This is the Truth Network. Is the church spiritually homogeneous, that is, all of one kind in our spiritual condition, or are there carnal and spiritual Christians among us?
Well, stay with us, listen, and learn. You're listening to "Until He Comes," a blend of prophetic and practical biblical studies with Dr. Greg Hinnant, author of "The Second Coming of Christ: His Appearing, His Return, Our Preparation," and now author and teacher Greg Hinnant. Welcome to the program. Today we are continuing our talk about Jesus in judgment mode.
Our text for these studies is Revelation two and three. I encourage you to study these two chapters in depth. Use every resource you have. And study it in great depth, because there is tremendous truth here, and it is very timely truth. The next Jesus we see will be Jesus in judgment mode, and as he examined these churches, they were real people just like us, and real assemblies just like ours.
As he examines them, so he will examine us. When we see him next, after he catches us away in the rapture, and we stand before him at the bema. He will be on a great platform, and he will read from the books which record the works of our life, our life deeds in Christ as Christians, and as a Christian. We will be rewarded according to our works. Paul is very clear on this.
On Revelation fourteen and second five, second Corinthians five, verse ten. You cannot misunderstand him. He clearly says we will be judged according to our works, meaning life deeds. This has nothing to do with working to try to earn salvation. Not at all.
This is post salvation. And after we have been saved, you know we're in the kingdom now. We thank God. The grace of God is awesome, and His grace continues. It's grace that enables me to make this broadcast to you today, and you to listen.
But at the same time, we need to stop and say, "Well, so what? What do I?" Do from here. What shall I be? What shall I do from here on?
Well, the Bibles are explicit about that. We should grow up, and so we're going to talk about that in this message. Where Jesus is examining the Church of Laodicea, they had not grown up, and he had some really critical things to say to them. In fact, it was the worst. It was the worst rebuke of any of the churches of these seven churches.
Five were criticized. I would say Christ-like criticism. It was. The truth in love, but this church got a rebuke, a severe rebuke.
So we're going to look at this in a little bit of depth. Let's read this in Revelation three, where he began to speak to this church, and he said this. To the angel of the church of the Laodiceans, write these things. Saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. I know thy works.
By the way, there he was saying, "I'm going to tell you the truth about yourself. I speak, and make a true witness. I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot." I would that you were cold or hot, but because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of my mouth. I think spiritual lukewarmness is apathy, indifference, inaction, non-response. They were saved, thank God, but Jesus was not the first item on their agenda.
Oh, let's just speak to today. My goodness.
So many Christians, Jesus is just something that they add on to their lifestyle. Jesus is not an add-on God; He's a sovereign God. He wants to be Lord of the life, not just one of your buddies that you call upon for help in need.
So anyway, they were lukewarm. Lukewarmness also means they were not devout. They did not seek the Lord. Spending time with Him meant little, if anything, to them. They weren't serious about their calling, their missional calling to go out with the Word of God and share it with others.
They weren't serious about living the Word, being doers of the Word, so the light of the Word is shining through their lives, not just what they say. They weren't serious about evangelizing the nations. They weren't also. They were not serious about discipling the nations, teaching the nations. Had to walk closely with Christ.
So all they were interested in apparently was their commerce. Laodicea was a very wealthy city. They had tremendous trade. They were in the center of east-west, north-south trade routes. They had a very large banking system.
And they had a school of medicine there, where they produced, among other things, an eye salve which was very popular. And they also produced a beautiful black, shiny, wool there garments made of this. And so they were famous and wealthy for many things, except their spiritual life.
So they put the natural first and the spiritual second. Were they Christians? Yes, because Jesus addressed them as Christians. He would not address non-Christians. Were they spiritual?
No. Were they mature? No. Did they please Christ? No.
Now, why am I asserting that there are different kinds of Christians in the church? All are saved by grace, not works. Let's settle that issue first of all. But once we're in the family, once we're in the house, the question is, how do we live as sons and daughters of God?
Well, look at these seven churches. They show us exactly how we live. the The Christians in Smyrna were so devout in their testimony and uncompromising that would not say, they would not say, Domitian is Lord. They would only say, Christ is Lord, and they suffered for it. They were jailed, awaiting martyrdom, awaiting death.
So they were faithful unto death. Then there was the church at Ephesus, a very faithful church. They only had one fault, and that was that they had forgotten their first love. Their works were awesome, off the charts. But Jesus told them you wanted to get back to that devotion.
He said, "Get back to your first love." And so, then there were other churches like the Church of Sardis, we mentioned in our last lesson. They had a reputation to be a great church, but when Jesus visited and, as it were, sat in the pew, he looked around and he felt no moving of the Holy Spirit. I tell you, friends, there's so many churches that I've been in that are really good, powerful churches. Had a school in the church. That was usually the reason I was there to teach my courses in CLST Global in that local campus, and I've been in so many other churches, which, whatever their doctrine, were spiritually dead.
I've been in Baptist churches that were dead, and Pentecostal churches and Charismatic churches that are dead, and been in all the same that are alive, and the Holy Spirit was present and flowing.
So that church was dead. Jesus rebuked them and told them and warned them that they didn't get ready, that they would be left behind at the rapture. And again, this was one of a number of things we showed, which demonstrated that those who obeyed his corrections had wonderful rewards coming. Those who did not, there were dire warnings of some adverse consequence that was the direct result of their disobedience to Christ. Correction.
Very important issue. When Jesus is gotten after you about something, it is so vital that you respond. I encourage you to, if that's going on in your life at this moment, let him have his way. If you demand your way, he'll let you have it. But you will displease him, and if you keep doing that, the Holy Spirit will lift off of your bodily temple, like he did in the Jewish temple of old.
Now, will he completely leave your life? No, because Jesus said he would not leave you. But he will be grieved. You will not sense his presence. You will not enjoy his peace that passes understanding.
You will not have his strength that enables you to do all things. And in many other ways, you will come short of the mark, and you will be spiritually dead and apathetic, like these lukewarm lay of the sea. And so, what did Jesus say about their lukewarmness? He said, "I would rather you be cold," simply meaning I would rather you weren't even a Christian than that you were a Christian. But then you were apathetic as a Christian, and you didn't fulfill the calling on your life.
You never grew up. You preferred to stay immature, carnally minded.
So he goes on to say, "Because of your condition, I'm going to spew you out of my mouth, vomit." What a what a Terrible thing for Jesus to say, but He said it. That's it. That's right. Jesus, in judgment mode, had some terrible things to say to this church. Again, I assert they were Christians, or He would not have addressed them at all.
Jesus did not address the Jews. He did not who rejected Him, and He did not address those in the temples of the other gods. He addressed them because this was an ecclesia, a called-out assembly.
So we're saying here that these churches in Asia—they were not spiritually homogeneous. They were not all of one kind. They were all of one salvation, thank God—salvation by grace alone and faith alone, in Christ alone, and His cross, His work alone, and His blood alone, and in nothing and no one else. That was their salvation. But after that, some grew, some did not.
That's the way it is today. And I challenge you: go into any church in the nation and in the world, any church. Just pick a church, and I, I, I would say I dare you. I'm feeling a little sassy today, but let me just walk that back a little bit. I encourage you: please look around at these churches.
Is every one of the same walk, of the same closeness to Christ, of the same knowledge of God, of the same spirit-saturated condition, or do some have only a faint amount of the spirit, just a little of that precious oil, when others are flowing? And if you can't see it for yourself, ask the pastor. And get him in a mood where he's going to be honest with you. Yes, I meant what I said.
Some pastors are going to boast on the churches because, in a sense, their people, their flock, really belonging to Christ, but entrusted to them.
So they're going to boast on him, and and they're not going to tell you about their faults. But if you get one to speak to you frankly, he's going to tell you. Yeah, this is a great church; it really is. But we have this one and that one, and this little group and that group, and. Who are not seeking the Lord?
They're not interested in Bible study. They don't want to come to prayer meetings. Jesus is way down their priority list. But I remember when they were saved, and they're not overt sinners, and they haven't renounced Christ, renounced Christ, or gone back on Him. They do come to church, but they're just not growing.
So every church is a testament to what I'm telling you—that the church of Jesus Christ. While we all have one means of entry into the true church, universal, by grace through faith alone, and the work alone of Christ. After that entry, we have many different spiritual sorts and conditions.
Now, that point being made, let's read now. Again, about this latency in church. Let's read further. He said, "Because you say, or seventeen, because you say, I am rich. I am increased with goods.
I have need of nothing." Oh, immediately we see one of the causes of their lukewarmness or apathy. They were commodity Christians. They were consumer Christians. Their minds were consumed with the products and commodities they wanted to consume. You know, you can have all kinds of things and not be dominated by things because God's going to test you over those things to see if He's going to be first or those things.
Every day you're being tested. You might be tested right now while I'm speaking to you. Jesus might be dealing with you to put Him before some other material blessing He's given you. If you want. Ah, then you lose.
You begin to lose the spirit and His power in your life, and the closeness to Christ. Don't do that. Stay faithful. If you obey, Christ becomes nearer and dearer, and that thing or that group of things becomes less important and no longer dominates your mind, your attention, your money, and your time. But these were dominated by these very things in Laodicea, so he said.
Because you say this and you don't know, so they were spiritually blinded without discernment of the true condition that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. Oh, what a condition they were in! Notice the last word, naked. Were they walking around naked? No, but this is a reference to their participation in temple worship and the immorality that attended it.
But it more importantly points out they were what we call, and what Paul calls, carnal Christians. With that in mind, let's note that Jesus was saying that that if they did not respond, that he would expose their Nakedness. Let's go on to see what he says here. I counsel you to buy me gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich. They were poor, but he wanted to make them spiritually rich.
And white raiment, that you may be clothed, clothed in the robes of honor of an overcomer, and that the shame of your nakedness, or one translation says your shameful nakedness, does not appear. And he goes on to say, "Anoint your eyes with eye salve that you may see." But we want to focus on this phrase: "That the shame of your nakedness do not appear." Jesus never wants to expose the fleshliness or carnality of his people. The last thing he wants to do is expose a sinning pastor or leader in the church because of their sin. The last thing, because not just their name, but his name suffers. A big blow, and Christianity is shamed before the world.
So that's the last thing he does. But what he's telling us here, though, is that this church was walking in carnality.
Now, carnality means you are being controlled by your fleshly nature or unrenewed mind. I'll repeat that: you are being controlled, led, influenced far too much, more than the Spirit. By your fleshly nature, the old nature, or your unrenewed mind, your mind has not been renewed, so that you think like Jesus, so that you think from the scriptural viewpoint.
Okay, so this is what a carnal Christian is about, but there are different types of carnal Christians.
Now, Galatians five nineteen, we read what is commonly known about a carnal Christian. We hear verses nineteen through twenty one.
Now, the works of the flesh are manifest or obvious. Paul is saying, "Look, it's obvious what it is to walk in the flesh." He said these works are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness.
So he he starts off. With what we call the sins of the flesh, the lower sins, immorality, and all the sins and perversions that attach itself to them. And then he goes on to say, idolatry, loving something more than God, trusting something more than God, witchcraft. Oh my goodness! Any form of the occult, hatred.
Ah, there's a surprise. That's pretty common, isn't it? If you hate somebody, you're living in the flesh. Variance that is variance, emulations, emulation meaning envy-driven imitation of someone or something. You see something, someone having some advantage or blessing that you don't have, and you want it for yourself, and so you begin to act like them, talk like them.
Follow after them, emulation to try to be like them, instead of trying to be like Christ. Wrath, intense anger. Oh, that's walking in the flesh for sure. Strife, you want to argue and debate with everything, everyone about everything, and you're pugnacious. You're quick to fight.
You don't just discuss doctrine. You want to fight about doctrine and prove that you are right. Obviously, that's pride. Seditions. You want to undermine the authority of the pastor.
Do it secretly. Get a little cabal going in the church and overthrow him and kick him out. And then heresies, clearly false doctrines that defy orthodox, fundamental teachings. That's walking in the flesh. Envyings.
Oh, I just mentioned envy before. When you hold envy for someone, now this is an attitude, not an action. Not an emulation is an action. Emulation, you're trying to imitate someone, but but envy is not. It's an attitude, envious of conditions, anger at another possessing something one keenly wants to possess oneself, when the other has it by right.
The difference is jealousy in of these two terms. The difference is that jealousy is angry, anger at another person's possessing of something which belongs to oneself, rightly, not the other.
So either jealousy or anger or envy or or works of the flesh, but particularly envying is so prevalent among us. Are you envious of some person because of their material wealth, because of their knowledge, because of their favor, because of their popularity, because of their seeming success, because of their spiritual knowledge, their spiritual gifts, their biblical knowledge, their ministry success? If you're a pastor, someone else's churches is bigger than you. That's always going to be the case. Learn to recognize when envy and it begins very subtly stirs in your heart, and there are four things you need to do with envy.
Number one, you confess it to God. Absolutely, tell him what I was and tell him what it's about. I envy Bob because of Bob's car, and I wish I had one like him, but I don't. I envy Sally because of her prayer life, and she's so spiritual, and I'm not that spiritual.
So you confess the truth of what the envious and to what it attaches itself. Then the second thing is you renounce it because it is evil. It gives place to Satan. It was the original sin of Satan. We think of the pride aspect, but envy was also there.
So you renounce it, and you are done with it. Then number three, you give thanks for what you are blessed with in that area. If I envy Bob for his car, that's nice in the mind. I start thanking the Lord for my automobile. If I envy Sally for her spiritual prayer life, I start thanking the Lord that I do pray and I have known Him in prayer and I can pray.
And the fourth thing is, you start thanking the Lord and blessing Him for blessing the other person whom you envy. Yes, the very person you envy is of. Start thanking God that He's blessed them the way He has. He's not made a mistake. You know, Joseph's brothers felt that their father Jacob made a mistake when he gave Joseph the long sleeve tunic, but he had not.
And then they really thought God had made a mistake when He gave Joseph the gift. Of interpreting dreams, and he had not.
So, when God wants to bless someone, He's sovereign; He'll bless whom He chooses, and you and I must learn to say, "Thank you, Jesus." You did not make an error.
So those are four things you could do when envy arises in your heart. Murders—that's obvious. Drunkenness and revelings. Oh, that's clearly walking in the flesh and such like. And he goes on to say, "Of the which I tell you before, as I have told you in the past, that they that do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." So don't expect to have a happy afterlife if you live in these sins of the flesh.
Now, those are the obvious sins. Let's go into something that's less obvious. This also is carnal Christianity. First Corinthians. Three, the Apostle Paul writing to the Corinthians.
Note again, he's addressing a church. All of these that he spoke to were Christians. None of them were false professors. And I, excuse me, there would be false professors there, yes. But he was speaking to real Christians.
And I, brothers, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even babes in Christ. He said, some of you haven't grown up at all. And so I couldn't talk to you in a mature way. I have fed you with milk and not with meat, for hitherto you were not able to bear it. Neither yet now are you able.
So he's saying, "Look, I'm having to feed you pablum, little baby truths, little small truths, not the deeper things of God, because you can't handle it. You don't understand it. You haven't changed enough." You haven't let the Spirit have His way enough, for you are yet carnal. Translation: You're still carnal. They were Christians, but they were still carnal, because the transformation process post salvation had not occurred, or had not occurred sufficiently.
For whereas there is among you, listen, envying and strife and divisions, are you not carnal and walk as men? Walk as men who are unregenerated, who've never met Christ, who've never known the Bible, lost men, fallen men. He said you're living like the world, and he particularly attached notifies them of their bad attitudes, envying, strife, and divisions.
So these were primarily attitudes.
So their unchanged, fallen human attitudes—pride, envy, factions—that is, preferring one group over another, priding themselves as one group—were dividing them. And Paul said this was carnality. He goes on to say, for while one says I'm of Paul, another I'm of Apollos. Aren't you carnal? Aren't you living like unchanged men?
He says, "You said you you choose one teacher over another." He said, "All of us are servants of the Lord." Listen to what he says. Who then is Paul? Who is Apollos? But ministers by whom you believed, even as the Lord gave to every man. I have planted, Apollos watered.
But God gave the increase.
So neither is he that plants anything, neither is he that waters, but God who gives the increase. He's pointing them away from lifting up himself or Apollos, and pointing them to lift up the Lord. That's spiritual thinking, Christ-centered thinking, biblical thinking, New Testament thinking. Paul was spiritually minded; they were not.
Now look at Hebrews five. Here's another very clear passage. This is Hebrews five twelve, or read through six one. For when, for the time, you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again, which are the first principles of the oracles of God. What is Paul saying?
He's saying, "Look, you've been a Christian long enough so that you should be ministering yourself, but you are not able." And he goes on to say, "And because, excuse me, and are become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat, so they were." Christians who, for the time, ought to be mature, but they were still immature, so they were stunted, undeveloped, underdeveloped. Christians, they were Christians, but they were carnal. He goes on to say, "Excuse me, this is the writer to the Hebrews.
Now, some believe he's Paul, some believe he's Peter. For every one that uses milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness, for he's a babe, but strong meat." Belongs to them that are of full age, even to those who, by reason of years, have their senses exercised to discern good and evil.
So he's talking about Christians who go through tests successfully and gain discernment, and these to whom he writes, they have not. Then he says, "Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection, not laying again the foundation." And he names the foundational doctrines.
So he's saying, "Let us go on to perfection, friends." That's the cry of the Holy Spirit today. He wants you and I to be done with the carnality that we see in the Laodicean church, the Laodicean church around us that we read about in this message of Laodicea. He wants us to grow up in all things, no longer be carnal, but be becoming spirit. Bible, filling our minds with the Word of God, studying the Word, meditating the Word, talking the Word, teaching the Word, living the Word—that is the key. When you obey the Word of God, then your mind really begins to change, and you start thinking spiritually, no longer thinking carnally.
So here we have clear descriptions of the carnal Christians in the midst of the saved. They were Christians; they were not false professors. Though there were false professors present, also, and it's time for us to be spiritually minded, grow up unto Christ in all things. If this message has blessed you, tell your friends, and please consider helping us stay on the air by sending your tax-deductible donation to Greg Hennett Ministries. Also, remember you may download the "Until He Comes" podcast from your preferred podcast app.
May you walk closely with Christ and trust and obey Him in your daily tests of faith and patience until He comes. This is the Truth Network.
