Isaiah 9:1-4, Psalm 27:1, 4-9, 1 Corinthians 1:10-18
I remember hearing a story of how Satan had finally decided to pack it up and retire. He was tired of the constant fighting back and forth between himself and God. He was going to turn over the operations to some of his top demons and would auction off all of his weapons, tools, and tricks to the highest bidder.
Of course, all of Satan’s underlings gathered for the great auction. As it took place, most of the items went pretty cheaply, until they came to the final auction. It was a small plain wooden box. Inside it looked to be a shiny piece of metal like the head of an axe. The bidding quickly took off…a thousand…ten thousand…a hundred thousand…a million.
As the bidding quickly spiraled upward, a small demon on the outskirts of the crowd, inquired of a larger, older one. “What is that?” He hissed. “Ah! That this the master’s most prized and most powerful possession!” replied the older demon. “It doesn’t look like much of anything. What is it?” “That is the wedge that he uses to cause division. Ever since the Garden of Eden, he has used it to split up friendships, relationships, and families. But it has been the most effective in dividing the Church and splitting it into smaller powerless pieces. If it weren’t for that wedge, our boss would have been out of business years ago."
Now of course this is just a story, but it speaks volumes to the state of the Church today. In last week’s message, the call was for us to be empowered…to take a hold of the power that God has for our lives. Through the blood of Jesus Christ and through the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are given the power over of sin and death. That personal relationship with Christ opens the door to a life empowered by God, if we are willing to accept it.
Last week, I mentioned that some people deny Christ. Some deny his power, and others deny that his power is available to us. But the Christian is not to be defined by the issues that he or she faces. The Christian is known by the name of Christ and the power that God has given to him. Christians are to yield to God’s power and allow it to lead him or her into whatever lies ahead.
But God was not finished at Calvary, and his work was not completed at the empty tomb. It was the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came down and gave birth to the Church, that God truly set about to change the world. It is one thing to have 300,000,000 individual Christians, but God’s work on earth is to be completed by his one Church.
In the the Old testament, and in the time of the prophets such as Jeremiah and Isaiah, the people of Israel were united. They were one. The problem was that they were disobedient as one people. Their kings had been led away, enticed to worship false gods. Then because of their position, they led the priests and the people away into disobedience. Sin had struck the leader, and that sin quickly became the sin of the entire nation. They were united, but they were united in disobedience, idolatry, and sin.
That is why they were sent into exile. Split up and spread out, and without the kings and the priests to continue to misguide them, God would eventually put a new heart into these people and bring them back to the land of Israel. But this time, God would not only seek the Israelites, but all people.
Isaiah 9:1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past (God) humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan-- 2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.
Again, God would bring his people back to Israel, but the coming savior would unite all peoples in faith. That is what the Church is to be…or at least what it is supposed to be. Paul is dealing with problems of division in the Church from a pretty early point. In verse 12, One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas (Paul)"; still another, "I follow Christ."
Remember, Paul’s writings and letters are some of the earliest writings of the New Testament. The Church at Corinth has come about probably within the first 5-10 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. The Church is organizing. Apostles, leaders, and teachers are going from Jerusalem out to the major cities and small of the world, spreading the good news, planting churches, establishing leaders.
The Church is spreading like wildfire, but in places like Corinth, there is confusion and division. One teacher may say this about how Christians were to live. A couple of months later, a different teacher shows up and tells them something different. Factions are growing. People are taking sides and joining teams.
10 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.
Paul asks is this what he taught them? Did he teach them that Christ was divided? Did he baptize anyone in his name and not the name of Christ? There is no sense in any of these arguments and quarrels. They are in contrast to how Christ lived and what Paul taught. The people are to live in the name of Christ, not Paul…not Peter…not Apollos. Put aside the differences and be one in Christ.
17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel-- not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Paul is called to preach, but neither does he preach in his name nor by his own power or wisdom. The message of Jesus Christ is foolish, mindless drivel to the people of the world. Those people will all die, and they cannot save themselves, but for those who believe, that same message brings power…a power that heals…a power that saves and unites
I really believe that the Church today is under attack. Not from grand armies attacking with weapons and military might, but from within. I believe that our enemy is continually trying to drive that wedge into the Church, shaving off a few people here…a few people there. Once they leave the Church, it is open season on them. The enemy easily singles them out. They are like the sheep that leaves the safety of the pack or the baby animal that gets away from the security of its parents.
Our society has become one that celebrates diversity. We celebrate anything and everything that makes us different from each other. But this celebration of diversity has led to an emphasis on diversity. I am different. We are all different. Be different. Who cares what anyone else thinks about you…be yourself. Do your own thing.
We have seen how our society has changed so much in the last 20-30 years, and now these differences and individual ideals have permeated the Church. People come into the church, and believe that the Church should think, act, and behave like they do, instead of upholding any sort of biblical standards for life. They come into the Church and demand that the Church bend to fit their desires, instead of letting God change their hearts and bend their will to His. As a result, denominations and congregations are splitting.
In recent years, the main topic has been homosexuality. Some states are now allowing same-sex couples to marry. And we see the Presbyterian and Episcopal Churches giving way to these ideals as they marry same sex couples and even ordain homosexual ministers. This has caused a great mess in both of these denominations, and it lay ahead as an obstacle for the United Methodist Church to address in coming years.
We must remember who we serve. We must remember who we are to follow. We cannot be led astray by false teachers offering us feel good teachings. We must remain united with each other and with Christ. The message of salvation that he has given to us is essential. It is the power of God, and we must remain united in that power. If we do, then we need not fear the world, the enemy or anything that they might throw at us.
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