WE FOOLED YOU!
MIKE CUNNINGHAM
MOTHER’S DAY 2010
Unless
I´m greatly mistaken, one of the nicest things a Christian mom who has grown children
can experience on Mother´s Day is to have them sitting next to her in church
during the morning worship service. If it isn´t possible, she still feels
blessed just knowing that the special person God planned to have her give birth
to before speaking the world into existence would have accompanied her if he or
she wasn´t sick, had to work, or because of some other understandable reason. Then
there is the all too common sad reality of the child who always accompanied her
week after week while he or she was growing up, but who now has absolutely no
intention of setting foot in a church except perhaps to attend an occasional
wedding, funeral, or an Easter or Christmas service.
To
the delight of atheist anti-Christian activists and false religions such as Judaism,
Hinduism and Islam, former church attendees seem to give credence to various
public opinion polls which tell us Christianity is on the decline in
“Every
few months someone publishes another poll that seems to indicate that
Christianity is
“If this is the case, then instead of being dismayed, we can
actually be happy about these polls. We can be happy about the honesty these
polls reflect because it helps us overcome one of the greatest
"arguments" against Christianity which is that there are too many
hypocrites in the church. If we have had all these people calling themselves
Christians who really were not Christians, then indeed, Christianity had a
large percentage of hypocrites in its midst.”(A)
Personally, I´m very glad they have left. However, we may have
reason to believe that all those who did leave weren´t hypocrites. For
instance, what
a Christian mother perhaps finds most disturbing is the child she happily
witnessed make a public profession of faith and been baptized, but who no longer
has a desire to gather together with fellow believers in an organized corporate
church setting. As far as that child is concerned, all of his or her spiritual
needs are being met. In fact, her son or daughter is apt to insist he or she
feels closer to God while they are alone taking a walk, out fishing or cruising
along on the Interstate, and not having their thoughts distracted by having to
be in the presence of some folks they dislike and want to avoid as much as
possible. Her Christian child is apt to tell her things such as: “I don´t feel
the need to be in church. Don´t worry about me, mom. I´m doing fine. I still
faithfully read that little devotional you gave me a subscription to a couple
of years ago. I like it a lot and it only takes a minute or two to read. I don´t
need to be around all those people in church. And, I don´t have to listen to
boring sermons anymore. Who needs them? I get my sermons from the radio. If I
don´t like what I hear, I just turn it off and not get myself all bent out of
shape the way I used to. Plus, I don´t have to listen to those awful hymns
either. You know I never could stand them. Those churches don´t have a clue as
to what real music is. Don´t worry about me mom, I´m doing fine. I still love
Jesus. That´s the big thing. Actually, it´s the only one that´s important.
Going to church won´t get anyone into heaven. You taught me that, Mom. I don’t
need to go to church anymore. There´s nothing there for me. I don´t need to be
with other Christians all that much. I´m doing just fine all by myself. Don´t
worry about me, mom. Dou you remember? It´s no big deal if I don´t go to
church.” Does any of this sound familiar? Of course, it does. I doubt if these
professed Christians are aware of what God has said about such self-centered
prideful arrogance. Allow me to explain, but first I would like to quote
Kenneth Boa as I did in the first sermon in this series.
“One
of the primary purposes for believers to assemble together is to create a
meaningful context in which they can mutually encourage and edify one another
through the exercise of the spiritual gifts that have been given to the body.
The rich diversity of gifts in the body promotes maturity and wholeness when
that diversity is empowered by the Spirit.” “The more we realize that we are
allies on the journey rather than independent agents, the more clearly we will
see that personal spiritual growth does not take place in a spiritual vacuum.
In this world, we are part of a community of pilgrims who are traveling toward
God, and we are meant to assist, nurture, and encourage one another along the
way. Commitment to a local community of faith enhances personal growth by
providing a corporate context for identity, involvement and ministry. This
commitment to mutual nurture and service is most clearly expressed in the New
Testament reciprocal “one another” commands.”(B) “Each local church is a manifestation of the
one universal church, and will embody the nature of that church as the Father’s
regenerate family; Christ’s ministering body, and a fellowship sustained by the
Holy Spirit.” (C) Christians who are
content to “go it alone” aren’t a recent phenomenon. The early church had its share of proud
self-centered professed Christians, too.
Hebrews 10:24-25 (AMP)
24 And let us consider and
give attentive, continuous care to watching over one another, studying how we
may stir up (stimulate and incite) to love and helpful deeds and
noble activities, 25 Not forsaking or
neglecting to assemble together [as believers], as is the habit of some people,
but admonishing (warning, urging, and encouraging) one another, and all the
more faithfully as you see the day approaching.
Notice
that the last exhortation in this famous “Epistle of Warning” to those Hebrew
Christians is for each of them not to be to be all wrapped up in themselves and
their needs and their problems and become couch-potato’s wallowing in self-pity
for whatever reason, but instead to be doing some serious thinking about the
needs and problems of fellow Christians; showing and reminding them that they
are not traveling alone through this sin riddled world, and by encouraging one
another by word and example, until the Lord comes and takes them home.
Jesus once told His disciples that all people would know they are His followers
“if they have for one another,” (John 13:35). True Christians will so love
their brothers and sisters in Christ that they will seek out and try to find
fellow believers who have foolishly withdrawn from the local body of believers
with the mistaken notion that they don´t need one another and can travel by
themselves. In love manifested by a very noticeable spirit of humility, they
will warn and encourage these backslidden Christians to return. The unknown
author of this epistle had previously given such a warning to those early Christians,
and through them, all subsequent followers of the Risen Savior such as you and
me:
Hebrews
3:12-13 (AMP)
12 [Therefore beware] brethren,
take care, lest there be in any one of you a wicked, unbelieving heart [which
refuses to cleave to, trust in, and rely on Him], leading you to turn away and
desert or stand aloof from the living God. 13
But instead warn (admonish, urge, and encourage) one another
every day, as long as it is called Today, that none of you may be hardened
[into settled rebellion] by the deceitfulness of sin [by the fraudulence, the
stratagem, the trickery which the delusive glamour of his sin may play on him].
The
church is living in a divinely preordained moment in time. A little more than
two thousand years ago, the Lord Jesus left eternity and entered into time as a
Spirit filled human being. He lived a sinless life amongst sin drenched people
for thirty three years, teaching them by Word and example how they must live
their lives in order for them to fulfill the purpose He had created them, and
that they would enjoy eternal happiness with Him if they wanted Him to be
friends with them. And then He left, promising to return for each of His
followers to finally take them out of this world. However, before leaving, He
told His beloved disciples, and all subsequent followers such as you and me
after them as they each continued on their journey home, a beautiful comforting
fact in the following verse;
John 16:33 (AMP)
33 I have told you these things, so
that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you
have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration;
but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I
have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have
conquered it for you.]
Until
He returned, they would each have to endure some very trying times of divinely
ordained difficulty which would involve different degrees of suffering. But He
has left them His church so they can engage in and experience mutual
exhortation which is designed to sustain and strengthen each other´s faith, and
enable them to persevere until He returns to take them home. As I stated in my
first sermon, “instead of allowing Satan to con them into believing it doesn’t
matter if they separate themselves from a local organized body of believers,
and ignore Jesus’ command to become part of it, they should join those folks
and serve Him together. He commands His followers to tolerate one another
Ephesians 4:2; accept one another Romans 15:7, be kind to one another
Ephesians 4:32, and forgive one another Ephesians 4:32 just as He has
each of them. The bottom line is that Jesus wants the people He suffered and
died such an agonizing death for, to live in harmony with one another 1
Peter 3:8 and do so, not just bearing with one another Ephesians, 4:2
but to love one another earnestly from a pure heart 1 Peter 1:22 (ESV).”
Hebrews
10:24-25 (AMP)
24 And
let us consider and give attentive, continuous care to watching over one
another, studying how we may stir up (stimulate and incite) to love and
helpful deeds and noble activities, 25 Not
forsaking or neglecting to assemble together [as believers], as is the
habit of some people, but admonishing (warning, urging, and encouraging) one
another, and all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching.
As
I mentioned earlier, I believe the “Kingdom of God” is slowly but surely
advancing in our country.” However, it´s quite obvious American Christians
aren´t as spiritually healthy or as vibrant as they can and should be. And it
is this kind of attitude from a professed Christian which is one of the main
reasons: “I don´t need to be around all those people in church. I don´t want to
listen to boring sermons anymore or put up with those awful hymns. Going to
church never got anyone into heaven. It´s no big deal if I don’t go! I don´t
need those other people.” It´s this kind of prideful arrogance which hurts
the Church Christ died for and will keep professed Christians out of heaven
regardless of their public profession of faith, believer’s baptism, or enthusiastically
embracing the Doctrine’s of God’s Sovereign Grace. Allow me to explain, but
first, I want to say that from this point forward in this Mother’s Day sermon, I
want you folks to know I´m not referring just to those wayward children who
“don´t assemble together with fellow Christians in an organized corporate
church setting,” but also to folks such as you and me who do. And please
remember what I´ve told you numerous times in the past: “I´m preaching these
sermons to myself, too.” Now let me ask you that question. How do you think
God feels about this kind of know-it-all, arrogance which is filled with
self-centered pride coming out of the mouth of a professed Christian such as I
just described, and how is He apt to respond? That´s the second point I´m going
to try to make this morning. Although God hates all sin, the big ones and the
little ones, He especially hates the sin of pride more so than the others.
For instance, consider the one He mention’s first:
Proverbs 6:16-17 (NIV)
16 There are six things the Lord
hates, seven that are detestable to him: 17 haughty
eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
Proverbs 16:5 (NIV)
5 The Lord detests all the proud
of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 16:5 (KJV)
5 Every one that is proud
in heart is an abomination to the Lord: though hand join
in hand, he shall not be unpunished.
Did
you notice that it´s the proud person him or herself whom the Lord hates, and
not the sin of pride? O how often we see a proud professed believer pointing and
shaking his or her finger at a fellow human being whose homosexual lifestyle
God views as being an abomination, while conveniently overlooking the fact that
it is proud people such as themselves who are an abomination in God´s eyes.
The old adage that “God loves the sinner but hates the sin” is certainly not
true concerning the sin of pride. I can´t help wondering when those proud
professed Christians will finally wake up and realize that God is working
against them and is repeatedly frustrating them for their own good. (Of course,
if they are experiencing smooth sailing, they better make their calling and
election sure, 2Peter 1:10). Consider
the following verses:
James 4:6 (AMP)
6 But He gives us more and more
grace (power of the Holy Spirit, to meet this evil tendency and all others
fully). That is why He says, God sets Himself against the proud and haughty,
but gives grace [continually] to the lowly (those who are humble enough to
receive it).
1 Peter 5:5 (NIV)
5 Young men, in the same way be
submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility
toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace
to the humble."
Do
you have any idea why Gods opposes a proud person so much? It´s almost as
though He´s constantly fighting against them. That´s because the proud person
is actually fighting against God Himself. If it were possible, the proud person
would get rid of God, and replace Him with him or herself. Then they could
become completely self-centered. Richard Mayo, another old Puritan once
preached: “This is the devilish nature of pride. Whereas other sins are
against God´s laws, this sin is against His sovereignty and His very being.
Other sins are a turning away from God. Pride is the creature turning against
Him. That´s why God is said to look at them from a distance. It´s as though He
can’t bear the sight of them.” (D)
Psalm 138:6 (AMP)
6 For though the Lord is high, yet
has He respect to the lowly [bringing them into fellowship with Him]; but
the proud and haughty He knows and recognizes [only] at a
distance.
“He
hates the proud with His heart. He curses them with His mouth and He punishes
them with His mighty hand.” (E)
Psalm 119:21 (AMP)
21 You rebuke the proud and
arrogant, the accursed ones, who err and wander from Your commandments.
Isaiah 2:12 (AMP)
12 For there shall be a day of
the Lord of hosts against all who are proud and haughty and against all who are
lifted up—and they shall be brought low—
Unless
professed Christians sincerely struggle to kill this abomination within them;
when the moment comes for them to leave this world, he or she will get the
shock of their lives as they are welcomed into the next by those slime-ball
demons gleefully shrieking: “We fooled you!” As your pastor, 1 “I urge you to live a life worthy of the
calling you have received. 2 Be
completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Ephesians 4:1-2 (NIV)
I
believe with all my heart that the person who loves God will love Him so much
that they will come to the point where he or she will literally beg Him to help
them to continue to cultivate and grow humility within themselves, regardless
of how painful to them that process may be. They will also ask Him to help them
overcome every temptation not to do so, and they will relentlessly make this
appeal with passion. I preached those very words in my last sermon. And, I
have taken them to heart and made them one of my daily prayers ever since. I´m
hoping and praying that each of you folks will, too.
Lord
willing, next week….
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
A. Posted to
Next Generation Christian Leadership Network at 4/15/2010 06:51:00 AM by Dr.
Terry Dorsett, Church Planting Missionary with the North America Mission Board
of the SBC.
B. Conformed to
His Image, © 2001 by, Kenneth Boa, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530, p.
431.
C. The Reformation
Study Bible, © 2005 by Ligonier Ministries. R. C. Sproul, General Editor, Keith Mathison, Associate Editor, English
Standard Version, Ligonier Ministries, Orlando, Florida, p. 1850.
D. SERMON # 16:
What Must We Do To Prevent Spiritual Pride? Preached by the Rev. Richard Mayo,
A. M. p. 382. Puritan Sermons, 1659-1689. Being The Morning Exercises at
Cripplegate, ST. Giles in the Fields, And in Southwark, By Seventy-Five Ministers
of the Gospel, in or near London, with notes and translations by James
Nichols. Richard Owen Roberts,
Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois 1981.
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