Opening illustration: Our country is in desperate need of a spiritual awakening, but we have a problem. When we consider that the last true, widespread, landscape changing spiritual awakening in this country was in the middle of the 19th century, it is safe to say that no one “alive today” has firsthand knowledge of what it's like, how it feels, or even how it begins.
My observation is that this culture is more dangerous than almost any previous culture, but it's not because of the crime rate, the immorality, or even the growing drug culture. This is because, as a culture who exists absent a true spiritual model of life, we have chosen to follow human standards rather than what divine scriptures tell us.
We have become people who believe if we 'follow our hearts, minds, and wills' to determine what is right or wrong we will be okay. I call this “stinkin' thinkin'” because human thinking continually changes, so standards change.
Because we have engaged in this type of thinking, the standards of our culture have now digressed to the point of what used to be considered unmentionable is now the norm. The tragic results are that we fail to see ourselves as God sees us. We have set aside these few for a time of “spiritual renewal.”
I want you to give some thought to this term, “Spiritual Renewal.” In your mind what does this look like, feel like, and even 'how does it start?” Just as an aside, a true spiritual awakening does not happen for people who do not really, truly, and genuinely, desire it. Candidly, renewal involves change and most people don't care to change and sadly, they don't think they need to. We need a renewal, but what are the keys to open this door for the blessings of God to pour out.
As we consider keys to spiritual renewal we can learn much from the church at Laodicea. There are so many similarities between this church and today's church that an argument can be made that we are living in the “Lao ...
Let us turn in our Bibles to Revelation 3:14-22.
Introduction: In nature, if water is hot, it has useful purposes. It can heal, and it can regenerate the body. If it is cold, it is refreshing. It soothes, and it can help quench a thirst. But if it lukewarm, water can get stagnant. Stagnant water collects bacteria and serves no purpose.
DEFINITION OF “LUKEWARM”
It means “lacking conviction or enthusiasm”, or a form of indifference. Biologically, lukewarm means mildly warm and tepid. Being lukewarm is playing the middle ground. A cold drink of water can be refreshing. A hot tub of water can be soothing. But lukewarm serves no purpose.
First off, we need to understand that Laodicea sat between two other cities: Hieropolis and Colosse. It was sandwiched between these two cities. The church of Laodicea received a letter from Paul earlier in its days. We know this because he told the church at Colosse to exchange letters with the church of Laodicea.
Being a city between these two other towns, it had to share the water resources. Hieropolis (known today as Pamukkale) was known for its hot springs. People came from all around to visit the hot springs, mostly for its medical value. In Colosse, those same springs turned into cold streams of water. But in Laodicea, the water had to be diverted and used.
How can you overcome stagnation and be personally renewed?
1. See the truth about yourself. (3:14-16)
Jesus says that He wants you to see the truth about yourselves. But in order to do that, we have to first see the truth about Jesus. Jesus says three things about Himself in these verses. Each of these things show us how Jesus is able to help me see the truth about myself.
“The Amen”
He is worthy of my time. He’s the amen. He is the last word. He’s everything. Jesus is the Amen to all the promises of God. He is the end result of history. Therefore, Jesus is worthy of my time.
“the faithful and true Witness”
He is worthy of my trust. Why? Because Jesus is faithful. He is true.
There are many people who will talk to you who are not faithful. There are many ideas about life that you can get, which are not true. The only one you can count on every time is Jesus Christ. He loves you more than anything or anybody, He even loves you more than yourself. He has a better plan for your life than you could ever dream up. He is faithful and true. He is worthy of my trust.
“the Originator of God’s creation”
He is worthy of my worship. Why? Because He made everything. He is the Creator, and I am the creature. Therefore, He is worthy of my praise and worship.
So, as we read these words that Jesus is going to say to us, we need to remember: He made you. He knows everything about you. He understands you. Now listen to what Jesus says about you. In these verses, Jesus makes the clearest criticism about the condition of the church. He is going to say something about us, and then something that He can provide to help us. But realize that He is very clear about commitment in the church. He compares it to hot, cold, or lukewarm water.
Identity to Lukewarm-ness:
• Lukewarm people tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They desire to fit in both in the church and outside the church. They care more about what people think about their actions than what God thinks of their hearts.
• Lukewarm people do not really want to be saved from their sins. They want only to be saved from the penalty of their sins. They do not hate sin and are not sorry for committing it. They are only sorry because God is going to punish them.
• Lukewarm people gauge their “goodness” by comparing themselves to the world. They are satisfied as long as they aren’t as “bad” as the world. They are not concerned that they are not fully devoted to Jesus like others.
• Lukewarm people love God, but they do not love him with all their heart, soul, and strength. They assure themselves by thinking that this sort of total devotion is not really possible for the average person. It’s only preachers and radicals.
• Lukewarm people walk by sight, not by faith. They do not trust their lives to God, but trust in themselves.
We can have the same problem as these in Laodicea. Look at verse 17. Laodicea was known for three things: (i) Wealth; (ii) Fabric industry; (iii) Medicine. Yet, they do not realize that they are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. They think they are rich. They are fooling themselves.
2. Admit your desperate need (3:17)
Just like Laodicea, we try different strategies to meet our own desperate needs:
• Riches - that’s what we acquire
• Rules – what we require (I must be keeping the rules, so I must be spiritually alive.)
• Knowledge – how we inquire
• Relationships – who we desire
• Achievement – how we aspire – try to make it to the top of something
The truth is, no matter how well we acquire and require and inquire and desire and aspire, the end of it is all of us are going to expire. The more we think it’s all built on us, (the more self-sufficient we become), the more we realize that it is not enough. So, Jesus says I want you to see your desperate need.
3. Go to Jesus alone to meet your deepest needs (3:18)
Jesus says to them, “But from Me, gold that’s refined in the fire.” He said these things all throughout the gospels: “I’m the one who meets the needs.” And He always states it in terms of basic needs.
• Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” He gives us rest.
• John 7:37 “Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty let him come to Me and drink.’”
• John 6:35 “Jesus replied, ‘I am the bread of life. No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry.’”
The rest you need, the water you need, the food you need. Jesus isn’t just talking about rest and water and food as He talks to the people at Laodicea or the people throughout the gospel. He’s saying when you see me as the one who meets the basic needs of life you also need to see Me as the one who meets the deepest needs of life. He talks to the people of Laodicea about gold, clothes, and about salve – ointment for the eyes. He talks to them about things they need. But why should Jesus ask this when they seem to think they have everything physically that they need?
Because we may have the most basic needs met – water, food, shelter, even luxuries; but there are deeper needs in our lives that only Jesus can meet.
4. Respond as a deeply loved child (3:19)
Some people grew up with punishment, and some with discipline. There is a big difference between punishment and discipline. Punishment makes me want to run and hide. How do you know that it’s not just things go wrong in life? How do you know it’s God’s discipline?
When it’s God’s discipline, I don’t feel guilty about it. I feel directed by it. I don’t feel like, “God doesn’t love me anymore!” I feel God saying to me, “You’re ‘here’ but I want you over ‘there.’” When it’s discipline it’s not cloudy. The guilt that Satan tries to send in our lives is very cloudy and vague. You just feel bad about your day. Bad about your life. “I’m a rotten Christian!” That’s how he wants to make you feel.
Remember when you were a kid and your parents disciplined you (say, through a spanking or some privilege they took away from you) did you know you were being disciplined by your parents? Was it pretty clear to you? It was very clear.
The same thing is true of God’s discipline in our lives. It is crystal clear. There are sometimes we have problems just because we have problems. But there are other times when the crystal-clear voice of God says, “You need to be over here. This is where you need to be. I’m moving you in your life.”
5. Continually open the door to Jesus (3:20)
We usually use this verse to talk to people who aren’t believers and how Christ will come into their lives. It’s a good verse to talk to those who aren’t believers. It tells the truth of what Jesus is doing in their lives and how He comes into their lives. But notice when this verse was first written it was not written to unbelievers. It was written to the church. It was written to believers and to believers Jesus says, “Look! I’m standing at the door of your heart and knocking. If you hear the knock, I’ll come in.”
Jesus is talking to Christians here whose hearts have been closed and He’s still knocking. They may have closed their heart to Him a long time ago. It may have been recent. He is talking about making a commitment.
A dinner plate left out overnight will be hard to clean in the morning. An alternative to scrubbing is soaking the dish in hot water and dishwashing liquid. Letting a dish abide in the solution will allow a hard cleaning job to become a lot easier. This is what abiding does for Christians. We are much easier to clean up when we’ve been hanging out in the right environment.
Religion says, “Scrape off the dirt.” It tells us to apply elbow grease to fix a problem. Relationship says “Soak.” Just sit in the hot water for a while. Abiding will set you free.
Make the most of your Christian life today. Make your commitment to Him firm and stable.
Application: There’s a scene later on in Braveheart, where William Wallace is having a private conversation with Robert the Bruce, and he says “your title gives you a claim to the throne of our country, but people don’t follow titles; they follow courage. And if you would just lead them to freedom, they’d follow you.” Folks, people don’t follow titles. They don’t follow status, or denominational affiliations or buildings or whatever. They want to see us courageously live out grace. Jesus did that and people flocked to him. People will follow if we do something worth following.
We are not wretched. As the hymn says, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.” We have been delivered to be something more; something wonderful. Why settle for complacency and mediocrity and wretchedness? Let your light shine in the darkness. Make Jesus known where he is needed. Be his heralds and his ambassadors. Be bold and stand out, not because of something superficial, but because you are the righteousness of God through Christ (1 Cor. 5:21).
