IS YOUR LOVE FOR JESUS RAGGING OUT OF CONTROL?
Revelation 3:16,17 So, because you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, “I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.” But you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
I imagine that the church of Laodicea saw this and thought, “But Lord we are just fine!” I am sure that they thought that God had rewarded them with wealth, because they were all that he wanted them to be. To even the non-believers they appeared to have it made. Yet in God’s eyes they had missed the mark of what being a Christian was all about.
There was a famous musical in 1972 called Cabaret where Liza Minnelli and another man sang a song called, “Money makes the world go around”. The musical was a great success partly because of this very popular song. I think it hit a cord in the hearts of so many people a note of truth, at least in the eyes of the worldly. Even the apostles of Jesus’ day felt that the rich were blessed by God. In Matthew 19:16-30 Jesus has a rich young man come up to him and ask, “What good thing must I do to get eternal life?” Jesus told him to obey the commandments; do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself. When the young man said that he had done these things, but still wanted to know what he lacked. Jesus said that if he wanted to be perfect he needed to sell his possessions and give the money to the poor, and then come follow him. Then Jesus said that he would have treasure in heaven. The Bible said that the young man went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus told his disciples that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. In response to this it says the disciples were astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?
Having eternal life with God in heaven is not determined by the amount of wealth we acquire or the possessions we collect. As King Solomon pointed out in Ecclesiastes everything is meaningless, because when you die someone else gets all you acquired. What the world gives the world will eventually take away. The only things that are eternal are those thing we receive from the Lord. Jesus pointed this out when he told the church in Philadelphia that he had placed before them an open door that no one could shut. No one can give Jesus’ salvation but Jesus, and he will not take it away. Neither in life or death, Satan, the powers of darkness or the evil of this world can take our salvation from us. It is ours to receive as a free gift given by God’s wonderful grace and mercy to all who ask for it. With Jesus’ salvation we become rich, much more rich and with any wealth the world could ever give us. In Jesus we find all that we need or could ever want. Psalm 37:4 tells us that he even gives us our hearts desires when we put him first in our life, delighting in him. For those that love Jesus, God holds no good thing back from us.
So what was wrong with some of those at the church of Laodicea? Their wealth had taken away need for the Lord, and their appreciation and passion for him. The house became more of a blessing, than the one that built the house. It wasn’t that they had turned from trusting in Jesus. If they had they would have seen their error. They no doubt were doing good works, and chances are they had built the nicest churches around. Outwardly they seemed to be doing everything right. Yet they had missed the mark. They had put on a form of righteousness, just as the Pharisees had in Jerusalem. They had become comfortable, and because of it their passion, love and appreciation for Jesus had diminished. The danger in this is it usually takes some time to come to this state in a person’s relationship with Jesus. And because it comes about so slowly, we don’t even recognize it. This is why Jesus told them to put save on their eyes so they could see. It was like the nice new shiny car. When we first got it we were so proud of it that we would keep it washed and polished. The paint would sparkle in the sun, but after a while we would spend less and less time and attention on it. Soon the paint began to fade and gloss over with the weather and things of this world. Because of this our attention would be drawn to newer models that would sparkle in the sun light.
II Timothy 3:1-5 says, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness but denying it power. Have nothing to do with them.” Well, if the church is like this think what the world must be like? It is no wonder that the church is declining in attendance and membership. We are becoming so much like the world that we don’t stir up any sort of guilt or even longing to be like us. We have become lukewarm just like the church of Laodicea. The passion and love for Jesus has gone by the wayside to mission statements rather than tears for the needy, business meeting rather than prayer meetings, potluck meal to feed ourselves rather than feeding the poor. And like the faded paint on our old car, we didn’t even notice when things got dull and no longer exciting and appreciated. It is no wonder that Jesus said that they were wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
Buy from Jesus 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. Be earnest and repent. Jesus stands at the door of your heart. He is knocking. If you open your heart to him he will come in.
Are you red hot for Jesus? Is he the passion of your life? If not he needs to be! Don’t let indifference or lukewarmness rob you of the great blessings that Jesus would like to give you.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, please keep the love we have for you burning even ragging before you. Please make the wholehearted passion you have for us to be our passion for you.
We ask this in your name.
