Dear Christian friends:

When are we tempted most? In good times or in bad times? Martin Luther says that in good times our faith is in greatest danger. When we are poor or sick or in other trouble we can easily see that we need God and we can see that money and other earthly things are of little valve. But when we are rich, and well, and have no bad problems we easily forget God and trust in our money and find pleasure and comfort in that.

Today all of us in the United States have good times: few are unemployed. We are earning good money and living in much comfort and ease. True we still complain and want more and more, because we see only other rich Americans. But if we could look to the past or look to other truly poor countries like India, China, Iran, Egypt and others, we would quickly see our great riches and comforts. Never before in history has any nation had so much money and things as we have today.

So we are in very great danger. We are straying away from God. We value money and all the wonderful things that money can buy, and not value God and His things.

So today, I want to preach to you about that. I want you to stop and think before your faith is all gone. I ask you:

The Church at Laodicea did not. They were prosperous people. They spent much time enjoying their money and comforts and began to lose interest in the church and the work of the Church. So Jesus warned them through John's writings: Jesus said to them, "I know what you're doing, that you aren't cold or hot." They were not hot, eager and they were not cold, nothing, but in between, lukewarm. They did not yet fully give up church and serving God. They still came to church on Sunday and helped once in a while, and gave a little money but they were no longer hot, truly interested truly loving God and trusting Him and serving Him. Now they were more interested in money and all the pleasures and things money can buy. Why?

They valued money and not God. So Jesus said to them, "You say, I am rich and wealthy, and don't need anything, and you don't know you're miserable, pitiful, poor, blind and naked."

How about our church? Are we hot or cold? Or are we lukewarm? Some of our members are hot, very eager, some are cold, fully given up their church, but most are in between lukewarm. We still come to church on Sunday once or twice a month, but not every Sunday and not on Thanksgiving day and not twice or three times on Christmas. We still come to the business meetings, and committee meetings, but never have any good or eager ideas, not really hot.

We still give some money to church, but many only give one dollar when they should be giving three, four and five each Sunday. Every year we ought to improve in our pledging but this year it is worse than last year.

We think that we don't need God and His help, so we fail to pray, fail to read His words and promises, fail to tell others about His great and wonderful, help in Jesus. We attend to our job or jobs and plenty of overtime. We spend a lot of time shopping and we save a lot in the bank. We are very hot, eager about jobs, money, cars and pleasures, but not hot about God.

What should we do? Jesus says "repent" or I will spit you out of my mouth if you stay lukewarm. When you drink coffee you want it either hot or cold. You don't want it warm. So God doesn't want you warm. He wants you truly to love Him and serve Him. He says, "repent" change: "I advise you to buy from Me, gold, purified in fire, to make you rich; white clothes to put on (Jesus blood and righteousness, my beauty are my glorious dress) to hide your shameful nakedness; salve to put on your eyes to help you see true values. I correct and spank all whom I love." See I am etc. (Read to verse 21)

Now I will say to you what Jesus said to that church long ago in Laodicea, "You have ears (eyes); then listen to what the Spirit says to you today"

Amen.