Religious Highs Do Not Last

 I have never been impressed with services that end with an offer Altar Call, especially when these Altar Calls allow a person to claim membership in a church or guarantee salvations.  It takes more than a few words offered at the time of an emotional high to receive true salvation.  Spiritual highs and the emotions that come with them always soon fade because of our sin nature - PRIDE.

There can often be many factors that drive these emotional spiritual highs.  Sometimes, it’s simply the highly emotional atmosphere of the service, the moving music that’s played, the camaraderie and fellowship with fellow attendees, the prospect of being free from the negative effects of our sin. 

But you don’t have to be a Christian to love any of these things. At one point in His ministry, Jesus himself rebuked a large crowd of His own followers because they were “fired up” for reasons that had nothing to do with seeing His beauty or His glory — they just enjoyed seeing Jesus miracles.  John 6:25–27 (ESV) 25 "When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food…”

If there is to be any lasting effect from these events and experiences, it must include seeing and savoring Jesus Christ. Anything of true, durable worth from these experiences comes from seeing God clearly as He really is. This can come from sermons, or discussions, or singing in worship, or late night conversations, prayers, and devotions.  When we truly see the light of the glory of Christ clearly, the things of this world seem dim and worthless by comparison.

A house does not fall if its foundation is firm.  Matthew 7:25 (ESV)

25 "And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock." A tree does not wither when its roots are deep enough to reach water. Psalm 1:1–3 (ESV) 1 “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night. 3 He is …”  So, when the house of our spiritual life and our war against sin comes crumbling down or withers, we should ask ourselves, “Why?”

If our sight of God and our worship is dependent on the church facility, or the high-energy sermons, or the packed crowd, or the worship band, our spiritual lives will fall apart again when these things are taken away. The house falls because the foundation is destroyed or weak.

Jesus warns of those who receive the word of God with gladness, but then fall away because they have no root.  Mark 4:16–17 (ESV) 16 “And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall …”  This is the danger that we face. After hearing the word with gladness, how do we go on to produce the fruit of righteousness?  Mark 4:20 (ESV) 20 “But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” How do we cultivate joy in Christ at home, away from the spiritual crutches of an emotional service? The first step is to prepare for war.

Striving to rejoice in the glory of God is an act of rebellion against Satan’s dominion over this world, 1 John 5:9 (ESV) 9 “If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that He has come concerning His Son”. And rebellion against our very own fallen flesh. Romans 3:11 (ESV)11 “...no one understands; no one seeks for God.”  We are saved through God’s grace not by anything we do.  Paul likens us to soldiers in a war, where we are at risk of entangling ourselves in civilian pursuits. 2 Timothy 2:4 (ESV) 4 “No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.”  Therefore, we must put off the false security of an emotionally charged decision, made at the last service  and realize that there is a war being waged over our souls.  If you believe the fight is over when you accept Christ as your Savior you are terribly wrong the fight has just begun.

As John Owen writes, “Be killing sin or sin will be killing you.” Allowing ourselves to be lulled into idleness and complacency, because of our confidence in a “rededication,” is like stripping ourselves of our armor mid-battle. 

The war in the mind is fought by seeing and rejoicing in the truth. It is fought by putting our mind to the task of knowing the Lord more fully. Our desire is to know Him and the power of His resurrection so that we may take up our own cross and follow Him.  Philippians 3:10 (ESV)10 “...that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, …”

God has given ways to provide this grace for us: we sing together (Ephesians 5:19), we come together regularly to worship Jesus and to hear His word preached (2 Timothy 4:2; Hebrews 10:25), we enjoy the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23–26), we pray (Acts 2:42). 

There are more steps we may take to see more of Jesus. It may mean turning off the television if it clogs our spiritual vision. It may mean taking time to read theology. It may begin with taking time to listen to sermons that further our understanding of the Word or taking time to read books that increase our sight of God and taking time to worship and pray and to meditate on the person of Christ.  We must do whatever it takes if we want to see Jesus more clearly.  A few words uttered after an emotional service is not enough.

The clearer our vision of a holy God is, the more it drives us to our knees by the sight of our own sin. The clearer our vision of our sin becomes, the deeper is our sight of God’s mercy and grace through Christ. The deeper we understand His mercy and grace, the more we are amazed by the beauty of this God, the Creator of the universe. For “what is man that you are mindful of Him, and the son of man that you care for Him?” (Psalm 8:4).

As we are amazed by the beauty of God, the more willing we become to take up our cross and lose everything to be with Him (Mark 8:34; Philippians 3:8) — "...troubles and suffering cannot pull us away from the priceless treasure we’ve found", (Matthew 13:44–46; Mark 4:17). Therefore, let us “Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness” and press onward to see and to know him in the full array of his majestic beauty. (Psalm 96:9; Hosea 6:3). 

IN CLOSING REMEMBER -If you ever have felt so good about your faith that you think nothing could go wrong?  That was your first mistake!   When we get too comfortable. We are most vulnerable to compromise.  There’s nothing wrong with “mountaintop experiences.” Jesus and His friends had them. But if we’re not careful, we may begin depending on that good feeling to get us through the day rather than our relationship with God.  if we become to dependent on that fuzzy feeling, what do you think will happen when that feeling goes away?