The American Church is in a very unhealthy condition. I have witnessed an alarming trend among many believers, churches, and denominations: The replacing of God’s laws for the traditions of man. And even more frightening: An outright despising of the word of God. The results, according to Scripture, will be catastrophic!
“But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at His prophets until the wrath of the LORD was aroused against His people and there was no remedy.” (2 Chronicles 36:16) This is a sobering warning—to despise the word of God is to incur His wrath. And that wrath is not simply against the unbelieving world at large, but against His own people who were despising His words! And yet this is broadly done in every church in America today.
Thousands of church pastors openly deny that the Bible is the inspired word of God! While other pastors and believers claim that they believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, but rather than obeying God-given, God-commanded principles, they act as if God’s laws no longer apply to them. They try to justify their disobedience to God’s commandments by saying that because of Jesus’ death and resurrection we are no longer under the Law, but under grace.
And yet the apostle Peter writes: “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil.” (1 Peter 2:16) And the apostle Paul writes: “Shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace? Certainly not!” (Romans 6:15) Even Jesus himself said, “For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. So then, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do likewise will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-19)
Has everything been accomplished? Has heaven and earth passed away? No! The only thing that Jesus did away with by his death and resurrection was the sacrificial and ceremonial laws of Moses. God never changed His laws concerning His seventh day Sabbath or His Feast Days. (Malachi 3:6; Numbers 23:19; Psalm 119:89; James 1:17) It was man who changed God’s Saturday Sabbath to Sunday. It was man who exchanged God’s Feast Days for traditional holidays such as Christmas, Easter and Lent in the church. And in so doing, despise God’s commandments—and teach others to do the same. Contrary to popular belief, the Feast Days and Sabbaths of God’s word are not Jewish only. They are God’s commandments—For all of God’s people. (See Leviticus 23)
Many Christians today will say that they believe that the Bible is the word of God, but they show that they despise it by their words and actions that are contrary to the Scriptures. Colossians 3:8 tells us, “But now you must put aside all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth.” I have seen and heard more angry, filthy, slanderous and hateful language come from professing Christians than I have from professing atheists. How can this be?
I’ve seen instances too numerous to mention where Christians know precisely what the Bible says, but ignore those truths and follow their own desires instead. They have lost sight of the message of 2 Chronicles 36:16—that is, to despise the word of the Lord is to incur His “wrath against His people”.
The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” (2 Timothy 4:3 ) That’s where we are today—millions of Christians do not put up with sound doctrine, but follow “feel good” pastors and motivational speakers who tell them exactly what they want to hear—-and are made into twice as much a son of hell as they are! (Matthew 23:15)
“The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign LORD, “when I will send a famine through the land—not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD.” (Amos 8:11) This is the “famine” I see today in much of today’s churches. Pulpits are filled with man’s thoughts, self-help messages, and non-offending sermons. What should be proceeding from the pulpits is God’s thoughts, God’s commandments, from God’s word! Not some watered down version of God’s word!
I see a growing biblical illiteracy among Christians who have been spoon-fed a feel good, you’re okay, God overlooks your sin gospel. I see phony revivals, sermons about cultural relevance, and Christians who have gone from idolizing secular musicians to idolizing Christian artists who spend more time promoting their music than promoting God. It’s all idolatry and sin! I pray that God will bring to our land a true mighty revival, a turning back to God in tearful repentance from our wickedness so that God will again heal our land. May the truth of God’s word once more come alive in every Christian’s life. And may we never again come under the indictment of having despised the holy word of God! Amen!
“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:13-14)
