It Is Time To Renovate The Church
Part II
II Chronicles 29:6-12
This morning we began to examine the fact that “It Is Time To Renovate The Church”. Tonight we will continue that thought.
We looked at the honorable actions of Hezekiah who ascended to the throne in Judah at the age of 25. He inherited the throne from his father Ahaz. Ahaz was a wicked king who had practiced, established and promoted idol worship. As a result of the nation’s idolatry, the fury of the Lord was ignited and the people were suffering. Hezekiah took the proper steps to help the nation turn back to the Lord. We read that Hezekiah was a man that “did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight” ...“In first month of the first year of his reign, Hezekiah repaired the doors of the Temple” - Then he “reopened those doors” that had long been closed. He “called the Priests and Levites together” and commanded that they “Purify themselves and purify the temple” They began the process of removing the defiled things from the temple.
While looking at the story of Hezekiah we also examined some of the similarities between the story in scripture and the modern day Christian Church. I believe that it is apparent that what Hezekiah did in Judah is what is needed in many churches today. If we are going to renovate the church we must
i. Repair What Is Broken
ii. Remove What Doesn’t Belong
Those are the two points we considered this morning, but as we continue we will see that we must also:
iii. Realize What Is Neglected
iv. Recognize What Is Happening
v. Restore What Is Missing
There are countless plans, programs and models that are being implemented in churches all over the world in order to “revitalize” the church.. I get articles in the mail all the time advertising the next big gimmick to bring “revival” to the church. But I believe with all that is in me that what we need is not some new program, but to RETURN to the things of the Lord! And in doing so we will find that:
I. We Must Realize What Is Neglected - v6 {Hezekiah said} For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD, and turned their backs.7 Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel.
As he addresses the Priests & Levites, Hezekiah explained that “their ancestors were unfaithful and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord:
“They turned their backs on the Lord”
“They abandoned His temple”
“They shut the doors to the Temple’s entry room”
“They snuffed out the lamps”
“They stopped burning incense”
“And they ceased presenting burnt offerings at the sanctuary”
I like ol Hezekiah’s mindset… He didn’t hire a consultant to tell him what needed to be done. He didn’t gather the Priests & Levites together and develop a long term strategy to make things better. He didn’t model his plan after the actions of some other kingdom He didn’t look at the gravity of the situation and throw his hands up and quit. What did he do??? HE REALIZED WHAT WAS NEGLECTED!! He looked at what God had ordained and saw how far the people had strayed from the LORD’S WAY! He observed the pitiful shape of the temple. He observed the pathetic condition of the people. And instead of trying something new, HE WENT BACK TO WHAT WORKED IN THE PAST!!! He turned things back over TO THE LORD!
Understand this…“restoration” is not about filling up this building. We can compromise and change everything we do… we can become “seeker friendly” and seek to please the people.I can give you a positive thinking, feel good speech once a week. We can have tons of activities and events to get people’s attention. We can grow to the point we have to bulldoze this building and build a multi-million dollar campus and it would have ZERO impact for the Kingdom!!! (In fact, I wouldn’t mind losing a few if it would have a positive impact on the Kingdom of God)
In John chapter 6, Jesus preached some hard truths and there was a great crowd that ceased to follow Him - John 6:66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
Obviously I would like to bulldoze this building and build a bigger one, but not at the expense of the Gospel. There are no man made methods of revival that will help restore the church. The word “restore” means “to return something to previous condition” We don’t need to find something new… we must REALIZE WHAT IS NEGLECTED and return to those things!
I read an article/Facebook post about a church in Tennessee that had closed its doors and merged with another congregation. A real estate investor had purchased the property with plans to build retail stores. After some time, the company scheduled a crew to come in and bulldoze the former church building and prepare the land for the new construction. There was outrage from people who were once faithful members of that church. They were devastated and angry because “their church” had closed and the building was being destroyed. They began to run the pastor in the ground and blame him for the church closing and the building being destroyed. There were several things that infuriated me about the comments being made by the “members” of this defunct church. These people lost their right to complain when they abandoned the church. If they had remained they could have contributed to the ministry. They voted to close the doors of this church with their attendance (or lack thereof) The most frustrating fact was what they were really upset about. They were not upset that the community no longer had a church. They were not upset about the lost souls that needed to be evangelized. They were not upset about the believers that needed to be discipled. They were not upset that their Savior had been neglected. No! They were upset because the pew that Granny sat on for 40 years was gone.They were upset that the sanctuary that Paw-Paw had helped build was now a pile of rubble. They were upset that the stained glass windows that their daddy had donated lay shattered on the ground.
Folks, this building is nothing more than brick and mortar. There are churches in our own association that are in bad situations and if something doesn’t happen soon they will not make it through the year. I am referring to churches that were once powerhouses for Jesus that are now struggling to keep the lights on. And in many cases neglect has caused these situations.
What did Hezekiah observe that was neglected in the kingdom?
1) Holiness Was Neglected - v6a “Our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD our God
2) Devotion Was Neglected - v6b “They have forsaken the Lord”
3) Attendance Was Neglected - v6c “and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD, and turned their backs.”
4) Worship Was Neglected - “they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense”
5) Offerings Were Neglected - “And they ceased presenting burnt offerings at the sanctuary”
The church today is seriously lacking in many of these areas. Some churches seem to have these attributes but they are merely a ritual. There are thousands of churches that close their doors each year. AND MANY OF THEM SHOULD because “they have left their first love”… they have abandoned Jesus.Many others appear to be thriving because we use superficial methods to measure their “success” But in the midst of it all, Holiness, devotion, attendance, worship and offerings are neglected. And ultimately in today’s church…. JESUS IS NEGLECTED!!
Are you half in and half out of this church
Are you neglecting your responsibilities?
Are you worshipping, attending, serving, sacrificing, praying, & offering?
Are you faithfully devoted to Jesus?
Each member has an impact on this church… is yours a positive or negative impact? Do not think that just because we have experienced growth over the past few years that we can’t find ourselves in a similar situation to some of the churches I have mentioned. We must KEEP THE MAIN THING THE MAIN THING! JESUS MUST BE OUR FOCUS! And if what we do is not about Jesus, then we must realize what is neglected …AND FIX IT!! There are severe consequences that come when Jesus is neglected. And we as we continue we will see that:
II. We Must Recognize What Is Happening - v8 Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes. 9 For, lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this.
While addressing the Priests & the Levites, Hezekiah explains the gravity of their situation. He says that the wicked actions of the leaders and the people have ignited the fury of the Lord. There were some severe consequences as a result of their sin:- The men had been killed in battle and the sons and daughters and wives have been captured.”
Because of the sins of the fathers they had experienced His wrath. Because the rest of the people followed in their ways they too were experiencing God’s wrath. Hezekiah proclaimed that {the Lord} “has made them an object of dread, horror, and ridicule”You can blame the problems with the country on the political leaders…You can blame the problems with the church on the religious leaders….But when you refuse to take a stand for what is right then you become guilty as well. And there are consequences that will come, and you may be experiencing those consequences right now! Today, more than ever we need revival in our land.
Just consider for a moment the attitudes and actions that are seen in our day:
Same Sex marriage
Divorce Rate
Crime Is Out Of Control
Economic Problems
Pastors Quitting and Failing Morally
Controversy & Conflict in the Church
Lack of Compassion & Evangelism
The Hypocrisy of Professing Christians
Southern Baptists consistently report fewer baptisms each year
Total church membership is declining.
George Barna reported that 3500 to 4500 protestant churches close their doors every year in America.
Folks, if we are going to “renovate the church” then we must “recognize what is happening” Because of the sins of God’s people:
Lost people are dying and going to hell
Saved people are not being discipled
A whole generation is coming up with a “form of godliness but denying the power thereof”
The Holy Spirit is being grieved.
The Son is being blasphemed
The Father is being dishonored and His wrath has been ignited
And it is time that the Church wakes up and sees what is happening! And once we recognize what is happening, then we must take the steps to turn from that sin and like Hezekiah we must “do what is right in the Lord’s sight”!
We Must Repair What Is Broken
We Must Remove What Doesn’t Belong
We Must Realize What Is Neglected and finally we must see that:
III. We Must Restore What Is Missing
Hezekiah has taken the proper steps to repair those things that had been broken. He ensured that everything that didn’t belong in the Temple and in the Kingdom was removed. He confronted the Priests and Levites and addressed the consequences that were happening as a result of the idolatry. Now he sets out to “Restore What Is Missing”
A. This Involves Our Relationship With God - v10 Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us. - He states that he intends to make a covenant with the Lord. He is going to cry out to the Lord and seek mercy from His wrath.
Hezekiah was going to claim God’s promise that was recorded in - 2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 15 Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place. 16 For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.
When it comes to restoring what is missing, we must start with our relationship with God. We will never see revival in the Church as a whole, until the people as individuals get right with Him! This is what Hezekiah prescribed to the Priests and Levites. He told them to “purify themselves” first. - I believe that God will honor the promise of II Chronicles 7:14 today! IF we will turn from our sins and to Him… THEN He will hear, forgive and heal!
Restoring what is missing involves our relationship and:
B. This Involves Our Work For The Lord - v11 My sons, be not now negligent: for the LORD hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto him, and burn incense 12 Then these Levites got right to work:
Hezekiah says to them “do not neglect your duties any longer” ...The work had been idle, Their service had be neglected, Now it was time to get back to work for the Lord. He also reminds them that they were chosen for this specific task - “the LORD hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto him”
Friend, if you have become negligent in your service you must understand this. The problem is not that you have let me down....It is not that you have let the church down...It is not even that you have neglected the lost.... The tragic fact is that you have failed to offer service to the Lord! I didn’t call you, the church didn’t call you, and your mama didn’t call you …THE LORD HAS CALLED YOU AND CHOSEN YOU TO SERVE HIM! And if you have turned from Him and refused to obey…. it is time to RESTORE WHAT IS MISSING IN YOUR LIFE!
And when we as individuals restore what is missing, then we can begin the process of “Renovating The Church” These men obeyed their King. Then they reached out and carried that message to others. - v15 and they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and came, according to the commandment of the king, by the words of the LORD, to cleanse the house of the LORD. - Instead of just a few people shouldering the load, now there were many together ready to do what was commanded.
What is most important is the fact that all of these people got together and did things God’s way - v16 And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad into the brook Kidron.
Folks, America needs revival, the Church needs revival and yes Stockdale Baptist Church needs revival. Let us do our part as individuals.
Let’s get together and:
i. Repair What Is Broken
ii. Remove What Doesn’t Belong
iii. Realize What Is Neglected
iv. Recognize What Is Happening
v. Restore What Is Missing
There is great hope and encouragement found in the fact that God DESIRES to REVIVE His people. God DESIRES to see His church “renovated”
And as we saw in II Chronicles 7:14..........
IF we will HUMBLE ourselves and PRAY and SEEK HIS FACE and TURN from our WICKED WAYS…
THEN He will HEAR from HEAVEN, FORGIVE our sin and HEAL our land!
