Have you ever had a lukewarm cup of tea?   Yeek! There's simply nothing worse, so imagine, just imagine what a lukewarm Christian feels like to the God who sent His Son to suffer and die for you and me, I mean just imagine.

One of the things that hits me between the eyes over and over again is how honest and direct God is. That may sound a little odd, I mean we kind of expect God to be honest and you'd expect Him to be direct I guess. But one of the habits I established over a couple of decades ago now is to spend some time in God's Word, the Bible, pretty much each and every morning.

Sometimes when I'm travelling or I'm under severe time pressures it doesn't quite work out and on those days the things that I remember from His Word, well those things sustain me. But to live a life of joy, a life that is full and fulfilling, let me tell you there is simply no substitute for listening to God speak, seriously and that's what reading the Bible is all about, listening to God speaking to us.

Just this morning around 3.15 am it was before I sat down at my desk to prepare this message I was in God's Word, Psalm 32 is where I was up to and the sheer power of what God had to say just blew me away. We're going to chat about that particular Psalm later on in this series of messages but right now I want to head off to the other end of the Bible, the Book of Revelation where Jesus is talking to a Church and He's talking to them about being lukewarm. Have a listen, Revelation chapter 3 verses 14 to 22:

And to the angel of the Church of Laodicea write: The words of the amen, the faithful and true witness, the origin of God’s creation.

I know your works; you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were either hot or cold so because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold I'm about to spit you out of my mouth. For you say 'I'm rich, I've prospered and I need nothing'. You don't realise that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked.

Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich and white robes to clothe you and keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. I reprove and discipline those whom I love. Be earnest therefore and repent.

Listen, I am standing at the door knocking, if you hear my voice and open the door I will come into you and eat with you and you with me. To the one who conquers I will give a place with me on my throne just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on His throne. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the Churches.

To be perfectly honest with you I've been to many Churches like the one in Laodicea, I've met many people who call themselves Christians who would have fitted comfortably into a pew in that Church. That lukewarm cup of tea I mentioned earlier, you know what that's like. You take one sip and you just want to spit it out right? Hot, sure that's nice, cold, well you know iced tea is a very refreshing drink but lukewarm? Puke right?

What a vivid picture and to the lukewarm Christian that's exactly what Jesus is saying here. Like I said God is really honest and direct on the things that count. Sometimes you hear preachers trying to soften the blow, put a better spin on the message, trying to make sure people don't feel too uncomfortable with what Jesus is saying.

I mean what spin merchant these days would let Jesus get out there and say 'if you want to be my disciple take up your cross every day and follow me because if you want to save your life you're going to lose it but if you're prepared to lose it all for me you'll find it.

It's not a particularly popular message but then Jesus, well Jesus is a straight shooter. He knows that on the really important things in life and this whole hot/cold/lukewarm thing is actually really important, He knows He has to cut straight to the quick. And so as we launch into this series today, it's called Overboard with Jesus please don't expect me to mince my words.

There are people listening to this broadcast today who are living out a lukewarm brand of Christianity, a form of Christianity where they say they believe in Jesus but they don't live as though they do. You see what you say only tells the rest of us who you want to be; it's what you do that tells the rest of us who you really are.

And for so many people 'I believe in Jesus' comes out of one side of their mouth but in their hearts they say to themselves, "well, you know, I'm rich, I've prospered, I really don't need anything." As author Michael Green once put it:

My job here is to strip you naked and show you that the clothes in which you once boasted are after all nothing but insubstantial rags.

The things we have, the things we've achieved one day will mean absolutely nothing. Over the last few months I've buried two friends, I've been to their funerals and sat in the pews and listened to what people said about them. They were both amazing people, one a man, one a woman.

The man was generous and loving and kind, he poured himself out for people but he didn't believe in Jesus. The woman, well the same in her own way, generous and selfless and kind but she did believe in Jesus. Today neither of them exists on this earth any more, their bodies have returned to dust. What really matters now at this end of the equation is their relationship with Jesus. The man, sadly, will spend eternity separated from God. The woman, right now, is in the presence of Jesus worshipping Him.

Let me ask you, when you get to the end of your life how do you want things to turn out? It's sobering but then this isn't my message, this is Jesus talking, this is Jesus right here, right now, speaking to you, I'm just His servant, I'm just His mouthpiece and today He's calling out to you, today He's asking you to look in the mirror and ask yourself 'am I living my life like I'm full on for Jesus?’

Am I living my life as though He is the single most important thing in my life or am I just kidding myself?' Am I just going through the motions living out a comfortable Christianity and if it's the latter this is what He's going to say to you, right here and right now?

Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich and white robes to clothe you and to keep your shame of nakedness from being seen and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. I reprove and discipline those whom I love. Be earnest therefore and repent.

In other words, come to me, Jesus is saying and get things that truly matter, forgiveness, holiness, wisdom and insight so that you can live your life the way He always planned so that you can have all the things that He wants to give you here and now and for the rest of eternity.

Jesus speaks to us very directly; He speaks very plainly for one reason. Because He loves us. He reproves and disciplines those whom He loves and I believe, in fact I know that there are some comfortable Christians who've been warming pews down at their local Church for way too long who Jesus wants to drag out of their comfort zones today and it's my privilege today to call you back to Him, to share His words with you.

So if you're feeling just a tad uncomfortable, if you feel like you're squirming a little in your seat today, if the words of Jesus are just a little too close to home then I'm pretty sure this message is for you.

Be earnest therefore and repent.

Get real with yourself and turn back to Jesus. Admit it if you've been lukewarm, turn your life back over to Him, that's what He's calling to you today, plainly, directly, lovingly because your life, YOUR life depends on it.