The Light Of The Church In The Hour Of Darkness

THE LIGHT OF THE CHURCH IN THE HOUR OF DARKNESS

1 COR 13:13 & LUKE 13:1-5

I. LIFE AND TRAGEDY

A. The terrorist attacks against America and declaration of war

1-there always has been war and there will continue to be war until Christ returns

-Job 5:7 Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.

-Job 14:1 Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.

2-the saved as well as the sinner have always gotten caught up in these kind of events

3-many in the church will say “This is God’s judgment on America because of sin”

-sin does bring it’s own repercussion but these events also stem from U.S. policy toward Israel

-there is a difference between the wars of man and the judgment of God

4-Jesus’ response to a similar situation - Luke 13:1-5

-there were righteous people mingled with the lost, people from many churches and denominations died in this terrorist attack

5-The church must deal with these issues the right way

D. What does the church do while all this is going on? - Help those we can in what ever way we can, pray, continue to let our light shine

E. The glorious light of the church is revealed in 1 Cor 13:13 and from those words we must minister to our society

II. LOVE

A. The lost need to be reminded that God is not the author of evil. There are evil people in the world and evil people will do evil things but God is love and lost humanity must look to the love of God. Humanity cannot lose site of God’s love. We can only overcome evil as we walk in the love of God

-Rom 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

B. In times of tragedy people feel a variety of emotions - sorrow, pain, loss, shock, numbness, pride and anger

C. Many people will question God’s love - (summed up by a news commentator) - Where was God during all this?, If God is so loving why did He allow this to happen?

-the answer of the Jewish chaplain of the N.Y.F.D.

(God created earth and gave it to man to take care of, whatever happens here is due to the wickedness of man’s heart, not God. What God created was good, man made a mess out of it)

D. The words of Jesus in Luke 13 was a warning that spiritual destruction was just as real as physical destruction and the only way to avoid it is by repenting of sin, that God loves man and by repenting of sin we avoid spiritual destruction

E. The world needs to hear and feel God’s love as it radiates from the church

III. FAITH

A. When tragedy strikes some people draw closer to God and become stronger in their faith, others distance themselves from God and lose faith in Him

B. As the church we must show the world that we have faith in God despite the evil that may be around us and we must use these opportunities to encourage others to put their faith in God

-comments of Franklin and Billy Graham

-CNN commentator “Times like this remind us that we need God. I know a lot of people don’t believe in God but we need to look to God for salvation”

C. Faith has always been the means by which man received from God and overcame the evil of the world

-Heb 11:33-39 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:...

-I Jn 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

D. Our faith is demonstrated in our living and our loving because “Faith worketh by love”

IV. HOPE

A. When tragedy strikes people need to be reminded that there is hope