Esther 3:8
Stand
Today is Grandparent’s Day and, while I want to speak to all, I
especially want to direct my words to the grandparents.
There is a movement which has been on-going for decades but has
reached a fervor today. It is an anti-movement. "Against what?" you
ask. Basically, against everything that you and I were taught and
have stood for throughout our lives. (That may sound like an
exaggeration, but it is not.)
There is an anti-God movement. They took prayer out of school, Bible
teaching out of school, Bible reading out of school, and even the
posting of the Ten Commandments out of school. Not only so, but they
rewrote American history, changing God and His people from being the
heroes of the story to being the enemies of the story.
That began more than 50 years ago so that now we are on our third or
fourth generations of adults who have no understanding or even
exposure to the truth. That is what has made it so easy for the other
anti-movements to rise.
There is an anti-American movement. Our country has and does have
its faults. I cannot say that there were not some horrible things
done to the natives of this land; but all along the way, there have
been some who tried to stand for right and, by doing do, this country
became the most tolerant, the most peaceful, the most powerful, and
the most blessed in the history of the world.
Many of the more recent generations have no idea how blessed they
have been to be born and to live in this country and are determined
to desecrate and destroy everything that is America.
There is an anti-capitalism movement. America is the only country in
the world where rich sports figures, actors, and politicians condemn
those who work and try to make a living for having too much. They
trample the flag, kneel during the anthem, and insult everyone from
the police who protect them to the soldier who fights to protect
their freedom. They have no love for this country, but they won’t
leave it! They praise Islam and socialism, but won’t move to a
country that is socialist or Muslim. Instead they leech off the
hard workers of this country while insulting everything that makes
it possible for them to do so.
With that background in mind, I want to share three thoughts with you
from the Bible.
I. It is time to stand.
A. In a time when so many are taking a knee, it is time for
Christians to take a stand!
B. I am talking to everyone but especially to the grandparents.
1. I know you thought you had done your bit and were due for
a comfortable retirement, but you are not.
2. You are still alive and some of you probably will be for
another 30 to 40 years yet.
3. If you start or keep sitting on the sidelines, America is
liable to be destroyed long before you die and your
comfortable retirement life may be spent in a
concentration camp, a prison, or a sanitarium somewhere.
C. If you don’t think that is where things are headed, then…
1. Go look at the people that are pushing these agendas.
s. They are hate-filled, rage-filled, venom-filled
individuals with no logic, no civility, and no self
control.
b. In my opinion, the only thing that is holding them
back is the Holy Ghost and the consequences of their
actions—and I am not certain how much longer either
one will continue to do so.
2. Go back and read the Bible description of what happens.
a. The Bible speaks of persecutions, prisons, beatings,
and death.
\\#Matt 5:10-12, 2Tim 3:11-13, Romans 8:35\\
b. It talks of a time when no one will be able to buy or
sell unless they have a number granted to them by the
political powers that be.
c. It is not a question of IF these things will come but
WHEN.
d. Granted, I do not know when these things will start
and have no Biblical grounds to say anything but that
they are imminent, that is "could happen at any
moment," but I feel that the time is close.
D. Consider the book of Esther.
Read \\#Esther 3:8-10, 4:6-14\\
1. Some say that preachers should not meddle in the political
and cultural arena.
2. Everything in this book deals with the political and
cultural wellbeing of the Jews.
a. In fact, God is never mentioned in the book of Esther.
b. Not at all. Not once.
c. It is strictly a book about the people of God and what
they had to do to stay alive.
3. Esther, through no efforts of her own, became queen.
4. An evil man, Haman by name, wanted to kill the Jews and
put into effect a plan to kill to do so.
5. Mordecai, Esther’s uncle, encouraged Esther to do
something, but her first thought was, "There is nothing I
can do."
6. \\#Esther 4:14\\ Mordecai’s answer was clear.
a. Deliverance (enlargement) is going to come from some
place.
(1) Mordecai knew that because he knew God had a plan
for the Jews.
(2) I cannot tell you this country will be delivered
from the anti-movers.
(3) In fact, quite the opposite, I can you tell you
that one day, they will win.
(4) But I will tell you that America is worth
standing up for!
b. If you do nothing, you will not be spared and your
family will not be spared.
(1) This is why I want to speak the grandparents.
(2) It is not just you and me and our generation that
is going to go down.
(3) We stand for our children and grandchildren!
c. And then he challenged her.
(1) Who knows but this is what you were born for?!
(2) Grandparents, in this time of life when you
thought you were finishing, who knows but what
you have just found the real reason God created
you.
II. There are some things for which we need to stand.
A. In fact, they are many. Some we need to stand for and some we
need to stand against. Let me give you but three.
B. Stand for God.
1. I realize God does not NEED us to stand up for Him.
a. He is God, and God can certainly take care of Himself.
b. However, I have had occasions where others stood for
me, and I greatly appreciated it.
2. God has called Christians to stand for Him.
a. That is what every command to preach and teach is
about.
b. That is what the church exists to do.
c. And training the church to stand is the purpose of
every office within the church.
3. God called us to stand for Him in our churches, in our
communities, in our places of work, in our culture, and in
our politics.
4. A Christian who does not stand for God will deserve the
kind of nation he gets.
C. Stand for work.
1. I know that sounds strange but work is not just a social
issue.
a. It is a Scriptural issue.
Gen 3:19 …cursed is the ground for thy sake;
in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of
thy life;
18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth
to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the
field;
19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat
bread, till thou return unto the ground;
(1) Like it or not, when sin came in work came in.
(2) Paul said that if we do not work, we should not
eat.
(3) If God tells us something and we don’t do it,
that is a sin.
b. That means it is also a spiritual issue.
(1) God has always intended man to work.
(2) Adam worked—not as hard, but he worked—before
sin entered and I suspect that we will work in
the life to come.
(3) It is just God’s plan.
c. After those two, not working becomes a social issue.
(1) The social implications of a people that will not
work is NOT the church’s first priority, but it
is a priority none—the-less.
(2) No government can supply for a nation of people
that do not produce, and no government is so
foolish as not to know that.
(3) Any government that advocates socialism knows it
is going to fail.
(a) Their goal will never be to take care of the
people.
(b) It will always be to take control of the
people.
(c) In the end, they will cast away whoever they
deem unnecessary to make themselves full,
fat, and flourishing.
2. I know we all make jokes about work and there are
certainly times when we need a break, but a person who
can work and will not hurts himself by not working.
D. Stand for America.
1. I do not know that I can give you a Bible reason to stand
for America, but I can tell you that on the path this
country is traveling, our freedom to share Christ or any
truth from the Bible with anyone will end.
2. America was the church to world for 150 years. She may
not be what she once was but, to this date, there is no
nation or people who have risen to the challenge.
3. The world needs America.
III. There are some ways to stand.
A. How do we stand?
1. I am not speaking of violence or terrorism or wars or
even being rude, hateful, or angry.
2. The Bible tells us that we have a different set of tools
at our disposal.
2Cor 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are
not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling
down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high
thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge
of God, and bringing into captivity every thought
to the obedience of Christ;
3. The weapons of this world will not aid us in accomplishing
our mission.
4. We stand by doing what God has told us to do.
B. What?
1. We stand by praying.
2. We stand for God by sharing salvation.
a. That is the only hope for the lost. The lost has, is,
and always will be the primary calling for every
Christian.
b. Jesus Christ is the only Hope for America.
(1) No argument, no nugget of wisdom, no personality,
and no politician is going to change the
direction of America.
(2) We might slow it down a little but the only Power
which can change its course is Jesus Christ.
c. And if we cannot change America or win the
multitudes, we will keep preaching Jesus for the
sake of the individuals.
3. We stand by teaching truth.
4. We stand by believing God will.
Last, why do I preach this message on Grandparents Sunday? There are
many reasons, but let me share a few.
1. Most of you are old enough to see how our country has turned.
2. Most of you care enough to want to help.
3. Most of are wise enough to realize time is running out.
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