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“So What?”

by M. John Allen

Today we live in an age of Laodiceanism. This attitude is not just an attitude in God’s Church, but it is in our entire society. This attitude can be summed up in two words: “So What?” This attitude was prophesied to be prevalent among God’s people by the prophet Malachi, which we’ll get to later in this sermon.

This is not a present sermon to give. In fact, most of the messages God has inspired me to give lately have been strong and unpleasant, but this is because people need strong medicine to wake them from their sleep of “So what?”.

It’s a terrible disease. We as a people have been anesthetized by ever more violent and shocking entertainment, and mounting scandals among public officials. It seems that wickedness has reached such a peak, that each new escalation is now met by the phrase, “So what?”

“So what,” if :

people steal from their employers?

people steal from God?

people lie?

the government murders a few more innocent people?

someone’s daughter is raped?

............................ It can go on and on, and does in the world around us, and even in God’s own Church. One branch has a leader with big sex problems. So what. Another has a corrupt leadership that is taking it back to Babylon and stealing God’s very property. So what. Another has a leader and a ministry that feed themselves and devour God’s people, yet refuse to do the work (as we shall soon see from prophecy). So what.

As you shall soon see, God has strong answers to this attitude, and if you’re not careful, as shown in my last two sermons, you could miss out on eternity itself.

Paul wrote of these times to Timothy. In I Tim. 4:1-2, God describes the condition of many of the so called leaders in God’s Church today. Pause a moment and read and reflect, then read II Tim. 3:1-9, which expands on this. Think about this very carefully, because more is coming to add to these indictments.

Verses 3-5 aptly describe the attitude of the apostates in charge at this moment in Pasadena. They are abusive. They are haughty. They are filled with lies and deceit. We will learn more about them in a few moments.

This section ends with likening these leaders to the two magicians in Pharaoh’s court who withstood Moses for a time. They were able to reproduce most of Moses’ miracles, but in the end, with the killing of the first born, their folly finally became evident to everyone, when it was not clear earlier. How far will God have to go in our modern day for people to see corruption, both in their leadership and themselves? Yet, according to verse 9, eventually their progress in evil will stop, and their folly will be revealed to all.

Notice also, that these men are of CORRUPT minds, they RESIST GOD’S TRUTH, and are disapproved of the faith. Please keep all this in mind as we read some prophecies concerning our times that give the problems and the solutions. If you say now “So what,” then you will suffer the consequences with them!

With this in mind, read now God’s scathing rebuke against Jerusalem, which symbolizes God’s Church today, in Zeph. 3:1-5. Read this over, and then I’ll hit the high points for you, although this is pretty self explanatory.

First, the church is said to be oppressive. This is the truth, and I don’t have time to go into it here, but there was, and still is today, great abuse of authority in God’s church against His people. It is so bad at times as to be oppressive, and God condemns this. Next, the church HAS NOT obeyed God’s voice, nor has it received correction. This sounds like a Laodicean, “So what?” attitude to me if I ever heard one. Next, she doesn’t trust in God. What does she trust in, then? I think that should be obvious by now. Whereas God instructed his people through the Bible and through Herbert Armstrong to rely on HIM in faith, the Tkachies and the leadership they have influenced with their evil in other branches of the church trust in MONEY, BUDGET PLANS, and COMMITTEES! Whereas they were counseled to trust in God and step out in faith, they instead trust in THEMSELVES and their human reasoning and in the money they hope to get from the brethren. God is outside of this equation looking in. In such an attitude, the rest of the sentence follows very logically. If one won’t trust in God, love His Truth, or hear His Voice, then one does not draw near to Him!

Next, her leadership (it’s interesting that they are called princes by the Bible. Christ instructed that His leaders WERE NOT to be as the rulers of the gentiles, but that the greatest was to become as the younger and the servant to all. But not in God’s church of this century! Oh no! Her leaders have exalted themselves as PRINCES and rule over the people in harshness and oppression while they devour God’s people) lives lavishly at the people’s expense as princes, but also devours God’s people as ROARING LIONS. I other words, they command your attention or else! They are also like WOLVES who consume everything, leaving not even a bone until the morning! What an indictment! It’s no wonder you don’t hear these verses quoted too often in Church. Maybe you should print out this sermon and ask your local “minister” just why not! Call him in on the carpet. Ask the hard questions. Make him understand the DANGER HE IS IN for playing his games over the years, and see if you can bring him to repentance. If he won’t, maybe you should do something about it by voting with your feet. God hates liars and hypocrites who fleece His flock!

But the indictments go on. The prophets, or ministers, are treacherous and untrustworthy, and when called on the carpet like I suggested you do above, they are indignant, haughty, and INSOLENT. Try it! I bet in 80%+ of the cases this is the truth. If it’s not true in your situation in your area, YOU ARE BLESSED OF GOD INDEED, to be led by a humble man who is EASY TO BE ENTREATED!

But that is far from all. They have even POLLUTED THE SANCTUARY with their sins and evil. The most blatant case, of course, is in Pasadena and Big Sandy where this year the corrupt, evil leaders dared to provoke God to wrath by daring to have a PAGAN EASTER SERVICE right in God’s Auditorium! I said it before they did it, and I repeat it now (there is a whole article on this subject that I wrote in March available on this website, where I originally published it, showing what will SOON HAPPEN TO THESE INSOLENT DECEIVERS), God will hold them accountable for their evil. He is not mocked. He has given them space for repentance, but when that is over, some will pay for this with their VERY LIVES! This is a serious, life and death warning that FEW WANT TO HEAR, because every time I bring this up I get a violent NEGATIVE REACTION, in haughtiness and arrogance and insolence against God from those that are used to hearing only SMOOTH THINGS!

So they have DEFILED God’s sanctuary, both literally and spiritually (as the church is the Temple of God), but not satisfied with this, they have done VIOLENCE to God’s Law, and have cast it behind them! What a serious indictment! Yet they won’t listen, but in their pride get worse and worse. Then, this attitude is contrasted with God’s righteousness and faithfulness, but ends with the comment that these wicked men are shameless in their sins!

But this, as bad as it is, is far from all! Read now Hos. 4:6-10. Notice that because of all of the sins of a corrupt leadership, God’s people are DESTROYED FOR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE! But God says to this corrupt leadership that because they have REJECTED GOD’S KNOWLEDGE -- His precious TRUTH -- that GOD REJECTS THEM FROM BEING PRIESTS BEFORE HIM! I really don’t know how much plainer God can make this. He says to these so called leaders that if they continue to reject HIS TRUTH, He will REJECT THEM! Think about what this means. Do you want to follow those whom God Himself has rejected? I suggest, again, that you print this sermon on this printer, take it to your minister, and give him the ARROGANCE TEST. His reaction to God’s Word will tell you more than I can whether you should stay there and continue to support him and his work. If he fails the test, then I suggest you VOTE WITH YOUR FEET AND FOLLOW GOD RATHER THAN MAN!

I don’t have time to restate the rest of the indictments and warnings in t his passage, but you can read them for yourself. They are plain. Be warned!

Read now Amos 2:4-5. This is very plain. Enough said.

Notice how each of these passages adds to the indictments? It might be an interesting exercise to take out a piece of paper and begin listing the indictments and sins, and contrasting them with what GOD WANTS!

Turn to and read Mal. 1:6-3:1. Once again, I’m not going to review most of this, but I would like to point out that Malachi is mostly addressed to a leadership and a people who have strayed SO FAR from God and what He wants that they no longer UNDERSTAND WHAT HE IS TELLING THEM! Every time He makes a statement, in their arrogance they say “how have we sinned against you?” It reminds one of the parable of Christ where the wicked said, “When did we see you sick, or in jail or...... and not...... ?” Think about this. This is the fruit of the “So what?” attitude! Malachi sums up the people’s retorts in 1:13, where the people say, “‘Oh, what a weariness!’ and you sneer at it.” Yes indeed. This is the epitome of the “So what?” attitude. They are tired of hearing it, and so instead of listening to the warning, they turn it off or make fun of it.

Notice that one theme throughout this section is that they do not offer proper sacrifices to God. In other words, the people are neglecting the support of God’s Work today! We shall discuss this in more detail soon.

But, all hope is not lost! God promises in chapter 3 verse 1 to send someone to put things right again! Everything is in ruin, but God will send someone to rebuild. Notice, though, how upset God is that HIS PEOPLE have robbed Him: Mal. 3:8-18!

So God promises to send someone to straighten out the mess left by the hirelings, but first HIS PEOPLE MUST GET THEIR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT AND STOP STEALING FORM HIM!

Read now Mal. 4:4-6. Here God promises to send a new Elijah to set things right and to rebuild His temple and to bring God’s people back together. If this did not happen, the entire world would be destroyed! This is how important this is!

Now, I want you to read about the Work being started by God RIGHT THIS MOMENT before your very eyes. Read the entire book of Haggai.

To sum up, then, God indicts the insolent hirelings who have ruined the old temple. They have polluted and destroyed it. Now, God is getting ready to start a NEW TEMPLE, a NEW, REVIVED WORK under the leadership of an end time Elijah to RESTORE and REBUILD the temple. It is the TEMPLE TO WHICH CHRIST HIMSELF SHALL RETURN!

But God’s people have been badly damaged by the lies and deceit of Satan’s hirelings and hypocrites. They are no longer faithful in giving to God’s Work, so that they themselves sit in beautiful homes while the Work of God lies in shambles. It’s time to rebuild. It’s time to revive, says God! And what a shame that God’s HOUSE has no food, and that GOD’S WORK has no money to conduct the most important work on earth today, while the people live in luxury and ease. That’s why you have two jobs, but can’t make ends meet. That’s why you put your money into a bag of holes. That’s why when you finally seem to have everything together, God blows on it and it is gone!

God calls upon you to right now get your priorities straight! There is a great Work just ahead, and you have a part in it! Don’t be cursed -- be blessed by participation in the most exciting Work yet to come!

But God promises in Mal. 3:16 that, when the message starts to go out, His true people will start talking to each other, and God will hear them, and write them in His book because they have listened to and heeded His appeal. When this happens, you will once more be able to discern between what is right and wrong, and choose the right. What a blessing!

And if you help to rebuild God’s Temple with your prayers, tithes, and offerings, God promises you a physical blessing in addition to the spiritual one in verse 16 Verses 10 and 11 promise that if you are faithful to Him, and get your priorities straight, then He will remember you, and pour you out a blessing SO HUGE THAT YOU WILL NOT HAVE ROOM TO HOLD IT! He will also rebuke the devourer! And no longer will He blow upon your work, nor will you put money into a bag with holes!

How could God make anything plainer or simpler? You’ve been warned and rebuked today. Many will scoff, and say they are tired of hearing these messages, which are God’s warning to you. They are tired of hearing the Truth. But God promises that some will listen, will change their ways, and help rebuild the Temple. They are promised blessings in place of the curses they have recently suffered.

As Christ said to the Laodiceans in Rev. 3, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him and sup with him, and he with me.” God is knocking. Will you answer the door before He goes away?