Let Him In
Revelation 3:15-16 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.
Often when we evaluate ourselves we seldom can make a fair and true assessment of our achievements or condition. We either think more highly or less highly of ourselves then we truly are. We more often than not misrepresent our performance. But someone who has observed our actions over an extended period of time might be able to give a more realistic evaluation of our true condition.
That’s what Jesus does for the church at Laodicea. He says to them, “I know your works”. If anyone could properly and perfectly assess their spiritual condition it would be the one here described as “the faithful and true witness/” (Rev 3:14). Jesus has watched their ways and their workings. He is the only one who can rightfully judge their attitudes and actions. His assessment is fair and true.
His verdict is that they are “lukewarm”. They are neither cold nor hot regarding their spirituality. This analogy is very apropos as this was the condition of most of the water in their community. Laodicea had no reliable source of water and thus had to develop an alternative way to access water. They had an elaborate plumbing system to attain their water. They had cold water piped in from the cold springs of Colossae 11 miles east. They had hot water piped in from the healing hot springs in Hierapolis 6 miles away. Unfortunately, but the time the water had reached their community it had become lukewarm having lost the refreshing taste of the cold water and the rejuvenating effects of the hot warm. It had become putrid and pitiful only to be spit out when its temperature was not what was anticipated.
Jesus used this relevant analogy to depict the spiritual condition of the Laodicea saints. They were like their water, lukewarm. They had a false and flittering faith with little fervor. They had the appearance of being dynamic disciples but showed no works to validate their claims. They were “neither cold nor hot. They had become lukewarm Christians. Jesus said it would be better if they were either cold and callous rejecting Him outright or hot with a passion and fervor for Him, than being lukewarm.
Jesus elaborates as to the cause of their condition. He states in the following verse that they say “I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, but Jesus gives them a different assessment of their condition. He says they “are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked”. Although they had material wealth, physical health and the finest clothes they were spiritually bankrupt. Their pride and prosperity pushed away their passion for Christ. It is as if they had removed Christ from their lives and he was left standing at the door of their life knocking to come back in (Rev 3:20). Their self-reliance had removed Jesus from prominence in their lives. They had the pretense of being believers, but without the passion. They had become lukewarm.
Although they had relegated Jesus to an inferior position, He had not rejected them. He offered to them, and us, hope of correcting our lukewarm state. He counsels them to make a course change, when He tells them to “buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.” (Rev 3:18). He tells them and all of us who find ourselves to be lukewarm, to come to Him. He alone can enrich them in their spiritual poverty, clothe their spiritual nakedness, and heal their spiritual blindness. He is the solution to their spiritual lukewarmness. It is in repenting before Him that we will return to Him (Rev 3:19). All we need do is open the door to give entrance to the Jesus that we have excluded from our life (Rev 3:20). He is knocking, let Him in and your heart and condition will change.
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