Forward!

First let’s level-set by eliminating the obvious. Contrary to popular belief, lukewarm does not mean “wishy-washy.” Religion will tell you that lukewarm saints are those who have one foot in the Kingdom and one foot in the world. That ain’t what it means, folks! I want to start with an analogy. But, while this isRead More

First let’s level-set by eliminating the obvious. Contrary to popular belief, lukewarm does not mean “wishy-washy.” Religion will tell you that lukewarm saints are those who have one foot in the Kingdom and one foot in the world.

That ain’t what it means, folks!

I want to start with an analogy. But, while this is good, this isn’t where I’m going to end up.

Christians can be like tea. When we’re hot, we’re soothing. When we’re cold, we’re refreshing. In both cases, we’re thermostats, changing the environment around us.

When we’re lukewarm, we merely assume the temperature around us and become thermometers.

Lukewarm tea is neither soothing nor refreshing; it’s just plain nasty! That’s why Jesus spits them out.

Now that’s a great analogy but there’s a greater revelation!

Revelation 3:15-16 (ESV) 15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

Cold — under law

Hot — under Grace

Lukewarm — mixture, poison, Trojan Horse

Strict legalists try to obtain justification by works. Impossible but give them credit for trying

Legalism will send no one to hell but it denies its adherents from the tangible benefits of living under Grace.

The law is cold, hard, and rigid. That’s why it’s written on tablets of stone.

• If it’s cold and rigid, it’s dead

? It assumes room temperature

? Therefore, it’s merely a thermometer

• It is a scorecard that measures sin, giving it’s adherents a means to compare themselves with others.

• It is a sin-amplifier, strengthening sin instead of eradicating it (1 Corinthians 15:56)

The law could do nothing for the sinful condition of humanity except make it more sinful.

Romans 3:20 (ESV) 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

It burned sin-consciousness into people’s hearts and minds.

The followers of the law are not dead but they have a semblance of death because they are yoked to dead ordinances and dead works!

But along comes Jesus…

Jesus showed up because we couldn’t do it alone. God knew we couldn’t defeat sin on our own, that’s why Jesus was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world!

Jesus was perfect God who became perfect man. He became the unblemished sacrifice required for our redemption.

Jesus was on fire then. Jesus is on fire now!

God is said to be a consuming fire, and He is. His fire consumes our sin. His fire consumes our sicknesses. His fire consumes our oppression. His fire consumes our lack.

His fire DOES NOT consume us! We are His children — whether we’re good, bad, or ugly.

Now, before some folks get their underwear in a bunch, this is not to say that God is cool with sin. In fact, God hates sin so much that He sent Jesus to sacrifice Himself for its ultimate eradication. God has dealt with sin, once and for all. Our part, now is to simply accept what Jesus has done and abide in Him. And, just like metal tried by fire removes our impurities, when we become righteousness-conscious in Christ, His consuming fire burns away everything that is not like Him! We lose our consciousness of sin (Hebrews 10:2)

When we are in Christ, we are on fire because He is on fire. We become the torchbearers, carrying his flame of light into a dark world. We become the bonfires that provide warmth to those exposed to the elements of sin, law, and religion. That’s because fire provides both light and heat!

“But preacher,” you say, “I thought we were going to talk about lukewarm?”

Well, let’s go there!

The great philosopher and mathematician, Archimedes, once said, “Give me a lever and a place to stand and I will move the earth.”

We learn in math that the lever is a powerful tool. It’s principle powers scissors, staplers, wheelbarrows, and even the humble see-saw. A sufficiently long lever and a properly placed fulcrum gives us the ability to move heavy objects.

In the Kingdom of God, there is a lever — and that lever is hope. Hope, when placed on the fulcrum of faith, helps to move things in the Kingdom.

Romans 5:1-5 (ESV) 1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

One of the most profound things God has ever shown me is that hope is the accelerator pedal of faith. Our faith is our potential to have confidence in a thing but hope puts pressure on faith to actuate that potential. Without an accelerator pedal to release it’s potential, the engine is little more than a dead weight; a boat anchor.

1 Corinthians 13:7 tells us that love hopes all things. This is because faith works by love (Galatians 5:6). In this context, we can see that faith, hope, and love comprise perpetual Kingdom motion. They are the components that propel God’s Grace throughout the world. 1 Corinthians 13:13 tell us that faith, hope, and love abide; that is, they dwell among us because they are alive.

Faith is the currency of the Kingdom of God and Love is the power that backs it. But hope is what helps these manifest. For example, you have money. It’s backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government. But this money is useless until you apply it to something you hope for, like a television or a car. This is what hope does — it puts pressure on faith to produce!

The book of Hebrews has some really good guidance on faith:

Hebrews 11:1 (ESV) Now faith is the assurance (substance - KJV) of things hoped for, the conviction (evidence - KJV) of things not seen.

Faith gives us the power to appropriate that which we hope for!

Hebrews 11:6 (ESV) And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

We cannot please God without faith. Just like you cannot please walmart without dollars! But here’s the too-good-to-be-true-news of Kingdom economics:

You know, the law of supply and demand? Well God not only demands faith, but he also supplies it!

Romans 12:3 (KJV) For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

So God supplies faith — and since faith works by love, He supplies the love, too! But, again, here’s the too-good-to-be-true-news, again — God supplies the Hope!

Romans 15:13 tells us that God is the God of hope. But this one really drives it home:

Colossians 1:26-27 (AMPC) 26 The mystery of which was hidden for ages and generations [from angels and men], but is now revealed to His holy people (the saints), 27 To whom God was pleased to make known how great for the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ within and among you, the Hope of [realizing the] glory.

The Hope of Glory is the Hope of Heaven! It is the Hope of God. And if we trust the Hope of God, God gets what He hopes for which,

The great philosopher and mathematician, Archimedes, once said, “Give me a lever and a place to stand and I will move the earth.” We learn in math that the lever is a powerful tool. It’s principle powers scissors, staplers, wheelbarrows, and even the humble see-saw. A sufficiently long lever and a properly placed fulcrum givesRead More

It is so very easy to do something when you want to do it. Our very nature — that of free will — dictates that our efforts are assisted by our attitude. I have told my sons all the time to build their ambition around something they love — and they will never work a day in their lives. This is not to say that you will not have struggles or trials; just that you will have more desire for accomplishment.

But what about when you don’t want to? What about when your spirit is so low that you don’t feel like living, much less working? What do you do when your body is so racked with pain that you’d sooner die than do what needs to be done? What do you do when the task seems so difficult that even though you love it, you can’t seem to get motivated?

This is where people get all super-spiritual and say “just pray or praise your way through it.” And I’m here to tell you that sometimes that helps. But sometimes you need a little more motivation.

Let’s let Jesus be our example.

Luke 22:41-44 (ESV Strong's) 41 And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” 43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Now, before I get to Jesus, let’s take a look at a couple of pre-Jesus examples.

Jonah got a memo from God to go preach a message of repentance to Nineveh. But because of his fear and prejudice, he decided to run from his assignment. Unfortunately for Jonah — but fortunate for us — Jonah’s work caught up with him and swallowed him and spit him out. This experience became a type and shadow of Jesus as he was three days and nights in the belly of the fish. Eventually, Jonah got out of his feelings and went to do what he was called to do and, as a result, the Ninevites were spared.

David — yep that David — conceived a child with a woman who was not his wife. And this child — his firstborn — died. In 2 Samuel 12:20, it says that when David realized his child had died, he got up, washed himself and changed his clothes and went to worship. David had to get out of his feelings to encourage himself in the Lord.

Now, back to Jesus. Here’s the deal, Jesus came to earth to teach and exemplify God’s unconditional Love and His unlimited Grace. He came to redeem and restore us unto God. He came to make us free.

But in order to do that, He had to die a horrible, agonizing death.

Jesus was fully God but He was also fully man. He was a man fully aware of His divine assignment. His humanity was always in tune with His divinity. Jesus went into the Garden to pray because He knew His humanity needed help. But before he was delivered up to be killed, Jesus had to go through an agonizing preparation. Sweating drops of blood is called hematohidrosis; it is a very painful condition brought on by stress.

Jesus didn’t want to die!

Jesus was a man who knew exactly what He had to do. He was so focused in His purpose and assignment that He spoke with the confidence of heaven. He exemplified speaking those things that were not as though they were. Most of all, Jesus was a man who worked precisely in the capacity He wanted:

Hebrews 12:2 (ESV) looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

It was for His joy that Jesus went to the cross. We say the joy of the Lord is our strength but the Joy of Jesus is in us! He loves us so much that he was willing — as a man — to subject Himself to a torturous death to save us.

It is so very easy to do something when you want to do it. Our very nature — that of free will — dictates that our efforts are assisted by our attitude. I have told my sons all the time to build their ambition around something they love — and they will never work aRead More

In Christian circles, there is a lot of importance ascribed to obedience. If you hang out in church long enough, you will hear obedience as a key to inheriting the promises of God. Now, I want to tell you that obedience is good but obedience needs to be put into its place. The Body of Christ is really good at “majoring in the minors” and it’s understanding of obedience is a shining example of that.

What if I were to tell you that obedience isn’t even a big thing with God? Some of you hearing this are getting your torches, pitchforks, and bonfires ready. If you give me a few minutes, I’ll give you enough to at least consider it’s importance in the big picture of Scripture and discipleship.

When it comes to obedience, church folk love to trot out these verses:

Isaiah 1:19-20 (ESV) 19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; 20 but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Before we go further, we need to consider the context. God, here, is telling the prophet how He detests all the trappings of religion. He’s talking about how he’s grown weary of sacrifices and ceremonies. When God is speaking of being willing, He’s speaking about operating according to His will; when He’s talking about obedience, He’s speaking of faithfulness and discernment.

Let’s take a look at this from the standpoint of creation — at no point did God demand obedience from His crowning creation. No, God wanted a family to be one with Him — to govern physical space as He governed spiritual space. God created us in His image and likeness to be like Him, to be one with Him, and to fellowship with Him — not for blind obedience. If obedience was the endgame, God would have just created us to be robots with no will of our own.

Now, let’s look at this passage of Scripture:

1 Samuel 15:22-23 (ESV) 22 And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.”

Here, the prophet is recounting God’s words to Saul because Saul chose to offer a sacrifice, himself, instead of waiting for the prophet. This is one of those passages that religious leadership trots out to say “do not get ahead of the mand o’ Gawd.” This had nothing to do with the man or even the sacrifice but with trust.

Trust is a byproduct of love. Saul was disobedient in that he didn’t trust God and he didn’t trust God because he didn’t love God.

This is what God really wants — is for us to simply love and trust Him! And this is a FRUIT of our salvation, not a ROOT to obtain, maintain, or retain it.

Obedience really is better than sacrifice! But there is no obedience greater than Jesus’ and no sacrifice greater than Him!

Watch this: Jesus was obedient in that He was faithful to His assignment. Jesus said to the Father in John 17:4 that He glorified Him in the earth by completing the work He was given. Jesus was disobedient to the law concerning eating (Mark 12:23) and healing (Luke 14:1-5). Jesus was disobedient concerning the order of the temple (John 2:15) — you have to know that the money-changers were there with permission! Jesus was disobedient to the law concerning his relations with the Samaritans (John 4). So if Jesus is our example, obedience cannot be a big thing!

We are not to be known as disciples by our obedience! Love is the key! Love is greater than obedience because love PRODUCES obedience! Obedience doesn’t produce anything! And it cannot.

In Christian circles, there is a lot of importance ascribed to obedience. If you hang out in church long enough, you will hear obedience as a key to inheriting the promises of God. Now, I want to tell you that obedience is good but obedience needs to be put into its place. The BodyRead More

Faith is a central component to our walk in Christ. We are told that faith is the currency of the Kingdom of God — for without faith, it is impossible to please God. We are to walk by faith and not by sight. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. We are saved by Grace through Faith — that Grace is God reaching down to us and Faith is us reaching up to God.

I think we have a good working understanding of WHAT Faith is. Today I want to talk about WHOSE Faith is it we’re dealing with. I believe there is a greater illumination on this truth than what we’ve been taught. Let’s examine the Scriptures:

Ephesians 2:8 (ESV) 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

This really smacked me in the face when I saw this. Paul wrote, “And this is not of your own doing…”

If it isn’t your doing, whose is it?

God’s!

We couldn’t even have Faith if it weren’t for God!

Romans 12:3 (ESV) For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

God has given all of us THE measure of Faith. Not some faith. Not part of faith. Not faith for us to squander…

…Let me segue here — faith squandered is nothing but fear. Because faith is confidence in the truth that God is Good and He will do good things on your behalf. Here’s an example, putting faith in modern medicine is to say that you have fear and doubt about God’s ability or willingness to heal you.

God can give us faith because HE IS FAITHFUL. That means, brothers and sisters, that HE IS FULL OF FAITH.

1 Corinthians 1:9 (ESV) God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Hebrews 1:3 tells us that all things are upheld by the Word of His power. John 1:3 tells us that Everything was created by the Word. You can’t even start your car without faith! So the creation and maintenance of the universe took and takes faith.

In Mark 11, we see Jesus hungry and happens upon a fig tree (that He created). He sees leaves and expects fruit. When He finds none, he curses the tree. Now, in v.14 (in the KJV), it says “Jesus answered…”

Whom did He answer? The tree! The tree said something to Him and Jesus responded by cursing it. The next day when they passed the tree on the return trip, the disciples marveled that the tree was dead from the roots up! Then, in v.23, Jesus is recorded as having said, “Have faith in God.” However, many Bible scholars translate Jesus’ actual words to be “Have God’s Faith.” It’s a big difference having faith in God and having God’s Faith. Our faith can merely acknowledge a mountain but God’s Faith can move it!

I’ve said before that God didn’t need to create anything — He created because He wanted to. 1 John 4:7-8 tells us that He is Love — and that’s what Love does. Love is creative. Love builds up. Love liberates. Love is content in itself but seeks to express itself. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith, it is impossible to please God. Galatians 5:6 tells us that faith works by love.

I humbly submit that God is pleased with Himself because He IS Love and He IS full of faith. And, thanks to Jesus, He is pleased with you, too! He is so pleased with you that He chooses to impart His Holy Spirit to you! Through Jesus, Papa has placed His DNA inside of you:

1 Corinthians 13:1-10 (ESV) 1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have,

Faith is a central component to our walk in Christ. We are told that faith is the currency of the Kingdom of God — for without faith, it is impossible to please God. We are to walk by faith and not by sight. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence ofRead More