Imagine going to the doctor for a routine checkup.
The doctor asks:
“How are you feeling?”
You say:
“I’m good.”
“I feel healthy.”
“Nothing is wrong.”
Then the doctor looks at your test results and says:
“We need to talk.”
Nothing good usually begins with:
“We need to talk.”
When your spouse says that, suddenly you start remembering everything you have done for the last three months.
When your boss says that, your prayer life becomes very strong. “Lord, You are still on the throne.”
And when the doctor says it, suddenly you regret every cheeseburger you have eaten.
The doctor says:
“We found something.”
You answer:
“But I feel fine.”
And the doctor says:
“You may feel fine, but the examination revealed something you could not see.”
That is exactly what happens to the church in Laodicea.
They examined themselves and said:
“I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.”
Basically:
“Jesus, we’re fine.”
But Jesus examined them and said:
“You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”
They said:
“We are rich.”
Jesus said:
“You are poor.”
They thought they were properly dressed.
Jesus said:
“You are naked.”
They thought they could see.
Jesus said:
“You are blind.”
And perhaps the most frightening words are:
“You do not realize…”
Their greatest problem was not simply their spiritual condition.
Their greatest problem was: THEY DID NOT KNOW THEIR CONDITION.
And that can happen to Christians.
We can attend church.
We can sing.
Serve.
Lead.
Preach.
Know Bible verses.
And slowly become spiritually lukewarm.
So tonight, don’t ask:
“Who needs this message?”
Ask: “JESUS, WHAT DO YOU SEE IN ME?”
Revelation 3:15–22
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.”
LET'S PRAY
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
ABOUT JOHN
The book of Revelation identifies its writer as John.
Revelation 1:9 says:
“I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus…”
Early Christian tradition strongly identified him with John the apostle, though scholars have discussed the exact identification.
John tells us he was on the island of Patmos:
“because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.”
This was not a vacation.
No resort.
No buffet.
He was there because of his faithfulness to Christ.
On Patmos, John received a revelation of the risen Jesus Christ.
That means Revelation 3 is not merely John criticizing a church.
John is the messenger but Jesus is the one speaking.
And Jesus says:
“I know your deeds.”
We can fool people.
Sometimes we can even fool ourselves.
But there is no spiritual filter with Jesus.
He sees everything clearly.
LAODICEA
Laodicea was a prosperous city in Asia Minor, in what is now modern-day Turkey.
And Jesus uses things the city was known for to expose the condition of the church.
THEY HAD MONEY - GOLD
Laodicea was known for prosperity and commerce.
Yet Jesus said:
“You are poor.”
They had money.
But they were spiritually bankrupt.
THEY HAD CLOTHING
The region was associated with valuable wool and clothing.
Yet Jesus said:
“You are naked.”
They could dress the body.
But they could not clothe the soul.
THEY HAD MEDICINE
The wider region was associated with medicine, including remedies connected with the eyes.
Yet Jesus said:
“You are blind.”
They had treatment for physical eyes.
But only Christ could heal spiritual blindness.
And then Jesus talks about their water.
Nearby Hierapolis had hot springs.
Colossae was associated with refreshing cold water.
But Laodicea’s water could arrive lukewarm and unpleasant.
Jesus says:
“Because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”
Have you ever expected cold water and accidentally drank warm water?
You take one sip and immediately think:
“No thank you.”
Jesus says:
“That is what your spiritual condition has become.”
The city had:
money—but spiritual poverty.
clothing—but spiritual nakedness.
medicine—but spiritual blindness.
And then Jesus gives them three remedies:
Gold.
White clothes.
Eye salve.
But notice the most important words:
“Buy from me…”
from Jesus.
SECTION ONE — GOLD REFINED BY FIRE
JESUS IS OUR TRUE TREASURE
Jesus says:
“Buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich.”
The Laodiceans thought they were rich.
Jesus said:
“You are poor.”
Why?
Because material wealth and spiritual wealth are not the same thing.
You can have money in the bank and still have an empty soul.
You can own many things and still possess nothing that will survive eternity.
Jesus tells the story in Luke 12 about a wealthy man who accumulated more and more.
He built bigger barns.
He told himself:
“Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”
But God said:
“You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you.”
Jesus said it is possible to possess earthly wealth and still not be:
“rich toward God.”
So the question is not merely:
“How much do I have?”
The question is: “AM I RICH TOWARD GOD?”
Gold represents true spiritual wealth from Christ.
First Peter 1:7 compares genuine faith to gold refined by fire.
7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Fire reveals what is genuine.
It is easy to say:
“I trust God”
when everything is going well.
Bills are paid: “God is good!”
Promotion comes: “Praise the Lord!”
Doctor says everything is healthy: “God is faithful!”
But what happens when the fire comes?
When the answer to prayer is delayed?
When finances become difficult?
When someone disappoints you?
When sickness comes?
When following Jesus becomes costly?
Sometimes we pray Monday and expect God to answer Tuesday.
By Wednesday we are saying:
“Lord, just following up on my previous request.”
But sometimes God says:
“Trust Me.”
Trials reveal what our faith is built upon.
FIRE ALSO PURIFIES
Gold is refined because impurities must be removed.
Sometimes difficult seasons expose things in us.
Pride.
Self-reliance.
Materialism.
Fear.
Dependence on people.
Dependence on success.
Sometimes the fire reveals:
“I thought I trusted Jesus, but I was really trusting my money.”
“I thought my identity was in Christ, but it was actually in my position.”
God uses the fire to show us what comfort sometimes hides.
JESUS IS THE TRUE TREASURE
But gold ultimately points beyond spiritual blessings.
The greatest treasure is: JESUS HIMSELF.
Paul said:
“I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
There is a difference between saying:
“Jesus, give me what I want.”
and:
“JESUS, YOU ARE WHAT I WANT.”
Yes,
Ask Him for help.
Ask Him for provision.
Ask Him for healing.
But mature faith eventually says:
“Even if I lose everything else, I still have Christ.”
That is true wealth.
So ask yourself: “WHAT IS MY TREASURE?”
Money?
Career?
Comfort?
Recognition?
Ministry?
Or Jesus?
Gold refined by fire means:
“Jesus, make me rich in what matters eternally.”
SECTION TWO — WHITE CLOTHES
JESUS IS OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS
Jesus says:
“White clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness.”
Laodicea was known for clothing.
Jesus says:
“Your real problem cannot be solved by another outfit.”
This takes us back to Genesis.
Adam and Eve sinned.
They realized they were naked.
And immediately they tried to cover themselves.
They used fig leaves.
Which tells you they were desperate.
Nobody looks at a fig tree and says:
“That would make a comfortable outfit.”
But sin produces shame.
And shame causes people to hide.
We still hide.
We just use different coverings.
Religion.
Good works.
Church attendance.
Ministry.
Titles.
Reputation.
Morality.
Comparison.
We say:
“At least I’m better than that person.”
But God did not ask:
“Are you better than that person?”
Sometimes we compare ourselves to somebody doing worse so we can feel spiritually healthy.
That is like saying:
“My car only has three flat tires. His has four, so I’m doing great.”
No.
You still need help.
The Bible says in Isaiah 61:
“He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness.”
God must provide the covering.
Second Corinthians 5:21 says:
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Jesus was righteous.
We were guilty.
Jesus lived without sin.
We did not.
Yet Jesus went to the cross.
He bore the judgment our sins deserved.
And those who repent and trust Him are forgiven and accepted before God.
Our confidence is not:
“I am good enough.”
Our confidence is:
At the cross, Jesus was stripped.
Mocked.
Humiliated.
The sinless One entered our shame.
The righteous One carried the judgment of sinners.
Jesus bore our shame so we could receive righteousness.
White garments in Revelation also point toward purity and faithful living.
We are not saved because we live holy lives.
But people who have truly been saved are called to live holy lives.
Grace forgives us.
And grace changes us.
So ask:
Does my life reflect Jesus?
My speech?
My marriage?
My workplace?
My relationships?
My private decisions?
Sometimes we are extremely spiritual inside the church.
“Praise the Lord!”
Then somebody cuts us off in traffic and suddenly the fruit of the Spirit disappears.
Holiness is not only how we behave inside church.
It is how Christ transforms our entire life.
So white clothes remind us:
The prayer becomes:
“Jesus, cover my guilt and transform my life.”
Jesus says:
“Salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.”
This may be the most dangerous problem.
They were poor.
They were naked.
But they were blind.
And blindness kept them from recognizing everything else.
Jesus says:
“You do not realize…”
They could not see themselves correctly.
Spiritual blindness means we do not see things the way God sees them.
We say:
“I’m fine.”
Jesus says:
“You're drifting.”
We say:
“I’m just busy.”
Jesus says:
“You stopped seeking Me.”
We say:
“I’m confident.”
Jesus sees pride.
We say:
“I’ve forgiven them.”
Jesus says:
“Then why have you told fourteen people what they did?”
Sometimes we say:
“I’m not gossiping. I’m just sharing a prayer request.”
And somehow that prayer request contains every detail since 2007.
Spiritual blindness causes us to rename things.
Pride becomes confidence.
Greed becomes ambition.
Bitterness becomes discernment.
Gossip becomes concern.
Compromise becomes freedom.
Jesus says:
“You need Me to help you see.”
David prayed:
“Search me, God, and know my heart.”
That is a healthy prayer.
But be careful.
Sometimes we pray:
“Lord, show me what is wrong with me.”
And then when God shows us, we say:
“No, Lord, not that.”
We want God to search our heart but skip certain rooms.
Spiritual maturity says:
Show me my pride.
Show me my bitterness.
Show me my compromise.
Show me what I love more than You.
Show me where I have become lukewarm.
A spiritually blind person constantly asks:
“What is wrong with everybody else?”
A spiritually growing person asks:
The eye salve represents spiritual sight and discernment.
The prayer is:
“Jesus, let me see what You see.”
Now put everything together.
Jesus says:
“You are poor.”
His answer:
Gold.
Jesus says:
“You are naked.”
His answer:
White clothes.
Jesus says:
“You are blind.”
His answer:
Eye salve.
And where do all three come from?
“From me.”
So:
Three needs.
One Savior.
Laodicea looked successful.
Jesus saw poverty.
So don’t only ask:
“Is my career good?”
“Are my finances good?”
“Is my ministry good?”
Ask:
Am I praying?
Am I reading Scripture?
Am I obeying?
Am I repenting?
Is Jesus still precious to me?
Jesus already knows.
Stop pretending.
If there is sin:
Bring it into the light.
If there is bitterness:
Repent.
If there is pride:
Repent.
If there is compromise:
Repent.
Jesus does not expose us merely to embarrass us.
He exposes us so He can restore us.
Pray:
“Lord, show me what I cannot see.”
Not:
“Lord, show my husband.”
Not:
“Lord, show my wife.”
Not:
“Lord, I hope Brother So-and-So is listening.”
No.
Now the tone changes.
Jesus has diagnosed them.
But He does not simply condemn them and walk away.
He says:
“Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.”
Notice:
Jesus confronts them because He loves them.
True love tells the truth.
If someone you love is walking toward danger, you warn them.
And Jesus loves His church enough to say:
“Something is wrong.”
Sometimes conviction hurts.
But conviction can also be mercy.
If God is exposing something tonight, maybe the prayer should not be:
“Lord, why are You making me uncomfortable?”
Maybe it should be:
“Thank You for not allowing me to remain blind.”
Jesus says:
“So be earnest and repent.”
He does not say:
“Think about repentance.”
He says:
If prayer has died:
Turn.
If sin has become comfortable:
Turn.
If bitterness controls you:
Turn.
If you are living a double life:
Turn.
If money has become your security:
Turn.
If ministry has replaced Jesus:
Turn.
Repentance means saying:
Then Jesus says:
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.”
Remember:
He is speaking to a church.
That is serious.
The church still had activity.
People still gathered.
But Jesus pictures Himself outside the door.
It is possible to have:
Songs without worship.
Ministry without prayer.
Bible knowledge without obedience.
Church activity without intimacy with Jesus.
But notice the grace:
He has not abandoned them.
He wants fellowship restored.
Jesus says:
“If anyone hears my voice…”
Not everybody.
You cannot force everybody else to respond.
But you can respond.
Revival can begin with one person saying:
“Jesus, I hear You.”
Maybe Jesus has your Sunday.
But does He have your Monday?
Maybe He has your ministry.
But does He have your private life?
Maybe He has your worship songs.
But does He have your decisions?
Is there an area where Jesus is still knocking?
Jesus says:
“I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”
That speaks of fellowship.
Jesus does not merely want your work.
He wants you.
Sometimes we become so busy doing things for Jesus that we stop spending time with Jesus.
Serving.
Leading.
Planning.
Meetings.
More meetings.
Meetings about the last meeting.
But where is prayer?
Where is intimacy?
Where is worship?
Jesus says:
Jesus says:
“To the one who is victorious…”
Here is hope.
Their current condition did not have to become their final condition.
You may be lukewarm.
You do not have to stay lukewarm.
You may have drifted.
You can return.
You may have fallen.
You can repent.
Jesus calls us to persevere.
Keep following.
Keep believing.
Keep repenting.
Keep obeying.
And Jesus says:
“Just as I was victorious…”
Our victory is rooted in His victory.
Jesus went to the cross.
Jesus died.
Jesus rose again.
Death did not defeat Him.
The grave could not hold Him.
And we overcome because we belong to the victorious Christ.
Jesus ends:
“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
So now the question is no longer:
“What was wrong with Laodicea?”
The question becomes:
It is possible to hear the sermon.
Laugh at the jokes.
Take notes.
Say:
“Good message.”
And remain unchanged.
Jesus does not say:
“Whoever has ears, let them rate the sermon.”
He says:
Tonight we have seen three needs:
Gold.
White clothes.
Eye salve.
But underneath all three is one great need:
Maybe tonight you need the gold.
You have been depending on money.
Success.
Recognition.
Comfort.
Say:
“Jesus, become my treasure again.”
Maybe tonight you need white clothes.
There is something you have been hiding.
Say:
“Jesus, forgive me. Cleanse me. Change me.”
Maybe tonight you need eye salve.
Say:
“Jesus, open my eyes. Show me what I cannot see.”
And maybe you still believe.
You still come to church.
You still serve.
But you know:
“My heart has become lukewarm.”
Listen to Jesus:
“Those whom I love…”
He is calling because He loves you.
“Be earnest and repent.”
Turn.
“I stand at the door and knock.”
Open.
“If anyone hears my voice…”
Listen.
“To the one who is victorious…”
Persevere.
Maybe you know church.
You know Bible stories.
You know Christian language.
But knowing Christianity is not the same as knowing Christ.
We cannot save ourselves.
We cannot cover our guilt.
We cannot cure our spiritual blindness.
But Jesus Christ came for sinners.
He lived without sin.
He died on the cross.
He bore the judgment our sin deserves.
He rose bodily from the dead.
And He calls us to repent and believe.
Turn from sin.
Trust Jesus Christ.
Surrender to Him.
Follow Him.
Do not merely repeat words because someone pressures you.
Respond sincerely to the living Christ.
Jesus says:
“Those whom I love…”
His correction comes from love.
“Be earnest and repent.”
Turn.
“I stand at the door and knock.”
Open.
“To the one who is victorious…”
Persevere.
“Whoever has ears…”
Listen.
Three needs:
Gold.
White clothes.
Eye salve.
One Savior:
Jesus is our treasure.
Jesus is our righteousness.
Jesus is our light.
And perhaps our prayer tonight should simply be:
Church—
Hear Him.
Repent.
Open the door.