“The 3:16’s” –Revelation 3:16

In 1961, the great, powerful old preacher W.A. Criswell stood before the congregation at 1^st Baptist Dallas and read this paragraph from a magazine:

The cluster of preachers gathered outside the convention hall in agreement, “Yes, shouting had become out of place in our modern church services” But, they paused in respect as an elderly pastor in their midst began to reminisce with a far-away look in his eye: “I can still remember the last time I shouted,” he said quietly. “I remember it well. It was a glorious occasion. A wave of mighty power seemed to move through the crowd. In an instant, I found myself standing and violently waving my hands through the air. My legs grew weak. My voice was hoarse. Again and again, exultant words burst from my lips. All around me, others were joining me in the same frenzied spirit.” The old gentleman’s eyes fastened on the faces of those around him as he continued, “Some of you—some of you may think I was a fool. Maybe you’re calling me old-fashioned or even a fanatic. If so, it’s because you don’t realize the significance of what I had just witnessed. Indeed, it was worth shouting about. For you see, my brethren,” he added in almost a whisper, “Our basketball team had just won the tournament.” And the group quietly melted away.

Now, it is not my intent at all this morning to read this in an attempt to guilt you into being any more vocal or demonstrative in our church worship services. I am not trying to gin up emotional response or encourage you to say or do something that is anything but heartfelt, especially in today’s service. In fact, as we get into the passage for this morning, you might realize that the word “Amen” may or may not be the appropriate word for you to use.

But I want to ask you, and I don’t want an answer, when was the last time you really got excited as you worshiped? Whether that worship was in this building or at your house or driving down the road, when was the last time you got so excited you shouted? When was the last time you cried as you talked to the Lord? When was the last time you raised your hand in worship, not to be seen as holy by the people around you, but in reaching out to Jesus like you would reach out to touch a friend in serious conversation?

When was the last time your prayer time evolved into wrestling with God like Jacob in Genesis 32? A time when you told God that you would not quit praying until He told you something? When was the last time you were so broken by your own pride and hard-heartedness that you threw yourself down and begged God for forgiveness? When was the last time you showed any passion at all toward the Lord? When was the last time you really got excited about anything besides a basketball game?

We sometimes think how ironic it is that God would choose to use a person like Saul of Tarsus. Saul was breathing out murderous threats toward anybody that had anything to do with Jesus. He was busy taking them to jail, oppressing them however he could, even killing them. And we smile at how preposterous it is that God would change his name to Paul and use him to write most of the New Testament and plant churches and change the world like nobody before or since.

But it’s not preposterous. It makes perfect sense. God saw a man with passion and said, “Hey, I can use that!” All God had to do is change the focus of the passion and that was easy enough. And today we wonder why God doesn’t use us. We wonder why revival doesn’t break out in Wise County, why people in Lake Bridgeport don’t come to Christ Fellowship, and why people are so resistant to have anything to do with God or religion of any kind.

Cities are building more and bigger stadiums and courts and fields to play games on but nobody wants to buy a church no matter the cost. We have found out that the saying,“If you build it, they will come”only applies to baseball fields and movies, not to church buildings. And we sit here this morning thinking what a shame that is, but the obvious question is: what are we going to do about it?

How much is it going to cost? How many more people should we hire to the church staff? What’s the cheapest way to get church flyers into the mailboxes and hands of our neighbors? And while those aren’t all bad questions, our passage this morning might lead us in another direction. Let’s continue our look at “The 3:16’s” of the New Testament as we study the very last book, the book of Revelation. Turn to Revelation 3 and let’s read verses 14-22 to keep it in context.

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. ¹⁵ I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷ You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. ¹⁸ I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.¹⁹ Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. ²⁰ Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.²¹ To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. ²² Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

The Apostle John is writing according to what Jesus tells him to write and here he is writing to the last of seven churches. And each church represents a period of time. Each church represents a period of time on God’s calendar, if you will, starting with the Ephesian church in chapter 2 that represents the first church that existed right after Jesus ascended back to Heaven. And then going through time and the represented churches of Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and then, lastly, to the church in Laodicea, John writes the letter just as it is dictated to him by Jesus Himself.

And what makes this last letter especially poignant and applicable to us is that it is written to the last church before Jesus comes back; the church in the last days. In other words, it has today’s date on it and it is addressed to Christ Fellowship at 1301 North Main St. And in the words of Jesus, it is written by the Amen. That seems odd to us for Jesus to call Himself the Amen but understand what the word actually means and it makes better sense.

“Amen” simply means “truth”. When you say “Amen” to a preacher preaching a sermon, you are simply saying that you agree with that person that what he is saying is the truth. And just as Jesus described Himself in John 14:6 as “The Way, the Truth, and the Life”, He is again saying that He and He alone is truth and in what He has to say there is no error. And the first thing the Truth says is, “I know you.” Look at verse 15 again. It’s not pretty.

The Living Bible says, “I know you well that you are neither cold nor hot.” This is so applicable to this church in Laodicea. There were 2 other cities nearby. One, Heiropolis, was famous for its hot springs and the other, Colossae, was famous for its pure, cold water. But when either one got to Laodicea, it was lukewarm.

I’m not a coffee drinker but I like tea. I like it hot and I like it cold. But it is awful when it reaches room temperature. Lukewarm tea or coffee or almost anything is just nasty. And that is what Jesus is telling this church. He says He wishes they were either hot or cold. Isn’t that a bit extreme? Why would Jesus make such a bold statement as to say the He would prefer the church be cold and dead than to be lukewarm?

What is the opposite of love? Would you say it is hate? Or would you say it is indifference? Which is worse? If you went to your spouse and said, “Honey, I just love you so much! You make my world go around and I would do anything for you.” And then you gave them gifts and promised all sorts of good things. Would it be worse if that person told you, “Yea, yea, I love you too” all the while planning a sordid, squalid affair with another person or would you rather them say, “I just don’t love you anymore.”

Neither one are good but at least they are being honest by saying they don’t love you anymore. That’s what Jesus is feeling here. And it’s the same with us today. We come to church every Sunday, or at least when it’s convenient, and we sing “Jesus Name Above All Names” all the while wondering what’s for lunch with no intention of changing our lives to match His word or to be obedient to what He wants. And most Bible versions are polite as they translate the part in verse 16 that says, “I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” It literally means that Jesus wants to vomit when He thinks about that adulterous church.

Imagine giving your spouse all those great gifts and they say they love you as they walk out of the house and get in the car of another person and give that person a passionate kiss. Bleh! That would make your stomach hurt, wouldn’t it? It would make you nauseas. That is just how Jesus feels when you claim His name, sing His songs, trample His courts, and then live your life just like the rest of the world.

Isaiah 1 says, “The multitude of your sacrifices—
what are they to me?” says the Lord.
“I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
of rams and the fat of fattened animals;
I have no pleasure
in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
¹² When you come to appear before me,
who has asked this of you,
this trampling of my courts?
¹³ Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—
I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
¹⁴ Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals
I hate with all my being.
They have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
¹⁵ When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I hide my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
I am not listening.”

It’s not that God doesn’t want our sacrifice, good deeds and prayers. It’s that He wants our sacrifice, good deeds and prayers in conjunction with our passion for Him. Those things, that stuff, those deeds will automatically come with a passion for Jesus but without them it is a great insult and it will not be tolerated. But that’s not us, right? Surely He is not talking to Christ Fellowship here. We are not like the others. We are not like Laodicea.

We have seen in verse 15 that Jesus speaks the truth when He says, “I know you.” Now in verse 17 He says, “I hear you.” You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. ¹⁸ I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

Jesus hears them when they proclaim their independence.  He hears their pride.  He hears the indifference and the confidence with which it is said.  But the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness tells another story.  And it cuts right to the very heart of Laodicea.  You see, while its neighbors were known for their water, Laodicea had its own claim to fame.  In that region it was well-known for 3 things:  it was known for its wealth, it was known for its special black cotton fabric and it was known for its eye salve.

And that is exactly the 3 things that Jesus says that they are in need of.  He was making the point that the very things that they took so much pride in were the very things that they lacked.  And they lacked those things because those were the things getting in the way of their relationship with Jesus.  It was the pride, the self-esteem, the attitude of pulling themselves up by their bootstraps or being self-made men that made Jesus want to puke.  Jesus is not talking to unbelievers here.  These aren’t prostitutes and murderers and thieves out on the street.  Jesus knew who they really were.  He heard who they claimed to be.  And the hypocrisy was nauseating.

A rather pompous-looking deacon was endeavoring to impress upon a class of boys the importance of living the Christian life. "Why do people call me a Christian?" the man asked. After a moment's pause, one youngster said, "Maybe it's because they don't know you." http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/h/hypocrisy.htm



Well, Jesus knows us.  He knows us to go through the motions of worship.  He knows that we sometimes only do that when it’s convenient.  He knows our proud hearts and our stiff necks and how proud we are of our fire insurance but neglect the relationship with the One whose mercy keeps us from burning.  He knows us.  He knows how little interest we have in His Word and how lightly we take the Gospel.  And it is only through His omniscience that He recognizes us as believers because the world can’t tell us apart from them.



We look the same.  We talk the same.  We watch the same TV and movies.  We use the same words and laugh at the same jokes and wear the same clothes.  So, how can they tell us apart?  But Jesus knows us.  And He hears us.  He hears our protestations about how we do this and we give that, so look at us, ain’t we something?  But Jesus says knowing us and hearing us with all our pride…makes Him sick.



This has been a rather somber message today.  You may have noticed a distinct lack of jokes or funny illustrations.  It was that way for the church at Laodicea as well.  You may have noticed that Jesus has nothing good to say about this church.  In every other letter to every other church there is something positive to be said about that church.  But not here.  And it must have been eye-opening to that church.  And I hope it is to us at this church.



But while there was nothing good to say about the church, this letter is not all bad news.  Not at all.  While Jesus tells the church, “I know you” and then He tells them, “I hear you” he then tells them in verse 19, “I forgive you.”  Jesus says, “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.”  Can’t you just hear the shift in tone from angry God to loving Father?  Do you hear the firm gentleness; the resolute passion of a groom to His bride?  Can you feel the release of guilt and shame as we acknowledge who we are and acknowledge Who he is?



We have been talking the last several weeks about putting our focus on Jesus and this is what that looks like.  When we realize and acknowledge who we are and compare ourselves to God instead of the rest of the world, then we will have a focus on Jesus because we will constantly have before us His grace, His mercy and His forgiveness.  How can you be proud and acknowledge that?



When our passion for Jesus leads us to obedience to Him no matter what the world might think or say then we will start to see revival.  Then we will start to see peoples’ lives changed.  Then we will see our own lives changed.  We will have a passion for His Word; a passion for singing and worship and fellowship.  It will transform how we live and how we worship and how we tell others.  But it begins with us.



I knew my grandfather, my mother’s dad, as Pa.  Pa was a preacher all of his life.  He never was famous or rich but he had a passion for Jesus and a passion for people that affected a lot of people over the years.  I have heard him described as having an elevator witness.  He could meet you on the first floor and have you praying the sinner’s prayer by the third floor.  He loved to tell people about Jesus.  And I have no doubt that because of his passion there are thousands of people in Heaven that might not be otherwise.



But as Pa grew older his mind began to go.  He developed dementia and eventually died from it.  But even when his mind was not right he could usually be found with this Bible nearby.  It’s what he knew and what he loved and he studied it passionately all of his life.  My uncle told me a story not long ago about talking with Pa toward the end of his life.  He said that as they were talking, the conversation, of course, turned to Jesus and Pa grabbed his Bible and started trying to read a passage.



But his mind was so eaten up with disease that he couldn’t really read anymore and so Uncle Bill told me that Pa kind of quoted something but most of it was gibberish and it didn’t match anything on the page he had turned to.  But when he got through “reading”, he turned to Uncle Bill and said with a sparkle in his eye, “Isn’t that good?”  His mind was eaten up by disease but it was even more eaten up by a love for God’s Word; so much so that his natural, engrained response to the reading of it was to say, “Isn’t that good?”  He had read it and said it so many times it was just as automatic as blinking.



That’s what it looks like to have a passion for Jesus.  That’s what I mean when I say that a focus on Jesus will change your life and a Jesus-focused church will change this world.  But it won’t happen relying on our gifts and stuff and intelligence.  It only comes when we do as Jesus says there.  He says to be earnest and repent.  Turn away from our sin.  Turn away from the pride, the lukewarm attitude and the lack of passion.



And if we do then look what happens in verse 21.  “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne.”  I can keep my focus on myself and make Jesus sick.  Or I can keep my focus on Him and sit with Him on His throne in Heaven.  I don’t know about you but that makes me want to shout “Amen!”



We don’t normally sing during the invitation but today I want us to turn to page 320 in our hymnals and let’s stand and sing “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.”  And as we do if you need to ask Jesus into your life to forgive you of your sin and assure you of your place in Heaven, I would love to pray with you.  As we stand and as we sing, come right now and let’s pray together.