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The End Time Prophecies The 7 Churches Laodicea

The End Time Prophecies The 7 Churches Laodicea. Part 26.

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The End Time Prophecies The 7 Churches Laodicea

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  1. The End Time PropheciesThe 7 ChurchesLaodicea Part 26 • The Amen– C. H. Spurgeon sermon 679 March 4th 1866, Lukewarmness!– C. H. Spurgeon sermon 2802 Oct 26th 1902, An Ernest Warning Against Lukewarmness, C. H. Spurgeon July 26th , 1874, sermon 1185,. Ryrie study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1995 update (Expanded ed.) (2009). Chicago: Moody Press. Ryrie, C. C. (1996). MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997). Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments Nashville: Thomas Nelson Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., Fausset, A. R., Brown, D., & Brown, D. (1997). Ironside, H. A. (1920). Lectures on the Book of Revelation (3839). Neptune, N. J.: Loizeaux Brothers.; Vos, H. F., & Thomas Nelson Publishers. (1996). Yeatts, J. R. (2003). Revelation. Believers church Bible commentary (71). Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press.

  2. Will We Listen to God? • Jesus is coming and with Him He brings rewards for the faithful • Read Rev 3:11-13 • Christ’s coming is held before the saints as a motive to steadfast endurance • His return and the reward He brings should be a great motivation to serve Him now • After Jesus’ return, Christians will be brought before His judgment-seat, and be rewarded according to service here • For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. (2 Co 5:10) • The overcomer will be made a pillar in the temple of God and will dwell in the Father’s house • On our foreheads will be written the name of God, the name of the Holy City, and Christ’s new name • All that is involved in this is beyond our finite comprehension • But it speaks of stability, of security, of fellowship, of intimacy with the Lord Himself • Which will make heaven to the believer—his blessed and eternal home • He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ (Rev 3:13) • Will we Listen? Are we to be found faithful? Will we listen to What God is telling the churches

  3. The Amen • “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: (Rev 3:14) • Jesus is called the Amen which signifies, true, faithful, certain • But its sense will he better seen in how it is used • First, it was used in the sense of asserting something of truth • When a person would give peculiar authority to his words, he either started or concluded with the word Amen; indicating - “yes, yes,” • Jesus uses the term frequently. The word, which we translate “Verily, verily,” (or truly, truly) is this word “Amen.” • Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3) • The second use of the word Amen varies slightly from asserting, and may be described as consenting to truth • Example: • Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. • Then Ezra blessed the Lord the great God. And all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. (Neh 8:5-6) Two uses of the word “Amen” are to Assert the truth and consent to the truth

  4. The Amen • A third meaning of the word Amen is what we may call petitionary • In this sense we use it at the close of our prayers • “Our Father who art in heaven” concludes with “Amen.” • It signifies, “So be it, so let it be,” • Jerome of Rome records that in the ancient Church it was customary for the entire congregation to say Amen • Lord Jesus Christ is certainly “the Amen.” • He asserts the will of God - he asserts God himself • God the Son is constantly called the Logos, the Word; he who asserts, declares and testifies God • In the second place, we know that Jesus Christ consents to the will, design, and purpose of the Father • He gives an Amen to the will of God - In fact, the echo, in his life and in his death, of the eternal purposes of the Most High • And, thirdly, he is “the Amen” in the petitionary sense • For to all our prayers he gives whatever force and power they have Jesus is the Amen who asserts God’s will, Consents to the Father’s purpose and Is the one through whom our petitions Are brought before the Father • It is his Amen to our supplication which makes it effective before the throne of the Most High

  5. Our Amen • Jesus Christ is God’s Amen to all his covenant promises • For is it not written that “all the promises of God in him are yea and in him Amen.” (2 Cor 1:20) • All the promises of God, no matter how many they are, find their fulfillment in Christ • All who find in Him the fulfillment of God’s promises add their Amen • We open our Bibles at a promise, we look up to God, and God says, “You can have all that through Christ.” • Trusting Christ, we say, “Amen” to God. - God speaks through Christ, and we believe in Christ • Christ reaches down and faith stretches up, and every promise of God is fulfilled in Him • In and through Him we appropriate and take them to ourselves and say, “Yes, Lord; I trust You.” This is the believing yes.- This is the believing Amen • And as we look at the church at Laodicea we see Jesus come before them as the Amen • The one who is true, and the Amen of all God has for man • As a title of Christ it indicates His sovereignty and the certainty of the fulfillment of His promises • When Christ speaks, it is the final word Jesus is the one who is true, when He speaks it is the final word

  6. Introduction • The Seven Churches of Revelation • This week Laodicea Part 1 • Rev 3:14-16 • Lukewarmness Laodicea

  7. Laodicea • Laodicea was a wealthy city in Asia Minor • It lay on one of the great Asian trade routes, which ensured its great commercial prosperity • Laodicea was a leading banking center • It was no doubt the rich banking firms that financed the reconstruction of the city after the great earthquake of a.d. 60 virtually destroyed it. • Laodicea refused the Roman Senate’s earthquake relief. She was “rich and increased with goods” and had “need of nothing” (Rev 3;17) • Laodicea was also the home of a medical school and the manufacture of a famous eye-salve (3:17–18) • Laodicea produced a glossy black wool, the source of black cloaks and carpets for which the city was famous • The church, like the city, put its trust in material things rather than spiritual • Its economic sufficiency tended to lull the church to sleep spiritually and into a self-satisfied, lukewarm state in spiritual things • Though there is mention of the church as late as the fourteenth century, the city as well as the church now is in complete ruins • And the church exhibits characteristics of the current modern period The church at Laodicea was a wealthy city with lots of the world’s goods

  8. LaodiceaThe Rights of the People • Laodicea is a compound word, and means “the rights of the people.” or “people ruling” • Could any other term more aptly set forth the condition of present-day church affairs? • The rights of the people alone must be considered: the rights of the Lord Jesus Christ are sparsely thought of • How many songs do we sing that talk of how we feel – man centered – not of Him – Christ centered • And so as we look at Laodicea, we will see much of what characterizes today’s Christian churches 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th 21st Apostolic church - Ephesus Persecuted church - Smyrna State church - Pergamos The modern Church today Papal church - Thyatira Reformed church - Sardis Missionary church - Philadelphia Apostate church - Laodicea The 7 distinct periods of church history

  9. The Message to Laodicea • Read Rev 3:14-22

  10. Laodicea’s Condition • The actual church of Laodicea has passed away, but other Laodiceans still exist • Indeed, they are sadly multiplied in our day • And it has ever been the tendency of human nature, however inflamed with the love of God, gradually to chill into lukewarmness • The letter to the Laodiceans is above all others the epistle for the present times • Laodicea was once in a very fervent and healthy condition • Paul knew the church in at Laodicea and mentions it in his letter to the church at Colossae • He does not utter a word of censure with regard to it – And so we can infer that the church was at that time in a sound state • In process of time it degenerated • And cooling down from its former zeal, it became careless, lax, and indifferent • Perhaps its best men were dead, perhaps its wealth seduced it into worldliness • Possibly its freedom from persecution engendered carnal ease, or neglect of prayer made it gradually backslide • But in any case it declined till it was neither cold nor hot The church at Laodicea was once healthy, but over time they cooled off

  11. Jesus Introduction to Laodicea • “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: (Rev 3:14) • We have already looked at Jesus’ as God’s Amen but He is also called the faithful and true Witness which is closely aligned with Him being the Amen • This stands in contrast to the church in Laodicea which was neither faithful nor true • The fact that Christ is both a faithful and a true witness establishes Him as the one who brings truth – this is especially important given what Christ is about to say to this church • The expression, "the Beginning of the creation of God” - There are two ways in which these words might be understood • That in which “beginning” is taken in a passive sense, and which would therefore make Christ the first created thing of all the things which God created • The active sense, by which Christ is described as the Beginner, the Author, Moving Principle or Source of all the things which God created • The second meaning is the true one which is made plain from the whole tenor of Holy Scripture • The Arians, believed that this passage taught the Jesus was the first created thing of all the things God created • But ἀρχή (beginning) is often used actively, and may well be so used here • A view which is confirmed by the abundant evidence of our Lord’s Divinity found elsewhere in the Bible, and nowhere more plainly asserted than in the writings of John • The self-reliant Laodicoans are directed to place their trust in him who is the Source of all things It is Jesus who brings To the church her true condition

  12. Jesus Knows Their Deeds • I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. (Rev 3:15) • Christ addresses His message to the church in Laodicea without a word of commendation • And with the most scathing rebuke to be found in any of the seven letters • “I know your deeds,” - with searching eyes, Jesus views all the works of his church • He knows what is done, and how it is done, and why it is done • He judges a church not merely by her external activities, but by her internal devotion • He searches the heart, and tries the reins (the seat of our feelings and passions) of the children of men • He is not deceived by glitter, he tests all things, and values only that gold which will endure the fire • Our opinion of ourselves and Christ’s opinion of us may be very different • The church at Laodicea could not even see their poor condition but Jesus could • you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, (Rev 3:17) Again we see that Jesus sees everything about His churches and knows all their deeds

  13. Neither Hot nor Cold • “that you are neither cold nor hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.”(Rev 3:16) • Nearby Hierapolis was famous for its hot springs, and Colosse for its cold, refreshing mountain stream • But Laodicea had dirty, tepid water that flowed for miles through an underground aqueduct. Visitors, unaccustomed to it, immediately spat it out • The word lukewarm means – tepid or lacking in passion, force, or zest • The church at Laodicea was not cold, but they were not hot • They were not infidels, yet they were not earnest believers • They did not oppose the gospel, neither did they defend it • They were not working mischief, neither were they doing any great good • They were not disreputable in moral character, but they were not distinguished for holiness • They were not irreligious, but they were not enthusiastic in piety nor eminent for zeal • They were what the world calls “Moderates,” • Good things were maintained among them, but they did not make too much of them • They had prayer-meetings, but there were few present, for they liked quiet evenings home • When more attended the meetings they were still very dull, for they did their praying very deliberately and were afraid of being too excited or too passionate • They were content to have all things done decently and in order, but vigor and zeal they considered to be unnecessary The church at Laodicea was Neither Hot nor cold

  14. Neither Hot Nor Cold • Such churches have schools, Bible-classes, preaching rooms, and all sorts of agencies • But they might as well be without them, for no energy is displayed and little good comes of them • They have deacons and elders who are excellent pillars of the church, if the chief quality of pillars is to stand still, and exhibit no motion or emotion • They have ministers who may be the angels of the churches, but if so they have their wings closely clipped, for they do not fly very far in preaching the everlasting gospel • And they certainly are not flames of fire • They may be shining lights of eloquence, but they certainly are not burning lights of grace, setting men’s hearts on fire • There is great indifference • In such communities everything is done in a half-hearted, listless, dead-and-alive way, as if it did not matter much whether it was done or not • It is discouraging to see how sluggishly they move • They are neither hot for the truth, nor hot for conversions, nor hot for holiness • They are not fiery enough to burn the stubble of sin, nor zealous enough to make Satan angry • They are not fervent enough to make a living sacrifice of themselves upon the altar of their God • They are “neither cold nor hot.” The Christians at Laodicea were indifferent and displayed little energy or zeal for the cause of Christ

  15. Spit You Out of My Mouth • “So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth” (Rev 3:16) • This state of lukewarmness is so congenial with human nature • It is hard to bring men from it • Cold makes us shiver, and great heat causes us pain, but a lukewarmness has its own comfort • Such a temperature suits human nature • The world is always at peace with a lukewarm church, and such a church is always pleased with itself • Notice in verse 17 the church at Laodicea had need of nothing • As lukewarm water makes a man’s stomach heave, so lukewarm profession is nauseous to the Almighty • He could better endure either the coldness of apathy or the warmth of enthusiasm • He is nauseated with such conduct, it sickens him, and he will not endure it • But the man who is lukewarm in religion moves him to the deepest loathing • He vomits him forth from his mouth • It is a strong and vivid message The church at Laodicea and its Lukewarmness made the Lord sick

  16. Conclusion • He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ (Rev 3:22) • Will we Listen? • End Week 26 – The Church at Laodicea

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