The Lukewarm Church (Revelation 3:14-22)

Big Idea: Comfort and indifference in faith disgust Jesus, who calls believers to return to genuine spiritual passion.

Did you ever see Rocky 3? In Rocky 3, Rocky Balboa has been the heavyweight champion of the world for several years. The once obscure and impoverished street fighter from Philadelphia is now living in a Hollywood-style mansion. He's enjoying a life of wealth, fame, and self-indulgence.

The day he plans to announce his retirement, he is challenged by an unknown behemoth. One final fight, and Rocky accepts the challenge. Rocky trains for the fight in a circus-like atmosphere. He signs more autographs than he hits punching bags. Meanwhile, the challenger is in a meat locker, punching sides of beef and knocking around dockworkers and docks.

As the fight approaches, there's doubt about whether Rocky can achieve one last victory despite no longer being at his best. The challenger defeats Rocky in three rounds. Humiliated and dejected, Rocky tries to figure out what went wrong.

Apollo Creed, his opponent in Rocky 1 and 2, gives him his assessment. Do you remember his words?

Eye of the tiger, Rock. Eye of the tiger.

You used to have the eye of the tiger. You used to be hungry to win. You used to have the want-to. You used to be willing to pay the price to train. You used to fight with abandonment. You used to.

But winning led to fame, and fame led to affluence, and affluence led to indulgence, and self-indulgence led to weakness, and weakness led to defeat.

Apollo Creed convinced Rocky to work out in a run-down sweatshop. Creed spent months helping Rocky recapture the eye of the tiger. Rocky, full of determination, reclaimed his world championship and shouted, "Yo Adrian!" again. Moral of the story: Beware of the dangers of a life of comfort and ease. Keep a watchful eye out to make sure it doesn't lead to an embarrassing and costly defeat. Do whatever is necessary to keep the eye of the tiger in the various pursuits that are important to you.

This morning, we'll examine the final letter from Jesus Christ to specific churches in the book of Revelation. The church we'll look at this morning – Laodicea – is the worst of the seven. Outwardly, this church is in great shape. Laodicea was the richest of the seven cities, famous for its banking, black wool production, and a medical school that made eye ointment. This city was so wealthy that when an earthquake nearly destroyed it in 60 AD, the rich citizens declined imperial aid and chose to rebuild it on their own. The citizens of Laodicea were rich – and they knew it.

If you were a real estate agent at that time, it wouldn't be hard to sell Laodicea. It was a great place to live. The only real negative about the place was its lack of an adequate water supply. The city of Hierapolis was just seven miles north of Laodicea, and was famous for its healing hot springs. Colosse, less than ten miles away, had cool water. But Laodicea, as rich as it was, had a serious water problem. The city's water traveled six miles through an aqueduct and arrived lukewarm, bland, and full of minerals and chemicals. It sometimes caused vomiting. But what's a little water problem in such a great city?

Perhaps slowly, and perhaps imperceptibly, the culture of the city became the culture of the church. The comfort and affluence of the city caused the church in Laodicea to become comfortable and complacent. You initially get the impression that this church would be a good one to join. There were no false teachings that are mentioned. There was certainly no persecution from Jews or from the imperial cult.

The church in Laodicea was not a dynamic church, but it was not a dead church either. It was not a thriving church, but it was not a dying church. It was not a risk-taking church, but it was not a comatose church. It was well within the range of evangelical respectability, you might say. It was kind of normal. It was just a safe, comfortable place to attend and have a membership. No high-risk plans on the drawing boards there. No dynamic ministry plans are being prayed for there. A friendly group of people gathering to support middle-class values and a Christian outlook on life. Just a benign group of believers content to cocoon together with other believers for an hour a week. They're not zealots, but neither are they antagonistic. They're not hot, but neither are they cold. Call them tepid, call them lukewarm, and then call them disgusting in the eyes of Christ.

Shockingly, in verse 16, Jesus says to the church in Laodicea, "You make me sick." Verse 16 literally says, "I am about to vomit." The Jesus that we think of as being meek and mild says, "What's going on at your church makes me ill to my stomach." Unlike the other churches mentioned by Jesus in Revelation 2 and 3, this church receives no commendations. Jesus is nauseated by their condition.

What Makes Jesus Sick

My desire this morning is that we would evaluate ourselves against the two things that disturbed Jesus about this church. Once we get over the shock of the strong language of Jesus, we learn two factors that make Jesus sick about the church. Two things that Jesus can't stand in any church – then or today. And the first one is found in verses 15 and 16.

Jesus is disgusted with churches that are indifferent.

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. (Revelation 3:15-16)

Unlike the cool, refreshing water of Colosse and the hot, healing water of Hierapolis, the water in Laodicea was lukewarm and unpleasant. Jesus extends this to the church.

Lukewarm didn't have the same meaning as it does today when applied to passion. I don't think Jesus would want anyone to be openly hostile towards him, but at least hostility shows some emotion. But what Jesus is saying here is something like this: "You're all the wrong temperature. You're passionless and indifferent. You don't take a stand for anything. You're not doing anything for Christ. You're a group of half-hearted, nominal Christians who are self-sufficient – and you're disgusting. You're making me ill."

There's a fancy word that we sometimes use called entropy. It's used to describe the tendency towards decay and deterioration of everything around us. Left to itself, everything is in a state of decay. A car left in your driveway for ten years doesn't improve; it just becomes useless metal.

I'll get technical with you for a second. The second law of thermodynamics states that "a closed system eventually moderates so that no more energy is being produced." In other words, unless something is added from the outside, the system decays and dies. As one person says, without added fuel, the hot water in the boiler becomes cool. Without electricity, the refrigerant in the freezer becomes warm. Even a church cannot become a "closed system." And yet the Laodicean church had become independent, self-satisfied, and secure. And it made Jesus sick.

A hymnal for the Laodicean church might include songs like "I Surrender Some," "Take My Life and Let Me Be," "Sit Up, Sit Up for Jesus," "My Hope is Built on Nothing Much," and "Be Thou My Hobby." But before we laugh too much, how many of us are familiar with churches that are lukewarm? How many of us here this morning are wealthy, live comfortably, and feel confident, satisfied, and indifferent?

I don't know about you, but I didn't sign up for that. Ask yourself – didn't your passion used to burn for Christ and for the church? I grew up believing that the church was God's hope for society. That the Gospel has the power to do what government can't do, what science can't do. I believed that Jesus Christ was mankind's only hope. And I believed it so much that I sensed God calling me into full-time vocational ministry. I thought, "There's no better way to spend a life." I believed the old saying, "If God's called you to be a pastor, don't stoop to be a king."

But then I became a pastor of a church. Part of the problem was that the church was full of nice people. Our budget was being met. We were seeing some growth. And the slow but subtle trend was for me to forget that the church has a mission. Opening doors for the same people each week brought fellowship, but there was little passion for the lost or for God. That's the truth. Beware the dangers of living a life of comfort and ease. Winning brings fame, fame brings wealth, wealth leads to indulgence, indulgence results in weakness, and weakness leads to defeat.

The second thing that Jesus can't stand in the church is found in verse 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."

Jesus is disgusted with churches that are self-deceived.

The main issue for the church in Laodicea was not just indifference, but their ignorance of their true condition. They thought of themselves as being rich and sufficient. But Jesus evaluates them and says, "You're really spiritually wretched and pitiful. You're poor, blind, and naked."

In an excellent book The Heart of a Great Pastor, H.B. London and Neil Wiseman write:

To acknowledge frailties in the Church and failures in the ministry is giant step toward renewal… I heard a recognized clergy leader tell ministerial students…that the "Church is doing a better job of fulfilling her mission now than at any time in church history." A student asked a friend seated next to him, "I wonder if the speaker really believes that? If everything is right, why are so many giving up on the church?" Let's admit that the Church is not what it should be. It is not what it can be. Deep in our hearts, we all know that the Church needs to be renewed and refocused. There is a growing feeling…that something has to be done about it… Winston Churchill is quoted as saying that challenges are keys to self-renewal. If he is right, the Church is presented with the potential of an awesome awakening.

Jesus' Advice

To people who realize that not all is well in the church, Jesus offers four words of advice.

Come to Jesus for everything you need.

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. (Revelation 3:18)

In a city that had plenty of gold as a source of its wealth, Jesus says, "It's not enough. You need gold from me." In a city that was known for its manufacture of black wool, Jesus says, "You need to get clothes from me." And in a city renowned for its manufacture of eye salve, Jesus says, "Come to me for divine eye salve. You need a renewed spiritual vision so you can see life and eternity for what they are. Your eyes have been blinded by the light of culture, but my eye salve works." Come to me realizing that you have no resources of your own. You need my salvation, and my power to be what you need to be.

Accept Jesus' discipline.

“Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline...” (Revelation 3:19). Jesus still loves lukewarm saints, even though their love for him has grown cold. Jesus tells us here that he sometimes permits churches to go through times of trial so they can become all that they need to be.

Repent and be ernest.

"...so be zealous and repent" (Revelation 3:19).

In light of Jesus' discipline, be earnest, and repent. Rekindle your love and loyalty for Christ. Humble yourselves before the sight of the Lord. It's not too late to replace complacency with zeal.

Respond to christ's invitation to the church.

Read what Jesus says in verse 20: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me."

This is one of the most graphic portrayals of the nature of Christ in Scripture. Usually that verse is used for evangelistic purposes, and I suppose that's permissible. But that's not the way that verse is meant to be understood. It's a picture that Jesus paints for all of us, a beautiful picture. By rights, lukewarm Christians should be standing at Christ's door, begging for forgiveness for their half-heartedness and their apathy. But look at the picture that is painted here.

No other love is like Christ's love! The nail-scarred hands of Jesus are knocking on the door of a callused Christian, whose heart should be warm with worship night and day. But it's not. So the disappointed but long-suffering Jesus patiently knocks on the door of a tepid Christian, saying, "I'm seeking you out." "True, I Jesus, am the offended and the wronged party." "But I am extending myself to you. I'm knocking at your door. I'm taking the initiative." And he says, "Open the door." That's what you call amazing grace. Jesus, what a friend for sinners. Hallelujah, what a Savior! What a picture of hope for lukewarm Christians.

This is a call for you to leave the ranks of the half-hearted. And become fully devoted. So tepid Christians, you know who you are. This last call is for you. The Christ you claim to love is standing at your heart's door this morning. And he's patiently knocking. He's patiently offering you the hope of forgiveness, renewal, and growth.

Open the door! Don't delay, don't put him off. Don't make him chasten you. Before the rod of discipline is employed. Welcome him to a position of lordship in your life. Resolve to get back into good spiritual shape again by rigorous disciplines. Resolve to meet with him every day so you never grow distant from him. Increase your spiritual intake. Meet regularly with other Christians to sharpen each other. Make Sundays priority in your life. Recapture the eye of the tiger, spiritually speaking.

What about it friends? Christ stands at the door of your heart and knocks. Open the door.

Let's pray. God has given us letters to the seven churches to help us reflect on our lives and ministries. Over the past six messages on this subject, I believe that many of us have been convicted. Many of us dislike feeling convicted, but we've heard the Holy Spirit address issues like losing our first love, spiritual attacks, compromised teaching and leadership, complacency, being lukewarm, and letting God open doors.

These are not my words to the church; they're Jesus' words. They're what Christ thinks of the church. Listen to the challenge and the promise at the end:

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. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (Revelation 3:21-22)

To achieve the victory Jesus promises, we must listen for the Spirit's voice that comes with his words. Will you hear the Spirit's voice this morning, and respond? Will you open the door as you hear Jesus knocking, and allow him to enter, and eat with him, and he with you? Will you cast off indifference and self-deception, and leave the ranks of the half-hearted?

Please take a minute to pray silently, reflecting on what the Spirit has communicated to you through Revelation 2 and 3.

Lord, make us into the church we need to be, the people we ought to be, in Jesus' name, Amen.