Remain Faithful

Well, we made it through another Christmas! I hope you had a good one. Christmas mornings are a lot different from what I remember as a kid. When you're a kid, you're not worried about all the holiday preparation and crazy schedules and last minute gifts. You just go to bed and wake up on Christmas morning and everything is magical! I wouldn't describe much of what I've gone through the last handful of weeks as 'magical'.

And then, for many families - the continuing crazy of the pandemic changed lots of plans. We've seen what it's done to our congregation over the last two years. We're still not back to our previous programs and many are still with us only online. There have been some Churches who couldn't survive the 'shut downs' and low attendance and offerings. And they've had to cut back on staff or even shut their doors.

Fortunately - with God's blessings and many of you being so faithful - sure, we've struggled, but Deep River will continue to serve God for the foreseeable future. - But with all the depressing news, the lack of fellowship many have experienced, the growing lack of interest in faith in our culture - some have asked...

I. Could Christianity die out?

If people stop going to Church, if people believe that they have intellectually outgrown the Christian faith as an outdated, old fashioned belief, or if things got shutdown altogether again - could Christianity die out? In theory - sure - but in practice, I don't believe it for a minute. Christianity won't die out.

Now, we know, many of us firsthand, that a Church, a congregation can cease to exist. Some of you here have come from congregations that don't exist anymore. Every congregation has a life cycle. Some Churches remain vibrant for years over multiple generations, others slowly fade away. Think about it - even the Churches that the Apostle Paul himself started and wrote to and visited - they no longer exist as they did. You can't go and visit the 'First Christian Church' of Corinth or Galatia. Those congregations existed, flourished, they ministered to and served many people and have since passed away.

That's a reality of the life span of a Church. And our congregation is very blessed to have a very long history, longer than many, but we're not guaranteed to be around forever. A Church will exist for as long as it fits God's purposes and benefits His kingdom. Will Christianity die out? No.

My point is, Churches may fade away, nations may lose their faith - but there will always be those whose trust is in God. And this is because of God's faithfulness. The example we see in scripture is that God always preserves...

A. A remnant

There will always be those whose faith remains steadfast no matter what the world throws at them. You can't kill truth. In the past, people have died for the faith, and people continue, even today, to die for their faith in Jesus. Throughout the Old Testament we see this image of a 'remnant' very clearly. - Many of God's people would fall away, God would remove His blessing and protection - and tragedy would occur, but God always preserved a remnant, those who were faithful.

Back in the Old Testament, the city of Jerusalem was completely surrounded by their enemies. The people were terrified. King Hezekiah tore his clothes and put on sackcloth. He prayed to God for deliverance. And then God spoke through his prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 37:31-32 (NIV)...

Once more a remnant of the house of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above. (32) For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

The word 'zeal' comes from the word meaning 'jealousy'. But not 'jealousy' in a bad way - but in the idea of God strongly desiring what is rightfully His. God would 'zealously' make sure that His people were saved! The very will of God would accomplish this - it was a done deal, nothing could change it! God wouldn't desert His faithful ones. We see this image in the story of Noah where God saved Noah and his family. We see it in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah where God saved Lot and his family. God always preserved a remnant - those who belonged to Him.

But it's easy to believe that Christianity could die out as we see culture change around us; as we see more and more people reject Christianity and the Bible. It's easy to believe as we see our nation headed farther and farther away from our Christian founding and the Biblical values that made us so blessed. It's easy to believe in a time when you invite controversy simply by...

B. Speaking truth

There are many things on which the Bible clearly speaks - that if you say them openly in public, you will be 'attacked' or condemned. If you talk about how God created us male and female; if you speak of human beings as 'made in the image of God' and that human life is sacred; if you speak about God's design for marriage and human sexuality; if you proclaim that Jesus is The only way to the Father - if you speak openly on any of those subjects, you'll be the subject of ridicule and scorn and called all sort of names.

But should we really expect it to be different in today's culture? Because there are more and more people who reject Jesus as their Lord and Savior - of course we're going to have more people reject His teachings and anyone who attempts to follow Him.

I'm not saying I like it - but I really don't expect non-Christians to act and talk like Christians. It's not their responsibility to take a stand on Biblical teachings and values - it's ours. And of course we're to do it graciously and in a way that attracts people to Jesus rather than repel them - but it is our job in our culture. And it's a hard job. It reminds me of a passage from Israel's history where many were rejecting faith in God. And Joshua took a stand. Let's look at Joshua 24:14-15 (NIV)...

Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. (15) But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.

Joshua took a stand for God and reminded the people of their past sins. And Joshua made a commitment to stand firm regardless of what others decided to do. So go ahead, take a stand, graciously - not with the intention of picking a fight but rather with the goal of speaking the truth and being a witness for Jesus.

The world is going to do what it's going to do. We have a very limited control over any of that. But when you think about this idea of a 'remnant' - it's not the 'remnant's job' to control the situation - but to remain faithful. As the news screams around us 'doom and despair' - as we've endured an ongoing worldwide pandemic - as our culture continues to reject God's ways -- we are called to remain faithful and to remember...

II. God is in control

It's easy to say that - it's harder to live that in practice. But it's completely true!

I want to look back again to the prophet Isaiah. During his life, God's people witnessed all sorts of evil in the culture around them and even great sins among those called 'God's chosen people'. Many were going through the motions of religion but we're living lives just as bad as the nations around them. See if this passage sounds familiar...

Isaiah 59:12-18 (NIV)

For our offenses are many in your sight, and our sins testify against us. Our offenses are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities: (13) rebellion and treachery against the LORD, turning our backs on our God, fomenting oppression and revolt, uttering lies our hearts have conceived. (14) So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter.

(15) Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice. (16) He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. (17) He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.

(18) According to what they have done, so will he repay wrath to his enemies and retribution to his foes; he will repay the islands their due.

The world may be falling apart, many may be falling away, we may feel surrounded by evil - but God is in control. His 'zeal' for His people drives Him to action. We are called to remain faithful.

A. God has a plan

I don't care how bad things may appear - God is never surprised! And if you look at the awful things that God's people had to endure during the time Isaiah was writing - even during the times when there appeared to be absolutely no hope - God continued to remind His people that He had a plan all along. God spoke part of His larger plan for His people in Jerusalem and even for those to come. In the midst of what appeared to be chaos for God's people - God was always zealously working to provide for His people. We find this familiar 'Christmas' passage in Isaiah 9:6-7 (NIV)...

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (7) Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

Even when it feels like chaos reigns around us - because God is working to provide the best for His children, because God is in control, because God will always save a remnant of His faithful - we can find peace, knowing that things are still going...

B. According to the plan

The 'zeal of the Lord' was working throughout the Old Testament to provide for His people in ways that they could never have imagined! God was providing not just deliverance from their current enemies - but a way of deliverances from their own sins! And that prophecy of hope in the Old Testament was fulfilled in the New. And God's 'zeal' continued to work to provide for His people.

In Isaiah's time - the city of Jerusalem was under siege from their enemies. God promised 'to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders'. And that Son of God came back to the city of Jerusalem....

John 2:13-22 (NIV)

When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. (14) In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. (15) So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. (16) To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"

(17) His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me." (18) Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?" (19) Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." (20) The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" (21) But the temple he had spoken of was his body.

(22) After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

God never abandoned His people! Even death couldn't stop the zeal of the Lord for His people! We serve the same God as Isaiah - the same God who came as a baby in the manger - the same God who, in the person of Jesus, gave His life for us. This was God's plan all along to save His people.

So What?

Christianity won't die out in a generation. Yes, every generation struggles how to live out their faith in their generation - and Church attendance will continue to ebb and flow. But God will always preserve a remnant. What are you doing to make sure that you and your family and the generations that follow you will be a part of that remnant?

Christianity won't die out in a generation - but faith can die out in a family in one generation. Will your children and grandchildren follow Jesus? Will they be found faithful when Jesus returns? Or will your faith just be seen as an irrelevant, outdated tradition that will die with you?

Christianity won't die out in a generation - but your faith can die in you if you let it. Are you intentionally spending time with God and His Word, are you growing in your faith - or are you just coming to Church cause it's a nice thing to do...? If you don't work at it, your faith will just become a tradition. And it won't really matter to anyone, and it certainly won't make a difference in eternity.

However, when we authentically carry the faith - when we spend time with Jesus, when we fall in love with His Church, when we share Jesus with others - then imagine how vastly different our nation would look? Imagine how our families could be? Imagine how different our Churches would look? Imagine lost and hurting people finding the love of Jesus through us? Imagine what it will look like when Jesus returns and finds us faithful!