In a Sunday morning message, we discussed “blind spots”—those areas of our lives that do not align with the Word of God, yet remain undetected. You were challenged to consider what you would do when the Lord shows them to you. If you accepted the application, you have been praying one simple, yet potent prayer this week: “Lord, I want my eyes to be opened.”
What if Christ opens your eyes? What then? What I would like to do is offer some practical application on what to do next. In Revelation 3:14-22, Jesus rebukes the church at Laodicea for their spiritual poverty. Comfortable material wealth resulted in lukewarm faith (a potential blind spot any church in the West would do well to consider—including ours). But when Jesus identifies this blind spot, He also provides the solution for it. When I become aware of a blind spot, how do I fix it?
Letter to the Church at Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22)
14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: 15 ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 ‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. 17 ‘Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, 18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. 19 ‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. 20 ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. 21 ‘He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ ”
Believe.
Trust Christ. Self-reliance was a big part of the problem for the Laodiceans. Though that may not be your blind per se, the element of complete trust in the sufficiency of Christ and His Word to remedy your sin is where you must begin. He points to Himself as the source of solution (verse 18). Maintaining the same imagery:
Want to be rich? Buy My gold.
Want to be clothed? Clothe yourself in My white garments.
Want to see? Receive My eye salve.
We should also find the centrality of Christ a relief. It’s not up to us to repair ourselves, then come to Christ. Jesus points to Himself as sufficient and ready to help us fix our blind spots.
Repent.
Aware of the blind spot, you must turn from it. The call of Jesus in verse 19 is to repent and to do so with zeal. Why? Because Jesus loves you. You are His child and He disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:4-11). The discipline of the Lord toward you is restorative. It is not meant to take revenge or harm you. When Christ shows us a blind spot, He counsels us to change (Philippians 2:11-12).
Renew.
Jesus places Himself outside the door in the imagery of verse 20. If “inside” represents communing and fellowship (“dine with him”), then “outside” represents separation and distance. Sin does this to your relationship with Christ. It’s particularly unsettling to observe that the Laodiceans thought everything with Jesus was fine. Blind spots do this to your relationship with Christ. That is why it is so important that we ask God: “I want my eyes to be opened.” Jesus comes to those who invite Him in a spirit of restoration.
The words of our Lord to the church at Laodicea are words for you and I today. If we are willing to invite the Lord to help us with our blind spots, He will. The areas of our lives He might point out might be big or small. No matter the blind spot, we can rest assured that the Christ who knocks loves us and helps us overcome.
With the affection of Christ Jesus, Pastor Michael
