Why does God want us to be cold or hot, not lukewarm?
Revelation 3:15-16 “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold or hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold or hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth.”
What is wrong with lukewarm?
At least it is not cold.
But Jesus says, He would rather have us cold, then lukewarm.
If we were cold, we would know we are far away from Him. (Frankly, the devil likes us to have a little “heat”, rather then for us to know we are lacking)
If we are lukewarm, there is some kind of “heat” within, but it is natural heat from emotions, not the fire of the Holy Spirit making us zealous for God.
(Zealous means “boiling hot”. Revelation 3:19)
And what is wrong with emotional “heat”?
Plainly, it fools us. It deceives us into believing we are Ok with God, when the only thing which is touched is our emotions, which often are high, and then low.
Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
Our hearts (emotions) are deceitful. They tell us one thing, when the truth is something else.
Our hearts tell us, “We love God.”
But we do not do what He tells us to do. (Of course, we have reasons, but…) Is that love of the Lord?
John 14:21 “He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.”
Thankfully God has made a way for His born again ones to become “hot” by the fire of the Holy Spirit within.
Jeremiah 17:10 “I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins (will), even to give ever man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.”
Search means to penetrate into the inner part; to examine intimately.
God promises to get through our wall of self-righteousness and our wall of self-consciousness, that has been erected to keep the Lord at arm’s length.
Then, He and you, will examine together the things (fear, anger, resentment, and hurt) that hinder us from knowing Him as we should.
You see, that is what He wants. You to know Him; who He really is and who He wants to be to you.
He gives every man “according to his ways.”
Luke 8:15 “But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.”
If we will get honest with the Lord about our attitudes and hurts; He will give “accordingly”. He will give you the fruit of the Spirit, within you, to meet that need. (But, when we “lie” to ourselves, or try and cover up who and how we are, we can not come that way to God. For that is not really us.)
I would say that most of the hinderances in our spiritual live’s come from mistaken ideas about God and His Will for us.
Is He really like the Egyptian taskmasters? Commanding you to make bricks without straw?
(Remember, after Moses told Pharaoh to let the Israelites go, Pharaoh was furious. So he told the taskmasters over the people to stop giving them straw for the bricks.
But make them go out to gather stubble and make the same number of bricks as before; beating them if they could not. Exodus 5:6-18)
Do you think the Lord is asking you to do what is impossible for you to do?
That He will not give you the knowledge and power by His Holy Spirit, to do what He asks of you? (“…for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13)
Luke 11:13 “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children; how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”
But we must not stifle Him, but yield to Him, within us.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 “Quench not the Spirit.”
Quench means “put out”. Paul is telling these here, “Don’t put out the fire of the Holy Spirit
Perhaps you feel, you have too heavy a burden. Then cast it on Jesus.
1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.”
Psalms 55:22 “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, for He shall sustain thee: He will never suffer the righteous to be moved (fearful).”
He not only speaks peace, but sustains it within us, as we yield to Him.
You see, it is the Lord’s Will that we work with Him. We are never sent out on our own. He is within us, and He goes before us, to prepare our way.
The Lord Jesus Christ came to save His people from their sins. He saves us, all the way to heaven. Forgiving us, keeping us in peace, giving us joy for sorrow, love for hate, and mostly (this is has been my greatest joy) Himself as our companion.
He will never leave us; but have we left Him for some reason?
Have we let our feelings come between us and Him?
Come, stop being just lukewarm, and get hot, by the fire of His Holy Spirit.
Get honest with Him, and repent.
Get zealous, boiling hot for God. For He is ready to do within you, and for you for your every need.
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 