Preschool
Have faith in God (Mark 11:22).
The Danger of Being Lukewarm
Memory Verses
Primary
And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God (Mark 11:22).
Junior
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith (Mark 11:23).
Background Scripture: Revelation 3
Lesson Scripture: Revelation 3:14–21; 2 Kings 13:15–19
Introduction
Being lukewarm is a reference to temperature, a point somewhere between hot and cold. The temperature scale is also used as a gauge for spiritual fervency. God desires for us to be zealously affected; He wants us to be hot. Being thus moved, our concern for our own salvation becomes paramount, and we will have a heartfelt concern for our fellowman’s salvation too.
The insidious dangers of being lukewarm are drowsiness and carelessness. As we succumb to these inclinations, our passion for Christian service diminishes, yielding to temptation does not seem so dangerous, and the object of our first love is not so important. In this condition, we undoubtedly will lose grace and power.
Key Verse
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62).
Lesson Scripture
Revelation 3:14 And 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;
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
20 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.
21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
2 Kings 13:15 And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows.
16 And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king’s hands.
17 And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the Lord’s deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them.
18 And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed.
19 And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.
Studying the Lesson
Even though John penned the words to the churches of Asia, the message itself was from Jesus. He identified Himself to the Laodiceans so they would recognize his authority. God’s Word informs us that in the last days (the gospel age) He has spoken to us by his Son (Heb. 1:2), the faithful and true Witness, the firstborn Son of God.
Jesus identified the Laodiceans, as He did all the churches, by their works. Works are an index to the affections of the heart. Like many half-hearted Christians, they likely did not realize their actions so clearly revealed their true devotion. As their love for God waned, so the things of the world started to capture their attention. Their carnal cravings became more important to them than spiritual life, so they exalted material pursuits. They had prospered to the point of not needing to seek God’s help for their daily needs.
The Laodiceans had become possessors of this world’s material goods, but what was really happening seemed to be hidden from their understanding. Life was comfortable; they had the ability to fulfill their carnal desires. Without being aware of how the redemptive grace of Jesus had kept them, the old, wretched condition of lacking the blessing of God and the gifts of the Holy Spirit again overtook them. When the thrill of pleasure passes, the emptiness of heart returns and leaves a cavity of frustration and unhappiness. Gradually, deception had taken away spiritual eyesight, and the cataracts of a growing fascination and interest in the things of this world blocked their spiritual eyesight. The Laodiceans had become blind. The robes of righteousness that had been bestowed upon them were cast aside in lieu of the garments of pride. Spiritually, they were naked and unclothed destitute.
What could the poor Laodicean Christians do? What were their options? They could continue to justify what they were doing and conclude that being earnest about Christian living and its outward signs were not so important, or they could repent. Jesus had said, “Be zealous and repent. You must return to the truth. I will require you to seek the true riches; you must be clothed again with humility. If you do not repent, you are a revulsion to me. You can no longer contaminate my church.”
Jesus’s message to the Laodiceans was a message of mercy. Because He loved them, He would could not let them go on in deception, so He rebuked and chastened them. Repentance would open the door of forgiveness and wash them in Jesus’s shed blood. Repentance would also remove their affection for earthly gold and put it back on the pure, heavenly gold. The robe of Jesus’s righteousness could again cover their sinful nature, but they would need the help of their spiritual brethren as eye salve to help them get back their spiritual vision.
The scripture out of Second Kings shows the half-hearted faith of Joash, king of Israel. He had not relinquished the sins of Jeroboam, the king who first caused Israel to sin. King Joash’s desire to be delivered from the Syrians was not so Israel could serve God with all their heart. He was more concerned about that which prevented them from being at liberty to do what pleased their sinful desires. Elisha was sent by God to encourage him to deliver Israel. Joash’s lack of zeal angered the prophet and surely was disappointing to God. Because of Joash’s deficiency, Israel would never be totally delivered.
The king showed his lack of dedication by his lack of zeal. The king’s half-hearted attempt is an indication of his divided loyalty to God. When Israel was totally devoted to God, He would deliver them whether by many or few, but if they were not fulfilling his will, they would lose the battles regardless of how big an army they mustered.
Practical Truths for Today
What motivates someone to seek for God? As God begins to call someone to salvation, they are brought to the realization that their sins are standing between them and God. Sin becomes a heavy burden, leaving the convicted person feeling miserable. Not having the power to overcome the bondage of sin and trapped with a fear of the judgment of God, a sinner faces an eternal destiny of suffering in the perdition of hell. The state of one’s soul becomes a most important and all-consuming matter that must be reckoned with.
The Holy Spirit gently offers hope. As sinners humble themselves and pray, confess their sins, and yield their lives to God, He forgives and grants a peace that is accompanied by deep joy and thankfulness in the heart. A warm first love to the Lord is the result of a true experience of salvation, which is followed with a desire to obey and please the Savior. With the Holy Spirit dwelling within and a firm commitment to God, this completes a picture of what it means to be spiritual and on fire for God.
What does it take to maintain this kind of devotion to God? A newborn Christian needs to be nourished with the sincere milk of the Word. An old hymn says, “Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath.” 1 In prayer we thank God for all He has done for us, we ask for understanding of his will, and we share our inner battles with Him. He in turn promises that He will furnish us with his aid. In our meditations, He gives us guidance through impressions from the Holy Spirit.
As we grow in grace and knowledge, our heavenly Father has duties for us to perform. We are blessed when we give ourselves to doing what He asks of us. He requests that we deny ourselves of the fleshly desires that come from this vessel of clay we live in, but to a sincere Christian his commandments are not grievous.
What causes a believer in such a state to cool spiritually? Often the emotion and feeling we enjoyed so much right after an experience with God begins to fade. We find that we need to trust in God’s promises and live by faith, and this is not so easy. Social pressures, such as a desire to please friends or those we rub shoulders with, can infringe on our eagerness to please our Lord. Our old flesh notices the enticing things that the world offers, and the devil says that enjoying a little of it will not matter. We get occupied with daily living, and our Bible reading and prayers diminish. Through these kinds of influences, we start to lose our fervor; we are becoming lukewarm.
Spiritual drowsiness starts to numb our senses of right and wrong. Denying self does not seem so necessary, and this is a very deceptive voice. The concept of “just follow your heart” is enticing and makes following the old paths seem outdated. We can become very involved in activities, but as the foundation erodes, the spiritual structure is being built on the sand and will not endure the storms of life. This is the danger of lukewarmness!
If we find ourselves in a lukewarm state, let us take heed to the warning: Jesus clearly states that He will reject the lukewarm if they do not repent. A true repentance is the antidote to being lukewarm and shallow. We may try to keep some of our offenses; the feeling that we really were treated unjustly may hinder us from completely forgiving the offender. But when the Holy Spirit reveals our condition to us, we are ready to say to Jesus, “What will You have me to do?” Repentance is changing course, not just rearranging a few things or adopting a different mindset. It is returning our first love to God, taking up our cross, and following Jesus.
The Lord said He would rather the Laodiceans be either cold or hot. Why would He want us to be cold rather than lukewarm? Being lukewarm, we still think we are saved. Deception causes us to not be alarmed over our condition; it is a comfortable place to be, and we desire it to continue. Here we can proclaim that we have wonderful fellowship, God’s love, and his supposed blessing.
When a person is cold, he knows he is estranged from God. He is not trying to convince others or himself that he is all right. The realization of being lost makes eternal perdition more real. Godly conviction has a better chance of reaching someone in this condition.
Questions
- What brings on lukewarmness in personal life?
- How important are personal devotions?
- How essential are family devotions for maintaining spiritual vitality?
- How can we encourage ourselves to fear the Lord and speak often one to another? (Mal. 3:16).
- What is a “zeal of God, but not according to knowledge”? (Rom. 10:2).
- 1 “Prayer Is the Soul’s Sincere Desire,” Christian Hymnal
Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).