Will you please turn to the book of Revelation, Chapter 3? This afternoon we will read from Revelation 3:14-22.
Again, I will read it in English first, and my dear brother will read it in Chinese.
And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God:
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
So because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of My mouth.
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art the wretched one and miserable and poor and blind and naked:
I counsel thee to buy of Me gold refined by fire, that thou mayest become rich; and white garments, that thou mayest clothe thyself, and that the shame of thy nakedness be not made manifest; and eye-salve to anoint thine eyes, that thou mayest see.
As many as I love, I reprove and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear My voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.
He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down with Me in My throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with My Father in His throne.
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.
Let us have a word of prayer.
Dear Lord, with gratefulness we gather together in Thy presence. We praise and thank Thee for Thy precious promise that Thou wilt be with us.
Dear Lord, we are truly standing on holy ground, and our hearts are open toward Thee. We wait upon Thee to hear what Thou hast to say to us. Speak, Lord; Thy servants hear. We ask in Thy precious name. Amen.
Thank God for gathering us again this afternoon.
This time, we are fellowshipping together concerning the last two churches in the book of Revelation. Yesterday we talked about the church in Philadelphia.
Again, I want to emphasize that the church in Philadelphia is not an ideal church. It is the church after God’s own heart.
Even though, in human thought, it may seem too high or too ideal, so far as God is concerned, this is what He has desired from the very beginning. He has made every provision for it.
If we really trust Him and give ourselves over to Him, His grace is sufficient for it. So I hope that this is our thought: we will not treat it as merely an ideal church, but believe that it is the church God truly desires.
By His grace, this is what we want to be. Let us never be satisfied with less than what it is. By the grace of God, we will press on until God’s thought is fully realized.
Now this afternoon we would like to consider the letter to the church in Laodicea.
We find that it is just the opposite of the church in Philadelphia. One is God’s thought; the other is a man-made church.
Why is it that the Lord should put these two churches before us? On the one hand, He wants to encourage us; but on the other hand, He wants to warn us.
It shows that it is possible even for the church in Philadelphia to fall and become the church in Laodicea. Here you find the warning of our Lord Jesus to us.
Laodicea, we all know, in Greek means “the opinion of the people.” We know that the church is a theocracy; it is not a democracy.
Today everybody looks for democracy. This is the idea of the modern world. But so far as the church is concerned, God’s thought is that it is a theocracy.
In other words, the Bible tells us very clearly:
For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.
—Matthew 18:20
This is the simplest explanation of the church: where believers are gathered together in the name of our Lord Jesus.
Now, the name of the Lord Jesus is not just something to talk about. There is a reality in it. In other words, where His name is, there is His presence.
Because of that, it requires all who gather under His name to be under His authority. He is the Head of the church, and the church is His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all.
So, dear brothers and sisters, what is the church? The very meaning of the church is to be under the authority of Christ. He is the One who rules over the church. It is not the opinion of the people.
But you find how the church has fallen. Instead of being a living organism under the authority of Christ, it has basically fallen into the opinion of the people.
And in spite of that, you find how we boast of what we are. This is what you find in the church in Laodicea.
As usual, our Lord Jesus reveals Himself to this church. Without revelation, there is no church. Without the revelation of our Lord Jesus given to the church, the church will have no testimony.
What is it that the Lord reveals of Himself to Laodicea? “These things saith the Amen.”
Here you find our Lord Jesus telling His church that He is the Amen. He is the beginning and the end. He is always the truth, and all His promises are yea and amen in Christ Jesus.
You remember when Moses was in the wilderness. He saw a vision: he saw a bush burning.
A burning bush was a very common sight in the wilderness because it was very hot, and a bush could easily catch fire. But when it caught fire, it usually finished very quickly.
But Moses saw this burning bush. It was burning, but it was not consumed. This was something strange—unusual. So Moses went over to see what had really happened.
As he approached, a voice came out of the burning bush: “This is holy ground. Remove your shoes.”
There Moses was commanded to go back to Egypt to deliver God’s people. Do you know what Moses asked the Lord? He said, “When I go back to the people, whom shall I say has appeared to me and sent me?”
And the Lord said, “I AM THAT I AM.” He is the Amen. He always is. He is the unchangeable One. He is our solid foundation.
So here you find a revelation of our Lord Jesus to the church: He is God eternal, the unchangeable Word. That is the first revelation.
Then He is revealed as the faithful and true Witness. That refers to His time on earth: how the Word became flesh and tabernacled among men, full of grace and truth.
When our Lord Jesus was on earth, He was a Witness. He was a faithful and true Witness.
You know, the church is supposed to be the witness of our Lord Jesus. The church witnesses to the world what Christ Jesus is—not only by word, but also by life.
Our Lord Jesus, while He was on earth, was the faithful and true Witness. I believe everyone who has read the four Gospels knows how our Lord Jesus was a faithful and true Witness.
He was faithful to His Father, and He was true to His Father. The Father opened the heavens three times and declared, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Here you find our Lord Jesus showing the church in Laodicea how He was the faithful and true Witness. It is to encourage that church to be a true and faithful witness. This is what has been entrusted to the church.
Then He is revealed as the beginning of the creation of God. What does this mean? We need to turn to Colossians 1, beginning with verse 15.
Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
—Colossians 1:15
This “firstborn of all creation” means that He is the beginning of the creation of God. Now there is much problem over this verse.
Some people feel that because it says He is the firstborn of all creation, therefore He is the first created one. But this is a serious error, because our Lord Jesus was not first created.
According to Dr. Lightfoot, a scholar, the word firstborn in Scripture has two different meanings.
First, it may mean that you are born first. That is the common meaning. But as you read the Bible, you find another meaning of firstborn.
Sometimes in the Bible, those who are not born first are put into the first place. For instance, Jacob had twelve sons, and Reuben was the firstborn. But, as you read on, you find that Joseph becomes the firstborn, because the firstborn received the double portion of the inheritance.
You find other instances. For example, David was not the first king, and yet God made him the first king.
So you find there is another special meaning of firstborn. It means priority and sovereignty. He is put in a place of priority and sovereignty.
In this case, the firstborn is used in a special sense—not that He was created first, but that He had priority over creation. Because of that, He has sovereignty over creation.
This is explained in the following verses:
For in Him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through Him, and unto Him.
—Colossians 1:16
Here you find that all things were created in Him. The word translated “by Him” in the first expression is, in Greek, “in Him.”
How can all things be created in Him? Translators found it difficult to express that meaning, so they used the word “by.” But in the following verse it says that all things have been created through Him and unto Him.
So the first expression is “in Him.” All creation has been created in Him—whether it is the things in the heavens or things on the earth, the visible and the invisible, thrones, dominions, principalities, or powers.
What does this mean? Let me use an illustration. My brother was a builder. He built many houses. But before a building is constructed, there is an architect.
We give the architect the idea of what kind of building we want to have, and the architect plans it out. When the building is built, it comes out as the architect has thought.
We can put it another way: the building is built in the architect, because it comes out of his mind. The type of architect will make the type of building. If the architect is artistic, the building will be artistic. Sometimes he may be artistic but not practical, and the building will be impractical.
That is what is meant by “in Him.” The creation was created in Him. It is out of His temperament; it is out of His character. Everything expresses what He is.
That is the reason why the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handiwork, because everything was created in Him.
But it is more than that. The passage continues: “created through Him.” This simply means that He is the contractor—not only the architect, but also the contractor.
The contractor builds a house according to the plan of the architect. I remember, when I was young, visiting my brother’s building site. I saw the blueprints there. I could not understand them, but my brother knew exactly what they meant because he was the contractor. He was the one who actually built according to the idea of the architect.
But it is more than that, because all creation was also created for Him. He is to be the Owner, the Dweller of the building.
For that reason, He is the firstborn of all creation. It was created according to His character; it was created according to what He is; it was created through Him; and He is the Owner.
Here you find the revelation that our Lord gave to the church in Laodicea: that He is the beginning of the creation of God.
As He is the beginning of the old creation, so He is the beginning of the new creation, which is the church.
We thank God that He gave the church in Laodicea a tremendous testimony. This is what our Lord wants the church to be: His witness.
The more you see the revelation of the Lord Jesus to the church, the more you realize how we have fallen short.
Then He said, “I know thy works.” What was the condition of the church in Laodicea? The Lord said, “Thou art neither cold nor hot.”
Brothers and sisters, when you are eating, you do not want food that is too hot, because it will burn your tongue. If it is too cold, you feel uncomfortable. The food that we want to consume is lukewarm food.
That is the nature of fallen human beings. So far as our fallen human nature is concerned, we want lukewarmness. But so far as God is concerned, He wants it either cold or hot.
Why? Because if it is cold, there is hope. God is able to make it hot. But if it is lukewarm, it does not see that it needs God anymore. Man is sufficient for everything.
So here you find that God does not want it to be lukewarm. If you say you do not love the Lord, you do not. But if you say you really love the Lord, yet you love yourself more than the Lord, this is the most difficult situation to handle, because you are satisfied with yourself.
Brothers and sisters, is this not the condition of the church today? If you say the church is hot—no. If you say it is cold—neither. There is something there. There are those who love God, but they do not love God to the uttermost.
Here you find that this is human nature. We feel comfortable with such a situation, but God is very uncomfortable.
The Lord Jesus said, “I would thou wert cold or hot.” Then there is hope. But if it is lukewarm, there is no hope, because you are so satisfied with yourself.
But so far as the Lord is concerned, He said, “I am about to spew you out.” This is the judgment of our Lord.
But now look at how they feel about themselves. When you are in the state of neither cold nor hot, but lukewarm, you will say, “I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing.”
Your estimate is just the opposite of God’s estimate. The people in Laodicea look at themselves and say, “I am rich, and have grown rich, and have need of nothing.”
How can this be? Probably Laodicea came from Philadelphia. In the beginning, there was a Philadelphia feature. The people really had a little power. They knew the power of the Holy Spirit, kept His word, did not deny His name, and kept the word of His patience. They were willing to suffer for the Lord’s sake.
But gradually you find the situation begins to change. Usually, in the first generation, people pay a cost for the truth. But when it comes to the second generation, they inherit all the truth from the first generation, yet they have not paid the cost.
It becomes more a matter of knowledge instead of life. Perhaps when you come to the third generation, even the knowledge has been lost.
Strictly speaking, so far as God is concerned, there is no second generation and no third generation. Everyone is first generation. We need to have firsthand experience. We need to pay the cost for the truth.
Brothers and sisters, knowledge puffeth up, but love buildeth up. Where does love come from? It comes from suffering. So, very likely, the Laodicean condition is fallen Philadelphia.
What is the Lord’s estimate of Laodicea? They say, “I am rich, and have grown rich, and have need of nothing.” But the Lord said, “Thou art wretched and miserable.” That is the estimate of our Lord.
You are wretched, and you are miserable. You do not know where you are.
Then the Lord mentions three things. First, He says, “I counsel thee to buy of Me gold refined by fire, that thou mayest become rich.”
They think that they are rich, that they have grown rich, and that they lack nothing. But the Lord says just the opposite: “You are poor.”
What does He mean by poor? They are rich in knowledge, but they are poor in faith. In other words, their faith has not been touched. Their faith has not gone through fire.
They have big brains, but they have very small faith.
In 1 Peter 1:7, we read:
That the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold that perisheth though it is proved by fire, may be found unto praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
—1 Peter 1:7
Do not feel rich because you have much knowledge, even much theological knowledge in your mind. The point is this: has your knowledge become your life experience?
It may be only something in your mind. You can talk about it, but it is not in your life. You cannot live it out.
It is just like the scribes and the Pharisees. They studied the Old Testament and knew it very well.
You remember when Christ was born and the magi came to Jerusalem. They asked where the King was born. Herod called the scribes and Pharisees and asked them where Christ should be born.
Immediately they could say that He was born in Bethlehem. This was just a verse in the Minor Prophets, but they knew the Bible so well that they did not need to search for it.
You can see their knowledge of the Old Testament. But what was their experience? They were troubled, just like Herod. They hoped that the Messiah would not be born yet, because they were not prepared for Him.
Brothers and sisters, knowledge killeth, but love buildeth up. Life is according to faith.
Our faith needs to be tested. That is the reason why, in our life, the Holy Spirit so arranges our circumstances.
I often say that with believers there is no accident, because our God loves us so much. He will take care of us to the minutest degree.
He disciplines us through our circumstances. Everything that happens in our life is according to His arrangement.
He will arrange what things you will encounter, whether they are good or bad, because He will use all these circumstances to build His life into us.
Brothers and sisters, faith has to be tested. It has to go through fire. Then it will become more precious than gold. It will be for praise, glory, and honor to God.
So you find that the church in Laodicea was rich in knowledge, but poor in faith. There was a lack of spiritual experience and a lack of daily spiritual exercise.
I notice that people nowadays pay much attention to bodily exercise. But we as Christians should have spiritual exercise.
We should exercise our spirit, exercise our conscience, exercise our intuition, and exercise our communion with God. As we exercise, knowledge becomes faith.
Then we will be rich with gold that has gone through fire.
Secondly, the Lord counsels them to buy white garments, “that thou mayest clothe thyself, and that the shame of thy nakedness be not made manifest.”
What do white garments mean? We know that when God created man and put him in the garden of Eden, they did not notice that they were naked.
It was only after they ate the forbidden fruit that they discovered that they were naked. I wonder: when God created all these living things, even a dog or a cat, He gave them clothing. Can you imagine that God created man without giving him clothing?
I believe that when God created man, God did give him clothing, and that clothing was glory. Glory was their clothing.
When they sinned, they became naked. Spiritually speaking, before God, everyone was naked. Even Adam and Eve tried to use leaves from the fig tree to cover themselves.
But unfortunately, the weather changed and the wind blew. That could not cover them. Our righteousness could not cover our nakedness.
Once we were all naked before God. But thank God: when the prodigal son came back, the father put the best robe upon him to cover his nakedness.
That robe is Christ, our righteousness. We have no righteousness of our own, but when we came to Christ, God clothed us with Christ. He became our righteousness, and by that we were able to stand before God.
Now this is what has happened to us. But, brothers and sisters, here the Lord speaks of white garments. What does that mean?
We find that not only is Christ our clothing and our righteousness, but there should be another white garment. The Bible calls it the righteousnesses of the saints.
In Revelation 19:7-8, we read:
Let us rejoice and be exceeding glad, and let us give the glory unto Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready.
And it was given unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright and pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
—Revelation 19:7-8
Over against that first robe—Christ becoming our righteousness—God wants us to be clothed with another white garment. That is the wedding garment of the bride.
This fine linen garment is the righteousnesses of the saints. The first robe is Christ’s righteousness. But over and above that, as a wedding garment, He wants us to be clothed with another white garment: the righteousnesses of the saints.
What does that mean? As you read Psalm 45, it is an embroidered white garment. It is the wedding garment of the virgin.
The Holy Spirit works in our lives, weaving a white garment into our lives. We are to be righteous as God is righteous.
It is not the righteousness of our Lord Jesus in the sense that Christ becomes our righteousness—that is the foundation. But, over and above that fact, the Holy Spirit is working in our lives to make us righteous as Christ is righteous.
These righteous acts become our wedding garment.
So, dear brothers and sisters, this is what the Holy Spirit is working today. He is stitching, needle by needle, a white garment to be our wedding garment.
Thirdly, the Lord says, “And eye-salve to anoint thine eyes, that thou mayest see.”
If you turn to Ephesians 1, you find these words:
Having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe.
—Ephesians 1:18-19
It is the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of God.
In other words, we need revelation and vision from God. We have all received revelation, because without revelation we would not be saved.
You remember when Peter acknowledged our Lord Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God. The Lord said that this was not revealed by flesh and blood, but by His Father in heaven.
We have all received revelation once in our life, but that does not mean revelation stops there. Throughout our Christian life, God will continue to reveal His mind to us.
As He reveals, we obey. This is the eye-salve, because it opens our eyes.
When you read the Bible, you may have read through certain passages many times, but they have had no effect upon your life. Then, when you are reading them again, suddenly God opens your eyes.
That is a revelation given to you. That written word becomes a living word. It becomes effective in your life.
That is the way we grow in Christ Jesus. So here you find our Lord Jesus speaking to the church in Laodicea: they need faith, they need the working of the Holy Spirit in their lives, and they need daily revelation from above.
Then the Lord said, “As many as I love, I reprove and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.”
Brothers and sisters, modern man does not like discipline. But if you read the Word of God, you find that God disciplines us because He loves us.
It is because we are His children that He loves us and disciplines us. Only discipline can mature a person.
If you do not receive discipline in this life, in the life to come you have to be disciplined. That is why the Bible says that the five foolish virgins cannot enter into the marriage feast of the Lord, and they have to be disciplined in order that they may be mature.
You know, I always thank God: no matter what we are, once He has called us, He justifies. Once He has justified, He will glorify. He will not let us go.
Once called, you are forever called. He will glorify. He will not let us go. Thank God for that.
Brothers and sisters, the Lord said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” What a pitiful sight it is.
The Lord is outside the door. The condition of Laodicea has driven the Lord out. He has every right to do that, but something unexpected has happened: the church has kept the Lord out.
What a pitiful thing. Yet the Lord is still knocking. His love will not let us go.
He is knocking at our heart’s door, and He says, “Open.” If you open it, “I will come in and sup with you, and you with Me.”
Brothers and sisters, the reward that God has promised to the church in Laodicea is great.
He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down with Me in My throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with My Father in His throne.
—Revelation 3:21
The situation does not mean that you cannot be an overcomer. If you open your heart’s door and let the Lord in, you can still be an overcomer.
The promise is great, because you will sit on the throne with Christ. That, of course, refers to the millennial kingdom, when the kingdom of heaven appears upon this earth. You will rule and reign with Christ for a thousand years.
So, dear brothers and sisters, the Lord has put these two churches before us. Philadelphia is God’s thought for us.
By the grace of God, we should be Philadelphia. If there is a situation like Laodicea, do not despair, because you can still become an overcomer.
What grace and what mercy the Lord has shown us. Let us thank God for that.
Dear Lord, how we praise and thank Thee. Thou hast revealed to us the church of Thine own heart, and Thou hast also warned us of what we can make it to be.
Deliver us from being Laodicean. By Thy grace, enable us to be Philadelphia. We want to please Thee. We want to be what Thou wantest us to be, that Thou mayest be glorified.
We ask in Thy precious name. Amen.