Sermon Snippet – One Faithful Person
INTRODUCTION – We have been considering some of the implications of “the simplicity that is in Christ” (II Corinthians 11:3). Building on last week’s message on the importance of influence, let us think about the impact of one faithful person.
1. THERE ARE TIPPING POINTS IN THE LIFE OF A NATION
Jeremiah 5:1-9 is a profoundly sad section of Scripture. Surely amongst the religious pilgrims and the religious priests one godly person could be found such that God in His great mercy would rescue the people of Jerusalem from the invading Babylonians. Alas, though, the prophet Jeremiah – appropriately named the “weeping prophet” – could not find even one such person of faith, and judgment came upon the city and the land. There is a difference between religion and spiritual life. Has our nation, our beloved nation, gone past that final tipping point? Perhaps, perhaps not. We do not know, for we do not have the specific prophetic word from God’s Word on the subject. Is it possible that one person stands strong in the faith and prevents our deserved judgment? Yes, and it may be that you are that one. The Bible is clear: one faithful person makes a difference in the life of a nation.
2. THERE ARE TIPPING POINTS IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH
II Thessalonians 2:1-4 is another deeply distressing passage. In a time yet future – perhaps very near, perhaps not – the evil world leader called the Antichrist will come and briefly rule in an unprecedented reign of terror. Before that terrible time of tribulation will “come a great falling away first” (verse 3). This great rebellion, almost unbelievably, comes from within the professing Church; it is an aggressive apostasy, an outright rejection of Jesus Christ. Has the Church reached that irrevocable tipping point? Listening to the leaders of some major denominations and large churches is very much like listening to Marxists and their fellow-travelers, postmodernists. “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men” (Matthew 5:13). The current move from many small churches to fewer large churches will make it easier for church-going people to be manipulated and controlled by unsound doctrine. This consolidation is a necessary precursor to the fulfillment of this specific Biblical prophecy about the coming apostasy. Can one faithful person delay this inevitable event? Perhaps. Certainly within an individual church, one sturdy believer can forestall such declension. The Word of God is clear: one faithful person makes a difference in the life of a church.
3. THERE ARE TIPPING POINTS IN THE LIFE OF THE INDIVIDUAL
Earlier this year, we studied Mark 10:17-27 in detail. It is another troubling account. Face to face with Jesus, face to face with the Savior Who “loved him” (verse 21), this rich young ruler was “sad” and “went away grieved: for he had great possessions” (verse 22). Did he ever repent and turn to Jesus for salvation? We do not know, but the hardness of his heart and the soft spot that he had for possessions are indicators of a settled decision. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (II Corinthians 6:2b).
CONCLUSION – Isaiah 57:1 laments the lack of interest of many in the influence of devout believers. However, many is not all. Let us lay “it to heart” and value the genuine faith of others. Let us lay to heart the truth of God’s Word that one Christian matters, that each one of us can be that one person of faith who makes a deep difference.