Right Words For A World Gone Wrong

Right Words for a World Gone Wrong

Philippians 4:9-19

Sermon by Rick Crandall

McClendon Baptist Church - Sept. 12, 2010

*Where were you when the world stopped turning that September morn? (1)

-We will always remember. -- The F-15 pilot who was flying directly over one of the towers when it went down said: “It’s my generation’s Pearl Harbor.”

*So much happened so fast:

-At 7:45 a.m. (our time) American Airlines Flight 11 from Boston to Los Angeles with 92 people slammed into the north tower of the WTC.

-8:03 a.m. About 18 minutes later, United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston to Los Angeles with 65 people hit the south tower of the WTC.

-8:43 a.m. American Airlines Flight 77 from Dulles to LAX with 64 people crashed into the Pentagon. -- One of the building’s 5 sides collapsed.

-9:00 a.m. United Airlines Flight 93 from Newark, N.J., to San Francisco with 45 people crashed 80 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, PA, stopped by brave passengers who gave their lives to keep that plane from hitting the White House or the Capital.

-9:05 a.m. The south tower of the WTC collapsed in a plume of ash and debris.

-9:28 a.m. The WTC’s north tower collapsed. (2)

*We live in a world that can turn upside down in a second.

-A phone call or text message can come out of the blue to shake us to the core.

*Friday morning at 7:45, Ouachita Parish deputies received a call from a witness stating that two people were dead in a home on Mount Vernon Church Road.

-At 8:15, West Ouachita High School was locked down, and for their own safety, students were placed against classroom walls.

-At 9:04, the lockdown was over with 10th grade student Dalton Fletcher in custody, charged in the murder of his parents Tammy & Johnny.

-Principal Mickey Merritt first heard about the lockdown, as he was in a staff meeting about another student, Tyler Redmond, who apparently committed suicide Thursday night. (3)

*Tyler’s great grandmother is Mary Parker, a very faithful member of our church.

-Dalton Fletcher’s grandmother lives across the street from Mary Parker, and as you can imagine the whole community is tremendously upset.

-Let’s pray for these all.

*We live in a world that can turn upside down in a second.

-But if I am a Christian, I know that what God says in Rom 8:28 is true: “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

-If I am a Christian, God will turn my trouble into a testimony. We could even see this in one of the News Star articles yesterday. A junior by the name of Natalie Rieger told the reporter that “many students were praying silently.” Natalie also told the reporter, “My friend Kelsey said, ‘this is a time when nobody needs to be an atheist.’” (3)

*That’s a great testimony, and here in Phil 4, Paul gives another great testimony.

-We can look at Paul’s words and find out what to say when our world goes wrong.

1. First: talk about your Savior.

*Paul talked about Jesus all the time. And in these verses we see two of the most famous things Paul ever said about our Savior:

13. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

19. My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

*Then back in vs. 9 Paul said: “The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.”

*“Do the things you HEARD.”

-Paul is reminding us here that people have to hear.

-People have to hear the Word of God.

-People have to hear the good news about Jesus Christ.

*And here it is in a nutshell:

-We are sinners who deserve eternal punishment, but God the Father loves us so much that He sent His only Son into the world to die for our sins.

-Jesus Christ is the Almighty, eternal Son of God, who humbled Himself to become a man.

-After living the only perfect life, Jesus took all of the punishment for all of our sins when He died on the cross for us.

-Three days later Jesus rose again from the dead.

-He has the power to forgive our sins and give us His eternal life.

-And Jesus will give His life to everyone who turns to Him and receives Him as Savior and Lord.

*People have to hear the good news about Jesus Christ, so Christians, we have to talk about our Savior.

*Jimmy and Jennifer Mauldin were missionaries from 1996 to 2000. With four small children, they went to Ghana, West Africa to serve the Lord. Jimmy was a hospital administrator at a Baptist medical center that treated 60,000 outpatients and 10,000 inpatients every year.