Lukewarm Leads to Death

Sixth Sunday of Easter

May 5, 2013

Revelation 3:14-21

Lukewarm Leads to Death

So because you are lukewarm,

and neither hot nor cold,

I will vomit you out of My mouth.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

If you think about the Book of Revelation, you might conjure up images of war, famine, dragons, and the end of the world as we know it. All that and more is found in John's revelation, but in the first three chapters of what St. John saw, we read about congregations wrestling with outside evil and their own sin.

Jesus wrote seven letters to seven congregations and their angels (pastors) in Asia Minor (modern Turkey). Many of these mini-letters in the first few chapters are filled with encouragement and warnings for them—except for the last letter, writing to the church in Laodicea. Jesus only had warning for the Laodiceans because this congregation couldn't have cared less. Jesus told them:

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot… you are lukewarm… neither hot nor cold (Revelation 3:15-16)

The pastor and people in this church were lukewarm. They were indifferent to God's promises. Laodicea was a town that was comfortable. They printed coin money for their part of the world. They were famous for their colorful wool. They even were a medical center that was well-known for making eye ointments.

So the Laodiceans were saying, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing” (Revelation 3:17).

They meant that they were surrounded by enough stuff to be physically comfortable. They had money, clothes, and medicine. They felt safe and healthy.

But they were dying. Jesus was about to “emetic” them out of His mouth. An emetic is a medicine used to make throw up and it comes from the Greek word Jesus used here. Most English translations are polite and translate what Jesus is going to do as spitting. But that doesn't quite get across how nasty this is. This is a full-body retching out of the stomach, not a polite spit from the mouth.

The people of Laodicea were just like the man in this parable.

The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, “What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.” Then he said, “This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.‘ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:16-21)

This should sound familiar unless we are too lukewarm to see the connection between Laodicea and Davenport. They and we don't actively worship money and possessions. But the man in Jesus' story wasn't some corrupt Wall Street banker or Washington senator; he was a farmer. He'd had a good year and built more barns. He was a man who was looking forward to retirement. What's wrong with that?

Nothing, except his indifference towards Jesus' promises. His indifference to Jesus didn't come from his money and barns—those things were gifts from Jesus, who gives all things to all people—but how he used them revealed what was in his lukewarm heart. He had refused to set his mind on Christ above.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:1-3)

We are guilty of this same lukewarmness, this same indifference towards Jesus' gifts to us. We refuse to buy Jesus' gold, clothes, or medicine. Jesus said to the Laodiceans and to us:

I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. (Revelation 3:18)

We treat God's service to us on Sunday morning not as gold, but as a nice extra, as though by going we're doing God a favor and that He should be extra happy with us this week. And certainly we don't want to hear anything from His pastor during the sermon that in any way rebukes us, because, hey, we're here, and that should be good enough for God.

We are indifferent toward studying Jesus' promises on Sunday and during the week. Half of us treat Bible study after the service as an extra that can be skipped or that is simply for children. And almost all of us refuse to set aside time in our homes to let Jesus speak to us in prayer and song as we meditate upon His cross and ours.

We are lukewarm. It shows in how we treat Jesus as an accessory  a hat we put maybe once a week. We don't put on Christ. We are comfortable in our old clothes.

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24)

What did Jesus preach to these old corrupt selves of Laodicea?

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. (Revelation 3:19)

He called on them to turn away from their old indifference. He called on them to throw away their lukewarm attitude towards His gifts. Buy His gold for He has already bought it for you.

Our lukewarmness leads to death, but not our own. Christ burned up our indifference by His death on the cold cross that dripped with His hot blood from His sacred veins.

Dear fellow struggling lukewarmers, let us repent and confess our indifference to Christ, to each other, and to your pastor. And then be absolved and forgiven by the promise of our Amen, our faithful and genuine Witness, Jesus Christ. Trust His promise when He says,

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with them, and they with Me. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with My Father on His throne. (Revelation 3:20-21)

Christ can say these things and we trust them because…

He's risen! He's risen indeed! Alleluia!

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.