Passion or laziness?
The video we just watched is pretty silly isn’t it? Here you have a group of firefighters that never go out of the station. They are relaxed, enjoying their fellowship, cooking on the grill or watching TV. They never answer the call.
I am sure that you have heard the statement “Lukewarm Christian” before because we have discussed it on Wednesday night in the past. But what does being a lukewarm Christian mean? For a long time I thought of it this way: A lukewarm Christian is one who can just coast by in life. They are someone who doesn’t ever getting convicted of big sins and who doesn’t get involved in God’s work because they just aren’t called.
You can almost get envious of them cant you? They have all the perks of being a Christian, the hope of heaven, but they don’t have to get their hands dirty with God’s work. Their lives don’t ever get complicated because they have “Just enough” of God.
It kind of makes you sick doesn’t it? When you have a passion for the things of God, or you have experienced Him in amazing ways, it is very difficult to imagine that kind of a lifestyle isn’t it? It’s pretty much laziness. Who here likes lazy people? How about when you are working on a group project with a lazy person, or persons? It is a terrible experience because it seems like they just do not care. They affect your grade because of their work ethic.
I want to challenge you tonight to examine this idea of being lukewarm. It is so important that we go to Scripture to find out truth and not allow for other people to influence us in what we believe. With that being said, what does Scripture say about being lukewarm? Or being a lukewarm Christian?
*Re 3:14–16 14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. 15 “ ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
The first thing we need to see here is that this is a letter to the church in Laodicea. A church is receiving this message. It is a group of people who actually think that they are doing what they are supposed to be doing for God. Or at least they are trying to squeak by with the least they can do and still inherit God’s kingdom.
Let’s look at Jesus’ reaction to a lukewarm group of people. He wishes that they were either cold or hot, but because they are neither one He will spit them out of His mouth. There isn’t a lot of room for interpretation here. Jesus will expel them from His mouth, in effect, from His presence.
I hate lukewarm coffee. It is pretty much the worst thing in the world. Boiling hot coffee is amazing. Cold, iced coffee is incredible. Coffee that is room temperature is terrible! If I make the mistake of sipping a cup of lukewarm coffee, I do my best to swallow it, but it is a struggle.
Just based off of this scripture you can already surmise that it doesn’t look good for anyone to be lukewarm. Let’s take it a step further.
Breakdown of Being Lukewarm
*Re 3:17–18 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 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.
These are the people at the church replying in this way. Don’t worry about it, I don’t need anything. I am rich, why would I need anything else? I am safe because I prayed a prayer. You can see that we are blessed because we are prospering. Guys, we have been talking about our identity this weekend. Doesn’t this reaction make you a little uncomfortable?
Let’s contrast this with what the Bible says about followers of Christ.
*Luke 24:49 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
We are promised to be clothed with the Holy Spirit. We will have His power evident in our lives because the Spirit will be a physical part of ourselves.
*Romans 13:14 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
Our identity is to be like Christ. We should not look to gratify our own selfish, sinful desires, but to be set apart for Him. In other words, we should not be lazy before Him seeking our own pleasure.
*Galatians 3:26–29 26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
We have the promise of the inheritance of God’s kingdom. Once again we see the analogy of being clothed with Christ. We are safe in Him if we have believed in Christ as Lord.
*1 Peter 1:3–9 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Our lives are lived through trials and tribulations so that our faith will be refined and prove to be genuine (vs.7). That doesn’t sound like an afternoon on the couch does it? That sounds like putting our faith to action.
Our faith, once found to be true, will result in praise and glory and honor for Jesus Christ (vs.7). Jesus will rejoice with us because we are following after Him. He finds pleasure and joy when He looks at our lives because He sees a people that long to serve and honor Him.
We are filled with joy because of Him. We are obtaining the outcome of our faith, the salvation of our souls (vs.9). Our lives are visibly different. What does it mean to be filled with joy? To be overcome, giddy, with happiness! We should have joy in our lives because we know that following God has caused us to be different. We should have joy because Jesus Christ Himself is happy to look at us!
Lukewarm, or Unsaved?
Pretend this is the first time you have read this scripture in Revelation. What is the Bible really saying about people who are lukewarm? Jesus will spit them out of His mouth. There is no room for it, it is disgusting to Him. He goes on to say that the lukewarm are poor, blind, and naked. People to be pitied. Is that what Jesus says about people who are found in Him? No! We just looked at a fraction of the scripture that talks about people who are found in Christ. They have eyes wide open; they are clothed, rich, and blessed.
Here is the gut wrenching reality. Lukewarm Christianity does not exist. There are Christians who long to follow God, and people who have been fooled into thinking that they can just squeak by and still inherit God’s kingdom.
Going from lukewarm, to on Fire
Those firefighters we watched just a little while ago were dressed like firemen. They had all the equipment. They even have the uniforms. But they never answered the call. If you stepped back and looked at that situation what would you say? Those guys are even firemen!
Revelation 3:14 says that the letter was written to a church. They looked like a church, acted like a church, but they were lukewarm. They were unsaved people pretending to have a relationship with God. This is what Jesus goes on to say to them:
*Re 3:18 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.
Christ is pleading with them to turn to Him, to have their eyes open and that they would be clothed by Him. He was pleading with them that they would actually follow Him in faith and be saved. Do you know what this tells me? It tells me that being in church doesn’t guarantee your salvation.
Do you know what else this tells me? That Jesus wants us to be passionate about following Him. You can’t partially follow directions and get to where you are supposed to go. You will end up somewhere you weren’t planning on going to. We can’t be halfhearted in a decision to follow God. There is only one way.
If your life is not a reflection of a passion for Christ, you need to pray that God changes your attitude towards Him. Being lukewarm leads to judgment, not a smack on the wrist. We tend to think of being lukewarm as a Christian description. But that is not how Jesus portrays it.
It’s dangerous to be lukewarm, so let’s change that mentality. Let’s move from allowing others to accept this position and lead by example.
Wear it, live it
We have been talking about finding our identity in Christ, not putting on an act, have you thought about it? Are you found in Christ and are you being transformed by Him on a daily basis? Or are you playing the game? Jesus saw people in this church at Laodicea that were playing the game and they thought they had it made. But Jesus says that they were wretched and to be pitied because they were heading towards judgment, not His grace.
We are to be clothed with Christ. There is no faking that and there is no reality to being a lukewarm Christian. They don’t exist.
This topic breaks my heart because I look at our congregation and I see the lie of being a lukewarm Christian being accepted. Stay comfortable, you don’t need to give anything up for Christ. But that is another lie that the devil will try to spread so that Christianity is no threat to his plans.
We know that our identity is in Him alone and we need to make sure that we are making Him known so that we may help save some.
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