OUR LOSS – HIS GAIN
In spite of the more recent developments, I am overall encouraged (although not completely satisfied) by how our nation is responding to what it stands for.
I know the Bible has warned us that we are living in the “last days”. Nevertheless, those people with any kind of moral fiber and/or backbone are making an effort to see this nation return to godly values and principles.
A spiritual awakening/renewal may be taking place.
Perhaps we are beginning to see more than just a return to patriotism. People seem to be responding to the need for God to lead and protect this nation.
I am thankful that most (if not all) of our nation’s leaders are once again in agreement with one another.
Shortly after the tragedy of September 11, our president spoke to the Congress and the nation. He said this:
The commitment of our fathers is the calling of our time.
When was the last time (we can remember) a president saying something that was worth quoting?
What this means is what this nation used to stand for was a commitment to the Lord, and that is what we desperately need today. For many years, the people of America have always thought we would never see the day that our freedom and liberty was threatened.
What should all of this mean to us? The saints of God?
Text: Luke 4:5 thru 7 (NIV; wilderness temptation)
Prayer:
I want us all to understand that when the Bible talks about the “last days”, it is not our last days.
Rather these are the last days for the devil, and his evil.
God is positioning Himself to change things in this world and make it ready for the eternity. God doesn’t want man to continue to live the way he is living.
God is wanting His kingdom to once again possess this world, and to take back what rightfully belongs to Him.
God has a very definite plan for the future of this world.
This is the plan to crown His beloved Son to be the King of Kings for all eternity. God is going to get His way.
I have noticed something happening to those living without the salvation of Jesus Christ. People without Christ simply do not understand the plans of the Lord. They are living their lives in disappointment and fear.
It is true that the recent events are discouraging.
These tragedies are a threat to our way of life.
But - I am firmly convinced that God is in the process of using all of today’s bad news in the headlines to change this world for the better. God hates sin. He also hates terrorism and the fear it brings to His people.
And - God can do anything with what is going on.
As an example, in the Old Testament God used the most heathen nations and the most pagan kings and rulers to fulfill His plan of salvation for His people.
And - God has not changed. He is the same yesterday as He is today, and He always will be! He delights in using the vilest of evil people to get His way.
You see many Christian Americans are easily discouraged. We do not understand real persecution. Sometimes we have persecution taking place and we don’t even realize that it is happening.
Are you aware that there are Christians all over the world being persecuted, beaten and killed by Muslims? I can show you scriptures right out of the Islamic Koran that identifies Christians and Jews as pagan people that must be killed.
The creed they live by has many passages that will alarm anyone who would take time to read them.
I am not telling you this to panic you, but there are many Muslims that have been taught to hate Christians and Jews. We have one of the most out spoken Muslims here in our nation.
This persecutor of the Christian faith is getting more and more publicity and more followers supporting him everyday. His name is Louis Farrakan.
My friend, we don’t have to worry about Farrakan, or Bin Laden, or Saddam Hussein, or anyone else.
The Bible tells me that there have been many dangerous men who have hated God’s people.
There was once a man that was as dangerous as either one of these men. But he was struck down one day on a road to Damascus, and it wasn’t with a Cruise Missile.
It was the Lord Himself that had a talk with this man that enjoyed killing Christians. The Lord forgave him and used him to teach and minister to millions of Christians. God changed Saul and made the Apostle Paul.
While the world is panicked with the threat of Anthrax, and we have one of the largest depots of it just a few miles from here, I want you to know that I have never felt safer in my life than I do today.
Jesus had to deal with devilish power struggles in this world when He met up with the devil. He did this in a very calm and deliberate way. In our text, we see the devil telling Jesus how he controlled the world with authority. Jesus wasn’t worried by this.
We can see that the devil was willing to give this authority to Jesus if Jesus would just worship the devil.
Listen folks. The devil may have a stronghold of authority this morning over the rulers and powers set in place by man, but this won’t last much longer.
The devil is on his way out, and he knows it.
God is setting things in place today to regain the authority that rightfully belongs to Him.
Jesus is coming soon! I want to see Jesus as much as anyone here, but this is not the time for us to become distracted or idle with what the Lord wants us to do.
Time is running out and we have much to do.
I believe the Lord wants each of us to be a part of the preparation for the kingdom God being set in place.
We cannot afford to -
• Become complacent about the plans God has for His people.
• Become frightened by any threat of harm to us and our families.
• Just sit by and wait on the rapture to take place.
Christians across this nation have been praying for the spiritual renewal that is taking place. We have asked for godly leadership to rise up and be counted for.
It is awesome what is going on in America. We need to be a part of God’s plan of redemption for America.
Our hope is not in any one man or woman to solve all of our problems. Our hope is in what God is doing.
The most liberal and ungodly people this nation has ever seen is now making an about face on their principles, morals and values. Christians and non-Christians are now admitting this nation needs prayer.
A few years ago our motto for the problems of this world was, “Don’t worry, be happy…” But today it is,
“God Bless America…Pray for our nation”
God is going to get His way in this nation if we all decide to act now with the Gospel of Christ.
We need to seize this moment of opportunity for this spiritual awakening and the plan of God.
Let me (for a moment) take you back to the time of the ascension of Christ. That powerful day when Christ met with the disciples one last time before He ascended into heaven to meet with His Father.
I want you to imagine the importance and significance of that day. Jesus had already told the remaining 11 disciples to meet with Him at a mountaintop in Galilee.
This was the day when Christ gave them (what we know is) the “Great Commission”.
But before Jesus tells them anything, He has to make sure they fully understood something important.
Do you know what that was?
Jesus told them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on Earth…”
As a result of dieing on the cross of Calvary and conquering sin and death, Jesus regained the authority that the devil tried to tempt Him with in the wilderness.
“Therefore go into all of the world…”
It is not be mere coincidence that this awakening is taking place at the same time that this church is moving out into the community. We have a responsibility to the Lord today to mobilize the Gospel.
The kingdoms of this world were at one time stolen by the devil from God and man in the Garden of Eden. But my God is taking them back for His great plan.
We are a part of that plan of restoration.
We should be celebrating what the Lord commissioned us to in Revelation 11:15 -
And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!"
Study that passage this week and speak it in your homes, and in your cars and in your family’s hearts.
With every time that we tell ourselves, and others, about the soon coming of the King, we should (also) declare why He is coming back.
God wants His Kingdom on Earth restored to Himself.
It belongs to Jesus, not the devil. And not the false religions of this world. And not the rulers of our time. But to God and the people that love and worship Him.
God has grown weary of the human suffering and the oppression of false religions of Afghanistan, Pakistan. Iran, Iraq, and India.
Likewise, God has also grown weary of the false gods that we live and worship in our nation.
It is time for the entire world to repent and give glory to the One Who has created this world and it’s people.
It is our responsibility to be part of the plan of God.
We must un-church our thinking and take on the truest meaning of the Gospel of Christ and His authority.
Listen carefully. Our church is part of the purposes of the kingdom, but the church is not our kingdom.
The church can no longer be “we four and no more.”
