Sunday, July 30, 2006
July 30, 2006--Take it Or Leave It
Note: Sermon taken from Loose Outline Notes of Pastor, actual sermon delivered may have varied. No video available...sorry.
Scripture: Revelation 22:7, 12-16
You know, we have been talking about the New Life of Christianity, and we hit upon some of it last week. Some people may have some issues with this new life. One objection may be that it is unfair that this new life we speak of should be confined to people hwo have heard of Chrsit and been able to believe in Him? What about those who havent? The truth is that God has not told us what His arrangements about the other people are. WE do know that no man can be saved except through Christ; we do not know that only those who know Him can be saved through Him. But in the meantime, if you are worried about people outside, the most unreasonable thing you can do is to remain outside yoruself. Christians are Christ's body, the organism through which He works. Every addition to that body enables Him to do more. If you want to help those outside you must add your own lttle cell to the body of Christ who alone can help them. Cutting off a man's fingers would be an odd way of getting him to do more work.
Anotehr possible objection is this: why is God landing in this enemy occupied world in disguise and starting a sort of secret society to undermine the devil? First of all, we are not so secretive with our values as the world is. Why is He not landing in force, invading it? Is it that He is not strong enough? Well, we Christians think and KNOW that iHe is going to land in force, we don't know when. But we can guess why He is delaying. He wants to give us the chance of joining His side freely. I do not suppose you or I would have thought much of some French guy who waited til the Americans showed up and were marching into Germany and then announced he was on our side. God WILL invade. But I wonder whether people who ask God to interfere openly and directl in our world quite realize what it will be like when He does. When that happens, it is the end of the World. When the author walks out on the stage the play is over. it will be the end. There will be no more time to choose.
However, God is holding off the massive, D day style invasion because he loves us, His creation, so much that He wants as many of us saved as possible. You cannot tell me some of the more militant angels up there, given what is going on in our world and in some cases in the church as a whole, are not ready to come down and kick some tail? However, Christ is holding them back, not because of fear, but because of love.
God is going to invade, all right: butwhat is the good of saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else--something it never entered your head to conceive--entered in something so beautiful to some of us and so scary and horrible to others that none of us will have any choice left? For this time it will be God without disguise; soemthing so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or terror inot every creature. It will be too late then to choose our side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up. We will be revealed for who and what we are at that time. It will not be the time for choosing, it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realize it or not. Now today, this is the moment. It is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last forever. Look at today's headlines. It could be getting closer. It is up to us to use the time wisely. it is up to us to choose God's side and His divine deal...take it or leave it.
Scripture: Revelation 22:7, 12-16
You know, we have been talking about the New Life of Christianity, and we hit upon some of it last week. Some people may have some issues with this new life. One objection may be that it is unfair that this new life we speak of should be confined to people hwo have heard of Chrsit and been able to believe in Him? What about those who havent? The truth is that God has not told us what His arrangements about the other people are. WE do know that no man can be saved except through Christ; we do not know that only those who know Him can be saved through Him. But in the meantime, if you are worried about people outside, the most unreasonable thing you can do is to remain outside yoruself. Christians are Christ's body, the organism through which He works. Every addition to that body enables Him to do more. If you want to help those outside you must add your own lttle cell to the body of Christ who alone can help them. Cutting off a man's fingers would be an odd way of getting him to do more work.
Anotehr possible objection is this: why is God landing in this enemy occupied world in disguise and starting a sort of secret society to undermine the devil? First of all, we are not so secretive with our values as the world is. Why is He not landing in force, invading it? Is it that He is not strong enough? Well, we Christians think and KNOW that iHe is going to land in force, we don't know when. But we can guess why He is delaying. He wants to give us the chance of joining His side freely. I do not suppose you or I would have thought much of some French guy who waited til the Americans showed up and were marching into Germany and then announced he was on our side. God WILL invade. But I wonder whether people who ask God to interfere openly and directl in our world quite realize what it will be like when He does. When that happens, it is the end of the World. When the author walks out on the stage the play is over. it will be the end. There will be no more time to choose.
However, God is holding off the massive, D day style invasion because he loves us, His creation, so much that He wants as many of us saved as possible. You cannot tell me some of the more militant angels up there, given what is going on in our world and in some cases in the church as a whole, are not ready to come down and kick some tail? However, Christ is holding them back, not because of fear, but because of love.
God is going to invade, all right: butwhat is the good of saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else--something it never entered your head to conceive--entered in something so beautiful to some of us and so scary and horrible to others that none of us will have any choice left? For this time it will be God without disguise; soemthing so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or terror inot every creature. It will be too late then to choose our side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up. We will be revealed for who and what we are at that time. It will not be the time for choosing, it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realize it or not. Now today, this is the moment. It is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last forever. Look at today's headlines. It could be getting closer. It is up to us to use the time wisely. it is up to us to choose God's side and His divine deal...take it or leave it.
# posted by Mark : 11:50 AM
