Am I hot?
04 November 2020
Key Verse: Revelation 3 20 (AV) “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
Is it better for Christians to be either enthusiastic (hot) or refreshing (cold), rather than to be ‘lukewarm’? This important biblical truth is just as important today as it was when John had his Revelation vison. God does not want His followers to be ‘lukewarm’ Christians. This reading describes the church of the Laodiceans with a very serious indictment, verses 15-16 “I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” or as the King James Version says “spew thee out of my mouth.” What a picture.
Being logical we could conclude that being ‘hot’ spiritually is credible and even desired. Also if we take it at face value then it is also acceptable to be ‘cold’ spiritually although this could also be understood to mean being lifeless or even dead spiritually. However I believe that the Lord is not saying it is appropriate to be ‘cold’ spiritually, He is implying that He wishes that they were either one or the other spiritually rather than being nether ‘hot’ or ‘cold’ just ‘lukewarm’. I am sure that the church of Laodicea understood exactly what the Lord was saying.
Historically Laodicea was located in the Lycus River Valley of Anatolia, near Hierapolis and Colossae. What today is now sited near the Turkish city of Denizli. Laodicea was known for its tepid water that was supplied from Hierapolis and Colossae. Both of these cities had well deserved reputations for their water supplies. Hierapolis boasted hot springs that contained therapeutic medicinal mineral waters, while Colossae enjoyed cold and refreshing mountain water. The water supplied to Laodicea was either cooling down or being heated up so by the time it reached the city it was neither hot nor cold. So they understood what the Lord was saying. To be ‘hot’ was to be fervent, enthusiastic and helpful and to be cold was refreshing and invigorating, whereas to be ‘lukewarm’ was to be undesirable and useless.
This passage, the description of the last church listed of the seven churches in Revelation, (Ch 1: 11 & 20), provides us with a clear illustration of the term ‘lukewarm’. It implies being average, not living eagerly for the Lord, not serving Him with energy and enthusiasm, and forgetting Gods promises. The Lord’s concern was that they were going through the motions spiritually, content with their wealth and materialism, they were totally unaware of their spiritual poverty. We see the Lord use some of His strongest words of criticism found in scripture verse 17 “For you say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.’ You do not realise that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” The words from verse 15 “I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot” are the most revealing characteristic of this people. Their service to the Lord was not being done with a genuine desire to please Him, their hypocritical and pretentious works were not sincere and therefore not what God wanted. God wants His people to serve Him with a pure heart “Only fear the LORD, and serve him faithfully with all your heart; for consider what great things he has done for you.” 1 Samuel 12:24.
We also see in this passage one of the most familiar verse of the bible “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20 (AV). This is not an appeal to unbelievers, the Lord is speaking to people who were already part of His family. The problem here is not that they were not saved, it was that they were just going through the motions of their half-hearted faith. They were ‘lukewarm’, the Lord is asking His people to open the door to their hearts to a genuine and consistent walk with Him. He wants His followers to enjoy a deep fellowship with Him that can be both fervent and refreshing. He wants us to listen to Him and follow His lead, He wants us to willingly and enthusiastically serve Him with sincere hearts. He is asking us to turn around, repent and follow in His footsteps.