And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years. And his daughter in law, Phinehas’ wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her. And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not neither did she regard it. And she named the child Ichabod, saying, the glory is departed from Israel because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken. (I Samuel 4:18-22.)

“Thy glory hath departed .” Too bad and too sad when that is spoken of a church about which glorious things once were spoken. ‘Tis tragic, ’tis true that of some churches such is the epitaphic description of their decay, their inverted torch, their oil-less lamps, their turning back in the day of battle – though armed and carrying bows. That is grief for angels. That is laughter for devils. That is gloating for Satan. That is groaning for Christ’s followers.

A church can “leave its first love “. The church at Ephesus did – and needed to “repent and do the first works “(Rev. 2:4,5).  A church can change from an army into an ecclesiastical nursery wherein the preacher is looked upon as a head nurse who has more to do with milk bottles for sickly saints than with mighty battles against seductive Satan. Then does its glory depart.

A church can change from a church of compassionate concern into a church of callisthenic conventionality utterly devoid of devotional vitality – censorious of spiritual and far-sighted leadership, worldly, wayward, and peevishly puny. Then can Ichabod be written over its portals, its pews, its pulpit.

A church can change from a cataract of activity into a scum-covered pond of stagnation.

Thus, forgetting that “she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth,” she hastens the departure of her glory.

A church can change from a church of aggressive conquest into a church possessive of a slothful timidity, a passive acquiescence in small attainments, a criminal spineless in the face of evils that arrogantly challenge, a careless in- difference to great stretches of the unattained.

Thus is Ichabod an appropriate adjective for its activities and aimlessness. A church can be a roller of marbles when it should be a remover of mountains. Thus does its spiritual muscle become flabby, its fingers fumbling, its feet halt – as the glory departs.

A church can put its headlight on the rear and think only of the glory that was. Then and thus does its light grow dim, its voice faltering, its spiritual ambitions anemic, its worship boresomely lacking in life, its glory one of the past. Pathetic the words that fell from the Master’s lips.

And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here! And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? There shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. (Mark 13:1,2)

They were great buildings. They were magnificent stones. But to his eyes they were nothing more than ruins, for the glory of the temple’s worship and service had departed.

But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. (I Sam. 16:7)

Outwardly that beautiful and stately temple seemed destined to “defy the tooth of time.” Inwardly it was hollow and empty and tottering to its fall. Write “Ichabod” upon it.

Is it possible for a church, when God calls it to “launch out into the deep “in the matter of soul-winning, to become “a drifting sepulcher manned by a frozen crew?”

Well, when academic luster takes the place of spiritual passion, when refrigeration is valued above conflagration, such is the danger.

I once heard Dr. Perry Webb say: “The atmosphere in some churches is so cold, you can skate down the aisles.”

Is it true that a church may be noted for the gorgeous architecture of its building, the lovely music of its choir, the stateliness of its ritual, the fine-functioning of all its organizations, the largeness of numbers as to its congregation, the influence in many circles of business and social and educational life – and yet be, in the eyes of Him who marks the sparrow’s fall, as a corpse wrapped in an ornate shroud?

Of the church at Sardis, Jesus, risen and enthroned, said:

And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write, These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. (Rev 3:1)

Somebody described another church like unto the church at Sardis in these words:

Outwardly splendid as of old -
Inwardly sparkless, void and cold -
Her force and fire all spent and gone -
Like the dead moon she still shines on.

R.T. Ketcham once said:

“Attend church, but do not attend a church which prefers science to Scripture, reason for revelation, theories for truth, culture for conversion, benevolence for blood, goodness for grace, sociability for spirituality, play for praise, pep for prayer, profession for possession, progress for power, reformation for regeneration, good for God, speculation for salvation, jubilation for justification, feelings for faith, paralysis for peace, politics for precepts.”

To this I make additional comment saying that a church deserves to have Ichabod written from its lowest cellar step to the sky-touching point of its steeple which prefers the adulation of saints to ardent anxieties concerning lost sinners as well as abhorrence of that which is evil.

Glory yields up its scepter – when the fancies of literary notables have place along with the facts of the gospel, when there is the frivolity of the flesh instead of the fervor of the spiritual in serving the Lord – godliness in form only instead of glorying in the cross of Christ – a groping after eternal verities – and a guessing that only borders on godliness as to the certainties of God’s promises instead of a guidance of others into paths of righteousness.

Glory “packs its baggage for a one-way trip” when in the church people are noted for faultfinding instead of being notable for forgiveness – when offense is quickly taken and there is overlordism instead of the offering of self for lowly service – when the making of money means more than the mastery of money.

How can the glory of the church be as a sunlit mountain whose position never changes when in the church there is playing at the job and little praying on the job – when peevishness and petulance predominate over praise – when there is quarrelsomeness instead of quietness – when there is frequent rumpus-raising and riotous revelry instead of restfulness, sinfulness instead of saintliness, selfishness instead of service, tattling instead of testimony, tampering with temptation instead of triumph over temptation.

“Thy glory hath departed “will be written on earth and known in Heaven of the church where there is more yawning over watches than yearning over wanderers-where there is mere zest and not zealousness in good works. Let us so live and give, so love and serve, so watch and pray, that, if the individual’s conduct were universalized, it would never be as a hand that writes of a church, “Thy glory hath departed.”

The true glory of a church consists:

“in the purity of its members; in its spiritual progress; in the unity of its fellowship; in the spiritual children born into its household of faith; in its self-sacrificing spirit toward others; and in the prayer life of the whole group. When a church is in a healthy condition hypocrisy will be limited; progress in purity will be constant; strife and discord will disappear; sympathy for the lost will seek means for their rescue; recruits will outnumber the losses from backsliding, removal, and death; private devotion will be a pleasure, family religion a joy, and public worship a sought delight.”

Along with this let us remember that any church will undergo the frightful processes of dishonorable self- burial where there is a lax theology that advocates a mutilated Bible, a minimized sin, a deified man, a humanized Christ-substituting human opinions and speculations for the revealed pronouncements of God concerning the Bible, concerning the nature of men, concerning the terrors of sin, concerning the deity of Christ, concerning the meaning of Christ’s death on the cross, concerning the plan of salvation, concerning Hell, concerning Heaven.

You can read the entire sermon here.