We have been looking at the state of the professing Church in modern America. While it is not a pretty sight, if we look at Scripture with all honesty, the truth of the terrifying judgment that is upon us should drive any hopes of man-centered activity as a method of delivery far from us. Last week we focused on Isaiah 63:17 and the judgment of God causing people to stray from His ways and hardening hearts from fearing Him. While the world and worldly people in the professing Church gives but little thought to such things, this continues to give us an awful picture of the professing Church in America for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. This week we will focus on verse 19.
17 Why, O LORD, do You cause us to stray from Your ways And harden our heart from fearing You? Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage. 18 Your holy people possessed Your sanctuary for a little while, Our adversaries have trodden it down. 19 We have become like those over whom You have never ruled, Like those who were not called by Your name (Isaiah 63:17-19).
When the professing Church becomes like the world, the professing Church is under the judgment of God because the world is under the judgment of God and His wrath abides on them. The professing Church has many people crying out that we must become more like people in order to win them over. We are told to water the teaching down and stop being so different. We are told not to preach against sin and to lighten up on so many things. We are told that people must be comfortable when they come to church and so that becomes the goal. We are told that it is a horrible thing if people are uncomfortable at church. Fine, but is God comfortable? Do we offend God by trying not to offend people? The heart of love for God is to strive to be in His presence rather than try not to offend people at a meeting of the church. We should fear offending God rather than men. The unbeliever hates God and will never be comfortable with the ways of God until s/he is converted. When we try to please men and make them comfortable at church, it is simply another way the church has become like the world and is not pleased with standing for the truth of God.
When a church (and the professing Church) becomes like those over whom God has never ruled, it has become like those who are His enemies. The command of God is to be holy as He is holy (I Peter 1:16). We are commanded to love God with all of our being in the Greatest Commandment. We are told that the world will recognize believers as disciples because they love one another (John 13:35). We are told that only believers truly love since they alone are born of God and know Him (I John 4:7-8). The true believer strives by the grace in him to love God in keeping with the Ten Commandments which tells us specifics of how to keep the Greatest Commandments. The believer has the love of God shed abroad in his heart (Rom 5:5-8). When we take these verses together, and there are many others, we see something that is very interesting. Believers are known by their love for God and other true believers. The world is known by its love for things other than God though it will dream up many idols to love and call it “God.” When a professing church becomes like those that God has never ruled over, it is simply a group of people loving what the world loves and being like the world.
When a church loves what the world loves, though it may use different terms and express it in different ways, it is simply another aspect of the world. The world is much like ancient Rome in which believers would not be persecuted as long as they were not exclusive about the claims of Christ. It was okay to worship Christ as long as one was willing to offer a little incense to a Roman god. The world does not mind if people are professing Christians as long as the professing believer does not speak of sin, the exclusive claims of Christ, and the sovereignty of God. We must be very clear that the world hates the biblical teaching on sin, the exclusive claims of Christ, and the sovereignty of God rather than the freedom of man. When a professing church waters down its teachings on sin, the exclusive claims of Christ, and then the teaching of the sovereignty of God, it has taken out that which is unique to Christianity and what is hateful to the world. When it takes away these things, it has become like the world and though the world might love it, the wrath of God is upon it. It is a terrifying judgment of God upon the professing Church when He hardens the hearts and people become like those in the world. The world is set up to run in a certain way by the prince of the power of the air (Eph 2:1-3) and he works in the hearts of the disobedient. To become like the world is to say that one is in slavery to sin and the devil just like the world.
What are the things that the world loves? I John 2:16: “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.” We see three things that are set out in this text that could be considered as heads over myriads of sins. The lust of the flesh could be seen as all the things that the fleshly person desires for the flesh (sinful self). Ephesians 2:3 speaks of “indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind.” In one sense it could be the desires of the body, but the flesh in Scripture often times means the sinful self. What we must see from this is the order that God has set in the world has been overthrown by the sin of man. God has put certain desires within man and yet that was all regulated by man being made good and so all these desires were regulated by love for God. When man fell into sin these desires were no longer regulated by love for God and now man is driven by things he should not have and also lawful things beyond moderation. So this lust of the flesh refers to the desires that are inward and come from the fleshly or selfish person. The believer is regulated by love and so not governed by the lusts of the flesh. When a “church” is under judgment, it looks like the world in this.
The second thing is the lust of the eyes. The eye looks at outward things and desires them. When man fell into sin and the inward love for God didn’t rule him, external objects now had power over him. When man desires many things and is denied them, he is given over to all manner of things. The coveting eyes leads man to many conflicts and problems. The eyes lead the person rather than the heart of love for God. James 4 shows this: “1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
The third thing is the pride of life. This refers to the things that refer to how we go through life rather than life itself. So we boast about our status or rank in life, our wealth, power, and educations. We may boast about our talent, intelligence or athletic ability. In the professing church, there is religious pride. There is nothing that a person cannot be proud about instead of desiring the glory of God in that talent or gift. We must see that all of these three things listed in I John 2:16 describes the world in a person and what happens to a person and “church” when God judges that person or “church.” He turns them over to become like those over whom He has never ruled and they become just like the world. In being a friend of the world that person has become an enemy of God.
The world loves prestige and money. So does the “Church” and this is seen by all of the money schemes of preachers and religious leaders. The world does outwardly good things to be seen by men, but so did the Pharisees and so does many religious groups who are like the world (Mat 23:5). The world loves places of honor and the important seats at meetings, but so did the Pharisees (Mat 23:6) and so many religious groups in our modern world.
The world loves respectful greetings in public places, but we see many religious groups wanting the honor and respect of the world too (Mat 23:7). The world loves to be called Rabbi or teacher, but so did the Pharisees (Mat 23:8) and many people now who love to be scholars and professors. The world loves to be honored in many ways, but so does the professing Church in modern America. I John 2:16 describes the world, but it also describes the Church in America. One problem with this mindset is that it is at enmity with God. Another and related mindset is the focus on the things that are passing away (I John 2:17). All the desires for honor and status in the world is simply a mind that is focused on the now rather than eternity. That is a judgment of God.
It does not take a great deal of insight to see that the professing Church in America is in lockstep with the world in so many ways. This is seen by the carnal ways of the professing Church which is seen in what it does and what it does not do. This is seen in what is important to the professing Church in that scholarship is more important than the Spirit of God. It is more important to have peace than it is to stand firm for the truth of God. It is more important to be gracious and winsome than it is to stand for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The structures of denominations are thought to be important to preserve and yet the purity of the Gospel is not. Education is more important than spiritual understanding. External morality has replaced true holiness. Relevance has become more important than truth. Entertainment has become more important than reverence. Telling stories with humor has replaced preaching the glory of God in Christ. Professing churches are judged by the numbers and financial stability. These things are widespread in America. We are like the world and we are under the judgment of God.
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