Untitled Sermon (47)
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 6 viewsNotes
Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
I want to welcome you again this morning.
First, to those joining us online, we are so thankful for our online technology that allows you to be a part of our church family today.
I also want to welcome those who may be joining us for the first time today. I hope your time with us today is encouraging and helpful, and I look forward to meeting you.
I would also say if you are new to our church today, it would be helpful for you to know that we practice a form of preaching called “Expository Preaching”. What that means, is we believe the Bible is best taught by taking books of the Bible and then breaking them down from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. Our goal, to better understand not only what God’s Word says, but what it means in our lives today.
Over the past couple of years we’ve been doing that through the NT book of Acts. A book written by a First Century disciple named Luke who wrote it for a couple of reasons:
First, to give us a history of how the church started, who was there, and the circumstances that surrounded it.
Second, in a way, to give us a template on how to accomplish the mission that Jesus gave us to take the gospel to the entire world.
With that said, if you haven’t been with us I would encourage you to go online to mcf.life or to our Facebook page where you can watch previous messages.
Today however we are picking back up in Acts 19 as we continue with Paul in the NT city of Ephesus.
You may recall from last week that Paul’s 2 year stent in Ephesus is now nearing a close. A change in direction that resulted from what we referred to as “The Leading of The Spirit”. Luke states it like this in verse 21:
21 Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”
Luke says Paul, “…resolved in the Spirit...” decided it was time to leave Ephesus and begin a journey that would ultimately take him to Rome.
So, what does that mean? What it implies is that through prayer or during a time of spiritual focus, the Holy Spirit placed this new direction in Paul’s heart and mind. In other words, the Holy Spirit told Paul where he needed to go next.
And what we learned last week is just like the Holy Spirit led and directed Paul, He wants to lead and direct us as well. But for that to happen, we have to be committed to a few key principles:
First, we need to be willing to put ourselves in a place where we can hear what the Spirit is saying. Which means, we have to cut the noise out as we daily make time to get alone with God and hear His voice in our lives.
Second, we need to be committed to reading God’s Word. The fact is, God speaks to us through His Word. But if we aren’t in the Word, we won’t hear what He has to say.
Finally, we need to look for confirmation. In other words, as we step into where we believe the Spirit is leading us, we need to look for confirmation that we are on the right path. Sometimes this comes through other people. Sometimes it comes from God’s Word. And sometimes it comes as God opens and closes doors.
But regardless of how the confirmation comes, we need to make sure it’s Biblical and that it resonates with what God has already laid on our hearts and minds.
Because if that’s the case, we can know with certainty that God is leading us. Which is extremely important, because the fact is, as we journey on the path God has for us, there are going to be moments where the path gets rough. Moments where the road of faith could get a little bumpy. Moments that may cause us to wonder if we are on the right path. Which brings us to our passage today.
Because as Paul receives direction from the Holy Spirit and prepares to go in a new direction, the enemy is quick to try and discourage and detour Paul.
Picking back up in Acts 19, Luke explains it like this:
23 About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way.
Luke says, about that time. What time? The time when Paul was receiving new direction from the Holy Spirit, a disturbance concerning the Way took place.
So, maybe a great first question would be, “What’s this disturbance Luke is talking about and what does he mean, “It was Concerning the Way?”
As we’re going to see in a moment, the disturbance Luke is referring to was a riot that took place in Ephesus prior to Paul leaving. A riot that was apparently directed at Paul and Christianity. How do we know? We know because when Luke says, “It was concerning The Way”, we know he’s referring to the early church.
And we know that because prior to Christians being called Christians, they were referred to as those who follow The Way.
We see the first mention of it in Acts 9 as then Saul seeks to persecute the church right at the beginning of its birth. Luke writes:
2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
And so, anytime in Acts when you see people being associated with the Way, it’s referring to Christianity. And it’s not until Acts 11 that we begin to see a name change begin to take place as Luke writes:
26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.
All that to say, when Luke says a riot broke out against The Way, what he’s saying is that a riot broke out against Christianity.
So as we come back to Acts 19, and as Paul is getting ready to leave Ephesus, it would appear that the enemy is working hard to create as much chaos for Paul and the believers in Ephesus as he can.
And isn’t that just like the enemy. To try and interfere with the work of the Gospel, discourage believers, and detour us from the plan that God has for us.
And what was true of the enemy then is still true of him today. The fact is, he hasn’t stopped trying to destroy the work of God and his people.
That being said, as we come back to our passage today, I have two goals:
Goal # 1 - To discover what exactly this riot was all about. Specifically what happened, why it happened, and how Paul and the believers responded to it.
Goal #2 - Once we have an understanding of what happened, why it happened, and how the church responded, for you and I determine how this incident applies to us, so that when the enemy attacks, and he will, we too will know how to respond.
So, with that as our basis, let’s jump back into the passage and find out what this riot was all about. Picking back up in our passage Luke writes:
23 About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen.
Let’s stop there for a second, because what I want you to notice first, is that in order to introduce us to the riot, Luke begins by identifying a key individual, and his name is Demetrius. So, a great question would be, “Who is Demetrius?”
Well, Luke just told us. He says he was a silversmith who made shrines of Artemis, and who also brought business to his fellow craftsmen.
So, why is that information important?
It’s important because it tells us quite a bit about Demetrius.
#1 - It tells us that Demetrius is what you might call a blue collar worker. We know this because Luke says he was a silversmith. Which means, he’s a man that spends his days hunched over hot molten silver as he works to produce products that will then be sold. A job that required a lot of manual labor.
If Demetrius were living today, he might be a welder or someone that works in a steel mill.
#2 - Along with being a silversmith, Luke says he’s a certain kind of silversmith. One that makes silver shrines of Artemis. Which means he’s a maker of silver statues that represent one of the gods in Ephesus.
Which again, is an extremely significant detail? Why? Because Artemis wasn’t just any god. Artemus was “The patron goddess” in Ephesus. The one that everybody worshiped.
But not only that, she was a goddess that was worshiped throughout Asia and had become one of the most popular gods in the first century.
We now this because over the years archaeologists have discovered statues and images of her throughout Asia and even as far as Egypt.
And because she was the patron goddess of Ephesus, she had a temple that had been devoted extensively to her. And not just any temple, but a temple that had become known as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was called the Artemisia.
Based on what we know about the temple, archeologists believe it looked something like this:
Show Picture:
Pretty amazing, right?
And just on a note of interest, in Greek mythology, the temple was also known as “The Temple of Diana”. Because according to Greek mythology, Ephesus was founded by the Amazon women, and their goddess was the daughter of Zeus. A goddess by the name of Diana. Today we know her as Wonder Woman.
Kind of itneresting, right?
All that to say, Artemus is a big deal in the ancient world and Demetrius has devoted his life to producing silver images of her. Images that would have looked something like this:
Show Picture:
I know, doesn’t really look like Wonder Woman does it?
What that tells us then is Demetrius is a devoted worshiper of Artemus.
#3 - Not only is Demetrius a silversmith producing images of the patron goddess, he’s a man of influence within his trade. We know this because Luke writes:
24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen.
Luke says he brought no little business to the craftsmen. Which means Demetrius was the leader of his guild. A guild being an association of craftsmen and merchants.
As a result, Demetrius is a man with considerable influence and power among his fellow workers.
So, now that we know all that, what happens next helps us understand how this riot started. Because Luke goes on to write:
25 These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. 26 And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. 27 And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.”
From what Luke tells us, we now discover the cause of the riot that is about to take place. Because Luke says, using his influence, Demetrius gathered a group of fellow workmen and tradesmen together, in order to express some concerns he has concerning Paul. And his concern is twofold:
First, he’s concerned about the economic impact that Christianity could have on their trade. We know this from the statement Demetrius makes when he says, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not god.” Acts 19:25b-26
You see what Demetrius is concerned about, is that the more people who come to faith in Jesus, the less people there will be to buy their hand made idols of Artemus. And that will result in economic loss for him and his fellow workmen. Because in Christianity, Christians don’t worship idols. God himself put it like this in Exodus 20:
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.
So, what Demetrius is concerned about is losing his business.
Second, Demetrius is also concerned about the affect Christianity is having on the worship of his beloved goddess, Artemus. That’s why he says:
27 And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.”
So, while his first concern is the economic impact, apparently he’s also concerned about the religious impact Christianity might have on the worship of Artemus.
And this is the flame that’s about to start the fire. A fire that will quickly spread as Demetrius’s concern begins to spread. Luke writes:
28 When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s companions in travel.
What Luke indicates here is that the disturbance starts like most disturbances as a few disgruntled people begin to rile up a crowd. A crowd that turns into a mob. And a mob that eventually turns into a riot.
And like all riots, Luke says it’s full of confusion. Which means most of the people who have joined the riot don’t even know why they are protesting or what they rioting about. Which is how most riots go. We know this because in verse 32 Luke writes:
32 Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together.
Which means at that point it’s not even about what initially started it. At that point it’s just an emotional outbreak that is based mostly on fear. Because that’s what generally starts riots.
Fear. Fear of loss. For Demetrius it was fear that their businesses would be destroyed. Fear that their goddess would be abandoned. And now that fear has not only spread to others, but it’s been magnified.
And it’s in this emotional state of fear that the city is now in chaos as thousands of people pour into the theatre at Ephesus to riot. Here’s an areal shot of the ruins of that theatre, just to give you an idea of what it looked like:
Show Picture
So why go to the theatre? Because in Ephesus that’s where public forums were held. It’s the same reason people storm a capital building. It’s where the decisions are being made. It’s where the important people are. It’s where the greatest impact will be made.
So in a state of fear and confusion the people of Ephesus storm the theatre.
But not only that, Luke says they drag two of Paul’s traveling companions with them. A man named Gaius and another man named Aristarchus. Why them? Probably because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. And somebody has to pay for the problems Christianity is causing.
And so as you can imagine, this is a dangerous scene, with emotions running high, and the possibility that some executions may even take place.
To be honest, it’s not much different from what happened this last week in Washington. Which we will get too in a moment, because I think there’s some application here for us.
But before we get to that, I want to look at how Paul responds to this event. Because if you recall, Demetrius’s problem is with Paul. But in the chaos of the riot, they apparently couldn’t find Paul, so they settle for two of his friends.
That being the case, what does Paul do? Let’s find out. Because Luke goes on to write:
30 But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. 31 And even some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater.
Luke says when Paul finds out what’s going on and that he’s at the center of it, Paul wants to enter the theatre and address the crowd.
So, why would he want to do that? I would say for a couple of reasons.
#1, Paul probably doesn’t like that two of his friends are in dire straight because of him. And so being the honorable man that he is, Paul wants to get the attention off of them.
#2, Paul more than likely sees this as an opportunity to address a large crowd and share the gospel. I mean how often do you get thousands of people like that together in one place. Thousands of people who obviously need Jesus. So Paul is like, “Give me a mic”.
But Luke says as much as Paul wants to enter, his disciples and a group of people known as the Asiarchs insisted that he not enter the theatre.
So, why didn’t they want Paul to enter? What were they concerned about?
Well, for Paul’s disciples, they were probably worried about him losing his life. Because this was an emotional crowd that wasn’t open to reason. An emotional crowd that may even be prone to violence. In fact, as the riot took place, somebody did try to address and calm the crowd, and it didn’t work. Because Luke writes:
33 Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd.
Luke says a man named Alexander tried to address the crowd. So, who is this guy?
More than likely he was a leader from the Jewish synagogue who was concerned about what was happening. And he was concerned because at this point Christianity and Judaism had kind of been lumped together. And what the Jews didn’t want is for there to be retaliation against them because of Christianity.
Which means, more than likely what Alexander is trying to do is make sure everybody understands that the Jews and the Synagogue are not associated with Paul. In fact, they stand against Paul. And we know this because when Paul first came to Ephesus he tried to share the gospel in the Jewish synagogue, but he was rejected. Luke put it like this back in verse 8:
8 And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. 9 But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus.
And so not only does Paul have this crowd against him, but he has the Jews against him as well. But what’s interesting, is in the Jews attempt to distance themselves from Paul, it blows up in their face. Because Luke says:
34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
So as Alexander tries to address the crowd, it only makes things worse as they volume is now intensified.
Which means, if Paul tries to walk in there, it’s probably not going to go well.
But Luke says there’s another group that keeps Paul from entering, and probably for different reasons. A group called the Asiarchs. So, who are they?
Most scholars agree they are wealthy and influential Ephesians who have come to faith in Christ. Followers who have supported Paul’s ministry. And their concern is that if Paul enters, it would work against the ministry of the gospel in Ephesus. That it could result in a great persecution that destroys all that the last two years have produced. And so they plead with Paul to exercise wisdom here and not get caught up in the emotion of the moment.
So, what does Paul do. Thankfully he listens to his disciples and his friends and he decides not to enter. Which to some may seem cowardly, but based on wisdom and reason, it’s the best course of action. Because the last thing the church needs right now is for Paul to be killed and the church at Ephesus to destroyed. So, Paul lays low.
Which then leads to what happens next. Because like any riot, at some point the authorities have to step in, and in this case they do. Because Luke writes:
35 And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky?
Luke says eventually the town clerk shows up who would have been a high ranking official within the city of Ephesus. And when he shows up, Luke says the people quiet down to listen.
And as he addresses the crowd, he does so in a way to brings peace and dispels the fear that has driven this entire event. How does he do it?
First, he goes to the core of the problem, to what started this ball rolling, which was the fear that Christianity would destroy Artemis and everything connected to her. So he reminds the Ephesians that Artemus hasn’t gone anywhere and that the temple is clearly still in tact. In other words, in Ephesus Artemus is still on the throne.
Second, he reminds them of the basis for their faith, which apparently was a meteorite that had fallen from the sky. A meteorite that somehow represented Artemus. So, why would he remind them of this?
Probably because while image trade and worship of Artemus was important in Ephesus, the true representation of Artemus was safe within the temple. Nobody had robbed the Temple or taken her from it. Which is why he goes on to say:
36 Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess.
The Clerk says, “Listen, everything is ok. The Temple hasn’t been robbed and Artemus is still on the throne. That being the case, this behavior needs to cease. Because clearly these men you have accused haven’t done anything that would warrant this kind of riot.”
But he doesn’t stop there. Because he goes on to say:
38 If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. 39 But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly.
Having addressed the Artemus concern, the Clerk now points the people to the lawful way to handle this situation. Because if there is legitimate concern that Christianity is destroying the worship of Artemus, it needs to be taken through the court system. Something that Demetrius and his craftsmen are welcome to do.
He then puts period on his speech as he concludes by saying:
40 For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.”
Luke says the Clerk also reminds the people that this kind of unwarranted riot could lead to punishment from Rome. What kind of punishment? A punishment that could lead to Ephesus losing their freedom, which is something nobody wanted.
And apparently the words of the Clerk hit home, because Luke says:
41 And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.
So, there you have it. That’s the riot at Ephesus and everything that happened as a result.
The question now is, “How does this apply to us?”
What I’d like to suggest to you is that while this passage has several applications, there are some specific ones that speak to us today.
And so in order to bring these applications too light, I want to look at a specific aspect of this story. That aspect being the emotional response of a couple of parties involved in this event.
Specifically the emotional response of Demetrius, his friends, and the crowd. Along with Paul and his friends. Because I believe from each of their responses to this situation, there is something for us to learn when we face persecution, opposition, or seek to defend what we believe.
That being said, I would state the first Application like this:
Application # 1 - When facing opposition, we can’t let fear overcome us.
We see this when it comes to Demetrius and his friends. Because as we look at how Demetrius and his friends responded to the threat of Christianity, what we have to recognize is that their response was fear driven.
In other words, it was based on what they would lose if Christianity continued to grow.
Because that’s what fear does. Fear causes us to focus on what we think we are going to lose.
And to be honest, in light of what we have faced over the past year in our country, I believe this has been and continues to be one of the major pitfalls for many Christians, as fear as overtaken many. What kind of fear?
The fear that covid restrictions and mandates are going to permanently remove our liberties.
The fear that that if Donald Trump isn’t President we are going to lose our constitutional rights and the country is going to fall apart.
The fear that if Republicans aren’t in control, socialism is on the way.
The fear that if Biden is elected, which he was, and we all need to accept that, that Christian liberties and freedoms will be at stake.
And the list goes on of what we are afraid we are going to lose if...
And to be honest, it’s consumed some of you. And so like Demetrius and his friends, you’ve responded emotionally.
Responded emotionally on Facebook
Responded emotionally in your conversations with others.
Responded emotionally as you’ve allowed fear of what you might lose if...
And the truth is, there are some Christian leaders and Christians who have lost their minds as fear has convinced them that if Biden is elected, if the Democrats control the Senate, if Nancy Pelosi is Speaker, and if Donald Trump doesn’t say in office, that it’s the end of the world as we know it. That it’s just a matter of time before everybody is wearing masks permanently, people are being forced to take vaccines, socialism rules, and Christians are in chains.
And as a result, we’re acting just like the world. We’re responding just like a bunch of pagans who are afraid of losing our precious idols, which for many is a political system, a party, or a person that we’ve put our hope in. And our greatest fear is that we would lose those gods. And if we’re really honest, what we fear the most, is that we would lose a way of life that we’ve come to love and think we can’t live without.
Because isn’t that our biggest fear? Fear that we would lose our way of life. Lose our freedom. Lost what the constitution promises us. Lose the ability to function the way we want when we want. That’s our fear.
And unfortunately over the last several months that fear has been magnified to the point, that last week, people of faith, people who hold conservative values, people who are convinced our only hope is Donald Trump, got a bunch of people worked up, and stormed the capital. Why? Because they’ve allowed fear to consume them.
Now, some might say, “But Pastor, there are some legitimate concerns. Pastor, there’s evidence the election was stolen. Pastor, they were exercising their rights. Pastor, the Democrats have an agenda! Pastor they want to turn us into a socialist nation! Pastor they want to raise our taxes and take our money. Pastor, they want to destroy Christianity and take away our religious Freedom.”
Listen, I’m not saying there isn’t something to be concerned about. I’m not saying Biden won the election fair and square. I’m not saying we shouldn’t be concerned about our religious liberties. I’m not saying that.
What I’m saying though is responding in fear isn’t going to solve the problem.
What I’m saying is getting on Facebook and riling people up and posting fear based articles isn’t going to be helpful. .
What I’m saying is, if your response is one of emotion that is driven by fear, all you’re going to do is create chaos and confusion.
All you’re going to do is draw negative attention. And in the end, it’s not going to change anything. All it’s going to do is create more frustration in you.
Which is exactly what many of your are feeling today. You’re frustrated. Frustrated because things haven’t gone the way you hoped they would. Frustrated because your fearful of what’s to come. Frustrated because you’ve allowed fear to get the best of you.
So, what do we do then? How should we respond? This lead us to the second application:
Application #2 - When facing opposition, we have to be patient and trust God’s plan for ultimate victory.
We see this play out in the response of Paul and his friends. Because while it would have been easy to get caught up in the moment, while it would have been easy to have an emotional response to the opposition they were facing, they don’t. Instead, they sit back, and they trust God.
So, a great question would be, “How were the able to do that?”
What I’d like to suggest to you is they were able to do that, because they recognized losing a battle doesn’t mean we’ve lost the war.
Because if you think about it, Paul and his friends didn’t really win this battle.
What I mean by that is, Paul didn’t get to preach the gospel that day, and as a result nobody that attended the riot got saved. From a human perspective, it was a lost opportunity.
Not only that, but everybody who attended the riot went home assured that their false god was still on the throne. Assured that Artemus was still in control. Assured that the great temple of Artemus wasn’t going anywhere.
Again, from an earthly perspective, a loss, not a win.
But apparently, it doesn’t take the wind out of their sails. Apparently, they don’t go into a depression. Apparently they don’t resort to blowing Facebook up.
So, what do they do? Luke tells us. Because beginning in verse 20 he writes:
1 After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them, he said farewell and departed for Macedonia.
Luke says after the crowd went home, after nobody got saved, after Artemus won the day, Paul gathered his disciples together and encouraged them. He said, “Hey guys, it’s going to be ok. Keep your chins up. Don’t lose hope. Don’t get discouraged. Don’t let this get you down.”
How could Paul do that? Doesn’t it bother Paul that people didn’t get saved? Doesn’t it bother Paul that the Temple of Artemus still stands? Doesn’t it bother Paul that people are still worshiping this false god?
You bet it bothered him. Because don’t think for one minute he wanted the worship of Artemus to continue.
So, how could he encourage? He could do it because he understood this was one battle. And yes, it appeared the enemy had won, but the truth is he didn’t. The truth is, God always wins. The truth is, God has a plan and purpose that will eventually lead to ultimate victory.
So, instead of getting all worked up. Instead of losing sight of what God had called him to do, Paul rested in God’s plan and purpose. And in the end, it paid off.
Because while the people living then couldn’t see it, the days of Artemus were numbered. Because if you were too fast forward a couple of hundred years, the impact of the gospel in Ephesus came to fruition and the fears of Demetrius eventually came true. Because over time Christianity did take over. Over time more and more people came to faith in Jesus. And over time the worship of Artemus diminished, and her temple came to ruins. In fact, here’s a picture of what it looks like today:
Show Picture:
My point is this, God had a plan to dethrone Artemus. But it wasn’t something that was going to happen in Paul’s lifetime. In fact, for many years it would appear that Artemus had won. That she was victorious. But she wasn’t. Eventually the false god fell, like all false gods do.
Here’s what we have to remember, just because from our perspective it looks like we’ve lost the battle, the truth is, God has a plan and purpose that leads to ultimate victory. And what we have to remember, is that the victories we desire to see, may not happen in our lifetime. Which means:
I’m sorry to say, but abortion may not end in your lifetime. In fact, it may accelerate.
I’m sorry to say but gay marriage isn’t going away anytime soon, if anything it’s going to become more of the norm.
I’m sorry to say but socialism may gain ground and the American Dream could die.
I’m sorry to say but what you hope will happen, what you think should happen, and what your praying will happen may not happen the way you think it should or in your lifetime. But that doesn’t mean we’ve lost. That doesn’t mean the enemy has won. It just means that God’s plan and his purposes go beyond us.
You see, what we have to get our of our thinking is that if we have a certain President, a certain party in control, or a certain political system, that we’ve won or we’ll win. The fact is, that’s not how we win this war.
So, how do we win? We win as we lead more and more people to Jesus, one person at a time. That’s how the war is won. That’s the battle plan Jesus has given us.
And what we have to be willing to do is trust that plan, even when we don’t see the victory we were hoping we’d see.
Because I can promise you this, while we can’t see it now, somewhere in the future, we win the war.
That being said, as we close this morning, like Paul, I want to leave you with some encouragement. To remind you that regardless of whose been elected, that regardless of what party is in control, that regardless of what political system we function under, that regardless of what covid restrictions or mandates are handed out, that it’s going to be ok. That God is still on throne. That God has a plan and purpose. That ultimately, regardless of what CNN or Fox New says, we win. You win. I win. As one day we will stand before the throne of God and witness the ultimate victory. As we witness the undoing of sin and the birth of a sin free, corruption free World.
John the Revalator describes it like this:
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
You see, in the end we win.
So, don’t lose heart. Don’t let the enemy discourage you. Don’t get detoured from what God has called you to do. Instead, keep your eye on Jesus. You’re eye on the one who is leading us to that victory. The writer of Hebrews puts it like this:
2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Let’s Pray
Questions To Consider:
Are you operating in fear or faith?
In other words, are you focused on what you might lose, or are you focused on what God has promised regardless of what our circumstances say. The promise that we win.
Do you trust God’s ultimate plan for victory? Do you believe that regardless of what our current circumstances are, that God has a plan and path that leads to victory not only in this life, but in the life to come.
Let me ask you this, “Are you actively involved in His plan?” In other words, are you actively involved in leading people to Jesus? Or, are you committed to a different plan. A plan that is based on wordly thinking. A plan that is based on temporal victories. A plan that is political not spiritual. A plan that depends on a man and not a savior?
Because the fact is, if you want to see real change in our country. If you want real change in our state. Real change in our county and community, it’s not going to happen overnight, and it’s not going to happen because we elected a certain individual or adopted a certain political party or system. It’s only going to happen as we lead people to Jesus. As day by day, week by week, year by year, we continue to lead more and more people to Jesus. That’s what’s going to change the world.
That’s what’s going to cause a mom to dismiss the idea of abortion.
That’s what’s going to lead the addicted to freedom.
That’s what’s going to release somebody form sexual immorality.
That’s what’s going to change the heart, soul, and direction of our country.
So, are you a part of that plan? Is that where your hope is?
Is your hope in Jesus?