“To God Alone…”

In our world today, people have discovered, and in some cases rediscovered that “feel good religion” sells. The problem is that “feel good religion” is about us and not God. In fact, a great deal of what is considered religious thought and practice today is really about stroking ourselves rather than fearing and worshiping the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

There are numerous examples of this. From the televangelist oozing syrupy sweet platitudes about how God blesses those who give generously to televangelists, to the local church struggling to be contemporary and attractive to an un-churched generation by transforming their traditional worship service into a weekly sing along featuring the equivalent of repetitive theological bubble gum interspersed with light hearted and heart warming testimonials to remind the listener that Jesus loves them. Sadly much of contemporary Christianity has become about us – not God.

Its helpful to remember that “feel good religion” is not new. The church has always been tempted to make our worship about us, and not about God. Even in the early church the Apostle Paul felt called to remind the Corinthians that the celebration of the Lord’s Supper was about remembering Christ’s sacrifice and promise of real presence, and not about drinking wine to excess and gorging on fresh baked bread.

However, the need for a truly scripturally grounded image of God has never been greater than it is today. Culturally, over the last few decades we have increasingly discarded our biblical moorings. As a result our society faces incredible challenges. Disconnected and remote from our scriptural foundation, our culture today leads us in the pursuit of wealth, power, privilege and pleasure. Indeed, cut loose from our scriptural foundation and the ethical claims of a God who claims us as his very own and demands our obedience, we are tempted to worship so many other things other than God. In the place of the biblical moorings that have historically grounded Western culture, the non-biblical and humanist foundations of our culture today teach us that wealth, power, privilege, and pleasure are the goals of life. The God of the Bible is much out of favor in our world.

While I am not in the habit of quoting the comic page in my sermons, this morning let me share a panel scene with you from a Doonesbury comic strip that first appeared a number of years ago.

In this panel series, the recurring character Rev. Scott Sloane is sitting down talking with a couple who are first time visitors to the Church of Walden. Rev. Sloane asks the couple what they are looking for in a church, here is how the visit unfolds.

The man speaks first. “Well, what’s your basic approach here reverend? Is it traditional gospel?

“In a way” the Rev. responds. “I like to describe it as twelve-step Christianity. Basically, I believe that we’re all recovering sinners. My ministry is about overcoming denial. Its about recommitment, about redemption. It’s all in the brochure there.”

“Wait a minute!” says the husband, sounding suspicious. “Sinners, redemption – doesn’t that imply … guilt?”

“Well, yes, I do rely on the occasional disincentive to keep the flock from going astray. Guilt’s part of that.”

“I dunno,” says the husband, turning to his wife. “There’s so much negativity in the world as it is”.

‘That’s right,” she replies. “We’re looking for a church that’s supportive, a place where we can feel good about ourselves. I’m not sure the guilt thing works for us.”

“On the other hand,” muses the husband, paging through the glossy brochure, “You do offer racquetball.”

“So do the Unitarians, honey,” the wife shoots back. “Let’s shop around some more.”

Scripture is resoundingly clear that our faith, our discipleship, is not about us. It is about God. We are not worthy of being worshipped. The things we elevate and pursue when we worship ourselves; wealth, power, privilege, and pleasure are not worthy of our praise. God alone is worthy of our praise.

That is precisely John’s point in his vision as we have read it this morning. In Revelation chapter 5:11-14 John records a vision of the risen and exalted Christ. This is the resurrected Christ seated on the throne and all of creation and its creatures are bowing in praise. As verse 12 reads, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” Let us not lose sight that the one seated on the throne of heaven is the one we crucified. Seated on the throne of heaven is the one we killed! We who are tempted to worship wealth, power, privilege, and pleasure! It is this Jesus, the one who hung on the cross lifeless that is now alive and seated on the throne of the universe. It is a grand and humbling vision for us.

The point is clear: Even in death, God was not defeated. One way to understand why Jesus had to die is to understand that the religious cultural context Jesus lived in simply could not tolerate his radical message. They could not accept the Gospel message that our human life is not, in the end, about us, it is about God. God alone is worthy of our praise.

There is no question about it. We human beings have real control issues. To put it simply, we can imagine ourselves as the ruler of all things and achieving everything we desire, and we feel frustrated and defeated when we realize we do not control all things. We are not sovereign over the universe, God is! Behind every particular expression of sin lies the fundamental motivation; we rebel because God is God and we are not!

The tragic events in Blacksburg Virginia this past Monday are just the most recent horrific reminder of our human frustrations and sinfulness. The young man who shot and killed 32 innocent people and then took his own life was an angry and frustrated human being who desperately wanted to be in control of his life.

We certainly don’t know everything about his life, nor about the inner workings of his mind, but there are a few things we can be confident about. He was frustrated because he felt that he deserved more material wealth than he had, and he deeply resented others who had more. He was frustrated that he couldn’t connect romantically with others, even though he perceived that others around him were enjoying each other. He was angry and frustrated that he couldn’t communicate with others and make his feelings known. In effect, he had no friends and therefore couldn’t influence others.

According to the values of our humanist culture he was an abject failure. He lacked wealth, power, privilege, and pleasure. He wanted control. He wanted to exercise power. But he lacked the means.

So, like other young men before him, he transformed his anger and frustration into the misguided perception that by taking the lives of others he could gain what he lacked: power and control over his life and others. We really don’t have an answer why some people do this. Is it mental illness? Is it evil that enters them and drives them? Is it a lack of parental guidance? Is it a fundamental flaw in our culture? We just can’t say definitively.

What we do know is that he, like the others before him convinced himself that by killing others he would have control, and that it would in some way satisfy his need to feel good. Every action he took was about satisfying his needs and wants. Everything that happened on that tragic Monday morning was about this young man’s desire to gain what he wanted – regardless of the cost to himself and others.

How horribly misguided he was. Of course, most frustrated and angry people who resent the fact that others have more wealth, more power, power privilege, and enjoy more pleasure, in this life do not take the lives of others. But a small percentage do, and while mental illness likely plays a part, and specific circumstances play a part, the fact remains, all of us are tempted to succumb to the idolatry this young man gave himself to. Thankfully most of have better coping strategies than mass murder, but it is undeniable that our culture worships wealth, power, influence, and pleasure. These are the idols that these young men want, and we are all susceptible to them.

The great lie of these cultural values is that they will bring happiness and satisfaction. Yet the Gospel tells another story. True power, true wealth, true happiness, is life with God for all eternity. All earthly things pass away. Wealth dissipates. Power is elusive. Influence over others is ephemeral. Pleasure is fleeting. Scripture teaches us that the only true happiness is found with God when we give ourselves to him. To worship God alone is why we are created in the first place. Only God is worthy to be praised. Only God is eternal, everything else passes away.

This passage from Revelation before us this morning paints a glorious picture of the risen and exalted Christ seated on his heavenly throne for all eternity. However, let us really grasp what John’s vision presents us with as we look upon the throne. The exalted Christ is the slain Lamb!

The message is clear. Divine power and wealth and wisdom and might are exercised and achieved through humble acts of sacrifice – of crucifixion. This magnificent scene in Revelation is not the triumphal scene of an arrogant God, high and mighty, lofty and transcendent; this is a triumphal scene of divine power present in pain and suffering.

The exalted Christ seated on the throne of glory is the same Lord who hung willingly on the cross. He is the same exalted Christ that I am absolutely sure was present as those defenseless men and woman, young and old, were innocently slaughtered by a deluded and misguided man pursuing two values of this world; power, and pleasure.

As we mourn the loss of life this past week, as our hearts break with sorrow for the pain and suffering of the parents and friends left behind, we nonetheless can find hope and strength in our faith. Our scriptural image of God is the slain Christ, now risen and exalted to rule for all eternity because it is God’s will. John’s words before us this morning remind us that God himself was present with those killed last Monday morning, claiming them even as he claimed his own slaughtered Son from the tomb long ago.

As our hearts are broken, as the sadness of what our culture has come to in many instances pervades us, may our hearts join in singing with John’s vision, “To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” To God alone be the glory and praise! So may it be for each of us. Amen.

Rev. Marc V. Mason

April 22, 2007

Trinity Presbyterian Church

Travelers Rest, SC