Getting Passionate Again - Pastor Daniel Batarseh

If you can meet me in your Bibles in the book of Revelation chapter three.

And we're gonna pray one more time that the Lord help us with this particular subject. Revelation chapter three. Father, thank you for even in the worship showing us the beauty of your son Jesus. Lord, our hearts are stirred to love him. But Lord, our hearts need you to help us to continue to love him.

We ask in this place, Lord, in total humility, in our dependency that you would aid us, to Lord hear your word as though you were speaking directly to us, because you are. This is your word, the living word, the eternal word, the all sufficient word. We pray for the assistance of your Holy Spirit. Lord, you promised that you would give him to those who would ask, and that Lord, he would help us, empowered to be attentive, to be obedient. But Lord, we ask in particular that the ministry of the word would be assisted by His power.

And that Lord, every man would disappear except the God man. Let Christ be heard and seen and loved, cherished by your people in this place. Lord, may this word not place an unnecessary guilt or sense of condemnation. May we hear you like a sick patient. Here's a doctor who loves them to provide the remedy for the condition of our souls.

We love you Lord because we know you first loved us. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. This is a subject that has been presented before, but I think it's a subject that's worthy to be revisited from time to time. And I wanna describe a heart condition, and ask yourself if it's something that you are familiar with.

It's the mixture of the sensation of dryness and private prayer. No sense of being called to the closet, with also this dullness towards the Word of God. No desire to read the scriptures. An absence of urgency and maybe even an excitement at the thought of evangelizing somebody with the gospel, coupled with a decreasing interest in spiritual matters, and spiritual conversations with people. While all the more you see your affections growing for for things that are not necessarily evil, but are not necessarily beneficial to the soul either.

You've probably been there. You're probably there today. And if not, then you probably know somebody that's there. And I would say that there are many ways to describe this condition, and if I can give you what I call it, it's just simply the coldness of the heart. It's something that occurs almost suddenly, though it's not, because it's a progression.

And what happens is there's an iciness. There's a there's a numbness. There's a hollowness that begins to become more of a norm and a reality in your spiritual journey with Christ. And it's a state of spirituality that causes a once warm, vigorous, passionate devotion to the Lord to become unconcerned, and even unmoved by the things of God. It kind of looks like when you stay there long enough, where you come to church week after week after week, and maybe other people after the service are so touched by what they heard and what they sang, and you're just like, it just, it's not clicking with you.

It did before, but now you're just, you're just there. You're on autopilot mode, and you've been there for a long time. It's not a condition of backsliding, though it can lead to that where you go back to the ways of the world, nor is it nor is it a total, state of apostasy. It's just a numbness. No desire to pursue or grow in the things of God.

It's when you know that there is an absence of a hunger for God. A longing to know his purposes for your life. And if you're honest, you're kind of okay with it. I wanna start off by saying that that is possible for a true born again believer. I wanna tell you that it is a reality for many who have truly tasted of the glories from above.

And one case for that is that you come to this book in Revelation, and Jesus himself writes these letters through through John the beloved, to these churches who who exemplify and demonstrate different spiritual postures. And one of them being a loveless state towards the Lord. I mean, they go to church, they believe in the core doctrines of the faith, but there's no sense of zeal. There's no sense of passion. And some cases in this book are more severe than others.

Now, I wanna say this at the same time, if you call yourself a Christian this morning, but there's never been a a passion, a desire, a longing for Jesus on a personal level, then I have to say, because I love you, you probably never met him in the first place. If that never has been a reality for you, doesn't matter if you grew up in the church, I have to tell you, you probably never met the Lord Jesus Christ and you need to be born again altogether. But that's not a message for you today. This is not a message for you. This message is for those who know what it's like to love him.

Who know what it's like to be raptured by the revelation of his goodness. Who know what it's like to sing spontaneously throughout the day just because you know that he's been good to you. And that's gone. That's gone. I wanna encourage you this morning.

I'm not here to whip up a storm. I'm not here to give you lashes to the soul. I want you to sense a balm from the word of God. I want you to know that you can overcome that condition. You can see past it, whether you're facing it now or whether you face it in the future or whether you need to console somebody who is in it.

The Lord Jesus Christ would have a different word to describe what I just defined for you. It's called lukewarmness. Lukewarmness. And amazingly, you have an entire church in verse 14 of chapter three that has been plagued with this condition, this malady of the soul. But many people don't realize one way that it begins.

And I would like to argue that there is many ways, but here's one way, and this is the way I believe it happened to this church. It's a it's a bunch of ingredients together, but look how Jesus introduces himself to this church in verse 14. And to the angel of the church of Laodicea, write the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. Now, let's stop here because you just noticed something. Right?

And it might be disturbing to you if you paid attention. The beginning of God's creation. What does that mean? I'll tell you what it means to your friendly Jehovah Witness neighbor. It means that Jesus was created by God.

That he was never eternal. He was the first creature of God, and through Christ, everything else was made. Heresy. That's not true. That's not what we believe as bible believing Christians.

The fact that Jesus calls himself the beginning of God's creation does not imply that he was created. And I don't want to intimidate you with this because you can prove it in other ways, but if you simply go to the Greek word, which is arche, I maybe butchered it there. But it can mean to be created first in order, but it can also mean, like many Greek words that have different meanings, to be the source or origin of something. And that's what Jesus is saying here. I am the source and the originator of creation.

And if people wanna come to Revelation three fourteen to try to prove that Jesus isn't God, I would say you're in the wrong book. You're in the wrong book to try to prove that Christ is not God. Why? Just go down the book and look at chapter 21 with me and see how God the father describes himself. Let's get a little lesson of the deity of Christ this morning.

Look at verse five, and he who is seated on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. Also, he said, Write this down for these words are trustworthy and true. And he said to me, It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega. The what?

The beginning and the end. To the thirsty, I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. Okay. So you have the father here saying that he's the beginning, and no one would dare say that God himself is trying to say that he was created at one point in time. What does it mean for him to say, God?

We're not talking about Christ, the second person of the triune head. We're talking about God the father. What does it mean for him to say, I am the beginning? Well, it's the same Greek word. And what he's trying to say is this, that I am the first cause, the originator, the starter, where everything began alongside with the Son, alongside with the second person of the Trinity.

Now we can take the next hour to to try to defend this truth, but just a little nugget for you to hold on to just in case you do encounter your friendly Jehovah Witness neighbor. If they're still dogmatic about the fact that, no, well, God says he's the beginning and the end, but Christ says he's the beginning of God's creation, then go to Revelation chapter five and look at verse 13. And I want you to see this for yourself. Look what John describes, and I heard every creature. Now what do you think every means?

Does that mean every? Does that mean all? Does that mean the totality of? Yes. Every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth.

Not just on earth, in heaven included, on earth and under the earth and in the sea. So we're talking about every corner of the universe. Every creature from heaven above down to the bottomless sea. Right? And what did they do?

And all that is in them saying, to him who sits on the throne. Who's that? That's God. And to who though? To the lamb.

Who's that? Jesus. To him who sits on the throne and to the lamb, be blessing, and honor, and glory, and might forever and ever. And the four living creatures said, amen. And the elders fell down and worshiped.

Worshiped who? The one who sits on the throne and who? The lamb. Now hold on. If Jesus is a created being, why isn't he on the side of creation worshiping God?

If every creature in heaven, on earth, and under the earth is there in the scene worshiping God, if Christ is a created being, why isn't he joining all creation to give honor and blessing and glory to the father? I'll tell you why. Because he is God. That's why. And he's on the side of being worshiped.

And so how do you reconcile the fact that he says, I'm the beginning of God's creation but he here is being worshiped by all creation? Because he's not the first of all creation. He is the source. He is the cause and the ruler of all things. That's not the main point of the message.

This is the main point of the message though. There is another place in the scriptures where Christ is described as the beginning of God's creation. Do you know it? If you know it, you can say it. You're allowed to speak up now.

Which book? John, another book? It's an epistle. Colossians, somebody said it. Now, go to Colossians, I want you to see, we're going bible today, okay?

Colossians one. And notice here that this is another place that Jehovah's witnesses go, but let's not worry about them too much today. Verse 15. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Firstborn means many things in the the Bible dictionary.

No time for that. But look at verse 18, and he is the head of the body of the church and he is what? The beginning. The firstborn from the dead that in everything he might be preeminent. Why is this relevant to Revelation chapter three?

Why is Jesus going back to Colossians, which he is, and is introducing himself with the same description that is unique to the book of Colossians? Because of Colossians four. When you come to Colossians four and Paul's final instructions, look at verse 16. And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans. And see that you also read this letter, the letter from the lit from Laodicea.

Do you see? Do you understand what's happening here? When Paul penned Colossians and his whole point is to declare the supremacy, the glory, the beauty, the majesty of Jesus Christ above all other things. When he concludes the letter, he says, hey, make sure that this this letter that is defending the deity of Christ and showing that the the splendor of his being, make sure you send it to the church of Laodicea. And Jesus comes to this church at the last book of the Bible.

Chronologically, the furthest time in church, early church history, and he says, hey guys, it's me, the first born. The beginning of God's creation. You remember? What's the point? This church this church had divine revelation.

This church that became lukewarm had light. They had understanding. They had Paul's letter read and preached to them. And I believe what Jesus is doing here is he is reintroducing himself because they lost sight of it. They lost sight of him.

They took his gaze off of his face. They became dull to who he is. His person, his attributes, his power, his beauty. And as Christ comes to now correct them, he he does so by reminding them of how he was described to them in the first place. And I believe at one point, perhaps it could have been that there was some kind of warmth, but now, that's not the case.

Isn't it scary to think that you can be in a true bible believing church and still be lukewarm? That you can get all the doctrine till it comes out of your nose. That you can get preaching and sound worship and all that, and you can still be cold in heart. You don't have to stay there. And I wanna give you ways that you can escape it and that you can regain your passion again.

The first thing I wanna say, the first instruction to knowing how to to be liberated from this place, be hopeful. Be hopeful. You're probably expecting a rebuke. Right? No, be encouraged actually.

I'll tell you why you can be encouraged because in this place where you are, if you are aware of it and you can identify it and you are concerned about it and you are losing sleep over it and you are not satisfied in it, you should be encouraged. You should know that the person who is in the greatest spiritual danger is not the one who has a hard heart. It's the one who has it and doesn't know it. Who doesn't know it or who does know it and doesn't care that he has it. That's where you're in danger.

Go to verse 17 of Revelation three, and look at Jesus words very carefully. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing. So you combine this with what Jesus was saying in the beginning, and and it could be that possessions and experiences and and status and all these things rob them of the simplicity of devotion to Jesus Christ. Do you see the ingredients? But that's not the point.

Look here. He says, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, naked. Jesus has a different sheet of evaluation about how we are truly spiritual or not. But this is what he says. The scariest part about this whole verse is when he says, not realizing.

So to them, they were fine. To them, they were okay. To them, they were content. To them, they were not concerned. In fact, they were satisfied.

And when you're in that place where you know you're not supposed to be there, but you're okay being there, how can you be convinced of change if you're not convinced that you need to change? So if the coldness you are experiencing is causing a discomfort, it's causing you to be bothered in your conscience, you must realize that this is evidence of a pulse. You must realize that underneath all those other desires, and all that numbness, there's a seed of hope. You know it. Let me give you an illustration.

One of the best ways of preventing further damage in your physical body is when you are able to catch the symptom early enough, or deal with the injury early enough before it becomes worse, before it becomes more aggressive. See, if I woke up tomorrow morning and my foot was numb, and it remained numb the whole day, it would be foolish for me to not inquire about it. Especially the next day it's like that, and the day after, and the day after. It's still numb, and I don't I don't make any inquiry of that. I don't make some phone calls.

Don't Google it because everything is deadly when you Google it. But not to ask questions, not to ask some friends, that would be foolish. Right? But here's the thing, we can be spiritually numb for weeks on end and we're not concerned. We know that we're not supposed to be the way.

We know that the health of our holiness is impaired, but yet we can just go coast on for months. Why is that the case? Because we value our bodies more than we do our spirits. But even though you know that what was once burning on the altar of your devotion has now come down to embers, it's it's okay to identify. That's a good thing.

But listen, to identify it is one thing, to remain there is another. And so you have people who humbly say, brother, I'm not I'm not in the place where I should be, and they say it week after week, okay, good. You identified. Do something now. Don't just stay there.

It's not pious for you to be like, I just I don't know man. I'm not into it anymore as it used to be. Okay. Great. At least you recognize that you have some people have a false confidence about where they're at.

Good. But here's the second point. Yes. Be encouraged, be hopeful, but be encouraged while realizing the danger. Lukewarmness plagued an entire church.

And here's the thing, when Jesus wrote to them through John, he wrote as a doctor as I said. And I want you to see here what he says in verse 19. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline. Pause. How do you know Jesus loves you?

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. Wonderful. But that's that's the foundational understanding of his love. Do you wanna know how you have matured in the love of Christ? It's not just John three sixteen.

It's Revelation three nineteen. He disciplines me. He rebukes me. He reproves me. He teaches me.

He chastises me. How many believers believe that about the love of God? I know that Jesus loves me because he corrects me when I veer off. He gets my intention. Sometimes he wounds me wounds me with his rod.

And that's something that you and I have to understand about the love of Christ. Everything that Jesus is saying here is pulsating with adoration and care for his people. And look what he says, those whom I love, I reprove in discipline. You know what's scary? Let me say this, if Jesus leaves you to yourself, it could be evidence that he doesn't love you.

But when he even convicts you and slashes your heart with truth, you know, God, you love me even if it hurts. Even if it hurts. And what I mean by loving you is not the love that he has for the whole world. I'm talking about the particular love of being his child as Hebrews tells us. I reprove in discipline.

Now look what he says, so be zealous and repent. Hold on for a second. The problem with this church is they don't have zeal. Isn't that the whole issue? You don't have zeal, you don't have passion, you don't have that longing for me anymore, so here's my solution to you, get the longing.

It's like saying you have a you have a problem, you can't control your eating and here's a solution, stop eating. It's like I'm aware of that. I'm aware that this is my problem, but you're telling me to do something that I can't do. Is he being unrealistic here? Is he asking of something that doesn't make sense?

How is it that we can reconcile the fact that their problem is that they lack zeal and he's commanding it? Can you command passion? Can you ask of this? Is it something that you can fabricate? Is it something that you can muster up?

What is he trying to say? I believe the reason why he's calling to to amp up the spiritual heat, is because before this verse, he describes the seriousness of their spiritual condition. And the reason why they should be stirred in their walk with the Lord again is because they have had their eyes open to the impending consequences of what will happen if you remain in that state. Because it's been okay for a week, two weeks, three weeks, four weeks, but I can guarantee you that there are only two directions in the Christian walk, either forward or backward. There is no neutrality here.

And so stay there long enough, and it's gonna get ugly for your walk, and your testimony, and your experience of my blessings in your life. And that's why earlier he says, I will spit you out of my mouth. Who said that? The one who says, I love you. And so I think it's important here to understand that Jesus is diagnosing them, and in the diagnosis, they would be are you serious?

And it would trigger action. Now if you visit the doctor and the doctor sits you down and examines you and he says, you have such a weak heart that if you do not abide by what I'm about to tell you, here's your diet, here's your exercise plan, here's some medications. If you don't abide by this, you might die in the next week or two. I think you'd be zealous. I think you'd be zealous to change your diet.

I think you'd be zealous to start going to the gym. I think you'd be zealous to make sure that you take the right medication at the right time in the day. Right? That's what Christ is doing here. He's pointing to the consequences and by giving them the diagnosis, he's saying, as a result of what I'm warning you about, would you be zealous to make some action now?

And change the way you've been doing things? And so you have to realize that this is not the place that you're supposed to be. Brother, listen. This is not the place where you're supposed to stay. Yes, Christ loves you.

Yes, you're saved by grace, but he saved you for a purpose. He didn't just save you from something, he saved you for something. So do you realize the danger? Do you realize that it can get it can get ugly real quick where you now start making decisions because you have been so numb for so long that are not in the spirit? So here's what I advise you, that you come honestly before the Lord saying, God Almighty, you need to heal me.

You need to heal me. I can't stay like this. Lord, it's been too long. It's been too too long, Lord, where I feel cold towards the prayer closet and cold towards your word, and me being consumed by this and that, by having no space in my mind and in my heart for for your truth, and to pursue you and to know you and to dig deeper into who you are. You have to rescue me from this Lord.

Please talk honestly to Christ. When you go to a doctor, do you try to impress him with your knowledge or do you just speak honestly? It hurts here. I don't know why when I do this, it's painful. Speak the language that you know how to speak and trust that as a great physician, he will know what to prescribe you and how to heal you and instruct you.

See, many people who are in this condition are intimidated by Christ or feel like they don't know how to make the first move. Here's your first move, realize that you're ill and that he is your doctor. And you go to him and you trust that he loves you and he cares for you, and you communicate your coldness to him, believing that the Holy Spirit will guide you to know how to get back where you need to be. And so yes, be encouraged to know that you identify and know that it's not the right thing or the right place to be, but realize the danger. Realize the danger.

But the third thing here is, zeal is produced by truth and not emotion. So once you've identified it, and once you realize it's dangerous, and you wanna make the right steps, and the right moves towards that place of passion again, realize that the fuel that will bring you there is not emotion, it's truth. Truth. I love that in verse 19. He commanded them to be zealous.

He didn't say, wait there in the upper room again, and let my Holy Spirit fall upon you whenever you feel cold. Let me just bring some supernatural event into your life and that you can be reignited. No. He commands them. He's like, you be zealous and repent.

That's profound. The reason why it's profound, it's because passion is demanded of me. It's demanded of you. But isn't that something that should naturally arise? Yes or no?

Jesus has an insight on zeal that many people failed to understand. It's not produced by an explosion of emotion. It's not produced by some heavenly wind that will blow into your sails and now you will just effortlessly move into the will of God. No. For any Christians know consistency, you wanna know consistency, you wanna know one year, ten years, fifty years of true zeal for the Lord.

You must convince yourself of that every single day that it is going to be truth that's going to anchor me. Jesus Christ was asking them to be zealous when they had no zeal. How? Because he laid out the facts. He laid out the facts, the truth that if they don't, they would forfeit these wonderful promises.

It's all based on truth. It's all based on what he presented to them. And that would be the trigger. That would be the fuel. That would be the ignition.

And I can tell you honestly that if I allowed my emotions to dictate how I serve the Lord, how I seek the Lord, I don't know where I would be today. Honestly, I don't know where I would be today because it's not emotion. It's not emotion that sits on the driver's seat of my devotion. It's truth. And you have to replace the driver's seat with truth and not feelings and goosebumps and a miracle or some kind of thing to occur in your life.

So if I know that temptation, the power of temptation is drained when I come before the Lord as Jesus said, pray. Watch and pray lest you fall into temptation. Whether I feel like it or not, I'm gonna pray. If I know that the scriptures are my food to keep me energized and focused and wise and sharp and clear, whether I feel like it or not, I know what is said and I will obey. Whether I feel like going to church or not, it doesn't matter what you feel like.

You are part of a body, and you know that just like your hand needs the rest of your body, you need the rest of the body, and they need you. And so you go on truth and not your emotion. And the more you fuel your understanding, the more you can guarantee that the zeal will follow. It will follow you as you follow truth. And that's not just true for a season of lukewarmness brothers and sisters.

That's true for many many many many conditions of the soul, including one of the most grievous ones that you can know as a follower of Christ, and that's sensing a distance between you and God. You wanna be convinced that truth is what will keep you on the path of passion. Go to Psalm 22 with me please. We know that this Psalm is so centered on Christ. It's so prophetic.

It's so accurate of the events surrounding his death. It is one of the most prized ancient texts about Jesus underlined, nonetheless, it was penned by a real man, a psalmist. And look what he says. Yes, Christ said it, but look what the psalmist says as well. Verse one, you know this very well.

My God, my God. Verse one, you know this very well. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me from the words of my groaning? Oh my God, I cry by day but you do not answer, and by night but I find no rest.

You know what that's like? That's like waking up with that state of disparity and the unknown and that sense of abandonment from your God and fighting it throughout the day only for it to follow you in bed at night when you lay your head on that pillow. He's talking about a season of this. He's talking about a long period of time, morning till night, morning till night. And for him to ask the question, why implies a surprise factor.

I don't understand why I'm going through this. I can't think of a particular sin that would hide your face from me. I can't think of a time that I veered off of dedication to worship at the temple and offering my sacrifices. I don't understand why I feel this distance, this this sense of separation. Why is this happening?

I have no sense of direction, no light, no guidance, nothing from you. And then he says in verse three, look at how powerful this is. Yet, you are holy. Yet, you are holy enthroned on the praises of Israel. So these doubts and these conflicting intrusive thoughts collide with truth.

Collide with an understanding of the nature and character of God. I'm experiencing one thing in my heart, but I know in my mind who you are. And you're holy. What's the equation? Here's the equation.

I feel the sense of abandonment by God, but I know that his personality, his person is holiness. Therefore, whatever my experience is, I know that it is supervised by someone who is supremely good. You're holy. I can be comforted in this this dark period, this dark tunnel that seems to have no end to it. I can be comforted as I walk through it knowing one thing, who you are.

You're you're not incapable of leading me through this. You don't find some sick pleasure in my doubt and pain and confusion. You're you're not somebody that's abandoned me and is unable to bring me where I need to be according to your will. You are holy. You're holy, so I'm just gonna trust in you.

You have many people who are passionate about theology and passionate about doctrine and and their their line of defense for that is that we need to be theologically correct and sound. Wonderful. But let me tell you this, there's much more at stake. There's much more at stake than just being somebody who knows the attributes of God and that you have this commentary in that book by that Puritan. More than just head knowledge.

According to a verse like this, I realize that my understanding of who God is is the lens of how I interpret the events in my life. The understanding of who God is will be the lens in which I know how to interpret the events that unfold in my life. Why have you forsaken me? But you're holy. You're holy.

Look at Isaiah 50 verse 10. Look what the prophet says. You want a life verse? I believe this is a life verse. Who among you fears the Lord?

Ask yourself that question. Who among you in this place fears the Lord? Only you and God know that. Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? The servant being the Messiah who is Jesus Christ.

Do you fear God? Do you obey the voice of his Messiah? Now look at this. Let him, the person who fears God and obeys God, let him who walks in darkness and has no light Hold on for a second. You're telling me that if I fear God, if I obey Christ, then I'm susceptible to walking in a period of darkness?

That I can be led into that kind of a condition? That I can walk through a season of life where I have no sense of clarity, no sense of just frustration and not understanding how you're not answering when I cry? Yes. So don't be surprised when it happens. But what's the solution?

The same solution for the psalmist is Psalm 22. Let him what? Do what? Trust in the name of the Lord. What's the name all about?

You know this if you know your Bibles that the name describes the character of the person who bears it. And so the name means the character of God. Let him trust in the character of God as you are enduring that plague of darkness, that dark cloud over your mind and your heart and your soul. You don't have answers. You don't know the next step.

What are you supposed to do? Well, while you're weathering the storm, the only shelter you have is understanding God. So how can you be prepared my brother and my sister for what's ahead? Because I don't know when God in his sovereignty will allow you to go through such a thing. The best investment that you can make now and today, whether you're in that season or not, is know God.

Deepen your understanding of who he is. Study his attributes. Study what he's done in history. Study what he's done in this word. Study how he's dealt with others in the past knowing that he won't change or be different with you.

Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. I wanna show you one of my favorite scriptures of the power of the word of God in Proverbs six. Please turn there. I want us to see it with our own eyes. Proverbs six twenty two, after being told about the word of God.

Look at the consequences of it. When you walk, they will lead you. When you lie down, they will watch over you. When you awake, they will talk with you. Ain't that precious?

If we embrace the word of God and invest it in our own lives, it will have an effect on the entirety of our day. When you wake up, when you walk, when you lie down, from morning till night and everything in between, if you make sure that you have truth, understood, studied, embraced, disciplined in your life, it's gonna start talking to you. And it's gonna start providing guidance to you and wisdom to you, and it's gonna bring to mind certain comforting truths to you when you desperately need it. It will become living to you. And I can testify to that in my life.

Sometimes it can be a verse, and sometimes it can be a story in the scriptures that fits the season that I am enduring or experiencing. And when I lie down, those things come to mind. And when I wake up, those things sometimes come to mind. I'm not saying all the time, but I'm saying what this proverb is explaining can be a reality. And you're saying, well, how can it be a reality for me?

Look at verse 21. Bind them on your heart always. Tie them around your neck. I'm sorry to say that looks more than your YouVersion verse of the day. Nothing against YouVersion.

It looks more than that. Bind them on your heart always. Tattoo it on your heart. Make it a permanent experience. Make it something that's always there.

Make it something that's always on the surface of your thoughts and the surface of your emotions. Tie them around your neck. The same way you wake up and you put on that uniform for work and you put on a necklace specific event or whatever you have to do, that's what he's saying. Engage with the scriptures on a daily basis. Engage with the scriptures in a way in which you are so familiar with it as your attire is to your body.

And then when you do this, you're gonna And then when you do this, you're gonna realize that it's gonna start speaking to you and whispering to you and thundering to you when you need it. It will be your companion, it will be your voice. And when all these other voices come in, there will be a voice that is louder because you have made a contribution and that's to truth and not a dependency on your emotions. Zeal is produced by truth, not what you feel. Not what you feel.

But I would say lastly, yes, you're supposed to identify that state, that's a good sign, but from that place you realize the danger, and from that place your first move is not to wait for some circus trick, but to say, Lord, I need to I need to get into your truth and rehearse it and know it and memorize it and understand it. Lastly, you're not gonna like this one probably, but that's okay because it's true. You gotta be disciplined. I'm sorry. I said the word right because God forbid that I have to do something in my Christian walk.

Oh, you'll pay somebody to tell you how to eat your food so you can be healthy, and you'll pay somebody to tell you how you can lift weights and throw them back down on the floor. But God forbid the preacher tells you, God forbid the preacher tells you what to do in your life so that you can know spiritual health because we won't we don't wanna be legalistic. You gotta be disciplined. You do. And if we're honest with ourselves, one of the main reasons why we experience a coldness of in our service and relationship to the Lord is because we are not doing our part to feed the zeal.

That's it. It's very possible that a lot of Christians are under the false impression that it's God's responsibility to make sure that my heart remains soft towards him. No, it's not. I'm sorry if I shattered your dreams or your theology. Does God help us?

Yes. Does he guide us? Yes. Does he provide the means? Absolutely.

But if you think that God is just gonna put some strings on you and lift you up like a puppet, you're wrong. Because you have a verse like this to try to reconcile with that thought. In Romans twelve eleven, do not be slothful in zeal. Be fervent in spirit. He's asking you to be fervent in spirit.

He's asking me to be fervent in spirit. Serve the Lord. You know what that means fervent? Boil with heat. Be bubbling, white hot for God.

That's the standard for all of us. And if the spirit is gonna do that in us, we have to give him something to work with. We do. Yes, it's the spirit's work. Yes, it's his enablement.

All of our experiences of grace and sanctification ultimately come from him. But sanctification is a partnership. Sanctification is you putting your hand in the hand of God and then him doing the supernatural while you give him what you can do in the natural. And I want to give an illustration of this but it's gonna be found in the book of Leviticus and then we're finished. Go to Leviticus chapter chapter nine.

In this place in Leviticus, you know what's happening? A new dispensation is taking place for the people of God and this is the dispensation. God is instituting a priesthood in the old covenant. And in Leviticus nine is is really God about to showcase his approval of the priests that he has ordained and the temple rather the tabernacle that they have built and dedicated to God. And so the instruction here was that Aaron, who was the high priest, was supposed to come and offer sacrifices for himself and for the people of God.

It's almost like it's almost like God approving of the ordination by supernatural event. And so we are told here that they come to this moment where they build this altar and they put the sacrifice on it, and God is about to manifest in a tangible way to show, this is my doing. This is my plan. This is my desire for my people at this time. And all of Israel would know it.

All of Israel would know that God elected these priests, that God wanted the tabernacle to look like that, and that he wants us to sacrifice in this way. And so how did God show his approval? Once they put the sacrifice, Aaron did, and the whole nation is watching this taking place. We read here in verse 24, and fire came out before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.

So this torch just comes from heaven and lights up the altar out of nowhere and the reaction is appropriate. They're terrified. And they fall on their faces and they're like, this is God, this is him, this is his doing, he's in our midst and he approves of this ministry. But you know what's interesting is that God lit up the fire. He initiated the fire on the altar.

But you know your old testament. Right? Go back to chapter six and look at his instruction to the priest before this happened. Leviticus six verse 12. The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it.

It shall not go out. The priest shall burn wood on it every morning and he shall arrange the burnt offering on it and it shall burn on the the fat of the peace offerings. Fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually. It shall not go out. So he tells the priest, before this heavenly flame appears, the source of fire that came from another realm, he gives them the heads up and saying, hey look, when the fire comes, it's your job to keep it burning.

If you were truly saved in this place, you know what it's like for God to supply that ignition in your soul when you came into contact with his grace. You know exactly what it's like. You know the floating feeling, you know the feeling that everything is a miracle in life, you interpret all things, it doesn't matter what it is. You look back, you're like, maybe it wasn't a miracle but in the moment you wanted it to be a miracle. So many testimonies, so many wonderful things that happened in those first few seasons, and then you're in a different place now.

And obviously, there is a sense of the first experience that is different to how we mature in Christ, but the fire still needs to be kept. And the reason why so many do not continue with that warmth and that heat for God. It's for the same reason, the same temptation for the priest. God sent the fire initially, but you didn't keep it burning. The priests were to wake up every day, clean off the ashes, put fresh wood, and repeat it.

And I'm sure some days the priest felt very privileged that I, as a priest, have the privilege of daily providing the flame for the the burnt offering to never go out. And I'm sure some days they woke up and they didn't feel like getting up and doing it, but it didn't matter. That was the only way for it to be sustained whether they felt like it or not. What are you doing to feed your flame for Christ? What are you doing?

I mean, you're wondering why you're not passionate for Christ and and there's nothing of spiritual intake? Come on. I love you, this is why I'm saying this. Where's the oxygen of prayer? Where's the fuel from fellowship with believers?

And that fellowship just doing stuff for fun, true fellowship that has Christ in that fellowship. Where's the the sustenance of the word? Where's where's the bread of life? Where's your daily manna? I've learned by observation over the years that there's one main distinction between those who are able to to steadily grow in that flame and in their strength in Christ, and those who waver up and down.

And it's one simple thing. Just by observing, you know one difference. One feeds the flame, the other doesn't. Just plain as that. You hear it in the conversations.

You hear it when people talk about what they read in the scriptures last and how God revealed something to them. You you hear it when they bring up the books that they're reading, the latest things that they are discovering in in certain scriptures through books and stuff like that. You see it when people talk about a message that they heard in their own private time, not just the message that they heard here last week, but a message that they heard and it spoke to them. You hear it, and you don't hear that in the person that that fluctuates so much, and it's just as simple as that. One is feeding it and the other isn't.

Why would God tell the priest to feed it, to feed the flame? Because there is the obvious danger of the flame going out. And if you think that this is just about an altar in Old Testament times, you have to understand that the altar is prophetic of two things. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ and your heart posture and worship toward the Lord. So that altar is here.

Whether you like it or not, it's there. And here's the reality, for some of us, there's a fire, and for some of us, there are just ashes, but God can supply the fire. There's still embers there, and he can blow fresh wind through the truth of the word of God. As you sit at his feet and humbly say, Lord, I identify it. I see it.

I don't wanna be here. And I'm not waiting for something to take place. I'm waiting for truth to convince me. And God, by your grace, help me remember to feed it, to not just wait for another flame to be sent from heaven. You might be waiting for a long time.

God can do those things, and he does it at conferences, and he does it in a particular Sunday morning where you just feel rejuvenated and you feel like there's a jolt in your soul. But you can't live like that. You can't live like that. That's not how God ordained it. Do you think God did that with the priest in the Old Testament?

Guys, you just get the bowl, I'll make sure to send fire from heaven every single day. No. He says, I'll send it and then you take care of it. God is extremely practical. He is supernatural, obviously, but he is extremely practical.

There's hope for you today. And perhaps this is just a simple nudge from the Lord at this point in our lives. They say, hey, where where you at today? I want you to be zealous for me. Don't be condemned this morning.

Don't beat yourself up this morning. Realize that the physician is calling you to his office, and he wants to prescribe truth to you. Amen? Let's pray. Lord, thank you that your word speaks when we're awake, when we lie down, when we wake up.

Thank you that you've made the prescription for passion very simple, but it is us who complicate it. Thank you, Lord, that we can be delivered from lukewarmness, and we can know passion again. Thank you, Lord that it is a work of the Holy Spirit, but you reminded us that we have to give him something to work with. Lord, in this place, I'm sure majority you can testify that they've been through what was described. But Lord, we will strive by your mercy to make sure that our lives will remain in the place of passion for Christ.

Lord, for any person that would be honest with themselves to say, I'm I'm there and it's been a long time. We ask, Lord, that they would feel hopeful, that they would feel encouraged, that they can know that they can walk with you again in a way that they never imagined could be revived. Lord, help us in those times of waiting for truth to provide the zeal, to not give up on our pursuit of truth, to not think that it doesn't work, to not think that if it doesn't happen with this one moment of prayer, then it won't happen at all. But to just come before your word, to begin to pick up what we put down saying, Lord, I'm trusting in you by faith that this word will begin to speak life into me. Help us, Lord, to not fail like this church in Revelation three that that just took their gaze off of the beauty of Christ.

And they get caught up in prosperity and riches, and they said, I don't need anything. Not realizing that the true believer needs more of Christ every day, every day. Lord, there's more of you to know and to discover and to experience. Lord, forgive us for thinking that we've reached the point of completion. Forgive us for thinking that we've arrived at the place of perfect knowledge and that there's nothing more to discover.

And so, Lord, this is where you need to help us, God. Convince us of that. By your spirit, convince us of that. Quicken our hearts that we may run after you. Enlarge our hearts that may we may we may run-in the way of your commandments.

Lord, we just sit in your presence in this moment to be honest before you saying, Lord, heal me. Heal me. Restore me, Lord. Bring me there. I give you my heart, Lord.

Help me believe that I can be passionate as a father, as a husband, as a businessman, as a student, that I'm not too busy to be passionate for Jesus. Help me believe that today. Lord, we love you because of your tenderness and your grace towards us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.