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00:03:23.660and we're also going to give an annual report that's coming out soon for this year 2019 that
00:03:29.360we'll send out to all of the donors if you become part of that list um okay now we get to talk about
00:03:36.560things jump on in huh yeah okay so yeah we're excited to take you through episode number three
00:03:41.480on our four-part series on dale's new book real christianity um if you haven't picked up a copy
00:03:46.300You can grab yours online on the online store at shop.relearnchurch.org or on Amazon or on Audible.
00:03:55.000If you do order it from the website, it is something that goes towards the ministry.
00:03:59.840It does. We get we earn a little bit more profit from our store than we would on Amazon.
00:04:05.180Yeah. So pick up a copy if you haven't gotten it yet.
00:04:08.040So in episode one, which was what, two episodes ago, something like that, we talked about biblical salvation and the authority of Scripture,
00:04:15.300which were the topics of chapters one and two in dale's book the last episode we talked um on two
00:04:22.820topics of dying to self and alive in christ which are topics three and four or are chapters three
00:04:29.000and four in your book and then today we're going to talk about um lukewarm christianity which will
00:04:34.140be chapters five and six um so i think a lot of people um wonder what lukewarm actually really
00:04:41.700means and you titled the chapter number five in your book do you really love Jesus here you tackle
00:04:48.320the idea of biblical love and what the Bible has to say about people who love Christ but you also
00:04:54.140touch on how not loving Christ according to the scriptures can be a manifestation of being lukewarm
00:05:00.920so can you explain what you mean by that yeah so this is lukewarm is is an important term to
00:05:08.920define in your life so that you can stay away from it. Because the reality is that when you're
00:05:17.040lukewarm, you don't know it. I don't think people know, like, I'm a lukewarm Christian.
00:05:22.620It's a deceptive state. Until it's revealed to them by the Holy Spirit. Exactly. And
00:05:27.040so the term lukewarm, it comes from Revelation 3, 15 through 16, where Jesus says, and I'm going to
00:05:34.640read it to you here. It says, I know your works, that you are neither hot nor cold. I could wish
00:05:40.800that you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will
00:05:47.300vomit you out of my mouth. And so it's pretty intense language there. Jesus is correcting0.99
00:05:54.680seven churches in the book of Revelation, and they have these specific issues. And he really ends
00:06:03.400the section with this one line at the bottom of each of these seven corrections. And not every
00:06:10.680one of us is a specific correction, but I'm going to label them that for just easy understanding
00:06:14.360right now. But he finishes each one with, he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to
00:06:20.740the churches. And so these are specific issues directed at specific churches, but these are
00:06:30.480lessons for the universal church in principle. And so he addresses the loveless church. He
00:06:37.560addresses the persecuted church, the compromising church, the corrupt church, the dead church,
00:06:46.540the faithful church, and the lukewarm church. And so the lukewarm church is the last church,
00:06:54.900and we're going to talk about what that idea means. And so basically the word picture in that
00:06:59.660passage of scripture that i i was reading to you in revelation it's showing the frustrating state
00:07:05.040of lukewarm water um you know hot water has a purpose and cold water has a purpose but lukewarm
00:07:12.660water is kind of this attempt to be both at once it's like what are you right it's that it's just
00:07:19.420a weird thing it has no loyalties um it's a state of indifference uh it's it's idle or it's inactive
00:07:27.200That's kind of what it's stating here.
00:07:29.880And I would say that's really fascinating to note that Jesus actually shows more mercy to those who are cold than he does for those who are lukewarm.
00:07:41.280Like he doesn't even like look at the fact what he's going to talk about the cold people in their faith.
00:07:47.600But he says he's going to vomit out of his mouth the lukewarm people.
00:07:52.360And so basically Jesus is, you know, he, I would say he prefers an outright denial over half-hearted
00:08:01.320commitment. And so I want you to just to hear that again, because that's an important statement.
00:08:05.920Jesus would rather have outright denial than half-hearted commitment. And that's what that
00:08:11.760verse teaches us there. And it tells us that, that something really important about Jesus's
00:08:17.180expectation for his followers he's he's really looking and expecting uh blazing hot devotion
00:08:24.920that that's that's the heart of what he's looking for and that's what you get to measure yourself
00:08:29.840against man am i on fire for god okay but what is what is blazing devotion actually mean like how
00:08:38.000is um how is this supposed to look in the lives of a common everyday christian uh does it mean
00:08:43.520getting involved in the church more does it mean studying the bible more does it mean praying more
00:08:49.700or um how can we be on fire for the gospel yeah it's a good question because the uh
00:08:56.780yeah it's a good question because how does this practically play out what does it really look
00:09:02.820like to be hot or to be on fire for for christ um i think blazing devotion as i said can be
00:09:11.180translated to passionate love. Now we've got to determine what passionate love is also. Last week
00:09:18.380we talked about Jesus' statement that he repeated, if you love me, keep my commandments. If you love
00:09:24.920me, keep my commandments. He says it over and over and over. And how really the greatest way to
00:09:31.700display our love to Christ is through obedience and through keeping his commandments. And you're
00:09:38.080not saved by by our obedience that's not what we're saying that you're saved by your obedience
00:09:42.100but your obedience is the outpouring gratitude and evidence that you are saved and so um yeah
00:09:49.680so i think that you translate blazing devotion to passionate love and passionate love is translated
00:09:55.900to keeping his commandments as jesus says if you love me you'll keep my commandments okay
00:10:01.000um yeah so before i had a strong grip on the scriptures there were two verses in the new
00:10:06.500Testament that kind of shook me, startled me a little bit. And I think there are probably two
00:10:11.800of the most expressive passages in the New Testament. The first passage is from Revelation,
00:10:18.160which you actually mentioned earlier about being lukewarm and Jesus saying, I will vomit you out0.94
00:10:23.240of my mouth. And the second passage is in Matthew chapter seven, verse 21 through 23. And that
00:10:29.160reads, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who
00:10:34.140does the will of the father in heaven my many will say to me in that day lord lord have we not
00:10:40.280prophesied in your name cast out demons in your name and done many wonders in your name and then
00:10:45.140i will declare to them i never knew you depart from me you who practice lawlessness and at the
00:10:50.660end there there's an exclamation point depart from me you who practice lawlessness exclamation point
00:10:56.220yeah um so you've explained this passage to me before several times um and you give a pretty
00:11:03.320detailed answer on this passage in the book but can you briefly explain this passage for those who
00:11:08.940may be worried or intimidated by it yeah you're right there's two it is two very scary scriptures
00:11:16.640in the new testament i'm gonna vomit you out of my mouth if you're lukewarm and depart from me
00:11:22.340you who practice lawless i never knew you yeah and and you're like wow okay that's a side of0.89
00:11:28.440Jesus that's not really commonly seen in the scriptures. And so it's a frightening passage
00:11:35.220for a few reasons. It clarifies that calling Jesus Lord by itself isn't sufficient to save
00:11:44.900you. So that's one thing, because it says right here, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord,
00:11:49.540shall enter the kingdom of heaven. So, you know, that's a really bold statement that you go, wow,
00:11:56.380It's not just calling Jesus Lord that is sufficient to save you.
00:12:02.220Jesus really combines that declaration of lordship with obedience.
00:12:08.140It's a combination of the two, which we've talked about in previous, I think even episode one of this series.
00:12:16.000But he says, but he who does the will of my father in heaven,
00:12:20.720in combination with lordship and that obedience is is what jesus is looking for
00:12:27.240but it's also concerning because apparently uh there are people who are prophesying who are
00:12:33.160casting out demons in jesus's name who are doing many wonders um and and they're not going to
00:12:40.820heaven like so that this is like a just like a stop you in your tracks kind of statement you're
00:12:45.840like wow like I don't cast demons sobering yeah I don't cast demons out and like that's a really
00:12:52.380intense ministry it sounds like you're you're casting demons out and prophesying and doing
00:12:57.460wonders and and so basically it's teaching us a really important principle that I want you to
00:13:04.520grasp that spiritual activity doesn't equal spiritual security so spiritual activity whatever
00:13:14.280activity it is, it doesn't equal spiritual security. You're not
00:13:18.120secure by your activity. You're secure by
00:13:21.860your faith in Christ, your belief in Christ, and true
00:13:26.080belief in Christ, which would include lordship and obedience, and
00:13:29.660the fullness and understanding of what the gospel is, that you're not a
00:13:33.880lukewarm, half-hearted, lethargic Christian, but you're on fire for
00:20:45.620It's like 50 or 60 pages or something.
00:20:48.700And it's, you can see it right here if you're watching the video also.
00:20:52.480And it's for individuals or small groups.
00:20:55.820And a lot of people have bought it so far.
00:20:57.760If you go to our store, you can, you know, it'll automatically ask you if you want to add it to your cart so that you can get the study guide as well.
00:21:06.820But, you know, if you want to go deeper, because the book's short, it's only going to take you like an hour and 20 minutes to read, hour and a half to read.
00:21:11.940And then you do the study guide together.
00:21:13.240I think it can take you a little bit, a little bit deeper.
00:21:19.620We, as you guys know, we've been doing the Real Christianity resources.
00:21:23.040And these are higher thinking resources, theologically speaking, so that, guys, we don't want to get pulled into the just the run a mill everyday Christian books that like are like a conveyor belt of midway thinking of the Christian faith.
00:21:42.820there there is higher thinking of great saints in fact most of them are already dead
00:21:50.600these two that i'm about to show you are and um so i'll pull up these books real quick and
00:21:58.320talk about them for a second so there's there's two books i want to share with you guys and