Westside Church of Christ

Income Tax Day has come and gone. We have settled our accounts with Uncle Sam, and heave a sigh of relief. Outstanding debts weigh heavily on us. We are a nation buried under a pile of it. We see it, know it and feel it. Credit cards are maxed out as Americans make minimal payments and the obligation stretches as far as the eye can see. It becomes impossible to bear. Sin is worse. The consequences are far more dramatic than a foreclosure or repossession.

Everyone shares it. No one is immune. The devil has danced through all of our lives leading us into evil actions. The penalty is frightening, especially as we really consider it. Sin separates us from God. Adam and Eve exemplify the immediacy of the damage that comes from our disobedience. The flood reveals the disappointment and anger of the Lord toward the damage that it does to His creation. Our streets today shine a bright light on a culture that has rejected Him and His ways. It is ugly.

Three young men have been charged with killing three teenagers in Florida. One of the murderers is a twelve-year-old. A transexual charges into a faith-based school in Tennessee and shoots three nine-year-olds and three sixty-year-olds. It is a dreadful time, symptoms of a very serious sickness. Our nation is spiritually ill and morally bankrupt. It feels overwhelming. Christians are outmanned and overmatched. Every segment of our society seems to be taking aim at us. How can we possibly stand against such an imbalance of power?

Our prospects are dismal until we take one vital factor into account: God. We are all weak and flawed individuals, but He is not. He spoke the worlds into existence, and His kingdom is invincible. As to the debt that we all owed, He has taken care of that, too. We never could, but He did. His Son suffered the humiliation and brutality of public execution to clear the slate. Nothing less than the death of the Son of God could provide forgiveness, and that is precisely what He gave.

Now, we are here as salt and light in the midst of the mess. It is critically important that we function in those capacities. Only disciples can truly address the issues that plague our society. The word of God brings the decay to a halt and shines light in the darkness, and it is our task not only to talk it but to walk it. Actions put our faith on display. That is our outstanding debt now.

The Lord has every possible resource at His disposal, and as we walk in the light, we are in fellowship with Him in this effort. He is our partner in slowing the cultural decay and pushing back the darkness. It may appear impossible to our eyes, but He is still almighty, and we are on His side.

Call to Praise: 2 Peter 1:5-7

His word on it: 1 Peter 2:2

Sermon: “Building Blocks”