Gtcotr/071716
Psalms 118 NKJV
1 Oh, give thanks to the
LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
2 Let Israel now say,
"His mercy endures forever."
3 Let the house of Aaron now
say, "His mercy endures forever."
4 Let those who fear the LORD
now say, "His mercy endures forever."
5 I called on the LORD in
distress; The LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.
6 The LORD is on my
side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?
7 The LORD is for me among
those who help me; Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.
8 It is better to
trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man.
9 It is better to
trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in princes.
10 All nations surrounded me,
But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
11 They surrounded me, Yes,
they surrounded me; But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
12 They surrounded me like
bees; They were quenched like a fire of thorns; For in the name of the LORD I
will destroy them.
13 You pushed me violently,
that I might fall, But the LORD helped me.
14 The LORD is my
strength and song, And He has become my salvation.
Have
you ever been afraid? I don’t mean that startled feeling that comes when
something unexpected suddenly happens - like having a blowout on a car or a dog
comes from out of nowhere and barks at you and makes you jump. That’s a
different kind of fear than the fear I’m referring to this morning.
The
kind of fear I want to talk to you about today is that gripping haunting
captivating fear that looms large and overshadows every other facet of life so
that every thought, each conversation and activity is subject to being
interrupted and somehow colored by that fear. This type of fear produces either
depression or anger. Life can so quickly become a prison when everything you
see, hear or experience has to be passed through a filter of fear, hurt and
anger. People hate to be made to feel afraid.
Fear
can make us hate our enemies, hate our co-workers and even hate members of our
own family. Fear, or the threat of it, can make us want to retaliate and hurt
those whom we imagine are perpetrating that threat. Whether real or imagined,
threats can make irrational behavior seem very rational to the person who is
afraid. For the most part, people just want to stop being made to feel afraid while
for others, they feel a vengeful rage which cannot be satisfied until they have
hurt those whom they feel are hurting them or the people they love.
Injustice
looms louder and lasts longer than those times when there were no infractions.
When we take it personal or make it personal … or worse yet, when it is
personal, it can be very hard to get over.
We
cannot justify what some people do in their personal reaction to the things
they fear … but we can try to understand that fear. We can hope to understand
without fearing that our attempts to understand will somehow validate or
justify horrible acts that we cannot and should not tolerate.
·
Fear
is terrible …
·
Justified
fear is worse …
·
Because
fear has torment …
·
It’s
terrible to be continually tormented by fear … however …
The
Psalmist wrote about both a natural time and a spiritual time. We who are Born
Again Believers and Members of the Body of Christ throughout the earth are
living today in the Spiritual Age of the Church. King David speaks of the
eternal principle which teaches us that:
Our
victory is not in our enemy’s defeat. Our victory is in the Name of the Lord!
Our
greatest help and our only hope to right the wrongs and heal the hurts caused
to us by Satan, who is the enemy of our souls, will be found in the Name of the
Lord Jesus. Jesus interpreted this Psalm and told us how to defeat our enemies.
He said it this way:
Matthew 5 NKJV
43 "You have heard that
it was said, ’You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44 "But I say to you,
love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you,
and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”
Proverbs 25 NKJV
21 If your enemy is hungry,
give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
22 For so you will
heap coals of fire on his head, And the LORD will reward you.
Romans 12 NKJV
17 Repay no one evil for
evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
18 If it is possible, as much
as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Beloved, do not avenge
yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written,
"Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.
20 Therefore "If your
enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing
you will heap coals of fire on his head."
21 Do not be overcome by
evil, but overcome evil with good.
The
only true victory will come by the Spirit of the Lord when the hearts and minds
of men and women are set free from demonic deception that breeds prejudice,
racism, fear, hatred, radical terrorism, hate mongering, and revenge. If this
deliverance is ever to take place it must first begin at the House of God and
with the Children of God. Just as King David said, victory over our enemies is
in the Name of the Lord.
The
Church cannot take sides in the world and follow the devil’s desire to pit man
against man, family against family, race against race or religion against
religion. The Church, which is the family of God in the earth, must represent
God. The unified Church of the Living God must stand together and be above the
common prejudices and biased acts and attitudes we see in the world. The prince
of this world has tried to manipulate Believers and bring disunity even in the
Church in attempts to separate Christians on issues related to the injustices
inherent in a world governed by man.
The
Church must be aware of these injustices and racial inequalities in America and
around the world and speak to them and stand with those downtrodden and
disenfranchised without becoming hardened or violent in our reactions. We must
take our stand for what is right based on the Word of the Lord Jesus and for
His purposes and not for the causes of men. Hate and vengeance are not a duty
God has given to the Church.
Injustices
and acts of terrorism are perpetrated by those who are mentally and spiritually
unstable. All of the heinous acts we have seen on the nightly news these past
few weeks are indicative of a world without the love, joy, and peace that comes
from a relationship with Jesus Christ.
What
can you do? What does God expect and what does this world need from the Church
and from every Born Again Believer in Jesus - White; Black; Hispanic; Asian;
Employer; Employee, Student; Teacher; Police and Prisoner alike … If you are a
Believer in Jesus I command you, yet not I but the Lord:
1.
Recognize the Reality of Racism and Realize that it is a demonic force aimed
at tearing down individuals and people groups and tearing up Relationships
within families, communities, and nations.
2.
Repent of any involvement or support you have given to the devil’s desires
by tolerating racist thoughts, attitudes, or acts in your life, family, or circle
of friends without Raising a Reasonable challenge.
3.
Stop participating in conversations where disparaging remarks are
made.
4.
Pray for those on every side who are hurt, afraid, angry and filled with
the poison of hatred spread by the devil and those who work iniquity. And
especially pray for those who just want peace, justice, forgiveness, and hope –
those who are working for a better tomorrow.
5.
Do your Part to be a Hand Reaching out, a Heart Opened up and a Voice
Speaking Light in the darkness of this world.
Philippians 2:15 That you may
become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a
crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.
