This morning we opened our eyes to a beautiful sunshiny day. It was a delightful beginning of the day. And, all is well. But wait, all is not well. This is Sunday morning – the first day of the week – the Lord’s day. We should be in church – we should be worshiping the Lord. But all across our land – in our city, our state, and our country – church services have been canceled. No church today! How did this come about? Aha, you say, “It is the Coronavirus!” This present pandemic has become the great disrupter in our lives. The threat of sickness and death has shut the doors of our churches. Very true, but the forceful recommendation not to meet actually came from our government. Our secular leaders requested closed doors because of their concern for our physical health and overall well-being. Again, very true, but as Christians we understand the sovereignty of God. We know there is an even greater Hand of providence that governs the world in which we live. Our God is in control. He could have kept the world from this flu epidemic. He could have kept the doors of the church open, but this He did not do. He shut the doors of the church. Why did He do this? It is impossible for mortal man to probe the mind of God in matters pertaining to His providential rule. We can never know with certainty all that God is doing in our world. Even so, we do know that God rules all things. He shut the doors of His church for a time – for His time. This should cause us to stop and think. Why would God allow this to happen? Or, even stronger, why would God cause this to happen? What is it that God would have us learn from our present circumstances knowing that they are ordained by Him? I have been a pastor for many years, and other than an occasional Sunday closure because of the weather, I have never experienced the kind of closure that we are facing today. And the closed doors may well continue for weeks if not months to come. What might God be showing us in all of this? What might He want us to learn?
If we turn to the Bible for answers, we find that God has closed doors in times past. God established the nation of Israel through Abraham and called His people to follow Him. The nation of Israel was to love the Lord their God and to love one another. However, they did not do this. So, the Lord sent the prophets to announce His coming judgment for their sins and to call the people to repentance. God spoke strong words of rebuke through His prophet Isaiah, saying …
“To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” says the LORD. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats. When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts? Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies – I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood” (Isaiah 1:11-15).
When Jesus Christ engaged in His earthly ministry, He observed and addressed the same problem. He cried out, “Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: These people draw near to me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:7-9). The LORD God called His people to worship Him in spirit and in truth – with hearts for God. Merely going through religious ceremonies was never acceptable to Him. Dead hearts never worship God. Israel as a nation was perpetually compromising their relationship with God – attempting half-hearted obedience to Him. This was, and is, never pleasing to the Lord.
When you look at the last book in the Old Testament, you will find the prophet Malachi still rebuking the sinfulness of the people. Once again, the nation had corrupted their worship of the Lord. As I was thinking about the crisis in our world today, I observed the following words of the Lord. “Who is there even among you who would shut the doors, so that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain? I have no pleasure in you,” says the LORD of hosts, “Nor will I accept an offering from your hands. For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; in every place incense shall be offered to My name, and a pure offering; for My name shall be great among the nations,” says the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 1:10-11). So – “Who would shut the doors?” This was a good question in Malachi’s day. It is a pertinent question in our day too.
In our case, it is the LORD who shut the doors. And we in America would reply, “Yes, and for good reason!” Look at us as a nation. We sing, “America, America, God shed His grace on thee, …”, but what have we done with God’s grace? How have we as a nation handled the abundant blessings of God in Christ? Regrettably, we have abandoned God, rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ, set aside the Bible, and cast God’s truth to the ground. We as a nation have walked away from the spiritual light of God to grope along in spiritual darkness. Our national depravity is painfully obvious. Yes, this is the sad truth! And, Christians can find it all too easy to point the finger of blame at others. After all, it is the hypocrites and the humanists, the liberal churches and the defiant schools who jettisoned God so long ago. In many churches today God has been excluded from pulpit and pew for many years. Yes, godless individuals and institutions are easy targets, but just remember – God has shut the doors of our church too.
Certainly God should have made an exception for us – shouldn’t He? Apparently not! Does this mean that we too are guilty of abandoning God? No, not true! Have we forsaken the gospel of Christ? No, not true! Have we set aside the Bible? No, no, and no again! What then are we to make of God closing our doors? Remember that the Lord’s manifold purposes always include the purifying of the hearts of His people. As I read church history, I find a spiritual affinity with the saints of the 1800s. In England and America, these pastors and preachers seem to be especially devoted to God. It was a spiritual time in the life of the church. But one of the notable characteristics of these saints is that they were never content with the closeness of their relationship to the Lord. They were always eager to criticize their fleshly desires, and even more desirous of drawing nearer to God. As the children of God by grace through faith in Christ alone, we love God. And, we can love Him even more. We obey God, and we can walk in greater faithfulness to Him. We are not worshiping God in name only with ritual service and pagan hearts. We indeed know the Lord, love Him, and worship Him.
I have not written these words because I have some glaring concern about our church. I really don’t. We have never claimed to be a perfect church, but I am thankful that we are a church committed to being faithful to the Lord in word and deed, truth and life. We stand for the gospel of Christ and hold to the Bible as the revealed Word of God. In this world, we will never be a church in perfection, but we can always be a church in pursuit. I am truly thankful for the ministry at Hillcrest Bible Church, at Trinity Bible Church, and at every other church that seeks to be true to the gospel of Jesus Christ and the God of the Bible. The driving force in writing to you is not the condition of our church, but rather the need I see in my own heart.
For many years I have been praying for the revival of the church and the awakening of lost, blind, and dead sinners to salvation in Christ. This is a tremendous prayer. Just remember that the Lord revives His church – one heart at a time. The closed doors of our church may well be a wake-up call for each one of us. Never miss an opportunity to examine your own heart before the Lord. Whatever our standing before the Lord may be, we can be even more devoted to Him. May the Lord God revive our hearts – my heart – to know Him, to love Him, to trust Him, to depend upon Him, and to abide in Him more and more in the coming days. May the Lord give us hearts to attend to the Bible and draw nearer to God in prayer. May God give us heartfelt devotion only to Him.
We need to be praying for revival and awakening in our country. “Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive us for our spiritual lethargy. Quicken our hearts to love you more. Grant us a greater desire for Your Word and for prayer. Revive us and draw us nearer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We need your purposes, your presence, your power and your provision in our lives – to the praise of your glory of your grace. And, please forgive the sins of our nation. We are even so bold as to ask that you lead us in righteousness. You are the God of grace and mercy. Bestow your love upon the lost and bring many to salvation in Christ. Shed your grace upon us once again. Accomplish this by your grace and for your glory. In Jesus name, amen.”
It may well be that the Lord has closed our doors to open our hearts more to Him.
Your pastor and forever friend,
Gary William Custis