Lukewarm Noodles Are Gross

Introduction

Good morning!

Before we start I would like us to pray.

It has been my joy to serve here at GEM and in South Korea, but this was not an expected joy. The plans that God has for us are never what we expect. I will tell you that I was happy living my simple Christian life. I served in the church and enjoyed praying and reading my Bible. But deep down I also knew there was something more to it than simply practicing my religion by doing the things good Christians did.

I want to first tell you, that God has a better plan for our lives than we could imagine. If you are willing to live a life that is daring for God, he will show you His great wonders in abundance.

I would like to share with you a bit of my testimony so you can get to know who I am a little better. It is hard to pinpoint when my story starts, but I would have to say it starts with my mother-in-law before I even knew her. My mother-in-law is really into praying and the things she prays for tend to always be answered. From the moment my wife was born, my mother-in-law prayed for a spouse. One day my future wife was writing in her prayer journal that she would like to one day be an international missionary traveling to a far away country. My mother-in-law wanted my wife to be safe, so she also prayed that the husband that my wife would marry would take care of her overseas.

But it would seem that God didn’t answer the prayer exactly as anticipated. My wife married someone who didn’t want to live in a far away country. No, just far away from people in general. After about 5 years of marriage my wife was pretty much convinced that she had married someone who would not only never live overseas, but wouldn’t even consider traveling overseas.

See, my mother-in-law and father-in-law moved to East Asia as missionaries and they invited my wife to come out and visit them to see the work that they were doing. And what I felt was fear and trepidation and a desire to plant my feet firmer in the ground. I NEVER wanted to leave America. And that is what I told God, “please let me do your will, and I will do anything you want O God, but never send me to East Asia.” I do think God has a great sense of humor.

Fast forward a couple of years, and I was facing much dissatisfaction in my job. It became even more difficult when I had two suicides happen at my school back to back. I had to read a statement to the class that stated that they had taken their own lives. And the really hard thing about it was, I could not comfort these students. My hands were tied behind my back because I was not allowed to speak about Jesus to them. I became so frustrated that I began to ask God to open a way for me to serve students in a more powerful way.

God then led me into seminary. I had no intention in becoming a pastor, but instead planned on being a counselor. I wanted to help students get over their problems, and so I started going down this certain path.

But then I felt God speaking to me, and saying that biblical counseling was not the right path that you need to go and get the degree many pastors have. I didn’t feel God was telling me to be a pastor, but just to go and get that degree. So I switched my major.

Then something life changing happened. A pastor came to speak at my church and said something profound. He said, “If you are telling God no, when he is telling you to go, then you need to reconsider your position with God.” At that moment, I prayed and said, “God I will do anything and will go anywhere. Even if that means traveling to East Asia, or wherever, God open the door so I know what is your will.”

And of course I recieved an offer to come work at an international school in South Korea. And things went so smoothly that I know that God’s hand was upon me the whole time. There are many more things that I wish I had the time to tell you of God’s faithfulness to me in moving me to SK, but I want to talk to you mostly about something that has been heart. Not only here in Korea but also when I lived in the US. What I want to ask you today is are you passionate for God? Do you see God and speak with God and know who God is?

Coming to Korea has been a life-changing thing for me. I had never been so fired up to serve God.

Today, I want to tell you something that you may think you know a lot about already and that is “What is a Christian?”

We are going to be looking at the book of Revelation today. Please turn in your Bibles to Revelation. We will be referring to the word often. Not too many people I know want to talk about the book of Revelation. Why? Because it is confusing to them, and there are a lot of symbols and words that are hard to understand.

But what is truly exciting is that since this is the last book of the Bible it also contains the most exciting truth. Those who endure through the suffering of this world will finally receive justice and the whole world will be corrected. Today, I want to speak to you about the powerful message that Jesus spoke to the Church of Laodicea and a message that he has for all of us.

I. Jesus knows your works

SLIDE: We open this text by speaking about what Jesus knows. He knows your works.

Revelation 3:14–15 ESV

“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. “ ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!

First, we must mention who wrote this and who it is written for. John the apostle of Jesus, was exiled on the island of Patmos which is off the coast of modern day Turkey. He wrote this book to these seven churches. The cities that he is writing to can even be found in Acts and Colossians and other places in Scripture.

SLIDE: In V. 14. In our Bibles it is says that Jesus is speaking these things to the angel of the church of Laodicea. Laodicea was a city in Asia minor. We know that Paul had done some missions work in the area nearby in the city of Collossae. The city of Laodicea is interesting. It was wealthy and one that prided itself on being able to take care of itself. There was a large earthquake in the area around 60AD about 30 years before this book was written. Their city was destroyed. But instead of asking for help from Rome, they decided to rebuild it themselves. Why? They had lots of money. They were confident in themselves. They did not need anything from anybody.

Then comes the words of the message.

The book of Revelation is also a book of symbolism. The text of Revelation matches a lot of literature of the time period. We talk about this book being about the apocalypse because the name of the book in greek is actually ΑΠΟΚΑΛΥΨΙΣ ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ. Not everyone may agree with my belief on symbolism, but no one will deny that symbolism is used.

“The Words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning (or ruler) of God’s creation.”

So when read about this angel, we see that it is just one from the seven churches. Seven churches not because there are only seven, but because seven is a perfect number in Jewish writing or in other words seven can represent the whole church. So when he says “to one of the angels,” he is saying that part of the church behaves this way. And it behaved this way then and does so today as well.

ΑΠΟΚΑΛΥΨΙΣ ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ the and this angel is just one from the seven churches. Seven churches not because there are only seven, but because seven is a perfect number in Jewish writing or in other words seven can represent the whole church. So when he says “to one of the angels,” he is saying that part of the church behaves this way. And it behaved this way then and does so today as well.

Who does this sound like? The word Amen that we say at the end of prayer means these words are true. Who is true? Who is the ruler of God’s creation.”

Jesus. And it is Jesus we know who is speaking these words to the people of Laodicea.

Jesus says, “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot.”

Illustration: Here in Korea you can get all kinds of noodles. I love it! You can either go out and eat 냉면 or you can go and eat 잔치국수. Cold noodles or hot noodles? Which do you prefer? But if someone told you, here are some cold noodles that have been sitting out for two hours in the sun would you eat it? Or here is some Ramen I made two hours ago, you want this noodle mush? Would you vomit if you had to eat it?

Here is Jesus’ reaction to lukewarmness:

Revelation 3:16 ESV

So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

Now we need to understand this city a little better. Do you think they were like, huh, what is Jesus talking about? No. They had a difficult water situation. The river that was near them was gross and muddy. Nobody drank from that river. The nearby city of Collossae that the book of Collosians in our Bible was written to had nice cold refreshing water. The nearby city of Hierapolis had a hot springs that was used for medicinal purposes. In order for Laodicea to get “good” water, they had to build a piping system called an “aqueduct” underground for 8km. By the time the water got to them, the water was so mucky from traveling the pipe that it was known to make people sick.

SLIDES

Hopefully, you can see this picture fairly clearly. Jesus is using the example of the temperature to explain how they are doing spiritually. All the other churches in Revelation are commended in some way for doing something well, but not Laodicea. Their works are neither cold or hot so Jesus plans on spitting them out of his mouth. What are these works that Jesus is speaking of?

Could it be that they were failing to be the church that God called? They had abandoned the mission of the church. What is the mission of the church?

Matthew 28:18–19 ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

This is the work that God has set before those who believe in him. If you believe in Jesus then you will want to go and make disciples of all nations. You will teach people to obey what Jesus has commanded in his word.

Now these are not works that save you? No work except the work of Jesus on the cross can save you.

But once you are a Christian, you should be showing yourself to be a Christian by the work you do. You will not be doing it out of the selfishness of your heart, but because you want to please God.

Works cannot save you, only Christ’s death on the cross saves you. But works show who is a true Christian. They show if the Christian is bearing any fruit.

To please God is more than just doing things for God. God does not need you.

Some of you are called to lead praise, welcome people, collect offering, assist with the church. But that is not where your work ends. In fact, your work begins the minute you step out of this room. All of your interactions with friends and family, the way you do your school work, the way you spend your free time, the way you spend your money…everything in your life.

Jesus knows your works. He knows whether you are hot or cold.

Students, I tell you this not saying that I have always been faithful to God in all of my works. By no means, I know I have failed even this summer. I tell you that I have weaknesses too.

The apostle Paul says that Jesus told him,

2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Admitting that you are weak, is actually stronger than saying you can do things on your own. How do I know? Let’s see why Jesus wants to spit these people out.

Yet we have a forgiving God. He will forgive you. He wants you to be hot or cold!

Do something for the kingdom of heaven! Do not just sit there and say I am a Christian and yet there is nothing in your life that shows it. Coming to church does not make you a Christian. Your parents faith is not your faith, if you believe then you must do something with that faith. Put into action and be hot or cold towards God!

We see that these people did not see that there was a problem.

Revelation 3:17 ESV

For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

:

This is the worst place to be.

Illustration: Nothing is more worrisome than what has been now called the “Rise of the Nones.” Has anyone heard about it? Nones are those who say that have no religion. They won’t even say they are atheist. Basically, “I’m irreligious or apathetic toward religion.” America has long been considered a country full of Christians, but recently according to one article that I read it says,

Bonhoeffer said: “I want to have a look at church conditions in the South, which allegedly can still be quite peculiar, and get to know the situation of the Negroes in a bit more detail. I don’t quite know whether I have not perhaps spent too much time on this question here, especially since we don’t really have an analogous situation in Germany...”

Of course, that situation in German did eventually change with not only the separation of Jews from every part of German life, but the deaths of millions.

There are a lot of people who call themselves “Christians.” The Germans who rose to power as Nazi leaders heralded Christianity as their faith. Yet the actions that occurred after the rise and the power cannot be found supported anywhere in the Bible.

“A 2015 Pew Research Center poll reported that 34 to 36 percent of millennials (those born after 1980) are nones and corroborated the 23 percent figure, adding that this was a dramatic increase from 2007, when only 16 percent of Americans said they were affiliated with no religion. In raw numbers, this translates to an increase from 36.6 million to 55.8 million nones.” - Shermer, Michael. “The Number of Americans with No Religious Affiliation Is Rising.” Scientific American, 1 Apr. 2018, www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-number-of-americans-with-no-religious-affiliation-is-rising/.

Now according to data from Pew Forum, the percentage of Christians in the southern United States is 76%. That means that 3 our of every 4 people you meet are Christian. Isn’t that crazy??

Why the growing number? My opinion is that America as well as other developed countries are very prosperous. You may not think you are rich, but compared to many places around the world you are all extremely wealthy.

Yet, on Sunday morning (tomorrow in America) it will still be the most segregated day of the week. Blacks will go to black churches and whites will go to white churches.

If you are not a Christian, you may say that there is no God. You believe in a faith that is based in science instead. You confidently know where you stand.

Could it be that those who say they are rich and have prospered don’t feel the need to have faith in anything but themselves? Lukewarmness at its finest.

We remember that:

Matthew 28:19 ESV

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

“All nations” sounds like to me that racism should never come into play in a Christian’s life.

All nations does not sound like

It sounds a bit puzzling to me.

What’s

However, I can express to you that I have students who are surprised at a Christian school to see behavior that is unChristian done by students who profess to be Christian. Now it is important to remember here that even Christians sin. Until we reach the day of judgment and Jesus fully establishes his kingdom, we will have sin in this world to deal with. But we do not need to be comfortable in our sin as the people of Laodicea were.

What is the state of Christianity here in Korea? Do we have many people who claim to be Christian yet there lives do not show it?

Looking back at the text we see the problem. It says that they are rich and that they did not need anything. They probably even saw their prosperity as showing that they were faithful to God. Laodicea was known for a famous medical school that could help cure sickness in the eyes. This may have been one of the reasons why they were so rich.

Yet, even though they healed eyes, they were blind to their problem. They did not realize they were despicable before God.

I think there are three verses in the Bible that should cause most Christians to examine their hearts more than any other verses in the Bible. Jesus’ words at the end of his sermon on the mount. Jesus says,

Matthew 7:21–23 ESV

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Remember Jesus knows your works. Specifically, Jesus knows your faithfulness toward him.

II. Jesus Offers You Forgiveness

SLIDE: Maybe now you have the Fear of God that the Old Testament speaks of. But I want you also to be comforted that if you have found out today that you are lukewarm Jesus offers a way out of that life. He can turn you cold and refreshing or hot and soothing! Let’s keep reading”

Revelation 3:18 ESV

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

Did anyone catch it? In verse 17 he just said that they were poor and now they are counseled to buy gold! How? They cannot do it on their own. This is the work of the Spirit.

If you are willing to submit before the Spirit of God he will make you a new person. You will have a new identity. He will turn you cold or hot. And notice how he says that he will provide “salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.” Do you hear what he is saying? They trusted in doing things themselves but God is saying trust in me and then you will be truly prosperous.

And because you have been lukewarm, it will hurt when you have to change. Read what is says next:

Revelation 3:19 ESV

Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.

To become a true Christian, we must give up our old lives and take on the new life. Jesus said to take up your cross and follow him. A cross is not a wooden ornament you hang from your neck. It is the object of death itself. You must die to your old self and be raised up in new life.

But how? Read on:

Revelation 3:20–21 ESV

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. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.

Do you hear these beautiful words of Jesus? He is waiting for those who have shut their hearts to him. He will continue knocking, and he knows who will open the door, but we still need to decide to open that door.

Have you ever received an invitation to take part in the kingdom of Heaven?

Jesus says,

I once received an invitation.

Illustration: There was a girl who was a friend of mine that I grew up with through middle school and high school. She met a really nice guy and we were totally thrilled to hear that she was going to be getting married. My wife and I received the invitation for their wedding and I remembered being thrilled because she was going to have an outdoor wedding in the Rocky Mountains about three hours from where I lived. We put the invitation on the refrigerator and put in our calendars. BUT, we forgot to double check what time the wedding started. So we started to leave for the wedding and I asked my wife, “what time does the actual wedding start?” She answered… “Oh no, we missed it...” I can tell you that both my wife and I were extremely embarrassed to have to tell my friend we missed her wedding.

Rev 3:20

Revelation 3:20 ESV

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.

Don’t miss this invitation that Jesus is offering. “Look, he is standing at the door and knocking.”

Look at other religions. Whereas other “gods” want you to perform some act of service or earn some special right to be approved, Jesus is acting knocking at the door waiting to sit down and have a meal with you. He wants you to invite him into your daily life.

He is knocking and wants us to open the door of our heart to him.

Conclusion

So today I want to end with this. Jesus knows your works, he knows what is in your heart and how you truly feel about him. Maybe you see Jesus as a great teacher, an historical figure. Yes he is, but he is also the God man. He is the one who took on flesh for the forgiveness of all sins.

Jesus has given us an invitation through his word, the Bible. He has spoken to you from here at GEM and from the pastors and your teachers. His invitation is here. And he wants you to respond. Maybe you think you have responded, but realize that you have been lukewarm in your faith. Truly you trust in your own path. You only say that you are a Christian but deep down in your heart you feel as though you may not be. I ask you to consider this and pray to God who makes all things known.

Jesus has given us an invitation through his word, the Bible. He has spoken to you from here at GEM and from other people. His invitation is here. And he asks you to respond. Some of you have responded while others are just standing there listening to Jesus knock at the door. One day he will not knock any longer.

God loves everyone of you. We know this because he sent us his son Jesus who died for us. And we have these last words in Revelation as our hope:

Revelation 3:21 ESV

The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.

If we conquer the obstacle that is this world, we will sit down with Christ and rule beside him. O what a glorious day that will be!

Let’s pray!