Globalwarming B.c.

The Mountain of Battle

Today we look at two leaders with very different perspectives about God, Religion and Authority. Our study is not unlike the times we live in. Even in our present age we are faced with two powerful leaders who seem to be destined to square off over God, Religion and Authority. We have Christianity and Islam ready to fight it out on the mountain top.

But let us make today’s message personal. You see this battle is not so much about kingdoms and nations as it is about the individual. It was an individual King that led a people into Idolatry. It is an individual Prophet that does battle with this blasphemous king.

All around us in everyday life we can see the grand themes of evil and holiness played out. We see the results of saints and sinners and there virtuous or vileness acts. We live it seems in a constant battle between good and evil. We know this battle as the battle between God and Satan. It is a battle where the winner takes all. It is a battle for the hearts, minds, and worship of followers. This battle has continued since the time of the Garden of Eden. It will one day end not far from where today’s scripture passage takes place.

You see in today’s passage Israel had left the true God and followed after an impostor. Israel had fallen into Idolatry and sexual immorality and religious paganism as it followed its leader to what could have been certain disaster.

Just who are you following today? Have you made your own decision about who God is? What place does Jesus Christ hold in your life?

We are faced today with all kinds of alternative religious views. We are in fact encouraged, aggressively to investigate all other alternative religious views. It is as if we are all assembled once again a top the mountain and we are being asked which flavor of religion do you want to claim as your own?

Our world seems to be running, not walking towards the religious practice and belief of every other god except the true Living God we have come to know through our bibles and through the collective experience of the Jewish people and the nation of Israel.

What is going on? How did we come to this place and time in history? What are our choices? What are the consequences?

We who are the church must defend the faith by living it and sharing it from our everyday lives. The unfortunate thing about our Canadian society is that it is not Christian and it does not revere the God of the bible as Lord of the land as our national anthem suggests.

In Canada we have abandoned the true living God in the same way that Israel had so long ago. We are chasing after idols, things, pleasures and sexual immorality and religious paganism as we embrace our multiculturalism and oneness with the world at large. Yes Canada has sold out to the god of the present age. The church then which you and I represent must be willing to climb the mountain and do battle against those who oppose our God in favor of theirs.

Make no mistake Christian, you are in a battle whether you want to be or not, you are in a fight for your spiritual beliefs and practices. Now I challenge you to do up your boots and carry your backpack as we climb up this mountain.

Today we see radical change in our climate all over the world. We see floods, droughts, earthquakes, landslides and violent storms with near biblical ferocity. Our men and women of science tell us it is of our own doing that we have polluted the atmosphere to the extent that the earth is simply responding to our poor stewardship, maybe. Maybe?

Our political leaders of every stripe and from every great and small nation of the earth say we need to curb our greenhouse gases we need to limit the co2 output and they point to agreements and treaties and plans to put right that which is wrong. Well maybe there right? Maybe?

We have seen and heard arguments from both sides of the political and scientific community on this subject but still no one seems able to solve the problem and the problem seems to intensify with every passing day. We are bombarded with statements of Apocalyptic fear suggesting that sea levels will rise and our cities will drown as a result. Will maybe, maybe.

To top it all off we have the rhetoric of war on all sides echoing through the night relentless in its scream. The Koreans have the bomb, the Iranians, the Pakistanis or we might be faced with a scenario where terrorist produce a dirty little bomb that can be carried in a suitcase or briefcase and detonate it in a major city. Maybe, maybe.