Today , friends , we're talking about the dangers of spiritual lukewarmness . That term has become so common to us as believers . We hear it , we use it , sermons are taught on it , we accuse people of being it . But I'm challenged today , honestly , to look at the log in my eye , because I've come to realize , when it comes to this , that's not something I typically do with myself like to re-examine my heart , challenge myself again and say where do I stand in this regard ? Really just looking and saying have I drifted , have I strayed from a passion for the Lord ? Because I think you know it talks in Scripture about comparing ourselves with ourselves , and I think that's oftentimes a danger . It's setting up a standard and then comparing ourselves to that standard and saying , well , everyone around me look at them , they do this and that or don't do this and that , I'm cool . So I think a good place to start is what is lukewarmness ? What is that thing that we all really are called biblically to flee from ? And we'll discuss it , obviously in accordance with the words of Jesus .
Speaker 2I love that you started with like let's explore definition . I think we should go right to Revelation to figure out what it says , because I think often when we hear lukewarmness we think immediately it can only mean like we need to have an exuberant amount of zeal , we need to be on fire . But Jesus' concern in Revelation 3 isn't necessarily about your temperature . It's about where you put your trust . Read the text . Yeah , we're going to . I'm prefacing .
Speaker 3It's like the introduction , a pastoral introduction . That's the pastor in you .
Speaker 2Yeah , yeah , yeah . These Christians weren't necessarily cold and hot in faith . Their problem , according to Luther , is that they were self-satisfied and believed they can be self-sufficient
. In other words , they built their hope on their own actions rather than on the actions of Christ . And I think one of the big things about Revelation is like often we think any verse in there is immediately this doom and gloom text . But Revelation 1.1 tells us that the entire book , isa , quote revelation of Jesus Christ , which means no matter where you are in the book of Revelation , what you know for sure is that the core message is this is a gospel , centeredcentered , hopeful message , not one of fear . And if you're ever reading Revelation and you lose sight of that , you've lost sight of verse 1 , revelation of Jesus Christ .
Speaker 4Yeah , I liken it to milk . You like your milk either hot and stimulating , or cold and refreshing . But lukewarm milk with yellow lumps in it is going to make you sick .
Speaker 1Sour milk . Seriously , I got it .
Speaker 4And so , if you liken it to marriage , I've never , ever , become lukewarm about my wife . I've always been hot for her and it's never gone . And that's what we should be like . If I fell asleep reading a love letter from her not that she sends them I'll have to tell her to send one . That would be an insult to her , and that's why , when we read the Word , we've got to realize that's a love letter to us .
Speaker 1So , mark , I'd love for you to touch on the sweetness of repentance to the believer , because there is something in us . It's almost like the term good works . There's something in us , there's a reaction term good works , there's something in us , there's a reaction . We hear repentance and negative things come to mind because we associate that with sin , but speak about the hope of repentance
and being zealous for it .
Speaker 3It's kind of a grotesque thought , but it's turning from the sins that we love to the God that we are called to love . Leonard Ravenhill said . So when you are repenting , it's not so much that I am turning from my sin , that becomes the work . That becomes the work when I'm just turning from my sin . The object of repentance is Christ . So when I turn towards Christ , with God's help , I naturally , supernaturally , am turning from my sin .
Speaker 3So when we hear you shall not lust , right , don't lie , don't steal , and you begin to beat yourself up because you're saying how do I stop these things ? The sirens are so loud inside my life . I get pushed up against the rocks and I get demolished by the waves , wave after wave after wave . So what we need to recognize is that there is a sweeter voice than the voice of the world saying , hey , just take a quick peek . And you say , nope , I'm not going to do it . Right , not one peek , even I'm not going to do it . But it's more than that . It's a turning to Him . And as I turn to Him , I am turning my back on not just lust , not just lying , but stealing , covetousness , dishonoring my parents . When my eyes are on the Lord , I leave behind the tumultuousness of my sin . This is what is so beautiful about repentance If I'm just turning from one vice , I'm going to turn to another vice . Unless my back is on him , all vices are left behind .
Speaker 2Wow , I love that . And I think , to kind of summarize , because your question is like how do we embrace it ? And , first and foremost , I think often when we talk about repentance , we act as though that's the thing that we do when we become Christian . But what you're alluding to is Luther's quote when he says when our Lord and master , jesus Christ , said repent , he intended that the entire life of believers should be repentance , and the reason why he meant that is because he recognized that there are all these little shadowy spaces in our heart .
Speaker 2And then , ultimately , you know , we are justified through the blood of Christ , but then there's this work of sanctification . We are justified through the blood of Christ , but then there's this work of sanctification , and the work of sanctification is us becoming more and more like our Savior Jesus . And so why run to repentance ? Because , man , when the Lord convicts you , ultimately what's happening in that moment is you're discovering an area of your heart in which is not Christ-like , and repentance leads you to a greater Christ-likeness . And what more do we want than
to be like the ones we adore ? And who should we adore more than our Lord and Savior ? Amen ?
Speaker 4The whole thought is your zeal is provoked very many If you get with zealous Christians . That's one thing I find about our academy . I think how is it that people's lives have changed ? They come here and for two to three days they go witnessing and they say my life has changed . And I think how did that happen ? And it comes back again and again . I got with people of like mind and that's what stirred the fire and I know , if you can , I could yawn in the studio today and get you guys yawning If I did a good yawn and same with laughter If we started laughing . Everyone joins in what are we laughing at , and so certain things are contagious and zeal is contagious . It's like a fire . So if you get along among zealous Christians , you'll find a stirred fire within your heart . Even today , listening to what we're talking about can set a fire going in your heart , yeah , your heart .
Speaker 1Even today , listening to what we're talking about can set a fire going in your heart . Yeah , amen . Here's a definition I wrote of zeal . Zeal is a burning passion to glorify God . It's fueled by the knowledge of His Word , empowered by His Spirit and manifested through wholehearted obedience that is motivated by a genuine love for the Lord and others , and often , I think , for the Lord and others .
Speaker 1And often , I think , we get caught up in the thinking that zeal has to be always this , just like , ah , loud and intense , and I love this definition by Ralph Cudworth . He said let us take heed . We do not sometimes call that zeal for God and his gospel , which is nothing else but our own tempestuous and stormy passion . True zeal is a sweet , heavenly and gentle flame , so that's good . The body , true zeal , is a loving thing and makes us always active to edification and not to destruction , so that's good . Ray , I'd love you to just to speak a word of encouragement to those listening right now that are saying you know , I am lukewarm , I am
convicted , this is where I'm at . Where do they begin to get out of that ?
Speaker 4Well , zeal is the acceleration that comes from a high octane fuel of gratitude . If you lack gratitude , you'll lack zeal , and gratitude for me comes solely from the cross . It's from seeing what I deserve to what I actually got . It's understanding , grace , god's mercy , the judge looking down and having pity on the criminal and extending mercy towards them , and so that's what continually feeds my zeal . It gets rid of my fears , it gets my head turned from sin . Just look into that cross , the cross before me , the world behind me . So that's the key .
Speaker 1Amen , mark , I'd love you to give a word too .
Speaker 3Encourage people . God has designed us to go through this life with other people , and if you do not welcome somebody to speak freely inside your life , you're probably lukewarm . If you have not had somebody correct you in the last couple weeks , you're probably lukewarm . Why are you in a position where you don't allow people to speak inside your life ? Right , who was it that said be killing sin or sin will be killing you ? That's just the mentality that sin is knocking at the door , and it doesn't come necessarily in the picture of an adulterous woman who is wanting to do her thing . It comes with just a word that shouldn't have been spoken , a glance that just stayed a little too long . A tiny splinter , a tiny splinter , and if you don't nab that thing quickly , it's going to nab you slowly . Before you realize it , you are so far down in the ocean that you have no idea how to get back .
Speaker 1Wow , so good , Mark . You know , I think ultimately the greatest danger of spiritual lukewarmness is that Christ does not receive our all , and that should grieve
us . You know , Scripture talks about walking in a manner worthy of the Lord , walking in a manner worthy of the gospel , and that language there gives the imagery of a scale where the object on one side is equal to what you put on the other side . The object is the calling , the object is the Lord , and then our lives and how we live should balance that out . That he gets what he's worthy of the fullness of our lives . Why we are not our own .
Speaker 1We were bought with a price . Therefore , right we're to glorify God , he died for all that . Those who live should live no longer for themselves but for him , who died for them and rose again . He paid the highest price ever paid for anything ever purchased in the history of the universe to make us his and man . That's tragic that he doesn't receive our all . Thank you for tuning in to this week's highlights from the Living Waters podcast . Friends , we value your time , so we've created a bite-sized version of our podcast for listeners who want to get equipped , without the jokes and fellowship . Be sure to check out the full episode every Thursday where we dive deeper into the topic . Until then , you can watch the full podcast episode available now on livingwaterstv .