Are You Spiritually Hot or Cold?
Sermon: 2035 Zeal: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Part 1
Pray Over This
“‘I know your works, that you 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 vomit you out of My mouth.’”
Ponder This
Are you moderate about your love for Jesus? God have mercy on you. Does your religion make the Lord nauseous? He would rather have you outright against Him—absolutely cold—than have you pretending to be on His side and not zealousabout it. He said, “I could wish that you were either cold or hot,” just don’t be lukewarm. You say, “That doesn’t make sense to me. It would be better to be lukewarm about it than to be cold.” No. The cause of Christ has been hurt by lukewarm Christians—Sunday morning benchwarmers who claim to be on the Lord’s side but don’t love Him and don’t live for Him. The problem is we can’t reach the goal if we’re stumbling over our own players. Jesus said, “I wish that you were either hot or cold. But now that you’re lukewarm, I’m going to spew you out of My mouth.” And then He says in Revelation 3:19, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.” There is the zeal that displays the grace of God. “The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men” (Titus 2:11), and because of that we’re to be zealous of good works. Yes, we’re saved by grace, but we should never be nonchalant about it.
- How would others describe your faith? Are you hot, cold, or lukewarm?
- Who do you know who lives a life zealous for Jesus?
Practice This
Speak to someone you know who exemplifies what it looks like to live on fire for Jesus. Ask that person to share his or her testimony.
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