Say This, Do That

http://hishiddenvoice.livejournal.com/2634.html
Pastoral Prayer: Lindsay Lagasse
Special Music: Stacie Orrico
Sermon: Lindsay Lagasse
Closing Prayer: Don Besig (http://www.faithsound.com/a_closing_prayer.asp)

Pastoral Prayer: Heavenly Father, as we bow our heads before You today, we know our prayers are heard. Never do You ignore the call of Your children, even if those children have gone astray. Those that seek shall surely find, this we can be assured. We know that we fall short of You and need Your ever bountiful mercy. Father, let the words you’ve given me words that we all need to hear. As my pastor says, we shall not preach unless we are preaching to ourselves. All of us need You, and we all pray you give us the power to take the one step towards You that draws You running with open arms of acceptance.

Special Music: http://www.youtube.com/user/AngelaWho#p/u/12/vGnV1ItpwQo

Brothers and Sisters, I give no “main quote” or “starter verse” today. The topic I have been impressed to cover is lead forth by many words given by our Almighty Father. It is a topic that many of us will feel hit home; hypocrisy. It’s a foul concept that, as Christians, we can not afford to express. However, we do, and a great many are pushed away because of it.

Christians are actors, in the eyes of those we must save. I can witness to that, for it is the very reason I have been a Christian for only two of my seventeen living years. We grow up in a church where the images are perfect; the people around us worship with joyful smiles and kind eyes. But once the sanctuary walls are passed, foul language and sin blacken the perfect image.

When we first begin, we, of course, aim to be the better human. We pray with a whole heart, minds open to the word of the Father. We’re young and innocent; the world’s horrors have not yet set us in unchristian ways. God is good and the world is overtaken by rainbows. We have no reason to doubt, no trials to wobble our faith.

And so we’re happy for this time, lost in a perfect world where God exists, but Satan is nothing but a legend to scare children into good behavior. We’re old enough to know right from wrong, but we’ve never questioned the path of righteousness. All we know is God’s love and mercy, for He has shielded us from Lucifer’s forbidden ways.

As the first trial is laid in place, we hang tight to the hand of the Father. Our faith is only mildly shaken by the unfortunate turn in events, but not enough to draw concern. As the trial, topped with more of it’s kind, remain strongly fighting the light in our hearts, we begin to weaken. God exists, but now Satan does too. Perhaps we begin to think that the Devil is stronger than God because, seemingly, he’s overpowered our Father. He had to do so in order for all this junk to be piled into our lives, right? What a dangerous thought. One that so many, myself included, fall to.

As a last resort, we turn to our church family for support, only to find out that once the church is not in sight, the people are just like the rest of the world we live in; sinful. What a devastating revelation to someone who is already questioning their faith. And so we walk away from God, angry at Him, or simply no-longer believing.

“There is a way that seems right to man, but its end is the way to death” Proverbs 14:12. And it’s true. If we go down the path to destruction, we obviously think it is right. Satan makes it almost undeniably perfect, tempting by every means. He makes it appear as if his way is better than God’s way, and man believe him because they see all the other Christians doing it and surviving. There used to be a group of kids in Germany called “swing kids”. The Wikipedia definition is “The Swing Kids were a group of jazz and Swing lovers in Germany of the 1930s, mainly in Hamburg and Berlin. They were composed of 14 to 18 year old boys and girls in high school, most of them middle or upper class students, but some apprentice workers as well. They sought the British and American way of life, defining themselves in Swing music, and opposing the National-Socialist ideology, especially the Hitlerjugend.” I watched a movie in German class, called “Swing Kids”, and it instantly made me think of hypocritical Christians. What happened on numerous occasions was a swing kid would join the Hitler young by day, and remain a swing kid by night. They convinced themselves they would live the evil way of life to impress the Hitler army, but that they could continue their rebellion by night. In other words, their daytime activities were hypocritical against their nighttime beliefs. Well, they couldn’t do it. On many, if not all occasions, the twofaced teens would slowly fall away from the swing kids way of life. The dark lord beckoned them, and though they tried to resist, they’d eventually go over to his side. This is like a Christian who tries to live in a life of both Godly and worldly pleasures. Eventually the Godly way will melt away; sin will win because it’s human nature.

How could you know God, say you love Him, and then live in worldly sin? Some may wander away, then give up because they think God hates a hypocrite so He hates them. Well, yes and no. Okay, God does hate sin. But have you ever heard the phrase “God hates the sin, but loves the sinner”. It is true. Completely true. Why else would He send His only begotten son to die for us? We were sinners when He did that! “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8. Also, has He not promised us forgiveness with sincere repenting? “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" 1 John 1:9.

I know I have a lot of work to do. Sometimes I say one thing, but do another. My words are Christian, but my actions belong to the dark lord. I don’t want to journey alone, Brothers and Sisters. Will you join me?

Closing Prayer: The time has come, O Lord - for us to leave this place; Guide us and protect us and lead us in thy Grace. Wherever life may take us as we go our separate ways, help us share with others the things we've shared today. May the peace of God, the Father, and the love of Christ, His Son, Guide us in the days ahead and strengthen us each one. May the blessing of the spirit fill us from within; God bless us and return us to the fellowship once again. In Christ’s name we pray, AMEN.