Sermon: Laodicea (Part 1) – The Words of the Amen: Revelation 3:14

Brothers and sisters, today we will consider the letter written to Laodicea (the seventh of seven churches addressed in the book of Revelation), but we will do it in two parts. Today we will focus only upon verse 14 where Christ introduces himself to the church. We will consider verses 15-22 next Lord’s Day, Lord willing.

I would like to begin by reading from Isaiah 65. This is a very important Old Testament text and it serves as the backdrop for the introduction of Christ to the church in Laodicea found in Revelation 3:14. It is important that we recognize this fact.

Would you listen now to the word of God delivered to Israel through Isaiah the prophet some 700 years before the birth of our Lord. And as you hear it notice, one, the firm rebuke delivered to those who were unfaithful to God; two, the promise that God would sustain his faithful ones; and three, the promise concerning the arrival of a new heavens and a new earth.

Hear now the word of the Lord:

Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 65

“I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’ to a nation that was not called by my name. I spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices; a people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens and making offerings on bricks; who sit in tombs, and spend the night in secret places; who eat pig’s flesh, and broth of tainted meat is in their vessels; who say, ‘Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am too holy for you.’ These are a smoke in my nostrils, a fire that burns all the day. Behold, it is written before me: ‘I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will indeed repay into their lap both your iniquities and your fathers’ iniquities together, says the Lord; because they made offerings on the mountains and insulted me on the hills, I will measure into their lap payment for their former deeds.’ Thus says the Lord: ‘As the new wine is found in the cluster, and they say, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is a blessing in it,’ so I will do for my servants’ sake, and not destroy them all. I will bring forth offspring from Jacob, and from Judah possessors of my mountains; my chosen shall possess it, and my servants shall dwell there. Sharon shall become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down, for my people who have sought me. But you who forsake the Lord, who forget my holy mountain, who set a table for Fortune and fill cups of mixed wine for Destiny, I will destine you to the sword, and all of you shall bow down to the slaughter, because, when I called, you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not listen, but you did what was evil in my eyes and chose what I did not delight in.’ Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, my servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame; behold, my servants shall sing for gladness of heart, but you shall cry out for pain of heart and shall wail for breaking of spirit. You shall leave your name to my chosen for a curse, and the Lord God will put you to death, but his servants he will call by another name, so that he who blesses himself in the land shall bless himself by the God of truth [Amen], and he who takes an oath in the land shall swear by the God of truth [Amen]; because the former troubles are forgotten and are hidden from my eyes. For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress. No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed. They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity, for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord, and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,’ says the Lord” (Isaiah 65, ESV).

New Testament Reading: Revelation 3:14-22

Would you hear now the New Testament reading for today, which is Revelation 3:14-22? And would you give special attention to verse 14 where Jesus is introduced to the church?

“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.’ ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches’” (Revelation 3:14–22, ESV).

So far the reading of God’s word. May the Lord bless the preaching of it.

Revelation – A Book About Jesus

The reason that I have decided to take the letter to Laodicea in two parts today, focusing only upon verse 14, is so that we might have some time to give attention to the central figure of the book of Revelation, namely, Jesus who is the Christ.

Over the past couple of months we have considered Christ’s words to six of the seven churches addressed by Christ in the book of Revelation. The focus has primarily been upon the churches themselves.

I have emphasized again and again that the book of Revelation is a church book. It was addressed to seven real churches experiencing real struggles as they lived in the real world. And the book was not only for them, but also for us. Their real world struggles were not unique to them, but are common to all churches. We have, therefore, considered their situations, their strengths, and their weakness, and we have asked ourselves, can any of this be said of us so that we might repent our weaknesses and further strengthen that which which is already strong?

I think it has been necessary to emphasize the fact that the book of Revelation is a church book for two reasons:

One, in our day most have made the book to be about something else. Most have handled the book of Revelation as if it were a crystal ball, thinking that it reveals the specific details about specific events yet in our future. I have spoken against this approach strongly in past sermons. I will not repeat the criticisms here. For now I will say that this futurist view ignores the tone that is set in the opening chapters of the book. The opening chapters make it clear that the book is written, not to make predictions about specific events yet in our future, but rather to strengthen the church then and now. Revelation reveals how things are and where everything is heading so as to strengthen the church to live as she has been called to live in this time between Christ’s first and second comings. I have emphasized that Revelation is a church book, in part, to counter the way that the book is typically interpreted today.

Two, I have emphasized that Revelation is a church to book in order to prepare us for the study of chapters 4 through 22. The two sections – the introduction and the letters to the churches which we have already considered, and the visions contained in chapter 4 onward – are intimately related. The things that John saw that are recorded for us in chapter 4 onward are indeed concerning “what must take place after this”, as Revelation 4:1 says. But the “after this” is not from our perspective, but from the perspective of the 90 A.D. audience. Chapters 4 onward will describe the heavenly reality of things, and how it is that the heavenly reality of things impacts what we experience on earth. Chapter 4 onward will describe in vivid and symbolic language the cosmic battle that rages in the heavenly realm, and how it is that this cosmic and heavenly battle manifests itself in our day to day experiences. To put it simply, the Christians living in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, were blessed when the heard and obeyed, not just Revelation chapters 1-3, but also chapters 4-22. The whole book was a blessing to them, as it is for us. They were confused by chapters 4-22, thinking, “well all of this must be for a time far off”. No, chapters 4-22 revealed something to them, as they will for us. And they were blessed when they obeyed what they heard, just as we will be blessed when we obey.

And so it was right, I think, to focus upon the churches, emphasizing that these were real churches experiencing real struggles as they lived in the real world, asking the question, how does their experience apply to us today? It has been necessary to emphasizes the churchly focus of the book of Revelation.

But today I wish to give proper emphasis to the central figure of the book of Revelation, namely Christ Jesus our Lord. I wish to lift him up before you. My desire is that you would see that, though Revelation is a book addressed to the church, it is really about Jesus. Revelation reveals who Christ is. Is shows forth the significance of his person and work. The book screams this message: “look to Jesus! Look at what he has done! Look at the victory that he has won! Look at where he will take all things in the end! Now live accordingly.”

That the glory of God and the significance of the finished work of Christ is the central theme of the book of Revelation has already been seen. The letter comes from God and he is in 1:8 called, “the Alpha and the Omega,” the one “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8, ESV). The book will certainly give all glory to God the Father. But the message is given through Christ. He is quickly becomes the central figure of the book.

Indeed, the opening vision of the book is focused upon Jesus Christ. He is the one “like a son of man” who is seen walking the midst of the lampstands, which represent the churches. Everything comes to focus upon Jesus Christ, then. And he is described in such a way that the significance of his person and work is emphasized. Tell me church, does the opening vision in Revelation 1 describe to us how Jesus really looks in heaven now? No! The vision is filled with symbolism. And where do we find the answer to the question, “what does this or that symbolize?” We look to the Old Testament scriptures. As it pertains to that vision we find the book of Daniel to be particularly helpful. Friends, the book is about Jesus – his person and work. It screams: “look to Jesus! Look at what he has done! Look at the victory that he has won! Look at where he will take all things in the end! Now live accordingly.”

Not only is Christ the central figure in Revelation1, but he will remain so throughout the book of Revelation. To list all of the ways in which Jesus Christ takes center stage in the book of Revelation would be to tedious for our time together. For now I think it will suffice to say that the book of Revelation is for the church, it is about Jesus Christ – his person and work, and the victory he has won, and it is to the glory of God.

This principle is certainly present in each of the letters to the seven churches, though it has not been then thing that I have given emphasis to. I wish to emphasize it now. Every single letter begins with a description of who? Jesus!

The letter to Ephesus began this way: “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands’” (Revelation 2:1, ESV). The letter to Pergamum started like this: “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword” (Revelation 2:12, ESV). And this is how the letter to Thyatira began: “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze” (Revelation 2:18, ESV).

Each letter begins with a description of Jesus Christ. What is said about him corresponds in some way to the difficulty that the church was experiencing. Each introduction is also connected to the vision of chapter 1 so that we might understand that the “son of man” who what seen walking amongst the lampstands which represent the churches generally, really does walk amongst us to inspect us specifically. And the imagery found in these introductory descriptions of Jesus is also, not surprisingly, rooted in the Old Testament.

We could also mention the way that each letter is concluded. If we put aside for a moment the repeated phrase, “he who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches”, we notice that each letter is concluded by Christ holding out the promise of reward to the one who overcomes. To Smyna Christ said, “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life…The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death’” (Revelation 2:10–11, ESV). To Sardis Christ said,  “The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels” (Revelation 3:5, ESV). To Philadelphia Christ said, “The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name” (Revelation 3:12, ESV).

The point that I am trying to make is this: though the letters are written to real churches experiencing real struggles as they lived in the real world, they are about Jesus – his person and work, and the tremendous victory he has won.

The message is clear, then. We will have trials and tribulations in this world. There is a real battle that rages around us. Our enemy is real – he is active, seeking to devour. And his activities manifest themselves in real life situations. The weapons of his warfare are diverse. He uses persecution, false teaching, and the seduction of the world to war against God, his Christ, and his people. Beware of these things, Christian! Do not be naive! Do not grow sleepy, but be alert and wise to the schemes of the evil one! But here is the good news: Jesus is victorious. Jesus has all that we need. Jesus is all-sufficient and all-powerful. And he is near to us ready to support us in our time of need. Let us cling to him by faith. Let us draw near to him in obedience to his word so that “we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16, ESV).

The book of Revelation is written to the church, but it is about Jesus, for Jesus is our life. He is the one who saved us, he is the one who sustains us, and he is the one who will see us through to the end, all to the glory honor and praise of the Father.

The Introduction Of Christ to Laodicea

The same pattern is found here in the letter to Laodicea. Christ is introduced in a particular way and then the letter concludes with a promise of reward made to the one who conquers. We will save the conclusion for next week. Today I would like to take a brief look at the introduction to the letter.

The letter, we are told, contains “the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation” (Revelation 3:14, ESV). Let us consider each of these descriptions of Christ one at a time.

First of all, notice that Christ is called “the Amen”. 

This is an interesting title, isn’t it? We have the habit of saying, “amen” as a conclusion to our prayers. The word means “truly” or “indeed” When we say, “amen” at the conclusion of a prayer we are essentially agreeing with what has been prayed. We are saying “it is true; let it be so”. But here the word is not being used to conclude a prayer, but as a name for Jesus. He is called “the Amen.”

Think about the significance of this title?

We live in a world filled with deception, have you noticed that? But Christ is true. It is not just that he speaks truth, but that he is truth. He is the Amen. His words are true. They are to trusted. And he himself is true – he lived according to the truth and and still does to this day. So to should we. Christ the Amen, brings stability to our lives then. He is the rock upon which we must build. He is the light by which we must walk. He is words and ways are always true, and perfectly so. He is to be trusted and obeyed.

It must also be recognized that there is found in this title a tight link to the Isaiah 65 passage that was read at the beginning of this sermon. It is in Isaiah 65 that God himself is called the “God of Amen”. Listen again to verse 16 of Isaiah 65: “…he who blesses himself in the land shall bless himself by the God of truth [amen] , and he who takes an oath in the land shall swear by the God of truth [amen]; because the former troubles are forgotten and are hidden from my eyes” (Isaiah 65:16, ESV). The ESV says, “God of truth” but it is the Hebrew word, “amen” that stands behind the english word “truth”. These are the only two places in all of scripture where the word “amen” is used as a title or name. In every other instance the word is used as we are accustom to using it, that is to say, “truly, truly”, or “it is true”, or  “let it be so”.

The connection is clearly deliberate. God himself is the “amen”, and so too is Jesus Christ – he is the “amen.” The two share in this quality because the two share in divinity. Jesus the Christ is God with us. He is the eternal Son of God come in the flesh.

Also, this title is used of Christ so that we might consider Jesus – his person and work – in light of what Isaiah 65 says. The title for Christ, “the Amen”, is meant to function as a kind of hyperlink so that when read it takes our minds to Isaiah 65 where the same word is used as name for God himself. And once we get there we see that the Isaiah passage is very pertinent to the the story of the book of Revelation.

In Isaiah 65 the Lord is found rebuking Israel for her unfaithfulness. He is threatening judgment. But he also gives grace and mercy promising to sustain the remnant that remains and to bring about offspring from Jacob. This is ultimately a promise to sustain so that the offspring of Jacob might appear, namely the Christ. This is the thing that God, who is the “Amen” promised to do.

And what would be the result of the coming of the Messiah be? Listen to Isaiah 65:17 says (this is the verse immediately following the reference to God as “the God of amen”. Verse 17:  “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind” (Isaiah 65:17, ESV). The rest of chapter 65 describes “the new heavens and new earth” using what theologians call, prophetic idiom. This phrase describes what we often see in the Old Testament. “When the prophets spoke of the Messiah’s reign they described it [not literally, but] in terms and figures of speech drawn from their Israelite context” (Lee Irons, Prophetic Idiom). The Messiah, for example, would sit on David’s throne. But would he literally sit on David’s earthly throne? The New Testament makes it clear that this promise was fulfilled by Christ when he ascended to the right hand of the Father and sat down in that place of power. The prophesy concerning the reign of the Messiah was given using language common to this world and common to the Israelite experience but it’s fulfillment was not literal, but rather spiritual, far surpassing the original situation from which the idiomatic phrase was drawn.

Listen to how Isaiah describes the new heavens and new earth:

“‘For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress. No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed. They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity, for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord, and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,’ says the Lord” (Isaiah 65:17–25, ESV).”

Tell me, friends. Will the new heavens and new earth be confined only to the literal city of Jerusalem? And will there be any death at all in the new heavens and new earth? No! Not according to the New Testament! So how are we to take the reference to Jerusalem and the remark, a“young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed”, in Isaiah 65? The answer is found in the fact that the prophets often spoke in this way, speaking of things glorious and grand yet to come in the future by using common language and experience to describe it.

The words of Herman Ridderbos are helpful here. He says, “The function of prophecy is consequently not that of a detailed projection of the future, but is the urgent insistence on the certainty of the things to come. This explains why, at the end of the vista, the perspective is lacking … This limitation of the perspective … is connected with the fact that the prophet paints the future in the colors and with the lines that he borrows from the world known to him, i.e., from his own environment.” A little later he adds, “We see the prophets paint the future with the palette of their own experience and project the picture within their own geographical horizon” (The Coming of the Kingdom, pp. 524-25). The same could be said about the prophesy found in the book of Revelation, I think. The images are not to be taken literally, but they do tell us something true and certain about things yet to come.

The point of the Isaiah passage is this: Though Israel was rebellious, a remnant would be keep.  And it would be from this remnant that the Messiah would come. And when he comes he will bring about the new heavens and the new earth. He will usher in an age that is distinctly different from the one in which we now live.

When Christ is called “the Amen” it is meant to take us to Isaiah 65 where God himself is called the “Amen”. And once there we are to take a look around, asking, what does this text have to do with our Lord. What we find is that it has everything to do with him, for he is the offspring – he is the servant – through who the news heavens and new earth will be established.

Christ is called, the “beginning of God’s creation.”

Do you see that in Revelation 3:14 Christ is also called, “beginning of God’s creation.” What is this a reference to?

I could be a reference to the same principle articulated in John 1:1 and Colossians 1:16, namely, that it was through the eternal Word or Son of God that all things in heaven and on earth were originally created. We are to have the events of Genesis 1 in view when we read John 1:1-3:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1–3, ESV).

We are to have the events of Genesis 1 in view when we read Colossians 1:15-17. Paul speaks of Jesus the Christ when he says,

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:15–17, ESV)

But I think it is something other than the original creation that is in view here in Revelation 3:14 where Jesus is called “the beginning of God’s creation.” It is better to understand this as a reference to the the new creation. Jesus Christ is the beginning of the new creation mentioned in Isaiah 65. He is the one who has and will usher in the new heavens and the new earth through his finished work on the cross. This is the story that the book of Revelation tells. It is in chapter 21 that we hear John say,

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’ And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true’” (Revelation 21:1–5, ESV).

It is Jesus the Christ who has accomplished these things. He is indeed “the beginning of God’s creation”, that is the new creation of Isaiah 65 and Revelation 21. You and I are a part of that new creation if we are in Christ Jesus

Paul says, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:17–18, ESV)

In another place Paul says, “For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.” (Galatians 6:15–16, ESV).

Jesus Christ is the beginning of this new creation. It is here now in part. It will come in fulness at his return.

Christ is also called, “the faithful and true witness.”

And notice that Christ is also called “the faithful and true witness.”

Christ was faithful to God. He witnessed to God through his obedient life and his sacrificial death. He willingly laid down his life in obedience to the Father and for the good of all whom the Father had given to him.

Application

How might we apply these truths?

Well, in a way this introduction of Christ functions as a kind of law for us. It reveals something about how we ought to live. We ought to live according to the truth of Christ. We ought to live as new creatures who have began to taste the benefits of the new creation in Christ. And we, like Christ, ought to be faithful and true witnesses to God.

But there is also gospel here. For when Christ is called, “the Amen, the faithful and true witness, [and] the beginning of God’s creation” it is to highlight all of the good that he has accomplished for us. He is truth for us, he has accomplished our salvation through by his faithfulness, and he has earned for us the new heavens and new earth. This is good news.

Christ is enough for us. He is sufficient. He has won the victory. Look to Jesus! Look at what he has done! Look at the victory that he has won! Look at where he will take all things in the end! And live accordingly.