Matthew 12:38-39 says, “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him saying, ‘Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.’ But he answered them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.’”
We see here yet another encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees. The Pharisees are unbelieving of Jesus’ claims of being the Messiah and the Son of God. John 10:25 says, “Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe becuase you are not a part of my flock.’” So they did not belive because they were not chosen of God, they were not his sheep.
But listen to Jesus’ words in Matthew 12, “An evil and adulterous generation…” Adulterous? Why does he use that word? In the Old Testament, Israel is said to be God’s bride, but here Jesus calls them adulterous, because they seek a sign. It would be the same as if a bride today asked her husband for a sign that he truly was her husband. In Matthew 25 Jesus calls himself the bridegroom, yet here Israel, who was meant to be God’s bride sought a sign.
Isaiah 29:13 says, “And the Lord said: ‘Becuase this people honor me with their lips, while their heats are far from me and their fear of me is a commandment of men..’” Jesus restates this verse in Mark 7 speaking about the Pharisees. So Israel honored God with their lips, but did not love him with their hearts and becuase of this false love, they are called adulterous.
We then see that the church becomes true Israel, that we become heirs in the promises of God (Rom. 4 & Rom. 9). So now the church is Israel and the church is also Christ’s bride (Eph. 5).
What is the point of all this, though? I see, in today’s modern, evangelical church, an adulterous spirit. The Word of Faith movement, they have turned from Christ and have turned to money. The Seeker-Sensitive movement, they have turned from Christ and have turned to the praise of men. We are to present the Church as a spotless bride to Christ, but where is the Church’s purity today? The majority of America’s churches are commiting adultery with the world, they honor God with their lips on Sunday mornings but in their hearts is a desire for money and the praise of man. Why else would the Seeker-Sensitive movement push so hard for church growth in numbers? Or the Word of Faith manipulate peoples emotions for monetary gain? Is it becuase they have a sincere desire for God’s people? Matthew 6:24 says, “No one can serve two masters, for wither he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
The Church is Christ’s bride, Christians should be commited to her purity, however, we see “Christians” in these same “churches” that seek after the world more than the Bridegroom. What is the fundamental problem or problems that have caused such an affair? I belive that a lack in sound doctrine and unregenerate trying to play regenerate, have caused this.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 says, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” That time, which Paul told Timothy about, is now. It is not entirely the teachers fault, though we have a tendancy to lay the blame at their feet, it is also the audiences fault. The Scripture says they will want teachers who don’t teach the truth.
Here are two major lies which are being presented in many of our churches.
1. If you are a Christian, life will be so much easier and everything will go great. You will prosper in health and in wealth. In short, God doesn’t want you to suffer.
2. Jesus isn’t the only way. Or, be tolerant of other religions becuase they all have some truth in them.
Both of these statements are entirely false and can be proven so scripturally. Along with these two lies are two major truths that have been abandoned, consciously in some cases, sub-consciously in others.
1. The sufficiancy of Scripture. This truth is blatantly disregarded in the Immergant Church, and sub-consciously abandoned in most other churches. This is, I believe the most important truth of all, if you can get around it you can get around anything else. If you can say that the Scripture is not sufficient or inerrant, you can reject all the truth that is contained within its pages.
2. The Lordship of Christ over all things. You can be a nominal Christian, and live however you want if reject Christ as Lord. In fact, you are not saved, if reject that. You can abandon the Bible and replace it with human philosophy, logic, emotionalism, and still call yourself a Christian. As I said earlier, we have the unregenerate trying to play regenerate. The lost pretending to be found, the blind pretending that they can see and the dead pretedning to be alive. This would not be a problem, if our churches would preach the Lordship of Christ. The unregenerate wouldn’t be able to handle sitting our churches, if all the while their lifestyle, their worldview and their actions were being being condemned from the pulpit.
Revelation 2:4 says, “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” Though this is a prophecy and a revelation of the future, I belive this applies to todays churches as well. Our churches have abandoned the love that they had at first. Their first love, the Bridegroom Jesus Christ.
Our churches in America, are commiting adultery with the world, they are having an affair with the flesh. We must reform our churches, we must retake the purity of the Bride.
To God be the Glory.
