Sins of Laodicea - Part 1 — Leonard Ravenhill

The Majesty, Mystery, and Misery of Revelation

Good to see you tonight. Praise the Lord for the privilege of being here. Revelation, the book of the Revelation. I find the book of the Revelation a book of majesty, a book of mystery, and a book of misery.

The Final Doom of the Wicked

The misery part is because it shows me the final doom of the wicked. It shows me what what God's dump heap is like, where all the sewage of the world is going to gather, moral and spiritual sewage, in a place called hell.

Revelation and the Beginning of Eternity

It's certainly a very inspiring book. It not only deals with the last days, that's not just the ministry, but all the last days. It's not only the end of the book, it's the end of time. It's not only the end of time, it reveals the beginning of eternity.

Christ’s Warning to the Lukewarm Church

Revelation chapter 3, verse 14, unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, These things saith they are men, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. I know thy works, that thou art neither hot or cold.

I would thou art either cold or hot, so then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. I can give you a very ugly caption for this, when God gets sick. And notice he's not talking about the world, he's talking about those who profess his name.

The church he spews out of his mouth, I would think, would be the cold church. It's not the cold church. It's not the hot church. It's the one that's halfway up and halfway down. It's always vacillating.

It never is in a state of what God wants, constant victory. Verse 17, because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods. Now come on, you folk that preach prosperity. If prosperity is God's order, why does he rebuke this country, this church?

Why doesn't he compliment them and say, you're living exactly where I want you to live? There's nothing wrong in being rich. The fact is they were contented with it. They were satisfied. I've told you so often, for myself, for you, the danger is going uphill, struggling uphill, reaching a plateau and camping on that plateau, as though there's no other height to be gained.

The Christian Life Has No Final Plateau

Keep this in mind from an old man. There's no finality to the Christian life this side of eternity. Nobody knows it all. We know in part, and we prophesy in part, but one day the veil will be taken away.

And do you know what we will be? To discover how stupid we've been all our lives. To discover how little of God's possessions we've really reached out for. We're so easily satisfied. Let me go on here, I won't go any further.

Because thou sayest I am rich and increased in goods and have need of nothing. A young man was in my office last Saturday, a bright young American man with his wife and nearly three children. Two and another one coming.

I said, are you American? Yes. Where are you living? I've given my life to Germany, he said. The youngster started chatting in German. I'm sure they were correct in what they said, but anyhow. It was interesting to see them.

He was so eager to get back. He said, in my country, it's so different from America. You can't get out of America without realising how, how, that you're neither hot nor cold. You're in a state of lukewarmness and indifferent.

In Germany, he says, you go in the church, it's either sizzling hot or freezing cold. There's no middle class. As soon as you get in that church, you sense the awesome presence of God or else there's a vacuum there.

In America, he says, I sense almost nothing. Thou sayest I am rich and increased in goods and of need of nothing. I come to thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire. You know, this is the last of the seven churches.

Laodicea’s Condemnation and the Call to Buy from Christ

In the other six churches, Jesus Christ has some word of commendation for each church. In this church, he has no commendation, it's all condemnation. You may remember, you've read in the epistle to the Colossians where Paul says, see that this epistle is read to the church at Laodicea.

So they had light, they had revelation, they had knowledge, and yet they were certainly indifferent. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire. Oh, so God has some things on sale. Yes, he has.

Do you want to buy some? Read through the seven churches. I counsel thee to buy of me white raiment. So God said, yeah, God opens his markets every morning you live. Do you remember what Isaiah says? Come and buy wine and milk without money and without price.

I counsel thee to buy of me. You know, this city of Laodicea was one of the greatest cities in the world at that time. I guess you've read some of the great classics. You may remember, Cicero went on a vast journey halfway around the world, and he said he cashed his credentials for money in the great banks of Laodicea.

Divine Truth and Righteousness Versus Material Wealth

There's irony here, there's cynicism here almost, there's scorn here, holy scorn, which is the most awful scorn ever, from the lips of the Holy Son of God. I counsel thee to buy, you're naked, buy some clothing.

Well, one of the main industries of Laodicea was they made the best clothing in the world. And in essence, he says, it's rubbish, it won't cover you, it's carnal, it's materialistic, it's selfish. They were rich in money, and yet he says, you buy gold from me.

The gold is divine truth. The garment of this is a garment of righteousness. I counsel thee to buy of me gold shrouded in the fire that thou mayest be rich, and white raiment that thou mayest be clothed.

Salvation, Rewards, and the Bride of Christ

How do we buy from God? How many times have we sung in our fellowship here, particularly when we were at Browns, that lovely old house we were in, we used to sing the Dying Thief, Cowper's Hymn, an English hymn of course.

The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day, and there have I, not may I, have I, though vile as he, washed all my sins away. There is a fountain. The dying thief, he got into heaven on the last gasp.

I expect to see him in heaven, I do not expect to see him as part of the bride. I don't believe for a minute everybody's part of the bride, because they're saved. If they were, why didn't all the ten virgins get straight in to see the bridegroom?

The door was shut. You know, everybody thinks heaven is going to be an eternal picnic. When you get in the door, Peter's going to be there and say, would you try this on for size? This is a special crown for you.

And you can try this one on. This has rubies, this has diamonds, this has amethyst, this has something else. Forget it. Are you saying I have to work for my salvation? No, I'm saying you have to work for your reward.

You're not going to collect crowns in heaven as souvenirs. The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day. One of the great heroes of America. Two books moved me to God. I think that's why God brought me here.

Ravenhill’s Early Spiritual Formation

When I got to college, a minister wrote and said he was giving his library away. That's never happened since. But anyhow, he was giving away his library. Sent for three books and sent 15 cents for mailing.

So I sent for three books.