Stay Away From the Cart!!

 2 Samuel 6:1-7

1 Again, David gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.
2 And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the Lord of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims.
3 And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart.
4 And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab which was at Gibeah, accompanying the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark.
5 And David and all the house of Israel played before the Lord on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals.
6 And when they came to Nachon’s threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it.
7 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.

The ark of the covenant was a symbol of God's holiness. It was supposed to be carried in a certain way.

It was to be carried only by the Levites, specifically from the family of Kohath, using poles that passed through rings on the Ark.

And yet the children of God used a cart instead. And because they used the cart instead of God's way, they suffered death.

Today I will be talking about staying away from the cart in our Christian life and why.

1. The Cart Brought Compromise

Using the cart was a compromise from what God commanded. In the same way we should stay away from change that goes against what God wants.

Change isn't bad but unless we are constantly trying to conform to the world in the process. It is when God said something, but we change our beliefs anyway.  The Israelites tried that when they used a cart.

 Be careful of using a cart in your music.

Don't give up your music standards for a sound! There is still power in hymns. God can still work through the old songs like, "I Surrender All" and, "How Great Thou art." We do not need to throw away our hymnals and get a worship team. We do not need to have worldly styles in our music. The decision of compromise will never end in God's approval. 

 Don't compromise in your media. Our movies, video games, and social media should be holy and separate from the world.

 We would be wise to get some Bible-driven convictions in your life. Compromise is the enemy of conviction.

 What about compromise in what we wear.

There IS a way God wants all of us to dress.

Dress standards are not neutral. God wants us to be a light to the world around us. The cart seemed nice to them but it was compromise. 

In our Christian life, we need to realize that the old time way is worth sticking to.

 Why?  

 Because soul-winning still works!

Sunday School still works!

Hymnals still work!

The KJV Bible still works.

Conservative Christ-honoring music still works.

Preaching still works.

The altar works.

2. The Cart Brought Convenience.

Living with our flesh, we often choose what is easy over what's right.

Compromise is easy!

Convenience is easy!

It is easy to follow our flesh and our feelings over the Bible.  Let your choices be determined by God and not convenience.

Convenience usually ends up in sin.  The easy route in the Christian Life is usually not the holy route. The right decisions in life are often the hardest. Taking out the hymnals in church and having words on a screen may be convenient, but is it what God wants? Canceling Sunday school is convenient but is it the right choice or a cart in disguise? Quitting on the bus ministry is easy to do, but is it right? 

Serving God is not always easy.

Having standards is not easy.

Integrity is not easy.

But it's what God wants!

Doing the right thing is not  always convenient but it will always please God.

3. The Cart Brought Calamity.

If we base our Christian life on compromise and convenience, it will be soon that there is calamity. With the Israelites, they chose a cart over God's way and suffered the consequences.

These people in the Bible were killed because they used a cart. Today we need some Christians that will stay away from the carts that the devil brings and stick with the old time way.

 Will you be that Christian?