No Warm
Matthew 12:33-34 “Make
a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will
be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can
you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the
mouth speaks.”
WE are influenced early in our lives with pictures of Jesus
as a warm, fuzzy friend. Many visual expressions of Jesus evoke a feeling of, “I
want to be with that man.” We have such a drawing on the wall of our home.
I think these are
very appropriate pictures of the ultimate place Jesus wants us to be with him.
Any God who would come from heaven’s throne to die for his wretched creation
leaves no doubt of his intentions. Indeed, “Greater
love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John
15:13)
It is in this
statement Jesus defines his “temperature” toward you. Jesus is not warm or in
the middle of the road as he confronts sin. Sin is death and destruction. All
outward signs of sin point to the horrible consequences of hell. Jesus hotly
contends for those he loves. He burns with anger against such hypocrisy the
Pharisees displayed. He calls them out: “Be good or be bad. You can’t be
in-between. Don’t pretend you are good when you’re rotten. Don’t tell the world
one thing and do something different. You’re a bunch of guys bent on
destruction. Who you are shows up in the rotten fruit your words bear to the
world.”
Jesus wasn’t warm,
he was and his hot for you. He did not, could not, will not tolerate lukewarm
or cool responses to him. We need to be hot for Jesus.
LIFE Link: Jesus’ great passion.
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