SERMON: THE NEW NORMAL

16 May 2010

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Ezekiel 16

49. "`Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.
50. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.

-- Hudson Taylor is a name that few of us are familiar with these days -- but in his day, he was widely known and regarded as an ambassador of God to the heathen nation of China -- serving as a missionary in China for 51 years, Taylor began the ministry known as the China Inland Mission -- through this organization, he established 20 mission stations and brought over 950 additional missionaries to the field in China -- he trained about 700 Chinese workers in ministry -- raised four million dollars by faith -- and developed a vibrant Chinese church of over 125,000 believers
-- out of these, it has been said that Taylor brought 35,000 to faith in Christ and that he personally baptized 50,000 Chinese Christians over the course of his time in China
-- Hudson Taylor is known as the father of modern missions -- but the question before us this morning is, "Why is he considered so remarkable a man?" -- or, in other words, why are we not doing the same things for Christ in our life and in the place where God put us that Hudson Taylor did where God put him?

-- Taylor's Christian life was not always one that was remarkable and miraculous -- in fact, he started his Christian life much like most of us -- he grew up in a Christian home -- he went to church faithfully with his parents -- but, like so many of us, he drifted away from his faith when he was a teen -- he took up worldly vices and lived a secular life apart from the church for years
-- one day, when he was 17 years old, he went into his father's library to find a book to read -- his eyes fell on a gospel tract called, "It is finished," -- and after picking it up and reading it, he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior
-- immediately after his conversion, Taylor was on fire for the Lord -- he was enthusiastic -- he participated in worship with a new-found vigor -- but, within a few months, he found himself giving way to the "normal" way of doing Christianity -- going to church -- singing the hymns -- listening to the sermon -- and going home -- just like everyone else -- just like us
-- but Taylor recognized his growing complacency with the faith -- he recognized that he was falling into the trap of just getting by in his faith -- and so he took a sabbath -- a time off -- to pray and to be with the Lord alone
-- reading through his Bible, he began to realize that the life he was living was not the normal Christian life that the early Christians enjoyed -- he realized that the life he was living was one of disobedience characterized by a lack of power and true Godliness
-- he longed to follow the pattern of the early Christians -- to follow their life and to live with Christ as they had lived -- over the course of this sabbath time with God, his faith was renewed -- his fire for Christ was rekindled -- and Taylor began to make plans to head to China to fulfill his call to be a missionary -- living a life and experiencing a fruitful ministry that we would call remarkable and out of the ordinary but that Taylor would call "normal Christianity"

II. Normal Christianity
-- there is a growing concern among Christians about the state of the church in America today -- when we look at the church in America today and compare it to the early church, we do not see the power and the miraculous experiences that they had -- we do not see a people sold out for Christ -- sacrificing all that they have in order to experience Jesus and to see great things done in His name -- we do not see a group of people capable of turning this world upside-down as the early church did
-- we are experiencing what we call "normal Christianity" in our churches today -- we read our Bibles -- we go to worship services -- we pray and gather for Bible studies -- we have Vacation Bible Schools and fellowship dinners and other programs -- but is this enough? -- is this Christianity? -- or as Francois Fenelon questioned in "The Seeking Heart," "To just read the Bible, attend church, and avoid 'big' sins -- is this passionate, wholehearted love for God?"
-- while the Christian life we are living is normal for us, is it the normal that we should be seeking? -- if we have the same God as the early church did -- if we have the same Jesus that the early church relied on for power and miraculous works in their midst -- then why should stories of men and women like Hudson Taylor and Mother Teresa and Billy Graham be considered something extraordinary -- something abnormal? -- why shouldn't their example be the normal pattern of life for a Christian rather than something that occurs only once in a while?

-- I think the answer to this question lies with the issue of obedience, faith, and trust -- the reason we are not seeing Christ magnified in our homes and in our churches and in our country today -- the reason we are not seeing lives changed and transformed in miraculous ways -- is because we are not living wholeheartedly for God -- we are not living in our faith -- we are not trusting in God to do great things through us
-- in a very real way, we are like the nation of Israel in these verses we read from the Book of Ezekiel -- in this prophetic passage, God was condemning the nation of Israel for their sins and their failures as His people -- earlier in the chapter he reminded them that He had chosen them -- that out of all the nations on earth, He had called them forth to be His people -- He had blessed them and brought them into the Promised Land -- He had told them that He was to be their God and they were to be His people and that He would be with them always
-- but rather than living the promise -- rather than living lives that were different -- they continually sought to be like the nations around them -- they wanted to be "normal"
-- instead of following God and His commands wholeheartedly, they did life on their own -- they still read the Scriptures -- they still went to temple -- they still gave the appearance of following God -- but they didn't follow Him with their whole heart -- they depended more on themselves and their riches and talents than they did in the providence of the Creator

-- and so God condemns them in these verses -- look back at verse 49

49. "`Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.
50. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.

-- God says the sins of the nation of Israel -- the sins of the people that He had called by His name and chosen for Himself -- were just like those of the city of Sodom
-- He says here they were arrogant or prideful -- in other words, they relied upon themselves and their own strength to survive -- they thought they were greater than they were -- they thought they were self-made people capable of doing anything on their own

-- God calls them "overfed" or filled with bread and unconcerned about others -- in other words, they satisfied their own wants and wishes rather than sacrificing to meet the needs of others -- they did not help the poor or the needy, but only took care of themselves -- they were rich and prosperous and ignored the plight of those around them
-- Jesus told us in Matthew 5:40-42, "if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. -- If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. -- Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you."
-- normal Christianity should be demonstrated through our concern for the well-being of those around us

-- God called the Israelites "haughty" -- prideful -- scornful of those around them -- because they were the people of God -- because they were rich and all their desires were met, they considered themselves superior to those around them -- when really, they were just like them in their attitudes and in their behavior
-- God said they did detestable things before Him -- even though they were God's chosen people, they rejected God -- first, by seeking a king like all the other nations -- and then, by turning away and worshiping foreign gods
-- rather than follow God with their whole hearts, they chose to run after the gods of this world -- to fill their lives with material things rather than the spiritual wealth that God offered
-- because of all their sins, God told the nation of Israel that they would suffer the same fate as Sodom -- that they would be sent away and destroyed as a nation -- in the case of Israel, the nation would be exiled into captivity in Babylon, far away from the promised land and the promises of God

III. Lukewarm Christians
-- another term for the way the Israelites in Ezekiel's day were living life is "lukewarm"
-- in Revelation 3:15-16, Jesus warned the church at Laodicea that they were following the pattern of the Israelites -- He tells them that they are neither cold nor hot -- they are neither fully against Him or fully for Him -- instead, they are just lukewarm
-- in other words, they were just getting by -- they were going through the motions of Christianity -- they were going to church -- they were singing the hymns -- they were listening to the sermon -- but they were not living it in their heart -- just like the Israelites in this passage, they were not following Christ with their whole hearts
-- the Laodiceans thought they were rich -- they thought they had it made -- they thought they didn't need anything or anyone else -- but Jesus called them poor, blind, and naked -- He warned them that they needed spiritual wealth, spiritual clothes, and spiritual healing -- or they would face the same fate as the Israelites in Ezekiel's day
-- He called for them to revive themselves -- to make themselves alive for Him again -- to set themselves on fire by loving Him with their whole heart and not just part of it anymore

-- as I read through these two passages, it struck me how similar we are to these people -- rather than living lives sold out to Christ, American Christians are really no different from anyone else around us -- we call ourselves "normal" when we go to church just once or twice a week when in reality we are halfhearted, lukewarm, and only partially committed to Christ
-- what does a lukewarm Christian look like in our day? -- Francis Chan gives us several examples in his book, "Crazy Love" -- see how these descriptions fit your life

-- first, he says that lukewarm people attend church fairly regularly -- after all, it is what is expected of them and it is what good Christians do -- so they attend church on a regular basis -- they read the scriptures -- they listen to the sermon -- they sing the hymns -- but then they go home and do nothing for Christ

-- lukewarm people give money to charity and to the church -- but they do so out of their wealth and not out of their need -- in other words, we don't mind giving, as long as it doesn't really affect our standard of living -- we give, but not enough to hurt -- we give, but not enough to force us to give up our cell phones or our cable TV or any of the other luxuries we enjoy

-- lukewarm people tend to choose what is popular over what is right -- we worry more about what other people think about us rather than what God would want us to do -- we'll do church -- we'll do Christianity -- but we're not going to go crazy about it -- we're not going to be fanatics or like those weird people who talk about Jesus all the time or who witness to others on street corners

-- lukewarm people don't really want to be saved from their sin -- they only want to be saved from the penalty of their sin -- that's why we find ourselves giving in to the same old sins over and over again -- we've never really given them up, because, secretly, we enjoy them in our hearts and know that Jesus will forgive us anyway

-- lukewarm people rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends -- they don't want to be rejected and they don't want to make people uncomfortable by talking about God or about religion

-- lukewarm people gauge their morality by comparing themselves to others -- we try to justify ourselves by looking at those around us and breathing a sigh of relief when we see them falling for the big sins or not living life for God at all -- "Why, they don't even go to church"

-- lukewarm people say they love God and Jesus -- and they do -- just not with their whole hearts -- God has a place in their life, but it is a defined place -- Sunday mornings -- Tuesday nights -- and not much outside of that -- life is busy -- so long as we give God some time, isn't that enough?

-- lukewarm people don't really love others as much as themselves -- oh, they might care for those who love them in return -- their family, friends, and other people they know -- but they really don't love or spend time on those who cannot love them back -- for those people they really don't like a lot -- for the poor and the homeless and the others they pass by on a daily basis

-- lukewarm people worry more about life on earth than they do eternity in heaven -- our daily lives are focused on today's "to-do" list -- on this week's schedule -- on planning for the next vacation -- rarely do we focus on heavenly treasure, but spend all our time and effort on the here and now

-- lukewarm people are truly thankful to God for their luxuries and comforts, but rarely consider trying to give more to the poor than they are doing -- they are quick to point out, "Jesus never said money is the root of all evil, only that the love of money is" -- having things isn't a sin -- surely God wouldn't have given me all of this if He didn't want me to enjoy it

-- lukewarm people do whatever is necessary to keep themselves from feeling too guilty -- they ask, "How far can I go before it's considered a sin?" rather than "How can I keep myself holy?" -- they ask, "How much do I have to give?" instead of "How much can I give?" -- they ask "How much time should I spend reading my Bible and praying?" instead of "I wish I could spend more time reading my Bible today"

-- Lukewarm people do not live by faith -- they believe in God -- they just don't trust Him -- they build up savings accounts and emergency funds in case something unexpected happens -- they don't let God direct their lives -- they have their lives all planned out -- they don't depend on God on a daily basis -- their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are in good health

-- the truth is, for lukewarm people, their lives wouldn't look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God -- the point that Francis Chan is trying to make is that a "relationship with God simply cannot grow when money, sins, activities, favorite sports teams, addictions, or commitments are piled on top of it" -- we can't love God with our whole hearts if our hearts are divided
-- this is the reason our churches are so impotent -- this is the reason our lives are so impotent -- this is the reason why preachers aren't in the pulpit this morning talking about you or about me
-- it's because we are not living sold-out lives for Christ -- it is because we are trying to straddle the fence -- to live part of our lives for Christ and part of our lives for the world -- this may be normal for today but it is not normal, Biblical Christianity
-- Jesus didn't say He wanted part of us -- He didn't say, "Follow me on Sundays" -- He didn't say that the greatest commandment was to love the Lord your God with some of your heart and some of your strength and some of your soul -- no, Jesus wants it all -- that's why we sing, "All to Jesus I surrender -- all to Him I freely give -- I will ever love and trust Him -- in His presence daily live"

-- as I close this morning, I want you to stop for a moment and think about what it means to be a normal Christian -- not normal as the world defines -- not normal as we define -- but normal as God defines it
-- all of us fit the definition of a lukewarm Christian from time to time -- all of us have periods in our lives when we are not living for God as we should -- but the call from Christ is to give Him our all -- to make Him the priority -- and to let Him be both Savior and Lord of our lives
-- as we close today, ask God to help you give Him your whole heart -- ask God to help you turn from complacency and from being a lukewarm Christian into a person sold-out for Jesus -- into a person that God can use -- into a person that lives for Him with your whole heart and soul and being
-- and don't just listen to the word of God this morning -- but do something with it -- make a change -- make a difference -- be a world-changer like Hudson Taylor or Mother Teresa or Billy Graham
-- all it takes is a new normal -- all it takes is truly loving the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind and all your strength
-- don't settle for the same old-same old but rise above it with the power of Christ in your life
-- let us pray