Mild Christianity - Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ my Bible's house for good luck as you walk by, but that will make you right with God.

See that's not the way it is. You can have books when every kind of Christian issue.

You can have tapes just filling up your car listening and of itself will not make a difference in your life because holiness is not transferable. Joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Word radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie when Pastor Bill got for now. Once again he shows us God's word some years ago author name Chad Walsh wrote a book called early Christians in the 21st century and concluded his evaluation of 21st century Christians. This way, millions of Christians live in a sentimental haze of vague piety with soft organ music and lovely light of stained-glass windows.

Religion is a pleasant thing emotional quiver divorce from the intellect divorce from the will and demanding little except lipservice to a few harmless platitudes. I suspect he writes that Satan is called office attempt to convert people to agnosticism.

After all, the man travels far enough away from Christianity. He is always in danger of seeing in its proper perspective and deciding that it might be true is much safer.

Satan's point of view to vaccinate a man with a mild case of Christianity, so as to protect him from the real disease.

My first question for you this morning if you been vaccinated with a mild case of Christianity. He said they were always more satisfied with far less commitment to God and God will accept from us, so therefore God always sends messengers the people to challenge him and to confront their attitude messenger resends this stage was is Haggai. Would you open your Bibles to Haggai, chapter 2, they said he was a postexilic prophet. All that meant was that after Israel would come back into the land.

Actually Judah as they came back into the land after being for 70 years in captivity they were to get about doing the Lord's business. Your thought considering they were delivered by God, after 70 years, most of them born in captivity. You would've thought that they couldn't wait to get about God's business much like us. They began to waver on that idea. They got back in the land but instead of building the temple. They took the paneling from the cedars of Lebanon begin to paint other houses in 17 years went by, the Lord's temple would just lay fallow so the Lord said Haggai and this prophet had four messages to the people of Israel.

These four messages occur from late August September to December and each of them. He is trying to challenge the in the first message he challenged her apathy and they had become apathetic to the spiritual things of God.

Such an easy thing to have happened especially we become preoccupied with their own life the last week he dealt with discouragement and become discouraged because they had that kind of discouragement that I would call comparative discouragement.

You know it's like it's when you compare what you have in life with what somebody else has been compared this temple versus Solomon's Temple. We compare the things we compare someone else's job do our job someone else's marriage, our marriage to someone else's house to our house. Someone else's close OR close to Elsa's friends are friends and then we get discouraged, so the warning here. Haggai is not to be discouraged to comparison and now we come to the third and fourth message which will handle together from verse 10 of chapter 2 to the end of this short book. He has one more warning for the people and he is concerned about the sea. As I read this little book.

I'm trying to read between the lines and by now it's been three months is Haggai keeps looking at the people keep thinking something is wrong. The other going about building the temple, but there's just something wrong with these people. The vibrancy of their spiritual life is missing actually what is happening. According to lease this message is they been vaccinated with a mild case of faith is the same today. You know, Christians look at them something wrong.

Unhappy, joyless Christians, something's wrong.

If Christians are full of worry and anxiety something wrong if Christians are bitter and angry about everything.

Something's wrong and have unloving and selfish Christians, something's wrong, get greedy and unethical Christians. Something's wrong.

If you have apathetic and indifferent Christians something wrong and what probably as long as they have been immunized against the real disease and they have mild Christianity disorder and there are many, and I almost hate to say, if not most, the church of Jesus Christ to suffer from this. By the way, it's very easy to get a mild case of Christianity. Notice in verse 10 on the 24th day of the ninth month the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Haggai the prophet, saying the system Lord of host asked.

Now the priests for rolling again. I love the humor of the Bible, but in my opinion, this is humorous. Everybody in Israel and Judah would kind of know what is going ask is a pretty obvious thing, but he says this asked the priests because he wants the people to understand the way they feel is not consistent with God's revelation. Yes, this question if a man carries holy meet in the fold of his garment any touches but with a soul food, wine, oil, or any other food will become holy priest probably think my chances with all to Leviticus chapter 6 when the priest transfer what was sacrificed to take what was sacrifice me to take the meeting to put in the fold of his garment he could fold up and holding his hand. His garment was considered holy. The reason that his garment was considered holy is that he was touching it was touching the sacrifice. The question was if you just of the garment and begin to touch things with it.

Would that make them holy and the answer of course is no, it won't see the application you can become spiritual by touching spiritual things, you'll become a victorious Christian by hanging out with just other victorious Christians to get by osmosis, that doesn't work. Doing this is not transferable. That way when I was a Dallas theological seminary.

I actually in the beginning was probably naïve enough to think that once I was there I was going to really be holy. There was going to holy place and I think of the professors are all holy men in all always doing so the holy guys are given her holy life.

Holy God, the holy church and I met up. It wasn't that way. Some of the most incredible believers I've ever met in my life that institution. But there are others who are not. There were faculty members who are close to God, and there were faculty members who did not. There were students walk close to God, and students who were spiritual front because you don't get holiness by just touching someone else was holy. You only become holy. By touching the sacrifice for us the sacrifices Jesus Christ see it's only in your contact to Jesus with Jesus Christ that will make a difference in your life and change it. You say no I I have five Christian friends.

My parents are committed Christians will help you at all.

I got a Bible church a big teach the Bible there were no unified Bible skewed one of you in your house you could rub it for good luck as you walk by. That will make you right with God. See that's not the way it is. You could have books when every kind of Christian issues you could have takes just filling up your car listening, but that in of itself will not make a difference in your life because holiness is not transferable. It only comes about when you touch, sacrifice.

There's a second point he makes in the next verse in Haggai is one who is unclean from a course touches any of these latter become unclean.

The priest answered and said it will become unclean. What is referring to is if I were priest and I when I touch the corpse that would make me unclean. I walked out and I touch Brad Billy's unclean belly starts touching every one of you all unclean that works just the opposite application of that sin is much more transferable than holiness know that going. We have all kinds of idioms.

Proverbs one bad apple is what yeah that way get bad apple basket good at was generally right wants to go right in the middle government see what happens and that's the way goes. This is a little leaven because what leaven the whole lump number Israel member back in Joshua did something in his tent. Unclean Senate hearing to be okay. No wasn't the guy just judging and no we didn't judge them all. Sin has a tendency to be really transferable, and by the way, we know that parents of teenagers you know that when anybody you call it the peer group project just care about the peer group.

The peer group. I always others. I talked to parents as kids are always in trouble.

This is what they say. Here she is in with the wrong get there in the room of the rhonchi but understand this if I talked to their parents, their kids are in with the wrong crowd that your kid is in the wrong crowd have yet to talk to a parent that said my kid is the wrong crowd is a capital wrong crowd. He makes everyone around wrong and says that that's not the way works. There's truth to it. Sin has a way of being transferable. It's like a natural laws a second law of thermodynamics. Everything is everything is coming down anything as degrading. Anything falls apart in a fallen universe in a fallen creation should take. It takes a century to growing oak tree to get down five minutes it takes a lifetime to build a reputation of integrity. You can lose all in one afternoon as a fact of life knows that weeds are easy to grow than flowers. Just imagine it what you want to do this year is just a lot and just take all your landscaping weeds and their men in the summer when rowing is hot once the flowers come in and take over. That's funny because it doesn't happen that way doesn't this flowers and there you better be committed to you better take care of them. You better nurture them to better feed them and you better get the weeds out, because that's the way life is. And that's what Haggai is trying to say knows the ramifications he says, then verse 14 that Haggai answered and said so is this people tend so is this nation before me and so is every work of their hands and what they offer their is unclean. That's in God's perspective. God says I don't care if you are sons of Abraham.

I don't care if you been delivered from Babylon.

I don't care if you're working on the temple of God.

Everything you do and everything you offer me from my point of view is on clean. Why because you only have a mild case believers your heart is far from me thinking more about your own home, then you are about me.

It's exactly the kinds of things you see today you see if you're a Christian who is unhappy and join us if you're Christians for worry and anxiety angered him bitter and loving and selfish, greedy, unethical, apathetic and indifferent and you think that every time you show up on a setting you offer up to God. Worship that he does.

I'm so impressed you came is not, but your heart is right. Mrs. please don't be vaccinated with a mild case of Christianity is not something God will accept it is not something that will link and let go by.

If you belong to God like Israel belongs to God he will deal with you.

That's the side effects that goes on describes notice verse 15 pieces but now do consider from this day onward before one stone was placed on another in the temple of the Lord in the time when one came to agreement to a grain heap of 20 measures. He says there would be only 10 anyone came to the wine vat to draw 50 measures. There will be only 20 I smote you and every work of your hands with a blasting windmill doing Helen yet you did not come back to me. One of the side effects you know you been vaccinated with a mild case of Christianity.

The first is this you have low spiritual resources. Knowing you have low spiritual resources. Israel was a nation in order for the nation to overcome the difficult times times of war times of drought.

What they did is they took their excesses and they put in Barnsley put in the bats and so when a dog the hard times came they were going to the resources they were tapping the resources we say to principally save for the rainy day, so it is virtually no life. You have low spiritual resources when the drought comes when the storms come of the storms of life. When the difficulties come in. The thunder rumbles and the lightning strikes you do is instead of having 50 measures.

You have only 2720 during 2010 and what you find as you just panic in a situation because is no deep spiritual resource within you to grab on to this. If that's the case in your life. There's a good chance you been vaccinated with a mild case of Christianity is a sad thing to see because a part of it is a trauma storms. All of us mimics a source that is a pacifist I know was can happen eventually in your life it's going to hit that barn is empty it's empty and all those resources used to be reclaimed to an grabber God and that's why God said I want to come back and you did not notice verse 17 says something a little different. You have low spiritual resources number 16 and 17. He says never seem to make much spiritual progress. I smote you in every work of your hands blasting windmill doing Helen you do not come back for some of us we never seem to make any spiritual progress.

We were last year's will be our this year where we were five years ago was where we are now were 10 years ago were still there. It seems as though, instead of moving on were not moving, just sort of sitting still feel like that some of talk about what you do either not talk about how often your church with the lead Bible, thought about any of that kind of stuff when talking about is when push comes to shove, and it does hit the fan where you what's going on in your life do you tapping the Lord right then does it have meaning and purpose. You find yourself spiritually bankrupt because you don't have anything to offer. See that's a side effect of being vaccinated with mild Christianity disorder first 19 he says, is the seed still in the barn even including the vine and fig tree, the pomegranate in the olive tree is not borne fruit understand this yet understand the culture in the month. This is the month of cheese. Blue this is the month of what they call the early rain. This is the month you wait for the when it rains in Israel you now plant the seeds so that you can have a harvest in the summer and late summer he says of them as your seed is still in the barn is one of the side effects. Knowing you have low spiritual resources. You never seem to make spiritual progress.

But God is withholding buzzing is withholding arrangement. See that's an amazing and sobering thought is he does know he doesn't for a purpose. Notice he says is not borne fruit because he said before, you have not yet come back to me. God withholds rain the withholding rate in your life is your Israelites are two steps for three steps back to Callaway's going if it is in your believer in Jesus Christ. You really have to examine yourself, do I have this mild case in my reading what I'm so because you cannot. So apathy and indifference with God Almighty and weak blessing.

It will not happen and he's consistent about that in the old and the New Testament. The good thing is there's a cure doing is here in these passages in order to be cured. It simply takes a backward look and affordable goddesses.

In other words, I have to look back to what I have sown in for the what God can do, that's what I need to do and that's what he's asking to do. Notice verse 15 but now do consider verse 18, do consider the end of verse 18 consider that a lot of profit on the son of one, but my thought here is of God says it three times. I don't think he stutters.

I think it's important. It's really Jesus saying he who has ears to hear, let him hear.

I think he knew it ears and most people did what he meant was, this is something to emphasize when he says here, consider consider consider is exactly what he said in chapter 1 verse five. Consider your ways. Verse seven. Consider your ways.

We want you to do is excite assess your life assess it back on your life.

In the worst times came were your spiritual fortress or your Sandcastle see what happened in those darkest times were you able to reline a tap on the resources of God. We are not seeking that's what you say and if you have this is built into the whole biblical doctrine of repentance. Consider your ways. Is this saying. Assess your life change your mind, foot directions. That's what he saying Sunday school teacher asked the class for things. What does repentance mean what put up his hand said Rebecca's means being sorry for your sins and little girl who always like to correct them in class raise her hand said it's being sorry enough to quit one of them exactly theologically online.

She makes a really good point. When requires a change in the human being holy place and go with me to first John chapter 1 to get a New Testament view the same idea that Haggai speaking of first John chapter 1 by the end of the Bible.

John says in verse five, and this is the message that we, the apostles of her from him. That is Jesus Christ. And we announce to you, God is light and in him is no darkness at all was a name. It means exactly what we were singing all morning and we sing holy, holy, holy is the Lord God is like in him is no darkness at all, is not a word just to scare us.

In fact, is not really a holy word is not being is not about some kind of deep mystical religious thing only simply means set apart holy means set apart God is set apart from everything. Is there anything like God.

No ideas of something holy.

Other that's what it means God is holy we say, holy, holy, holy, what were saying is there is none like you. There are no other gods like you.

You are set apart when he tells us that Israel is to be a holy nation hit me just to be set apart by God to be his people as a holy temple that that was set apart to worship God. We are a holy people being set apart by God and so when God says in Leviticus and in Peter DD holy, for I am holy means live and act differently be set apart Christianity is all about pastor broke apart.

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