Rev. David Holwick ZC Hot Potatoes, #7
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
August 31, 2014
James 5:19-20
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I. Nobody likes a traitor.
A. Our brush with infamy.
In 1779, General Benedict Arnold was court-martialed at
Dickerson's Tavern on Spring Street in Morristown.
They accused him of profiteering from military supplies, but
was cleared of all except two minor charges.
Arnold really resented this, and he was ticked off even more
when George Washington published a rebuke of his behavior.
Because of Arnold's past successes, he was put in command of
the important fort at West Point, New York.
While he was there he began communicating with British spies
about the possibility of changing sides.
The British offered him 20,000 pounds.
Over several months he plotted his defection and the betrayal
of West Point.
He even tried to arrange the capture of George Washington.
Arnold's treachery was revealed to the Americans when a British
officer was robbed by some AWOL Americans.
They found notes about Arnold's betrayal stashed in his boots.
Arnold and his wife were able to flee to New York City which
was held by the British.
His timing wasn't great.
The Americans were on a roll, taking Yorktown a year later,
and the British gave up America.
Benedict Arnold moved to England where even they treated him
as a dishonorable man.
He never got his 20,000 pounds.
Arnold died in 1801 and was buried in England without military
honors. [1]
B. A traitor is more than an enemy.
1) They were once one of us, then turned against us.
a) The Apostle John said renegade Christians are actually
antichrists; in 1 John 2:19 he says:
"They went out from us, but they did not really belong
to us.
For if they had belonged to us, they would have
remained with us; but their going showed that
none of them belonged to us."
b) It always concerns something that is vital to us.
1> Your nation.
2> Your politics.
3> Your faith.
c) It can be very threatening to us.
1> American fighting for ISIS terrorists in Syria.
Douglas McAuthur McCain grew up in California.
His uncle said he loved his family and his
Christian faith.
But a few years ago he converted to Islam.
He ended up in Syria, where he was killed
fighting for the ISIS terrorist group.
Ironically, he died fighting other Islamist
radicals. [2]
A> These kind of terrorists deeply concern the FBI.
B> How can you identify them, since they look
just like us?
2> Religious traitors unnerve us as well.
A> The early Christians had harsh words for
those who left the faith.
B> They called them apostates, and accused them of
ruining the faith of many sincere believers.
2) When dealing with a traitor, some questions we should ask:
a) Why did they change?
b) How should we deal with them?
II. Conversion can cut both ways.
A. We are a people of conversion.
1) Many of us did not grow up in this denomination.
a) If you are like me, you came in from outside.
b) It signified a huge change in my life.
c) I want others to come with me.
2) Even if you grew up in an Evangelical home, you know that
we expect everyone to make a personal response to Jesus
and get saved.
B. Some people convert FROM us.
1) I came across a story of a Baptist who became a Catholic. [3]
2) His friends were horrified - he wouldn't go to heaven now.
a) Of course, his Catholic friends were delighted.
3) He made an interesting observation - one person's
glorious convert is another person's despicable traitor.
C. In the end, what matters is truth.
1) It is encouraging when other people decide to believe the
same way you do.
a) It is even better if they are famous or good-looking
or rich.
b) But results like this don't really prove anything.
c) The Bible never assumes everyone, or even most people,
get saved in the end.
1> Jesus said that few people would find the narrow
gate.
2> And Paul said that most Christians would not be from
the elite, but from the lower rungs of society.
3> Truth is the only thing that matters.
2) You should take a stand for what you believe in.
a) Be convinced of it, and educated in it.
b) Also know why others don't believe what you believe.
c) But take your spiritual stand in a spiritual way.
III. Why people abandon the faith.
A. They come to have doubts about the teachings of the faith.
1) We don't live on a sheltered island anymore.
2) All the other beliefs are broadcast on TV and the internet.
3) That is how American Christians become Moslems, and then
perhaps jihadists.
a) But it is also how Muslims, or any other person, can
find out to become a Christian.
B. They are disappointed by the behavior of other Christians.
1) Hypocrisy has always been among us.
a) It is a valid issue - if we say that Jesus can change
people, we should show it ourselves.
b) Too many Christians are two-faced and decadent.
2) At the same time, the Bible doesn't say Christians are
instantly perfect.
a) We have to grow into our faith.
1> This is why Paul is always exhorting Christians
to live morally and to show love.
2> It is something we will always have to work at.
b) Along the way, we will stumble.
1> Any Christian can experience temporary failure.
2> And we will find that some who claimed to be
Christians, never really were.
3) Only God can save us.
a) Christians can influence us, but won't get us to heaven.
b) This is why the book of Hebrews, chapter 12 verse 2,
tells us to "fix our eyes on Jesus."
1> Don't put your focus on humans, just God.
2> It says if we do that, we won't grow weary and
lose heart.
3> Only Jesus will never fail us.
C. They find it doesn't work for them.
1) The Bible says Jesus never fails, but some people have
their doubts - they believe he has failed THEM.
a) Perhaps a heart-felt prayer that wasn't answered.
b) Someone they deeply loved got sick and died.
2) Living the Christian life can be hard.
a) They may to repent and change their life and find
temptation just as strong as ever.
b) It is easier to pin the blame on Jesus, than us.
D. The loss of faith sometimes turns into active antagonism.
Charles Colson writes about a bizarre trend going on in Great
Britain -- former church members are getting "de-baptized."
As Time magazine reports, "More than 100,000 former Christians
have downloaded 'certificates of de-baptism' in a bid to
publicly renounce the faith."
#35876
1) Why are people taking this step?
2) It goes beyond skipping church on Sunday.
3) People are not just dropping out, they are becoming hostile.
IV. How we should deal with traitors.
A. The world has a ready answer - kill them.
1) Governments have a long history of doing this.
a) Communists kill traitors, and so do democracies.
b) Death of spy John Walker this week, who sold U.S.
military secrets to the Soviet Union in the Cold War.
c) Many thought he should have been shot outright.
2) Isalm is notorious for its harsh treatment of apostates.
a) Converts to Christianity have been killed in
Afghanistan and imprisoned in Iran.
b) A Sudan woman was given the death sentence even though
she was brought up Christian, and was pregnant.
c) This is not just the opinion of radical jihadists.
1> A Pew poll found 84% of Egyptian Muslims agree.
3) In ages past, Christians did the same thing.
a) The Spanish Inquisition tortured them first so they
might have a change of heart and get saved before
they died.
b) But the New Testament never teaches this.
1> In the end, God will give them what they deserve.
2> We are to try to win them back.
B. Christians can deal with traitors in love.
1) Too often, it's a secret weapon.
a) Our goal should always be to win them back.
b) If we really believe the Bible, a great deal is at stake.
1> James says we save them from eternal death. Jam 5:20
2) For doubters, listen to them and show the reasonableness
of our faith.
a) Books like "The Case For Christ" by Lee Strobel can be
helpful.
3) If they have been hurt by others, attempt reconciliation
between the parties.
4) If it is due to their own sin, ask God to show them where
it will lead.
a) Remind them that any sin can be forgiven.
b) The only one that cannot - never returning to Jesus.
V. It is a wonderful thing to return to God.
A. One scholar's journey.
Twenty-five years ago the writings of a British scholar
named A. N. Wilson led some Christians to hope that
he would become "The Next C. S. Lewis."
They were disappointed when Wilson publicly repudiated his
Christian faith and became a mocker of Christianity.
As a young adult he began to wonder how much of the Easter
story he accepted.
By his thirties, he had lost all religious belief.
He attributes it to growing up in a culture that was
overwhelmingly secular and anti-religious.
To his shame, he says, he went along with the cultural
tide.
He felt that Christian faith was "uncool" and "unsexy."
Wilson even wrote a book that described Jesus as a
"messianic prophet who had...truly failed, and died."
Yet, five years ago, Wilson wrote an article urging British
Christians not be intimidated by critics like atheist
Richard Dawkins.
Wilson had returned to the faith.
What convinced him to turn around?
Part of it was that Christian authors had a perception of
life was deeper, wiser, more rounded than his own.
But the biggest factor was the impact of the gospel on
people's lives.
He said Dietrich Bonhoeffer's serenity before he was hanged
and even the people next to him in church, bore witness
to the truth of Christianity. #31525
B. Who do you know who has wandered away?
1) There may be someone in your family.
2) Maybe even you yourself have been drifting.
3) Don't turn against God - turn back to him.
a) Renew your faith now.
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
[1] “Jun 1, 1779: Benedict Arnold is court-martialed,”
<http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/benedict-arnold-is-court-martialed>.
Other material was drawn from Wikipedia.org.
[2] “Douglas McAuthur McCain: From American kid to jihadi in Syria,”
August 27, 2014. <http://fox17online.com/2014/08/27/douglas-mcauthur-mccain-from-american-kid-to-jihadi-in-syria/>
[3] I can no longer locate my source for this but it was a very
insightful article.
#31525 “Believe Again: A. N. Wilson Returns To the Faith,” Charles
Colson, BreakPoint Commentary, May 1, 2009.
#35876 “De-Baptism: Living In Denial,” Charles Colson, BreakPoint
Commentary, June 4, 2009.
These and 35,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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