When the Church is on Fire It Cannot Get Lukewarm
Text: Revelations 3: 15
Focus: “… I would thou wert…hot”
When the Church is on Fire it promotes evangelism, it proclaims Jesus, and it provides a place of Liberty.
Sermon:
Story about Sloppy Joe this morning at 4:15 am it was cold didn't want to put it in the microwave so i warmed it up on the stove (having a flashback of when we were kids before the Microwave Oven) the food stayed hot longer cause it cooked all of the meat not just certain portions/spots.
In our text this morning you will find that the Laodicean Church wasn't working.
In a series of messages to the 7 churches in the Book of Revelation this is the last church addressed by Jesus, and out of all of them it is the worst church. One would think that Jesus would commend them but He does not commend Laodicea at all. This is the one church about which He has nothing good to say. Imagine a church that may as well not exist—a church that has nothing good within its 4 walls whatsoever—a church that does no good at all outside it's 4 walls. What was it that made the church so bad? So useless and worthless? My Brothers and Sisters it was Lukewarmness, which means that the church was indifferent, complacent, lethargic, self-satisfied, half-hearted, and neutral. The church and its believers were only half-way committed to Christ, only half-hearted in their worship and service for Him. The old song of the Church that got people excited because they felt the urgency of a right relationship with Jesus Christ was, "Lord I'm running trying to make a Hundred, 99 in a half won't do, it won't do Lord it won't do Lord 99 in a half won't do." While their are some in the church who are lukewarm and half-committed believers. There are also in the Church some who are really hot and on fire for God that is, they are really committed the Lord.
As Jesus sends out this message to the "Angel of the House" or Pastor , who is the one that is ultimately responsible for the state of this church. One would expect that the minister would be the first to heed the warning from Jesus about being Lukewarm and then articulate that message to the people. One of the reasons why we have so many problems in the Church today is because we have to many leaders in the Pulpit who are not allowing themselves to be accountable to God and not only that but we have too many in the Pulpit who are Un Repentant of the things that they have not done where the Church is concerned and I will explain myself. It is the Leader who is held accountable by God for the indifference and complacency of any believer especially those in whom he/she has spiritual oversight.God expects us as leaders as the set man or set woman of the house to arouse ourselves and repent because in order to bring a spirit of revival or keep your church on fire you have to be on fire yourself.
We cannot arouse our members or other believers and lead them to repentance and whole-hearted commitment if we are not ourselves committed to that which God has placed in our hands.
The Church today needs to get a renewed sight of Christ. They need to refocus their attention upon Jesus Christ because the only way they will ever see God is to hear Jesus Christ. If the church is looking at other things such as—depending upon the rituals of baptism, church membership, ordinances, services, ceremonies, fellowship, and worship attendance to make them acceptable to God—then the church is missing Jesus.
As we come to our text Jesus - The Amen say's I'm about to close my message out to this last church and make this declaration or statement of truth. After all He is the Amen, the declaration, the guarantee of the truth not only that but He is also the "faithful and true witness." He is faithful to God the Father and He bears a true witness to God the Father.
The first thing Jesus say's in verse 15 " I Have A Complaint"
"I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot." Revelation 3:15 (KJV)
This is serious, even critical, for the judgment that Christ pronounces upon the lukewarm church and believer is terrible.We need to think about how lukewarmness affects the church and its members.
1. 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 it's a wonder why there is no Fire in these Churches.
"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" (Luke 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" (Romans 12:1-2).
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 John 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 John 4:1-3).
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).
4. A lukewarm church is only half-committed to evangelism.
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 28:19-20).
"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 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" (Acts 1:8).
5. A lukewarm church is only half-committed to stressing holiness 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 Cor. 6:17-18).
"Follow peace with all men, and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14).
"Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16).
6. 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.
"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" (Luke 9:23).
"So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:33).
7.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" (Hebrews 10:25).
8. 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" (John 5:39).
The Bereans: "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" (Acts 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" (Romans 15:4).
"Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine" (1 Tim. 4:13).
9. 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 Cor. 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 Cor. 9:7).
10. 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 Peter 3:15).
11. 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 Peter 2:2-3).
The list could go on and on, but the terrible reality of lukewarmness is clearly seen. 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 their need before their need can be met.
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.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:16 (KJV)
But there is still hope:
Revelation 3:18-22 (KJV)
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.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
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.
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.
22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Conclusion:
The other six letters written to the other churches were addressed to the church in a certain place in their spiritual walk with Christ. This is the only letter that is written to a church of the people. The initial danger we find here is that the church is suppose to be in the world, but not of the world. The church is the bride groom of Jesus Christ. It is supposed to be without spot or wrinkle. It is supposed to shape the culture and not be shaped by the culture. It’s supposed to set the standard for living, not lower itself to culture’s standard of living. It’s supposed to be in the world, but not of the world. It should have read the church in Laodicea, not the church of the Laodiceans.
We find that when people define the church our imperfections cause the church to become known by our faults, our failures, and our flaws. When people define the church it becomes a place of confusion because the truth of the matter is that people are confused. When people define the church instead of it being a hospital of healing, it becomes a hospice for the sick. In other words instead of coming to church to get better, you leave worse than when you came it.
That’s because a church ceases to be alive because people who are dying are defining it.
Laodicea was a city that was located about one hundred miles from Ephesus. It was along the fertile valley between Colosse, which was less than ten miles away, was known for its cool water, and Hierapolis which was just seven miles away and it was famous for its hot springs.
The city was between a place that was known for its cold water and a place that was known for its hot water.
But, the City of Laodicea had a problem. It didn’t have a water supply. It had to pipe the water through an aqueduct system from both Colosee and from Hierapolis. As a result itstead of the water being cold coming from Colosee, or hot coming from Hierapolis, by the time the water got to Laodicea it was lukewarm.
The Spirit uses the reality of their water problem to describe the problem with The Laodicean Church.
You are neither hot nor cold.
And because you are neither hot nor cold, I was spew thee out of my mouth!
Hot water is soothing.
Cold water is refreshing.
But, lukewarm water is no more than spit.
Laodicea was a wealthy place. The Laodiceans had money. They where involved in banking and finance. They were exporters of fine wool that was in demand all over the known world. They where famous for their school of medicine that had developed a cure for eye defects and people came from all over the world for their medical services.
Because of commerce, financial affairs, and medicine the Laodiceans were wealthy. They were rich. They had it made. In fact they where so wealthy that an earthquake hit the city in 17 A.D. and destroyed it, much like the Katrina disaster in New Orleans. The Laodiceans were so rich that they refused government assistance and rebuilt the town themselves. They were rich.
Jesus would say in the 19th Chapter of Matthew that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Let me explain what Jesus is saying. The eye of a needle is the name of an entrance to a sanctuary during Jesus day that requires those who attend to get down on their knees to enter. You are not able to enter the sanctuary standing up. And you definitely couldn’t enter the sanctuary riding a camel. To enter you would literally have to crawl on your hands and knees to get in through the entrance and then once you are in you would be able to stand up.
In other words, being rich was not the problem. The problem is does your wealth cause you not to humble yourself. Do you think that you are self-sufficient? Do you think that because you have resources you no longer need the source?
That’s what the Spirit was saying to the Church of the Laodiceans. Just because you think that you are rich and you don’t need anything. You still need the Lord!
When the Spirit looks at you, he say's, " I see you wretched. I see you miserable. I see you poor, blind, and naked. I see you who think you have no need, most in need."
The Good News is that The Spirit says, “Behold I stand at the door and knock: if anyone hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to them, and will sup with them, and they with me.
For the people in the Church to be on Fire we need:
The presence of the Holy Ghost in our lives because He is always described as fire. It is hot!
When the people in the Church are on Fire we will be able to reach the world.
We need to be consumed with the Power of the Holy Ghost.
We need to become combustible in the sense that we are capable of igniting something inside us and the church that will cause the fire of Pentecost to burn and arouse or excite the people of God.
God wants availability - Someone who is Present and ready for use; at hand; accessible; capable of being gotten; obtainable; someone who is qualified and willing to serve or assist
You may be one of those who are saying If you need someone you can use me Lord.
The power of God in your life is what changes situations. The power of God in your life is what changes circumstances. It’s what alters predicaments. The power of God in your life will enable you to mount up on wings of a eagle, to walk and not faint, and to run and not be weary.
In other words When the church is on Fire, all you have to do is turn the power back on.
How do you turn the power back on? tell your neighbor, "You gotta get connected to the Holy Ghost"
