According to the text, lukewarm is a condition of being neither hot nor cold in one’s spiritual attitude toward the things of God. The lukewarm person doesn’t protest the things of God, but neither does he promote them. He just kind of balances on the fence of apathy.
It’s important, if you are in a lukewarm condition, that you get over it. It’s important because it is a condition that is despised by Jesus. He says to the Laodiceans, “I will spew you out of My mouth.” This brings to mind the imagery of this condition being so distasteful to Jesus, that it nauseates Him.
It’s easy to understand why Jesus would rather they be hot, but why would He rather they be cold, than to be lukewarm? It seems like any spiritual warmness would be better than none. It is because a person who is spiritual cold is easily recognized by others as being such, but the lukewarm person may appear to be where he needs to be with God, and others are in danger of following his example.
I cannot imagine any true born again child of God who would want to be in such a position of bringing this kind of displeasure to the Lord. So, if you find yourself in the place of lukewarmness, I want to give you a biblical look at how to get over it.
The Laodiceans didn’t realize their condition, v17.
Isn’t it amazing that these church people could have so deceived themselves, that they thought they were in good shape, when in reality just the opposite was true?
They were materialistically affluent. They believed the dollar was the answer to every problem. They believed because they had money, they didn’t really need anything else, according to verse 17.
These are the kind of people who be too busy to be faithful in their church attendance and certainly too busy to take any position of ministry within the church.
Proverbs 22:2 says, “The rich and poor meet together, and the Lord is the maker of them all.” Have you ever gone into the waiting room of a cancer treatment center, or an intensive care unit waiting room? It becomes quickly evident that in these situations the rich and poor meet together. It has been said that money can buy the finest doctors, but it can’t buy health; it can buy the best food, but it cannot buy appetite and digestion; it can buy the nicest of beds, but it cannot buy restful sleep; and, it can be many things to give ease and comfort in life, but it cannot buy more time, when your time is up, nor can it buy you place in the Book of Life.
The first thing to do, if you find that you are in a condition of spiritual lukewarmness, is to admit that you are there. No progress can made without acknowledging your present position.
God’s way out this lukewarm condition, v18-20
In the finality of Jesus’ advise to these lukewarm people, Jesus was saying that they needed to come back to Him.
He said that He has some gold, refined by fire, that will really make one rich. There are a number of ways to be rich, and money is just one of them. As a matter of fact, money is one of the least of them. If you are rich in money, but you don’t have the areas of wealth, you are in a miserable position.
God is certainly able to get money to you. That is a very small thing for Him. 2 Corinthians 9:8 says that He “is able to make all grace abound toward you, so that you have all sufficiency in all things, that you may have all sufficiency in every good work.” Three times the Bible says, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof.”
More important than being rich in your bank account is being rich in soul. In Luke 16, a man died and went to hell, who was rich in this world’s goods, but he was poor toward God. Knowing and loving God is better than all this world’s gold.
Jesus said these lukewarm people should come to Him for white garments to cover the shame of their nakedness. Jesus is speaking about the nakedness of their true spiritual condition. They are like Adam and Eve in the Garden o f Eden, trying to cover themselves with insufficient coverings, which will not do the job under the judgmental gaze of God.
The color, white, represents a purity. It would not be that they have kept themselves pure, but that they have been purified by the Lord.
They were told to come to Jesus for some eye salve, so that they might see. Laodecia was known for their eye salve, but Jesus was saying that the eye treatment they needed went far beyond their physical eyes. They needed the eyes of their hearts opened.
Ultimately, they just needed to open themselves to the lordship of Jesus in their lives. Verse 20 makes a wonderful promise about what Jesus will do, and the fellowship with Him that will follow. Verse 19 uses an all important word: “repent.” Repent means to so completely change your mind, that it leads to a change of actions.
There is a condition called lukewarmness, and there is a way out of it. The way out is God’s way. Come to Him for true riches; come to Him for forgiveness and cleansing; and, come to Him for true understanding of what’s really important in time and eternity. And, when you come to Him, He will come to you.
