The Great World Crises

2 Timothy 3:1-7  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.  (2)  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,  (3)  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,  (4)  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;  (5)  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.  (6)  For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,  (7)  Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

 Introduction:  We all hear on radio, and TV and we read in our newspapers and on TV about all the crisis’ going on all over the world, some of which I am sure are made up. 

              It never stops, the more people are killed the longer it stays in the headlines, and if a conspiracy can be tagged onto it well it even stays longer.  Before they got that last cap on the broken pipe in the Gulf, all we heard about was the tragedy in the Gulf States.  Have you noticed it isn’t being talked about much any more.  It is no longer some mole hill they can make a mountain out of.

              We hear of war, persecutions, famine, and all kinds of crisis that can be created out of the figment of our news media’s mind.  It is never ending, but that isn’t the Great crisis we face, the greatest crisis is

It is a book

I.               THE UNREAD BOOK    

2 Timothy 3:16-17   All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  ¹⁷ That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

It is a book

A.              With God’s Plan For Man

1.           We must know what God’s plan for us is for us to carry on, we need to know

2.           Only one place.

It is a book

B.              With God’s Promises To Man

1.           We need to know what God has promised us

2.               So we can keep going,

i.                Looking for those promises

It is a book

C.              With God’s Purpose For Man

1.           Knowing what God is planning for us is necessary. 

2.           With out His word what are we?

It is a book

D.              Of God’s Power Over Man

1.           We must have the fear of knowing what he can do if we don’t obey.

II.           OUR UNCONCERNED ATTITUDE 

2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;   ⁴And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

A people unconcerned

A.              About Christ

1.               The truth about Christ

2.               Seldom will they listen

A people unconcerned

B.              About The Church

1.           It is their lifestyle that is important

A people unconcerned

C.              About The Cross

1.           They, our church member seldom want to know what really happened on that cross,

2.           Just let this one or two hours pass, and I get to eat.

A people unconcerned

D.              About Christian Values

1.           They still do in front of their children things that are contrary to God's law,

2.           Yet they tell there kids do as they tell you at church and

              i.            Not what I do,

                             a.           Unless I tell you different.

II.              OUR UNTRAINED Children 

Ephesians 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Our children are untrained in

A.              Living For Christ

1.           What is the example we are setting?

Our children are untrained in

B.              Laboring For Christ

1.           Are you setting the example for your children, grandchildren?

Our children are untrained in

C.              Learning About Christ

1.           Are you studying your scripture before hand,

i.                with an open mind,

ii.               ready to receive the Word about Christ,

iii.             setting an example of studying for your children?

Our children are untrained in

D.              Loving The Christ

1.           Are you showing your children; grandchildren that you are in love with Jesus the Christ, or

i.            Is it the TV they see you love

III.            THE CRISIS OF THE UNBOWED KNEE

1 Thessalonians 5:17  Pray without ceasing.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-2  Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,   ² That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

We have failed to

A.              Pray For Our Children

1.               When do we pray for them,

i.                When they are sick,

ii.               In trouble,

iii.             In dire need. 

2.               Pray for them now before need.

We have failed to

B.              Pray For our Church

1.           Our collective body

              i.            This Church needs our prayers,

2.           Not necessarily the building,

              i.            For each other.

We have failed to

C.              Pray For Our Country

1.               We need prayer for our country,

2.               We need God in our government,

3.               Pray that he will intercede, and

i.                That His will, will be done.

2 Chronicles 7:14  If 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.

We have failed to

D.              Pray For Our Christian Walk

1.               Pray for ourselves and

i.                For our family. 

2.               My most neglected prayer is for Sharil and I. 

3.               Pray that you will walk in the LORDS will,

i.                Not the worlds. 

              a.           His will

IV.            THE CRISIS OF THE UNCOMMITTED LIFE

                                               

Matthew 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

We are uncommitted

A.              In Serving

1.           Look about you at the next church service

              i.            Look how many uncommitted souls              aren’t sitting around you.

2.           The problem with this,

              i.            The problem is in order to know who           is not committed,

              ii.           You must become committed.

We are uncommitted

B.              In Sharing           

1.           We are uncommitted in sharing the Gospel,

ii.               That is somebody else's job, not mine. 

iii.             Show me in the scripture where it states that being committed is your job as a Christian.  

CONCLUSION:               We have heard of several crises’ that affect our Christian walk.  These are things that will affect the family, the church and our individual walk. 

              This message is about our failures as a Christian.  I am not pointing this entirely to this specific congregation, but we each have failed in one or more of these categories.

              We Christians seem unconcerned.  We know we are going to Heaven, and as for me and my family, I have it covered.  In this unconcern we fail to pray for our Church, our Family and our Nation.  This has caused a diminishing of them all.

              Our Churches are suffering because the Family is failing.  The Christian Family has a divorce rate equal to the worlds.

              Our Families are failing because the Father is either absent or has never included God as his focus.  The television and now the broadband computer have replaced God as the Head of the home.  The Father is just a bumbling idiot, an inconsequential necessity for the creation of the family.  Women are now the head more households than men. 

              Our Nation is failing because the Churches and the Families are failing.  We have raised a generation, maybe two, whom we never passed the love of God onto.  We were to wrapped up in me, myself, and I, to take our children to Church, get them under the Word of God.  We spent no time in the Bible, very little time in Church.  We became a CEO, (Christmas and Easter Only.)

              So, what can we do about it?  The first step as a Christian is to get to your knees in a repentant attitude, with a broken heart, realizing what you have, or have not done.   Get yourself right with God.

              Now start reading that King James Bible your Mother gave you.  (Do you know where it is?) Get faithful in Church, become the Man and the Woman God expects you to be.

              Now start praying for your children, and your Grand-children, pray for their salvation.  Then start praying for your Church and your Pastor.

              By this time I hope you have realized your nation needs your prayers.  Pray for our President, our sorry Congress, and all our governments. 

              We as Christians have failed mightily, but our Lord our God is a God of great mercy.  He is a God who looks for repentance.

2 Chronicles 7:14  If 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.

              Look to Him, realize the condition of your heart, humble yourself before God and pray that God will turn the Family, The Church and our Nation around.

              Seek Him in your presence in Church, in your Family life, in our Nation.  We as a people, as a Church and as a Nation must turn from our evil ways.

              Our failure to be concerned, to pray, to read our Bible, to train our children in the ways of God, and our lack of Commitment to God, these are sins, and these sins are what is destroying our Family, our Church, and our Nation.

              Rededicate your life Christian; get yourself back to God, and His Son Jesus.  Repent and become committed to Jesus, commit yourself to your Family, your Church Family and the Christianity our Nation was founded upon.