The Ailment of Apathy
Rev. 3:14-22
14And unto 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;15
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.16
So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.17
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:18
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.19
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.20
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.21
To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.22
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Intro: Is our society suffering from apathy? Has our churches fallen victim to the ailment of apathy? Dullness, stupor-like attitudes. Unwilling to serve God with a fervor that is commensurate or worthy of the blessings that God has given us through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus? How do we justify our refusal to give to Him the praise and glorification that He is so deserved of receiving? Is it time to get with it for the Lord? Time to become that special servant that God can be enthusiastic in His support of our record?
Christ the Standard Bearer - 14
Faithful - the definition of faithful is Him!
What an example
Willing to sacrifice
True Witness - The quality of truthfulness is Christ (not just a name)
Call upon Him
Count on Him
Christ the Knowledgeable One - 15
He Knows our Actions and its Control upon our lives
Good
Bad
Secret
Open
He Knows our Attitude and its Casualty upon our outlook - 17
Self-sufficient in our own mind
Sincerity
Selfish
He Knows our Apathy and its Consequences to us and others
Deadly spiritually
Dangerous to our whole servitude
Difficult to overcome (who cares?)
Christ the Loving One - 18-19
He Chastens (because He cares)
He Charges you to listen to what He has to say!
He Calls firmly for repentance with a zeal!
So as we look at our lives, our servitude, our desire to please Him, our actions, our attitude, our everyday walk......Are we Ailing with the Ailment of Apathy? Are we serving Him with our whole heart and attitude?
Gary Marcum - New Beginnings Church - 050706pm - first used - 06-29-97 AM