Today we complete the messages to the seven churches of Asia found in the book of Revelation. We stopped last time right in the middle of the message to the church of Laodicea. This is a church that thought of themselves as a church in need of nothing. They were wealthy, they were rich, they were powerful, and they were probably the church that everybody wanted to be like. The Lord’s assessment of this church is not very good. He tells them, as we left off last time, that according to Revelation 3:17 they are: wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. And they did not know it! What a terrible situation to be in.
So, what are they going to do about that? He says in Revelation 3:18, “I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.” He is not telling us that we buy our salvation. That is the opposite of what is taught all the way through Scripture. Salvation is a gift. So, we need to keep the metaphor in place here. He is saying that because of your spiritual poverty you need to come to the one who has true riches. I am the One, Jesus says, who has those true riches, and you can buy true riches. You can buy gold and white garments, so to speak, from me and clothe yourself and not be in the spiritual situation that you’re in now. One interesting comment we might make is concerning eye salve. He says you can “buy eye salve and anoint your eyes so that you may see.” Apparently, at that time, this city was known for some kind of powder or salve that they used for eyes to help them see. Apparently, this was medicinal of some sort. I’m not sure how well it worked, but they were known for it. So, when He brought up this issue of, “eye salve so they could see,” they would understand on the physical level what that was about and could apply it on a spiritual level.
He tells them, “Don’t get the idea I don’t like you or that I hate you.” Rather, He says in Revelation 3:19, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, therefore be zealous and repent.” So, I love you, I’m reproving you, I’m showing you where you’re wrong because I love you and I call you to repentance. Turn around and go the opposite direction.
Then we have this really well-known verse Revelation 3:20, “Behold I stand at the door and knock if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. So, we have a picture here now of Christ standing outside of the door and knocking. There is a famous picture of Christ standing outside the door of “people’s hearts” knocking, asking for entryway into their hearts that is drawn from this verse, but I think there is a problem with that. The Lord is addressing churches. Not everybody in all these churches is saved, that is for sure. However, they would not be churches if there weren’t believers in the churches. So, we have this picture in context of Christ standing outside the door of the church and knocking and asking for entryway so that He can come in and dine with them and enjoy that kind of fellowship with them. So, the picture seems to be of Christ talking to His church, not about salvation but about this fellowship and the usefulness they could have with Him. Some also believe this could simply be a picture of the end times in the future. That the Lord is calling His church to a time ultimately, in Revelation 19, at the marriage supper of the Lamb where we sit down together. All those that know Him will sit down together and enjoy that time with Him. Perhaps, that’s what He is talking about . . .
