Awakening the Lukewarm Heart: Reigniting Your Passion for God

[0:00] And talking tonight really about a spiritual check-up. Who's ever been to the doctor and get the pulse checked! And making sure you're still alive and everything's still ticking like it should.

[0:13] ! Like this complacency.

[0:32] Getting sort of stagnant, spiritually stagnant. A Laodicean, a lukewarm state. It's not a good place to be. As we know, you can either be on the hot side or on the cold side.

[0:46] Or you can be lukewarm. So that's what we're going to chat about tonight. Lukewarmness and what it is. What causes it? What causes lukewarmness? Let me introduce you to Mr Lukewarm.

[0:58] Here's a man, Mr Lukewarm. For he is neither cold nor hot. Neither cold nor hot. This is the picture of the lukewarm Christian.

[1:11] He says he's a Christian, but he seldom attends church. And he says things like this. He says, I'm under a great deal of tension where I work and often go fishing on weekends for relaxation.

[1:23] Church is alright, but a person can't do everything, you know. And Mr Lukewarm, he's also an uneasy conscience about his giving. He says, I'll put a dollar or two in the offering plate whenever I go and I think that's all God can expect of me.

[1:37] You just don't know how expensive it is maintaining my cabin at the lakeside and paying my membership for the sports club and such. Anyway, church has put too much emphasis on money.

[1:47] Sometimes I get so disgusted with this talk about sacrificing for Christ that I feel like quitting altogether. Because some people like that, aren't they? They won't sacrifice anything. There's a lot of people just like Mr Lukewarm.

[2:01] It's kind of this idea that he's just coasting along, not really taking his faith seriously. And at the heart of it, you could say it's a kind of lack of zeal, isn't it?

[2:12] There's a lack of zeal there. And we see that, for example, illustrated in the encounter of Elisha with King Joash. We're going to go to 2 Kings 13.

[2:24] 2 Kings 13. We're going to show the words here as well. 2 Kings 13 from verse 18. And the circumstance here is the prophet Elisha talking with the king, Joash.

[2:38] And King Joash wanted victory for Israel over the enemy, Syria. And Elisha got him to shoot off some arrows, to fire off these arrows. And Elisha related to the firing off of the arrows as relating to his battle with Syria and getting victory over the enemy.

[3:00] And then Elisha urged the king to strike them on the ground, to strike the arrows on the ground.

[3:11] Some say he was still shooting them into the ground or it could have been thrashing them on the ground. Either way, he was striking the ground with the arrows. In 2 Kings 13, 18 it reads, And he said, Take the arrows.

[3:23] And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smite thrice and stayed. And the man of God was wroth with him and said, Thou should have stood smitten five or six times.

[3:36] Then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it. Whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice. So he hit these arrows on the ground.

[3:47] But he did it kind of half-heartedly, kind of weakly, kind of not really strong. Only three times. And Joash didn't show much zeal here. He just did it half-heartedly.

[3:58] And the picture here in this account that Elisha related to the king was that this was going to cost him victory. Because he just did it half-heartedly. We can be like that, can't we?

[4:10] When we do something for God, we can kind of do it half-heartedly, kind of reluctantly, kind of weakly, like not very strongly. And Elisha used this exercise as a way of showing that the king, Joash, of his lack of zeal, and how this would cost him dearly.

[4:29] And Elisha told the king that he would not get victory in the battle. So we could reflect on that. Are we kind of like King Joash, just kind of...

[4:41] Or are we going to smash those arrows? Are we going to smite them multiple times into the ground? And what about us? Are we serious about God's call?

[4:52] About God's challenge to us in our lives? How are we with our faith? Are we half-hearted? It's a trap, isn't it? We can all get that way.

[5:03] Our Lord urges us in the word of God. He tells the disciples in a picture of a parable form. He tells them, occupy till I come. In other words, be engaged, be active, be activated.

[5:16] Are we doing that? Are we occupying till we come? Our Lord's coming. And he wants us to be ready. He wants us to have an awakeness, an alertness, and to be serving, active, activated Christians.

[5:31] Are we? Will we be a people who seek after God? Or will we be kind of half-hearted or lukewarm? Are we such that God's agenda is a priority to us, that the things of God are what matters?

[5:49] Or is it we're just kind of half-hearted? David says, I delight to do thy will. Oh, my God. He had this heart delight. The heart delight of David.

[6:02] I delight to do thy will. He really wanted to. He had that heart's desire. And God looks at the heart, and he sees us.

[6:12] He sees right through, doesn't he? He sees the very innards of us. And with his x-ray eyes, if you like, with his x-ray vision. Are we like David to cultivate that heart, that we delight to do God's will?

[6:25] God's will matters, and we want to do it. We really have that heart, that heart of worship, that will overcome the lukewarmness that sometimes comes and takes his place, that creeps into our lives.

[6:37] Can we seek God for that vibrant, passionate faith, that desire to do his will, that he so wants for us? Let's each of us consider our relationship with our Lord.

[6:49] If you've got this kind of idea of a spiritual check-up today, compare how you are today with how you were this same time last year.

[6:59] Have you grown? Or has it maybe you've grown in the wrong way? You know, we can all ask that, can't we, if we're honest today? How was I a year ago from today?

[7:11] Was I stronger or was I weaker? Have you gone forwards or have you gone backwards? Let's take a look tonight at the lukewarm church. It's something our Lord portrays for us here, the lukewarm church.

[7:25] So we're going to go to Revelation 3. Let's take a look at the lukewarm church. It's a spiritually sick church. Let's take the pulse, if you like, and see what the problems are of this lukewarm church, the Laodicean church.

[7:39] Let's see the diagnosis of this church's spiritual health. Check the spiritual health here and look to the doctor, Dr. Jesus, for his prescription.

[7:51] What's he going to say is the antidote for such a condition? We see that in Revelation 3 from verse 13. Our Lord tells, He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

[8:07] And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.

[8:19] He's saying, Let him that has ears to hear, hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. It reads on verse 15. As he addresses this church of the Laodiceans, Verse 15, he says, I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot.

[8:39] I word thou art cold or hot. So then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. Strong words, aren't they?

[8:52] You're not cold, you're not hot, you're lukewarm, I'm going to spew thee out of my mouth. Why? Verse 17, 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.

[9:14] So this church was bragging on, I'm rich, I'm increased with goods, I've need of nothing. And the Lord says, No, not at all. You're wretched, miserable, poor, blind, naked.

[9:26] And verse 18, it reads on, I counseled 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 eye self, that thou mayest see.

[9:47] As many as I love, I rebuke, and chasten, be zealous, therefore, and repent. So let's take a look at this church. Here was a church. No, it was a believing church.

[9:58] It was commended in the sense it was one of the seven. It was one of God's churches. It was a believing church. It was a church of God. And yet the folk were sitting and doing nothing. Their works, not their faith, was the problem.

[10:12] And Christ called them to change their works. Here were the redeemed people of God, yet they were living just like the world. They were just like the world. They were trusting in their own riches and comforts.

[10:25] Their lives didn't show that they were true followers of Christ, even though they were. God says to this church, you make me sick. How sad it would be, wouldn't it, to be in their number, to be a lukewarm Christian.

[10:41] The Laodicean church was blind to its own needs. It was unwilling to face up to the truth. What about you and me? Have a think about, a spiritual check-up.

[10:51] How am I spiritually? How's my relationship with the Lord? Can we honestly make that self-assessment today? Of course it reads on as it tells us, Behold, I stand at the door and knock.

[11:05] If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him and suck with him and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and I'm set down with my Father.

[11:21] So it's interesting, he's standing at the door, he's knocking us, he's outside of this church at this juncture here and he's saying, If any man hear my voice, I'll come into him and suck with him and hear with me.

[11:32] So it's kind of relational, isn't it? Think of God as relational. If we can have a relationship with God, it's like we had some time at the camp, playing, laughing, eating together, we had time together, it was relational and God's like that too, isn't he?

[11:50] It's like you have someone invite you over, that God wants you to come in and he wants to sup with you, he wants to dine with you, he wants to have fellowship with you, he wants that relationship with you and we see that for them that was missing.

[12:06] We see three things that we can learn about the church at Laodicea, three things we can learn from this church, three things we see about them. Number one, firstly, they had lost their strength, they had lost their strength.

[12:19] Back to verse 16, So then, because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth, because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and of need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.

[12:35] They had lost their strength, they thought they were strong, they thought they had need of nothing, they thought that they had everything, but really, they were lukewarm.

[12:45] Think of it, if you go to take a drink and I know Julie's giving me a lovely drink here and ah, that's just right, I won't demonstrate the lukewarm, because that wouldn't be very edifying for me to spew it out of my mouth.

[13:05] But nobody likes lukewarm water, do they? Think of it, you've got lukewarm water, tastes like, I don't know, dish water or whatever, you know, it sort of tastes, no, it doesn't, it's not cold, like refreshing, it's not hot, like a hot drink, but it's lukewarm.

[13:21] Oh! And that's what the Lord saw here. They'd lost their strength and this Laodicean church, they were self-satisfied. We have need of nothing. They thought they were a strong church, they thought they were, but really, they were the exact opposite.

[13:36] They had lost spiritual power. They thought they had everything, you know, they had all the bells and whistles and it was, you know, everything that a church could wish for as far as outwardly, it seemed like everything was right, but really, everything was wrong.

[13:52] And we think for ourselves, you know, it's easy to think, oh, I've got everything I need, but really, we have to keep humble, don't we? That we have to trust our Lord. Firstly, they had lost their strength, they'd lost spiritual power.

[14:06] I know this morning, one of the cars, the driver got in and got his keys out and they'd lost power. The battery had died and our battery can get flat, can't it?

[14:18] Spiritually too. And we need a jump start. The power is gone. Talks about that, doesn't it? That they've got much hoo-ha, but they're lacking the power.

[14:30] They're lacking the power thereof. We can rely over much on our own power as well, on our own trappings and technologies and all the bells and whistles of man's making.

[14:41] If we don't have the power of God, then it's empty, isn't it? And we can even fail to see that anything is wrong. This church didn't see that there was anything wrong. I have need of nothing.

[14:53] God forbid that we would act like the Laodiceans, that we would think that we have need of nothing. We have need of God. We have need of God. Even if we got everything right, we always have need of him.

[15:03] And they were thinking that they were so powerful, but really they were just prideful. They thought that they had everything. We can make that mistake, every one of us, that all was going well, but the Lord saw their true condition.

[15:18] God says this church is wretched. It's miserable. Think of Hebrews 2, verse 1. It talks about drifting, about being careful. Watch out.

[15:29] Don't drift. Give the more earnest heed. Give the more earnest heed. We can drift. We can slacken. We can slip. But don't drift.

[15:41] Wake up. Be alert. Be careful. Give the more earnest heed. The enemy would trick us and con us and distract us, sap our strength, make us think we're strong when we're actually weak because we're relying on our own strength.

[15:57] And don't let him fool you that you're stronger than you really are. So we're talking three areas of need of the church at Laodicea. We can learn from they had lost their strength. They had lost their strength.

[16:08] Secondly, they had lost their values. They had lost their values. Verse 17. It reads, Because thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods and of need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I counsel thee.

[16:25] Our Lord says, I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich in white raiment, white clothing, that thou mayest be clothed and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eye self that thou mayest see.

[16:44] They'd lost their values. Our Lord was showing the Laodiceans that the true value was not in the material trappings, the possessions, but rather that relationship with God, being in right relationship with God.

[16:56] The Laodiceans had begun to measure everything by the human standards, by what they could see, instead of the spiritual values, what really mattered. And they were blind to the real state of their own hearts.

[17:08] They were wretched, miserable, poor, blind, naked. They'd lost those values that really mattered. And the Lord told them to purchase these white garments.

[17:19] He's talking about his righteousness, isn't it? Think of the righteousness that God gives to us by faith. Not any workings or doings of our own making or fashioning, but his garments, his white garments of righteousness.

[17:34] We need to get righteousness from him. Not works of righteousness that we have done. They're just filthy rags. But the righteousness that is from God by faith. And these Laodiceans, it says they're actually naked.

[17:46] That was a pretty shocking picture too, isn't it? How embarrassing to be actually naked but think that you've got need of nothing. You've actually got no clothes on. You know, you're in a state that's shameful.

[17:58] It's embarrassing. What it's saying here is that these folk, really they lack that personal holiness, the righteousness, the righteousness that is by faith, the white raiment, the white clothing.

[18:09] And their problem also was in their walk, that their sanctification was faulty. They had a lack of personal holiness. Their walk with God wasn't right. And a lukewarm Christian makes that mistake where they allow the world's ways and the world's philosophies to grab a hold of them, become that faulty foundation for their life and their choices.

[18:30] The Laodiceans were worldly. They wouldn't let go of the world and it was drawing them away and so they were neglecting their soul and they had much need of the righteousness that is by faith.

[18:42] The lukewarm will tend to let the world's values alter them and redefine their hearts rather than the word define the values that they hold to.

[18:53] The Laodiceans, they were swept along by the world's perverse values and we could think for example today and there's some churches that are like this where they just go along with what the world says.

[19:04] That's the values. Values, things like definition of marriage, gender identity, social justice, whatever the flavour is with the worldly thinking of the day, they just jump on that bandwagon rather than is it right with God's word?

[19:21] It's compromise. We've got to be minded by the word not by the world. Worldly compromise is such that it will compromise with sin and doubtful things and we've got to exercise discernment.

[19:34] I was talking with a sister lately and some just think well that's top of the pops now, that's what everyone's jumping on, everyone's going that way, that's the fad of the time and it could be spiritual fads too.

[19:46] They jump on the bandwagon even though there's voices of concern. Our Lord says, no, just got to actually be careful, not everything that sounds good is.

[19:56] And our Lord says to this church that's jumping on this idea that they have need of nothing, no, you're really going down the wrong track, stop that. And he's saying here, pay the price.

[20:08] It says there, verse 18, I counsel thee to buy of me. There's a price, pay the price. He's calling them, here it talks about gold refined, gold refined in the fire, gold that's tried in the fire.

[20:21] It's interesting with the seven churches of the various churches, the Lord points at a church in Revelation 2, verse 9, the church at Smyrna, that they were actually rich.

[20:33] They actually were rich. They said, actually we're poor, but he said, no, you are actually rich. Of course, the church at Smyrna was the one that was going through great persecution.

[20:43] They were a persecuted church. They were rich because they were being persecuted. Their faith was being tried. And that's the same for you, brother, sister, isn't it? When you're going through the fire, actually, God's making gold.

[20:56] God's making gold. Even though it's not always pleasant, it's a gold-making process and we can trust him. Do we want gold? That's faith that's tested, isn't it?

[21:07] Faith that's proven. Faith that goes through the fire. And we see that there's gold tried in the fire. There's a cost there. There's a sacrifice there, isn't it, of our faith.

[21:20] And that faith that is tested and proven will be gold-quality faith. And with the lukewarm Christian, there's often a superficial faith. It's kind of a faith that's kind of just a bit weak, just take it or leave it.

[21:31] And there's this lack of intimacy with God. There's a neglect of the word. Their prayers, their devotions are weak. They neglect that personal time with God. And we can all get too comfortable where we just go with the flow, with what's easy, with what's easy for the flesh.

[21:47] And we can all get too comfortable. And that's what happened with the Laodiceans here, that they were saying, I have needed nothing. Now, I'm all right, Jack, you know. But really, their faith was weak.

[22:01] But rather, let's be like the church at Smyrna, our faith can be of greater worth than gold. Buy of me gold, tried in the fire. Our Lord commends suffering.

[22:12] He commends us to go the hard yards. And that's where the Christians are going to be stronger, the ones that have gone through the hard yards, gone through the fire, gone through the crucible, the testing like Job, that your faith will come forth as gold.

[22:26] You will come forth as gold. So the church that undergoes tests and trials is the one commended. Often in the word, for example, 1 Peter 1, verse 7, it reads of the folk that Peter is addressing here, he says 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.

[22:51] One day our Lord's going to appear and he says that your faith is going to be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. It's the faith that's gone through the fire.

[23:03] That's the faith that we want, isn't it? Gold quality faith. So the lukewarm church had lost some things, they'd lost their strength, they'd lost their values. Thirdly, they'd lost their vision. They lost their vision.

[23:14] We see that in the latter part of verse 18. It says that the Laodiceans had lost their vision. They were spiritually blind. Blind. They could not see reality.

[23:26] And we can all make that mistake. Even as mature Christians, we can all miss something. We can miss it. We can not see it. And that was the case with these folk here in Laodicea.

[23:38] I have need of nothing. And they couldn't see that they were poor, blind, naked. They were blind. The lukewarm can have a lack of perception, can't they?

[23:50] They can't see things because they're not spiritually attuned. They don't realise their need. And look, it can be true, and I'm not saying it's all the other churches are lukewarm because it can be true for this very church here.

[24:02] And the very people sat on these very chairs here, amen, can be true about me. I can get lukewarm. So we're not saying pointing the finger at others. They're lukewarm and we're not because we can all be so minded, can't we, that we can be missing that actually the need is here.

[24:17] The need is in me. The need is in me. The lukewarm can have that lack of perception. They don't realise their need. We can all get that way. Hey, I know it all. I know the word of God.

[24:28] I know all the right doctrines. I've got it all just all line by line precept upon precept. And I'm the fount of all knowledge. And yet we know we can all learn, can't we?

[24:39] I'm still learning and relearning, unlearning what I did learn, what I learnt in Bible school. I know some of that was false doctrine now in the particular Bible school that I went to. And we can get to a point where we've always got to be willing for the word of God to guide us and lead us and not get like the Laodiceans.

[25:00] They didn't realise the true condition of their soul. And that's one thing about the lukewarm. They can't see that they are in fact backsliding. That would be a terrible thing, wouldn't it? I have need of nothing. Actually, you're backsliding.

[25:12] They can't see it. They lack discernment. And there's that obstruction of their vision, a distraction of their vision. We think of what can distract us these days with modern culture.

[25:23] It can be so easy to be distracted, can't it? So easy. I know I'm guilty. Do we stop and think about our media choices? What is it that's occupying our energy?

[25:34] What's our eye gate looking at? What's our ear gate listening to? How are we spending our time? It shows our priorities, doesn't it? Is that lukewarmness in me? Lord, you know, let's keep that closeness to our Lord.

[25:49] Some people seem to be always seeking entertainment, yet they neglect spiritual disciplines. It's a trap, isn't it? I have need of nothing. Actually, you've got a lot of need. There's so much busyness, constant connectivity these days.

[26:03] People just don't switch off. And I know someone was talking to me a while back how, and it's very true, it's easy to get blind spots. Blind spots. I know I'm always a bit careful when I'm driving and thank God I've got a good co-driver here that when I'm doing reversing, you've got to watch those blind spots, don't you?

[26:21] I've had a few close calls, a gum tree lately. Just think, those blind spots, you've got to check the blind spots. And we can all get those blind spots, but spiritually so, can't we?

[26:32] Well, we're not aware. Actually, you've got a blind spot, you've got some, there's an issue here that you're not dealt with, there's a spiritual lack here that you haven't really addressed. We're not even aware of those things, blind spots.

[26:44] And we think of the Laodiceans here, we could see, pictured here, how some people can chase after material success and comfort, they get all the trappings of worldly wealth, but they're in spiritual poverty.

[26:58] The Laodiceans say, I'm rich. Actually, you're not. God says, you're poor. God says, they're in spiritual poverty. That can happen in a church as well. Of course, you can have the whole real estate paid off, you can have everything just perfect, you know, everything perfect about the place that you're in and really, you're actually very poor because you're missing what matters.

[27:22] That can happen in a church. They were blind to the real estate of their church. They were proud of a church that the Lord actually reproved. I have need of nothing. Actually, you're really blown it.

[27:32] You just totally lost it here. God's saying you're quite the opposite. Quite the opposite. And the Lord urges them, he urges them this, he says, anoint thine eyes with eye salve.

[27:43] So there's this ointment of some eye medicine, if you like, some eye ointment. And he says, anoint your eyes so that you can see.

[27:54] Our Lord urges them to put this heavenly eye ointment on. Our Lord calls us to a vital relationship with himself. And our Lord gives encouragement as well as rebuke to these various seven churches.

[28:06] And yet, the Lord has no praise for this church. It's an interesting thought, isn't it? No praise for Laodicea. How very sad. How about us? How is our spiritual temperature? If we do that check-up, hot, cold, lukewarm.

[28:21] How is that? Will we keep our spiritual fires burning? Just some thoughts. what are some of the danger signs that we are a lukewarm Christian? Some danger signs here.

[28:32] A lukewarm Christian, we could all think of different measures. Different measures, just, it's not lukewarm. Just right, just right.

[28:43] A lukewarm Christian lacks a desire of Bible study. A lukewarm Christian lacks a desire to spend time with the Lord in prayer, in worship, in the Bible, in service.

[28:55] A lukewarm Christian ignores the teaching of the Word of God, of conviction. They don't allow others, the Holy Spirit, or even the Bible to counsel them. And pastors should be counseled too and exhorted.

[29:10] I can be wrong. Believe it or not. No, honestly, it is true. I can be wrong. All right, I'm human. And so, pastors need to be exhorted, which is a good thing.

[29:21] All right? So, don't hesitate. I know some of you don't hesitate. Lukewarmness speaks about the state of the heart, doesn't it? Lukewarmness, some will pay lip service, yet their heart is not right.

[29:33] We see that here in Mark 7. Our Lord says that Isaiah has prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, this people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

[29:44] We've got to get the heart right, don't we? We've got to get the heart right, don't we, brother? Get the heart right. A lukewarm Christian disobeys the Word of God. Let's be honest here tonight as we look at this check-up, if you like, this assessment.

[29:57] Let's be honest, all right? Let's actually, maybe I've got some blind spots. Let's think about it. Ten questions to see if you are a lukewarm Christian. This is what someone put together.

[30:09] Do you know, do the cares and worries of this life dominate most of your thoughts and conversations? The cares of this life? Do you practise sin on a regular basis?

[30:21] Do you love the things of this world more than God's Word? Are you too busy for Jesus? What are your priorities? Do you use God's name in vain?

[30:33] Some say, oh my, and they shouldn't say that, should they? Because that's against what the Word of God says. Do you fail to pray earnestly, pray for the lost who will spend eternity in hell?

[30:45] Do you fail to share the gospel to witness on a regular basis? Or do you hinder others? Are you indifferent about your sin? What is your attitude?

[30:56] Do you seek after worldly wealth and fame? Or rather, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness? Do you fail to obey the Lord and God's Word consistently?

[31:08] We can think about all those things. It's a sad reality that there are lukewarm Christians, that there are folk, members of God's church, who yet don't appear committed to Christ.

[31:20] They're careless in private prayer, in Bible study, in self-examination. They're inconsistent in attendance. They rarely read the Word of God. They rarely fast and pray.

[31:32] They never make a sacrifice in giving. They dabble with sinful pleasures. They never put themselves to any inconvenience for the sake of Christ.

[31:42] They've never braved any reproach for Christ's sake. They've never abandoned any comfort for Christ's sake. Think of some folk that I know, they're contemplating going to the Middle East to a dangerous place to take the gospel.

[31:59] That's something, isn't it? I'm not there yet. Maybe one day we'll be, maybe when, I don't know, who knows, that they go into a place of danger to take the gospel to some place where you could get beheaded for sharing the gospel.

[32:13] I mean, that's something special, isn't it? God's not necessarily asking that of us, but maybe we could take it to someone and share the gospel without fear of getting beheaded.

[32:25] Maybe we could do that, couldn't we, in Australia. What a reproach to be lukewarm, to be lukewarm about the scriptures, that our heart is far from him, we're honouring him with our lips, but our heart is far, far away.

[32:40] Rather, let's develop that hunger for the word of God. Are we lukewarm as to prayer or do we make prayer something that's a priority, earnest prayer? Is there a lukewarmness about making a sacrifice?

[32:52] Let's not count the cost, but give of ourselves freely unto the Lord. Are we lukewarm about witnessing or do we have the heart of God? Thank God Jimmy did some witnessing to reach out, to take that precious word.

[33:06] It's too good for us to keep it to ourselves, isn't it? The precious gospel. How are we? Can we take an honest stock take today? I'm not meaning to put you on a guilt trip because this is, I'm asking myself these things.

[33:17] As a real Christian, do we take the things of God seriously? What does lukewarmness look like? A lack of zeal? An indifference to the things of God, of the soul, of the souls of others, a superficial engagement or scarcely any engagement with the word of God.

[33:37] There's so many resources now. Study Bibles, you've got to take your pick, you've got to pick the bones out of some. But there's so many resources at our fingertips, on the internet, material that we can study and learn, and as we're contemplating having our own little Bible school of sorts.

[33:54] But yet, for many, this superficial idea of the Bible that they just, there's a carelessness there, that they're not searching the scriptures. We settle for the minimum.

[34:07] Lukewarmness. It's truly a reproach. The world looks on too and they see the lukewarm Christian. The world looks and they see, oh, there's another one of those lukewarm Christians and they see what a poor testimony they are to this world.

[34:21] The lukewarm Christian shows their carelessness and their backsliding ways to the world and they become a stumbling block to many. Why should I become a Christian? They're no different from me.

[34:31] They're just, they're worse than me. And that's true sometimes, isn't it? The world sees them for what they are, hypocrites, fakes, and they can turn them away from seeking after God.

[34:44] People look at that and say, that's a Christian. Forget that. How sad that would be. Honestly, it's true. It's true, Jimmy. The Laodiceans bragged on how rich they were but actually it's been said that you know how rich you are once you've added up everything that you have that money cannot buy and death can't take away.

[35:04] That's what, that's what true riches are, isn't it? Add up everything you have that money can't buy and death can't take away. That's how rich you are. Think of the richness of our faith that we have Christ.

[35:15] We have our names written in glory. We have an inheritance that's reserved in heaven for us. How we need the gold, that gold kind of faith, the gold that's been through the fire.

[35:28] But how sad to be a lukewarm Christian, to miss that, that we could have. The Laodiceans, they were ignorant of their own condition. The Laodiceans, they needed these garments that only God could give of his righteousness.

[35:40] That white raiment was from him. How sad to have no fire, no zeal, no enthusiasm for the things of God. The Laodiceans needed their eyes open, they needed this eye ointment, this eye salve.

[35:52] It talks about being spiritually discerning. How are we tonight? Are we spiritually discerning? We know there's many that are not, that just go, go with whatever the latest thing is. Whatever the latest top of the, the top ten at Kurong.

[36:06] Whatever the latest faith preachers are telling us. But rather, let's have our eyes open to see actually what does the word of God say? What does the word of God tell us? Can we see our true spiritual condition before the Lord and repent and seek him?

[36:20] Could it be for us that lukewarmness is creeping in? And the fact is, lukewarmness creeps up on us, doesn't it? We think, well, if you ask that question, answer that question that I said before, where was I a year ago?

[36:33] Have I grown or not? Am I still where I was or have I gone downhill? Are we drifting away from him? Let's be honest tonight. How can I be more effective in my service of him, in my love for him?

[36:46] And the lukewarmness are really vulnerable to the enemy's attacks and deception. God doesn't want us to be lukewarm. He wants us to be hot. He wants us to be fired up. He wants us to have that zeal, that life, that power, that true power.

[37:01] And the true joy that comes from knowing Christ to save you. But the devil wants to rob us of all of that, the joy, the peace, the fulfillment of that vibrant relationship with God.

[37:14] God wants our wholehearted devotion. He wants us to shake off that lukewarmness, that half-heartedness, to not be like the king, but kind of just weak, half-hearted, pathetic.

[37:30] Rather, let's smash those arrows. Let's pulverize those arrows to demonstrate the victory over the enemy, that we can be an overcoming people. And to be, rather than lukewarm, to be burning and shining lights like John the Baptist.

[37:47] Our Lord wants us to serve him with a zeal, with a passion, with a fervor, that faith. And it's not a put-on thing. It's not that you've got to make it happen or manufacture it. It's God in you, isn't it?

[37:59] It's Christ in you. The more that you love him, the more that you fellowship with him, the more that you know him, the more he will have of you. And he'll do his work in you.

[38:09] In all of us, I pray. He wants us to be on fire for him, not lukewarm or cold. If we are lukewarm, at least if we can see that we are, the good news is that we can regain the fire.

[38:22] You might say, preacher here tonight, well, that sounds a bit like me. Probably, if I think about me, where I was, I've not really grown much the last 12 months. I've not really gone very far in my spiritual life.

[38:33] That's me. I'm standing in the need of prayer. Well, me too. At least if you realise, yeah, actually, you're not over here saying, I have need of nothing. You're over here saying, I need you, Jesus.

[38:45] I need you, Lord. I've need of you. I've need of your Holy Spirit to minister, to give me that zeal that I know you want me to have. And I have need of you.

[38:57] Not over here saying, I have need of nothing. Because if you're over here, then God's not going to do a work in you, is he? But we need the grace to see that as God sees us, he sees our lives, he sees, and hopefully we see our need of him.

[39:12] That we can pray that God will open our eyes, that we'll have that greater love. And the greatest commandment is to love God with all of our hearts. My desire, my delight is to do thy will. And really, the greatest sin is not to love God, isn't it, with our hearts.

[39:26] What does our Lord call for? What is the answer for lukewarmness to kind of wrap it up here tonight? And in this kind of spiritual check-up, if you like, what is the answer for lukewarmness?

[39:38] We see our Lord closes off here in Revelation 3.19 when he goes on to say, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hear my voice and open the door, I'll come in to him and sup with him and hear with me.

[39:50] But he says this here, he says this here to the lukewarm church. He says, As many as I love are rebuke and chasten. Be zealous, therefore, and repent. It's wonderful to think that this lukewarm church, God still loves this church.

[40:04] He loves the Laodiceans. And because he loves them, he rebukes them. He says, As many as I love are rebuke and chasten. Now it's sometimes hard. You think as a father, a mother, when you rebuke, you chasten your child.

[40:18] You're not doing it because you hate them. You're doing it because you love them, aren't you? You discipline your child because you want to see them grow. You want to see them develop. You want to see them benefit.

[40:29] And that's the same with God's rebuking and chastening. Because he loves us, he chastens us. And he says, Be zealous, therefore, and repent. The good news is that there is hope for the lukewarm.

[40:40] You might say, I've heard a lot of condemnation. No, hopefully conviction here tonight. But yeah, I'm like that sometimes. I am. I'm saying for me. But the good news is there's hope for the lukewarm because he says, there's opportunity to change your mind, to repent, to have that mind shift, to have that new mind, that new desire, that new affection.

[41:06] And God allows churches, we could think how they go through times of trial. We see the church at Smyrna, they were truly rich. And notice that the Lord still loved these folk at Laodicea, even though their love for him had grown cold.

[41:24] Maybe God will allow you and me to go through a time of trial. Maybe it's Monday morning, maybe it's Sunday night, but there's some time of trial ahead. But that might be a good thing. It might be a good thing for us.

[41:35] So don't be worried if some trial comes your way. All right? And as a young Christian, you might think, well, it doesn't mean God's left you, it means he's developing you.

[41:47] When you go through some testing, it's the, like they say, there's the test before the testimony, isn't there? There's that sense where, yeah, you go through the test and then you've got a testimony after that.

[41:57] So it might be that God's developing us because he wants us to grow, he wants us to develop. And we've got to take his rebukes, we've got to take his chastening, in other words, his loving discipline.

[42:10] The Lord called on this church to repent. They had to stop being over here saying, I have need of nothing, saying, I've need of you, I've need, you're my everything, I have need of you. They had to repent of their pride, they had to humble themselves before him.

[42:23] And they had to change their mind to think, actually, I'm going to stop thinking I'm self-sufficient and I've got everything that I need and I don't need God, I don't need, I've arrived, but rather, no, I'm just, I'm humbling myself.

[42:37] I need you, Jesus, I need you, Lord, to do that work in my heart. And we all need the Lord, we need the Lord. What are we to do with our sin of lukewarmness? May we repent of it and rather commit our hearts to him and be zealous, it says.

[42:53] Rather than being lukewarm, we can be zealous, we can have a zeal and we know that the Son have got a zeal of God without knowledge but we know that God will hopefully give us a godly zeal, a rightful zeal, a zeal that's a spiritual, godly, biblical zeal that we'll have a zeal, a love for God, a passion for God, a renewed love, a renewed fervour, a renewed desire to do his will that we can please him and honour him with our lives.

[43:22] Let us pray. Dear Lord God, we thank you for what we can learn from this lukewarm church. We know you still love them and you rebuke them and chasten them and trust Lord that we can be, if we're in that number that we can be zealous therefore and repent.

[43:39] Help us Lord to not miss those blind spots that we might not always see ourselves if others might help us see them. Lord, help us to be sensitive to your Holy Spirit that we would see Lord at times we're wretched, poor, miserable, blind and naked.

[43:56] Lord, we have so much in need of you to clothe us with your righteousness, those white raiments. Lord, to anoint our eyes with the eye salve so that we can have our eyes opened, our eyes healed so we can have a vision that is true.

[44:13] Lord, help us to see that the world's values and all the things the world would count as riches or success are really vain. Lord, help us to rather have a heart that's attuned to you.

[44:25] Help us to delight to do thy will, O God, to delight to do that and even to go through the fire if it be. Lord, that we won't shy away from whatever test might face us.

[44:35] Lord, we know that you'll be with us in the test and you'll see us through such that we'll have a testimony. Lord, we pray there's any here tonight and I know there are some that are going through some trials, there's some big things ahead, there's some testing things, some tough things, there's some challenges that are heartbreaking.

[44:56] Lord, we pray you'd give them strength to do what's right, to do what will honour you. Lord, help us all to be led by your Holy Spirit as you guide us into all truth.

[45:07] Lord, help us to not have that big-headedness that the Laodiceans had that they thought that they'd arrived, they had need of nothing when really, we really never get to that place because we always need you.

[45:19] We always need you. We always need your Holy Spirit. Lord, we need your salvation if there's any here tonight that they know that this world is so empty and vain. We see such a confusion, such a darkness and a futility.

[45:40] We see so many searching it, never finding. Lord, we know that your word tells us if you'll search for me with all your heart, you will find me.

[45:51] We pray that each one might have that searching heart to seek after you, to seek you first and your kingdom, your righteousness, Lord. We pray that we might seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near.

[46:04] We pray if there's any yet to trust you, they'll say, Lord Jesus, you died on the cross for me. You rose again from the dead. I trust you. I trust you as my Lord and Saviour. I trust you as my God and King and I submit to you, Lord, as your servant and I want to follow you with my life.

[46:22] Help us, Lord, to be a people that will follow you through thick and thin, through the fire, if it be, Lord, that will have a heart that delights to do thy will. We won't be just having lip service where we're saying I'm a Christian but really our heart is far, far from you.

[46:39] Pray that our heart might be changed such that we know you as our Saviour and Lord, that we'll have a zeal. We'll be zealous therefore and repent that you'll give us a fresh zeal, a fresh love, a renewed passion, a deeper fervour, a deeper faith that we want to share it and we want to grow such that a year from now if we're still here that we'll be stronger for it.

[47:04] We'll be stronger. We'll be closer to you. Our fellowship will be sweeter. Lord, as we draw near to you, you will draw near to us. Pray you do a holy work in our hearts in Jesus' name.

[47:17] Amen.