What happened last week in Newtown, CN is unimaginable. How could anyone go into a school and
kill teachers and children? This
tragedy elicits all kinds of emotions in us: hurt, sadness, brokenness, anger, revenge, confusion, etc. Some will quickly turn to God, while
others may blame Him.
It is times like this we must turn to God’s Word for
help. His Word does address these
things. His Word gives wisdom and
guidance. So, what biblical sense
can be made of this senseless act of violence in Newtown?
1. The depth of sin and the depravity of
man.
This killing reminds us of the depravity of man and the
depth of human sin. Jeremiah 17:9
says, “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” This was true of Adam Lanza, but it is
also true of me. “All have sinned
and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Apart from Jesus, there is no sin I am incapable of
committing.
Adam Lanza had to be deeply troubled. Adam Lanza had to be very far from
God. Adam Lanza displayed sin at a
level close to that of Hitler.
Unfortunately, human history is filled with many examples of horrific
things done by the heart and hands of sinful man.
I believe one of the most painful things God ever did was
give man a free will, knowing that he would use this free will to do horrible
things. The alternative is for God
to have made us puppets, under His total control, always doing His ever
bidding. This is not love, but
rather control. Because God is love,
He gives us the freedom to choose.
We have the choice to love and follow God, or go our own way and
sin. Unfortunately, most choose
the latter. Though we have the
freedom to choose our actions, we do not have the freedom to choose the
consequences of our actions.
“Whatsoever a man sows, that will he reap” (Galatians 6:7).
2. Reaping what we sow.
As a country we have sown violence in movies, video games,
and sports. This has desensitized
us to the value of life.
Furthermore, we have legalized the killing of unborn children. And if all that is not enough, we are
increasingly abandoning the Judeo-Christian moral foundations that started this
country. In light of all of this,
is it really surprising that these types of killings are getting more, and not
less, frequent? It seems to me
that the protective umbrella of God’s grace over our nation is being lifted,
and we are seeing evil unleashed to a greater degree.
So, the sin of the human heart, coupled with the lack of
moral fabric in our country, are key players in this tragedy. But there is another factor.
3. The reality of Satan and demonic spirits.
A biblical world-view involves more than earth and
heaven. There is a “forgotten
middle,” which is the realm of angels and demons. Jesus said, “Satan comes to steal, KILL, and destroy” (John
10:10). Satan hates God and
everything about God. Since God
created us and loves us, Satan wants to destroy people and love. Unfortunately, Satan had a heyday last
Friday. Satan hates people and
loves to kill. The ultimate source
of a murder is Satan and demonic spirits.
I have seen demons cast out of people in Jesus’ name. I know firsthand that demonic spirits
are real. Make no mistake about
it, Adam Lanza was demonized!
Again, this does not remove any responsibility from him, and he will
face the judgment of God for his acts, but let us not forget that there was
another power at work last Friday.
Speaking of God’s judgment:
4. The judgment of God.
It will not be a pleasant scene when Adam Lanza stands before
Almighty God. “It is appointed
unto man to die once, and after this the Judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). I am thankful that the Bible assures us
that God is a just God. He will
see to it that justice is carried out in this case.
But it is important that we each look past Adam Lanza to our
own day of judgment. What will my
outcome be? Even though I have
never murdered anyone physically, Jesus said that anger in my heart is worthy
of divine judgment (Mt. 5:22). When
Jesus was asked about tragedies such as Pilate mingling blood with sacrifices
and the Tower of Siloam falling on people and killing them, He never addressed
why it happened. Instead He said, “Unless you repent, you will likewise
perish” (Luke 13:1-5). One of the
most biblical things we can do when tragedy strikes, is look into our own heart
and make sure we are right with God.
And the only way to be right with God is through Jesus. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and
the life. No one comes to the
Father but by Me” (John 14:6). The only solution for my sin (and others) is the
precious blood of Jesus, shed on the cross so that I might be forgiven and
healed of my sinful nature.
Some may respond, “But Pastor David, this idea of
forgiveness through Jesus, seems too simplistic and just gets people off the
hook too quickly. Isn’t there more
to it than just getting forgiven for our sins?” Yes there is.
5. The power of the Gospel.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is powerful at two levels. First, the Gospel is powerful to
forgive and cleanse of all sin.
“If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins, and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). In addition, the Gospel is
powerful to keep us from sinning. When
a person receives Christ, he/she receives the indwelling Spirit (Ephesians
1:13). As we allow this indwelling
Spirit to fill us, control us, and empower us, then we can have victory over
temptations and sin. In other
words, we can say “no” to sin. We
are not helpless victims to sin and Satan. We can have victory! The same power that raised Jesus from
the dead is living inside of every follower of Christ (Romans 8:9-11).
Not only must we know and rely on the power of the Holy
Spirit, but we must also know the nature of God.
6. The character of God.
When tragedy like this occurs, much garbage gets dumped on
God’s doorsteps. It is common for people to want to throw God under the bus
over this. “Why did God allow
this? Why did He not stop
this? Does He not care? If He knew this would happen, then He
is responsible for it.”
I heard an interesting response to this at church Sunday,
“When a plane crashes, many will blame God, while at the same time not thanking
Him for all the planes that take off and land safely each day.” If we only knew how many tragedies God
DOES prevent.
Ultimately it is a mystery why God prevents some things,
while allowing others. It is in
such confusing times that we need to clutch to what we DO know is true. Proverbs 9:10 says “the knowledge of
the Holy One is understanding.” In
other words, to have understanding in a situation like this requires the
knowledge of the Holy One.
Therefore, what do we know (knowledge of) about God that can
help us cope with this tragedy and others? We know that He is good, and that all He does is good. We know that He is holy, and all of His
works are holy. Furthermore, we
know that God is loving, and expresses that love toward people more than
anything in all of His creation.
He cares about the pain that every family in Newtown feels. Jesus said, “Come to Me all who are
weary and heaven laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
2 Corinthians 1 says, “the sufferings of Christ overflow
into our lives so that His comfort might overflow.” No one hurts more over this tragedy than God! I think we forget that sometimes. He created each one of those teachers
and children. They are His divine
handiwork. To see them destroyed
pains His heart at a level we cannot imagine.
As if this is not enough, God is also faithful and true to
His Word. What He promises, He
will deliver. He promises that if
we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us (James 4:8). He assures us that He is a very present
help in time of need (Psalms 46:1). He says, "Call to Me, and I will answer you" (Jeremiah 33:3).
Even though there are aspects of God’s character that are
hard to grasp in such times as this (i.e. His sovereignty), there are many more that
are not hard to grasp. These aspects of His nature (i.e. love, grace, mercy,
compassion, etc.) are the very ones we need to cling to for help.
Don’t doubt in the darkness what God
has made clear in the light!
Finally, because God is loving, gracious, merciful,
compassionate, and just, He assures us that a day is coming when all will be
made right. This is eternally great
news!
7. The eternal future!
God promises that when Christ returns, He will establish a
new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21-22). The final judgment will involve casting Satan into the lake
of fire forever (Revelation 20:10). This assures that
all evil and sin and everything opposed to God will be destroyed. This also assures a place called heaven
where only righteousness and purity and love will dwell forever. Revelation 21-22 speaks in great detail
about this eternal place. There
will be no more mourning, crying or pain.
I can’t wait. All who are
in Christ will be with God forever in this place. Jesus said, "I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2).
Do you know for sure that you are going to heaven? Nothing in all the world is more
important than making sure your eternal destiny is in this wonderful place.
While here on earth, tragedies will continue. Sin will abound. Unfortunately, there will likely be
more wars, murders, and school shootings.
But if we receive Christ and live for Him, we have hope … power to live
… a community of supportive people … God’s Word … promises to claim … and an
eternal home to look forward to!
This is what CHRISTmas is all about.
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