If You Can't Finish Your Coffee - Something is Wrong

Revelation 3:14-22

My Worst Day

It was a sunny afternoon. My wife and I were spending the weekend in Omaha, and were blessed to catch the Farmer's Market along the brick roads of Old Towne Market. My wife purchased some honey and some foreign-looking  taco. I, however, had my eyes for only purchase - a delicious cup of local-brewed coffee. The gentlemen in the booth was nice, so I engaged in small chat - all the while salivating at the smell of such a heavenly aroma. He told me that even though I was from far away, I could receive a monthly delivery. I nodded absentmindedly. My hands were shaking now, pulse rising, feet shifting ever closer to the coffee maker I was pretty sure I could hear whispering my name. "James. Drink me. Drink me now."

"I want a cup of coffee!" I declared at last, interrupting his much-too-long speech. He smiled and asked his wife to pour me a glass. I handed the woman several George Washingtons and gripped the cup with my right hand - the hand which had so many times held a hot cup of joe. The hand which had so many times raised to my lips in splendor. The hand which... something was terribly wrong! 

That warm sensation I so longed for evaded me. Doubts flooded my mind. Was this a dream? Was everyting a dream? Who was I?

I brought the cup to my lips and let the liquid pour onto my tongue - just to make sure - one last desperate attempt to wake from the nightmare. It wasn't a dream. This was real life. I was James Knoop. And my coffee was lukewarm. 

I fell to my knees in agony. "Darn you local brewery!" I cried. 

The History of Lukewarm

Lukewarm liquid has a long history. The South began the Civil War shortly after General Lee was given a lukewarm cup of sweet tea by a Yankee. Christopher Columbus decided to look for a new world the day he received a lukewarm cup of lemonade. But it all began with the church in Laodicea. 

A Bad Report

As we've seen over the past couple of weeks, The Lord is watching the churches of this world. In the words of Warren Wiersbe, "Judgement is going to come to this world, but it first begins at God's house." Do not think that because you are saved, you are free to think and do as you wish. You are not - not without great consequence. 

In Revelation 3:14-22, we find that Jesus has a serious offense against the Laodiceans. They are lukewarm. He says, "I could wish that you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth."

If the King of the universe says He wants to vomit you out of His mouth - you'd better listen up. 

Now, there was a spring of water on either side of Laodicea - one was hot and one cold. Some people take Jesus' words to mean that He wishes that they were either on fire for Him or else completely rejecting Him. The other crowd takes Jesus' words to mean that both hot and cold are good things, and He simply wishes that they were following Him. Here's why I believe the second option. 

These particular springs were both good to the towns they came to. The cold was great drinking water and the hot was perfect for healing sores or general relaxation. However, when these two rivers came together in Laodicea, they were lukewarm. And it was the lukewarmness that Jesus hated. 

But either way, the message stays the same. Jesus hates a lukewarm church. 

Why They were Lukewarm

Now don't get the idea that this church was lukewarm in its efforts. No, no. This church was on top of things. They were wealthy. They had the banners and choir and great tithing and stain-glass windows and plenty of money in the pocket to spare. That's what they saw. Jesus saw something quite different. 

"You say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' - and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked."

If it doesn't break your heart to hear the One you call "Savior" refer to you as a poor, wretched, naked blind miserable person - I don't know what will. 

The message couldn't be more clear. The prosperity gospel is hogwash. Jesus doesn't care if your church has great music, big buildings, multiple programs for every age, fancy lighting systems or video podcasts if they aren't pointing to Him. If those things draw you to yourself - He hates them. He doesn't hate fancy buildings and great programs. He hates the fact that people enter a church building on Sunday and go home talking about the "show" instaed of Him. 

The Call

Now, don't miss one of the most massive verses in the Bible - verse 19. 

"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent."

Jesus is so merciful that He doesn't leave poor and miserable people like myself out to dry. He doesn't punish and then walk away. He disciplines, yes. But only because He loves us. And then, He extends a hand and says, "Listen to my voice. There is a way so much better than your way. No amount of programs or money can get you anywhere, and I certainly don't need them. I don't even need you. But I'm standing outside your door knocking, and if you open it - I promise I'll come in. And you can't even fathom the glory I can show you in the life to come."

Conclusion

I hate lukewarm coffee. It ruins my day. How much worse does a lukewarm believer and church appear in the eyes of our Savior Jesus Christ. I didn't create coffee, and I sure didn't die for it. Jesus did. He died for you and me. And yet here we sit in the United States of America, glorying in how awesome of a church we've made - all the while completely oblivious to our nakedness that He died for. 

Open your eyes. Repent. Throw out the lukewarm parts of your life. Yeah, it'll be hard, I know. 

Be an overcomer. 

Limping Through Open Doors

"I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name." - Revelation 3:8

Do you ever feel weak in your faith? Do you ever feel unless someone intervenes that you may just collapse with fatigue? Do you ever feel like you are just not strong enough to persevere alone?

That is how the church in Philadelphia felt. Most likely a small church, they had gone through many trials and temptations. It would make sense that they were tired. They just didn't thave the physical numbers of nearby churches. But they didn't give up. 

With whatever tiny amount of strength they still possessed, the Philadelphians continued to keep the word of God, and not deny His name.

That is why God promises so great a reward. He isn't looking for the strong or mighty. He's looking for the exhausted soul who declares, "As long as I have any strength to speak of, I will praise Him!"

Are you feeling weak today? Don't give up. God has great things in store for you. 

When the Church Resembles the Wizard of Oz

The Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz

If you've ever seen "The Wizard of Oz," you probably remember the first time you heard about the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz. Why, he could do quite anything. If you had a request, you brought it to him. If you were in trouble, you beckoned him to help. If the house you were sleeping in got caught in a tornado, fell on a witch, and you were surrounded by munchkins, they would point you to him. 

I assume you also remember the great despair upon discovering that "great" and "powerful" were not words that described the wizard. He was just a short, bumbling old man with a machine! How on earth was their any hope now? 

The Great and Powerful Church of Sardis

The church in Sardis was the Wizard of Oz of their time. The church had a name for doing massive things for the kingdom of God. When someone within two-hundred miles said the name "Sardis," people would nod and mumble, "What a great church." 

Jesus saw something entirely different. When he looked at the church in Sardis, He saw decay. 

He saw a church not facing persecution and not spreading the gospel - not doing anything for the Kingdom. Like the Wizard of Oz, they represented something great, but when you walked inside, you could smell death.

Warren Wiersbe says this of the church in Sardis, "There was no persecution because there was no invasion of the enemy's territory. No friction usually means no motion. The unsaved in Sardis saw the chuch as a respectable group of people who were neither dangerous nor desirable. They were decent people with a dying witness and a decaying ministry."

The Warning of Jesus Christ

"Be watchful," says The Lord, "and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die." When the Savior of the universe looks down at a church that is supposed to be full of the Holy Spirit, but instead He finds decay, He is not pleased. The church was about to die. 

Whether this means the members would be persecuted, killed, or simply lose heart for good and close the doors, this group didn't have long left. Immediate action was necessary. "Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent." The action necessary isn't a burden too heavy to bear. Most of it can happen in a single church service. 

1. Remember the way things used to be - the life and enenrgy that had been poured into sharing the Gospel and worshipping God. 

2. Hold Fast to Christ's commandments of love and call to missions - to the life the Spirit gives. 

3. Repent individually and corporately. Turn from idleness, from selfishness, from laziness and pride. 

Reward

Compared the reward, the action is a walk in the park. Christ promises white garments - pure, spotless, royal. And we shall walk with Him forever. Our name is written in the Book of Life, and He will not remove it. What on this small blue planet could possibly keep us from sprinting toward that reward with all the life and energy we have flowing through our veins? 

Remember. Hold fast. Repent. 

The Wizard of Oz has no place in the church.

Worshipers of Christ - Followers of Jezebel

Revelation 2:18-29

Terrifying Words

"I know what you did." 

Those words can cause a beating heart to halt and pink flesh to turn deathly pale. Most of us have heard these words at some point, and they terrified us. Maybe we were caught having eaten two cookies when we promised to only take one. Perhaps it was cheating on a test that triggered those words.Or maybe our spouse whimpered those words the night after we finally decided she would never discover our affair. Put together, those five words have the potential to completely crush friendships, marriages and even lives.

But sometimes, rare as it may be, those words are a welcome comfort. "Hey James, I know you weren't telling anyone, but I know what you did and...I'm proud of you." Recognition of this sort can save friendships, marriages and lives. 

A Startling Realization

Do you want to know something terribly frightening, yet equally wonderful? 

God knows what you did.And whether your first reaction was numbing terror or not may be an indication as to how you are living your life. 

In Revelation 2:19, Christ says to the chuch in Thyatira, "I know your works."At first, the people's fears are put to rest. You see, Jesus is commending their works of service, love, faith and patience. But before they can pat each other on the backs, God steers the conversation in a 180. 

"Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commiit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols."

Subtle Corruption

In other words, the people loved and worshipped God, but in order to remain part of Roman culture, they lived like the Romans. This included rampant worship of sex, primarily through practice of it. Can you imagine a church of believers, claiming to love and follow Christ, yet being completely tolerant of sexual immorality for the sake of fitting in?

I can. I live in such a nation of churches. 

And while Christ gives an encouraging word to those who do not tolerate such evil, I fear that His words are not applicable to many in this nation. But his warning is quite applicable. 

Death Threat

"I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works."

Don't skim over this. Jesus Christ, our precious redeemer, literally threatens to kill christians who worship sex. This command isn't simply to those who enter temples built for sexual worship. Jesus made that clear in Matthew 5:28 when He said that "whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." 

This is certainly a call to individuals, though I would add that it is just as loud a warning to the church as a whole. Sexual immorality must not be found in the body of Christ. Not in individuals, not in gatherings. 1 Thessalonians 5:22 says, "Abstain from every form of evil." Don't just stay away from performing immoral sex or viewing it. Stay away from questionable sites, movies, and TV shows. We must preach this.

Conclusion

But it's so hard. I know. I know it is. And that is why our wonderful savior encourages us so richly. 

"Hold fast," says The Lord. "And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations...and I will give him the morning star."

There is a great reward awaiting the conqueror. After all, we will be united with the King of the Universe, heirs to His kingdom. We will live and rule in a perfect world. Words cannot describe. 

Wake up, oh church! The Lord is searching your heart. What is He finding? A great battle wages for your souls - for your testimony. And should you not keep your guard, this world will take from you, everything. 

Hold fast.

On the Right, a Martyr - On the Left, a Compromiser

From Revelation 2:12-17

In my journal, I recently noted that the "Loveless Church" found in Revelation 2 is the closest example to the twenty-first century church one can find in scripture. While I probably still hold to that claim, I am beginning to feel that all seven churches are extremely applicable to today's church - at least in the United States (I have much too little knowledge of the global church). 

The church in Pergamos sits where Satan resides. While the citizens probably do not worship Satan directly, the devil rules over them subtly through their pagan acts. It is no stretch to say that any city, state or nation not devoted to Almighty God is, in effect, Satan's throne. Therefore, it is no stretch to also state that the United States is such a throne. We impeached Jesus Christ a long time ago. 

And yet, the church remains, trying to breathe underneath a current of paganism. 

We have our giants, of course. Men like Antipas who are willing to take seemingly unbearable abuse and ridicule for the name of Christ Jesus. Men and women who are berated by the media, disowned by their families, fired from their jobs and left clothed with nothing but their faith. Such individuals sit in our churches. They may even sit next to you, singing "Amazing Grace" on your right. You smile and praise God that such believers exist. You glance to your left to see another individual singing the same song. 

But this person is quite different. This woman recently had an abortion and is known for her promiscuity. This man is a workaholic, alcoholic, entertainment junky who spends little time with his family and even less in the church. Here you have the Compromising Church - boldly continuing to claim Christ as king of their lives, but allowing sin to cover their church like foul spray paintings.

Will God look down and see only the man on your right, thereby sparing the church as a whole? No. He will not. Revelation 2:16 states that unless the guilty party repents, "(Jesus) will fight against them with the sword of (His) mouth." 

Think about that for a moment. Romans 8:31 says that if God is for us, we are unbeatable. So, in theory, if God is literally fighting against you, you're doomed. The Sword of King Jesus is not reserved for the pagan alone. The believer is not spared. He will wield it against any who causes His church to stumble. The strike of the blade will not mortally wound the soul, but it may end the reign of the physical body. 

Do not mistake King Jesus for a wimp. He came to earth once, clothed in humility. No more. He has taken His throne and will judge harshly those who oppose Him, His truth and the soul's of his people.

So endure. Hold fast to truth - to Christ. Great reward awaits us.