Reading: Romans 8:1-17
Prefer listening to this message? Click here for the audio version
Imagine living in Laodicea. It was a city that had no water source, so like many Roman cities, it relied on aqueducts to channel in water from a nearby source or town. Imagine on a hot, parching day in Eastern Turkey. You’ve been doing something strenuous in the hot sun – maybe building a house with thick clay. After work, you rush over to the aqueduct to get a refreshing drink of water. As the water pours off the aqueduct, it’s lukewarm. When it started from the source, it was cold and refreshing, but the aqueduct (which was baking in the sun all day) caused the water to heat up. You walk away dissatisfied.
Jesus chastises Laodicea for having a faith that was a lot like that unrefreshing water. He says, “I wish you were hot or cold, but because you are lukewarm, I’m about to spit you out of my mouth.”
What does it mean that they were lukewarm? It could mean that they didn’t own their faith. Maybe they were living their parents’ faith. Maybe they were a church that simply went through the motions but didn’t have love or a personal relationship with God. Like the Pharisees, they were purely religious – honoring God with their lips though their hearts were far from Him. Perhaps their lukewarm faith might refer to the fact that they were more interested in being a Roman than being a Christian. Maybe they downplayed their Christianity in order to fit in with the culture.
You see, when we’re cold, we recognize our need to find a source of heat. When Jesus says, “I wish you would rather be cold,” I think He’s telling them that by being cold, they would have a more honest assessment of their spiritual depravity and need for God. But being lukewarm, they are living a delusion. They think they are fine. Yes, they’re staying hydrated from the water of the aqueduct, but they’re missing all of the refreshment. There’s nothing satisfying about their spiritual state.
Back in the late 90s, there was a song by D.C. Talk called “Jesus Freak.” The lyrics referenced John the Baptist, who to the culture of his day, seemed like a wild man. In the second verse, they liken John the Baptist to the modern-day guy on the street corner, holding up a sign and preaching that Jesus saves.
You may know a person that has become so committed to the cause of Jesus that they almost seem a little odd in our culture. They’re always speaking out about it – telling people like it is. They’re the Jesus freaks – always giving credit to their Heavenly Father and turning the conversation back to Him. I think sometimes we prefer lapping from the aqueduct of lukewarm Christianity, rather than gulping the cold, refreshing living water. Why? Because I think we know that when we drink from the pure waters of the Holy Spirit, not only will it change us, but it will make us so unsatisfied with the lukewarm junk we’ve been drinking, that we’ll never go back to the socioreligious water cooler.
Let’s be honest. You’re not afraid of being a fanatic. You wear your sports team hats and yell at the TV like a lunatic (do you really think the players can hear you?). With pride, you wear your team’s t-shirt into a crowded room of rivals. For us Ravens fans, we grew up thinking purple was a girly color. Since the Ravens came to town, I’ve never seen so many burly guys, with scruffy faces, and beer bellies wear purple with pride. Why? Because they’re fanatics. Because we’re not afraid to be consumed with a passion for something we love, especially when everyone else is also unashamed.
Here’s our challenge. Let’s be consumed with a passion for Jesus – a passion that makes us unafraid and unashamed to be a fanatic for the Savior of the world. I think we might find a group of people who will join right in with us.