“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold."
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3. The Complaint: |
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H. The Message to Laodicea: The Church That Is
Affluent but Lukewarm & Half-Committed, Revelation 3:14–22 |
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1. The Recipients
a. The messenger of
the church b. The Laodicean
church |
14 And
unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the |
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2. The Speaker:
Jesus |
Amen,
the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; |
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3. The
Complaint: Are Neither Cold nor Hot, but Lukewarm |
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot:
I would thou
wert cold or hot. |
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4. The Warning:
Will be spit out by Christ |
16 So
then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee
out of my mouth. |
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a. Because of your
false profession: Saying you are rich & in need of nothing b. Because of your
true condition: You are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, naked |
17 Because
thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing;
and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind,
and naked: |
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5. The Counsel
a. Buy the things
of God, of lasting value 1) Spiritual gold
or wealth 2) White clothing
or righteousness 3) Eye salve or
spiritual sight |
18 I
counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich;
and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine
eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. |
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b. Know that the
Lord rebukes & chastens c. Be earnest &
repent |
19 As
many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. |
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d. Hear the Lord:
Open your heart & fellowship with Him |
20 Behold,
I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door,
I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. |
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6. The
promise: To the overcomers a. Will rule with
Christ b. Will rule with
Christ even as He rules with His Father |
21 To
him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also
overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. |
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22 He
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.[3] |
3. The Cognizance
(Revelation 3:15)
“I know thy works” (Revelation 3:15). Again, as in all the seven
letters to the churches, there is a reference to the omniscience of the Lord.
He knows all; we can hide nothing from God. We may conceal our works from man,
but we will never conceal them from the Almighty. Sinners will be condemned by
God for their evil even if they concealed it from men. The righteous will be
honored for their faithfulness even if they were obscure and unknown to men. “I know thy
works” should be a great purifier to sinners and a great encourager
to the righteous.
4. The Condition (Revelation 3:15)
“Thou art neither cold nor hot … I will spew thee out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15, 16). The condition of being
lukewarm is a most unacceptable condition. It sums up the problem in the church
in Laodicea.
• It is a deceitful condition. “Neither cold
nor hot” (Revelation 3:15). This
condition is especially deceitful. There is enough good to attract the
spiritual, but enough evil to attract the carnal. Many churches build their
crowd this way.
• It is a defiling condition.
Lukewarmness does not oppose anything except cold and hot, so such a condition
will be especially defiling. A lukewarm protest against sin will not turn
anyone away from sin. A lukewarm support of righteousness will not gain any
votes for godliness. The result will be defilement.
• It is a debilitating condition. “Neither cold
nor hot” (Revelation 3:15). This
kind of church will do nothing. It simply goes with the crowd. It straddles the
fence, and stays in the middle of the road. It is not a supporter of any side.
It is too weak to stand against evil or support the cause of truth.
Individually it is not cold enough to bring conviction of sin, neither is it
warm enough to bring consecration spiritually.
• It is a dignified condition. The world will honor this condition. It is popular with the world. It does not produce enthusiasm spiritually (an anathema to the world) or cause antagonism about sin (also an anathema to a wicked world that wants to keep sinning without rebuke). The world can accept this kind of church and individual. In this condition, you can be religious but at the same time be a friend of the devil.[4]
3 (Re. 3:15) Church—Lukewarm—Complacency—Indifference: there
is the complaint. The complaint is shocking, for it unquestionably
describes most church members. What is the complaint? Lukewarmness. Note:
exactly what Christ says, the church and its members were “neither cold nor hot.” This means …
• they were only lukewarm, only
half-committed, only half-hearted
• they were
complacent, lethargic, self-satisfied
• they were
indifferent and neutral
As
stated, note how this so clearly describes so many church members. This
is serious, even critical, for the judgment that Christ pronounces upon the
lukewarm church and believer is terrible. This will be seen in the next note. For
now, we need to think about how lukewarmness
affects the church and its members.
⇒ A
lukewarm church is only half-committed to Christ. In addition to stressing
Christ, it stresses ritual, ceremony, and programs as a way to become
acceptable and to please God.
“And he said to them all, If any man
will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and
follow me” (Lu. 9:23).
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by
the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to
this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may
prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Ro. 12:1–2).
⇒ A
lukewarm church is only half-committed to proclaiming that Jesus Christ is the
Son of God.
“Who is a liar but he that denieth that
Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: [but] he that
acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also” (1 Jn.
2:22–23).
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but
try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone
out into the world. hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that
confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit
that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and
this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come;
and even now already is it in the world” (1 Jn.
4:1–3).
⇒ A lukewarm church is only half-committed to teaching the Word of God.
“All scripture is given by inspiration
of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16).
“Preach the word; be instant in season,
out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For
the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their
own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they
shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Tim. 4:2–4).
⇒ A
lukewarm church is only half-committed to evangelism and missions.
“Go ye therefore, and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost” (Mt. 28:19–20).
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all
the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mk.
16:15).
“But ye shall receive power, after that
the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of
the earth” (Ac. 1:8).
⇒ A
lukewarm church is only half-committed to stressing holy and pure living for
Christ.
“Wherefore come out from among them,
and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will
receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and
daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Co. 6:17–18).
“Follow peace with all men, and
holiness without which no man shall see the Lord” (He.
12:14).
“Because it is written, Be ye holy; for
I am holy” (1 Pe. 1:16).
“Seeing ye have purified your souls in
obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see
that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently” (1
Pe. 1:22).
⇒ A
lukewarm church is only half-committed to self-denial and sacrificial living,
to stressing that its people must deny themselves and sacrificially die to
self. They seldom stress that total sacrifice is demanded, that a person must
give all he is and has to reach the lost and meet the desperate needs of the
world.
“Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be
perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have
treasure in heaven: and come and follow me” (Mt.
19:21).
“Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo,
we have left all, and have followed thee” (Mk.
10:28).
“And after these things he went forth,
and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said
unto him, Follow me, And he left all, rose up, and followed him” (Lu. 5:27–28).
“And he said to them all, If any man
will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and
follow me” (Lu. 9:23).
“So likewise, whosoever he be of you
that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Lu. 14:33).
“And he said unto them, Verily I say
unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or
wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, who shall not receive
manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting”
(Lu. 18:29–30).
⇒ A
lukewarm church is only half-committed to the church.
“Not forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so
much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (He.
10:25).
⇒ A
lukewarm church is only half-committed to attending and staying awake and
learning in the services of the church.
“Search the scriptures; for in them ye
think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (Jn. 5:39).
“These were more noble than those in
Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and
searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Ac. 17:11).
“For whatsoever things were written
aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort
of the Scriptures might have hope” (Ro. 15:4).
“Till I come, give attendance to
reading, to exhortation, to doctrine” (1 Tim. 4:13).
“Not forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so
much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (He.
10:25).
⇒ A
lukewarm church is only half-committed to supporting the church.
“Upon the first day of the week let
every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be
no gatherings when I come” (1 Co. 16:2).
“Every man according as he purposeth in
his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a
cheerful giver” (2 Co. 9:7).
⇒ A
lukewarm church is only half-committed to witnessing.
“Be not thou therefore ashamed of the
testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the
afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God” (2 Tim. 1:8).
“And the things that thou hast heard of
me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be
able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2).
“But sanctify the Lord God in your
hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a
reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Pe. 3:15).
⇒ A
lukewarm church is only half-committed to Bible study and prayer.
“Study to show thyself approved unto
God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).
“As newborn babes desire the sincere
milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: if so be ye have tasted that the
Lord is gracious” (1 Pe. 2:2–3).
⇒ A
lukewarm church is only half-committed to daily devotions.
“For whatsoever things were written
aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort
of the scriptures might have hope” (Ro. 15:4).
“And it shall be with him, and he shall read
therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of
this law and these statutes, to do them” (De. 17:19).
The list could go on and on, but the terrible
reality of lukewarmness is clearly seen. It is frightening, for lukewarmness is
seen in so many churches and members.
Note
what Jesus Christ says: it is better for one to be cold than
lukewarm. This is utterly shocking: Christ Himself says that it is
better for a person to have no commitment whatsoever to Christ than for him to
be lukewarm. Why? How could this be? Because a lukewarm person does not know
that he needs clothing or heat. A cold person knows he needs clothing and heat.
A person must be sensitive to his need before his need can be met.
“The Pharisee stood and prayed thus
with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners,
unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican” (Lu.
18:11).
“Jesus said unto them, If ye were
blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin
remaineth” (Jn. 9:41).
Most people who profess Christ attend church only enough to salve their consciences, only enough to make them feel acceptable to God. Most people feel that God would never reject them, not in the final analysis. Most believe that God will eventually accept them into whatever kind of heaven exists in the next world. But Christ completely contradicts this. He says that all these—all the lukewarm and half-committed church members in the world—would be far better off if they made no profession at all. Being self-satisfied, feeling comfortable and respectable in one’s religion, is the worst state imaginable for a person. He is the hardest person of all to arouse and set aflame for Christ. Yet, tragically this is the state of so many, the state of half-hearted commitment to Jesus Christ, the state of comfort, complacency, lethargy, indifference, and self-sufficiency.[5]
This
allusion to the Laodicean water supply is a fitting metaphor for the activities
of this church. Laodicea had always had a problem with its water supply. The
city of Hierapolis, to the northwest, was famous for its hot mineral springs.
An aqueduct had been built to bring water to the city from the hot springs. But
by the time the water reached the city, it was neither hot nor refreshingly
cool—only lukewarm and filled with minerals (impure), so it tasted terrible.
According to Christ, these believers were neither
cold nor hot; instead, they were merely lukewarm,
as bland as the tepid water that came into the city.
Many have thought that this cold and hot refers to spirituality—and that Christ would rather have “cold” people (without faith at all, or without any sort of growth) than “lukewarm” believers (who believe some). They take the word “cold” to be negative and “hot” to be positive, with “lukewarm” in between. Instead, both “cold” and “hot” should be taken as positive. Christ wished that the church had cold, refreshing purity or hot, therapeutic value, but it had neither. They were lukewarm.[7]
Revelation 3:15 “I Know You Well—You Are Neither Hot nor Cold; I Wish You Were One or The Other![1]
Coolest Scenery 4K HD Pics of All Time
[1] Taylor, Kenneth Nathaniel. 1997. The Living Bible, Paraphrased. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.
[2] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation.
The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership
Ministries Worldwide.
[3] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
[4] Butler, John G. 2010. Analytical Bible
Expositor: Revelation. Clinton, IA: LBC Publications.
[5] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation.
The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership
Ministries Worldwide.
[6] Barton, Bruce B. 2000. Revelation.
Edited by Grant R. Osborne. Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL:
Tyndale House Publishers.
[7] Barton, Bruce B. 2000. Revelation.
Edited by Grant R. Osborne. Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL:
Tyndale House Publishers.
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