Revelation 3 v 14-22
Jesus is the ‘big
deal’
Laodicea was a commercial, wealthy city, with two
amphitheatres. It had a medical school
for eye care, and produced fine black wool.
There was a huge earthquake is AD 61, but the people were so wealthy and
self-sufficient they did not need Roman finance to rebuild.
Jesus describes himself in the letter as ‘the Amen, the
faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation’ v14. He is reminding the Laodiceans that He is the
‘big deal’.
Lukewarm Laodiceans
Laodicea received water via an aqueduct from Hierapolis
which had boiling hot 95 degree springs (which you can still visit today) and
from Colossae which had ice cold mountain water. By the time the water arrived at Laodicea it had
become neither invigoratingly hot nor refreshingly cold, but unpalatably lukewarm.
Jesus rebukes the church because it is neither hot nor cold,
and as a result He about to spit them out of His mouth v16.
The Laodiceans did not realise they were lukewarm but
thought they had everything they needed, but Jesus says they were wretched,
pitiful, poor, blind and naked v17. We
need God’s opinion of how hot we are, not our own.
Lukewarm Christians
Spurgeon said that lukewarm church looks like:
- Not opposing, but neither defending the gospel.
- Not working mischief, but neither doing great good.
- Not irreligious and overtly sinful, but neither enthusiastic nor passionate in pursing holiness.
- Being moderate, respectable, and opposed to excitement.
- Having a prayer meeting, but very few attending, preferring quiet evenings at home.
- Having no notion of doing things with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.
Are we in danger of becoming a lukewarm church? We have a reputation of being a passionate church,
but it is possible for us to fall into a condition that is contrary to our
reputation.
A lukewarm church comes from lukewarm individuals. We become lukewarm if, for example, we:
- Leave all the social justice to the social justice staff.
- Leave sharing the gospel to those on the platform.
- Leave giving and generously to others.
The question is what are we as individuals doing that is hot right now?
Our emotions follow our
actions
Jesus says ‘Be earnest’(v19). This can be translated as ‘Be zealous, red hot
and passionate’. This is a command, and
so it is a decision not an emotion.
For a marriage to be red hot and passionate we have to put
in hard work and invest in gifts, activities, communication and time
together. This is because our emotions
tend to follow our actions. If we wait
for emotions before investing in the relationship, it is likely to fail.
It is the same with our relationship with Jesus. If we want
a red-hot relationship with Jesus then we have to work at prayer, worship,
bible reading, and community with other Christians. When we see a significant answer to prayer, a
verse that speaks directly to our situation, or an act of faith by a Christian
friend, it brings passion and fire to our emotions. Feelings follow actions.
Be thermostats that
raise the temperature
We must set the temperature, not match the temperature. We must be thermostats that change the
temperature not thermometers that just match the temperature. We must create culture not just accept it.
If we are not careful we can simply fall to the same spiritual
temperature of those around us. We can become
hot on a Christian camp, but quickly cool off when we return to our everyday
life.
Repent and fellowship
with Jesus
Where we are lukewarm, Jesus calls us to repent (v19). Taking a break from doing things that build
our faith is not going to work. We must
repent of the other things we have turned to, and go back to the good things we
have stopped doing.
Jesus wants a passionate relationship with every single one
of us. He wants to ‘come in and eat with
us’ (v20) which signifies fellowship and relationship. Our job is to ‘open the door’ by doing the
things above. Jesus then promises to
share his victory with us.
Questions
Icebreaker: What is your favourite hot or cold drink?
1. When were you hottest
for Jesus?
2. Who inspires you to
be hotter for God and why?
3. What do you need
to do to gain passion and zeal for Jesus?
[Remember Heather explained how emotions following actions,
and hard work is needed in a relationship (see above). She also said that taking a break from things
that build faith is not going to heat us up].
4. Where can you be a
thermostat and raise the spiritual temperature?
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