Christian Indifference Part 2
An all-creatures Bible Message

Christian Indifference Part 2
 
A Sermon Delivered to
The Compassion Internet Church
 
19 June 2016
 
Frank L. Hoffman, Pastor

Scripture References

Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Isaiah 65:1-9
Matthew 5:48
Matthew 6:9-10
Matthew 7:21-23
Romans 1:20

Christian indifference part 2, as the name implies, is a continuation of our discussion from last week, but since this is also Father’s Day we thought it would be a good idea to look at ourselves from the position of teacher, for in order to be a father, or mother for that matter, we have to have children, which carries with it the responsibility of teaching our children how to live before God.
 
And since all fathers were once children themselves, all children need to understand their responsibility as future teachers of their own children, and as such, we all need to seriously consider how we are going to help end Christian indifference in this world, which means we must work to end the human caused pain, suffering, and death in this world and help free creation from its present corruption.
 
Many people consider themselves to be Christians, but they are also promoting Christian indifference by living in the corrupt ways of this world instead of in the heavenly will of God.
 
Now, let’s consider what Moses taught us in Deuteronomy 6:4-9…

4. "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!

The first thing we need to consider in our own lives, and as teachers of others, is that there is only one God who we are to serve and follow.
 
We are to cease following the corrupt ways of this world, for by doing so, people are making the devil a god in their lives, and as a result, they become followers and teachers of Christian indifference.

5. "And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

If we truly follow this commandment, then we will love the whole of God’s creation, which includes all of us humans, all of the animals, and the environment in which we all live.
 
And, if we truly love all of God’s creation in this way, then we will do everything in our power to help free creation from its present corruption, which Christian indifference ignores and thus fosters even more corruption and suffering.

6. And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart;

This is something that is missing from those people who have Christian indifference, for they fail to feel the pain and suffering that is happening to millions of humans and billions of animals every year.
 
These people may feel the pain and suffering of a select few, but if we are going to end Christian indifference, we need to feel the pain and suffering of the whole of God’s creation, and work diligently to end the carnage.
 
Then Moses goes on and tells us something else we are to do.

7. and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.

This means that we should so internalize living in the heavenly will of God that everything we say and do is a part of our nature and is a witness to the world around us, beginning with those closest to us; it’s a vital part of teaching our children for they see that we live by what we teach them.

8. And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.
 
9. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
NASB

There are some orthodox Jewish men who literally bind a copy of the Law in a little box on their forehead, and there are many Jewish people who put a copy of the Law in a scroll shaped container on their doorposts, but these things can be just as much for show as it is a reality, just like going to church.
 
The Law is to be a part of our being, which is more than wearing it or going to church, but we also need to recognize the fact that Jesus taught us to rise above the Law of Moses and to live in the heavenly will of God, where there is no need for the Law, for there is no corruption in heaven, which the Law of Moses was designed to protect us from.
 
Perfect love fulfills the Law.
 
Think about what Jesus commanded us in Matthew 5:48…

48. "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
NASB

The only way we can do this is to live in the perfect heavenly love of God, for if we do, we fulfill the whole Law, for we will naturally avoid doing any of the things the Law was to protect us from.
 
But since we are still here upon this corrupted earth, how do we do this?

Do we remember how Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 6:9-10…

9. 'Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.

If we live in the ways of this corrupt earth, which means we don’t fully love God, then how can we call Him “Father” or consider His name to be holy?
 
The simple answer is we can’t.
 
If we pray for these things, then we should also believe that it is true, and live like we want it to be a reality in our lives, such as when we pray…

10. 'Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
NASB

We hope that all of us really want this to happen, for it can happen in our lives and from there spread to others and to the whole of creation, and hopefully end Christian indifference.
 
But for those who still want to live in the corrupt ways of this world and pretend to live as Christians, remember what we are told in Matthew 7:21-23.

21. "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.
 
22. "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'
 
23. "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'
NASB

We hope this scares the devil out of the people who pretend to be Christians, but who don’t follow the peacemaking teachings of Jesus and are filled with Christian indifference to the suffering of His creation and, in particular, to the animals whom they eat and wear.
 
Let’s consider these things as we look at Isaiah 65:1-9, together.

1. "I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me;
I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me.
I said, 'Here am I, here am I,
'To a nation which did not call on My name.

God has always let Himself be seen and found by everyone, unless they have blinded themselves to God’s presence through their Christian indifference.
 
Isn’t this exactly what Paul tells us in Romans 1:20?

20. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
NASB

We should see and understand who God is when we see a tree or the wild flowers growing along the side of the road.
 
We should see and understand who God is in a chicken or in a cow, and realize how wrong it is when we see animal body parts wrapped in plastic wrap and in Styrofoam containers in our supermarkets.
 
We should see and understand who God is in everything He created, and feel His sorrow in the way our human race has corrupted His beautiful and peaceful creation for our own personal greed and lust, and we should repent of our evil ways and resolve in our heart and soul to help free creation from its present corruption, beginning with our own lives.
 
Let’s ponder this carefully as we look at how Isaiah expressed this for the Lord our God.

2. "I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people,
Who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts,
 
3. A people who continually provoke Me to My face,
Offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on bricks;
 
4. Who sit among graves, and spend the night in secret places;
Who eat swine's flesh,
And the broth of unclean meat is in their pots.

To us, this is a perfect example of how people who are filled with Christian indifference behave; for instead of desiring to live in the heavenly will of God and serve Him only, they desire to live in the corrupt ways of the world with all its pain, suffering, bloodshed, and death, and serve the devil.

5. "Who say, 'Keep to yourself, do not come near me,
For I am holier than you!' These are smoke in My nostrils,
A fire that burns all the day.

This is the way of the people who are filled with Christian indifference; they believe their worldly ways are above God.

6. "Behold, it is written before Me,
I will not keep silent, but I will repay;
I will even repay into their bosom,
 
7. Both their own iniquities and the iniquities of their fathers together," says the LORD.
"Because they have burned incense on the mountains,
And scorned Me on the hills,
Therefore I will measure their former work into their bosom." 

Today, we may not burn incense on the mountain, but many people do offer burnt offerings on their back yard barbeques to the gods of this world who enjoy all the pain and bloodshed.
 
The people are so filled with Christian indifference that they fail to feel the pain and suffering of the animals they eat and wear, and their hardness of heart carries over to every aspect of their lives.

8. Thus says the LORD,
"As the new wine is found in the cluster,
And one says, 'Do not destroy it, for there is benefit in it,
'So I will act on behalf of My servants
In order not to destroy all of them.
 
 9. "And I will bring forth offspring from Jacob,
And an heir of My mountains from Judah;
Even My chosen ones shall inherit it,
And My servants shall dwell there.
NASB

All who are filled with Christian indifference and hardness of heart will be rejected by God, for all of heaven is reserved for the peacemaking children of God who have repented of their former earthly ways.
 
They do everything in their power to live in the heavenly will of God and help free creation from its present corruption.
 
Reject Christian indifference and the evil and corrupt ways of this world, and seek the heavenly will of God.
 
We all can do it, if we want to.
 
Amen.

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