October 10, 1999

Rev. Charles S. Mims

The Holy Bible, King James Version

Revelation 3:14 through Revelation 3:16
¹⁴And 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; ¹⁵I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. ¹⁶So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

When Rosina Hernandez was in college, she once attended a rock concert at which one young man was brutally beaten by another. No one made an attempt to stop the beating. The next day she was struck dumb to learn that the youth had died as a result of the pounding. Yet neither she nor anyone else had raised a hand to help him. She could never forget the incident or her responsibility as an inactive bystander.

Some years later, Rosina saw another catastrophe. A car driving in the rain ahead of her suddenly skidded and plunged into Biscayne Bay. The car landed head down in the water with only the tail end showing. In a moment a woman appeared on the surface, shouting for help and saying her husband was stuck inside.

This time Rosina waited for no one. She plunged into the water, tried unsuccessfully to open the car door, then pounded on the back window as other bystanders stood on the causeway and watched. First she screamed at them, begging for help, then cursed them, telling them there was a man dying in the car.

First one man, then another, finally came to help. Together they broke the safety glass and dragged the man out. They were just in time -- a few minutes later it would have been all over.

The woman thanked Rosina for saving her husband, and Rosina was elated, riding an emotional high that lasted for weeks. She had promised herself that she would never again fail to do anything she could to save a human live. She had made good on her promise.

· Bits & Pieces, June 24, 1993, Page 20-21

What a difference was made when apathy wasn’t the watchword of the day! It seems that today we are apathetic to most things. Outrageous things take place in our halls of government, and we don’t care. Outrageous things take place in our churches, and we don’t care. Filth comes into our homes via the television set, and we don’t care. We are in a lukewarm state.

Many Christians today are in the same situation that the church at Laodicea found themselves in when Christ gave them a harsh assessment of their capabilities. We’ve either got to turn up the heat, or turn down the A/C, because this tepid temperature in the church just “aint gonna cut it!”

The physical location of Laodicea put it in the vicinity of two other cities, Hieropolis and Colosse. These two cities each had a number of natural springs. Hieropolis had hot springs whose waters were reputed to have great medicinal value. Colosse, on the other hand, had cold springs that provided refreshing drinking water. Water from each of these two cities was likely received in Laodicea; but, by the time the water reached that city, it would no longer have been hot or cold, but just lukewarm. As a result, the hot-spring water from Hieropolis would have lost its medicinal value, and the cold-spring water from Colosse would have lost its refreshing value as drinking water.

Just as the water from these two respective cities was marked by a unique usefulness, so also does each of God’s children possess unique, useful gifts, with which he or she can live powerfully and effectively as a servant and ambassador of Christ. And, God has made our abilities "hot and cold"—that is, sharp, incisive, powerful, and valuable.

The lukewarm waters of Laodicea had lost their sharpness and uniqueness. In the same way, a "lukewarm Christian" is one whose zeal, commitment, and spiritual power have been dulled. A "lukewarm Christian" is one who has willingly traded in his or her effectiveness and usefulness to the Lord, letting the temperature of his or her life be mitigated and flatlined by sin, apathy, unrepentance, selfishness, or laziness.

---From http://www.christianteacher.com

But Preacher, you may be saying, I’m not lukewarm! Are you? Would your recognize a lukewarm Christian? Are you able to distinguish between someone who is “hot” for the Lord, and someone who is just coasting along?

Perhaps we might make it easier by calling them something other than lukewarm. Let us look to the words of Jesus and see some ways he says we should be living and see if we measure up.

The Holy Bible, King James Version

Matthew 10:24 through Matthew 10:39
²⁴The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. ²⁵It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? ²⁶Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. ²⁷What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. ²⁸And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. ³⁰But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. ³²Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. ³³But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. ³⁴Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. ³⁵For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. ³⁶And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. ³⁷He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. ³⁹He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

The Management Position

Many times we have gotten to the point where we think we always know best. Oftentimes my children will ask why I told them a particular thing, and I’ll respond “Because I’m the boss.” Unfortunately we forget that in the Christian walk we are the labor, and Christ is management. We try to position ourselves at the forefront as the ruler when we are to be the servant. God becomes our best buddy, or our best pal. We don’t acknowledge that he is the authority for our lives, instead we rest upon our own authority.

We have done the same thing in our families with a detrimental effect on discipline. Parents have struggled valiantly to become best friends with their children, and in doing so have lost something more important. In gaining this friendship, they have lost their parental authority. We must not usurp the authority of God by demanding that we be placed on equal footing with Him. In doing so, we become lukewarm. The heat and ferver is gone out of our relationship with Him, and our spiritual health suffers.

We pretend that we are in charge rather than God. We usurp His authority.

In U.S. Navel Institute Proceedings, the magazine of the Naval Institute, Frank Koch illustrates the importance of obeying the Authority of the Lighthouse.

Two battleships assigned to the training squadron had been at sea on maneuvers in heavy weather for several days. I was serving on the lead battleship and was on watch on the bridge as night fell. The visibility was poor with patchy fog, so the captain remained on the bridge keeping an eye on all activities.

Shortly after dark, the lookout on the wing reported, "Light, bearing on the starboard bow."
"Is it steady or moving astern?" the captain called out.

The lookout replied, "Steady, Captain," which meant we were on a dangerous collision course with that ship.

The captain then called to the signalman, "Signal that ship: 'We are on a collision course, advise you change course twenty degrees.'"

Back came the signal, "Advisable for you to change course twenty degrees."
The captain said, "Send: "I'm a captain, change course twenty degrees.'"
"I'm a seaman second-class," came the reply. "You had better change course twenty degrees."
By that time the captain was furious. He spat out, "Send: 'I'm a battleship. Change course twenty degrees.'"

Back came the flashing light, "I'm a lighthouse. Your Call.”
We changed course.

In the Eye of the Storm by Max Lucado, Word Publishing, 1991 Page 153

It’s time we changed the course of our great ship and submitted to the authority of THE LIGHTHOUSE. If we are claiming his authority then we are being lukewarm. Jesus said if we are lukewarm he will spew us out of His mouth.

“Fraidy-Cat Christians”

The Holy Bible, King James Version

Matthew 10:26 through Matthew 10:31
²⁶Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. ²⁷What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. ²⁸And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. ³⁰But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Have you ever been afraid? I mean really afraid? I’m not talking about frightened of the myriad of Florida bugs we have around, or scared of the deadly traffic on that corridor of death called Interstate 4, I’m talking about really being frightened. Perhaps even scared for you life? We all fear many things, but often times the things we fear are not to be feared at all.

5-year old Johnny was in the kitchen as his mother made supper. She asked him to go into the pantry and get her a can of tomato soup, but he didn't want to go in alone. "It's dark in there and I'm scared." She asked again, and he persisted. Finally she said, "It's OK--Jesus will be in there with you." Johnny walked hesitantly to the door and slowly opened it. He peeked inside, saw it was dark, and started to leave when all at once an idea came, and he said: "Jesus, if you're in there, would you hand me that can of tomato soup?"

Charles Allen, Victory in the Valleys.

Little Johnny was afraid of the dark, so afraid of the dark he couldn’t accomplish the task that was set before him. Many Christians today are afraid of the dark as well. We are afraid of a defeated enemy.

Black Bart was a professional thief whose very name struck fear as he terrorized the Wells Fargo stage line. From San Francisco to New York, his name became synonymous with the danger of the frontier. Between 1875 and 1883 he robbed 29 different stagecoach crews. Amazingly, Bart did it all without firing a shot. Because a hood hid his face, no victim ever saw his face. He never took a hostage and was never trailed by a sheriff. Instead, Black Bart used fear to paralyze his victims. His sinister presence was enough to overwhelm the toughest stagecoach guard.

Today in the Word, August 8, 1992

Satan is like Black Bart. He tries to terrify us in to being unable to continue what God has given us to do. When we stop being afraid and become willing to do God’s will no matter what, it is at that point we cease being lukewarm and begin to feel the temperature heat up.

The Silent Majority

Matthew 10:32 through Matthew 10:34
³²Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. ³³But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. ³⁴Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword..

Another way in which we become lukewarm is in our silence. According to some recent polls taken in Florida 85% of those responding claimed to be born again. If that is true why is abortion still legal? Why are tourists being murdered on our roadways? Why? Listen, God doesn’t need a silent partner. He wants our support, and he wants us to be vocal about it. The Great Commission wasn’t given just to the preacher. It wasn’t given just to those with special gifts, it was a charge to all Christians. Why is our world in such sorry shape? It’s because we as Christians have sat back and kept silent while the ungodly forces at work in our world have had a field day at our expense. When we keep silent we tell the world we are lukewarm.

The Compromising Christian

34 "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and one's foes will be members of one's own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

A New York family bought a ranch out West where they intended to raise cattle. Friends visited and asked if the ranch had a name. "Well," said the would-be cattleman, "I wanted to name it the Bar-J. My wife favored Suzy-Q, one son liked the Flying-W, and the other wanted the Lazy-Y. So we're calling it the Bar-J-Suzy-Q-Flying-W-Lazy-Y." "But where are all your cattle?" the friends asked. "None survived the branding."

n D.A.C. News

We have become lukewarm because we have compromised the truth in order to be all things to all people. The thing is, we will never please everyone. We try to water down the gospel to reach more people because parts of it are offensive to some “special interest groups” out there. Well it’s all rubbish. The Word of God stands on it’s own as a bastion of morality and authority, and if its words rock the boat and cause people to become upset, well then, so be it.

Some have said it is not our place to try to force our beliefs on others. Well, perhaps force it too strong of a word, but it is indeed our place to tell others about Christ. It is indeed our place to point out immorality and raise a cry against it. It is indeed our place to point to the standards of ethical behavior found in God’s Word and insist upon those around us acting in that fashion. When we neglect to “rock the boat” we allow our selves to become lukewarm, and God has said He will spew us out of His mouth!

The cure is to get closer to the source. We need to get back to the Lord. We need to lose our own life for Christ’s sake. He must come first. If we don’t return to him as a nation, and as a church, and as individuals we will remain lukewarm. It is time we either turned up the heat, or turned the air down. We cannot remain where we are.