Good morning. Well, hopefully we have all had a great Thanksgiving. And hopefully we have all taken the opportunity to truly thank God for everything that He has blessed us with. As we continue today with our 3:16 series, we come to a 3:16 that deals with a church, and we are going to relate that to our own lives as well.
Turn with me to Revelation 3:16. In the verses surrounding Revelation 3:16 we read about the state of the church at Laodicea.
Before we begin, Let’s Open With a word of Prayer
When growing up on a farm, 1 of the annual jobs that has to be done is the “chicken harvest.” The chickens would be caught early in the morning and brought together. Then methodically their heads would be removed. The heads of these chickens would be chopped off with one swift cut. Here’s where the amazing part happens. With their heads gone, these chickens will run around the yard like crazy. People just can’t believe it. It just amazes them to see a chicken without its head running around. People will always ask why the chickens do this? The answer – “they don’t know they are dead yet!”
Turn you Bibles to Revelation chapter three, beginning with verse 14 and going through verse 22. We are going to study a church that was like a bunch of chickens running around with their heads cut off. Why? Because they didn’t know they were dead yet!
Now if that illustration made you sick at your stomach, well I guess it accomplished it’s purpose, because the church we read about today made Jesus sick at His stomach as well.
Here in Revelation 3:14-22 it says, “1”
Every Christian will go through a time when you’re dragging spiritually, a time when you’re honestly struggling to live a lively Christian life. Be honest, we’ve all been there. So we all have something to learn this morning. We need to learn how to stay Hot for Christ? Or, how to return to our former Zeal! Obviously the church we just read about this morning had declined from being boiling hot to being Lukewarm. And many times that is the way we are as individuals as well. We fall in the middle ground. We are not hot or cold, we are lukewarm. We are complacent with where we are, and we tend to ride the fence on many different things in order that we stay right in the middle. So what does this passage have to say to us this morning?
Let’s go ahead and look through these verses and see what has been said, and what needs to be done.
First, notice in verse 14 that there is no commendation here! In writing to the other 6 churches, Jesus found something good to say, He recognized something positive about each of the other congregations. But not here, He had nothing positive to say about this church.
Then it says, “The Amen.” In the Greek, this phrase means firm, stable, sure, established, and trustworthy. What point is Jesus trying to get across? I feel that He’s saying, “Don’t kid yourselves, what I’m about to say may shock you, but you can count on it that it is true.” What Jesus is about to say to the church in Laodicea is going to be firm and trustworthy.
Then verse 15 again says, “1”
What a powerful truth! Jesus knows our deeds, both individually and as a church. Jesus knew all about the church at Laodicea, the details of which we will get to momentarily. But what about us? Does Jesus know our deeds as well? This is not one of the key issues I want to focus upon in this lesson; however, when I think about this truth… well, it stands as a reminder for us all to examine ourselves from time-to-time, because God does know our deeds. He knows us inside and out and we must realize that and make changes to be what He really wants us to be.
So, Jesus knows our deeds! What were the deeds of the church at Laodicea? Look again at verse 15. Jesus says, “they are neither cold nor hot; I wish you were either cold or hot.” What is Jesus saying here? We all know the answer, He’s saying they are lukewarm!
This is perhaps the most familiar passage in the book of Revelation. Many lessons and sermons have been given from this text. So, what is lukewarness? According to the dictionary, it means lacking warmth of feeling or enthusiasm. To a Christian, it describes a state of indifference, complacency, or apathy. Perhaps because they are self-satisfied, or feel self-sufficient. In reality, they are like a chicken with its head cut off. They are dead, but don’t know it yet!
How would you describe a lukewarm church or a lukewarm person today? How about this definition? A lukewarm church or a person is one that just goes through the motions. They gather to worship and mindlessly go through the motions.
Wait a minute, let’s look at verse 15 again, Jesus knew their deeds, in particular they were lukewarm. But what about Jesus’ desire for them? He said, I wish that you were cold or hot. Now I can understand His desire for them to be hot. But have you ever wondered why He would prefer them to be cold? I would think that this would be a bad thing.
Well, He is using local term here. He was referring to a problem relating to their water supply to show a spiritual meaning. This is a sort of parable, if you will! Laodicea, as rich as it was, had a serious water problem. The city’s water was “piped in” from 6 miles away. But by the time it arrived it was lukewarm. The city of Hierapolis, just 7 miles north of Laodicea, was famous for its hot springs. Colosee, less than 10 miles away, was known for its cool water.
So, what was Jesus saying to them in His desire that they be cold or hot? Well, He’s saying their spiritual condition is of no benefit. He would rather they be spiritually beneficial like a refreshing drink of cold water or like the soothing warmth of the Hot Springs! So what’s the message for us? If we are simply going through the motions, if our heart is not in it, if we are not living and working for Christ everyday of our lives, we are of no benefit to Him!
So how does this condition of lukewarmness really make Jesus feel? All we have to do is look at the next verse in our text. You can search the Scriptures and you’ll find many things that make God angry but being Lukewarm, being halfway to Zeal, being a fence rider in your Christian life, simply …MAKES GOD SICK!
Let’s read verse 16 again. Here it says, “1”
Again, if that chicken harvest illustration earlier made you sick at your stomach, it accomplished the desired effect. Why, because a church’s lukewarmness makes Jesus sick at His stomach as well! Jesus says that because of their lukewarmness, because they are of no spiritual benefit, He will spit them out. Now the Greek word translated here means, “to vomit,” and some translations actually say that He will vomit them out, or spew them out.
Have you ever taken a drink of coffee, and expected it to be hot, and it has been cold, or lukewarm. Or have you ever taken a drink of something expecting it to be cold, and it has been warm. The automatic response is to spit that out. Well the automatic response of God to a Christian that isn’t what He expects is to vomit them out as well.
As we move on, verse 17 says, “1”
Here we find the second spiritual problem with the church at Laodicea. Not only where they lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, but they had another problem that Jesus addresses. Many times this second problem is overlooked because of the lukewarmness, but it is just as important.
In verse 17 we find that they had become infected with the love of material things. Perhaps the most dangerous point made here is the fact that they are so “caught-up” in their wealth, they were unaware of their sinful state. They were dead and they didn’t know it yet!
Jesus knew the condition of the church at Laodicea. Not only were they wretched and miserable, notice again what Jesus says about their condition in the later part of verse 17. They were poor, blind, and naked.
They were Poor – There was plenty of money there, it was an extremely rich town. However, they were poor in another sense. They were spiritually poor.
Then they were also Blind – Known for their eye salve, yet all of the salve in the world wouldn’t cure their spiritual blindness.
And also Jesus says they were Naked – Laodicea was well known for the finest wool in the world. However, all of the wool in the world would not have clothed their spiritual nakedness.
So, with all of this lukewarmness, and being consumed by material possessions, is there a cure? Let’s continue to read our text.
Verse 18 again says, “1”
The Lukewarm Christian needs their vision corrected. They need to see their lives from God’s viewpoint. They need to stop viewing their lives with worldly eyes and selfish eyes. Lukewarm believers need to stand right in the middle of God’s Word and begin to make the needed changes with their renewed vision. They need to change themselves in view of where they stand before God.
If Jesus were to give us advise today, do you think it would be important to follow it? The truth is, He is giving us advice today, and right now we are all reading it together. So what was His advise to them and to us today who are “dead and don’t know it yet?”
His advice is to buy from Him! Jesus provides the only true cure for spiritual sickness. It can’t be found in banks, goods, medicines, or in any worldly treasure. A true cure can only be found in Christ! So how do we find that cure? Let’s examine the next couple of verses.
Here in verses 19-20 it says, “1”
Though blinded by their wealth, love of material things, and lukewarmness, Jesus still loved them and provided an opportunity for repentance. The same is true for us today. He stands at the door and He knocks. We have to make the next move, and it’s our responsibility to open it!
Marilyn Shank tells the story of her granddaughter. She writes, “When our 20 month old granddaughter, Ashley, comes to our home, she gets her basket of toys, sits down on the kitchen floor, and then invites us to join her. “Grammy, sit down,” Ashley says patting the kitchen floor with her small hand. “Grandpa, sit down,” she continues, flashing him her irresistible smile. We accept Ashley’s invitation. All 3 of us sit in the middle of the kitchen floor and play with her toys.”
God gently invites us to join Him in interaction as well. Sometimes we ignore His knocking. However, when we put other things aside and accept His invitation wholeheartedly, many blessings result. The choice is ours.
If we will do that, if we will open the door, He will come in and commune with us. However, we also have the option to ignore His knocking, and let Him leave. If we do that, we have no hope of what is said in the next verse.
Verse 21 again says, “1”
It is understood that all genuine believers will in fact overcome. However, our ability to overcome is completely from the Lord and a Hot on fire for Christ Christian depends upon the Lord for this ability and they also desire to overcome the temptations and oppositions of this world. And the reward for doing this is to spend eternity sitting with Jesus on His throne.
And finally, verse 22 says, “1”
So, this message is not just for the church of Laodicea years ago, but it is for the “churches” and the people of today as well. The lukewarm Christian needs to stop living for themselves and this world. The Lukewarm believer that has been content and has been comfortable in the world and with this world, needs to be on fire for God once again. They need to be a light for Christ.
In conclusion, after visiting a friend who had some fish, Timmy begged for some of his own. His parents told him, “You’ll have to feed them every day and change their water.” Timmy promised he would.
On his birthday his parents gave him a small aquarium with 6 fish in it. At first Timmy enjoyed feeding them, but after a while he neglected to change the water, even after he received reminders from his parents.
His mother finally told him that he had to either change the water or give the fish to someone who would take care of them. Deeply troubled by his mother’s words, he finally decided. He wrote a note, and he gave them to his mother. That way he could still watch the fish without the responsibility of cleaning the tank.
Are we often like Timmy? We want God’s blessings, His gifts, and His presence in our lives, but we fail to assume the responsibilities that they have with them. we want to watch the fish, without taking care of them.
So as we close this morning, I challenge you to not be like the church at Laodicea and like the chickens that I told you about. Because you see, they are dead, but they don’t know it yet. Let’s stop riding the fence and being neither hot nor cold, but let’s be on fire for God this morning.
Let’s Pray |
