Luke Warm Rejection

15 “ ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

3 kinds of people are described in these 2 verses. Of these 3, 1 of them is totally rejected by Jesus.

That phrase, “spit of out my mouth” literally means vomit. It speaks of a powerful, forceful rejection of something.

Let us speak about those who are HOT.

These are those who are on fire for the Messiah. They have come to know His saving grace and placed their trust in Him.

Washed by the blood, filled with the Spirit, in the Will of God Christians. (More on them a little later).

Now let us speak about those who are COLD.

The cold are simply the unsaved. Cold like a corpse - dead in their trespasses and their sins, blinded by the God of this world and heading for Hell.

But notice: God does not “spit them out of his mouth”.

To clarify: They are not accepted by God, but they are not rejected by Him either, in the sense that His grace and love is still available to them.

They may be objects of His wrath, but they are also offered amazing grace.

1 Timothy 1:15 ESV

15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

Revelation 3:20 ESV

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 eat with him, and he with me.

So the Hot IS saved and the Cold CAN STILL BE saved.

However, the 3rd kind of person is in serious trouble.

The Lukewarm - what are they?

Let us first look at a passage of scripture that shows us the Cold.

Luke 9:51–55 ESV

51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. 53 But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” 55 But he turned and rebuked them.

In this passage Jesus is heading towards Jerusalem, and he passes through a Samaritan Village, where he planned to spend the night. However, no one wanted him, they rejected him and did not receive him.

This is a group that fits firmly into the cold category. And the disciples, angry their rejection offer to call down instant judgment. However Jesus, instead of rebuki9ng the lost sameritans, rebuked his disciples for even suggesting such a thing! Why? because repentance is always possible.

Psalm 103:8 ESV

8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

2 Peter 3:9 ESV

9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Ezekiel 18:23 ESV

23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?

The Next Village

So they leave the village and carry on towards Jerusalem.

But what happens next is beyond amazing! He goes from one v illage where no one reveives him to another where people come to him and wants to follow him! And Jesus calls some of them to follow Him!

Luke 9:57 ESV

57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

Luke 9:59 ESV

59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”

Luke 9:61 ESV

61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.”

What a wonderful change! If that village was cold, then this village Must be hot right?

Wrong!

lets examone each of these encounters in a little more detail:

Luke 9:57–58 ESV

57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

Luke 9:59 ESV

59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”

Luke 9:61–62 ESV

61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

What is common concern with all these people? What is it that makes them Lukewarm?

They want to follow Jesus at their own convenience!

That my friends is what a lukewarm person is.

It is a person who wants to follow, but only when or if it is convenient for them to follow.

Their level of devotion or obedience is not determined by the holiness of God, but by how much it will cost.

Time, money, sleep, comfort, security, pride, reputation - all these things are counted as dear to the lukewarm.

A luke warm will go to church - if they are not tired and having better or more important to do.

A lukewearm person will read their bibles - but only if they remember to and have spare time.

A lukeearm person will pray - for maybe 5 min if there is a need, no no need =- no prayer.

A lukewarm person will tith - but only if they have money to spare and have no big planned experditures comming up.

Can you see the trend?

And so Jesus says:

Matthew 16:24 ESV

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

But what abouot those whos faith and devotion is true?

Matthew 19:27 ESV

27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?”

The HOT are thosd who have forsaken all - that is, they have counted the cost at the beggining and knowing what it will cost have still decided to follow Jesus.

Luke 14:25–33 ESV

25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.