ROUGH DRAFT The Christless Christian

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Intro

Revelation 3:14–22 (KJV 1900)
14 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.
I do not think the devil cares how many churches you build, if only you have lukewarm preachers and people in them.
Charles Spurgeon
**I tremble as I read through Revelation chapters 1,2 and 3**
I can’t help but think, what would the angel of the church of Victory Baptist Church write?
Would it say:
“They were hard working, but got busy in the doing and left their first love” like Ephesus?
Or maybe, “They tried being faithful int he tough town where ‘satan’s seat is’, lost standards, gave into false doctrine and eventually to sexual sin.” like Pergamos?
Or, “They are a ‘has been’ church. They have a reputation, but no relationship. A name you live, but you’re dead.” like Sardus
I’d rather be like Philadelphia, “Bible obeying, faithful, beloved of God.”
Or the Berean church, “noble, hungry for the Word, Bible student church.”
If at the end of this, you sit here with no conviction, you’re either perfect or lukewarm…

1. The Witness

Revelation 3:14 (KJV 1900)
14 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;
We can be pretty poor evaluators of ourselves…
We tend to think we’re pretty good, we’re not wrong, we’re not in sin…
God’s Word is the revealer of sin in our lives…
Hebrews 4:12 (KJV 1900)
12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
You can fool your spouse… you can fool your children… you can even fool your pastor… as to your spiritual condition…
But you cannot fool God… He sees right through your so-called “goodness” right to the heart of who you are…
Witness: The one who bears testimony or evidence of a fact…
He’s called the “Amen”: the “So be it”
Here we have the “faithful and true witness…”
This is a truthful estimate about the Laodicean church…
Jesus Christ has the ability to stand as the witness since He bought, built and died for the church…
a. Bought
1 Corinthians 7:23 (KJV 1900)
23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.
b. Built
Ephesians 2:19–22 (KJV 1900)
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
c. Died
Ephesians 5:25 (KJV 1900)
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Acts 20:28 (KJV 1900)
28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Since Jesus bought it, built it and died for it, He gets to evaluate it…
Romans 14:10–12 (KJV 1900)
10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

2. The Evaluation

Revelation 3:15 (KJV 1900)
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
The evaluation is in… the church at Laodicea is… “lukewarm”
NOT COLD
NOT HOT
LUKEWARM (indifferent; not against Jesus but not really for Him either)

3. The Result

Revelation 3:16 (KJV 1900)
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
There’s more hope for someone who is cold than lukewarm
At least they can feel cold and know something is wrong
The lukewarm Christian and the lukewarm church don’t see it
Why do we get cold to God?
Matthew 24:12 (KJV 1900)
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
…I will spue thee out of my mouth.”
Jesus Christ, the faithful and true Witness speaking here…
Psalm 34:8 (KJV 1900)
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: Blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
But how do we taste to God?
When God enters the halls of Victory Baptist Church, I want Him to have joy over Victory Baptist Church. I want Him to enjoy the sweet smelling savour of our worship for Him. I don’t want Him to see a room full of people who say “I’m good”, and proceed to spue us out of His mouth…
But to the Laodicean church, Jesus says He will spue them out of His mouth…
“Gross”
“Blah”
“Detestable”
“Disgusting”
I want God to look at Victory Baptist Church and say, “They hear and respond with such a soft, humble heart.”

4. The Problem

Revelation 3:17 (KJV 1900)
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:
The church of Laodicea said, “I’m good…”
But Jesus said, “Knowest not…. YOU’RE WRETCHED, MISERABLE, POOR, BLIND AND NAKED!!!”
What happened? They were deceived by self-goodness…
Laodicea historically was known for having stockpiles of gold…
Their primary export was a special black fabric that was highly sought after…
Their evaluations of worth was skewed… They were rich in their eyes, but poor in God’s eyes!
Contrast this with the Church of Smyrna in Revelation 2:9
Revelation 2:9 (KJV 1900)
9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
The church needed some persecutions:
1 Peter 1:7 (KJV 1900)
7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

5. The Remedy

Revelation 3:18–22 (KJV 1900)
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.
Christ was standing on the outside of this church knocking, but no one was letting Him in…
The solution is repentance…
It’s the eye-salve of Christ… It worked in John 9
John 9 (KJV 1900)
1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? 3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. 4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. 6 When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, 7 And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
8 The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged? 9 Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he. 10 Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened? 11 He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight. 12 Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not.
13 They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind. 14 And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes. 15 Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see.

Conclusion:

How’s your witness? Have you lost your zeal, desire and drive to see the lost saved? You just may be lukewarm…
How’s your Bible time with God? Have you come to a point where you are indifferent about it and say “If I get to it, great, but if not, oh well.” You are lukewarm…
Are you right with family, friends and those around you? If you don’t really care to get right, you’re lukewarm…
Be careful that you don’t continuously reject truth… God hardened Pharaoh’s heart for his constant rejection
Jesus concludes this evaluation by:
Still loving them (chastening as proof of His love)
Appealing to a few (If any man)
He appealed to a few at Sardis as well:
Revelation 3:4–5 (KJV 1900)
4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. 5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
He appealed to a few in Sodom as well…
I know how church works here in America in 2024…
A hard convicting truth will be preached and many will go unfazed…
Will you be part of the few that are willing to still let God work in your heart?
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