Revelation Chapter 3, Part 3 "The Lukewarm Church"

[Pastor Dave Honey]

The Lukewarm Church

Rev 3:14
And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,

Well, we have arrived at the final church. The six churches we have visited thus far, has certainly given us a picture of God's grace on many levels. We have witnessed God's incredible grace and wisdom as He has directed and corrected the church through these very relieving letters. We have also had a bit of a jet tour through most of the church age! Finally, we have felt the words of these letters penetrate our hearts as God speaks to each one of us with words commendation as well as words of correction. God has made it abundantly clear that what He truly desires is relationship, even over service! He has said to us..."Look, I know you have made mistakes, and likely will again. What you need to know is this; I love you more than you know, so repent of your sin and return to Me!" What an amazing God we serve!

Now, let's look at this final church of the "Seven Churches of Asia Minor!"

Note that the Lord is addressing the "Church of the Laodiceans" rather than "Laodicea" This should more than suggest that this church was directed by people and not the Lord! This thought can be substantiated by their works.

Rev 3:14
These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:

There is no shortage of descriptive introductions by the Lord! Here He employs a threefold introduction to once again encourage us that he is...well, everything! "Amen" literally means "It is so!" He is certain of who He is, as we are to also be absolutely certain of who He is! "Faithful and true" says to us that He is not only trustworthy, but He is more trustworthy than any other! "Beginning of the creation" is exactly that! But, not only the beginning, He is the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega! The Laodiceans believed that Jesus Christ was a created being, so this part of His threefold introduction would serve to dispel this heresy!

Rev 3:15-16
15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth."

I really enjoy hot coffee! I also enjoy a class of iced coffee from time to time. But when i sip lukewarm coffee, well, I want to spit it right out of my mouth! Here, the Lord is saying somewhat the same thing. A Christian who is on fire with the work and service to the Lord is someone the Lord can use! This is someone who will live out the "Great Commission" with passion! On the other hand, one who is cold in their faith, Jesus can correct. But one who is lukewarm, that is a different story all together! Have you ever tried to work with someone who was a "know-it-all?" They claim to have all of the answers, so they are totally unteachable, nor do they care to learn anything new anyway! Jesus can do nothing with a lukewarm church. They just refuse to do anything outside of their very small box! He will, in a word, vomit them out of His presence!

Rev 3:17
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...

If ever there was a "Tower of Babel" story, here is one of the greatest!

Gen 11:4
And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth."

The Laodicean Church feels very much like the "Church of What is Happening Now!" Today we see, more than ever, a church that desires to remove God from her midst, and rejoice in her own greatness! This church has been blinded by their own self-righteousness, but in the end, they are lost!

Rev 3:18
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, that you may see.

In 1 Corinthians 3:12, we read that the works we do for the Kingdom are represented with gold, silver, and precious stones. these elements when put to the test of fire will be purified. You can literally watch the impurities come to the surface of extremely heated gold as they burn off! Jesus wants that for us! He wants us not to burn up in the fire, but because of our faithfulness, purify in the fire, declaring His righteousness in us!

White garments are garments of righteousness and salvation.

Isa 61:10
I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Jesus employs the imagery of anointing ones eyes with eye salve to emphasize the need for spiritual vision. We are not told in John 9 the purpose of the mud Jesus places on the blind man's eyes when He healed his blindness. However, the purpose may be revealed in this passage of revelation. The blind man gained far more than eyesight that day, and so we stand to gain much from clear spiritual vision! I believe that this kind of clear vision comes as a result of intentional intimacy with the Lord!

Rev 3:19
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.

Jesus is speaking to both believers as well as unbelievers. In either case the solution is the same, repent! Repentance is our response to conviction! God so loves us that He is always willing to forgive us and with us, move on in our lives. But unless we repent, there is little more He can do that He has already done!

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Rev 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

If ever there was a description of the love, grace, patience, long suffering, determined nature of our Lord, this is it! Jesus is pictured here standing at a door, gently knocking, and patiently waiting for anyone to open! That anyone should open the door to Him is the key! This verse is one of the most quoted verses as it relates to evangelism. Although the verse is intended for the Laodicean Church, Jesus is speaking to every soul ever created by Him! His gentle care and unimposing nature tells us that Jesus will leave the decision to us.

There is a more imposing message here that must not be overlooked. That is the message of the reality of sin, and the reality of heaven and hell! These issues are real and cry out for our attention and consideration! Although Jesus reaches out to us with gentle loving grace, He brings with His invitation a sense of urgency which is driven by the reality of life and death, eternal life and the second death! You may have heard the saying; "Born once, die twice. Born twice die once." The second death is defined as eternal separation from God. You might ask, as many do, why would a loving God send anyone to hell? The truth is, He is not! God has done all that He can do to rescue us from destruction! What has He done you ask? He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to pay the penalty of sin in our place! (See John 3:16 quoted above). Sin came into the world by way of disobedience. Originally, there was only one known opportunity to disobey God. Though Satan seduced mankind to disobey Him, we certainly own what has happened! Interesting to note here that it was the same lie used by Satan to seduce mankind into sin that is employed by him to deceive many through a potpourri of world views today. The lie...we can become greater than God!

Rev 3:21
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.

This is so great a promise! Jesus isn't interested in simply ruling over us like so many monarchs! His desire, fueled by His desire for true relationship with us, is that we become co-heirs with Him in His Kingdom! Imagine that! Jesus, God in the second person of the trinity of God, wants to include us as overcomers in His inheritance! He actually desires to share His throne as He ha shared His father's throne!

Rev 3:22
"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Jesus has ended this letter in the same fashion as the other six. Imploring us to open our hearts to Him, and to hear His words as they are meant to be heard! Don't twist or pervert My words, He might say; "Hear them as truth! Hear and understand My heart for you!" He would say to each of us..."I love you so much! Please don't miss my meaning!"

We have concluded chapter three and the letters to the Seven Churches of Asia Minor. I hope this was a meaningful journey for each of you! As we move on to chapter four, I know that our study is going to get very exciting as we move into the future of God's plan for mankind! But first, one more thought about where we've just been. Although these seven letters were written directly to the churches of John's day, they speak to the entire church age, also called the "Age of Grace." By way of these seven letters, Jesus defines for us the challenges and triumphs the church will go through in two thousand plus years of church history. In every case, He directs His church to stay on track, to keep doing what is right, and correct, through repentance, those things that are destructive to the Body of Christ! But, there is a deeper, more personal application of these letters. I believe that the letters define what every believer will face in their lifetimes. As believers, Jesus comes along side of each of us to "captain" our lives! He fully understands that each of us will face challenges and temptations along the way. His heart for us is that we hold tightly to what we know is right, and when we fall, repent and move forward! It will take time for Jesus to bring about a perfect world in a new heaven. We can know by His promises that He intends to accomplish this. John 14:1-4. We must do all that we can to persevere till the end! I also believe that Jesus is speaking to all unbelievers through these letters. Offering Himself as a sacrifice, holy and true, for their salvation. It is our responsibility as believers to walk out the "Great Commission" (Matthew 28:18-19) as each of us have been called to do! Jesus has entrusted believers with an incredible stewardship, the care of His children, both lost and found!

 

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