06/10/20 YUCKY WATER #2— In Revelation 3:15-16 (CSB) Jesus says, ^“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth.” In seminary I was asked to teach that passage (v.13-20) to an undergraduate theology class.

Jesus wrote to the church in Laodicea. Surely He had in mind two nearby cities: Hieropolis was noted for its healing HOT springs; Colossae, its zesty COLD pools (Notice the H’s and C’s, just like American spigots!). Basically Jesus was saying that their devotion to Him was as PUTRID as their water from underground limestone aqueducts.

While preparing, I asked myself a question: “What do you have to do to turn hot or cold water into putrid, lukewarm water?” I decided to do an experiment. I took a cup of ice cold water and a cup of boiling water and left them outside on my back porch overnight. The next morning I was shocked at what I found. BOTH cups were full of LUKEWARM water with specks of dirt floating and several insects swimming on the oily surface. GROSS!

So: What do you have to do to turn hot or cold water into putrid, lukewarm water? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! Let’s ALL remember that lesson. Let’s NOT NEGLECT our Devotion, Worship and Service to our Risen Lord until it becomes something that makes Him SICK enough to VOMIT!