Keeping Your Commitments
A Prayerful Response to the Virginia Tech Shootings
Rev. Brian Bill
www.pontiacbible.org
4/22/07
The deadliest shooting rampage in modern American history took place this past Monday morning on the campus of Virginia Tech. Let’s take a moment of silence here to reflect on what happened and to honor the victims.
In light of this, I’ve been led by the Lord to change the direction of the sermon this morning. Let me say up front that I have no interest, or expertise for that matter, in joining the cacophony of voices in our culture that are attempting to analyze this event from a political or psychological perspective. I don’t want to play the “blame game” but instead want us to turn to God. And, while I normally take to preaching when tragedy shows up, this morning we’re going to focus more on praying. I had lunch with a friend this week who asked me what I was going to say in response to this situation. I told him that I don’t have a lot to say but that there’s a lot we can pray.
Don’t get me wrong; there’s a lot that needs to be said in a sermon when a crisis hits our country and I did that after 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. But this morning the Lord wants more praying than preaching. Why is that?
1. Our country has lost its spiritual compass. Proverbs 14:34 says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.” A friend in Chicago shared this perceptive insight in an email I received this week: “I’ve been thinking about the consequences our nation has and is suffering as a result of pushing God aside and declaring Him irrelevant. In doing this, it seems to me that we (as a nation) have also disavowed any notion of evil or an evil one.”
2. Our culture is filled with violence, evil and disrespect for life. As I was watching Hardball with Chris Matthews Wednesday night, I was stunned by the footage NBC received from the Virginia Tech murderer. It was both eerie and evil. When Chris Matthews went to a break a couple commercials ran and then, right before going back to his show, a movie trailer came on for a new Anthony Hopkins film that was filled with multiple gunshots, bloody knives and horrified hostages. This cultural disconnect has damaged us.
I wonder if we are reaping violence in our culture today because we have sown violence on the screen, on computer games, and in our own minds. In an article called How TV Affects Your Child, this statement is made: “To give you perspective on just how much violence kids see on TV, consider this: The average American child will witness 200,000 violent acts on television by age 18. TV violence sometimes begs for imitation because violence is often demonstrated and promoted as a fun and effective way to get what you want.”
But there seems to be something more going on that can’t be explained by psychiatrists or paid TV pundits. The Bible says that Adam planted the seed of sin in each of our hearts, and this sown seed has grown into the weed of wickedness, destruction, and death. Romans 5:12: “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.” Chuck Colson hit it on the head when he wrote these words this week: “We are uncomfortable attributing events like this to human evil…what Christians call the demonic…Events like this not only horrify us—they unsettle us. We think of sin and the demonic as not-so-quaint relics from a superstitious age. And even more destructive, random events like this remind us how little we know about ourselves and what we are capable of, as well. But failing to call evil “evil” misleads us about the world we live in and our need for God’s grace, the only real answer and hope for any of us” (Breakpoint, 4/19/07).
Incidentally, in the midst of death this past week, the Supreme Court did rule in favor of life by upholding the ban on partial-birth abortion.
3. Our churches have a lot of work to do. If we want revival in our land, it has to begin with the church of God and specifically it must start with you, and with me. 1 Peter 4:17: “For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God…” This is a wake-up call for Christians to make sure we are sharing the gospel and spreading grace to the lonely, isolated and angry people around us. Jesus is the only answer.
4. Our greatest challenge is always spiritual. Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” My friend from Chicago concluded his email with these words: “This story has gripped me especially on two levels. First, in my flesh, I too am capable of horrendous evil acts. Second, how many Cho Seng-Hui’s have crossed my path by God’s leading? What did I do with this opportunity?” Ephesians 6:12 reminds us: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” After being challenged to put on our armor, Ephesians 6:18 says: “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”
We’re going to pray today, using all kinds of prayers...and I hope we “always keep on praying.” Let me mention a few things before we jump in.
> Say the Word when you pray. Since I was planning on preaching through the Book of Ezra this morning, I’m going to personalize the prayers found in Ezra 9, Nehemiah 9 and Daniel 9. If you struggle in your prayers, pray His Word back to Him. One suggestion would be to take a different psalm each day and pray it back to God. For more than 3,000 years believers have prayed through the Book of Psalms.
> Don’t stray while we pray. If you think it’s easy to fall asleep during a sermon, it’s even easier to snooze while you intercede. If you don’t believe that, just ask the three disciples who couldn’t stay awake when Jesus asked them to “watch and pray.” Prayer is hard work and I’m going to ask you to labor with me as we lock into the Lord. In Nehemiah 9, we see how serious and solemn God’s people were. Check out verse 3: “They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the LORD their God.”
> Practice different postures when you pray. In Ezra 9:3, we read these words: “I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard and sat down appalled.” In verse 5 we read, “…I rose from my self-abasement, with my tunic and cloak torn, and fell on my knees with my hands spread out to the Lord my God and prayed…” Nehemiah 9:5 says, “Stand up and praise the Lord your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting.” If you want kneel or sit or stand, please do so. Changing postures may help you stay focused.
> We’re going to follow the A-C-T-S way to pray. We’ll start with Adoration and then move to Confession, then to Thanksgiving and finally we’ll conclude with Supplication. I commend this to you as a personal prayer outline, especially if you struggle to stay on task like I do. One reason I like this approach is because it keeps me from just viewing prayer as a long list of requests. Incidentally, I decided to keep my original sermon title because prayer is one of the commitments that Christ wants us to keep.
Adoration
Adoring God in worship is always the right place to begin. We’re called to adore Him for His worth and for His works, for who He is and for what He has done. I wonder if you’d be willing to just shout out some truths right now about God’s worth and about His works.
I’ve been helped recently by something Ray Pritchard has written: “I have learned that where you start makes all the difference in thinking about sickness, suffering and death. If you start with the accident or with the sickness or with death itself, you will never come to the right answer… None of us is smart enough to reason from a tragedy back to God. If you start with yourself, you’ll end with yourself, and you won’t be any better off. The only hope is to start at the other end, with what we know to be true about God…In the time of trouble, start with God. Ponder his character. Meditate on his attributes. Think about who God is.
God is holy.
God is righteous.
God is just.
God is gracious.
God is merciful.
God is love.
God is all-knowing.
God is all-wise.
God is present everywhere.
His ways are perfect.
His plans are beyond finding out.
He weaves all things together for His glory and for our good.
He loves us so much that he sent his Son to die for us.
He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell us.
He forgives our sins through the blood of Jesus.
He seals us with the Holy Spirit.
He fills us with the Spirit.
He promises to conform us to the image of his Son.
He will never leave us.
He disciplines us when we stray.
He loves us with an everlasting love.
His plans for us are good.
He makes no mistakes.
Let’s worship Him right now in a prayer of adoration using His Word to ascribe worth and wonder to Him.
From Ezra 9: “God, you give light to our eyes and relief in our bondage. O Lord, God of Israel, you are righteous!”
From Nehemiah 9: “Blessed by your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. You are the Lord God, who chose Abram…you have kept your promise because you are righteous…you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love…because of your great compassion you did not abandon your people in the desert. By day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. For forty years you sustained them in the desert; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen…they took possession of houses filled with all kinds of good things, wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees in abundance. They ate to the full and were well-nourished; they reveled in your great goodness.”
From Daniel 9: “O Lord, you are the great and awesome God and you keep your covenant of love with all who love you and obey your commands…”
Confession
After adoring, we must own our sins before we ask for God’s help. It’s important to repent before making requests of Him. Joe Wright, a pastor in Kansas, prayed a prayer of repentance in the Kansas House of Representatives in 1996. This prayer was actually written by Bob Russell, who was pastoring in Kentucky at the time. Let me pray a portion of it right now: “We come before you today to ask your forgiveness and seek your direction and guidance. We know your Word says, ‘Woe to those who call evil good,’ but that’s exactly what we’ve done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values. We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of your Word and called it pluralism; we have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism; we have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle…we have killed our unborn and called it choice; we have shot abortionists and called it justifiable; we have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem…we have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression; we have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free…I ask in the name of your Son, the Living Savior, Jesus Christ.”
And now continuing from Daniel 9: “…we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws…Lord, you are merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against you…Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth…O Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away from your anger and your wrath…”
From Ezra 9:6-7: “O my God, I am too ashamed and disgraced to lift up my face to you, my God, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens. For the days of our forefathers until now, our guilt has been great…”
Take some time right now to quietly confess any sins in your life. Move then to any sins in our church and then in our country.
Thanksgiving
What are you thankful for this morning? We do this at Thanksgiving time but every day of living should be a day of thanksgiving. Go ahead and just shout out some one-word blessings that you’re thankful for right now.
From Ezra 9: “We’re grateful, Lord, that you have been generous to us and that you give light to our eyes and a little relief…you have granted us new life to rebuild what matters most to you. What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins deserved and have given us a remnant like this.”
From Nehemiah 9: “But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love...”
> Thank God that tragedy has always strengthened the church, and that God will use for good what was intended for harm (Genesis 50:20-21).
> Thank God for the people who will be drawn to seek God’s face because the overwhelming nature of this crisis leaves them nowhere else to turn (Jonah 2:1-9). Ask God how He wants to use you to point others to Christ during this time.
> Thank God for a vivid reminder of our own mortality and vulnerability, asking Him to prepare us for a faithful response. In a sermon prepared for this week and shared with other pastors, Lane Palmer from Dare2Share, says this: “God often does His biggest miracles in the aftermath of the worst devastation…in the Bible, human tragedy is almost always followed by miraculous transformation.”
Supplication
After adoring, confessing and thanking, we’re ready to go to the Lord with our requests.
From Nehemiah 9: “Now therefore, O, our God, the great, mighty and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes…in all that has happened to us, you have been just; you have acted faithfully, while we did wrong.”
From Daniel 9: “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favor on our [desolate country]. Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation…We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because…your people bear your Name.”
> Pray that those who are grieving will know the truth of Psalm 34:18: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
> Ask God to use this situation to bring unprecedented spiritual openness and a spiritual awakening on campuses and throughout our country.
> Pray that God would bless the ministry that will be thrust upon churches and evangelical student groups like Campus Crusade and InterVarsity in these days (see Hebrews 13:20-21).
> Ask God to comfort the shooter’s parents.
> Ask God for a passion and love for Christ that will drive out fear (1 John 4:18).
> Ask God to help our children, teenagers and young adults during this time of uncertainty and to protect all schools and campuses.
> Ask God to help us reach out to the lonely, isolated and angry around us.
> Ask God to forgive our personal and corporate sins as we seek to live completely Christ-centered lives.
Invitation
According to the Times Online, “The last person to see Professor Liviu Librescu, a Holocaust survivor, alive appears to have been Alec Calhoun, a student at Virginia Tech who turned as he prepared to leap from a high classroom window to see the elderly academic holding shut the classroom door. The student jumped and lived. Minutes later, the professor was shot dead [he was found with five bullets in his body]…his final act of sacrifice saved at least nine other lives.”
Friend, Jesus shut the door on Satan and has opened the window of eternal life. If you want to live, you must go through that window and jump into the arms of Jesus. There is only one way to freedom and forgiveness and fulfillment. John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Lane Palmer points out that while there is no guarantee of safety in this life, there is a guarantee of salvation in the life to come. Jesus Christ left his place of safety in heaven and entered into this dangerous world of wars and school shootings to give us hope by subjecting Himself, and being the victim of a tragedy. He took the bullets that were aimed at us.
Jesus gave His all for us. How can we not give our all to Him?
Closing Song of Surrender and Commitment: “Lord, I Give you my Heart”
