Stand Firm (Sunday After 9-11)

STAND FIRM

Pastor Glenn Newton 9-16-01

EPH 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full

armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our

struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,

against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the

heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of

evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything,

to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the

breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness

that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of

faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take

the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And

pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in

mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

On Tuesday, September 11, 2001 we were invaded by the worst kind of enemy

imaginable. We were invaded, our security was shattered, our sense of well being was

pulled away as we watched in horror two great buildings and our Center of Defense, the

Pentegon burn and crumble with thousands of lives lost.

We were invaded. Our comfortable lives, our own plans, our personal agendas were

invaded by National pain, a loss of life that we have only experienced once before in one

day, and that was during the Civil War. Never before had America lost so many lives in

one day. We were invaded. This invasion was an invasion of evil, evil bent on destroying

our Peace, Our Faith, Our Love. This invasion will not prevail. This Invasion of evil will

be the day America Woke up from it’s Spiritual Sleep.

Make no mistake this morning. This horrible invasion has so shook us as a Nation that

We have been driven to our knees in Prayer. I Praise God for a President that has led our

Nation to this time of Prayer, it was by his proclamation that Yesterday at noon was a

National Call to Prayer.

Let me read a portion of President Bush’s message he gave yesterday during this Prayer

service, “God’s signs are not always the ones we look for. We learn in tragedy that his

purposes are not always our own, yet the prayers of private suffering, whether in our

homes or in this great cathedral are known and heard and understood. There are prayers

that help us last through the day or endure the night. There are prayers of friends and

strangers that give us strength for the journey, and there are prayers that yeild our will to a

will greater than our own.”

We need to Thank God for a Leader that is looking to God during these times of

Trial, and we need to Pray for all our leaders as very important descisions will be made in

the coming days as we send our Men and Women into battle.

As I watched that Prayer Service where Rev. Billy Graham was the keynote

speaker, I couldn’t help but believe God has kept Billy Graham with us for this moment to

help lead our Nation back to God. Listen to What God has promised, “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, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin

and will heal their land.” 2 Chron. 7:14

On Tuesday we were invaded by the worst kind of evil, on Saturday, we responded as a

Nation, with all our leaders, in church, Seeking His Face, and asking for His guidence.

The question remains, will we repent of our sins as a Nation?

But I am excited about what God will do through this tragedy, we are at a time where

more people are turning to God and to the Christian Faith for answers than anytime in my

lifetime, and maybe yours too.

We were invaded by Evil, Cowards who were used as instruments in the hands of Satan.

The question is How Will We Respond? This morning I’m asking this to you personally.

We know how we will respond as a Nation, we are going to War, And we will do

whatever it take to win that War, because that’s what Americans Do, We will Fight For

Freedom and Justice until the battle is ours. I have no doubt after watching and hearing