Lukewarm

Have your Bibles with you, terrific you would Revelation chapter 3 can be looking at verses 14 through 22 today and to the angel of the church in Laodicea write the words of the Amy and the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. I know your works. You are neither cold nor hot. With that you were either cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold. I will spit you out of my mail for you say I am rich, I have prospered. I have need of nothing, not realizing that your wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked.

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich in white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen in style to anoint your eyes that you may see those whom I love are approved and discipline. So be zealous and repent. Hold us stand at the door and knock anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

One who conquers I will grant him to sit with me on my throne is also conquered and set down my father on his throne. He who has an ear letting here with the Spirit says to the churches.

To pray with me. Heavenly father, we come before your throne today to praise you and thank you for being a glorious and wonderful sovereign holy and merciful God and heavenly father. Today were looking at a passage of Scripture that out to make every Christian quake, the Lord, you are condemning lukewarmness and we would pray Jesus, that we might be able to look into our own hearts today and see if there is any hint of lukewarmness in us and father that you would be mighty to drive it out, that we might be hot for you, that we might be excited about you that Lord we might be filled with fervor and seal in serving you and that our lives might truly count for Christ sake heavenly father got us through this passage today. May Jesus be uplifted and exalted through it is congregation beatified by your holy and wonderful precious name we pray. Amen. You may be seated. Today we continue our study of the church at Laodicea. This is a church that Jesus had no praise or no complement for he had nothing but negative to say only rebuke and only criticism. This church was located about 40 miles southeast of the city of Philadelphia. It was located right square in the middle of the city. That was the wealthiest city in all of Asia minor. When Jesus revealed himself to this church. He revealed himself this way. He said I am the amen the true and faithful witness, and then he gave them a penetrating evaluation and he said you are lukewarm I would rather you be cold or hot than lukewarm. And because you are lukewarm. He said I will vomit you spew you out of my mail.

They call themselves Christians. They went to church, but there was no repentance.

There was no pursuit of holiness. There was no submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. They wanted Jesus as a Savior but they were rejecting Jesus as Lord heard a great quote by CS Lewis. Not long ago, it says this grace is disruptive before its redemptive and what does that mean I think it means this meant that before a man can be saved. He has to realize that he is lost PS to realize that his sin has offended a holy God and he has to realize that he is deserving of an eternal hail, but that's disruptive and what you understand that then when you hear the true gospel that Jesus Christ died to pay the debt for sinners and that he rose from the dead to break the power of death. That's not just good news. That's great news that's glorious knees that means there is hope for us that there is a true salvation that redemptive. It is only when I been broken by the bad news that I can respond correctly to the good news. And how do I respond in faith and repentance. The church at Laodicea had never been disrupted. They had never been broken up there.

There was no repentance that they thought that that they could just take Jesus is a ticket to heaven and is a license to sin.

But in the penetrating evaluation. Jesus told them that they thought wrong. They were lukewarm and Jesus wanted no part of this charade that they that they had. He wanted no part of it. He tells them that they are deceived. Look at verse 17, for you say I am rich and I have prospered and need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked.

The first published sermon by Jonathan Edwards, was a sermon that he preached on first Corinthians chapter 1 verse 29 to 31. He entitled it. God is glorified in man's dependence and just read you that Scripture so that no human being might boast in the presence of God and because of him.

You are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God.

Righteousness and sanctification and redemption so that as it is written, let the one who boast, boast in the Lord. What was Edward saying here. Essentially, he was saying this you are God you have no power. You have no strength. You have no wisdom you have no intelligence that God didn't give you. So if you're gonna boast, boast in the Lord and how do we boast in the Lord. One of the ways we do it is by depending on him.

One of the greatest problems in the church at Laodicea was they did not work or just totally oblivious to that fact that they didn't understand it. They had money, they had stuff they felt like they had no need.

But Jesus said, and in reality and actuality they were blind, poor, wretched, and naked now understand what Jesus is saying here he is not condemning wealth is not saying it's a sin to be wealthy.

He is not putting wealth down at all in Deuteronomy chapter 8 verse 18.

The Scripture says that it is God who gives you the ability to make wealth Jesus. What is he's condemning here is their attitude that wealth had their heart if they want controlling their wealth, their wealth was controlling them. They were saying we have need of nothing, in other words, Jesus.

We really just don't need you very much.

I'm a man look at our church.

We got a beautiful building. We got the best musical instruments in the world we got professional counselors that are advising us. We got a preacher that's eloquent and articulate and he's just as sharp as they can be. We got a a an administrator that's got the church running just as smooth as silk. I think we can just make it without you.

Jesus. That's what that's what they were thinking the word Laodicea comes from two Latin words, Laos, meaning people and a seer may need to speak so this is Laodicea means the people speak or the people rule our usual test this morning.

This is for all of us to take just to see where you are spiritually.

Are you hot are you cold or you lukewarm. Where are you so you don't answer these out loud that just just listen to a woman in an answer 12 questions number one do I delight in someone else more than in the Lord to dry no longer long for times of fellowship in God's word and in prayer.

You reflect upon other things rather than the Lord during leisure moments for dry easily get into those things which I know displease the Lord. Five drug grudgingly give to God's work or to the needs of other people.

Six. Draw failed to treat every Christian is.

I would treat the Lord 7.view the commands of Christ as restrictions to my happiness rather than expressions of his love. 8.inwardly strive for public acclaim more than the approval of the Lord. Nine. Draw failed to witness to others because of fear, embarrassment or rejection. 10. Dorothy and weaker Christians because I'm unwilling to give up a questionable activity. 11. Don't overlook or ignore the sinful conditions around my life. 12 don't hold grudges against those who have offended me to listen to William Temple's definition of worship.

He was no Anglican pastor. I think this is the best definition of worship that I've ever heard. He said this to worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God to feed the mind with the truth of God to purge the imagination by the beauty of God to open the heart to the love of God to devote the wheel to the purpose of God. All this is gathered up in that a motion which most cleanses us from self selfishness because it is the most selfless of all the emotions and that a motion is adoration. Listen to these following verses, Isaiah 42 eight I am the Lord.

That is my name my glory. I will not give to another. Isaiah 4811 my glory. I will not give to another.

Second Corinthians 47.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us in first Peter 410 through 11. As each has received a gift use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's very grace in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ the church in Laodicea was boasting that it was healthy and prosperous spiritual complacency was accompanied by spiritual pride. This church was like a social club. The pastor absolutely refused to challenge the people to repent of their sins to challenge the people to submit to the Lordship of Christ to challenge his people to to obey the word of God. He knew better than to do that because if he did he would of been kicked out of that church. There was no persecution going on in this church because there was nothing that they were doing that was offensive to anybody. If a woman in the church wanted an abortion I she just got one. I don't worry about a woman has a right that matter if the baby dies just go ahead and do what's going to be most comfortable for you. And if a homosexual couple wanted to get together and and be in a marriage relationship. I said hey that's okay, you do what you want to do it.

It doesn't it doesn't matter what God says explicitly in his word. You got the Supreme Court in American culture at your back so you do what you wanted to, but we better remember that when we stand before the Lord the last day to give an account for our lives were not to be stand before the Supreme Court or the American culture were to be standing before the creator of heaven and earth. You were cheat on your wife. Hey that's okay the church will turn this into its eyes and look the other way if you want to cheat your business to get ahead, my goodness up at the ends justify the means. If a church is to live like that, why even call themselves Christians. I think they did that because I wanted some fire insurance. I think they did that because I said you know just in case there really is a hail. Let's claim Jesus name so that will be safe. Jesus is letting this church know if they're not dealing with the fire insurance salesman they are dealing with the creator of heaven and earth, and he is telling them and letting them know that what they call success. He deems as failure their booming economy their palatial buildings there thriving industries were not impressing Jesus at all Texas to .3 and that is the corresponding agitation verses 18 through 20.

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich and white garments so that you may close your sales and the shame of your nakedness may not be saying and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see those whom I love are of proof and discipline. So be zealous and repent.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

Joel Blakey said about this passage in verse 19 Jesus commanded this church to be zealous. The problem with the church at Laodicea. The problem with the church in America is a lack of zeal, a lack of fire, we need fire from heaven. We need an outpouring of the Holy Spirit of God.

We don't need to make Christianity more palatable to unbelievers. We need the Holy Spirit to raise the temperature were of the church member in my message last week. As we were starting to with the church at Laodicea I told you about the three primary industries. They are in Laodicea that Jesus used to help them see what their needs were for the banking industry. The garment industry in the pharmaceutical industry that made I sales with the banking industry in mind.

Jesus tells them not to trust in their money, but he says by him gold that is refined in the fire and where does that come from the goal that sort refined in the fire that Christians get comes from persecution, and it comes through suffering and it is pure gold spiritual gold jug 23 verse 10 Job said he knows the way I take when he is tried me, I shall come forth as pure gold. When I was preaching in Saskatchewan several years ago I met a man who was a missionary to Moslems and he was cheering with me about a fellow that he met that was a 20-year-old man from Saudi Arabia's dad was a wealthy oil sheik. He was a Moslem and he was just absolutely depressed, totally unfulfilled, and he went to Hira, a Christian missionary. This Christian missionary preach the gospel, and it just clicked withing, and he said you know this Jesus that you're preaching about is what my heart is hungered for all my life, and he repented of his sins trusted Christ as his Lord and Savior. This missionary said he went from from just the depths of depression to the pinnacle of joy couldn't wait to tell his family and he went home to Taylor's dad's dad. Wealthy oil sheik and his dad said, you know, Sonny said, and three months you will be 21 years old. I plan to give you $10 million to start your life with and he said, but it unless you come back to Islam.

You're not gonna get a penny. I'm going to disown you.

In fact, I will run you out of this country and the boy said dad I wouldn't trade Jesus for all the old money in the world's dad ran him out of Saudi Arabia and he went to Canada and for two years with an edge. It poverty, just terrible poverty. He had a eight not a garbage cans. We had one great possession. That was a Bible study the word of God day and night. Two years after that he became an evangelist and start evangelizing the Moslems in Canada and hundreds of them begin to come to Christ in, and finally, thousands of them begin to come to Christ books that that that they are is gold refined in the fire is that man rich in the eyes of the world, absolutely not, is a rich in the eyes of God. Absolutely. Secondly, Jesus promises them white garments they may close themselves and not be naked little white garments are what they are the righteousness of Christ and what's going on here is an exchange. We exchange our sin for Christ righteousness.

He gives it to us and takes our sin away that perfect sinless holy righteousness of Christ. We are close the imperfectly so that when God looks at us. He doesn't see us anymore.

He doesn't see the that the anger and the lust in the bitterness and the resentment and the gospel open and all the junk what he sees is the perfect righteousness of Christ. Our society is nuts about closing orally nuts about closing it when the Academy Awards come on for the next week.

You have all the shows come in on about what it all actors and all actresses wore to the Academy Awards and that they'll have Bill hail the best-dressed and the hail the worst dressed and they'll tell you what designer made this particular dress and then how outrageously expensive this particular dress was is just nuts. I check out Bleacher Report in the on the Internet find that was going on. The sports world and couple years ago there was a whole big article on the.

The uniforms that the, the University of Maryland football team was wearing and I thought okay here's how I'm looking for some stores here.

I want to see how these guys play.

I don't care about what they're wearing Christian schools and started going back to wearing uniforms. Now why because there is such an obsession with it and distraction with close we are obsessed with what we wear, and yet we seem to care so little about the enclosed in the righteousness of Christ.

Thirdly, Jesus tells them that they are they are are are in great need of spiritual vision. There was a pharmaceutical industry they are in Laodicea they made eye salve out of what's call Phrygian Powder, and they made the Essen and it was just good stuff. It was healing soothing and restorative but Jesus is saying here you can have perfect vision 2020 vision physically and still spiritually be blind as a bat. John Stott said this here is welcome news for naked blonde beggars. They are poor, but Christ has goal they are naked but Christ has close they are blind, but Christ has sale.

Let them no longer trust in their banks and their Phrygian powders and their clothing factories let them come to him. He can enrich their poverty close their nakedness and heal their blindness. He can open their eyes to perceive the spiritual world of which they have never dreamed he can cover their sin and shame and make them fit to partake of the inheritance of the saints in light.

He can enrich them with life and life abundant.

I look at verse 19. Again, those whom I love. A review than reprove and discipline. So be zealous and repent. Revelation 319 is an amazing verse to me, especially in the light of what Jesus has just said. And in verse 16 when he said I'm right on the verge of vomiting you out of my mail.

Then in verse 19 he says I love you I love you while those whom I love are of Butte and discipline be zealous therefore, and repent. This lets us know that all the people Laodicea were not apostates. There were some true Christians in this church and Jesus was letting them know how important it was that he speak severely to them so that they would not take this lukewarm attitude of this church would not take it lightly. He knows what they need. He is encouraging them.

He is demanding commanding from them if they get zealous if they get motivated if they get excited to repent. Hebrews 12 verse five through 11 says this and have you forgotten the education that addresses you as sons, my son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord will be wary when reproved by him. The Lord disciplines the one whom he loves. Chait chastises every son whom he receives is for discipline that you have to endure God is treating you as sons.

For what son is there whom his father does not discipline. If you are left without discipline in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides the S we have that earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them, shall we not much more be subject to the father's spirits and live for they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who been trained by folks. One of the greatest assurances that we have that our salvation is real, that were going to heaven when we die is that the Lord disciplines us when we get out of line with his will. It's an act of love books. If you belong to Jesus, then rest assured of this Jesus is not to let you continually practice sin he is going to deal with your heart, he's gonna take you to the woodshed.

He's going to do whatever he has to do to get you back on track with his will.

The writer of Hebrews said. And if you are without chastisement, then, are you Baxter did not sons. I was preaching on that passage of my former churches is over 30 years ago after the sermon, the lady came up to me. Tears in her eyes and she said I got I think I'm lost.

I said what you mean and she said I I'm a church member but she said I'm living in sin.

And I know it and she said it's not bothered me. I don't feel conviction. I don't feel chastened by God said, I can just continue to live like this and does not bother me at all and she said from what you said this morning with what the writer of Hebrews has to say. Then that means that I'm not truly a child of God, and she broke down. She repented of her sins trusted Christ as your Lord and Savior and there was an unbelievably powerful transformation in her life so her just several years ago she came up to me. She hugged my neck and she reminded me of this verse. She said this is the verse that change my life. If you be without chastisement, then, are you banisters and not sons, for whom the Lord loves he chastens. If you practice seat and you can rejoice because you think you're getting away with it than what's happening. Is this you are living in deception. Sandstorm said this to sin with impunity may at first strike you as attractive until you realize that it serves only to reveal that you are still a spiritual orphan. If you are God's child, you receive is discipline.

If God loves you chastening is inevitable.

I wouldn't say this if it weren't for the fact that the author of Hebrews says it. So here goes. To go through life pain-free void of discipline is to be a spiritual master, a life free of hardship signals that you are no child of God, rejoice there for your distress, for it proves you have a father who cares enough for you to chasten you. Then Jesus offers an invitation intimacy verse 20 behold, I stand at the door knock anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and sup with them and he with me.

This verse is probably one of the misuse most misuse versus in all the Bible people try to use this firstborn evangelism verse I want you to know it is not in evangelism verse the people I've heard people use this in witnessing and they'll listen to what Jesus is doing. He's knocking at the door of your heart and if you come in.

You open the door then then then you let him in and then he's got the right to come in and save you crazy. But Jesus is the sovereign God of this universe is a little right to save anybody and if a person is on the other side of that door needs. In Annie's loss that he spiritually dead. He can get up and open the door. It is Jesus who opens the door and we need to remember that. But what Jesus is talking about here is intimacy and is talking to a church yet to lukewarm church but it's a church and Jesus is inviting them to come in for intimacy. The essay I've got for you here a warm candlelight dining room come in and have dinner with me. What are they doing that on the front porch and there so lukewarm there so eaten up with it. If they don't even know what a precious time.

They could be having with the Lord Jesus Christ himself that they can be enjoying his presence if they could be having fellowship with him in there completely missing out on it. So what should they do. Jesus said be zealous therefore, and repent. Go into the house with the King of Kings and the Lord of lords and enjoy his presence. What could be better than that ICC ballgame and Xbox game a check in at your Internet check and whose talk to you on Facebook or experiencing intimacy with the King of Kings and Lord of lords. While the fourth point is the motivating benediction verse 20 2022. Jesus is the one who conquers I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and set down my father on my throne, Hugh has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

No matter how many times I read that passage. It's always hard for me to accept.

Not because I doubt the Scripture not because I don't believe that the Bible is a plenary verbal instrument inspired word of God. It absolutely is, but I have trouble believing that burst down in my heart because I know how undeserving I am. I don't deserve his salvation. So oftentimes I'll go back to Luke chapter 12 verse 32 and Jesus says this fear not, little flock, for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Never just meditate on that God wants to do this. He doesn't do it out of obligation to doesn't do it out of a sense of drudgery.

God desires he has pleasure in saving your soul and bringing you into his kingdom that you might reign with him forever on ask you do me a favor when you go home today.

Read Revelation 4 and Revelation 5 and just take a good look at this picture of God. And when you see that what you will see, if you see a picture of his Majesty and his magnificence and his sovereignty and his glory is absolutely amazing. Crown him with many crowns, the Lamb upon his throne heart how the heavenly anthem drowned all music but its own like my soul and sing of him who died for the and hail him as the matchless King through all eternity.

That's the promise that we have for Jesus here the promise that he is given us that we will reign with him for ever and ever and ever and ever. Why because he shed his blood to pay our sin debt.

He shed his blood so they could give us his righteousness that we could be completely and totally close with the perfect righteousness of God amazing love how amazing love how can it be that thou my God has died for me. If that doesn't not loom lukewarmness out of your heart. I don't think anything can be zealous therefore, and repent.

Let's pray heavenly father we come before your throne today to praise you and thank you for the warning that you gave to the church at Laodicea father were not a Laodicean church but there's always the danger of becoming that kind of church and heavenly father, help us, that may never happen.

Help us heavenly father that our spiritual temperature might be high that we might have a fervor for serving you that we might have a love that we might be excited about the fact that you said fear not, fear not, for you have great pleasure in giving us your kingdom father may that truth resonate in our heart that we might realize that we owe everything to you that you gave your all for us that we could have your all were undeserving and yet Lord help glorious. It is that we have this truth in this promise that we will reign with you for all of eternity got indirect is now Lord flew all that we do matter allows For Christ sake and is in Jesus holy and precious thing we pray.

Amen