This last entry in this series has been weighing heavily on my heart. It is so important, possibly the most important message for the church today. Literally today in the sense that the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of same sex marriage on this date, June 26, 2015 and figuratively today in this time of degradation of the church. That's right, not society, the church. The idea of this post is very clear but articulating it has been a challenge. It has not been until today that God revealed this message in a way to be conveyed clearly and lovingly yet with confidence and strength. The sadness is heavy and real and is neither directed at homosexuals nor at the Supreme Court or our government. The grief is for the church, which represents God's physical presence on earth whose purpose is to defend His honor, glorify His name, and advance His kingdom. We have neglected our responsibility in not only proclaiming the truth but more importantly living out the truth in our lives, publicly and privately. We have adopted the line in the sand determining which sins are intolerable in the life of a Christian. And those sins are painfully few. We have proclaimed that homosexuality is one of the few. We have embraced sexual perversion in multitudes of ways in our private lives and many times even in our public lives yet the line in the sand is homosexuality? Christianpost.com stated that among Christians surveyed in January of 2014, only 11% say they save sex exclusively for marriage. Christianpost.com also reported that a study conducted by the Barna Group found that nearly two thirds of Christian men view pornography monthly. Sexual contact with anyone who is not our spouse is a perversion. You may be thinking that is harsh. Many are arguing the definition of marriage but lets examine the definition of perversion. Oxford defines perversion this way: the alteration of something from its original course, meaning, or state to a distortion or corruption of what was first intended. And this entire concept just addresses sexual perversion. Unfortunately, that is not the only issue.
The church has embraced or at least become tolerant of lying, fleshly indulgences in regard to what we allow in our homes through the television, we allow unqualified teachers, elders, deacons, and leaders of the church, who do not manage their homes in a manner which honors the Lord. We laugh at sexual innuendos and cheat God out of His portion not giving our tithe, modesty in appearance as well as attitude is lost, and submitting to leadership is substituted for pride and an attitude of 'I deserve better.' It is a fine line to walk, that ever present argument between being judgmental and embracing sin. The church has been so bullied into believing that proclaiming the truth of sin of all kinds equals being judgmental as well as hypocritical. But when the message is, all of these things and many more are okay, how are we to convince anyone that obedience to God must be priority? We have lost our way but the truth is still the truth and if we seriously want God's will done in our churches as well as our nation this is what we must do.
First, God's word is very clear and His promises are eternal. "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14. I have said before, God does not expect people who do not know Him to live godly lives. His word, his instructions are for His children. Those who do not know Christ cannot understand His ways. But we who have given our lives to Christ are expected to be obedient to His word. We are His people and He tells us here that we must turn from our wicked ways. We must purify our hearts from our own selfish desires as well as purify our bodies and minds from all types of sexual perversion. And when we do that along with humbling ourselves, seeking His face, and praying, God will forgive His people (that's us!), and heal our land. We must live the lives we are called to live and get rid of the sins that we have allowed to take up residence in us. We will stumble and repentance is necessary but this 'everyone sins so it's ok, no big deal' attitude has to stop.
Second, we must be obedient in purifying the church. ANYONE can come to salvation through Christ Jesus. It matters not the magnitude of sin in their lives. Christ's blood is enough to purify the most wretched sinner of ALL sins. The most beautiful picture is the heart that has turned from those things, but the key is the turning. When we are broken, filthy, and vile in our own sin, and accept the gift of life through the forgiveness of Christ, we leave the filth behind. That's the deal!
Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
She said, “No one, Lord.”
And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:2-12
We will make mistakes but to embrace a sinful lifestyle in a pattern of habitual sin must not be tolerated by the church. Not just homosexuals, but adulterers, liars, slanderers, wife beaters, those who stir up strife, and on and on must be dealt with by the church. The message must be: Our sin is forgivable but we must acknowledge it as sin and turn from it. To be a part of the church, sin is not embraced and if we do not accept the values of Christ then the church is not the place for us. There is a road map in Matthew 18 to restore those who have fallen to sin and be restored to righteousness in the church. But if restoration is not sought then the person refusing to acknowledge their sin must leave the church. So when we pray for God's will to be done in the church, church discipline must not be ignored. We can no longer use the excuse that church discipline is too hard and the fall out too great to actually implement it. It is necessary for a healthy church. The lack of church discipline has allowed sin and corruption in the church to create so many holes in our obedience bucket that our homosexual argument doesn't hold water. We must patch all the holes. We cannot get out of bed with our neighbor's wife to stand up and argue against homosexuality.
The lackluster obedience of God's people has gotten us where we are today and the consequences may be severe. We are faced with breaking the law to obey Christ. When push comes to shove whom will we obey? The government or the God of all creation who will not keep us from all discipline but WILL bless obedience. We must return to the feet of Christ, grow closer to Him, and turn from all our wicked ways. He is and always will be on His thrown and ready to forgive His children when we humble ourselves and ask. Please Lord, reveal yourself and give us the strength to follow you, regardless the cost.
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