There is an old sermon illustration that goes with this morning’s scripture. A pastor decides to visit one of his parishioners on his way into the church one morning. He had wanted to visit for some time but schedule problems and life seemed to keep it from happening. But this morning as he approached, the pastor noticed that the parishioner’s car was in the driveway. He figured he could stop by just for a minute to touch base before she went to work. So, he stopped and he walked to the front door and knocked. There was no answer. He Knocked again. Still nothing. He could hear the TV going. She must be in there! His mind raced, could she be avoiding him? Did he do something to offend her?... No as far as he was concerned, he had done nothing like that. So on the back of his Business Card, He wrote; Revelation 3:20
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
The next morning, as he came into the office, the pastor noticed a note that was left under his office door. Genesis 3:10
He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
That is a funny story and I couldn't resist using it this morning.
This week, I have departed from the lectionary text because the Lord laid this scripture on my heart. For the past several years I have been troubled with the decline of the Christian Faith. This decline has been the reality in all Christian denominations in America for as long as I have been in ministry. Fewer and fewer people are attending church. And every year more and more Christian churches are closing their doors forever.
And while the cultural respect for churches and Christian values decreases, sin in our society continues to increase. I am bewildered because our need for Christ’s saving grace has not changed. We have made great advances in technology. People are living longer but human beings have not evolved beyond our sinful nature. If anything, the evil is exposed for all to see today more than ever. Children are assaulting children while others record the crime for publication on social media websites. Individuals are striking out with Guns and bombs at schools and theaters. Terrorist are targeting large civilian populations. Crimes like robbery, assault, and even murder are so common that they are barely newsworthy. But when the Government throws a tantrum, shuts down and a clock in a national museum is not wound, well that’s BIG NEWS!
In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
This fundamental truth of the Gospel has not changed. No technology will replace it. Now more than ever, people need the Lord. The only way of salvation is for each of us to recognize our sin, Confess that we personally are sinners, repent from that sin and ask Jesus Christ into our hearts. So that God’s Holy Spirit can begin to work on our lives and replace our sinful natures with His Holy Spirit. But that is not the end of the Journey. It is only the beginning. If we have confessed our sins, and we have accepted Jesus into our hearts, then it will show in our lives.
We enter into a partnership with Jesus. Together, and yes I used the word TOGETHER, the Holy Spirit begins to change us from the inside out. And during this process, the Light of Christ begins to shine in our lives. But it is a joint effort. We still live on the same planet. Belief in Christ does not solve our every day problem or addictions without work on our part. The Holy Spirit begins to guide, but every day the choice to follow or not is up to us. Especially, in the beginning, our old natures begin to pull on our lives again. And if we choose, to ignore God’s Spirit within us, we can fall right back into our old sinful ways. Like all strong relationships in our lives, our Relationship with Christ will fade away if we choose to ignore it. I fear this is the case for many people who call themselves “Christians”. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
If we choose to ignore the knock at the door, eventually we will no longer hear it. We can fool ourselves into thinking that our, “Belief in God” is a substitute for real faith when in fact it is not even close. Satan and every demon in hell believe is God. Faith is not an emotion, it is not a possession. It is a living breathing dynamic relationship with God. It does not exist on hold. It does not have a shelf life of forever. Faith that is not living is not faith at all. Paul said faith without works (action) is dead. And I fear that many people who settle for “Belief in God” will find themselves lost.
Matthew 25: 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
Jesus is Hungry and we don’t give him food. He is thirsty and we are too busy to give Him a drink. He knocks at the Door and we do not invite Him in. He is cold but let someone else take care of clothing him, we have a ball game. He is sick but the demands of family and work keep us from visiting. But you know “We believe in Jesus!” So everything is just fine.
But folks it’s not fine. This week a woman tell me that even though, she had not been in church for over 30 years, God and she have and “Understanding”. Well yes, God does understand she has no faith. And it hit me, that is exactly the ridicules renationalization many so called “Christians” buy into. Sure God understands we have to work. Ok so what are we going to do to make that up? Sure he understands we aren’t healthy. Ok how are we keeping your faith alive despite your illness?
Without Help, it is so easy to lose faith. It is so easy to drop out and allow the concerns of the world to take up all your time money and effort. It is easier to stay home and rest. It is more interesting to go to the movies or the ball game. We convince ourselves that all the things our children want to do when they are young is more important than teaching them about faith by our example. (Well the fact is that our children and grandchildren always learn about faith by our example.)
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Strong faith comes from a strong relationship with Jesus Christ. And that takes more than empty words. Our church is dying because we are letting it die. We allow other things to be more important. We don’t take time to pray. We go out of our way to give our kids a good Childhood, but don’t take the time to show them how to gain eternal life. We have replaced the fellowship and support of the church with a list of “friends” on Facebook.
Unless we who are Members of Christ’s Holy Church decide to open the door and let Christ into our everyday lives again the church is doomed. Because if Christ’s Light doesn’t shine in us. It will never show anyone else to the door.
The past does and cannot matter. Whatever happened in the past, any failure of sin from a pastor or another church member is not an excuse for our personal unfaithfulness. Blaming the failure of others is no defense of our sin. And make no mistake, only a strong living relationship with Christ, only through His blood and sacrifice is anyone saved. Otherwise we are personally and directly accountable.
So this morning, On all saints Sunday, through this sacrament of communion, let us as a church make a covenant with one another and with Christ to recommit our lives not only to Christ but to the church. Let us covenant together to make our relationship with Christ and one another strong. So that Christ may use us to spread His Gospel to His people everywhere. Amen.
