Sermon: World Shakers – History Makers
Thesis: To be a world shaker and a history maker requires us to get into the cosmic war between good and evil – to fight for the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to stand up to a wicked society trying to destroy our families and children.
Scriptures:
Galatians 6:9: Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.
Ephesians 6:10-12: 10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For 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.
Acts 17:1-9: (Read the whole chapter)
In Thessalonica
1When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.
2As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
3explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ,” he said.
4Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God–fearing Greeks and a few prominent women.
5But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.
6But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here,
7and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.”
8When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil.
9Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.
Thesis: What does it mean to shake the world for Jesus – for His kingdom – to make an impact on a secular society. It means we commit to not give up, to fail forward and to press forward through the journey of life.
Video Clip: Jesus Revolution is an example of what God can do with men sold out for Him.
Introduction:
In the journey of life, we discover that there are two kingdoms in conflict – The Kingdom of Heaven as described by Jesus in the Gospels and the Kingdom of Darkness also addressed by Jesus. The future of many people lies in the balance in this conflict and their decision which Kingdom they will die for! The destiny of many lays in the crosshairs of these two kingdoms – one fighting for life, for freedom and for blessings and the other fighting to kill, steal and destroy.
But in the clip that I just showed you we discover unlikely, “World Shakers – or History Makers” – people God choose to use for His Kingdom to snatch young people out of the hand of the kingdom of darkness in the 60’s and 70’s! This generation was consumed by drugs, fee sex which brought all kinds of diseases and even Aids. Drugs were dropped from airplanes at concerts and announced to be the path to enlightenment.
I believe we are journeying into another earth-shaking revolution for Jesus – I believe this new move of God will far outweigh our expectations – I believe God is calling an army of “World shakers and History makers.” I believe our country and its secular culture is being overrun with darkness, but this is only paving the way for the light to break out brighter.
Illustration: Share the story from prayer meeting in New Lenox.
Darkness in our culture is everywhere – it's in the business world, the media, internet, on phones, I-pads and in newspapers.
We have a public educational system which is influencing young people as young as kindergarten to just choose their gender and therefore ignore their God given identities! The enemy wants to steal away their identity today) The educational system says this is freeing and a good thing. Saying this will bring enlightenment to our culture. But they are fools controlled by darkness.
• We have political turmoil, open borders and cultural insanity running our nation and sending us further and further into financial debt, chaos, mayhem, crime and driving us toward a financial and moral collapse!
• We have parents standing up for their children at School board meetings being called terrorists.
• We have biblical morality attacked and called intolerant and accused of being fulfilled with bigotry by many within the media, by secular educators and by the elite of Hollywood!
• We have a major media newspaper choosing one of the women of the year from the white house administration who is a biological male.
o President Joe Biden’s Assistant Secretary for Health at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Dr. Rachel Levine, was named one of USA Today’s “women of the year.” Levine, a transgender woman, was announced as one of the winners Sunday, in a profile that highlighted their status as the highest-ranking openly transgender official in the U.S. government. Levine was confirmed by the Senate in March 2021, becoming the first transgender person to be confirmed to such a position in history.
? https://dailycaller.com/2022/03/15/rachel-levine-transgender-woman-of-the-year-usa-today/
• We have the NCAA college women athletic group choosing their women of the year and he to is a biological male.
o The University of Pennsylvania nominated swimmer Lia Thomas – who has become the face of the debate on transgender women in sports – for the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year award. The Ivy League swimmer was nominated as a Division I athlete for Swimming and Diving, according to the NCAA website! But she is a biological male!
• We have Christian Biblical masculinity being called toxic in our society, in the media and they say it needs to be eradicated in our culture! Yet in its place is a radical feminism with its push for the LGBT, the anything goes movement, and this is pronounced as good for our nation. The media and Hollywood promote that this is what our nation needs to be restored – they say this will renew and enlighten this nation!
o Just so you know this deceptive mindset was found by the nation of Israel by secular nations see the OT, it was found in the Roman Empire and it was around even in my younger years in a secular college.
Personal Illustration: My story from college – Bemidji state University – date 1985 – You represent the worst of society!
The book of Acts and the book of Revelation reveal what God can do with men who are committed to become “Fearless Men of God.” These men become “World Shakers” and “History Makers” they become “Mighty men of God” – fighting the forces of darkness and building up the kingdom of light – we see in Scripture them do it with Holy Spirit boldness – with love – with the spirit of a godly warrior – with the Word of God! We see nations transformed and empires transformed! Like the Roman Empire itself had changed.
T.S. - How do we as men of God become World shakers – History makers? There are three things we must commit to: We are not to give up – we must learn to fail forward – we need to push forward in the journey of life!
I. We commit to “I will not quit!” it must be a mindset!
a. The motto of, "I will not quit!"
i. This motto needs to become our mind set in the Church.
1. Paul modeled this mind set for us:
a. Phil. 3:13,14: “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
b. 2 Timothy 4:7: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
2. I believe many quit when they experience a hardship, a loss, a failure, disappointment.
a. It could be a loss of friendship or a vision, a plan they wanted to see. No results from years of hard work
b. Consider how Jesus must have felt when one of His beloved staff turned against him. But even when Judas betrayed Him, Jesus did not quit. He was able to take the hit and keep on going. He was determined to press on.
c. Quote Jones, "Nobody can keep you down unless you decide not to rise again." (125)
3. World Shakers do not quit when they suffer loss of their plan or way but press on to the victory.
a. History is filled with people who did not quit and eventually succeeded.
i. I think of Abraham Lincoln.
ii. I think of Edison.
4. Jesus never cried, "This is not fair” by the way they were treating me, he never said “I quit!"
ii. Paul was determined. Phil 3: 13-14
1. He said, "I forget what is behind."
a. He did not dwell on past events or even His past failures. He repented, forgave Himself and moved on keeping focused on the mission and the battle.
b. He took Deut. 6:5 to heart.
i. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your, heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”
ii. Notice Paul never allowed grudges, unforgiveness to control Him. He preached love to those who persecuted Him. Phil 3:13-14.
iii. He never got mad at God for the trials, but just pressed on to spread the Gospel. Acts 15: 36-41.
1. Many people turn on God in trials and others grow through trials. Which will you be?
c. Paul wrote, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith." (II Tim. 4:7-8)
d. It is important that we as World shakers and History makers finish well. Not just start well, but finish well.
e. John Wesley spoke a lot about finishing well. We need to finish well and not quit!
2. Application: We as World Shakers must set our focus on Christ. We must mentally, internally tell ourselves not to quit.
a. We must remember this sad statistic, “That 40% of those in full time ministry today, will resign in 3 to 5 years. Why? Because they did not prepare themselves with the mindset, "I will not quit". I will make mistakes, I will have problems, but I will press on to the goal!
b. I believe as in the case of Nehemiah – “Every man born into this world has been equipped with weapons to fight and tools with which to build.” (Justin Kane).
i. Justin adds: “The warrior in us uses weapons of warfare to protect and defend against evil. The builder is us uses the God given tools- wisdom and understanding to build God’s people and His Kingdom.”
1. The 5 Callings (Page 80).
II. We must fail forward!
a. Leaders are under construction by God even through our mistakes (If we allow Him the freedom to teach us through our mistakes).
i. Illustration: In 1986 Bob Brenley was playing third base for the San Francisco Giants. In the fourth inning of a game against the Atlanta Braves, Brenley made an error on a routine ground ball. Four batters later he kicked away another grounder. And then while he was scrambling after the ball, he threw wildly past home plate trying to get the runner there. Two errors in the same play. A few minutes later he muffed yet another play to become the first player in the twentieth century to make four errors in one inning. Now, those of us who have made very public errors in one situation, or another can easily imagine how he felt during that long walk off the field at the end of that inning. But then in the bottom of the fifth, Brenley hit a home run. Then in the seventh, he hit a bases–loaded single, driving in two runs and tying the game. Then in the bottom of the ninth, Brenley came up to bat again, with two outs. He ran the count to three and two and then hit a massive home run into the left field seats to win the game for the Giants. Brenley’s score card for that day came to three hits and five bats, two runs, four errors, four runs allowed, four runs driven in, including the game winning run. Certainly, life is a lot like that—a mixture of hits and errors. And there is grace in that.
1. In the fall of failure one voice rise up the voice of “The Shamer” that inner voice yells at you and lies about you:
a. Realize the voice of shame is a liar – it does not speak truth.
i. Justin Kane states, “It wants to keep you trapped in a cycle of self-doubt and self-hatred. But you don’t have to listen to it.” (Page 53)
ii. The truth is you can learn from your mistakes, and you can change for the better – look at David- at Peter and others in the Bible.
iii. Yes, reality tells us we cannot change the past, but God can redeem the past with a repentant heart and create a new you and new future!
1. My decision to curse the lie of the Irish temper and break the lie over my life and family!
2. Justin notes, “We cannot change the past. We can only change the way we think about it and the way we allow it to shape our present and future.” (Page 54)
b. Yes, leaders, parents, spouses, brothers, sisters all make mistakes – yes everyday people make mistakes!
i. To err is human wrote Alexander Pope in the 18th Century. I say to err is human to forgive is divine.
ii. Russell Baker expressed this same idea in more specific terms: I make the average number of mistakes. Maybe 150 or so on a busy day. Most them are not terribly serious. Putting too much sugar in the coffee cup. Picking up the telephone and dialing the number of the telephone I’ve just picked up, Spelling harasses with two R’s.
iii. Yes humans –leaders make mistakes. We goof up and create a mess. We mishear, misinterpret, misjudge, misread, misspeak, misspell, misunderstand, and yes make the mistake of sinning.
iv. Truth, everyone has blown it!
1. Even the great Apostle Paul shares insight on the issue of mistakes: Romans 7:14-25: We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate to do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I who do it, but sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
v. The act of making mistakes is common even the great men of faith made mistakes of faith talk about this shortcoming.
1. David committed adultery and murder – yet was said to be a man after God’s own heart.
2. Samson – fornication, disobeying God
3. Greg Laurie makes this observation about those who failed forward in the Bible:
a. “In fact, a lot of people we read about in the Bible messed up. Abraham, the father of faith and of the Jewish people, lied about his wife twice. His son Isaac did the same thing. Sarah, Abraham’s wife, laughed at the promise of God and then denied that she laughed.
Jacob lied and connived. Noah got drunk. Samson was immoral. Gideon was fearful. Rahab was a prostitute. David had an affair and then had someone murdered to cover it up. Elijah was deeply depressed and didn’t want to live. And Jonah ran from God. The disciples fell asleep when they should have been praying, and Simon Peter openly denied the Lord.”
b. Greg notes, “Then there was Moses, who killed a guy. The historian Josephus believed that Moses was being groomed to become the next Pharaoh. As the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter, he wore royal robes and ate the finest food in the world. He had everything. He was the prince of Egypt. But underneath those royal robes beat the heart of a true believer and a real Hebrew. Moses was a reluctant leader. He didn’t want the job, but he got it. And when he was called to do something, he did it. As a result, he discovered that God was more than enough for him. He knew the Lord was bigger than the problems he faced.
The Bible tells us that Moses “chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25 NLT). Moses understood that God’s worst was better than the world’s best. You, too, may take God’s worst. But you’ll also get God’s best: purpose, meaning in life, the joy of the Lord and the guaranteed hope that you’ll go to Heaven when you die.” From https://harvest.org/resources/gregs-blog/post/bible-heroes-who-failed-forward?
? Everyone makes them. In fact, making mistakes is so ordinary, so basically human, some eventually start to just overlook mistakes without batting an eye. We even get to the point sometimes where we just accept our mistakes as being right not wrong.
vi. The key to understanding is mistakes will happen but we have to admit them for what they are – they are wrong – they are sin. We must repent of them and then learn from them.
1. Here is an idea - learn a lesson that history teaches us – Learn from others' mistakes as well.
a. Peter made the mistake of denying Christ but in Mark he repents of it and Christ restores him. Then look in the book of Acts at man who was given a second chance by Christ, and he burst forth to become one of the great Apostles.
b. Leaders cannot walk on water, but they can learn to swim.
c. Leaders need to understand that they are not God.
i. Listen to a conversation between God and a leader. Listen up!” You're not God I am, do it my way!”
1. One professor gave this same thought to his students! He wrote on the board, “You are not God!”
III. The journey of life is filled with those unexpected journeys, but we are to push forward knowing God is with us.
a. Thought: Truth is: We would never have chosen these paths in life, but we find us on these long journeys through the shadows – the trail of pain and suffering is not a fun trail to hike. But even on these paths we discover Jesus is with us along with His ultimate wisdom, strength, healing, and purpose. He promises to guide us, be with us through the valley of shadows – in the shadows of these valleys are pain, sickness, suffering, grief, anxiety, stress, and many other things associated with a fallen world. In those valleys lurking in the shadows are things like, death, cancer, rape, fear, depression, sickness, trauma, crisis, accidents, trials, abuse, financial disasters, pandemics, crime, and yes, even demons seeking to destroy you and your faith.
i. Quote: John Ortberg stated, “The central promise in the Bible is not ‘I will forgive you.’ The most frequent promise is ‘I will be with you.’” (God Is Closer Than You Think, page 15).
1. The promise was made to Adam and Eve, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Samuel, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Amos, Mary, Paul, Peter, John and a host of others from the beginning of time until the climax of His return the promise goes on – verbalized by God to the one’s He loves over and over again.
b. This promise that the Lord would be with me came to reality about a year ago on my unexpected journey through cancer, but the journey was encouraging and empowering.
i. Tell the story of diagnosis and the storm and the dove.
1. Psalm 23: Which came alive to me! 1The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
a. In reading this Psalm in this crisis moment - the phrase struck me – that I am just walking through the valley with the Lord by my side – Yes, the valley has the shadow of death lurking off in the distance, trying to torment me and wanting me to embrace it as if there was no hope.
b. My mind reflected back to a movie I had seen years earlier: A Beautiful Mind starring Russel Crowe where he is a professor who suffers from Schizophrenia and the personalities in his mind torment him, and lure him out of reality bringing havoc to his family and life, but he learns to ignore them after a long battle and to choose to live in reality and not in the delusion these characters wanted him to live in. Yes, He notes to another professor they were always there, off in the shadows, beckoning him to come to them and entertain them, to give them attention, but he chooses to reject them and ignore them. He decided in his life to stay focused on his family, job and life without them.
i. The shadow of Cancer is like those delusional characters in the movie – it was there taunting me – But Psalm 23 and other Scriptures reminded me, “I will be with you Mike through this unexpected journey and through the valley of shadows.” I choose to focus on the Lord and share my journey with my church and others. I choose to focus on God’s promise and the doves. I choose to be positive and filled with faith and hope in Jesus. I told the Lord every day I will praise you through this valley and honor you! No matter what happens!
2. This is how we shake up the world around us faith over fear.
a. Show newspaper testimony!
Conclusion:
What do we need to know from this message?
Answer: We are in a spiritual war for the soul of our nation and what stands between us losing it - to evil - is us the World Shakers and History Makers who are sold out for Jesus! Look around this is the Band of Brothers God has placed together to drive back the darkness in this area! We must enter into the battle for the heart of our nation and our families – their lives and your lives depend on it!
Why do we need to know this?
Answer: God has called you godly men (World Shakers) into His Kingdom to fight for the truth – to proclaim His words to a deceived world! To call the truth the truth and the lies the lies that they are. To take the enemy head on with the word of God and with courage from the very throne of Heaven.
1. This means we do not quit in the middle of a battle!
2. This means when we fail, we get back up and repent – we change our ways and fight forward again.
3. This means we always press forward knowing He is with us – no matter what storm blows into your life!
What do they need to do?
Answer: They must fight the good fight – pick up the sword of the Spirit and go after the enemy of their souls and their families’ souls.
Why do they need to do this?
Answer: If you do not get into the fight – the enemy will take more ground from you – you cannot be neutral – Scripture tells me to the fight to the enemy with the armor of God and Jesus so as to drive Him back to gates of Hell!
Closing video:
The Jesus Rant – What are you going to do with Jesus – Trust Him – Fight for Him – Not quit – fail forward with Him - Embrace Him – accept He is with you – and press on?
