So many Christians today are living disconnected lives —cut off from the Source without even realizing it. They haven’t turned their backs on God in open rebellion, but they’ve drifted in quiet separation. Outwardly, everything still looks right: they attend church, sing the songs, bow their heads in prayer, and say “amen” at all the right moments. But deep inside, something has changed. The fire that once burned bright has dimmed. The passion, the power, the presence—it’s all faded into routine. They still look alive, but the life has stopped flowing. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) This letter serves as a prescription and a warning for all believers and all churches of falling into the same condition the Laodiceans found themselves in. Outwardly successful, inwardly struggling. Full of programs, prosperity, and polish, yet missing the one thing that truly matters—the fire of His presence. Laodicea looked strong, but it was sick; it looked alive, but it was lukewarm. And before we shake our heads at them, we need to look in the mirror, because their story often mirrors ours. We live in a world that prizes independence, self-sufficiency, and success—and somewhere along the way, we’ve started thinking we can do Christianity without Christ. But the truth is, the moment we lose our dependence on Him, is the moment the fire starts to fade.

God can use a little voice to give great hope.

As we look at our text tonight, we find ourselves again in the tension between sorrow and hope. Life in a broken world can feel like Babylon—overworked, overlooked, and overwhelmed. The pressures that bind us whisper, “You’re not getting free.” Yet right into that despair, God speaks a greater word: “Their Redeemer is strong.” When the load is too heavy for our hands to lift, He takes hold, and what was impossible becomes possible. Tonight’s passage reminds us that we are not forgotten, not forsaken, and not powerless—for the LORD of hosts is our Redeemer, and He is strong.