Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…I have mentioned in previous postings how privileged I feel to be able to sit under the tutelage of Pastor Ron Tucker at Grace Church St. Louis. He indeed is an anointed leader who stands firm on the Gospel of Grace, but he also has the courage to uphold the truth of God’s Word when it comes to confronting social trends that have taken our culture deeper into the black-hole of moral and spiritual decay. His message yesterday echoed the thoughts I had for today’s blog, so I will include examples of his teaching within my presentation.
As we approach the day set aside for “giving thanks”, I’ve already heard people exclaim, “What is there to be thankful for today? I feel totally depressed when I look at what is happening in our culture and in the world! I would just like to pull the covers over my head, roll over and go back to sleep and awaken to discover this has all been a terrible nightmare.”
From my perspective, it seems like I just got up from writing last week’s blog where I recounted the horrific action of Isis in Paris, and to everyone’s shock, in just a matter of days we saw it repeated in Belgium and in Mali. And when we turn to our home front, we are confronted with a political decision to accept refugees from Syria without a process in place to weed-out terrorists who will undoubtedly capitalize this opportunity to infiltrate; our political parties could not be more divided; and the lack of trust in our leaders has never been higher. So if we keep the focus on our circumstances, no doubt things look bleak. And if we allow fear to overtake us, it becomes easier to overlook the fundamental truth on which our faith is based. God is a sovereign God. He is still on the throne!
No doctrine is more despised by the natural mind than the truth that God is absolutely sovereign. Human pride loathes the suggestion that God orders everything, controls everything, rules over everything. The carnal mind, burning with enmity against God, abhors the biblical teaching that nothing comes to pass except according to His eternal decrees. Most of all, the flesh hates the notion that salvation rests entirely on God’s plan, as stated in Ephesians 1: 3-14. But in my opinion, these verses absolutely testify to God’s sovereignty.
They tell us His plan was in place before the world was created, and that plan centered on Jesus Christ. (vs. 9-10) Therefore, when it says he chose us in Christ, I believe this statement is free from predestination overtones, but rather attests to his loving plan for providing a Gift of Grace to a fallen world. Man still has the final choice of accepting or rejecting His Gift of Grace, and it is that decision that determines each person’s eternal destiny. I believe this is confirmed in Revelation 21:3-7, which tells us that his plan is still playing out even after this world has ended and the New Jerusalem is established. “Look, the home of God is among his people. He will be with them and they will be his people. He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever.”(vs.3-4)
From the earliest pages of the Bible right up to the present time, God’s proclamation to a fallen world has always been the same: Repent! Turn from your sin and turn to God. And a promise that goes hand in hand with that proclamation is stated in James 4;10: “When you bow down (humble yourself) before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.” Both the proclamation and the verse from James offer us a pathway to freedom, but the truth contained therein has proven to be the ultimate challenge for mankind. Apostle Paul addressed this in Romans 1: 20-22: “From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. The result was that their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead.”
The world we live in today is a result of elevating worldly wisdom and worldly thinking above spiritual truth. When that happens, we see people’s lives become full of “every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hatred, envy, murder, fighting, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They become backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, boastful, and are disobedient to their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, and are heartless, and unforgiving.” (Romans 1:29-31) Would you say these qualities are plentiful in today’s world?
If we allow ourselves to look at the world today through the lens of fear and despair, no doubt it is hard to think about “giving thanks” this Thursday. But as Christ-followers, we have something the rest of the world doesn’t have. We have the blessed assurance that God IS a sovereign God and that he IS in charge. We ARE the ones chosen long ago – even before Creation -to spend eternity with Him because we accepted his Gift of Grace. When God spoke to Joshua and gave him the charge of leading the Jews across the Jordan River into the Promised Land, included in his directive was “be strong and courageous” – mentioned three times – and a reminder that “I will never leave you or abandon you” –spoken two times. (Joshua 1:1-9) We too are heirs to those promises because we are in Christ.
So regardless of how crazy the world is now – or how crazy it will become – we must never forget our source of strength and who we are in Christ. But equally important to that truth is…what are we going to do to help make this world a better/safer place? Just as Joshua was charged with a mission, we too are charged with carrying God’s message of truth into the world. That is not only a formidable challenge, but for most it is a scary challenge.
Because we are in Christ, we have been given the authority to pray in His Name. Nothing does the world or our culture need more right now than an energized prayer movement. The problems facing the world today are rooted in spiritual and moral decay (refer three paragraphs back) and can only be solved through revelation of spiritual truth. I am convinced that an R, or D, or I behind a political candidate’s name is not the answer. But we can ALL pray for revelation of the truth to permeate the hearts and minds of our culture, our leaders, the abortion industry, the entertainment industry, Isis, etc. There is incredible supernatural power in prayers lifted up by those who believe. James confirms this in 5:16: “The prayers of a righteous man avails much.”
I would like to close with these scriptural references:
“When I am afraid, I will trust in You.” Psalm 56:3
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6
“Of Lord, God of our ancestors, You alone are the God who is in heaven. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against You!” 2Chronicles 20:6
“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear…” Psalm 46: 1,2,
“Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17
“In everything give thanks. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:1
HAPPY THANKSGIVING. Remember: God is a sovereign God who’s Word will last forever.
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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