Goodbye 2020, Hello 2021
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25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
To every plan and device of the enemy, God already has a plan...
From before the enemies plan is revealed - God’s plan in already in motion
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
13 Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus.
14 I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.
13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
2020 has been the most insane year of my life
Probably your life
Maybe in all man’s history...
We know about covid-19… Let’s look at some other stuff FROM THIS YEAR:
Unprecedented wild fires
Iran strikes US bases with missiles
Ukrainian plane shot down - 176 passengers killed
Earthquakes
Flames to flooding in Australia
COVID-19
Passenger plane crashes in Pakistan
Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo
George Flood is murdered
Riot in America
Minneapolis burns
Volcano in Philippines
Earthquake in Mexico - hundreds head
Riots in Hong Kong
Hurricane Hanna
10 million affected by Covid-10 (at this point in the year)
Portland protests
Fire in Dubai
Explosion in Beirut lebanon - 150 + dead
We finally made it to August...
Riots in Belarus
California wild fires
Hurricane Laura
16 dead in Canada - killed in mass killing incident
37 Million affected by Covid-19
Chaos in Armenia
Chaos in Azerbaijan
Earthquake in Greece
Flooding in the Philippines - thousands evacuated
Election chaos
2020 has left us worn out!
Drained...
It is being reported as the worst year of our lives.
Unfortunately, I don’t know if I can convince you differently!
2020 has been a continual onslaught of bad news after bad news...
What I want to remind you of is this: this is the greatest tactic of our enemy!
Wear you down, get you so weary that you just don’t care.
Tired of the fight…
Exhausted in the battle...
25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
25 Then he will blaspheme the High God, persecute the followers of the High God, and try to get rid of sacred worship and moral practice. God’s holy people will be persecuted by him for a time, two times, half a time.
Three Fold Attach on the Saints of God
Rail against, bring accusations against, seek to discredit
Wear out, tear down, make weary
Change the rules, morality, accepted norms
12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
Three Fold Attach on the Saints of God
Rail against, bring accusations against, seek to discredit
We live in a society where everything is accepted BUT adherence to the Word of God
You take a stance for the things of God and you are a hateful bigot
Wear out, tear down, make weary
Our lives even without the virus and chaos of this world has us so busy that we can’t even focus on God.
Technology has us so bound and trained that we can’t even focus of God exclusively for an hour and a half
Then you add the epidemic…
Change the rules, morality, accepted norms
When Ronald Reagan ran for president, James Dobson and the christian conservatives almost kept him from office. Why? He had been divorced.
39 yrs latter mortality has changed so much that marriage and divorce not only does not matter to the point its not even a concern for the christian conservatives, but christian conservatives do not even make things like aborting millions of babies an issue...
Satan is agree because he knows that he is about to loose and like a petulant child is taking it out on the people of God!
Here is the breaking news!
IT’S NOT GOING TO GET ANY BETTER!!!
Quite the contrary - from here on out I predict it will only get worse.
2021 and beyond predictions:
Loss of freedom
Loss of religious freedom
Greater scrutiny on the church
Hate crimes will become law to attempt to muzzle the pulpit
Traps will be laid against the church
Pastor’s will be imprisoned because they stood by the Word of God
Continued 2021 and beyond predictions:
The greater loss of freedom, the greater the Righteous Indignation of the church
Indignation: strong displeasure at something considered unjust, offensive, insulting, or base; righteous anger.
Righteous Indignation: holy anger at something biblically unjust, offensive, or base; Righteous Anger!
The greater the scrutiny, the greater the boldness!
29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,
30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.
31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
The darker society descends into chaos inflicted by a sadistic Ruler of Darkness, the brighter the church will shine
The bolder God’s people will become
The less inhibited we are
I wish I had some positive prophetic word for 2021...
I don’t!
As a conservative American I have never feared more for our nation
BUT as a born again, Holy Ghost filled - Child of God - Ambassador of Purpose - Preacher of Righteousness - Saver of Souls
2021 and beyond will be the best years the church has ever seen!
Conclusion:
We have to options as a church:
Run, hide and abide - hold the fort, keep our heads down, ovoid attention, hope the devil don’t notice us
We can come out of hiding, out of mediocrity, stop being fearful, react like the Church of the NT - Take our city! Change our world!
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
WE ARE GOD’S NEXT MOVE!