"Then Comes: The Cause"

"These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: "I know your works, that they are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth.
     Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' -and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked - "I counsel you to buy gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.
     As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.
     Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
     To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat with My Father on His throne.
     He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Revelation 3:14-22

First He addresses them in a way that makes sure they know its Him and they need to pay attention! Then He gets to the heart of His issue with them, the fact that they are lukewarm, Then He goes straight to the cause of how and why they became lukewarm. "...Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' - and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.

He said that they became lukewarm because they got to a place where they were depending on their own ability to provide and they no longer had a need to look to Him as their source. In Matthew 19:22 it says that the the rich young ruler went away sorrowful when he chose his money over putting Jesus first. He chose to depend on his wealth, power and position over following Jesus. When he made his decision he left 'sorrowful.' He made the choice and was saddened by it. Here in Revelation in addressing the church He tells them that they are lukewarm towards him because they are living as though they are depending on their own wealth and no longer have a need to depend on Him and that they aren't even aware that they have made a similar decision.

In Mark 4:18-19 He puts it like this, 'Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.' He told them that they didn't even know that they had stopped making Him their focus, that they had made the 'deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things' more important than Him. The cause for their lukewarm attitude, life. Life stuff happens and if we are not careful then we to can become unfruitful or lukewarm without even knowing it.