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Institutional First Baptist Church Weekly Sermon Delivered By
Dr. E. G. Sherman, Jr
Dr. E. G. Sherman, Jr
Delivered On
June 14, 2015 at 10:30 AM
June 14, 2015 at 10:30 AM
Central Passage
Zep. 3:2: “ She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the Lord; she drew not near the Lord.”.
Zep. 3:2: “ She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the Lord; she drew not near the Lord.”.
Subject
Spiritual Hipocrisy/The Danger in...
Spiritual Hipocrisy/The Danger in...
Description
| Dr. E. G. Sherman, Jr. | Sunday June 14, 2015 |
| Spiritual Hypocrisy/The Danger in... | |
| Zep. 3:2: “ She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the Lord; she drew not near the Lord.”. | |
| How numerous are the people and varied are the instances in which statements are made about drastic positive changes. Within traditional Christianity, there is a new behavioral emphasis that includes among other features: frequent use of the expression, “I’m blessed”, “O praise the Lord”, and “I am saved”. While there is nothing wrong with making these and relate statements, it is an unfortunate fact that many professing Christians use another set of words, many of which are none religious, and act in dangerous manner when they confront disappointments and troubles. This discrepancy between words and actions is referred to in psychology as schizophrenia, but it has a slightly reference in Christianity; therein it is called hypocrisy. In terms of epistemology, the word, hypocrisy, is a better choice that schizophrenia because it denotes an individual who pretends to be uprights while knowing all the time that the opposite is true. Further the schizophrenic person is suffering from a mental problem while the hypocrite is suffering from a moral problem heighten by personal vanity. The problem of hypocrisy in matters of religion has been a recurring theme in Biblical history. Our sermon today, will explore the consequence of hypocrisy that reached a zenith just before the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar’s army and the destruction of Jerusalem. The sermon is planned to warn of the impending danger in hypocrisy, especially in the area of Christian values. To document the danger, the sermon will entail four scenes from the book of Zephaniah, each of which has contemporary implications for Christian conduct. The scenes are: (1) apostasy, (2) the day of reckoning/judgment and (3) restoration. Prior to address the subject - The Danger in Spiritual Hypocrisy - attention will be focused on Zephaniah, the minor prophet whose book contains an extensive narrative on the hypocrisy of Judah and Jerusalem. His name, according to Herbert Lockyer denotes Jehovah is darkness or God hides. The name, apparently, signified his later ability to foreseen the time when Jehovah would seem to be hidden from the people of Judah and Jerusalem. The problem of vision, however, would not emanate from God’s moving away from His children; rather, it would be caused be their moving away from the righteous ness of God. Ironically, both Judah and Jerusalem had professed to undergo spiritual changes: Judah had responded to the revival preaching of Jonah while Jerusalem had professed to embrace the reforms of King Josiah; the young 16 years old king had ordered the removal of all idols from the temple; the people had complied with the change but deep in their heart they remained unchanged; thus, they were spiritual hypocrites. Tommy C. Higle, in his book Journey Through the Bible depicted Zephaniah as not being misled by the people of Jerusalem; thus, Higle wrote, “Zephaniah saw into the hearts of the people and knew that much of what was happening was artificial”. What an awesome thought beloved, if a prophet could look beneath the action of religious people and its their feelings, how much greater the power of God to view the inner thoughts of humankind. Using his prophet intuition, Zephaniah penned a message to the people of Judah and Jerusalem. Essentially, the message was - God despises spiritual hypocrisy and, in due, time He will impose punishment on those guilty of such a mind set. That prophecy of Zephaniah, while of the Old Testament period, continues to loom over the thoughts and actions of people. Accordingly, contemporary humanity can find both guidelines to follow and cautions to observe in the area of thought and action. With this background on Zephaniah, attention will now be directed to the three scenes chosen to document the danger in spiritual hypocrisy -the first of which is the word apostasy. The term apostasy refers to the falling away from the faith; it was a frequently used term in the description of Old Testament History. Theological scholars argue, with fervor, that God’s order for the death of all Canaanites to prevent the Israelites from intermarriage with them. God knew that intermarriage between the two vastly different nations would lead to idolatry within the Israelite group. The Israelites disobeyed the order to destroy all the Canaanites and soon the Israelite men had begun to mix with the Canaanite women. Later intermarriages occurred and the Israelite men began to worship the idol gods of the Canaanites. That shift in religious loyalty was known as apostasy. In the process of time, the Israelites became more apostate and, for their devious behavior, God planned to punish them. Thus, he sent his prophet, Zephaniah, to warn the Israelites of his impending punishment; God said, “I will utterly consume all things from off the land.”God’s intent was not to reprimand but, rather, to inflict pain and impose destruction on the apostate people. To that end, God said that he would punish the princes, and the kings; he described that punishment as a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, and a time of darkness”. The reality of God’s judgment is the second consideration in our sermon on the danger of spiritual hypocrisy. As noted in Zephaniah’s prophecy, apostasy had nearly completed its course and punishment was soon to be imposed. He referred to the event as the day of the Lord. That day would be the time when the Canaanites and most of the Israelites would be subjected to the wrath of God. Fortunately, not all of the Israelites had fallen into apostasy; that small upright minority was viewed as the remnant of Israel. It was instructed to come together and to seek the Lord and therefore be able to hid in the day of the Lord’s anger. Except for the remnant, all other Israelites and all the Canaanites would be punished. When the day of judgment did occur, the Canaanites were literally wiped from the face of the earth and the Israelites in Jerusalem were carried into Babylonian Captivity. However, after several years of desolation, their punishment, the Jews were permitted to return to Jerusalem. In a poetic context, the Jews were given another chance to become true worshipers of God. Many years later, they were offered the opportunity to become the sons of God, but the rejected Jesus as the only begotten of the Father. Again, they had fallen into apostasy; but - beloved - that divine provision was extended to the whole of humanity, an avenue by which you and I can have everlasting life. Amen. |
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