This study was first taught on December 29, 2019

Topic: The Assessment of the Churches (28): The Church of the Laodiceans (The Remedy for Lukewarmness)

(use the audio to study)

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Background
Last week as we began to look at the Church of the Laodiceans, we focused on the topic, "Lukewarmness". We saw that the Lord referred to the church of the Laodiceans as being lukewarm—that is, neither hot nor cold. After going through what lukewarmness is in the context of the church of the Laodiceans, we noted the marks of a lukewarm church (and indeed a lukewarm Christian) as being:
1. Selfishness
2. Obsession
3. Nepotism
4. Boasting
5. Trumping physical wealth
6. Self-sufficiency
7. Claiming to have the need for nothing, including God
8. Masquerading—that is, boasting about what they possess to mask their true but sad spiritual state: wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.
9. Jesus is not with them
10.Iniquity abounds among them

Another word we used to describe lukewarmness in the church of the Laodiceans was 'madness' because they didn't know that they had become unrecognizable by the Lord. So, instead of a church or a synagogue of Satan, the Lord called them 'lukewarm'!

Scripture Text(s)
Revelation 3:14-22
Having seen what lukewarmness is, we shall now turn our attention to the way out of it, as we look at . . .
Even for a chronic malady as lukewarmness, there is a remedy—all is not lost, even for the vilest sinner! But to access the remedy, they first needed to be brought to their senses.
Luke 15:11-32; Revelation 3:19a; Hebrews 12:5-11 (Proverbs 3:11-12); Galatians 2:11ff; Revelation 3:19b; 2 Corinthians 7:8-12; James 4:8-10; Psalm 51:4; Matthew 27:2-5; Revelation 3:18a (". . . buy from me . . ."); Matthew 11:28; John 6:37; Isaiah 55:1-3; 1 Peter 1:6-7; Psalm 19:10-11; Romans 10:17; Revealation 2:9; Romans 1:8; Ephesians 1:15-16; Isaiah 64:6; Genesis 3:7-8, 21; Ephesians 1:18-20; John 9:6-7; Matthew 13:14-15; Ephesians 2:12-13; Revelation 3:20; Romans 10:6-11.

Conclusion
In calling the church of the Laodiceans to repentance, the Lord was stern; yet it was not out of hatred for the church, but out of love for them. Thus, we have seen that a rebuke from the Lord is meant to bring people to their right senses and then to repentance. We have also seen that true repentance must take a person to the Lord Jesus, and not to a pastor or church!

We have seen that the Lord's counsel is what we need to listen to, and He counsels that we come to Him and get what is needed to remedy lukewarmness. It is only in the Lord Jesus that we have the remedy for lukewarmness—it is not present anywhere else. In the Lord, we have faith (represented as gold refined in fire), the robe of righteousness (represented as white garments), and revelation (represented as eye salve).

The hope for the lukewarm church lies in their overcoming through repentance. Many are unable to repent and thus will not overcome because of pride and their filthy garments of self-righteousness, etc.

And while the Lord is asking us to come to Him, He is right at the door of our hearts knocking through the agency of His word as anyone who will hear to open onto Him. The Lord's call to open up to Him is a personal call, and not a corporate one—even though it is made in a corporate setting, yet it is to anyone who would heed the call. May we heed the Lord's call, even as He keeps on knocking at the door of our hearts!

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