The letter to the church of Laodicea that we find in Revelation 3:14-22 may be the most familiar to us, mainly because the language is so pointed, but also because it reflects the climate of our prosperous society. Men tend to think all is right with their souls if they have plenty of material possessions. We see in this letter that is often not the case at all.
The Lord Jesus says, “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” (verses 15-16). The Lord is speaking to his church. It is especially repulsive to him for those who claim his name and salvation to be apathetic toward him.
To be lukewarm spiritually is to be unresolved in seeking to glorify God in the name of Christ. When the Lord says it would be better if they were either hot or cold, he diagnoses their spiritual condition as being double-minded. They claim the name of Christ, but their mind and heart are more aligned with the world than seeking Christ.
This is a common spiritual problem, but that doesn’t mean it is a minor one. The warning Christ gives is severe. Financial prosperity tends to take away the fear of the Lord. The rich are warned of this in Scripture. Riches have a propensity to blind the eyes to the need of Christ. We tend to think that if all is right with my bank account and physical health, all is right with my soul.
This isn’t true. The Lord reveals what is in their hearts: “For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” They had what William Hendrikson called the “we are all good people here” syndrome. They were not living by the truth of the cross, that Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
There is a great contrast between what they think of themselves and what the Lord sees. We fall this far if we forget how great salvation is. Wretched means a condition worthy of pity, yet they are proud. They are poor, truly poor, starving spiritually. They were blind, on the verge of judgment, yet thinking they were rich; and they were naked, the worst condition- no covering for their sin.
The Lord is the great physician of the soul. They needed to be awakened out of their spiritual stupor. The Lord says, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.” Here are Christians whose hearts are far from Christ, yet how gracious is the Lord! He calls them back to faith, to consider how far from the truth of the gospel they had fallen. Repentance means humbling yourself before the Lord, a return to the truth.
The Lord offers renewed fellowship: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” This is an invitation for love between Christ and the believer. If Christ’s death isn’t precious to you, then rich fellowship with him will be lacking.
The Lord quotes from the Song of Songs chapter 5. There the believer is in bed, asleep spiritually. The Lord comes to wake her up and restore fellowship with his redeemed one. But she makes excuses not to get up and open the door. Finally, she is convicted and gets up to open, but he is gone.
There is a radical change in the believer’s heart though. Now she is wide awake. She seeks after him and is not satisfied until she can find him. When others ask her why she seeks so diligently, she speaks of the attributes of Christ. She describes him as the true riches of her soul: “He is the chief among ten thousand, His arms are rods of gold, set with jewels. His legs are like alabaster columns, set on bases of gold.”
Her language may seem strange to us, but her purpose is plain. She cannot describe Christ richly enough. Language fails when it comes to describing the love of Christ. If you lack love for Christ, keep thinking of who He is — the Lord of Glory — and what he did — gave his life so you wouldn’t perish. Acquaint yourself with Christ’s love and you will know the riches of God.