Today we are ending our series through these two chapters of Revelation. It has been my intent to have us learn what God is looking for when He evaluates a church and the individuals within each congregation.

We have one church left to learn from and then we are going to go back through each of the seven to see what we can learn from them. As we look at what is said to the church at Laodicea we will notice that it mentions God’s action of rebuke and discipline because of His love.

We will be looking at a church that does not get a good review because the people are only partially committed and lax in their faith. They need to be called back to the standard and either live up to it or walk away.

Most of us are familiar with what is often called the "Lord’s Prayer" in Matthew 6:9-13 and I found this quote that calls us to consider our connection to those words: The entire prayer must be something that flows out of a truly committed heart. It ought to be a definition of your spirit, your attitude toward God, what is inside you. An unknown author put it this way:

I cannot say "our" if I live only for myself.

I cannot say "Father" if I do not endeavor each day to act like His child.

I cannot say "who art in heaven" if I am laying up no treasure there.

I cannot say "hallowed be Thy name" if I am not striving for holiness.

I cannot say "Thy kingdom come" if I am not doing all in my power to hasten that wonderful event.

I cannot say "Thy will be done" if I am disobedient to His Word.

I cannot say "in earth as it is in heaven" if I'll not serve Him here and now.

I cannot say "give us this day our daily bread" if I am dishonest or untrusting of His care.

I cannot say "forgive us our debts" if I harbor a grudge against anyone.

I cannot say "lead us not into temptation" if I deliberately place myself in its path.

I cannot say "deliver us from evil" if I do not put on the whole armor of God.

I cannot say "Thine is the kingdom" if I do not give the King the loyalty due Him from a faithful subject.

I cannot attribute to Him "the power" if I fear what men may do.

I cannot ascribe to Him "the glory" if I'm seeking honor only for myself, and I cannot say "forever" if the horizon of my life is bounded completely by time.

I found that to be a good call to faithfulness and I hope that parts of it spoke to you today as well since we all have room for improvement.

Before we get to the text let’s learn some things about Laodicea that put some context to the text. This information comes from the NIV Bible Commentary:

Laodicea was about forty-five miles southeast of Philadelphia and about one hundred miles due east of Ephesus. Along with Colosse and Hierapolis, it was one of the cities in the fertile Lycus valley. The great Roman road stretching to the inland of Asia from the coast at Ephesus ran straight through its center, making Laodicea an important center of trade and communication. In addition, its wealth came from the production of a fine quality of famous glossy black wool. The city also had a huge banking industry. So wealthy was Laodicea that after a great earthquake in A.D. 17, the people refused imperial help in rebuilding the city, choosing rather to do it entirely by themselves.

Laodicea had a famous school of medicine; and a special ointment known as "Phrygian powder," famous for its cure of eye defects, was either manufactured or distributed there, as were ear ointments. Near the temple of the special god associated with healing (Men Karou) was a market for trading all sorts of goods. Zeus, the supreme god, was also worshiped in the city.

Laodicea is difficult to describe because no one thing stands out. It was a city with a people who had learned to compromise and accommodate themselves to the needs and wishes of others; they did not zealously stand for anything. For all its wealth, the city had poor water. A six-mile-long aqueduct brought Laodicea its supply of water from the south. The water came either from hot springs and was cooled to lukewarm or came from a cooler source and warmed up in the aqueduct on the way.

Laodicea is the last of the churches that we will look at and the passage in Revelation 3:14-22 on page 1036 says:

The church of Laodicea had the man-power and money to meet any need they might face. They think they are rich - Christ says they are poor! They think they have great vision - Christ says they are blind! They think they are a well equipped church - Christ says they are naked! Laodicea was a church of the world rather than a church led by Christ. The world could meet Laodicea’s needs.

There are Laodicean churches in the twentieth century. Churches modeled after Laodicea are not short in budget. They have much of what the world views as essential for success, but Christ is in the backseat behind programs and committees. Laodicea reminds us that we need to rely on God for our health and growth.

Laodicea challenges us to not rely on ourselves and our abilities.

This church reminds us to see ourselves as God sees us and accept His help.

It is a reminder to have an active faith and a surrendered life that is in the process of being sanctified.

It is a reminder to evaluate where we are at in our walk with God and where we are at as a congregation.

Most of the churches of Asia had strengths and weaknesses just as most churches today. Christ is working with sinners! "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (3:22) and by doing so we can learn from their successes and their weaknesses. By looking at the seven churches here we also get to know some of the things that God is looking for in us as individuals and as a congregation.

Do you see yourself and the congregation most like: