Revelation 3:18

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. Gentle, loving irony. Take my advice, thou who fanciest thou 'needest none.' Not only art thou not in need of nothing, but in need of the commonest necessaries. He graciously stoops to their modes of thought. Thou art ready to listen to any counsel how to buy to advantage: then, listen to mine (for I am "Counsellor," Isaiah 9:6), "buy of ME" (in whom, according to Paul's letter to the neighbouring Colosse, intended for the Laodiceans also, Colossians 2:1;...

14-22 Laodicea was the last and worst of the seven churches of Asia. Here our Lord Jesus styles himself, "The Amen;" one steady and unchangeable in all his purposes and promises. If religion is worth anything, it is worth every thing. Christ expects men should be in earnest. How many professors of gospel doctrine are neither hot nor cold; except as they are indifferent in needful matters, and hot and fiery in disputes about things of lesser moment! A severe punishment is threatened. They would give a false opinion of Christianity, as if it were an unholy religion; while others would conclude it could afford no real satisfaction, otherwise its professors would not have been heartless in it, or so ready to seek pleasure or happiness from the world. One cause of this indifference and inconsistency in religion is, self-conceit and self-delusion; "Because thou sayest." What a difference betw...

Verse Revelation 3:18. _I COUNSEL THEE_] O fallen and deceived soul, hear Jesus! Thy case is not _hopeless_. _Buy of me_. _GOLD TRIED IN THE FIRE_] Come and receive from me, without money and without price, _faith_ that shall stand in every trial: so _gold_ _tried in the fire_ is here understood. But it may mean pure and undefiled _religion_, or that _grace_ or _Divine influence_ which produces it, which is more valuable to the soul than the purest gold to the body. They had before _imaginary riches_; this alone can make them _truly_ rich. _WHITE RAIMENT_] Holiness of heart and life. _ANOINT THINE EYES_] Pray for, that ye may receive, the enlightening influences of my Spirit, that ye may be convinced of your true state, and see where your help li

I COUNSEL THEE TO BUY OF ME GOLD TRIED IN THE FIRE - Pure gold; such as has been subjected to the action of heat to purify it from dross. See the notes on 1 Peter 1:7. Gold here is emblematic of religion - as being the most precious of the metals, and the most valued by human beings. They professed to be rich, but were not; and he counsels them to obtain from him what would make them truly rich. THAT THOU MAYEST BE RICH - In the true and proper sense of the word. With true religion; with the favor and friendship of the Redeemer, they would have all that they really needed, and would never be in want. AND WHITE RAIMENT - The emblem of purity and salvation. See the notes on Revelation 3:4. This

EXPOSITION REVELATION 3:1 _The epistle to the Church at Sardis. _This Church is one of the two which receives unmixed reproof. Smyrna and Philadelphia receive no blame; Sardis and Laodicea receive no praise. Sardis lies almost due south of Thyatira, on the road to Philadelphia, between the river Hermus and Mount Tmolus. It had been in turn Lydian, Persian, Greek, and Roman, and, like its last Lydian king, Croesus, had been celebrated for its wealth. The auriferous stream Pactolus, in summer almost dry, flowed through its marketplace; but its chief source of wealth was its trade. In A.D. 17 "twelve famous cities of Asia fell by an earthquake in the night … The calamity fell most heavily on the people of Sardis, and it attracted to them the largest share of sympathy. The emperor [Tiberius] promised ten million sesterces (£85,000), and remitted

I COUNSEL THEE,.... Christ is a Counsellor, and is every way fit to be one, for he is the all wise God, the Ancient of days, and the Father of his people, and, as Mediator, the Wisdom of God; and he was concerned in the council of peace from everlasting; and when he was here on earth he gave counsel in person, and now he gives it by his Spirit, and by his word and ministers; and the substance of it is, to come to him for grace, life, and salvation; for pardon, peace, and righteousness; for spiritual light and knowledge, and every supply of grace; and his advice is always wholesome, good, and suitable, is hearty, sincere, and faithful, and is freely given, and is wise and prudent; and, being taken, infallibly succeeds; the counsel here given follows: TO BUY OF ME GOLD TRIED IN THE FIRE; by which is meant either a more pure and glorious state of the church, such as was in the former perio...

CHAPTER 3 Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea _ 1. Sardis: The reformation period (Revelation 3:1)_ 2. Philadelphia: The faithful remnant (Revelation 3:7) 3. Laodicea: The indifferent and apostate Church (Revelation 3:14) Revelation 3:1 . We have traced briefly the decline during the 1450-1500 years of Church history. The climax is reached in Thyatira, prophetically the Roman abomination and apostasy. In Sardis we see the progress of evil stayed. Roman Catholicism, as already mentioned, is a fixed and unchanging religious system. Rome will yet have for a brief season a startling rev

REVELATION 2:1 TO REVELATION 3:22. THE LETTERS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES. These letters are addressed to individual churches, but their messages are intended for the Church as a whole. In every letter there occurs the phrase, He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches....

_LAODICEA_ IS LAST NAMED. THE CITY WAS SITUATED ABOUT TWENTY MILES FROM EPHESUS, AND NEAR COLOSSE. THE CHURCH WAS HONORED WITH AN EPISTLE FROM THE APOSTLE PAUL. SEE COLOSSIANS 4:17. STILL, IT HAD FALLEN INTO THE BESETTING SIN OF CHURCHES AND HAD BECOME _LUKEWARM._ THIS SIN IS REBUKED IN THE SEVEREST LANGUAGE, AND THE CONSEQUENCES ARE INDICATED BY. MOST VIGOROUS FIGURE. THE ANCIENT CITY AND CHURCH HAVE PASSED AWAY, AND THE RUINS ARE ENTIRELY DESERTED. IT HAS BEEN _SPEWED OUT OF THE MOUTH_ OF THE LORD. THE SEVEN CHURCHES.--At the time when John wrote there were hundreds of churches in existence. On the Asiatic Continent many had been founded in Judea, Syria, and elsewhere, and in the district of which Ephesus was the commercial metropolis, and which was especially designated as _Asia,_ we know that in the last quarter of the first century there were not on

THE LETTER TO SARDIS (Revelation 3:1-6)...