Church Ought To Make Us Uncomfortable Series

Introduction

Over the past month and a half, I guess the best one-word description as to how I have been feeling is “uncomfortable.” Covid 19 has made me feel uncomfortable. Anne and I enjoyed going out to eat after church, but recently we have been confided to eating in our car. That is not nearly as comfortable as dining in. I have been pretty much confined to the house because of my health conditions. Staying home all day long when you are used to blowing and going, certainly makes a person feel uncomfortable.

But Covid 19 certainly is not the only thing in life that makes us feel uncomfortable. There are other things in life that make us uncomfortable. Going to the dentist, to get a root canal, will make most people feel uncomfortable as they wait for the doctor to begin. A high school senior taking the A.C.T. to get acceptance to the college of their choice, will generally feel uncomfortable right before they sit down to take the test. A person sitting in front of an I.R.S. auditor having his or her taxes reviewed will make that person feel uncomfortable.

And there are some things in life that are supposed to make us feel uncomfortable but do not. And over the next several weeks, we are going to look at those places and things that should make us feel uncomfortable. The first one may surprise you, but it is the church. Church ought to make us feel uncomfortable.

Think about this. Once a year, the high priest in the Old Testament would enter the holy of holies on the Day of Atonement. But another priest would have to tie a rope around his leg because if he was found unworthy to enter, he would die and had to be dragged out of the holy of holies. If you were a high priest, you would had to feel uncomfortable as the other priest tied the rope to your leg.

But think about the church in this day and time, we have done everything to make the church as comfortable a place as possible. We have padded pews, coffee shops, family rec centers, daycare and easy to swallow sermons.

So, I want to show you why from the Bible the church should be an uncomfortable place. Turn with me in your Bible to 1 Peter 2:1-5.

Scripture

1 Peter 2:1-5 (NIV)

1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.

2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,

3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

4 As you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him--

5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Point #1

THE CHURCH IS NOT A PLACE OF COMFORT BECAUSE IT NEEDS TO EXPOSE THOSE THINGS IN OUR LIVES THAT ARE NOT CHRIST-LIKE AND CHALLENGE YOU AND ME TO REMOVE THOSE THINGS OUT OF OUR LIVES.

1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.

Let me ask you when is the last time you heard a sermon that you don’t need to return evil with evil? That is what malice is- it is being spiteful. You hurt me so I hurt you. When is the last time you have been told from the pulpit when someone does you evil, you do them good?

When is the last you heard a sermon about removing all misconceptions, untruthfulness, in our dealing in our business, in our family life and our dealings with others? Think back have you ever heard this Scripture? Proverbs 16:11 (NIV) 11 Honest scales and balances are from the LORD. God is honest and we ought to be honest in our dealings.

And I know I have not heard much preaching about hypocrisy, envy and slander.

If we fail to preach against those negative qualities in our lives, then we fail to preach what it takes for you and me to move closer to God. You see our God is Holy and we are to thrive to be Holy like him. And that means we must be told to remove some things from our life and add other things to our life. And if the church is talking about what you must remove from your life, you are going to feel uncomfortable.

But if I focus my preaching on only what you need to add to your life, none of us would feel uncomfortable. We would probably all agree we need those things. 2 Peter 1:5-7 (NIV)