You Can’t Fool Jesus

Everyone likes to think they are doing well. You like to think of yourself as doing well. I like to think I am doing well. That’s human nature. I want you to think I’ve got my act together, and you want me to think you’ve got your act together.

And what’s true of us is also true of churches. We like to focus on what we are doing well. We like to champion our strengths, our successes. We love to highlight successes like Operation Christmas Child. We’re thrilled when our church is growing, and people are excited to be part of what we are doing. We’re jacked about being a church who loves to give to missions. And I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t want to be part of a healthy and productive church. No one wants to be part of a loser church.

However, when we’re always focused on looking good… when we are focused on our successes, we can sometimes miss our blind spots. We can pat ourselves on the back, feel good about ourselves, but in doing that, we can deceive ourselves into thinking we are a better church than we really are. That was the problem with the church in Laodicea. They had a blind spot when it came to being the kind of church Jesus wanted them to be. To outsiders they looked like they had it all together. They were prosperous, their budget was always in the black. They were busy, they had all kinds of ministries. And their church was popular. Lots of people were attending their worship services and everyone felt great about being a part of this church. But they were fooling themselves. Like their prosperous city, they boasted about who they were and what they had, but they weren’t fooling Jesus. In fact, as we come to Jesus’ final message to the seven churches in Revelation, we’re about to see the flaw in this church that should make us take stock. You see, we may fool ourselves as to how great we think we are, but we can never fool Jesus.

That’s the point of Jesus’ final message to the seven churches that we’re going to discover today from Revelation 3:14-22, where Jesus rebukes a church who thought they had it all together, but were only fooling themselves. In the process, we’re going to see how easy is for any church to become proud or self-satisfied. But we’re also going to see once again, how Jesus loves His church too much to give up on them. We’re also going to unpack the counsel he gives to help any church get back on track. So, if you’ve found this passage, let’s begin by digging into the problem in this church that made Jesus want to vomit this church out of his mouth. Here now in verses 14 through 17 is

Christ’s Disgusted Assessment: And as Jesus begins His assessment, He does so by reminding this Church that He is the Lord of His Church: “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.” Revelation 3:14

In other words, the Laodicean church had forgotten whose church it was. Like many churches today, the Laodicean’s believed they were a great church, because they were using their own criteria to measure their success. But their criteria was flawed. They thought that their prosperity and popularity made them a successful church. So here Jesus reminds them of who is Lord of the Church. He is. Not them. Jesus is the Amen, the faithful and true witness. The faithful and true witness. He is reliable, they are not. He is faithful, they are not. He is the true witness, but they have no real witness at all.

To this, Jesus reminds the Laodiceans that He is “the ruler of God’s creation.” In other words, He is “the Originator” of God’s creation and the church. He is Lord over both the material and spiritual realms.
By reasserting His Lordship over the church, Jesus is confronting a heresy in the Laodicean church. They had been influenced by a false teaching that had spread to them from nearby Colossae. What was this heresy? They were denying the full deity and eternality of the Son and were questioning the genuineness of His humanity. They believed this about Jesus: “That there was a time when the Son was not,” and “God was not always a Father.” But here Jesus is reminding them that they owe their existence to Him. He is not a creature or a part of creation. He is the Originator of creation and of the church. He is Lord of His Church. These Laodiceans had lost sight of this. That their church was not really their church, but His. They’d been fooling themselves, but they can’t fool Jesus.

Now, He’s ready to speak truth to them. And the truth is going hurt. Look at verse 15, “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.” Revelation 3:15

Many believe what Jesus means is, “I would rather you be cold and in opposition to Me or hot and on fire for me.” However, Jesus would never say to His church, “Be cold and oppose Me.” It is better to interpret the statement against the historical and geographical background of Laodicea. Laodicea didn’t have their own source of drinking water. It had to be brought in via aqueduct from either nearby Hierapolis or nearby Colossae. Hot, medicinal waters bubbled up at nearby Hierapolis, while cold, pure waters flowed from Colossae. But… by the time either of these waters made it to Laodicea, the water was lukewarm and tasted horrible. Many visitors on drinking this water for the first time became sick to their stomachs and would vomit after drinking it.

So, Jesus, point was something like this: “You are providing neither healing for the spiritually sick nor refreshment for the spiritually thirsty. You are spiritually lukewarm, and I will not tolerate you. If you do not repent, I will vomit you out of my mouth.” Jesus would not tolerate their insipid condition any longer. They were badly misrepresenting the life-changing power of the gospel and the refreshment and healing it brings. But this wasn’t the only thing that sickened Jesus. What really made Him want to spew them out of his mouth was their assessment of themselves.

Look at verse 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.” Revelation 3:17 They thought that they had it all together. They lived with a sense of smug satisfaction. But the problem with their self-congratulating arrogance is that they had become spiritually indifferent to the lost, and to the healing power of the gospel. They were fooling themselves, but they weren’t fooling Jesus.

Professor Daniel Akin is right on in explaining Jesus’ assessment of their indifference, saying: “A comparison of their self-estimation with the Lord’s evaluation is tragic and sobering. They could not have been more off base in who they thought they were. They said, “I’m rich; I have become wealthy and in need of nothing.” Like their city they boasted about who they were and what they had. They thought every church should be just like them. And it should not escape our eye that the Laodicean Christians claim to have reached this lofty spiritual status on their own. They needed nothing and no one, including the Lord. They had arrived at where they were without the assistance of anyone… They may have been a great organization, but they were not a great church – not in our Lord’s estimation.” In other words, they had fooled themselves into thinking they were a great church, but they did not fool Jesus. In fact, Jesus tells them what they were really like. He says, ’But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” Jesus sets the record straight. This is how nauseating they were to Jesus:

• They were wretched – This is a word used of ravaged lands, devastated countries, and pillaging as a result of war. They weren’t prosperous at all. They we’re a spiritual disaster!

• They were pitiful – they were spiritually miserable, like the prodigal son who squandered everything and had to eat what the pigs were eating.

• They were poor – they were like broken down street people without two nickels to rub together. This was a real slap in their face to a city that boasted of its wealth.

• They were blind – Laodicea was known for the healing reputation of their ophthalmic school and the famous Phrygian eye powder. But Jesus’s rebuke here is meant to reveal their blind spot. They were fooling themselves, thinking that they were spiritually special, when they were spiritually bankrupt – because they were totally indifferent to the needs of the lost people around them. And finally,

• They were naked – Again, this city was famous for its production of glossy black wool. In their wealth they thought they looked like they really had it all together, but to Jesus, they were naked. And to be caught naked, was the most humiliating place to be.

This church thought they were God’s gift to Laodicea. Instead, their spiritual condition was nauseating. It made Jesus sick. They were fooling themselves, but they weren’t fooling Jesus… However, Jesus doesn’t spit them out of His mouth. As much as this church nauseates Him, He’s not going to give up on His church. He loves this self-satisfied group of wretches. So, instead of condemning this church; He now gives them a way to redeem themselves. That’s what we see next in verses 18 and 19,

Christ’s Loving Counsel: Here, Jesus reveals what every church needs from Him to be successful in His eyes. And what we need Jesus provides.

First, We need Christ’s Riches: “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich.” Revelation 3:18a What this church and every church needs is not material wealth but spiritual wealth. We need the riches found in Christ. This is what Paul prayed for the Ephesian church: I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. Ephesians 1:18-19 We can have the best facilities, the finest coffee bar, a state-of-the-art sound system, all the goodies money can buy. But what every church and every Christian really need are the riches found in Christ. What we need is a faith built on the foundation of Jesus, a passion fueled by the compassion of Jesus, a love instilled in us by the love of Jesus. All these riches and more are found in Jesus. We need Christ’s riches not earthly riches. And the good news is that all these riches are free!

We need Christ’s Righteousness: “and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen.” Revelation 3:18b In contrast to the beautiful glossy black wool the Laodiceans were so proud of, Jesus offers a garment of white that will cover the shame of their nakedness. What Jesus offers us is His righteousness, not our own self-righteousness. When we forget that He clothes us in His righteousness, we can fall prey to self-righteous pride. This is the kind of pride that repulses Jesus. This was the smug self-satisfied arrogance plaguing this church. They thought they were all that. This kind of pride can infect any church. When I was pastoring in Langley, BC, this kind of pride took hold in our church. We were growing leaps and bounds. We had many people coming to faith in Jesus. But because of all our successes, members of my board kept saying, “We’re going to be a flagship church in the fellowship.” But every time I heard that I cringed. Because our success wasn’t our doing, it was God’s. We were starting to have this same smug self-satisfied arrogance. And I didn’t like it. This is why we need to be adorned in Christ’s righteousness. For when we see ourselves as nothing apart from Jesus, then we can do anything. We need Christ’s righteousness, because without it, we are nothing apart from Jesus.

We need Christ’s Remedy: “and salve to anoint your eyes, so you may see.” Rev 3:18c What Jesus is telling us is that all of us have blind spots to our spiritual condition. And the only way to remove those blind spots is to honestly evaluate ourselves in comparison to Jesus and His Word. As Daniel Akin puts it: “Spiritual compromise and complacency are “spiritual cataracts” that shut out the light of spiritual sight.” So, we need to learn to pray like David, who said, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24 In other words, “Show me my spiritual blind spots and the sin where I no longer see. Help me, Lord, to see myself as You see me.” This is Christ’s remedy. We need His Word to reveal our blind spots. And finally,

We need Christ’s Rebuke: “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. “ Revelation 3:19 Remember, Jesus loved this self-sufficient and arrogant church. He didn’t spit them out of his mouth, but He didn’t just leave them the way they were. He reminds them here that He corrects and disciplines those He loves.

So, out of His love for them, Jesus commands these indifferent Christians to be zealous in their faith once again. To stop going through the motions. To stop self-congratulating themselves for what they consider success. And be zealous for Jesus and what’s important to Him. Remember, Jesus came to seek and save the lost. And this church had lost their passion for reaching the lost. This can happen to any church or any Christian. That’s why Jesus begins by commanding them to stop being satisfied with the status quo and reignite their fire for Jesus.
Pared with this is the command to repent. To come back to the ways of Christ and abandon the ways of the world. Jesus doesn’t want us to rely on our impressions as to what makes for a great church. He wants us to learn from Him on what makes for a great church. So, we need to listen to Christ’s rebuke, become zealous for Him, and let Him make us into the kind of Church or Christian He desires.

So, Jesus doesn’t end His message here. Most of us would think that His correction and call to repentance is sufficient. But we see here something very special that He adds to his call to repentance. I call this Christ’s Tender Appeal: 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. Revelation 3:20 This is what I love about Jesus. He doesn’t just command us to be zealous and repent. He doesn’t want us to go it alone. He is eager and able to help us in our journey. But we have to be willing to open the door to Him. He doesn’t force himself on us. He waits on us to welcome Him back to the table. I find this incredible. He is the Lord of the church. He included us in His church when we believed. But He waits on us to let him back in the church.

James Boice put it this way: “Jesus is knocking at the closed hearts of those who are his but who have turned their backs on Him and shut Him out of their complacent, self-satisfied, worldly Christian lives.” The knocking Christ is an image, not of Jesus calling unbelievers to give their hearts to him – but of Jesus calling drifting, worldly, complacent, self-satisfied believers back into communion with Him.

The tense of both verbs (stand and knock) points to a present, continuing action on the part of Christ. He is standing at the doors of the hearts of those believers who have become cold in their love and enmeshed in the pursuit of what this world has to offer. Christ’s words here are probably based on the words spoken to the bride in Song of Solomon 5:2, “A voice! My beloved was knocking: ‘Open to me…” So, then this is an invitation, to return to their first love. And what’s so great about this invitation, is that it appears that it takes only one humble, receptive and repentant sinner to spark a revival within a local church. Jesus is calling! He longs to fellowship with us. Are we listening? Are we willing to open our hearts to Him?

To this special invitation Jesus concludes his message with another amazing image of grace. Here we have Christ’s Gracious Promise: “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. Revelation 3:21 To the one who repents and invites Jesus back to the prominent place He deserves Jesus promises the privilege of sitting with Him on His Father’s Throne.

Sometimes we rush right past a promise like this. But think of the implications of what Jesus is promising? We learned from the letter of the Hebrews that when Jesus sat down at the Father’s throne, it meant His sacrificial work as the Savior was done; that the Father was satisfied with His offering.

So then, what Jesus is promising here is that if you get to sit with Him on His throne, the Father is completely satisfied with you. You don’t need to do a thing to earn His approval. Instead, you get to enjoy the Father with the exalted status as His favored child. You get to experience the Father’s smile, the Father’s acceptance and The Father’s love. Much like the image of a little child sitting on his father’s lap: this is an image security, contentment and joy, resting in the grip of His grace. And with that, Jesus says, He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ’” Revelation 3:22

So, do you have an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying to you today?
Perhaps you came here today and felt that you had it all together, but after hearing Jesus’ assessment of this church, the Spirit has opened your eyes to your spiritual poverty and your need to rekindle your passion for Jesus.

Perhaps you came here today and recognized that your faith in Jesus is lukewarm, that rather than being rich in faith, your faith is in a wretched or miserable state.

Or maybe you came here today, and you feel like you’ve been living out your faith too much on your own, and that you’ve let Jesus stand on the outside looking in.

But wherever you find yourself today; the Good news is this: Jesus’ offer of Himself is always available to you. For he says to you: “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

Remember, you can’t fool Jesus, but you can always open your heart to Him. And He promise to come in and be with you. So, what is the Spirit saying to you? What’s He calling you to do today?