Title:- The Bittersweet Taste of God’s New Wine When Served Down at The Cross & Crown!
Matthew 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
James Hilton's ‘Lost Horizon’ is assured a place in the annals of publishing history, not necessarily for its literary value, but for the simple fact that it was the first novel published in paperback in 1939 by Ian Ballantine. This story of ‘Lost Horizon’ is simple: a group of travellers are stranded in the Himalayas and they encounter a remote monastery named ‘Shangri-La’ and the wonderful people who live there. Their philosophy can be summed up in this statement. “Moderation in everything, even in moderation!” Today, ‘Shangri La’ has become a ‘by-word’ for anyone’s personal search for bliss, peace, and contentment under the sun. The West’s continuing seeking, fascination and embracing of all things philosophically and religiously Eastern, shows that the humanistic, selfish and very personal quest for such bliss is an ever-increasing one. The search for God’s greater glory however, is nowhere to be found.
The presentation, packaging and practice of such a Shangri La philosophy, where ‘All things are done in moderation, and without harm to anyone else,’ allows a passive yet investigative, non-judgmental journey into pluralism that is seemingly both without any form of accountability and without any real consequence, either now or in the future. Such a delightful drink, is an attractive and indulgent, heady cocktail for the comparatively rich moguls of the West and oh my goodness, the drink has been taken and it is being drunk to the very dregs. Unfortunately, as the Scriptures foretold, this pluralistic cocktail has a sting in it! It kills you DEAD.
Biblical prophets will stand against such seeming moderate and loving, pluralistic acceptance of all religions and be accused of being, ‘bawling bigots bereft of any insight and true compassion!’ Never the less, they will still lift up their voices and cry out regarding God’s bittersweet communicative cocktail of “Sin, judgment, fire, anger, wrath, separation, blood, sacrifice, humility, brokenness, personal ownership, Divine mercy and forgiveness that comes ONLY through Jesus who is the One and only, Way and Truth and Life!” True prophets, will plead both with anger and with tears, against a wayward and adulterous generation and will themselves be condemned by that same generation for such antagonistic and presumptuous soul-seeking passion. Selah! This message might sound mad my friend , but at least it's an honest and outspoken message, for what is Shangri La philosophy, but simply bald headed selfishness dressed in priestly robes and I tell you today that though it sounds so nice, Shangri La philosophy is simply a self-consuming madness that will in the end suck you smiling into Sheol.
We ministers of Christ, whoever we are, should examine our lives and the product of our prophetic preaching. If our message is truly wet with the tears of Jeremiah and yet burning with the raging fire of Elijah, then are the disciples we produce of the same prophetic stock? Are they deep and lasting, even fragrant with the myrrh of the Master? More often than not, I am afraid that they are as damp and as full of as much nutrition as old popcorn left outside overnight, and God help us please! Do we have a lot of old damp popcorn? Yes we do and on the side of the box it says, 'produced by Shangri La'. So, what does this say to us modern day Preachers?
Well, how about this: The quality of our fruit (NOT the quantity) must be indicative of the true power of our message. You see, if our message is simply massaging the moderation of a Shangri La philosophy, then to this generation, our preaching is to no avail and we, as messengers of the Most High, then have their blood dripping from our fearful and false, fumbling little fingertips. For when the utter selfishness of pluralism is never confronted, sin continues! Fear of the offence of the message makes us settle for damp popcorn! Such fear Preacher, has put blood on your hands.
How's the honesty of our message this morning mates? Methinks we might have made it to be both acceptable and insipid! In other words, poison. This is just not good enough. Why not repent, and then go and pour that lukewarm nastiness out on the ground man. Pour it out, and then begin to pour out yourself and your message in the way that God intended for you to do. Remember, His new wine is always bitter sweet when it’s served down at the Cross and Crown. So, speak the truth for once, oh speak it in love for sure, but please, have the courage to speak it in truth! Come on preacher, don’t be a chicken when it comes to His mission for there is no bliss outside the blessedness of Jesus. Remember that the taste of God's new wine when served at the Cross and Crown will always be bitter to the flesh, but sweet to the repentant spirit. Don't be worried if at the first taste of bitterness that some spit it out. Others will swallow and in the so doing, will find salvation's sweetness in the quaffing.
Listen: - Then Moses said to him, “Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!” And Moses returned to the camp, he and the elders of Israel. Numbers 11:29-30
Pray: - Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! Sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens. Honour and majesty are before Him; Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Give to the LORD glory and strength. Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth. Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns; The world also is firmly established, It shall not be moved; He shall judge the peoples righteously.” Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; Let the sea roar, and all its fullness; Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the LORD. For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with His truth. (Psalm 96).
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