Defeating Spiritual Power

Editor’s Note:  I am currently serving a congregation in Taoyuan City, Taiwan.  This sermon is written from that perspective, dealing mostly with the local traditional Taiwanese Religion and the spiritual battles that result from that.  I believe, however, that there is room for a wider application of the truths in this sermon in any culture and religious environment.

I live in a nation that is very religious.  The traditional religion is the backbone of Taiwanese society.  Every holiday, with the exception of New Year (solar), Double Ten Day, (Taiwanese National Day) and 2/28 (commemoration of the massacre by R.O.C troops on civilians 2/28/1947.) are religious holidays.  There are many gods in the traditional Taiwanese religion.

A young woman in one of our churches testifies that her mother is the leader of an Yi Guang Tao temple.  She was training this young woman to take over as her replacement and her testimony is that if she hadn't become a Christian and she’d taken over the temple from her mother she would have become a local god when she died.

So we are immersed in a pagan society.  Let me qualify this for a moment, though.  There is no involvement in human or animal sacrifice.  We don’t have our children walk through the fire.  There are no temple prostitutes, at least as far as I know.  But there is the worship of gods other than the God of the Bible.

There IS the burning of incense to the gods, the worship of ancestors, the eating of food offered to idols, and praying to idols.  All of these things are in opposition to God.  Look at what God himself says:

Exodus 20:2-6 (NKJV)
^20:2 "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. ³ You shall have no other gods before Me. ⁴ "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; ⁵ you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, ⁶ but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

So God is saying that we should only worship Him.  Why does he say that?  Why is God concerned about that?  He’s concerned, because these other gods have power.  They have a spiritual power, as well.

Matthew 17:14-21 (NKJV)
^17:14 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, ¹⁵ "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. ¹⁶ So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him." ¹⁷ Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me." ¹⁸ And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. ¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" ²⁰ So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. ²¹ However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

There’s a Spiritual Battle Taking Place

Our text doesn't seem like a spiritual battle taking place, but, in fact, this is a spiritual battle.  We’re seeing spiritual warfare being fought.  In verse 15, the father refers to his son as an epileptic but when Jesus calls to him, He commands a demon to come out.  So this tells me that sometimes, demonic assaults can come in the form of disease.  In the companion passage in Mark 9 the father tells Jesus that his son has a mute spirit, and that the spirit:

Mark 9:22 (NKJV)
^9:22 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."

The father, in this passage refers to the spirit as he, giving it personality. 

So this is a spiritual battle that’s taking place here.  There is a spiritual realm that has power, and that will attempt to destroy the will of God and will interfere in people’s lives in order to do that.  

We can easily see that in the Book of Exodus.  God has called Moses and Aaron to deliver His people from oppression.  It is the will of God that Pharaoh release the people of God from their bondage, but it isn't as easy as that.  Moses says to Pharaoh, “Let my people go!”  and Pharaoh refuses.  Then the battle becomes spiritual. 

God uses Moses to perform His miracles, but then something else happens, look at this:

Exodus 7:10-13 (NKJV)
^7:10 So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the Lord commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. ¹¹ But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. ¹² For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. ¹³ And Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said.

This is a significant moment here.  In ancient Egypt, serpents were the symbol of power.  They were also the chief god.  So in this moment as Aaron throws down his rod, he's saying, in a sense, “Here this is our God.”  Then the magicians cast down their rods, “Oh yeah, well these are our gods.” This is a spiritual battle as well.  The magicians are able to do the same miracle that Aaron was able to do.  Aaron was able to do that miracle through the power of God, the magician’s were able to do the same thing, but whose power did they draw upon?  What was the source of real power that was arrayed against the Will of God?  This is a spiritual battle a demonic force is attempting to stop the will of God. 

Egypt, at the time of the exodus and Taiwan have something in common.  Both nations have societies that are built around the worship of other gods.  The spiritual power that was drawn upon to oppose God is also available to those who would oppose God in this nation.  As in our text, those spiritual forces don't need us to manifest their power.  The child was made sick by the spirit not some magician’s spell or curse.  The demonic force was sufficient to cause that sickness on its own.  Therefore, we must be aware of these things and be able to confront and defeat them. 

There’s one other thing I want to mention about demonic power.  In the New Testament, Jesus is in the Gadarenes, a region in Israel and he encounters a demon-possessed man.  Look at this interaction:

Mark 5:7-10 (NKJV)
^5:7 And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me." ⁸ For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!" ⁹ Then He asked him, "What is your name?" And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many." ¹⁰ Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.

These demons were begging Jesus not to send them out of the country.  This tells me that demons have a region or area for which they are responsible.  Look also at this:

Daniel 10:13 (NKJV)
^10:13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.

This is an angel, speaking to Daniel.  This “Prince of Persia” is not a man but a spiritual entity.  What’s interesting here is that this spirit the “Prince of Persia,” is over that place called Persia.  There are others the angel refers to as the “Kings of Persia.”  So demons have a particular area for which they’re responsible.  There are powerful demons over Taiwan.  The traditional Taiwanese religion is made up of elements that are over four thousand years old.  These demons have grown very powerful. 

That means that there are spiritual forces that are arrayed against what God is trying to do through our church and in our individual lives.  The devil doesn't want us to successfully win others to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  The devil doesn't want you to be able to endure until the end.  The powers that we face aren’t weak.  The Prince of Persia withstood the angel for twenty-one days until a more powerful angel showed up.  So what does spiritual warfare look like in your life? 

There was a film made a number of years ago called “The Exorcist.”  The demon-possessed girl was saying nasty things, her head was spinning around and she was puking up pea soup.  That’s exactly what it’s like.  I’m kidding.  I've met a number of demon-possessed people and wouldn't have known they were demon-possessed until they spoke.

One time at the altar some kid started cussing me out and cussing God.  One time a guy threatened to kill me and ran across a busy street to get me.  (I’m still alive, so it didn't work).  I've had people say things to me in a voice that wasn't theirs.

These are some of the symptoms of demonic possession, but that isn't what I’m talking about.  I’m talking about the day-to-day battles that we face with spiritual forces. 

Recently, I was sharing a topic of our Christian Living Bible Study with someone in the church that had missed it.  And that person made an interesting comment.  They said, “Every time I’m really tired and miss Bible Study or don’t want to go to church it’s something I needed to hear.” 

That’s the real essence of spiritual warfare.  That’s the kind of thing most of us face.  There’s a resistance to being part of the will of God.  Things come up that require hard choices, in order to do what’s right.  We’re worn down.  We’re made deaf to certain things.  We don’t have understanding of certain principles.  These are all elements of spiritual warfare. 

Then there is the resistance of friends and family to hearing about Jesus.  There are walls which must be overcome in order to present the Gospel:  Religious groups pray against us, obstacles are put in our way, people reject us and say hateful things against us.  Sometimes there are difficulties in finances that make us doubt God’s promises.  All of this is spiritual.  There are many types of opposition.

When we rented our house on Nan Feng Street the first thing the landlady said to us was, “You can only use the house for living in.  You can’t have a church downstairs because the neighbors might be offended.”  I had never mentioned the church, but she knew about it.

That lady is a nice lady; I’m not trying to say anything bad about her, but there was a spiritual force being exerted against God.

Sometimes when we pray, we feel like God is distant.  We can’t have the kind of breakthrough where we feel like we met with God and heard from Him, or that God has heard from us.  These things cause us to doubt God.  They cause us not to ask God for guidance or direction.  They are a type of oppression.  They are a powerful form of warfare that is wielded against us and we must resist and fight it. 

Jesus shows us a way to defeat it in our text, when He says, “This kind does not come out except by prayer and fasting.”  Prayer and fasting are weapons of warfare.

The Weapons of our Warfare

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (NKJV)
^10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. ⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, ⁵ casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, ⁶ and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

Though we walk in flesh our battles are not according to the flesh.  We’re not here to fight with people.  People aren't the enemy they’re the prize.  We’re to win them to Jesus.  They’re the fruit that’s accounted to us.  They’re not the enemy.  Our battle isn't according to the flesh, so our weapons can’t be physical weapons, either.  Our weapons should be appropriate to the battle.

There is an old saying in America; I don’t know where it came from.  I looked it up on the internet and some people say it comes from the movie, “The Untouchables” but I think it’s from before that…Anyway the saying is, “You never bring a knife to a gun fight.”

You need to use the weapon that’s most appropriate for the fight you’re in.  If you bring a knife you have a weapon that is inappropriate to fight with a person who has a gun.  If you’re in a spiritual battle you need a spiritual weapon. Wouldn't it be nice if you could just punch out the devil?  It would make Christian life a lot easier, I can tell you that.  Our fight with the devil is a spiritual fight, though, so we are at a disadvantage if we try to fight with a worldly weapon. 

Jesus shows us how to fight a spiritual battle.  “These kind only come out with prayer and fasting.”  Prayer and fasting are spiritual weapons, “mighty in God for the tearing down strongholds, casting down arguments, and every thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.”  These are the things I've been talking about.  People reacting against you witnessing to them; our resistance to doing the things of God, outreaching, witnessing, coming to church.  These are the things we need to do well in our Christian walk and these are the places in our lives where the heaviest assault is taking place.  In our text Jesus says, “These kind only come out with prayer and fasting.”

Let’s look once more at Daniel chapter ten.  Daniel had a vision of the end times, but he wanted a clear understanding of what God was speaking to him.  He prayed that God would reveal it to him, but nothing happened for three weeks. So look at this: 

Daniel 10:1-3 (NKJV)
^10:1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar. The message was true, but the appointed time was long; and he understood the message, and had understanding of the vision. ² In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. ³ I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.

Then the angel comes to him and look at what the angel says:

Daniel 10:12-13 (NKJV)
^10:12 Then he said to me, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. ¹³ But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.

Twenty-one days; three weeks to receive an answer from God, but look at verse 12, from the very first day that he set his heart to understand, God heard his prayer and sent the angel.  God did it immediately and there was a spiritual resistance to the will of God.  After twenty-one days a more powerful angel shows up and releases the other one to do what God had sent him to do.  What did Daniel do in those twenty-one days?  Daniel prayed and fasted.  We pray and fast to overcome spiritual resistance to the will of God, what I have defined as spiritual battles. Sometimes we fast for God to do certain things.  God I want a new car.  God I want more finances.  God give me a husband or a wife.

Sometimes, we fast for things like that, but let me make a point here about something:  If you’re not tithing it isn't a spiritual resistance when you’re short of funds.  The spiritual resistance is to tithing.  So you ought to be praying and fasting to overcome your fear of tithing.  You ought to praying and fasting to overcome your lack of faith and your resistance to obeying God.   Prayer and Fasting is a weapon designed to bring your every though into captivity to the obedience of Christ.  If you’re not tithing and having a shortage of finances, it’s not really a financial problem it’s an obedience problem and that’s where the spiritual warfare is taking place.  If you’re not faithful to tithe you’re probably also not faithful to attend, or pray, or read your Bible.  The battle your fighting is to be obedient. 

Many people struggle in their Christian walk and never understand this one simple principle from our text:  When the child is brought to Jesus and he says, “This kind only comes out with prayer and fasting,” He never stops to pray or fast.  He just commands the devil to come out and it does.  Jesus doesn't have to stop and pray or fast because it is a regular part of His lifestyle.  If we will make those things a regular part of our lifestyles we would begin to make progress against the demons over our city and nation.  We’d begin to see a breakthrough in our own attendance and we would see others coming in to the church.  We can only defeat spiritual foes with spiritual weapons among them are prayer and fasting.

The Pathway to World Evangelism

Our fellowship holds a conference twice a year in Prescott, Arizona.  At those conferences, young men and their wives are launched into a city or nation to pioneer a church.  At the conference in January, seven international and twenty-one domestic works were announced.  Those announced churches bring the number of churches in the fellowship to 1, 950 churches in one hundred fifteen nations. There is a commitment to evangelism and foreign missions in our fellowship. 

The fellowship began with one pastor, Pastor Wayman Mitchell, in Prescott, Arizona in 1970.  He took over a church with a handful of people and forty-three years later we have 1,950 churches.  What is the reason for this type of revival?

We often think of revival as something that’s explosive.  Suddenly, things begin to happen; people get saved, lives begin to change, more and more people come into the church, but not all revival is explosive.  Sometimes revival is a sustained move of God over a period of time. 

What is the catalyst for this move of God in our fellowship?    What is the thing that gave impetus to this type of revival?  I believe that there are two key elements to revival:  evangelism and discipleship.   Today I want to look at one of those things, discipleship. 

Matthew 28:17-20 (NKJV)
^28:17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

Make Disciples of All Nations

The first International Conference on World Evangelism took place in 1974 in Lausanne, Philippines.  One of the things that were accomplished in that conference was the development of a working definition of missionary work.  Missionary work was defined in this conference as:  To form a viable indigenous church-planting movement.

That word indigenous is a scientific term that means those naturally occurring in a place or a region.  For our purposes a good synonym would be native.  If you were born a particular country, then you’re native or indigenous to that place.  So then, the definition of missionary work would be to raise up local men, plant churches, and carry on the missionary’s work in their native land.  Missionary work is to disciple men and to build the church. 

This is what Paul did.  He made disciples.  He built local churches through men he discipled and trained. 

1 Corinthians 4:14-16 (NKJV)
^4:14 I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. ¹⁵ For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. ¹⁶ Therefore I urge you, imitate me.

This is a picture of discipleship; being fathers in Christ.  He’s speaking of a father who teaches his son. 

You know, it’s interesting how much I've become like my dad.  The older I get the more I’m like him.  This is natural, though, that we would be like our parents because children learn to be adults through imitating their parents. 

When I was a kid, I’d play house with the other neighborhood kids.  I’d be the dad, one of the neighbor girls would be the mom, and some others were the children.  We would imitate our parents.  My “job” was always to drive a Wonder Bread delivery truck, just like my father did.  

That’s how we learn to be adults.  We imitate our parents.  I also have a spiritual father and I try to imitate him as well.  I try to be like my pastor, in how I operate and live as a Christian.  This is the mark of discipleship, we try to be like our spiritual father.  Paul says, “Imitate me.”

This is the difference between a disciple and a student.  A student will work to gain information and a disciple will work to be like the teacher.  I know a number of English teachers, and they work hard to give information about the use of the English language, but in discipleship there is a transaction that takes place.  It’s a spiritual transaction that’s called impartation.  The teacher imparts something of himself into his disciples.  Much of this impartation takes place during preaching.

1 Corinthians 1:21 (NKJV)
^1:21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

God chose the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.  There is something that takes place in us when we hear the spoken Word of God.

Romans 10:17 (NKJV)
^10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Preaching causes us to believe and have faith, but there is much more than that.

Romans 1:17 (NKJV)
^1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."

Who God is, is transferred between us:  From my faith to yours.  That transfer takes place through preaching.  There is even more than that, though.  If we are endeavoring to do the will of God then we must be involved in discipleship.  This is the primary thrust of the church of Jesus Christ.  Many times we think, “Well, I got them saved,” but salvation isn't the ending place, it’s the beginning.  It ends with the making of disciples.

That’s what causes the church of Jesus Christ to continue on.  The reason the church has lasted for more than 2,000 years is because of the emphasis on discipleship:  Men that follow the fathers of their faith, and raise other men to follow them, and so on down the line.  A church without discipleship is doomed, because it either won’t propagate itself, or it will morph into something other than what was intended and sway with every wind of doctrine.

Ephesians 4:11-14 (NKJV)
^4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³ till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴ that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

This speaks of discipleship, coming to the unity of the faith; believing the same things, being of one accord, and to be like Christ.  It is in this spirit that Paul cries out. “Imitate me.” 

1 Corinthians 11:1-2 (NKJV)
^11:1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. ² Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you.

This is the work of the missionary.  To instill this doctrine, and this gospel into non-Christians and cause it to be passed down to the next generation of Christians, and the next, and the next…   Imitation is the method of discipleship. 

Discipleship is a Partnership

Paul calls on these men to follow him, but I want you to know something, we can call until we’re blue in the face, for discipleship to work, for the church to continue on, for the gospel to be spread, it is vital for that discipleship be a partnership.  We can call but for discipleship to work there must be men who are willing to answer that call to imitation.  It can’t work if it’s only one way.  If men were unwilling to follow Paul’s example and leadership, then it would have all fallen apart.

Look at it like this:  How do we react when trouble comes?  Usually, we react in the way that we've been taught.  If your father was prone to panic, then more than likely you will be too.  If your father was stable and full of faith then the chances are that you will react that way as well.  What is it that kept the early church through persecution?  It was likely the examples of the leaders that the others were willing to follow.

Jesus was strong and went to his death bravely and silently.  Peter when Jesus was crucified failed to be like him.  We all know about his failure and denial of Christ, but do you know when Peter was faced with his own crucifixion, he went to his cross with the same courage and dignity that Jesus did.

Is there a willingness to be like your own “Father in Christ?”  Because there will be those who will arise that will try to turn you from your faith, or confuse you with exotic doctrine.  We see all these fads in the church, laughing revivals, planting flags, prosperity doctrines, all of these things.  There are those who believe and support them, and they tell you. “This is the newest thing God’s doing in the earth.”  God isn’t doing anything new, God is still doing what he has always done.  Look at Paul’s warning to Timothy:

1 Timothy 6:20-21 (NKJV)
^6:20 O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge-- ²¹ by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen.

Paul is talking about the things that he’s taught Timothy.  Avoid profane and idle babblings and contradictions.  Stand with what you’ve been taught.  Imitate your teacher.  This is what will keep you in the faith.  This is what will take the church forward.  This is Paul’s admonishment to Timothy, but it was up to Timothy to take it and run with it.  He had to be willing.  He had to accept that he would be a disciple, and this is the crux of the problem in our day and hour.  Men are less and less willing to be disciples.  They’re less involved in living out their faith.  They’re more difficult to motivate to live for Jesus.  That’s why we see churches more often drifting away from Christ’s design for His church. 

There’s something interesting that I want to look at for a moment:

Matthew 24:24 (NKJV)
^24:24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

The only way we can be deceived is if we don’t understand the doctrines of the church of Jesus Christ.  If we listen to everyone who professes to know something or can speak persuasively then we can be led to false teachings.  If we embrace the teachings of our spiritual fathers and live and move under their guidance and principles we will be much more difficult to move from the truth. 

We have to decide at some point if we will allow ourselves to be discipled.  Will you allow someone to speak into your life?  Will you give someone authority over your life?  Will you pattern your Christian walk after the one who teaches you?  Will you be a disciple?

If you left the church in Taoyuan City and were somehow teleported to my pastor’s church in Colton, you would see that they are essentially the same. If you closed your eyes it would be a simple thing to imagine that you are hearing me preach, because I’m a disciple.  I have worked to imitate my pastor; my father in the faith.  I have allowed him to be the authority in my life.  I’ve made myself accountable to him.  One of the greatest compliments you can pay me is to say, “You’re like your pastor.”  I want to be like him…I’m a disciple.  I’m called to imitation

The Permanence of Discipleship

All of these churches have been planted across the globe and they have been planted with an eye to permanence.  That is that churches will be built in those nations, men will be discipled and planted, and cause the work to grow.  There will be more and more churches in those nations until the missionary can turn the work over to indigenous men, with the same vision:  Men that have the same desire to spread the gospel, disciple others and plant more churches into other cities.    Our fellowship has planted churches into Australia, the Philippines, West Africa and other places, that started with one man, one missionary, and they have now become indigenous works, as the missionaries pulled back, leaving the work to local men. 

This is Jesus’ plan for the church, to disciple men so that they are equipped to take on the work in those places, and continue to press the Gospel forward.  This is what Paul did.  He turned over the church and went on to the next place, only returning to see that they remained in the doctrines and the teachings he left them.

1 Timothy 1:3 (NKJV)
^1:3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia--remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine,

Titus 1:5 (NKJV)
^1:5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you--

This is the pattern for us.  If we want to continue the work of the Gospel then we must continue within the pattern. 

2 Timothy 1:13-14 (NKJV)
^1:13 Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

This is the way in which we’ll see the Gospel spread to the far corners of the earth.  This is the pathway to World Evangelism.

The Time of The Antichrist

We just passed December 21, 2012.  This was the date of the Mayan Apocalypse.  The world was supposed to end that day.  They even had a scientific reason for it.  The planets in our solar system were to be all be lined up perfectly creating stress on the gravitational points on the sun that keep the various planets rotating around it.  Then on December 21, for the first time in 25,000 thousand years the earth was to cross the galaxy’s elliptical plane. This was supposed to create even more gravitational pressure on the sun leading to huge solar flares that would destroy the earth.  This is the simplistic explanation

But it didn't happen that way.  I have to tell you, I wasn't even worried that it would happen at all, because the Bible presents a very different version of the end of the world. So I want to submit a post today, on certain events that are foretold in the Bible that will lead to the end of the earth.

I believe that we are in the very last of the last days.  There are events that are taking place in the news today that are runners up to the final apocalyptic battle that will usher in the return of Jesus Christ.  Today, I want to write about on one aspect of those prophecies from this portion of scripture:

Mark 13:9-13 (NKJV)
^13:9 But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. ¹⁰ And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. ¹¹ But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. ¹² Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. ¹³ And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

The Background

The Bible speaks of the lawless one, the Antichrist that will rise up in domination of the entire world. 

Revelation 13:5-7 (NKJV)
^13:5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. ⁶ Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. ⁷ It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.

This passage of revelation describes a beast that will rise from the sea.  In apocalyptic language the sea refers to the “sea of humanity.”  So a man will rise up and power will be given to him over all tongues and nations.  This means that he will have power over every nation of the world.  He will be a Global leader, one person with the highest authority in all the earth. 

You might be thinking that this time is not close.  You may argue that preachers have been declaring these to be the last days since Jesus’ time.  In fact, Jesus himself, referred to the time following his death as the last days.  But I would submit to you today, that we are very close to seeing these things take place in our lifetimes.

There are a number of things that are slowly being placed under global authority.  There is an attempt to destroy national sovereignty.  In fact look at this quote by one of President Clinton’s Deputy Secretaries of State, Strobe Talbot.

In the next century nations as we know it will be obsolete, all states will recognize a single global authority.  National Sovereignty wasn't such a great idea after all.

He said this in 1998 one of the final years of the twentieth century, so he was saying this about the century we live in now; the twenty-first century. 

We have seen this beginning to take place.  In recent years, both Russia and China have called for one global currency.  That is one currency that is used throughout the world.  We have seen the rise of “coalition wars,” rather than one sovereign nation making war on another to protect its interests.  Individual nations are ostracized for acting on sovereign authority without the acceptance or permission of the United Nations.

Sanctions on nations that threaten world peace are issued by a vote of the Security Council the United Nations.  Most recently there has been a call for UN control of the Internet:

“Telecom companies across the world may be given the opportunity to dig through data passed across the Internet more easily following a move by the United Nations new authority to regulate the Web.

At a conference in Dubai this week, members of the United Nation’s (sic) International Telecommunications Union (ITU) agreed to work towards implementing a standard for the Internet that would allow for eavesdropping on a worldwide scale.

The ITU members decided to adopt the Y.2770 standard for deep packet inspection, a top-secret proposal by way of China that will allow telecom companies across the world to more easily dig through Web data, according to a report from Russia Today.”

Al Arabiya News, Dec. 6, 2012

A one-world body seeks an easier way to eavesdrop on private citizens on the Internet. To what purpose, though:  Why do they want to eavesdrop?  Because in eavesdropping there is control. 

Julian Assange , founder of Wikileaks, describes the use of social media networks as a way of informing on family and friends that is similar to the way the Stasi (secret police) in East Germany gathered information during the cold war.  What makes this so dangerous is that people are informing on others without realizing it.  Information is put together with information from other sources to create a picture of the subject’s political and ideological makeup.  This can be used to monitor, regulate the movements of, and control those that may be considered enemies:  Not be the enemies of a state or country but of a political agenda or ideology.  We’re talking about a leader’s ability to control people.  Look at this Assange quote:

Bill Binney, National Security Agency whistle-blower  who was the research head of the National Security Agency’s Signals Intelligence Division, describes this as a ‘turnkey totalitarianism’, that all the infrastructure has been built for absolute totalitarianism

Look back at verse 12 of our text:

Mark 13:12 (NKJV)
^13:12 Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.

This type of betrayal is possible now through the Internet.  These things are happening now in our day and hour.  It is possible for one man to rise up and gain power over the entire world.  One man, through the use of these tools, can rule the world.  All it would take is one event that necessitates the use of this information that is available for inspection now.

What Will He Be Like?  

Revelation 13:1 (NKJV)
^13:1 Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name.

This is the language of prophecy.  It is written in symbolic ways.  Let’s look at this passage for a moment.  I saw a beast rise up out of the sea.  The sea represents humanity, so he rose up being superior to other people, a charismatic leader.  There is a reference to ten crowns.  The crowns represent kingdoms.  So the one that will rise up will be a political leader.  But look at this:

Revelation 13:4-5 (NKJV)
^13:4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" ⁵ And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.

The dragon that symbolizes Satan, will give power to this man.  He will be the leader of a powerful nation and a powerful army.  He will be an incredible speaker.  He will have demonic power and he will rule forty-two months.

Revelation 13:7 (NKJV)
^13:7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.

This is where our text ties into the things we’re talking about; betrayal, death persecution, and hatred.  He will make war against the saints.  That’s Christians.  You can see the war on Christianity that is taking place already.  More and more Christian symbols, beliefs and values are being removed from the public view, and society in general. 

This year the president of the United States had fifty-four Christmas trees in the various parts of the White House, except they aren't called Christmas Trees, they’re called holiday trees.  Which, of course, prompts the question, “What holiday is it?”  What holiday are they for?  Arbor Day? 

Crosses are coming down in public places all over America.  “Under God,” is under assault in the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance, and there is a movement to remove the words “In God We Trust,” from U.S. currency.  Soon preachers won’t be able to mention homosexuality without it being judged as hate speech and facing legal charges.  This is happening now.  People will begin to betray others and inform on others and the power of the Antichrist to control will be complete.  What’s happening today is spiritual.  It’s the dragon, “that dragon of old,” Satan that gives this man his power and influence.  Finally, there’s this:

Revelation 13:8-9 (NKJV)
^13:8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. ⁹ If anyone has an ear, let him hear.

The man will be worshiped as if he is God.  How can this be?  How can we be convinced to accept a politician as God?    Look at some of the things that were said about presidential candidate Barak Obama in the 2008 election:

“He communicates God-like energy.  He’s a lot closer to a Jesus type than any other candidate….What if God decided to incarnate as men preaching “hope and change” and we didn't listen to them, because we are so dull and let them slip away, not availing ourselves of the chance to be led by God.”
                                                                                                Steve Davis

He’s like Jesus.  God incarnated as man.

“Obama’s finest speeches do not excite…They do not inform.  They don’t even inspire they elevate…he is not the word made flesh but the triumph of the word over flesh.  Obama is, at his best, able to call us back to our higher selves.”
                        Ezra Klein, Associate Editor, American Prospect Magazine

He’s not the word made flesh he is the triumph of the word over flesh.  He’s better than Jesus.

“Obama comes along and he seems to have all the answers…This is New Testament.”                                          Chris Matthews MSNBC

Chris Matthews is saying that Barak Obama is the same as Jesus.

Finally, recently Jamie Foxx, introduced Barak Obama to a crowd at the “Soul Train Awards” using the words, “Our lord and savior, Barak Obama.” 

This is the media; the shaper of people’s thoughts and beliefs calling him a god and people will believe that follow him as if he is God.  Even in Taiwan, people tell me all the time about how great President Obama is because of the things they've heard through the media.  This man, I’m referring to the antichrist, will be lifted up far beyond any adulation that is given to Barak Obama.  He will bring pace to the Middle East and the entire world, and then will rule as the greatest dictator we've ever seen.

All of his power will be derived from the devil.  Seven years after his rise to power all of the world’s armies will come together in the plain of Meggido, for the battle called Armageddon.  Those seven years are called the tribulation.  You can read in the Bible what will happen in those days.  There will be battles and earthquakes and disease.  Men will pray for death but it will not come.  There will be darkness and suffering and then the end will come. 

What About the People of God?

Mark 13:13 (NKJV)
^13:13 And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

He says that he who endures to end will be saved.  This is interesting, because it refers to those who are saved after the Antichrist appears.  Before this happens, though, we will be caught up. 

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 (NKJV)
^4:13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. ¹⁵ For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

 

This moment, called the rapture of the church, will take place before the Antichrist rises to power.  This will happen before we are required to endure the suffering and persecution of that time.  Jesus will come back for His church.  If you are a Christian today and remain fixed in the will of God you will not have to endure the Antichrist and his tribulation. 

What we are seeing now is the buildup to those events.    We are seeing things being put into place.  We are seeing the beginnings of labor pains.  Barak Obama is not the Antichrist but he is a harbinger of the Antichrist to come.  I believe that man is alive and working in the world today, preparing for his destiny.  The time has not come for him to be revealed, but I believe that time will soon be upon us.

As for us, we still have time to reach others.  We still have time to labor for Christ.  We still have time to worship God freely, but it is time to begin to listen for the shout.  It’s time to begin to listen for the trumpet of God.  It is time more than ever to dig in and really labor to draw other people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.   Time is of the essence.  Time is winding up.

An Open Letter to Hollywood

Editor’s note:  This is a bit of a departure from my usual posts.  This isn't a sermon; it hasn't been preached.  It is a response to a video that I saw entitled “Celebrities call for Gun Control Plan,” which can be seen below.

I’m not a gun owner.  To be perfectly honest, I don’t really like guns.  I have no desire to own one.  I've heard all the arguments, pro and con.  I don’t know if owning a gun will make me safer.  I also don’t know that outlawing guns will make things any safer.  It would seem to me that gun control would take the guns away from law abiding citizens, but those who have no regard for other laws would also have no regard for gun control laws.

I live in a country where private ownership of guns is illegal.  The only ones who have guns here are the military, the police, and gangsters.  The regular people don’t have them.  While it’s true that Taiwan is one of the safest nations in which to live in the world; I’m not sure that it is the absence of gun ownership that makes it safe, but a society that doesn't glorify violence on TV or in the movies.

I think that Mexico is a perfect illustration of what happens when guns are controlled.  Law abiding citizens are not allowed to possess firearms, but the police and the drug cartels have them.  Innocent people are murdered everyday by the Drug Cartels and the corrupt police who support them and participate with them. 

According to the Latin American Herald Tribune:

The number of civilians killed in the conflict pitting Mexico's powerful drug cartels against each other and the security forces soared by 172 percent in the last twelve months, capital daily, Reforma, said Monday, citing official figures

"Collateral" deaths increased from 61 in 2009 to 166 last year, according to the report from the Attorney General's office.

The second amendment to the Constitution says, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”  The reason for this is clear.  It is for the states to protect themselves from the tyranny of the Federal Government.  In giving up our guns we give up one protection from the tyranny of a potentially corrupt federal government.  The question is what is a well-regulated militia?

A well-regulated militia is made up of private citizens who will own and employee guns for the protection of rights and property.  It was militias that carried the day in the war against the British in the beginnings of our country.  The military was made up of farmers and others who owned weapons and used them against a tyrannical government to protect their rights. 

There are many gun laws that regulate the ownership and use of guns.  Handguns require registration.  Assault type weapons are banned in some states.  There are waiting periods.  There are rules regarding who can own a gun.  There are carry permit regulations.  Gun ownership is well regulated.  In fact, Connecticut gun laws ban the use of weapons like the ones found in Newtown.  Gun control laws in that state did not prevent the murders.  We are still seeing horrendous murders in places, even though those states have gun control laws already in place.

I can join with these celebrities in saying that I hate the murder of innocents.  Those who are murdered only because they are there is a horrible thing.  As a Christian, I detest the shedding of any innocent blood.  It is one of the things that God, Himself hates.

Proverbs 6:16-19 (NKJV)
^6:16 These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: ¹⁷ A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, ¹⁸ A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, ¹⁹ A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.

God, Himself hates the shedding of innocent blood.  We see this in the story of Cain and Abel as Cain is judged and cursed for the shedding of his innocent brother’s blood.

Genesis 4:9-12 (NKJV)
^4:9 Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" ¹⁰ And He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground. ¹¹ So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. ¹² When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth."

God curses those who participate in the shedding of innocent blood. 

So Hollywood, I join you as you condemn the murder of innocents, but there is a problem between us.  You have no credibility when it comes to protecting the life of innocents.  How many of you have supported what you call the pro-choice argument.  This is the ultimate in the shedding of innocent blood.  How can you lecture us on the murder of innocents and support the death of unborn innocence.  How many times have you railed against Christians for their pro-life stance; called us haters and accuse us of forcing our morals on you.  When we stand for the very thing you are saying you stand for?  Does innocent life only begin at birth? 

This time you are lecturing America for it’s stand on Gun Control, in the same way as you lecture America for environmental issues.  We hear you, but we see you continuing to do the things for which you are calling us out.  We see you as being those who say one thing and do another.  Here is a case in point:

Despite his environmentally-conscious stance on green issues, the Black Eyed Peas rapper, 37, chose to take a private helicopter to the venue.

It is understood the journey, which is a 286 mile round-trip from London, used 71.5 gallons of fuel and released three-quarters of a ton of CO2 into the atmosphere. 

He even tweeted pictures of the so-called “hip.hop.copter” for fans to admire, after landing at Oxford’s University parks.

From there the singer used a pedal cycle to travel the remaining few hundred yards to the Radcliffe Observatory Weather Centre.

There he told an audience: “Climate change should be the thing we’re all worried and concerned about as humans on this planet, how we affect the planet, our consumption, and how we treat the place that we live in.”

By Hannah Furness  - 10:17AM BST 23 May 2012  - The Telegraph

I see you speaking the words of your publicists.  You’re looking for issues that will appeal to your fan base:  The people who idolize you and look up to you.  But you don’t live your words.  They are just another set of lines in a script that you speak. 

You cross the world in private jets, “hip.hop.copters,” and SUV motorcades with huge personal carbon footprints, and you lecture us about driving our cars, and using our air conditioners.  Your actions are for photo-ops or news conferences and they just scream hypocrisy.

What is that you do that makes your needs so much more important that the rest of the world’s.  You sing vapid, useless songs or pretend to be someone else in front of a camera.  Where is the value in that?  It’s not as if what you do elevates this generation.  It’s not as if you’re creating anything that can change the human heart.  It’s not the songs you write or the films you make that influence people to put a stop to their evil behavior.  Nothing you have done has caused one Columbine or one Newtown to be avoided.  In fact, it is those things you do, your art, that people imitate.

James Holmes the shooter in Aurora Colorado, called himself the Joker.  In fact, he thought that was who he was.  Columbine killers, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris dressed as the hero of “The Matrix.”

You have made your video, where you call for a gun control plan.  But guns are already controlled.  You call for an end to violence while you work everyday in a violence-soaked industry.  Many of you have made films where heroes violently use guns to kill people.  But films don’t just glorify the hero protecting people from the bad guys, but also glorify those using weapons to murder and kill innocents, such as Woody Harrelson’s film , Natural Born Killers:  Open, ugly, and graphic violence.

Do you know what would impress me?  It would impress me if you walked away from the money and lifestyle that graphic and influential violence has afforded you.  I’ll be impressed when you stop parroting your publicist’s latest script and make a real stand against gun violence.  Until then spare me the lectures.

You mock and ridicule those who call for arming teachers and school security, while you send your children to private schools with armed guards.  You call for private citizens to throw down their weapons, while you have armed bodyguards to protect you.

Filmmaker Michael Moore's bodyguard was arrested for carrying an unlicensed weapon in New York's JFK airport Wednesday night.
Police took Patrick Burke, who says Moore employs him, into custody after he declared he was carrying a firearm at a ticket counter. Burke is licensed to carry a firearm in Florida and California, but not in New York. Burke was taken to Queens central booking and could potentially be charged with a felony for the incident.
Moore's 2003 Oscar-winning film "Bowling for Columbine" criticizes what Moore calls America's "culture of fear" and its obsession with guns.

 Michael Moore's Bodyguard Arrested on Airport Gun Charge

You call Christians on hypocrisy and immorality, while you promote immoral behavior.  Kanye West and Kim Kardashian are expecting a baby.  This is being lapped up by promoters and publicists, trumpeted by so-called fan magazines, entertainment television  and tabloids.  Perhaps, Kanye will be responsible and do the right thing, by supporting his child, marrying the child's mother and remaining faithful.  But what about the others who see his behavior and want to be like him.

In every state, the portion of families where children have two parents, rather than one, has dropped significantly over the past decade.  Even as the country added 160,000 families with children, the number of two-parent households has decreased by 1.2 million.  Fifteen million U.S. children, or 1 in 3, live without a father, and nearly 5 million without a mother.  In 1960, just 11 percent of American children lived in homes without fathers.

Fathers Disappear from Households Across America – Washington Times, Dec. 25, 2012

I’m not an NRA member.  I’m not promoting gun ownership.  I just believe that it is time you took some responsibility for your part in all this.  I think it’s time for you to be responsible for your words and actions.  You want to have an impact on your generation, your community, and your nation?  Then it’s time to walk away from your violent and morally degrading films.  It’s time to start living the standard that you demand from the rest of us.  Refuse to participate in the things that influence, unless that influence is positive.  Begin to live the moral stand that you espouse.  It will have a price, that I guarantee.  You will lose some popularity.  It will cost you financially.  But you’ll gain credibility and you will have a real impact on your generation.  You will be able to stand, knowing you did the right thing.  Spare us the lectures, and show us how to live it.




Sources:

Number of Innocents Killed in Mexico Drug War up 172%
Latin America Herald Tribune Website  
http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=384294&CategoryId=14091


Will.I.Am Attends Climate Change Talk in Helicopter, May 23, 2012, The Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/9284276/Will.I.Am-attends-climate-change-talk-in-helicoper.html

Michael Moore's Bodyguard Arrested on Airport Gun Charge
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,144921,00.html#ixzz2Gn7pUXCS

Fathers Disappear from Households Across America – Washington Times, Dec. 25, 2012
http://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/dec/25/fathers-disappear-from-households-across-america/

Our Lord and Rescuer: The Straight Skinny

I listen to a lot of preaching and I read a lot of sermons and books, and I find it surprising how much of it is on the deeper things of God:  Deep heavy theological thoughts, on obscure passages and ideas.  For the place where I’m ministering these things are too deep and complicated to get across with all the cultural and language barriers.  It’s not because people couldn't grasp it, but because I have a difficult time communicating it to them within their cultural context.  The problem is mine, not theirs.

But in reading these things I realize that the gospel was meant to be simple. It’s meant to be understood in all cultures and by all people.  The Gospel works everywhere it’s tried, but a failure to reach people is usually the fault of the communicator.  So in thinking about this today, I want to approach the Gospel with some simplicity.  The Gospel is intended to be straightforward; it’s good news. 

In the US we have a term for that, it’s called the “Straight Skinny.”  That term merely means the unembellished truth.  I’m going to tell a story that I think will illustrate the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  So here it is, the straight skinny…

In 1991 something took place that rarely happens.  Three storm fronts collided to create a situation that meteorologists referred to as the “The Perfect Storm.”  During this storm in 1991, a warm front, a cold front and a hurricane combined to create 100-foot waves, high winds and torrential rains. 

If you know anything about sailing this is a very bad time to be at sea.  However, in this storm a thirty-two foot sailing vessel, the Sartori by name, found itself in high seas.  The crew consisted of a very experienced captain and two somewhat inexperienced women.  The women became frightened as the vessel slammed its sail against the sea and then righted itself, and called the US Coast Guard, who came out in a helicopter to rescue the crew of the Sartori.

What makes this a powerful story isn't that the people needed rescue, but it was the action of the Coast Guard that’s important.  The Coast Guard dispatched a helicopter into the high winds of the hurricane.  They flew out to the Sartori, and then a lone man, called a rescue swimmer, jumped into the high winds and huge waves to evacuate the crew: A lone man swimming against the power of a hurricane and 100-foot seas. 

This man put his life at risk in order to rescue these people.  He was jumping into an extremely dangerous situation; not for himself; not for the glory or recognition, but selflessly for other people.  He was fully prepared to give his life to rescue them; he was the first into the water and the last one out.

John 15:13 (NKJV)
^15:13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.
 

We have a friend that was willing to do exactly that:  To give His life for us.  That’s what I want to declare to you today our Lord and Rescuer.

1 Timothy 1:12-15 (NKJV)
^1:12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, ¹³ although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. ¹⁴ And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

God Can Use Us, Even Though

In verse 12 of our text, Paul is speaking of the trust that God has placed in him.  I am often amazed by the grace of God.  God’s gracious, Paul is a blasphemer and a persecutor, and yet God is using him.  I want you to take a moment and think about this, because we are in the same boat as Paul.  We love Jesus and we’re trying to live out his will…now.  But it wasn't always that way, was it?  At one point we were as bad as Paul.  Look at this scripture.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NKJV)
^6:9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

That pretty much sums most of us up.  We all are at least one, if not all, of those things.  We were opposed to the will of God.  We were at enmity with God.  We were opposed to living the will of God; in fact, we were opposed to anything other than what made us feel good.  Am I right or am I wrong?

Even though we were all that, now God has entrusted us with His purpose and will on earth.  We are God’s plan for salvation for the world.  It’s up to us to draw others.  It’s up to us to lead others to Jesus.   It’s a sacred trust between God and Christians.   Maybe you’re reading this and you’re not a Christian.  Maybe you’re just here, on this website, exploring what this is all about.  Maybe you've been attending church, but you still don’t see the value in Christianity.  The value in it is right here in what Paul is saying.  Even though we have been a rebel and a sinner, God has had mercy and given us a way out of the punishment of our sin.  The sin and the filthiness are all taken away.  It’s not just that we are forgiven; the Bible tells us that the sin is removed; washed away.  We’re cleansed, we’re sanctified, (holy; literally made as saints), and we’re justified; made innocent.  God did that for us, even though.  Even though we were rebels and enemies of God, because we did those things in ignorance.  We didn't know what we were doing. 

Isn't that what Jesus said, as he looked at those who brutalized and crucified Him.  In the midst of all that he looked down from the cross at the people who were murdering Him and called out, “Father forgive them, they don’t know what they’re doing.”  Look at His words:

Luke 23:33-34a (NKJV)
^23:33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. ³⁴ Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."…

He said, “They don’t know what they’re doing.”  They didn't know what they were doing.  Do you think if they knew they were crucifying God that they would have done it?  That’s just like us; we don’t see our sin from God’s perspective before we have Jesus in our life.  We don’t know we’re offending God.  It just doesn't occur to us.  If we knew God was real and that we were offending the Creator of the Universe, we wouldn't do it, would we?  Some of us maybe, but most of us wouldn't want to offend the creator.  After all, we’re ignorant; we’re not crazy. 

God used Jesus in the same way the US Coast Guard uses rescue swimmers.  Think about this, rescue swimmers jump out of the relative safety of a helicopter, into the storms and troubles that others are facing, risking death, in an attempt to rescue them.  That’s what Jesus did.  He became man:  He took on the troubles and storms of life that we are facing to rescue us.  We face certain death…the Bible says we are dead in our sin.  He jumped into the world from the safety of Heaven to rescue us from certain death.

In this same storm, another man, another rescue swimmer, in the midst of another rescue died.  He disappeared into the storm and was lost at sea.  The people were rescued but the rescue swimmer died.  He gave his life for those people.  This is exactly what Jesus did.  His death rescued us:  His spilled blood was the payment for our sin, our wrong behavior.  Because of his death we are rescued; saved and then we are entrusted to be a part of the rescue of other people.  “The grace of our Lord is exceedingly abundant.

God’s Mercy is Abundant

That’s what mercy is all about.  The whole thing is amazing to me.  In the beginning of time, Adam and Eve rebelled from God.  They did the one thing He told them not to do and because of that they lost the Garden.  They lost the place that God gave them that met every one of their needs, because they chose themselves over God’s will.  That’s basically what happened.  They chose to be like God rather than to obey God.  That’s the choice that they made and it cost them the Garden.  They were kicked out.  God separated Himself from them.

The tree of life was now off limits for them.  The thing that gave eternal life was now out of reach.  We can’t have eternal life and sin at the same time.  It’s one or the other.  So they were separated from God and they were to remain separated for centuries. 

So about now you might be thinking, where’s this mercy, you've been hearing about; this exceedingly abundant mercy.  The mercy is found in the beginning, immediately after they sinned.  This is an interesting moment:

God is laying curses on them.  Eve would have pain in childbirth.  She was crested to be the mother of all, that’s what Eve means, mother of all.  But now that blessing would be the curse.  God had given Adam food, shelter, and everything he needed.  He even gave Eve to him.  Now Adam is going to have to work for it.  What was freely given before would require sweat and struggle.  There will be thorns and thistles, pain and setbacks. 

He said these things after he had cursed Satan.  What He told Satan was that an offspring of Eve would come and destroy his power.  His power was the power to lead us into hell; to keep us in the bondage of rebellion:  A slave to sin.  That’s what we all are:

John 8:34 (NKJV)
^8:34 Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.

We all do things that we know are wrong; even though we know we shouldn't do them we do them anyway.  We’re slaves to it.  It’s sin and we’re slaves to it.  This is what God’s mercy is all about; we didn't deserve what God did for us.  What would we do if someone did something wrong that hurt us?  We would want to get revenge.  That’s what we do when we’re angry…”It would serve them right if ______________ (fill in the blank with something horrible.)

Look at what God did.  He said, they did wrong and they hurt Me, so I will send someone to make it right.  Someone who will pay the price for what they have done. Someone to take their punishment for them, even though they hurt Me.  Someone who will go to His death so they won’t have to, just the same way that the rescue swimmer who died to rescue other people did.

In the storm, the people who were out in the in Sartori shouldn't have been there.  They’d heard about the storms converging.  They knew what was coming.  They were ignorant.  They ignored the warning, that’s ignorance.  Even though they knew all that, a rescue swimmer was sent to go in after them.  A man was sent to rescue them…even though.

That’s mercy, they didn't deserve it but a rescuer was sent for them anyway.  That’s mercy.  That’s also what God did for us.  We didn't deserve it but it was done for us, anyway…that’s God’s mercy.  What makes it exceedingly abundant mercy is the price that God paid to rescue us. 

Think about the family of the rescue swimmer who died trying to rescue those people who were out where they shouldn't have been.  Do you wonder how they felt?  “ We've lost a heroic, selfless man, because he wanted to rescue some idiots who had no business being out there in the first place.  Look what we traded for them.”  That’s what they were thinking, probably.  That’s what I would have been thinking.  Look at the price we paid for them.

Look at the price God paid for us.  Some of us though, we make that sacrifice of little value because we continue in sin. We remain ignorant of the price that was paid for us, or we neglect to help others to understand the price that was paid for them.

I was reading something on the Internet the other day that made me want to throw my computer on the floor:  Made me want to just toss it out the 10^th floor window.  Some guy, some pastor said he hates when we say things to people about their sin and the ultimate result of sin…hell.  He said we shouldn't do that.  He said we should let people just find his or her own way to God.

That goes against everything I believe as a Christian.  There was a price that was paid for that sin; a heavy price.  As a Christian I shouldn't let that price be wasted by not bringing it to people’s attention.  Otherwise, how will people know they’re doing it? 

Jesus confronted the woman at the well.  She’d been married five times and now she was shacking up with another man.  Jesus said, “Bring your husband to me.”    She’s telling him how religious she is and he says, “Bring your husband to me.”  That’s confrontation.  Jesus didn't hold back and neither should we.  They don’t know what they’re doing.  They don’t realize that it’s sin and that they will have to pay a heavy price for it.  Somebody needs to tell them, so they can escape the price.  When we continue to sin or refuse to warn others we make that price that was paid worth nothing.

What if the people who were rescued through the death of the rescue swimmer, went into the next storm, and the next, and continued to need to be rescued.  It would mean that that man gave his life for nothing.  Those people would be frivolous with the lives of those who risk it all to rescue them.  When we continue in our si,n or allow others to do the same we are being frivolous with God’s mercy and Jesus’ sacrifice.

Jesus went to the cross to free us from slavery to sin. He did it to destroy Satan’s power over mankind.  He did it to rescue us

He Saves Sinners

Finally, here’s the good news.  That what the Gospel is, that’s what I said at the very beginning of this.  Gospel literally means the good news.  So here it is:

1 Timothy 1:15 (NKJV)
^1:15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

Paul says that Jesus’ purpose was to come into the world to save sinners.  Then he says that he’s the worst of the worst:  The Chief of all sinners.  He’s saying that if Jesus can save him, He can save us, too.  You haven’t killed Christians just for being Christians, have you?  Paul did.  He stood by and consented to their death, that’s the same as throwing the stones.  God forgave him and he can forgive you.  In fact, there are many people whom we would consider to be horribly evil sinners:  Murderers and rapists.  People who have done horribly evil things and God forgave them.  

They've repented and they’re saved.  They've been given a second chance.  They are free from sin.  If they could be forgiven what would hinder you?

I talk to people sometimes and they tell me, “God can’t forgive me.”  But the Bible says that if we will confess our sin, God is faithful to forgive.  “But you don’t know what I've done, is the response.”  No I don’t, but I know what Paul has done.  I know what others have done and God forgave them.  God can forgive you as well.  That’s the good news today.  Jesus came to save sinners like you and I.  He came for us.  He’s our Lord and Rescuer.

God Did That? I Forgot

Editor’s Note:  This is the second part of a two-part series on becoming dissatisfied with the blessings of God.  The part one is entitled, “Dissatisfied” and was presented last week.

In ancient time the Israelites would stand stones on their ends to commemorate a movement of God.  They did that so that when they walked by that stone they would remember that God moved in that place at one time.  It was a way of remembering what God had done.  Sometimes in the crush of life we forget what God has done for us in other times and can begin to doubt and stray away from the faith we once had. 

In this post I want to stand up some stones in your thinking and write about what can happen when we forget what God has done

Matthew 16:5-11 (NKJV)
^16:5 Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. ⁶ Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." ⁷ And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread." ⁸ But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread? ⁹ Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? ¹⁰ Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up? ¹¹ How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?--but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

How Easily We Forget

I think this is an interesting moment in scripture, because the disciples have just seen Jesus do two powerful miracles.  In the first he fed four thousand families with five loaves and two fishes, and in the second he feed five thousand families with seven loaves and “a few small fishes.”  These were two of Jesus’ most important miracles. 

They had two purposes.  The first is that Jesus met a simple human need.  These people had been following him all day.  They’d been sitting and listening for many hours.  One miracle was done after they had been there the whole day; the other took place after they had been following Him for three days.  They’d exhausted their food supply, they were tired and hungry and Jesus didn't want to send them away without food.  Simply, he was concerned that they were hungry.  This is His care for us; He moves to meet our needs. The second purpose is that He wanted to glorify God. 

  

Let’s take a moment and look at these miracles separately:

Matthew 14:16-21 (NKJV)
^14:16 But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." ¹⁷ And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish." ¹⁸ He said, "Bring them here to Me." ¹⁹ Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. ²⁰ So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. ²¹ Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

So these people had been with Him all day and they were no doubt tired and hungry.  Jesus doesn't want to send them away like that but no one has the money to buy food for so many people.  Think about how much it would cost to feed five thousand families.  How much food would be necessary to feed all of them?  So Jesus feeds them miraculously.  He turns a few loaves and fish, practically nothing, into a huge amount of food.  Now look at the second miracle:

Matthew 15:32-38 (NKJV)
^15:32 Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way." ³³ Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?" ³⁴ Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish." ³⁵ So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. ³⁶ And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude. ³⁷ So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left. ³⁸ Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.

This takes place not too much later.  These people have followed Him for three days and he’s afraid that if he lets them leave without feeding them they’ll faint on the road.  The same thing happens, he’s brought a small amount of food and uses it to feed four thousand families.

But this is the thing that I found most interesting.  It seems that the disciples completely forgot about the last miracle.  Jesus tells them He wants to feed the people and they worry, “Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness?”  They recently saw Jesus feed five thousand men PLUS women and children.  Did they forget?  Doesn't it seem like something like that would stick in your mind? 

I want to mock them on the one hand, because how do you forget that?  On the other hand though, I think this is pretty common.  In my eleven years as a pastor I've preached a lot of sermons, but what is interesting is that if I asked less than a week after the sermon was preached, there are many who don’t remember what it was about.  I think we all have a tendency to forget what God has done for us.  I know some of those sermons spoke to people, I could see their reactions, I saw them at the altar, and I know God ministered to them but they seemed to have forgotten what God did.  In the stress and strain of the week we forget. 

I've seen people powerfully healed and in a few weeks they have forgotten.  I've seen God move and give them jobs, or help with a financial crisis or some other problem in their life.  A few weeks later they’re walking around like nothing happened and when they face the next crisis they have forgotten how God moved the last time. The disciples here are just like us.  God moves powerfully but when they’re faced with the next crisis they forget what God has just done in the last crisis.  Do you wonder like I do about what causes that?

The Cause of Forgetfulness

Look at our text for a moment.  The disciples are concerned because they only have one small loaf.  They forgot to bring bread.  They’re concerned because they messed up,.  The Bible specifically mentions this as if it’s a mistake. 

Matthew 16:5 (NKJV)
^16:5 Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.

This is a mistake, they blew it and I think they’re concerned about with their own needs here.  “Where are we going to get bread?  What will Jesus say?  Oh we’re going to get in trouble, now.”  You would think after seeing Jesus do those powerful miracles they would say, “Oh, He’ll just make enough to feed us out of what we have.”  They might even joke, “I wonder if He’ll miraculously cook it, too?”  When they focus on their current problems they forget what God has done.  I think this is human nature.

Let’s go back to the Old Testament for a moment; specifically I want to focus on the deliverance of Israel.  For four hundred years Israel was in bondage and slavery to Egypt.  The people were groaning under the oppression.  God was moved to compassion and used Moses to speak to Pharaoh, but Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, so God did several powerful miracles through Moses to free Israel.  After the death of the firstborn, Pharaoh released Israel but then decides to take his army and pursue them.  He pursued them to the Red Sea and they were trapped between the mountains, the sea and the army.  Look what happensed:

Exodus 14:10-12 (NKJV)
^14:10 And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. ¹¹ Then they said to Moses, "Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? ¹² Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, 'Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians?' For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness."

They have forgotten what God has just done.  God had just done powerful things to release them from the bondage of Egypt.  But now they're facing a new trial, a new circumstance and what happens?  They become afraid and begin to complain.  In the face of this new challenge they forgot what God had done to deliver them.  So God parts the sea and delivers them across the sea on dry land.  Then he closes the sea over the Egyptians, killing them and destroying the danger to Israel.

God once again uses a powerful miracle to deliver them.  The women sing with timbrels or tambourines, “The Lord has triumphed gloriously!”  God has done wonders for Israel, but three days later they come to Marah.  Marah is a three-day walk from Egypt. 

Exodus 15:22-24 (NKJV)
^15:22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. ²³ Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. ²⁴ And the people complained against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?"

Three days later.  Three days after the most powerful move of God since the creation, the people are complaining again.  “Did you bring us here to die in the wilderness.”  They forgot what God had just done three days earlier.  It seems that whenever we face a new problem or trial or crisis in our lives we forget what God has already done.  We focus on the new discomfort; the new circumstances and we just forget that God has moved powerfully in our lives before.

What happens to our faith?  When we face troubles, where does our faith go?  Why is it so difficult for us to remember that God is a God of compassion and will move on our behalf?  Look at Jesus’ reasons for feeding the people:

Matthew 14:14 (NKJV)
^14:14 And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.
 Matthew 15:32 (NKJV)
^15:32 Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."

God WILL move to meet our needs.  He promises this throughout the Bible.  He will help us in times of trouble if we will boldly come to the throne of Grace.  We struggle and suffer needless and there is the promise and the demonstration of that promise of help throughout His Book.

Things That Will Help You Remember

I want to close with three things that will help you to remember what God has done for you.  The first is obvious…Keep Track. One of the people in my church was telling me the other day that she's keeping a prayer journal.  What a great idea.  You write down what you're praying about and then you check it off when God answers that prayer.  You can go back and see what things you have gone through and what God has done to deliver you from that.

Doing something like keeping a journal will show you how faithful God is and will help you to build your faith. Something like this might have helped the Israelites. 

1. We cried out for deliverance as slaves and God met us and did powerful miracles to deliver us on this day.
2. We were trapped and facing Pharaoh’s army, we prayed and God parted the Red Sea and then closed it on the Egyptians.
3. We cried out to God for water at Marah and God made the water sweet.

When you keep a journal like this you have a record of God’s power in your life that you can look over and see what God has done for you. 

The second thing you can do is to witness and testify about God’s provision and deliverance.  When you tell someone what God has done in your life it reinforces it in your mind.  Verbally speaking something will help to build your faith.  Remember faith comes by hearing…I use my testimony a lot in both preaching and witnessing, because every time I speak it out loud it, it reminds me of what I've been delivered from and it shows to someone else the power of God.  My faith can be imparted to them at the same time it's reinforced in me.

Finally, read your Bible.  I always read the Bible with a pen in my hand so I can make notes in the margins or on a yellow legal pad.  I make up Excel spreadsheets on things, as well.  For example, I have a spreadsheets on miracles (New Testament), the Timeline of History (Genesis 5), a comparison of the feeding of the four and five thousand.  I have lots of those, because they help me to remember what I've read. When I remember what I've read about what God has done in past history, I know that I can count on God to do those things again.  Why?  Because God is the same, yesterday, today and forever. 

Faith is our responsibility.  People pray for more faith, and that’s good, but it’s up to you to build and maintain your faith.  What are you doing to build your faith?  Most of us can’t remember what we did yesterday, so it’s hard to remember what God did last year in a crisis while we were hurting or afraid.  We have to stake steps to remember.  It will help us to be optimistic rather than pessimistic and full of faith rather than empty of faith.