[Darris McNeely] Every once in a while we have what we might call an aha moment, a moment where
the Bible scripture, the Word of God speaking, teaching come together in a moment and we have
a flash of understanding, of something that we need to pay attention to. Such, I think,
was the case in an ancient period of time in the city of Laodicea when the church of Laodicea
gathered to hear a message, a letter read to them from the Apostle John that we know as the Book of
Revelation, and the messages that Christ gave to John that are found there called the messages to
the seven churches. I just have returned from a trip to Turkey where I toured the seven churches
of Revelation on a study tour, one of which was the church, the area, the city of Laodicea.
Now, here's a picture that I took just recently. It's a recently uncovered house.
And you have to use your imagination a little bit. This is an open floor plan, but you can see
that it's quite ornate. It has quite an intricate floor. It's a large room. It would have had marble
on the floor and tiles and probably on the walls as well. It was a home of a very wealthy person
and it was an assembly room. Now, the archeologist who has uncovered this is making the claim that
this could represent a 1st century home church like or possibly even as he is claiming,
the place where the Christians in Laodicea met in the home of one of its wealthy members.
That's possible inconclusive at this point. But this picture and this ornate room
helps us to picture what is in this message that Christ gave to the church at Laodicea.
Laodicea was a fabulously wealthy city. And Jesus says something to the church
there as He talks about the church. There in Revelation 3:15-16, He says,
"I know your works. You're neither cold nor hot. I would that you were either cold or hot. Because
you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold..." He says, "I will spit you out of my mouth." Verse 17,
"For you say, 'I am rich and if I have prospered and I need nothing,' not realizing that you are
wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked." And Jesus said that the church, your condition,
your members, He says, "You say you're rich. You are prosperous. You don't need anything."
The city of Laodicea was a fabulously wealthy place. If this at least represents
a house and a room quite like members of the church hearing this letter would be meeting in,
and when it was read to them, you could almost imagine that they might've looked around their
surroundings and recognized that this message from Christ to them saying,
"You say you're rich. You say you're prosperous, but you're really poor." It was an aha moment.
It could very well have been one of those moments that they recognize that they needed
to wake up. They needed to listen very carefully to this message from the living Christ to them.
Now, the message to Laodicea just as all the other six messages to the other six cities
and the churches that met in those cities are very important, they have important application
for us today in our walk with God, in our belief, and in our faith and in our practice.
We all need an aha moment from time to time when we read the Word of God, when we hear it explained
and preached on God's Sabbath day, and when we read it ourselves. And when that aha moment comes,
we need to pay attention to it. I tend to think members of the church sitting in a room
similar to this, a nice place, prosperous people, hearing the words from Christ saying that,
"Beware, you're not as rich as you think you are. In fact, you are poor when it comes
to the spiritual goods, the spiritual values." That may have been their aha
moment to wake up. Have you ever had one? When it comes, pay attention, listen to the lesson. It may
very well be the words and teachings of Christ to guide us to a better relationship with Him, a
more vigilant relationship and walk in our faith, in our confidence in God and His promises to us.
A message to Laodicea. Very important. That's "BT Daily." Join us next time.