A Plea to the Christian Man
“The people of
the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor
and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully. And I sought for a man among them,
that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land,
that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Therefore have I poured out mine indignation
upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I
recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.”
Ezekiel
22:29-31
Introduction
In the now
more than two thousand years of Christian history there have been a lot of
Christian men that have done both extremely wonderful deeds and extremely
terrible deeds in the name of Christ. Christianity has been blamed for the many
misguided deeds of mistaken men in the past. Things like the persecution of the
Jews all through history, the Holocaust, the sacking of Christian
Constantinople in 1204, and much, much more. While there have been many misguided
attempts to do God’s will by men who seemed to know nothing of it there are
many, many bright spots in Christian History as well. As brave Christian men
truly understanding the heart of Christ took a stand when every one else had
turned and run.
Men like
Martin Luther although struggling in the moment eventually said “Here I stand. I can do no other”. Also
there were others like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg who with a few
others stood up against the power of the Third Reich. Men like Rev. Martin
Luther King Jr. who was unafraid to speak out when speaking his message was not
popular. Rev. King has been idolized by the people who hated him most in an
attempt to change his true message.
What about today? With Christianity
expanding like it never has in history, and modern missionaries taking full
advantage of the explosion of communication technology. Christianity should
have a voice like it has never had in history. The Christian voice although
misguided at times in history should be the loudest it has ever been. Instead
in an age of war and death, in a time where genocide is rampant and when the
number of the murdered unborn in my country climbs ever higher, the Christian
man is strangely silent. A time when blatant sins are accepted as the norm the
Christian man is found completely missing in action.
Teddy Roosevelt said:
“In any moment of
decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing
you can do is nothing.”[1] Never before has the Christian man been so silent; so
unable to stand in the gap. In the passage in Ezekiel 22 God says in verse 30: “And I sought for a man among them, that
should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I
should not destroy it: but I found none” God, in the beginning of the chapter, is explaining why he is going to
destroy the Nation of Israel. It is interesting to note that verse 30 is the
reason. God is not looking for the whole nation to repent or its leadership to
start doing the right thing. He is simply looking for a few good men or even
one good man. The aversion of God’s wrath is not the responsibility of a nation
of society as a whole but the ultimate responsibility of one man. God
wants just one man to get down on his knees before Him humble and ready to be
used by Him. In the previous verse, verse 29, God shows more of the justification
of His wrath. “Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I
have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed
upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.” God hates the oppression of the poor
and needy. Nothing makes God blood boil than when evil men take advantage of
those that are defenseless, and he wants us as Christian men to stand in the
gap and being their protection. What reward do you get for defending the weak?
Nothing, except for maybe a bloodied noise with two sets of bruised knuckles,
but in heaven the best reward of all a “well done and faithful servant”.
God wants a man to stand in the gap.
Are you willing to be that man? Wait just one moment before you pop you hand up
eagerly. To be a man that stands in the gap requires a rigorous obedience to
the Father. Charles Spurgeon once said: “Most men would be very religious if religion did not entail
obligations.”[2]
In other words talk is cheap but actions can save lives. Are you willing to
follow the qualifications? God wants you to be like the man that Paul describes
in Titus chapter one if you are going to fight in His army. Titus 1:6-9 will be
the outline for this book as we study in detail what is means to be a man of
God. A man that is just, sober, lover of good men, not a striker, etc. God
doesn’t look for the best men to accomplish His will; He makes men into the
best they can be if they are willing to submit to His will. Never was there a
time in history when God you make you into a brighter light. Are you willing to
submit to Him and accept His power to attain the greatest victory? In Paul’s
first letter to the Corinthians Paul says “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this
mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying
that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us
the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye
stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye
know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”[3] What
Paul is trying to tell the believers at Corinth
is that Jesus Christ is the Victor. We know who wins this battle but this Great
King Jesus wants to us you in this fight. Are you willing to be ‘always abounding in the work of the Lord’?
No comments:
Post a Comment