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Being Lukewarm

Being Lukewarm. Does not APPEAR to be dangerous To some it even appears to be a friend. T he Lord identified being lukewarm as a REAL and DEADLY threat. Lukewarm Defined. Cold—psuchos—cold, chilled, or chilly. Hot—zestos—to boil, be hot, fervent. Lukewarm is neither cold or hot.

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Being Lukewarm

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  1. Being Lukewarm • Does not APPEAR to be dangerous • To some it even appears to be a friend. • The Lord identified being lukewarm as a REAL and DEADLY threat.

  2. Lukewarm Defined • Cold—psuchos—cold, chilled, or chilly. • Hot—zestos—to boil, be hot, fervent. • Lukewarm is neither cold or hot.

  3. Lukewarm Defined • Some are full of ZEAL • They attend services regularly • They study diligently • They invite and teach others. • Some are COLD • They have quit serving all together • They are covetous of their time and money • Their Bibles collect dust • They are ashamed by the Gospel of Christ • Some are LUKEWARM • Attend sporadically • Give leftovers to the Lord • Neglect opportunities to study • Engage in little or no personal work LUKEWARM in context spoke of more than just apathetic . Being LUKEWARM meant being COMPLETELY INEFFECTIVE.

  4. Why Were the Laodicaen Christians Lukewarm? • Blindness (Rev. 3:17) • Pride (Rev. 3:17)

  5. Pride • Causes us to overlook our faults (Luke 18:9-14) • Causes boasting (Matt. 26:33) • Causes us to be stubborn and unrepentant when confronted with sin (2 Chron. 26:16-20) • Allows wealth, position, and accomplishments of the past to cause complacency. (Rev. 2:4-5) • Causes a failure to see the need for God’s blessings. (Rev. 3:18) • Is at the root of self-satisfaction that brings about lukewarm behavior. (Rev. 3:17-18)

  6. Why Were the Laodicaen Christians Lukewarm? • Blindness (Rev. 3:17) • Pride (Rev. 3:17) • Worldliness (Rev. 3:17) • Failure to Properly Appreciate God (Rev. 3:18)

  7. Reasons Christians Today Are LUKEWARM • BLINDNESS

  8. Blindness • The Scriptures encourage self-examination. (Matt. 7:3-5; 2 Cor. 10:12; 13:5) • We will struggle with PRIDE, APATHY, WORLDINESS, and being LUKEWARM until we recognize they are problems. • Being lukewarm is a great “Trojan Horse”. • Solution: Fortify ourselves in the Word (Hebrews 4:12)

  9. AM I LUKEWARM? • Do cares and worries of the world dominate most of our time and conversations? • Do I practice sin on a regular basis? • Do I love the things of this world more than the things of God? • Am I too busy for Jesus? • Do I use God’s name in vain? • Do I pray earnestly and pray earnestly for the lost? • Do I seek opportunities to teach others? • Am I indifferent about sin? • Do I seek after worldly wealth more fervently than I seek the Lord’s kingdom? • Do I obey Christ consistently?

  10. Reasons Christians Today Are LUKEWARM • BLINDNESS • PRIDE • WORLDINESS

  11. WORLDLINESS • When we adopt the standards of the world we will get complacent. • We will evaluate our success by the world’s standards. • We will fail to evaluate self by God’s standards. (Ref. 1 Tim. 4:15; Eph. 4:15-16; Eph. 6:4)

  12. Reasons Christians Today Are LUKEWARM • BLINDNESS • PRIDE • WORLDINESS • FAILURE TO APPRECIATE GOD AND CHRIST

  13. Failure to Appreciate God and Christ • Ref. John 3:16; Romans 5:6-8; • Apathy comes when we fail to remember what God has done for us. Therefore we fail to sanctify Jesus as Lord. (1 Peter 3:15) • This is why: • Lessons on God’s plan of salvation are important • Lessons on God’s grace are important • Lessons on Christ’s death are important

  14. Reasons Christians Today Are LUKEWARM • BLINDNESS • PRIDE • WORLDINESS • FAILURE TO APPRECIATE GOD AND CHRIST

  15. Three Spiritual Temperatures • A burning heart (Luke 24:32) • A cold heart (Matt. 24:12-13) • A lukewarm heart (Rev. 3:16)

  16. The Effects of Being Lukewarm on the Local Church • Loss of VIGOR

  17. Fervent Christians • We should be fervent in serving the Lord. (Rom. 12:11) • Paul referred to his ministry as a “gift” (Gal. 2:9; Eph. 3:8; Rom. 1:5; 1 Tim. 1:12-14) • We should be fervent in prayer (Col. 4:12) • God hears (1 Pet. 3:12) • God cares (1 Pet. 5:7) • God cared enough to send His Son to die (John 3:16) • God will supply what is needed (Matt. 7:7-11) • God can accomplish great things through us (Eph. 3:20-21)

  18. The Effects of Being Lukewarm on the Local Church • Loss of VIGOR • Loss of God’s VALUES

  19. Loss of God’s Values • Laodicea valued the material instead of the spiritual (Rev. 3:17) • What matters to God is meeting man’s spiritual needs. (Rev. 3:17; Rom 7:24; 1 Cor. 15:19; Rom. 2:19) • When a church loses its values it no longer views sin as God does. (Ref. 1 Tim. 2:9-12; Matt. 6:33; Heb. 10:25; Eccl. 5:1-2; 2 Cor. 8:5; Gen. 2:24) • When a church loses its values it no longer sees success as God does.

  20. How God Authorizes • Direct Command • Approved Example • Necessary Inference • SILENCE IS PROHIBITVE

  21. The Effects of Being Lukewarm on the Local Church • Loss of VIGOR • Loss of God’s VALUES • Loss of God’s VISION

  22. God’s Vision for the Local Church • God’s church is to worship and glorify Him (Acts 2:42; Hebrews 13:15-16; Acts 20:7) • God’s church is to preach to the world and edify itself (Mark 16:15-16; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 11:22, 23; 13:1-4; Phil. 4:15-16; 1 Thess. 1:8; 2 Cor. 11:8) • God’s church is to engage in a limited amount of benevolent work(Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-34; 6:1-6; 1 Tim. 5:16; Acts 11:27-30; Rom. 15:25-26; 2 Cor. 8-9)

  23. A Perverted Vision • Providing Recreation • Social Work • Relief of the World • Engage in Business • Secular Education • Politics

  24. The Effects of Being Lukewarm on the Local Church • Loss of VIGOR • Loss of God’s VALUES • Loss of God’s VISION • Loss of VESTURE

  25. HOW TO OVERCOME LUKEWARMNESS • Humility (1 Peter 5:5) • Properly Appreciate God (Romans 11:33-36) • Properly Value God’s Values • Then and Only Then Will We Have God’s VISION for Ourselves and the Local Church. Lukewarm behavior can close the door to a relationship with Christ and we don’t even realize it!

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