Lukewarmness and Its Cure - 13

What we are in the book of the Revelation, we are considering this evening. The letter of Christ to the last of the seven churches, the church of Laodicea, and I want to read from Revelation chapter 3, beginning at verse 14, down through verse 22 and to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write these things says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth because you say I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing, and do not know you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed, and anoint your eyes with eye salve, you may see as many as I love I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with me.

To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with me on my throne, as I also overcame and sat down with my father on his throne.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches prior to you hearing this series of messages on the seven churches. Most of us probably would recall some words in the that are found here in this passage to the church at Laodicea as perhaps the most familiar words to us. We know that warning of being lukewarm in Christ, vomiting, those out of his mouth and we have seen depicted on evangelistic tracts Christ outside knocking on the door and that is been. I fear misrepresented.

So tonight I hope that we can correct some's understandings and to learn what Christ has to say to the Laodicean church the apostate church.

Now I have not set before you, the idea that in the letter of the seven churches that there is an order that is an order of digression that things begin with the church of Ephesus, and then continue to spiral downward until we get to apostate church. The Laodicean church, but there are some commentators who take that a view that there is a an intentional order given to us in these letters that very well may be.

I just have not been convinced strongly enough to have made that point as we move through these letters it would seem that the church at Laodicea is the most deplorable. The most in the worst condition of any of the churches that we have considered.

So tonight, as we look at this. There is a similar pattern. Not exactly, but a similar pattern. We've observed through the other letters I want you to see number 18. A description of the head of the church that is Christ as he addresses the angel of the church that is again my studied opinion.

The angel is the messenger the, the leader, the pastor, the elder, the under shepherd who, however, you may designate him that this is the words of Christ to the leader of the church, and Laodicea. A real true church that existed in history in Asia minor, known as the church of Laodicea and there is this description of the head of the church.

That's unique to this church and you'll see that as we move through the letter and are three things that are mentioned here about the church, or a nut about the church but about the head of the church. It says in verse one. I'm sorry. Verse 14. These things says in here are the three things that are's describing him the Amen number two, the faithful and true witness, and number three the beginning of the creation of God, the Amen the Amen is a transliteration of the Hebrew word meaning, truth, affirmation or certainty because of what he is going to say in his analysis of this church that that has bearing here is him who is the Amen him who speaks with certainty him who speaks with truth and nothing but the truth so these things says the Amen to the faithful and true witness closely related to the first, the faithful and true witness what he says is faithful to truth, he is the embodiment of truth. Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life.

So not only words coming from the Amen but from. Also, the faithful and the true witness and then he's designated described as the beginning of the creation of God. Now the cults of seized on that particular the Jehovah's witnesses and said we'll see right here he is a part of.

He is the beginning of the creation of God.

He is a created being. That's again up a complete misunderstanding of what's being said, you have to take everything in context.

What we been told throughout these letters, he is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. So he was there at the beginning of creation. In fact, he is the source of creation. That's what it means, then we have a diagnosis diagnosis of the church and note again the connection between the diagnosis that he's going to give and the description that we just looked at were to receive an accurate diagnosis from him who is the Amen one speaks with certainty the one who speaks with truth, the faithful and true witness. He speaks nothing but truth is faithful to truth and the one who is the beginning of the creation of God. This is what Christ says to the church. I know your works.

I know your works, and notice with me six things about this diagnosis. Number one I want you to see an observation of fact and observation of fact I know your works, and here's the observation of fact that you are neither cold nor hot. That's an observation of fact, Jesus is saying. I know your works. You see, every church is judged upon its works upon its deed. Your Bible may say deeds in the place of works is how were evaluated and he who is the Amen he was the true and faithful witness. He was the beginning of creation is the one who is evaluating our works are deed that in the church and he makes this observation is an observation of fact that you are neither cold nor hot notice with me.

Secondly, a statement of desire not only that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.

There's a statement of desire.

I wish you were one or the other of these two things, either hot or cold.

That's what I wish Jesus says and then notice a consequence of reality. A consequence of reality were 16 so then because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot.

This is a consequence of reality. The reality is you are neither hot nor cold. And because you are lukewarm instead and neither caught cold nor hot. We have an action of repudiation mentioned in verse 16. What is that action of repudiation. I will vomit you out of my mouth for the strong language in the vernacular, we would say you make me sick.

There are churches that make Christ angry. There are churches that make Christ weep. But here's a church that makes him sick, so sick of its deeds and works in what's going on in the church that he says I am sick to my stomach. I will vomit you out of my mouth now. Think about these extremes.

Hot on one end of the continuum and cold on the other, and we would think that lukewarmness would be somewhere between those two poles lukewarmness in terms of temperature of water that would be true. We have hot we have cold and then we have neither hot nor cold but lukewarm or not talking about the temperature of water. It's simply language or metaphors being used to describe the spiritual condition. Jesus is saying you are neither hot. That is, you are neither zealous for God.

You are neither on fire for God and you are neither cold cold and that is you are not dead, you are not indifferent. You are not unconcerned about God. You're not that you are lukewarm, and he saying that lukewarmness is a less desirable spiritual condition then spiritual deadness being called toward God is spiritual deadness we say will what could be worse than spiritual deadness.

How could lukewarmness is a spiritual metaphor be worse than spiritual deadness void of the spirit of God. How could that be, it can be. In this way sometimes talk to people and say there are four conditions you could be in your relationship for God, you could be number one lost in know your lost, you could be number two saved and know that you are say you could be number three saved before God. Your say, but you don't have an assurance that your say. And then there's 1/4 category. 1/4 condition, you can be on and that is lost and think that your saved, we often said that before peoples were talking to them about their soul and their need and we asked the question which of those four conditions is worse. What is the worst condition to be in. You have to think about it, but as you think about it when you agree with me that being lost and thinking that you are saved is a far worse condition than being lost and knowing that your lost, yes, and I think that's what's being described here hot again represents a condition of fervent zeal and devotion toward God cold symbolize a condition of heart that is completely indifferent toward Christ. It is those who bear who live in darkness and have no sign of spiritual life, what is to be lukewarm to be lukewarm in this context is to have a profession of faith to think that you are all right that you are saved, but in reality, lacking any real sense of spiritual life and Jesus said, concerning those who are hypocrites who are satisfied in self righteousness and void of spiritual life and thinking they're right with God.

You are lukewarm, and I am going to spew you out of my mouth. So what follows here in verse 17 is a description of self-deception. A description of self. This deception they had in inaccurate self-assessment of themselves. That is, the church did and what is that description and self-deception.

He says because you say I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing, and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.

That's a description of self-deception of inaccurate self-assessment they thought they were rich and said they had need of nothing.

What did Jesus say I have not come for the righteous. But I've come for what those who know themselves to be sinners not come for the healthy outcome for the sick and because they said we have written we are rich and have need of nothing, that's their assessment and do not know they do not know that they are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. Now there's a sense in which an accurate assessment of our lives before God is that we are wretched that we are poor that we are miserable apart from Christ. Paul saying speaking in Romans chapter 7 at the end of Romans chapter 7 says oh wretched man that I am same exact word that you steer. Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body, Paul could say in Romans chapter 7 in verse 14. I know that is within myself dwells no good thing. That's an accurate self assessment. We know ourselves to be wretched to be miserable to be poor. Blessed are the poor. Jesus said in the sermon on the Mount and left to ourselves.

We are blind left to ourselves. We are naked with no duress, no covering for our sin and our shame.

That's the accurate self-assessment. You see, the problem is they did not know these things.

You see, not only did they think they were rich and had need of nothing, they were unwilling to acknowledge the fact that they were wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. So, a description of self-deception and then followed by this accurate fivefold description wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.

You see, it takes the spirit of God working in our hearts to bring us to an accurate assessment of our true condition before God. The Bible says Jeremiah chapter 17 verse nine the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked who can know it.

The heart is deceitful above all things. We have a heart that is bent on deceiving us in and because we are wired with that.

That's the condition of our heart. We are at a great disadvantage of seeing ourselves accurately and that's why we need healthy relationships in the body of Christ that we might see ourselves through the eyes of someone else. He's my brother he's my sister and they are helping me see things that I've been deceived by, and I'm blind to same thing and marriage, and instead of seeing that and appreciating that we become adversarial in a relationship with our spouse and think they're out to get us when in fact there are good there. God's gift to us to help us in our growth and sanctification. So we have here in this letter, number one, a description of Christ is head of the church and is described in three ways. The amen the faithful and true witness, and the beginning of the creation of God, then there is the accurate diagnosis of Christ of lukewarmness that is condemned by Jesus.

The diagnosis of lukewarmness number three we have a remedy for lukewarmness, a remedy Christ prescribes a remedy to the Laodicean church by counseling them to buy from him. Three things now. I think it's good to stop and make a couple of clarifications. The idea of buying obviously the blessings of grace cannot be bought. The cannot be purchased. The blessings of grace come freely from God, but the language thereto by is a word that is suggesting the means whereby we receive what we need from Christ. In Jesus Jesus has in his possession exactly those things the church so desperately needs.

It's similar to the to the language of Isaiah 55 10. Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters and you will have no money do what come by any well, wait a minute how to lie, and by with no money well again it's spiritual language, buy wine and milk without money, without cost is a reminder that these benefits these blessings cannot be earned.

They can be purchased. The can't be bought there received the gifts of grace from Christ to his church so he says here's the remedy I counsel you to buy from me again, Christ has in his possession. Everything the church needs and I would suggest you not only everything the church of Laodicea needs, but everything any church need this idea that we must find the resources outside of Jesus. We need Jesus plus all these other things in order to be what we ought to be no Jesus has everything the church has need of. So Christ counsels them to buy from him. Notice I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich, wait a minute. They thought they were rich. You see, until their eyes are open to their poverty, their bankruptcy will never come to Christ.

No man will ever come to Christ to receive riches from him when they hear. She thinks there rich in and of themselves.

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich. They needed goal that was free of impurities that what represents what represents the priceless riches of true salvation. What did Peter say in his first letter he wrote of faith what he say about faith.

It is more precious than gold. Without faith it's impossible to please God. So that's what he's saying, come to me, I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich. Second thing to buy from him. White garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed. White garments were familiar with that picture.

White garments speak of the pure righteousness that Christ provides force through imputation we exchange our filthy rags for the perfect white robes of righteousness that Christ provides that makes us acceptable before God and Jesus is saying common by white garments, that you may be closed water. They need to be clothed because there naked in there, unaware that there naked.

They have no covering that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed and what is the third remedy they are to buy ISAF that they might anoint their eyes for what purpose so that they may see you see their blind spiritually blind and they need the operation, the divine operation that gives men, spiritual site by ISAF anoint your eyes that you may see that's the counsel that he gives you think about this. This is this is a church that Christ is writing to an apostate church. It seems that there is no hope for this church. He is going to vomit them out of his mouth. And yet, here is a remedy for their situation than what we see we see a gracious appeal, a gracious appeal. Verse 19 as many as I love I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.

There is an appeal being made here to a believing remnant in this apostate church. There are some in this church that make Christ sick that he loves as man as many acts however many there are as many as I love what is he do I rebuke and I chasten and therefore he says be zealous and repent, be zealous and repent. That is something that sinful men are commanded to do to repent and yet we are dependent upon the work of God spirit in us to bring forth fruit's of repentance. No man can repent and of his own ability his own strength in his own ability at all. We must be aided by God in order to repent and if God doesn't come to us and help us in that there's no counsel, no talking, no preaching, no nothing else will bring about godly sorrow that leads to life and others. There's a lot of substitutes there's worldly sorrow that leads to death on tears of remorse.

Words that speak of how sorry I am. But if it's void of the spirit of God's work. It leads to death. There's a huge difference between the two and it's not easy sometimes to ferret out the falsehood. As many as I love I rebuke and chasten and is a good God that doesn't leave us to ourselves because left to ourselves. We will run hard after sin. And there be no recovery of us, but God is like a faithful father. He chastens those whom he loves. In its love that chastens as many as I love I rebuke and chasten in his heart is God's chastening might be. We must look beyond the temporal pain and the unpleasantness of it all and be able to rejoice in this is evidence that I'm a child of God. God is not left me to myself. God is not turn me over to my own evil devices. God's chastening me and that's evidence of his love and if God is dealing with you and that way respond to, bow the knee submit to him. Let go of whatever it is you been clinging to that is hindering your relationship with him. Therefore be zealous and repent. Have a change of mind, a change of mind that changes your direction in your trajectory are no longer pursuing that idol of the heart. You're now pursuing God in an when that is at work God is doing that it's going to be obvious.

Jonah is a wonderful statement in the book of Jonah.

Those who pursue worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be there's see what's being described. There is an either/or.

Those who claim to worthless idols, you claim to worthless idols will not let go of worthless idols. Then you can't have that worthless idol and the grace of God at the same time you have got to let go of that, you've got to turn from that repent of that and turn toward God.

Those who claim to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be there's there's grace grace to rescue you from these frivolous pursuits of false idols that promise so much, and deliver so little be zealous and repent. And then there's a promise, a promise to the repentant.

What is the promise Jesus says behold I stand at the door and knock. I stand at the door is not the listen we seen this portrayed on evangelistic tracks and I've heard people wax eloquently on this.

You know there's a door there is only one door knob monitors only one hand on the door and is not on Christ side and he's begging to come into your heart and you got open the door and he's pounding on the door knocking on the door and it presents a pitiful Christ. He he wants to do something for you, but he just can't people he won't kick the door in you got open the door. Listen, Jesus is standing not at the door of the heart, but at the door of the church in Laodicea. The church and become unfaithful that church had cast him out and he's now standing outside the church, behold, I stand at the door and knock. Here's where it gets individual. If anyone if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with me. Again, this is a word to the believing remnant. There are some in the church who are of the elect of God, the promises of what of restored communion and restored fellowship. If anyone will hear my voice open the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with me. There will be a a and intimacy, relational intimacy, a communion that's what's promised to us promised to any see the church as a whole seems hopelessly lost. The church at Laodicea. He will vomit them out of his mouth but his own beloved the elect of God, they they will not. They must not perish with the rest. So he calls them and he promises them that they shall have communion with him and then a promise to him. This is the pattern we see in all these letters would come to the end promise of to those who overcome what is the promise here. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with me on my throne, as I also overcame and sat down with my father on his throne folks I I'm puzzled by that. I'm astounded by that. If the only thing that was promise to the overcome or is a place in heaven.

Safety within the celestial city that would be far in far in measure enough for any of us but for Jesus to say to him who overcomes I will grant to sit with me on my throne, as I also overcame and sat down with my father on his throne in some mysterious way that I cannot explain nor get my mind around, we will reign with Christ, we will share in his reign. In some mysterious way. I think you would agree with me that the church in our day is growing more and more self-sufficient and consequently feels very little need of Christ. All she feels is that we need something more to attract these lost people into the church to grow our numbers and to present a form of success.

I don't see the lease from my vantage point, a healthy picture the church is not convinced. To the degree it needs to be convinced that our sufficiency is in Jesus Christ, we have all we need in him in the fullness of Jesus is the answer to all of our needs. The churches not convinced of that. Because it's not convinced that it's guilty of the very same self-deception that the church at Laodicea was so what does he say he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

What does the Spirit say to the churches. Watch fight overcome and be faithful unto the end, have no part with the church that lives in self sufficiency and has no need of anything. The church that portrays itself markets itself. We've got it all here.

We've got it all together. We answer we got our every need covered.

That's not a church that is a healthy church that is a self deceiving church is a humane church that doesn't have all the bells and whistles and just simply is trusting in Christ and keeping him at the center. That's a healthy church that's exactly what I'm saying that's a healthy church so watch therefore, and be zealous pursue Christ. Enjoy communion and fellowship with him. Guard your life against self deception, self-reliance is an enemy. It's easy to trust the arm of the flesh.

It takes zeal and spirit wrought effort to continue to trust Jesus and him only. It's too easy to find the button in your life and be on autopilot and be on cruise. That's a dangerous place to be and to realize that simply because you drive by a church and see a sign up next to the road, does not necessarily mean that that's a place where Christ is welcome. You remember the occasion when Sampson was toying with Delilah and she was trying to discover what this what the secret of his strength was playing games with her, and he finally after her persuasion revealed that his strength was in his hair.

Well, strength really wasn't in his hair.

Strength was in his vows toward God, but nonetheless when she cut his hair and she said to him, will come up and she said the Philistines are upon you, and he realized that he was weak. The Bible says he did not know that the Lord had departed from he did not know that the Lord departed from him. I wonder how many churches that that is true, that suddenly over time because of their self sufficiency and their deception. Christ was grieved.

He was sick of what was going on in the church and he left the church people are still carrying on activity in the church as if he was very much a part of the center of everything that was going on. But Christ is outside the church. They did not know he did not know that Christ had departed from him, may that never be so of this church but spell and pray. Father, we thank you for the convicting power of your word.

We thank you for how your word searches and probes and challenges us when we read about people being deceived and trusting in their self-sufficiency and trusting in a profession, and in reality them being completely lost and in peril and in danger of eternal destruction. It reminds us of how precarious life can be how we need to be clinging to Christ how we need to be abiding in him. How we need to be in daily constant communion and fellowship with him and how thankful we are that that's promise to us. We acknowledge and recognize that sin is a great hindrance to that help us father in our fight against indwelling sin. Help us to make no compromises with it.

Help us to have grace to say no to ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, and godly and righteously in this fallen and broken world.

Help us to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, Lord, we have an adversary and enemy wars against us. We have a world system that is contrary to the things of God and we have our own flesh that we better with every day. Lord make us overcome her's. There's no strength within ourselves that would cause us to rise up and be over comers.

You must help us. You must keep us, you must preserve us, you must grant to us those measures of grace. Those gifts of grace that enable us to live above. This sin cursed world as we make our way to God. Now may the God of all grace, who called us to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus. After you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you to him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever.

Amen