Now That We've Heard the Warning

Dear Church Family,

Over the past two Sundays, we stepped away from our study in Romans to address something that I believe is important for the church in this moment. We talked about our responsibility to be watchmen—to recognize what is happening around us, to examine it through the lens of Scripture, and to faithfully sound the alarm when necessary.

First, I want to say thank you.

Thank you for listening. Thank you for engaging. Thank you for being willing to consider some difficult subjects and challenging questions.

I recognize that these were not typical Sunday morning messages. We addressed issues that are often considered political, controversial, or even inappropriate for discussion in church. But I hope you heard my heart throughout these two weeks.

My desire is not to tell you how to vote or what political party to support. My desire is to help you think biblically about the world in which we live.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we cannot allow our convictions to be shaped primarily by political parties, cultural movements, news organizations, or popular opinion. Our convictions must be shaped by the Word of God.

And when Scripture speaks clearly, we must have the courage to stand upon it—even when doing so is unpopular.

Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 10:16:

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”
Matthew 10:16 (NKJV)

We need both wisdom and gentleness. We need discernment and compassion. We need the courage to speak the truth and the humility to do so in love.

The goal of these messages was never to create fear, anger, or division. It was to awaken us to our responsibility as followers of Christ.

But sounding the alarm is only the beginning.

The question now is: What will we do with what we've heard?

The Warning Has Been Sounded. How Will We Respond?

Throughout these two weeks, we returned to the picture of the watchman in Ezekiel 33. God gave the watchman a responsibility: when he saw danger approaching, he was to sound the trumpet and warn the people.

But there is another important part of that passage we must not overlook.

The watchman was responsible for sounding the warning. The people were responsible for how they responded to it.

In Ezekiel 33:4–5, God makes it clear that hearing the warning carries a responsibility. The watchman could not force anyone to act. His responsibility was to faithfully deliver the warning. But once the trumpet sounded, those who heard it had a decision to make.

I take my responsibility as your pastor seriously. I recognize that I will answer to God for how faithfully I have handled His Word and cared for His people. That includes the responsibility to speak when it might be easier to remain silent.

But I also recognize that I cannot make the decision to respond for you.

And that's really where we find ourselves today.

The warning has been sounded. We've opened God's Word, considered some difficult issues, and examined what it means to live faithfully in the world around us.

Now the question is not simply whether we heard the warning. The question is what we will do with what we've heard.

As we concluded our second week, I shared four specific calls to action. I want to remind you of them and encourage you to prayerfully consider your response.

1. First and Most Importantly, Come to Jesus.

Before we talk about changing our nation, we must talk about the transformation of the human heart.

Our greatest problem is not political. It is spiritual.

No election, legislation, political movement, or government can accomplish what only Jesus Christ can do. We need salvation. We need forgiveness. We need to be reconciled to God.

If you have never surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, this is where you must begin.

You can be concerned about everything happening in our nation and still miss the most important decision you will ever make.

Jesus didn't come merely to improve our circumstances. He came to save us from our sins.

And there is no greater hope for any individual, family, community, or nation than the transforming power of the Gospel.

2. Christians, Is There Something You're Holding Back?

For those who already know Jesus Christ as Savior, I asked a different question:

Is there an area of your life that you have not fully surrendered to Him?

It's possible to acknowledge Jesus as Savior while resisting His authority over certain parts of our lives.

Perhaps it's a relationship. Perhaps it's your finances, your priorities, your habits, or your willingness to serve.

Perhaps it's your unwillingness to speak up when you know you should.

Or perhaps you've allowed the culture around you to shape your thinking in ways that are inconsistent with Scripture.

Whatever it may be, I want to challenge you to bring it before the Lord.

We cannot call our nation to repentance while refusing to examine our own hearts.

And we cannot expect the world to recognize the authority of God's Word if we are unwilling to submit ourselves to it.

Revival doesn't begin with someone else. It begins with us.

3. Get Involved. Be Faithful With the Opportunities God Has Given You.

One of the principles we discussed was the idea of sphere sovereignty—recognizing that God has established different areas of responsibility within society, particularly the family, the church, and the civil government.

Each has a God-given purpose. Each has responsibilities and limitations.

And one of the remarkable blessings of living in the United States is that we have opportunities to participate in all three.

We have a responsibility to our families.

We have a responsibility to the church.

And we have opportunities to participate in the direction of our communities, our state, and our nation.

I want to encourage every eligible member of our church family to vote.

But don't stop there.

Be informed. Pay attention to what is happening in your community. Understand the issues. Examine the positions of those seeking public office. Measure what you hear against the truth of Scripture.

Get involved where God has given you influence. That might mean serving your family more faithfully, becoming more engaged in the ministry of the church, participating in local government, attending a school board meeting, or serving your community.

Not everyone is called to public office. Not everyone will have the same opportunities or responsibilities.

But every Christian is called to be faithful with what God has entrusted to them.

We are not called to withdraw from the world. We are called to be salt and light within it.

Our citizenship in heaven should make us more faithful in our responsibilities here on earth—not less.

And remember, our ultimate allegiance is never to a political party or an earthly nation. It belongs to Jesus Christ.

4. Pray. And Then Pray Some More.

Finally, I want to challenge our church family to pray.

And I don't mean simply adding a brief prayer for our country to the end of our day.

I mean earnestly seeking the face of God.

Consider this: If we believe that all the answers to our problems are found in this world, then prayer becomes unnecessary.

But we don't believe that!

We believe that God is sovereign. We believe that He hears the prayers of His people. We believe that He can change hearts, transform lives, give wisdom to leaders, and accomplish things that no human effort could ever achieve.

Jesus taught us to pray:

“Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Matthew 6:10 (NKJV)

We need to call heaven down to earth!

We need to pray for our families, our children, our churches, our communities, and our nation.

We need to pray for those who lead us—even when we disagree with them.

We need to pray for wisdom, discernment, courage, repentance, and revival.

And we need to remember that prayer is not simply something we do after we've exhausted every other option.

Prayer should be our first response, not our last resort.

I want to personally invite you to join us.

There is something powerful about God's people coming together, humbling themselves before Him, and seeking His will.

We can talk about the problems facing our nation all day long. We can debate policies, elections, and cultural issues. But if we are unwilling to get on our knees and seek the Lord, we are neglecting one of the greatest responsibilities and privileges we have as Christians.

Church, we need to pray.

A Final Word of Encouragement

I realize that the past two weeks may have been challenging. Some of the things we discussed were difficult to hear. Some may have caused you to wrestle with questions you hadn't previously considered.

That's okay.

My prayer is not that everyone simply agrees with everything I say. My prayer is that we become a congregation of believers who know the Word of God, love the truth, and are willing to examine everything through the lens of Scripture.

We don't have to understand everything happening in our world to know that God is still on His throne.

We don't have to live in fear of the future because we know the One who holds the future.

And we don't have to choose between standing firmly for truth and loving the people around us.

We are called to do both.

As your pastor, I take seriously the responsibility God has given me to shepherd this congregation. That includes encouraging you, teaching you, caring for you, and, when necessary, warning you.

But my greatest desire is not simply that we recognize the darkness around us.

My desire is that we faithfully shine the light of Jesus Christ into that darkness.

So let's not allow these two weeks to become simply another series of sermons that we heard and then moved on from.

Let's respond.

Let's surrender our lives more completely to Jesus.

Let's faithfully fulfill our responsibilities in our families, our church, and our communities.

Let's engage our culture with wisdom, courage, and love.

And above all, let's pray.

Thank you for allowing me the privilege of serving as your pastor. I love this church family, and I am grateful for what God is doing among us.

Let's continue to seek Him together.

With love and appreciation,

Pastor Kevin Young

Christian Congregation Church