I read Matthew 23 during my devotion time this morning and it was quite disturbing. Jesus brought down the hammer on the religious leaders of his day. As a religious leader, it leaves me quivering. I am not always as faithful and focused as God has called me to be. I can easily fall into the rut of mechanical religion. I am in the Scriptures and in prayer every day, but those Scriptures and prayers don't always get into me. It is evident that Jesus despises the appearance of faith and love. He wants the real thing. The artificial stuff makes Him sick.
Jesus told the Church of Laodicea "So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth" (Revelation 3:16). Colossae was near Laodicea and it had fresh spring water. Hierapolis was also nearby and it had hot springs, which were used for medicinal purposes. Laodicea had to bring in its water through stone pipes from miles away. It left thick calcium carbonate deposits in the pipes and made the water disgusting to the taste. Jesus is saying that the Laodiceans are like their water. They are not cold and refreshing like the water at Colossae. And they are not hot and medicinal like the water at Hierapolis. They are sickening. They are not cool and satisfying and they are not hot and useful. Their religious activity without love was making Jesus sick.
It is vital that we do what we do in response to God with love.
On Sunday I made this statement and I believe it. YOU CAN DO LOVING THINGS WITHOUT BEING IN LOVE, BUT YOU CAN NEVER BE IN LOVE WITHOUT DOING LOVING THINGS. Any of us can do loving things toward God that show an outward expression that makes us look spiritual, holy and wise. That's what the Pharisees did and it angered Jesus.
When we do loving things toward God without truly loving Him, it dishonors Him and it hurts us.
When you do loving things without truly loving God:
1. You become proud. You become very pleased with what you are doing. You begin keeping your score and start thinking how great your deeds are.
2. You become self-focused. You like the feeling of superiority. You like it so much you begin to focus on getting and keeping that feeling. So you remain focused on what you are doing and feeling and make it your priority.
3. You become judgmental of those that don’t do as well as you. You not only keep your score, but you start keeping other people's score to make sure in your calculations you are doing as well or better than them. Those that do as well or better than you become your "friends." They are actually "works" associates, but you call them friends because they look to you as good as you look to you.
4. All of this leads you to being like Satan. You come to want to be praised and in control of your life and the lives of others.
This is what Jesus might have seen in the religious leaders of His day - His ancient enemy Satan. This may have created these powerful condemnations.
My goal is to keep it simple. Love Jesus. Love His Church. Love the lost people He loves.
I, along with all believers must remember, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
We must love God with the love He has given to us. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away."
When we are in love with Jesus, we will do loving things. By being loving we bring honor to Jesus and health to our souls.
You can learn how to do that more effectively at www.simplybethechurch.com.
6 comments:
Thanks Jason. I enjoy reading your blog!
Great read!
It is so difficult for some believers to accept that it is about a relationship, rather than a set of rules. Just like falling in love with a member of the of the opposite sex makes you do things you never thought you'd do, falling in love with Jesus does the same thing. Too many of us (I was one at one point) got stuck for way too long in the mechanical religion aspect without experiencing the fiery passion that comes with the Holy Spirit. That's how believers can begin to question their faith. God bless!
If you haven't felt convicted about your personal journey with Jesus, Rev 3:16 should do it for you (unless you're asleep!). Hearing/reading Jason's sermon about the water in Laodicea turned something on inside of my heart. I thought that what I'd been doing as a Christian was "enough." But that's the thing, here...it's never enough! And not in a bad way, don't be discouraged! It's the transforming power that makes Christianity so unique and our God so awesome-- you keep giving and keep sacrificing (out of LOVE, don' misunderstand, not for tax write-offs or personal satisfaction) and through all of this giving, you look back and realize you're not empty. You're MORE FULL. You have more to give. Because our God is so awesome, it's a constant evolution. So maybe three years ago I gave of myself by begining to tithe. But then I was financially blessed so maybe I didn't have to work as much anymore, so I could give more time. Then, since I had more time, I invested in some new relationships. I love this evolution of transformation that Jesus brings us. But the whole point is that if I had stayed lukewarm and stuck with my original 10% tithe, I would have missed out. Be on FIRE, followers of Christ! If you don't feel challenged and if you feel comfortable and safe, you need to seek Christ continuously. Be open in your prayers and listen. If you think you hear something back from all your questions you direct at Jesus, don't pass it off as a hunch, be obedient! You'll stay lukewarm if you stay comfortable as a Christian. But you'll be refreshing to a lost person or medicinal to a sick person if you accept Jesus' challenges. And if you don't know what they are, start in Acts and think about how the early church used to do it! Start off by kickin' it oldschool-- the poor, the widows, the orphans...you think Bowling Green doesn't have these? Be obedient and let Jesus lead you. With the birth of Hope House, expressing our love for Christ in an extreme way is so accessible. See y'all there!!
such a great reminder. Thank you Jason!
Sammy,
You've gotten me even more fired up!!! Thanks for sharing it old school:-)
AMEN to your comments, Jason, and to Sammy's. Very powerful...we must continually examine our heart's motives and desires...and let be God's Will, not ours.
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