Discerning the Times in Which We Live: Tragic or Triumphant
October 2nd is being called “Pulpit Freedom Sunday” and will involve several hundred pastors across the nation speaking directly and freely about the spiritual, economic, political and social issues facing our nation with direct reference to where our leaders and potential leaders stand on the issues.
The reason this is important is due to the imaginary belief that the church is not supposed to speak to these issues, particularly on political, social and economic issues. Yet the whole council of God involves all issues relevant to life and liberty – personal, family community and nation. I will participate with other pastors to speak the truth and inform the people of God from the Scripture what is happening in our day. We believe that this will have a monumental impact on our nation and set a new precedent to eliminate fear in the pulpits and dispel the fable that the church must keep silent.
Leading up to October 2nd, I will be teaching that our Christian responsibility is to discern the times, develop the troops, defeat the treachery, declare the truth and deepen our testimony.
Certainly we may look at all that is happening in our culture, in society and in Washington DC and say it is most definitely tragic. But I am someone who radically believes in the sovereignty of God. I believe that nothing that is taking place in this world has caught God by surprise! Psalms 103:15-19 says,
“As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field;
16 the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.
17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children,
18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.
19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.”
In other words, God has the last word on everything even concerning the current events of our day. Over the past several weeks, we have watched with great amazement as our nation continued to decline into greater financial crisis. Things have happened recently that have not happened in our lifetime. Our nation spends too much, intervenes in the affairs of men too much, listens to the people too little and adheres even less to the principles of God’s Word. We have a society that is tolerant to unhealthy and immoral relationships with an effort to redefine marriage. We have a culture of death on the rise with disrespect for the rights of the unborn. We have animal rights that have surpassed human rights; we have soldiers in prison for killing terrorists and terrorists who have killed soldiers being released with rights they do not deserve.
Obviously, these are things that can be defined as tragic situations. Tragic is defined as suffering extreme distress or sorrow and indeed there is distress and sorrow being felt by many. The question for us is will these tragic situations become permanent conditions? Will they define us as a people, a nation and society? Or is there hope for triumph through transformation?
It is true that our problems are not due to human carelessness but with pride, greed, fraud, sin and wickedness.
I read a sermon preached by Karl Barth on Sunday, April 21st, 1912, one week after the sinking of the Titanic. Barth stated that the Titanic did not sink because of a failure of technology. The Titanic, which was on its maiden voyage, was the largest, newest, most expensive, and fastest ship ever built and contained within it the most advanced technology of its day. From a technical side, every available safety feature was built into the ship’s design. The ship was declared to be “unsinkable.”
The Titanic sank, not because of some technological deficiency. It sank because of human greed and error. The Titanic sank because the captain of the ship was under an enormous pressure by the ship’s owners to break the speed record for the shortest time from England to the United States. He did not have the safety of his passengers at the center of his attention.
It wasn’t that the captain of the Titanic did not know that the waters of the North Atlantic are some of the most dangerous in the world. Cautious sailors always cross this icy expanse with great care. Indeed, many make a detour around it. But the captain of the Titanic had other things on his mind. He was trying to break a speed record and so the ship sailed at full speed day and night and took the most direct route. According to one witness, when the captain continued to be warned by radio that there were great fields of ice around him, he ordered the ship’s radio to be cut off. There were 2200 people on board the Titanic, including passengers and crew. The ship had only enough lifeboats for 700 people. So 1500 people died that night. All of these deaths were due to human error not technological deficiency.
We are living in a day and time when the ship seems to be sinking and people’s lives hang in the balance. Something needs to be done! Your questions may be, ‘what can I do?’ There is a great ned for a godly people! A prophetic people that can discern the times and speak life as well as deliver life into a dark and desolate day.
I want to challenge us to rise up to be God's image bearers and blow the trumpet of Zion! We become the 'children of Issachar' knowing the times and delivering solutions that will effect change. We must take our place in a status of holiness in our homes, our churches, our community and our nation. Then and only then will the Kingdom of God emerge with great fervor and fire. Are you ready?
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