Sermon Tone Analysis

*Laodicea*

*(The People Rule)*

* *

*Rev 3:14-22*  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 creation of God;  (15)  I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

(16)  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

(17)  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:  (18)  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried 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 mayest see.

(19)  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

(20)  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.

(21)  To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

(22)  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

* *

*1 The Commission - Rev 3:14 - *

*And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write – The city was noted for four things.*

1.       Wealth

2.      Banking

3.       Inland City – Aqueducts

4.      Eye Salve

* *

*2.

The Character of Christ*

1.       *These things saith the Amen – *

a.       Referring, as is the case in every epistle, to some attribute of the speaker adapted to impress their minds, or to give special force to what he was about to say to that particular church.

b.      Laodicea was characterized by lukewarmness, and the reference to the fact that he who was about to address them was the “Amen” - that is, was characterized by the simple earnestness and sincerity denoted by that word - was eminently suited to make an impression on the minds of such a people.

c.

The word “Amen” means “true,” “certain,” “faithful”; and, as used here, it means that he to whom it is applied is eminently true and faithful.

What he affirms is true; what he promises or threatens is certain.

2.      *The faithful and true witness - *This is presenting the idea implied in the word “Amen” in a more complete form, but substantially the same thing is referred to.

He is a witness for God and his truth, and he can approve of nothing which the God of truth would not approve.

3.       *The beginning of the creation of God - *This expression is a very important one in regard to the rank and dignity of the Saviour, and, like all similar expressions respecting him, its meaning has been much controverted.

The phrase used here is susceptible, properly, of only one of the following significations, namely, either:

a.

That he was the beginning of the creation in the sense that he caused the universe to begin to exist - that is, that he was the author of all things; or.

b.      that he was the first created being; or.

c.       that he holds the primacy over all, and is at the head of the universe.

d.

As to the three significations suggested above, it may be observed, that the first one - that he is the author of the creation, and in that sense the beginning.

e.

The word properly refers to the “commencement” of a thing, not its “authorship,” and denotes properly primacy in time, and primacy in rank, but not primacy in the sense of causing anything to exist.

*2.

**The Commendation – No Commendation*

* *

3.       *The Complaint - Rev 3:15 - I know thy works –*

a.       *That thou art neither cold nor hot – *

                                                               i.

The word “cold” here would seem to denote the state where there was no pretension to religion; where everything was utterly lifeless and dead.

The language is obviously figurative, but it is such as is often employed, when we speak of one as being cold toward another, as having a cold or icy heart, etc.

                                                             ii.

The word “hot” would denote, of course, the opposite - warm and zealous in their love and service.

The very words that we are constrained to use when speaking on this subject - such words as ardent (that is, hot or burning); fervid (that is, very hot, burning, boiling) - show how necessary it is to use such words, and how common it is.

iii.