ABC's of Salvation
THE EMPTY PEW
Isaiah 58:12b, Romans 9:1-5
“You shall raise up the foundations of many generations…”
I remember the testimony as though it were yesterday. He stood before us at the St. Louis camp meeting so many years ago. With tears streaming down his face this young teenager pleaded for the cause of Christ. I listened. Moved to tears myself as someone younger than me dared to not only believe but to speak of it publicly.
Now it is nearly twenty-five years later. This same young man is now much older and further away from God with each passing year. Something happened after he graduated and moved away from his Christian home. In fact, what happened to him is not a whole lot different than what happens in the lives of a lot of young people.
He left the church and didn’t come back.
What is more, he left Christ and the promises and the inheritance that once was his.
Many of you here know exactly what I am talking about.
Jim was a successful pastor. Wonderful wife leading the choir and three great kids. Their eldest daughter Chrissy began to stray at age sixteen. Jim later admits that he was slow to notice- being busy with ministry and the church growing. Chrissy grew away from her parents and then away from God. Many nights they had no idea where she was.
Here was supposed to be the perfect Christian family going to church and the pew is not quite full. Someone is missing.
And some of you know all to well the difficult days and endless nights of praying and weeping over the lostness of your child. A child who memorized their Bible verses and sang “I’ve the got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart!” A child who had your hopes and dreams of a future Christian family working in the church.
But those dreams have been dashed. The far off country called for them and they answered- searching for fulfillment. And now you look and they are servants of another and slaves to sin.
The pew is empty of your child who grew up and left the faith. For some reason the material things of world drew them away. Perhaps it was what someone said. Or maybe they just decided that the faith of their fathers was not going to be their faith.
It reminds me of Romans 9. The Apostle Paul outlines the grief of his own heart concerning the Jews who rejected Christ. And today I do not doubt the grief that overwhelms your heart when we consider the lost children of our people.
1. THE REALITY OF PARENTING.
Your grief over the lostness of your children can be easily reflected in Romans 9:2- “I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart.”
As parents we must take a dose of reality no matter how difficult it is to swallow.
First, the reality of humanness. You are human beings as parents. Even as Christian parents you are going to struggle because you are frail. When you don’t get enough sleep you’ll have an attitude that will likely show it. When you have a bad day at work it will come home withyou. When the financial pressure is on it will effect those closest to you. And then throw in your quirks- and you have them just I like I do (everyone is normal until you get to know them). We must realize that we are only human beings who are prone to the weakness of body and soul. Our emotions can get the better of us, our mind can become cloudy and our will can be weakened. This is humanity at its best.
Second, the reality of error. There are no perfect parents. Your parents weren’t perfect and neither were your grandparents (except my grandmother!). And you aren’t perfect. You have and you will make errors in judgment. Most children have been mistakenly punished: either they didn’t do what they were blamed for or they were given a sentence that was too harsh. Parents will err. You will mis-speak words, make wrong calls at home plate and all sorts of things that only point back to your frailty as a human being.
Third, the reality of sin. Just as no parent is perfect so to no parent will never not sin. Your words will sting like a wasp in order to get their attention but should you have said what you said? Your punishment will be out of anger rather than love. Your own personal walk with Christ may include a hidden sin. Things you do at home you wouldn’t do at Church but your kids see it. They know who you are.
Fourth, the reality of Christ. Jesus promised that when he left the earth we would not be alone. And so we have the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit that imparts to us a Counselor. This is Christ in you the hope of glory. This is only by God’s wonderful and loving hand that you do not need to parent alone and feel the pressure of parenting perfectly.
So what is the result? You admit that you are human. That you are prone to humanness and that you do err. You also admit your sin. I have been confronted by my own children in the past about my ignorance. I have apologized and as far as I know there is nothing between them and I. I want to parent with a clear conscience and allowing the Holy Spirit to counsel me through the process.
Despite being mere human beings, most here have strived to live a blameless life. In a sense, God understands your pain to see your children reject the faith.
You see, God is a Father. And God has had to watch those whom he has chosen walk away from Him. And it breaks His heart. What happens when the called reject the spiritual benefits?
2. THE REJECTION OF SPIRITUAL BENEFITS.
The Apostle Paul writes, “Who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God and the promises of whom are the fathers and from whom… Christ came…”
God’s chosen people, the Jews, rejected His Son Jesus. But look at their past.
-They were God’s children. Hosea 11:1-4 depicts the broken heart of the Heavenly Father. Listen to verse three: “I taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not know that I healed them. I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love… I stooped and fed them.” God knows what you deal with.
-They had the glory of God. His presence was with them leading out of Egypt. He came down to them in worship, in the tabernacle. He spoke through their prophets. They saw it all. And so did most of our children. They were in church every Sunday. They went to prayer meetings. They attended Vacation Bible School. They had the glory of God near them.
-They had the covenants and promises. No other nation of people had the inside track to salvation as the people of Israel did. God gave them The Law and His blessings. And did our children. They had the scriptures and the Biblical teachings of the Church. Theirs certainly were the covenants and the promises.
And just as God’s heart breaks for His people who had all the benefits of salvation that He could give them, so to your heart breaks because you did the same. You did your best to bring a salvation message to their heart. But they have rejected it.
Some of you have suffered immensely in those dark nights wondering if they would call to tell you where they are at and if they are alright. But they rejected your parenting and worse, they rejected your God and your faith in God.
3. THE RESPONSE OF A BROKEN HEART.
Romans 9:3- “I have great sorrow and continuing grief in my heart… For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, for my countrymen…”
The Apostle expresses what you probably feel in your own heart. If you could, you would be severed from your relationship with Christ if it would bring them to Christ. But that is not an option. But you feel the pain.
a. There is a Hurtfulness.
You have been pierced in the heart. Every time your child suffers out in the world, your heart aches because you know that there is a better way. And that way is found in Jesus Christ. They say things about you and against you at times. Sometimes they mean it and many times they don’t. Remember, they are lost without a Savior.
b. Everything seems Hopeless.
You have felt that you have lost all hope for your children. Maybe you have simply accepted the situation for what it is: a lost cause. But believe me when I say that God has not lost hope. And your child is not a lost cause.
c. You feel Helpless.
But guess what? That is exactly where God wants you to be. He wants to you truly know your helplessness so that He can begin to work. Too often parents who are well-meaning get in the way of God’s working hand. They do everything they can to help their child- bail them out of jail, give them money and so on. But these things generally only complicate the problem.
4. THE PROMISE OF YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER.
What I am about to do is offer you what I believe are promises from God for you at this moment in time. As your pastor I believe that these are for you whose children are lost. Cling to these promises in prayer for them.
First, the promise of heritage. Isaiah 58:12- “You shall raise up the foundations of many generations.” When God’s people returned to their homeland, it was a waste land- a junk yard. God promised them that they would raise up the foundations of many generations. In essence, this promise is that their children and their grandchildren would live there. For you and I today, this promise means that God will help us to build a foundation of salvation through Christ Jesus into the lives of our children. And upon this foundation will we see our heritage continued. Not a heritage of property and money but of faith.
Second, the promise of salvation. Isaiah 59:1- “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy that it cannot hear.” God desires to save the most defiled. If any should call on the name of the Lord with a repenting heart they will be saved. This is a tremendous promise to those who are lost in their sin. They are never to far from God’s saving grace and listening ear.
Third, the promise of the Holy Spirit. Remember what I said several weeks ago about Ephesians 6:18? “Be not drunk with wine which [corrupts the mind] but be filled with the Holy Spirit.” This scripture is an apt scripture for parenting. To see our children come to Christ may call on us to change some of the things we are doing. It will mean for us to begin listening to the Holy Spirit.
Drunkenness in this scripture represents the material world way of living and thinking. When we ignore the Holy Spirit and depend on our own thinking or the world’s thinkers we become corrupted in all that we do. Our parenting will suffer.
But when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, our outlook changes and so does our character. And let’s face it: You and I parent from the character we are. We can’t help it.
Conclusion
Heavenly Father,
“You know who the wayward children are. Bring them home. Bring them back, not to satisfy our pride but to satisfy the cross for which they are called. May Satan not have any right of way in their life any longer. We pray for a hedge around them. Holy Spirit, convict them where they are. Show them their lostness. And remind them of the faith of their mother and father.
“You know our hearts. If there be any sin in our heart, may the Holy Spirit show us that we might make it right. We confess our weakness and sin right now. If we need to make a phone call help us to do just that.
”You where our children stand. For those of us whose children are serving the Lord may we all celebrate together for what you are doing in their lives. We pray together for their safekeeping. For those whose children are lost, we grieve together as the Body of Christ. We weep with those who weep right now. May we all be faithful in prayer and encourage each other.
”We commit these things in the precious name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit.”