Untitled Sermon (2)

Whats your spritual condition Hot or Cold or in the middle

The Lukewarm Church

14 “And to the 9angel of the church 1of the Laodiceans write,

j‘These things says the Amen, kthe Faithful and True Witness, lthe Beginning of the creation of God: 15 m“I knowyour works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither 2cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, n‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—18 I counsel you oto buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and pwhite garments, that you may be clothed, thatthe shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 qAs many as I love, I rebuke and rchasten. 3Therefore be 4zealous and repent. 20 Behold, sI stand at the door and knock. tIf anyone hears My voice and opens the door, uI will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes vI will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

22 w“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’ ”

As believers in Jesus Christ, we have every reason to be “fervent in spirit” (Rom. 12:11). Fervent prayer is also vital (Col. 4:12). It was as the Emmaus disciples listened to the Word that their hearts were warmed. No wonder Paul commanded that his letter to Colossae be sent to the Laodicean church! (Col. 4:16)

We enjoy a beverage that is either hot or cold, but one that is tepid is flat and stale. That’s why the waitress keeps adding hot coffee or fresh iced tea to our cups and glasses. The second law of thermodynamics requires that a “closed system” eventually moderates so that no more energy is being produced. Unless something is added from the outside, the system decays and dies. Without added fuel, the hot water in the boiler becomes cool; without electricity, the refrigerant in the freezer becomes warm.

The church cannot be a “closed system.” Jesus said, “Without Me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). The Laodicean church was independent, self-satisfied, and secure. “We have need of nothing!” But all the while, their spiritual power had been decaying; their material wealth and glowing statistics were but shrouds hiding a rotting corpse. Their Lord was outside the church, trying to get in (Rev. 3:20).

In Laodicea Forty miles south-east of Philadelphia and some forty miles east of Ephesus, the last of the seven churches addressed with special messages, on the river Lycus on the border of Phrygia, near Colossae and Hierapolis, recipient of two letters by Paul (Col. 4:16), on the great trade-route from Ephesus to the east and seat of large manufacturing and banking operations (especially of woollen carpets and clothing, centre of the worship of Asklepios and seat of a medical school and also of a provincial court where Cicero lived and wrote many of his letters, home of many Jews, “the City of Compromise,” the church here founded apparently by Epaphras (Col. 1:7; 4:12f.), now a deserted ruin, one of six cities with this name (meaning justice of the people). No praise is bestowed on this church, but only blame for its lukewarmness.

the text

The Amen name here alone, though in Is. 65:16 we have “the God of Amen” “the God of truth” Here applied to Christ. “whose testimony never falls short of the truth”

. The beginning of the creation of God . Not the first of creatures as the Arians held and Unitarians do now, but the originating source of creation through whom God works (Col. 1:15, 18,

15 He is dthe image of the invisible God, ethe firstborn over all creation. 16 For fby Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or gdominions or 5principalities or 6powers. All things were created hthrough Him and for Him. 17 iAnd He is before all things, and in Him jall things consist. 18 And kHe is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, lthe firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

a passage probably known to the Laodiceans, John 1:3; Heb. 1:2, as is made clear by 1:18; 2:8; 3:21; 5:13).

3:15 you are neither cold nor hot This imagery may allude to the water system at Laodicea. The city had no water supply of its own; it had cold water piped in from Colossae or hot water piped in from the springs at Hierapolis. When the water arrived in the city, it had become lukewarm. Like the water, the church at Laodicea was neither refreshing (like cold water) nor healing (like hot spring water).

In the Christian life, there are three “spiritual temperatures”: a burning heart, on fire for God (Luke 24:32), a cold heart (Matt. 24:12), and a lukewarm heart (Rev. 3:16). The lukewarm Christian is comfortable, complacent, and does not realize his need. If he were cold, at least he would feel it! Both the cold water from Colossae and the hot water from Hieropolis would be lukewarm by the time it was piped to Laodicea.

three things the church was sure about!

First, the church said, I am rich. That is, the church supposed it had such adequate (material) resources that it could do without the Lord’s (spiritual) help. The congregation was like the city, proud of its banks and affluence, boasting that I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing. (When the city of Laodicea was devastated by an earthquake in a.d. 60, it recovered without any imperial disaster aid.) This is the opposite of the church in Smyrna, which knew of its material poverty. Christ calls the Laodicean church poor.

Second, the church thought it was clothed with plenty of righteous character. The imagery is drawn from what we know of Laodicea, renowned for its extensive textile industry, particularly of black wool fabric. Instead, the Lord understood that it was spiritually wretched, pitiful, … and naked.

Third, the church supposed itself to have spiritual insight. Instead it was blind. The city of Laodicea was famous for its medical school that exported a powder used for eye salve. Such medicine could not salve their blind eyes.

Even sadder than these three deficiencies is Christ’s declaration that you do not realize it. This church had deceived itself about its spiritual condition. Because they had depended on themselves, they were impoverished, unclothed, and sightless. Christ rejects whatever a church is or does that is prompted by self-righteousness.

Despite its bleak situation the church can take heart in knowing that Jesus reproves and chastens those whom he “loves” (3:19; cf. Prov 3:12).

The remedy is direct: “be zealous [only here in the New Testament] and repent [cf. 2:5 (twice), 16, 21, 22; 3:3]” (3:19).

Jesus continues with an offer (3:20), which must not be allegorized evangelistically—if one opens the “door” of one’s heart, Jesus will “come in” to one’s life. Jesus is speaking to those who are already Christians. The offer reflects first-century hospitality practices: when a visitor knocks on the door of your house, you invite him in and share meal fellowship with him. By their lukewarmness and arrogance, the Laodicean Christians have, in a sense, pushed Jesus outside.

As they need gold, white clothes, and eye salve from Jesus, they also need fellowship with Jesus. What is significant about the offer is that it tempers the threat in 3:16. Though Jesus is about to spit them out of his mouth, he has not yet done so; they still have the opportunity to hear his knocking and invite him inside. This particular image serves as a contrast to the practice of corrupt Roman officials, who forced “hospitality” from Asian Christians. Jesus does not force himself upon anyone; he awaits the invitation to enter. Hence, fellowship with Jesus is genuine.

First, an explanation: “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten” (Rev. 3:19a). He still loved these lukewarm saints, even though their love for Him had grown cold. He planned to chasten them as proof of His love (Prov. 3:11–12; Heb. 12:5–6). God permits churches to go through times of trial so that they might become what He wants them to become.

Second, an exhortation: “Be zealous therefore, and repent” (Rev. 3:19b). The church at Laodicea had to repent of their pride and humble themselves before the Lord. They had to “stir up that inner fire” (2 Tim. 1:6, ph) and cultivate a burning heart.

Finally, an invitation (Rev. 3:20–22). We often use these verses to lead lost people to Christ, but the basic application is to the believer. The Lord was outside the Laodicean church! He spoke to the individual—“if any man”—and not to the whole congregation. He appealed to a small remnant in Sardis (Rev. 3:4–5), and now He appeals to the individual. God can do great things in a church, even through one dedicated individual.

Christ was not impatient. “I have taken My stand” is the sense of the verb. He “knocks” through circumstances and He calls through His Word. For what is He appealing? Fellowship and communion, the people’s desire to abide in Him. The Laodiceans were an independent church that had need of nothing, but they were not abiding in Christ and drawing their power from Him. They had a “successful program” but it was not fruit that comes from abiding in Christ (John 15:1–8).

Note that when we invite Him in, the supper room becomes a throne room! It is through communion with Christ that we find victory and become overcomers indeed.

The letters to the seven churches are God’s X rays, given to us so that we might examine our own lives and ministries. Judgment is going to come to this world, but it first begins at God’s house (1 Peter 4:17). In these letters we find encouragement as well as rebuke.

May the Lord help us to hear what the Spirit is saying today to the church, and to the individuals in the churches!