Are You Lukewarm?

6 · Re-reads the diagnostic portion of the text (verses 15-17), emphasizing Christ's knowledge of their works and his severe reaction to their self-deluded spiritual condition

Verse 15: I know your works. You are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, 'I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing,' not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Naked.

7 · Uses three everyday scenarios (hot tub, hot soup, cold water) to help the congregation feel the disappointment and uselessness of lukewarmness—when something fails to serve its intended purpose

Imagine this: you are getting ready to hop in a hot tub, hop in a jacuzzi after a long, brutal softball practice with the church, or your throat is sore and you are just— or you're longing to order a hot soup to help soothe the pain, or you just did some yard work for a few hours out in the hot sun You just can't wait for that ice-cold drink of water. But in all those things, imagine as you get into the jacuzzi, as you drink the ice-cold water, it is not the way it's supposed to be, but it is instead lukewarm. It is not soothing. It is not refreshing. How disappointing would that be? Right? You would look at that and you'd say, man, this is useless to me. This isn't what I thought it would be.

8 · Connects the illustration to the theological reality: the Laodicean church, like lukewarm water, failed to function according to their created purpose and calling in Christ

If you're catching my drift, you get a glimpse of how Christ viewed the church in Laodicea. They were not functioning the way they were supposed to be. They were not serving the purpose for which Christ had called them. They were not being the church that Christ died for them to be.

9 · Provides historical-geographical context about Laodicea's water supply problem—the aqueducts from Hierapolis and Colossae brought water that became lukewarm and useless for its intended purposes—illuminating the force of Jesus's metaphor

But Christ wasn't saying that hot and cold was bad, but instead he was using a metaphor in their day that would have made complete sense. As upon reading those words, they would have stopped dead in their tracks. The city of Laodicea built two aqueducts in their day, one going to Colossae, one going to Hierapolis. Hierapolis was known for their spring water, their hot spring water, right, which was used medicinally, used therapeutically for healing. And Colossae was known, located right under a mountain, they were known for their cold, fresh mountain water for drinking. But the problem was that as the water came into the city after all of its traveling, its miles and miles to get to the the city, it ended up being lukewarm once they tasted it, once they used it. They had lost their hot and cold temperatures, and the result was lukewarm water. No longer could they use the hot water for their hospitals. No longer could they use the cold water for their drinking, expecting refreshment. The water supply that they built was worthless to them. It was useless because it did not function the way it was created to be.

10 · Makes explicit the connection between the water metaphor and the church's spiritual state: the Laodicean church had become as useless to Christ as their lukewarm water was to them

Jesus is telling this church, hey, just like your aqueducts you've built, how that water is useless to you, that's how you have been to me as a church.

11 · Identifies the specific problem behind the lukewarmness: self-reliant works disconnected from genuine faith, a compartmentalized Christianity where Jesus was marginalized to Sunday attendance while the rest of life was lived on their own terms

What is it that makes Jesus want to vomit? It is their lifestyle that reflects self-reliant works. Their faith did not impact the way they lived as Christians. Jesus was hardly in their lives. It was almost as if they just checked the box by going to Sunday, and then they lived the rest of their week the way they wanted to on their own terms and the way they saw fit. Fit.

12 · Quotes Beasley-Murray to characterize the Laodicean spiritual condition as maintaining the gospel without conviction or enthusiasm, then applies this diagnosis through a series of direct questions to the congregation about joy, conviction, and daily dependence on Christ

Beasley-Murray has more to say about what their faith and lifestyle may have looked like. The Laodiceans do not reject the gospel of Christ, nor do they affirm it with joy. They maintain it without conviction, without enthusiasm, without reflection of its implications for life. Christian, does the gospel bring you joy? Is there conviction in how and why you do what you do? And is that conviction shaped by the gospel? Do you get enthusiastic about Jesus and what he's done for you? Do you recognize your need for Christ in your life daily? For these Christians, Jesus's words went in one ear and out the other. There was no real change, and their lifestyle reflected it. Their self-reliance caused them to be lukewarm, indifferent, complacent in their faith, and the sad part is they saw nothing wrong with it.

13 · Explains three reasons why Jesus was so upset with the Laodiceans: they failed to be distinct witnesses (salt and light), they falsely believed in spiritual neutrality when the kingdom is always moving, and in Revelation's binary framework they were not clearly aligned with the Lamb against the dragon

So why would this make Jesus angry? First, Christ desires that his church be the salt and the light of the earth, right? These Christians were meant to be a witness to the other non-believers around them, but they looked just like the non-believers. There was nothing distincting them apart from the non-believers and who they were called to be. Be. They were ineffective in word and deed. They enjoyed sitting in neutral when the reality is we are never ever just neutral in our relationship with the Lord. We are either moving towards him or moving away from him. And we know that the kingdom of God is constantly moving. In Ezekiel, there's a really cool symbolic picture about the kingdom of God that has wheels, with eyes all around it. It's able to see, and it's also constantly moving. It's never just sitting, right? But these Christians were not moving faithfully. And lastly, Ricky helped me to remember that all throughout Revelation, it is so clear there's two paths that people are on. You are either with the dragon or you are with the Lamb. You're either of Babylon or you are of the bride. You are either headed to hell or headed to heaven. So we see why Christ was so serious in his rebuke against this church.

14 · Moves from verse 16's self-reliance to verse 17's pride, then provides a striking historical example of Laodicean pride: after a devastating earthquake in AD 60, Laodicea alone among 12 destroyed cities refused Roman financial aid, demonstrating the cultural pride that had infiltrated the church

So in verse 16, we see the self-reliance of the Laodicean Christians, and in verse 17, we get a glimpse of their vanity and their pride. We see in 17 they say, 'We are rich, we have prospered, we need nothing.' Here's just an example of this church's pride on display. It's in Roman historical archives. Earthquakes in Asia Minor were frequent. They happened often. A lot of fault lines running through Asia Minor. And in AD 60, there was an earthquake that was so bad it not only wiped out Laodicea, but it wiped out 12 cities in total. It was custom for Rome in that day to send out financial relief packages to help those people recover and rebuild, and it stated that of the 12 cities Laodicea was the only church that denied Rome's financial relief. So we see in this city the pride is rampant, and it seems that it has made itself into the church walls itself.

15 · Catalogs Laodicea's three sources of civic pride—their banking/commerce wealth, their world-class ophthalmology (with a powder for eye care and textbooks used for 1400 years), and their famous black wool garment industry—setting up Jesus's ironic reversal

Laodicea prided itself on three things. First, their financial wealth. These guys had banking systems established established and commerce and trade were constantly coming through this city throughout the year. People from all over the ancient world wanted to come to Laodicea, and I'm gonna get to that in a minute why. But the second thing that they prided themselves on was their medical advancement. These guys in the field of ophthalmology were some of the best in the world, some of the best in the ancient world. They had this powder made of Phrygian stone that was applied to the outsides of the eyelids to help cure sight. They also had these textbooks about eye care that were used up to the Middle Ages. This was a span of over 1,400 years. They really prided themselves on how far medically they were advanced in. The third thing was their garment industry. Famous far and wide because of the sheep that hung out in their country. These sheep were special and unique. They had this dark raven black wool that was desired by all people all over the ancient world. And this, uh, the sheep's— was that fur? Do sheep have fur? Well, whatever it's called, their wool, man, it was so soft that people just couldn't get enough of it. And they were known for their garments as well as their tunics.

16 · Unveils Jesus's devastating ironic reversal: the church that prided itself on wealth is spiritually poor, the city known for eye care is spiritually blind, and the garment capital is spiritually naked

But do you see what Jesus is doing here? This boat that they live on, they think they are setting sails into comfort, into security. But Jesus is like, man, y'all got holes in this boat and y'all are drowning. What does he say? While the Laodicean church viewed themselves as rich with all their banking systems and commerce and trade, Jesus is like, y'all are poor, spiritually poor. Jesus tells them, or while they go on to gloat about their ophthalmology and their advanced eye care, and Jesus says, Y'all are blind. And while they boast in the abundance of their wool and their tunics and their garment industry, Jesus is like, y'all are naked. You're exposed.

17 · Turns the diagnostic lens directly on the congregation through a series of specific examples of lukewarmness: self-justification by comparison, retirement from ministry, finances directing life decisions, compartmentalized Christianity, and neglecting spiritual disciplines for entertainment

Where in your life, brothers and sisters, are you comfortable being lukewarm? Which areas of your life have you pushed Christ to the to the side and said, Jesus, I got this. Thanks, but no thanks. Maybe some of these examples might help you. Maybe you've had thoughts like this: well, I'm not as bad as those people. Or maybe you've thought, I'm not, I'm not that cold. There's colder people out there. Maybe you're retired and you've taken your foot off the gas. Ah, the young bucks got this. They're fine. But senior saints, there is a wisdom and there is an experience in you that us young bucks desire. We want discipleship with you. Maybe what steers the wheel of your life are your finances. Before you go anywhere, you check, are our numbers fine? Right? There's wisdom in good stewardship. We're called to take care of our finances. But do those direct the way we go in our life, or do we ask, Lord, where to next? Where do you want me to go? And maybe you don't ask because it might interfere with your comfortable lifestyle. Maybe you do the bare minimum of going to church, but you live out the rest of your week on your own terms and agenda. Maybe your Bible reading and your quiet time It's just when you get to it. Lord, when I have time for you. Lord, I'm gonna just find my rest in this Netflix show instead of your word, instead of journaling or just praying to you, thanking you for the God you are. Christian, where in your life are you comfortable being lukewarm?

18 · Acknowledges the heaviness of the rebuke and signals the turn toward the gospel offer in the next section

This may seem like a downer of a message on Father's Day. But there is good news, I promise. We're headed that way.

19 · Introduces point 2 by reading verse 18, where Jesus offers three remedies (gold, garments, salve) that directly counter the three areas of the Laodiceans' self-delusion

Jesus offers the antidote to our lukewarmness. We see it in verse 18. The Christ-reliant, zealous Christian, point 2. Verse 18: I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen. And salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.

20 · States the core imperative of verse 18: Jesus counsels his people to buy from him, setting up the exposition of what each item represents

Hear what Jesus advises his people to do. Buy from him what he has to offer.

21 · Explains the first remedy—gold refined by fire—as new works replacing old ineffective works

The first thing, the gold refined by fire. Many scholars view this as new works for these Christians, that they can gain spiritual richness by putting off the old works that they used to do, the works that made Christ want to vomit. And they can now do new works. The whole idea of gold refined by fire was this process of gathering gold in extreme hot temperatures, and as the impurities rose to the top, they could skim them, and all that was left was pure gold. Christ is saying, we can remove those works you did previously that were ineffective in a fallen world, and we can replace them with obedient and holy works that are much more valuable than refined gold. Here in this offer, Jesus offers us to participate in work that is eternal, meaningful, and impactful forever. Work offered by him that is pure as gold.

22 · Introduces the second remedy—white garments—and signals that the connection between nakedness and shame has deep Old Testament roots that will now be explored

The second thing that Christ counsels them to buy are the white garments. Man, this is so, so good. The link between shame and nakedness you see in verse 18 has Old Testament echoes ringing throughout.

23 · Traces the biblical theology of nakedness from Genesis 2 (nakedness without shame before the fall) through Genesis 3 (shame after the fall), showing how nakedness became a metaphor for sin and judgment, which is how Christ now views the Laodicean church—spiritually naked and exposed

We see in Genesis chapter 2:25 that Adam and his wife were both naked and they felt no shame. But after the fall, what happens? They see their shame. They see their nakedness. In the Old Testament, nakedness became a negative metaphor for sin and God's judgment on it. Christ views this church in Laodicea as being spiritually naked, completely exposed and vulnerable to the world around them. To be just like them, people who are wearing nothing but their sin and shame.

24 · Unpacks the theological meaning of Christ offering white garments by asking what it reveals about Jesus's heart: he desires we not remain in sin/shame, desires to cover our sin, desires to be the provider of that covering, and desires to share his righteousness with us

If Christ is offering the white garments to these self-reliant, prideful Christians who don't think they need him, what does that tell us about Jesus? One, he desires that we don't remain in our sin and shame. 2, he desires that our sin be covered. 3, he desires to be the one who provides the covering of our sin and shame. And 4th, he desires to share his righteousness with us. Look at a few verses. If you are a note-taker, jot down Isaiah 61:10 is what God's people say. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall exult in my God, For he has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He has covered me with the robes of righteousness. We see in the marriage supper of the Lamb in Revelation 19:7-8, God's people saying, let us rejoice and exalt and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. How it was granted to her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure, for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. How was it granted to his bride? 1 Peter 2:24, he himself, Jesus Christ, bore our sins in his own body on the tree. The clothes of Christ on the cross. Sin. Your sin and my sin.

25 · Completes the biblical-theological arc by pointing to Genesis 3:21, where God himself made garments to clothe Adam and Eve, showing that from the very beginning God's desire has been to cover his people's sin and shame—a desire ultimately fulfilled in Christ's offer of white garments

Do you guys know what happened after God spoke with Adam and Eve about the consequences of their sin? It says in Genesis 3:21, and the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skin and clothed them. So we see at the beginning of the Bible, God's desire has been to cover his people's sin and shame, and we see ultimately fulfilled in Christ for eternity, our sin and shame is covered. Forever. Forever.

26 · Applies the doctrine of imputed righteousness: believers are no longer identified by their sin but by Christ's righteousness, which means at the final judgment God will see Christ's righteousness covering us, not our dirty rags

We no longer have to wear dirty rags, brothers and sisters. We are offered white garments. We are offered a new wardrobe by Christ. We are no longer identified by our previous wardrobe, by our previous sin and shame. That is not our identity. Our identity is in Christ because he offers us his righteousness. So when we stand before the Lord, the Lord will say, innocent, not guilty. Is it because you and I earned the white garments? Is it because we were good enough? No, it's because Christ was more than enough to cover our sin and cover our shame so that when the Lord sees us on that day of judgment, he will not see our dirty rags. He will see the righteousness of Christ offered to us from Jesus's death and resurrection. He's forgiven all of our sins, brothers and sisters. We belong to Christ forever.

27 · Explains the third remedy—the salve for their eyes—as spiritual sight that enables them to see their need for the Lord and to live in daily dependence on him

The salve that Jesus offers cures the blindness of the Christians in Laodicea. It allows them to see, man, I just need the Lord. It allows them to see, man, how can I even live this life without the Lord? It allows them to see as soon as they wake up, Lord, what do you have in store for me today?

28 · Applies the salve theologically: Jesus offers spiritual sight to see through the false realities of the world and our own self-deception, to see our need for Christ and that all our needs are fulfilled in him—something only a holy God can provide

Brothers and sisters, here Jesus offers sight. To see the reality behind the reality, behind our world's reality as well as the own reality that we tend to drift into and really believe. Man, see your need for Christ. See that your needs are ultimately fulfilled in Christ, everything He has to offer. He offers it freely and graciously. And who alone can offer this to us? We sang it this morning. Only a holy God.

29 · Escalates the emotional tone, signaling that the gospel offer is about to become even more gracious and intimate

It gets better. Guys, can you just read and hear the grace dripping all over these words?

30 · Sets up the stunning grace of verse 19 by restating the Laodiceans' self-sufficient dismissal of Jesus, then contrasting it with the shocking fact that Jesus has not written them off

We have a people that's like, man, I just don't know. Jesus, I don't really need you. We're good. We're able to pay the bills. We're making pretty good money over here. No one's persecuting us like Philadelphia and Sardis. It's like, man, things are great. We're fine. Jesus, we'll call you when we need you. But Jesus hasn't written them off.

31 · Reads verse 19 and unpacks its theological center: Jesus's discipline is motivated by love, not anger or disappointment

Look what he says. Listen to the comfort. And then the call to action for the lukewarm Christian, verse 19: 'Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline. So be zealous and repent.' What is the charge behind Jesus' discipline? It's love. It's not anger. It's not frustration at you, Christian. It's not disappointment, but it's His love. He loves you so much that He doesn't want to leave you the way you are. He loves you too much. So what does He do? He calls us to repent, to make a mental U-turn. And how does He do it? How does He call us to do this? Not just half-heartedly or Sorry about that. Let me get better. No, zealously. Be on fire for the Lord because of what he offers us, because of who he is, because he's our Savior and we belong to him.

32 · Reinforces the call to zealous repentance by grounding it in God's love, his role as creator, his perfect knowledge of us, and his understanding of our needs better than we understand them ourselves

Be zealous for the Lord. The Lord teaches us over and over and over our need for him. Why? He loves us. He created us. He knows our need for Him. He knows us perfectly. He knows our needs better than we even know them. So brothers and sisters, He is calling this church in Laodicea to repent, and to do so zealously, fervently.

33 · Reads verse 20 and corrects a common misreading: this is not an evangelistic invitation to non-believers but Jesus knocking at the door of his own lukewarm people, patiently waiting for them to turn back to him and speaking loudly so they will hear

It gets better. 20, behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with me. Man, I don't know about you guys, but I always thought the knocking on the door metaphor was just for non-believers. But Jesus is knocking at the door of Christians. Did you catch that? These are his people. He's knocking at the door. He is talking to them, trying to get them to hear his voice. And he's waiting patiently. And he's just hoping that these Christians will turn and turn towards him, turn from their lukewarmness. And he's hoping that they will be open to his correction. And change their ways. But he's not only knocking at the door, he is speaking loudly so that we may hear his voice. Are you drowning out his voice? The Lord is knocking and he's talking to you.

34 · Uses contemporary examples (date nights, In-N-Out fellowship, breaking bread in homes) to establish the cultural reality that sharing a meal signifies intimacy, acceptance, and honor between people

But he goes a step further. He offers a meal. Why is Jesus even doing this? Well, first let's jump into the meal section and then we'll talk about why is Jesus doing this. The meal, why are 10 of our date nights centered around food? Why do people go to real burger joints like In-N-Out for fellowship over the world's best burger? Why do we break bread in our homes with one another? Because there is an intimacy in sharing a meal with someone. When we dine together, there is an agreed-upon acceptance and honor between the two people, right?

35 · Applies the meal metaphor theologically: Jesus's offer to eat with the Laodiceans means he accepts them not when they have it all together but when they see their desperate need for him

Do you hear that, guys? There is acceptance. Jesus accepts us When we have it all figured out, when we are A+ Christians with an amazing report card of, 'Lord, look what I've done.' No, he accepts us when we see our desperate need for him. That's just crazy to me. It's so graceful. We may be quick to write people off for abandoning us, for saying, ah, I don't really need you. Man, it's so easy to be like, all right, that boat sailed, see ya. But not Jesus. Jesus never writes anyone off. Every soul matters to him. He desires that everyone is saved from the judgment and the wrath of God. So he patiently knocks and he waits, holding an invitation in hand.

36 · Summarizes the entire gospel offer of verses 18-20: Jesus offers what the world cannot—an offer extended to all who see their need to rely on him, who recognize the world's inability to satisfy, and who cannot cover their own sin

Jesus offers us what we can never find anything in this world. Jesus offers us something so much more than anything we could ever experience or anyone we could ever encounter. The offer is for all who seek see their need to rely on the Lord rather than themselves. This is an offer to all who see that what the world offers cannot satisfy me perfectly. It will fall short. And this is offered to all who cannot cover up their own sin and shame. Jesus is offering here in his counsel, to make the exchange from self-reliance to Christ-reliance, from lukewarm to zealous for him.

37 · Introduces the final section on the promise to conquerors (verse 21), explains the Greek word nikao behind 'conquer,' uses the Nike brand as a cultural analogy, and identifies lukewarmness as the specific thing Christ is calling his people to conquer

To further motivate and encourage his church, he holds out a reward for the conquerors. Our last point is the choice. Verse 21: The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. This word conquer comes from the Greek word nikao, which is where Nike got their name from. So Nike's message to its people who wear their brand, who wear the swoosh, is you can conquer any opponent, you can conquer any task, any reps before you if you're wearing our swoosh, right? So here Christ is calling his people to be Nike Christians, to conquer their lukewarmness. That is what he is asking them to conquer. And man, the Lord holds out a reward to encourage and motivate His church.

38 · Interprets the promise of sitting on Christ's throne as a restoration of the created order from Genesis—humanity made in God's image to rule in his place

Vince was able to help me see that this reward is a restoration of the created order, the way it was intended to be—free from sin forever. After the creation of the world in Genesis, we see the apex of God's creation: mankind, who is made in His image to rule in His place in the garden. And God gave the command to have dominion, and through Christ, he restores not only our image but our ability to have dominion. And then, even better, he even shares that dominion with us. The promise to the repentant overcomer, to the Nike Christian in Laodicea, anticipates the privilege of participating and God's kingdom for eternity. This is where Jesus is taking his people in Revelation— back to the garden for eternity, back into rulership with God.

39 · Brings the sermon to a close by calling the congregation to self-assessment and repentance, urging them to let God's kindness ignite zeal

Brothers and sisters, look at your life and assess the areas where you may be lukewarm and repent. The church in Laodicea was self-reliant. Reliant, and it caused them to be lukewarm. It affected their works. Their works were ineffective. They were not Christians who were hungry for the Lord. Let there be an urgency to wake up, to shake off our lukewarmness, and to let the kindness, the love, and the merciful patience of the Lord Ignite a fire in our heart for him. Now, on my way to church this morning, I was listening to Zach Williams. He's one of my favorite artists, and in his song 'My Liberty,' he says, 'There is a hope for all who've gone astray. There is a road for all who've lost their way, and there is a light that leads us back to grace that ever shines and never fades.' That light is is the sun. Not the big fireball in the sky, S-U-N, but the Son of God, Jesus Christ. The amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning and ruler of all of creation. And if you open the door, if you hear his voice, you will enjoy rich communion with him forever. His presence results in us overcoming, to being restored to our original purposes, and to take the rule and reign of the Lord over all of the earth.

40 · Closing prayer thanking God for his kindness, patience, mercy, and love, asking him to help the congregation see their daily need for him, to liberate those trapped in pride and self-reliance, and to grant courage to die to self and live zealously for him

Pray with me. Father, you are so kind to us, Lord. Lord, thank you for not writing us off. Lord, thank you for your patience. Thank you for your mercy. I thank you for your love for your people. Lord, help us to see how great our need for you is every day until we are fully in your presence. Lord, liberate those who are trapped in their pride and self-reliance. And Lord, I pray that they experience freedom in the riches, freedom in the white garments, and freedom in the salve. You have to offer. Oh, give us the courage to die to ourselves and live zealously for you. All of God's people said amen.