MIXED EMOTIONS IN THE DARKNESS OF VERMONT

MIKE CUNNINGHAM

RESURRECTION SUNDAY 2009

Father, I realize you know everything. You’re already aware of the fact I’m here on this Resurrection Sunday morning with some of your other grateful children exactly as you had planned, ordained, and then by speaking your world into existence, predestined to occur today. We’re gathered together in one of those little houses of worship you have planted throughout the spiritual darkness of Vermont, the least churched state in our nation. You and I also know that for many years I’ve done a lot of prayerful meditating about a series of events which occurred in our world a little more than two thousand years ago and those which have been taking place during the almost seventy six years I’ve been living in this world. Whenever I take the time to seriously contrast the stark difference between these two periods of human history, I experience mixed emotions. They’re bitter-sweet, Father. My heart is filled with intense joy but also profound sorrow. I realize this is not a new revelation to you either, Father, nor is the fact I find it to be therapeutic to publicly share my heart-felt joys and grave concerns with you in the presence of these particular brothers and sisters in Christ you have planned to cross paths with me. To think that “when the fullness of time had arrived you sent your Son,” (Galatians 4:4) to invade the kingdom of Satan and of darkness, and usher in the kingdom of heaven and of light is something I find truly awesome. I love the way the Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle John to describe that momentous event and pen these memorable words:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth,” John 1:1-14 (ESV).

Father, it’s fascinating knowing that the Holy Spirit inspired Mark to begin his Gospel in his own particular style of recording spiritual truth. He began by quoting your servant Isaiah who had prophesized many years previously: “As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’ ” John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,” Mark 1:2-4 (ESV). Unlike me and the rest of us, John was filled with the Holy Spirit from the moment of his birth, (Luke 1:15).The more I ponder that single verse, the more I’m blessed by it. John grew up to become a God-fearing man, Father, exactly as you planned and predestined him to be. Folks such as John stand out and shine as brilliant beacons of light piercing the darkness of this sin-infested world, don’t they Father? So much so that John caught the attention of your arch-enemy Satan and his other cosmic forces of evil. They were the personal handlers of an evil man named Herod.

Another one of your adopted children Father, a man named Luke, recorded the fact that John seized the challenge you had planned him to be faced with. Then, in total dependence on you for the strength and courage, “… John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done, Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison,” (Luke 3:19-20 NIV) a consequence which shouldn’t have surprised John any more than any of the followers of your Son should be surprised, whenever out of concern of the final destination of another person’s immortal soul; follows the dictates of his or her conscience, and then with deep humility, lovingly confronts the person, should they Father?

“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel,” Mark 1:14-15 (ESV). After the satanically influenced Herod ordered John beheaded, your Son picked up the torch and began his public ministry: “And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people,” Matthew 4:23; 9:35 (ESV). Father, I spoke about some of these events last week, so I’m not going to repeat myself today. Instead, this morning I would like to focus on your kingdom, which the Bible refers to as being the kingdom of heaven, and the kingdom of God, because I believe it’s what you planned for me to do, just as Jesus did with his twelve apostles almost two thousand years ago.

“These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, ⁶ but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand,” Matthew 10:5-7 (ESV). On another occasion your Son told the crowds about the kingdom: “I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it, Matthew 11:11-12 (NIV). And then Father, I’m reminded of the time your Son healed some poor suffering man who had been brought to Him and He drove home an amazing fact concerning the kingdom.

“Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David? But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons that this fellow drives out demons. Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Matthew 12:22-28 (NIV) The kingdom of heaven is at hand. The kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, a fact He drove home when He cast the demon out and healed the poor man and gave him the gifts of sight and speech. Father, it was as if Jesus was saying: “My kingdom is not of this world anymore than my people are of this world. Although my followers and my kingdom are in this world, they and it are not of this world.”

I’m reminded Father of those times when our four children were teenagers and the whole family was seated at the dinner table and I was completely oblivious of the activity taking place even when someone spoke to me, until finally my thoughts were interrupted by one of our exasperated kids say with a deep somber voice: “earth calling dad, come in dad!” I wish I could say my thoughts had been focused on your Son’s kingdom and His righteousness, and expecting you to give me the things I wanted so most. Instead, I’m ashamed to admit my thoughts were far from your kingdom as I struggled hard worrying about how I could get a job and earn enough money before I lost everything. You remember how time after time I pleaded, even begged you to help me by giving me the things I so desperately craved. And time after time I could hear you whispering, even shouting in my ear at times: “First seek my kingdom and my righteousness, Mike, and then you will have all these things.” Father, you know I only made a half-hearted attempt and so you allowed me to subject myself to experience intense emotional pain from seemingly unrelenting frustration, loss, loneliness, and other divinely ordained obstacles, as I kept myself from getting anywhere and defiantly continued putting myself and my wants first. You allowed me to huff and puff until I finally exhausted myself on what I have to describe as being “The Treadmill of Hard Times,” until at last I learned the lesson you had been trying to teach me for a long time. Whenever I did, your kingdom advanced a little more, exactly as you had planned, didn’t it Father? Now I’m happy to echo the Psalmist who once said: “You have dealt well with your servant, O Lord, according to your word. Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word, Psalms 119:65-67 (ESV). Thanks for loving me so much, Father and for never stopping that life-long process of conforming me to the image of your Son, (Romans 8: 29). I know I still have a long way to go in that area, but I sure intend to cooperate with you. I’m also hoping and praying that from now on these folks who are hearing my words today and those who may read them later will learn from my arrogant disobedence and spare themselves a lot of unnecessary suffering.

A couple of thousand years ago when your Son was in our world was an amazing time and place in which to live. But as I mentioned last week Father, all things considered, I would much rather be living today in the darkness of Vermont and our nation than to watch Jesus suffer such humiliation and excruciating pain in my place on His cross to pay the price I’m absolutely convinced every one of my disgusting sins deserve. You know I honestly believe there would have been a very real possibility I would have gone stark-raving mad or killed myself or even given up my faith completely. But you also know if I had witnessed those incredible supernatural events which occurred on that first Resurrection Sunday I would have become a completely different man just as His disciples and the other early followers were. Later when I would have received the report of what He had told His disciples on the mountain in Galilee when He “… said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age,” Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV).

And He was with them and they did all that He had commissioned them to. O how I would loved to have been among those Colossian Christians when they heard that, despite suffering severe persecution, those men succeeded. Paul wrote and encouraged those Christians to…“continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister,” Colossians 1:23 (ESV). They accomplished exactly what He had commissioned them to do and now I and my fellow Christians must go and do likewise.

That small number of believers took their faith so seriously that they once caused an uproar among the Jews who were living in the city of Thessalonica. The enraged Jews formed a mob and went looking for Paul and Silas. “And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, Acts 17:6 (ESV). Those early Christians turned their world upside down by sharing their faith and the kingdom of God continued advancing just as it has been up to the present day. Back then cultural norms such as rape, incest, bestiality, pedophilia, abortion, infanticide, polygamy child abandonment, homosexuality and adultery were made unlawful acts or stigmatized in places which became known as being civilized as opposed to the dark places which still exist in this world. The more grateful Christians shared the Gospel the more they influenced society. The kingdom of light slowly but surely pushed aside the kingdom of darkness whenever obedient Christians took the Great Commission seriously. In the course of time Christ’s church became corrupt and rife with sin and the darkness slowly eased its way back in, as you so well know, Father. Then you raised up a young Catholic monk named Martin Luther and through him and other courageous men and women you gave birth to the great Protestant Reformation. Once more Father, your kingdom slowly began to grow and flourish. Hospitals and orphanages were established. Men and women became well educated when Christ centered universities such as Princeton and Harvard were founded. Capitalism replaced socialism in the civilized parts of the world. Slavery was abolished and women and black people were given equal rights.

Now once again the forces of darkness have slowly managed to ease back into your kingdom pushing the light aside as more and more of your Son’s followers became apathetic and ignored the Great Commission. This is why I’m also sorrowful on this Resurrection Sunday, Father. The Church your Son paid such and horrendous price to purchase has been drifting back into Satan’s kingdom of darkness and, with few exceptions, continued to retreat for most of the almost seventy six you allowed me to live in this world. Prime examples are the right our government has given women to kill the babies the Psalmist tells us you are kitting together in their wombs, (Psalm 139:13). And now, during this past holy of all weeks on the Christian calendar, the latest outrage occurred when the lawmakers of the state in which you planned for me to be living in, enacted legislation legalizing same-sex marriage. Today’s headlines indicates Vermont lawmakers are considering legislation legalizing fourteen year old girls to text nude sexually explicit photos of themselves to eighteen year old boys. Next on Satan’s agenda may be the resurrection of legalizing physician assisted suicide followed by the killing of human beings whom Satan will try hard to persuade our law makers are undesirable people and huge financial drains on society; folks such as those born with spinal-bifida, Down’s syndrome, and my autistic grandson and old guys like me. Father please, please wake your people up! Don’t let us drift back into the dark ages where Satan’s kingdom once flourished.

Father, you know that today over 80% of American Christians don’t believe your Word is the all-sufficient, certain and infallible rule or standard by which you want your human creatures to live or that absolute moral truth exists. Many Christians select those parts of your Word which please them and discard the ones they don’t like. I’m so saddened whenever I think about the fact that most American’s who consider themselves to be born-again Christians refuse to believe that it is only by going through Your Son that poor lost sinners can enter into your presence, (John 14:6). Father I believe that’s another reason all too many of today’s American Christians are not all that enthused about sharing their faith and warning those folks you have brought into their life about the eternal consequences they each will experience for rejecting your Son’s love. All too many Christians are embarrassed to share these life and death truths. Although they are different, many of them don’t want to appear to be too different. They want to be liked and also don’t want to give to give anyone the impression that all the good things non-Christians do will not get them into your heaven because, in your eyes, each and every one of those admittedly wonderful deeds are worthless apart from those people accepting your Son’s love. I’m also saddened whenever I think about all the true Christians sitting in the pews of certain churches who don’t say boo even though they know some of the churches official teachings concerning salvation are false. These Christians give legitimacy to this kind of false teaching by their weekly presence and financial offerings to pseudo churches. Nor do enough true Christians speak out against those pastors who know the truth but nevertheless withhold it and keep it to themselves, because their church is thriving in a market-driven spiritually. There are no repeated warnings about the certainty of your righteousness wrath. No strenuous pleading with folks to be holy just as you are holy, Father. No continuous warnings that without sincerely struggling to become increasingly holy no one will enter into heaven regardless of his or her profession of faith.

Instead of transforming our culture the American Church is being transformed by it. And that’s a tough environment for me and my fellow bible-believing Christians to live in, isn’t it Father? Those are some of the reasons I’m saddened on this Resurrection Sunday. But I also see it as a wonderful opportunity for us Christians to seize every opportunity which you have foreordained for us to fight the forces of darkness and do our upmost to lead poor lost sinners to your Son, the Risen Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, and into the light of your glorious kingdom. And every time Satan and his cosmic forces of evil try to persuade us to become discouraged and face reality, we should make a habit of viewing the situation through our eyes of faith and we will see reality. Whenever I consider the history of Christ’s Church and the advance of your kingdom pressing onward, it sometimes seems to be progressing forward more quickly than at other times, but your Word says it’s always advancing. And then Father, we Christians need to remind each other that you are working in eternity and we’re working in time. When we view all these divinely ordained events through your eyes we will be able to understand how to you a day must seem like a thousand of our years, (2 Peter 3:8).

Please wake us Christians up, Father! Revive your Church! Please start a new reformation! And may it please you Father to make my Resurrection Sunday message a blessing to these folks who just heard it preached and all who may read it later. I ask this in the name of your Son Jesus, the Risen Savior.

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This concludes my using this particular style of preaching unless the Lord tells me otherwise through you folks. Thanks for listening.

God bless you all.

Pastor Mike