12, December 2004
Dakota Community Church
The Christmas Dragon
Introduction:
For many of you this is the only time you will come to church this year.
The marketing experts say I should make this a sugar coated non-offensive message so you will want to come back again, but I don’t really take to that whole "tone down the message" stuff.
If you want to be offended by the message of Jesus – have at it. I am going to preach it as it is.
My objective tonight is to get you thinking.
I want to get you asking important questions.
I want to challenge you to take a serious look at the claims of Christ.
In order to that I am going to try to answer one of the most common reasons I hear as to why people reject God and Church.
“If there really is an all powerful, all knowing, all loving God in heaven, why is the earth so full of all this terrible crap?”
Revelation 12: 1-9
1A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. 3Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. 4His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. 5She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. 6The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.
7And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
So again:
“If there really is an all powerful, all knowing, all loving God in heaven, why is the earth so full of all this terrible crap?”
1. Because the Christmas dragon is real.
In the same time the angels announced peace on earth, good will to men these events were also unfolding:
Matthew 2: 16
When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.
Well I believe in God but I don’t believe in the devil.
Jesus believed in him.
He is in control on this planet according to the scriptures and according to natural observation!
Matthew 4: 1-11
1Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."
4Jesus answered, "It is written: ’Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ "
5Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6"If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written:
" ’He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ "
7Jesus answered him, "It is also written: ’Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ "
8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9"All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."
10Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ’Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ "
11Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
John 8: 39-47
"If you were Abraham’s children," said Jesus, "then you would 40 do the things Abraham did. As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41You are doing the things your own father does."
"We are not illegitimate children," they protested. "The only Father we have is God himself."
42Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. 43Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God
So again:
“If there really is an all powerful, all knowing, all loving God in heaven, why is the earth so full of all this terrible crap?”
2. God does not violate free will He has given us.
Luke 13: 34
34"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!
Over and over again in scripture we see instances where people are free to do something other than the will of God.
God wants friends not robots.
Where would you have God draw the line on violating free will?
- Stop Hitler?
- Stop the World Trade Bombings?
- Stop bad parents from having kids?
- Keep crooked businessmen from profits?
- Stop you from skipping Church?
It really is an all or nothing deal
Joshua 24: 15
But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
So again:
“If there really is an all powerful, all knowing, all loving God in heaven, why is the earth so full of all this terrible crap?”
3. God’s justice extends beyond this life.
Although it may appear that there is no justice in this world life extends beyond this world!
Matthew 12: 36-37
36But I tell you that men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted and by your words you will be condemned.
Romans 14: 11-12
11It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.’” 12So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Conclusion:
What about you this Christmas?
Have you accepted the Christmas baby? Is your slate clean.
You can make it so tonight.
If you would like the power point slides I created to go with this message containing Title, Points, and Scriptures, contact me - dcormie@mts.net
