In fact, let's start with a word of prayer, and then we'll jump into the word of God. Father, thank you for your holy word. Father, thank you for the seven letters to the seven churches. Lord, for these circuit letters that were to be read to every church, to every believer, for every pastor in these churches. And Lord, as we begin this morning, Father, to look at the last church, the church at Laodicea. Father, help us, Lord, Lord, to learn concerning this lukewarm church. Lord, they were in a bad situation and they didn't even know it. Lord, they were blind to it. Father, as we introduce this and as we have a couple more lessons, maybe one or two more, Lord, may we learn from them. And may we not make their mistakes. And we pray this in Jesus' name, amen. All right, Revelation chapter three, please. Wrong glasses. Revelation three, beginning in verse 14. And I'm gonna have it up on the screen behind me. And this is what it says. And just to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, these things says the amen. the faithful and what true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm and what neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth. Because you say, I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing, and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked, I counsel you to by to buy from me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich. And just white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed. And anoint your eyes with eyesalve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with me on my throne. as I also overcame and sat down with my father on his throne. Then Jesus says, excuse me, he, excuse me, he who has an ear, let him hear just what the Spirit says to the churches. Here we have the, what, seven churches. And I'm going to point to them. Here is Pergamum, Thyatira, Smyrna, Sardis, then Ephesus, and just Philadelphia. And our last church, Laodicea, the most southern church and the most western church. Let's look at some background of this particular church and what Laodicea The city was a strategic city located at the crossroads of two crucial trading routes. And here are just some of the ruins. You see some of the pictures that are still there today, by the way. Later to see it just was a prosperous and just commercial center. This road looks like it had shops on both sides of it. The pulpit commentary says, there was a large stream of a traffic continually flowing through it. And its inhabitants became very rich. At the time when this letter was sent them, they were building for themselves one of those huge amphitheaters, which the Greeks and Romans of the day just were wont to build in all their chief cities. We'll see a picture of that in just a little bit here. The city of Laodicea was known for three things. First of all, banking. Banking. They were rich. They could bank. They could send money all over. They were financially strong, even able to rebuild without imperial aid when destroyed by an earthquake in AD 60. Secondly, there was a textile industry, especially black wool. And then thirdly, they had a school of entomology. And what noted for Anaisov, that it developed there. The city lacked water, so it had an aqueduct built to bring in water. And here you see some of the ruins of it. There were pieces that had holes drilled through it. And they were stacked together piece by piece to bring water in. Their main water supply came on a six mile aqueduct from the hot springs of just Hierapolis. Because the water came from hot springs, it arrived appetizingly lukewarm. And that is what the Lord, what Jesus calls this church, lukewarm. He had illustrations he was pointing out to this church. They were lukewarm, so was the water they were drinking. And it wasn't appetizing. Well, they were an appetizing to the Lord, we're gonna see. This is Samora of the aqueduct. Think about that, it was six miles long. Six miles, they were bringing in this water. This church was founded apparently by Iwapaphras. No praise is bestowed on this church. but only blamed for its lukewarmness. It had been just, whoops, it had been just, it had been successfully, it had born successfully, the names of, of Desopolis and Roas, and was named Laodicea when refounded by Antiochus Theos in BC 261 to 264. The Believer's Bible Commentary says the name Laodicea means either the people ruling or the judgment of the people. The tutelary deity of the city was what Jews also called Jupiter, hence its earlier name, Deisopolis, or what city of Zeus. They worshiped idols in this city originally. This could be one of the temples that is left, just what portions of it. Joseph Benson says, he would do him of just later to see it seems to have been more severe and terrible than that of what almost any of the other seven churches. For it is now utterly destroyed and is forsaken of men. And it's become a habitation only for fox, for just wolves, foxes, and jackals in a den of dragons, snakes, and vipers. What a place to live. Some notion may be formed of its former greatness and with glory from three theaters and a circus which are which are remaining, one of which is what's truly admirable, as it was capable of containing about 30,000 men into whose area they descended by 50 steps. This city is what now called Esquihazar, or the Old Castle. Here's a picture of that. That's amazing amphitheater. They had circuses, they had three of these around the city. But Jesus only finds fault with this church. Like all these letters, this one is also written to the angel. or the pastor of the church. Look at Revelation 3.14, please. And went to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write. And Jesus had John write to this pastor. And that word angel means they're a messenger, and it again refers to the pastor of the church. The preacher's homiletical sense, Archippus was possibly the angel of this church in the sense of being its chief pastor. Next, notice what Jesus says about himself to this church. Each what church Jesus wrote to, he identified himself. And what to this church, he identifies himself as well. And notice what he says, back to that verse again. And what to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, these things says the amen. Jesus calls himself the amen. And that's the definite article, the, the amen, or the one amen. And that word amen means firm. That is figuratively trustworthy, surely, often as an interjection, so be it. Metaphorically faithful, truly of a truth. Now think about that. Jesus is the only one who has never lied. And he says, I am the amen of a truth. I am truthful. I cannot lie. Vincent Wordstudy says, a term applied to the Lord signifies that he is himself. It's a fulfillment of all that God has spoken to the churches. And the Newer Preachers homiletical says, amen. And what here only used as a personal name, it is the only place it appears, is in this verse. Next, Jesus then will call himself the faithful and true witness. Back to the verse again, and to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, these things, says the amen, the faithful and true witness. And that word faithful means trustworthy, can be relied on, credible. Yes, he is. He cannot lie. And everything he says is truth. That word true there means true. voracious, having adequate power, or a force to produce the effect, sincere. That makes me think of what John 14, six, one of my favorite passages. Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. All the word does there are the definite articles that he is the one and only way, the one and only truth, and the one and only life. But he says that he is the faithful and true witness And that word witness could mean martyr, or in a legal sense, witness. Think about Jesus, wasn't he martyred for us? He paid for our price upon the cross, for our sin, sorry. He paid for our sin upon the cross. He was killed for us, us sinners. His enemies, he what died for. taking our place upon the cross. But he's also a just witness. He is witnessing to this church, telling them exactly what they are. Telling them their faults. In a legal sense, he is condemning them. And he were preachers, huh? Homolytical says, faithful in the sense of trustworthy. Then Trent suggests that there were three things necessary to constitute a true witness. First of all, he must have been an eyewitness of just what he relates. Secondly, he just possessed competence to relate what he has seen, and then thirdly, and be willing to do so. Back to the verse again. And what to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, these things says the amen, the faithful and what true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. That word beginning means commencement or what origin of the creation of God. Sermon Bible says what Jesus calls himself by the title, the beginning of the creation of God. Number one, because he was himself the creator of the world. And then secondly, because he is the first calls or a principle of its restoration. Jesus created, and he calls himself that here, telling this church, I am the one. I am the beginning of the creation of God. I will create it all that you see. It was me. It was I. The Believer's Bible Commentary says, the beginning of the creation of God does not mean that he was the first person to be created. He was never created. Rather, it means that he began all creation. It does not say that he had a beginning, but that he is the beginning. What a difference that makes. Let me read that verse again to you. And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, these things says the amen. The faithful and what true witness. The beginning of the creation of God. What Jesus says we can trust. He's the amen. And he what keeps his word, he is faithful. And he's trustworthy. He is the beginning of the creation of God. He's created all things. Now verse 15, Revelation 3, 15. Jesus says to this church, like he said to all the churches, I know your works. That ye are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. That work means toil as an effort or occupation, by implication, an act, a deed, a doing, a labor, a work. That which one undertakes to do, enterprise, or an undertaking. This what later to see in community had no works. So far had the clenching gone, so far had clenching gone that even Christ's eye could see no sign of the operation of what the religious principle in it. And all that he could say about it was, thou art neither cold nor hot. Look at the verse again. I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. And that word cold means chilly, sluggish, inert. One destitute of this warm Christian faith, and the desire for holiness. That's what Jesus is saying about this particular church. And the word hot means boiled. Metaphorically of just fervor of what mind and zeal. Glowing just with zeal, fervent. The popular New Testament says it seems only possible to think of a coldness as its real attachment to the world and active opposition to the church. And the word hot can only express warm and what Christians feel. The church at its Laodicea was what neither cold nor hot. It had received the truth outwardly, but no deep impression had been made upon it. So let's get personal. Which describes you? Jesus is what's describing this church. Which describes you, hot or cold? Which describes you? Are you destitute of this warm Christian faith? Or the desire for holiness? Or do you have a fervent zeal for the things of God and are acting upon them? Notice that what Jesus wanted them to be one or the other. Look at the verse again. I could wish you were cold or hot. Cold or hot. So had it been hot, it would have been all that Jesus wished. Had it been cold, it just would at least have possessed those elements of a natural character, which might be turned to a dissatisfactory issue. But as it was, nothing could be made of it. The pulpit commentary says this. The lukewarmness, which is in verse 16, where Jesus puts his finger on it, of this which the epistle complains was what produced by a felicious sense of security, begotten of ease and prosperity. In what truth, those secure without care had become the careless ones. They didn't have need of anything. They even said that. But they had need of everything. We will see that in an upcoming sermon. What a dangerous spiritual place this church was in. It was dangerous spiritually for them. David Gusick says, I could wish that, that you were cold or hot. What Jesus wants to change in us as much as anything is the deceptive, the deceptive playing of the middle. Trying to please both the world and Jesus. This was a rich church. They had much. that the world had to offer, but just when it came to the Lord, they were failing. Let me ask you, what does God know of you? What does he know of you? Doesn't he know everything about us? Now sometimes we don't understand ourselves. Sometimes I would do things, why did I do that? I don't know. But you know, God knows. God knows. Are you hot? Are you cold? Or are you lukewarm? God can work with cold. He wants us hot. But with lukewarmness, we'll see next time that he will spit you out of his mouth. Let's look at a few verses to contemplate here. 1 John 2.15. Oh, I'm sorry, 1 John 2.15, let me put it on the screen. And that verse says, love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. What a convicting verse. Where's your love? What things do you love? I once had a neighbor, he washed his car every single day. Yeah, brand new car, he bought a Ford, I forget what it was. I think they only made them two years because they weren't that good of a car. But every day, Yeah, he's out there washing it or just wiping it down. And then one day somebody got too close to it and he came out with a baseball bat. He loved his car. Didn't love God. Didn't love God and then he wrecked that car one night running from the police. Go figure. Where's your love? Is it in God? Is it in the things of God? Or is it in the world, in the things of the world? This verse said they were rich. Verse 17. Could they have loved the things of the world more than the things of God? Could we? Next verse to a contemplate, Luke 16, 13, please, Luke 16, verse 13. Jesus speaking, no servant can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other. or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and man in which is wealth. Yet it appears this church may have been trying to do that. Maybe some of us try to do the same thing. It can't be done. God needs to have first place. God needs to get all of our love, not part of it. Next verse to a contemplate, 2 Timothy 4.10. Here Paul mentions one man. For Demas hath forsaken me. You see me having loved this present, this present, this, this present world. This man loved the present world. Not God. Yet at one point he was serving God, what together with Paul, but now, He had forsaken Paul. He had forsaken God. He had forsaken the truth. May we not be like the Laodiceans. May we not be like Demas. We have a name. May my name, Donnie, not be there. May your name not be there. May we guard what we have. And may we be hot for the things of God. May we not be lukewarm. Let's pray. Father, thank you for this church. Lord, even though it is mentioned negatively, there is nothing positive about this church, Lord. We can still learn from it. Lord, we can learn who you are. The Amen. The faithful am a true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. Lord, help us, Lord, to examine ourselves, to see, Lord, if we are hot, cold, or lukewarm. And Lord, help us to make necessary, necessary changes, if what need be. May we learn, Lord, as we continue looking at this church in the next couple of weeks. In Jesus' name, amen.