Sitting On The Fence Of Salvation

Praise the Lord this morning, cherished family of faith! It's such a joy to stand before you today, not as a stranger, but as a fellow traveler on this road of faith, a road that is often winding, often challenging, a lot of times hilly leading to valleys of trials, but always leading us closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

We gather here today, not as perfect beings, but as those who are in constant need of the grace and mercy of our God. Amen! We come with hearts that are sometimes lukewarm, with faith that sometimes wavers, but with a God who never changes.

[Title: Sitting on the Fence of Salvation]

As we close out our series on the seven churches, we find ourselves again in the book of Revelation today, looking at the Lukewarm church in Laodicea, and in cities of our current day. So, let's read it together what Jesus has to say about this church and there, also our attitudes:

“And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.

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— 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. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. 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 dine with him, and he with Me.

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. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’ ”

Revelation 3:14-22

A powerful passage, is it not? Amen. It is powerful in the sense, that it calls us to the task of examining our hearts, to look at our faith, and to ask ourselves if we are hot, cold, or lukewarm in our love for God.

Let’s understand what lukewarm faith means. People have said to me that they are Christian because their parents are Christian. That is a lukewarm faith, because it was never cultivated by the individual, and nor is it nurtured by the individual. Because they are not hot, meaning that they have a passion for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; also, they are not cold, meaning they have not flat out rejected Jesus Christ, they are just sitting on the fence of salvation, neither having it nor outright rejecting it. Which Jesus says is a state that is worse them loving Him or hating Him.

So, let's look at the dangers of spiritual complacency, the deceptive comfort of lukewarm faith, and the demand for genuine commitment.

Dangers of Spiritual Complacency

The passage we read from Revelation paints a vivid picture of the state of the church in Laodicea, and yes, some churches of today. They were neither hot nor cold in their faith, but lukewarm. This lukewarmness is a clear indication of spiritual complacency. It's a state where we're content with just going through the motions of faith without a real, passionate commitment to God.

The first danger of spiritual complacency is that it blinds us to our true spiritual condition. The Laodiceans thought they were rich and in need of nothing. They were self-satisfied, self-sufficient, and self-deceived. They didn't realize that they were wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. This is the danger of complacency. It makes us think we're okay when we're not. It makes us think we're spiritually rich when we're spiritually poor.

Complacency also makes us insensitive to the things of God. When we're complacent, we lose our spiritual sensitivity. We become numb to the things that should stir our hearts and move us to action. We become indifferent to sin, indifferent to the needs of others, and indifferent to the call of God on our lives. Folks, this is a dangerous place to be.

Another danger of complacency is that it hinders our spiritual growth. When we're complacent, we stop growing. We stop seeking God. We stop striving to be more like Christ. We become stagnant in our faith. And when we're stagnant, we're not moving forward. We're not growing. We're not maturing. We're just stuck.