Snooze You Lose
"The Lord will raise up against you a nation from afar, from the ends of the earth, that swoops down like an eagle, a nation whose tongue you do not understand; a nation of stern visage, that shows neither respect for the aged nor pity for the young... They will besiege you in each of your communities until the great unscalable walls you trust in, come tumbling down all over your land." Deut 28:49f
Jesus Christ and His Holy Word has been summarily dismissed out of our government, courts, schools, corporate businesses, personal lives and even "Christian" churches. We have walked out of the shadow of His wings of protection into a world devoid of moral absolutes, which spawns events like September 11th. The twin towers are gone, 3000 lives are gone and we missed the message of repentance! We’ve had a serious and somber wake-up call but the nation and most especially Christian churches have pushed the collective snooze button and gone back to sleep. We have gone back to business as usual.
Repentance Has Been Swallowed Up in Patriotism
Patriotism has exploded in our country and it is most welcome! However, it has swallowed up and replaced the much more needed message of repentance. Post 9-11 surveys by Gallup and Barna show church attendance back to pre 9-11 days. Moral absolutes are still dismissed by most people by a margin of about 3 to 1. Among teenagers, 83% embrace moral relativism. In the 18-35 year old group, 75% embrace moral relativism. The statistic that is a serious judgment on the Church, is the fact that only 32% of the Christians who profess a personal commitment to Jesus Christ, believe in moral absolutes. Design your own Christianity is alive and well and growing. Could the fact that we never hear sermons on sin, judgment and Hell anymore, have anything to do with it?
September 11th shows us God has placed our nation on the scales of Justice. He is judging our nation. How can we be sure of this? Scripture says judgment starts with the house of God and God is surely judging his churches in a very severe manner. The Archdiocese of Boston is a good example. Sins that were committed in darkness, God is shouting from the housetops. The names of 87 priests who have been accused of abusing children in the last 30-40 years have been turned over to civil authorities by the Archdiocese. The Archdiocese of Boston has settled as many as 70 abuse cases out of court in the last 10 years. It is not restricted to Boston alone. According to the New York Times, Stephen Rubio a lawyer in Margate, NJ has worked on more than 300 cases in 50 dioceses. Jesus is judging and purifying his Church again.
These are very serious times requiring a very serious response to God Almighty. We are going to have either massive repentance in our churches and nation or we are going to have massive punishment. If God is judging his Church so severely, we can expect the same treatment for our country.
"The season of judgment has begun, and it began with God’s own household. If it begins this way with us, what must be the end for those who refuse obedience to the gospel of God?" 1 Peter 4:17
The only remedy for our condition is to humble ourselves before God and acknowledge our own personal sins, the sins of our families, our communities, our church and our nation and beg his forgiveness and mercy. God expects Christians to "stand in the gap" and repent and intercede for our children, grandchildren, community, church and nation. (2 Chron 7:14)
With our snooze button depressed, we are in danger of a much more severe wake-up call than 9-11. How bad must it get before we are collectively driven to our knees? The next wake-up call could fill the land with a paralyzing fear and panic.
The only ones at peace will be those resting securely in the shadow of the wings of the Almighty. Those who have cultivated and maintain an intimacy with Jesus in personal prayer. Those who hear the small still voice of the Holy Spirit as they read, meditate and pray the Holy Scriptures. Those for whom Psalm 46:11 "Be still and know that I am God" is a reality. Those who are "experiencing the breadth and Length and height and depth of the love of Jesus" as described in Eph 3:18. Those who are "gazing on the Lord’s glory with unveiled faces and are being transformed from glory to glory by the Lord who is the Spirit." (2 Cor 3:17f.) Those whose hearts are being ravished, being moved by the deepest emotions of delight and joy by Jesus in intimate personal prayer. Those who are captivated, fascinated, enthralled by the love of Jesus as they rest in His presence. All others could be in various stages of fear and panic.
Society is stuck on a "hamster wheel" of seeking pleasure and entertainment. We have home entertainment centers, wall sized TV’s, surround sound with multiple speakers, woofers and tweeters, VCR’s, DVD’s cable, satellite dishes, HBO, movies, sport channel, ESPN1, ESPN2, 300 channels, every NFL football game and still we’re bored. We have substituted the love of pleasure for the pleasure of loving Jesus.
Christians can also be stuck on a "hamster wheel" of religious activity, pius practices, keeping moral codes, rote and rituals instead of intimacy with Jesus and hearing the small still voice of the Holy Spirit. We can be so busy that we have no time for a fresh encounter with Jesus every morning in personal prayer.
"But understand this: there will be terrifying times in the last days. People will be self-centered and lovers of money, proud, haughty, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, irreligious, callous, implacable, slanderous, licentious, brutal, hating what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, as they make a pretense of religion but deny its power. Reject them." 2 Tim 3:1-5
While it is still daylight, flee from "design your own Christianity", flee from religiosity, flee from playing church, flee from throwing Jesus an hour on Sunday to keep Him happy, flee from prayerlessness, flee from lukewarmness, flee from sin, flee from sinful places, flee from sinful media, flee from sinful relationships. " Run, Run quickly, into the loving arms of Jesus with a repentant heart. Waste no time!
IT IS NO TIME TO BE SNOOZING!
***** JESUS IS LORD *****
