Salvation is Forever: Session 6 – What Makes Jesus Sick

Notes:

What Makes Jesus Sick?    See Session Slides Here

  • Rev. 3:15-16. The condemnation given by Jesus paraphrased, is: ‘You make me sick!’
  • What prompted Him to say this to a church? And what does it mean?
  • A common interpretation is that if we’re not on fire for God we will lose our salvation.
  • This would mean that God accepts us or rejects us on the level of our zeal.
  • But Jesus said that we’re better to be cold than lukewarm. Either hot or cold is good.

In order to understand it properly we need to consider the following:

1) The Background to the City

Laodicea was a very wealthy city. Three things attributed to its wealth:

  • It was a banking centre and one of the wealthiest cities in the world
  • It manufactured fabrics, woollen clothing and carpets from the wool of local sheep
  • It had a famous medical school which exported to the world special eye and ear ointment

2) The Background to the Church

  • It was the only church of the seven that received no word of praise.
  • Colosse and Laodicea were neighbours, Col.4:13,15-16. The message to Colosse is found in Col.2:1-3. It is a strong warning against flesh-based Christianity.
  • Authentic Christianity is based on union and communion with Christ and holds fast to the Head. One is organic and the other is pragmatic (Col.2:19).

 3) The Letter To Laodicea

  • Rev. 3:15-16. The problem with this church was not apathy. They were not slack; they were busy. But it was their works that made Jesus want to vomit. Their works were lukewarm. The problem was not that they were not doing deeds. It was how they were doing them.
  • ‘Hot’ is when you are on fire for God with God’s ‘…who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works’ (Titus 2:14). This is Spirit-led and Spirit-empowered fire.
  • ‘Cold’ is when we do nothing until God’s fire burns, otherwise it would be in the flesh.
  • Lukewarmness is a mixture of hot and cold. The result is a form of godliness without the power of God. See Rom. 10:2; Phil.3:6; Gal.1:14; 4:17-18; Matt.7:21-23.

Rev. 3:17. This self-confident church was popular, pragmatic, prosperous and proud – but powerless.

  • You say: ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing.’ Their estimation of their wealth was not based upon their riches in Christ, but their own resources.
  • I say: ‘You are ’ This word is only used one other place – Rom.7:24. The difference between Paul was cold; the Laodiceans were lukewarm.
  • ‘You are miserable.’ This word was only used in one other place,  1 Cor.15:19. To be pitied!
  • ‘You are ’ Smyrna was poor, yet rich; Laodicea was rich, though poor.
  • ‘You are ’ You can’t see.
  • ‘You are ’ They were dressed for success, yet naked.

Rev. 3:18-19. Jesus counsels them buy ‘from Me.’ In Him are all the treasures of wisdom, etc…Col.2:3):

  1. Gold tried in the fire; b) White garments; c) Eye salve.

 Rev. 3:20. ‘To the angel of the church of the Laodiceans,’ (and in Col.4:16) it was not His but theirs. Not governed by the Head, but the body. In spite of all its activity Christ was on the outside!

# Answers to this quiz are found in the notes above. Click on quiz to commence. Only correct spelling is recognised. A minimum 70%  correct is required to advance to the next session.