People of God, this is Trinity Sunday. Of course, every Sunday is Trinity Sunday, since we worship the God who is One and Three. But today, rather than assume the Trinity in everything, we are going to consider the Trinity; particularly in how God relates to worship in Isaiah 6.
It is not enough to ride around with our “God bless America” stickers, because virtually, the “God” of Americans is becoming less and less the God of the Bible. You do not have to peruse too long the popular level discussions on religion to discover that there is a new aggressive atheism in our society. I say aggressive, because the modern atheist is no longer hiding in a suit in small secular universities. Now, they are the superstars of major universities. Students flock all over the world to study under them. Christians are usually marginalized in their classes.[1] Christopher Hitchens—who died recently—was known for his winsome rhetoric; Richard Dawkins makes dogmatic assertions about the progress of science as if it were the gospel; Sam Harris possesses a youthful and persuasive appeal; and, of course, the ever insufferable comedian Bill Maher. These are only a few names that are part of this “New Atheism.” They are a passionate group of people with an open agenda to the world, and their agenda is “to make the Christian God look as imaginary as Zeus or the pink unicorn.” In light of their constant media appearances, they may actually be making a few converts on the way. But, of course, we in the evangelical world have nothing to fear. After all, over 80% of Americans believe in God. They fight vehemently to get God back in the government schools; they fight so that prayer will once again be re-instituted in these schools. They fight for the God-agenda. So, what have we to fear? The answer is everything, for if we fight in the name of an unnamed God, we are no better than the atheist. We may make a few converts on the way, but these converts will be like seeds which fall into the ground and are swallowed up. Continue reading “Trinity Sunday Sermon: Heavenly Worship That Changes the World, Isaiah 6:1-7”