Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers… One of the first prayers that children learn in church is the Lord’s Prayer. This is the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples to pray in response to their question, “Lord, teach us to pray.” (Luke 11:1) At that stage in the child’s life, memorization is more important that actually understanding the depth of the words. The iambic-pentameter lilt to the phrasing lends itself to memorization, so being able to repeat it seems to satisfy the intent at that point in our young lives. But as we get older, hopefully each one of us will feel an urge to examine the true meaning of those sing-songy lyrics. The second phrase, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10) had always been a bit mysterious to me. But today I find that phrase to be filled with hope and joy as our culture drifts deeper and deeper into moral and spiritual decay.
There has always been evil in the world, from creation right up to today. In fact, I believe that was part of God’s plan, even though it is not specifically mentioned in Ephesians 1. But since evil appeared in heaven when satan and his army of rogue angels challenged God’s authority, the result of their defeat was not only being cast out of heaven, but being cast down to earth. Therefore, this world provided the perfect stage for an eternal morality play of Good vs. Evil, and we are all born as actors in this play. Our part in the play is determined by the choices we make. As we grow and mature in this lifetime, we can redefine our roles if we choose to do so. That means we can move from evil to good, or from good to evil. The choice is ours, and that choice will determine our eternal destiny.
When we look at the world in which we live today, it sometimes appears that evil is overtaking good. But there is good news for those of us who have read and are familiar with God’s Word; we already know how this play ends. But our concern right now is focused on those who are not familiar with this Truth.
I am part of an intercessory prayer team at Grace Church St. Louis, and we pray continually for enlightenment in the minds and hearts of those who have not found a relationship with Jesus Christ. After all, it is through Him that the Kingdom will come to anyone who wants it and is willing to believe this Truth. As He proclaimed in Mark 1:15: “At last the time has come! The Kingdom of God is near! Turn from your sins and believe this Good News!” And again in Luke 4: 18-19 when Jesus was reading the scroll containing this message from the prophet Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, for He has appointed Me to preach Good News to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim that captives will be set free, that the blind will see, and that the downtrodden will be freed from their oppressors. And that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” After this reading, Jesus identified Himself as the subject of the prophecy (the Messiah) when He stated in verse 21: “This Scripture has come true today before your very eyes!” In other words, the Kingdom had come in Him.
Jesus also proclaimed Himself as our Savior when He stated in John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” “But the world tells us there are many ways to God. How can I know the truth?” you ask.
Man’s eternal dilemma has been the issue of SIN, defined here as being self-centered rather than God-centered. When we are focused on self, our sinful choices produce these evil results: “sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, out-bursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your small group, gossip, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin.” (Galatians 5:19-21) All major religions look at these activities as evil, but the difference is how those issues are made right. In all religions other than Christianity, good works and/or sacrifice is the answer. If we accumulate more good works rather than evil activities, the scales tip in our favor. But that doesn’t remove the stain of sin, although it may relieve our conscience.
In Christianity, we believe that Sin must be eradicated. “Why?” you ask. Because the God Jehovah spoke through the prophet Hosea in 6:6 stating: “I don’t want your sacrifices, I want your love. I don’t want your burnt offerings, I want you to know me.” God created us for a relationship with Himself, an eternal relationship, but he also requires perfection if we’re going to pass through the proverbial “Pearly Gates.” He declared, “You must be holy (sin-free, set aside for a sacred purpose) because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15) “Why?” you might ask again. Because sin contaminates, spreads, kills, and destroys. If you doubt that, look at the world in which we live today!
God, even before He created us, knew we were going to use our free-will for reasons other than for which it was originally intended. Remember, its original intent was so we could choose to enter into a relationship with Him. But we (His proudest creation) found that we could also use it to exalt ourselves and become our own god! That latter choice is the only reason there is a sin-issue. The world was perfect before sin entered the world. Consequently, God is making certain that the New Jerusalem will be perfect. Revelation 21:27 attests to that: “Nothing evil will be allowed to enter – no one who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty – but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” (Those who are in Christ)
Since God requires perfection and we proved that we were “utterly helpless” to overcome the issue of sin (Ref. Romans 5:6) through our own effort, His plan was always to provide a Savior to do for us what we proved we were incapable of doing ourselves. Jesus Christ’s shed blood on the cross paid our sin ransom. When we accept Him as our Lord and Savior, God’s promise to us is, “I will forgive their iniquities and I will remember their sins no more.” (Hebrews 8:12) As a new creation in Christ, the Kingdom of Heaven is now in us. This is our hope of glory…our only hope of glory!
As I mentioned earlier, this world is not our home, we’re just passing through on our way to our eternal destiny. This life, unbeknownst to many, is just an audition. The darker and crazier this world becomes, the closer we come to fulfilling the prophecies concerning the “time of the end”. I feel confident we are in the Tribulation period right now, approaching rapidly the Great Tribulation period. But in the end, the Paradise promised to all who are in Christ will be the New Jerusalem on earth. In Revelation 21:2-4, John gives us this preview: “And I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a beautiful bride prepared for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne saying, “Look, the home of God is now among His people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them. 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.”
There should be no wonder that the crazier this world gets, the more appealing the New Jerusalem becomes to those who are in Christ. As Jesus stated in Matthew 24:14: “And this Gospel of the Kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” With the technological advances in communication, the Good News is now being proclaimed around the world in ways and at speeds never before imagined. Christianity is exploding in China, Africa, and the Middle East bringing millions and millions of people to Christ. The Good News is certainly welcomed news in parts of the world that have been blighted with hopelessness.
Unfortunately, that same Good News is not so welcomed in America today. The sad truth is…God has all but been expunged from our culture. Jonathan Cahn, Messianic Rabbi and author of “The Harbinger”, hit the nail right on the head with this statement: “America was founded on prayer. Therefore, the removal of prayer from its public life was a central part of its fall from God. A nation that turns away from prayer will ultimately find itself in desperate need of it.”
In answer to that statement, there is an intercessory prayer movement taking place in our country right now that is gaining great momentum. The goal of that collective effort is another Great Awakening. The state of our culture right now is the result of man’s best effort at playing god. Consequently, our culture is ready for a healthy dose of the Good News. As it says in the frequently banned Book, “the harvest is indeed plentiful.” (Matthew 9:37)
Feel free to respond to this posting, and please “like” it and share it with other social media friends.
May God bless you abundantly,
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
Leave a Comment