This is a very brief text for the message, but I believe it is of great importance. Jesus used the phrase in vs. 22 quite often in teaching during His earthly ministry, and He states it to each of the seven churches of Asia to whom He spoke in Revelation chapter 2 and 3. Now we know that here He is not referring just to that organ in our bodies by which we can detect sounds and speech. He is referring to spiritual ears. Not everyone that hears the preacher and the sermon hears the message. I Corinthians 2:14: “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” It is my prayer today that you will not just hear the words that come out of my mouth but the message that God has for us today. Dr. Adrian Rogers once said, “We have a big problem in churches today where we believe, but we have no zeal or enthusiasm for the things of God.” Many people - church members and pastors alike - are trying to find the answer to this problem. Some people believe that more activity is the answer. There are churches that have something every night of the week for the men, the women, and the children to attend. But this takes the family out of the home, and families need to have time together. I don’t believe one of the Lord’s churches should do anything to cause division in the home. Some think the answer is emotional - “If we could just have more emotional services . . . ” These think if they could just have some great emotional experience it would draw them closer to and give them more zeal for the things of God. God gave us our emotions, our feelings, yes, and there is nothing wrong with showing emotion when the Spirit convicts our hearts, but emotions and feelings can be deceiving. Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Then there are those who believe “living a better” life, following a set of rules, of “dos” and “don’ts” for their lives will make them more godly and give them more zeal. The Pharisees were one of the strictest groups in Israel. They put on a good show for others. In Matthew 6:5 Jesus, referring to them called them hypocrites and said: “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.” Then He said in vs. 8: “Be not ye therefore like unto them . . . ” They had a strict set of “dos” and “don’ts,” especially for others -- Matthew 23:4: “For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.” Some believe intellectualism is the answer - “If I could just know more, know the Bible better.” We should know God’s Word better. We should spend time in Bible study and prayer, and attend the classes offered by this church, as well as attending the worship services. However, if we only get it in our heads and not in our hearts we will likely be no different than the Pharisees mentioned above, thinking ourselves above others because we “know more Scripture.” Psalm 119:11: “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” I believe “ho hum religion” is affecting most, if not all, of the Lord’s true churches today. There is an old saying that goes, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” We can become so familiar with our habit and our practice of worship that it is no longer “special to us but is almost like the job we have to go to every day. Sunday is a special day - or at least should be - and gathering together with God’s people to sing songs of praise to our Father and hear a message from His Word should thrill our hearts. We may want to depend upon the song leader, or some special music, or the preacher to make the worship thrilling, but more often than not it is the condition of our hearts and our attitude toward the worship that affect us. Jesus said in Matthew 18:20: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, (by His authority) there am I in the midst of them.” Jesus is here today! God, the Father is here! The Holy Spirit is here! Bold statement warning! If you don’t believe that, you need to find you a church where they are present. And I know the Holy Spirit is here because He came in with me and several others that are here today and because He indwells me and every child of God. I never want this church to be guilty of “ho hum religion,” of just going through the motions, of just having “a form of godliness” (II Timothy 3:5), of just doing “our religion thing” on Sunday. So this morning I want to share a message called “How To Avoid ‘Ho Hum Religion.’” It is a very simple message with 3 very simple points.

I. WHAT IS “HO HUM RELIGION?” (The Account Of It)

II.WHERE DOES LUKEWARMNESS COME FROM? HOW DOES IT BEGIN? (The Advancement Of It)

III. WHAT IS THE CURE, HOW DO WE AVOID “HO HUM RELIGION?” (The Avoiding Of It)