Two days ago the peaceful silence in Newtown, Connecticut was shattered by unimaginable evil as 20 children and six adults were ruthlessly killed. The horrific stories coming out of this small town are beyond what we can fully grasp. There is no way to measure the loss that has occurred, nor is it possible by any human means to recover what has been lost.
Only a few days prior to this terrible event, on the other side of the country, a man walked into a shopping mall in Portland, Oregon and opened fire, killing three people.
Tragedies such as these are a chilling, unsettling reminder that the world we live in is in serious trouble. The apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians makes it clear that the world, as it stands today, follows the prince of the power of the air, Satan. Those who continue to live in disobedience to God and in rebellion against Him serve to fulfill the purposes and plans of Satan. (Ephesians 2:2)
In his second letter to the Thessalonians Paul again mentions the work of Satan in the world and reminds us that God's Holy Spirit now restrains his work. Unfortunately, the tragic events of this past week are just a glimpse of what the world will be like when God's Spirit steps away and Satan is given full, unrestrained access to the world. (2 Thess. 2:7) This darkest period of human history will occur just before the second coming of Jesus during a period of unparalleled tribulation upon the earth.
Why does evil continue to raise its ugly head in the world? There are two reasons:
(1) We live in a world under the influence of Satan.
(2) Every person is born with a sinful heart
Every single person is born with a selfish, sinful, spiritually depraved heart. God made a startling observation of mankind just prior to the great flood where He destroyed every living creature on the face of the earth except for Noah, his family, and the animals on the ark. God looked out across the world and he saw that "every inclination of the thought of man's heart is only evil all the time." (Genesis 6:5)
Romans chapter three echoes the same truth: that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We are all sinners and the payment owed by us, because of our sin, is death. (Romans 6:23)
In the midst of this helpless situation the words of the angel that appeared to the shepherds give us hope: "there is good news of great joy that will be for all people!" (Luke 2:10) The "good news" is while we were still sinners, God sent his Son, Jesus. He was born in the manger; born to suffer and die and rise again, conquering death. Jesus alone made the necessary payment for sin, once for all, by dying in our place. The undeniable truth of the Bible is that those who believe in Jesus would have eternal life.
We know THE way, THE truth, and THE life. His name is Jesus and He is coming again very soon.
Sadly, we now live in a nation where mentioning the name, Jesus, is called offensive. Ladies and gentlemen, what we are seeing is the reality of Romans chapter 1. Paul wrote to the church at Rome who were living in a very tolerant, everything goes type culture. The lines between right and wrong had disappeared. It was very much like our own nation. Here's what Paul wrote:
Read Romans 1:16-32
What a description for our nation. We have glorified and promoted man above God. Our culture not only willfully allows sinful behavior but it promotes, legalizes and encourages it.
The remedy to this carnage and evil is not government, gun control, tolerance, or positive thinking. The only solution to the problem of evil, sin and death is the baby born in the manger, Jesus, the Christ.
When tragedies such as these strike we must do what Jesus called us to do in Luke 13:1-5. In Luke 13 we read about a guy named Pilate. Pilate had killed some Galileans while they were offering sacrifices: a tragedy! In Luke 13:4 Jesus references 18 people who died when a tower tragically fell on them. The point of Jesus' teaching in Luke 13:1-5 was that being killed or not being killed is no measure of a person's righteousness or lack thereof.
Anyone can die at anytime; even little ones sitting in a classroom. However, only God's grace causes anyone to live. Physical death is a common denominator for everyone. Unless Christ returns first, we are all going to physically die. Jesus said that unless you repent and trust in Him you will also perish for eternity. God sent his Son, that those who would believe in Him would not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
When tragedy strikes we should grieve with those who grieve. We should go home and hug our kids and our grand-kids extra tight. We should tell them about Jesus, our only hope. We should repent and turn back to God. We should weep, mourn and wail for the sin of our nation as the prophet Jeremiah and so many others have done.
I read this wonderful synopsis of several Psalms somewhere online after the events in Connecticut:
"How long, O, Lord? How long before you return to eradicate all evil, redeem all tragedies, and make all things new? How long, O, Lord, how long? Your Bride weeps and waits for you."
I invite you to join me as we kneel before our Father, as an act of contrite humility, and pray.
(prayer)
Our infinite God of mercy, comfort and justice. We come before you humbly this morning confident in your love and mercy for your people. We confess that our nation has turned away from you. We confess that far too often we love sin more than we love you. We come before you asking you, as the God of all comfort, to comfort those who mourn today over the loss of children, grandchildren, wives, husbands, friends. We acknowledge that you are the God of justice and we know that some day all wrongs will be righted. We ask for a spirit of repentance and revival to dominate our land. We thank you for the blood of your Son, Jesus, that is greater than all our sin. We pray that people will turn and trust in Jesus. We pray that we, as your church, will be salt and light in this dark, sinful, lifeless world. Father, give us courage to share the hope that is only found in our Lord, Jesus Christ, the baby born in the manger. May we boldly proclaim: Immanuel! God is with us. In the Name of Jesus, the Christ, we pray. Amen.
