“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse…”—Gen. 12:3
The Bible promises that in the last days, the eyes of the world will be focused on the tiny geographical dot on the world map called Israel. “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling…On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.”—Zech 12:2-3
Just as Zechariah predicted, the nations of the world are now turning against the land of Israel. No matter how hard she tries, she can do no good in the estimation of more and more of the world’s leaders. The Middle East has now become a seething cauldron of anti-Semitic hatred. The same anti-Semitic disease is once again stretching its icy fingers across Europe. Even in the west, the national media are increasingly defending Arab/Muslim loathing for the Jew.
Yet that doesn’t mean they are right! You can mark this down and take it to the bank: Those who bless Israel will be blessed, and those who seek to harm her will “injure themselves.”
Turning Point Church wants to bless Israel, especially now. In light of this, we welcome today to our services Melva Jo Beacham. Melva has served as a missionary to Israel for a number of years, and will be helping us to connect to worthy evangelistic and church planting endeavors in God’s sacred land. Please make her feel welcome as she shares and sings as only Melva can. It’s going to be a blessed day!
“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”—Jn 15:13
This Wednesday I have the honor of praying over the early retirement of Jack Fanning, son to Bill Fanning and brother of Tammy Morrison, both members of Turning Point. For his sacrifice, the men and women of the 24th Special Tactics Squadron will honor his service for his country on July 21st at 1:00.
You should know that Jack’s retirement at this stage of the game was not planned nor wanted. On January 11, 2010 during a training exercise in New Mexico, Jack was injured while performing a night military freefall operation. He sustained a C4 spinal cord injury and was rushed to William Beaumont Army Medical Center by Lifeflight helicopter. After surgery, he immediately regained his C4 nerve distribution. The doctors say it's a miracle he survived the injury and the flight, proving that God isn't done with him yet.
In the meantime, Jack is confined to a wheelchair, a hero in the cause of freedom. When I visited him at the Veteran’s Hospital, I was reminded once again that freedom is not free. Behind the scenes at all hours of the day and night, young men and women work courageously and selflessly to guard our ability to worship, live, work, and enjoy life free of tyranny. Jack was certainly one of them. Thank you, Jack, for giving it all!
2 Chr. 7: 13 "When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people…”
Many people just don’t want to admit that God can and does send harsh judgments on peoples and lands that forsake Him. Notice in the above verse that God takes the credit for withholding rain, sending devouring locusts against crops, and for sending plagues among His people.
The reason for all this trouble is revealed in verse 14. God looks directly at His own people and tells them to turn from their wickedness!
The principle is clear: As go God’s people, so goes a nation. When the church is red hot, evil is restrained and righteousness rules. But when the church backslides into lukewarmness or worse, the nation slips into darkness.
This is why the solution to turning back the judgments begins with “If my people…” Last Sunday, Turning Point Church committed to praying 140 days for America. We stand on the following promise:
“…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”—vs. 14
Allow me to present a suggested prayer that you can take home, place on your refrigerator, and pray daily through November:
A PRAYER FOR AMERICA
Dear God, we have sinned as a church and nation. Forgive us for our complacency, and for not standing more strongly for Christ in the public arena. Forgive us for our prayerlessness, compromise, and the fear of man. Forgive us for the killing of the innocent through abortion, and for blinking at immorality and perversion.
Lord, send revival again to America. Return us to our godly roots and heritage. Send your gracious Spirit to convict, convince, and draw multitudes to you. Raise up a standard against the flood of ungodliness now assaulting these United States. Help us, Lord, to exalt with boldness the name of your Son. Deliver us, O God, from evil.
In my career as a pastor, I have had the honor of presiding over the funerals of several military personnel; men and women who stood in harm’s way to secure our freedom. Each of these times the funeral has been held at the National Cemetery in Grand Prairie. On arriving to my first such funeral, I was immediately struck by the breathtaking view of thousands of snow white tombstones, all in perfect rows, stretched out before me as far as the eye could see. Silent and still, majestic and regal, they spoke volumes: Your freedom took this. Cherish it. Protect it.
I have never completed a funeral in that place without a lump in my throat. What are my troubles? Nothing compared to what they gave. What are my sacrifices? A pittance compared to theirs. Jesus put it best. “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”—John 15: 13
On this Independence Day, let us remember to remember those who gave up their future so that we could have one. Who died for liberty so that we could live in liberty. Who faced a desperate despot so that we would not have to do the same. They lie there in quiet splendor; lives cut short for the sake of the most beautiful seven letter word in the English language—FREEDOM. Cherish it!
“For when we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within. 6But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus…”—2 Cor. 7:5-6
In the midst of endless harassment, overwhelming fears, and crippling weariness, God sent Titus to comfort the Apostle Paul. How this greatest of all Christians who ever lived needed the encouraging fellowship of other believers! In the past few weeks we have looked at 4 keys to growing deeper in tough times. We now come to the fourth one—the necessity of fellowship.
I heard the description recently of how wolves attack a herd of deer. It’s not pretty, but is very instructive. First, they run in packs. The goal of the wolf pack is to spot a weak deer among a herd. Once sighted, the wolves will close in and begin to nip at the deer’s heels, weakening him. The goal, of course, is to isolate him from the herd. There is safety in the herd. You can probably imagine the rest of the story. The isolated deer is soon taken down and finished off.
Paul the Apostle was about to leave one of the churches he planted when he made use of the wolf analogy:
“I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.”—Acts 20:29
Paul knew that his departure might result in the scattering of the flock. If that happened, the wolves would soon close in.
As much as we might not like to admit it, we need each other. We need those around us who have likewise turned to Christ for salvation, are fighting the good fight, are taking the lumps for their profession from a skeptical world, and who love entering into His presence for worship. In fact, you can’t grow deeper in troubled times without joining the gathering together of the saints.
Let’s summarize. In order to put down deep roots and grow stronger in challenging times, we must discipline ourselves toward:
·Time spent in the Word
·Time spent in prayer
·Time spent solitude with God
·Time spent in fellowship
May Turning Point Church grow stronger every day, offering hope to an increasingly desperate world!
