There were a lot of comfortable people in their two or three million dollar condos with the beautiful view overlooking the ocean. Life was good, until one day they arrived home ready to push the button on their garage door opener to discover that their garage was gone. Not only was their garage gone but their condo was gone. “Now where the ‘blank’ is my condo?” “Hmm, this is my street isn’t it?” Then they see it the roof of their condo peeking out of the ocean as the waves slam into what used to be their dream home. Life had suddenly become uncomfortable. Because they knew where their condo was and it wasn’t where it was supposed to be!

Today I want to talk to you about Comfortable people and there are really two classes of comfortable people according to God’s definition. But which ever one of these groups of the Comfortable that we find ourselves in - I don’t think that it is very wise to be in either one.

Let’s consider the first group of comfortable people. Let’s look first at Matthew 7:21-23 because that’s where we find Jesus talking about the first group of comfortable people. Matthew 7:21-23, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

This first group of the comfortable people are the lost who don’t know that they are lost. Quite a few people in this group - maybe even some of us here today. What do you think? If someone were to say they are staying in their lifestyle of homosexuality. They are going to continue with that lifestyle and that they don’t believe God will condemn them and that they believe in once saved always saved. They think that God is alright with their lifestyle.

What do you think, would God forgive someone for living in homosexuality? Of course! If, if they were ending that way of life. But do you remember what Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery? (Briefly tell story - John 8:1-11) John 8:9-11, “And they which heard it being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her. Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man. Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”

Jesus says, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”

Galatians 5:19-21, “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” “I have also told you in time past that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

And in Romans there is another list: Romans 1:26-32, “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another: men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, Bod gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of god, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commitsuch things are worthy od death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

Paul says: “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death....”

We as Southern Baptists have said “once saved always saved.” And I believe that, but it has been warped around every which way. On the surface there appears to be a dicotomy. On the one hand we have what Paul says: Galatians 5:19-21 and we have what Paul says in Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” And we have what our Lord says in John 5:24, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”

I believe that the statement once saved always saved is true. However where the rubber hits the road is that many who believe and claim to be saved apparently are not saved.

How do we know they are not saved? Because they keep on doing and keep on doing and loving to do the same old, same old things that they did before they professed Christ as their Savior.

If we are habitually living in sin, living a life of a homosexual, adulterer, fornicator, drunkard, murderer and so on most likely we have never had a salvation experience. Now I don’t know what’s going on inside of a person’s heart and I am not to judge but our Lord says that by their fruits we shall know them. If a person continues on in the same old sinful lifestyle and is comfortable with that, has no remorse, no guilt then that person by Biblical definition is not saved. That person has not been regenerated, has not been born again. However, there may be people living in sinful lifestyles who do feel guilty and do have a constant battle going on in their hearts because they do have a new nature and have been born again.

Where do you fit in?

Revelation 3:14-22 The second group of the comfortable are those who are Christians but are comfortable with their Christianity. They come to church when the feel like it, they pray when they feel like it, they think about God when it is convenient. God really is secondary to them. They are comfortable with their fire insurance policy. Yes, they know that people are going to hell. And they are thankful that they are not. But then it really doesn’t bother them enough to do very much about others going to hell because you see they’re not going. So, it doesn’t affect them.

God says, Revelation 3:16, “So then because thou are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.”

God says, Revelation 3:19, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.”

Do you really want to be rebuked by God?

Do you really want to be chasten by God?

Do you want God to spew you out of His mouth?

What I want you to understand is that there is great danger in being comfortable. For the lost, the danger in being comfortable, thinking that you are saved when you are not is that you may very well run out of time and spend eternity in that terrible place called hell.

For the saved who are comfortable with simply having a fire insurance policy there is great danger as well. Not that you will lose your salvation but that: God will spew you out of his mouth and then He will rebuke you and chasten you.

And if you do not repent you will miss out on great blessing after great blessing as a result. And you will miss out on the promise in Revelation 3:21, “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.”

Jesus, you see, didn't overcome by being lukewarm, neither can you overcome by being lukewarm.