Don't you hate it when you never see it coming? It's a deep burn. There's a story of some 500 sheep dying, as they followed their fellow sheep off of a huge cliff to their death. The reason the others in the flock didn't perish is because they landed on the soft pillowed bodies of those that went before them. And so we sheep live on... There's a reason Jesus called us sheep. There's a bigger reason He is called our Shepherd! Oh, how we desperately need the loving guidance of our Shepherd to get through this crazy life. The question is, "Will you let Jesus shepherd you?". If not, you might just find yourself falling off a cliff you never saw coming.
Welcome to Sardis, the oldest town in Turkey. They built it on top of a 1500' hill, surrounded on three sides by vertical cliffs. It was virtually impenetrable to intruders. They felt safe and secure. Complacency ran rampant. A Persian army camped below the hill for two weeks, wracking their brains on how to solve the puzzle and capture the town. Suddenly, a soldier's helmet fell from the cliffs, rattling about with an embarrassing noise that caught their attention. I can picture the soldier horsing around, playing games up there or maybe his head slipped off it while dozing in midday. A short time later, the curious army noticed a sheepish soldier poking his head out from a cleft in the rocks. He tiptoes over and retrieves the helmet, then quickly disappears, hoping nobody noticed. He was fatally mistaken. The Persian army discovered the secret stairway that led up to their fortified town and overtook it.
Sardis is the church period of the Reformation, 1517-1800ad. It describes the Protestant movement, set ablaze by Martin Luther in 1517ad, when he nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Catholic church.
His five truths are to be celebrated even to this day:
1. Scripture only. Get the Bible in your hands and let it be the authoritative Word in your life. It's not about traditions, priesthood, or power. It's not about deifying Mary as a perpetual virgin or co-redemptress.
2. Faith only. It's about a relationship with Jesus, based on faith. It is by grace you are saved, not by works. There's no boasting about our deeds here. Going to mass or getting baptized as an infant isn't going to cut it.
3. Grace only. You don't have to try to earn favor from God. He loves you right now, right where you are. There's nothing you can do to change that.
4. Christ only. A pope can't do it. A priest can't do it. Confession to men doesn't make you right with God. It's only Jesus: nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.
5. God's glory only. It's not about us looking good, or us elevating people. People will always disappoint each other. We are all flawed. It's about living for God's glory, not our own. We are to fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith.
The Reformation movement followed a similar path to most ministries. It begins with a man receiving a calling of purpose from God. Revival begins. The ministry grows. Opposition shows up. The original founding members age and move on. The next generation compromises. The ministry becomes a machine, then an institution. They fall off the cliff.
When sheep forget the main thing of following and trusting their Shepherd, they follow cultural whims that lead to disaster. These peripheral spiritual issues are tearing the current church apart, even today. Last week, we discovered that not every cultural issue is specifically addressed in the Bible. That's okay. Sometimes God will reveal understanding over time, but there are just some things we may never know fully. Meanwhile, we are to trust completely in His great love for us and keep our focus on Him, not the irrelevant issues. If God says it's a sin, agree with Him, not the present culture. If it's in the Bible, follow it. If it's not in there, don't go there. Trust me, there are plenty enough things in there to keep us fully busy for the rest of our lives.
Problems arise when sheep refuse to recognize the Bible as the authoritative Word of God. Sheep get smart in their own eyes, believing they know better. They've evolved into greater intellectual beings. They believe it's an archaic document full of errors. They calculate that it's culturally irrelevant and outdated. They don't like how it illuminates their own dirty skin. They agree that the world is different, and that they should augment the Word with their own wisdom, due to such new cultural trends. Sheep, inherently fearful, cannot bring themselves to trust in the Bible's infallibility and truth. Of course, this is all hogwash, and as we know, sheep are stupid.
We sheep need to get this straight. Either the Bible is the infallible Word of God or not! I'm sorry if you don't like some things that are in it, but if you really want to know truth and have a righteous relationship with God, you will have an ear to hear what He wants to tell you through His Word. Perhaps all Christians should do their own exhaustive study on Apologetics and discover for themselves the history of how our Bible was written, compiled, and distributed. I think they would be pleasantly surprised at its accuracy and soundness. It would kindle that faith needed to allow the Holy Spirit to bring the Word to life for them. Remember, faith and fear can't coexist. And it's our fear and distrust that keeps us from believing what our Bibles say. "Faith comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of God," Rom. 10:17. Once you let go of that fear and suspicion, you can trust in God's Word as the authoritative foundation in your life. You will discover the heart of God in its pages, and begin to hear Him speaking truth to you. He will make clear how to handle the subtle, often challenging cultural issues.
Many Protestant churches and some cemeteries, I mean seminaries, are moving away from the Bible. (Pardon the slip. Stay awake!) They are selective in their teachings about hell, sin, Satan, the depravity of mankind, the Second Coming of Jesus, judgment, or the Millennial Kingdom. They are becoming loose on cultural issues, in the name of being broadminded. They tend to waffle on what is right and wrong. They may be more concerned with gaining and retaining memberships, programs, and donations. They like to say what makes people feel good about themselves. Ministries that were once solid are now compromising their original calling.
Jesus says to look out! Sardis let her guard down. She didn't even see it coming. She got complacent and forgot the need to be vigilant and hold fast to the original passion and purpose. So don't just go through the motions and walk through life like a zombie. There are too many "living dead" sheep. Wake up! Return to your First Love. Do those things you did at first, when the Spirit's fire was burning hot within you. Get yourself out of bed and let Him speak to you through His love letter to you. Read Jeremiah 6:16 very slowly and let it sink in. "This is what the Lord says: 'Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, 'We will not walk in it.'" This scripture describes the compromise of the Protestant church, even today, as they continue to bend in the wind of cultural whims. This verse is a challenge to hold fast to the Bible as the authority in your life and stick with it. The sheep are to follow their Shepherd's voice. Don't move away from it, thinking you're not so baaaad. There's a cliff up ahead. Look out!
