Our Source
Scripture: Revelations 2:4-5; 3:14-22; Matthew 22:37-40; 1 John 4:20
Introduction
The title of my message this morning is “Our Source.” I want you to imagine, if you will, that you are a vessel that needs to be close to your power source in order for you to remain strong. If you have ever seen any of the recent Superman movies you know that Superman receives his strength from the earth’s sun. So whenever he is in a weakened state, his strength returns when he is exposed to the sun. If you recall Samson from the Old Testament you will remember that through the anointing of God he received his strength from his hair. He did mighty works through the Spirit of God as long as his hair was uncut. His final victory against the Philistines, after they cut his hair, came after his hair grew back. Now imagine that you are Samson, or even Superman, and you have a power source that enable you to do what you do. How far would you stray from that power source if you understood that the farther you were from your power source the weaker you became?
On the table before you I have placed a cup of cold water and a cup of hot water. The cold water came from the water machine downstairs and the hot water was heated to the boiling point in the microwave, also located downstairs. Both were placed on the table a few minutes ago so I could illustrate the point of this message which is – we need to stay close to our power source if we are to fulfill the intentions for which we exist. Turn with me to Revelations chapter three.
I. The Church of Laodicea
Let’s begin reading at verse fourteen what Jesus told John to write to the Church at Laodicea. “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing, and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelations 3:14-22)
The church of Laodicea was the only church that was not commended for something, the only one! Imagine this Church of financial influence and not having need of anything not being commended for anything? They were a prosperous Church and in their mind they were in need of nothing. However, Jesus was not happy with them. In fact, He was so displeased with them that He said that He would spit them out of His mouth because they were neither hot or cold (fully committed to their purpose in Him). What was their problem? They were lukewarm! This specific message that Jesus spoke to this Church would have easily been understood by this Church because of where this Church was located. Please understand that the traditional view of this text has held that hot was good and cold was bad, however, this was not the correct interpretation. Let me explain.
Laodicea was located about 45 miles southeast of Philadelphia and about 90 miles east of Ephesus. It was a wealthy city of thriving banks, a textile industry and a medical school. The city was also known for its sparse water supply. Although it was the biggest and richest city in the area, it had neither hot nor cold water. When the city was destroyed in AD61, the Laodicians took the posture of being self-sufficient and refused aid from Rome for rebuilding, so they were left to solve their own water problem. In the nearby city of Hierapolis there were hot springs. People would travel great distances to bath in those waters, believing they had medicinal powers. In the city of Colosse, which also was not too far away from Laodicea, it was known for its cold waters. People would travel great distances to vacation in Colosse where they would invigorate themselves by taking frequent dips into the famous, refreshing, cool-to-freezing waters. These two cities, while possibly not as prosperous as Laodicea, had something that the Laodicians needed badly – water. It appears that the Laodicians had an agreement with Hierapolis to obtain water from them. Archaeology shows that Laodicea had an aqueduct that probably carried water from hot mineral springs some five miles south to them. So picture, if you will, the temperature of the water from the time it left the hot springs (the source) and traveled five miles to Laodicea – its final destination. Do you think the water would still be hot? Absolutely not! By the time the water got to Laodicea it would have been lukewarm to cool at best. Because the Laodicians were living this as a part of their daily routine, the message Jesus sent to them was very applicable.
When you consider what Jesus told this Church, neither “hot” nor “cold” water is bad as both were useful. However, lukewarm water was not useful. Here is the point I want us to grasp: if something is supposed to be cold, the longer it’s away from what’s keeping it cold it will become lukewarm. If something is supposed to be hot, the longer it’s away from its source of heat, it will become lukewarm. Are you starting to see the picture? The church of Laodicea was called out because they were lukewarm – they had mentally drifted away from the source that supplied and kept them in the condition they needed to be in order to be used. They were neither hot nor cold, they were lukewarm. They continued to do all of the religious things that they did as it related to going to Church, but there was no fire burning in their hearts for the things of God. So how do we make sure that individually we do not become lukewarm towards the things of God?
II. Being Connected To Our Source
We must remain connected to our source! This is something that is difficult to identify in some cases because we are not able to see into the hearts of anyone else. So it is up to each individual person to understand and know with certainty how close they are to their source. I can give you some examples based on God’s word, but I cannot tell you beyond myself how close someone is to their source – Jesus Christ. For some this is not important as long as they go to Church and do good things, but I disagree. Again, the farther we get away from what sustains us we lose the purpose for which we were created. Consider the water that I have in these two cups. They have been away from their source for about 15 minutes. One was boiling hot while the other was iced cold. We will test them in a few minutes to witness the change in their temperature since they have been removed from their source. As we consider our own situations, how can we identify if we have drifted away from our source? Let’s begin with the main identifier – our love of God.
Love of God: If you were to look at yourself and ponder the question of how close you were to your source, what would you look for? The first is the extent of your love for God. Turn to Matthew 22:37-40. These verses capture Jesus’ response when He was asked by a lawyer what was the great commandment in the Law. Jesus answered him with these words, “……..You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” Everything starts here – the love that we have for God through our relationship with His Son Jesus the Christ. Think about what Jesus said, our love for God and for our fellowman is the basis of everything else that happens around us. God is a God of love not of hate and it is impossible to love God and hate our fellow man. John said “If someone says, ‘I love God’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20) This idea of love is crucial to our relationship with God and with each other. And, just to put another face to this, it is difficult to convince anyone of your love for God when we walk in unforgiveness. Unforgiveness can be a form of hate when you boil it down to its core.
Now turn to Revelations 2:4-5. It reads, “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lamp stand out of its place, unless you repent.” These two verses captures what Jesus said to the church at Ephesus. He had commended them for their current work and attitude, but still had one thing against them – they had left their first love – their love for God and others. The word “left” implies an intentional, not accidental, act. More than 30 years before this church had been commended for its love for all the saints (Ephesians 1:15) which exemplified their love for God. In the short time frame of 30 years, life had taken its toll and their love had run cold. Most of the members of this Church were 2nd generation Christians whose purity of doctrine and endurance in service were unquestioned, but they had abandoned that eagerness to please and devotion that characterizes first love.
So the very first sign that we have strayed from our source is our love for that source (God and His Son Jesus the Christ). This love is exemplified not only in how we worship and serve God, but also in how we treat those around us. Please note that because we are to love our fellow man it does not mean we have to be in acceptance of their sinful lifestyle. I want to make sure that we do not get this twisted. We should love them enough to want them saved. We should love them enough to want them to have what we should have, a relationship with a loving Father! Let me give you one more measurement of our connectedness to our source before I close.
Serve God versus Money. We live in a world where having money defines our lives and the value of our lives. For this reason many sacrifice their family, their health and their relationship with God in their search for money. Matthew 6:24 says “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Does this mean that a Christian cannot be rich? No, for there are many rich Christians who do not worship their riches but use their money for the Kingdom of God. This is about our focus. What are our mental energies focused on?
We all recognize that the Kingdom of God requires money to accomplish the will of God on this earth. It takes money to minister to those in need as well as to have a place to come and worship. The Bible is also very clear about our need to work in order to provide for ourselves and our families. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians “…..if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.” (2 Thess. 3:10b-11) God expects us to work to earn money to provide for our families, for others and for the Church. This is the focus. When we earn money, we should plan to provide for ourselves, for others who are in need, and to provide for the ministries of God. Many people work hard to provide for themselves and to maintain their lifestyles. They sacrifice family, friends, relationships, and most important their relationship with God as they seek more and more money. When they receive the money they spend it on themselves or hoard it for that rainy day that will surely come.
Most of you are familiar with the story “A Christmas Carol.” In this story, Ebenezer Scrooge was a man whose sole purpose was to earn money and more of it. He sacrificed everything he had in the form of true relationships for his quest for money. One Christmas eve when he was old, he received a visit by four spirits who gave him a life review of his past and present and future (if nothing changed.) He saw in his past what led him to become who he was in his present. He saw how his present actions were being impacted by the things he experienced in his past. He saw the missed relationships. He saw how he refused to help those in need. Finally he was shown his future. He was shown the lives of those impacted by his failure to look out for his fellow man. He was shown dying along and people stealing from him as no once came to memorialize him. He lived alone focused on earning money and then he died alone leaving all of his wealth for others to enjoy. This life review changed the course of his life. In effect, he became the person he should have always been and he chose to make the rest of his life about others and not about himself.
There is a biblical story that Jesus told about a rich man. I won’t read it, but I want to provide a summary for you. In Luke 12:13-21 Jesus told the story of the rich man who coveted his riches. This man was greedy! This man had a very productive year and had more crop than he could store. So instead of giving some to those in need, he decided to build bigger barns so he could keep it all for himself. In his mind he would have enough for many years and he could eat, drink and be merry. But God had a differing opinion. God said that this man was a fool whose soul would be required of him and then what he had kept for himself would be used by others. Jesus ended the story by saying “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:21) Again, it’s not about having money but what your feelings are towards it. Is it a means to an end for you to do work for God or is it a means to an end for you to provide for yourself without little though for others?
We do not have the luxury of knowing the future, of how our current actions are impacting future events. But we serve a God who does. We serve a God who is not bound by time and can see how one kind act today can change a life 30 years from now. When we invest in others we are actually investing in ourselves. When we work we should not forget that our work is not to earn more to spend on ourselves alone, but to provide for our lives and to help others through the ministry of love. When we allow the love of God to flow through us to others it will often lead to us helping someone else. That’s just the way it is. What is important is that you do not have to be rich in order to help someone else. I have known people in my lifetime, starting with my parents, who often lived paycheck to paycheck, but they would always open up our home to others in need of food or a family connection. When they visited the sick, they would take something with them to help. This is what I witnessed as a child. I have also seen it as an adult, people who were struggling at home to make ends meet but were willing to help someone else in need. It was not all about them and believe me when I tell you they made a deposit in their spiritual 401k account. If we have strayed away from our true source we begin to believe that money is what makes us who we are. We begin to believe that money is our source and a reflection of our true life success. We begin to search for it and live to make it. We begin to cherish it and spend time watching it grow in our bank accounts. We begin to plan how we will spend it on our selfish desires and wants. When we reach this point we can know that we are straying from our source. The true measurement of our success in this life is what we are doing for Christ as only what we do for Him will last.
I will continue this message next week. But let’s test the water. I told you at the beginning the source for the hot and cold water before you were located in the basement. Both have been away from their source about forty minutes. The purpose of the hot water was to be hot. The purpose of the cold water was to be cold. However, both have been removed from what kept them hot or cold. Without me even putting my finger in either we know what the results are. The boiling water is no longer boiling hot and the ice cold water is no longer ice cold. Why? Because they have been separated from what kept them hot or cold.
We have to be attached to our source in order to fulfill our purpose and sometimes when we are slowly separating from the source we do not recognize the separation. This is why we must be steadfast in securing and maintaining that connection. I will complete this message next week.
Until next time, “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
