Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [money, possessions, fame, status, or whatever is valued more than the Lord].
The gap between Christian and not becomes wider and more vast daily. In some areas of our lives, Christians feel that they can still toe the line, keeping their toes dipped in sin, while remaining in Christ. But the crack is coming down the middle and a great cavern is opening up between us. It is lengthening and widening and it doesn't let people stand wishy washy in the middle anymore. If you do remain in the middle, it will swallow you up.
It's often plain when you stand in the world, speaking to the world, associating with the world, who those of the world are. It's like talking to carboard. They don't care about others; the just care about themselves. They don't care about justice; they just care about getting ahead. They don't care about the truth; they just care about live and let live. They might not intentionally be harming anyone either, but if the opportunity arrises to take advantage of someone, they see that just as their lucky day. And if the opportunity arises to stand up and fight for the truth (jury duty, standing as a witness to a crime or accident, speaking up against someone in public who is harming someone else), will they? Or will they take a back seat and act like they never saw a thing? They don't fight battles; they want to remain nuetral.
The problem is that we can't.
God isn't allowing any people to remain lukewarm any longer. He is spitting them out of his mouth. Either know Jesus or no Jesus. You can't remain in between.
Revelation 3:15-16
"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth."
And we all know these confused "Christian's" who live in sin blatantly while professing Jesus name. Maybe I'm striking a chord with you. Maybe you're starting to realize that it's possible you are one. I just want you to know that Jesus loves you to death (literally to his death) and he forgives you for your sin. He forgives us all for our sin, but it's time to choose whose you are. Are you a slave to sin or are you a slave to Christ? Remember, you do serve someone, but you can't have two masters and Jesus is by far the kinder and gentler and more merciful master.
We all know these "Christians" and many of us have been these "Christians", but we need to listen, we need to hear conviction, and we need to choose Jesus. If we are blatantly living in sin, we need to try to stop and give it over to God. I know it is difficult. Paul spoke about how difficult (and actually impossible) it is in our own power to overcome sin.
Romans 7:14-25
"We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin."
He never really did give us the answer except to sell ourselves at slaves to Christ. We have to remember this. God always has a way out for us when we are tempted. There is always a way. If we will slow down and try to look at Christ in those moments of temptation, we will find it. God is not making it hard to find, but we can't keep running with wreckless abandon into the throws of sin. Then who really is our god?
The day is coming and is already here when the ground beneath you and I is splitting and we have to decide to serve God or our sin. You cannot serve two masters.
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