Things To Remember
In the Wake of the September 11, 2001 Tragedy
The tragic events of September 11, 2001 brought so many feelings and emotions to so many people. For the first time, we realized as a nation how vulnerable we have become. Easing the feelings of instability and insecurity has been one of our president’s greatest battles.
But for those who know Christ, we need to be reminded at this sensitive hour in our country of some very important things.
I. We Must Not Live In Fear - Isaiah 43:1
A. The Devil Wants To Make You Fear That He Can Destroy You At Will -
Time and again in the Old Testament an outnumbering enemy would come and threaten God’s people. Immediately the message would come from heaven through the prophets “Don’t be afraid!” Their enemy wanted them to fear, because they knew that if fear could be instilled in their hearts, they could control their every move. When fear is instilled, very little resistance will come from the fearful.
Examples of those were threatened by outnumbering armies: Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah
B. God Wants You To Have Faith In Him -
When faith reigns in the heart, fear can’t exist. The Lord needs us to remember that He is worthy of our trust even when things are chaotic.
The kings I mentioned before were faced with the challenge of hearing the word of the Lord and believing it, or hearing the word of the enemy and believing them. They ultimately chose to believe the word of the Lord.
The people of Israel had to somehow believe God’s promise after 400 years of slavery. We have to believe in God after being attacked so viciously on September 11. Fear can paralyze you to be able to live in the freedom we have come to know, but not only as an American, also as a Christian. Fear in one area of your life can translate into fear in all areas of your life. But faith in one area of your life, will help you to face every pain and struggle with faith in other areas of your life.
II. We Must Remember The Value Of The Soul
How do we arrive at how valuable man’s soul really is?
A. By Looking At How Much Satan Wants To Destroy Life
Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy.” Peter reminded us that “your adversary, the devil goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.”
We can understand a little more of how valuable our soul is by how much Satan wants to destroy us as human beings. He knows if he can take people out before they have had a chance to call on the Lord, then he has them for eternity. Satan knows how valuable human beings are to God and this is why he is trying his best to destroy us.
But before you dwell on this too much, Jesus stepped onto the scene and declared in the same verse in which He revealed Satan for who and what he is, that Jesus has “come that we might have life.” This leads me to the next point which reveals the value of the soul.
We see the value of the soul...
B. By Looking At The Price That Was Paid For Man’s Soul – The Cross.
I realize there may be many people today who are angry at God, but I want to point us all back to the one event that changed, not an individual, not a nation, but the world forever. It is the one event in human history that Satan has been trying to stamp out and eradicate. It is the death of our Savior on the cross.
The cross shows the incredible love that Jesus has for us. I wish I could say that the cross would eliminate all pain and suffering, but it didn’t. It eliminated something so much more important than that. It brought an end to the horrible power of sin, and brought eternal life into a world that was full of sin and death.
III. We Must Keep Our Eyes On Jesus
When we keep our eyes on Him, in what way must we view Him?
A. As Lord – We must remember that in circumstances that defy understanding and reason, He is sovereign. The Lord has not lost control of the earth as a result of what happened this week. While we don’t understand it all, we need to trust that God is still in charge.
B. As Savior – Though we often wrestle with the question of why God allows things like this to happen, we must remember that Jesus still died on the cross for our sins and the sins of all mankind. For anyone (and I’m sure there are some) to blame God for allowing this to take place has yet to view the wonder and the power of the Cross.
C. As Judge – 2 Timothy 4:1 “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:…” The Bible declares that in the end, Jesus will sit on the Throne to judge the living and the dead. In the end, Jesus will judge those who felt it was within their right to destroy human life. As the Righteous Judge, He will right all the wrongs that have taken place on this earth.
D. As King of Kings and Lord of Lords –Revelation 17:14 “They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.” Revelation 19:16 “On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”
This is a name that somehow defies description. I don’t think we understand this name fully, since it does not appear as though He has emerged as this yet. The Bible seems to place this name on Him for a time yet to come. Don’t get me wrong, I am not suggesting that He is not yet the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, but simply that He has not been revealed to the world as such. So until that time when He is revealed to all the world as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, let us see Him for who the Bible states that He is – King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Until He is revealed to the whole world as this, we need to hang onto the words found in Hebrews 2:8-9, “In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. 9But we see Jesus” and then again in Hebrews 12:2 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
The lessons for us to remember are simple and yet powerful:
I. We Must Not Live In Fear, But In Faith
II. We Must Remember The Value Of The Soul
III. We Must Fix Our Eyes On Jesus, More Now Than Ever.
