Paper Thrones
Notes
Transcript
· Today - We are going to step outside of our trek through the OT due to – what I feel a lot of people are feeling today - - UNCERTAINTY…
· And of course the REASON for this uncertainty TODAY – is due to the Browns not playing today…
· NO – of course the uncertainty people are feeling is due to this election season which doesn’t seem to want to end.
· Every 4 years – we find ourselves being bombarded with –
o PROMISES
o Promises to fix issues
o Promises to bring change
o Promises to DO BETTER
o Promises to MAKE – YOU- HAPPY
· And every 4 years – it seems HALF the country is CONTENT – and the other HALF wants to fight somebody…
· TODAY – I think many Christians find themselves in a state of panic…
· NOT KNOWING what the next 4 years will bring…
· And I think if we were to just take the politicians seriously…and believe they will do what they say – even then – at least today – I think THAT IS what is making people anxious…
In the 7 years I’ve been preaching – I have broached 1 topic specifically that reaches into politics…OR I SHOULD SAY – a topic that is BIBLICAL and yet POLITICS reaches out for it!
· Same Sex Marriage
I devoted an entire sermon to Same Sex Marriage several years ago…and yet – OF COURSE I’ve mentioned other similar “TALKING POINT” topics before in sermons –
· But so far – Same Sex Marriage is the only one to receive an entire sermon
With that said – there are certainly topics being PROMOTED today…
· Topics being used as FOUNDATIONS of political parties…that we could VERY EASILY devote sermons to…
o Abortion (promoted today as good and right)
o Sex outside of marriage (obviously just assumed by the world to be good and right)
Sex without Accountability or responsibility…
All of these things could be preached on at length – showing where God is clearly against these things.
TODAY however – we’re going to hopefully calm the ANXIETY that many in the faith may be feeling…
And actually HOPEFULLY - - EMBOLDEN us to not only seek to ENDURE the days ahead…
But spiritually THRIVE in the days ahead!
So HOW are we going to do that?
What could POSSIBLY be said today that could accomplish that…?
HOW can we AS CHRISTIANS...
THRIVE in an environment that is:
PRO - the execution of the unborn
PRO - fornication
PRO - lawlessness
PRO - suppression
HOW?
HERE’S HOW!!.....
Today we’ll focus on
1. Who God is (pretty basic – but we forget)
2. How God often works
Who Is God? - - Let’s look at some things that God IS
Instead of us ASSUMING who He is…
· Let’s see what He says about Himself…
SLIDE: God is SOVEREIGN: In Control of All Things
God is Sovereign
God is Sovereign
6 Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.
7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
6 and said, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you.
11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
1 The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
13 But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does.
And in case we need to be reminded of this today...
21 He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;
The God we come every week and SING ABOUT...
The God we come every week in AFFIRMATION OF...
He is STILL in COMPLETE CONTROL...
He REIGNS over ALL OF THIS…REGARDLESS of who the President is!
REGARDLESS of HOW the President got put into his place...
And so we come today - and we can - REST in the fact that JESUS REIGNS!! - right now!
He’s not SURPRISED by what is happening
He is IN CONTROL!
And THAT REALITY - is AWESOME news!
It means that God’s PLAN is - IN MOTION...
That...
SLIDE: God Purposes All Things
God Purposes All Things
God Purposes All Things
See - God acts in a way that pleases Himself!
He NEVER has to do anything that He does not WANT to do...
He will do WHATEVER is necessary to GLORIFY His attributes...
WHY? - Because His holiness demands it!
3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.
12 Behold, he snatches away; who can turn him back? Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’
12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
See God doesn’t EVER have to choose a - PLAN B...
WHICH MEANS - we can look out at the POLITICAL landscape today - and we can know that God is - IN CONTROL!
NOW - clearly that doesn’t MEAN that God is PLEASED with what He sees!!
Clearly God is not:
PRO - abortion
PRO - fornication
PRO - lawlessness
PRO - suppression
God is not PLEASED with these things…BUT - He’s not wracking His brain trying to clean up the mess!
He’s IN CONTROL...
And that’s GOOD NEWS - because it means [THIS VERSE] is true!!
This verse can ONLY be true if - God is in complete control!
And BECAUSE He is SOVEREIGN...
BECAUSE He PURPOSES ALL Things...
… there’s COMFORT in this truth…!
BUT -
we might say - OK - I read this...
I HEAR ya Mike...
BUT...
How does God’s CONTROL relate to the environment we seem to be walking towards in this ELECTION?
· How does God’s CONTROL impact us – when we have to LIVE UNDER these policies…and laws…or THOSE policies and laws?
· And this is where we need to look at and REMEMBER HOW God often works…
We’ve seen WHO God is...
But HOW does He often work?
SLIDE: QUESTION
How many of you in here today, are encouraged and emboldened by reading about the Apostle Paul’s life?
Ok why?
Why are we encouraged?
· Are we encouraged because Paul lived an:
o Easy…
o Pain-free Christian life...
- And died peacefully in his bed at home after a long retirement?
· NO – we’re encouraged…emboldened – because we see that EVEN in Paul’s LIFE…
· Through all the trials…
· All the beatings…
· The imprisonments…
· God was – GLORIFIED!!
· We’re encouraged because EVEN in the darkness – we can see the light!!
And isn’t this how God OFTEN works?
· In the book of Acts we read about the illegal execution of Stephen…
· A TERRIBLE incident in the history of the church…
· Now think through the context – Just like with Jesus – the Jews didn’t have legal authority to carry out a death penalty…
· BUT YET – they killed Stephen - - How?
o It seems that during that time period, Pontius Pilate was on his way out…
o And so the Jews took advantage of the power vacuum that was there…
SO GOD – in that instance… Ordained that Stephen would find himself before the Sanhedrin
· And BECAUSE OF THAT – he was in PRIME position to be killed. - - SO HE WAS!
o And YET – following his death….the Greek-speaking Jews were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria…
o AND - What did THAT lead to?
o It lead to the spread of the gospel!!
God in COMPLETE control…and His purposes accomplished through suffering…
What else?
· What about the very account we walked through the last 2 weeks??
· Question:
· Who was in charge in Egypt – when God’s PEOPLE were enslaved? In bondage??
· Answer: Pharaoh!
· NOW – Did God have anything to do with Pharaoh BEING IN CHARGE?
16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
· So GOD – in His sovereignty, in His control…
· Decrees that Pharaoh would come to power in Egypt…
· AND - That SLAVERY would leave HIS people in PHYSICAL bondage…
· NOW – WHY would God DO THAT?
- Did He lose control...?
- Did He come off the throne?
NO…
· We just read it…
· God did this so that He would SHOW HIS POWER – and that His name would be – PROCLAIMED!
Well what happened?
· He DISPLAYED His power…and His name was PROCLAIMED!
· EVEN amongst those who had denied Him…
· Even amongst the magicians who had witnessed the plagues…
19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
· In the MIDST of SLAVERY – REBELLION- God’s Name was PROCLAIMED…by those who OPPOSED Him!
This is OFTEN how God WORKS!!
· Light shines BRIGHTEST in the – Darkest places!
· The light of God SHINES BRIGHTEST in the darkest places…
· God PUT Pharaoh in power in Egypt – SO THAT He (GOD) could DISPLAY His power…
…In the midst of the slavery…the bondage…the oppression
Now THAT was regarding Egypt…
· What about out in the wilderness?
· God lead them into the wilderness…and due to the people’s lack of trust IN GOD…
· He lead them into ENVIRONMENTS of testing…
THEY MURMURED and Complained...
They FORGOT the blessings they had received!!
And so God tests them...
· And the TESTING was to lead to BLESSING…but they REFUSED to listen and trust God!
· See - God will LEAD us into TESTING GROUNDS…
· He OFTEN WORKS in dark places…so that His light might SHINE…
Are we starting to see a pattern here in how God works?
Last example we’ll look at today – the account of Jesus Himself!
· We’ve looked today at how God is COMPLETELY sovereign over all things…
· Well that MEANS that He could have chosen to save mankind any way that He wanted to…
· The Jews in the 1st century were under Roman oppression…
· AND YET – God decided – that He would come to earth – as – a – Jew!
· God chose – the route of – BONDAGE! - He EMBRACED suffering!
· NOT ONLY THAT – but the JEWISH leaders at the time were Pharisaical at heart…
o They lead people to – DESTRUCTION…
· And CHRIST (what did He do?)
- He CALLED HIMSELF into that darkness…in the midst of THAT leadership - that His light might SHINE!
And so LET’S circle back now to our world...
As we think about this ELECTION…and we think about what MIGHT be ahead…
· We need to REMEMBER and EMBRACE….that…
o God used the stoning of Stephen to advance the gospel into Judea and Samaria.
o God used the PHYSICAL bondage of Israel to display the FREEDOM that represented our Spiritual freedom in Christ…
o God used the bondage of Israel as the SPRINGBOARD to His worship in the wilderness!
o Christ chose the path of – SUFFERING – so that His name would be PROCLAIMED in the midst of that darkness!
So what does this MEAN for us?
SLIDE: The Light of God: Shines Brightest in the Midst of Darkness
The Light of God
The Light of God
**A drug dealer working 20 years strong, decides to take some of his drug money and pay off the mortgage of his neighbor…
Act of kindness?
Sure. Who’s impressed?
**Same story, YET – when the drug dealer went to give the drug money to his neighbor, his neighbor TOLD HIM that the NEIGHBOR on the other side, who was known to be extremely poor, had saved up over decades, to help him pay off his mortgage…as an act of kindness.
- The other neighbor, in their EXTREME poverty gave LAVISHLY…
- IMPRESSED?
The Light of God shines brightest against the backdrop of darkness!
Another way to say it - God’s STRENGTH shines brightest against the backdrop of OUR weakness!
· As we’ve seen, God most often WORKS in the VALLEYS of life…
· It’s in THOSE PLACES where we most clearly SEE God for who He is!
SLIDE:
We most often grow closer to God when we walk the path of suffering as opposed to the primrose paths that leave us empty.
And since we KNOW this to be true…
· Where does this truth here – place this current election?
It SHOULD put this label on it for US – if we’re believers…
SLIDE:
Opportunity
QUESTION:
Do you know where the Christian church is growing fastest right now in our world? - CHINA
CHINA? Isn’t China a COMMUNIST state? YES!
- But what have we seen?
· God’s LIGHT shines brightest in the dark places!
NOW – Of course that doesn’t mean we should PROMOTE the dark places!!
· But as Christians – we shouldn’t be sent into DESPAIR based on our human elections!
· God’s plan is IN MOTION…
· AND GUESS WHAT???
· It’s going to take YOU and ME to SHINE God’s light in the dark places!!
THINK THRU THIS:
· We CELEBRATE the FREEING of the Israelites from bondage…
o BUT don’t forget – it took the OBEDIENCE of MOSES for that LIGHT to SHINE
· We CELEBRATE the spread of the gospel in the scriptures…
o But don’t forget – It took the OBEDIENCE of the apostles – UNDER Governments telling them NOT to proclaim Jesus – to STILL PROCLAIM Jesus – for that spread to occur!
· We CELEBRATE the resurrection of Christ!
o But don’t forget – it took Christ being OBEDIENT – even UNTO death, for the blessing of the resurrection to COME!!
The MISSION of GOD is LINED with suffering…
· It will take OBEDIENCE in the face of OPPRESSION – for God’s plan to be carried out.
· Are we IN?
OR....
Will we respond JUST LIKE the Israelites out in the wilderness?
Will we respond in the coming years with:
WHERE’S MY MONEY? GOD?
Did you SEND US UNDER THIS REGIME to DIE in the wilderness?
Where are my POSSESSIONS GOD??
Where’s my FREE SPEECH God??
Listen - we fight for what is right and just…We stand for those who can’t stand for themselves...
BUT - HOW we approach the coming years in OUR HEARTS will determine if we’re ON MISSION for God...
OR wandering around looking for what we’ve LOST...
· Will we see the days ahead – as an opportunity to ADVANCE His name?
· Because when we do – OH how BRIGHT it will shine!
· AND YOU SAY _ well – that’s a HARD thing to embrace…
YES – but – He’s with us!
· AND – He’s in CONTROL!
· He’s ON THE THRONE
· He is – SOVEREIGN…
· And through Prayer and Thanksgiving - we can REST in His sovereignty!
WHY?
SLIDE: God’s Sovereignty Provides Us With Comfort
God’s Sovereignty Provides Comfort
God’s Sovereignty Provides Comfort
Since God is perfectly in control of everything, we can have comfort knowing that we are not alone.
No matter how scary the world is around us, we can know that He is more powerful than whatever we come across.
Nothing happens without God decreeing it.
And He loves us, and promises to always be with us.
10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’
I think we need to READ that again...
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Some need to HEAR this today....and BELIEVE it!!
10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Who is God speaking to here?
Who is He telling to - FEAR NOT…?
He’s speaking to His own people - EXILED in Babylon!
People - looking out at WHAT’S AHEAD of them...
UNCERTAIN about tomorrow - and yet - God says - FEAR NOT…for I will STRENGTHEN you...
Don’t FORGET who’s in charge here!!
13 Also henceforth I am he; there is none who can deliver from my hand; I work, and who can turn it back?”
God’s PLAN is ALWAYS progressing forward!
11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
There’s COMFORT in this truth…!
SUMMARY:
God is Sovereign
God Purposes All Things
God’s Light Shines Brightest in Dark Places
God’s Sovereignty Brings Comfort
God is Sovereign - In complete control...
God Purposes All Things - HOWEVER this election ends up falling… KNOW THIS - it will FALL that way - for YOU.
God’s people were ENSLAVED in Egypt - FOR MOSES!!
SO THAT Moses could, IN OBEDIENCE - free them from that bondage!
And THAT’s how God works… He works in the darkest places...
God’s Light Shines Brightest in Dark Places - It can be scary…UNCERTAIN… a place of SUFFERING...
But we KNOW God is in control!
God’s Sovereignty Brings Comfort - He WORKS ALL THINGS… ALL ELECTIONS for OUR GOOD...
Believe it!
The days ahead of us are an OPPORTUNITY for God to be GLORIFIED...
Our mission hasn’t changed!
Don’t BOW down the HUMAN leaders...
OUR King doesn’t sit on a PAPER THRONE...
Our KING is still in OFFICE…!
LISTEN - and tomorrow - is a new day to make Him known!!
Let’s pray