LUKEWARM

"I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth.  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked..." (Revelations 3:15-17).

 

These words of the Lord to the Laodicean church in Revelations are most sobering, especially so when one considers their relevance to the church today.  The Laodiceans had become lukewarm in their faith, and Jesus told them that He would spit them out of His mouth.  Just like a glass or cup of liquid that has become room temperature and no longer satisfies the need that it was poured for, they had become neither cold nor hot.  They were therefore unable to satisfy the needs around them.  Jesus said He would rather they be one way or the other: to get in all the way, or get out.  One who is hot for the Lord is already close to Him, and one who is cold is at least being honest about his state and is not making any pretense about it.  The lukewarm soul is not walking with God, but is trying to convince everyone that he is.

 

The evidence of the lukewarm state of the Laodicean church was that they told themselves that they were rich, had an abundance of goods, and were in need of nothing; but, in reality, they were unaware of their true spiritual condition, being wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.

 

Complacency and spiritual pride are extremely dangerous.  When we as Christians begin to think of ourselves as having everything we need spiritually, and forget that we are a work in progress, then we can lose our hunger for the Lord, and our drive to grow and mature in Christ.  Jesus told the story of two men who had gone up to the temple to pray.  One was a Pharisee (a leader in the church; one respected in the community), and the other was a publican (a common sinner; one looked down on by the community).  The Pharisee prayed, "God, I thank Thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess."  The publican would barely lift his eyes to heaven, but stood a ways off and beat himself upon his chest in remorse and true repentance saying, simply, "God be merciful to me a sinner."  Jesus said the publican went home justified before God, but the Pharisee went home empty and unfulfilled (Luke 18:10-14).  Many of us experience this same lack of fulfillment in our relationship with the Lord and don't realize that we are not being filled because we are not hungry.  Jesus said, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they shall be filled."  (Matthew 5:6).

 

How do we become lukewarm?  It is much like the hot or cold liquid: it only requires our sitting around for too long!  If we aren’t actively seeking the Lord, then we are cooling off - and this can happen rapidly.  When we neglect meaningful, heartfelt prayer, Bible study that is driven by a desire to see and understand more of Christ, and fellowship with other Christians that goes deeper than "Hi! How are ya," and the latest gossip, then we begin to grow lukewarm and are less able to satisfy any real needs around us.  All we can then do is share facts, but not real life.   

 

"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." (Revelations 3:18).  Three things the Lord urges us to purchase - and contrary to what some may teach, there is a price which the Lord demands in exchange for these things.  The price that He requires is our life.  "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for My sake, the same shall save it." (Luke 9:24).  The three things that He offers us in exchange are:

 

1.  Gold tried in the fire that we may be rich.  This gold represents faith, not wealth.  We're told, "Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith." (James 2:5).  Peter wrote, "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:7).  Our faith is purified through the fires of adversity and temptation.  Each trial works patience in us and valuable experience which, in turn, gives us hope when we pass through subsequent trials.  We must learn to exercise our faith if we are to remain "hot" for the Lord.

 

2. White raiment that we may be clothed.  Nakedness represents sin in the Bible, and there is only one thing that will cover our sin, and that is the Lord's righteousness.  Our righteousness is not sufficient.  It is like filthy rags to the Lord (Isaiah 64:6).  When Adam and Eve discovered they were naked, they covered themselves in fig leaves, which was unsatisfactory.  God Himself fashioned animal skins for them to wear, and this hid their nakedness; but it cost an animal its life and was the first time that innocent blood was shed in the world.  This, of course, foretold the shedding of the innocent blood of the Lamb of God to cover men's sins.  It also was a glimpse into God's desire for us to adorn the righteousness which comes by faith in Christ alone, and not by our own self-righteous works (See Romans 10:1-11).

 

3. Eye salve that we may see.  We need God's help to see spiritual things.  Without His help we are quite blind.  Scripture tells us, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him." (1 Corinthians 2:9).  God has remedied this problem by placing His Spirit within every believer to lead them into all truth.  The Spirit is like salve that heals our blindness and allows us to see the things that God has promised us in Christ.  "But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God." (1 Corinthians 2:10).

 

The apostle Paul understood the danger of becoming lukewarm through spiritual complacency and self righteousness.  He told the Philippians, "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13, 14).  One thing he says that he does to keep himself in a right place with God: he forgets the past, and presses toward the future.  Paul realized that the past, with its successes and its failures, has no bearing on where we stand today.  If we have accomplished wonderful things in the Lord in days past, those things do not define where we are with the Lord today.  If we have fallen and committed great sins in the past, those sins do not define who we are today, or what we do with our lives going forward.  Satan uses our failures to discourage and destroy us, trying to convince us that there is no hope for us because we have let the Lord down.  He also uses our successes against us to make us feel self-righteous even when we are not seeking the Lord today.  Our response must always be to press toward the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.  We must always be about our Father's business.  If this is the case, we will never grow lukewarm.

 

"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.  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." (Revelations 3:19, 20).  The Lord never reveals our shortcomings to us simply to beat us down.  His reproofs are always spoken in love, and with the intent that we hear Him and respond to His instruction.  The child who pulls his shoulder away from his father's correction will not be made better, but will turn out worse.  We, as good children, must always be listening for the Father's knock on our heart's door; and our response must always be to run to the door, open it wide, and invite Him in to share His banquet with us.  Let us never be content with anything less than knowing Him in a close relationship, nor allow ourselves to just sit as Christians and cool off.  Let us ever be pressing forward!