Sermon Cloud

Battling the beast

Our world and our little corner of the world is faced with a number of crises:

Hurricane Ike

Death of 19-year old in a car crash (Breena LeAnn Cardenas)

Death of a 32-year old serving our country in Afghanistan (Capt. Bruno de Solenni)

Economic crisis that could starve many Americans

Sometimes we ask, "Why did God let this happen? Doesn't he care?"

He cares-he gave us life!

Genesis 2:7 (NIV) the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

Revelation 20:14 (NIV) Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.

The battle belongs to the Lord

Instead of battling God, we need to battle on God's side!

How does Jesus Christ handle our crises?

Jesus is king over all. We need to be on his side.

Luke 11:14-15 (NIV) ¹⁴ Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. ¹⁵ But some of them said, "By Beelzebub, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons."

Luke 11:16 (NIV) Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.

Luke 11:17-20 (NIV) ¹⁷ Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: "Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. ¹⁸ If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebub. ¹⁹ Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. ²⁰ But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.

Ephesians 6:10-13 (NIV) ¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

We're not battling alcoholics, but alcoholism

Not Muslims, but Islam

Not bank tellers and loan officers and congressmen, but the economy

Luke 11:21-22 (NIV) ²¹ "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. ²² But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils.

We're facing powers too strong for us. Hurricanes, wars, economy, death. We human beings are strong, but not strong enough! We need the one who is really strong.

Luke 11:23 (NIV) "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.

Luke 11:24-26 (NIV) ²⁴ "When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' ²⁵ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. ²⁶ Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first."

Luke 11:27-28 (NIV) ²⁷ As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you." ²⁸ He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."