Wicker calls Baptists to 'table of revival'

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FORT MYERS (FBW)-Delivering his final address as president of the Florida Baptist State Convention, Hayes Wicker preached from Matt. 5:6 calling Florida Baptists to the "table of revival to hunger and thirst after righteousness."

"God intended that we have thirst and hunger to be satisfied," said the pastor of First Baptist Church in Naples. "Jesus said that hunger and thirst picture righteousness. Food and water are not luxuries, but necessities."

Wicker said "spiritually dehydrated" Christians have "forgotten that our output is determined by our intake of the rivers of righteousness."

"I believe that God is calling us to a divine discontent, a divine dissatisfaction with the way things are-to be fed up in order to be filled up," he added.

Wicker said that the "table of revival" first "involves ingesting the right food and drink."

God is "the initiator of righteousness," Wicker preached, illustrating the point by recalling the Hebrew midwives who would smear crushed pomegranate juice on the gums of newborns to create a sucking sensation.

"God creates in us the desire to will and to do of His good pleasure. ... Jesus said, 'blessed,' not 'cursed' because God is the initiator. God is the One who stirs you," Wicker noted.

God is also the provider of righteousness, he said.

"Now, good news-there's lots of room at God's trough for us pigs. Plenty in His pantry, enough for the most growing and enlarging of His kids. His cupboard is never bare. There's plenty of righteousness to go around," Wicker said.

Wicker said the Christian life has three stages-"it's easy, you get over that pretty quick; it's hard, and hopefully, you'll say it's impossible, because you cannot be righteous apart from the One who Jeremiah says is the Lord, our righteousness."

In explaining God's role as provider of righteousness, Wicker preached that Jesus is both the "end" and the "beginning" of the Christian life.

"Jesus is the end-the end of the struggle" for righteousness, he said, adding, "We're somewhat disappointed when we hear that. We'd like to think that power is the end, blessing is the end, church growth is the end, gifts are the end."

Instead, "Only Christ can live the Christian life. This absolutely set me free when I discovered it. ... Christianity is Christ-in-you-ity. Only Christ is qualified to live the Christian life."

Wicker also preached that the "table of revival involves improving your table manners," noting that Christians must respond continually, humbly, joyfully, urgently and gratefully.

"You know, there are no ceilings on Christlikeness. We have elastic souls-you're as Christ-like and righteous as you desire to be," he said.

The humble response is like a hungry person who "doesn't care about the ambience of the restaurant or the presentation of the food or the background music. He just says, I must have food."

Wicker added, "We have to be humble enough to say, Lord, I don't necessarily want You, but I want to want You."

Finally, Wicker said the table of revival "involves eliminating appetite suppressants" that "stop anything that hinders our hunger and our thirst."

Wicker said that independence "can quench our appetite for cooperation with Jesus' Body."

"We need the cooperation of Southern Baptists in our denomination and in our churches. There are many chairs at the table of revival, but if you're growing cold, I guarantee you, if you're unrighteous, you're a menace to everyone around you ... . You cannot grow cold without lowering the temperature of your church and your denomination," Wicker insisted.

Like when he was "pastoring a large church in Texas," Wicker said sometimes "things can quench our appetite for the satisfaction of Jesus."

Wicker also warned Florida Baptists not to quench their appetite for the Bible.

"This is the most important thing we can do is to get into the Word of God and hunger for Jesus and meet Him and His inerrant Word," he preached.

Wicker said "religion can quench our appetite for the person of Jesus," warning "if you don't want Jesus, then you're very likely heading for Hell and not Heaven."