God And Country: Our Own Tough Choices Part 2

Runners really raise work together when it comes to winning. No one is more important than anyone else. As darkness gathers believers in life's race need to work together in purity and humility to advance the cause of Christ at high personal cost from the Moody Church in Chicago. This is going to win with Dr. Erwin Luzerne whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line vasculature as you take stock of what's happening now. How much time do we have before the real darkness engulfs our country.

You know Dave, I can't predict that with accuracy but all that I know is that it is getting dark and it is getting even darker and we see that on every hand you know I believe that this series of messages is absolutely critical for us to understand biblically to understand historically the lessons that the church of Jesus Christ needs to learn some of you have heard a few of these messages you haven't perhaps heard them all. Would you like to have them in permanent form so that you can listen to them again and again and share them with your friends for a gift of any amount were making that available to you. Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. Now let us listen carefully as we talk about the darkness. Even the darkness that is surrounding us is a second word and that is the word unity notice in verse seven he says the end of all things is at hand. Therefore be of sound judgment and sober spirit of the purpose of prayer.

Above all, keep fervent in your loved one for another, because love covers a multitude of sins be hospitable to one another, and so forth. When Peter was talking about unity. It was so much unity between Christian groups because they didn't have communication in those days like we do. He was speaking about the unity of individual congregations that we learned in this series that one of the reasons that Hitler could trample over the church is because it was divided member I told you the decision that was finally made that every pastor had to make a choice as to whether or not he would take a vow to Hitler or not. If the church throughout Germany had stood with one voice and said no that it been much more powerful and in the very same way whether individual congregations or denominations. The stronger we are together, the more powerful our impact will be. The more curry will be given to those for week to stand and I think that the essence of unity is given here. Prayer. Prayer keeps uniting us with God. It keeps our relationship with God open and then love which bonds us together and if we have love and loyalty one to another. We will be much more inclined to draw some lines to stand where we need to stand and be as committed as we need to be in the midst of a society that has increasingly drifted toward paganism and so what we can do is to recognize that God uses unity whenever you have division division dissipates energy division is often used by the devil. Now sometimes there has to be division over doctrinal issues over the impurity the gospel. Thank God for division for essentials.

But I'm talking about those things that are not essential but often times their personality conflicts. They are individual points of view and they become the means by which the sheep are scattered so that the wolves can get the individual sheep without having to take on the whole herd or facing the shepherd. The second word to stand strong is unity if the first is purity. The second is unity and the third is humility.

As it says in verse 10 as each one has received special gifts employees in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks let them speak. Is it where the princes of God. Whoever serves let them do so by the strength which God supplies so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ to the glory and honor and dominion, both now and forever. Why is humility so important in our battle. Why does it say that even when we get a witness to people we should do it with meekness and fear. It is because the world is hard. The world is cynical. The world is unbelieving, and when they see hardness and harshness and anger. From us we are acting just as they act. I don't need to tell you that to the battle for our freedoms oftentimes has fallen into the hands of those who may be on our side but who sometimes speak viciously and with anger and do not give a good representation of Jesus Christ.

When interviewed on television and as a result, there is this tension and this division, and though what they may say maybe right they do not say it with the meekness and the gentleness in the compassion of Christ, we must fight but we must fight like Christ disabled wasn't he angry yes he was angry, but interestingly Jesus Christ was angry with the religious people who had a form of religion, but inwardly they were filled with wrought NetSuite is angry with when he was very gentle when dealing with sinners who were deceived by their sins. I need to gently say this will you remember that God hates pride in conservatives just as much as he hates pride and liberal and when we see conservatives blasting out and they have all the answers and all that you need to do is to follow them and they're gonna change America.

God hates that kind of pride, even if it's coming from somebody who may have some good ideas and somebody whom we may support. Watch it. It's so interesting to see when we have someone who is a liberal who is elected. You see, the mood in the church is all. Let's not get involved in politics. Let's just have Bible study and prayer. There is no way that we can do anything and then we have conservatives were elected, and everybody says see we can win America back. After all, let me remind you that we might win America back. But there's much more to it than simply electing conservatives to Washington however happy we may be that there are some there. Number four. I use the word reality. Reality I love this passage picking it up in verse 12 below, but do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing as though some strange thing happened on the but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of his glory, you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ. You are blessed because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

Just that far but keep your finger on verses 14 and 15 Dean we have such a poor sense of history.

I think. And pardon me for saying that over and over again. I hope it encourages you to read church history. I have people coming to me and say pastor. Do you think that anything in history has ever been as bad as it is today and I want to say it has seldom been better. It has seldom been better this whole experiment of giving freedom of religion to people in America and Canada and a few Western nations is a rather new notion if you go back into history, you discover that that seldom happened. The Christian church has always been persecuted right on from early Roman after the Christians took charge under Constantine the true church continued to be persecuted and thousands were drowned in and burned at the stake's why he why do we think it's so strange. Why should we be surprised when the principal tells a handicapped girl that she cannot read her Bible on the bus because the boss is school property and there can be no Bible reading on school property, should we be surprised at that. Why should we be surprised when we find that occultism is being taught in our schools or immorality is being taught. Should that really surprises folks.

That's the way it is in the world and we may be surprised. In America, but actually, there are many who would give anything for the freedoms that we still have left that Scripture says do not be surprised. You know, there are different kinds of suffering is physical suffering. There's emotional suffering. But the Bible indicates that there's a kind of suffering that means so much to God. It means more than suffering that comes to you because of cancer.

It means more than suffering that comes to you because of the difficulties in your background, it is a very special kind of suffering and that is the suffering that we have with Christ. It is suffering in justice, suffering injustice. If you have ever been fired from a job because you were honest or because you did not play the same kinds of manipulative games that other people that if that is ever happened to you. You are to be envied. You are to be in. That's what the text would say it says that if you are reviled for the name of Christ. You are blessed because the spirit of glory and all God rests on you and why should we be surprised when that happens the big shock is that it does not happen more often than it does. By the way. Notice he goes on to say how we should suffer when we are reviled. Verse 15 by no means let any of you suffer as a murderer and see if somebody takes your life or to lose your child don't retaliate, don't be a Christian who is has committed murder.

Don't murder an abortion Dr. that's not the way to do it, do not suffer as a murderer or as a thief see in those days Christians often had their property confiscated. It says in the book of Hebrews that there were those who, when they had their property confiscated. Rejoice that they thought that they were counted worthy to suffer for Christ. I don't think that I've met many people who who I know of who would rejoice if their property were confiscated thrilled with the opportunity of suffering for Jesus but it says do not be a thief. Don't steal it back. Don't be an evildoer. Don't be a troublesome network but if anyone suffers as a Christian, but I'm not feel ashamed, but in that name, let him glorify God. That's what we are supposed to do when it comes from the standpoint of handling, suffering, and and you just simply live out your convictions. Do whatever you need to do work through the school system.

If you can work through it. Try to affect change lovingly and sweetly, and if that does not happen that there has to be some other alternative that God has for you. Whether it is homeschooling or some other kind of way in which the problem can be solved, but you do what you need to do and you don't feel sorry for yourself. If you suffer for a Christian you are blessed and the text says the spirit of God and glory rests on suffering creates a great opportunity for the blessing of God. Finally there is the word eternity eternity. We are so time bound archway. We look at things in terms of years, God looks at them from the standpoint of all of eternity in a long long period of time. Notice and 13 be the last part of the verse he says so that at the revelation of his glory, you may rejoice with exalt Asian God is preparing us for the revelation of his glory and we have the privilege, therefore, of looking at things through the lens of eternity, but in addition he says in verse 17 for it is time for the judgment to begin at the household of God.

That's an interesting verse. He saying that you're going through a time of tribulation that is God judging you Christians he is disciplining you and if it begins with us first.

If Christians have to go through such turmoil.

Wow, what is the outcome going to be for those who do not obey the gospel of God can only fill in the blank. There and if it is with difficulty that the righteous are saved and he doesn't mean here.

As if to say that salvation is free. What he means is that once we are saved it is with difficulty that we get into the kingdom of heaven because of our trials are persecutions and so forth. He said what will become of the godless man and the center if God is willing to look down from heaven and see as people suffer and not intervene and just let that leaded drivetrain and all of that agony. If God is willing to do that when it's going to be like for those who are God bless if those who have accepted his son are not exempt from the trials of life. Think of what's going to happen to those who reject his son and then he says never let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator and to what is right. You do what is right.

You take your lumps as from the hand of God couple of comments that I need to end with today.

First of all I we don't need freedom in order to be faithful. Remember, we don't need freedom in order to be faithful. Peter didn't say well you know actually I have to tell you, you can't be faithful as a church because you're in a hostile culture.

The state is against you, therefore there's no way that you can really serve God. No peters is the opposite is the worst.

The state is the more opportunity you have to glorify God and we can fight for freedom and we should fight for it and were glad for all those organizations out there that are trying to keep our freedoms but we do not need freedom in order to be faithful. The church seldom has had freedom. The church frequently has been faithful second observation we don't need many people we don't need a lot of people to have a great impact. You never know what God will do just a little bit of salt can preserve quite a bit of meat you don't know what God might still have in mind for America. We can be pessimistic, but we don't know God may send a great awakening.

Do you know that in the 18th century Britain was in such sad shape that they would disband parliament in midafternoon, they could not continue because all of the members of Parliament were drunk babies were being killed. Children were working in the factories immorality was rampant cruelty and that you had the great revivals under the preaching of John Wesley and Charles Wesley and Whitfield and and you have a great movement of the spirit that historians say England from the French Revolution. We do not know what God may still do in America and he may begin doing it in America as you witness in your office in your factory in your hospital in your bank to the person next to you is all part of the way in which God will work is not happen through the media is not to happen because we all elect the right persons.

Even though we would like to see whomever elected. It's going to happen when the people of God say, right where I am. I'm going to stand for Jesus and finally we don't have to win in this world to triumph in the next we really don't have to win in this world to triumph in the next. If you take the long range view you can see that you know Jesus, if you look at them only narrowly. That is to say, through the cross and you think of Christ dying on that cross is see Good Friday with all of its horror and its blood and its shame. It looks like Christ was a failure, but you need to look at it through the eyes of Easter Sunday and the ascension and the eventual triumph of Christ and then you realize that what looks like a failure on a Friday becomes a tremendous victory on a Sunday and we don't need to win. We really don't need to.

We need to be faithful. I like to tell that story of the girl who during the Boxer Rebellion in the in the year 1900 in China. They marched into a school one time and they said all the Christian students.

You have a choice to make. We put across flat on the ground outside. Here was the decision trample on the cross and you'll go free walk around it in respect and you'll be shot. The first eight students trampled on the cross. They were allowed. The ninth, a girl prayed that God would give her the grace to do what she knew she should and she walked around the cross in respect and was shot and I'm told that all the other students in the school also walked around the cross. And because of the power of her example they were shot to now the question is did they win well you know that's a difficult question to answer. Depending on your perspective here.

There are school children who die young. In one sense, they lose.

But we do not have to win in this life, in order to win in the next. We do not have to God calls us to be faithful here and he will make it up for us.

The Scripture says the spirit of glory and of God rests on us in the 1600s, there was a horseman by the name of Ferris the horseman.

Whether this is true or a legend.

I do not know but the story is worth telling. He was training some horses and the story goes that one day the whole herd of horses. The whole herd of horses suddenly began to stampede toward a mirage in the desert and he blew his horn and he kept blowing it and blowing it, and five mayors turned around and the rest of the herd when stamping over to the mirage and the story is that it was those five mayors that were used to breeder the very famous Arabian horses. It was God does when times get tough. And this is true whether it's church state issues or whether it's your personal struggles or whatever God blows his horn and he tests his people to see how many will be faithful and old median, no matter how tough it gets and he says that if you are upon you. He says the spirit of God and of glory will rest will rest if we could look at it from the standpoint of eternity wouldn't be much better to be among those who are faithful to God and Nazi Germany. Even though it cost them their lives and their families than those who went along with the regime who live, but now are accountable to God. God is with us no matter what we will will triumph, for it is he who will cast down our enemies.

Let us pray our father, we thank you today for the privilege and the great honor that it is to live at this time.

Surely no time in American history has been as interesting as exciting and is challenging and we pray father that as we have the opportunity to interact with people that we might always represent Christ that we might be able to stand for that which is right no matter where it takes place to stand against evil and that you might make us all that we should be even if times get more difficult. We thank you that we are filled with nothing but joy and hope for. We have all of your promises in the strength of your character to help us through for that.

Father, we praise you in Jesus name on them. You know my friend. We should be spending time on her knees, interceding for the church of Jesus Christ today because we are facing tremendous challenges you know is you been listening to this series of messages entitled hipsters cross how the cross was used to promote the Nazi agenda. Perhaps you missed some of the messages or there are messages that you would like to hear again were making them available to you in permanent form for gift of any amount you can go to RTW offer.com or you can call us at 1-888-218-9337 nine going to be giving you that contact info again. I hope that you have an opportunity to find a pencil to write down this information and I want to thank you in advance for helping us. We believe that this ministry which is in 20 different countries and for different languages is blessed because of people like you and we exist to give you resources to help you make it all the way to the finish line.

So here's what you do go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 ask for the series of messages on Nazi Germany God and Hitler who was in charge an excellent question. Go to RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 and for my heart to yours today, let me thank you so much for your prayers for your faithfulness for your willingness to allow us to come into your home, your car wherever you are, you listen to running to win. We thank you for that privilege. You can write to access running to win 1635 Cell Blvd., Chicago line 60614.

The Bible tells us to run life's race to please Jesus, whose sacrifice on the cross but the forgiveness of our sins.

Next time we begin a series on the life of a man who ran his race.

Just like that will meet someone who was chiseled by the Masters hand. Join us as we trace the life of Peter, a man renamed by Christ.

This is Dave McAllister running to win is sponsored by the Moody Church