Surviving 2020
CCCAG October 8th, 2020
Scripture- John 20:19-20
Today’s message is going to be a little different. About 90% of my sermons are expository- meaning I take a scripture and focus almost entirely on that scripture, and only bring in other scriptures to highlight the truth of that selected scripture.
Today, the sermon will be topical, meaning I’ll be focusing on an idea and using scripture to highlight that.
This morning will reflect William Booth’s advice about sermons- “Preach with the bible in one hand, and the latest newspaper in the other”
I also want to say one more thing- much of this is my personal opinion interpreting today's news, so keep that in mind.
So let’s dive in. We have had a week haven’t we?
2020 just keeps on punching us in the gut doesn't it?
The one thing this year that we may have thought would be normal this year has blown up in our face.
Tuesday night I popped some popcorn, sat in my easy chair with my computer next to me to track the election results, and got ready for a long night. I guess I was naive and expecting that we would know by 1:00 or 2:00 o'clock in the morning who our next president would be.
After all, for the most part, that’s how it’s been. We have been through this dozens of times in the history of our country. Really, the only time in our lifetime that it’s been really messed up was in the year 2000 during the Bush Gore presidential race.
Well, this is going to make Bush/Gore look like a picnic.
The evidence of corruption and vote tampering is overwhelming and all I can say about the next several weeks is buckle in because it's going to be a rough ride.
In fact, I made a comment about it on social media, and got tagged as spreading false information by the Facebook Factcheckers.
It’s a full court press- the unholy trinity of the media, technology, and leftists political forces have all united to steal an election.
I wish I had better news but from what I see is going on right now:
We will see civil unrest unlike anything we have ever seen if this result is overturned by the courts.
We will see a lot of fighting amongst families who have different opinions about what's going on.
We're going to see increased uses of drugs and alcohol and with that in increase of health problems.
Psychiatric problems will increase and with that suicide rates.
In fact , Jesus even predicted this about the last times- In Luke 21 he said that during the time leading up to his return then it would get so bad that people's hearts would fail them from fear.
What this election has shown us is something most of us knew deep down in our spirits- our country is spiritually and critically ill. We have reaped what we have sown as a nation in giving in too leftist demands to change our society into their twisted idea of what equality looks like.
I want to make this point and make it very clear. In the end it didn't matter who got elected. What matters is how they got elected. (repeat)
If there was a fair election and the votes went one way or the other I would say fine. It doesn't change my day-to-day life as a Christian. My job is to still pray for the one in office and try to live and represent Jesus Christ to those around me.
However, what we're seeing was not fair. I would say the same thing no matter which person was on top right now.
For many people it seems like the world has just gone crazy. Everything has fallen apart and there doesn't seem to be hope.
The book of Ecclesiastes has a lot of wisdom in it and I would encourage you to read it at least once a year. It was written by Solomon, who next to Jesus was the wisest man whoever lived.
In the first chapter of Ecclesiastes, Solomon made a very interesting statement, “What was will be again. There is nothing new under the sun.”
We may think that we're going through the toughest time in history right now , but really human history is very cyclical, meaning we go through these cycles of the same thing happening over and over and over and over again and so today's trials and tribulations really aren't anything new.
The Bible records a group of people who went through something very similar.
This group of people had a charismatic leader that they thought was going to lead them into a new era of prosperity for their nation and for them in particular.
This leader spoke very harshly about his critics, calling them all kinds of pretty offensive names.
As this leader continued to rise in prominence so did his opposition. This opposition did everything they could to destroy him.
They spread rumors, they punished anyone who said that they supported this leader, and they socially ostracized and even excommunicated people who said they were his followers.
Despite all of this, this leader continued to rise in popularity. He drew crowds that numbered in the thousands. Tt seemed like he was on the precipice I've coming into power , and suddenly the forces of evil snatched it away in under 12 hours.
Does this kind of sound like what we're seeing in our country today?
In case you think I’m speaking about President Trump- I’m not.
This leader I’m speaking of was Jesus Christ. The people following him were his disciples.
Suddenly their leader had been struck down. Jesus was beaten, whipped, humiliated, and died naked on a Roman cross. The disciples were now running for their lives as the same opposition that took out their leader was now gunning for them. The go into hiding, and that is where we find ourselves this morning-
John 20:19-20
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
Prayer
There are three things from this account that will help us in the coming days. I want to make one thing very clear this morning.
These three things will be critical to surviving this time we are entering into. I'm not talking so much about physical and mental survival as I am about spiritual survival.
Remember when I said that Jesus predicted during the end times that men's hearts will fail them because of fear. That's exactly what the enemy is trying to do during this time- make your heart fail because of fear and ruin your relationship and trust in God.
So let’s dig into the scripture
The first thing you see here-
I. Jesus stood among them
This is a critical point.
Let me illustrate this.
During the civil war Reporter asked Abraham Lincoln if he believed that God was on the side of the union army in their fight against the confederacy.
Abraham Lincoln replied, “Good Sir, it does not matter to me one whit if God is on our side. What is of utmost importance to me as if we are on God's side.”
With that one little statement Lincoln put the current situation we find ourselves in into razor sharp focus.
When I said that it doesn't matter to me so much of who wins the election, I meant it. The church had explosive growth under Nero- one of the most evil emperors of the Roman empire, so whoever is president shouldn’t affect us.
Of course, I have a preference, but it is just that- a preference.
My focus is how they won the election. Was it fair and honest, or was it through deceit and trickery?
One stands with Jesus, one does not.
My whole focus is if I am standing with Jesus.
Remember- in a billion years, it will not matter who won this election.
What will matter is if you stood with Jesus, his character, and his love.
Next we see that Jesus had something to say-
II. He told them “Peace be with you”
This wasn’t just a nice greeting to break the ice. It was an exact description of what was happening in that moment.
Peace be with you- it was. Jehovah Shalom- the God of peace stood among them. Peace was definitely in the room with them, and that is why we want Jesus to be our center during this time.
Practically, there are a few other ways that we can have peace during this time.
We will be spending most of the rest of our time here.
The first thing to do is-
1. Identify the enemy-
Ephesians 6:12
12 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.
One of the first rules of warfare is to identify the leaders of the military you are going to fight in take them out.
Let me give you a hint. your family members, your coworkers, your neighbors, and the people who still have a political sign out that you don't agree with- are not those leaders.
Therefore our battle is not against them.
You are not given permission by God to engage in conflict with those people.
Trust me I know it's hard. Everything within me wants to scream from the highest rooftop about how unfair this entire thing is.
In fact I think God led me to do a sermon this week to preach to me if no one else gets anything out of this.
There is a battle right now for America's soul.
But, you do not have permission to engage the foot soldiers in battle. Your conflict is against the authorities the rulers and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
They are the ones that you engage but you don't do it in physical ways.
2 Cor 10:3-4
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
The church is never called on to wage physical war. That’s a function of human government. That doesn’t mean physical war isn’t sometimes necessary, but only as a last resort when the consequences of not physically fighting outweigh the evil that will be done if we don’t.
We are not there at this time. That doesn’t mean you can’t physically defend yourself against an attack, but we don’t go out and seek it.
Our role in this battle is prayer, fasting, obedience, and choosing to show love and not hate, all while standing for the truth.
You might be thinking- Is that all? That’s pretty much an impossible task for us to do. My emotions are on such a hair trigger right now it’s a miracle I’m not kicking my cat!
You are right- you can’t do this in your own strength.
That’s why the bible says “With God, all things are possible” If Jesus is standing among us, and His peace is reigning in our hearts, we will be able to accomplish all of this and more.
If God is for us, who can be against us?
The second way we can have peace in the midst of this chaos is-
2. Realize that this is not your home.
I think if we be honest with each other , most of us would admit that one of the greatest things we fear about elections and who is in charge is what it will mean for the things that we care most about.
We do this to protect that which is temporary while forgetting to care for that which is eternal.
Sometimes we worship comfort over the creator.
I thank God I was born in the country I was born in. I believe the United States of America is the greatest country in modern history, and it’s worth defending. In fact, I and many here gave a blank check to our country and said we will defend it even if it means giving our lives to do so.
We swore an oath that says we will defend the constitution of the United States, against all enemies, foreign and domestic and bear truth faith and allegiance to the same.
Loving our country is not a sin.
Saying all of that- a red, white, and blue flag does not fly above heaven’s gates. It is not flown from any flagpole in heaven, it is not sitting there beside God’s throne next to the Christian flag.
While we reside here today, it is not our permanent home.
It's hard for us to really internalize this because frankly I've been to some of your homes, they're beautiful located around breathtaking landscapes. At the human level it would be very easy for me to covet your homes.
But as much as we love what God has given us in this life, he tells us this is not the primary thing we should be protecting.
I've said it before and I'm going to keep saying this- a billion years from now will you even remember your home here on earth?
In fact it won't exist.
Neither will the earth as it exists today. That may be hard for many people to accept. Tammie and I just spent the last couple of weeks looking at the most beautiful landscapes we've ever seen, and we were blessed incredibly for being able to do so.
In some ways it saddens me to know that one day they will not exist anymore.
The Book of Revelation tells us that God makes a new heaven and a new earth and the old one passes away. In both these new places nothing sinful will ever have entered it and it will be perfect for all eternity.
Therefore, the Bible says it is imperative that we have our focus on the future Kingdom of God and eternity versus compromising who we are supposed to be in Christ to save what we have here.
I’m going to give you a few scriptures that I encourage you to memorize and repeat to yourself in these coming days-
Hebrews 13:14- For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.
John 15:19
If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
Hebrews 11:16
But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
All of these are on the back of your bulletin for future use
The final way we can have peace during this time is realize that this is not unusual.
Studying human history whether it be the secular history we learn in school or the history we see in the Bible we know that evil has always tried to make life miserable for all people and in particular God's people.
But I'm here to give you some good news this morning.
Jesus told us that has overcome the world.
that means all the schemes
all the evil
all the wickedness
all the conspiracies
Have already been defeated.
The Bible says that the devil is roaring lying going to and fro looking for who he may devour. A lion's roar can be very terrifying but when we realize that Jesus yanked out all the teeth out and then declawed that lion, it holds no fear for those who follow Him.
In fact, it just goes to show the level of insanity that is in Satan at this point. The more he squeezes us and the more he presses on us the more of the world oozes out and the more of Christ can come in.
Finally, I want us to consider this-
God the father is using this time right now to beautify the bride of Christ.
You may remember from the book of Esther that when Esther was chosen to be one of the candidates to become the next Queen that she had to go through over a year of beauty treatments before she could be presented to the King. These treatments were harsh. We're talking about skin peeling's, tattooing to create permanent makeup. Binding of the feet to make them pleasing to the Persian way of thinking. None of these were pleasant, and many of them quite painful.
Not only that, but she also lives with the other woman that were in the same competition she was in- imagine living in that atmosphere for over a year!
Now think about what God is allowing us to live through right now.
It's not very pleasant is it? Does it make you feel a little uncomfortable?
Do you have some level of anxiety at this point yet?
The Apostle Peter gives us this truth about living in troubled times and how to have peace in the midst of the storm
1 Peter 4:12-14
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
God is going to use this time to make us even more beautiful to Jesus when he returns. It may not be pleasant. it may be downright uncomfortable and painful at times .
But if we can commit right now to trust God and see it through till the end, we will hear the words “well done good and faithful servant enter into the joy of your master”.
We will experience the applause of heaven.
Communion
