Turn To God

Josh Bell
Written By Jeff Rybacki
 

“Therefore say to them, Thus declares the Lord of hosts: Return to me says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts.” 

Zechariah 1:3

I have been methodically working my way through the Old Testament and to my discredit I confess that I have never made all the way through without being drawn back into the New Testament. I usually fizzle out by the time I get into the minor prophets. But this time I am determined to remain disciplined to finish through the end. But as I have been reflecting on the Old Testament, I am seeing a recurring theme. One that I have noticed many times before, but this time as I have slowed down, read commentaries and tried to gain a deeper understanding of the scriptures I have reflected on this theme in greater depth. The theme is the reality that the Jewish people despite all of what God has done for them through word, deed, prophetic utterances, miracles, battles won, land gifted to them, various provisions, freedom, blessings beyond measure, even God’s presence in their very midst, and various other seemingly incomprehensible events, etc. they continue to forget and rebel against God generation after generation. Now, I think why would people who have had the most personal interaction with God, seen the most good through Him, having witnessed His relentless faithfulness and commitment to His covenants continue to be so stupid? Then I realize I too am like the Israelites, naturally rebellious having easily forgot all the God has done in my life. Why? The answer lies in the heart. Sin. The bible says the heart is exceedingly wicked and there is no good in it. Sin is so deeply rooted in us that no amount of God’s glory will cause us to walk in obedience apart from the Spirit of God working in us. No wonder the New Testament is so appealing to believers. 

As I have been reflecting on this, I see this same ignorant pattern in the world today. We have pushed God out of every aspect of culture, institutions, and society and we wonder why the world is so chaotic and evil? We wonder will it ever be right? When asking these questions, the natural tendency is to look to the wisdom of man to find the answer. We seek change from government leaders, social justice “warriors,” community organizations, programs, etc., and sometimes in the lawless constructs of civil unrest. Like the Israelites we pursue our idols and forget God. The result of pursuing these avenues of change (idols) proves to create more chaos and confusion. In the end, we are no different than the Israelites of the Old Testament. To tie this into the weekly sermons all is vanity and there is nothing new under the son. History repeats itself, over and over. Whether we like to admit it or not society does not get smarter or better when seeking its own way. Instead it becomes more complicated and corrupt. I heard it recently said that “the seed of every sin lies in the heart of every man.” When I think of that, it’s scary. In that reality I recognize I am fully capable of doing the very thing I hate to see others doing. The only difference is that my upbringing and experiences have helped to develop boundaries that I will not cross because of indoctrinated conviction, instilled discipline, or fear of consequences. 

Ravi Zacharias said one time that “every time you tear down a fence, stop for a minute to think about why it was put there in the first place.” How profound! As the world around us tears down moral boundaries to make way for their progressive agenda they don’t stop to think about the consequences of their actions. The results are always destructive. Just like the Jews in the Old Testament who constantly rebelled against God and went their own way and were judged by God over and over throughout history and never seemed to learn, the world around us today is doing the same and is reaping the “fruit” of their rebellion and are therefore receiving the judgement it deserves. 

As I think further about this, I cannot help but think, is what we see happening around us today the result of the churches failure to penetrate society and surrounding communities with the gospel message? Are we, the church, complicit in the state of affairs today? Churches all over this country are assimilating with the culture around them, adopting worldly beliefs and practices in order to make themselves more relevant and appealing to their audience. Engaging in pragmatism in attempts to avoid persecution. The church is called to be different than the world, set apart, holy, obedient to God. Praise God the Bridge is not one of these compromising churches and I’m thankful for our church leadership and their conviction to remain rooted in God’s word, prayerfully seeking it’s truth for wisdom and discernment in all matters pertaining to church responsibility and community purpose. 

So what do we do? What is the good news? Well, like Zechariah 1:3 says we are to return to God and He will return to us. What does this look like? The church and all members shall remain committed to preaching, teaching, and obeying God’s word. With the conviction to stand firm in biblical precepts and not compromising its truth. Romans 10:14-17 tells us that the world will not believe if they have not heard and faith comes through hearing the word of Christ. How can those around us hear the truth if the church is like the world around them? How can those around us come to faith if they never hear the word or if they hear a distorted version of the word. 1 Peter 3:15 says we are always to be ready to give account for the hope that is in us and what better time than right now when the world seems so lost and without hope? 

We have the perfect opportunity in this time in history to shine the light of Christ in such a dark and perverse world. I feel like now more than ever the church has the responsibility to rise up, abstain from worldly influence, and yet make a difference in our communities even at the risk of intense persecution. We have the hope the world needs and we have a duty to share it. We know the world will not stay this way, it might even get worse, but in the end God wins. His plan is coming together while the world is falling apart, and we can rest in the fact that He is in complete control and one day He will return and restore all things to perfection. Fear, death, evil, chaos, confusion, destruction, and uncertainty, will perish and righteousness will reign. We will one day bask in the glory of God for eternity. This time shall pass. Generations are like a vapor in the wind here today and gone tomorrow, but we have the hope of Christ and we should fully rest and rejoice in that. Therefore, turn to God and He will turn to you. Praise Him for his grace, mercy, faithfulness, and goodness! May we find rest in Him, our refuge in times of trouble.

Jeff Rybacki
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