Rev 3:14-17 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. “‘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. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
What causes “Lukewarm”, unconcerned, unresponsive, unmoved, coolness, uninterested, passionless, complacency….. in lives of those who call themselves Christians? We could start a list which would turn out to be quite lengthy, but at the root is something substantial and it is affecting the lives of those so inclined. God’s Word is full of examples and warnings about forgetting God and things of God which leads people to being lukewarm at best and completely useless and void of any good at its worst.
it escapes their notice
who intend to make My people forget
and forgot the Lord their God
For My people have forgotten Me,
And being satisfied, their heart became proud; Therefore they forgot Me.
and forget what is decreed
I forget to eat my bread
all the abundance will be forgotten
I have forgotten happiness.
And my intimate friends have forgotten me.
I am forgotten as a dead man
And forgot the God who gave you birth.
But they forgot the Lord their God
They forgot His deeds
did not remember the Lord their God
And did not remember Your wondrous deeds
They did not remember Your abundant kindnesses,
“Now consider this, you who forget God,
But they forgot the Lord their God
For you have forgotten the God of your salvation
And have not remembered the rock of your refuge.
They quickly forgot His works;
They have forgotten the Lord their God.
It shall come about if you ever forget the Lord your God
has forgotten his Maker
then watch yourself, that you do not forget the Lord
so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen
“Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God
They did not remember His power,
Paul said to keep our eyes focused on Jesus Christ, stand firm, and be fully committed because of the grace, mercy, and love God has shown through His Son, Jesus. When a person is drawn by God to knowledge of the need for salvation, redemption, and forgiveness I doubt it is ever a subtle thing. When we are exposed to this need it is only because of God revealing it to us.
Think about that for a bit. The creator of everything, almighty, everlasting, ever-present, all-powerful, unlimited…… reaches out, knocks on the door or our heart and speaks truth of our sin and need for salvation, asking to come into our hearts. Who are we that “God” would do such a thing? And yet, people take it so lightly. I can hardly write this without humbly bowing as low as I possibly can get, for the presence of His holiness in light of my sinfulness leaves me speechless. Were we to just get from God, a visit and a knock on the door, with nothing said, it would be beyond our wildest dreams that He would even think to stop and knock at our heart’s door. We might say, Who’s there?, or Go away, I’m busy, or just not even give concern and turn a deaf ear to it. But it says God knocks and speaks. Wow! The God of all there is in the universe, knocks on your heart’s door and speaks, asking to come in.
Sometimes I hear pastors give an invitation to come to Christ like this, “if you want what Jesus offers, If you are feeling like something is missing in your life, If you want a change because things are not going well for you, with all heads bowed and eyes closed, raise your hand, I am not going to embarrass you, I just want to pray for you, Ask Jesus to come in and He will.”
I have heard this type of invitation from more than one pastor. There is no speaking of sin and the need for forgiveness or repentance. There is talk of benefits in your life now and eternal life.
When Peter proclaimed the word of God on the day of Pentecost the people were cut to the heart and said, “What must we do?” Peter said, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” There was no “with your heads bowed and eyes closed raise your hand”. There was no embarrassment from those who understood their need for forgiveness of their sin to ask what they needed to do. Their hearts were cut and bleeding out, as it were, and they needed immediate attention for they knew they were dying and as close to death as a person could get. If a pastor is worried about someone being embarrassed for seeking “What must I do” then the pastor is not proclaiming the need for salvation, but rather a shallow gospel of what can I get out of this deal. Raise your hand so I can pray for you. I can’t even come close to understanding this in light of an invitation for salvation. Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ”
How is a person to understand the depth of the punishment Christ endured was exactly what they deserve? How is a person to understand the holiness of God without understanding sin and its ugliness and the need for repentance?
Too often pastors want to show numbers. People who raised their hand and people who got baptized. Too often pastors do not want to offend people by talking about sin so they talk about comforting thoughts of the promises of God that are bestowed on believers. They do not talk of sin in light of the holiness of God and the need for repentance as this will make people uncomfortable. You can fill up the seats by making people comfortable about their lives. How many lives crab hold of this shallow invitation without a single conviction of sin? I am sure there are those, over time, and through the Holy Spirit have come to a saving grace knowledge of Jesus Christ, but it is not because the pastor proclaimed the Word of Truth boldly.
How easy is it to forget God when there is no thought of sin, no understanding of the penalty, and no repentance? How easy is it to neglect the Word of God and things of God when there is no understanding of the need for forgiveness? When God is only proclaimed as a reservoir of benefits and freely giving out blessings, without the knowledge of a person’s sins and the due penalty before a holy God, then the shallowness of their need will manifest in their life. There will be no light of Jesus Christ shinning. In fact, people seeing them and hearing them proclaim they are “Christian” will not see much difference in their lives as their own. If this is all they see what is the need for the benefits and blessing from God they already have worldly peace, prosperity, good health, a nice family, a good job, and help others when they desire to do it. They will not hear from the Christian who repented when they became aware of sin, that their sins were forgiven, how they lived prior to salvation, how they are filled with the Holy Spirit, how they are growing in understanding and knowledge of the grace, mercy, and love of God.
Without an active discernment, knowledge, and awareness of sin and its sinfulness in light of the holiness of God, there will be no growth and maturing (sanctification). God will be forgotten. The world and what it has to offer will become the norm. The signs of the times will pass them by and when the bridegroom returns I wonder if they will be watching and ready.
How are they to understand Hebrews 10:31. “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God”? How are they to understand God’s grace, mercy, and love if they do not understand His judgement, wrath, anger, hell, and torment?
There should be no shallowness in the understanding of sin. When we understand it then the Gospel of Jesus Christ, repentance, forgiveness, and salvation set our hearts and minds on the great cost bore by Jesus that was our just reward for our sins, and the great grace, mercy, and love of God. Instead of forgetting God our hearts and minds are seeking to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all of our thoughts, words, and actions.
You can not understand the depth of God’s blessings without understanding the depth of your sinfulness.
