Which are You?

WHICH ARE YOU?

Hot, Cold, or Lukewarm?

Revelation 3:14-19

In Revelation chapters 2 and 3 we see the letters or messages to the angels of these churches. The angels are referring to pastors, Pastors of literal churches. God uses these churches to illustrate two things. I can God had some warnings and exhortations for each of the churches. Now some people say that these are actually church ages. There are several churches that are written to, seven in all and that these are in my opinion, not only churches, but they represent the type of churches in every generation but also represent the church ages. Each church would represent a type of church that was prevalent at those times. It seems to consistently seen throughout history. But it is not full proof.

Now let’s review for a moment what it says here of the Laodicean church:

But this teaching especially works in this generation, it represents the type of church that is prevalent today - the type of Christian that lives today - It is called the Luke warm Christian and the Lukewarm Church.

Revelation 3:15–16 AV

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

So, I have a question for all of us today, for Maineville Baptist Church Which Are You?

Are you Hot? Are you Cold? Or are You Lukewarm?

Let’s Pray

People often ask the question to me today, WHY ARE WE NOT SEEING REVIVAL?

Why does it seem that this world is fast departing from God?

Why do we live in a day when there is little difference between a saved person and a lost person?

How do we keep our families protected?

How do we keep our children from falling pray to the world’s temptations?

Is God’s Word not enough? Can we not trust in God’s Word to do a work in our lives?

I’d like to answer all of those questions in this fashion, and I know we have a lot of newer people at church these days and I don’t want to offend any of you, and we have a lot of people that have been in church for a long time, and I don’t want to offend you, but I would like present to you today the answer to all of these questions in the form of a question, and let you know that the answer depends on you.

Our problem is that we are a Lukewarm generations of Christians. Our proclivity is to go to a lukewarm church.

Not a hot church, not a cold church. But one that is Lukewarm.

I. Contributing Factors to being Lukewarm

We live in a generation of men and women who go to church profess Christ, but do so in some other spirit or with some other motive than to please their Lord. You know when you come to church with the right attitude and the right motive, God can do something great in your life, but when you come to church for some other reason such as:

My parents made me, so I have to

If I don’t, People will think I’m not spiritual

I have friends there

It has programs that keep my kids entertained

I need to go because I want to out do so-and-so… and on and on

If you come to church for some of those reasons it is a sign of being lukewarn.

God discusses some reasons we become lukewarm.

A. Because thou sayest

Now the Bible doesn’t say because you are rich, or anything else, it says because thou sayest you have these things.

We live in a generation that wants to show off to others, to prove we are successful. Like the Loadicean church and Christians, we like to do the same things, and say the same things. They said:

1. I’ve got it all

“I am rich”

2. I'm living the life

“increased with goods”

3. I don’t need anything

The second reason the Bible gives that contributes to lukewarmness was this:

B. Because you don’t see your condition

You are wretched

You are miserable

You are poor

You are blind

You are naked

II. What does Lukewarm Christianity Look like

A. It is a Christian that is a hypocrite

A hypocrite is someone who professes to be something he is not

It is a person that projects one image, but is quite the opposite in reality

It is a person who acts one way church and another way at home

A lukewarm Christian is one that acts like everything’s perfect at church, walks proudly, but doesn’t even do the basic things every Christian ought to do.

B. A Christian that straddles the fence

He doesn’t no which side to be on, so he keeps one foot in the church while the other foot is in the world.

I used to be like that: in High School I actually had a cassette tape carrier, it had on one side every rock-n-roll group you can think of it, and on the other side I had all Christian music, “Well It was an attempt at Christian music” It was rocknroll with a Christian words.

But I’d go to the youth activities on Saturdays and the next Friday I’d go out with my friends after the game and do wrong things.

I’d go drink beer and then I’d go to church on Sunday, I was a Christian, but I was a Lukewarm Christian.

C. A lChristian who professes Christ but cares not to please Him

he’s one that says everything is alright, yet he has no peace in his life.

17 ... knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

About a month or so ago I preached a message on adorning the name of Christ, that means making the name of Christ better because you are a Christian.

Titus 2:10 AV

Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.

Ask yourself, based upon my Christian walk, my testimony to others, is my life adorning Christ, or am I causing him shame.

Woe unto us if we bring shame to the name of Christ in our walk or deeds.

III. God wants us Hot

A. Hot for the truth

Proverbs 23:23 AV

Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

We need to be valiant for the truth. Do you know why so many people fall for false teachers and follow positive preachers - because our generation even know for themselves what the truth is.

You’ve got to know the truth for yourself.

B. Hot for Righteousness

1 Peter 2:9 AV

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

1 Thessalonians 5:22 AV

Abstain from all appearance of evil.

C. Hot for telling others about Christ and teaching them

Matthew 28:18–20 AV

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

D. Hot for knowing the Lord

Psalm 46:10a (AV)

Be still, and know that I am God:...

IV. God says be anything but “Lukewarm”

So what does Christ think about a lukewarm Christian, he makes it very clear, he says in Rev 3:16, that he will “spue the out of my mouth.”

Spue here means to vomit, though just spitting out shows disgust as well

Have you ever drunk a lot of lukewarm water. In the Marines we had to that a lot. And out of a canteen, it was never good. I would often go on a force march and I would keep my canteens in the refrigerator all night before so that during the march at least part way I would have cold water.

But we used to drink lukewarm water and it would give you an upset stomach and if you weren’t dying of thirst, you would just drink a little at a time.

Lukewarm water can make you sick. When I was a freshmen in highschool in Science class, this girl and guy asked if they could get a drink out of the faucet in the on the science desk, I believe it was distilled water out of tank. It was lukewarm. They drank cup after cup laughing, just to do anything but study. I remember the girl sitting back down. She raised her hand and the teacher came, leaned over and asked her what was wrong, and she said, I think I’m going to be sick, and right then, SHE’D Spued out the water and a lot of other things from lunch, it went through the air at a pretty good trajectory and landed on top of his head.

Funniest thing I have ever seen.

It is funny, but it is not funny when Jesus says that is how we make him feel, because of our lukewarmness. He loathes it when we walk like that. It hurts him it makes him sick, he says he will spue you and I out of his mouth when we walk so.

Will you allow him to change you. This world does not need more lukewarm or cold Christians, the only thing this world needs to see is some people that are on fire for God, to show God’s power in their lives, to show God that we are different that there is a better life to live out there.

V. What about the Cold.

The cold is someone who may act like the world

You may do the sinful things of the world, but you don’t really try to profess the name of Christ and be discredit to it.

I appreciate a someone who is real and upfront about who they are that will admit his sin and his intentions when he comes to church. He might come because of his wife, a lady might come because of their husband. A parent might come for the child and so on.

They are not trying to act like Christians, they have their lifestyle, and they live it not being proclaiming to be something they are not.

But be careful in that situation, there are two great classifications here as well. You see, you are either a backslidden believer, who knows he is wrong, who knows you need to get right - or you are lost.

I was there, I was one that was backslidden when I was 18 years old. I wanted all that the world had, I wanted the world, the relationships, I wanted to be successful, one of the best at what I did. I was living like that in Marines at the age of 18, but I had the Holy Spirit convicting me of my sin and my direction and I could not continue in that direction. I gave my life completely to Christ, realizing at the age of 18 that the compromise of the world, and the emptiness of sin was not worth it.

Or you could be in the other classification of cold. Cold meaning dead, without salvation, your have not yet trusted in Christ. You have not believed on Him as your Lord Savior.

the Bible says in

Philippians 2:12 AV

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

God doesn’t want you lukewarm, but He doesn’t want you Cold and useless either. There is only one thing left to be, that is hot. WHICH ARE YOU?

Hot, Cold, or Lukewarm?

WHICH ARE YOU?

Hot, Cold, or Lukewarm?

Revelation 3:14-19