MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
A. Eleven years ago this past week the skies of New York, Washington, D.C. & Pennsylvania were punctured by hijacked airplanes in a diabolical plot to pierce the soul of our nation.
Eleven years ago our sense of security was shattered as planes became missiles, buildings became piles of rubble, thousands of lives were lost, millions of hearts broken – the handiwork of men who killed in the name of their religion.
Terrible images have been etched forever into our memories: of planes crashing into towers, of 110-story buildings turning into fiery furnaces & collapsing in a cloud of ashes & dust, of men & women falling to their deaths, of people running for their lives even as hundreds of firefighters & police officers were losing their lives in attempting to save more.
ILL. Eleven years ago we received a shock that some described as “a wake-up call from the pits of Hell.” Listen to what Steve Malone wrote a few days later:
“We have all been wandering around in a haze, in a daze for 6 days now. Like the clouds of smoke, soot & debris that blanketed lower Manhattan – a dark cloud has blanketed the heart & soul of nearly every American. …
“We feel helpless, we’re confused, we’re angry, we’re numb… How could we be so vulnerable? How do we fight against ‘shadows?’
“How do we ever step into an airplane or a skyscraper again? How do we ever feel safe again? How do we make our children feel safe again?” (See footnote)
Suddenly realizing how very fragile & precious life truly is, for a little while at least, as a nation we hugged our kids & grandchildren a little tighter, & told our spouses of our love for them even more fervently than before.
B. And our nation prayed. Simple, heart-felt prayers echoed not only in churches, but on street corners, in public buildings, &, yes, even in some schools.
Members of Congress gathered for prayer in the very hall where, a few weeks before, police had threatened to arrest a group of young people for bowing their heads in silent prayer.
As a nation we stood united in prayer to Almighty God, & we sang “God Bless America” with a fervency that startled us. People turned to God & to His Holy Word for comfort & guidance, & were unashamed of that. And His words echoed & re-echoed throughout our land. For example, Psalm 25:1-3.
“To you, O Lord, I Lift my soul; in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.”
Also Psalm 27:1-2, “The Lord is my light & my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?
“When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies & my foes attack me, they will stumble & fall.”
At such a time we knew that we needed God - not a feel-good type of God. But the unmovable, unshakable God – the God who was & is & forever shall be - all present, all knowing & all powerful – King of Kings & Lord of Lords.
As a nation we knew we needed the Lord God Almighty – And we still do!
ILL. That year, when President Bush stood before the Joint Session of Congress & addressed the nation about our national resolve, his words met with near unanimous approval & acclaim.
And the leaders of Congress pledged their unswerving loyalty to his leadership in doing whatever had to be done to protect the people of our nation & to defeat those who would seek to harm us.
C. Now 11 years have passed by, & much of our national unity, emotion, & commitment has melted away. Just like the people of Israel in the days of old, we seem to have forgotten the promises that we made to one another & to our God.
In the political world it seems to be “politics as usual.” And now we seldom hear anyone singing “God Bless America” in public. Its message is fading away.
But this past week we awoke to the news of new attacks: the storming of our Embassy in Egypt, the assassination of our Ambassador & 3 others in Libya, & the destruction of our Consulate there. Then in quick succession rioting against the U.S. broke out in Yemen, Iran, Tunisia, Sudan, & elsewhere in the Middle East.
Once again we have seen scenes of thousands demonstrating in the streets, burning flags, shouting “Death to the infidels!” & “Obama, Obama, we are all Osamas!”, glorifying terrorists as “Heroes – holy warriors in the service of Allah.”
All of this, & much, much more, has reminded us that there is a group of people that is deliberately seeking to kill as many of us as they can in order to express the hatred & bitterness raging within them.
D. That kind of hatred – a hatred that pours out its venom on innocent men, women & children – is hard for us to comprehend. I mean, haven’t we been told by various Muslim leaders that the Koran doesn’t condone such deliberate & wanton slaughter – that in fact it actually condemns the taking of innocent lives?
Then why is it that most of the demonstrations of hatred seem to erupt as the people pour out of their mosques following times of prayer & listening to the messages of their Mullahs – their religious leaders?
Well, we can find part of the answer to our question by understanding their faith, what they have been taught & what they believe.
1. First of all, fanatic Muslims have been taught to consider all the rest of the world to be infidels. We are unclean. Our lives are valueless in their sight. If anything can be gained by our destruction, so be it! And if we are considered to be their enemy, then they have a sacred obligation to oppose us.
2. Secondly, their own lives are of no real consequence, either. In fact, fanatic Muslims have been taught that if they die fighting infidels, all their sins are forgiven no matter what they may have done, & they will immediately be transported to a Paradise where they’ll enjoy every sensual pleasure.
So they’re willing to kill & be killed. After all, "It is the Will of Allah."
E. Now, of course, not all Muslims share that attitude. And there are many Muslims who recoil in horror at the atrocities that have been committed in the name of Allah. But the loudest & most intimidating voices are those of hatred & death. And sadly, for years now in the Muslim world, their voices have prevailed.
That is why our television screens can show scenes of wild rejoicing, of men, women, & children shouting in jubilation at the news of the pain & suffering & loss of life that has been inflicted upon our people & our country.
But that is not the way we have been taught. Because of Jesus, the message we hear is to love one another. And we are told that our God is a God of love. In fact, the first Bible verse many of us remember hearing proclaims,
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one & only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” (John 3:16-17)
F. May I remind you again that 11 years ago, as a result of the horrors of 9/11, our nation drew together, united in prayer to God, & turned to His Holy Word for comfort & strength. And His words echoed & re-echoed in our land.
But it wasn’t long until much of that national unity, the heart-felt concerns that we had for those who had lost loved ones, the deep emotions that bound us together, & the commitments that we made to God & to each other began to fade away.
As a nation we heard the speeches, paid our respects, bowed our heads, & then returned to business as usual – our lives unchanged, & God once again relegated to the back shelf – if not ignored completely.
Now we have received another “wake-up call.” And once again our nation is in mourning, shocked & confused about what we should do next.
I don’t know what actions others may take, but may I suggest 3 actions that we, as Christians, can & must make in our lives.
I. AS CHRISTIANS, WE MUST REAFFIRM OUR PRIORITIES
First of all, as Christians, we must reaffirm our priorities, remembering what matters most in life. You see, what really matters is not the size of our bank account, the square footage of our house, the job we have, or the make of our car.
Do you remember what Jesus said? “Love the Lord your God with all your heart & with all your soul & with all your mind. This is the first & greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39)
According to Jesus, what matters most is loving God & loving people.
The apostle John wrote, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God… Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love… Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (1 John 4:7,8,11)
We have heard the stories of people on the hijacked airplanes & in the Twin Towers making last minute phone calls because they knew that they were facing the final minutes of their earthly life – they knew they were about to die.
Wives called husbands, husbands called wives, children called parents to say “Goodbye.” And many of them added, “I’ll see you in heaven.”
Why did they do that? Because in those final moments they realized that it wasn’t their career, their possessions or money that mattered – it was their faith in God, & their love for the people that God had placed in their lives.
Now what is important in your life? What really matters to you? It’s time to recommit ourselves to spiritual values, & to those you love.
II. AS CHRISTIANS, WE MUST EXHIBIT OUR TRUST IN GOD
Secondly, as Christians, we must exhibit our trust in God. Psalm 20:7 says, “Some trust in chariots, & some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees & fall, but we rise up & stand firm.”
Or, as another version puts it, “They are overwhelmed & defeated, but we march forward & win.”
We must resist the temptation to put our trust anywhere but in God. The Twin Towers were among the most expensive buildings on earth, & they contained millions & millions of dollars in furniture & equipment.
Yet, we saw in the most dramatic way how in mere minutes the things of earth can come crashing down. And all that remained was tangled debris.
I’d like to summarize something Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount: “Do not put your trust in things on earth, where moth & rust destroy & where thieves break in & steal, but put your trust in God.”
Let me ask you, “Where have you placed your trust?” A better question – “Have you put your trust in God?” Or, “Will you?”
The Bible says, “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people both now & forevermore.” (Psalms 125:1-2) That’s what I want! Do you?
III. AS CHRISTIANS, WE MUST BE GOD’S LIGHT IN THE WORLD TODAY
A. Thirdly, as Christians, we must be God’s light in the world today. Jesus said: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp & put it under a bowl.
“Instead they put it on its stand, & it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds & praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)
And in following Jesus, the apostle Paul wrote, “Do all you have to do without grumbling or arguing, so that you may be God’s children, blameless, sincere & wholesome, living in a warped & diseased world, & shining there like lights in a dark place. For you hold in your hands the very word of life.” (Philippians 2:14-16 Phillips)
There is a world still living in darkness that needs to see that light on a hill, that needs to hear the word of life - people who need to hear that they can be born again into an inheritance that can never spoil, fade or pass away.
ILL. Folks, for years now we have been bombarded by the hateful rhetoric & imagery of fanatic Islam. We have heard their cries of “Jihad” & been warned that their goal is our total subjugation.
We have also been told that the Islamic world is closed to the gospel of Christ, & that any efforts to witness in His name brings about the penalty of death. And in some places that is true.
But did you realize that at a time when fanatics are devoting themselves to the destruction of Christians, some Mohammedans are discovering for the very first time the contrast between the teachings of Mohammed & those of Christ.
They see the difference in the way women are treated, & read with amazement that our God is a God of love – that He commands us to “love one another” even as He has loved us - & also to “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:27-28)
One issue of the magazine “Voice of the Martyrs” told of Mohammedan women begging for Bibles, of secret Bible study meetings, & of entire families becoming Christians despite the danger of their decisions. They have chosen to follow the Prince of peace & love rather than the god of war.
Listen, I’m convinced that we’re on the threshold of the greatest opportunity of our lifetime to let the light of Christ shine into the dark places of our world.
B. Paul, in the Scripture we read a few minutes ago, talked about being a light in this dark world, & he concluded with these words; “But even if my life is to be poured out like a drink offering to complete the sacrifice… I will rejoice….” (Philippians 2:17)
Paul was saying that if he had to die in order to save others – he would gladly make that sacrifice for them. And that’s exactly what he did.
ILL. Eleven years ago, Thomas Burnett & Todd Beamer were among the hostages on United flight #93 flying over Pennsylvania. Burnett, a 38-year-old executive with a California research company, called his wife & said, “I know we’re all going to die – but there are 3 of us who are going to do something about it.”
And that’s when Todd Beamer said, “Let’s roll!”
Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)
Now let me ask you, “If they gave their lives in order to save others when they knew they were going to die – how much more should we be willing to seek to save others when we know we are going to live?”
Even as thousands of workers from around the world dug 24 hours a day, rain or shine - digging through the rubble trying to find anyone who might still be alive - should we not be just as willing to wade through the rubble of sin & the debris of shattered lives in order to save someone too?
INVITATION:
(Some quotes and ideas in this sermon came from an excellent sermon by Steve Malone, “In God We Trust,” found on SermonCentral.com)
(Parts of this message have been revised and updated from a message that I first prepared ten years ago.)
