Wake Up!

WAKE UP!

By Pastor Brian Wilbur

Date:   June 21, 2020

Series: Crucial Teachings for Chaotic Times

Note:   Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

 

What follows is an edited transcript of the June 21 sermon.

 

INTRODUCTION

I invite you to turn to Romans 1. I'll actually be inviting you to turn to at least a couple passages today. The first thing I want to say though is actually from the Psalms, where the psalmist says, “My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the king” (Psalm 45:1). And I was thinking how I feel in the opposite frame of mind: My heart overflows with a distressing theme. However, I will still address my verses to the King – because he girds on his mighty sword and he rides forth to bring righteousness upon the earth (see Psalm 45:3-4).

Yes, my heart overflows with a distressing theme.

At the end of last week, I quoted from a poem called “7/8 Of The Truth And Nothing But The Truth.” I quoted from the end of it, but do you know what the first lines of that poem are?

“If you are sitting comfortably

I suspect I am not giving you

the truth.”[1]

Let me say this again:

“If you are sitting comfortably

I suspect I am not giving you

the truth.”

The title of the sermon is “Wake Up!” That phrase is found in Revelation 3 where Jesus says:

“I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.” (Revelation 3:1-3)

I would rather look like a fool and call us to wake up now, than to play it safe and wait until it's too late.

The sermon that I'm going to preach today is not the sermon that I intended to preach. I was intending to preach a sermon on race and racial relations. It's a big part of our national conversation, and we ought to think biblically about it. But as I was going through the week, I was thinking that the sermon on race was just empty – not because it's not true and good and important, but because it's not what we need to hear. It's not what we need to hear today anyway. And so another message was getting stirred up in my heart – and I don't know how long it's going to be because it's not written. I typically write out my sermons, but this one's not written out. So I don't know how long it's going to be. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that we really need to understand what God is doing in our world and what God is calling us to do. So I'm going to pray and then we'll get started.

Father, I pray that you would align our hearts with your word. I pray that you would give us light. We want to see what is true, what is good, what is right. We want to know what you are calling us to be and to do. And Father, I pray that all of us would have a heart that is open to your word, to your Spirit, and to your call upon our lives. Help us to tune in to what you are saying. In Jesus’ name, amen.

OUR COUNTRY IS UNDER GOD’S INCREASING JUDGMENT UPON US

Before I read a passage from Romans, I just want to make an observation. Sometimes when we when we see sin increasing in society, We think that we are inviting God's judgment. And there's a sense in which that's true. But we don't often realize that the Bible teaches that increasing sin in society is God's judgment on society. This principle is taught in Romans 1.

Let me read from Romans 1, verses 18 to 32:  

“¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. ¹⁹ For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. ²¹ For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

²⁴ Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, ²⁵ because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

²⁶ For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; ²⁷ and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

²⁸ And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,³¹ foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. ³² Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” (Romans 1:18-32)

Notice that that recurring phrase, “God gave them up” (v. 24, 26, 28). The idea is that one way in which God judges us for our sin is by handing us over to higher doses of sin. So increasing sin is an indication of God's judgment upon us.

And so my first big point is that our country is under increasing judgment from the hand of God. When you look at Romans 1:18-32, and when you look at what's going on in our country, I think it's pretty clear. You know, sometimes when people remember Sodom – Sodom and Gomorrah – they think about homosexuality or homosexuality gang rape, which is what you see there in the Book of Genesis. But do you think that’s where Sodom got off track? No, that was further down the line. The prophet Ezekiel told us, in Ezekiel 16, what the sin of Sodom was. It's really interesting because it's so instructive about our own country, I think. Scripture says,

“⁴⁹ Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. ⁵⁰ They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it.” (Ezekiel 16:49-50)

Yes, the later abomination was real, but where did they start to slide? They began to slide when life was good – and they were proud, they were self-sufficient, and they were unconcerned about others.

And now think about America: victorious in World War 2, economic engine cranking fourth, lots of material prosperity. And then what? We plunged into immorality, sexual immorality, adultery, divorce, the breakdown of the family.

In the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, the Supreme Court legalized abortion. Since then we have aborted tens of millions of babies. A number of years ago, I learned something very important: the god of the system always wants the kids. Of course, Satan stands behind the god or gods of the system, and Satan wants the kids – he wants them destroyed. Now the true God wants the kids, too, to bless them! That’s why he tells parents to bring up your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord – to impress God's ways upon them day and night, at home, and out and about, all the time. God wants the kids to flourish and reflect his character and live in his goodness. But the pseudo-gods of the world’s sinful system also want the kids, to destroy them. The god of sexual immorality wants the kids. The god of personal choice wants the kids. So, abortion has meant tens of millions of blood sacrifices strewn across this land – sacrifices offered to the gods of sexual immorality and personal choice. And we are guilty! And if the kids make it past the womb and survive, then the god of the system still wants the kids. And so Hollywood, the media, public schools, colleges and universities are resolved to disciple the kids so that they also embrace the god of sexual immorality, and the god of personal choice, and the gods of this sinful world, all of which stand opposed to the living God.

And so, you just see this increasing slide with the breakdown of the family, and the breakdown of society, and the normalization of homosexuality, and the legalization of gay marriage. Just this past week, this nation’s civil rights legislation was expanded to include sexual orientation and transgender status – not by congressional action, but by judicial fiat.

I see these trends over the past 50-75 years, and I read Romans chapter 1, and I conclude that we are in big trouble!

And then the coronavirus shows up – and where do we turn? Where is the repentance? Where is the humbling? Where is the turning to God? When the prophet Jonah went to Nineveh and warned that they were about to be destroyed – they repented, they turned to the Lord, and God relented. But we did not do that. We turned to our gods: the god of reason, the god of science, the god of data, the god of technology, the god of the state. We think that these gods will save us and rescue us. We think that we will save ourselves. And we managed to destroy the economy and wreak havoc on people's lives. And where are we turning? We're not turning to God.

There is a really interesting lesson to learn in Hosea 5.  When God sends judgements, they are wake-up calls. They are opportunities to repent. But look at what happened when God disciplined his own people, Israel. It says in Hosea 5:12,  

“¹² But I am like a moth to Ephraim, and like dry rot to the house of Judah.” (Hosea 5:12)

You see, God is disciplining them: he is “like a moth” and “like dry rot” to his people. He is attempting to get their attention. But what did Israel do? Hosea 5:13-15 says,

“¹³ When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria, and sent to the great king. But he is not able to cure you or heal your wound. ¹⁴ For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear and go away; I will carry off, and no one shall rescue. ¹⁵ I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me.” (Hosea 5:13-15)

Listen: A sinful people do not find God until they address the guilt of their sin – the sin which keeps them from God. My message to America is: Repent of trusting in your false gods! Science, and technology, and policies, and money will not save you. We need the living God.

So the first part of my message is that our country is under increasing judgment.

THE CHURCH IS IN DISTRESS

Now here's the second part of my message: the church is in distress. The church is in distress for a number of reasons.

For one thing, we're in a country that is under increasing judgment. We're in a country that's reeling in pain, division and confusion. Jesus told us not to be of the world, but we are in the world – and so we are affected by these things. I do wonder though – as this world spins out of control – I wonder if we need to consider: Have we been salt? Have we been light? Jesus said,

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:13-14)

Are we hidden? Are we unsalty?

Here's the reality ­– not finger-pointing – but here's the reality: we are disoriented as a church. We are disconnected. Our people are scattered. Our fellowship is suffering. Our ministry is handicapped, and the joy of the sanctuary is taken away. We are in a dry and thirsty land. And we've got barriers: physical, emotional, spiritual barriers. And my question is: What are we going to do about it?

LEARNING FROM 2 CHRONICLES 15:1-15

Let me read 2 Chronicles 15:1-15. If it sounds uncanny in terms of how relevant this passage might be – that's the power of the word of God. Thank you to Charlotta for sharing this passage with me – she heard it from another preacher who preached a message from it. And she was going to tell me about what the other preacher said, and I said “Don't tell me! I want to preach this passage! Don't tell me what the other preacher said” – because I didn’t want what the other preacher said to over-influence my own interaction with the passage.

Listen to what Holy Scripture says:

“¹ The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, ² and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. ³ For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law, ⁴ but when in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them.⁵ In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. ⁶ They were broken in pieces. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress. ⁷ But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.”

“⁸ As soon as Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azariah the son of Oded, he took courage and put away the detestable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities that he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim, and he repaired the altar of the Lord that was in front of the vestibule of the house of the Lord. ⁹ And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were residing with them, for great numbers had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. ¹⁰ They were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. ¹¹ They sacrificed to the Lord on that day from the spoil that they had brought 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep. ¹² And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul, ¹³ but that whoever would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman. ¹⁴ They swore an oath to the Lord with a loud voice and with shouting and with trumpets and with horns. ¹⁵ And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all around.” (2 Chronicles 15:1-15)

May I suggest that some detestable idols need to be put away, that the altar needs to be repaired, and that true worship needs to be restored?

Background to the Passage

Let me share a little background on our passage. Asa was the king of Judah, and he was a good king. Although he messed up at the very end of his life, Asa was a good King for three-plus decades. 2 Chronicles 14 tells us about his first 10 years as king. His first 10 years were characterized by peace. Then there was a conflict with Ethiopia, and the Lord gave Judah victory. And then the restoration of this beautiful experience of worship came in 2 Chronicles 15. The end of the chapter tells us that from the 15th year (2 Chronicles 15:10) until the 35th year (2 Chronicles 15:19), there was peace and there was rest (2 Chronicles 15:15, 19).

So 2 Chronicles 15:1-15 describes a situation that emerged between the 10^th and 15^th years of Asa’s reign. I don't know exactly what was going on between years 10 and 15, but it was in those years leading up to the 15th year that the prophet Azariah came to Asa.

Walking through the Passage

Let's briefly walk through this passage.

First, in verse 2, the prophet gives King Asa the general principle of spiritual health: “The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.” This is the truth that the Bible teaches all the way through. God dwells with a humble, faith-filled, trusting and obedient people. It's not that we have to be perfect in order for God to dwell with us, but we have to have a heart for God. We have to be a humble people who are looking to him, and trusting him, and seeking him, and aiming to hear his word and to put his word into practice. If we do that, and if we do that together, then God will be with us and grant us peace. But if we do not do that, if the church does not do that, then God will forsake us and we will spin out of control. Then we will look like the world, because we will, in a sense, be the world – in our hearts – if we turn away from God. So that's the general principle of spiritual vitality.

Second, in verses 3-6, the prophet gives Asa a historical lesson that illustrates the general principle. At some time in the past, Israel was lost. Do you hear those expressions there in verse 4? There was a time when “Israel was without the true God” and “without a teaching priest” and “without law”. They were without instruction. They were wandering aimlessly. They were lost. And then, God sent distress, all kinds of distress, great disturbances. I don't know what all those disturbances were, but probably a lot of geopolitical conflict and maybe famine and other challenges that they faced. In our day, certainly, we have the great disturbances piled up: a pandemic, economic disturbance, riots, unrest, division, spite.

Now what did Israel do? They turned to the Lord. Think of their distress like this – their distress was an indication that they were lost. Their distress was like a reality check. The distress said, as it were: ‘Don't just go on in your lostness, people. You need God. You need his word. You need his help. You need his deliverance. Draw near to the living God!’ And that's what they did. They sought him with all their heart and they found him. And the Lord gave them renewal. Now, that's the historical lesson. That was the historical lesson for King Asa. That's also the historical lesson for us.

Third, in verse 7, the prophet applies the historical lesson to Asa and exhorts him to action. The prophet is telling Asa to align himself with how life actually works. And this is how life works: being apart from God means lostness and distress; but if you seek him, you will find him and experience his salvation. That is how life in God’s world works! It is as if the prophet is saying, ‘Therefore, Asa, since this is how life works, here’s what you need to do.’ And the prophets word of application comes in verse 7: “But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.”

We also need to hear God’s encouragement to us through the words that the prophet spoke to King Asa. At this critical time in the church's life, we do not need the kind of outlook that says, ‘You know what? God must be far away. God must be unconcerned. And here we are dealing with all these evil forces in our world, but what can we do?’ And we just kind of accept defeat. That mindset is entirely unacceptable for the people of God. Why? Because we have a God who wants to show up, and intervene, and renew, and strengthen his people. And so, the prophet is telling Asa: ‘Look, you need to get about the work that the Lord has set before you. You need to get about the work of spiritual renewal and restoration among the people.’

And so, in verses 8-15, King Asa takes courage and goes to work, and God’s people are renewed! In verse 8, the king “took courage to put away the detestable idols”. The idols interfere with true worship, because idols by their very nature are things that we put in the place of God. Also in verse 8, the king repaired the altar. And, in verse 9, he called God's people together – not only from the tribe of Judah, but from other tribes as well. In verses 10-15 we see that they all came together and they worshiped the Lord. They made sacrifices and they covenanted together, that together we will seek the Lord. That's exactly what we need to do also – to covenant together, to seek the Lord until he answers and renews.

WE NEED TO IDENTIFY AND PUT AWAY OUR IDOLS

Now, I have a question. Actually, I have a lot of questions. Because we've got to identify our idols. Maybe you think that there are no idols in our hearts, in our homes, or in our church family. Maybe you think that. But that perspective is not right. We are prone to sin (1 John 1:8-10). We are prone to dance with idols. We are prone to be deceived. We need our idols to be identified, so that we can turn away from them, so that we can destroy them, so that we can be renewed in our walk with God. And so what I want to do is this: I want to put out some questions as an exercise to help us identify your idols, my idols, our idols.

And before I do this – because this is kind of heavy stuff – I want to make it clear that this is not a trip down Shame Lane. God loves his people. God loves us. I love you, too. This is not a trip down Shame Lane. But where there are Idols, God wants us to identify them, put them to death, and be renewed in our relationship with him. And so, these questions are my attempt – as I am aware of my own heart and as I am aware of what's going on in our church family and in the larger church – these questions are my attempt at calling us to repentance.

I also want to make it clear that this spiritual examination is between God and you. You owe me no justification for how you answer these questions. I don't want you to feel shamed because of me. But if God is convicting you, deal with that, and let him bring healing. Jesus died on the cross – not so that we would wallow in our sin and wallow in our guilt and wallow in our shame. Wallowing is not what Jesus wants to do this morning. Instead, Jesus wants to bring us out of our sin, in order to restore us on the path of obedience. So here we go, I have a lot of questions. Let these questions search your heart and summon you to repentance.

TWENTY-FIVE QUESTIONS FOR REPENTANCE

1) Are you angry?

Righteous anger is a real thing – a good and necessary thing. Overturning tables in the temple is a thing, but it’s very difficult for sinful human beings to sustain righteous anger for very long before it gets corrupted and turns to ungodly anger. I don’t even need to mention the things that you might be angry about – the list is long. Are you angry? “Be angry and do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26), Scripture says. Has your anger become corrupted and corrosive?

Scripture for reflection: Colossians 3:8-13

2) Are you anxious?

There is much that one might be anxious about – the coronavirus, what other people think about you, the economy, the upcoming elections, the prospect of encroaching socialism, among other things. Are you restless? Or are you resting in the Lord? Take your anxieties to the Lord and trust him.

Scripture for reflection: Isaiah 8:11-17

3) Are you neglecting your Bible?

Pastor Garrett Kell wrote:

“One of the most dangerous things a Christian can do right now is neglect Bible reading.

Thousands of voices are attempting to convince you how to think.

Be certain, you are being shaped.

More Scripture, less social media.
More Bible, less books.
More prayer, less blog posts.”[2]

Yes, you are being shaped – but by what? Are you being shaped by the words of men? Or by the Word of God?

Scripture for reflection: Isaiah 66:1-2

4) Are your prayers not making it higher than the ceiling?

There is a difference between praying in the Holy Spirit and merely saying prayers. Are you earnestly seeking God and pleading for mercy? Would you rather get into an argument than spend time in prayer? Would you rather watch a movie than spend time in prayer?

Scripture for reflection: Daniel 9:1-27

5) Are you assuming the worst about other believers?

We live in a time of great polarization in our country. Let’s not reflect this polarization in our church family. Honest disagreement in an atmosphere of grace and truth-seeking is healthy. But it is not healthy to assume that the believers with whom you disagree are acting out of unfaithful hearts. They might be acting out of unfaithfulness, but don’t assume that they are. Don’t assume that a person is wearing a mask because they are in the grip of anxiety. Don’t assume that a person isn’t wearing a mask because they don’t care about others. Be resolved to obey 1 Corinthians 13:7, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:7). Assume the best, not the worst, about other believers.

Scripture for reflection: Romans 14:4-6

6) Are you a unifier or a divider?

God’s call for us to seek peace and preserve unity within the church family is crystal clear (for example, see Romans 15:5-7). Scripture presents divisiveness as high wickedness (for example, see Proverbs 5:16-19 and Titus 3:9-11). Unifiers and dividers are known by their words. Do your words build up or tear down? Dividers are self-willed loose cannons who don’t have God’s perspective – and so they stir things up in an unhealthy way and end up dividing people. To be a unifier you must be level-headed, have a clear understanding of what is truly important, and speak graciously in order to build up the body of Christ.

Scripture for reflection: Ephesians 4:1-3

7) Are you an accuser of the brethren? Or do you intercede for them?

Satan likes to accuse God’s people and use our sins against us. Jesus intercedes for His people and provides remedy for our sins. Who are you imitating?

Scripture for reflection: Zechariah 3:1-5; Romans 8:31-34

Before I proceed to the next question, I want to say something – I was going to say this at the beginning, but I’ll say it now. Do not be tempted to think that my questions are aimed at trying to get a particular behavioral outcome for this church on Covid-related issues. You'll hear some questions and be tempted to think: ‘he's making a case for cloth face coverings.’ Or you'll hear other questions and be tempted to think: ‘Oh, he's making a case to just do away with all these Covid guidelines.’ That misses the point right now. Right now the point is to get our idols and sins out of the way! Our hearts need to be honest and pure before God, in order for us to walk together through this. Okay, back to the questions.

8) Are you more concerned about feeling comfortable than about showing solidarity with your brothers and sisters?

One of our basic Christian responsibilities is to endure discomfort in order to identify with and serve our Christian brothers and sisters. Whether it is selling property (Acts 4:34-35), visiting and meeting the needs of distressed Christians (Matthew 25:34-40), or not eating meat in order to not injure a scrupulous brother (Romans 14:21), the Christian life is fundamentally others-focused.

Scripture for reflection: Philippians 2:3-4

9) Are you refusing to address broken or strained relationships?

Listen, this is really hard. It is complicated enough to have healthy relationships when we are having normal interactions with one another. But our relationships are especially vulnerable right now, because we haven’t been in the habit of meeting and our lives are out of sync with each other. This is a recipe for broken relationships: if I get absorbed in my perspective and you get absorbed in yours, and if we’re not connecting and being reminded that we really are family to each other, then we can get polarized. We can start thinking that we are against each other, when what we need to be doing is coming together and mending. If there are broken or strained relationships, we must seek to repair them (Matthew 5:23-24). Unaddressed anger gives the devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:26-27). Abiding in bitterness grieves the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30-32). We must strive to be reconciled with one another!

Scripture for reflection: Ephesians 4:25-32

10) Are you refusing to take advantage of opportunities to gather with your brothers and sisters for worship, for prayer, for mutual encouragement?

If ever there has been a time for this, it is now! We cannot un-do the non-gathering of March 22–May 24. But now we can take steps to connect with one another. Let’s get together at scheduled times or let’s get together on our own at unscheduled times, and let’s pray.

Scripture for reflection: 1 Thessalonians 2:17–3:11

11) Are you more concerned about being correct on a secondary issue than showing compassion?

It is in the context of a secondary issue that Paul says: “This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up.” (1 Corinthians 8:1) In a remarkable application, Paul says that a mature Christian who has the correct view on a secondary issue should not let his correctness become a source of injury to a less mature Christian whose understanding of the issue is incorrect. Read 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 and ponder the whole passage.

I'm going to be honest: this church is divided over secondary issues right now. It's true. This church is divided over secondary issues. This church’s worship and fellowship and ministry are divided right now over secondary issues. I don't assume that everything that we have done is right – please understand that. But we're divided. We need to get attuned with one another in the Lord.

Scripture for reflection: 1 Corinthians 8:1-13

12) Have you elevated secondary issues to the point that you are willing to divide over them?

The burden of Romans 14:1–15:7 is to say that as a general rule, Christians should not divide over secondary issues. Instead of pressing into the rightness of our view, we should press into one another in love and we should seek to edify the entire church family.

Scripture for reflection: Romans 14:13–15:7

13) Are you more concerned about the state of our country than the state of the church?

It is good to be concerned about the state of our country, but it is better to be concerned about the state of the church. Why? Because “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). We are citizens of God’s kingdom first!

Scripture for reflection: Hebrews 13:14

14) Are you more concerned about your own comfort and ease than the health of the church?

In the days of the prophet Haggai, the Israelites were concerned about their own houses but they were not concerned about the Lord’s house. The people were building their own nice paneled houses, but God’s house was in shambles. There attentiveness to their own physical houses and their inattentiveness to the physical temple, revealed their priorities. In the New Testament framework, we understand that we are the Lord’s house – not the physical building, but the people who belong to the Lord. We are the Lord’s house! Are you only concerned about the little circle of your own life? Or are truly burdened for the church family and for each other?

Scripture for reflection: Haggai 1:7-11, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

15) Are you sitting on the sidelines until the rest of us figure it out?

There is an unhealthy mindset that says: ‘In the face of these challenges that our church family faces, I’ll let the rest of the church family figure it out. Then, after they have figured it out, I’ll size things up and figure out where I stand.’ This is an unhealthy and unfaithful mindset. Why? Because if you are part of the church family, then you should be ‘with us’ as we seek to discern the way forward. We are one body and we ought to function as one body as we seek our renewal. Be part of the solution. Be all in!

Scripture for reflection: Romans 12:3-8

16) Do you regard gathering with your church family as something essential or as something that you can easily walk away from?

What have the 10 weeks of non-gathering and the initial weeks of re-gathering revealed about your heart?

Scripture for reflection: Acts 2:42-47

17) Do you assume that Romans 13 gives the government a blank check to restrict the church’s obedience to a hundred other commands of Scripture?

I hope not! But this is a huge issue. Lord-willing, we will address it in a couple of sermons in the near future. For now, just ponder the nature, extent, and limitations of the government’s authority by reflecting on Romans 13:1-17 and other passages.

Scripture for reflection: Romans 13:1-7

18) Are you more concerned about what evil men can do to you or say about you, than what a holy God can do to you?

Jesus said:

“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:4-7)

Do not fear men; fear God. Do not fear the state; fear God. Do not fear public opinion; fear God. And if you fear God, there is nothing else to fear!

Scripture for reflection: Luke 12:4-7

19) Are you willing to suffer physically, legally, financially, or reputationally, so that others might live spiritually and so that Christ’s church might flourish?

The Bible teaches us that it is costly to follow Christ in a broken world. Are you ready to share in Christ’s sufferings?

Scripture for reflection: 2 Timothy 2:8-13

20) Do you assume that physical health is so important that it practically trumps spiritual, relational, emotional, mental, vocational, and economic health?

Do you really think that physical health is that important? The world has become preoccupied with preserving physical health in view of the coronavirus. As Christians, we affirm the value of physical life and physical health. But we are not naturalists! We believe in God and in God’s design for human flourishing. Something is very wrongheaded about a world that is pursuing a highly-controlled physical environment, through the use of science and technology, under the direction of God-denying bureaucrats – all to the neglect of the full-orbed beauty of our God-given humanity. Have you fallen for their game?

Scripture for reflection: Luke 12:22-34

21) Are you afraid to celebrate and proclaim the moral, social, and political implications of the gospel?

By the way, I should tell you that I'm not just speaking to you this morning. I'm also speaking to myself. I don't want you to think that I think that you've got issues, but I don't. I don't want you to think that, because it's not true. I've got issues, and a number of these questions are really hitting home to me. And this is one of the questions that speaks to me. I have long endeavored to be apolitical. Being apolitical is partly a good thing, because God’s kingdom must never be confused with a worldly political agenda. However, the gospel-centered Scriptures are full of moral, social, and political implications – and we must celebrate and proclaim and live them! As our society is plunging deeper into darkness, I realize that I must be forthright about speaking the whole truth and confronting the idols of our age. Indeed, the situation in our day is getting so messed up that I can't be silent anymore. Let me give you one example: fatherhood. Our society despises fatherhood. But the absence of robust and godly fathers means that families break down. Our society responds to this brokenness with the mindset: ‘Education will fix it. Programs will fix it. Money will fix it.’ But let’s be clear: the Bible tells men to stand up and lead. The Bible teaches us that men should be leading in their homes, in their churches, and in their communities. That's God's design. And that is a big reason why we're in the mess that we're in, because men have abandoned their post. Let's not be among them.

Scripture for reflection: Acts 20:26-27

22) Do you have the courage to smash idols, demolish strongholds, and confront lies, or is that simply unthinkable in your mind?

It would be easy to convene an assembly and pass a resolution that condemns the slavery of 200 years ago or condemns the Holocaust of 80 years ago. This is easy because the history is settled and there is broad agreement on those evils. It is much more difficult to confront today’s evils, today’s idols, today’s lies. Why? Because many people are blind and don’t see today’s evils as evil and don’t see today’s idols as idolatrous and don’t see today’s lies as the lies that they are. So it is risky to confront the deceits of our present time, because most people think today’s lies are true. It takes courage to speak truth to a deceived world. We will be met with resistance. Winston Churchill warned of the Nazis years in advance, and his warnings were ignored. But in due course Churchill was shown to be right, and he became the Prime Minister of Britain.[3] Brothers and sisters, ponder this question: what will people say about us in the year 2030? Will they look back and say: ‘During the Great Trial of 2020, South Paris Baptist Church folded and fragmented, and they’ve never been the same.’ Or will they say: ‘During the Great Trial of 2020, South Paris Baptist Church – by God’s grace – got their act together, tore down idols, and set a course for more faithful obedience.’ Today’s history isn’t settled yet – we’ve got to make good history by living faithfully today!

Scripture for reflection: 2 Corinthians 10:1-6

23) Have you settled for cluelessness about what to do? Or does your heart desire to be like the men from Issachar “who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do” (1 Chronicles 12:32)?

As the wider culture is disintegrating and as the church is in distress, do we sit down in despair – as if God is far away and unwilling to help? Have we resigned ourselves to a position of ignorance and inaction? Or do we understand – like King Asa in 2 Chronicles 15 – that the Lord is with us as we seek His face and do the work that He has set before us? We need “the men of Issachar” to stand up and show us the way!

Scripture for reflection: Ephesians 5:15-17

24) Are you distressed about the idols and the sins that stand between us and God-pleasing worship?

When the apostle Paul saw the many idols in the city of Athens, “his spirit was provoked within him” (Acts 17:16) – and that motivated him to preach the gospel! When King Asa came to grips with all the idols that polluted the land of the covenant community, “he took courage and put [them] away” (2 Chronicles 15:8). After he tore down the idols, King Asa “repaired the altar” (2 Chronicles 15:8) and gathered the people for worship. Then the people worshiped God and renewed their commitment to follow the Lord. Will we follow Asa’s example?

Scripture for reflection: 2 Chronicles 15:1-15

25) Do you assume that while all of these questions might possibly have been relevant and valuable and helpful to someone else, they most certainly do not apply to you?

It is good and right to help your brothers and sisters get the speck out of their eyes. But make sure you “first take the log out of your own eye” (Luke 6:42).

Scripture for reflection: Luke 6:39-42; 1 John 1:5-10

LET’S BE RENEWED!

Like I said, these questions were not intended to be a walk down Shame Lane. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is calling us out of our sinfulness, out of our compromises, and out of our idolatry. And he's calling us to be forgiven and forgiving, to be strengthened and renewed, and to be reconciled and united today. That's the way the gospel works. God doesn't want you to go home and just wallow in your guilt all day. Yes, He wants you to acknowledge your sin, but remember: he's glad to forgive, he's glad to renew, he's glad to cleanse, and he's glad to give you courage to live more faithfully today. And that's what he wants from us – to live more faithfully today. Brothers and sisters, we need to take courage, tear down idols, and repair the altar. Of course, in one sense, the altar doesn’t need to be repaired because the ultimate altar is the cross, right? And the sacrifice of Jesus is the perfect sacrifice! And it’s through Jesus’ perfect sacrifice that we come to God the Father. But it is also true that God calls us to offer sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving (Hebrews 13:15), and to offer the sacrifices of self-giving love and generosity (Hebrews 13:16), and to offer ourselves as living sacrifices in wholehearted devotion to the Lord (Romans 12:1) – these are real, God-pleasing sacrifices. And it is in this latter sense that our altar needs to be repaired and our worship needs to be restored.

Father, I pray that you would call your people, afresh and anew, to draw near to you. I pray that we would draw near to you, and that we would find you, and that you would come through for us in a mighty way. I pray that you would change our hearts. I pray that you would change our conversations. I pray that you would mend our relationships. I pray that you would enable us to walk together, to walk together in unity, to walk together in courage. And Father, our prayer is that your name would be glorified, and that the Lord Jesus Christ would be lifted up, and that our lost world might be drawn to him. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. 

FINAL WORDS

Whatever God is saying to you right now, deal with that. And I encourage you all as married couples and as families and as clusters of close friends, talk about these things and make these things part of your conversation with one another. Wherever God is calling us out of unfaithfulness and into a deeper faithfulness, let’s pursue faithfulness together in his grace and peace.

  

ENDNOTES

[1] Steve Turner, “7/8 Of The Truth And Nothing But The Truth.” In Steve Turner, Up To Date: Poems 1968-1982. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1983: p. 43.

[2] Garrett Kell, June 18, 2020 Facebook post. Kell pastors Del Ray Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia.

[3] R. Albert Mohler Jr., The Gathering Storm: Secularism, Culture, and the Church. Nashville: Nelson Books, 2020: p. xi (see “Introduction”).