A Good Report
There is an old chorus that we used to sing when I was a youth, which says…
Who’s report will you believe
We will believe the report of the Lord
Who’s report will you believe
We will believe the report of the Lord
His report says I am saved
His report says I am healed
His report says I am free
His report says victory
Over the past two weeks since the tragedy in New York, we have been inundated with reports, predictions, preclusion and fear.
The media has searched everywhere to find the most oppressing and depressing stories and the bleakest outlook is some sort of competition between the networks.
And though the facts are staggering and the outlook not picturesque, we still have much to be thankful for.
- We have a president that has called the nation to prayer.
- We have a congress that is united.
- We have a country that is proud of it’s heritage and naming the name of God again.
- We have a people who recognize that our faith cannot be in our defense or our wealth or our wisdom, but only in our God.
Phil 4:6-9
6Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
9Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
As I ponder this text this morning there are two things that stand out in my mind…
- Don’t Worry (Be careful for nothing)
- Think good/positive thoughts (Think on these things)
I feel these two things are what God would have me speak on today.
As a source of encouragement and comfort, even in this hour of terror we must realize that God is our strong tower, our fortress and our deliverer.
I want to take a few moments this morning and explore Phil. 4, and see how it applies to our lives today.
Our text opens up with a command … "Be careful for nothing".
I never want to try and make the bible say something it’s not saying. However, this passage is not at all telling us not to be careful as our current day common use of the term would define.
This is implying and alluding to a much greater and more literal interpretation of the word careful.
What Paul is actually saying is we should not worry, fret or be overly or extremely careful concerning the trials and fears we face.
Our hope is in the Lord and God is our strength.
He has promised we are safe in him.
Prov 18:10
10The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
We have a strong tower and safety while we trust in his name.
That does not mean we will never be attacked, or that we will never have trouble or that we will be free from the oppressor, but rather that we have a shelter in the time of trouble.
The Psalmist, David made it very clear that his adversary daily attacked him and sometimes he was afraid. But his faith was firmly planted in the Lord his God.
Ps 56:2-4
2Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High.
3What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
4In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
It is expedient that we catch a hold of what David is saying here and make his confession ours.
For in an hour such as this, and for such a time as this we are called.
The hour is dark, but this is when our light can be seen by the most people.
This is the time I must sing.
I must sing of the mercies of the Lord, I must sing of the Glory of the Lord, I must sing of the Salvation of the Lord.
Today more than any other day of my life, men are sensitive to the message and open to the gospel and willing to hear what thus saith the Lord.
Ps 56:9-11
9When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.
10In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word.
11In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
This is something that the world is not seeing today.
Fear is on every hand, in every eye, and on every face.
The news of the hour is What’s Next?
Friend we must understand that this is all part of God’s plan. He is in control and he will deliver the godly and judge the ungodly…
2 Peter 2:9
9The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
Our responsibility today is the same as it has always been.
Preach the acceptable year of our Lord.
2 Cor 6:2
2(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
This day and this time is the hour that we must preach "Jesus is coming". And he is coming very soon.
Just think for a moment what great prophesies have been fulfilled in our Generation and even before our very eyes.
Best News Ever Heard
There is one thing out there about what happened last Tuesday/Friday that came in under the radar and escaped most Christians. Last Friday a week ago for the first time in history, one man (Billy Graham) spoke the Gospel to the entire world at the same time. He gave the sermon at the National Memorial Service and was broadcast on every major television station in the U.S. and by satellite to the world. Every country in the world received this broadcast...and because it was a Geo Political event, every leader watched and heard it translated into his/her language. Many preachers have their messages broadcast in other countries and carried around the world, but this is the first time that the entire world listened to the Gospel preached at one time. The World and All its leaders tuned in and heard the gospel. Never before has one individual preached to the leaders of the world and their country at one time!!
Mark 13:10 - And the Gospel must first be preached to all the nations.
Matt 24:14
14And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Rom 10:14-18
14How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
16But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
17So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
18But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.
My read on this is that through Billy Graham, Biblical prophecy was fulfilled. As I listened to him a week ago Friday, I was in a store that had the entire service broadcast throughout every speaker in the store's audio system.
It was on virtually every TV and radio station and people across America held hands and wept before God. It is my personal belief that the Holy Spirit came upon Billy Graham just as it did upon John the Baptist announcing the Kingdom of God is at hand. I also believe that this is the most significant prophecy to be fulfilled since Israel became a nation in 1948.
Agree or not, it was staggering to hear this. Jesus told us …
Mark 13:33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
Friend this is the hour to watch and keep alert. Jesus is coming.
But even though we know he is coming, we have a powerful calling for today.
This is an hour when we can see souls saved, lives changed and our country brought back to it’s knees before God and experience a real last day revival.
God has promised us that there will be a last day revival and friend I believe this is the hour.
Joel 2:28-29
28And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
And just what is going to bring this revival? 2 Chronicles Chapter 7 tells us.
2 Chron 7:14-15
14If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
15Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.
What a promise and what a responsibility.
When God sees the evil and when he is attentive to our prayers circumstances will change.
The Second thing that I want to bring out in our text this morning is the fact that we should be dwelling on the positive.
Think on these things.
Phil 4:8
8Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
What jumps out at me from this scripture as our word of the hour is "Good Report"!
Satan would love nothing more than to cloud our minds with fear, doubt, depression, revolt, frustration and fatigue.
But our God is bigger than all his lies.
The news media has their place in our lives, and that is to tell the news.
The news is just that … The telling of facts & figures, the showing of current scenes & landscapes and publishing the truth so the world can be informed of situations at hand.
However, the news media over the past several days, with the exception of President Bush’s "State of the Union address" (Which was phenomenal, BTW) has been chucked full of horrid predictions and prophesies of gloom, doom and despair that lay ahead.
I am not here to say that we’ve made it or that the rough times are over.
2 Tim 3:1
1This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
The stock market may in-fact yet continue to fall. War may come to the home-front.
Jesus plainly told us…
Matt 24:6-13
6And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
10And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Paul told us…
2 Tim 3:12-13
12Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
13But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
We must make up our mind today that we are going to endure to the end.
And just how is this possible?
By taking heed to Philippians 4:8 … Thinking on good things.
Friend no matter what man does down here on earth, nothing can separate me from my God.
Rom 8:35-39
35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Even in the midst of the trial, I’ve got something to shout about.
My live is Hid with Christ in God.
Col 3:1-3
1If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Heb 13:6
6So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
Friend as I read this verse, I realize that men are going to do things unto us.
Some of us in this very room may be required to give our life for the sake of the gospel.
But I have caught sight of that heavenly kingdom and that vision of victory.
I’m going to go out with a shout.
I’m going down with a song on my lips, a bounce in my step and a glow on my face.
Just like Paul and Silas in the dongeon, I am going to think on the good things and shout in the face of adversity.
Conclusion:
In the face of this terrible tragedy and in spite of all the oppression and revolt – I challenge you today… Be careful for nothing (Don’t worry, Don’t fret, put your faith in God) & Think on good things.
Satan is a thief and a liar, come to kill and steal and destroy, but God is still in control.
I know the Lord will make a way for me. / I will believe the report of the Lord.