God'S Will

What It Means to be Spiritual

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Introduction: Romans 8:5-6 – We must develop spiritual mindedness or we are dead!

  • Rom 8:5  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
  • Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded isdeath; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

What Being Spiritual Spiritual Is NOT:

Asceticism – Denying self all pleasure; being severe to the body (Colossians 2:20-23). Many religious people who take vows of poverty, fast and deprive themselves of marriage, or have a martyr complex are not spiritual.

  • Col 2:20  Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
  • Col 2:21  (Touch not; taste not; handle not;
  • Col 2:22  Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
  • Col 2:23  Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.

Mysticism – This is “spiritualism” and includes witchcraft, mediums, the occult and is condemned in many places in the Bible, eg. Acts 19:19

  • Act 19:19  Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men:and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.

Isolationism – Separation from all of the world physically, eg. monks, nuns, monasteries, etc. We are to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. (Matthew 5:14-16)

  • Mat 5:14  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
  • Mat 5:15  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
  • Mat 5:16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

A Religious Lifestyle – Simply being morally clean, a regular church-goer, etc. does not automatically translate into spirituality. See I Corinthians 3:1-4

  • 1Co 3:1  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, evenas unto babes in Christ.
  • 1Co 3:2  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it,neither yet now are ye able.
  • 1Co 3:3  For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there isamong you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
  • 1Co 3:4  For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I amof Apollos; are ye not carnal?

What Being Spiritual IS:

Reaching Up To God’s Plane – John 4:23-24

  • Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
  • Joh 4:24  God isa Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Realizing your dependency upon God for complete revelation (I Corinthians 2:9-16)

  • 1Co 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
  • 1Co 2:10  But God hath revealed themunto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
  • 1Co 2:11  For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
  • 1Co 2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
  • 1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
  • 1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them,because they are spiritually discerned.
  • 1Co 2:15  But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
  • 1Co 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

Respecting God’s authority in every area of life (Colossians 3:17)

  • Col 3:17  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, doall in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Realizing God’s ownership and your stewardship of all things (I Peter 4:10)

  • 1Pe 4:10  As every man hath received the gift, even sominister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Doing all things to God’s glory (I Peter 4:11)

  • 1Pe 4:11  If any man speak, let him speakas the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Seeing value of spiritual things above the material (Matthew 16:26)

  • Mat 16:26  For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Being moved by divine purposes, ie. preaching Christ, living Christ, and suffering for Christ. (Galatians 2:20)

  • Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Bearing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22- 6:1)

  • Gal 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
  • Gal 5:23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
  • Gal 5:24  And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
  • Gal 5:25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
  • Gal 5:26  Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
  • Gal 6:1  Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

Let’s Get Spiritual Spiritual

A gradual growth process – I Corinthians 3:1-3

  • 1Co 3:1  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, evenas unto babes in Christ.
  • 1Co 3:2  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it,neither yet now are ye able.
  • 1Co 3:3  For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there isamong you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

Be filled with the Spirit – Ephesians 5:18

  • Eph 5:18  And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

Have no fellowship with evil – Ephesians 5:11-12

  • Eph 5:11  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove 
  • Eph 5:12  For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

The Thrill Is Gone

By 

I have titled this short discourse “The Thrill Is Gone”. The late bluesmaster
B.B. King’s most well known song was “The Thrill Is Gone.” Well, what is
sometimes true in romantic relationships, can be true in our relationship
with God. The thrill is GONE! You know it is true. You know it can be you.
Don’t lie. Don’t deny!

Revelation 3:14-22…“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. “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you
were either cold or hot! So, 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, pitiable,
poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so
that you may be rich, 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, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so
be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone
hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him,
and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on
my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Lukewarmness makes the Lord sick to His stomach. And what does He
command as a remedy…BE ZEALOUS and REPENT. Brethren, if the thrill is
gone, we are making the Lord sick and we are in deep deep trouble needing
a change and quick! God hates lukewarmness more than coldness. You
heard right. Something about tepidness is so precarious to our souls, the
Lord seems to think more badly of it than coldness…completely turned off of
the Lord. Is this because He knows us better than we know ourselves? You
know He does. Could it be that the prospects of reigniting the thrill of
passion we have for the Lord is harder to get done when we are half
heartedly serving him, than when we are stone cold? Could be. Shivering,
coldness may actually more likely move us to return to the heat of zeal
because we are so lonely, frigidly, cold, than when we are a little warm…
lukewarm, that is. Make sense?

Now, just in case you are thinking that maybe the Laodicean Christians had
never been hot for the Lord, never have they had the thrill of their
salvation…let me just say I highly doubt it. But, either way, the thrill is not
there and did you know they are the only congregation of seven mentioned
in Revelation that has nothing good said about? NOTHING! Wow! But, go to
the Ephesians Christians mentioned in 2:4…But I have this against you, that
you have abandoned the love you had at first. They once had it, but the
thrill had been abandoned. The loving thrill was gone from what it was at
first. And Jesus says, you better get back there. — And so, if the thrill of
your faith is gone, whether that happened a day, a week, a month or years
after you were baptized…you have to get the thrill back. NOW!

Now, some of you may say, but I am just not the exuberant, bubbly kind.
Well, I will grant you that some folks show their zeal outwardly more than
others. But, do not for a moment disregard this because it just isn’t the way
I am. Whether like king David you dance a jig before the Lord or whether
you like Hannah pour out your soul in silent prayer for a son, brethren the
lesson still stands. Be zealous for God. Be fervent in spirit. Turn up the heat
of passion about your salvation before it is too late!

And one word of warning, some people can use passionate speech to lead
folks astray. Be careful of false teaching by the smooth and flattering talk
some use to deceive folks. See Romans 16:18. You’ve heard of charismatic
speakers or leaders…The word charisma originally connotes spirit driven.
Fervency in spirit can be misguided. But, this does not mean we have to be
bland and boring in our presentations of the gospel so that doesn’t happen.
That’s like saying we should not appoint elders, because one of them may
turn into a preeminent minded Diotrophes. Apollos is described in Acts 18 as
a preacher who was eloquent, fervent in spirit, boldly speaking, powerfully
refuting. Now that is passionate preaching.

Let’s examine Romans 12:11…Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in
spirit, serve the Lord.

Not Slothful in Zeal – God is saying don’t be slow to act passionately. Don’t
be a slacker. Just because you are not doing a lot of evil things, like selling
drugs to children or running over old women with your car; but you’re
slothful in zeal. Maybe you once had it, but now the thrill is gone. Jesus
didn’t live and die for us so that we could be mild mannered about him.

Fervent in Spirit – The word fervent in Greek means boiling, bubbling over
due to high heat, energetic and passionate. In America today many are not
excited with real life. Rather, we artificially create it through entertainment.
We are desperately waiting for the weekend when we can play, because real
life is not great cause that inspires us. Our work ought to inspire us. The
bible says whatever you do do it with all your might. (Eccl. 9:10). It says
elsewhere to work heartily, as unto the Lord. (Col. 3:23). God is saying, be
thrilled to go to work…to be able to work. But, God also says be thrilled to go
home and be intoxicated with your wife’s love (Prov. 5:19) and love your
children. Sure, you can be thrilled about the Packers going to the Super bowl
this coming season, but let us not let that be the only thing that gets us
jacked up, or that it dwarfs all other passions of my life. And you ready for
this? No others must be more thrilling than serving the Lord!

And this is not to be a once in a while thrill. It is to be constant. The RSV
interprets Romans 12:11 “Never flag in zeal.” The NIV says, “Never be
lacking in zeal.” NEVER! This is a strong rebuke of passivity and laziness and
lethargy and apathy. Paul assumes that if you see this in yourself, you can
do something about it. We have been given the Word of God which is
sharper than any two edged sword, able to pierce and penetrate into the
deepest parts of our heart, will and intents. So the Holy Spirit speaks this
word directly to us…don’t lag, don’t drift, don’t sit idly by, mindless in front
of TV, don’t have only little thrills of playing on the weekend. Or watching
March Madness. Stir up zeal for God. Stir it up always!

But how do you “get on fire” for the Lord? Here are some steps you can take
to reach the boiling point of spirit again. Get the thrill back.

  1. Get back in the Word. Listen to the disciples who walked with Jesus on
    the road to Emmaus, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was …
    explaining the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32). The Word can set your heart
    ablaze.
  2. Stoke the furnace with prayer. Prayer is not just a way to get things
    done. It is a way to effectually fervently express ourselves to God. (James 5)
  3. Praise God vehemently. Sing and shout! When you praise God with
    exuberance, new strength will arise. Make a decision that you will praise God
    in a more vocal, uninhibited way this year than ever before. The other day I
    walked out in the parking lot and looked up to the sky some and walked
    around a while speaking to God of how great nature is.
  4. Break free from bad habits. Paul told the Thessalonians, “Do not
    quench the Spirit” (1 Thess. 5:19). Are you doing anything that is
    extinguishing the Spirit’s flames in your life?
  5. Get rid of your resentments. Jesus said in the last days of the Jewish
    system “most people’s love will grow cold” (Matt. 24:12). Nothing puts out
    the flame of God’s love faster than bitterness. Don’t allow unforgiveness to
    freeze your soul.
  6. Get in close fellowship. God called us to be in a community. Hang
    around zealous, passionate Christians because their heat directly affects
    others.
  7. Serve others. Real spiritual passion is ignited when you serve others.

Conclusion: Five passion questions…ask yourself…
1. What is the greatest passion in my life?
2. What would those closest to me say is the greatest passion of my life?
3. Am I satisfied with where my passion stands with God?
4. What would I have to change in order for God to be the greatest passion
of my life?
5. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being cold, 5 being lukewarm and 10 being hot,
how would I rate my relationship with God right now?

The thrill is gone. But, it doesn’t have to stay that way. It mustn’t stay that
way. Repent and be zealous again.