but he is more than just a man who was born in Bethlehem 65 to 70 years prior. He has been around from all time. He is eternal, as we've seen before, he's connected with the ancient of days and he is the faithful witness. He is the true witness, he is the God of amen and, as it says here, he is the beginning of God's creation, and the idea here isn't that Jesus is the first creation, like some cults teach. The idea is that he has been there from the beginning. He is the opening of all of this and he is the definitive, the final, the amen, and you get what is being said here with these connections that are being made with the ancient of days, with the God of amen.

The idea is that the one who is speaking here, he speaks truth, he cannot lie, because what he says will come about. He is God, he creates, and so when he speaks, it has to be true, and so this is a word of comfort for the people of God. They're experiencing tribulation, they are experiencing persecution because they have been reading these words from Jesus, and they are holding to them To say that Jesus is Lord, is going to bring them persecution in their time, but yet they receive these words of promise that Jesus is going to come. He is going to come in judgment on those who stand in positions of oppression over them, and at the same time, though, though, there is a sense of holy fear here that should come out of all of this, because the words of judgment that jesus has been speaking are not just words of judgment to those who would oppress these churches. He has also said that he will come in judgment on their sin if they do not repent Now.

I think it's really good for us to feel that tension in these passages as we read them and as we study them. These statements to these churches aren't only statements of Jesus saying, hey, don't worry, I know things are bad, but I'm going to come and get those people who are hurting you. That's not all that's being said. It's also a continual reminder that the people of God need to be turning to Jesus in repentance and faith. They need to be turning to Jesus in repentance and faith. They need to be continually addressing whether they are following God in faithfulness or whether or not they have forsaken their first love. That's the tension that we're meant to feel in these seven addresses to these churches and it's so vital that we don't miss that. And it's a tension that you can really feel with this address to this church in Laodicea and this blunt statement that Jesus makes to them in verses 15 and 16. Now we've seen this statement that Jesus knows the works of these churches before. There have been times where we've seen that these are good works that are commended, we've also seen evil works that have been admonished by Jesus. Well, something completely different is what we see here, isn't it? They aren't cold, they aren't hot, and there's an interesting reason that this is the imagery that's being used by Jesus here. This is really quite fascinating.

Laodicea actually did not have their own source of water, and so it had to be routed to them from a distance, and so this caused the water to arrive to them brackish, lukewarm and basically not drinkable. Now we struggle with that, because for us, hot water, cold water, lukewarm water, it's all the same, it's all safe. But we live in modern times where we do a lot to our water to keep it safe and to keep it drinkable, right? Well, in those times, water would normally come from hot springs, and it was safe. It was even considered to be medicinal. Or your water would come from fresh and pure cold water sources. Well, in the case of Laodicea, their water came to them via an aqueduct that was five miles away from a hot spring. Okay, for a second with me, imagine all the exciting opportunities that that water had to get nice and funky over five miles of ancient aqueducts. It was not only lukewarm, it was probably pretty nasty. So have that in mind as you think about Jesus saying hey, you're not cold refreshing water, you're not hot medicinal water, you're lukewarm, brackish, nasty water and I'm going to spit you out of my mouth. They would have understood exactly what was being said here. That's why Jesus uses this imagery to express their works here in Laodicea. They aren't cool and refreshing, they aren't hot and medicinal, they're tepid and they're polluted. Therefore, their works caused Jesus to reject those works, to reject them.

So what's going on in this church? What is happening in Laodicea that Jesus is using this strong, vivid imagery to describe them? Well, the good news is we don't need to speculate here. The words of Jesus spell this out for us very clearly. See, the problem is that they say they're rich and they prosper and they need nothing.

The problem at hand in Laodicea is affluence. They aren't being rebuked for false teaching or unrepentant attitudes towards sin, like some of the other churches we've looked at. They're being called out for having things good, and this is causing them to be apathetic in regards to their relationship to the one who has saved them. Well, what could this look like? Well, it probably meant that the church was full of people who were indifferent to the doctrines that they said that they held to. They believed in the truth of what Jesus had done for them to save them from sin, but it didn't affect them and it wasn't an important part of who they are or what they did in their daily lives. They believed, but again, they weren't cold and refreshing and they weren't hot and medicinal. They were lukewarm, they were gross.

Well, perhaps their lack of need for much of anything means that they aren't concerned about helping others too. Or perhaps things going well for them, being prosperous in their lives, means that they don't worry about being a witness to the lordship of Jesus in their lives. And so no one is going to accuse this church of a lack of loyalty to Caesar. It doesn't matter to them. Nobody's ever going to accuse this church of a lack of loyalty to Caesar. It doesn't matter to them. Nobody's ever going to say, hey, they don't say Caesar is Lord, they say Jesus is Lord. So maybe persecution won't even happen to them, maybe things are so good. They're just indifferent to everything.

Sure, caesar is Lord, sure, sure, jesus is lord. None of this really matters. But, as I've said, the words of jesus here are harsh and they are piercing. He says that they think that they are rich and prosperous. But what? What does Jesus say? They actually are Wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked. Imagine thinking that everything is good, you have everything you could possibly need and want, but then you find out that Jesus says that you're not only worse off than you think, but you're completely destitute, you're naked, you're blind. Well, the truth of this is that it's hard to grasp this as being a reality for you, right? If things are going well, when things are good, you're going to struggle to hear what Jesus is saying here. When you're well off, when you have a full stomach, when you're well clothed, how do you receive the idea that you're actually poor, that you're pitiable, or that you're naked and the stuff that we perceive as being important in this life? We've got it pretty good. So how could this be who we are?

To come to grips with the idea that you have something wrong with you on a deeper level, on a non-physical level? That requires the work of the Holy Spirit on you, doesn't it? To be convicted of these truths, and not only be convicted of it, but then have the desire to do something about it? That requires a supernatural work To turn from your apathy, and repentance is hard because you're apathetic. That's how this works. It takes a work of God to wake us up and remember here this isn't just apathy that they have for apathy's sake. It's apathy because they're affluent. They don't need to worry about much of anything. Have you ever been there that you don't worry about things that really should matter in the grand scheme of things, because stuff is good right in front of your face. That's hard to dig yourself out of, isn't it? It's much easier to be complacent when things are good. When things are good, repentance is hard.

But here we have the words to the church in Laodicea and to us screaming through the noise, and it's a wake-up call for us, and we understand this is a call to us as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ to turn to him. And we see specifically what he tells this church to do as we move on to verses 18 and 19. He tells them to buy from him gold refined by fire. You see, they think that they have all that they could need, but there's something that's better. The wealth that comes from endurance and faithfulness to Jesus is so much better than the financial stability that they're much better than the financial stability that they're resting upon, the financial stability that has made them apathetic to the things of God.

And then the white robes of the righteousness of Jesus. They are far greater than any fancy clothes that they're capable of buying because they're well off. And Jesus also offers a salve to them that will allow them to see. He has said that they are blind, but he is going to allow them to have their eyes open, and by holding to his word and seeking his righteousness, the blindness that they have to who they really are can be removed. It's a work of God, it is a supernatural thing.

This call to repentance, then, is truly a gift. Jesus does not want them to remain blind. He does not want them to stay naked. He does not want his people to be wretched and pitiable in their sin. Think of all the times that we read in Scripture that the Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. When we're confronted with our sin, it's a natural reaction for us to be offended or to have our defenses go up, but actually being convicted of sin in our lives is a sign of God's gracious patience with his people, and here Jesus calls his people to leave their complacency, to abandon the worldly indifference that they're mired in and to return to him. We think that Jesus should judge those who reject him, but we see in his words that it is in love that we are disciplined, that he comes to us to judge our sin, to call us to repentance Again, the call to repentance is a gift from God, and so what does he do?

He calls us to be zealous in repentance, to radically change our minds about our sin and to turn to him in faith. And this call to repentance for this church, we see that it's a call that is persistent. Jesus is standing at the door of this church and he's knocking. He's knocking. The church has shut Jesus outside and by his knocking he is letting them know that he desires to remain with them. When they shut him out, jesus didn't say fine, if that's how it is, I'm going to go somewhere else Instead. Jesus knocked and he knocked, and he tells them he desires to be with them, he desires to remain with them. All they need to do is return to him in repentance, and then he will come in and he will fellowship with them once again. And, like we have seen, there's a statement of promise for those who turn to Jesus in repentance. So the one who conquers it says that he will grant that he will sit with them on the throne, just as he has overcome and sat down with the Father.

Now, in this statement, it's important that we understand that this is not an invitation to go from worldly security and affluence to a different type of affluence. If they are faithful to Christ and they follow his commands, they're going to experience hardship. If they do what they're being called to do, persecution and tribulation is coming for them. They will have to conquer, they will have to overcome, they will have to endure all that Jesus has been talking about, of what is coming in tribulation for these seven churches. Remember Jesus conquered, jesus overcame through suffering, and so this is what the people of God in this church will endure in this time as well. That's the idea here that they will have to overcome something. They're not just overcoming their affluence and their complacency. If they turn to God in repentance and faith, if they confess Jesus as Lord, trouble is coming, but we see that there's a promise here that even in this hardship, something greater and eternal will be their reward.

And before we move on to the last verse and our application. It's important that we remember that they are not being promised here that they will be like Jesus and have authority like he does over all of these people. The idea here is that, even though the religious and political authorities may overcome them in this life, that they will experience hardship, they may even experience death, they're being promised that there's something greater on the horizon. They have union with Christ and so, whatever happens to them in this life, they are united to him. They are connected to the victory that the one who has the power over all authorities, principalities and powers has over them. They are connected to the Jesus who is Lord over them. They may suffer for their faithfulness to Jesus in this life, but they have the promise of something greater for all of eternity, because Jesus has overcome, because Jesus is the one who truly is in power.

So as we look at this last verse of chapter 3, we see words that have become familiar to us as we've been looking at these addresses to these churches he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. This is a way that all of these addresses have closed up and again it's telling us listen up, pay attention to what Jesus is saying. And as we finish up these seven addresses to the churches in Asia, I want us to go back to those two questions. I said that I wanted to sit in the background as we think about this passage and I also want us to think on those questions with all of the calls to repentance that we've seen in these addresses to these seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3. So the first question, the first challenge that we had, was to take our temperature. Where are we at? Are we like cool and refreshing water? Are we healing like hot springs, or are we polluted and lukewarm? Where are we at? Where are you at? And as I ask this question of us, I do so with the words of Jesus in mind. Remember he loves those that he reproves and disciplines. If we're challenged by our temperature as we look at these passages, it's a gift from God. It is the Holy Spirit working on us, calling us to return to him and commit ourselves to living lives to his glory. Think about that. That's the thermometer part of the question, but I also want us to focus on this idea of the thermostat.

The story of the church in Laodicea was that they were complacent because they had assimilated to the affluence of the world around them. The culture around them set the temperature and they went to that temperature. They assimilated themselves to it, despite the fact that they were to be set apart as God's people. So how are we, as the people of God, are we setting the temperature around us or are we adapting to it? Do we let the things of the world decide how we live and what our standards are, or are we striving to set our temperature to what we see in God's word? What is setting what temperature? Are we set to? The world or the word?

And these churches that we've seen in Asia were under the threat of tribulation. They were under the threat of persecution, and the call of Jesus to them was to reject the expectations and demands of the world and instead listen to his word and remain faithful to him. While it's been nearly 2,000 years since this was written to these churches, the call for us is the same as it was to these seven churches Turn to the Lord, jesus Christ, in repentance and faith. Set yourself to him and his standards, not what the world sets before us. So, as we consider these words and remember these passages, may we be continually checking our temperature and setting ourselves to the God who has told us in his word how we are to live, instead of setting ourselves to the world around us. May we daily step out in repentance and faith, trusting that the word and spirit are at work in us to trust in Christ and endure in the midst of anything that we might face in this world.

Amen, let us pray. Almighty and everlasting God. We praise you for the gift of your word and these calls to repentance. Every day, may we remember that being convicted of our sin is a gift from you, and may our minds and our hearts change. May we daily step towards you and desire to live a life that is glorifying to you, and we pray, o Lord, that as we consider how we are living, we would desire to set our temperature and the temperature of the world around us to your word. That you might be glorified for who you are and for what you have done to make us your people. It is in the name of Jesus that we pray, amen.