God's New World Order

Scripture: Matthew 28:16-20 (Call to Worship - Psalm 8)

God's New World Order

I. God's New Age Has Arrived in Christ Jesus! - Jesus Resurrection inaugurated God's New Order

II. Jesus Commissions Us to be His Witnesses - to be His Change Agents

INTRO:

Grace and peace from God our Father and Jesus Our Messiah, Savior and Lord!

Over the last hundred years or so there has been a reoccurring theme that has been promoted by various United States Presidents, Prime ministers, leaders of the Communist party and even leaders of the Third Reich. That theme has revolved around the idea of a "New World Order" being inaugurated in our world.

Both President Woodrow Wilson and Prime Minister Winston Churchill used the term "New World Order" in referring to a new period of history that they believed would soon usher in dramatic positive changes in global politics, social order, monetary systems and health care. President Wilson believed that a New World Order was going to come to realization following the peace accords after WWI while Prime Minister Winston Churchill saw a New World Order coming after the end of WW II. Both men were right. History does tell us that after WWI and WWII our world did experience some positive global changes but not to the extent either man had envisioned.

More recently, President George H. W. Bush in a speech delivered on September 11, 1990 during a joint session of Congress stated that he believed that once again the world was on the verge of experiencing a whole New World Order. It was to be a New World Order much like the one Prime Minister Winston Churchill had envisioned some 45 years earlier. In his speech, President Bush even borrowed some of Churchill's worlds to describe this New World Order. It was to be a time when the "principles of justice and fair play" would rule. It was to be a time when all over the globe, nation after nation would "protect the weak against the strong." President Bush went on to say that he could envision a New World Order that would see "A world where the United Nations, freed from cold war stalemate, is poised to fulfill the historic vision of its founders. A world in which freedom and respect for human rights find a home among all nations."

As we all know Bush's "New World Order" never came to fulfillment. Eleven years following his speech the world watched in horror as terrorists crashed two Boeing 767 planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center crushing any hope of a New World Order that would bring global peace, harmony and tranquility. Since that time there has been a continued uptick in the number of terrorist attacks all over the globe resulting not in a time of peace and tranquility but a time of global unrest and anxiety.

Currently, any hope of a New World Order is primarily based on the premise of a new shared global economical system. The theory is that if the world would adopt a global banking system that somehow through the shared use of money the world's ills would be solved. Many believe that what the world needs more than anything else is a global financial reboot. They believe that money has the potential power to fix all of the world's problems or at least enough of them to set the world on a new course of peace, harmony and tranquility.

The sad truth is they are wrong. Money in and by itself can never fix our world's problems. That is not to say however that we do not need a global financial reboot. Anyone looking around our world knows that things are not going well. The richer and more powerful countries are becoming even more richer and more powerful while the poorer and less fortunate countries are suffering more and more.

It makes no sense that two people doing the same work are paid such vastly different wages all over our world. For example, the average worker in Australia is guaranteed a salary of at least 10.00 an hour while in Mexico the average worker is guaranteed a salary of less than a dollar an hour. It shouldn't be that way. The situation is even more dire in places like Bangladesh were the average worker is paid only 26 cents an hour or around $ 500.00 per year. So, you can see that we do need some type of financial reboot all over our world. But money in and of itself is not the total answer.

The Good News this morning is that there is an answer to all the world's problems. The Good News this morning is that our LORD Jesus Christ has made it possible for this through the power and presence of His Holy Spirit. The Good News is that our Lord has made a way in which people all over the world can experience everlasting peace, harmony and tranquility both in the here and now and in the hereafter. The Lord has made a way in which everyone - every man, woman, boy and girl all over the world can be rescued, redeemed and restored into His Holy Image. Now, I believe that is a New World Order that everyone would want to receive and experience today.