Revelation 3:15-16
15 I know your deeds,that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
This is written to the Church.
In Laodicea, the people know very well what is Lukewarm water.
Jesus is the best preacher that the world ever heard of. You see His parables, the examples, how He relates to the people. Mountain Waters coldness and Hot Springs warmness become lukewarm by the time it reaches for the people to drink.
Jesus says you are neither cold nor hot.
cold - against the gospel.
hot - fiery for Christ.
lukewarm - want to be called as christian, but there is no inner fire for Christ. Lives just like the world, but still want to be called as Christian. Jesus say I know your deeds. How are our deeds today?
Question for each one of us today? Am I Hot,Fiery Christian or Am I Lukewarm Christian.
Acts 5:3,4
3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”
Here we see Ananias and Sapphira are in a Church where Peter is like the pastor and all the apostles and all the disciples where Church is vibrant. miracles are taking place. Shadows and HandKerchiefs bringin healings. disciples are selling everything and bringing to their feet. In the midst of all these wonderful things, there is a couple who saw everything and liked it very much and want to be among the group, and want to be called as christians, but inside their heart, they still have past life, their desire for money. their desire for name to be called as christian. they want to show that are the money givers.
Lukewarmness - cause 1: Hyprocrasy is one of the worst enemies of mankind. It kills people. You want to show off to be something when you are not. You want to show off in Church that you are super spiritual but when you go home and in your personal life you are just like the world. you quarrel with your wife, you want all the worst stuff on internet. but in Church people see you and say this brother or sister is very spiritual.
Hypocrasy brings luke warmness - Jesus was so harsh on pharisess because He hated hypocrasy in them. buy whoever comes just like the tax collector that Lord I am sinner He forgave. but whoever acted then He rebuked.
What is our condition today? Are we acting in Church on sundays and go back live the rest of the week like everybody in the world.
Jesus I wish you be cold not luke warm.
At the time of Ananis and Sapphira, there is another man called Saul of Tarsus, who was a cold man fervently opposing gospel. and Jesus liked his honesty and showed grace and saved Saul who became biggest preacher. but on the other hand we see this couple coming to Church,giving offering and still died.
This teaches us to live lives of honesty. Never talk/boast off about your own spirituality, but let it displayed through the deeds. Jesus says I knew your deeds.
-I have a friend who liked the fellowship and people and wanted to be like one among us and soon after he fell out and entered yoga.
Lukewarmness - cause 2: Prosperity
Jesus you are rich. acquired wealth, good car and you think you are well off.
Most of the luke warmness is because of the prosperity.
For Christians here in America, all the worldly blessing is more important than God. Blessing for house, blessing for car, blessing for health. the word blessing is completely changed and suited to the world.
You can call yourselves as blessed if you have true faith in Christ. how is our faith when we have 5000$ in account and how is our faith when we have only 500$ in account;
You can call yourselves as blessed if you are able to overcome sexual lust, if you can overcome anger, then you are truly blessed. Dont look at a person who has big house and say he is blessed.
Prosperity has brought down the spiritual level of Christians - We cannot server two masters -
Mark 10:23-24
How big camel is? How small an ant is?
In my engineering, i have a classmate . he was not very intelligent. but an average guy. and there are many other people who are more intelligent than him, but at the end of four years, this guy became the topper of the class. When everybody was sleeping in the morning, he used to get up at 4 and read the chapters in text book, and have bunch of long white pages and used to write every quesiton 20 , 30 times on those white pages. by the time he writes an exam, he wont even forget a single word, when everybody is going for movies, he used to sit and study. when everybody is making fun, he silently goes to library and reads.
When all people are walking on the broad way, he chose the narrow thing, getting up in early morning, leaving small small fun things like entertainement for becoming class topper, how much more narrow way we should be walking.
The broadway indicates the long road where you can walk freely, you can live freely without caring about godliness. broadway is where you can talk any trash, you can dressup like anything, broadway is just the way to hell.
Donot judge, or you will be judged.
liars will goto hell
forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors
Galatians 5:19 - Will not inherit the kingdom of God,
sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like
we claim to be born again but are walking in the narrow way every moment of our life. Let us check for ouselves,if every walk of our life is a narrow way.
Overnight we wont become perfect, but is there a struggle within us to overcome sin.are we sensitive to sin, sensitive not to hurt Holy Spirit. sensitive not to hurt the Father. When we sin, is there a deep repentance in us.
Can a anyone see us and say Yes he is like Christ in everything he is. Can Jesus see us and say Yes I knew him/her.
Church, its time get away from Lukewarmness and live a life guided by Holy Spirit and have passion for Jesus Christ.
15 I know your deeds,that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
This is written to the Church.
In Laodicea, the people know very well what is Lukewarm water.
Jesus is the best preacher that the world ever heard of. You see His parables, the examples, how He relates to the people. Mountain Waters coldness and Hot Springs warmness become lukewarm by the time it reaches for the people to drink.
Jesus says you are neither cold nor hot.
cold - against the gospel.
hot - fiery for Christ.
lukewarm - want to be called as christian, but there is no inner fire for Christ. Lives just like the world, but still want to be called as Christian. Jesus say I know your deeds. How are our deeds today?
Question for each one of us today? Am I Hot,Fiery Christian or Am I Lukewarm Christian.
Acts 5:3,4
3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”
Here we see Ananias and Sapphira are in a Church where Peter is like the pastor and all the apostles and all the disciples where Church is vibrant. miracles are taking place. Shadows and HandKerchiefs bringin healings. disciples are selling everything and bringing to their feet. In the midst of all these wonderful things, there is a couple who saw everything and liked it very much and want to be among the group, and want to be called as christians, but inside their heart, they still have past life, their desire for money. their desire for name to be called as christian. they want to show that are the money givers.
Lukewarmness - cause 1: Hyprocrasy is one of the worst enemies of mankind. It kills people. You want to show off to be something when you are not. You want to show off in Church that you are super spiritual but when you go home and in your personal life you are just like the world. you quarrel with your wife, you want all the worst stuff on internet. but in Church people see you and say this brother or sister is very spiritual.
Hypocrasy brings luke warmness - Jesus was so harsh on pharisess because He hated hypocrasy in them. buy whoever comes just like the tax collector that Lord I am sinner He forgave. but whoever acted then He rebuked.
What is our condition today? Are we acting in Church on sundays and go back live the rest of the week like everybody in the world.
Jesus I wish you be cold not luke warm.
At the time of Ananis and Sapphira, there is another man called Saul of Tarsus, who was a cold man fervently opposing gospel. and Jesus liked his honesty and showed grace and saved Saul who became biggest preacher. but on the other hand we see this couple coming to Church,giving offering and still died.
This teaches us to live lives of honesty. Never talk/boast off about your own spirituality, but let it displayed through the deeds. Jesus says I knew your deeds.
-I have a friend who liked the fellowship and people and wanted to be like one among us and soon after he fell out and entered yoga.
Lukewarmness - cause 2: Prosperity
Jesus you are rich. acquired wealth, good car and you think you are well off.
Most of the luke warmness is because of the prosperity.
For Christians here in America, all the worldly blessing is more important than God. Blessing for house, blessing for car, blessing for health. the word blessing is completely changed and suited to the world.
You can call yourselves as blessed if you have true faith in Christ. how is our faith when we have 5000$ in account and how is our faith when we have only 500$ in account;
You can call yourselves as blessed if you are able to overcome sexual lust, if you can overcome anger, then you are truly blessed. Dont look at a person who has big house and say he is blessed.
Prosperity has brought down the spiritual level of Christians - We cannot server two masters -
Is Christ the more valuable to you than any other thing. Prosperity is one of the biggest problems for us.
In middleeast, muslim countries, china, where there is persecution, then Christ is everything to them. In persecuted countries, there is fire in them to live for Christ. For everything they depend on Christ. they are always in constant danger of their life and for them every day is a new life and for the new day they are always on their knees. I have a habit of reading persecution.com, In China there is a pastor who was arrested and he turned the jail into a church, by the time he was released after many years there is big church inside the jail. there is brother named Boun, he spent so many years in jail for preaching Christ and for many initial days, when jail authorities asked if he want to request anything from family member, he said,"Please tell my wife, ‘Would you please help me? Bring me a Bible. I cannot live without the Bible. I have to read the Bible."
Here we have many versions available on phone, tablets, books, how much time we spend.
But here in America, we have TV to watch, we have to watch laptop/ipad/iphone, we have NBA, football to watch. There is so comfort so much we have to plan for long weekends, where we will be going long weekends.
So much of prosperity, so little of spirituality.
The problem of Sodom and Gomorrah is they have too much prosperity. Ezekiel 16:49
Everybody knows about what Iphone is , but few people know about who the Great IAM is.
Mark 10:23-24
23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”
24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is[e] to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
How big camel is? How small an ant is?
Lukewarmness - cause 3 -Broad way -
Matthew 7: 13,14
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
In my engineering, i have a classmate . he was not very intelligent. but an average guy. and there are many other people who are more intelligent than him, but at the end of four years, this guy became the topper of the class. When everybody was sleeping in the morning, he used to get up at 4 and read the chapters in text book, and have bunch of long white pages and used to write every quesiton 20 , 30 times on those white pages. by the time he writes an exam, he wont even forget a single word, when everybody is going for movies, he used to sit and study. when everybody is making fun, he silently goes to library and reads.
When all people are walking on the broad way, he chose the narrow thing, getting up in early morning, leaving small small fun things like entertainement for becoming class topper, how much more narrow way we should be walking.
Not only the gate is small, but the road is narrow.
Donot judge, or you will be judged.
liars will goto hell
forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors
Galatians 5:19 - Will not inherit the kingdom of God,
sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like
we claim to be born again but are walking in the narrow way every moment of our life. Let us check for ouselves,if every walk of our life is a narrow way.
Overnight we wont become perfect, but is there a struggle within us to overcome sin.are we sensitive to sin, sensitive not to hurt Holy Spirit. sensitive not to hurt the Father. When we sin, is there a deep repentance in us.
Proverbs 29:1
Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed--without remedy.
If there is any area in our life thats not pleasing to God, HolySpirit speaks to our heart continously.disciplines us, rebukes us that too many times.But let us never ever get into a position where Holy Spirit gives up.
Romans says God gave them over to their lusts.
Matthew 7:21
Not Everyone who says Lord,Lord - but only who does the Will of the Lord.
Luke 13:23,24 - not be able to enter
Luke 13:23,24 - not be able to enter
I never knew you?
Doing the Will of the Lord is practicing the Law of the Spirit. getting away from every lawlessness.
Does Jesus knew you? Did you walk with him during your life? Is Jesus reality in your life?
No comments:
Post a Comment