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Verse by Verse Bible Study Podcast with Randy Duncan
Bible study podcast that takes you through a book of the Bible verse by verse. This is not your typical life-lesson Bible study! If you are interested in a deeper-dive Bible study, this is an excellent option!
Verse by Verse Bible Study Podcast with Randy Duncan
Revelation 3 | 7 Letters to 7 Churches II
Can spiritual complacency be deadly? In this compelling episode, we start by examining the church in Sardis, once a city of opulence and now a symbol of spiritual lethargy. We discuss how Jesus' harsh critique serves as a wake-up call to complete their works and avoid the fate of Cain's unacceptable offering. This segment will make you question whether you're merely going through the motions in your faith life and how to reignite your spiritual fervor.
Turning our focus to Philadelphia, we delve into Jesus' uplifting message of divine authority and unwavering promise to the faithful. With references to Isaiah 22:22 and John 10:9, we unpack the powerful symbolism of the open door and Jesus' unique role as the gatekeeper to salvation. Our discussion also touches upon the contentious interpretation of Revelation 3:10 and the pre-tribulation rapture, setting the groundwork for more in-depth future explorations on this pivotal topic.
Finally, we draw striking parallels between the church in Laodicea and modern American Christianity, emphasizing how material wealth can lead to spiritual blindness. Jesus' call to buy gold refined by fire—character built through affliction—serves as a poignant reminder of what truly matters. We wrap up our examination of the seven churches with a heartfelt reflection on Jesus' rebuke as an act of love, and how rekindling our first love and overcoming lukewarm devotion can lead to a deeper, more passionate faith journey.
Well, welcome to this first five verse Bible study. I'm Randy Duncan, and in this episode we're going to be covering Revelation, chapter three, which covers the last three of the seven letters to the seven churches in Asia minor. We covered the first four churches Ephesus, smyrna, pergamum and Thyatira and so in this chapter we're going to cover the letters to the churches in Sardis, philadelphia and Laodicea. But we have a lot to cover in this chapter, so let's just jump right in Now. The fifth letter written by John is to the church in Sardis, which is about 30 miles south of Thyatira.
Speaker 1:Back in the 6th century it had been one of the greatest cities in the world, capital of the ancient region of Lydia and home of the famous King Croesus, who was renowned for his massive wealth. But Sardis was known for its wealth and luxurious and this licentious living, and it was full of sophisticated paganism and, like other cities we've discussed, it had an aqueduct, a gymnasium, a theater and a stadium. And the citadel, or this fortress of Sardis was thought to be impregnable because it stood on an almost impossibly steep hill with these sheer cliffs on three sides that dropped about 1,500 feet to the valley below. But in the 6th century, and as a result of their lack of vigilance, the city experienced a stealth attack from the Persians, led by Cyrus the Great, resulting in this humiliating defeat. According to the Greek historian, herodotus, a Persian soldier saw a soldier of Sardis climbing down the walls to retrieve a helmet that he dropped, and so he tried to follow the example. He was successful in his ascent of the cliff and provided a path for the rest of the soldiers of Cyrus, and they swarmed over the exposed wall and promptly took the city. You see, sardis didn't bother guarding this portion of the citadel because they assumed it was unscalable. They were not vigilant, they were overconfident and a bit arrogant even, and those adjectives may also describe the state of Christians living in Sardis, because there's no mention of any significant persecution of the Christians in Sardis. No mention of any significant persecution of the Christians in Sardis, seemingly getting along with both the large Jewish population there as well as the city as a whole. And since they didn't have any significant oppression from the world, they may have grown comfortable in their relationship with the world, accommodating themselves to others in order to avoid conflict.
Speaker 1:And it's to these Christians whose Jesus is writing when he says in verses 1-3, and to the angel of the church in Sardis. Write the words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars I know your works, you have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.
Speaker 1:And so Jesus begins his letter to the church in Sardis by basically calling them a dead church. He tells them I know your works, you have the reputation of being alive, but you're dead, which is a really ironic contrast to Jesus himself, who was dead and is now alive. The only good thing about the church was that it had a reputation for being alive, but this reputation was greatly overstated and was not what Jesus saw. The church had a reputation for spiritual life, but in reality it was near death spiritually.
Speaker 1:Jesus knows the genuine state of the churches and of each Christian, just as he still does today, and I'm sure there are many Christians today who others in society may look at and they say look how spiritual they are. You know, old Johnny, he's a good Christian man. But what others think and say about you doesn't really matter. Jesus knows the real you. Would he look at you right now and say you have a reputation of being spiritually alive, but you are dead? And it actually reminds me of Jesus' words to the Pharisees when he told them in Matthew 23, woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites, for you are like whitewashed tombs which outwardly appear beautiful but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanliness. But Jesus encourages them to wake up and strengthen what remains, because it's about to die.
Speaker 1:The church here is drifting towards death. It is slowly and gradually eroding. And he tells them for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Now, it doesn't specify what he means here by their works being perfect or complete. It may be that their works were not motivated by love or that they weren't rooted in faith. It may also be the case that, since they had a reputation of being alive, that maybe they were just sort of going through the motions, the Christians living in Sardis. They were different from some of the other churches because they had become comfortable with the world and so they didn't have to pay any price for following Jesus. And again, that can happen to all of us. I mean, how many times have you found yourself just going through the motions? How many times have you found yourself going into a church service when maybe it was a struggle, you weren't motivated at the time just to make an appearance or maintain a certain public image?
Speaker 1:But this idea of their works not being complete or perfect, it also reminds me of Cain and Abel, where Cain's offering to God was rejected by God. And why was it rejected? Remember, cain brought an offering, just like Abel. So why was his rejected? There was something in Cain's motivation, maybe his attitude, and possibly something with what he actually offered, that made his offering unacceptable to God. Because God even tells him after the fact you will be accepted if you do what is right. If you're interested in maybe, a detailed look at this, you can go to I think it's maybe episode number 13, where I cover Cain and Abel in Genesis, chapter 4.
Speaker 1:But in Jude 11, we read that they have taken the way of Cain, which is a description that refers to lawless men, and so this may mean that they, like Cain, disobeyed God and devised their own ways of worship, not coming to God by faith. Even though Cain's offering was acceptable in his own eyes, it was not acceptable to God In some way. Cain had changed or perverted God's prescribed form of worship, and some of this same attitude may have been present with the Christians in Sardis. They may have been guided more by culture than by Jesus, and so Jesus tells them to repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. And just as the city had fallen to the Persians in the past because the people were not vigilant and awake, jesus tells the church to wake up to repent, and if they will not repent, he will come like a thief in the night, and you never know when a thief will come. It's unexpected, it will take the church completely by surprise, and this warning should have resonated with the people of Sardis, so proud of their city, which had never been defeated in a conventional war, but again which had been overthrown by the surprise attack of the Persians and Cyrus the Great. And they were conquered because they had failed to adequately watch. They grew complacent and, as I've said before, the easiest way to get picked off in a war is to not even realize you're in one. And, by the way, jesus also mentions coming like a thief in the night in the last days in Matthew 24, where he says and would have not let his house be broken into. Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect, but there's apparently a few in the church at Sardis who have not become complacent because Jesus continues in verses 4 through 6 saying so.
Speaker 1:When Jesus says that there's a few people in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their garments, what does that mean? Jesus is saying that those believers who have not soiled or polluted themselves with the paganisms of the culture are worthy and they will walk with him in eternity. Even in the temples of Asia and other places, pagan cultures who worship pagan deities did not dare approach those false gods and temples with soiled clothes. They wore white or linen, and the staining of garments is a picture of sin in Jude, and white clothing is a picture of righteousness and purity. And this issue of clothing? It actually goes all the way back to the garden when, after Adam and Eve sinned, they tried to make themselves clothing made of fig leaves. But what does God do with their attempt to cover themselves? He dismisses it and makes new clothes for them, clothes that required the sacrifice of innocent blood, teaching them and us that it was only through the shedding of innocent blood that their sins would be covered.
Speaker 1:And now here Jesus is promising the one who conquers, the one who overcomes, that they would be clothed in white garments. Not only that, but he also says and I will never blot his name out of the book of life, I will confess his name before my father and before his angels. And it's interesting because in some ancient cities, athens for example, the names of citizens were kept in these registers. But if a citizen were found guilty of a treasonous act or was set to be executed, his name would be erased from the registry, it would be blotted out. But Jesus promises here that he will never blot out the name of one who overcomes. But, more importantly, those registers of citizens and ancient cities. It was a book of physical life, but Jesus is speaking of eternal life, which is the much more important book to have your name in. And we'll see later in Revelation that on the last day the book of life will be opened and the names of many people will not be found in it. Those who have never trusted Jesus and accepted him as Lord will not have their names written in the book of life. And Revelation 20, 15 tells us. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life he was thrown into the lake of fire. But as Jesus says here In Luke 12, 8, jesus said, the Son of man also will acknowledge before the angels of God.
Speaker 1:But we now turn to the church in Philadelphia, which was the youngest of the seven cities and was located about 35 miles southeast of Sardis. The city was founded in the 2nd century BC by Talos II, philadelphus, who was one of the kings of Pergamum. Now Philadelphos is the Greek word for one who loves his brother, and even our modern city of Philadelphia is known as the city of brotherly love. But the city was located in an agricultural area and it was known for its wine and grapes. And it's no surprise that the patron deity of the city was Dionysus, the god of wine, which many people first heard of during the recent controversial opening ceremonies at the 2024 Olympics. But Philadelphia had a good relationship with Rome, that is, until about AD 92, when the emperor Domitian wanted to encourage the production of grain, and so he ordered half the vineyards to be cut down, which enraged the citizens and soured their relationship with Rome. The ancient historian Strabo called Philadelphia a city full of earthquakes, and indeed there were many tremors there, and in fact, in AD 17, the city was actually almost completely demolished by a severe earthquake, and this had caused many people to leave the city and continue to live on the outskirts even after it was rebuilt, and so had caused many people to leave the city and continue to live on the outskirts even after it was rebuilt. And so the church in Philadelphia was different from the church in Sardis, it was small, it was poor and it was harassed by both local pagans and the local synagogue.
Speaker 1:And it's to this church, in this environment, that Jesus has his message, which he begins in verses 7 through 9, which read and so Jesus begins here by once again reiterating that he is the holy one, the true one and the one who holds the key of David, just as we discussed in the last episode. This all speaks of his deity, but, just as a reminder, the one who holds the key has the authority to open and shut and, as such, jesus is the one who determines who enters into his house and who does not. And just like in Isaiah 22, 22, he controls who gains entrance into the royal palace. Back in chapter 1, we also saw that Jesus holds the keys of death and Hades, but here he focuses on holding the key to salvation. Hades, but here he focuses on holding the key to salvation.
Speaker 1:And the one who holds the key has authority to open and shut, to grant access or deny it. And Jesus tells them behold, I have set before you an open door which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. And so, even though the Philadelphian church had only a little strength left, they had proven themselves and managed to remain faithful. And so to this church that feels weak and insignificant and small in a world that opposes it, jesus' words here remind them that, even though they're marginalized by the world, he's the one who ultimately has control. And even though they've suffered opposition, they have not given in. They haven't offered worship to the imperial cult. They haven't worshipped the many gods throughout the city. They haven't given in to the pressures of the local synagogue and they haven't denied Jesus' name. And if you think about it, the refusal to deny Jesus' name is one of the basic hallmarks of being a Christian. I mean Christians throughout history and even today in certain parts of the world, have suffered for that. In the West we have it much easier. We don't really face the threat of death, just potential social and economic consequences, although I do think those consequences will be greater and greater over time.
Speaker 1:But when Jesus tells them that he has set before them an open door, what exactly is he referring to here? Remember, jesus holds the keys to the kingdom. He can open and shut the door to anyone he chooses, and so this open door refers to their access to the kingdom of God. In fact, I find it interesting that in John 10, 9, jesus says I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved. And to take it a step further, jesus also said in John 14, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. I also find it really interesting that Jesus is the door and it's the only way to salvation, because it reminds me of the ark. Think about it. There was only one door in the ark. You entered only through that door or you didn't get in, and if you didn't get in, you were not saved. But he tells them I have set before you an open door which no one is able to shut. And do you remember who shut the door to the ark?
Speaker 1:Genesis 7 tells us that they went into the ark with Noah and the Lord shut him in. God closed the door, folks. Jesus holds the keys into the kingdom. He opens and closes the door, and there is only one door, and that door is Jesus Christ. But he also tells them in verse 9, that, behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews and are not, but lie. Behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet and they will learn that I have loved you. In short, what he's saying here, I believe, is that the Jews believed that they were the chosen people of God, and of course there's truth to that. But more to the heart of God, these Jewish enemies of the Christians would one day acknowledge that all believers belong to the kingdom of God. Heaven is open to anyone, jew or not, who is a true believer, who confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, who repent and accept his offer of salvation. This is what Jesus is saying that they're going to acknowledge. They will acknowledge the truth, and so this isn't about Jews coming to bow down at the feet of Christians, but simply that Christians will be vindicated.
Speaker 1:But that brings us to verse 10, and I want to treat verse 10 by itself because it's a very controversial verse. In verse 10, jesus says Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world to try those who dwell on the earth. Now, the reason I say this verse is controversial is because many people who believe in a pre-tribulation rapture point to this verse as proof of their belief. Now, we're not going to settle the pre-trib, mid-trib or post-tribulation rapture question here, or if there even is such a thing as the rapture, but I do want to touch on this particular verse, since it's in this chapter we're covering and, believe me, we're going to have much more to talk about concerning the best arguments for and against the rapture later on as we progress through Revelation. But for now, let's focus on this particular verse and argument.
Speaker 1:So again, jesus says that since they have kept his word and endured, he will keep them from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world to try those who dwell on the earth. Now, those who believe in a pre-tribulation or a pre-trib rapture, believe that this trial that is coming to the whole world to try those who dwell on the earth is referring to the great tribulation which we'll see in chapters 6 through 19. Is referring to the great tribulation which we'll see in chapters 6 through 19. And since he says he will quote, keep them from it, some people assume that he means he will remove them from the earth so that they don't have to endure the tribulation. Notice that the tribulation or this time of trial, it's designated for and it's restricted to those who live on the earth, the earth dwellers and this term earth dwellers it's used nine other earth. The earth dwellers and this term earth dwellers. It's used nine other times in the book of Revelation and what we see is that this becomes a sort of a technical term for unbelievers. And we see later in Revelation that these earth dwellers worship the beast, they're deceived by the second beast and their names are not written in the book of life.
Speaker 1:But I think a critical point to interpreting this verse is the word keep. Jesus said he would keep them from the hour of trial that is coming upon the whole world. So what exactly does that word keep mean, because it's critical to understand. Does it mean that he will keep them from having to endure the tribulation? Does it mean that he will keep them from having to endure the tribulation, or does it mean that he will keep them throughout the tribulation?
Speaker 1:Now, people who don't believe in the rapture argue that it cannot mean escaping the tribulation entirely, because down in verse 12, jesus makes promises to those who conquer and overcome. And so if the believers are already raptured out, who exactly is it that's overcoming? And so they argue that these believers will be kept during the tribulation, not kept from it. They also argue that Revelation doesn't give any indication that believers will be snatched away from the earth and spared the coming tribulation. They argue that believers will, however, escape the trials even while still living on the earth.
Speaker 1:Now, a couple of things they point to as arguments for their position. First, consider the whole picture of the exodus from Egypt. If you remember, god sent ten plagues upon Egypt and the Hebrews were right there for all of them. They were living in Egypt as slaves during the plagues. God didn't take them out of Egypt prior to the plagues, but protected them during the plagues. They were spared and it's actually interesting. But when we get there you'll notice that the wrath poured out upon the inhabitants of the earth during the tribulation mimics the plagues of Egypt.
Speaker 1:But another line of argument for believers not being raptured from the earth during the tribulation mimics the plagues of Egypt. But another line of argument for believers not being raptured from the earth is found in John 17 15, where Jesus prays for his disciples, asking that they be kept from the evil one, even while continuing to live in the world. In fact, jesus prays I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one or from evil. And that phrase keep from are the same Greek words, ektareo, as the one we see here in Revelation 3.10. They argue that it's clear that Jesus keeps them from the evil one, not by removing them from the world, but by sustaining them while they're in the world. And so the word keep definitely doesn't have to mean take out of or keep from. I know I mentioned the ark earlier when speaking about the door, but I think it's interesting. God didn't keep Noah and his family from the coming destruction by removing them from the world first, but he kept them through the time of destruction.
Speaker 1:The observation has been made by some that believers aren't spared from persecution, but they are kept from God's wrath. Others argue that nowhere in Revelation do we read of believers being taken alive from the earth. Nowhere in Revelation do we read of them being raptured before the tribulation. What we do see, however, is believers protected from judgment, even though they suffer persecution, in Revelation 12 and 13. But regardless of our belief or our interpretation of the rapture, I think we need to be careful in how we discuss this with others.
Speaker 1:During Mao Zedong's purges in China, which led to tens of millions of deaths, many Chinese Christians thought that they were experiencing the Great Tribulation and that they had missed the long-awaited rapture of the church. Later, these Chinese Christians, they didn't want any of the Western missionaries to return because they felt like they had been lied to. And so, look, as I said before, we're not going to settle this issue right here. In fact, it may never be settled, but we'll revisit the whole rapture question again as we progress through Revelation, and I'll take a little more time to discuss when and where this idea of the rapture even came from. You know, I always loved a story I heard from Chuck Missler, who quoted I think it might have been Walter Martin.
Speaker 1:When arguing with other believers who were confused about pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib or they didn't believe the rapture, he would just say hey, don't worry about it. I'll explain it to you on the way up, but for now we continue with verses 11 through 13, where, after saying he would keep them from the hour of trial, jesus continues saying I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have so that no one may seize your crown. The one who conquers. I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name, he who has. And so, after promising to keep them during the trial that is to come, jesus says I am coming soon. Now, I touched on this in an earlier episode but, as a reminder.
Speaker 1:There are a couple of different ways to handle this verse, because it's obviously been about 2,000 years now and Jesus has not yet returned. So what exactly does he mean by soon? One option is that God's time is not the same as our time. God's perspective of time is much different than our way of reckoning time. 2 Peter 3.8 tells us. But do not overlook the one fact beloved, that with the Lord, one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.
Speaker 1:But another possibility as to what Jesus means by soon, it's found in the Greek word used. The Greek word is taku, which is where we get our word for tachometer. It references speed, quickness, where we get our word for tachometer. It references speed, quickness, suddenness. And so some commentators argue that this doesn't mean Jesus is coming next Tuesday, but that when he does return, when these events begin to take place, he will do so suddenly and with quickness. But Jesus promises the one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of of God. They will become a part of it. Even though they're denied access to Satan's synagogue, as mentioned in verse 9, they will be welcome into the eternal presence of God, which brings us now to the last of the seven letters, the letter to the church in Laodicea, which is about 60 miles southeast of Philadelphia.
Speaker 1:Laodicea was founded by Antiochus II around 260 BC and was named after his wife, laodice. The city was wealthy and prosperous. It was a banking center and it was famous for this black wool that it produced that was used in clothing and carpets. The city was devastated by an earthquake in AD 61, but the citizens were so rich and so independent that they refused assistance from the Roman government and they rebuilt the city out of their own resources. It was also one of the chief medical cities in the region and it was famous for its eye salve, which it exported.
Speaker 1:Now, by the time John wrote this letter, the spiritual condition of the church in Laodicea had deteriorated badly, like we saw before. It may have been due to the material wealth and the luxurious lifestyle they lived, but this church receives the harshest letter of all the seven churches, and we read it, beginning with verses 14 through 17. And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write the words of the amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. I know your works. You were neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot. So because you were 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. So the letter begins by reminding them who the letter is coming from, jesus Christ, who is referred to here as the Amen.
Speaker 1:In Isaiah 65, 16, god is called the God of truth and in Hebrew it is Elohei Amen, or the God of Amen, and so the application of the alman, or the amen to Christ here indicates that he shares the same divine nature as God. But he begins his message by saying I know your works. You were neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot? And so because you were lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. Now, I don't know about you, but that's not the way I want Jesus to start any conversation with me.
Speaker 1:And what he's addressing is the sort of nonchalant spiritual state of the church. They're neither too distant from God and thus cold but they also aren't very close to God or hot. As a result, they're merely lukewarm and lukewarm Christianity. It's apparently nauseating to Jesus, so much so that he says he will spit them out of his mouth. Now, many translations of this phrase don't adequately describe the seriousness of what is meant here, because the word spit doesn't convey violent expulsion. The Greek word used here is amao, which means to vomit, to throw up, to expel with extreme disgust, and the idea goes all the way back to Leviticus, where those who gave themselves over to sin would be vomited out of the land. Now, we don't know for certain the reasons that they were lukewarm, but it may be that they were simply going through the motions of their Christianity, or they may have tried to hold on to some middle ground between their Christianity and their worldly living. Maybe they worshiped God but also obeyed the emperor's command to worship him. But whatever it was, christ is so disgusted and nauseated with these lukewarm Christians that he's about to vomit them out, which represents an absolute rejection. In today's vernacular. It would be like saying you make me want to puke.
Speaker 1:John Stott wrote that perhaps none of the seven letters is more appropriate to the 20th century church than this one. It describes vividly the respectable, sentimental, nominal, skin-deep religiosity which is so widespread among us today. Our Christianity is flabby and anemic and we appear to have taken a lukewarm bath of religion. But Jesus continues by telling them For you say, I am rich, I have prospered and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked. Now, first, how many people in America today could this apply to? It's all about perspective. Whose perspective do you have? God's? A worldly view, propagandized by social media and what you see on the news. How do you know when you're in need or when you've supposedly made it? It may be a good idea for you to spend some time making a decision on what perspective you're going to walk through life with, to figure out who you really are, because if you don't know, the world will decide for you. The world will tell you who you are and then you'll be expected to play your role.
Speaker 1:And just like many of us, the church in Laodicea thought they were rich, prosperous and were in need of nothing, but in the eyes of Jesus, they were wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked. Of Jesus, they were wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked. The richness of the Laodiceans indicated that they were some way assimilating into the cultural morals of the day. They weren't experiencing difficulties like the other churches and they were comfortable. The nakedness that Jesus mentions refers to their shameful moral condition, and it also reminds me of a scene back in the garden where Adam and Eve stood naked and ashamed due to their new moral condition.
Speaker 1:But Jesus continues in verses 18 and 19 where he says 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. In these two verses Jesus tells the church what they truly need, but he does so in an interesting way by contrasting what they need with what they already have. For example, he tells them that they need to buy from him gold refined in fire, even though banking was what they were known for. That they needed to get from him white garments to clothe themselves, even though they were known all over for the black wool and clothing they produced. That they needed to get true salve for their eyes so that they could truly see and no longer be blind, even though they exported their eye salve all across the region and beyond. Jesus is telling the church that what they truly need is to obtain from him the things that money cannot buy, and so he's offering them the spiritual counterparts to their three major industries.
Speaker 1:And again, it seems that the problems with the church in Laodicea are most like ours in America today, because we don't deal with any significant persecution or political oppression or any other suffering, and so we have in some ways become content with the world and our modern culture, and if we're not careful, our prosperity can lead to spiritual blindness. Jesus said to buy from him gold refined in the fire. Now, the qualities and characteristics of this gold have been refined by affliction, and it implies that character is refined in the same manner, because luxury is not necessarily is refined in the same manner, because luxury is not necessarily known for its character building traits. In fact, it's been said that you cannot wish for a strong character in an easy life, because each is the price of the other. I think it's also important to remember that the words of Jesus here are coming from a position of love and concern, because he says as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Love doesn't tolerate or excuse evil. I mean it's no different than the way parents should discipline their children out of love and to do what's best for them.
Speaker 1:But we finish now with the last three verses, which read them. But we finish now with the last three verses which read 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. The one who conquers. I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my father on the door, opening this door to Christ. It's a picture of repentance, and some people take this to mean that Jesus is speaking to every individual, standing outside and knocking on the door of their heart. But others argue that in this context, this is Jesus speaking directly to the church, standing outside of the very church that bore his name but lacked true devotion. But in either case, the result and the promise would be the same. You know, this verse is captured beautifully by the famous painting by Holman Hunt named the Light of the World. It's a painting of Jesus standing outside of a door preparing to knock. You should Google it If you do notice that there's no handle on the outside. The door must be opened from the inside. It must be open from within.
Speaker 1:In earlier days, to eat and drink with someone else was an act of acceptance and honor, a sign of sort of an intimate friendship, and dining with Christ symbolizes that intimacy and that joy of fellowship. But lastly, jesus promises the one who conquers. I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my father on his throne. To those who conquer, those who win in the struggle against self-indulgence, a life focused on material wealth or of being lukewarm in their devotion to God, they would have a place with Christ and his kingdom. And so, as we wrap up this study of the seven letters to the seven churches and we look forward to the next chapter where we get a glimpse of the throne in heaven, I think it's important that we consider the lessons from each of Jesus' messages, because the messages to the churches can also be applied to us as individuals, and they provide examples of the types of things that can go wrong in a believer's spiritual life, because we're in danger of losing our first love, like the church in Ephesus, of being afraid of suffering, like Smyrna, of compromising our doctrine, like Pergamum, or moral compromise, like Thyatira, of spiritual deadness, like Sardis, or failure to hold on to our beliefs, like Philadelphia, or of having a lukewarm Christianity, like we just saw in Laodicea. And my prayer for all of you is that you spend some time thinking about what kind of Christian you want to be, and I pray that you won't be satisfied with being simply a cultural Christian, that you would rededicate yourself to being the best version of a Christian and ambassador of Jesus that you can be, and pray for the wisdom and guidance from Christ to strengthen you along your journey.
Speaker 1:I'm on the edge. I'm about to take a step. I'm on a cliff. I'm about to lose my grip. I'm jumping off. I'm gonna be fanatic. Be fanatic, I'm fanatic for you. I'm on the edge. I'm about to take a step. I'm on a cliff. I'm about to lose my grip. I'm jumping off. I'm gonna be fanatic. Be fanatic, I'm fanatic for you. Thank you.
