Now lukewarm
water can be used, but it’s not very useful. Cold water can chill food, cool
your hot brow, or make a glass of ice tea. Hot water can sooth a sore back,
clean dirty clothes, and cook your dinner. However, in a functional since,
lukewarm water can do none of this. Its “in-between-ness” renders it useless
for most circumstances. So, when Jesus used the terminology we find in
Revelation 3:15-16, it would have been understood by everyone. In fact, whether
you lived in Laodicea 2000 years ago or in North East Texas today, this concept
works the same. Lukewarm water is useless.
Before we
look at Revelation 3, I want to pose a hypothetical question to you. I will
describe 2 situations. Then, after you have considered the implications of both
circumstances, I want you to answer this question: If you had to choose, which
situation would you rather live in? Another way to say it is …which is the
better of two evils? And by the way, answering neither is not an option. Do you
understand the rules? Okay here goes…
Situation #1
You’ve been
married for several years; you have 2 children, and a big problem; your partner
is unfaithful. You both know the truth, and you know the other person is aware.
This is the way it’s been for some time; however, to save face in the community
and to keep up the front that your marriage is wonderful and healthy, you never
say a thing, not even to each other. On the outside, and by societal standards,
you have the perfect marriage and the perfect family. On the inside you and
your spouse are hollow actors on the stage of life.
Situation #2
You’ve been
in a marriage for several years; you have 2 kids, and a big problem; your
partner is unfaithful. This is the way it’s been for sometime how, and it’s not
going to change. You are both fully aware of the situation and have fought over
it many times. You and your spouse no longer have any desire to make the
marriage work; you don’t even like each other. However, for the kid’s sake,
you’ve decided to stay in the same house and be parents….not partners. As soon
as the kids are old enough you will do publically what you’ve already done
privately…end the relationship.
Okay, now
make your choice. I realize both options stink, but which is the better of 2
evils? I actually posed this question to several people a few months ago. At
first, they all tried to squirm out of it. However, after holding them to the
rules, they made the undesirable pick. And unanimously, the choice was to live
in situation #2. Not only were the votes unanimous, but the reasons for
choosing #2 were all very similar. At least in situation #2, the couple is
honest about the circumstances and their feelings. In situation #1 you had to
deal with the infidelity and with lying to yourself and others around. You had
to pretend everything was “okay” when it obviously was not.
Now, please
hear what I’m about to say, this the picture Jesus painted when He addressed
the Laodicean church about being lukewarm. Let me explain. The concept of being
“cold” is easily understood. We speak of having a cold heart, or being icy toward
others. This paints the picture of being emotionless and uncaring. A cold person
is easily detected and easily felt. Relationships are not sought after by this
person. And those who would attempt to have a relationship with a cold person
are rejected and denied. On the other end of the spectrum, we understand what
hot denotes also. We say things like, our love is on fire, or refer to a person
as very fervent or zealous, or passionate. These are “hot” emotions. These
relationships have the potential of being fulfilled and exciting.
On a
spiritual level, a cold person would have no desire for relationship with
Christ; they are spiritually lifeless and dead. At the same time, a hot person
would be warm and zealous in their love and service for the Lord. Here, I want
to make a quick point, and then we will get to the next verses in the Laodicean
Letter. The status of a hot and a cold person may stand in complete opposition
to each other, however, they do have one thing in common that Jesus
appreciates…honesty. A cold person may be rejecting Christ, but at least they
are honestly rejecting Him. As terrible as open and deliberate rebellion is, as
far as Jesus is concerned, it is highly preferable to the third option. Let’s
take a look at the text…
“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.
I don’t care
who you are, those are some hard and blunt words. Jesus, with these words, has
begun a swift and decisive judgment of the spiritual condition of this church
in Asia. Remember He is “the Amen, the Faithful and True
Witness, and the Beginning of the creation of God.” Consequently, He
alone holds the right to judge them, and be sure, He will do it in fairness. In
other words, they deserve exactly what they are about to get.
Jesus begins
His no holds barred assessment of the Laodicean church by making and inarguable
statement: “I know your works…” The verses
following this statement lead us to the understanding that this body of
believers had progressed to an unacceptable condition. They were wealthy,
highly touted, and acceptable in the eyes of the community; unfortunately, the church
had fallen into the trap of putting stock in that opinion, and hailing it as
the measure of a successful church. This condition was the end result of a
silent voyage. At some point in the past, they had begun a perilous journey down
a road that the Bible warns “leads to the fall”. The vehicle they were was in
was pride (Proverbs 16:18). Pride seduces you into morphing into a creature
that God detests, while at the same time blinding you to the fact that you are
changing. It is a magic mirror that shows you want you want to see. The Laodicean
church was looking into their self-made magic mirror and they saw a top notch, prize-winning
church, when in fact, they were an ugly, deformed creature in God’s eyes. They
were fooling the world, they were fooling themselves, but Jesus was not fooled…”I know your works…”
After
stating the fact that He could see through the façade, Jesus tells them what He
sees. “…that you are neither cold nor hot.”
Obviously, Jesus desires a church whose fervor for Him is on fire; hot with passion
for the Gospel, and burning with love for God. Yet, at the same time, in Jesus’
illustration, there is no such thing as a cold church. Spiritually cold people
would never go to church to begin with. Jesus adds insult to injury when He
tells them, “I could wish you were hot or cold.”
Christ’s desire for them to be hot is
obvious, but His rathering they be cold, instead of what they actually were,
was a sobering slap in the face. Cold means no church at all. Jesus is basically
saying since you’re not hot, I wish you were not even an operating, functioning
church at all. Why Jesus? His answer comes down like and avalanche; “because you are lukewarm.”
I want you
to think back to the situational illustration I gave before. Two very
undesirable circumstances, but one was more detestable than the other. It was the
couple that was acting as if they were a happily married, with a wonderful home
life, while playing the role for the world to see. This is the view Jesus has
of the Laodicean Church. They have all the markings of a house of God, but in
the spiritual since, they are living a lie. Sure, this is heartbreaking for
God, but it’s much more than that. The rationale is simple; the Laodicean
church was making a mockery of the death of His only begotten Son. They were using
the name of Jesus to build their empire, and in the meanwhile, they were refusing
to give Him the love, service, and worship that He absolutely deserves. This state
of operations infuriates the Father, and Jesus exemplifies the extent of His
anger with His next words.
“…because you are lukewarm…I will vomit you out of My mouth.”
Listen, I want to be very honest about something, I HATE to
vomit. In fact, if you somehow enjoy it, you’ve got other issues that need to
be addressed. Vomiting is the body’s way of rejecting a substance that is detrimental
to its health. Actually, that definition is quite sterilized. The act of
vomiting is just plain awful! Throwing up is an exhausting, full body work out;
you sweat, you heave, you spasm, you make un-natural sounds. The only redeeming
quality is that when it’s over, you have gotten rid of the problem. This is
exactly what Jesus is saying to the church in Laodicea. In essence, He is
telling this church, you make me sick at my stomach, you are a detriment to my
body, and therefore, I am going to endure the painful process of vomiting you
up and out!
People, this is not a pretty picture by any account. The
longsuffering patients of the Lord is renown throughout the Word. However, He
had reached a point of no return with Laodicea’s church. Some of you may ask, “Didn’t
He give them a chance to repent?” The answer is undeniable…no! I know this is
true because of one easily overlooked word that Jesus used. He said, “I WILL vomit you out of My mouth.” The
deal was sealed when Jesus said the word “will”.
Now, I want to make an important distinction that I will expound on in a later
installment. The Laodicean church, as an entity, was finished; however, the
individuals that attended the church were not.
I realize this isn’t the most uplifting 2 verses in
scripture. In the proceeding verses, Jesus will explain to the church exactly
what their problem is, and then, like only God can do, He will give them a way
to find relationship with Him again.
Please join me next time around as we look at verses 17, 18,
and 19 of the Laodicean Letter.
Until then, keep
seeking the truth
David
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