Submitted by admin on Sun, 19/10/2008 - 3:16pm
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You must be at least 4 feet, 8 inches tall to ride Space Mountain. People with heart conditions or women who are pregnant should not ride this death trap. Please remove your glasses and all other loose objects. Please fasten your seatbelt. Please sign this insurance disclaimer and submit a copy of your life insurance policy.
Amusement park roller coasters offer a little excitement. But the financial roller coaster this country has been on the last couple of weeks has made a lot of people very nervous! Uncertainty is epidemic. For some it's more like fear, worry, and anxiety. If the folks on Main Street are nervous, there is foreboding on Wall Street. Apprehension in Washington. Panic on the global markets.
The media—TV, newspapers, magazines, web casts—all of them seem alarmed. It's the top news story day after day: "The Dow is up—but very volatile. The Dow is off 800 points. Consumer spending fell off a cliff." And they continue to fan the flames of uncertainty, spreading doom and gloom.
Average people who ordinarily never really give their retirement accounts a second thought now are wondering, "Has my nest egg shrunk? How much have I lost?" Workers hear about massive layoffs and downsizing and worry, "Will I still have a job next year? Or next week?" Business owners lose sleep about their bottom line and wonder how long they'll be able to keep things going.
People are upset and angry. One article this week by Peter Boone and Simon Johnson was titled, "The Next World War? It Could Be Financial." Did you hear that the country of Iceland declared bankruptcy? Iceland said it wouldn't pay its debts, so England filed a lawsuit against Iceland.
The world has been upset with the U.S. in the past because it controlled so much wealth. Now the world is upset because the U.S. didn't control it better. Investor greed and consumer weakness for credit has undermined the global economy—adversely affecting foreign markets and countries.
So, in times like these, I think it's important to know a few basic things Jesus would want us to know:
Matthew 24:6 - 8
6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.
7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
Luke 21:25 - 28
"25 There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
Luke 21:34 - 36
"34 Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."
1. No matter what, We don't have to be "alarmed." 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. (Matt 24:6)
Don't be "alarmed." NASB: "frightened"; Greek: throeô "to be troubled"; NLT: "don't panic"; CEV: "don't be afraid."
Fear, anxiety, worry, concern, apprehension, dread, panic, paranoia—all these are tools the enemy uses to undermine our faith and destroy our confidence in God. The enemy uses these like a wedge to drive us away from God, to ruin our relationship of love and trust in the Lord.
Phrases such as "Fear not... Do not be afraid... Do not fear... take courage... be strong and courageous... take heart" appear dozens of times in the Bible. It's not by accident.
These words were spoken to Hagar watching her son die of thirst in the desert; to Abraham feeling he'd never receive God's promise; to Jacob worried about going to Egypt; to the Israelites threatened by the Egyptian army; to Gideon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Joseph, and others. Over and over again God tells his people to not be afraid, to be courageous, to stand firm.
Moses told Joshua as he was about to lead the people into the Promised Land: 6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." (Deut 31:6)
We don't have to be afraid or terrified or alarmed because of what's happening in the world today. Because no matter what, the Lord goes with us. No matter what, he will never leave us nor forsake us.
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:6-7)
Have you heard the saying, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself"? Franklin Delano Roosevelt said that at a time when there was a lot of hand-wringing in this country. He was referring to the economic conditions of the time—which we now call The Great Depression.
"...let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."FDR was saying that fear and pessimism guarantee failure. Fear and anxiety sabotage our future. When he said this, the U.S. was gripped with great uncertainty. The stock market had crashed a couple of years before. Banks had failed. Factories shut down. Many people were out of work, out of money, and out of hope. After 30 years of economic growth, the country didn't know how to cope with economic setbacks. And in the midst of that doom-and-gloom atmosphere, Roosevelt understood the first thing people needed was a boost in confidence.
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" means fear can paralyze us from making good decisions—hard choices—necessary to overcome challenges. Overcome fear, and we can start moving forward.
"Nothing to fear but fear itself." This is true in a natural sense, which is why FDR wanted to instill optimism and courage—antidotes to fear. But the statement is also true in a spiritual sense. In fact, fear about material things can lead to spiritual problems and setbacks.
Fear about the job loss or shrinking investments or physical illness can cause spiritual anxiety. Material fear and spiritual fear are linked together. Why? Because the enemy of our souls knows if he can cripple us with fear—about physical, material things!—he can paralyze us spiritually. We'll be unable to move, unable take the next step on our spiritual journey, unable to trust God, and unable to follow him. The devil wants to immobilize us with fear.
Fear is a bigger problem than the problems we fear. Fear as a spiritual problem is more debilitating than the physical challenges we face. Fear is like a weed in your garden: if you leave fear unchecked, it will grow and spread.
- Fear
erodes faith.
- We know it's impossible to please God without faith (Heb 11:6), but fear erodes our faith and undermines our relationship with God.
- We know even small faith can move mountains (Matt 21:21), but intimidation minimizes our effectiveness in God's kingdom.
-
Fear
undermines confidence.
- We believe God's promises are real and certain (2 Pet 1:4), but fear destroys our trust and confidence in what God has said.
- We believe God's power gives us everything for life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3), but doubt robs us of confidence and fills us with discouragement.
-
Fear
paralyzes action.
- We know faith without action is dead (Jas 2:17), but fear can suck the life right out of faith, leaving it ineffective—and dead.
- We know we must be bold and knock on God's door (Luke 11:8-10), but fear keeps our hands in our pockets. Fear keeps us from knocking.
If your confidence for the future is placed in your investments or your nest egg, in your mutual funds or your IRAs, then you're going to be anxious at times like this.
But if your confidence is in the Lord, then you don't have to be afraid—no matter what's happening on Wall Street or in Washington on in the world.
31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?' or ‘What shall we drink?' or ‘What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt 6:31-34)
You'll take afternoon naps without a worry, you'll enjoy a good night's sleep. No need to panic over alarms or surprises, or predictions that doomsday's just around the corner, Because GOD will be right there with you; he'll keep you safe and sound. (Prov 3:24-26, MSG)
Jesus also wants us to know that...
2. The world's systems will be "starved" and "shaken." 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. (Matt 24:7)
Famines and earthquakes...
There is a famine for truth. People are fed junk food information and don't even realize that they are starved for spiritual truth. We fill our heads with the notion that human beings are smart enough and good enough and strong enough to solve all their own problems. We gorge ourselves on mistaken fallacies—that schools can reeducate people or that our elected officials can pass laws to cure social ills or that regulation can eradicate greed on Wall Street.
While we fill our stomachs with such myths, we are starved for the only thing that can truly make a difference in society—hearts and lives that have been radically transformed by the grace of God. When individuals are forgiven of their sins, when they abandon their selfish ways, and when they start living the way Jesus said we should live, then society will be changed.
Tonight at the Denfeld High School auditorium, Nicki Cruz will tell the story of how God saved him. It wasn't a rehab program or a prison sentence that turned Nicki Cruz around. You don't take a hard-core, drug-addicted gang member and make him into a model citizen by educating him! No! You don't change an addict by putting him in detox overnight. No! You don't cure an addict by passing anti-drug laws or cutting off the supply from other countries. No! Nicki Cruz was transformed only by the power of God. He encountered God's love at the cross of Calvary.
This is the truth people need to hear. The world is starving for this truth.
"The days are coming," declares the Sovereign LORD, "when I will send a famine through the land—not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. 12 Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it." (Amos 8:11-12)
Take someone to hear Nicki Cruz tonight. Or next weekend, find a friend who needs to hear about God's power to save, and bring that person to hear the Teen Challenge men's choir here at the Tabernacle. You'll hear more stories like Nicki Cruz's.
In this day and age, it's not just spiritual famine that we face. Jesus said we would also see earthquakes in various places.
We've seen physical earthquakes—one caused a tsunami that wiped out a quarter million people in a few hours. But we forget that God can shake this world in a lot of different ways.
Now we see institutions and governments and financial systems shaken and trembling with cataclysmic upheaval!
...everyone all over the world in a panic, the wind knocked out of them by the threat of doom, the powers-that-be quaking. (Luke 21:26, MSG)
The recent tremors on Wall Street reverberated around the world. Stock markets nosedived in nation after nation. Individuals lost huge chunks of their life's savings. We've heard of major banks collapsing. We've seen the government try to stabilize things with massive infusions of money—but things keep on shaking.
Jesus said, we should expect things to be shaken in this world. He said, All these are the beginning of birth pains. (Matt 24:8)
Why does God want to shake this world along with its institutions and proud men? The Scripture says, 26 [God] has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." 27 The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe... (Heb 12:26-28)
It's in times of crises, when things are shaken, that people look for something that cannot be shaken, something that is steady, stable, and reliable. If you've been trusting in your IRA or your stock broker or your own abilities to use e-trade, God wants you to trust in him instead. He wants us to come to him, to receive his love, and worship him "with reverence and awe," as Hebrews says.
Jesus also wants us to know that...
3. We must be careful. God wants us to be diligent, responsible, and on guard.
" 34 Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch..." (Luke 21:34-36)
Jesus was not giving us investment advice—be careful with your money, guard your IRAs, protect your investments. No, Jesus was giving us advice for our hearts!
Don't be "weighed down with dissipation...drunkenness...anxieties." Dissipation means "the act of scattering or foolishly wasting resources; being reckless and extravagant in pursuing pleasure."
Our society is consumed with dissipation! America has become drunk on the pursuit of happiness, chasing after the good life, wasting ourselves on entertainment and over-indulgence. And what do we have to show for it? Anxiety! Fear! Apprehension about how we're going to make it.
Nearly 2 billion people in the world today struggle to get by on the equivalent of $2 a day or less. Yet it is our affluent, materialistic society that is spending huge amounts of money each year on psychiatrists and mental health, struggling with our neuroses and phobias! What's wrong with this picture?
Dissipation, unabated materialism, and chasing after the good life do not solve our problems. They only exacerbate them! Running after wanton pleasure leads to anxieties, not happiness. This is why Jesus said we should always be "on the watch." Guard your heart and your soul from the attitudes, values, and philosophies of the world.
17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. (1 Tim 6:17)
Don't be caught off guard by the troubles and calamities that come on the world. Be careful. Make good choices. Invest in eternity, not just mutual funds.
18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. (1 Tim 6:18-19)
Finally, Jesus wants us to know that...
4. We have can stand tall and lift our heads high. We've got good reason to stand up, to hold our heads high.
Jesus said, " 28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." (Luke 21:28)
"...Stand tall with your heads high. Help is on the way!" (Luke 21:28, MSG)
We can look forward to something better than withdrawing from our retirement and savings accounts. We have something better than government bailouts and debt-forgiveness. We have redemption on the way. So let's act like it!
David said, "But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head." (Psalms 3:3, NASB)
We should be filled with anticipation and excitement about God's kingdom finally being fulfilled. Some of you have prayed a simple prayer for years: "Thy kingdom come."
Did you mean it? Do you really want God's kingdom to come? Because when his kingdom finally arrives, when his kingdom is finally here—finally fulfilled—it means that this earthly kingdom will be finished.
"Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Did you mean it?
If you did mean it, then you have something to look forward to when you see this world shaken and its institutions crumbling.