Jesus was one who disciplined his own

JESUS WAS ONE WHO DISCIPLINED HIS OWN
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
New InternationalVersion
REV. 3:19 Those whom I loveI rebuke and discipline.
So be earnest and repent.
New Living Translation
I correct and disciplineeveryone I love. So be diligent
and turn from your indifference
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
The Epistle To The Church At Laodicea
Revelation3:14-21
S. Conway
It was a wealthy city in which this Church had her home, and it was large and
beautiful also. It stoodon one of the greatRoman roads which led awayto
Damascus andArabia. Hence there was a large stream of traffic continually
flowing through it, and its inhabitants became very rich. At the time when this
letter was sent them they were building for themselves one of those huge
amphitheatres which the Greeks andRomans of the day were wont to build in
all their chief cities, and where those too often barbarous and degrading

sports, in which they so much delighted, might be carried on. As a further
evidence of their wealth, it is recordedhow, when their city was almost
destroyedby one of those earthquakes by which the whole regionwas so often
disturbed, they rebuilt it entirely at their own cost. A Church was early
formed there, and was one of considerable importance. It was probably
founded by one or other of those earnest-minded brethren, who, like
Epaphras, whom Paul names in his letter to the neighbouring Church at
Colossae,and who were commissionedby St. Paul for such work, probably
during his sojourn at Ephesus. We know that Epaphras was a near neighbour,
Colossae being only some six or eight miles distant from Laodicea;and hence
it is likely that he - "faithful minister of Christ, and beloved fellow servant,"
as St. Paul calls him (Colossians1:7; Colossians 4:12) - had something to do
with the planting of the Church there. And we can have no doubt but that the
Church was once in a very flourishing condition. The Epistle of St. Paul to the
Ephesians was intended, it is all but certain, as much for the Laodiceans as the
Ephesians, if not more so. The high praise which we find in that letter is
therefore to be regardedas given to Laodicea, whichnow, when St. John
writes to it, is so sadly fallen. And in Colossians2:1, 5, St. Paul speaks ofthem
and of the "steadfastness"oftheir "faith in Christ" (cf. also Colossians4:13-
16). But a sad change had come over them, and the result is this letter before
us now. Note -
I. THEIR CHARACTER AND CONDITION.Theyare chargedwith being
"neither cold nor hot," but lukewarm. That is to say, that whilst there was not
absolute denial of the faith and disregard of all Christ's claims, there yet was
neither the fervent zeal, the devout spirit, nor the all-sacrificing love,
springing from a vigorous faith, which would make a Church glow with holy
fervour and sacredheat. And this half and half, neither one thing nor the
other, condition is all too common amongst not a few who profess and call
themselves Christians. How many Churches, and how many churchgoing
people, may, and probably have, seentheir portraitures in this sadletter to
the Church at Laodicea!They cannot be said to be cold and so utterly
disregardful of religion, or of Christian faith and custom; but as certainly they
are not "hot," not filled with love and zealand desire towards Christ, willing
to do all, bear all, be all or anything or nothing, so only as the honour of his

Name may be increased, andthe boundaries of his kingdom enlarged.
Christians are to be knownby their ardour, and so tongues of fire came and
restedupon their heads on the greatPentecostalday. But Laodicea and the
like of her show nothing of this kind, nor will nor can they whilst they remain
as they are. And the common run of men like to have it thus. Cold makes
them shiver; heat scorchesthem, - they like neither; but to be moderately
warm, tepid, or but little more; that is pleasant, is safe, is bestevery way, so
men think. The cynic statesman's parting charge to one of his agents,
"Surtout, point de zele," is, in fact, what the ordinary Christian vastly prefers
for himself and for others. They confound zeal with eccentricity, fervour with
wild and ill-consideredschemes, earnestnesswith rant, enthusiasm with mere
delirium and extravagance;and, under pretence of discountenancing these
undesirable things, they desire neither for themselves nor for others that glow
of Divine love in their souls which is desirable above all things else. They
congratulate themselves upon being moderate, sober-minded people, and they
pity the poor deluded enthusiasts, to whom it is a dreadful thing that sin and
sorrow should prevail as they do, and who, therefore, are in the very forefront
of the battle againstthem, Laodiceans think well and speak well of themselves,
and other people credit them with what they say, and hence they are self-
complacentand well satisfied, and wonder why anybody should doubt or
differ from them. They do not hear the world's sneeror see its mocking look
when their names are mentioned; still less do they hear the sighing of the
sorrowfulheart which yearns to see the Church of Christ rise up to her Lord's
ideal and intent. But they go on saying and thinking that they are well to do,
and have need of nothing. But their condition is abhorrent to the Lord; he
cannot abide it, nauseatesit, would rather far that they were either cold or
hot; either extreme would be better than the sickening lukewarmnesswhich
now characterizes them. To such it was that the Lord said, "The publicans
and harlots go into the kingdom of God before you." Whilst of the irreligious
multitudes he only said, as he lookedon them with compassion, "Theyare as
sheephaving no shepherd." Elijah said, "If Baalbe God, serve him;" "better
be hearty in his service than serving neither God nor Baal, as you now are."
And experience confirms this seeminglystrange preference which the Lord
declares. We could understand that he would men were "hot" rather than
"lukewarm;" but that he would rather that they were "cold" without religion

altogether- than as they are, that seems a strange preference. But, as St. Paul
says, "If a man think himself to be wise, let him become a fool that he may be
wise;" by which he meant that a man who thinks himself wise when he is not,
there is more hope of a foolbecoming wise than he, for his self-conceitstands
in his way. And so in the matter of a man's real conversionto God, he who
knows he has no religion is more likely to be won than he who thinks he is
religious and has need of "more" nothing. There is hope, therefore, for the
cold than for the "lukewarm," and hence our Lord's preference. And this
condition is one which drives the Lord away, chaseshim forth from his
Church. Christ is represented, not as in the Church, but as outside, standing
at the door, and knocking for admission. He has been driven out. He cannot
stay either in that Church or in that heart which loves him with but half or
less than half a love. We do not care to stay where we are not really welcome:
we get awayas soonas we can. And our Lord will not staywhere the love
which should welcome and cherish his presence is no longerthere.
II. HOW CHRIST DEALS WITH THEM.
1. He reveals to them their true condition. And to make them more readily
receive his revelation, he declares himself by a name which ensuredthat his
testimony was and must be infallibly true. He tells of himself as "the Amen,
the faithful and true Witness." Therefore theymay be sure that he could not
err and would not misstate what he, as the Son of God, "the Beginning of the
creationof God," saw and knew, and now declaredto them to be true. And so
he tells them how it is with them, though they knew it not and kept saying the
very reverse. Hence he tells the Church, "Thou art the wretchedone and the
pitiable one, and beggarlyand blind and naked." Ah! what a revelation this!
how it would startle and shock them! no doubt the Lord intended that it
should. Their condition justified these words. They thought that they were
certain of their Lord's approval. He tells them that no shivering criminal
waiting in terror the judge's sentence was evermore really wretchedthan
they. And that they thought as they did proved them "blind." And as those
whom it was designedto degrade were stripped "naked" so as "shameful"
were they in the sight of the Lord and of his angels.

2. And by thus revealing their true state, he rebukes and chastens them. What
humiliation and distress and alarm must this revelationhave caused!But
next:
3. He counsels them what to do. He will not leave them thus, but points out the
way of amendment. He bids them "buy of me." But if they were so poor, how
could they buy? "The sacrifices ofGod are a broken spirit: a brokenand a
contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." This is the money wherewith
they must buy. And when they have laid out this money, and have become
possessors ofwhat it will surely purchase, they will tell you, if you ask them,
that even this money he gave them from whom they went to buy. And what is
it they will getin exchange?
(1) "Gold tried in," etc. This is faith (cf. 1 Peter1:7). "The trial of your faith,
being much more precious than gold and silver." Oh, to be "rich in faith"!
They are rich who have it.
(2) "White raiment that," etc. True righteousness ofcharacter, the holiness
which becometh saints.
(3) "Eyesalve that," etc. The illuminating grace ofthe Holy Spirit. Such is the
way of amendment: coming thus poor to the Lord, gaining faith, holiness,
wisdom - so shall we rise up from the condition which the Lord cannot abide
to that which he loves and will ever bless. Shall we not follow this counsel? He
does not compel, but counsels. Letus also thus buy of him.
4. He waits for their repentance. "Behold, I stand at the door," etc. How true
it is he desireth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he turn from his
wickednessand live! What a picture this well-knownand ever-to-be-loved
verse presents!Our Lord, who died for us, standing there outside, seeking to
enter in.
5. He encouragesthem to repent. See his promises.
(1) "I will sup with him, and he with me." Communion with himself. A piece
of clay gave forth a sweetfragrance. It was askedwhence it had such
fragrance. It replied that it had long lain by the side of a sweet-smelling rose,
and so it had become filled with its sweetness. So ourclaylike souls, if we be in

communion with Christ, shall come to be as he. Ah, then, "open the door,"
and let your Lord in.
(2) He holds out to those who "overcome" the same reward as he had when he
overcame - "to sit with me in my throne, even as I," etc. (ver. 21). It tells of the
highest, holiest joys, of the everlasting kingdom of God. So would he lure them
to himself. Shall he not succeed?"Behold, he stands at the door and knocks."
- S.C.
Biblical Illustrator
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.
Revelation3:19-22
Divine chastisement
H. E. Windle, M. A.
—
I. IN REFERENCETO THE SINNER, WHAT IS THE OBJECT OF
DIVINE CHASTISEMENT?The merciful design is the convictionand
conversionof the sinner, his restorationto the image of God. And what are
the means employed by the Holy Spirit for this end? Sickness,poverty,
bereavements, the ministry of the Word, the faithful admonition of a loving
friend, or even a tract offered by the wayside.
II. IN REGARD TO THE LORD'S OWN PEOPLE, WHAT IS HIS DESIGN
IN AFFLICTING THEM?
1. To prevent sin in them, He sees the beginning of mischief in the heart, and
He nips the sin in the bud.
2. To weanthem from this present world.
3. To lead them nearer to Himself.

III. THE ATTITUDE OF THE SAVIOUR TOWARDS SINNERS.
(H. E. Windle, M. A.)
Christ disclosing His love
J. Culross, D. D.
The Lord next declares His love to Laodicea. It has really been love all
through; but now He speaks the word out — "As many as I love, I rebuke and
chasten." WhatHe has already said, severe and even terrible, has been said in
love; and indeed love is the root of His whole dealing with them, love that
would get quit of their sin. Now this is a thing that helps to cure
lukewarmness. Love is the key that opens the barred door of the sinful heart.
And the Saviour discloses His love to the Laodiceans that He may thereby
touch them, melt them, restore them. I think there is a lessonhere that we
need to learn. We come into the presence of Laodiceanlukewarmness. We are
grieved by it. We are angeredeven more than we are grieved. We are tempted
to denounce it. Ah, but here is a nobler way — to be ourselves loving! Out of
Christ's love there spring "rebuke" and "chastening."Rebuke is not mere
fault-finding, or "coming down upon" a man, or "giving it hot"; that is easy
enough; commonly it is the outcome of the wrath of man, which workethnot
the righteousnessofGod; and not seldom it is directed againstthose who do
not deserve it. One of the sadthings among us, indeed, is this cruel
misdirection of censure. To rebuke means to bring sin home convincingly to
the judgment and the conscience. To rebuke is a very different thing from
fault-finding, and as high above it as heavenis above the earth. Nothing but
love can do it — high-purposed, firm, holy love. It means the setting of sin so
clearly and fully and convincingly before the mind and conscience, that you
carry the personwith you, and he is convinced. That is what love tries, and
what only love can accomplish. And that is what Christ is doing with the
Laodiceans now. He is setting the truth of their condition before their
consciences, in holiestand tenderestmercy, that shrinks not from giving pain
in order that it may heal. But this were not enough, unless something is done
to help the sinner out of his evil estate. Forthe Lord to have reproved or

convinced the Laodiceans would not have been enough. Without "conviction"
there is and can be no "conversion";but He could not have stopped short
with it, any more than the physician may stop short with telling us our
disease. ThereforeHe adds "chastening" to rebuke. We must dismiss the ides,
of punishment. That does not lie in the word. Punishment is the deed of a
judge; chastening is the work of a father. We must start from the realisedfact
of our sonship in the Divine family. The word "chastening" brings into view,
under the new covenant, the whole process ofearthly training for heavenly
issues, whichGod in His wisdom ordains and conducts, and of which suffering
forms so large an element. And this is the issue to which the rebuke and
chastening of love should lead: "Be zealous, and repent." Let the zeal show
itself in this line. It is a man taking God's side againsthis ownsin, and looking
to God to deliver him from it. It results, not from the will of the flesh or the
will of man, but from God's work in the conscience.It has its birth in a true
apprehension by faith of the mercy of God in Christ.
(J. Culross, D. D.)
God afflicts for our good;and what that goodis
J. Mede, B. D.
I. GOD'S RULE.
1. That God chastisesHis children out of love, and for their good.(1)
Afflictions to them whom God loves are medicinal, and thereby they recover
their health by repentance from some spiritual disease.(2)Afflictions are
preservatives to keepthem whom God loveth from sin (2 Corinthians 12:7).(3)
Afflictions make the fruitless bring forth fruit, beget many virtues, and make
God's graces in us to bloom and bring forth works pleasing unto out Heavenly
Father.(4)Afflictions draw men nearerunto God. The main use of all is for
comfort in all our sufferings and crosses whensoeverGodsends them: for they
are signs of our sonship and tokens of His love.
2. That if God spares not those whom He loveth, much less shall His enemies
escape punishment.

3. That God rebukes before He chastens.(1)If this then be God's manner of
dealing, it should behove us not lightly to pass by His warnings.(2)If God so
powerfully warns His creature before He strikes him, how dare we strike our
brother before we warn him?
II. OUR DUTY. We must be zealous, and repent.
1. Concerning zeal.(1)Zeal is the intention and vehemencyof all our affections
in matters of God and His service. It hath its name of Zew, which is, to burn
and boil as waterover the fire, and thence may be styled the fervency of our
affections. Sucha one was Apollos (Acts 18:25);and such St. Paul exhorts the
Romans to be (Romans 12:11). For as burning is the excessorhighest pitch of
heat, so is zeal of our affections. Butas in our bodies we find aguishburnings
as well as the healthful vigour of natural heat; and as Nadab and Abihu
offered fire unto God, but not the right and holy fire (Leviticus 10:1), so are
there some counterfeits of zeal, as it were false fires, abominable unto God
and odious unto men. The kinds, then, of false zealmay be reduced unto three
heads.
(a)Hypocritical zeal, which wants sincerity.
(b)Blind zeal, which wants knowledge.
(c)Turbulent zeal, which wants love and moderation. Thus I have briefly
describedthese false fires, that by the law of contraries we may know who is
the true zealot.(2)But why should this zeal be so needful? Let us therefore
now see the reasons.(a)First, therefore, I will seek no farther than my text,
where the want of zeal is reckonedfor a sin, a sin to be repented of, "Be
zealous, and repent": is not that needful, without which all our works are
sinful?(b) It is the ground rule of the whole law of God, and of all the precepts
concerning His worship, that we must love the Lord our God with all our
heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength. What else
is this but to love Him zealously, to worship Him with the highest pitch of our
affections? ForHe is the sovereignand chiefestgood;what love then cansuit
to Him but the very top and sovereigntyof love?(c)Zeal is that which carries
our devotions up to heaven. As wings to a fowl, wheels to a chariot, sails to a

ship; so is zealto the soul of man. Without zeal our devotions canno more
ascendthan vapours from a still without fire put under it.
2. Repentance is the changing of our course from the old way of sin unto the
new way of righteousness:or more briefly, a changing of the course of sin for
the course ofrighteousness. It is calledalso conversion, turning and returning
unto God. I will describe it briefly in five degrees, whichare as five steps in a
ladder, by which we ascendup to heaven.(1)The first stepis the sight of sin
and the punishment due unto it. For how canthe soul be possessedwith fear
and sorrow, exceptthe understanding do first apprehend the danger? — for
that which the eye sees not, the heart rues not. The serious penitent must be
like the wary factor, he must retire himself, look into his books, and turn over
the leaves ofhis life; he must considerthe expense of his time, the employment
of his talent, the debt of his sin, and the strictness of his account.(2)And so he
shall ascendunto the next step, which is sorrow for sin. Forhe that seriously
considers how he hath grievedthe Spirit of Godand endangeredhis own soul
by his sins, cannot but have his spirit grieved with remorse.(3)The third step
up this ladder is the loathing of sin. A surfeit of meats, how dainty and
delicate soever, will afterwards make them loathsome.(4)The fourth step is
the leaving off sin. To what purpose doth the physician evacuate ill humours,
if the patient still distempers himself with ill diet? What shall it avail a man to
endure the lancing, searching, and tending of a wound, if he stay not for the
cure?(5)The fifth and laststep is the cleaving unto God with full purpose of
heart to walk before Him in newness oflife. All the former degrees of
repentance were for the putting off of the old man; this is for the putting on of
the new.
III. THE CONNECTION AND DEPENDENCEofthese latter words ("Be
zealous therefore, and repent") upon the former ("As many as I love, I rebuke
and chasten.")Manythings might be here observed, but I will name but one,
which is this, that repentance is the means to avoid and prevent God's
judgments. For (as observes)He that hath decreedto publish by justice, hath
promised to grant pardon by repentance. And so Jeremiah18:7.
(J. Mede, B. D.)

The love and the discipline
H. Bonar, D. D.
How soona Church goes down!How quickly its love and holiness and zeal
fade away!One generationoften sees its rise, decline, and fall. The soul
withers; the eye that lookedupward now looks downward; and the once
"religious man," who "did run well," takes the downwardpath into
lukewarmness ordeath. Yet Jesus leaves him not.
I. THE LOVE. The "I" here is emphatic, and by its prominence Christ
presents Himself speciallyas the lover, the rebuker, the chastener. His
thoughts are not our thoughts, nor our ways His ways. He loves where others
would hate. He shows His love by chastening where others would show theirs
by indulging.
II. THE DISCIPLINE OF LOVE. Mark the way in which this love deals with
Laodicea. It deals in tenderness, and yet in solemn severity. Instead of letting
Laodicea escape, it takes hold of her, as a wise father of his disobedient child,
and makes her sensible how much it hates the sin.
1. He reproves by word and deed.
2. What the chastening was we know not: it would be something specially
suited to the self-sufficiencyand worldliness of the Laodiceans. Perhaps they
were stripped of their riches; perhaps visited by sicknessand death; laid
desolate by grievous sorrow;some long-continued trial, stroke upon stroke,
crushing and emptying them. Whatever it may cost, they must be made to feel
the evil of their ways.
III. THE EXHORTATION OF LOVE. Be zealous, therefore, and repent. The
word "zealous" contrastswith lukewarmness, andimplies true warmth and
fervour.
(H. Bonar, D. D.)

Be zealous
Religious zeal
A. Thompson, D. D.
It is evident that the zeal which is here recommendedhas religion for its
object. Now there are some who are mightily afraid of zeal as connectedwith
religion. A zealous friend — a zealous teacher — a zealous patriot — are
characters referredto with expressions ofapplause. But the moment that zeal
mingles with religion, then there is distrust and disapproval. It is curious to
observe how differently zeal in matters of religionis spokenofby these
persons, and by the Word of God. Christ is hero introduced as rebuking the
Church of Laodicea for the want of it, and as commanding them to get that
want supplied. But His will, as thus expressed, is not arbitrary. It is founded
in the nature and reasonof the case.Why, let me ask you, are you zealous for
anything whatever? Is it not because that thing, in your opinion, is important
to be attained, and because the attainment of it requires energyand effort?
Now, canyou explain how it is that the same mode of judging and acting
should not be adopted in religion? In the first place, is religion destitute of
importance, or is it less important than anything else which attracts your
notice and interests your attention? Then, in the secondplace, do you consider
religion to be of such easyacquirement that a man may be invested with all its
character, and animated by all its spirit, and come to the enjoyment of all its
blessings, though he gives himself no greatconcernabout it, and treats it with
coldness and indifference? And then, in the third place, if for the reasons now
stated, we ought to be zealous in acquiring for ourselves an interest in the
grace and blessings ofthe gospel, the same raisons should constrain us to be
zealous also in communicating these to our fellow-men throughout the world.
Religionis as important to them as it is to us. Moreover, if you are actuatedby
zeal in other cases,and feelit to be at once becoming and necessary, we may
well require you to vindicate, if you can, a want of zeal or a condemnation of
it, in that vocationwherewith you are calledas the disciples of Christ. If it be
right to cherish and display zealin the study of literature and philosophy, in
promoting the prosperity of your country, in advancing the welfare of your
friends, upon what; principle can it be wrong to cherish and display zeal in

procuring for religion that ascendancywhichit is entitled to hold over the
minds and destinies of those for whose everlasting happiness it is intended? If
religion be, as it is described in the Bible, and as you yourselves profess to
regard it, then not only ought you to be zealous for it, but your zeal for it
cannot be too great. Now whatis the degree of importance that belongs to
religion? Why, it is infinitely important. What! can you be too zealous in
seeking afterdeliverance from "the worm that never dies, and from the fire
that shall not be quenched"? Can you be too zealous in aspiring to that
"inheritance which is incorruptible, and that crownof glory which fadeth not
away"? Canyou be too zealous in the pursuit of what was purchased at such a
costlyprice as the blood of the incarnate Son of God?
(A. Thompson, D. D.)
A coalfrom the altar
A. Wood.
The true zealot, whose fervencyis in the spirit, not in show;in substance, not
in circumstance;for God, not himself; guided by the Word, not with
humours; tempered with charity, not with bitterness:such a man's praise is of
God though not of men, such a man's worth cannotbe setforth with the
tongues of men and of angels.
1. It is goodto be zealous in goodthings, and is it not best in the best? Or is
there any better than God, or the kingdom of heaven? Is mean and mediocrity
in all excellentarts excluded, and only to be admitted in religion?
2. Considerand reasonthus with thyself, canst thou brook a sluggardin thy
work, if thou be of any spirit thyself? Do men choose the forwardestdeer in
the herd, the liveliest coltin the drove? and is the backwardestman fittest for
God? Is not all His delight in the quickestand cheerfulestgivers and
servitors?

3. This zealis so gracious a favourite with God, that it graceswith Him all the
rest of His graces. Prayer, if it be frequent, prevaileth much; the zealous
witnesses hadpower to shut and open heaven(chap. Revelation12.).
4. Zeal is the richest evidence of faith, and the clearestdemonstrationof the
Spirit. Yea, but by what means shall a Christian attain this fire, and maintain
it when he hath gottenit? Saynot in thine heart, What Prometheus shall
ascendinto heaven and fetch it thence? Thou mayest fetch it thence by thine
own prayer. Sermons are bellows ordained for this purpose. But here
methinks I hear the lukewarmworldling of our times fume and chafe, and ask
what needs all this ado for zeal, as if all God's people were not zealous enough.
Such as think they are, or can be zealous enough, need no other conviction to
be poor, blind, naked, wretched, and pitiful Laodiceans. Fire is ever climbing
and aspiring higher; zealis ever aiming at that which is before;carried
toward perfection; thinking meanly of that which is past, and already
attained. What would you have us to do? We profess, keepour church, hear
sermons, as Christians ought to do. Affectionate friendship and service is not
only for public show upon festival days, but for domestical, ordinary, and
private use; to such holiday and church retainers, God may well say, Let us
have some of this zeal at home and apart.
(A. Wood.)
Religious zeal
A. Thomson, D. D.
I. OUR ZEAL FOR RELIGION SHOULD BE REAL AND
CONSCIENTIOUS.There is a zealof sympathy, which is awakenedand kept
alive by the zeal of others with whom we happen to come in contact. Be
"renewedin the spirit of your minds," that religion may appear to you in all
its genuine excellence, andthat it may hold that place in your regard to which
it is justly entitled. Meditate seriouslyon the interest which you personally
have in all that it requires you to believe, and in all that it commands you to

do. Think of its necessityto the redemption and well-being of every one of the
human race.
II. OUR ZEAL FOR RELIGION MUST BE INTELLIGENT, OR
ACCOMPANIED WITHKNOWLEDGE.
III. THERE MUST BE PRUDENCE IN THE EXERCISE AND
MANIFESTATION OF OUR RELIGIOUS ZEAL. Prudence does not damp
nor discourage ourzeal. It only prevents us from giving those expressions to it
which, on the one hand, would be attended with no benefit, and, on the other,
might involve us in difficulties and embarrassments.
IV. OUR ZEAL FOR RELIGION MUST ALWAYS CONSIST WITH
MORAL INTEGRITY. It never can be allowable for us to do what is morally
wrong, whateverbe the advantageous consequencesthatare to follow it. And
leastof all, one should suppose, cansuch a proceeding be allowable, whenwe
are striving to advance the interests of religion.
V. OUR RELIGIOUS ZEAL MUST BE UNDER THE GOVERNMENTOF
CHARITY. Our zeal being awakenedto care for men, charity comes in to
softenthat aspectof sternness and severity, which it might otherwise assume,
and to mould it into a form more consonantto the nature and circumstances
of those for whom it is to labour, as well as to the spirit and precepts of that
religion which it is desirous to propagate.
VI. OUR ZEAL MUST BE IN PROPORTIONTO THE VALUE AND
IMPORTANCE OF THE OBJECTSWHICH EXCITE IT, AND TO THE
EXIGENCIES IN WHICH THESE MAY HAPPEN TO BE PLACED. Every
system has certain leading principles and properties of which it cannot be
divested, while there are other subordinate principles and properties, which
appear, neither in themselves nor in their relations, to be necessaryto its
existence, and to its ultimate purpose. And so is it with Christianity. Being a
plan of Divine contrivance, all that is to be found in it, must be consideredas
important and useful; but it is evident that there are some things more
important and useful than others. And this being the case, it follows, of course,
that whether we be cherishing Christianity in ourselves, orpressing it on the
attention of others, our zeal must not operate with equal ardour upon every

subject, but bear some sort of proportion to the real or the relative
importance which they possess — the most important receiving its highest,
and the less important its lowermeasure of warmth and energy
(A. Thomson, D. D.)
The nature, importance, and right exercise ofChristian zeal
T. Fleming, D. D.
I. ITS NATURE.
II. ITS IMPORTANCE. Zealis an appropriate quality of the spiritual life —
the genialheat of the new nature, immediately subservient to its continuance
and support, and operating to maintain its powers in their proper capacityfor
action. In nature, heat is the most active of all the elements. It is the prime
agentwhich the Author of nature employs for promoting the subsistence and
well-being of the universe. Animal and vegetable life have an immediate
dependence on it; nor could nature itself, according to its apparent
constitution and laws, subsistwithout it. To the effects of heatin nature, those
of zeal in religion are directly analagous. How incapable of exertion, how
indisposed to motion, how listless and insensible are men found, when their
spirits are benumbed with cold affection!But under the influence of that
kindly warmth which the Spirit of God imparts, how quickly do they revive,
and become pliant and active!While zealis thus necessaryto the effectual
performance of the Christian's work, it contributes also, as an effectual
qualification, to render his service acceptable.
III. RIGHTLY EXERCISED.
1. On right objects — objects which are intrinsically good, and which are of
suitable importance, Should the furnace be heated seventimes more than
usual for no worthier purpose than the burning of a straw?
2. Zeal must also be exercisedwith a right mind.(1) Zeal must be exercised
with knowledge. Perhaps there is nothing that is either more unseemly in itself
or more mischievous in its consequencesthan zeal without knowledge. Sucha

zeal, consideredin its exercise, maybe comparedto a ship, driving with full
sail before the wind, without either compass orpilot — threatening the safety
of everything that comes in her way, and in danger of driving at lastupon
some rock or shoal that shall cause her destruction.(2) Zeal must be exercised
with sincerity. The concernwhich is expressedfor religion must be real — the
genuine result of principle and feeling — not affected, merely to cover sinister
designs, to secondviews of worldly interest, to minister to secretpride — to
the selfishvain-glorious desire of applause and estimation.(3)Genuine zeal
must be exercisedwith impartiality — with an equal regardto the attainment
of its object — whether it has respectto ourselves or to others. The zeal of too
many is chiefly occupiedabroad, in detecting and exposing the sins of
others.(4)Zeal must be exercisedwith kind affection.
(T. Fleming, D. D.)
Christian zeal
R. Culbertson.
1. True Christian zeal includes knowledge. It is not a blind impulse of feeling,
an ignorant and infuriated passion, but a holy intelligent principle.
2. True Christian zeal includes indignation. The simple effusions of the heart
in the way of grief on accountof sin do not come up to the idea of zeal. It is
grief and indignation at sin rousedto the very utmost.
3. True Christian zeal includes ardent desire. The immediate object of this
zeal is the declarative glory of God. It is a holy indignation at sin, because this
evil throws a dark shade over God's glory. It is an ardent and passionate
concernthat God may be glorified.
4. Christian fortitude and magnanimity are also branches of this temper. The
person that is truly zealous is not easilyintimidated.
5. True Christian zeal is an active and useful principle. It grasps with the
greatesteagerness everymeans which may be subservient to the attainment of
its object.

(R. Culbertson.)
Christian zeal
G. Jordan, M. A.
I. THE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN ZEAL.
II. THE SOURCE OF CHRISTIAN ZEAL. Christian zeal is zeal for Christ; it
has Him for its ultimate source, as wellas its ultimate end. Christian
"enthusiasm" is really "the state of inspiration by God."
III. THE SPHERE OF CHRISTIAN ZEAL. True zeal is of course "zealfor
God" and for good.
IV. THE QUALITIES WHICH SHOULD CHARACTERISE CHRISTIAN
ZEAL.
1. True Christian zeal is intelligent. There is light in it as well as heat.
2. It is prudent. Plans warily, and works calmly.
3. It is loving and sympathetic.
4. It is patient and persevering. Not a fitful impulse, but a steady flame. Based
on principle, it is the habit of the Christian's life.
V. THE MOTIVES WHICH SUSTAIN CHRISTIAN ZEAL.
1. Love to the Redeemer.
2. The salvation of the world.
3. The prosperity of our own souls.Whata protection zeal is againstthe
coldness ofthe world — what a defence againsttemptation — what a
preservative againstmoral deterioration — what a suitable preparation for
the holy activities of heaven!
(G. Jordan, M. A.)

Zeal
When a man dies in England, his friends often sayof him, in praise of his
diligence, energy, and concentration:"Well, he lived simply to carry through
that important line of railway"; or — "His only object was to extort from the
Government a more scientific educationfor the people";or — "He devoted
himself to the cause ofFree Trade";or — "He was a martyr to his exertions
in behalf of Protection." It was his one idea; it grew with his growth; he could
think of nothing else;he sparedneither time nor expense to advance ever so
little his favourite cause, andthe interest he had wedded; it was his
monomania. He did his work in his day, and he did it well, because he was
heart and soul in it; and the world is in debt to him for it. Now, why should it
not be said of us: "Well, he is gone. He was a man of one idea: he cared for
nothing but that God's kingdom should come, and His will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven. He was eatenup with this; waking or sleeping it was always
upon him; nothing daunted him; he sparedneither time nor expense for his
hobby, and when neither time nor money were at his disposal, he besieged
heaven with prayers. He took no interest in anything else;it was meat and
drink to him, and it quite masteredhim; and now he is gone." Yes!he is gone;
but whereas the other man left behind him his railway and his cheapbread,
our friend has takenall his love and pains and prayers away with him to the
judgment-seat of Jesus;and what they have done for him there, eye hath not
seen, nor ear heard, nor man's heart conceived.
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(19) I rebuke and chasten.—The firstword is that used in the work of the
Holy Spirit (John 16:8), and signifies to bring conviction; it is not empty

censure. The secondword signifies to educate by means of correction. The
pronoun is emphatic, “I,” and calls attention to the fidelity of Christ’s love in
comparisonwith the weak partiality seenin human love. (Comp. Hebrews
12:6.)
Be zealous.—Or, be in a constantzealous state;and now, once for all, repent.
(2°) Behold, I stand at the door, and knock.—Itis difficult not to see an
allusion in this image to Song of Solomon5:2-6. Perhaps, also, the memory of
the first night spent by St. John with his Masterand Friend (John 1:39) may
have been strong in his mind. Indeed, the life of Christ on earth teems with
illustrations which may well have suggestedthe image (Luke 10:38; Luke
19:5-6; Luke 22:11-13;Luke 24:29-30).
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
3:14-22 Laodicea was the last and worstof the sevenchurches of Asia. Here
our Lord Jesus styles himself, The Amen; one steadyand unchangeable in all
his purposes and promises. If religion is worth anything, it is worth every
thing. Christ expects men should be in earnest. How many professors of
gospeldoctrine are neither hot nor cold; except as they are indifferent in
needful matters, and hot and fiery in disputes about things of lessermoment!
A severe punishment is threatened. They would give a false opinion of
Christianity, as if it were an unholy religion; while others would conclude it
could afford no real satisfaction, otherwiseits professors wouldnot have been
heartless in it, or so ready to seek pleasure or happiness from the world. One
cause ofthis indifference and inconsistencyin religion is, self-conceitand self-
delusion; Because thousayest. What a difference betweentheir thoughts of
themselves, and the thoughts Christ had of them! How careful should we be
not to cheatour owns souls!There are many in hell, who once thought
themselves far in the way to heaven. Let us beg of God that we may not be left
to flatter and deceive ourselves. Professorsgrow proud, as they become carnal
and formal. Their state was wretchedin itself. They were poor; really poor,
when they said and thought they were rich. They could not see their state, nor
their way, nor their danger, yet they thought they saw it. They had not the

garment of justification, nor sanctification:they were exposedto sin and
shame; their rags that would defile them. They were naked, without house or
harbour, for they were without God, in whom alone the soul of man can find
rest and safety. Goodcounselwas given by Christ to this sinful people. Happy
those who take his counsel, for all others must perish in their sins. Christ lets
them know where they might have true riches, and how they might have them.
Some things must be parted with, but nothing valuable; and it is only to make
room for receiving true riches. Part with sin and self-confidence, thatyou may
be filled with his hidden treasure. Theymust receive from Christ the white
raiment he purchased and provided for them; his own imputed righteousness
for justification, and the garments of holiness and sanctification. Let them
give themselves up to his word and Spirit, and their eyes shallbe opened to see
their way and their end. Let us examine ourselves by the rule of his word, and
pray earnestlyfor the teaching of his Holy Spirit, to take away our pride,
prejudices, and worldly lusts. Sinners ought to take the rebukes of God's word
and rod, as tokens of his love to their souls. Christ stoodwithout; knocking, by
the dealings of his providence, the warnings and teaching of his word, and the
influences of his Spirit. Christ still graciously, by his word and Spirit, comes
to the door of the hearts of sinners. Those who open to him shall enjoy his
presence. If what he finds would make but a poor feast, what he brings will
supply a rich one. He will give fresh supplies of graces andcomforts. In the
conclusionis a promise to the overcoming believer. Christ himself had
temptations and conflicts;he overcame them all, and was more than a
conqueror. Those made like to Christ in his trials, shall be made like to him in
glory. All is closedwith the generaldemand of attention. And these counsels,
while suited to the churches to which they were addressed, are deeply
interesting to all men.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten - Of course, only on the supposition
that they deserve it. The meaning is, that it is a proof of love on his part, if his
professedfriends go astray, to recallthem by admonitions and by trials. So a
father calls back his children who are disobedient; and there is no higher
proof of his love than when, with greatpain to himself, he administers such
chastisementas shall save his child. See the sentiment here expressedfully

explained in the notes on Hebrews 12:6. The language is takenfrom Proverbs
3:12.
Be zealous therefore, and repent - Be earnest, strenuous, ardent in your
purpose to exercise true repentance, and to turn from the error of your ways.
Lose no time; spare no labor, that you may obtain such a state of mind that it
shall not be necessaryto bring upon you the severe discipline which always
comes on those who continue lukewarm in religion. The truth taught here is,
that when the professedfollowers ofChrist have become lukewarmin his
service, they should lose no time in returning to him, anti seeking his favor
again. As sure as he has any true love for them, if this is not done he will bring
upon them some heavy calamity, alike to rebuke them for their errors, and to
recoverthem to himself.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
19. (Job 5:17; Pr 3:11, 12; Heb 12:5, 6.) So in the case ofManasseh(2Ch
33:11-13).
As many—All. "He scourgetheveryson whom He receiveth. And shalt thou
be an exception? If exceptedfrom suffering the scourge, thouart excepted
from the number of the sons" [Augustine]. This is an encouragementto
Laodicea not to despair, but to regardthe rebuke as a tokenfor good, if she
profit by it.
I love—Greek,"philo," the love of gratuitous affection, independent of any
grounds for esteemin the objectloved. But in the case ofPhiladelphia (Re
3:9), "I have loved thee" (Greek, "egapesa")withthe love of esteem, founded
on the judgment. Compare the note in my English Gnomon of Bengel, Joh
21:15-17.
I rebuke—The "I" in the Greek stands first in the sentence emphatically. I in
My dealings, so altogetherunlike man's, in the case ofall whom I love,
rebuke. The Greek, "elencho," is the same verb as in Joh 16:8, "(the Holy
Ghost) will convince (rebuke unto conviction) the world of sin."
chasten—"chastise." The Greek,"paideu," which in classicalGreek means to
instruct, in the New Testamentmeans to instruct by chastisement(Heb 12:5,

6). David was rebuked unto conviction, when he cried, "I have sinned against
the Lord"; the chastening followedwhen his child was takenfrom him (2Sa
12:13, 14). In the divine chastening, the sinner at one and the same time
winces under the rod and learns righteousness.
be zealous—habitually. Presenttense in the Greek, of a lifelong course of zeal.
The opposite of "lukewarm." The Greek by alliteration marks this: Laodicea
had not been "hot" (Greek, "zestos"),she is therefore urged to "be zealous"
(Greek, "zeleue"):both are derived from the same verb, Greek, "zeo,""to
boil."
repent—Greek aorist:of an act to be once for all done, and done at once.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
I rebuke and chasten;elegcw kaipaideuw the words may be translated, I
convince and instruct, or deal with them as children; but it also signifies to
chasten, and is so translated, 1 Corinthians 11:32 Hebrews 12:7; we translate
it learn, 1 Timothy 1:20. By these words Christ lets this angelknow, that
although he had in this epistle dealt smartly with him, yet he had done it from
a principle of love, as a father to a child, Hebrews 12:7.
Be zealous therefore, and repent; he adviseth him therefore to quit himself of
his luke warmness, and to recovera warmth and zeal for God, repenting of
his former coldness and negligence in his duty.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
As many as I love I rebuke and chasten,.... The persons the objects of Christ's
love here intended are not angels, but the sons of men; and these not all of
them, yet many of them, even all who are his own by his Father's gift and his
own purchase;and who are calledhis church, and sometimes representedas
such who love him and obey his commands: the instances of his love to them
are many; as his suretyship engagements forthem, his assumption of their
nature, dying in their room and stead, paying their debts, procuring their
peace and pardon, bringing in a righteousness forthem, purchasing their

persons, his intercessionfor them, preparations in heaven, supplies of grace,
and frequent visits in a kind and familiar manner; and as for the nature of his
love, it is free and sovereign, everlasting and immutable, and it is matchless
and inconceivable, it is strong and affectionate, andas his Fatherloved him;
and such are rebuked by Christ, not in a way of wrath, but in a tender
manner, in order to bring them under a conviction of their sin and of their
duty, and of their folly in trusting in, or loving any creature more than
himself, and of all their wrong ways; and they are chastenedby him, not in a
vindictive, but in a fatherly way, which is instructive and teaching to them,
and for their good. This seems to refer to some afflictions which Christ was
about to bring upon this church, by some means or another, to awakenher
out of her sloth and security, and which would be in love to her, and the end
be to rouse her zeal and bring her to repentance. Some think this respects the
Gog and Magog army, which will encompass the camp of the saints, and the
beloved city; but that will not be till after the thousand years' reign, and
besides will be no affliction to them; rather it designs the unchurching them,
signified by spewing them out of his mouth, Revelation3:16,
be zealous, therefore, and repent; zeal was what was wanting in this church;
which is nothing else than hot, fervent, and ardent love, love in a flame;
whereas she was neither cold nor hot, but lukewarm, Christ would have her
be "zealous" forGod; for his cause and interest, for his Gospel, ordinances,
and the discipline of his house, and againsteverything that is evil; againstall
false worship, all errors in doctrine, all sin and iniquity; and to be zealous of
goodworks, and in the worship of God, both private and public: and
"repent";in an evangelicalway, of her lukewarnmess, remissness, and
supineness;of her pride, arrogance,and vain boastings ofherself; and of her
self-sufficience, self-dependence, andself-confidence.
Geneva Study Bible
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten:be {k} zealous therefore, and repent.
(k) Zeal is setagainstthose who are neither hot nor cold.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary
Revelation3:19. Ἐγώ emphatically prefixed. The Lord, who alone is the true
witness (Revelation3:14), and, at the same time, the one from whom the true
gold can be obtained (Revelation3:18), appears as witness againstthose whom
he loves, since through his ἐλέγχειν and παιδεύεινhe wishes to make them
zealous unto repentance (ζηλ. κ. μεταν), and thus participant of his eternal
blessings.
ὅσους ἐὰν φιλῶ. Concerning the ἐὰς after the relative in N. T. diction, cf. my
note on 1 John 3:20. Grot. says incorrectly: “φιλῶ, not absolutely, but
relatively; i.e., those whom I have not altogetherdetermined, because oftheir
long-continued sins, to castawayand harden.” Upon a similar
misunderstanding rests the remark of Vitringa, that the kind address is
directed only to the better part of the church. On the contrary, the entire
church is still an objectof the seeking love of the Lord.
ἐλέγχω καὶ παιδεύω. The distinction betweenthe two expressions does notlie
in the ἐλέγχειν occurring by means of words, and the παιδεύειν by
chastisements;[1614]but the ΠΑΙΔΕΎΕΙΝ designating discipline, i.e.,
educationin general,[1615]may occuras well by ἘΛΈΓΧΕΙΝ, as by
perceptible chastisements, as ΜΑΣΤΙΓΟῦΝ.[1616]The ἘΛΈΓΧΕΙΝ[1617]
occurs when the wrong is so placed before the eyes of any one that he must
acknowledge it. From Revelation3:15 on, the Lord has exercisedhis
ἘΛΈΓΧΕΙΝ by completely disclosing the faults of the church; yet he
expresslysays that this, as well as his entire ΠΑΙΔΕΎΕΙΝ, proceeds from love.
It is nowhere said that in this he has already employed, or will employ, what
are the proper means of chastisement(blows). On the other hand, to the
ΠΑΙΔΕΎΕΙΝ belongs the advice of Revelation3:18. Yet this advice contains
the express assurance, that, with the Lord, gold, etc., shall not be lacking.
Hence not only the relentless ἘΛΈΓΧΕΙΝ,but also the tendering of grace, is a
ΠΑΙΔΕΎΕΙΝ, which testifies to the Lord’s love. But if the Lord thus
manifests himself to the “lukewarm” church, it follows that this (ΟὐΝ) has to

do what the command expresslysays:ΖΉΛΕΝΕ ΟὟΝ ΚΑῚ
ΜΕΤΑΝΌΗΣΟΝ.The words contain not a hysteron proteron,[1618]but
require of the church which is convictedof lukewarmness, anardent zeal,
enkindled by the love manifested by the Lord, and, as the proof of this zeal, a
true change of mind.[1619]
[1614]Blows, Luke 23;Luke 16:22. Aret., Grot.
[1615]Acts 22:3; Acts 7:22; Titus 2:12; 2 Timothy 2.
[1616]Cf. Hebrews 12:6 with Proverbs 3:12.
[1617]Cf. John 16:8; John 8:46; John 3:20; 1 Corinthians 14:24.
[1618]De Wette.
[1619]Cf. Grot., Beng., Hengstenb., Ebrard.
Expositor's Greek Testament
Revelation3:19. The prophet now relents a little; the church has still a chance
of righting herself. Such a reproofas he has given in Christ’s name, and the
discipline it involves (παιδεύω, wider than ἐλ.) are really evidence of affection,
not of antipathy or rejection. This is the method of God at least(ἐγώ,
emphatic; “whateverothers do”), with whom censure does not mean hostility.
φιλῶ, the substitution of this synonym (contrastHebrews 12:6) for the LXX
ἀγαπᾷ is remarkable in view of the latter term’s usage in the Apocalypse;the
other variation ἐλέγχω καὶ παιδεύω (ἐλ. [907], παιδ. [908][909], LXX) is
probably ornate rather than a duplicate. The love of Christ for his people is

mentioned in the Apocalypse only here (with a reminiscence if not a quotation
of O.T.), in Revelation1:5, and in Revelation3:9 (incidentally). In the latter
passage, the divine love sustains and safeguards those who are loyal; here it
inflicts painful wounds upon the unworthy, to regain their loyalty. ζήλευε
(pres.) = a habit, μετανόησον(aor.)= a definite change once for all. The
connexion (οὖν) seems to be: let the foregoing rebuke open your eyes at once
to the need of repentance, and also to the fact that it is really love on my part
which prompts me thus to expose and to chastise you; such a sense ofmy
loving concern, as well as of your own plight, should kindle an eagerheatof
indignation (2 Corinthians 8:11, ἀλλα ζῆλον) gathering into a flame of
repentance that will burn up indifference and inconsistency(cf. Weinel, 188
f.). The urgent need of immediate repentance rests not only on the special
characterof the temptation to which the localChristians were succumbing
(“It is a greatgrace to find out that we are lukewarm, but we are lostif we do
not actwith vigour. It is like going to sleepin the snow, almosta pleasant,
tingling feeling at the first, and then—lostforever,” Faber), but on the fact
that this warning was their last chance.
[907]Codex Vaticanus (sæc. iv.), published in photographic facsimile in 1889
under the care of the Abbate Cozza-Luzi.
[908]Codex Sinaiticus (sæc. iv.), now at St. Petersburg, published in facsimile
type by its discoverer, Tischendorf, in 1862.
[909]Codex Alexandrinus (sæc. v.), at the British Museum, published in
photographic facsimile by Sir E. M. Thompson (1879).
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
19. As many as I love, I rebuke] The pronoun “I” stands emphatically at the
beginning of the sentence—asit were, “Myway with those I love (the word is
a strong one, expressing affection, not simply charity), is to shew them their

faults,” not to “prophesy smooth things,” and encourage the self-complacent
temper that was destroying the Laodiceans. In every other case, the Lord has
noted both the goodand the evil in the Church, and generallythe goodfirst:
here He does nothing but find fault, but He adds in effect, “Do not suppose
from this that I do not love you.” The word “rebuke” is more often rendered
“reprove:” see e.g. John16:8; Ephesians 5:11; Ephesians 5:13 : its meaning
here is exactly what we express by “working conviction of sin.”
be zealous therefore, and repent] Shake offthy languid “lukewarm” temper:
then thou wilt be able to start on a new life of righteousness.
Bengel's Gnomen
Revelation3:19. Φιλῶ) In the case ofthe Philadelphian Church, He
(Revelation3:9) ἠγάπησε (esteemed it): in the case ofthe Laodicean, He φιλεῖ
(loves it). The former, with His judgment: the latter, with gratuitous affection
[favour]. Comp. John 21:15, note. In eachpassage[56]ἀγαπᾷνimplies
something more than φιλεῖν. In the passagequotedfrom John, the spiritual tie
of relationship is of more value than the judgment of Peter. Here, in the
Apocalypse, it is a more blessedthing to flourish [be esteemed]in the
judgment of the Lord, than to be chastisedthrough mere gratuitous
affection.—ζήλωσον)Both ζεστὸς, Revelation3:15-16, and ζῆλος, are derived
from ζέω.
[56] See footnote, John21:15.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 19. - As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten:be zealous therefore, and
repent. As many as. Not one whom God loves escapeschastening;if he be not
chastened, he is not a son (Hebrews 12:8), for "allhave sinned, and come
short." "I love" is φιλῶ, I love dearly; not merely ἀγαπῶ. I rebuke (ἐλέγχω),
to reprove, so as to convictof sin and turn to repentance;the work of the Holy
Ghost, who should "convictthe world of sin" (John 16:8). This verse is a

solace andencouragementfor the Laodi-ceans. Theywere required to make
the sacrificesdemanded of them, not so much that they might be punished for
their transgressions, but to prove themselves of the number of God's elect.
The stern reproof administered was a pruning, which was an evidence of
God's loving care for them; the final sentence, "Cutit down," had not yet
gone forth. But though thus intended for encouragementratherthan
condemnation, yet it could not but containimplied reproach, howevertender.
No one can be exhorted to change his path and to seek that which is holy
without being reminded that he is unholy and has wandered from the right
way. Those in Laodicea who took this message to heart must needs think of
their unchastenedlife - the life full of prosperity and self-satisfiedsecurity,
into which so little zeal had been infused, in which so little need for repentance
bad been felt. The Church, indeed, neededsome of that chastening, that
persecution, and hardship, which should arouse her from the perilous
slumber of ease into which she had fallen, and call forth some zeal and self-
sacrifice, the frequent and natural result of opposition.
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
BRIAN BELL
2. As many as I love, I rebuke & chasten(19) 2.23. After all this…He loved
these lukewarm saints!2.23.1. Enoughto chastenthem, not throw them away!
2.23.2.He would chastenthem as proof of His love! 2.24. Repent - From their
Pride & humble themselves before the Lord. 2.24.1.Theyneeded to fire up
that inner flame & cultivate a burning heart!

CHRIS BENFIELD
The Perfectionof His Love (19) – As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten:be
zealous therefore, and repent. Jesus’love is perfect love. He loved us too much
to allow us to die in our sin. That is why He died on the cross, that men might
be saved.
 He loves the saved too much to allow them to stray from Him and continue
in sin. His love confronts (rebukes, convicts), it chastens (corrects), it
commands us to be zealous, and it changes by leading to repentance. Jesus
loves us too much not to discipline our sin.
ALAN CARR
v. 19 Some Spiritual Advice – Jesus invites them to come to Him, then He
gives them a much neededword of advice.
1. A Word Of Compassion– “as many as I love” – In spite of their
indifference toward Him, He still loves them! What a blessing! Jesus doesn’t
just write people off when they don’t do as He pleases, but He calls them and
continue to love them even what they reject Him and His love.
2. A Word Of Caution – “I rebuke and chasten” – Jesus tells them, and us,
that just because He loves us like we are, He loves us too much to leave us as
we are. In an effort to getour attention, He will use two methods to turn us to
Him.
First, He will “rebuke”. This word means “to convict, or to correct”. He
will speak to us in our condition. He will send His Word and He will convict
us in our hearts through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, John 16:7-11. If we
come to Him, He will receive us.

If we fail to heed His rebukes, He will use more direct methods. The word
“chasten” means “to correctwith blows”. He may touch any area of life to get
our attention; He might even use death, 1 Cor. 11:30.
Those who refuse to walk in God’s path will encounter trouble in their
lives, Pro. 13:15;Jer. 2:19; Pro. 15:10.
3. A Word Of Counsel – “be zealous…andrepent” – The word “zealous”
gives us the word “zesty”. It means “to come to a boil”. Jesus is calling this
church to “geton fire for Him”. When they see their need and turn to Him, it
will manifest itself in genuine repentance. Remember, repentance canbe
defined as “a change of mind that results in a change of direction.” If
Laodicea were to repent, they would come alive to the Lord and His presence
in their church. They would be moved by the cross and by the plight of the
lost sinner.
(Note:We need to hear and heed the voice of the Lord in these days, and went
need to repent. We need to ask the Lord to let us see ourselves as we really
are. We need to be able to see Him as He really is. We need to “come to a
boil”; to geton fire for Him and repent of our indifference, our apathy our
lack of conviction and concern. Godhelp us to get to Him before His
judgment falls on us, 1 Pet. 4:17.)
ALAN CARR
v. 19 A Proclaims His Love – Jesus gives them a much needed word of advice.
• “As many as I love” – In spite of their indifference towardHim, He still
loves them! What a blessing!Jesus doesn’tjust write people off when they
don’t do as He pleases, but He calls them and continue to love them even what
they rejectHim and His love.

• “I rebuke and chasten” – Jesus tells them His people that just because He
loves them like they are, He loves them too much to leave them as they are. He
uses two methods to turn them to Him.
• He uses “rebuke”. This word means “to convict, or to correct”. He speaks
to us about our spiritual condition. He sends His Word and He convicts us in
our hearts, John 16:7-11. If we come to Him, He will receive us.
• If we fail to heed His rebukes, He will use more direct methods. The word
“chasten” means “to correctwith blows”. He may touch any area of life to get
our attention; He might even use death, 1 Cor. 11:30.
• “Be zealous…andrepent” – The word “zealous”gives us the word
“zesty”. It means “to come to a boil”. Jesus is calling this church to “geton
fire for Him”. When they see their need and turn to Him, it will manifest itself
in genuine repentance. Repentance is defined as “a change of mind that
results in a change of direction.” If Laodicea would repent, they would come
alive to the Lord, and to His presence in their church. They would be moved
by the cross and by the plight of the lost sinner.
We need to heed the voice of the Lord in these days, and went need to repent
of our lukewarmcondition, of our apathy, of our complacency. We needto
ask the Lord to let us see ourselves as we really are. We need to be able to see
Him as He really is. We need to “come to a boil”; to get on fire for Him and
repent of our indifference, our apathy our lack of conviction and concern.
God help us to get to Him before His judgment falls on us, 1 Pet. 4:17.
THE LAODICEAN CHURCH
Dr. W. A. Criswell
Revelation3:14-22

10-15-61 10:50 a.m.
On the radio you are sharing the services ofthe First Baptist Church in
Dallas. This is the pastor bringing the 11:00 o’clock morning messageentitled
The MessageofOur Lord to the Last of His Churches. In our preaching
through the Bible, we have come to the Book ofthe Revelation. And in
following the course of the chapters in the Revelation, we have come to the
third chapter, the fourteenth verse. And we read the text, Revelation3:14-22:
And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write;These things saith
the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creationof
God;
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot . . .
So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither coldnor hot, I will spew thee
out of My mouth.
Becausethou sayest, I am rich, and increasedwith goods, and have need of
nothing; and knowestnot that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor,
and blind, and naked:
I counselthee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and
white raiment, that thou mayestbe clothed, and that the shame of thy
nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, thatthou
mayest see.
As many as I love, I rebuke 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.
To him that overcomethwill I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I
also overcame, and am set down with My Fatherin His throne. He that hath
an ear, let Him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

[Revelation3:14-22]
And that closesthe era and the age ofthe churches. There are no more
churches.
In the greatarc, as the messengerfrom the Isle of Patmos took the Revelation,
and in them, these prophetic delineations of the development of Christ’s
churches through the ages – as the messengerwentfrom church to church, he
made the greatcircle:starting at Ephesus, then to Smyrna, then to Pergamos,
then to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and finally, now, to Laodicea.
There is much of the history and topography of the city that is reflectedin this
letter of our Lord: "Unto the angel of the church in Laodicea" [Revelation
3:1]. That is the name of the wife of Antiochus II. He founded the city in 250
BC, where the glen of the Lycus River broadens out into the MaeanderValley
and flows on down to the sea, at Ephesus. That was the gatewayand the
entrance into the country of Phrygia. And for that purpose, Antiochus built
the city there, and named it after his wife.
That whole region of the Lycus Valley is most famous in the early story of the
Christian churches. Four of the greatchurches of ancient Christendom were
founded in that Lycus Valley. To the north of the river was Hierapolis. To the
south of the river was Laodicea. About 15 miles up the river to the eastwas
Colosse, thenbeyond, Apamea.
For example, in the Book of Colossians,in the last verses, Paulspeaks of
Epaphras [Colossians 4:12], who was the evangelizerand apparently the
founder of those churches. And he says:"ForI bear him record, that he hath
a greatzeal for you, for you at Colosse, and for them that are at Laodicea, and
for them in Hierapolis" [Colossians4:13]. Three of those churches are
mentioned right there.
"Salute the brethren," Paul writes,
, which are in Laodicea.

And when this epistle is readamong you, cause that it be read also in the
church of the Laodiceans;and that ye likewise readthe epistle from Laodicea.
[Colossians4:15, 16]
There were famous men who were a pastorof them. Archippus was pastorat
Colosseand he had in his membership Philemon and Onesimus. Papias was
pastor at Hierapolis; Papias atHierapolis and Polycarpat Smyrna were
disciples of the agedapostle John, who was pastor at Ephesus. And then, at
Laodicea, this church to whom our Lord addresses the last and the seventh
letter, there was in the district medicinal springs, mineral springs. That’s in
the backgroundof this nauseating thing by which he uses to describe the
church.
If you know anything about springs, mineral springs, if it’s cold, cold, cold,
you canget it down. If it’s hot, hot, hot, you can drink it down. But, if it is
tepid – if it is lukewarm, it is very nauseating and ill-tasting and sickening.
And, all around that country, they knew what it was to find those medical
mineral springs and how it tasted when the hot spring was lukewarm, when it
cooledoff.
Then, the church describes itselfas saying: "I am rich, and increasedwith
goods, and have need of nothing" [Revelation3:17]. That is a true and an
accurate reflectionof Laodicea. The storyof Laodicea from the beginning is a
successstory. Those Seleucids – when Alexander’s empire broke up, four
generals seizedit: Ptolemy, down in Egypt; Lysimachus, in Asia Minor;
Cassander, there in Greece;and Seleucus, whose fatherwas Antiochus, the
Seleucidkings governed Assyria, of which, for the most part, Palestine
belonged. Now those Seleucids were brilliant and able Greek generals and
kings. They were princes who love to found cities. Forexample, you will find
sevenLaodiceas in the empire of those Seleucidkings, and I do not know how
many Antiochs, and Anthomeas, which was also a womanin the family.
Wherever those Seleucids built a city, they invited the Jew to come, and
offered him, as inducement and enticement, free citizenship. The reasonfor it

was they, above all others, knew that wherever the Jew went, there went
banking and trade and merchandising and prosperity.
Now, this city of Laodicea had more than its share of Jewishmerchantmen.
There’s an interesting thing by which you could know exactly how many Jews
were in that city. There was a Roman proconsul in these days, who was the
governorof the Roman province of Asia, to which Laodicea belonged. He
made an interdiction againstthe export of gold. Doesn’tthat sound modern?
No more gold canbe shipped out of the country, keeping it in order to bolster
his coinage andhis currency.
Well, as you know, all over the civilized world, once a year, every adult male
Jew over 21 years of age had to send one-half shekeltemple tax to Jerusalem,
for the support of the worship of Jehovahthere [Matthew 17:24]. So when
Flaccus interdicted the export of gold, which was the coinage by which they
sent the money across the sea, why, the Jews decidedto disregardthe ban and
they took up their shekels and turned it into gold and sent it to Jerusalem
anyway.
Well, Flaccus seizedthe gold. It weighedtwenty pounds. Now, twenty pounds
of gold made 15,000 drachmas. One-halfshekelis two drachmas, so eachone
of the adult male Jews in Laodicea contributed two drachmas. Now, if there
were 15,000drachmas in the money that they sent to Jerusalem, orproposed
to, divide 15,000 by 2, and you’ll have the exactnumber of adult male Jews
above 21 years of age who lived in Laodicea:15,000 divided by 2 – they had
7,500 adult male heads of Jewishfamilies that lived in that city. Wherever
they are, as you know, there is money, there is merchandisizing, there is
banking, there is trade, there is commerce. The Seleucids, I say, were smart
men. So, this city was, almostfrom the beginning, a success story.
An instance of their affluence is in the life of Cicero. Whenhe made his great
journey through the East, he cashedhis letters of credit in Laodicea. Another
instance of their prosperity is found in Tacitus. In his Annals, he described
the prosperity of Laodicea. So much so, he says, that in 60 AD, when an
earthquake destroyedthe city, they refused the offices and the coffers and the

contributions of the emperor at Rome and rebuilt their city themselves. They
were a prosperous and rich people.
Well, there’s a whole lot of other things about that, but we have many more
important things to speak of. So we’re going on.
This church at Laodicea represents, in this book of prophecy, the last period
of church history. All seven of them depict periods, areas, ages, developments,
in the story of the churches of Christ. The Ephesianperiod represents the
apostolic church: the church of Christ and the apostles. The Smyrnan church
represents the church of martyrdom, ground under the iron hand of the
Roman government. The Pergameanchurch represents the church of the
establishment, when Constantine married the church to the world. The
Thyatiran church is the church of scarletand silk and crimson and gold,
representing the oracularinfallibility of those who propose to speak for God.
The Sardian church represents the church of the Dark Ages, in which night
there are stars of the Reformationthat shine. The Philadelphian church
represents the church of missions and evangelization, the greatoutreachof
the people of God as they preach the gospelto the world. And the Laodicean
church represents the last church before Christ comes.
What is it like? Well, it is an astonishing thing! With every one of those seven
churches, Christ could find something goodexcept with the last. Every one of
these churches, Christ commends, exceptLaodicea. The only church of the
sevenwith whom He has no word of acceptance andno word of laudation and
no word of commendation is the last, and the seventh, church.
If we would like to see what the church is like when our Lord comes back to
earth, look at it with me for the moment: "So then, because thou art
lukewarm." The last, and the Laodicean, age, the last of Christ’s churches,
make Him sick. "Becausethou art lukewarm" – nauseating – "I will spew
thee out of My mouth" [Revelation3:16]. The Laodiceanchurch is a
lukewarm, indifferent, insipidly spiritual church.
The Laodiceanchurch is lukewarm: it is indifferent to the truth of God, and
the doctrine of God, and the revelationof God. It doesn’t make any
difference to the Laodiceanchurch what – it doesn’t matter. Why, one church

is as goodas another, and one doctrine is as goodas another, and one theology
is as goodas another, and one systemis as goodas another. What difference
does it make?
Laodiceanchurches:"goodishness." And there’s a greatdeal of goodishness
that passes as Christianity – that maudlin sentimentality that speaks of"You
ought to love your mother" and "You ought not to kill anybody" and "You
ought to enter into all of these fine things in the city." That’s what it is to be a
Christian to the Laodiceans:a goodishness thatmakes God sick, whenit is
identified as the truth and the doctrine and the revelation of God.
Well, you can walk down any streetand talk to any Christian. There will not
be one out of a thousand that could tell you what he actually believes or why.
He believes that Christianity is a certainkind of a goody, goodishnessand
that’s all – a sentimentality.
The Laodiceanchurch is indifferent. It’s lukewarm in its commitment. They
half worship God and they half worship mammon. They worship Christ and
the world. Theybow at the shrine of Baaland Jehovah. Theymix them up.
Worldliness:I am honestwhen I avow to you, I cannot tell the difference
betweenthe ordinary Christian and the ordinary worldling. They both look
alike to me.
I was with a group last night in a religious service. I could not tell any
difference in the men and the womenwho were Christian and who were not.
They both cussedalike. Theyall drank alike, smoke alike, look alike, carryon
alike. I could not tell any difference in them at all.
That is the Laodiceanchurch. There’s no line of demarcationbetweena man
that follows Godand a man whose heart is in the world. They are lukewarm,
they are niggly, they are tepid, they are inbetween. And Christ says:"I would
that you were, out-and-out, an infidel and a member of the kingdom of Satan,
or an out- and-out Christian. But to straddle the fence, to be both and, He
says, it makes Me sick. It is nauseating. I will spew thee" [Revelation3:16].
The Greek wordis the word that your word "emetic" comes from.

Another thing about the Laodiceanchurch. The Laodiceanchurch is
indifferent and lukewarmin its devotion [Revelation3:16]. Thatis, it has no
zeal. It has no energy. It has no soul earnestness. And if anyone were to
exhibit enthusiasm for God and for the church, why, the Laodiceanchurch
says, "Thatoffends our cultural sensibilities. It’s not in goodtaste."
Now, it’s in good taste to be enthusiastic everywhere else. We’re enthusiastic
at these Cotton Bowlsrollfrom side to side and the foundations shake. And
we’re enthusiastic in business. And we’re enthusiastic in emoluments, and in
success, andin achievement, and in business. In every way that you canthink
of this world steps, their hearts pulse, their hearts beat and their minds are
aflame, and everybody is in earnest.
But when it comes down to religion, why, we’re to be apathetic and lethargic
and in nowise exhibit life and devotion and commitment. It’s sort of a thing
that, oh, you do to be nice, but that’s about all. Go to church for
respectability’s sake, but not much beyond. But as for real zealand real
gladness and real victory and real triumph, energyin it, well – weak! We’re
saving ourselves forsomething else.
I have copied this out of a preacher’s magazine. Now, you listen to it:
The clusterof preachers gatheredoutside the conventionhall in agreement,
"Yes, shouting had become out of place in our modern church services" But,
they paused in respectas an elderly pastorin their midst beganto reminisce
with a far-awaylook in his eye: "I can still remember the lasttime I shouted,"
he said quietly. "I remember it well. It was a glorious occasion. Awave of
mighty powerseemedto move through the crowd. In an instant, I found
myself standing and violently waving my hands in the air. My legs grew
weak. My voice was hoarse. Againand again, exultant words burst from my
lips. All around me, others were joining in the same frenzied spirit." The old
gentleman’s eyes fastenedon the faces ofthose around him as he continued,
"Some of you – some of you may think I was a fool. Maybe you’re calling me
old-fashioned or even a fanatic. If so, it’s because youdon’t realize the
significance ofwhat I had just witnessed. Indeed, it was worth shouting about.

For you see, my brethren," he added almost in a whisper, "Our basketball
team had just wonthe tournament." And the group quietly melted away.
Jesus says:"And it makes Me sick!" Tremendous energy and great
commitment in all of the things that mind can imagine, except God and His
church, except Christ and His work. The world is in earnest, and the devil is
in earnestand the powers that drive in darkness are in earnest. And
communism is in earnest, and the Soviet is in earnest, and materialism is in
earnest, but God’s people are insipid and colorless,lukewarm, and
compromised and divided, and follow afar off.
The only reasonI emphasize it is this: there is no such thing as religion
without that dead earnestnessthat includes the whole of the life and the soul.
Religionis a fire in the bones. Religionis the commitment of life. Religionis
God in the soul. You can’t help but feel it. It governs, and controls, and
drives, and marches, and lives, and rises from the dead! This is religion. And
it’s not Laodicean.
Another thing about this Laodiceanchurch: the church at the end, when the
Lord comes, whatis it like? It says – and I cannot understand how people
could be so self-deceived, couldlook upon themselves through eyes and see
nothing but goodfor themselves. The Laodiceanchurch is a self-deceived
church.
The Lord said, "Let us turn it around."
They said, "I am rich!"
The Lord said, "You are poor!"
They said, "We are increasedwith goods forevery happiness."
The Lord said: "You are wretchedand miserable."
They said, "We have need of nothing. We have goteverything."
And the Lord said, "You are blind and naked" [Revelation3:17].

And the more lukewarma church is, the more is it self-satisfiedand self-
contented. Why, you can stand in most of the churches in America, and cry,
"Repent!"
And they would say, "Repent? Whathave I to repent of?"
If you were to cry for a greatcommitment to God, they’d say, "Well, what
for? What’s the matter with us?"
Well, look, look, look – and the Lord says that they are self-deceivedand self-
satisfiedand self-contentbecause they are blind, wretched, and poor, and
miserable, and do not know it [Revelation3:17].
And look at the third thing about this Laodiceanchurch. This is the end
church. This is the church when the Lord comes back. And when He does,
He is on the outside. He is not in. He is out there, knocking at the door. He is
not in. He is outside [Revelation3:20].
The Lord has been awayon a long journey, as we read in the passage, to
receive a kingdom for Himself, as we read in the passage [Luke 19:12]. And
when He comes back, is the door of the church open to Him? And are they
watching and waiting? And are they seeking and expecting? No, they forgot
Him! They’re not watching. They’re not praying. They’re not doing
anything, exceptfinding a greatsatisfactionin themselves:"Rich and
increasedwith goods," andI don’t need God. And I don’t need man. "I have
got it all" [Revelation3:17].
Oh, if you were to call America to prayer, America would say: "Why, pray?
Pray? Well, look at our bombs and look at our submarines and look at all
this, that, and the other." And there may be a few of our people that are
down on their knees, beseeching Godfor an intervention in this awful hour of
crisis, but I see no indication anywhere of a greatturning back to God on the
part of our people. It just isn’t in us.
We are too engrossedin the materialities of life. And our children are taught
that way. Why, when you teachchildren that they come from a greenscum,
and when you teachchildren that all that there is of Godin this world is an
impersonal, inexorable, natural law, and when you teachchildren that the

greatend and aim of life is to be found in scientific materialism – whether it’s
over there and call it Soviet – or, whether it is here and call it socialist, or
materialist, or scientific, or whatevername, it’s the same thing: there’s no
God. There’s no answerto prayer. There’s no need for repentance. There’s
no need for crying aloud. That is the Laodiceanchurch!
And when the Lord comes back, why, there’s a scientistin His place or a
materialist or a socialist. There’s somebodyelse that’s in our heart besides
God. And He is on the outside [Revelation3:20].
This is the lasthour of the church. The last meal is before the dawn. The last
meal before the dawn is diepnon, diepnon. And the Greek word, you have it
translated here: "I will sup with him" [Revelation3:20]. Diepneo, the last
meal before Christ comes in the greatdawning, is the diepneo when He comes
to break the final supper – break bread in the final supper with His people.
The Lord is on the outside, He is not in [Revelation3:20]. You know, that’s a
pitiful and a tragic thing. In John 1:11 it says that "The Lord came unto His
own, the first time, "and His own receivedHim not." And how sad, how
infinitely sadder, is it when the Lord comes this next time, this last time, and
His own, they are not thinking about Him, they’re not loving him, their hearts
are not set on Him, they’re not agonizing in prayer or repentance or
confession. They’re busy about the things of the flesh and of the world. And
He is on the outside [Revelation3:20].
Now, how do you sum up an hour’s sermon in a moment or two? I would like
to preach severalsermons on this greatpassagehere. But, I have determined
I’m going to move on through this book. And then maybe sometime we can
come back.
One of the profoundest truths that you’ll find, as we come to the conclusion
and the end of the way, is in this. These letters all are addressedto ministers,
to preachers, to congregations,to churches, to greatfellowships. But in every
instance, when the appeal is made, it is made to the individual heart.

The Lord may speak to the aggregate to reprimand and to denounce and to
admonish and to counsel, but when He makes appeal, without exception, it
always is to the individual heart.
Now, you look at it: "If any man hear" – one somebody – "hearMy voice," as
He speaks to the churches, "if anyone hear My voice, I will come in and sup
with him" – individual [Revelation3:20].
Now look again, the next verse: "To him that overcomethwill I grant to sit
with Me in My throne" [Revelation3:21]. Now, look, in the last: "He that
hath an ear, let him hear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches" [Revelation3:22]. "Be thou – singular – faithful unto death, and I
will give thee – singular – a crown of life" [Revelation2:10].
Howeverthe course of the world may go, and history may follow in a channel,
and howeverthe destiny of nations, always, the appealof Christ is to the
individual heart and the individual soul: "He that hath an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit saith unto the churches" [Revelation3:22]. That is the duty of
the individual in the presence ofGod, the greataddress to the nations and
kingdoms and churches of the world.
But, always, the duty of the individual is to hear for himself, not to hide under
the greatconglomerate andthe multitudinous aggregateofthe great
congregation, but for me – for me, for me. And that is the tremendous
emphasis and strength of the Christian faith: always, the individual in
building the wall of the temple of God – the stone, one by one.
And there’s no other way that a congregationcanhear exceptas its people
personally listen, hearing. A congregationcan’thear except as the individual
listens, as He speaks to the churches: "He that hath an ear, let him hear"
[Revelation3:22].
What does God say? No one of us caneat for the other. No one of us could
sleepfor the other. So it is no one can repent for somebody else. No one can
believe for somebody else. No one can die for somebodyelse. And no one can
be judged for somebodyelse. We die for ourselves. We standbefore God for

ourselves. We must repent for ourselves. We must trust God for ourselves.
We must bring for ourselves our souls to Jesus.
O Lord, I’m not what I ought to be. I’m not what I could be. Lord, help me
to be all God would have me be. That is the appeal of Christ. I have a
moment or two left. The greatreward: "To him that overcomethwill I grant
to sit with Me in My throne, even as I overcame, and am setdown with My
Father in His throne" [Revelation3:21].
There are two thrones: one, the throne of omnipotence, the greatinvisible
God, unapproachable, high above the highestheaven – God, and our Savior,
co-regent, co-eternalsitting down, deity Himself, God. We will never see that,
I do not think. Norcould we ever approachit and live.
There is anotherthrone. This is the throne of the Lord Christ, who was the
Son of Mary, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham, the Son of Adam, made
in the likeness ofmortal men with flesh and blood and bones, just as we have,
made like unto His brethren [Philippians 2:7]. Like those of the seedof
Abraham, our Lord was a man. And in His manhood, was He raised from the
dead [Matthew 28:5-7]. And in His manhood, shall He sit down in His throne.
And the reins of government and empire of kingdoms, of glory, are all in His
hands [Revelation11:15] – our Lord, and we shall be His fellow servants
[Revelation22:3]. That’s why I had you read the passagethat you read this
morning out of Luke [Luke 19:11-27].
When these cartoonists draw our future home in glory, almost always they
have got us on cloud eight or nine or twelve. And there we sit, with some kind
of funny-looking wings, strumming on some kind of a funny-looking harp.
And that is to be our future, they say.
Well, an eternity without end – why, such luxuriating idleness and such
celestialemptiness and vacuity is impossible to conceive of. Well, what are
you going to do out there in the world that is to come?
Why, ah, let’s preachabout it for a minute. What you going to do? The sixth
chapter of the first Corinthian letter, the secondverse, says we are going to sit

with Christ on His throne, to judge all creation, the angels and the saints and
those living and dead and all the world of God [1 Corinthians 6:2].
And then, in the passage thatyou read, God said to this faithful man: "I am
going to put you over ten cities." And God said to this faithful man: "I will
put you over five cities" [Luke 19:16-19].
And the Lord has a greatadministration out there, governing this whole
universe! And the man was first createdto be the express image of the
invisible God [Genesis 1:27-27]and to be God’s glory and delight forever, for
view, for perspicuity, for seeing, for doing in the name of God: that’s what
we’re going to do in all eternity. We’re going to live. We’re going to move.
We’re going to grow. We’re going to act. We’re going to be for God. And
the Lord will assignme some planet out there and put me a few thousand
people on it and let me preachto them, and I don’t have to stopat twelve
o’clock, man, what a day and what an hour for this preacher! Think of it.
Think of it – just preachfor a thousand years and then get my breath at the
first comma, and go right on.
Oh, man hasn’t thought and heart hasn’t imaged nor has it entered into a
man to devise what God’s going to do with us out there in glory – great things,
marvelous things! "To him that overcometh, he will sit with Me in My
throne" [Revelation3:2], to administer, to rejoice, to be glad, to be busy, to be
with God.
We’ll sing our song of appeal and while we sing the song of appeal, somebody,
this morning, to give his heart to Jesus;somebody to put his life with us in the
fellowship of the church, on the first note of the first stanza, would you come
and stand by me? "Preacher, I give you my hand. I give my heart to God.
And here I am." Or, "Pastor, we’re coming into the fellowship of the
church."
In that topmost balcony to that last row of seats, there’s time and to spare to
come down one of these stairways on either side. And in this press of people
in this lowerfloor, somebody you would come. While we reverently,
hopefully, prayerfully, earnestly, sing the song of appeal, make it this
morning. "Pastor, I give you my hand. I give my heart to God. In the great

assize, in that vast ultimate rendezvous, in the gathering of God’s children, let
me be one, blessedJesus, and here I am. And here I come." Makeit this
morning. Make it now. On the first note of the first stanza, come, while all of
us reverently stand and sing together.
TONY GARLAND
.3.19 - Revelation3:19
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten
The Laodiceanchurch could take comfort in the fact that Christ had written a
letter of rebuke to them for it was an indication of his ongoing love for them.
They were not so far gone that He would leave them silently to their own
devices. Like a loving Father, God chastens those who would be His sons (Deu.
8:5; 2S. 7:14; Heb. 12:5-8).
be zealous
ζήλευε [zēleue], be continually full of zeal (present-tense). The same root word
as “hot” in Revelation3:15‣ . Although God said “I could wish you were cold
or hot” (either state being preferable to lukewarm hypocrisy), He still prefers
that they be hot. The Laodiceanchurch-goerwas to earnestlydesire, pursue,
and strive after God.131 He could no longerremain a church-goer, but would
need to become a God-chaser.
J HAMPTON KEATHLEY III

We need to remember that these letters are written to the church, to believers
in Christ. There could have been unbelievers in their midst, but unbelievers
are really not a part of the church. Christ is addressing believers here and
says, “those whomI love, I reprove and discipline.” He loves them and
promises to reprove and discipline them to bring them out of their self
sufficiency and into the sufficiency of His life. This could require severe
testing, pain and heartache to bring them (or any believer in this state)to a
point of personal need and dependency upon the Lord (Heb. 12:5-15).
In view of this, they are warned to become zealous and to repent of their ways.
In other words, repent in order to stop the discipline before it begins.
“Be zealous” is a present imperative which commands a continual state. This
is maintained by using our divine operating assets, the Word, the filling of the
Holy Spirit, prayer, etc.
“Repent” is an aoristimperative which means don’t delay, do it now, but it
also looks ataction designedto arresta condition, the condition of lukewarm
self-sufficiency.
The verb is metanoew, “to change the mind.” It is equivalent to confessionof
the pastor the present with a view to a change in the future.
The Curse of the Happy Medium
Revelation3:14-22
Dr. S. Lewis Johnsondiscusses the seventh letter to the churches of Asia
Minor, the famous admonition againstLaodicea.
SLJ Institute > Revelation> The Curse of the Happy Medium
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[Message]The Scripture reading today is from Revelationchapter 3, verse 14
through verse 22. This is the last of our Lord’s letters to the churches. And
incidentally, while we are thinking about it, the term church itself is found
againin the Book ofRevelationin only one other place. And it is found then in
chapter , in verse 16, not representing teaching that our Lord gives to the
church, but rather, a statement that this book as a whole has been given by
our Lord for the churches. So, in one sense, ourLord’s messageto the church
ends at this point. So, it’s significant from that standpoint as well. But
beginning in verse 14 now, John writes,
“And unto the angelof the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith
the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creationof God;
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold
or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will

spue thee out of my mouth. Because thousayest, I am rich, and increasedwith
goods, and have need of nothing; and knowestnot that thou art wretched, and
miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: (That in the original text is
written in such a way that we could translate it this way, all of those adjectives
belong to that one person or church in view, “and knowestnot that thou art
the wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and nakedone.”)I counselthee to buy of
me goldtried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that
thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear;
and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayestsee. As many as I love, I
rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. (One rather interesting
thing is that the word for love here is the word that generallyis regarded as a
weakerwordthan the stronger word agape, whichrefers to the love of the
directed will. This one is a term that emphasizes the sharing of common
interests and therefore it commonly can be translated, affection. “As many as
I have affectionfor, I rebuke 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. To him
that overcomethwill I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also
overcame, and am set down with my Fatherin his throne. He that hath an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”
May the Lord bless this reading of his word, and we bow togethernow in a
word of prayer.
[Prayer] Father we are thankful for the word of God, and we are thankful for
these messages thatour Lord has given to the churches. As we reflectupon
them we see how important they are for us in the end of the 20th Century. For
the same trials and difficulties and sins and other things that characterize
believing individuals are things that are characteristic ofus. Lord, forgive us
for our lack of zeal, of concern, of zealous activity for the gospelof our Lord
and SaviorJesus Christ. We too are so often lukewarm. And we pray Lord,
that by Thy grace, through the Holy Spirit, Thou wilt stir us to be more
whole-heartedlyinterested in working in the spreading of the goodnews
concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray Thy blessing to that end, not only
upon our congregationand our church, but upon other true churches of our

Lord and SaviorJesus Christ as well. May the whole body be renewedin these
difficult days in which we are living.
We pray for Believers Chapeland its ministries, Lord, bless them. May Thy
hand be upon them for spiritual good. May the tape ministry and the radio
ministry and the written ministry and the Bible classes andother forms of
outreachin which we are engagedindividually and as a church, may the Holy
Spirit use these things to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ.
And Father, we pray particularly for those who are ill and sick and have
requestedour prayers for various reasons, minister to them by Thy grace
through those who serve them as physicians or family or friends. Bless and
give healing as it should please Thee. We thank Thee that we can turn to Thee
and know that Thou dost hear our petitions at this very moment. Heaven
listens to the petitions of the weakestofthe saints and Father we pray for our
greatcountry, for our president, for his tasks in these days. Especiallywe
pray for him and may if it please Thee again, there be continued peace as far
as this country is concerned and a possibility of the proclamationof the gospel
freely, may that continue.
And Lord we would particularly pray as a congregationthat Thou would
work in our hearts to stir us to be more faithful in our Christian testimony.
Deliver us from the lethargy, and indifference, and lack of concernthat so
often characterizes us, characterizesme. And Lord we pray that by Thy
grace, Thouwilt enable us to fervently serve our Lord. And Lord, too, we
pray that Thou wilt enable us to be fruitful and interest others in the gospelof
our Lord Jesus whichmeans so much to us. We pray Thy blessing upon all of
the ministries here, upon our elders and deacons, andthe members and
friends and the visitors here today particularly, Lord, encourage them
through the word of God. Build them up, as well, in the truth that concerns
our Lord Jesus Christ, as we listen to the Scriptures for Jesus sake.Amen.
[Message]Fromtime to time in our expositionof the Book of Revelation, and
specificallythe messagesto the seven churches, I’ve made reference to an
interpretation of these chapters, the messagesto the seven churches, that has
suggestedthat these letters as they unfold, first the letter to the church at

Ephesus, the final one to the church at Laodicea, that those sevenletters
representessentiallysevenperiods of time betweenthe two comings of our
Lord, and that we may expectthe church to manifest the characteristics that
these letters representthrough this now approximately two thousand year
period of time.
I have suggestedthat I doubt that that is really what our Lord and John have
in mind in this, but there are some interesting coincidences. Otherwise, good
men would not have suggestedthat that may be one of the intent of these
letters. We have tried to stress the fact that these are historicalchurches and
they are written to the historicalchurches just as the apostles, forexample,
wrote to Rome and to Corinth. These letters are to be taken in a similar way.
But at any rate, according to this view which we will call the historical view,
Laodicea being the last of the letters would represent the last stage of
Christianity on the earth betweenthe two comings of our Lord. And so since
the Lord’s coming is thought by those who hold this view to be relatively near,
and we have reasonin Scripture to saythat his return is relatively near, then
this would represent presentday Christianity, the epistle that our Lord wrote
to the Laodiceans, the last phase prior to our Lord’s return. And certainly as
one looks around you can see certainresemblances betweenthe conditions of
the church at Laodicea and the conditions of the church today. Laodicea
represents a kind of church that is in essencea compromising church.
One of the men that I used to listen to and whom I have read through the
years, once wrote a paragraph like this, he was writing on the subject of
lukewarmness and he said, “The Laodiceans must have prided themselves on
being tolerant, broad-minded, middle-of-the-roaders. One can almosthear
them say, ‘We’re not extreme radicals, nor ultra conservatives. We are
fundamental modernists and modern fundamentalists. We are disciples of the
greathappy meeting.’” Dr. Frank Crane used to say that, “His religion was
the religionof the greatcommon denominator of all things. So, the Laodiceans
did not belong to the Icelandof a frigid intellectualism, nor to the Tierra del
Fuego of a flaming evangelicism. Theydwelt among the temperate zone of a
tasteless, spiritual tepidity.” Well, that’s a marvelous little paragraph, because
it is so true in so many ways to the conditions of the church at various periods

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