If you would open with your Bible, it's Revelation chapter number 3. This is something the Lord laid on my heart a little while ago, a couple weeks ago, and I've been studying it, looking at it, and the Lord's really been convicting my heart about it. This is one of those messages where... When I first started studying, and the first time I preached it, I got done, I was like, okay, I preached good, and the Lord was like, yeah, it was, that was for you. It was amazing, Pastor, I'm sure you've seen this too, where the Lord will give you a whole message, and it's almost like that whole thing was just for you. That's how this message was for me, it was very convicting in my life, something that I have to strive to work on daily, and it's something that I've yet to master, and yet to figure out. pray for me as I'm trying to apply this to my life as well. A couple things in the video. The first thing, that video's been our temporary video. We've got another one in the works. I made that video. Now I'm getting someone who's really good at making videos to make us a video. But there's a couple things. The first thing is there was a video that I took in the Plaza Mayor. No, that was the... It was Plaza Mayor in Madrid. It was the text, they're small underneath it, but it said the former center of execution and torture for the Spanish Inquisition in Madrid. And it was that square where the Spanish Inquisition really martyred over a thousand Christians in this one square. And it was really humbling to think of when you were there, looking around the square, I was like, would I be willing to lay down my life for Christ? It's like, you know, I want to say yes. I want to say absolutely I would. But when you really think about it, do I have enough faith to be willing to stand here and say, you know what, I'm not backing down. I believe that I believe the Bible and willing to give my life for that. So that was a really convicting place to be. The second thing is I'm 22 years old, and for someone who is 22 years old, I am shockingly bad with technology. And it took me forever to figure out how to make that pie chart. And I finally got it going, I put it on the video, and I cropped my legend out of the pie chart. So those numbers means absolutely nothing. But in the chart, 52% of the population of Spain claims to be Catholic. Now, of those, a lot of them are Catholic because they're great, and then they're great, great, and then they're great, great, great, then they're great, great, great. Of the last 1,800 year, family were Catholic, so they're Catholic because they're Catholic, but they're not actually participating. About 16 to 17% of the population of Spain are actively practicing Catholic. And then 44% are atheist, non-religious, or agnostic. So basically there is no, they say there is no God or God doesn't care about us. How much praise God that there is a God and he cares intimately about each and every one of us. And then that leaves 2% are religions other than Christianity and then the 2% are the religions, are any form of evangelical including, I mean, Jehovah's Witness, Seventh-day Adventist, Methodist, Protestants, Charismatic and then Baptists. Then the third thing about the video is the Iglesia Bautista Telegrafia. That's the church that the Helton family started a couple years ago. We'll be working with them, Lord willing. Right now, the plan is to be working with them as we learn the language and learn the culture. And they're in the city of Jaén, which is about an hour away from Granada, which is where we're praying about. On Revelation chapter number 3, I'm going to start reading in verse 14. We'll read it, then we'll pray, and then I'll get into the message. This is not going to be something that you've not heard before. I believe your pastor probably preaches the gospel from what I've seen from him. I believe he's a Bible preacher. So I'm sure you guys have heard this. I'm sure you guys have, you'll know this, will be able to teach or preach this to me. But again, it was something that the Lord gave me for me, something that It has really been encouraging and convicting, and it's a good reminder for me. So I pray that it will be a blessing to you as well. Revelations, chapter number 3. I'm going to start reading verse 14. It says, And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. I know thy works, that thou art neither hot nor cold. I would that thou wert hot or cold. So then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing. And knoweth not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. I counsel thee to buy of me gold. Try it in the fire, that thou mayest be rich. In white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed with the shame of thy nakedness. that thou mayest be clothed and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eye salve that thou mayest see. As many as I love I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous therefore and repent. Let's pray. Dear Father, I thank you for this opportunity to stand behind this pulpit and preach. I thank you that you've placed a call on my life to bring your gospel to Spain. I pray that you would help us to get there, help us to do that. Lord, I pray as I preach that you would help me to say exactly what you'd have me to say, nothing more, nothing less. Lord, I pray that you would touch my tongue, help me to speak slowly and clearly, help me to be able to properly communicate what you'd have me to communicate. Lord, I pray that you'd help me to remember what I've studied. Lord, give me wisdom in how to preach it. I pray that you would Help me to apply this to my life, Lord. I know there's many areas in this message that I need. So I pray that you would touch us, help us use us. I pray that you would be with us, Lord. Fill us and fill me with your spirit. Help us to be true witnesses for you. I thank you, I love you for everything you've done for us, Lord, I am truly, truly unworthy to be used, but thank you for using me. In your name we pray, amen. Revelation chapter number three, whether this church, the Church of Laodicea, whether it be a church age or a church mindset or a church, there's several different interpretations of what the Church of Laodicea is or who they are, but that's not what I'm gonna be preaching on. I'm gonna be, and I've been trying to come up with a good title for this message, I've been trying to come up with this You know, there's always that catchy title, you know, it's really great to have. Right now, in my notes, it is a study on the relationship between contentment and lukewarmness. That's the only thing I've been able to come up with. So I don't really have a title for this message, but I'm going to be looking at a lukewarm Christian, and I'm going to be looking at, there's a couple things that I'm going to be looking at. A couple things I'm going to draw out of this passage that I think can be applied to my life and applied, really, to every Christian's life. The first thing I'm going to be looking at is in verse number 17. It says, Because thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. Growing up, we all hear, and it's so true, that in everything in our lives, we need to be content. We need to be content with what God's given us. We need to be content with God's plan for our life, and that's so true. But in my life, in your life, there's something I should never be content with, and that is my walk with Christ. I should never get to a point in my life where I'm like, you know what? I've made it. I'm living for Christ pretty well. There should never be a point in my life where I don't see a need to continue to draw closer to Christ. It says that they said that they were rich. I'll say this, I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing. And the Bible says they're wretched and poor. That reminds me, that always reminds me and makes me think of King David. If you would turn, hold your place in Revelations, we'll be back here. But 2 Samuel chapter number 11. 2 Samuel chapter number 7. Up to this point, we know the story, we know what happens. But 2 Samuel chapter number 11, I'll start reading in verse 1. It says, And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they destroyed the children of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem. And it came to pass in the eventide that David arose from off his bed and walked upon the roof of the king's house. And from the roof he saw a woman washing herself, and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. And David sent and inquired after the woman, and one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Ilium, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? And David sent messengers and took her, and she came in unto him, and he lay with her. For she was purified from her uncleanness, and she returned unto her house." We see here David, he got a point to his life. Up to this point, he had conquered the Philistines, the Moabites, the Armenians, which were the Syrians, the Edomites. Now he started war with the Ammonites. He's been pushing forward for Christ. He's conquered nation after nation after nation. He's been capturing these crowns. He's been doing something for the Lord. He's been pushing on for Christ. But then this one year, it was said when the time when kings go forth to battle, Back during that time, you'd fight during seasons. During the good season to fight, that's when you'd fight, and then you would come home during the off season. But it was time for him to go to battle, and he didn't go. He sent someone else. So it makes you wonder, why didn't David go to battle? We know he ended up in a world of hurt because he didn't go, but why didn't he go? Well, there's a couple reasons. It's possible, and I can't tell you for sure which one, but we can look at David's life. Could it be because he was scared? Well, if he was scared to go forth to battle, so he's like, you know what? I'm too scared. I'm going to send Joab, my servant, you guys go. But looking at David's life, I can't picture him being someone who was scared. I can't picture the man who killed a bear, a lion, Goliath, who did so much stuff with his mighty men. I can't picture David saying, I don't want to go this year because I'm scared to fight. I just, I can't see that being the problem. OK, well, maybe he was just too lazy to go. Maybe he was just like, you know what? I'm just, I don't want to do it. But again, looking at David's life, I don't think we could say David was lazy. I just, I just can't see him being a lazy individual. So there's another reason. Was he content? I believe this, personally, I believe this is a reason David didn't go to battle this year. It's because he woke up one morning, he's like, you know what? I've conquered the Philistines. I've conquered the Moabites. I've conquered the Armenians. I've conquered the Edomites. Joab can take this one. I'm happy with where I'm at. I don't have to push so hard this year. This year, I can coast a little bit. I can take a break. I can spend some family time. I can have some me time. I can picture him saying, you know what, right now, I'm just content with what I've done. I'm content with the kingdom. And how many times in my life have I woken up in the morning and been like, you know what? I'm content with my standing with Christ. I'm content with how close I am to God. I'm content with how much I've been reading my Bible. I think we've all been in this position, have we not? James chapter number four says, submit yourself therefore to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double-minded. It says draw nigh to God. It doesn't say be close to God. It doesn't say be next to God. It says draw nigh to God. That draw is a action. It's a everyday thing today, I will draw nigh to God. If you look throughout the Bible, you see where people have been not pushing forward for Christ, it seems, every time. And in my life, my personal experiences, if I'm not actively trying to push forward in my walk with Christ, if I'm not actively trying to get to know the Lord better, It seems like I'm stepping back. If I'm not pushing forward, if I'm not actively resisting the devil, the Bible says he's not going to flee from me. If we want the devil to flee from me, we have to resist him. It has to be an everyday action thing. In my life, I can never be content with what I'm doing for Christ. Praise the Lord that this church is supporting missionaries. You should never be content with how many missionaries you support. My church, we can never be content with how much we're giving to missions. It should be, okay, last year we gave this number. This year, let's give more. Last year, we were able to see this many souls saved. This year, let's witness to this many more. Last year, we brought so many kids on the bus, but this year, let's try to bring more. We should never be content with what we're doing for Christ. We should never just be at the point where it's like, you know what? I'm happy because you know my righteousness is filthy rags. We know that I'm justified through faith, but my actual life, God calls us to live holy. And I'll talk about that in a second. But first Peter. First Peter chapter number one says, but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. Because it is written, be ye holy, for I am holy. Romans 12, one and two, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 4, For God hath not called us unto uncleanliness, but unto holiness. Now I'm not going to stand up here and say you have to live a sinless life to be a Christian. That's not true. I'm not going to stand up here and say you have to work for salvation. We know that's not true. It's for by grace. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't strive. I will never hit sinless perfection, but that should be my goal. Our goal for a Christian, because God's called us to be holy, God's called us to live sanctified, that means set apart. In my life, am I striving to be holy? like Christ? Or am I content with living how I am? As I talked about it during the Sunday school hour, but I was saved when I was six. I started preaching when I was 15. But honestly, from 15 until 19, I was content with looking like a good Christian. I was in here Sunday morning, Sunday evening. I was there Wednesday. I would go on visitation when there was church visitation. But I was content with serving God in my free time. I was content with I was content with doing stuff for Christ. Everything I did for Christ was sanctioned by Philadelphia Baptist Church. And I am a firm believer in the authority of the local church. I'm a firm believer in pastoral authority. But if your walk with Christ solely consists of activities planned by this church, it's woefully insufficient. If you're never witnessing to somebody outside of visitation, if our church tries to go on visitation once a month, if I'm knocking on doors once a month, That's not serving Christ like He wants us to serve us. That's being content with just checking the boxes. That's being content with the status quo Christianity. So I encourage you, never be content with how close you are to Christ. Always be pushing forward. And it says here that they were content. They were a lukewarm Christian. because they were content with what they were doing for Christ. It says they're lukewarm, because thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing. And knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and nakedness. But it also says, I counsel thee to buy of me gold, tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich. Whenever I think of gold tried in the fire, I always think of 1 Corinthians chapter number three. This has been, I honestly, no matter what I've preached, I have several different messages that I preach, and I also have new messages, For the last four months, I've not been able to get away from this passage of Scripture. I'll be preaching something completely else, and it always ends up being drawn back to 1 Corinthians chapter number 3. I talked about it this morning in the Sunday School Hour, but I'm actually going to read it. 1 Corinthians chapter number 3, I'm going to start reading in verse 10. According to the grace of God which is given unto me as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation and another built it thereon. But let every man take heed how he built it thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." Praise God that this isn't talking about salvation. These verses aren't talking about the saved. These verses praise the Lord that I was saved, I have the foundation. If you've not been saved, I encourage you to talk to your pastor, talk to somebody. There is hope. There is this foundation. But the Bible says, now if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, every man's work shall be made manifest. For the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire. And the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide, which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss. But he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire. If you look in Romans, it said, I counsel thee to buy me gold, try it in the fire. I think that verse is saying, hey, do something for Christ. In my life, I'm an imaginative person. I like to picture stuff in my head. Whenever I read stories, I always have this image. I grew up reading a book. When I was 12 to 15, my punishment was I was grounded from books. My parents found that the most effective way to get me to behave is preventing me from reading for a week. I mean, I love books. I'm a very imaginative person. So when I read this passage of Scripture, I always picture there's a foundation. My dad's retired Navy, but before he was Navy, he was a block mason. So I've seen him at a camp where he serves in full-time ministry. I've seen him lay a lot of block for buildings. So I picture a foundation. I did not see you there. Hello. I picture a foundation and then a layer of block, maybe every year being one row of that cinder block. Just one row of cinder block for a year, and then the next year is another cinder block row. I can tell you right now, my teenage years, those blocks, they're going to be wood, hay, and stubble. There might be a couple of nuggets here and there. But whatever layer it is, however this foundation is, however it is, there's going to be a layer, a room, something. It might be a lean-to, I don't know, but whatever I'm doing for Christ, there's a layer for my teenage years that aren't gonna be that gold tried in a fire. It's not gonna be that silver precious stones. It's gonna be that wood, hay, and stubble. And I'm gonna have to stand before the Lord and say, Lord, Yes, there were probably hundreds of people I could have witnessed to, could have passed a track out to, could have influenced. I could have done that. I could have done that for you, but I didn't. As I said earlier, I'm an aircraft mechanic by trade before I went into missions. And I was working over in Cartersville. And it was last winter. It was really cold. It was one of those few days when it was like, I think it was 15 degrees for high that day. It was freezing cold. The hangar has heaters, but they don't really work that well. So we're freezing in there. And it was the senior vice president of our company's private jet. And it had a pressurization leak. This airplane would fly so high, you have to pressurize it to be able to breathe. And it had a leak. It wasn't being able to pressurize enough. So we pressurized the whole thing. We went out there with little squirt bottles of soap and water. We're spraying all the seams. And we finally find where this airplane is leaking. So what I had to do is I had to take the pilot seat out, and then I had like a coffee bar and everything in there, take all that out, I had to drill out some rivets on the floor, remove the metal, to get down to the problem, which, it's not what I messaged, but there's so many times in our life the problem is covered by a bunch of not necessarily bad things that we have to remove in our life to be able to serve the Lord. That's a completely different message. But we get down there, I put the sealant on it, and the sealant is supposed to dry in 30 minutes, but it was so cold it wasn't drying. And the senior vice president of our company wanted his plane back. So what I had to do for two eight-hour shifts, in two literal eight-hour shifts, I sat in an airplane with big heaters, and I had to take aluminum foil and cover the heaters because, again, senior vice president of the companies, I don't want to melt his plane or any of the plastic trim. So for two eight-hour shifts, I sat in this airplane and watched it to make sure, and every once in a while, I'd poke the sealant to see if it was drying. And that was what my boss told me to do, so that's what I had to do. But for two of those hours, my crew chief, who I had been praying for an opportunity to witness to, he came in there and he sat there, because it was a good place to hide, so you didn't have to do anything. So he came in there and he sat with me to check on him, what was going on, and for two hours, we sat there and maybe said five words to each other. We were just sitting there, not doing anything. And he left, and the Lord struck me. He was like, you've been praying for an opportunity to witness to this guy. You've been trying to witness to this guy when you can. And I just gave you two hours of you and him alone in an airplane, and you didn't do it. You didn't witness to him. And you're talking about heartbreaking. And to this day, I haven't had another opportunity to witness to him. That might have been the one opportunity where God gave me to witness to him. And I blew it. I didn't do it. Whatever that one block is for that day, it's woodhand stubble. It's gonna get burned away and have nothing to do for Christ. And I believe His blood will be on my hands if He dies and goes to hell. But they're a lukewarm Christian because they weren't, I believe they weren't building with that gold trident of fire. They weren't doing something for Christ. So I encourage you, do something for Christ. We have one chance. I preach the message, one life. We have one life to live for Christ. I have one life. to build on that foundation. Don't blow it. Am I gonna stand before the Lord and say, Lord, it looked good before it burnt. My teenagers, they looked good. I wasn't rebellious, I wasn't doing anything crazy, but it wasn't doing something for Christ. Or am I gonna stand before him and say, Lord, look what you allowed me to do. Look what you empowered me to do for you. Now I'm gonna be able to take that crown and lay it at your feet. Am I gonna be able to stand before Christ and have crowns to lay at his feet, or am I just gonna be nothing done for Christ? I believe the church of Laodicea, they were lukewarm because they weren't building out of that gold that's going to be tried in the fire. A third cause, I believe they're a lukewarm Christian. Back in Revelations, chapter number 3. In verse 18, the mid part, it says, "...and white raiment, that thou mayest be closed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear." Throughout the Bible, when it talks about white raiment, it talks about purity, it talks about holiness. If you look over in 1 Samuel, again, like I said, when I preach, I use a lot of scripture. It's just how I've always preached. But 1 Samuel, I'm going to look at two different kings. We're going to look at King Saul and King David. Both of these men started out empowered by God. Both of these men had been anointed with the Lord's Spirit. Both of these men had done something for Christ. But then you see, in 1 Samuel, chapter number 15, And verse 18 says, then Samuel said unto Saul, stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, stay on. And Samuel said, when thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the Lord anointed thee king over Israel. And the Lord sent thee on a journey and said, go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them. Excuse me, until they be consumed. Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord? And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil. Sheep and oxen, the chief of things, which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God. Then Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than Father Rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness as iniquity and idolatry, because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord. He hath also rejected thee from being king. And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy works, because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. Now therefore I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord. And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee, for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected thee from being king over Israel. We see Saul, who was anointed by God's power, who was the anointed king over Israel, he made a mistake. He messed up. God sent him to do something, and he didn't. And when confronted, it was, well, I did this because. It wasn't me, it was them. It was excuse after excuse after excuse. He never said, you're right, I'm wrong. I'm sorry. There's always excuses. And then the second person I'm going to look at, 2 Samuel chapter number 12. We see here this is right after we know the sin with Bathsheba, as we talked about a little bit ago, about David's contentment. But 2 Samuel chapter number 12. And verse, for sake of time, I'll only read verse 13. It says, and David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, Lord, hath put away thy sin. Thou shalt not die. It wasn't, I have sinned against the Lord because of, or I haven't sinned against the Lord, but it's this person's fault. David said, I have sinned against the Lord. That's it. The Bible says, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all iniquity. The Bible says, Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Psalms 32. says, blessed is he, and this is, most believe David wrote the song shortly after he was confronted by Nathan about the sin, but it says, blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me. My moisture is turned to the drought of summer, Selah. I acknowledged my sins unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgression unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. David was saying before he confessed his sins, Before that, he said it was like the drought in the summer. In Israel, during that time, there was a month in summer when it didn't rain and nothing could grow. There was no fruit could be born during this time. In my life, am I a lukewarm Christian because there's sin in my life that's not confessed? In my life, am I hindered from serving Christ? because of something I did. David said that it was, when I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night, thy hand was heavy upon me. My moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. In my life is the reason I'm a lukewarm Christian, the reason I'm not pressing forward for Christ, because of unconfessed sin in my life. And I think we've all been there. There's always been either that little thing, that big thing, that, you know what, I don't want to get rid of that. I want to hold on to that, I don't want to confess it, I don't want to ask for forgiveness, I want to hold on to that. And how many times has that kept me from being on fire for Christ? So I believe the Church of Laodicea, they were considered a lukewarm church because they were content, they lacked the gold, They lacked confession, but then they lacked vision. Revelation chapter number 3, the last part of verse number 18 says, and anoint thine eyes with eye salve that thou mayest see. Whenever I see this verse, I always think of James. James chapter number one. The Bible says, wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluidity of naughtiness and receive with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, not hearers only, deceiving your own self. For if any be a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is likened to a man beholding his natural face in a glass. For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. Does that not sound like a lukewarm Christian? Does that not sound like me, who was in church Sunday morning and Sunday evening, and I listened to the word, but then I wasn't a doer. I listened to what my pastor said, but then I walked out on Monday morning and didn't do what he said. Does that not sound like a lukewarm Christian? Does that not sound like somebody who's not pressing for Christ? But how do we fix this? In Revelation it said, anoint thine eyes with eye salve that thou mayest see. The city of Laodicea was known for apothecary, for their medicines that they made. And they made an eye salve that actually could help cure some blindnesses. So saying, hey, fix your vision. We've already discussed how God calls us to live holy. He's called us to do something for him. But God doesn't just say, I want you to live holy. He says, I want you to live holy, and I'm going to tell you how to do it. The Bible says, sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth. The Bible says, thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. How do we fix our vision? How do we get to a point where we can see What's wrong? Well, the Bible says, How do we fix our vision? How do we get to a point where we can see how to live for Christ on fire? Well, the perfect law of liberty is talking about salvation of the gospel. It's through His Word. How do we know how to live for Christ? It's through the Bible. If I'm not in the Bible reading it daily, if I'm not actively trying to increase my knowledge in the Bible, I'm never going to be on fire for Christ. I'm never going to be able to live a sanctified holy life if I'm not in his word. I encourage you to study it. I had the opportunity in January, my father-in-law is the youth pastor of our church and he allowed me to, well I guess then he wasn't my father-in-law yet, but he allowed me to teach the last five Sundays we were at our church. I've gone to my church twice in the last four months. It sounds like a horrible faithfulness, but we're on deputation now. You guys understand. He gave me the opportunity to teach to the teens, so I spent those five weeks going through Ephesians chapter number four in Philippians, I was teaching just practical advice for godly Christian walk. It's amazing how the Bible was written 2,000 years ago, even more than that. It's so practical for today. There's so many times where I studied the epistles and it says, oh, that answers that question. The problems that I face, The Bible tells us how to deal with it. The Bible tells us how to live for Him. We know the Bible's living. It says it's quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. The Bible's practical. The Bible tells us how to live for Christ. The Bible tells us how to not live a lukewarm Christian life. So in my life, am I looking at my life just through my own eyes, through what seems right, Or am I looking at it through the lens of the scripture? Am I using the scripture to determine where in my life is lukewarm? That's the only way to see how we can improve. So we see here, I believe they're lukewarm because they were content, they weren't building with gold, their lack of free time, their lack of vision. But then it says in verse 19, as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. We know God chastens us and rebukes us because he loves us. But that doesn't mean it's fun. That doesn't mean it's something I should be like, today I want to get chastened by the Lord. That's not the point of chastening. I remember as a kid, whenever I deserved to be punished and I got punished, it wasn't a fun ordeal. It wasn't like, woo, today I'm getting spanked. It was... I messed up, I have to do this now. And I would strive, the whole point of that was to make it, so we strive not to do that. So how do we avoid this chastening of the Lord for lukewarmness? Well, the Bible says, be zealous therefore. Zealous means warmly engaged or ardent in the pursuit of an object. Could someone say you're a zealous Christian? Could someone say you're a zealot for Christ? Are you serving God zealously? That sounds like a harsh word. You know, zealot, that's not a word. Outside of preaching, I don't know the last time I used the term zealot. It's just a harsh word. But it's true. Am I warmly, ardently engaged in the pursuit of Christ? How do we not be a glucorm Christian? We have to be zealous. But then it says, and repent. Repent means a change of mind to turn from sin to God. How do we not be a lukewarm Christian? Is by determining I'm not gonna be a lukewarm Christian. I know it's wrong, and today I'm not gonna do it. Today I'm gonna push forward for Christ. And like I said, I know this is something that I'm sure we've all heard, but it's so easy to turn to become a lukewarm Christian. It's so easy in my life to wake up and be like, you know what, today I'm good. Today, I'm not gonna read the Bible because I'm tired, I'm busy. Today, I'm not gonna do something for Christ. I'm not gonna do something bad, but I'm not gonna witness to somebody. And how many times in my life have I made, unconsciously made that decision? It's an easy thing to get to. So I encourage you today, make it a conscious effort to live for Christ. Make it a conscious effort tomorrow when you wake up saying today, I choose to live for Christ. Today, I choose to not be a lukewarm Christian. It's a choice. And how do we do that? It has to be through the Word. The Word is what shows us how to live for Christ. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for this opportunity to be here at this church. Thank you that you have given us the perfect Holy Word that shows us how to live for you.