Frankie Mazzapica - When Good Becomes Evil
The title of today’s message is «When Good Becomes Evil.» Let me say this: I have prayed over this message probably more than, or at least as much as, any message I’ve ever prepared. The reason for that is, in full transparency, I want you to like me, and I don’t know if any of you are going to like me by the time this message is over. That stinks because I have a need to be liked, but I don’t want your approval so badly that I’m unwilling to share the entire gospel with you. I don’t want to be liked that much.
Now, this is one of those messages that, on the way home, I’m going to think, «Oh my goodness, I can’t believe I said that!» When I’m up here, I have lightning in my veins and muscles in my teeth, but when I walk out of this room, I’m just me again, and then I back up and think, «Oh my goodness, I can’t believe I said that!» I tried to put together three different sermons this week, and I kept being brought back to the same message. The Lord was asking me, «Are you here to serve me or are you here to serve them?» So, if I step on your toes, I was aiming for your heart, okay?
Here’s the message, and for those of you standing up, I usually only preach for an hour and a half, so I’ll get you out of here soon—no, seriously, usually around 25 minutes or so.
**Biblical Foundation**: Let me lay a scriptural foundation straight away; it’s in Isaiah 5:20, where it says this: There will come a day when people will call what is right wrong and what is wrong right. They will call what is black white and what is white black. They will call what is bitter sweet and what is sweet bitter. In other words, what’s going to happen is that the right things, the godly things, will be rejected, and people will say, «That’s not godly; it’s actually wrong.» Meanwhile, the wrong things will be embraced, and people will say, «Hey, the Bible says it’s wrong, but come on; it’s not really that wrong.» That’s what’s going to happen, and the church is going to get swallowed up. We’re not talking about people who don’t attend church; we’re referring to people who call themselves Christians. They’re going to call what is right wrong and what is wrong right.
**Biblical Worldview**: Let me read a statistic that may blow some of you away. Recent studies indicate that a small percentage of self-identified Christians in the United States hold a biblical worldview. A biblical worldview means making decisions based on what the Bible says. According to the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, only 6% of Christians have a biblical worldview, with many embracing a blend of various belief systems. They take the Bible and blend it with their own beliefs. Similarly, research from the Barna Group found that only 9% of born-again Christians possess a biblical worldview. So what does this mean? It means 91% of people who call themselves Christians do not believe every single word in the Bible. They call what is right wrong.
Let me illustrate that: What they do like in the Bible, they believe in; what they don’t like, they disregard. Reading the Bible is for 91% of Christians is like going to Chipotle: «I’ll take black beans; I don’t like pinto. Give me white rice; no, I don’t want any rice. I’ll take guacamole,» and they skip over what they don’t like. So 91% have formed their own theology: «Well, I just believe…» and they blend it together. This means 91% of Christians call themselves Christians but don’t believe in the entire Bible.
So here’s the deal: If it’s in the Bible, it’s real. If it’s in the Bible, it’s right. If it’s in the Bible, I’m going to do it. Meanwhile, 91% say, «I believe in the Bible; however, I believe in choosing what’s right, even if it’s not what we want to do.»
Alright, here we go. I want to get more specific. Why do we come to church at all when we don’t feel like it? Because it’s right. When you wake up in the morning and don’t feel like going because you’re tired, why do you go? Because it’s right. Why do you watch what you say? Because it’s right. This message isn’t about tithes and offerings, but why do you give 10% to God? Because it’s right—not because you want to. It’s about looking at the Bible and saying, «If it’s in the Bible, I will do it.»
Now, why don’t people who are not married sleep with each other? Not because they don’t want to; they do want to. But why? Because it’s right. Submission to God is not demonstrated when you want to do what God wants; it happens when what He wants is the opposite of what you desire. That’s when we see whether you are in the 91% that just believes or in the 9% that says, «Look, if it’s in there, I’m doing it.»
If you’re in the 91% who believe portions of the Bible but have many beliefs not in the Bible—just what you believe—I want to tell you, you are living in a fantasy land. You call yourself a Christian, but you’re not.
You might say, «Well, you’re getting really extreme here.» The thing about the Bible is that it doesn’t change. You get to decide; you can say, «This is rubbish.» But there’s a whole category for people who think the Bible is rubbish. First of all, they make up the 91%. Secondly, there’s a scripture just for you; it’s in 2 Timothy 3:5, which says, «In the last days, people will not listen to sound doctrine; instead, they will look for teachers that tell them what their itching ears want to hear.»
You might think, «I don’t like what Frankie says; that’s stupid. I believe that God is loving—I can do these things, and He will still embrace me.» Well, the Bible says this: have nothing to do with these people. If you have a friend who says, «Hey, it’s not bad; it’s not bad,» you rarely sin alone; usually, it’s someone saying, «It’s not a big deal.»
Now, in 1 Timothy 4:2, it says, «In the last days, many people will abandon their faith»; they used to believe the whole Bible but will listen to evil spirits. Evil spirits are speaking through people who have had their conscience seared with a hot iron; they don’t have a conscience anymore.
You can come to church every single Sunday, and the devil does not care if you’re here or not; what he cares about is if what you hear gets applied to your life.
We are living in a fantasy land if we look at what’s right and call it wrong. I need my son to help me with this. Where are you, Luke? I’m going to break this thing if you don’t help me! You can do things in here that you can’t believe. If you genuinely believe that you do not have to follow every single biblical principle, if you believe in a personal theology where your sentences start with «Well, I just believe,» you are living in a fantasy land. Those who follow biblical principles from cover to cover are not living in a virtual reality; they understand that life is not a game.
Heaven and hell are real. If you have a loved one who has passed away, and you know they’re in heaven, just wave at me. If you could see that person and they could come down here just for 20 seconds, they would say two things: 1) «I don’t want to come back,» and 2) «Heaven is real, and hell is real.»
Those who do not keep that at the front of their mind come up with their own personal theology; sometimes they’re in, and sometimes they’re out. There’s a problem with that, because in 1 Timothy 3:16 it says, «Because you are neither hot nor cold, when I see you, I’m going to spit you out of my mouth.»
In a virtual world, people spend like five or six hours because you can be whoever you want to be. It’s incredible how people present themselves in a virtual world.
But here’s the thing: that’s not me; that’s not reality. If you aren’t taking this seriously, you’re living in a fantasy land. This is real.
In Isaiah 5:20, it says that they will call what is right wrong and what is wrong right. Let’s talk about what is wrong.
Take a look at this: 1 Corinthians 6:9 says, «Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the kingdom of God?» Don’t fool yourself; those who indulge in sexual sin, who worship idols, who commit adultery, who are male prostitutes, who practice homosexuality, who are thieves, greedy people, drunkards, or abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God.
Let me put it in list form for clarity: indulge in sexual sin, worship idols, commit adultery, be prostitutes, practice homosexuality, steal, or be greedy, or drunk; none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. The wonderful thing about God is He makes it crystal clear—He puts it in black and white.
You must decide whether you believe, «It’s just not for me; I believe that God is a loving God.» The problem is there is nowhere in the Bible that says that, so you’re making up your own theology.
In Proverbs 8:17, God says, «I love those who love me, and those who seek me will find me.»
I understand that this is a hard saying. Let me illustrate how hard it is. I have some espresso here. Some people like their coffee with cream, right? You sip it and think, «I’m drinking coffee, but it’s almost like warm milk.» Coffee with milk is nice.
Then there’s espresso, which is straight black. When you drink espresso, you know what happens. I know this is my fifth espresso today; it’s not because it’s Sunday—this is every day.
Some scriptures are like coffee with cream—they’re nice, like John 3:16: «For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.» That’s a sweet scripture!
But then you get other scriptures that challenge you; you think, «I don’t like that one.» Well, that’s tough!
You might think, «This sounds like something a pastor would say.» Let me give it to you straight: 1 Timothy 2:8 says when people worship—an assumption, right? —"Do not forsake the gathering of the brethren.» So, when you say you don’t want to go to church, that’s tough because scripture warns, «You will not inherit the kingdom of God.»
Here’s my last verse; I hope I say it well: Job 26:14 states that what we see is nothing but the fringe of the work of God. Everything you see is just the edge of His power.
Now, the most glorious thing anyone has ever seen on this planet is outside our atmosphere—space. No one has ever seen anything more glorious than that.
If you could ask someone who has seen heaven and hell, they would say, «This is nothing compared to the glory of God.» The Lord loves you even when He knew you weren’t going to pay attention to Him.
He looked at Frankie and saw how often I would sin, yet He still allowed His Son to die for me because He wants to live with me forever.
There’s only one response: Romans 12:1 says, «Because of His great grace, let’s lay ourselves down as a sacrifice. What He wants, I will do; what He doesn’t want, I won’t.»
In verse 2, it says, «Do not copy the behaviors or customs of this world.» In 1 John 1:9 it says, «If you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive you and cleanse you of all unrighteousness.»
When we take a step back and say, «I’m here to live for you,» it’s as if we’ve never done wrong.
Please don’t come up with your own theology. He is just showing you a glimpse. Stand up on your feet, please.
If you attend Celebration Church, you know that at the end of each service we often close differently. What we’re about to do is something that churches, including ours, rarely do, but in the Bible, they did it all the time.
In the Bible, there was an altar where men and women of God came down. David said, «Every single morning I wake up, I will take the pieces of my life and lay them at the altar.»
In a minute, I will open the altar, which means you can come down and lay your whole life before the Lord.
Some of you have your life dialed in; you’ve already done that. But if there’s a loved one who is far off, in 2 Corinthians 1:11 it says, «You helped us when you prayed for us.»
I want you to come down and hold their life before the Lord. Just say their name over and over again. You can come out of your seats now; we’re going to sing a song in a moment.
Before we do, I want you to tell the Lord why you came down. Open your mouth, don’t just think it. Tell Him what you need Him to do.
Holy Spirit, move in this room. There will be no official dismissal, so you can leave whenever you are ready.
If you plan on meeting me after the service, I won’t be back there for a while, so take your time. There’s no official dismissal; you can leave whenever you’re ready.
Let’s sing this song one time through before anyone goes: May the Lord bless you; may He keep you; may His face shine down upon you and be gracious to you. May His countenance be lifted up on you and bring you peace. In Jesus' name, amen.