Anguish over Easter Sermon
Did you know there is a verse in the bible where God regretted His Creation?
Right there at the beginning - Genesis 6:6
New International Version
The LORD regretted that He had made human beings on the earth, and His heart was deeply troubled.
New Living Translation
So the LORD was sorry He had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke His heart.
New King James Version
And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
No matter what translation:
God REGRETTED making His Creation, it Grieved Him.
This wrecked me.
Right now, I am feeling the anguish that God must feel for His church. Again.
Still so new to The Word, this is a place I am in deep prayer in my daily walk. I see people, friends, “Christians” that are comfortable. 20 years Christian - just comfortable with soft, self-help, easy to process language only sometimes around some verse out of the Bible. Sometimes it is just pure self-help, good feeling storytelling, because after all, Jesus is our “friend”.
Jesus was radical. The love of Jesus is radical.
In Luke He said pick up your daily cross, deny yourself and follow Me! - Read Luke 9:23
Jesus was exact and often harsh in His focused clarity and demands of us.
He told us to gain the world and forfeit life - Read Mark 8:34-38
He was discriminate.
AND HE SAID NOT EVERYONE WILL ENTER THE KINGDOM - Read Matthew 7:21-23
There are rules for the reward.
It's all in the Book.
Satan is so clever in his hiding and mimicking God's work. And I am sad about this as I discover more and more about it, as I see it more and more clearly, and I hear more and more reasons why people are the way they are, and things are the way they are.
Recently: I heard from three separate pastors at a large church here in Louisville, regarding the culturally sensitive, sedative, Easter sermon.
And I pointed out that Jesus was not even mentioned by Name.
And I asked why.
I pointed out that nothing was shared about the Last Supper and betrayal that was Thursday night.
And I asked why.
I wept over the fact that there was not a mention of that Friday Jesus was butchered, that Jesus was in pain and mocked as He died. For us.
And I asked why.
I wondered about that Saturday, how the apostles must have wondered about their faith. Must have wondered what had happened to their Messiah. It was not mentioned.
And I asked why.
And on Sunday how He rose from that Tomb and Rattled those dry bones! Not mentioned.
And I asked why.
This is the basis of our faith and I was told the same thing three times and I was stunned:
Easter Service is really for non-believers. And after all, we had 20,000 more people come to our church services than ever before. (A literal quote).
I was in anguish for our Lord.
I'm struggling that well informed and I believe well intended church leaders see that more people in the service is the goal, more than the power of the service itself. What happened to the one lost lamb to the ninety-nine?
In a church that had absolutely stunning graphics, with an animated cartoonish tiny nail, with a tiny blood drop from it on the side of the graphic.
Nothing that was too painful. Nothing that was too hard.
I'm struggling here. I'm praying to God to Walk with Me in this. I'm listening to this sermon by Pastor David Wilkerson this morning and it shook me up. Listen with me, share your thoughts on this most powerful passionate sermon. It is older, and is less clear than some videos. He weeps and breaks my heart wide open for the Lord.
