Stand Firm Series

Standing Firm

CCCAG July 11, 2021

Scripture- Matt 24 1-14

Today I want to talk about some things that are going on in our world that will probably affect us in the near future.

I have a social media friend who is a pastor in Roanoke VA who posted a story about the first transgender female to compete in the Miss USA contest.

So, we have a biological man, who identifies as a woman, beating out all the other women in his state, who is now one of the favorites to represent our country at the Miss Universe pageant.

Ladies, We have some strong women in this church, and I like strong women. I don't know how many of you are feminists, but if I was a female and all these men kept kicking our butts in our competitions I would be getting very upset at this point.

It is complete insanity at this point.

I never thought I’d live to see a practical demonstration of the complete destruction of a society that is described in Romans 1. I thought it would take generations to accomplish, but in reality it took less than 1- about 30 years.

We went to teaching evolution in the schools in the 1950’s. Really that’s when the clock started but it didn’t really kick in until the late 60’s. This was the denial of God as creator described in Romans 1:21.

The free love movement began in the mid-1960’s and into the 70’s, and exploded in the 80’s. Romans 1:24-25

Homosexuality became accepted, and now celebrated- Romans 1:26-27

Now we are here- listen to the Word of God, written 2000 years ago, describe modern America-

Rom 1:28-32

Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

The pressure to conform to this complete moral degradation in our culture in incredible.

We talk about cancel culture-. If you don’t know what that is, it’s when the progressives turn all of their weapons upon someone who doesn’t agree with them, and totally ruin their lives. This is becoming more and more used in our culture, and north of us it’s even worse

They are burning church’s in Canada, arresting pastors for speaking out, and online, the censors are doing everything they can to silence dissent.

This raises some questions for us as followers of Jesus to consider-

1. How are we to live in these troubled times?

2. How do we keep ourselves from growing fearful?

3. How do we represent Jesus to those who don’t know him?

4. How do we stand firm in a day where it seems like nothing in this world or our lives is standing firm?

Turn to Matthew 24

If you get nothing else out of today’s message- understand this-

None of this is catching God by surprise.

Jesus knew days like this would come- Days where his followers would have a sense of unease, a sense in their gut that there is something wrong, and even worse, out of our control.

Jesus knew that his followers would be tempted to compromise so as to avoid trouble.

In my prayer time, God has led me to read and reread Hebrews 12 where it talks about the shaking that God will do in the last days. It reminds me of the first time you go ice fishing in the winter- you’re not quite sure how thick that ice is, so you gingerly walk across it feeling for week spots.

That’s what God is doing right now- He is shaking us as believers so that all of the spiritual weakness we have on us will fall off. God the Father is preparing a beautiful bride for His son, and these hard times that are coming are the beauty treatments we all must endure before that great day where we meet HIS Son and be with Him forever.

But it’s going to mean many of the earthly things we put our hope and faith in will be torn down.

This is what Jesus is describing in Matt 24.

Matt 24:1-14

24 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 "Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."