Revelation 3
November Memory Verse: "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with them, and they with me." Revelation 3:20 (NIV)
Revelation 3
Revelation 3 is chock-full of valuable advice and encouragement for us as followers of Jesus as we seek to honor and follow Him. I especially love the end of this chapter… from it I think we can ask ourselves a valuable question…
WHAT IS YOUR SPIRITUAL TEMPERATURE?
John writes to the church of Laodicea about this and from it we see 3 options… ALL of us fall into one of these 3 categories.
1. COLD.
Cold would be someone with no signs of spiritual life. Their spiritual body is “dead” just like Ephesians 2 talks about. This is someone who is not yet in a relationship with God through Jesus. They are cold.
2. HOT.
This is someone who is walking with Jesus every day. They may not be perfect but they are growing. They are being obedient. God is using them.
3. LUKEWARM.
This is someone who has their feet in both camps. They are in a relationship with Jesus but they are running from following God OR they are trying to follow God and be friends with the world at the same time - which James 4 tells us is impossible. John says that this makes God SICK.
When it comes to being LUKEWARM there are some symptoms that go along with this sickness…
1. You are only concerned with yourself (v.17)
2. You are unwilling to admit your true spiritual condition (v.17)
3. You are living in unrepentant sin (v.17)
But John also gives us the CURE for this sickness - How to move past it!
REPENT (v.19) - But what does this look like?
1. Realize and Admit you are spiritually ill.
2. Be sorry & willing to change.
3. Pray about it!
How is God working in your life this week? What has been the highlight? How are you growing?
By: Nick Parsons
Revelation 3
Revelation 3 is chock-full of valuable advice and encouragement for us as followers of Jesus as we seek to honor and follow Him. I especially love the end of this chapter… from it I think we can ask ourselves a valuable question…
WHAT IS YOUR SPIRITUAL TEMPERATURE?
John writes to the church of Laodicea about this and from it we see 3 options… ALL of us fall into one of these 3 categories.
1. COLD.
Cold would be someone with no signs of spiritual life. Their spiritual body is “dead” just like Ephesians 2 talks about. This is someone who is not yet in a relationship with God through Jesus. They are cold.
2. HOT.
This is someone who is walking with Jesus every day. They may not be perfect but they are growing. They are being obedient. God is using them.
3. LUKEWARM.
This is someone who has their feet in both camps. They are in a relationship with Jesus but they are running from following God OR they are trying to follow God and be friends with the world at the same time - which James 4 tells us is impossible. John says that this makes God SICK.
When it comes to being LUKEWARM there are some symptoms that go along with this sickness…
1. You are only concerned with yourself (v.17)
2. You are unwilling to admit your true spiritual condition (v.17)
3. You are living in unrepentant sin (v.17)
But John also gives us the CURE for this sickness - How to move past it!
REPENT (v.19) - But what does this look like?
1. Realize and Admit you are spiritually ill.
2. Be sorry & willing to change.
3. Pray about it!
- Confess it.
- Ask God for help.
- Ask God for a new work in your life.
- “A life lived for God is made up days lived for God.”
How is God working in your life this week? What has been the highlight? How are you growing?
By: Nick Parsons
2 Comments
Good word today Nick. If we're honest with ourselves, all of us have gone through periods of being lukewarm. The Apostle Paul acknowledges in scripture his struggle with sin and how often he did the things he did not want to do and didn't do the things he wanted to do. Fortunately we serve a God whose mercies are new each day. Confession and repentance are the keys to getting through these valleys as Nick mentioned.
It appears to me the church in America is lukewarm with one foot in the world and straddling the fence. Many churches want to gain favor with our culture by redefining marriage, turning a blind eye to the evils of abortion, and remaining silent on important issues when we should have a strong unified Christian voice. The only way to change our culture is for followers of Christ to confess sin, repent, embrace God's word, and live lives worthy of our calling. We desperately need revival in our homes, churches, and nation.
Nice work Nick. When we talk about spiritual temperature, we measure it using a device called a thermometer. Many in the works based salvation camp don't realize a thermometer doesn't control the temperature, it indicates it. God's laws our thermometer and are meant to tell us when we don't meet his standards (man in his own power never could). Look at our spiritual thermometer, the Bible, apply truth, honesty, prayer, repentance & faith you'll see His faithfulness, your obedience will move you out of Lukewarm Leodicea into a nice warm climate of abundant life.