When A Church Has Fallen Into Lukewarness
Into
Lukewarmness
Scripture Reading: Revelation 3:14-17
Preached on the Lord’s Day at Bell Chapel CME Church, San Francisco, CA.
Revised May 26,2007
Lummie Hearn, Pastor/Elder. Rev 3:14-17
14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the
Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation.
15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were
either one or the other!
16 So, because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to
spit you out of my mouth.
17 You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But
you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
NIV
The book of Revelation is the last book in the bible and also one of the most differcult of
all books to get a real hand on what it’s meaning is or what would God have us to know.
John the Apostle is penned as it’s Writer. Some has said this could not have been the
apostle John who was one of Christ’s disciples, becuse of the time frame or date of the
book , John the disciple most likely had already died.
But I stand before you this day not to confess to be one of the greatest of all theologians,
who has all the answeres to all question of this book (Revelation)
The book of Revelation has been labeled as one of the "apocalyptic books" which in the
Greek means hidden or it is meant to be understood by an inner-circle of readers.
Some has taken four different views or interpretions the book of Revelation
1. PRETERIST VIEW: That John was writing to encourage Christians in his own day
who are experiencing persecution from the hands of the Roman empire.
2. FUTURIST VIEW: Except for the first three chapters, John is discribing events that
will occur at the end of history..3. HISTORICIST VIEW: The book of Revelation is a presantation of history from John’s
day until the second coming of Christ and beyond.
4. IDEALIST VIEW: The book of Revelation is a symbolic presentation of the continual
struggle of good and evil. It does not refer to any particular histotical events. It is appli-cable
at any point in history.
Now after listening to these four views one should ask him or herself this
basic question.
Is there anything out of all these four views, after I studied the book. “Will
this help me to become a better follower of Jesus Christ in this day in which
I now live”.
This my belove is the ultmilte question.
Chapter five or there about may well be done in codes so to speak, but I
believe the first three chapters were real letters that were witten to seven real
Churches.
Let us look if you please at what was said here;
John was banished to the Island of Patmos for his stand with Christ and the
gospel.
Rev 1:9-11
9 I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and
patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos be-cause
of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
10 On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice
like a trumpet,.11 which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven
churches: to Ephesus, Smyr-na, Per-ga-mos, Thy-a-ti-ra, Sar-dis, Philadel-phia
and La-od-i-cea." NIV
“Read letters from bible”
All of these Churches received “Commendation except one.
All received Rebukes except two.
The one Church that did not receive any “Commendation” was the one at
Laodicea.
As for receiving rebukes the Church at Smyrna and the Church at Philadel-phia.
But all seven needed to take some type of action for their conditions that
they were in.
Let us if you please take a look at our text;
It is amazing how God uses the things that are about us to let us know what
He need to teaching us.
In verse fifteen of this text Jesus states that this Church at Laodicea;
15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I
wish you were either one or the other!
As I looked at this verse, it puzzled me as to what was Jesus saying here to
the Church. It would seem from the surface of the text that Jesus was Him-self
validating coldness in the Church..But my dearly beloved we sometimes have to go further to seek out other
information.
The City of Laodicea had a problem with their water supply.
So, what they did was build a water system simular to the canel systems that
we have here in CA.
The problem was this water came from the Hot springs some six or so miles
away, so by the time the water got to the City it was now only “LUKE-WARM”
and not onlt that it had a bad mineral taste.
Now after this I could understand what Jesus was saying to the Church.
“I wish that you were either Cold or Hot.
If you were hot you could be of some use to someone who had traveled for a
long way or if someone had worked all the day long, and the body was tired
and the muscles were in need of some hot stimulation. With Hot water you
could offer them a good soothing bath.
Now if you were Cold, and someone was hot and thursty from toiling in the
fields or laboring in the hot sun, and needed a cool refreshing drink. You
could offer them a drink of water that could sooth their thristy body, but
being that you are neither Hot nor Cold none of this can take place.
As a matter of fact;
Laodicea was situated between two other important cities, Colossae and
Hieropolis, Colossae, wedged into a narrow valley in the shadow of
towering mountains, was watered by icy streams which tumbled down from
the heights. In contrast, Hieropolis was famous for its hot mineral springs.that flowed out of the city and across a high plain until it cascaded down a
cliff that faced Laodicea. By the time the water reached the valley floor, it
was lukewarm, putrid, and nauseating. At Colossae, therefor, one could be
refreshed with clear, cold, invigorating drinking water; at Hieropolis, one
could be healed by bathing in its hot, mineral-laden pools. But at Laodicea,
the waters were neither hot (for health) nor cold (for drinking )
Excuse me Church “LUKEWARM” as we look at it from a standpoint of
spiritualness, it is only good for one thing, and that is to take an innumer for
spiritual consterpation.
No one wants; Lukewarm coffee, if you just happen to be a beer drinker he
or she do not want lukewarm beer, nor do we want cold coffee. Just as one
would not like to eat a lukewarm salad.
There are so many in Church today that are Lukewarm Christians.
We are no good to ourselves nor are we any good to someone else.
Lukewarmness as a spiritual, emotional disorder is so
insidious and so self-deceptive that it takes the kind of
vigorous shock we witness in this letter to clear the air.
Lukewarmness, when it becomes a way of life, so
completely blurs and dulls the colors, that it becomes almost
impossible to tell the differences when they occur.
Lukewarmness is low-grade paranoia, low-grade cynicism,
low-grade immorality. The result is always fatigue, and
finally despair. But low-grade or not, it is still despair 1
Go back to bible and end this message