Our warped definition of Christianity is disastrous

What, and how, we think is important; very important.  What we believe in, and what we believe about important topics and issues profoundly shapes who we are.  But there is more to it than what and how we think.  It is absolutely true that an individual cannot be a Christian if they do not believe in Jesus Christ, in other words, they believe that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, and that he lived, died, and was raised to new life in order to set us free from sin (enslavement to, and debt because of).  {See John 3:16 as an example of this explained in one sentence}  Belief is not the end of the road.  Belief has to be accompanied by repentance {a turning away from sinful behavior} and has to lead to righteous living {by the power of the Holy Spirit} in order for belief to be effective.  In order for it to be real.  A belief in Jesus which does not change the trajectory of a person's life, in ways both small and great, is meaningless.  Herein lies the problem.  Consider the two passages of Scripture below which together illustrate the absolute necessity of "fruit" (ethical behavior) and give nine prime examples of what it looks like:

Matthew 7:16-20 New International Version (NIV)
16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Galatians 5:22-24 New International Version (NIV)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

To say, "I am a Christian" is not enough.  To have a particular political viewpoint is not enough (and often misleading).  To know the key words one should say in order to "sound like a Christian" is not enough.  To attend a church at Christmas and Easter, or even more often, is not enough.  To own a Bible, or even read it, is not enough.  To give money to Christian charities, or the Church itself, is not enough.  A person could have all of those things, and outwardly look the part, but without love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control; they would have nothing. {See 1 Corinthians 11}  Don't get me wrong, someone who goes to church, reads a Bible, and gives money to Christian charities is better off than someone who doesn't; but only if those factors eventually lead to the radical change of mind and heart that gives evidence to the presence of the Holy Spirit and results in the outflow from that person's life of the fruit of the Spirit.  If a person remains "associated with" Christianity, but never moves forward, they will actually be worse off on the Day of Judgment for having known better without acting.  {See Hebrews 6:7-8}

The Church in America, in particular, has a self-identification problem.  We've allowed cultural distinctions and political viewpoints to more strongly define our view of what Christianity is than righteous living.  We've minimized our concern about the immorality that doesn't bother us: pride, lust, and greed in particular, and allowed ourselves to accept the delusion that anyone who looks the part and is on "our side" in the Culture War is Christian enough.  The Word of God says otherwise.  We will be known by God by our fruit, judged as genuine believers in Jesus, or not, by it. 

Those who mimic the look of being a Christian, without the heart-motivated acts of righteousness to go with it, are either self-deluded or charlatans, either a danger to themselves or to the church as a whole.  As long as we accept those who are "like us" as being good enough because we view Christianity as a cultural/political feud to be won, rather than a call to self-sacrificially serve the Kingdom of God that must be obeyed, we will continue to warp Christianity into something which is was never intended to be, with disastrous consequences.

Sermon Video: Peter Disowns Jesus - Matthew 26:69-75

In a well known and dramatic trio of confrontations, the Apostle Peter, formerly the most vocal and brash of Jesus' disciples, fails to acknowledge Jesus as his friend, rabbi, or Lord, when challenged by bystanders during Jesus' sham trial before the Sanhedrin.  Each of Peter's denials increases in their fervency, from his initial attempt at pretending to not understand the question, to a denial containing an oath, and then finally a denial backed up with the calling down of a curse if he should be lying.  In many ways, the experience of Peter parallels that of so many people who have followed a road of temptation into sin, each step of the way increasing the severity of the rebellion against God and the eventual guilt.  The Gospel of Matthew doesn't mention Peter again, but fortunately for Peter and for us, his story doesn't end with Peter outside weeping bitterly.  The Gospel of John contains the fullest account before Peter's central role in the book of Acts, in it Jesus repeats to Peter three times, "Do you love me?" as a means of restoring Peter's confidence that he was not permanently damaged by his failure, that passage ends with Jesus sharing with Peter a command filled with both love and service, "Follow me!".  Peter didn't fail his Lord in the future, he served the church faithfully for about thirty years, eventually affirming his faith in Jesus during Nero's anti-Christian purge, and in the end, dying for the Savior he had once denied.

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Sermon Video: May we be found faithful by God - 1 Corinthians 4:1-5

We have been entrusted with the Gospel by God.  Individual Christians, working collectively as the Church, have been given the awesome responsibility of being the guardians of the Gospel's message to a world which desperately needs it.  The question for us is simple: Will we be proven faithful in this task by God?
Our judgment of each other in this matter, is not accurate, our judgment of ourselves in this matter, can be misleading, but God's judgment will be both accurate and entirely thorough.  God will reward those who faithfully serve his kingdom, as only a righteous and holy judge could.

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Sermon Video: Hezekiah's Revival, Part 1 (of 4) - 2 Chronicles 29

When Hezekiah became king of Judah, he inherited a kingdom in grave crisis.  His father Ahaz had suffered multiple military defeats and left Hezekiah with enemies on all sides, including the aggressive Assyrian Empire to the north which had recently destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel.  How was Hezekiah to respond, where should he even begin?  Hezekiah chose, in the first month of his reign, to focus his energies and attention upon the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem.  Enemies without were not his first concern, for Hezekiah knew that the spiritual corruption and root within Judah would surely destroy his kingdom by bringing down upon them the wrath of God's justice.
With the temple defiled and in disrepair, Hezekiah brought together the priests and Levites, putting them to work on the task of getting the temple ready once more for worship of the LORD.  16 days later, the temple was ready.  The very next day, Hezekiah brought with him the leaders of Jerusalem for a ceremony of re-dedication that contained a significant focus: atonement.  Until the sins of the nation had been atoned for, the wrath of God still hung over the kingdom, Hezekiah knew how serious this situation was, he not only fulfilled what the Law of Moses required to atone for sin, but went beyond it as well.  The resulting ceremony not only featured sacrifices for sin, but vocal and instrumental worship as well, followed by an opportunity for the people to demonstrate their thankfullness to God.
Hezekiah knew his nation desperately needed revival, he began in the only place that will work, with repentance and re-dedication to the worship of the LORD.  If we, as a Church, or as a nation, truly desire revival in our day, we will heed Hezekiah's example and begin with purifying our own hearts and committing ourselves to truly being disciples of Jesus Christ.

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Sermon Video: The Steadfastness of Jotham - 2 Chronicles 27

In an era when fame, for any reason, at any price, is valued highly by so many, it is certainly worth our time to consider those mentioned in the Bible who aren't household names, never having achieved either fame or infamy.  Jotham, as a king of Judah, fits into that category.  Because Jotham died at only 41, his 16 years on the throne were not memorable enough to make us remember him as we have other kings of Israel and Judah, whether that be for their righteousness or their wickedness.
Jotham, unlike his father who died of leprosy as God's judgment, lived a life of steadfast devotion to God, consistently doing his best with what he had to work with during the time that was allotted to him.  It wasn't flashy, but it was a life pleasing to God, and just as importantly, devoid of the regrets that had plagued his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.
Jotham also showed wisdom in that he retained that which he learned from his father's capable administration of the kingdom, and at the same time entirely rejected the mistake that his father made in pride of presuming to usurp priestly duties.  For anyone to emulate what was good about our upbringing, and reject that which was bad, and then go on to live a life of walking before the LORD steadfastly, surely this is a worthy life.  You may not remember Jotham, but any of us should be glad to have a life lived as honorably.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: Should my word be my bond? - James 5:12

In all manner of aspects of business, politics, and personal relationships, the world is rife with the deceptions of lying, cheating, and stealing.  In many ways, those who find "success" in this world live by the mantra that "if you're not cheating, you're not trying".  For the people of God, such things are entirely unacceptable.  God's people, in contrast with the world, must live by honesty, integrity, and faithfulness.  We don't need oaths to strengthen our word, for our actions, day by day, ought to confirm to those around us that our word can be trusted.  It will cost us to live by a higher standard, we may lose out on business to an unscrupulous competitor, we may lose out on friendships with those live by deception; so be it.
Christian businessmen must choose to be honest and true in their dealings, Christian politicians must choose to abandon the back-stabbing, lying, and character assassinations so common in our current political scene (and those who claim to represent Christian values, but wallow in these vices, are in no way representing God's people), and Christians need to deal with their family, neighbors, and friends in honesty and integrity.  These are not optional choices for the people of God, but demands upon us by our Father.
FYI, this also means that in our arguments and debates, with fellow Christians or with unbelievers, we must embrace the truth, quote people fairly, eschew dirty tactics and character assassination, and treat our opponents with dignity.  That this behavior is sadly lacking, especially in what passes for debate on the internet, is painfully obvious.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: The faithfulness of Asa - 2 Chronicles 14-15

History is full of the stories of heroes and villains who attempted or accomplished dramatic things.  Far less well known are the builders, creators, and reformers whose efforts often go unnoticed even though their impact is not.  One such less well known but not less accomplished person in the Bible is the King of Judah, Asa.  Asa was the son of Abijah, a war hero who only reigned for three years, but he didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps.  The kingdom of Israel, which had rebelled against Asa’s grandfather Rehoboam, was exceedingly weakened by Abijah’s victory over them in battle, but Asa didn’t press forward to try to reclaim the land that Rehoboam’s pride had forfeited.  Instead, Asa chose a path of peace.  The temptation to seek glory in war was overshadowed in his mind by the need to work for reform amongst his own people.

                The focus of Asa’s reign as king was the destruction of the idols and altars of foreign gods that had existed in Judah since the days of Solomon.  This cancer upon the spiritual faithfulness of God’s covenant people had grown and was long overdue for removal.  When Asa came to the throne, he used his power and authority on behalf of the cause of moral purity, following the commands of the Word of God.  To remove idolatry would not be enough, however, Asa also urged his people to renew their efforts to follow the Law.  Whenever we seek to combat sin, we only do part of the needed task if we don’t replace sin with righteousness.  Our hearts abhor a vacuum, if sin is removed it will return again if the right and the good have not filled its place.

                Asa also prepared his people for war, building up the nation’s defenses, even in a time of peace.  This foresight proved valuable when the nation was invaded, but even though he had prepared ahead of time, Asa still cried out to the LORD for deliverance.  Asa’s mixture of prudence and reliance upon God is certainly worth emulating in our own lives.  We can and should use our mind and resources to prepare for the uncertainty of the future, and we certainly still need to rely upon the Lord when that day of trouble comes.

                After all of these victories, God sends the prophet Azariah to warn the people against the danger of wandering away during the good times.  God promises to always remain as long as his people are faithful, but warns them that if they leave him, he won’t stick around.  This reminds us that we have a relationship with God, something that requires commitment from both sides.  If we abandon God, how can we expect to still have a relationship?  To protect against such a mistake, Asa encourages the people to rededicate themselves to God, offering sacrifices and taking new oaths of fidelity.  The concluding commentary is encouraging, “They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them.  So the LORD gave them rest on every side.”

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video