16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of My mouth.
Lukewarm water is useless, it neither refreshes on hot days nor is it hot enough during cold days.
The church in Laodicea was playing both sides. They were assembling together and learning God’s Word and telling people about Jesus but afterward, they indulged in worldly lusts. They had one foot in the Lord and the other in the world thus not being committed 100 percent to Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ abhors a heart that’s divided, either you give your whole heart to Jesus or you don’t. This type of half commitment is something God rejects.
17 Because you say, ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,’ and you don’t know that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked
The church in Laodicea, materially speaking was very wealthy but spiritually they were bankrupt.
Keywords:
wretched: They were miserable inside because they were not walking with the Lord in righteousness. God wasn’t fulfilling their life spiritually because of their continuous sinful lifestyle without repenting.
Pitiful: Their spiritual life was pitiful, a tree that refuses to produce fruit is worthless in God’s eyes.
Poor: Spiritually they had no fruit for the Lord, nothing whatsoever. The church acted on the outside as though they were producing many fruits for Christ but in God’s eyes who see through their facade, they were as broke spiritually as a homeless man is, physically.
Blind: Theologically, they were illiterate and ignorant of God’s Word even though they heard it in the church. If you don’t practice what you read or hear, your spiritual life starts to crumble along with your understanding of scripture. The Lord gives knowledge and understanding of His Word to those who seek Him but to those that turn away, He takes what they had learned away from them (Matthew 13:11-12).
Naked: Naked is a reference to being lost or not yet committed to following Jesus and making Him their Lord and Savior.
18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see.
Keywords: Gold, white clothes, and ointment all refer to the same thing, salvation.
Gold: Good works that glorify the Lord.
White clothes: A person who has put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ and is born again.
Ointment: Their eyes were spiritually blind but through faith in Jesus, just like an ointment that would help to see so in the spiritual sense it would make them see spiritually, know the truth and understand God’s Word.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be committed and repent.
Here, it shows how merciful Jesus truly is. He loves them and wants for them to get on their knees and ask for forgiveness which Jesus is willing and ready to forgive them.
20 Listen! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and have dinner with him, and he with Me.
The phrase “I stand at the door and knock” refers to the person’s heart.
“If anyone hears My voice and opens the door” means if you respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and open your heart to Jesus by placing your faith in Him, He will come into your heart.
The phrase “I will come in to him and have dinner with him, and he with Me.” refers to the marriage feast which will take place in heaven (Revelation 19:9).
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Spiritual Minefield 