Welcome back to the course, it's wonderful to see you continuing on.
In this lesson, I want to share with you the importance of keeping focused on the cross of Jesus Christ so that you will minister out of the overflow of the love, grace, and power you are receiving at the cross.
If any Christian loses sight of the cross and its benefits, they can become apathetic, indifferent, and lukewarm (2 Peter 1:9). In this state, we lack passion for the message of Christ crucified for our freedom and no longer experience its heart-warming, sin-defeating power. This apathy and indifference is a plague on the soul and it can and will infect others around us, and our students here at Setting Captives Free.
Revelation 3:14-18 (NIV) These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
Question 1. According to Revelation 3:14-16, what was the condition of the church in Laodicea?
The lukewarmness of the Laodicean church made Jesus nauseous; He wanted to spew them out of his mouth! This is how Jesus feels about the condition of a church that is apathetic and indifferent.
Think of it this way: it was in passion and zeal for you that Jesus went to a criminal’s cross, suffered bodily harm, had His soul made an offering for sin, and died under the awful wrath of God. It was His zeal that took Him to His death, sent Him to preach to the spirits in prison, and rose Him from the dead, so He could return to heaven and present His blood to the Father. The truth is, Jesus loves you. He loved you up a cross, and He loved you down to the grave and back!
And for God’s people to respond lukewarmly, or to never mention the cross of Jesus, is a slap in His face, the same face that took the spit for you and was hit by fists for you. “Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah. Who hit you?” (Matthew 27:67-68).
In Mark chapter 6, before we read of Jesus feeding the multitude with fish and bread, we read why He did so:
Mark 6:34 (NIV) When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.