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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

THE TITLE FOR TODAY’S EPISODE:  A WARNING TO THE CHURCH

I normally come to you on Fridays with something light and encouraging. But sometimes God deals with me to do something else. What the Lord has been speaking is a heavy weight and I want to share this warning with you.

It is about the future of the church. Not all members are on fire for God. Those that are lukewarm cause more harm to the kingdom than they help. The lukewarm are normally judgmental to make themselves feel better. They end up hurting and running off those who are new to the gospel and those who have not decided if they want to be a Christian.  This is one reason why it is dangerous to be lukewarm. Another reason is that if you are lukewarm you end up dabbling with sin, this is being a bad light. Our God is a jealous God and wants us to not create little gods in our lives.

Then you have entire congregations that attend services and are more like a country club than a church. They never do true outreach, they are about building their kingdom bigger. This type of greed will not stand before God. He is about to bring it all down.

REV 3:15-16  I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

 If someone is hot, they are an on fire Christian, full of zeal and desire to follow Jesus. They are a good light because fire produces light.

Someone who is cold, has turned their back on God completely or has never made a start to live for Christ. The light of God is not in them.

In the middle is the lukewarm, full of apathy and going through the motions. God says he would rather we be hot or cold. If we are lukewarm, he will spue us out of his mouth. I think that explains it. We will be cast out like tares.  The lukewarm have just enough light to do damage to the kingdom of God.

 REV 3:17-19  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: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Many say this is about the church today. They will tell you that they have need of nothing. They may give God credit for what they have, or maybe not. We are poor, blind and naked without God’s light in our life. If we are sold out to God and allow him to shape us, he will cover our nakedness or sin with his garment of grace.

The next verse is something that I kept hearing, hell hath enlarged. For a couple of days God dealt with me about these verses in Isaiah.

ISAIAH 5:14-16 Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it. 15  And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled: 16But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.

God gave warning to the prophet Isaiah for the people of Jerusalem. They were full of pride, self-righteous, judgmental, covetous, not yielding fully to God. God warned that his judgment was going to fall. That so many were going to be swallowed up by hell that it would have to expand to take them all in, because of their disobedience. This passage depicts hell as a giant creature with its mouth wide open devouring everyone in sight.

This was a warning of being lukewarm and being morally corrupted. It was a warning to the proud and morally bankrupt. Hell is making room for everyone that is not on fire for God.

These people instead of following God they chose their own way, but wanted people to think they were obedient to God. He is patient and long suffering. But he will only allow evil to reign for a season, especially in a group of believers. In order for him to bring judgment on the evil of this world first he has to clean up the church.

I feel that the warning God gave Isaiah about Jerusalem could apply to the modern day church. There is a parable about wheat and tares and how God will divine the two.

I Pet 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

Peter was calling for the people to examine themselves to see that they were on a solid foundation. To see if they were on fire for God. Were they living in a way that honors God or were they lukewarm?

This is a serious thing. I am sure most of us have experienced a time of being lukewarm. I know I have several times in my life. But God’s long suffering toward the church is wearing thin. In order for us to step over into the glory of God we need to have clean hands, pure hearts and be on fire for Jesus. He is about separate the wheat from the tares.

I have been doing some soul searching this week. I don’t want to be found lacking. I shared this today to give you something to think about over the next few days. Ask God to show you if you have anything in your life that would cause him to think you are a tare and not wheat.

Because the tares are gathered and thrown into the fire to be burned. That is not the type of fire we want, hell fire is torment. God’s fire is pure and holy. This is a serious thing, so meditate on it and pray about it before you dismiss it.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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