It appears that the church today thinks that it can do as they please, go their own way, modify scripture to their liking, pick and choose what to believe, refuse to repent and God will still be pleased. Most think that eternal life is a given because they go to church and have followed the directives, rules, traditions and regulations of whatever church they attend. Isaiah 29:13 “The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.” They adhere to the doctrines and theology without question and may even contribute with their time and money. On the surface everything appears to be just as God desired it to be, but the problem is appearances are deceiving. The reason appearances seem to be in order is because most do not test the spirits, nor do they check the distinct belief statements of the particular church they attend. Added to that is most do not know their bibles well enough to ask questions. When they do ask questions, the answers they are given sound knowledgeable, so they continue. Some may have questions but will leave not necessarily for doctrinal concerns but for greener pastures that satisfy their appetites. They may also leave for political, familial, or personal reasons but really have no idea what the church they are leaving believes nor do they know what the church they are going to believes. Their decision is probably based on kids’ programs, if they have kids, or a worship preference. They think that if they are emotionally satisfied with the worship, then God will be satisfied with their worship and then they go home and do it week after week until something else occurs and they move on or stop going all together. Tomorrow we will talk about worship and how it is not as it appears to be.
What most fail to understand is that the God they think they are worshipping is not the God of scripture. Mark 7:6 “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” 9 And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!” We know this rebellion has happened because there is no power from on High. Don’t be confused with success and God’s power as many have fallen for satan’s deception of success. Luke 4:5 “The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus did not fall for it, but many have because they think there worldly success is God doing the blessing. God does not bless when we rebel against Him. God will turn His face from us as scripture clearly states. Meanwhile the church continues as if all is well with their souls, when in fact it is not. Zechariah 7:11 “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and covered their ears. 12 They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry. 13 “‘When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the Lord Almighty. 14 ‘I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land they left behind them was so desolate that no one traveled through it. This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.’” Today the church is a desolate wasteland.
Rebellion is the rejection of God’s word. Paul said 2 Corinthians 11:4 “For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.” Galatians 1:6 “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” 1 Timothy 4:1 “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” 2 Timothy 4:3 “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” Every Sunday a different Jesus is worshipped, and other gospels are taught, and the church loves it this way. Jeremiah 5:30 “A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: 31 The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?” Meanwhile the church refuses to repent because they believe as they have been taught that God is love and no matter what, all will be well with their souls.
Men and women may teach this but scripture states otherwise. Yes, God is love but God does not tolerate rebellion. We still serve the same God as we read about here. Ezekiel 39:23 “And the nations will know that the people of Israel went into exile for their sin, because they were unfaithful to me. So I hid my face from them and handed them over to their enemies, and they all fell by the sword. 24 I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their offenses, and I hid my face from them.” Deuteronomy 31:16 “And the Lord said to Moses: “You are going to rest with your ancestors, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them. 17 And in that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters and calamities will come on them, and in that day they will ask, ‘Have not these disasters come on us because our God is not with us?’ 18 And I will certainly hide my face in that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods.” Disaster has already come upon the church in the form of the abomination that causes desolation. Deuteronomy 32:9 “The Lord saw this and rejected them because he was angered by his sons and daughters. 20 “I will hide my face from them,” he said, “and see what their end will be; for they are a perverse generation, children who are unfaithful. 21 They made me jealous by what is no god and angered me with their worthless idols. I will make them envious by those who are not a people; I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding.” Isaiah 57:17 “I was enraged by their sinful greed; I punished them, and hid my face in anger, yet they kept on in their willful ways.” Micah 3:4 “Then they will cry out to the Lord, but he will not answer them. At that time he will hide his face from them because of the evil they have done.”
On Sunday we will talk about God turning His face back to us which is good news for those who will turn from their wicked ways. Isaiah 54:8 “In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the Lord your Redeemer.” Isaiah 59:20 “The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,” declares the Lord.” So we repent and return, obey and wait for God to turn His face back to the church because God said Proverbs 8:17 “I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.” Zechariah 1:3 “Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.” If you are waiting, don’t give up. Isaiah 8:17 “I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the descendants of Jacob. I will put my trust in him.”
