Conference: 1967, Revelation 3:14 (3:14)
Address—G.H. Hayhoe
Revelation chapter 3, beginning at the 14th verse. The Angel of the Church of the Laodiceans rite. These things saith thee. Amen. The faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. I know thy. And that thou art neither cold nor hot, I would thou art cold or hot. So then, because thou art was warm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. Because thou slayest 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. I counsel ye to buy of me gold Cried in the fire that thou mayest be rich. And wait, raiment, that thou mayest be clothed. And of the shame of thy nakedness do not appear. And anoint thine eyes with eyes, Thad, that thou may have seen. As many as I love, I rebuke and chaste them. Jesus. Therefore in repentance, 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 suffer with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my in my. Wrong, even as I also overcame, And I'm set down with my Father in his cross. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit left unto the churches. I expect most of us are acquainted with the fact that we have in Revelation 2 and 37 assemblies in Asia Minor brought before us. These 7 assemblies actually existed. There was a state of things in each one that differed, and the Lord in the midst of the 7 golden candlesticks, looked at each one and passed His comments upon what pleased him and what displeased Him gave. Special word of encouragement to the overcomer and each one, and called upon them to he that happened here, Let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. But I believe that we can say in general now there is a decline. I say in general because we do see that God has grabbed it through the church's history revivals at different times. And so these seven churches bring before us the history of the church in a prophetic way as a Candlestick in the earth during the Lord's absence. And the character, things have been declined, but God in His goodness and in His faithfulness has granted revival, He has granted recovery at different times. But when we come to the, we come to the last stage, we come to that part which perhaps we could say would characterize the last days in a special way. We feel this all about us. We feel it within our own hearts now that we're living in days of indifference to Christ. Well, perhaps you might wonder why I read how this sad and dismal picture where the Church is so signally failed the Candlestick, but perhaps I could put it like this. That a person's true character is known by the way he acts when everything is disappointing, when his love is unappreciated, when his feelings are hurt. The way a person acts under such circumstances, declare, shows up what is really designed. And this, to my heart, is exceedingly precious, that in this last phase of the Church's history, we see the Lord acting in such a way that he displays in such a perfect manner. His feelings unchanged toward his own, in spite of their indifference to him, in spite of their coldness of heart, and in spite of their travel appraisal things, he looked upon them with love. Perhaps you could answer in a little way to the book of Malachi and the Old Testament. Now there we find the last stage of Israel's history. The prophet Malachi was the very last one recording before the Lord Jesus himself came to Israel, came to this earth to be the Savior. And what character things existed all what grieved the Lord's heart greatly. But how does he begin the message too of this assembly? Or he had been to this company addressed in Malachi says the burden of the word of the Lord by Malachi. I have loved you, saith the Lord. Isn't this touching? I have loved you, saith the Lord.
They have departed, they grieved His heart, but his feelings toward them remain the same, and he fled with them. And also we find another characteristic which answers to what we have in the address to Laodicea, now that the Lord says in Malachi. There may the fear the Lord spake often one to another. And the Lord hearkened and heard. I ask the Lord in the midst of this saw those whose hearts respond to His love, and He found His joy in them. The same state of things is brought before us here in this last church, Laodicea. Another thing that I think is so touching that in the first one. The Lord had to say to Ephesus, We will have been reading in our Bible readings through the past two days, the first epistle to Ephesus as it was mentioned now that high, that wonderful truth set before them. But in the second epistle, as it was mentioned in the letter to Ephesus in Revelation 2, the Lord felt it and he said. Thou hast left thy first love. But in this very last one to Laodicea, he shows that he had not left his first love. It's the only one of the whole 7, and perhaps the one where it would least have expected it, where he assures them that he loved them. He said as many as I love, I review can chase them. I am aware, of course, that he mentioned. In. In the Philadelphia that in the coming day He will manifest that He loved are the ones who kept His word and did not deny His name. But I'm Speaking of loving them in the condition which was so contrary to His heart and to His mind. And I say to these He speaks that word that would touch their hearts and that would constrain them. For it's the love of Christ that constraineth us. Notice the way the Lord addresses himself to this assembly, he says. These things saith the Amen. The Amen this word means. Let it be established well, how wonderful are all God's plans and purposes concerning His people, those precious things we had before us in Ephesians. Are all those counsels and purposes going to be carried out in spite of the Church's unfaithfulness? Yes, the Lord addresses himself to lay Odyssea as the Amen. I ask their failure, a failure of the children of the church, is a Camelstein. The earth is not going to frustrate the purposes of God, but the church is going to be presented without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. The Amen. How doesn't this refresh your heart? Are you discouraged? Can you come from a little gathering? There's weakness, there's coldness. Here's the Lord speaking and he says these things, saith the Amen. Oh yes, all those counsels in connection with his people are all going to be established. And then it says the faithful and true witness. Church had been anything but a faithful and true witness. The Church has failed to be that. She was called to be that, but she hasn't been. And we have fought in this common failure. But who is speaking? The one who is the faithful and true witness present, isn't it lovely to have our eyes upon Him, to know Him is the one whoever continues in the freshness of his first love and in the midst of ruin can address himself in this way and say the faithful and true witness? Yes, feel up to Him, pay our eyes, return to that blessed one. He's going to be the center of the redeemed company in the coming days. And then the beginning of the creation of God. This is a verse misused by those who deny the deity of Christ. In teaching that the Lord Jesus at a beginning, there's no such thought in this. And a new creation begins with a person, the first creation. The first man, Adam, was placed at the head of the creation, and he failed. Everything connected with the first man has ended in failure, whether it's in Israel's history or the church's history.
Everything connected with the first man, I say has always been marked by. But there's a new beginning. A new beginning, And who is it? That blessed One who went into death, who rose triumphant over all the power of Satan and is now crowned. The glory and honor of that man is the head. The beginning of new creation. New creation that we feel discouraged as we look around and we feel this calmness creeping into our own hearts too often. Oh, isn't it lovely? To know that God has a new beginning, He has one who is going to be the head of a new creation, scene of glory. And in addressing himself to this assembly, he addresses himself in this way. The one who will establish all things, the one who is the faithful and true witness where the Church has failed. The one who is the beginning of a new creation. And if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Or the new translation reads, there is a new creation. All things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. And he says, I know thy works, I know thy works. Well, we find this in each one of the seven churches. To those who were departing from him, it was a word of warning. To those who are going on with him and with the word of encouragement. And how would it be to us rather than we can ask ourselves this question personally? I can ask myself, you can. Supposing the Lord came and stood before me and said, I know thy works, Would this give comfort to my heart? Perhaps I've been misunderstood by others. Would it be a comfort that he should say, align all thy works? I know what you've done, I know your desires. Would it be a comfort? Well, if we're seeking to go. For him this is a great encouragement. It was to the dear Apostle Paul when all those in Asia had turned away from him. He said, I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. He had committed this all life to him. He was seeking to live before him. And he said, It's all going to be manifested in that day. But if there's coldness, if there's something we're hiding, if there's something that's not writing our. Lives it makes us feel afraid that he should say I know thy works. I ask that made David afraid when the prophet pointed out to him that there were things hidden but not right in his life. And so here this word is a searching word and he had an encouraging word if we're seeking to please him. Well, I suppose on, he says our leader, cold nor hot. That is there with lukewarmness. There was not coldness. That is, perhaps it would be most easily expressed as in indifference. And I don't know of anything that hurts a person more than indifference. Yet. Rather a person says I don't like you, and I try to pretend in both ways. It just makes you feel so. Uncomfortable. You just don't know where you're at, as people would say. And the Lord feels that when there's indifference and there's indifference to Him, He would rather us acknowledge in His presence that are away from Him. The point of blessing is when we acknowledge our true condition. And so He didn't value for this lukewarmness. Nor may I say to each one of us here, let us be real in His presence. He knows whether our hearts desire to go on for Him or whether we're just putting on something. For others, but it's not real. He sees that He doesn't want unreality. He wants us to be realized, say before Him, and to acknowledge our true condition. When the Sinner comes to this point and said by sin there's blessing for him. And when we come to the point where we acknowledge our true condition, our coldness, why that's the point where He comes to assure us. That he loves us still. When did the Prodigal find out? Really, what was in his father's heart? When he acknowledged what he was, he said, Father, I have sinned against heaven before thee. Never before he realized the love that was in his Father's heart. Is it away his father couldn't, Shall I say he couldn't show any limit to the blessing? He said all up from the house belongs to this boy, this guilty boy. He's acknowledged his true condition. Bring forth the best role, put a ring in his hand, choosing his feet.
Kill about his calf, no sin. Yes, how the Father valued that reality, and so he didn't. He doesn't value here this coldness or this, shall I say, this lukewarmness. Now the 17th verse, Because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, and knows not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind to make it. Surely this answers to the materialistic days in which we live. Have some increased with goods and I've need of nothing. Never before has there been, at least for many years, such a time of prosperity when within our reach, within the reach of our young people. Is all kinds of things that we can have, material things, and we're in danger of getting occupied with these things and losing in our souls. The Lord had heard this. Boss, I am rich and increased with goods, but this was hiding the real feelings within. Rather than we have to confess it to in our grasp after these material things. There is often within us an emptiness, something that we feel is unsatisfied. And while they were saying, I am rich and increased with goods, who does the Lord remark? And no smoth, that thou art fretured and miserable, and poor, and blind and naked? Who, you say, How can it be a person doesn't know when he's wretched? Don't we know when you're wretched? Some of us parents, some of us have had children, but we've seen him that there was something wrong. If you said you're not happy, they'd say, well, there's nothing wrong with me, There's nothing wrong that we knew underneath that they were wretched. Added a lot. You fill with us all. You often put on a great appearance before others. We can make others think that we're getting along and that everything's all right. But all the Lord's sadness, You don't know that you're wretched. I think this is very lovely. He didn't say you know it, He said you don't know it. Oh, the Lord loves till I say, to put down such things as sins of ignorance. When Israel had crucified their Messiah, he said, They know not what they do of the Gentile, He said, which none of the Princess of this world knew, for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Brethren, isn't it often true with us that we don't really know what's the matter with us? We don't know. There's something like. The wretched were miserable. We're poor. We look at our possessions, we look at the things that we have and we say there's still something mighty, there's still something lacking. The Lord knew what it was. All these things, these possessions will not bring happiness. It's a person. It's Christ, it's that blessed lion who died for us on Calvary. And none of these material things or characteristic of this day can ever fill up. Wretched, miserable, poor, blind, naked, all in condition. Don't we have to confess that this is true, That this is exactly descriptive of the very time? And I fear, brethren, we don't always know it. We don't know it. We don't realize it tells us about have Samson that he wished not. That the Lord had departed from him, He thought he could act just. Yet when he was an object of ridicule with his long hair, no, he thought he could act as if things were just the same as they had been before. But they weren't now. He had lost the secret of his strength. He had given up his hazard shift. He had given up bearing reproach for the Lord. And now he knew. Or at least he should. I should say he didn't realize what had happened until.
The situation arose. And he found that he had no strength. He had no strength. Well, the Lord says and knoweth not that thou art wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind and naked. Then he goes on, 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, that the shame of thy name must not appear. And anoint thine eyes with thyself, that thou mayest see. No, the Lord is wanting to bless them. He saw their condition and now he wanted to help them. He wanted to bless them and he said, I counsel thee to buy of me. Why is this word by you? Cost something to go on to the Lord in days like this. May not cost in dollars and cents, but it's going to cost something. Going to cost us having the time for the reading of the Word and the prayer. It's going to cost us time to get in His presence and have let Him search our hearts. It's going to cost us perhaps a little misunderstanding from even laws of love to seek to go on with hearts true to Him. The please happen of the Lord, says I counsel aid the five of me gold frighten the fire that thou mayest be rich. Tells us in Peter's epestle trial of your faith being much more precious than a gold, and perishes, though it can try to fire might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. And oh, let us not, let us not. Be grieved over the trials of the Lord sins, Little Song says. Blessed is sorrow kind the storm. Drives us nearer home, as though the Lord should say you were more rich when you were passing through trial, and you were enjoying my presence and my thing, than you are now when everything is coming your way. Don't we often have to confess this? We we draw back from trial, We're living in a time, sometimes called a welfare state, where everything seems to be taken care of. Don't have to worry about. Anything you can plan and you can have protection and pensions and insurance and everything so you can just look in the future, say, well, everything's taken care of. Yes, you can just kind of rest back and say I don't need to worry about trial, it's all taken care of. Sometimes they try all the blessings. Sometimes the Lord sends them that we might have this goal tried in the fire and be truly rich. Often these things have proved a real blessing in our lives and in our soul. And he says. White, Raymond, that thou mayest be clothed, and if the shame of thy nakedness do not appear here we have that practical righteousness. And I believe gold is divine righteousness. And the white raiment would answer in the Scripture that we have in Revelation chapter 19, the fine leaven is the righteousness of Saints. It's a practical righteousness. And if we don't have this for them, the shame of our nakedness appears. That is, it shows. Circumstances arise that show that there isn't a practical going on with God in our lives. And then it goes on to say, and anoint thine eyes with eyes to have, that thou mayest see the glitter of present things keeps us from seeing our real fortune. Yes, the Lord wants to sit before us. What is our real portion? Is it here? Oh, it's in itself. It's above. It's up there for Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. Oh, I think this is very sweet. The Lord felt the condition of Satan and Laodicea, and He writes to them because He loves them. He writes to them and tells them as all He should say. We don't know what's the matter, but I see what's the matter. I'm telling you. Ally providing for you. Oh Lord wants to bless us, His heart is full of richest blessing for us, and so he would have us to have our eyes anointed that we may see as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous therefore and repent. It's in love He speaks this now the 20th verse.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him, and will suffer him, and he with me. I believe here we might say that in the collective state of things that is described in Laodicea, the Lord is looked upon as thee on the outside, but it serves His knocking, and we can. Have individual communion with him. We can go on, no matter how dark and difficult the day, no matter how much weakness comes in rather than I feel it's so important that we should call this individual communion with God. I feel it as one travels about it. I might mention my own personal feeling. What is needed is. Our individuals who seek to go on in communion with the Lord. And can be a help to their brethren in the condition of things that exist. Often we're concerned. We say there's a sad state in our assembly. There's a sad state in that assembly. But you and I can have personal individual communion with the Lord. And if so, we can be a blessing in the midst of his own. I've quite often mentioned, and I believe it bears repeating. This remark that I think has been some help to me through my whole Christian life since I read it. That is, Christianity is known by what it brings and not by what it finds. Wherever we go, I love life. If you personally are enjoying the Lord Jesus, you can be a blessing among the young people, you can be a blessing among the Saints, you can be a help. All you say, all the state of things is sad. It's law. Never was it any worse than that described here in Laodicea. But I say again, a person's character comes out when there's frustration, when there's disappointment. When his his love and feelings are not appreciated. While the Lord himself the condition of things here. His heart was grieved. He felt that there wasn't a response to his love, but he said I haven't given up my love toward you and I want to hold personal communion with you. I want you to enjoy this as your portion and so he stands at the door of the box. You know, he says, any man hear my voice and open the door. Brethren, this verse is often used in inviting sinners, and I think it's lovely to use it in that way, but it's not the real meaning of it. The real meaning is the Lord addressing himself to an individual who is not locking in personal communion. And the Lord is saying. I want to have communion with you. Or are we enjoying this? Can we say that in our own personal life as we go on from day-to-day, now that we know what it is to sit down with the Lord and be with us and hold personal communion with Him? Never needs to be competitive, not even in the darkest day. Our brother just read to us of the Lord Jesus there in the Garden of Gethsemane, with all the horrors of the cross pressing upon him. He said all. My God, there was that communion with His Father. The only time that was ever broken was when he was bearing sin in those hours of darkness. And there he says, My God, for his Baptist taken. But when he is there with all that awful burden before him, he says, Oh my heart, oh, how precious, brethren, may we desire this. We needed it in his last days. Which feel the coldness and indifference, we feel it creepy into our own hearts. But I believe if we gain one thing from these meetings, and that is to go on with having personal communion with the Lord, our lives can be a blessing. I think it was brought before us this afternoon by our brother in connection with Gideon. There was a sad state of things in Israel, but there was one man. And he valued the precious wheat. And he was thrashing. By the winepress. And the Lord said to him that he would deliver Israel by his hand. He would deliver Israel by his hand. So let us think of these precious things as though the Lord were knocking at your heart and mind this afternoon saying, I want to sit down and have communion with you. I will suffer him.
And he is with me. All, let us seek this, let it be the sweetest and most wonderful portion of our life. In these days of materialism, in these days of indifference, may we value this precious, this wonderful privilege. And then it says to him that overcometh. Will I grant this it with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and am sat down with my father in his soul all the forever a darker day in his room. History than when the Lord Jesus walked here, and they all rose against him and fed away with Him, away with him, that he overcome. Yes, his love was strong in death. Many waters couldn't quench love. He went to the cross and as they gathered around them with their ears, he said, Father, forgive them. They know not what they do. They still want to bless them. And he went into death, but the blessing might be secured. What a savior. This is your savior of mine. And now he says, I overcame. Don't be discouraged, you can overcome. You can overcome. Its value, the hymn that is of thirst, will I give the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things. Oh, may the Lord grant that we may not be overcome by the state of things, but in communion with the Lord, by the enjoyment of His presence. Personally we may have grace to be above. The circumstances, the conditions. Or creeping in on every hand so that we might be overcomers for His glory and that our lives might be a blessing to others from our brethren. Until that blessed time when we come into His presence and see how wonderfully He overcame, and He overcame for us, the blessing might be secured to us. May He keep us then, and may this little message given to the Assembly. See ya, He brought home to our own heart, so that we might go on in these closing days of the Church's history for His glory and praise.