FAITH TO GET YOU THROUGH ANY 9-11
New Liberty Christian Church, Veedersburg, IN with Rich McQuinn on 9-11-11
TEXT: PSALM 46:1-11
INTRODUCTION: Do you have your Bibles today? Please raise them up so I can see them. Open them to our text this morning from Psalms 46:1-11. I want to give you something to remember today. Something that you can hang your hat on. Something that will cause you to stop dead in your tracks and know assuredly that God loves and cares for you. I want you to fully listen to this message and pray that God will fill your heart as you listen. The reading of the text begins with verse 1:
God is our protection and our strength. He always helps in times of trouble. So we will not be afraid even if the earth shakes or the mountains fall into the sea, even if the oceans real and foam or the mountains shake at the raging sea. There is a river that brings joy to the city of God, the Holy Place where God Most High lives. God is in that city, and so it will not be shaken. God will help her at dawn. Nations tremble and the kingdoms shake. God shouts and the earth crumbles. The Lord All Powerful is with us; the God of Jacob is our defender. Come and see what the Lord has done; the amazing things he has done on the earth. He stops wars everywhere on the earth. He breaks all bows and spears and burns up the chariots with fire. God says “Be quiet and know that I am God, I will have supreme over all the nations, and I will be supreme in the earth.” The Lord God is All Powerful and He is with us all. He is the God of Jacob our defender.
We have just read a whole chapter in Psalms. The writers of the Bible all trusted God and the workings of God’s Holy Spirit. I for one, as I stand in this pulpit, tell you that I firmly believe in every Word written here. It is true, and Holy. Do you share in this belief? Then if you do let us prepare to receive the blessings today in this service
It does us all good to stop the busy lives we live and think on the important things in life. Those underlying items that have gotten us where we are today.
For instance do you remember what you were doing when you first heard that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7th? A few of you can tell me the stories.
Can you tell me where you were when JFK was shot in Dallas on November 20, 1963? I was sitting in an English class in Lincoln Christian University; Lincoln, IL when some one opened the class door and shouted the President has been shot. I was thinking she meant President Earl C. Hargrove of our school. Wrong.
Can you tell me where you were when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded?
I had just finished my morning school bus route. I safely delivered 60 plus children to their schools. I put the bus in the ban and took off to my second job as an insurance agent with Allstate. Office opened at 9 and I usually make it there at 8:45. I turn on the local news for 15 minutes on the TV just to see what was happening over night. But I kept the station on for three straight days. That was 10 years ago today.
If you are a TV buff, then you have been watching for a solid week the history of 9-11. It has been interesting to say the least.
There are two things I want you to remember when you leave this service this morning.
I. FAITH IS THERE WHEN THINGS LOOK IMPOSSIBLE
All of us have been down in a deep hole and we knew there was no way we were going to get out of it, but somehow we made it. We lived through it, God was watching over us. We are stronger people because of it.
Take for instance in the book of Genesis when Adam rebelled against God in chapter 3. All of us could have felt the same rebellion as the first Man did. God could have stopped the rebellion right now. But man was not made to be robots at Gods every hand moment. We are all free will folks. We make our own choices and sometimes we pay the price for it. God Almighty made provisions before the world was ever created for man’s redemption; knowing full well that man would make disastrous choices from the beginning. When Adam and Eve finally “fessed-up”, He was there with a covering for their nakedness and shame; exacting the ultimate punishment on an innocent victim to cover man’s sin. But, He was there! Now that is lasting Faith!
What about Noah? Wasn’t he in a hard place, not knowing how he was going to get out of it? God was there all the time. Did Noah have the faith that he needed to get the job done? I am sorry to say that sin kept on gaining strength from the first family even until todays. “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Gen 6:8). Here was a man, not a perfect, but a righteous man, who faithfully proclaimed the righteousness of God. (2 Pet 2) And when God, grieved by man’s wicked rebellion, determined to wipe man from the face of the earth, He furthermore determined to spare Noah and his family, and from their stock re-populate planet earth. So in mankind’s greatest natural disaster, God was on His throne protecting His own. That took a powerful amount of faith on Noah’s part.
What about Job? Job was a righteous man but lost everything he had {except his nagging wife} – proving Himself to be God despite unfortunate circumstances. (Job 1-2)
Just as Noah’s generation experienced earth’s greatest natural disaster, Job would surely rank among the top in man’s history as experiencing the greatest personal disaster. Again we see a man, a good man; a godly man standing for what is right and hating what is wrong.
Did being “blameless and upright” immune Job from problems, or even disaster? Of course not! Job lived on a planet that at times experienced natural disasters such as tornados, earthquakes and fire. There were evil men in his day, too, who were willing to kill and steal to get what they wanted. And, he became the special target of satanic fury. As a result, Job lost everything of value; even his precious children. Where was God? Had He turned His back on Job? Would Job return the favor by turning his back on God? No! No! And NO! God had not deserted Job. And Job would not curse God, even though he was urged to do so by a less than faithful wife. Now that took Faith! He lost all of his children. Look what that would do to any of us, but Job kept a strong faith in God.
It was Abraham that lacked in judgment a few times in his life and those mistakes are still costing us today. This is the fight that began 9 11 (Gen 12-15) Abe did not live up to the promise that God made with him. It might be successfully argued that today’s struggles with radical Islamic fundamentalism are traceable to this unfortunate incident in Abraham’s life. Abraham, the father of the faithful, had left his homeland at the prompting of his God and gone to a land that was to be given to his descendents after him. There was a slight problem, though. He had no descendants. He had a beautiful wife, lots of servants, and many possessions, but no descendants. How would God fulfill his promise? How could He? Abraham was already an old man. Sarah was well past the years of child bearing. Did God need a bit of help? Along comes Hagar. She was young, and her womb fertile. It was not uncommon in his day to find a surrogate mother to bear a child for a barren wife. Maybe God did need some help. There’s nothing wrong with helping God out, is there? God does His part, and we have to do ours. So, to Abraham and Hagar is born a son, Ishmael, father of the modern Arab states and Islam. Not the son of promise. That distinction was to be reserved for Isaac, whom Sarah would eventually bear to Abraham when he was 100 years and she was 90.
Joseph was rotting in jail – accomplishing His perfect will. (Gen 37-50)
If ever anyone was misunderstood and ill treated, it was Joseph. If ever anyone suffered wrongly, it was Joseph. Yet with all his hardships, problems and abuse, Joseph was able to honestly say, “You meant it for harm, but God meant it for good.” This was certainly true in the case of his brothers selling him into slavery, Mrs. Potiphar falsely accusing him of attempted rape, and the lapse of memory of his Butler friend. Yet each step of the way, God was able to take Joseph’s trying circumstance and mold him ever more closely into the man he would one day become. He was there all the time, though I am sure Joseph must have wondered at times. He had a great faith.
Then there was Moses… We could go on and on and tell of experiences such as the trouble he got into, the relationship with God and then his great Faith.…
Daniel (Dan. 6) being thrown to hungry lions – resting comfortably on a “lion-skin-rug” while jealous men sought to end his life because of his faithful testimony.
Peter and John (Acts 3-5) beaten for preaching the Gospel – being given greater opportunities for sharing the good news of Christ.
Paul (Acts 14-28) being stoned, shipwrecked and imprisoned – yet being assured that all things work together for good to them who love God.
But maybe the greatest insight into the heart of God when a tragedy strikes such as the 9-11 disaster is to respond in this way to the question…
God was with Jesus on the Cross – enduring the pain for the benefit of others. (Matt 27) Oh the horror! Oh the agony! Oh the anguish! Oh the pain! Not just the thorns on His brow. Not just the lashes on His back. Not just the bruises from the reeds and fists of his captors. Not just the plucking of the beard from His face. Not just the spit being hurled at Him. Not just the nails in His hands and feet. Not just the spear piercing His side. All this, yes; plus the weight of the sins of the world pressing down on His shoulders.
Where was God when His one and only Son hung dying on the cross? Didn’t He know? Couldn’t He have prevented it; or stopped it? Was He helpless? Was He not aware? Didn’t He care? Talk about being able to get through a problem---He had a massive one!
God knew it was happening, could have stopped it, … but He didn’t.
He had a larger picture in view. There was a greater good to be accomplished by the suffering and death of Jesus. Through the suffering of One, many would be made whole. Through the sacrifice of One, many would have their sins forgiven. Through the death of One, many would be made alive.
He wasn’t just sitting idle and helpless as His Son suffered. He was using the schemes of wicked hearts to bring about the redemption of mankind. He reminds us that … “my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isa 55:8-9)
On 9/12 we were all Americans, and we had received a wake up call. Have we gone back to sleep? What will it take to rouse us again? The 9/10 mentality allows sensitivity to trump security. Why are we returning to that nonsense?
I was in church on 9/12, a Wednesday night. And a record number went to church that following Sunday and for a couple more weeks before attendance began to fall back off again. We forget too soon and our faith is toooooo weak.
We must remember 9/11, and remember who we became on 9/12.
As believer’s we need to remember that our feeling of security goes beyond the measures of home land defense, beyond metal detectors, security checks, military power, political alliances or the strength of our economy. Our faith must rest solidly on a relationship with the one and only true and living God. Security is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God and the confidence and courage He gives in the midst of trouble. God is not just some far off source from whom we can seek advice but this psalm tells us that he is “a very present help.”
II. FAITH IN GOD WILL HELP YOU STAND WHEN YOU CANT
You say you will never forget where you were when
you heard the news On September 11, 2001.
Neither will I.
I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room
with a man who called his wife to say 'Good-Bye.' I
held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the
peace to say, 'Honey, I am not going to make it, but it
is OK..I am ready to go.'
I was with his wife when he called as she fed
breakfast to their children. I held her up as she
tried to understand his words and as she realized
he wasn't coming home that night.
I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a
woman cried out to Me for help. 'I have been
knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!' I said.
'Of course I will show you the way home - only
believe in Me now.'
I was at the base of the building with the Priest
ministering to the injured and devastated souls.
I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He
heard my voice and answered.
I was on all four of those planes, in every seat,
with every prayer. I was with the crew as they
were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the
believers there, comforting and assuring them that their
faith has saved them.
I was in Texas , Virginia , California , Michigan , Afghanistan .
I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news.
Did you sense Me?
I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew
every name - though not all know Me. Some met Me
for the first time on the 86th floor.
Some sought Me with their last breath.
Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the
smoke and flames; 'Come to Me... This way... take
my hand.' Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me.
But, I was there.
I did not place you in the Tower that day. You
may not know why, but I do... However, if you were
there in that explosive moment in time would you have
reached for Me?
Sept. 11, 2001, was not the end of the journey
for you. But someday your journey will end. And I
will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may
be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are
'ready to go.'
I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.
God
Some materials were contributed by Travis Moore and Jerry Shirley
