Sermon Tone Analysis

Hot or Cold

Revelation 3:14-22

If you have your Bible, would you please turn to the third chapter of Revelation.

Have you ever been so disgusted with someone, with their actions, their words, or their attitude that you told them, “You make me sick?”

And what you’re saying is, I don’t feel good about you, I don’t like to be around you, you disgust me, you turn my stomach.

It’s one thing when a person feels that way about you, it’s a completely different thing when God says He feels that way!

And that is what we are going to see this morning as we look at the last letter to the seven churches.

This letter is harsher than all the others.

Jesus comes to this church with no words of blessing or approval.

He examines this church and sees nothing in it that is worthy of praise.

We may wonder what a 2,000-year-old letter could possibly teach us today.

The reason this letter still speaks is because the modern church is very much like the ancient church in Laodicea.

All of the problems that existed in Laodicea can be found in many churches.

Those same problems can be found here, if we are not careful.

They might even be here, if we were honest!

The Lord’s words to this church are particularly relevant in our day.

Churches like Laodicea, dominate the landscape in our world.

We need to compare this church to that church, and see if there are any similarities between them.

If there are, then we need to deal with those areas and bring them into line with God’s Word and His will.

Let’s pray and we’ll read the final letter to the seven churches.

Pray!

God is asking you, “Are you listening?”

Are you ready to hear what He has to say? Forget thinking about what’s for lunch, the baseball game today, the plans you have for later this week, the problems you’re experiencing.

This isn’t just what God has said; it’s what God is saying today.

So, open your ears, open your mind, open your heart, to hear this message to the lukewarm church in Laodicea.

There are some things that we need to hear today about lukewarm Christianity.

Jesus says:

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.

Now, I don’t want to sugarcoat what is being said here so I’m going to be graphic just like the text is.

Jesus doesn’t say that He is going to spit them out.

He is going to vomit them out.

There is a sin that sickens God.

There is a sin that makes God feel ill, that makes Him want to puke.

What sin is so nauseous to God? It’s the sin that’s probably the most common in the modern church today; it is the sin of being lukewarm.

That’s our first idea.

The Curse of Being Lukewarm

What does it mean to be lukewarm?

It means that you’re a little too cold to be hot and just a little too hot to be cold, too cold to boil and too hot to freeze.

They were tepid.

There was no ready source of water in Laodicea.

Water had to be brought in through aqueducts from hot springs five or six miles away.

The problem was that when that water got into the city, it was lukewarm because of how far it had to travel.

Laodicea was near two other cities.

Hierapolis had hot medicinal waters; Colossae had cold, pure, refreshing water.

Both were wonderful.

Laodicea’s wasn’t.

The people were the same.

They weren’t hot or cold, just lukewarm.

And don’t think that being cold means being an atheist, agnostic or someone who hates God and that hot means those people who have a burning passion and are on fire for God.

Both are positive.

You know how refreshing a can of ice-cold Pepsi is on a hot day, right?

How about a nice hot cup of coffee on a cold morning?

A room temperature soft drink is unpleasant and I don’t like my coffee as much after it has sat out for a while.

Lukewarm makes for a disgusting drink.

Jesus is speaking to those who are in between, the self-satisfied, half-hearted Christian.

And I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings but that probably describes the majority of those who attend church, any church.

How do you know if you’re lukewarm?

Here are some areas to evaluate:

Sanctification

Sanctification is a word that means to be made holy.

It is how our lives change as we are set apart for the Lord.

Lukewarm Christians are indifferent about their personal holiness.

I mean holiness is such an old-fashioned idea, isn’t it?

Our world says its perfectly okay to not be perfect.

It’s okay to take those shortcuts, cut those corners, tell that little white lie, take advantage of someone else, to call people names, put them down, treat others like second class people, fight, argue, hate and then support things that we know are biblically wrong and then say that at least I’m not the one doing it.

It’s the little boy who prayed beside his bed one night, “Lord, make me good, but not too good, just good enough not to get a spanking.”

Are you lukewarm about your personal holiness?

Service

What about service?

Most Christians are lukewarm in their service.

They don’t have that burden to serve others.

They don’t feel the needs of others like they are their own.

How many of you are actually serving somewhere?

How many are serving others?

We like to talk about serving but when it comes down to it, we hesitate.

Someone else could do it.

The pastor can do it.

The deacons can do it.

I’m busy.

I have a lot on my plate.

I will when I get more free time.

I just can’t right now.

Maybe later.

Or you just say, I’m too old, I’m too young, too unqualified, or I just don’t have the training or education to do that.

Maybe your service is characterized by excuses and if it is then maybe you’re lukewarm.

Scripture

What about Scripture?

How many of you are lukewarm about Scripture?

How many of you really love the Word of God? How many of you truly hunger for the Word?

We say that we believe the Bible but we don’t know it.

The average Christian has never read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.

I won’t embarrass you by asking you to turn to the Book of Hezekiah, 2 Hesitations or even 1 Impressions…

Many people don’t even know what books are in the Bible because they have never read it through even though it can be read in just ten months with only four chapters a day.

How many of you believe everything that you read in the newspaper or see on the news?

Let me see your hands.

How many of you believe every word in the Bible?

Let’s see your hands.

Now, how many of you spend more time each day with the newspaper or television than you do with God’s Word?