We are in a period of conflagration of many things. The events of Egypt and the Middle east have certainly occupied a lot of our time in the last 2.5 weeks. What we saw yesterday was certainly, as many are saying, history in the making. We need to keep our eyes open and our prayers lifted for Israel and what is happening in the nations around them. Someone, well, several people have commented that this may be a sign of Christ’s near return. It may be. Next week we are going to begin a series out of II Thessalonians on “Are we in the last days?” And these recent events of Egypt may be opening our eyes to the very real possibility that we are in the last days. So, I will leave that for now.
A second happening is that today starts a week of action against poverty in our Community. Kenora is beginning a week of events that will be bringing some of the needs of our community to the foreground. As a part of this myself, Adriane Penner and Tabitha Marshall from our church are participating in a challenge of living in another’s shoes. It has been enlightening and yes challenging. See the bulletin for more.
Also tomorrow is valentines day. Maybe not a big deal, but guys, let me encourage you “DO SOMETHING!” Take advantage of the day to say or show in some way you love her.
My message today is on what our passion is. What are you passionate about? Everyone is passionate about something –something that you enjoy or get excited about. Our passion may not be a jumping up and down passion, but it is there. It may be your kids, your grandkids, your job, fishing, hunting, car, reading, cooking, or travel. It could be more than one thing. But as people get to know you, they will soon learn what you are passionate about. It is something you talk about, you spend time on, you spend money on. But mostly you’ll talk about it.
If I were to ask people who know you what you are passionate about, what would they answer? More to the point would they say you are passionate about Christ? Would he even enter into your top 10, your top 5, your top one? I don’t know that people would say that about even me! I would like it to be, I long for it too be –that Jesus is my all and all, that He is my centre, my focus, my passion. But if you were to look at my life, listen to what I say and watch the things I do –what I spend my time on, would you, could you say, yes Jesus Christ is a passion for me?
Now I need to be careful here because the word passion, when used in the Bible, is often, when seen, used in a negative context –sexual passion or earthly passions. But there are some definite expressions in scripture that capture this -thirsting, longing, adoration, “love the Lord your God with all your heart mind, soul and strength.” And so I am using the word passion to capture these things, these ideas in scripture to say “having a single minded focus or preoccupation.”
I believe that everything we do and are as followers of Jesus emerges out of this, out of our passion, our obsession, our thirst for Jesus Christ. But sadly I think that many, perhaps most of the church today, I not passionate about Jesus Christ –we are as John records in Revelation 3:16, lukewarm. And the response of Jesus to the Lukewarm is what, “I am about to spit you out.” The word for spit is actually much harsher, more descriptive than just spit out, it means to wretch, to spew or vomit. Not a pleasant picture of those who are lukewarm.
When Jesus calls us, when we are called by God to become like Jesus (Romans 8) and to do good works which he prepared for us (Ephesians 2), what does he ask of us? Jesus only ever asks us to give him one thing –all of ourselves –all of ourself! Isn’t that what the great command is? Jesus spoke of this often as did the disciples. Let us turn to Luke, for example in 9:57-62 and hear the words of Jesus.
This passion, this focus drives us in all other areas of our life. It affects our worship, our fellowship, our service and our witness. If you are passionate about something you invest in it, you spend time doing it or time with them, you talk about it. Again, are you passionate about Jesus Christ?
No matter where you are in your Christian experience, there are things that you can be doing to grow in your passion for Jesus Christ –become less lukewarm or even cold and move to being hot, on fire, passionate about Him. This morning I am just going to touch on a few –some basic ones you may have heard before and need to grow in, or maybe something new.
First and foremost is delighting in Who God is. Last night I went to plug in the car. I looked up and went, WOW! A clear night, no wind to speak of, half moon and the brightness of the stars. My God did that! It was not some random explosion of cosmic debris but a created, organized breath of an eternal God who spoke and set every star in its place and ordered the heavens! Sometimes we forget the fascinating and incredible details of God’s creation –from the minute complexity of a DNA strand to the immense complexity of this world we live on to the vastness of the heavens. (Psalm 19:1-4) This incredible, holy, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, eternal loving and graceful God.
In the very next chapter in Revelation from when John is told by Jesus about the church that he is ready to spit out we read of the awesome glory of His throne and the tingling resonance of his praise being declared. Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord almighty! Do we stand in awe, do we delight in the glory, do we see his handiwork and give praise? I feel that all too often we forget who God is, we do not live in wonder and delight of Him. We do not thirst, we do not long for him. We forget. Friends, the best way to become hot again to remain hot is to delight in the Lord, to see his work, discover him and stand in awed silence.
One of the ways we do that is to take serious His word. Nature and creation is a general revelation, a general display of God showing himself, but the word is a specific revelation given to us so that we can discover more of Him. I was asked last week, how many bibles do I have. A little embarrassed I said around 15. How many do you have? Do you read? Do you discover? Do you find the wonder of His revelation for us and to us drawing you closer to him, igniting you?
But even more, as you read do take it seriously? When you come to a place where God directs action, do you obey? When he speaks through His words to pray? To forgive, to trust, to obey, to worship, to cast aside idols, to focus on him, to give your anxieties and worries, to rejoice? Do we take His word and draw closer, do we find out more about him, do we marvel at the way he dealt with his people? Do we weep at Jesus giving life to a little girl or delight in His healing a blind man? Do we know Him, do we know Jesus?
A friend of mine in Alberta said often about Jesus, we think we know, but we don’t know. And more we don’t know what we don’t know. We are happy being lukewarm in our knowledge of the one who delights in us and died for us. But what do we face the danger of? Being spit out! How can we talk about Jesus f we do not know about Jesus? How can we delight more and more in him if we do not know more and more about him? A big step is reading, study in, meditating on his word. Know Him more and more and more! And as we read more and more, we do more and more (James 1:22 –“do not just be listeners and so deceive yourselves, but be doers!”) Jesus said, whoever hears my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. John writes, “the man who says I know Jesus but does not do what he commands is a liar and the truth is not in him.” WOW! Take serious the word of God given to us.
Along with that is to begin to compare our life to scripture not to others. One of the dangers in our being lukewarm is that we look at others who may be cold or also lukewarm and think we are okay. As you read the Bible and as things are brought to light how do you measure up against that standard? Remember Romans 8:29? Those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness or image of His Son. We are not conformed or saved to be slightly better than someone else, we are conforming to the image of Jesus Christ! That is our goal, that is our focus, that is our destiny. When we are measured in our temperature it is against the one Whom the Father loves best –Jesus! And as we read, as we delight, as we grow we seek to conform and are shaped into Christ-likeness.
As you look at him and discover more and more of Him, as you read His word and get to know Him, delight in the awesomeness of His love for you. This past week I was at a prayer retreat with our district Coach, Loren Miesner and several other pastors ad we spent a lot of time meditating and prayer this passage in Ephesians for our churches. Let me read it to you, in fact, let me pray if for you right now. (Ephesians 3:14-21)
How much does God love you? How much does He delight in You? How much does he care for you? How much does he long for you to know Him and experience His love and grace and mercy? Oh the depths of the riches of love in Christ Jesus who gave himself for us –for you, for me! Oh the depths of the riches of love in Christ Jesus beyond all measure. Oh the depths of the riches of love in Christ Jesus who stands at the Father’s side making intercession for us. Of the depths of the riches of love in Christ Jesus who gives us His Spirit to lead, teach, comfort, guide, protect, assure our salvation, chastise us and correct us and draw us closer. Oh the depths of the riches of love in Christ Jesus Who eagerly awaits the day when he can and will come and take us to be with Him! Oh the depths of the riches of love in Christ Jesus who is deep in mercy and overflowing in grace. Oh the depths of the riches of love in Christ Jesus how heals our wounds, and lifts us up. Oh the depths of the riches of love in Christ Jesus who forgives our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
How can we be lukewarm? How can we not be passionate about such a great God? Such a great savior? If we do not pursue this relationship, if we do not delight in His creation, if we do not seek to grow in our knowledge of His, if we do not let him transform us into the image of His Son, if we do not know and grow in the knowledge of His love, we will have our relationship with him deteriorate, it will grow colder, cooler lukewarm.
But s he becomes our passion, as we delight in him, it affects every aspect of our life. Worship becomes sweeter, service becomes joyful, fellowship becomes loving, and witness becomes exciting. The secret to better worship, better fellowship, better service, and better witnessing –passion for God! Growing in Him.
We are predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, to do good works he prepared for us to do and to live and speak this reality to others. As we fall more and more in love with him Who loves us beyond all measure, what a transformation will happen in our lives and in our church.
Prayer/Reflection: -not as passionate
-lukewarm
-want to grow
Rev. 3:20 Behold… directed to the church, to Christians who are lukewarm. Renew the relationship, grow in the knowledge, delight in his fellowship, experience his transformation purpose.
Praise to the Lord, who sits on the throne, holy, holy is your name.
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