Friday, February 5, 2016
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It was an awful night in Paris. Many of us watched the heartbreaking scenes from those awful terror attacks in Paris, and as I watched it, my mind flashed back some 22 years. The morning after the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, I was flying from New York to speak in another city. To my surprise, we were greeted by a TV crew, asking, "How are New Yorkers feeling after this attack?" Then they came to me. Let's see, first word that came to my mind, "Vulnerable." That was it. We all suddenly felt very vulnerable.
Fast forward to now, and put an exponent next to that "vulnerable." Not just in one city, but around the world. Terror has metastasized. The American President says, "The sky has darkened." The Pope says we are now in "a piecemeal World War III." Vulnerable isn't just a feeling. It is a reality.
For example, our almost total dependence on vulnerable cyber technology without which we would be paralyzed and our interconnectedness with a "house of cards" world economy. And hackers, identity thieves; terrorists moving faster than the systems devised to stop them. We are vulnerable. There's a lot of fear, and with reason.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Three Anchors in a World of Terror."
Yes, there's a lot of fear, but there's also safe harbor. Not in the events we can see. But in the "something bigger" – the larger tapestry of which all our uncertainties are threads. The threads bring fear. The tapestry spawns faith. It's a faith that's powerfully revealed in the time-tested wisdom of the Bible and rooted in a perspective that sees the panoramic backdrop for all the fear factors around us.
That perspective is called in a word, "eternity." As one Bible writer says in our word for today from the Word of God, in 2 Corinthians 4:18, "We don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen...the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever" (NLT). See, things look different through eternity glasses.
From the observation deck of "forever," we can see three lights in this darkening sky around us. Number one, there is hope. Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid...In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world!" (John 14:28; 16:33).
No matter how wild our roller coaster ride is, our car is anchored to a track. That track is the larger plan of an unstoppable God, revealed in Biblical prophecies of where this all goes. Jesus said, "Nation will rise against nation...the nations will be in turmoil...people will be terrified. But then, everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory" (Luke 21).
Terror. Turmoil. Then the triumph of Jesus' return. No leader, no army, and no terrorist is going to write that final chapter. Jesus will. Whatever tonight's news, as it says in 1 Chronicles 16:31, "the Lord reigns!" Are things spinning out of control? Ours? Yes. His? Never!
Number two, there is justice. Whether or not wrongdoers are "brought to justice" on earth, God's greater justice is inescapable. The Bible says, "Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). And, "will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:25). Time will not right all wrongs, but eternity will.
Thirdly, there is security. In tornado country, when the dark sky turns deadly, people head for their "safe room." I know where my safe room is in a menacing world. Listen to Romans chapter 8, "Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).
There is an unshakeable anchor for your soul. It is the unloseable love of Jesus Christ; love proven by His life sacrificed for your sin on a cross and guaranteed by His victory over death at His empty tomb. He's ready to walk into your life today, and we are ready to help you begin that relationship with Him.
Just go to our website. Remember this – AnewStory.com. Would you check it out as soon as you can today? And learn about a love. Learn about a security that is disaster-proof, that is terror-proof, and that is death-proof because it is guaranteed by the death-beater Jesus Christ.