The Faithful, Patient Lord

1. The Faithful, Patient Lord Revelation 3:14-22

2. The Situation • City around since before 253 BC • Named after a former king’s wife (Laodice) • City became a Roman city in 133 BC

3. The Situation • Wealthiest city in Phrygia • Banking • Wool trade—silky black wool • Medical School— “Phrygian powder” for the eyes • Major weakness was its water supply—had to be piped in and it was lukewarm

4. The Situation • The church had become like the town around them. • They were comfortable • Did not realize they were poor, blind, and naked

5. The Application • Often applied to complacent Christians • 3:20 Applied to unbelievers • We must remember, however, that the message is for the Church at Laodicea

6. The Application • Their “lukewarmness” seems to be related to the fact that they had allowed themselves to become just another acceptable part of the greater culture • They had lost their distinctiveness as an expression of the kingdom of God

7. The Application • Perhaps this is a charge that can be laid at the feet of the American evangelical church of the last century • Have we just become another religious expression in our culture? • Have we lost our distinctive persona and our true calling?

8. The Hope • The Faithful, Patient Lord • He has not given up on His church • Life, however, must be ordered in a different way. We cannot be so closely aligned with the culture that we lose who we are supposed to be in Christ