Text: Revelation 3:15-16
The church in Laodicea was condemned for being “lukewarm.” They thought they were in “need of nothing,” but they were not spiritually healthy. They needed to “be zealous and repent.” At times, we may be like the Laodiceans – not what we should be, but not completely unfaithful either; not zealously serving God, but not willfully rejecting Him; instead, we are in a state of spiritual mediocrity. What does this look like? How can we change it?
Doing the Minimum
- Some people just want to do the least they can to get by – how often to assemble? how much to give? how many people do we need to teach?
- This was the attitude of the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16-22) – he turned away when he heard he had to give up what he loved and give his life over to Jesus
- To enter the kingdom, we must do the will of the Father (Matthew 7:21) – be totally committed (Romans 12:1); assemble habitually (Hebrews 10:25); give liberally (2 Corinthians 9:6, 13); teach at any opportunity (1 Peter 3:15)
Looking for Loopholes
- Too often, people look for excuses to justify certain sins – OK to drink as long as you don’t get drunk; OK to commit fornication if you’re in love
- This was the attitude of the lawyer who tested Jesus (Luke 10:25-29) – Jesus answered with the parable of the Good Samaritan; the command was to love one’s neighbor; this man hadn’t done it and wanted to justify himself
- Rather than see what sin we can “justify,” we should seek to glorify God in our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:20) – our goal is to be like Christ who had “no sin” (1 Peter 2:21-22); avoid alcohol (Proverbs 23:31; 1 Peter 4:3); honor marriage (Hebrews 13:4)
Remaining Static
- It is tempting to be content and confident in our current condition and fail to grow – unable to teach, but remain unable; struggle with certain temptations, but continue to struggle
- This was the problem of the Hebrew Christians (Hebrews 5:11-14) – they became “dull of hearing”; did not use the word to help them grow as they should
- Christians are expected to grow (2 Peter 3:18) – not to remain in the same condition (1 Peter 2:2; Luke 8:15); develop the ability to teach (Hebrews 5:12; 2 Timothy 2:2); learn to overcome temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13)
Seeking Questions, Not Answers
- Even if we don’t always grow as we should, we recognize the need to grow in spiritual understanding – but some seem to think that maturity is measured by questions rather than answers
- Paul warned of those who kept learning, but never arrived at the truth (2 Timothy 3:7) – they focused on matters of speculation instead (1 Timothy 1:3-4)
- We are to understand God’s will (Ephesians 5:17) – we can understand it (Ephesians 3:4); we are to study the Scriptures (2 Timothy 2:15) and be ready to give an answer (1 Peter 3:15); refuse to engage in foolish speculations about things God did not address
Forgetting God
- It is possible to do what God’s word teaches, but forget WHY we are to do it – sing for enjoyment; assemble for social interaction; debate for the sake of debate
- This was what happened with the church in Ephesus (Revelation 2:2-5) – they “left [their] first love”; they did many right things, but for the wrong reasons
- We must do what is commanded and authorized in God’s word (Colossians 3:17) – do it to glorify God (John 17:4); sing to praise God (Hebrews 2:12); assemble to worship (John 4:24); defend the gospel (Philippians 1:16-17)
Conclusion
- If we find areas in our lives that need improvement, we need to be working to do so
- We should not be content being “lukewarm” – mediocre in our service to God
- We should strive to do the best we can in every area of our lives in service to God
