Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
December 10, 2000 a.m.
Keeping The Heart Fires Burning
Relationship Demands Revival
Reading - Revelation 3.14-20, 2 Peter 1.5-11, Hebrews 10.24-25 & 35-39
My God and I go in the field together,
We walk and talk as good friends should and do;
We clasp our hands, our voices ring with laughter,
My God and I walk thru the meadow’s hue.
This earth will pass, and with it common trifles,
But God and I will go unendingly.
Our Sunday series is on learning to walk with God... How to have a walking, talking, hand-holding intimate fellowship with Him. We learned that we must walk in the Light... Walk in Truth... Walk in the Word. We noted that we must learn to walk by faith and not by sight.
Then we learned that to walk with God, we must live in love.
Live in love with God.
And live in love... one for another.
We must become a people of HOPE... To live in earnest expectation of all that God has promised. Then we noted that our walk with God had to do with proper motive. Last week we learned that there can be no genuine relationship with God until we are willing to become a people and person of integrity. Our relationship with God is dependent upon a heart that is true and honest with God... Self... and Others.
This morning I want to talk about the fact that our relationship with God must not be one of lukewarm apathy... but one of total commitment and genuine revival. The church at Laodicea was about to lose their relationship with God because...
-They had lost their first love...
-Their enthusiasm ...
-Their excitement for God...
-They had become LUKEWARM.
And Jesus said, this is something that God cannot stand... He says, I wish you were either hot or cold; but, because you are apathetic... because you are indifferent... because you are lukewarm,
I will sever our relationship. What we’re seeing here is a need for continued perseverance... Revival... Renewal.
You see, our relationship with God needs our constant attention. It cannot be taken for granted or ignored. Peter says Christianity is a religion of constant upward movement. Listen again to what he writes... Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is shortsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall... your relationship with God will be guaranteed.
Peter says... Our relationship with God is dependent upon us maturing in the faith, upon our adding these Christian virtues to our faith, upon these spiritual attributes being in us in an ever increasing measure.
But Peter is not the only one to encourage us toward renewal... revival... and perseverance.
Note what the Hebrews’ writer says... Here is how we... (WHAT??)... Spur... Encourage one another toward love and good works... So don’t throw away your confidence in your relationship with God... You need to persevere so that you will receive what is promised... even your salvation.
Church... Look closely at the end of verse 38 of our Hebrews’ reading... And if we shrink back... God will not be pleased with us. This was exactly what was happening in the church at Laodicea... RIGHT?
They were shrinking back....
They had stopped adding to their faith...
They had stopped abounding in Christian attitudes and actions...
They had become lukewarm...
And Jesus said... Your relationship with God is in jeopardy.
How about us here this morning?
Have we grown tired... Become complacent?
Are we as alert... as on fire for the Lord as we once were?
Have concepts... Ideas... Truths... That we once stood for been taken for granted?
Have plans that we individually or corporately made been laid aside... Placed on hold?
Has our fever cooled... Our focus changed?
Have... we too... Lost our enthusiasm and excitement for a walking, talking, handholding relationship with God? Have we lost our first love?
You see... like Laodecia... some of us have a genuine need for revival & renewal... RIGHT?
OK... In way of application this morning... Let’s notice some ways we can maintain our walking... talking... handholding relationship with God.
First... We must maintain a strong belief in the supernatural. A strong faith in the sovereign nature of God. Perhaps the problem in Laodecia was that they had forgotten that God continues to work in the life of the church... And in the lives of His people. We have almost outlawed this idea today. The result has been and is...anemic churches...and fearful, hand wringing Christians.
You see, the more we rely upon self... upon our own human effort... the more helpless and hopeless we become. Satan would like for us to believe that God is no longer supernaturally aiding His people. And He has convinced some of us that this is true.
Christianity is a religion of the supernatural. Paul told the Athenians that it is in Him that we live, move and have our being. Genuine Christian faith is a belief in the supernatural sovereignty of God. Hebrews 11.6 tells us that... He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
God is supernatural... His reward is supernatural.
The incarnation... God coming into the world in the flesh... Is supernatural.
The virgin birth is supernatural.
This book is supernatural.
The resurrection and ascension of Jesus were supernatural events.
Becoming a child of God by faith is not a natural event
Forgiveness of sins in New Testament water baptism is not natural... But super natural.
Let me read a statement made years ago by Bill Barowsky. I believe it addresses our subject this morning: Supernaturalism does not suggest miraculous powers bestowed upon humans. The doctrine of supernaturalism argues that God exists and that behind ALL ordinary experiences the infinite, eternal Spirit is at work. Check a dictionary! Supernaturalism is the antithesis of naturalism and materialism. While lamenting the announcement that “God is dead,” we should ask ourselves how much aid and comfort we have rendered to that charge by “Christian Atheism.” We play into the hands of the enemy when we denude Christianity of the supernatural. Modernism has long sought to depersonalize God, remove him from our everyday lives, and reduce Christianity to cold abstractions. Legalism and liberalism meet at the top end of the circle in unwitting conspiracy against the supernatural.
You see, our world... our minds... our souls... our religion... our eternal destiny depend upon a supernatural, unexplainable, Sovereign God who, as the creator, sustainer, provider and protector of the universe; became flesh and dwelt among us. And He has supernaturally provided a way for us to know Him and obey Him through His word. He even provides a way He can live within us through the spirit He gave us.
I am convinced that if God died today that many of us would spiritually go on with business as usual, because WE are not dependent upon the power of God in our lives, but upon sheer human effort... human logic.... human wisdom. Let’s begin today to revive our faith in God’s ability to work in us... with us... and for us.
Listen to these scriptures:
-And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and
have been called according to His purpose.
-God is faithful; He will not allow you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But will,
when you are tempted provide a way of escape so that you can stand.
-I planted... Apollos watered... But it was God who gave the increase.
-Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according
to HIS POWER that is at work WITHIN US.
-In Revelation 3.10 has Jesus assuring the church at Philadelphia that... He has the
power to keep them safe in the hour of trial.
These scriptures affirm that God is working in us... for us... and through us?
And listen to me... He wants a Walking... Talking... Handholding relationship with us.
Secondly... We must continue our obedience in all things.
The Hebrews’ writer says... We must not allow the Word of God to slip through our minds ... our hearts... but we must pay careful attention to it. If the message delivered by angels was binding... how much more the message delivered by God’s Son?
Church... We must know this morning that...
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It is not enough to have a Baptismal Certificate tucked away with the family keepsakes.
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It is not enough to have our name on a church role.
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It is not enough to sit on a soft pew three times a week with a closed mind and a hard heart.
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It is not enough to contend for the Faith... Demanding that truth be taught.
We must obey the truth... All the truth... In every area of our lives.
Daniel Walker... in his book... Enemy in the Pew... Says: What we need in the church today is a change from membership to discipleship. He maintains that, we have watered down membership to the point that anybody and everybody can claim it. But folk, the demands of discipleship to Jesus Christ remain unbent and unbendable. We must take up our cross daily and follow Him.
The terms of a walking... Talking... Handholding relationship with God have never changed... It has always been faith in Him and obedience to His will through His word.
Paul says... The grace of God that saves us has appeared to all men everywhere... (Doing what?)... Teaching us to say no to ungodliness and worldly lust... And to live disciplined... Self controlled... Upright... Godly lives... That we become people eager... Zealous... Anxious to do the good works that God has preordained that we do. It is indeed a false religion which teaches that we can have a relationship with God without obedience... Read your Bibles.
Number three... We must keep our eyes and hearts on Jesus. Question!! Just how well do we know Jesus? We know church doctrine... But do we know Jesus? How well do we know His teachings from the Sermon On The Mount. How well do we know His life-style from the Gospels. How many times have we read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? Do we know Jesus?... How can we have a Jesus heart unless we know really now Him?
The Greeks, in John 12, came to the Apostles... Phillip in particular, and said... Sirs, we would see Jesus. I once stepped into a pulpit which had a sign, just where we have a clock, It read... Sir, we would see Jesus. Paul told the Corinthians that he came knowing nothing... Preaching nothing, but Jesus and Him crucified.
You see folk... an intimate... close relationship with God demands that Jesus must become...
- Our personal savior
- Our daily companion
- Our brother and advocate
- The Lord and King of our lives
- He must reign and rule in our hearts
- He must become our master... our example...in all things
- His agenda must become our agenda.
- His priorities must be our priorities.
- We must treat others as He treated them.
- We must act and react to life’s opportunities and difficulties as Jesus did.
- We must continually strive to conform to Him image.
Do we really know Jesus?... Is His example constantly before us?... Do we want to be like Him in every respect? Sobering questions that must be answered before there can be a genuine relationship with the Father.
Not only must we know Jesus... we must let Him be seen in us. We must become transparent.
You see... God not only desires a walking, talking, handholding relationship with us... He wants it with others also... So He has commissioned us to be evangelistic. Evangelism is our getting out of the way... So that others can see Jesus in us. Are we willing? Paul became transparent.
Paul said... When you look at me, it is no longer Paul that you see, it is Christ living in me.
Jesus said... If I be lifted up... I will draw all men to me.
Our challenge is to lift up Jesus... Let others see Him in us.
Jesus was God incarnate. There was a time two thousand years ago when you could point to a man walking the streets of Jerusalem and say, there goes God and be correct.
INDEED!!... INDEED!...
We are to become the second incarnation... Letting others see Jesus in us.
A relationship with God demands that we die... And Jesus live in us...
What a concept!!...
What a religion!!...
What a relationship!!
Then, finally this morning, we must have a genuine concern for others. The Apostle John makes the point very clear that we cannot have a relationship with God unless we love and care for others... How can we love God who we have not seen... If we can’t love others we have seen?
Jesus said... As often as you do it to the least of these My brethren... You’ve done it to Me.
How we love and care for one another is how we care for God.
Yes... It is true... God created us for relationships... A right relationship with Him... And right relationships with one another. And we must know that... our relationship with Him is dependent upon our relationship with one another.
Church... Do we have an intimate... close fellowship with God?
Do we have a Walking... Talking... Handholding relationship with Him?
ONLY... ONLY if we have such a relationship with our brother... This is Bible.
Indeed... May God help us see HIS face... In the face of our BROTHER.
Does this lesson call for a response on your part?... Does it?
Perhaps you need to start your relationship with God by becoming His child... by Faith,
repentance, confession and New Testament baptism.
Or, maybe we need to pay closer attention to our already established relationship with Him.
Perhaps you have sins that need confessing and prayers for forgiveness.
Maybe you would like to join this church family... so that together we can help one another draw closer to Him.
However you need to respond... The invitation is yours as we stand and sing together.
Will you come!! 
