Verses 1-6
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Faith without works is dead (James 2:26). Churches and believers can become dead in their faith if they stop taking action or stop growing in their obedience to the Word.
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If there isn't much faith left, this puts us in danger. So strengthen what remains. There can be two ways to understand this.
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If you want to recover from what feels like a dying faith, focus on sticking to the godly habits that you do still have, and grow from there.
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Don't allow yourself to get so discouraged or distracted that you lose even what you do have. “For to everyone who has, more will be given...But from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away” (Matthew 25:29).
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This can also mean to be strengthened in areas where you are weak. Weak areas are areas where there is not much action, or no action at all, and thus a dead area.
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Read the Word to expose where there's weakness and take actions that will strengthen you in those areas.
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Verses 7-13
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We are given one task here. Keep the word of Christ's patience, or keep His command to persevere.
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This command has special relevance to the time of the Great Tribulation. The Tribulation is the hour of trial that is coming upon the whole earth. And in order to endure it well, and even experience a level of protection from it, we must have great patience.
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Keeping the word of Jesus' patience means following the example of patience that Jesus set for us in His own life.
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Study the life of Jesus, and how He exercised patience in situations, and you will learn how you can grow in patience, which will bring great reward.
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Verses 14-22
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Jesus desires that we be fully committed to Him and with our whole being. He doesn't want us to try to be religious, but yet continue in sin. This is what would make us lukewarm, and it is repulsive to Christ.
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In one sense, He would rather us live entirely for the world, rather than partially for Him. Why?
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One who is totally in darkness might look for the light. But a person who falsely believes that they already have the light, though they are in darkness, will not look for the light. As such, a lukewarm person is often more deceived than one who is completely cold.
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This is why Jesus said that lukewarm people claim that they are rich and have need of nothing, when in reality, they are miserable, blind, and naked. They believe they're saved, when they're really not.
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These are harsh words, but they come from love.
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Always remember that it is loving to rebuke someone who is in sin. Helping a person snap out of their deceptions is crucial!
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To know Christ is to be fully committed to Him and to repentance from sin in obedience to Him. Be zealous to repent, and aggressive about obedience.
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“Therefore, do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward!” (Hebrews 10:35).