Rev. Rob Henderson
Shelby Wesleyan Church
https://www.angelfire.com/mi2/robhenderson/
robnaomi@oceana.net
September 24, 2000
Ezekiel 33:1-6
For several years my wife’s father worked as a security guard for an agency out of Grand Rapids. I drove Frank over to the main office to be measured for his uniform and to receive his orders. One time he showed me around one of the places he was guard over in Muskegon Heights. On another occasion I brought him Thanksgiving dinner at a college he was working. I even rode with him to Stony Lake to check out a house in the winter time. He later was awarded for his dedicated service. Frank’s security job was simple: sound the warning to police if something was amiss. Guard what was entrusted to his care even though it didn’t belong to him. And if something happened during his oversight then he would have to answer for it. He finally retired after several years of faithful service.
We have been entrusted to guard over something that isn’t ours. God has made the Church the watchman over the land. Our responsibility is to Watch and Warn. We must watch the land and warn our neighbors of impending danger. We must be about the work of warning those who are not in the kingdom that their soul is in peril.
This is no time for us to nit-pic one another over trivial matters. It is time that we as a body of believers begin reaching into the hearts and lives of those who need Jesus Christ. And forget who gets the credit. Our work is for the kingdom. My call to ministry is to God first. Your accountability for your work as a layperson is to that same God- first. The Church in America needs to push forward together and seek the lost that they may be found. Together we must reach out into the seas of iniquity and rescue the perishing.
As I observe our community over the course of the past year I see the numerous harvest times. First we harvest asparagus. That’s a big deal. (And I love asparagus.) Then we move on to cherries. Sweet cherries come first and then the tart cherries. Throw in the Queen Anns and Napoleons somewhere in all of that. Then it’s blueberries for that blueberry cheesecake. Corn- of course corn is in the midst of all of this. Following, we move onto peaches, then pears and finally apples. For the course of six months we harvest the land all around.
In John 4 after leading the Samaritan woman to salvation Jesus points out to his disciples that the fields are white with harvest. And as we observe the communities of which we are a part I can declare to you that the fields are white with harvest. True, the fruit harvest is coming to a close but the fruit stand at the gate of the kingdom is still open for business. We must be about the Father’s work- that should be our urgency.
So often we become too busy to be effective in the church. I realize that on the homefront we need a lot of things. We want to have security for the future, and the modern ammenities right now. There is nothing wrong with that. But let me say this: If your job or extra-curricular activities is not allowing you to work within the church then something is not right. We need our livelihood- yes. But God’s kingdom needs workers who are willing to do more than a token gift in the offering plate. Each one here has a responsibility to the kingdom. Each one here is a watchman and must warn the sinner of his lost ways.
We all want to see the world changed. We want to see the next election go in the right direction. We desire to see our schools effectively teach our children more than facts- but give moral support to the morality that is an issue all around us. What must we do to change the world of which we are a part? Should we join parent-teacher groups or become members of the local political organizations? I’m sure those might help but I do believe that we must have our heart in the right perspective.
1. To change the world we must have a heart of conviction.
We must know why we believe. And then be able to articulate that belief. Why am I a Christian? Why do I live my life in such a manner? What makes me different from the world? How about this?
“I was sinking deep in sin far from the peaceful shore.
“Very deeply stain within seeking to rise no more.
“But the Master of the sea, heard my despairing cry
“From the waters lifted me, now safe am I.”
What do I believe? “Love lifted me! When nothing else would help love lifted me.” God’s love lifted me out of the deep miry clay and he set my feet on the solid rock to stay.
We must also know what we believe. Jesus was born of a virgin, lived among mankind, was tempted in all points as we are but did not sin, he performed miracles, died on the cross, rose from the dead, and gives me new life through the forgiveness of sins.
And we must know who we believe. In our time of strange winds blowing across our land we must understand that we don’t just believe in God like 95% of our countrymen but that our awesome God is composed of three persons: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and these three are one. The Trinity in Unity is at work in our life, our Church, and wants to impact our community.
We must know what our convictions are if we are to change the world.
2. To change the world we must have a heart of love.
What is the real mark of a Christian? How can you spot a Christian a mile away? Is it our hair style or the way we smell? What differentiates a Christian?
Love. Love is the mark of a Christian.
But people are not always so lovable. People who are not like us are wierd. Of course we have no problem loving each other within the Church- right? But we are to do more than that- we are to love our enemies and our neighbor as ourself.
US News and World Report magazine had an article that raised the alarm of the increasing growth of neo-nazi groups. These hate groups believe in the supremacy of the white race and prey on those who do not fit within their particular scope of belief. I find it hard to understand how someone could hate another person with such intensity- to the point of wishing that person dead. There are people who despise others and try to bring all kinds of calamity on one another. Hate is truly a sin against the creation of God.
I have wondered about even Christians when we consider the topic of love. There are so many churches and Christians who name the name of Jesus but then embark on hateful agendas that only further the rift that already exists. What we don’t need are more parades of Christians who spout self-righteousness or another boycott that casts Christians as mean-spirited but we need Christians who are willing to humble themselves and bathe the leper or even the AIDS victim. We should show no less mercy to the homosexual as we would the drug addict or even our own brother or sister in Christ. Love should know no boundaries and certainly the love of Christ should never put down another human being.
Is it possible for Christianity to raise up the standard of love towards all people? I’m not sure but the challenge is there. To change the world we must have a heart of love- both for our brother and for the sinner. But how can we do this?
Ultimately, our love of God is what will make the difference. It’s easy for people say that they love someone. It’s just as easy for the Christian to talk about love. But the love that we are to show must come out of a love for God. Jesus tells us to “Love God with all your heart, soul and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.” How can anyone ever say “I love you” or be able to show true love if they don’t know who God is because “God is love?”
I seek out and love the undesirables because God has shown his love in my own heart.
To change the world we must have a heart of love.
3. To change the world we must have a heart to change the world.
We must see the eyes that say there’s no hope. The eyes that deem themselves hopeless. Hopelessness does exist. It exists in the faces of those trapped in waiting rooms at hospitals while a loved one’s life ebbs back and forth between this world and the next. It exists in the faces of those who have received the terrible health news or the tragedy of a loved one. As Christians we must be able see the hopelessness that inhabits the lives of those around us. Perhaps a neighbor or co-worker or even a friend.
We must hear the cries of the shackled. The drug addict desperately seeking a way out. The alcoholic looking for a way home. The broken-hearted searching for a tomorrow. Who will hear their cries for peace in a world that talks peace but only offers discord? Who will hear the cries of pain and be there to offer what they need most? Who will hear? Will any of us hear them? Will we be there to offer them that cold drink of water from the river of life?
We must feel the pain of the hurting. The abused wife, the neglected child, the wayward father. Will we feel the pain when they hurt the worst?
Somehow, I believe, that while Jesus was being nailed to the cross that with each swing of the hammer he felt the piercing of another soul’s heart. That with each whip lash he felt the pain of the broken heart. Jesus felt our pain- your pain and my pain- and took it with him so that we might be made whole again. Do we? Could we? Would we feel the pain of those hurting? And then be there with a reach of love- God’s love.
Changing the world will not happen from the top down; changing the world must happen from the bottom up. Revival is not something we plan for our church or community but revival is something we pray that will happen to our own personal life. Evangelism is not something that a few do but evangelsim is something that everyone is to do.
The bottom line is this: It’s up to you and me through the power of the Holy Spirit to sound the trumpet to a hurting world. We cannot expect anyone else to do it for us. We must step out by faith and change our world for the sake of Christ.
Behind the fasad of the achievements and success do we see the face of hell? The face of hell is not hell itself- though there are some who may feel that way; it is simply the cover. And it’s not a pretty cover. I see the face of hell when a family is torn apart by the sins of the parents; the children ripped from homes or torn between mom and dad. I see the face of hell in the eyes of men and women who are trapped by drug addiction or alcoholism; they have gotten on their knees and cried out to God for deliverance. I see the face of hell in the lives of those incarcerated for their lawlessness. Human beings wanting to do better but lacking the real power to do anything.
I could go on and on describing the face of hell- men and women, teenagers and children suffering the consequences of sin. Hungering for someone to save them from their body of death.
One day there were two pastors on their way to a prayer meeting. The two had been educated together and then found themselves ministering together in the same city despite their personality differences and opinions. As they approached the sanctuary just before prayer meeting time they encountered a disabled man who begged them for help. He had sought out others in his efforts to provide for his basic needs. And now he was looking to these two preachers for help.
Oftentimes we pray “God use me” but are we really willing to be used? What would you or I do in this situation?
Peter and John, the two ministers in Acts chapter three did only what God had empowered them to do; they gave what they had. They gave him Jesus. And it changed his life.
All we have to offer a hurting world is Jesus. Let’s give those who are hurting what they need most: let’s give them Jesus. Let’s move forward and storm the gates of hell for the glory of Christ. Let’s do so out of a heart of conviction, a heart of love, and a heart to change the world.
May God help us to sound the trumpet and warn the land.
