Part 6: The Seven Churches In the Book of Revelation... An Explanatory Case Study of Love Grown Cold
GOD’S WAY BIBLE STUDY
The Seven Churches In the Book of Revelation... An Explanatory Case Study of Love Grown Cold
Part 6: Is My Love Waxing Cold?
Tuesday May 20, 2025
Question 3: How can I know if my love for God is waxing cold?
The Conflation of Love with Duty
Busyness is not the same as righteousness. Righteousness is a right relationship with God and with man, both vertical and horizontal.
Of course, righteousness will keep us busy, yet it is possible to be busy without being righteous.
Whenever there is love, we will have acts of service. But we must not mistake all acts of service as evidence of love.
Duty is work done out of necessity.
Some acts of service are driven by a sense of duty
Luke 17:10 NLT
In the same way, when you obey me you should say, 'We are unworthy
servants who have simply done our duty.'"
We do our duty, because we have to.
We are satisfied with doing the barest minimum.
If we can get out of it without consequences, we will get out.
When we serve merely from a sense of duty, our motivations may be selfish…
We want to impress others, rather than bless them.
We are thinking of ourselves, rather than others.
Doing our duty well sometimes comes from a desire to look good, to win the respect and admiration of others…
An overinflated sense of duty could be evidence of pride, not love.
We will not do what can bless others if doing so will lower our status or image.
When we serve from love, our motivation is whatever is best for others.
We want to bless others, rather than merely impress them.
We do our work because we want others to benefit. We will do it without any external
incentives or compulsions.
Work done out of love will be rewarding even when not joyful.
Psalm 40:6-8 NKJV
Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt
offering and sin offering You did not require. [7] Then I said, "Behold, I
come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. [8] I delight to do Your
will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart."
Acts 5:40-41 LSB
So they followed his advice. And after calling the apostles in and beating
them, they commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. [41] So they went on their way from the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for the Name.
The spiritual health of a church/Christian is determined by love for God and for people, in that order.
In our service to God, it is possible for us to fool ourselves into thinking we are loving God when we are in fact pleasing ourselves in the name of the Lord. We do things “for” God, because we enjoy them and think we are pleasing God.
In order to show our true motivations, we must take the Test of David’s Temple… our reaction when God says “No” to our good intentions.
1 Chronicles 17:4 Go and tell My servant David, “This says the Lord, ‘You shall not build Me a house to dwell in.’”
Those who are moved by love, will still support a work even when another person gets the credit. Politicians often block bills that will benefit the country simply because such bills were proposed by their opponents.
Early Signs of Love Waxing Cold… Lukewarmness.
Song of Solomon 2:15 NKJV
Catch us the foxes, The little foxes that spoil the vines, For our vines have tender grapes.
Don’t wait until you are completely cold before you make amends. Start making amends when you are getting lukewarm.
You are still involved in the things of God, but they do not excite you like before. Laodicean Church
You get tired during prayer, then you have a burst of energy when prayer time is over.
You get sleepy when reading the word, but hours go very fast when browsing social media.
You feel the burden of Christianity getting a little heavier. Church in Smyrna.
When your pastor calls, or looks your way while preaching, do you feel joy or concern?
If you find yourself needing excuses, you're already on thin ice.
The solution is always repentance.
Out of the seven churches, 5 of them were implored to repent. The church in Philadelphia was encouraged to hold fast to what it has (Revelation 3:11) and the church in Smyrna was encouraged to remain faithful unto death Revelation 2:10)
The church in Ephesus… Repent (Revelation 2:5)
The church in Pergamos… Repent (Revelation 2:16)
The church in Thyatira … Repent (Revelation 2:22); Hold fast (Revelation 2:25)
The church in Sardis… Hold fast and repent (Revelation 3:3)
It is interesting to note that even in the two worst churches, Thyatira and Sardis, the Lord still identified true believers. He always has a remnant no matter how many are corrupted.
When To Repent
Psalm 1:1-2 NKJV Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.
Temptation is not sin, but temptation is the gateway to sin.
Some ideas, attitudes or activities are not sinful in themselves. But they open the way to sin.
When you find yourself considering those things, giving them a second look, and rationalizing, that is the time to repent. Cry out to the Lord in repentance.
When you find yourself asking how close you can get to the fire before being burnt, cry out to the Lord in repentance.
When you find that your level of joy with regards to the things of God is reducing, cry out to the Lord in repentance.
How To Repent: The Right Way To Repent
Repentance is a change of mind. A true change of mind will lead to a change of decision.
“Repentance (metanoia, 'change of mind') involves a turning with contrition from sin to God; the repentant sinner is in the proper condition to accept the divine forgiveness." (F. F. Bruce. The Acts of the Apostles [Greek Text Commentary], London: Tyndale, 1952, p. 97.
A new decision always provokes God’s grace… Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself.
The motive behind true repentance is RECONCILIATION.
The reward of true repentance is RESTORATION.
The prodigal son purposed in his heart to return home, not for restoration but for reconciliation. Hunger, pain and shame might have inspired him, but his repentance was genuine.
Luke 15:18-21 LSB
I will rise up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before you. [19] I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.”’ [20] So he rose up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. [21] And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
A wrong kind or repentance: remorse
Many who think they have repented are not sorrowful for their sin, which separates between us and God, but are only sorry for the loss of benefits. They want restoration not reconciliation.
Matthew 27:3-4 NKJV Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, [4] saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." And they said, "What is that to us? You see to it!"
Judas did not go to Jesus, the One he sinned against. He went instead to his co-conspirators and returned the money in the hopes of absolving himself so he can look morally upright. Had he gone back to Jesus, he would have been forgiven. But he could not return to Jesus because he did not truly repent.
David’s repentance was genuine.
Psalm 51:4 NKJV Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight- That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.
True repentance offers neither excuses nor promises.
Repentance is a change of mind, a reconciliation with God by coming into agreement with Him. It is not a promise to change behavior. It is a desire to change behavior.
The one who promises to act right depends on self, on willpower. He wants to impress God with his self-righteousness. He fails to agree with God who said all our righteousness are like filthy rags.
Apostle Peter was like this when he argued with Jesus that he wouldn’t deny him.
The truly repentant depends on the mercy of God and hopes for the grace of God.
The one who truly desires to change behavior asks God for help. He agrees that God alone can work in us, and make both us willing and able to do His good pleasure.
Philippians 2:13 NKJV
for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Philippians 2:13 NLT
For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
Hebrews 13:20-21 NKJV
Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, [21] make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Hebrews 13:20-21 NLT
Now may the God of peace- who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood- [21] may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.
True repentance is an act of faith.
Ephesians 2:8 NKJV
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
Salvation is a gift of God. You trusted God for His mercy in forgiving and saving you. You keep trusting Him to forgive by His mercy, and to keep you from falling, by His grace.
Jude 1:24 NKJV Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
Romans 14:4 NKJV Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
Romans 14:4 ESV Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
