Blameless in the End, by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture: 1st Corinthians 1:1-9
1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
1:2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
1:3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1:4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus,
1:5 for in every way you have been enriched in Him, in speech and knowledge of every kind
1:6 just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you
1:7 so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1:8 He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1:9 God is faithful; by Him you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

There is a story that made the rounds two years ago, supposedly out of Mt. Vernon, Texas, that pretty much describes much of what is going on today in our society. Although originally purported to be true, it's not, but rather probably originated in a pastor's sermon admonishing his congregation not to let secular issues get in the way of their faith.
As the story goes, in Mt. Vernon, Texas, Drummond's Bar began construction on expansion of their building to increase their business. In response, the local Baptist church started a campaign to block the bar's expansion, using petitions and prayers. Work progressed right up until the week before the grand reopening when lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground.
After the bar burning to the ground by a lightning strike, the church folks were rather smug in their outlook, bragging about the power of prayer, until the bar owner sued the church on the grounds that the church "was ultimately responsible for the demise of his building, either through direct or indirect actions or means".
In its reply to the court, the church vehemently denied all responsibility or any connection to the building's demise.
In court, the judge read through the plaintiff's complaint and the defendant's reply, and at the opening hearing he commented, "I don't know how I'm going to decide this, but it appears from the paperwork that we have a bar owner who believes in the power of prayer, and an entire church congregation that now does not."
The world has come a long way, and in my humble opinion, still has a long way to go. Many would disagree and assure Jesus is coming in the clouds any day now. With the idea that He could come any day now, I certainly could not disagree, since Jesus Himself said no man knows the day nor the hour, not even the Son, but only the Father has that knowledge.
So were Jesus to suddenly take His Church home, I would not be surprised; not be surprised because of the rampant evil and lack of faith I see around me, around the world, every day. Saddened, but not surprised. Saddened because of all those who will not hear, will not believe, and will not be with us in Glory. My old Tennessean friend, J. Vernon McGee, before he went home to be with the Lord, preached a sermon titled "Why I Don't Want Jesus To Return Now". In a sermon that would bring tears to some, he spoke of the agony of wanting to be in the presence of the Savior, and yet the pain of know many will not go home with us. Some will be friends, some will be family members, but we cannot live their lives for them. We can be assured they will have had every opportunity to come to Christ, they will have had a personal invitation, and turned it down, walked away from the Living God. That is not just disrespect to God, that is gross pride, selfishness, and self-delusion at work, toward a final, destructive end.
You and I cannot do anything about that, except ask them not to destroy themselves, and offer them life through the love of God. There is no illusion that God meant them for hell, or hell for them. Hell was created for Satan and his angels who rebelled against God, and remain in that state. Those who join that rebellion by rejecting God will share their fate. There is no middle ground. It is either God, or no-God.
Now, if you understand that all-important conclusion to life, how can there be any equivocating? If we were members of that fictionalized church in Mt. Vernon, Texas, understanding what is really at stake, our answer must be, "Yes, we prayed against evil, God heard our prayers and took action against evil. And any court of law in the flesh that seeks to compensate evil for its just rewards is taking a dangerous stand against the just actions of a Holy and Almighty God!" Our charge to that court would have to be, "Do what is right and just in the eyes of God, or dissemble. This is a nation built on Christian ethics and morals, even as is evidenced by our national motto, 'In God we trust,' for it is, indeed, in God whom we trust, and not in men."
Some mistakenly believe in what we find on our dollar bill, "E pluribus unum." That was the original national motto. "In God we trust" first appeared on our money in 1864, and it wasn't until 1956 that President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the new motto into law.
Nevertheless, any American court of the land that would defy or ignore the right of God Almighty, and His church, to require redress against evil understands neither good nor evil and as such should have no right to apply the laws of the land.
Which begs the question, what about His church? Do we have that right? Do we understand the difference between what is good and what is evil? Have we so mixed the two together in modern society, under the heading of "political correctness", for example, that there are no longer any readily understood categories of right and wrong, good and evil? Do we so muddle God's admonitions to us that we believe others have a "right" to perpetrate evil against others?
In both our courts and in our federal government today, there is a great deal of purposeful wrong being legislated in the name of political exigencies. However, there is no right way to do a wrong thing. The wrong that is done in the name of political correctness, in the name of political necessity, in the name of naked power, cannot stand against the standard of God's righteousness and be excused.
Evil perpetrated in the name of the greater good remains evil. It's machinations, its results, its legacy will forever be evil. No good can come of it regardless of how it is explained, white-washed, or dressed up. A pig with lipstick is still a pig. And setting it up to a place at the table with a knife, fork and spoon will lead only to disaster.
Just as important, perhaps, yes even more important is the fact that no Christian, no follower of Jesus Christ need half-step at any point in the presence, in the face, of evil. We must stride forth and call it what it is. It must be avoided and fought against, for we must stand blameless in the end when Christ returns.
From our scripture today, in 1st Corinthians 1:5-8, we read, "...for in every way you have been enriched in Him, in speech and knowledge of every kind just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ."
No one who follows Jesus Christ need be without knowledge, without wisdom. And yet there are those who claim the name of Christ who will pollute what God has said with their own extra-Biblical opinions, with "what if" conjectures that lead the innocent astray, with bizarre theological concoctions that have no basis in revealed truth. They will answer for that self-serving treachery, for we must remain blameless in the end when Christ returns.
There exists access to the power of Almighty God, through Christ Jesus, that the individual Christian has, that can be frightening. And evil flees when a coalition of those who follow Christ pray in concert, agreeing in prayer on any one issue in the name of Christ Jesus. For God has promised He will act, and no one keeps promises like our God. Speaking to His disciples, in Matthew 18:18-20, Jesus said, " “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in My name, there am I with them.”
This is not something we must strive to achieve, but part of our personal Christian growth. For when the Messiah calls us, He calls us as individuals, not collectively. It is up to each one of us to trust Him and obey, to come to Him in childlike faith, resting in Him, surrendering ourselves to righteousness, and choosing to walk not by sight but by faith. For in childlike faith we rely not on our own strength and wisdom, but surrender our will to the will of the Father.
Life lived in this manner clears away all the confusion and indecision foisted upon us by those in politics, those in the news media who report out of their own agendas, and those focusing on their own issues without respect for what is best for others or what is best for the nation. Placing every issue and every cause up against the supreme will of God reveals the merits and the flaws. We can work to support that which agrees with the plans God has for us, and refuse to be entangled with the works of the enemies of God, no matter how dolled up they might be with flowers and perfume and statements of well-meaning. If they are not of God, they cannot be of us. And we will stand blameless in the end, when Jesus comes again.
In this manner, living our life as individuals before God, we can live and proclaim aloud, now and forever more, the cry of the early American church: "No king but King Jesus. NO king but King Jesus. No KING but King Jesus." Amen.

Daily Scripture Readings for January 17-23, 2011
Monday -- John 1:35-51
Tuesday -- Matthew 9:9-13
Wednesday -- Luke 9:23-27
Thursday -- Matthew 10:34-42
Friday -- John 10:22-30
Saturday -- Matthew 11:25-30
Sunday -- Isaiah 62:1-5; 1st Corinthians 12:1-11; Psalm 36:5-10; John 2:1-11