Introduction: If I asked you what the most dangerous spiritual condition is — on this side of eternity — what would your answer be? What if I told you that it isn’t to be a red-hot hater of Christianity? What if I told you that the most dangerous condition is to have a heart that just doesn’t care? J.I. Packer put it very well: Lukewarmness or indifference in religion is the worst attitude in the world. If religion is real, then it is the most wonderful thing; but if it is not real, then it is the worst possible imposture, and we should oppose it strongly. If religion is worth anything, it is worth everything. Indifference in this matter is inexcusable. “Elijah went before the people and said, ‘How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him’ ” (1 Kings 18:21). There is no room for neutrality here. Christ expects people to declare themselves openly, either for him or against him. Paul argued in the very same way when he talked about the gravity of the resurrection of Jesus. ESV 1 Corinthians 15:14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. He is saying that if the resurrection is true, our preaching is true, our representation of God’s raising of His Son from the dead is true, our faith is true, the forgiveness of our sins is true, those who died in Christ are very much alive. What we believe and preach is worth living for an dying for. BUT IF IT ISN’T TRUE, we are guilty of a great misrepresentation and the outcome is tragic. THERE IS NO ROOM FOR INDIFFERENCE WHEN IT COMES TO THE GOSPEL. But if there is no room for indifference when MEETING with the gospel, what should we think about indifference when we say we have believed it? Do we really believe what we say we believe? Are we living in a way the demonstrates that we really believe what we say we believe? We now meet with the last of the 7 churches that Jesus addressed in the opening of the book of Revelation. And when we do, we meet with the most sobering and threatening letter of all. This is the only church of the seven for which Jesus had no commendation. He doesn’t even offer commendation to a PORTION of the church, as He did in the case of Sardis. This is a self-satisfied church, existing in a wealthy city, and Jesus meets them with an urgent warning. I. THE SPIRITUAL CONDITION OF THIS CHURCH I want to begin this morning in a way different than I normally would. Jesus begins again with a self-description. We will look at that in a moment. But there is a key interpretive issue that we must consider at the beginning. Because the way we understand this interpretive issue will affect our understanding and application of the entire message. What was the spiritual condition of the church at Laodicea? A. THE CHURCH’S BEGINNINGS There can be no doubt that at its inception this was indeed a church of Jesus Christ. Paul did not bring the gospel to this church initially — in fact, at the time that he wrote the book of Colossians, he had not yet visited the church. ESV Colossians 2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, Laodicea was only 10 miles from Colossae to its east. Hierapolis was about 6 miles to the north. Ephesus about 100 miles to its west. And Philadelphia was about 40 miles away. This church might have been planted by Epaphras, as the Colossian church was. ESV Colossians 1:3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing-- as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf