His Perfect Love

Larry: Next on His Perfect Love, we'll introduce you to the church at Laodicea, and it may sound somewhat familiar to you as you consider the state of many churches today.

Matt VanderVen: Jesus chasten the Laodicean church for their lukewarm condition. That is the deplorable state of their indifference in their loyalty and their affections. They wanted fire insurance. You've heard me say that before, right? There's lordship. There's certainly a savior, Jesus. We want Jesus. He is our savior, but he's also a Lord. They were incredibly focused on the fire insurance. You understand? But they didn't believe they needed Jesus. They believed they were capable of fulfilling that role in their lives due to their wealth and provisions. In other words, simply said, they believed they were enough.

Larry: We're glad to have you with us today as we continue our verse-by-verse study through Revelation on His Perfect Love. Now, those of you coffee lovers might prefer your coffee hot or cold, but if someone hands you a lukewarm cup of coffee, well, you're probably going to send it back. That's just not acceptable, is it? Today we'll begin to look at the last of the seven letters to the churches in Revelation. This one to the church in Laodicea. The Laodiceans had several problems, but the biggest was their lukewarm temperature. Here's Pastor Matt VanderVen.

Matt VanderVen: This is the last church that we'll read about in chapter three, which obviously should signal to you by the time we get to the end of this service that this will be effectively moving from what we would call the present age, and our next teachings will begin in chapter four, and then that will be future forward in the way that we're going to be talking about things and breaking them down. So, I'd like to go back and just remind us the context. You know, this is all being written down by John, given by Jesus Christ, the apocalypsis.

This is the Revelation, right? This is Jesus's Revelation. This book, uh the book of Revelation is all about Jesus. We can't help but going through it and seeing Jesus through all the passages. If we get through this book and don't talk about Jesus, we've missed the whole thing. But John is writing this from literally a dot in the middle of the ocean, okay? Patmos. And we know that John penned the book of Revelation right around AD 95. Uh remember during that time we had Emperor Domitian. He ruled the Roman Empire. Domitian declared himself a living god.

That was going on in context. He demanded worship from all citizens of the Empire. Um quit that has a big problem cuz Christians and Jews are monotheistic, right? Couldn't submit to the Emperor's demands for worship, and both groups began facing religious persecution. Please understand that was intentional because Roman was polytheistic. Uh the Jews and Christians were monotheistic. That was a huge divide. That was a big deal. It would be effectively like our government coming today and saying to you, you have to close the churches and you can't practice your Oh, wait. Oh. Interesting. It it's possible that the lukewarm Christians of Laodicea divided their allegiance between Christ and the Emperor to avoid persecution.

Hmm. That also seems familiar from a few years back. And the subsequent loss of life, property, and social status would follow. There's some people that still have not recovered. Certainly speaking to Laodicea, many never recovered because they were made part of the Emperor's cult, and they were put to death. Ultimately, the church of Laodicea sacrificed their faithfulness to the Lord Jesus for the sake of holding on to their wealth and their possessions. Jesus offered no praise for the church of Laodicea. His evaluation resulted in what? A total rebuke. He did not rebuke it or this church, Laodicea, for moral practices.

Please notice that with me. Very unique and different than the other churches. Nor because of a doctrinal error. It's not that they were part of the synagogue of Satan as we read in the other churches. This wasn't doctrinal. This wasn't because of necessarily a moral practices. No. No. That wasn't what was going on. Apparently, this church was not plagued with those two problems or at least not at the root of the problem. Instead, he rebuked them from being what? Lukewarm rather than cold or hot toward him. Boy, this seems relationship oriented, doesn't it? Laodicea on the Lycus was located at the crossroads of an important trade route, once a very prosperous city famous for black wool.

Uh banking services, medical achievements. The city of Laodicea was about 40 miles or so southeast of Philadelphia and about 11 miles from Colossae. Laodicea was established by Antiochus II in 264 to 261 BC. It was named in honor of his wife, Laodice. It was destined to become the capital of the ancient area of Phrygia, okay? The name Laodicea is comprised of two Greek words. Leos, which means people, right? Or it can mean nation if you take the Greek word Laos, Leo, dicea, Leos, people or nation. The dicea we would in its original form would be more like the word in English like dike, our word.

It's a legal word, and it actually refers to a custom, a punishment, or a judgment based on the context. So, let's put these two words together. Let 's understand what's being communicated. It's interesting that their name define them. They were people, and these people were people that judged. They were they decided for themselves or determined themselves. They were known for those that were about self rule. One who has self-rule in place. The Laodiceans considered themselves law-abiding people. However, the church in Laodicea ignored the commands of the Lord Jesus. Roughly two centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ, and by that I mean the incarnation of Jesus, God coming to Earth in the flesh in Caro, uh Laodicea at that time was known as Diopolis or Diopolis, and it was part of the kingdom of Pergamos.

Ravaged by war, the city fared far better and even flourished under Roman rule. Again, just kept prospering financially. But close to the 1st century BC, Laodicea was a leading city in Asia Minor, and its economy bolstered by the finance industry and trade. Besides being a major center of commerce, Laodicea was significant in the Roman judicial system. A lot of the cases that were tried, a lot of things came out, they came out of that area of Laodicea. So, you had great wealth. You had law and some of the better attorneys in the area like that.

And all the citizens enjoyed no small measure of prosperity. The city was adorned, impressive, had this amazing amphitheater, and certainly not notable monuments. Because of the city's economic and well-being, the Laodiceans congregation of professed believers boasted that they were in need of nothing. We have recordings of that. I need nothing, which is no coincidence why Jesus says, while you may think you need nothing, right? Uh no, you're missing one thing. Even speaking to the believers or proposed believers. But the Lord Jesus, he was unimpressed with Laodicea. Unimpressed by the city's grandeur, and he charged them with what?

He says, you may have all this wealth, this mammon, this temporal. He goes, but I'm going to tell you something. He says, you're spiritually bankrupt. He says, you're spiritually bankrupt. Jesus chasten the Laodicean church for their lukewarm conditions. That is the deplorable state of their indifference in their loyalty and their affections. They wanted fire insurance. You've heard me say that before, right? There's lordship. There's certainly a savior, Jesus. We want Jesus. He is our savior, but he is also a Lord. They were incredibly focused on the fire insurance. You understand? But they didn't believe they needed Jesus.

They believed they were capable of fulfilling that role in their lives due to their wealth and provisions. In other words, simply said, they believed they were enough. Therefore, they were comfortable, worldly, culturally indifferent Christians that were uh again, spiritually bankrupt. Sounds a lot like, as I mentioned in my introduction, some American and Western churches, some American and Western Christians today. By the 1st century AD, the Greeks and Greek cultured Syrians and Romans inhabited Laodicea. A large Jewish population also uh would send a tribute, and it was known for this, 20 lbs of gold regularly was sent to Jerusalem kind of pay the mothership, right?

Some scholars suggested these Jewish people might have formed the main nucleus of the early Christian community. Now, it's important to understand this. Just 6.2 miles from Laodicea, there's a famous Roman spa, right? In the Hierapolis. Uh Colossae was about 9 to 10 miles away. So, this is important because as we start getting the geographical location, we understand how that church probably even got planted and maybe what was going on there. Now, it's important because we also read that Jesus talks about how he's going to spew them out. So, where is this idea of water and hot and cold?

Well, as I mentioned, unlike the sort of Roman spa in the Hierapolis, uh the therapeutic hot waters benefited the citizens of the Hierapolis with cool, refreshing water, but and even the people Colossae because they're only 9 to 10 miles away. But the water of Laodicea was scarcely palatable by the time because they had the water that would come under the pipes almost like an aqueduct with the raging heat and sun that you have in that area. By the time you took that cold, fresh water from the spring that would travel all the way and get to Laodicea, it was temped, lukewarm, and it was filled with such minerals.

Now, mineral water is good to some extent. Too much mineral water is not good. And what it was actually used at that time medicinally is if you had a lot of you know, I guess water with minerals that were uh kind of temped. If somebody needed to get something poisonous out of them or something from their stomach today in in the medical community, if you went into the hospital, many times they'll use charcoal or something like that to cause that to come out or to relieve or collect the toxins. In that day, they didn't have that or knew that technology.

They would use a lukewarm, temped water with high mineral content to induce And I 'm sorry, everybody here this morning, I hope you ate your breakfast already, to induce vomiting. So, it was something well-known, and it was kind of like, oh, if you go to the water in Laodicea and you drink this water, it's going to make you sick. When Jesus is talking to them about being lukewarm, hot, and cold, he's what? Speaking their language. He knows exactly what's going on here. So, this lukewarm state would induce vomiting. Again, context is important. Jesus is writing in a specific way to these people in Laodicea that he's selling.

Look, I know I know your deal. I know what's going on there. I know everything about you. You know, even today, how many of you go, man, I can't wait to get a nice, fresh glass of lukewarm water. Anybody running out for that or you kind of like when you're hot working outside, maybe some ice water or something a little bit cooler, right? It's neither uh pleasant nor satisfying. And Jesus warned this uh lukewarm Laodiceans that he would spew them out of his mouth just as one might violently expel a disagreeable tasting liquid. There would have been no doubt again that they knew Jesus was speaking to them.

So, this wasn't a matter of understanding. Once again, this is a matter of obedience. Whose will be done? And it's important to note that the scripture gives us no indication when or how the church really was established. We know in this area Paul, because of Colossae being so close, but if you remember, Paul planted Colossae, but he never actually physically went there, the church of Colossians or the letter of Colossians. Two letters. Paul gave us Romans and Colossians. Neither one did Paul physically visit when he had wrote those letters. So, here he's writing to this church in Colossae, which is 9 or 10 miles from Laodicea.

Probably some of the Christians from Colossae went out and planted this church in Laodicea. Some believe if you just turn in your Bibles here, hold your finger to Colossians chapter 1 verse 7. I 'm going to read some of these things to you here in a minute, but Epaphras, they believe could have been the one from Colossae that could have actually gone out and planted, but we cannot say for certain, but we kind of believe uh and scholars kind of lead us to give us an understanding of this. Again, Paul gives no evidence of visiting Laodicea.

Um he certainly was aware of their spiritual struggles, and we can see that in Colossians chapter 2 verse 1. Very aware of what was going on in Laodicea, okay? At that time. Now, the first time that the name of Laodicea appears in the New Testament scripture is actually Colossians chapter 2 verse 1 and 2. I'll read that. For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea. And for as many who has of not seen my face in the flesh that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love and attaining to all riches for the full assurance of understanding to the knowledge of the mystery of God both of the Father and of Christ.

Again, another fragment of the Epistle of Colossians where Laodicea is mentioned concerns again Epaphras from Colossae who worked hard for the Christians of the three uh Phrygian cities of Colossae, Laodicea, and the Hierapolis, okay? Uh again, this would be Colossians chapter 4 verses 12. Since you're already in there, please just turn over a couple pages. Epaphras, who is one for you, a bond servant of Christ. So, he's a born-again believer. He's a sent one by uh certainly the Holy Spirit. He says he greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayer that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

For I bear witness that he has great zeal for you. One of the things that Laodicea was missing was great zeal for the Lord. And those who are in Underline that in your Bible. Laodicea. He even calls it out there. And the Hierapolis. Finally, again Colossians chapter 4 verse 16. At the end of the Epistle of Colossians, there's a request that the letter should be read publicly at Laodicea. This gives us a couple uh bits of information. One, we learned scripturally that this was common. If you did not know that and you're here this morning, every book of our Bible, we know that it was common, especially in our New Testament times, that they would take these letters and they would stand it just as I am here with you, and they would read the letters line by line, and they would read uh from the apostles or from the inspiration certainly always of the Holy Spirit.

They would read them openly and publicly. And some of the letters would be then sent to other churches about other things that were going on, and they would kind of share these manuscripts, the original Greek manuscripts. That's why we still have well over 5,000 original Greek manuscripts um in good condition today that we can go back and test that these things Do you realize in all 5,000 manuscripts and all the variations in the Western and Eastern church, there's less than a 1% less than 1% uh deviation. And what I mean by that is specifically things that were missing or maybe type text is not able to be viewed because the paper got a little bit ruined.

It's remarkable. It's it's only of the Lord. We have no other writing or anything uh uh any other book whether it be fictional, historical that survived anything like that with that many copies to have any variation. And you've heard the old adage or saying that if I started on this side of the sanctuary and I I shared a comment with you that only you could hear if you turned around and told that to somebody behind you and they turned it to somebody behind and then it kind of made its way up here and it made it By the time we get to the end of the chain, many times it's vastly different what was shared in the beginning compared to what was uh received at the end.

A 1% variation in over 5,000. You want to talk about the historicity and the perfection of Canon, God's original manuscripts and the way they're put together. Now, since we're just talking about that free information this morning, there is no surviving autograph. Does everybody know what that means? Because we have 5,000 different manuscripts in the Greek, and some of them are Byzantine, some of those are Masoretic, some of those are Texas Receptus. What you're looking at today and what I am reading here is Texas Receptus manuscripts. So, it's one form of the manuscript that we have in the Greek.

What we don't have was the original parchment writing. The original original. What we have is all these copies of the original, but we don't have an original autograph. A lot of times from an apologetics perspective, somebody will comes in, well, you don't have the original. No, I got 5,000 copies of the original. And oh, by the way, there's a 1% variation of that. I feel pretty good statistically that what I'm reading here is inspired by God, from God, and for God's people. Amen. Really for a lost and dying world as well.

Larry: You're listening to His Perfect Love with Pastor Matt VanderVen. And part of our study on the church at Laodicea, the lukewarm church. Pastor Matt, how does one take their spiritual temperature, so to speak, to know if they're lukewarm? And what is the way out of someone in this condition?

Matt VanderVen: You know, Larry, a lukewarm Christian is indifferent and complacent. They lack true passion and commitment to God. You know, the Bible warns us that a lukewarm faith is displeasing to Jesus. He calls believers to have a wholehearted devotion. The term lukewarm is often used to refer to someone who seems indifferent, you know, empathetic, maybe about their faith, never fully committed to God nor necessarily openly rejecting him either. You know, apathy is something that can settle into anyone's life including believers and his message to the church at Laodicea, Jesus calls the believers to repent from their lukewarmness.

The believers in Laodicea were compared to lukewarm water, which is neither refreshingly cold nor helpfully hot. Lukewarm faith blinds us to our true spiritual condition. Being lukewarm can refer to those who maybe profess Christianity, but are not actually saved, right? Playing the actor if I could say it that way. But it can also refer to believers who have become complacent in their faith. This lukewarmness does not refer to periods of spiritual dryness. I think that's important because sometimes there's condemnation that sets in, and it's unnecessary. It's not spiritual dryness as highs and lows that will come with various seasons of life.

Instead, this is referring to a heart condition that is no longer wholehearted living for God. So, what is the opposite of lukewarmness, right? We we need to know that as well. Maybe the idea of being on fire for Jesus, maybe being eager, zealous, or or burning with enthusiasm. Sometimes we speak of light light the fire under us again, Lord, or light the fire under someone, right? Maybe we we're saying that we want to motivate or maybe there's a personal urging, a call to action. These things though are not found in the Bible actually, but we do find biblical examples of people with a burning zeal and a a desire, description of how the Lord was using them in terms associated with a fire.

You know, the Old Testament counterpart of an on fire Christian is a person who had a zeal for the Lord and acted upon it. I can think of Phineas, right? From Numbers chapter 25 verses 10-11 or or what about David in 1 Samuel chapter 13-14 or 1 Kings chapter 3 verse 6 or or Elijah, right? The prophet Elijah. 1 Kings 19 verses 10 through 14. Even King Hezekiah, 2 Kings chapter 18 verses 1 through 7. And and certainly we can't miss Josiah, 2 Kings chapter 22 verse 23. These these weren't perfect men, but these men were on fire for the Lord.

You know, John the Baptist told the crowds about the coming Messiah. He says, he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Matthew chapter 3 verse 11. You know, the on fire apostles were marked by a boldness to serve God without compromise, whatever the personal cost or danger. The Sanhedrin, right? The Pharisees and Sadducees Sadducees, excuse me. They were they were astonished by the courage of Peter and John who were unskilled. They were just fishermen, ordinary men. When arrested in order to stop preaching about Jesus, the apostles were probably judged for yourself whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God, for we cannot help but speaking about what we have seen and heard.

And the next time they were arrested, you might remember this Acts chapter 5 verse 9. They were ordered to stop, and what did they say? We must obey God rather than men. When they were beaten, they rejoiced for being counted worthy of the suffering and the disgrace for the name of Jesus Christ to honor and glorify his name. Such is the behavior of those who are on fire for the Lord. So, do we see the difference in a way that we can even apply self-examination to our own hearts? A person who's lukewarm uh towards Jesus possesses only a tepid commitment and lives without joy, without love, and without a fire of the Spirit.

They're going to act religiously, but they will reject the power that could make them godly in the sight of Christ. Christians who are on fire for the Lord reject the safe, comfortable life in favor of accomplishing God's will. They actively pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. They're eager to do what is good. Some believers today need to heed Paul's advice. Therefore, I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind.

And Larry, I think that's the the real answer to the equation here. To not be lukewarm is to be on fire, and anyone can turn their heart to Christ and be on fire for him now and forever.

Larry: Thanks, Pastor Matt. And friend, if you'd like to hear this study again, go online to hisperfectlove.org. We've expanded our podcast too. Look for us on oneplace.com and most of the major podcast platforms. The Calvary Chapel Harrisburg mobile app is another great way to listen to Pastor Matt's messages shortly after they're delivered. We can help you get started when you visit hisperfectlove.org. We're thankful for the listeners that come alongside of us with their prayers and financial support. If you're interested in supporting this radio ministry, there's a place to do that at hisperfectlove.org. Together we can reach people with the love and truth of God in these last days.

Pastor Matt loves to hear from his listeners. Even just a quick hello telling him where you hear the program and how you're blessed by it means a lot. Email us there at the website hisperfectlove.org. And whether you live in or around Mechanicsburg, PA or will be visiting the area soon, we'd love to have you join us for a service at Calvary Chapel Harrisburg Westshore. Sunday morning services begin at 8:30 and 10:30. We have a midweek service too, Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. You'll find us at 28 North Locus Point Road in Mechanicsburg, PA. Go to ccburg.org for more information.

Well, that'll do it for today, but come back next time when Pastor Matt will again study the book of Revelation with us here on His Perfect Love.

Matt VanderVen: His Perfect Love is brought to you by Calvary Chapel Harrisburg Westshore.

Guest (Female): Let the word go out. The perfect love of Christ to shine. Our lives will shout. I am my beloved's and he is mine. Every heart is in his hands. We'll never stop preaching out. This is his perfect love. The word goes out. This is what a real love looks like. In truth and grace. This is his perfect love.