Reviving Zeal: Overcoming Spiritual Complacency in Christ

"Good morning. Welcome to Calvary. My name is Ricky, and we are thrilled that you have chosen to worship with us online today. Throughout our worship experience, we're going to sing songs. We're going to pray. We're going to study Scripture, and all of that is going to be to direct our attention on who Jesus is and who He has called us to be. In fact, we believe that when God's Word is presented, it demands a response. And so we invite you to be actively engaged even while online in worship today. And in fact, on the screen now is a QR code." [00:03:00] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


"Take an opportunity, scan that QR code, and it will give you a link to download our mobile app. There, you can engage with us. You can see the sermon notes. You can give. You can respond with next steps, and you can connect with us. We would love, in fact, to open up a conversation and follow up with you however is appropriate. You are our guest this morning. We also understand that you may be worshiping with us here locally. You may be somewhere on another part of the world. And if that's you, we're thrilled that you're here. But we also believe that it is important to physically connect with a local fellowship. So if you are here in the area, we hope that you would have the courage to come join us in person from time to time. We would love to meet you face to face. If you live in another state or in another part of the world, connect with us on our website. There's a contact us section on our mobile app. We would love to help you connect with a local body of believers. Where you live, and we would be happy to help you make those connections. But here we are together. We're going to have an incredible day of worship. We're thrilled that you are here. Sing, engage with us, and as we often say around Calvary, welcome home." [00:03:34] (72 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


"Jesus finishes what he starts. Aren't you glad that he does? Let's read verse 1. And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write, the words of the amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. Now, I want us to practice something this morning. I want to sometimes bait you into a little bit of response because saying amen might motivate me. But I want us to lean into actually what it means. This is an ancient word that is a way of affirming to say, yes. I believe that's true. Let it be so. So here's a practice. Say it with me." [00:31:52] (52 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


"Jesus knows when we are prideful. Let's continue to read here in verses 15 through 17. I know your works. You are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. What do you mean? You mean you're telling this wealthy church who didn't need Rome's help that they're poor? Yes, that's what he's saying. You're telling this city that was... You're telling this city that was known for the textile production of black wool that they're naked and they don't even have clothes? Yes, that's what I'm saying, because you've got it all backwards." [00:36:13] (68 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


"Many preachers, I think, preach this passage. This passage wrongly. Some say or preach, when he says here, I would rather you be cold, they interpret that to mean, I would rather you be unsaved and in opposition to me, or hot. have you heard this before that just doesn't compute with the gospel that that God would look at people say I would rather you be going to hell or I would rather you be going to heaven but instead you're in the middle that just doesn't make any sense it's hard for me to conceive that would be what Jesus is teaching here be cold and oppose me I think it's better to understand understand this verse in its ancient context as to what I'm going to try to communicate today hopefully to lead us to better understanding and even better application of it because here in in a variety of opinions he is saying I would rather you be hot a very positive thing or I would rather you be cold also a positive thing but instead you're in the middle so it's a comparison of two positives that he desires for us to consider and so I would also say there is very good exegesis both in ancient context in a modern application that could prop up two primary different opinions on what this is saying I'm going to do my best to just briefly communicate both opinions and then I will be bold to say this is my opinion on which of fifty these two opinions is actually what's being described here. Are you with me? So I'm going to use the opinion word on purpose." [00:39:31] (117 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


"Following then, building off of this opinion from Mark Wilson is here, what you are settling for is stagnation, simple acclimation into the culture. You're just trying to just sit and you're not doing anything because we know from archaeology, syncretism was very much a part of their worldview, which basically is the amalgamation of other religions. Just everything meshes together. There is no truth. Everything is relative and you do you and I'll do me. Does this sound like 2024? Yes, it does. So much relevance here for us to lean into. Furthermore, this was the common custom. When any individual would get into the bath, they would enter in naked. It was part of their therapy. And by the first century, history records by the first century, which is about the time this would have happened, mixed bathing became common. So now I've got sitting for a long time in a lukewarm pool, naked, males and females together. Let your imagination begin to explore what happened. So now history also records, in this lukewarm pool, it became commonplace for adultery and prostitution to be a reality." [00:46:44] (86 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


"Jesus invites us to be consumed by his grace. This is a beautiful invitation. Let's read 18 through 22, and then I want us to live out this invitation as we celebrate at the Lord's table. I counsel to you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich. Notice the contrast. They thought they already were wealthy. No, no, I want you to be rich in this way. And white garments, so that you may clothe yourself, and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen. And salve to anoint your eyes, and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen. Notice how he even plays reference to their medical knowledge. So that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline. Underline this phrase. So be zealous and repent. Zealous is the imagery of be so consumed by me, my love boils over in you. So this is even another temperature reference. I want you to be boiling over." [00:51:12] (66 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


"With love and affection for me, that leads you to repentance. Be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice, who is the audience here? The church. And where is Jesus in relation to the church? He's not on the inside. He's on the outside. He's saying, please let me in. I want to transform you. I want to shape you. I want to burn within you, so that you boil over. I want to transform you. I want to shape you. I want to burn over with love for me. And there's certainly therapeutic value in letting me heal you through the cold or invigorate you with the hot. But I need you to be awakened to the reality of your blindness." [00:52:47] (44 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


"Communion, the Lord's table, is a very special and holy time of worship. And this is an opportunity for us to look back and remember what he did in his death, burial, and resurrection. We're about to enter into a Christmas season, and I think it's beautiful. Jesus did not command us to remember his birth. He commanded us to remember his death, burial, and resurrection. And so we're going to remember and look back with gratitude of what he's done. And so when we look back, we look ahead. This invitation to dine can happen every day with him. It can happen when we do it together as a church. But this is all a foreshadowing of the marriage supper of the Lamb, when we will sit together with all the saints of old and dine with the creator of the universe and fulfill the ultimate Passover. How amazing is that going to be? So we look ahead with anticipation to that. We look around." [00:58:02] (54 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)