Let me just say it up front: this message didn’t come from me. I didn’t wake up one day and think, “You know what would really fire people up? A good old-fashioned message on Revelation.” No. This came from heaven. It hit me at 3 a.m. one morning like a knock at the front door. Literally. And what I heard from the Lord wasn’t just a warning—it was a wake-up call.
Jesus is concerned about His church. Not the world—that’s doing what it’s always done—but the church. And specifically, He’s calling out the lukewarm.
Now, let me tell you, that word “lukewarm” isn’t something folks want to hear about anymore, as if there was a time they did want to hear it. That word doesn’t make the worship playlist or get printed on coffee mugs. But there it is, plain as day in Revelation chapter 3. Jesus says, “Because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I will spew you out of my mouth.”
Think about that. Jesus Himself saying, “You make me sick.” That’s strong. That’s personal. And He’s not talking to atheists or criminals or the people we think are “out there.” He’s talking to the church.
Here’s what hit me: in those seven messages to the churches in Revelation, Jesus mentions the word “works” twelve times. Twelve. Now go into most modern churches and mention works and see what happens. Folks look at you like you’re dragging religion back in. But Jesus Himself—red letters—said, “I know your works.”
He’s watching. He cares how we live. That whole idea that our actions don’t matter? It’s not biblical. We’ve sold grace like a get-out-of-jail-free card, but Jesus is telling us to wake up and repent. Not because He’s angry, but because He loves us.
I had a real-life picture of this with my brother Keith. He was raised in church, tender-hearted as a kid, but he went cold. Not lukewarm—cold. He got into drinking, moonshine, and drugs. One time he even pulled a gun on me for talking about Jesus. That’s how far gone he was.
But you know what? God never stopped knocking. Even as Keith’s body started failing—esophagus burned, stomach lining gone from alcohol abuse—God kept reaching out. And finally, in the quiet of a parking lot outside my office one day, Keith pulled up in his car, rolled down his window, looked at me, and said, “I made it right with the Lord.”
That was the last conversation I had with him. The next time I saw him, he was on life support. But I know—I know—he’s in heaven. Not because he was perfect, but because he responded before it was too late.
Jesus is still knocking. That knocking I heard at 3 a.m.? That wasn’t just for me. It’s for the whole church. He’s standing at the door, calling us back—not to fear, not to guilt, but to repentance and relationship.
This isn’t a message to beat anybody up. It’s a message to sober us up. There’s still time. There’s still grace. But the time to get right isn’t tomorrow—it’s now.
The Lord is looking at our works despite what the modern day church would say. Either they are wrong or the Bible and Jesus is wrong. Now is the time to make the adjustment in your heart, get things right, and go on with God.
