4, August 2002
Dakota Community Church
Leading Indicators of Spiritual Decline
Part I
Introduction:
When there is economic decline, governments pretend all is well.
When there is spiritual decline, Christians pretend all is well.
Sometimes you know but other don’t and sometimes others know and you have deceived yourself.
With the economy:
- Rising unemployment.
- Lower consumer spending.
- Higher inflation rate.
- Declining dollar value
Top Five Spiritual Indicators:
1. RISING DOUBTS.
- Two major fronts.
a. God and Christianity.
Most people doubt at times. It is important not to allow it to become habit.
Romans 11:13-24
13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry
14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them.
15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?
16 If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root,
18 do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.
19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in."
20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid.
21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.
22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.
23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.
24 After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!
Doubt feeds on itself like faith in reverse:
James 1:5-7
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;
Before the faith giants start nodding and finger pointing:
Jude 1:22
22 Be merciful to those who doubt;
What do you do about it? – Faith comes by hearing!
b. Self. – Doubting yourself and your ability to fulfill the call of God.
Question: Has anyone here ever faced this problem?
Look at the good company you are in:
Moses – Exodus 4:10-13
10 Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."
11 The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD?
12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."
13 But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."
Gideon – Judges 6:15
15 "But Lord, [1] " Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."
Jeremiah – Jeremiah 1:5-7
4 The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew [1] you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
6 "Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child."
7 But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, `I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.
Peter – Luke 5:8
8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!"
2. PROCRASTINATION.
When you start putting off dealing with things that need to be dealt with.
Joel 3:14
14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
Is someone counting on you to get something dealt with so that they can move on?
IS IT JESUS?
Mathew 25:18
18 But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
Ill.
“A farm boy accidentally overturned his wagonload of corn in the road. The farmer who lived nearby came to investigate. "Hey, Willis," he called out, "forget your troubles for a spell and come on in and have dinner with us. Then I’ll help you get the wagon up." "That’s mighty nice of you," Willis answered, "But I don’t think Pa would like me to." "Aw, come on, son!" the farmer insisted. "Well, okay," the boy finally agreed. "But Pa won’t like it." After a hearty dinner, Willis thanked his host. "I feel a lot better now, but I just know Pa is going to be real upset." "Don’t be foolish!" exclaimed the neighbor. "By the way, where is he?" "Under the wagon."
Don’t fall prey to the false belief that there is loads of time to do Gods will later. Remember He gave you your calling with the foreknowledge of how much time would have.
James 4:14
14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
Ill.
Deion "Prime Time" Sanders, outfielder for the Atlanta Braves and cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons, is the only athlete to have hit a Major League home run and scored an NFL touchdown in the same week.
Sanders grew up on the mean streets of Fort Myers, Fla., where exposure to some would-be athletes spurred him to make a success of himself He explains: "I call them Ida’s. ’If Ida done this, I’d be making three million today. If I’d a practiced a little harder, I’d be a superstar.’ They were as fast as me when they were kids, but instead of working for their dreams they chose drugs and a life of street comers.
When I was young, I had practice; my friends who didn’t went straight to the streets and never left.
- Mike Lupica in Esquire
Don’t be an Ida.
3. INCREASEING DEVOTION TO SYMBOLS OF SPIRITUALITY.
In an attempt to fool others or ourselves, we substitute religious symbols for true commitment.
- Taking communion becomes more important than being in communion with God.
- A visitor in your seat is less important than your need to sit there.
- Being on the worship team is more important than worshipping God.
Matthew 23:25-28
25"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
27"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. 28In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
Private victory always precedes public victory!
- You cannot reverse it any more than you can reverse the planting and harvesting order in your garden.
- Short cuts do not work.
- Can an average tennis player just decide to play pro?
- Would positive thinking be enough to allow you to compete on that level?
- There is no short cut to spiritual maturity.
RELIGION ALONE focuses on the things others can see and forgets that God can see everything about them.
Luke 1:39-40
“You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are still filthy--full of greed and wickedness! Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside?”
RELIGION ALONE worries about what others may think and wants to be PERFECT.
Luke 11:42-43
“But how terrible it will be for you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income, but you completely forget about justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but you should not leave undone the more important things. How terrible it will be for you Pharisees! For how you love the seats of honor in the synagogues and the respectful greetings from everyone as you walk through the markets!”
RELIGION ALONE finds the LOOPHOLES in the regulations in order to avoid obeying them.
Luke 11:46
"Yes," said Jesus, "how terrible it will be for you experts in religious law! For you crush people beneath impossible religious demands, and you never lift a finger to help ease the burden.”
RELIGION ALONE honors heroes of the past but rejects God’s work in the PRESENT.
Luke 11:47
“How terrible it will be for you! For you build tombs for the very prophets your ancestors killed long ago.”
RELIGION ALONE seeks a “deeper” message in the Bible in order to be in CONTROL.
Luke 11:52
“How terrible it will be for you experts in religious law! For you hide the key to knowledge from the people. You don’t enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering.”
RELIGION ALONE prevents people from becoming GENUINE Christians!
Illus.: “Silent Cowboy Movie”
Many years ago, in the days of the silent motion picture, a movie was being shown in a little Western town. The cowboys turned out in full force to see this modern miracle. This was the first time they had ever seen a movie. The plot centered around the usual triangle of a handsome hero, a beautiful heroine, and a villain. In the middle of the story, the villain kidnapped the girl, flung her on his horse and rode off with her. This was too much for the cowboys. They pulled out their six-shooters and fired into the screen, trying to stop the outlaw. They riddled the screen with holes, but the picture went on. Now, if just one of the cowboys had used his good sense, he would have turned and fired one shot into the projector!
Religion deals with the SCREEN; the Gospel deals with the PROJECTOR.
Conclusion:
Don’t miss next week for the exciting conclusion to:
Leading Indicators of Spiritual Decline
