Greetings, this is Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church with a moment of truth where we challenge you to think through an important issue of life and faith. And today, I want to challenge you to think through the issue of what does our Lord have to say to the church in Laodicea that has application to us today? What does he say to them that he also says to us? Now, the church in Laodicea is a church in Asia to whom our Lord wrote a letter in the book of Revelation. We're looking at the book of Revelation in our study of our series here, and we're looking at Revelation at a pretty close angle here.

So we're taking each of these letters, looking very closely, because they are going to cast a huge shadow over the rest of the book of Revelation, whether we're talking about tribulation, great tribulation, or rapture, or 666, or the beast, or whatever it might be. So let's look today at the book of Revelation, chapter 3, the letter to the church in Laodicea. But before we read that letter, I want to get you up to date on a Bible study that's going to be happening here very soon, in the month of October. And it's going to be called Revealing Revelation, a community study of the apocalypse. Revealing revelation.

Someone once said that for a book to be called Revelation, that is that which is being revealed, it's so obscure that it's hard to understand. Well, not always, not once you get the mode of interpretation going. So we're going to be revealing revelation in our Bible study here in the near future, a community study of the apocalypse. And it's going to be a community Bible study. And so we're going to hold it in a public place at Starbucks on 17th Street in Idaho Falls.

Starbucks at 900 East 17th Street in Idaho Falls. So we'll be able to relax in a public atmosphere, a community Bible study of Revelation. And it's going to begin Thursday, October 10th. And it's going to run from 7 p.m. to 8 15 p.m. precisely. And the leaders for this study, myself, Pastor David Bass of New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

And secondly, Pastor Mike Gilea of Share the Sun Ministries. And you can get more information about this Bible study. We would ask that you call if you want to join us for this, 208-523-0196. You don't have to, but we would like to have some idea of how many people are going to be there. And call us for more information and to let us know that you'll be there.

That's area code 208-523-0196 for the Bible study, Revealing Revelation, a community study of the apocalypse. We want you to bring your opinions, your views, your perspectives on this fantastic book of the Bible, the book of Revelation, beginning Thursday, October 10th from 7 to 8 15 p.m. at Starbucks, 900 East 17th Street in Idaho Falls. Well, let's get to where we are then in Revelation now, at least. And it is in Revelation chapter 3, the letter to the church in Laodicea. And it goes this, 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.

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, I am rich, I have acquired wealth and duty, but you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, excuse me, poor and blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire so that you can become rich, and white clothes to wear so that you can cover your shameful nakedness, and salve to put on your eyes so you can see.

Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my, just as I 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. The letter to the church in Laodicea in the book of Revelation chapter three. Well, we saw last week that the church in Laodicea was one who received no commendation, but only condemnation, and you heard that in the letter, right? Most of the other churches in Asia received a measure of commendation and a measure of condemnation. But we saw several weeks ago that the church in Philadelphia received only commendation and no condemnation.

But now we see the church in Laodicea, only condemnation, only rebuke. But that doesn't mean he doesn't love the saints in Laodicea, the church in Laodicea. He does, but he disciplines those whom he loves, doesn't he? We saw an explanation for the idea of hot and cold last week that Laodicea was a city in which they had to have water piped in, and they had it piped in from two sources, one very cold water and one very hot water. And in each situation, the hot water, for instance, was medicinal and strong in minerals and so forth, and so it was very medicinal and good to bathe in as well, hot.

But then there was the sweet, cold water from the city of Hierapolis, which was also very salutary and good in its own way because it was pleasant to drink. But by the time either water reached Laodicea, hot or cold, it was lukewarm. And Jesus is saying, you're like your water, lukewarm. I wish you were either hot or cold. That is salutary.

They would be beneficial as a church if that were the case, but their spiritual condition was lukewarm, and he is ready to do what every visitor to Laodicea would do once it tasted that water, and that was spit it out. That was the first reaction to Laodicea's water. Well, let us go on to verses 18 and 20 then as well. Today, where we look at the church in Laodicea, and the point I want to make from these verses, verses 18 through 20, the point that could be made is, before the one who sees truly and in faithfulness, I urge you to repent and be prepared to suffer and labor in good works. That is the essence of verses 18 to 20.

Our Lord says four. That is, our Lord lays out a series of antitheses here in verses 18 to 20. That is opposites. They are under the illusion that they are rich and prospering and need not a thing. Thank you.

But here's where the antitheses come in. Excuse me. That is the stark contrast between their figuring they are rich and prospering and need not a thing. Oh, our Lord says, number one, you instead are wretched, pitiable, and poor. Oh, in the world's eyes, Laodicea was anything but wretched, pitiable, and poor.

No. In the world's eyes, in the eyes of the rest of the Roman Empire, the city of Laodicea was prosperous. They were the financial center of Asia, kind of like the Wall Street of Asia, with banks and commerce houses, trade guilds that set policy for the rest of the continent. They were kind of all together, wrapped in one, the New York City, the London, and Tokyo of the Asian Peninsula. In the eyes of the Roman Empire, Laodicea was anything but wretched, pitiable, and poor, but rather respectable, enviable, and rich.

But Christ is describing the spiritual state of the church there, not their worldly state. Our Lord sees with spiritual eyes, doesn't he? He sees into the hearts of men. In antithesis, you wealthy, self-satisfied fat cats, our Lord says, buy from me, rather, gold refined bearer. That is, Christian character shaped by suffering and tribulation.

This is for us today as well, for the church as well, to be purified. Many churches, and perhaps the church in America, must have its Christian character shaped by suffering and tribulation. That's what we're in for. You're not going to be raptured out of it, even as Paul alludes in 1 Corinthians, where the dross is consumed, right? What remains is that which endures, gold, silver, and precious stones.

The hearts and the character of the church in Laodicea needed to have their dross consumed, refined by fire, i.e. suffering and tribulation, so that what would remain is solid Christian character, gold, silver, and precious stones. Sometimes discipline, sometimes tribulation and suffering does precisely these things, even though we don't like it, even though it doesn't seem pleasant at the time, as Peter says. Well, not only are they not rich, prospering, and not needing a thing, oh, our Lord says, you're blind. You are wretched, pitiable, and poor, but you are also blind.

Now, this had personal application. The saints in Laodicea would say, ouch, because Laodicea was world-renowned for an eye salve, a particular blend of elements which provided a renowned eye salve, and for its treatment of ocular disease. The Greek historian Stravel called Laodicea, and the powders that they had, the salve, a Phrygian powder. So, they were famous throughout Asia for their treatment of ocular disease, eye diseases. Laodicea had a long-standing medical school, too, established in Stravel's day.

They were kind of like the Johns Hopkins of the ancient world when it came to training physicians. How can we be blind, they would say, but our Lord calls them blind, spiritually blind, and urges them to get eye salve from him, that is, spiritual healing for spiritual sight, that they might be healed, even as the blind man in John chapter 9 was healed, not only physically, but spiritually. That man, blind man in John chapter 9 said, I know not from whence he comes. All I know is that once I was blind, but now I see all the saints in Laodicea, and they to exclaim the same thing.

Well, not only are they not rich and prospering and needing not a thing, oh, but they are also naked. And once again, culturally, the church in Laodicea would say, ouch, because Laodicea produced a unique product in all the Roman Empire, and that is an exquisite, soft, shiny black wool from which the finest garments in the world were made. So to the surrounding world, Laodicea was anything but naked. In fact, as a consequence of her fabulous woolen trade, clothing and fabric from all over the Roman Empire flowed into Laodicea too as a secondary consequence. She was the fashion center of Asia.

So to say she was naked would hurt in particular, but our Lord counsels them to buy from him white garments, standing for righteousness, of course, white garments, so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen. Well, this is now the third of seven allusions in the book of Revelation to the glistening white garments of righteousness, which are symbols for the good works of the saints. We're going to see this throughout Revelation that the Apostle John uses glistening white garments to stand for the righteousness of the saints.

I know your works, he says, would that they were like these, oh, but lest they despair of being rejected altogether by the Lord. He balances this stern rebuke using cultural illusions, things they would understand, a life they were already living, whether it was with a wealthy bankers or with eye salve or with rich clothing. All of these things our Lord uses then to show them what they need. He says, those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Those whom I love, and he does.

A father loves a child and disciplines him. And in fact, father, if you do not discipline your children, you do not say you love them. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Now, as we observed throughout the New Testament, loving parents discipline. That's all there is to it.

Loving parents discipline. No discipline present, no love present. Our father disciplines us for our benefit, and thus he loves us. It's meant to lead us to repentance and zeal for righteousness. And correspondingly, a true child of the father who loves him will repent.

A false and rebellious child will not repent. Which are the Laodiceans? All history would prove, because the church disappeared from Laodicea. Which are the Laodiceans? Which are we, dear brothers and sisters, will we repent here in the United States of America?

America, because we have all of these ostensible riches as well. We have banking centers, right? We're the wealthiest nation in the world. We have amazing medicine in the West here in America as well. We have amazing clothing.

But all of these things, our Lord says, don't count a wit with him. It's the spiritual side of these things. Spiritual sight, the clothing of righteousness that counts, right? But lest they despair, the church in Laodicea, and consequently, lest we despair as well. We should not despair.

Lest we despair of being rejected altogether by the Lord, our Lord balances stern rebuke with assurance as to the reason. He says, those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. And as further encouragement and promise to the Laodiceans, our Lord gives promise of his gracious presence amongst his church in this famous parable. He says, behold, I stand at the door and knock. Almost all of us know this verse, don't we?

In a day and time when motel six and holiday inns had not yet negotiated proper contracts to reach this part of the world? Well, the grace of hospitality was a treasured virtue. Behold, I stand at the door. In fact, lives depended on it. And Laodicea, at the crossroads of two major trade routes, saw a constant flow of travelers in need of accommodations.

Do you see how the Lord tailors his scriptures to the culture and background of the people to whom he writes? To receive a knock at the door at any time of day or night meant that someone, a friend or a stranger, sought shelter and fellowship with you. Famous painting by Warner Solomon of our Lord knocking on the door in the broad daylight, of course, with vegetation around him, but it's a beautiful painting. And of course, our Lord was friend, hopefully, and this is a bid to renew fellowship with him. Jesus standing at the door knocking.

So in its context, it is not an Arminian model of evangelism. Jesus does not beg and plead for you in your free will to open the door of your heart and receive him for salvation. That's not the point of this parable. And I've seen preachers milk this for all it's worth in their altar calls. And so it's a misapplication of the text to say this is an evangelism.

No, the fellowship text. Rather, the intimate fellowship of a meal is put forth. This is a motif in Revelation that will culminate in the marriage supper of the lamb, a meal. Yes. Now we reprise this fellowship of an evening supper.

It's shades of the Emmaus road, isn't it? And we reprise this fellowship of an evening supper every Sunday, too, in the Lord's Supper. Join us at New Geneva to have this meal, this intimate fellowship meal with the Lord at the Lord's table every Sunday. Well, at the end of discipline, then, is restoration and loving fellowship. That's the point of this text.

It's not all, though. And move on, then, to verses 21 and 22. And we'll close with this. The point that is made from verses 21 to 22 is, Church in Laodicea, before the one who sees truly and in faithfulness, endeavor to rule with Christ in his kingdom rather than a mere provincial capital. Rule with Christ, Laodicea, or church in Idaho Falls, or wherever you're listening, endeavor to rule with Christ in his kingdom rather than a mere provincial capital.

Verses 21 and 22. This involves some cultural background. Our Lord extends a promise to those who conquer, again, as he does through every letter to those who conquer. For the seventh time, repetition being the heart of learning, for the seventh time that we might remember this motif throughout Revelation, dominion is our destiny, dear listener, dominion of all of creation, is our destiny. Not a rapture and a retreat, not failure, but dominion.

The model for Revelation, as we've said again and again, is Exodus and Joshua. The model for Revelation is Exodus and Joshua, the conquest, the conquest of the land. And this will kick into warp drive here in the immediate chapters following. But for the seventh time now, of what nature is this conquest that we are on? And what are our weapons of conquest?

Oh, the visions lay before us, do they not? Oh, pastor, they're political, and we must be ruthless in acquiring political power like the Democrats. Or they're martial, and we must be brutal in using them. We must use the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines to conquer. Is that it?

Or are they economic in amassing that wealth for power to conquer? No, that's the world's way, isn't it? We see it miserably around us in spades so often, do we not? For Chairman Mao for existence, for example, excuse me, for Chairman Mao and the worldling political power comes from the barrel of a gun, doesn't it? But for us, spiritual power comes from the blood of the cross.

And that is our way of conquering, our mode of conquering through the blood of the cross. Whence our weapons, too. Paul says the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds. Oh, these are our weapons. Our battle is primarily spiritual, brothers and sisters.

Spiritual, but it does have real-world consequences, perhaps in the political and economic sphere. But it begins, and it is first and foremost a spiritual power. And so our weapons are spiritual. We conquer by the blood of the cross, as Revelation insists. We conquer by our deeds of love and righteousness, our works, dear listener, as Revelation bears out for us, and through tribulation and suffering, as the book of Revelation bears out for us, by the word of God, as the book of Revelation bears out for us.

These are our weapons. We conquer by worship and the sacraments, once again, as Revelation bears out for us. All of these culminating in the promise of dominion. Dominion is our destiny, dear saints. This has been the history of the church throughout the world as well.

John puts it this way. He says, the one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my father on his throne. So we see another major motif here, culminating in Revelation chapter 20, where Revelation chapter 20 says, Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Here were promised in chapter 3, and rule as well. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, the word of God, who had not worshipped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands.

They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years, unquote. Now, as we will make clear throughout the book of Revelation, this is not some future reality for a literal thousand year millennium. No, no, no. Gotten it so wrong over the years. Rather, it is a present reality, growing more so as the centuries roll.

By spiritual weapons, we conquer God's physical world, and by virtue of our resurrection life in Christ, we reign with him now from heaven over earth, not in some future kingdom, but that is his kingdom right now. It is ours to take dominion now. Dominion is our destiny. It is our mission now, for thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Well, that's a good summary of our mission, right there in the Lord's Prayer.

God's kingdom come, his will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We are responsible by the power of God to make that happen. And I hope that you've trained your ear to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches over these seven letters. We've now concluded the seven letters to the churches in Asia. And we do not interpret Revelation in the wooden, literalistic fashion of the dispensationalists.

No, we interpret it according to its genre. That is, its genre, its kind or type of writing is apocalyptic with its own rules and means of communicating beautiful, important, and meaningful symbols and metaphors, for example, communicate to us in the book of Revelation a present reality for the church, including the seven churches of Asia that John addresses here. And we've seen that those seven churches represent symbolically the whole entire church through church history, addressing issues that crop up in the lives of churches all through church history.

As you have seen, these letters did not fly over their heads for a special delivery to a church 2,000 years hence. This book, is not about rapture, red heifers, and barcodes tattooed on your forehead. No, it was meant for them and consequently meant for us as well, dear listener. Therefore, the whole church, these letters are for the whole church throughout redemptive history. Well, this has been Pastor David Bass, who the whole church throughout church history has relished this fellowship in the setting of a meal from the beginning, as we have seen.

And this has been Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Now, I want to remind you again of our Bible study on the book of Revelation. If these have challenged your thinking, come to this Bible study, community Bible study we're sponsoring. It's going to be a community Bible study at Starbucks at 900 East 17th Street in Idaho Falls. And bring your opinions, bring your perspectives, your views to our study.

It's called Revealing Revelation, a community study of the apocalypse. And it's going to begin Thursday, October 10th from 7 to 8 15 p.m. at Starbucks at 900 17th Street. Each Thursday thereafter, it's going to be led by myself, Pastor David Bass of New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church. I'm team teaching it with Mike Gilea of Share the Sun Ministries. Pastor Mike Gilea of Share the Sun Ministries.

You can call us for more information about this Bible study on Revelation at area code 208-523-0196. This has been Pastor David Bass and New Geneva Meets for Holy Worship on Sunday at 10 a.m. at 101 4th Street on the corner of 4th and Boulevard. Come and join us for worship. I'm preaching through Revelation right now. Come and join us at New Geneva.

We meet for Holy Worship at 10 a.m. at 101 4th Street on the corner of 4th and Boulevard. Call us for feedback or more information, 208-523-0196.