Terror or Peace, Which do you choose?
I Peter 5:8-9
Intro:
Raj Mattoo, a 35 year-old support manager for a charity, was on board the number 91 bus traveling through Tavistock Square on Thursday morning when he saw a bus coming in the opposite direction.
“All of a sudden the roof of the approaching bus was blown five meters into the air before it fell in front of the bus,” Mr. Mattoo said, adding that he thought the bomb had been on the top deck. “People on my bus were in complete shock and were panicking but they evacuated the bus in an orderly fashion within 30 seconds.”
Phil Beer, Laura Webb, Jamie Gordon, Richard Ellery, and Miriam Hyman are among the many, many people that are still missing in London.
Let us pause a moment to pray for these people.
We have a choice to make as citizens of the world and as Christians. We know that evil in present in the world. Should we give in to terrorism or are we going to be careful, but accept the Peace that God has to give us?
Text: I Peter 5:8-9
8Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. 9Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.
I. Be Careful, Watch Out!
• The enemy is real
• Don’t be Naive
• Ephesians 6:12
12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places
II. Know the enemy
• “A Roaring Lion”
o Though the devil goes about roaring like a lion, ready to eat you up in a moment, beware that you do not watch him continually or you take your eye off of Jesus. If you keep your eye on Jesus and rest in perfect clear-headedness, He will attend to this roaring devil and you too.
• “The best defense against terrorism is education”
• The devil is a liar. His plan is to confuse and intimidate
• He remembers all of your sins
• He looks for any weakness
• He is defeated by the Lord
• Matthew 4
• Revelation 12
7Then there was war in heaven. Michael and the angels under his command fought the dragon and his angels. 8And the dragon lost the battle and was forced out of heaven. 9This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the Devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.
10Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, “It has happened at last—the salvation and power and kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ! For the Accuser has been thrown down to earth—the one who accused our brothers and sisters before our God day and night. 11And they have defeated him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of their testimony.
III. Take a Firm Stand
• Firm resistance is the way to deal with Satan’s attacks. But we resist in Christ’s power, not our own.
• It is very difficult to “take a stand” when your feet are on shifting sand
• Know what you believe
• Know WHO you can count on
• I Corinthians 10:13
13No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Conclusion:
International terrorism has one purpose and one weapon. Terror.
Terror is intended to cause us to act differently than we know we should. Terror can paralyze us and cause us to loose focus.
When the enemy, Satan takes action to intimidate us, we must resist with the Power of Jesus. It also helps to call on a Christian friend for support.
Let us be victors and not victims
