Well, I begin this morning by reminding you that Revelation chapters 1-3 constitute, as many view that book, the first of seven sections, each of which depicts, in summary, the church and the world from the time of Christ's first coming down to the time of his second. And in this first section, the Apostle John envisions the risen, exalted Christ walking amidst the seven golden lampstands. And noting your Bibles, Revelation 1, verse 12b, John says, and having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the middle of the lampstands, one like a son of man." And then coming to chapter 2, verse 1, the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven golden lampstands, John, in this revelatory vision experience on the Lord's Day, saw Christ walking amidst seven golden lampstands that are revealed to be seven churches in the Roman province of Asia Minor. Note verse 11 of chapter 1. Write in a book what you see. and send it to the seven churches, and then those churches are named. And then we also read in Revelation 1 verse 20, the seven lampstands are the seven churches. Well, we learn here in obedience to Christ's command, the command to write, Chapter 2, verse 1, to the angel of the church in Ephesus write, in obedience to Christ's command, John writes letters to each of those seven churches. Those letters found in Revelation chapters 2 and 3. The contents of each had relevance to those late first century churches with which, we presume, John was very familiar. Yet, the warnings, the instructions, and commendations have perpetual relevance to churches in all places and at all times. In the language of William Hendrickson, the epistles, that is these seven letters, describe conditions which occur not in one particular age of church history only, and he is responding there to a particular school of thought that asserts that very thing, but which occur again and again. Now, the seventh of seven letters coming to chapter 3, verse 14, is addressed to the church in Laodicea. Now, I remind you that this is a church that has been mentioned in the New Testament canon before, particularly in the Colossian letter. It is mentioned by Paul in chapter 2, verse 1. It is mentioned again in chapter 4, verses 13, 15, and 16. Concerning the Laodicean church, suffice it to say that it was probably established by Epaphras during Paul's third missionary journey as an extended fruit of the apostles' labors in Ephesus. We also know that the apostle had written a letter to the church at Laodicea, not a letter that was preserved in the New Testament canon, And further we know, in view of Colossians 4.16, that Paul had instructed that the Colossian letter be read to the Laodiceans, which was a nearby city to Colossae. Now follow as I read, follow in your own Bibles, this seventh of seven letters to the church in Laodicea. Chapter 3, verse 14, And 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, I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot, I would that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because 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. I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich and white garments, that you may clothe yourself and that the shame of their nakedness may not be revealed, and I salve to anoint your eyes that you may see." And I paused to note, and I'll bring this in on a future review, God willing, that Colossae was noted for several evidences of affluence. They were known for certain commodities in their city, and those commodities are reflected here in what is named in verse 18. Verse 19, those whom I love, I reprove and discipline. Be zealous, therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and will dine with him and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Spurgeon's sermon entitled, An earnest warning against lukewarmness preached at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, as is indicated on the first page, July 26, 1874, begins this way. Follow as I read. No scripture ever wears out. The epistle to the church of Laodicea is not an old letter which may be put into the wastebasket and be forgotten. Upon its page still glow the words, He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. This scripture was not meant to instruct the Laodiceans only. It has a wider aim. The actual church of Laodicea has passed away. But other Laodiceas 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 time. It is that term, lukewarm, which sadly distinguished the Laodicean church. Note verses 15 and 16 again. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I would that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth." Note in verse 16 the term lukewarm used only here in the New Testament. Most literally, the term was used to describe tepid water, water that was moderately warm, not hot, not cold, rather a little of each, perhaps like the cup of coffee or tea that you fix for yourself in the morning. Perhaps you set it on the counter, the kitchen counter. Something distracted you and you went to attend to whatever it was. And because of your attendance to another matter, you forgot for a while that cup of coffee. But then upon walking through the kitchen, you saw it and picked it up to finish it. But upon putting it to your lips, you discover that coffee has cooled from the extreme of hot, but has still retained enough heat so as not to be what is called today, iced coffee. What do you often do with such a cup of coffee or tea? Well, if you're like me, you pour it down the sink. It's not fit. It's not palatable. It doesn't register with our taste. It's like milk. That is this term and its description, which has been left out of the refrigerator too long. From cold, it has slowly warmed to room temperature. Now I ask you, do you have a palate that enjoys room-temperature milk. No. Most of the time, you will dump that down the drain. It is like, or it pictures that hot meal that your wife, man, has placed before you on the dinner table in the evening, and then the phone rings. And for the next 20 minutes, you're on the phone, and what's happening to the hot meal? It is incrementally, degree by degree, cooling off. And when the phone call is over and you return to the meal, perhaps to salvage it, you put it in the microwave. That which is lukewarm is not palatable. And most of the time, our response is to dispense with it, and that is what the Lord is saying about a lukewarm church. I will spit you, literally vomit you out of my mouth. What is lukewarm? The description that distinguishes, sadly, the Laodicean church. What is lukewarm? avoids extremes. What is lukewarm, particularly now referring to people or churches, is quite content to exist in the middle. With regard to people, what is lukewarm lacks passion and energy and zeal and intensity and holy enthusiasm, yet religiously expresses some semblance of nominal activity and appearance. The lukewarm maintain with little heart something of a religious routine, but as I expressed to the men yesterday, they are quite content with Christianity light, as there are in our day apparently professing Reformed Baptist churches becoming quite content with Reformed Baptist church life light. Complacency, indifference, contentment with a little, not too much, being moderate, nominal, in the middle, respectable as the world sees it. This describes the lukewarm. Their affections and interests and enthusiasms and concerns have incrementally been displaced and set upon other things something else really has them. And as we shall see in verse 17, in this condition they become quite content and comfortable, smugly self-satisfied and blind to their real condition and peril. The church so described in Revelation 2 and 3 is, interestingly, the only one of the seven that does not receive a word of commendation from the exalted Christ. Spurgeon preached, and again follow on page 421, I should judge that the church at Laodicea was once in a very fervent and healthy condition. Paul wrote a letter to it which did not claim inspiration, and therefore its loss does not render the Scriptures incomplete, for Paul may have written scores of other letters besides. Paul also mentions the church at Laodicea in his letter to the church at Colossae, He was therefore well acquainted with it, and as he does not utter a word of censure with regard to it, we may infer that the church was at that time in a sound state. In process of time, page 422, it degenerated and was cooling down from its former ardor. It became careless, lax, and indifferent. Its best men were dead. Perhaps its wealth seduced it into worldliness. That's a very likely perhaps in view of the flourishing economic setting of the Laodiceans. 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. Lest we should ever get into such a state, and lest we should be in that state now, I pray that my discourse may come with power to the hearts of all present, but especially to the consciences of the members of my own church. May God grant that it may tend to the arousing of us all." And I add, here at Ballston Lake. Now, brethren, several weeks ago, my attention was directed to this message by Pastor Jeremy Walker. Pastor Walker sent the entire text of the message as an attachment to an email encouraging our consideration of the message as an antidote to lukewarmness. Upon receiving it, I eventually located the message in the Metropolitan Tabernacle pulpit, and for those interested, it is in volume 20, page 421. I read it while away in Virginia and Kentucky recently, and having read it, determined to review it in this hour for several consecutive Lord's Days. Now, before moving forward, some introductory remarks concerning the section in which the letter to the Laodiceans is found, that is, Revelation 2 and 3. Introductory remarks, and now we're off the page relative to the transcript. Introductory remarks concerning the messages to the seven churches, and the first is this, and it has already been intimated. These are seven messages to seven actual historic churches in the Roman province of Asia, again, churches with which the Apostle John most likely had very close dealings. Each of the messages addresses a particular church in its actual and varied conditions, in its actual and very character, yet the content has universal, timeless application, and thus each of the seven has claim on the attention of all local churches. The timeless, universal application of the epistles, of the seven messages, is announced by the seven times repeated exhortation, he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. This exhortation commands the attention of every reader of the revelation, and surely it commands our attention particularly relative to the Laodicean Church, in view of our remaining sins, both individually and collectively, corporately, in view of the tendency, as the years go on, to back off the use of the basic means and disciplines of the Christian life, in view of the weariness and discouragements which can develop over the years, sapping and enfeebling faith, and particularly like the Laodiceans, in view of the affluence in which all of us live. that is always bidding for our soul day after day. It is enticing. It is endeavoring to make us lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, lovers of ease, man-fearers, endeavoring to make fools of us like Solomon was made in the last third of his life. In view of these things, we need an ear. as we are exhorted to have one. We need to have an ear that is a personal, felt recognition that the letter to the Laodicean church speaks first to me and my danger of becoming lukewarm. We need to hear what the Spirit says to the churches, for we do not want to be a moderate, Reformed, Baptist-like church. No, we want to be radical and extreme, hot for the things of God. And anything less is not worth existing for. We need to hear what the Spirit says to the churches. We want a revived, vital, fervent, radically holy church wherein God is glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. We want and we must continue to pursue and sustain intensified faith, devotion, love for Christ, prayer, moral courage, the fear of God, not man, and vital worship. We do not want to be in the middle. We do not want to be moderate. We do not want to be tepid and tepidly respectable, as high society might approve it. That's not what we want. And thus, the letters of Revelation 2 and 3 are for us. Christ addresses us in these letters, and particularly the letter to the Laodiceans. They are relevant to us. We must have an ear to hear what the Spirit says. Now, one other dimension of introductory comment, and it has to do with the structure, the structural similarities of the seven messages that constitute or make up Revelation 2 and 3. There are seven structural similarities that tie together these letters. The first is this, and you might, again, keep your Bibles open to glance at these matters. First, there is a greeting. We find each of the seven letters beginning in a similar way. I simply began back at 2.1. to the angel of the church in Ephesus, that continues right through 314, and to the angel of the church in Laodicea. Briefly I raise the question, who is the angel of the church? And I offer to you that a likely answer is this. based upon 116 and 120, the language of stars in the right hand of Christ, that imagery depicting authority and the government of Christ in the churches, based upon that and the literal sense of angel. The literal sense is simply messenger, envoy, The conclusion by many, or of many, is this. The angel of the church is a figurative reference to the pastors of those churches. Not saying they are, in our lingo, angelic, but denoting they are the ones who have been appointed by Christ to exercise His rule and instruction the preaching of His truth as His appointed under-shepherds, stewards and overseers. There is common to each of these seven messages the greeting to the angel of the church. Secondly, there is this common similarity or this commonality, a command. The command? Write. to the angel of the church in Sardis 3.1. Right. 3.14, to the angel of the church in Laodicea. Right. And we might go back to chapter 1 at verse 9. John, on the island called Patmos, because of the Word of God and testimony of Jesus, was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet saying, Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches." John is experiencing a revelatory vision wherein Christ revealed His mind and the apostle wrote. It is a picture of divine inspiration. Thirdly, there is, in each of these seven messages, a description of the exalted Christ drawn from chapter 1, verses 12 through 16. You will note as each of the seven messages begins, starting at 2.1 and going through 3.14, there is this designation of the exalted, reigning, living Christ. 3.14 reads, the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God says this. In summary, there is the reminder here that Christ is present amidst His church. Christ knows His churches. He is present amidst His churches. He is the exalted, ruling and living Head of His church wherein by His Spirit He is present. If that is not the case, then what are we doing? Fourthly, there is in each of these letters the assertion of Christ's knowledge of each church, including ours. In each of these seven letters, including the Laodicean, there is the language, I know, 315, I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I would that you were cold or hot. The seven times repeated, I know, attest to the omniscience of Christ. He thoroughly, extensively, completely, perfectly knows all of the feelings, the attitudes, desires, motives and moods that enter into any action of the people of God. And he scrutinizes every such action. And this ought, at one and the same time, both to sober us and encourage us. Christ knows the nature and extent of sin in His church, but He also knows, as these letters reveal, the necessary remedies. In the language of another, these epistles teach us that He will, by His Word and Spirit, unveil to His trusting people precisely what they need to know of themselves and their work. He also knows the nature and intensity of their temptations and the aggravations of their temptations, such as their peculiar temperaments, background influences, the wiles of the devil, so as to assess aright the struggles and the works of His people. His all-searching eye is upon His people. collecting these seven I knows. I know your deeds. I know your toil, your perseverance, tribulation, poverty, where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. I know your love, faith, service. I know that you are neither cold nor hot. Fifthly, there is this structural similarity. Each of the seven letters contains commendation and or rebuke. Now, to summarize, with regard to the Smyrnan church, the suffering church, chapter 2, verses 8-11, and the Philadelphia church, the church persevering under trial, There is only commendation, no rebuke. With regard to the church in Ephesus, Pergamum, Thyatira, and Sardis, there is both commendation and rebuke. With regard to the Laodicean church that is lukewarm, there is only rebuke, no commendation. Now among other things that could be gleaned from this observation is simply this, we are reminded that both are necessary in the life of the church. We must wisely rebuke, note 319, those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, be zealous therefore and repent. We must wisely rebuke when warranted and, as these letters plainly illustrate, We should be just as willing to commend when warranted. And that is found throughout these seven letters. Commendation where warranted. Rebuke where warranted. Sixthly, there is this particular feature of the seven letters. There is this word of exhortation. He who has an ear Let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The summons to us is not a mere academic hearing. The summons to us is a responsive hearing, all of us as a church, lest we come to complacently occupy a middle-of-the-road practice of the Christian faith. which in reality is no practice at all, all of us must answer the summons to responsive hearing. Finally, as to the elements that bind together that are structurally similar, in the seven letters to the churches there is promise. And the promise begins in each case, to him who overcomes." And we find that promise in the Laodicean letter at verse 21. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. The overcoming refers to the specific sins identified and rebuked, and refers to persevering keeping on through the conflict with sin, through conflict with the world and Satan, which every church, these letters teach, must engage. There is no escaping it. We must engage it and overcome it. The content of the promises that follow the language of, to him who overcomes, summarily speaking, is eternal life. It's phrased in various ways, but in summary, the content of the promise is eternal life. These seven promises to those who overcome and persevere speak, brethren, to the nature of the Christian life. What is its nature? It is working out your salvation daily. That's its nature. These seven letters Teach that. The nature of the Christian life is of repenting of sin daily, of warring against sin, of cultivating faith, of persevering in prayer, of bearing adversity and affliction. This is part and parcel to the Christian life. This is what we have signed up for when we came to Christ by faith. These seven promises set forth emphatically the necessity of Christians, individually and collectively, to stay the course, to fight the good fight, to keep on dying to the world, to persevere in faith, to persevere in communion and obedience, and to endure to the end. This is not the cavalier once-saved, always-saved mindset of American evangelicalism. That's not what is depicted in these seven letters. Now, with those introductory comments made, the relevance of the seven letters to us, and something expositionally of their structural similarities, I want then to set out the larger picture of Spurgeon's treatment of the letter to the Laodiceans. Take your copy in hand and follow as I identify the three major headings and the corresponding subheadings. The first major heading is the state into which churches are very apt to fall. And there are four subheadings, four specifics that develop Spurgeon's understanding of that state that is comprehended or summarized by the term lukewarm. The first subheading, page 422, a condition far other, that is different, than that for which it has a reputation. It's known as one thing, but in reality it's something else. And there are churches that if they've simply got a reputation before men, that's good enough, no matter the lack of reality behind it. The second subheading, the bottom of 422 going through mid-425, one of mournful indifference and carelessness. The third subheading, mid-page 425 through the top of 426, a condition of indifference attended with perfect self-complacency. That is a reference to chapter 3, verse 17a. Everything's alright. We're rich and happy and comfortable. We're doing just fine. And then the fourth subheading under the first major heading, it is a condition which has chased away the Lord. First subheading then, the state, or the first major heading, the state into which churches are very apt to fall. The second major heading, the danger of such a state. And there are three subheadings fill out, expand upon this danger. The first is, the bottom of page 426, the great danger is first to be rejected of Christ. And Spurgeon understands that if this state of lukewarmness exists chronically, Christ is going to bring that church to nothing. It will be no church. It may be some kind of religious organization, but not a church. The second subheading, the bottom of 427, such a church will be left to its fallen condition. Christ will abandon it. He'll let them go on hardening their hearts in this lukewarmness and complacency. And then the third subheading, such a church will fail of overcoming, page 428, beginning at the top. Well, then there is the third and final major heading, the middle of 428, the remedies which the Lord employs. And then four subheadings, the bottom of 428, a clear discovery as to the church's true state. The people in that church need to wake up and see what they have incrementally declined to become. The second subheading, page 429, gracious counsel. referring to Revelation 3.18. The third subheading, rebukes and chastenings, the bottom of 4.29. And the final subheading, more communion with Christ, the bottom of page 4.30. And as Spurgeon writes, this is the best remedy for backsliding churches. The reference being to 20 and 21 of Revelation 3, the imagery of Christ standing at the door and knocking, one of the most misinterpreted verses in all the New Testament. It's not an evangelistic verse. It's a verse for the church. Well, that is then the big picture. And we will begin in our last five minutes going back now to the first of these three major headings, the state into which churches are very apt to fall, and now the first subheading. The first characteristic of this state is, and I quote, a church may fall, and I pause to note parenthetically, we need to understand fall not as a precipitous fall, But as an incremental decline, a gradual process, a church may fall into a condition far other than, that is, different than, that for which it has a repute, that is, a reputation. The sense is, Spurgeon develops, a church may have a public image which lacks reality. A public image which is not supported by its true character, by the inner workings and the ordinary routine of church life that perhaps newcomers don't see. This was the case with the church in Sardis. Note back in chapter 3 at verse 1, I know your deeds, that you have a name, that you are alive, but you are dead. They had a reputation in public far different from what the reality was. I say, brethren, it could be. I'm not saying it is. But potentially it could be the same with us, based upon impressions gained by others who, for instance, have attended our singles conferences of the past, who have attended our Memorial Day picnics, When in some respects, our best foot has been put forward in terms of gospel teamwork and organization and serving others, and that's commendable. But based upon such things, based upon newcomers who visit with us on such a Lord's Day as today, our fifth Sunday, we could have a reputation of being alive. The question is this, how would that reputation fare? if those same people entered our gates on Wednesday night? Well, I hope it would fare well, but we ought to raise the question. How would our reputation fare if they were with us on Wednesday nights, if they were keenly, accurately aware of what it takes to keep us away from the church at prayer? How would our reputation fare then? If they were privy to our member-to-member relations and our hearts to one another, what would they then think of our reputation? If they saw the inner workings of our homes, if they heard how and what we speak to one another in our homes, if they witnessed our response to an opportunity out there in the world to speak for Christ, if they were privy to our response to the world's enticements, to its pressures to compromise, what would they think of us then? I remind you, brethren, that what we need is spiritual reality, moral weight, ecclesiastical substance and integrity that is not gained at Memorial Day picnics. God willing, that is a winsome fruit of where it is gained. It's gained in private. It's gained in character. It's gained in attitude. It's gained in our communion with Christ. And its blessed fruits are such things as these other public displays. What we need is spiritual reality and moral weight. Page 422, the address of our Lord again, Spurgeon preached, I know thy works. As much as to say, nobody else knows you. Men think better of you than you deserve. You do not know yourselves. You think your works to be excellent, but I know them to be very different." Jesus views with searching eyes all the works of His church. The public can only read reports, but Jesus sees for Himself. He knows what is done and how it's done and why it's done. He judges a church not merely by her external activities, but by her internal pieties. A few lines later, It will be melancholy indeed if we stand out as a church notable for earnestness and distinguished for success, and yet are not really fervent in spirit or eager in soul winning. A lack of vital energy where there seems to be most strength put forth. A lack of real love to Jesus where apparently there is great devotion to Him are sad signs of a fearful degeneracy. Churches are very apt to put the best goods in the window, and very apt to make a fair show in the flesh, and like men of the world, they try to make a fine figure upon a very slender estate. Great reputations have often but slender foundations, and lovers of the truth lament that it should be so. Not only is it true of churches, but of every one of us as individuals, that often our reputation is in advance of our desert. Men often live on their former credit and trade upon their past characters, having still a name to live, though they are indeed dead. Spurgeon says what we ought to do, judging how far this may apply to us. I remind you, brethren, that reputation is made by each constituent member's character is upholding the disciplines of the Christian life and by his own practice. As has been said before, each member, by his private and domestic character and practice, either adds to or subtracts from the reputation of Christ Church. Our private, our family lives, our churchmanship must be viewed and assessed in this light. Well, that then is the first subheading of this state in which church may incrementally decline unto having a reputation before men that is founded on a very slender, weak foundation. We'll take up next week at the second characteristic into which a church may fall, the second subheading, one of mournful indifference and carelessness. And this second subheading arises expressly from verses 15 and 16 of Revelation 3. Let us pray. Father, we come this morning and pray that by the spirits working this letter into our corporate soul, we would be preserved, held back from declining insensibly into a middle-of-the-road devotion and practice. Father, I pray this morning that we would answer the repeated exhortation of Christ, He who has an ear Let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Father, may we have a responsive hearing, each constituent member of your church. To the end that we might burn hot for Christ. Amen.