Disobedience to God has serious consequences. It has serious consequences for individuals; it has serious consequences for churches; and it has serious consequences for entire nations.
Right now we see entire nations living under the fear of contagion. Now, that contagion called Covid 19 is no doubt allowed by God, and constitutes a measure of warning. But more significant is the delusion under which entire governments are acting to contain Covid 19. Nothing could be more foolish. The consequences of quarantine measures undertaken by governments will simply multiply crises across the economy, quite apart from the serious erosion of personal liberties.
Governments ordered the closing of public places, including churches, contrary to the democratic right of free assembly. That shut down the churches at the very time we should be turning collectively to God, as happened in the Second World War. Fear motivated such drastic quarantine measures. Covid 19 is being treated as a lethal plague of medieval proportions where 30 to 50% of the population died, and in some places entire villages were wiped out.
The facts about Covid 19, however, are that a fraction of just 1% of the world’s population of 7,000,000,000 has been infected and of that fraction less than 4% have died ie the recovery rate exceeds 96%. In reality, Covid 19 represents no more than a serious flu epidemic.
This panic and delusion on the part of western governments is fuelled by a now dominant atheistic mindset. Man alone can solve his problems, and man alone can control his destiny. The government reaction in 2020 is unprecedented and out of all proportion. Such drastic measures were not taken against any of the previous pandemics of the last 100 years – whether we take Sars in 2003 or 2009, or AIDs or the 1969 flu epidemic or go back to the so-called Spanish flu of 1918-20.
Instead of turning to God in a time of crisis, men have turned to their own ideas and resources. Why ? Because they are convinced that God does not exist !
But God does exist. And God does intervene in the affairs of mankind. And God intervenes to warn; he intervenes to save those who heed the warning; and he intervenes to judge those who refuse to heed his warning.
Which brings me to the story of Deborah and Barak in Judges chapters 4 and 5. Chapter 4 opens with the words:
AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL AGAIN DID EVIL IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD WHEN EHUD WAS DEAD. AND THE LORD SOLD THEM INTO THE HAND OF JABIN KING OF CANAAN, THAT REIGNED IN HAZOR; THE CAPTAIN OF WHOSE HOST WAS SISERA, WHICH DWELT IN HAROSHETH OF THE GENTILES.
AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL CRIED UNTO THE LORD: FOR HE [SISERA] HAD 900 CHARIOTS OF IRON; AND TWENTY YEARS HE MIGHTILY OPPRESSED THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL.
The story then recounts how Deborah was inspired by God to tell Barak to raise a large army and confront Sisera. And that indeed Barak and his army prevailed and as a result Israel had peace for 40 years [chapter 5 verse 31].
Let us note how the problem arose, and then how the tyranny of the Canaanite commander was broken.
The tyranny was placed on God’s chosen people by God himself ! God’s blessing comes with a condition. OBEDIENCE. Persistent and wilful indulgence in man’s selfish ways in defiance of how God tells us to live will indeed bring God’s chastisement and punishment. [Hebrews 12]
As societies in the democratic Western nations, we have not just neglected the worship of God in the way he commands; we have not just rejected God’s teaching about how to behave; we have actually adopted laws and practices in defiance of his order. We have told God we know better than our Maker – and we have reaped the consequences.
Governments now take to themselves unprecedented powers in peacetime in order to save us from a largely illusory “enemy” – telling us it’s for our own good ! They even close churches, the one place which should be filled with repentant sinners apologising to God and calling out for his mercy and his intervention.
For crying to God under the burden of the tyranny imposed was the answer we read in chapter 4 of Judges.
It was in response to the people’s admission before God that they had been disobedient and in response to their recognition that the situation was impossible humanly speaking [mere infantry were no match for 900 iron chariots] and that only a miracle – ie God’s intervention – could save them. That was when God acted to restore them to the place they should have been in.
Paul told the Romans:
THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE AND JOY IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
Righteousness, not rebellion. There is no peace and joy without obedience to God first.
And obedience to God starts with the realisation that we can only be saved because of Jesus Christ and that we can only live out the Christian life by the grace and power of God supplied to us by the Holy Spirit. It is all of Him and nothing of our sinful ideas, resources or ways.
We are God dependent, not self reliant and independent as the atheistic world teaches.
As nations it is manifest that we are in disobedience. But what about as individuals and as churches ?
That will depend on particular individuals and churches. But at least two widespread problems must be mentioned.
Mammon and Methods.
As individuals Christians are too preoccupied with the consumerist mindset of our times. We live like Materialists, not like Christians. And as churches, the emphasis is too often on raising funds, not saving souls.
Perhaps worse, churches now resort to Methods dreamt up by men. This plan of organisation or that method of evangelism. Methods like the Alpha course and the like.
Money and methods have displaced the critical essentials:
Supplication and Consecration.
Pleading and pouring out our concerns before God; recognising the shortcomings we have, and looking to God to solve the problem. Looking to God to act – not jumping into action according to our own ideas and expectations.
What does Paul tell Timothy the churches should do ?
I EXHORT THEREFORE THAT FIRST OF ALL
SUPPLICATIONS,
PRAYERS,
INTERCESSIONS AND
GIVING OF THANKS
BE MADE FOR ALL MEN; FOR KINGS AND FOR ALL THAT ARE IN AUTHORITY; THAT WE MAY LEAD A QUIET AND PEACEABLE LIFE IN ALL GODLINESS AND HONESTY.
Just how much prayer goes on in our churches today ? Is it reduced to one meeting a week, midweek, of which 50% of is talk about prayer, not actual prayer ?
Consecration. Personal devotion. Growing in the knowledge and grace of God, as the apostle exhorts. Living the new life of the new man which is the life granted to us by God the Holy Spirit. Seeing every circumstance – including the powerless and rudderless state of the church – as an opportunity to grow in grace, looking to God to meet us in our manifestly enormous need today.
Or are we too busy with church administration, denominational distinctions and committees, gaining certificates, diplomas and degrees according to the academic world’s conception of how church and Christianity should be ?
Are we going back to the true source – God and God’s Word ? Or are we preoccupied with everything else but God and his Word ?
In the story recorded in chapter 4 of Judges, God gives a message to a man called Barak to go and do something – something which looks impossible; something which makes him nervous and look to a human being for support, instead of to God [he wants Deborah to accompany him – to reassure him].
But the man chosen by God does go – in the timing of God and in the way God says – and the people miraculously believe the call of God and follow him to the battle. They are willing to die for the call and cause of God. But Barak himself as the leader called by God must himself put doubt aside and respond obediently, first. Only then could the people be summoned and the opportunity for the people to obey arise. And in that willingness to go and in that willingness to die, Barak and the people gain the victory.
Someone had to be sent. Someone had to go. Someone had to deliver a message. And people had to respond. Romans 10. The gospel must be taken beyond the confines of church buildings.
The lesson for the church of the New Testament has nothing to do with going and killing anyone, of course.
It has everything to do with dying to our own selfish existence and priorities; dying to distractions and excuses; dying to living just as we want. Instead taking up the spiritual battle and waging war against the rebellion which rises up within: the pride; reputation; personal comfort; envy; desires; hatred; jealousy; fears. To live as Jesus teaches us: manifesting the fruit of the Spirit as Paul taught the Galatians: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance –
and growing in those qualities which Peter identifies as essential:
GIVING ALL DILIGENCE ADD TO YOUR FAITH VIRTUE; AND TO VIRTUE KNOWLEDGE; AND TO KNOWLEDGE TEMPERANCE; AND TO TEMPERANCE PATIENCE; AND TO PATIENCE GODLINESS; AND TO GODLINESS BROTHERLY KINDNESS; AND TO BROTHERLY KINDNESS CHARITY.
FOR IF THESE THINGS BE IN YOU AND ABOUND THEY MAKE YOU NEITHER BARREN NOR UNFRUITFUL IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
Then the church may be able to function as church and to fulfil its mission to make more disciples – people who obey the teaching of Jesus Christ.
IF YE CONTINUE IN MY WORD, ARE YE MY DISCIPLES INDEED; AND YE SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH AND THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE
Free from self and the deception of sin; free to obey Christ and to love the brethren as we should. Free to pray for the authorities and to see God change their mindset. That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness ….
Free then from the tyranny of materialism and atheism which now informs every decision of the governments which have the rule over us. Free from the pernicious, oppressive and godless culture abroad today.
Amen
Christian Preacher
Christianity 