Preserving Ourselves In God's Paths - Part 1

I'm very happy to be back home. And as we think of God's goodness to us through 32 years since he planted the church here, you know, most movements in the history of Christianity in all these 2,000 years have always declined in spirituality, in zeal, in devotion to Christ, and lost sight of the goal that those who founded those movements set before the people. And when we look at a lot of denominations today in Christendom, we mustn't forget that almost all of them started in purity and zeal. And I think as each new movement started, they all said, what happened to others won't happen to us. And that's why they fell away and lost out. So, I never say that, and I hope none of us will ever say that. Humility requires us to say that we're no better than anybody else. But there are laws given us in God's Word, and if we follow those laws, then we need never fall away. It's the same with Christian workers. In the history of Christianity, and even in my own lifetime, I've seen a lot of people who decided to serve the Lord full-time, and who at a very young age came out to serve the Lord with great zeal and sincerity. But as time went on, they became famous and rich, and they slackened off in their devotion to Christ, and things which were primary for them in the early days became secondary, and they fell away. There are so many. In fact, the vast majority of Christian workers who started out well have fallen away in our country. The vast majority. But I also thank God for examples of godly men and women that I've seen and known who have retained the sweet aroma of Christ right through to the end of their lives. They are very few, very rare, but there are a few. And the reason they retained that aroma of Christ, the fragrance of Christ, till the end, in fact it became better and better, was because they understood the laws of God, and followed them literally, and did not look at others around them. The tragedy for a lot of young people in our generation is there are very few role models for them to follow. When they look at Christian leaders today, they see people who are more like film stars, or like rich businessmen, or like political leaders. Most Christian leaders are like film stars, businessmen, or political leaders. Those are the only people I can compare them to. Now if you looked at Jesus or Paul, you could never think that they were like film stars, or businessmen, or political leaders. So Christianity has drifted a lot from the message of Jesus and Paul. And these young people see these big people up on the platform, and they think, well, one day if I'm faithful, I'll also be like that. What? Like a rich businessman? Like a film star? And like a political leader? That's a sad thing. Now you can't blame those young people because they don't have better role models. I mean, if you go into the slums, those children in the slums are not aiming to be software engineers, they're just aiming to be masons, or something like that. Their role models are that. You know, if you become a mason, it's better than being a brick carrier. That's the only comparison they have. How is it many of you sitting here don't have a goal to be a mason? Because you have some role models. But those children are, just like you, born at the same time. The only reason they don't have any higher goals in life is because they don't have role models. I believe the great need in Christendom is for role models, people who can say, like the Apostle Paul, follow me as I follow Christ. I've hardly ever heard anybody in my life say those words. You can take up the challenge, follow me as I follow Christ. There is no church in the world which is a perfect church. No. In every church in the world, there are hypocrites. And if people ask me, are there hypocrites in your churches, Zach? I say, sure. I have no doubt about it. I know some of them myself. I don't go and tell them that. I mean, they've got the Bible, they've got the Holy Spirit. If they don't listen to them, where are they going to listen to me? And there are carnal people in every church. You say, in our churches too? Sure. There are people who live for the world and whose lives are influenced by worldly values. In our churches, yes. The thing we need to fight all the time, however, is that that spirit does not get into the leadership. As long as you can preserve two or three strong leaders in a church who are determined that all these worldly, carnal hypocrites will have no power in the church, then the church is okay. But once those leaders are gone, in every church in the history of Christianity, decline started. When people began to feel that Jesus is always so merciful and so mild and so compassionate. That's the picture. Every picture of Jesus that we see, painting, is one of the most common pictures of paintings of Jesus that you've seen. In a manger, there's a helpless baby who can't do anything to you. Or in Gethsemane, praying like that, helpless. Or hanging on a cross, helpless. Those are the most famous paintings of Jesus. And there's a work the devil has done through that, in portraying, even to Christians, a helpless sort of Jesus who is just meek and mild. Have you ever seen a painting of Jesus driving people out of the temple, turning their tables? You may see it in children's Bible storybooks, but nowhere else. You won't see a man hanging up a picture of that on his wall. Or have you seen a picture of Jesus coming out of the grave, alive? And also in Bible storybooks. And yet, that is the greatest event in the history of the world, not the crucifixion of Christ. The greatest event in the history of the world, not the crucifixion of Christ. And that's why we have an empty cross outside this building, with the words, Jesus Christ is alive. To tell people, he's not on the cross, he's alive. It's the most important message we have to convey to other people. You know what is our calling as a church? It is to demonstrate to the world around, by our life, conversation, and our attitudes, that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead, and he's alive. I mean, people who look at my life must feel, hey, there must be something in this. I was talking a little while ago to someone who wasn't sure whether there was a God or not, whether God existed or not, but who knew me very well, for many, many years, and who had a lot of respect for me. I said to him, do you think I wasted 48 years of my life living for someone who doesn't exist? Do you think I wasted my life by quitting my job, and giving away everything, and starting out 41 years ago to serve a God or someone who doesn't exist? And is it someone who doesn't exist who has taken care of me all these 41 years, when I've tried to follow the principles of Scripture? You know, that really set him thinking.