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A Message to the Pulpits of America
Shane Idleman
0:00
0:00 4:35
Shane Idleman

A Message to the Pulpits of America

Shane Idleman · 4:35

The sermon emphasizes the importance of holiness and the need for the church to return to God, highlighting the role of the prophet in calling the people back to Him.
This sermon emphasizes the paramount importance of holiness as the key attribute of God, even above His love. It highlights how leaders, prophets, and the church have fallen short in recognizing and upholding the holy standard set by God. The message calls for a return to holiness, not weirdness, as seen in the example of Jeremiah being sanctified and called to convict and bring God's people back to Him.

Full Transcript

Holiness stands above all the other attributes of God, even more so than God is love. Holiness stands out more than any other attribute. The angels fell down in the holy presence of God.

Leaders, kings, priests, prophets fell down in the holy presence of God. This holiness of God, there's a holy standard that can't be compromised. It can't be debated.

It can't be missed. And that's what's happening in the church. The problem isn't that we raise our standard and miss it.

It's that we lower it and we hit it. Let me say that again. We do not raise our standard of holiness and we miss it.

We lower it and we hit it. It's burning. His word is in my heart like a burning fire.

It's shut up in my bones. I'm weary of holding it back. And I cannot.

This message of holiness. I believe God is calling the church to a place of holiness. Not weirdness.

Holiness. He often called his people. That was the whole role of the prophet.

Do you realize that? The whole role of the prophet, and of course the prophets I foretell all these different things, but was to go and call the people back to God. Jeremiah. God says, before I even formed you in the womb, Jeremiah, I called you and I sanctified you to be a prophet among my people.

He said, oh, but I am too young. God said, you're not too young, Jeremiah. You will go to who I send you.

You will preach what I tell you to preach. You will do what I command you to do. And the Bible records that God touched the mouth of Jeremiah.

And he said, you will pull down. You will root out. You will destroy the unfruitful works of darkness, Jeremiah.

That's your job to convict the people. Because without conviction, there's no turning to God. He was called to do that.

He was created to do that. Yet in our modern, comfortable churches today, in our society, we don't need that anymore. We're good.

No, we're not good. We need that more now than ever before. And halfway through Jeremiah's ministry, he's pushing forward.

And God says, listen, Jeremiah, go tell the people that they're listening to prophets who are prophesying of their own vision, of their own heart. Don't even listen to them. They're telling the people, peace, peace, when there is no peace.

There's no safety. Tell the people, don't listen to these guys because what are they doing? They're causing the people to walk according to the dictates of their own heart. And God says, I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran.

I have not prophesied to them, yet they spoke. But have they truly stood in my counsel. Have these teachers truly stood in my counsel.

They would have turned the entire nation back to God. Is not my word like a fire, like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? He told Jeremiah, tell my people they have perverted the words of a living God by not warning and instructing and encouraging and calling the people back. That was the role of that prophetic element in the Old Testament, is to call the people back.

And sadly, we read in 2 Chronicles, that God said, I sent my messengers. God said, I sent my messengers, rising them up early and sending them. Because why? I had compassion on my people.

That's why I sent these difficult messages. See, it's not that God's angry, He's calling a church back to Him. But He called, He said, I sent messengers to my people.

What happened? Did they listen? No, it says, they mocked my messengers, despised at my word, and scoffed at my prophets until the anger of the Lord arose against His own people until there was no remedy. What do you do when God says, you want it, you got it?

Sermon Outline

  1. I. The Importance of Holiness
  2. A. Holiness stands above all other attributes of God
  3. B. The angels fell down in the holy presence of God
  4. II. The Church's Failure to Maintain Holiness
  5. A. We lower the standard of holiness and hit it, rather than raising it and missing it
  6. B. We compromise God's holiness for comfort and convenience
  7. III. The Role of the Prophet
  8. A. To call the people back to God and His holiness
  9. B. To convict and turn the people to God
  10. IV. The Consequences of Ignoring God's Message
  11. A. Mocking and despising God's messengers and word
  12. B. The anger of the Lord arises against His people
  13. V. The Call to Return to God
  14. A. God's message is a call to holiness and repentance
  15. B. We must listen to and obey God's word

Key Quotes

“Holiness stands above all the other attributes of God, even more so than God is love.” — Shane Idleman
“It's burning. His word is in my heart like a burning fire.” — Shane Idleman
“What do you do when God says, you want it, you got it?” — Shane Idleman

Application Points

  • We must strive for holiness in our lives, raising the standard of God's holiness rather than lowering it.
  • We must listen to and obey God's word, even when it is difficult or uncomfortable.
  • We must stand in God's counsel and call the people back to Him, rather than compromising His holiness for comfort and convenience.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is holiness so important?
Holiness is important because it is the attribute of God that stands above all others, and it is the standard that we must strive for as His people.
What is the role of the prophet in the church?
The role of the prophet is to call the people back to God and His holiness, to convict and turn them to God.
What happens when we ignore God's message?
When we ignore God's message, we risk facing the anger of the Lord and the consequences of our disobedience.
How can we return to God?
We can return to God by listening to and obeying His word, and by striving for holiness in our lives.
What is the significance of Jeremiah's ministry?
Jeremiah's ministry is significant because it shows us the importance of standing in God's counsel and calling the people back to Him, even in the face of opposition and ridicule.

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