Have you ever noticed that there seems to be a war for every generation? My great-grandfather fought in the Civil War. His son, my grandfather, fought in the First World War. My own father, fought in the Second World War.
When I was about four years old, I can remember my oldest brother joining the Army to go fight in the Korean War. When I grew up, I served during the Viet Nam War. My son fought in the first Iraqi war.
MATTHEW 24:6 says,
‘And wars will break out near and far, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must come, but the end won’t follow immediately.’
That is very unsettling to us when we see the daily toll of wounded and dead in Iraq on the nightly news, isn’t it? We begin to worry and fret, don’t we? And, we wonder if there is any good news in all of this. Let me answer that: Yes, there is some very good news!
In that same verse, Jesus also tells us to not panic! That tells us that God will be watching over us and things will go His way, and since His way is the perfect way, we are not to become alarmed when it seems that everything around us is falling apart.
In Arizona, we don’t generally get a lot of rain, but when it did rain; it was more than the earth could soak up, so there were many flash floods. Have you ever seen a big flash flood? They come very quickly; too quickly to prepare for. And, when they come, they actually wipe out everything in their path. Similar to the tsunami earlier this year. There was no real defense. And we all saw the devastation it reeked on those coastal towns and cities. There is no safety to be found in a flood.
In DANIEL 9:26 it says,
‘The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end.’
In other words, we are living in a world that is filled with absolute chaos, and that will last until the very end. As Christians, we are cautioned by Jesus not to be alarmed, because He is in charge of everything.
Now, let me ask a question. If Christians are to live in this chaotic society and not become alarmed, just what are we supposed to do? The answer is simple. We are to make the biggest impact we can for the glory of Jesus Christ.
Remember that words by themselves are nothing but hollow sounds. We are to model Christ-like behavior in our daily lives and encourage that type of behavior in all around us. As hard as that will be, we must truly strive to do this at every given opportunity, no matter the sacrifice we must make to accomplish it. After all, it is for Christ’s glory, not our glory.
I believe that you are never too old to get into shape, either physically or spiritually. My grandmother wanted to stay in shape so at the age of 75 she started walking one mile a day. She’s turns 97 this year and we still don’t know where she is!
I also believe that to be a real Christian means to be really involved. There is the story of a sign posted in a small country store that read, “BEWARE OF DOG.” A stranger came by and saw the sign, then saw the old hound dog under it, lying there totally asleep.
The stranger asked the store owner if the dog was dangerous, and was told that it was indeed dangerous. The stranger, amused by now, asked the store owner what was so dangerous about him.
The store owner said that before he put the sign up, several people had broken their leg by tripping over the dog.
My point is that there are entirely too many Christians in American churches today that act just like that dog. They have no clue what is going on around them and they do nothing to get involved in the work of Christ. They are actually so comfortable that nothing is going to disturb their spiritual slumber.
1. CHRISTIANS DESPERATELY NEED TO GET INVOLVED
The first major reason why Christians need to get involved is because our rights to freedom of religion are being viciously attacked and are slowly being taken away from us.
It is a false misconception that the first amendment separates church and state. Let me quote the first amendment.
‘Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.’
That paragraph says nothing about separating the church from the state. This paragraph forbids a government from setting up a national religion, and it prohibits the government from hindering your free exercise of religion. It says nothing more and it says nothing less.
In other words, this amendment was not created to protect government from religion, but to protect religion from the government. Something it has failed to do because of opinions of the Supreme Court going back to the 1960’s.
If I were to walk down the street and ask everyone I met to tell me what the role of government is, I would get so many various answers I could write a volume of books. But if we really want to know what government is for, all we must do is go to the Bible.
1 PETER 2:14 says the purpose of government is to -
‘… punish all who do wrong and to honor those who do right.’
As a group, Christians tend to be very conservative and therefore, much quieter than other groups of people. Sometimes, this helps to establish the Christ-like behavior we are supposed to reflect to the world, but sometimes, it serves to keep us under bondage to the enemy and what he is trying to do.
Just like it is a military soldier’s moral duty to fight for his country, I think it is every Christian’s moral duty to speak out against injustice and insist that our constitutional rights are not taken away. One of the very best ways for a Christian to speak out is to go into honest and fervent prayer. I think the strongest weapon Christians have is prayer when combined with the awesome power of fasting.
For those who might not be familiar with fasting, let me tell you that it is a particularly powerful form of prayer. When we fast, we are sacrificing. By definition, sacrificing means to do without, or to give up something that is very valuable to us. I would say that food is pretty much at the top of that valuable list, wouldn’t you?
Now, there are different ways to fast, too. Some people cannot go on a complete fast due to medical issues. Some cannot even go on a liquid fast because of physical needs. But everybody can fast something. For instance, if you are truly unable to go without food, you will have to go without a certain portion of your food. If you eat bread with every meal, you might choose to do without any bread for the period you are fasting. The purpose is to do without for God’s sake, and to make a sacrifice of a need rather than of a want. There is a big difference in needs and wants, isn’t there? When we seriously go without a need, God sees how dedicated we are and He will answer.
Remembering that evil flourishes when good men to nothing, we must hang our heads when we see the gigantic inroads evil has made into our government.
A. An 8-year old girl in Wisconsin was refused the right to give someone in her class a Valentines card because it said, “Jesus Loves You.” It was only after a long and costly legal battle that she was told she could give the card, but then it was months late and the whole idea of Valentines had already passed.
B. In most states, laws prohibit doctors and nurses from even discussing or confirming anything about a minor girl’s pregnancy or abortion – even with the parents. Even a 12-year-old girl could go in and get an abortion and if the doctor told the parents, the doctor could go to prison.
C. The insane part of this whole story, is that the same 12-year old girl who just got an abortion without her parents consent, cannot go to a doctor’s office to get a splinter taken from her finger without first getting parental consent.
Can you see now why it is so imperative that Christians start getting involved and stop being like the sleeping hound dog in the country store? I will venture to say that if more Christians had been involved when these laws passed, these laws would not have passed!
The second reason Christians need to be involved in what is happening is because -
2. WE ARE COMMANDED BY GOD TO GET INVOLVED!
MATTHEW 5:14-16 states,
‘You are the light of the world – like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don’t hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all to see. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.’
We are to let our lights shine for the world to see. That means we are to be visible and to actively set an example for the world as to what Jesus would do. And I do not think Jesus would sit at home and ignore these types of things happening in the world around him.
But the Gospel is more than just Good News. It is a pattern for our lives. That is evident in JAMES 4:17.
‘Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it – sins.’
We should be eager to work for God like Pastor Phillip Brooks was in the late 1800’s. He was busy pacing back and forth in his office one day and his secretary asked him what was wrong. He said, "I’m ready, but God said to wait for Him."
We are commanded by God to be doers of His Word. That means to put His Word into daily application in our lives and those around us. For more than 2,000 years, it has been Christians more than any other group of people who have worked to alleviate social, physical and spiritual sufferings of other people. It has been Christians who have lost their very lives more than any other group, simply because of their beliefs.
It is one thing to come to church, sit in the pews, and say all the right words, but it is another to have Jesus really in your heart. If you have Jesus in your heart, you will not be able to keep from being a light to everyone around you. You couldn’t hide it if you tried.
Of all the temptations, the temptation to become comfortable in this world, to settle down in it-- this may be the most difficult to resist. Christians have always wrestled with how to be in the world and not of it—to hold a dual citizenship with our highest allegiance to the kingdom of heaven.
3. HOW DO WE GET INVOLVED?
I think the first step in getting involved is to understand where our real citizenship is.
LUKE 10:20 tells us,
’…rejoice because your names are registered as citizens of Heaven.’
The word “registered” as used here is perfect tense and means
“it is once and for all time written and stands written.”
PHILIPPIANS 3:20 reads,
’But we are citizens of Heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior.’
You heard the Lord. We are no longer citizens of this sinful world. But, we are representatives, or ambassadors, sent by Christ to show the world.
1 PETER 2:11 says,
’Dear brothers and sisters, you are foreigners and aliens here….’
A sister and a brother in a Christian and patriotic family were playing together, and their words were overheard by their parents. The boy recited at the end of the mock church service, “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” The girl continued in a strong voice, “and the republic for which it stands.” Their playing church illustrates an issue that we as Christians face: The fact that we have dual citizenship.
As foreign ambassadors for Christ, we are not supposed to isolate ourselves. If we do that, we shall have absolutely no impact at all on this earth. We need to get involved and stay involved so that when Jesus comes back, we will have made a positive difference in our community for Him.
Now, if we are to get involved doing the work of Christ, just how do we do it?
First, know the Word of God. Yes, that means you actually have to read it, and we suggest you do so on a daily basis. Anything less than this would amount to shirking your duty to God. For instance, it is not good enough to know that God frowns on murder. You must be able to know why God frowns on murder. And you will never understand that until you study the Word to show yourself approved.
Secondly, you must communicate with other people, and not just with those in your own family or church family. Some of you might be called to preach in your actions while others are called to preach in words and actions. If you do not know which way you are called to preach, go back to the Word and study it, and then God will reveal it to you.
As you know, I am retired from the Post Office. That is a federal installation, and being such, we had to be very careful to be politically correct at all times. That meant throwing God away and offending someone who loved Him, just so we would not offend somebody who didn’t love Him.
Yet, I would witness every chance I got. Of course, I had to be honest with my employer and not steal any of the time he was paying me to do anything but what he was paying me for, but I did find time to witness while I worked.
See, I figured that if it was okay for some guy to come in, and while he worked, tell others how drunk he got the night before, I could certainly tell others how much joy I had found in Christ.
Thirdly, every Christian can get involved by praying each day. We can pray for our nation, our elected officials, our school system and anything else you see around you that might bother you.
Even though I quote this verse quite often, we can never hear it too much.
2 CHRONICLES 7:14 -
’If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from Heaven and I will forgive their sins and heal their land.’
When you pray, ask God to make you a living example of The Beatitudes. Ask God to make you a person who really can love your neighbor and who can treat others as well as you would like for them to treat you.
Simply ask God to help you live as a citizen of Heaven ought to live.
I am a true American patriot. Nothing will bring tears to my heart quicker than a call for true patriotism in time of battle. I love this nation, but I see many things wrong with it. I figure that if I am willing to fight and die for this country, I had better be willing to lift it in prayer for God’s blessings to be restored upon it.
But, as strongly as I feel for this nation, I feel even more for my God.
··· The Gospel of Christ will win in the end!
··· Jesus, our loving Christ, will rule in Jerusalem!
··· God will judge the wicked, and He will judge the faithful!
As one of the children in His personal household, I cannot afford to live with a defeatist attitude about God’s earthly kingdom - and neither can you! That means we start living our lives according to His glorious knowledge and power!
Christians have had many of our religious freedoms taken away from us in America, but even so, we still enjoy (at least for the time being) more religious freedoms than just about anywhere else on earth, so we must also be thankful and praise God for that.
And it is our duty and privilege to start using these freedoms for His glory! Start turning your TV’s off; go outside your homes; meet your neighbors; and give witness to everyone in your path about Jesus. He is the Master and you are the servant. Start acting like it and start doing your job! And God will bless you and reward you for doing so.
CONCLUSION
Since we’re not in Heaven yet, we sometimes think we can get away with acting like the world at times. We sometimes think that "a little" won’t really hurt us. An attitude like that, however, can actually lead to the forfeiting our salvation.
IN JAMES 4:4, we find just how emphatic God feels about the Christians and the world.
’You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if yhour aim is to enjoy this world, you can’t be a friend of God.’
When President Kennedy was murdered, within two hours, everybody on earth had access to who killed him. That is how fast bad news travels. But did you know that there is still nearly a third of humanity that does not know anything about the plan of salvation?
At the beginning of this sermon, I mentioned how each generation has its own war. Scripture tells us that this is the way it will be until the end, and when the end comes, it will be quick and severe – just as a flash flood. But Scripture also tells us not to be alarmed.
As Christians, we have our own war, too, and it is fought in our own lives every day. As Christians, we are the front line warriors doing the work for Jesus Christ until He returns for us. And our job is to make sure that the Good News of our Savior is taken to those who do not know Him.
And if we do not tell them, who will? We are citizens of Heaven, working as ambassadors for Jesus Christ. It is our duty to let our lights shine in the darkness of this world and not become a part of the darkness of this world.
Renew your commitment to Jesus today, and become devoted to your Savior. As we go into our time of invitation, let me ask you to come forward and renew your life in Christ this morning.
INVITATION
