Allen Jackson - Weapons at Our Disposal - Part 2
It’s good to be with you again, we’re gonna complete our session on the weapons that have been entrusted to us, the weapons at our disposal. You know, the theme is «Angels, Demons and You,» and it’s a study of those spiritual forces that shape our lives and influence so much of our daily activity. But we’re not left alone, God has given us the tools we need to lead a triumphant life. Through the cross, Jesus won a complete, total, irreversible victory over Satan and all of his kingdom, but you and I still dwell in the arena where Satan has authority so we have to enforce or live out the victory that is ours through the cross of Jesus Christ. That’s why we’re given the assignment of being overcomers, we’re told to overcome evil with good. Being a Christ follower is not a passive response, we’ve gotta learn to stand in the authority of God’s Word. Grab your Bible, get a notepad, but most importantly open your heart.
Now, I’m gonna submit to you that a response that the Bible gives to us in both Old and New Testaments is prayer and fasting. And I want to explore it with you a little because, again, God uses it to change the course of nations. And I’m gonna suggest to you before we’re done that our nation needs a change of course, but not a political change, not a change in our elected officials, a change in the hearts of us. Jonah, another familiar story, it’s the big fish story in the Bible, Jonah is a prophet but he’s a very human prophet. God’s assignment is to go to Nineveh, Jonah is aware enough and wise enough to recognize, Nineveh is the capital of Assyria, it’s the rising world power, if they continue to gain in power and authority they will subjugate Israel.
You understand that, the rise and fall of nations and empires, we’re witnesses to some of that. And Jonah doesn’t want to go to Nineveh, he would be much happier if God would just judge them. God says, «I want you to go to Nineveh and preach to them,» and Jonah knows God well enough to know that if God is sending him there’s a very good chance that the people in Nineveh would repent and God would show them mercy. So when God says, «Go to Nineveh,» Jonah goes the opposite direction, that’s the fish part of their story. God said, «No, you’re gonna go where I told you».
Some of you have been running from the Lord, not about prophetic messages, just in obedience in your life. You don’t ever get to the prophetic message until you’ve been obedient in your life in the places nobody looks at. If you’re still having a debate with God about obedience around fundamental spiritual things, how long will you waste days having an argument that isn’t bearing fruit? Folks, we’re in the midst of a conflict, we need God’s people to take their spaces. You’ve gotta forgive, you’ve gotta repent, you gotta walk in the light of the truth that you know, don’t practice immorality, don’t give yourself to envy and greediness. And you know those things if you’ve been around church a bit, cooperate with God at the level you know.
So Jonah finally gets to the point, he makes it to Nineveh, he smells a little odd but he gets there. Jonah 3, in verse 1, «The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 'Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.' Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh». If you didn’t know the rest of the story you wouldn’t understand how much understatement was in that. «The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time,» this time Jonah’s going like, «Yes, sir, I got that, tell me again, uh-huh, Nineveh». Alright? So he goes to Nineveh. «Nineveh was a very important city, a visit required three days. On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: '40 more days and Nineveh will be overturned.'»
Not a real compassionate message, he’s not building any bridges, 40 days and you’re gonna be ash. «The Ninevites believed God». It’s a stunning sentence. A foreigner, somebody speaking with an accent that smells like fish, he’s not happy to be there, I expect he’s a bit grumpy, and it simply says, «The Ninevites believed God». We don’t have to have drums and eloquent messages, it’s about the condition of our heart and the mercy of God. «They declared a fast, all of them, from the greatest to the least, they put on sackcloth. The news reached the king, he rose from his throne, he took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and he sat down in the dust. And he issued a proclamation,» to the whole city, this is the capital, powerful person, rising empire.
«By the decree of the king and his nobles: Don’t let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; don’t let them eat or drink. Let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish». What a message. What if that message rolled across our nation? It feels awkward to me that a pagan king and a pagan empire in a pagan city with a message from a foreigner responded that quickly, or that the people in a broad way chose to believe God. Folks, it’s possible, it has to begin in our hearts. Forget the pagans and the ungodly and the people that you think are the problem, if it just started in the hearts of the people of God, if we’d stop arguing about which translation to read or which day to worship or why we’re better than somebody else.
What if we just believed God and starting to act like his Word was truth? «When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and he didn’t bring upon them the destruction he had threatened». The message was, «40 more days and you’re gone,» and they believed God. If we will believe God it can change the course of our children and grandchildren’s futures. Now, that’s the truth, if we will have the courage to believe God, or we can trust the government or parties or ideologies or economic systems or our wisdom in investing or our strength or our organization or the denomination we go or the congregation where we worship, or we can believe God. It’s an exciting time.
You want another example? Daniel, another one of our heroes, you know his story, he’s a slave in a foreign country, not an easy life. Daniel 9, so he’s no longer a young man, there’s been a change of leadership in Babylon. «In the first year of Darius the son of Xerxes, who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom». Now Daniel’s been there before him so there’s a change of power, his position is different, not an easy time. «In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last 70 years». Little explanation might help, Jeremiah was the prophet in Jerusalem when the Babylonians were coming, and Daniel’s been studying Jeremiah’s writings and he said, «I discovered in my Bible study that we only have to be here 70 years and it’s time to go home».
Now he’s a slave, spent his whole life that way, and listen to his response. «I turned to the Lord and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, in sackcloth and ashes». Daniel studied the Scripture, he understood that the exile, that their time out of Israel was only limited to 70 years. It wasn’t an easy formula, there were multiple kings, there were multiple deportations, it took somebody that understood his people and the story. I don’t know why we imagined the Bible should be easy. I love to learn, I spent a chunk of life in school and I could’ve stayed there if if the Lord hadn’t given me other invitations, but real learning is not easy, it takes discipline and focus. We’re gonna have to focus a little bit on the things of God, we’re gonna have to read our Bibles like it’s not some onerous, intrusive burden, we’re gonna have to use our mind.
In the things you want to know about you’re amazing learners. Daniel understood from Scripture, and he began to humble himself, prayer and fasting is an exercise in humility, we don’t announce it to others. And God’s response to that, I didn’t bother putting it in your notes, you could check me, the rest of Daniel 9, just read his prayer in that chapter, it’s amazing. But God responds with an angel, but not just an angel, he sends an Archangel, Gabriel. We’ll see Gabriel a little later in the story talking to Mary and talking to Joseph, but Gabriel got to go visit Daniel. God gave him a vision of what was yet to come because Daniel sought the Lord.
What if Daniel hadn’t sought the Lord? What if Daniel had just been upset because there was empire change and he was a public servant that he was gonna lose status? Jesus, Matthew 6, some of you prefer New Testament, Jesus said, «When you fast». There’s a presupposition, he didn’t say, «If you fast,» he’s assuming his disciples are going to fast. «When you fast,» he said, «Don’t look somber like the hypocrites do, they disfigure their faces to show men they’re fasting. I tell you the truth». You know by now when you see that little phrase you need to lean in.
«I tell you the truth, they’ve received their reward in full,» the acknowledgement of the people that recognize them because they made a show of it is all they’re gonna get for it. «But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so it will be obvious to men that you’re fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you». So Jesus is teaching his disciples to maintain the practice that is a part of their family story. I promise you they were aware of Daniel’s pattern, they are aware of all those places that you and I know from the Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible.
This is important. We live in a representative form of government. So who we see in Washington D.C. and in the halls of power that occupy our television sets with little sound bites, they are just a reflection of the heart of those of us that live on Main Street. They are not, we are the nation. The people that we choose to represent us are just a reflection of our hearts. Make sense? It’s a very important point. Don’t get heated up about them, get heated up about us, we have to make changes on Main Street, in our homes, in our schools, in our communities.
Now, having said that, what we are watching concerns me about our hearts because of the people that we have chosen. This isn’t about a single leader or a single party, it transcends all of those things. But a primary duty of government is to protect its citizens, if the government fails at that, it has failed. It’s a more significant assignment than protecting the environment, and I’m not saying that isn’t important, but protecting your citizens is more important than protecting the snail darter. It’s more important than renewable energy, and I’m not saying that isn’t important, but protecting the citizens is a primary responsibility of the government, and many other topics which poll well but don’t reflect fundamental character issues.
We’ve watched, in recent days, where we’ve abandoned thousands of U.S. citizens in Afghanistan, and what has surprised me is the reluctance that we have to even say that the Americans should have a priority, they’re our citizens. Not saying the other people aren’t important, I’m not saying they don’t have value, but if we’re confused about the nature of what it means to be a people, we will lose that. There may be enough public pressure now to bring about a change in the plan, which I think would be a wonderful thing, but it’s very obvious if you’ve just been watching casually that the original plan and intent was abandonment; thousands and thousands of people. But why are we surprised?
That’s not like a new page, we’ve opened our borders to illegal immigration, and the illegal importation of destructive things. We’ve argued for a long time, not single administration, not a single party, we haven’t been willing to secure the border. The choices we have made have ensured this flood of illegal immigration, millions of people. We’re not protecting the citizens. And it’s not an act of compassion for the impoverished world. Folks, more than 5 billion people on our planet live on less than $10 a week, we’re not solving poverty by opening our borders. I wouldn’t pretend to understand the motivations but I can tell you the words that are used are not truth.
In the last year, we’ve watched our cities, our businesses, our homes burned in major cities, but in state after state, the leaders refused to call for help from the National Guard. There was very little concern about the destruction of personal property and private property, we watched it. Yet when the workplace of our leaders was threatened they didn’t hesitate a moment to call the National Guard or to erect a fence. Now again, they’re just examples. Are we paying any attention? We’re failing to protect our citizens. And I’m not pointing a finger at somebody else, I’m telling you it’s a problem in our heart because we could care less. If our kids can play ball and our investments are doing okay and we can get back in the church building, hmm.
This is not about a political leader or a single political party, but this type of arrogant disrespect for the law involves more than one or two people. To be honest, what we’ve watched this week, and I’m limited in what I know and have access to but I’m quite confident in saying, it requires the cooperation of the Department of Defense, and at least by definition, it’s not supposed to be influenced by politics. It involves the State Department which, again, is intended to be above the political; the intelligence community has to cooperate in the abandonment of our citizens; even our most revered law enforcement agencies. Now I know there are people who say I’m incredibly naive to make those kind of statements about those lifetime civil servants. But I’m asking you not to let your frustration and anger be pointed to an individual or a party.
You see, if we don’t acknowledge the goal and state the objective we can’t strive to realize it. We have to have a heart change, freedom and liberty that has defined our lives will not be extended to our children and grandchildren unless we recognize it came from the hand of Almighty God, and it came to us. We shouldn’t simply accept the abandonment of our freedoms because the effort of standing is something we’re not interested in. I think we all understand intuitively, it isn’t easy, and we’re not going to be broadly applauded, that there will be those who disagree, and none of us enjoy that. I don’t, I doubt you do either, but I don’t really think Gideon did, I’m quite certain Daniel would’ve preferred a different story than the one who was asked to lead but he embrace his and honored God in the midst of it.
And I’m asking you to prayerfully consider saying, «God, use my life». I gotta wrap Up, I want to give you a response for this week. I’ve been asking you for months with me to watch and listen, to think and to act, not just ignore it, not just stay in your lane and do what you wanna do. I understand your life is busy, I understand your plate is full and there’s little time, there’s less emotional energy. I get that, I promise you I understand that, and I’m not asking for an enormous chunk of time. I’m just asking as you go about your day to begin to quietly say to the Lord, «Lord, I want to hear you, I wanna follow you, help me in the place I work to honor Jesus, help me in the school where my children go to be an advocate for a biblical worldview. God, forgive me for looking away. I’m sorry I’ve cared more about the congregation I joined than the people that I work with».
I’ve given you three words and I think they’re helpful: we have to repent. Repentance carries two meanings with it, Greek and Hebrew, one is a physical change of direction, in Hebrew, and then in Greek it’s a change of thought. Repentance means that you come and say, «The way I’ve been thinking is wrong and the way I’ve been behaving is wrong, I’m gonna choose a new thought process and new behavior». Repentance doesn’t need to begin in Washington, it needs to begin in our homes, needs to begin in our lives. And then I ask you to release; no unsettled issues, you can’t carry anger or resentment or bitterness, you can’t be self-righteous or greedy, you certainly can’t be immoral, you can’t ignore the biblical prescriptions around human sexuality and sexual behavior and think that God will bless you.
God will not be mocked, folks. Release, you’ve got to attend to those things, no unsettled claims. And you understand the fundamentals of how to do that and the Holy Spirit will help you, he’ll bring to mind people that you’re still mad at. Don’t just get mad all over again, say, «Ah Lord, I’d forgotten that, I’m sorry, I forgive them». Don’t carry generational anger, we don’t want to be the 21st century equivalent of the Hatfields and the Mccoys, forgive, release. And then thirdly, renounce, renounce is when you cancel all claims of darkness on your life. And you need repentance and release to get to the renouncing, you’ve gotta acknowledge where you’ve been. God, I was engaged in that, that was a part of my story, and now I wanna cancel all those claims over my life, no place in me, no power over me.
If God’s people, with intent and sincerity and humility, will begin to repent and release and renounce, I believe we’ll see God move in remarkable ways. I think we’ll see our citizens delivered, I think we’ll begin to see integrity restored in our nation, that truth will again to be walking the streets, that we’ll begin to hear things that we can trust.
Wouldn’t that be wonderful? But in order to have leaders to do that we have to be people like that, it has to matter to us. We haven’t been overcomers, we’ve been overlookers. Well, I can get along just by overlooking that. That’s not what we’ve been called to be, we have to overcome evil with good. So when you see evil, you gotta get the good out. Now there’s another wave in being evil, there’s a there’s a godliness that would be a better fit in that space, and we have to be willing to make those statements. But let’s humble ourselves, let’s not be mad at somebody else, stop it. Let’s get on our knees and humble ourselves and, «God, I’m not unimportant, I may be one, but one with you is enough».
What would happen if we responded like the Ninevites? What would happen? And we’ll see about beyond, but this Wednesday, that’s our first step. Okay? I’m done, why don’t you to stand with me, we’re gonna pray. It’s good to have an assignment, isn’t it? Say, «I had a busy week». I know, I just took something out of your week, you don’t have to spend time eating, I gave you some free time, I thought it was a pretty good bargain. Feed your kids. Actually, when we were kids our parents would invite us to join them in some limited ways. I learned to fast when I was a little fella, it’s been a while.
Father, thank you. Thank you for the freedoms we have and the liberties we have, that we can preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in churches and on the street corner. We praise you for it. Lord, you’ve blessed our nation, we have abundant food and clothing and shelter, you’ve been so good to us. Lord, only you could have brought about the blessings that have reflected our lives, in all of our weaknesses and imperfections. Lord, we are an example of the mercy and the grace of God, and we thank you for it. But Lord, we have turned our backs on you in many-many ways, not others, we have, those of us who come to church and carry Bibles and sing choruses, Lord. We’ve been busy and distracted and greedy and immoral and many things. God, be merciful to us, we cry out to you today. Lord, we come on behalf of our brothers and sisters who are stranded or they’re isolated, and we ask for you to make a way, make a way. I pray for those who will have the strength to actually be engaged. Lord, protect them, send your angels, send your angels, tonight. Lord, where there’s hatred, spirits of murder and destruction and torture, I pray you’ll send your angels to stand guard, bring those things that are necessary. Change the hearts of those in places that need their hearts changed. Lord, those who oppose it, silence them or move them. We thank you that we will see a victory. Change our hearts. We thank you for what you will do. In Jesus’s name, amen.