National Crisis Sunday

“If the foundations are destroyed,

What can the Righteous Do?”

Psalms 11:3

The scenes will forever be locked in our minds. Crystal clear skies pierced by sleek, shimmering airliners. Towering monuments to America’s wealth and affluence, standing proudly at the “front door” of our nation, slowly disappear in a cloud of dust and smoke. The Pentagon, the largest office building ever built, symbol of our power and might, assaulted and left smoldering.

We watched horrified while thousands of innocent people died right before our eyes. People leapt from windows hundreds of feet above the ground, some holding hands as they chose to die the quick death of a fall rather then face the flames that were closing in.

As the shape of the New York skyline changed forever, so the shapes of our lives were altered. We know that the world will never be the same after this.  It is impossible to overstate the impact the events of this past week have had on our Nation and on our individual lives. Obviously, thousands of families have lost husbands and wives, moms and dads, sons and daughters, friends and co-workers. But even for those of us who did not know any of the victims personally, there is a great weight of loss and deep sense of sadness.

There are no words adequate to convey the horror, the grief, the outrage, or the sense of disbelief.

Pastors are expected to speak when no one else has any idea what to say.  Standing at the graveside, the dying bedside, the scene of the accident, the pastor is supposed to know what to say, when nothing seems right to say.

I’m glad I don’t have to come up with words to say that will bring comfort and peace to us all. I’m glad you don’t have to turn to me for strength and guidance through these dark times. Because I have ridden the emotional coaster with you all. I have felt the shock, have had to quell the rage, have wiped away tears as “taps” was played at the High School on Friday. No, it is not to this man you want to turn for comfort or direction.

Instead, let me direct you to the place I turned this week in the midst of the chaos - the Word of God. It is here, in the Holy, inspired Word, that we find comfort for the distraught, inspiration for the discouraged, and refuge for the displaced. When the world seems to be falling apart at the seams, when the wicked appear to have the upper hand, what are we to do? Where can we go?

Turn to Psalm 11 – pg 371. In this Psalm, David is obviously facing some very difficult days. It is clear from these words that his enemies are raging against him, and friends who are afraid, and who are giving him advice, surround him.

Beginning with verse 1, please follow along as I read,

In the LORD I put my trust;

How can you say to my soul,

"Flee as a bird to your mountain"?

[2] For look! The wicked bend their bow,

They make ready their arrow on the string,

That they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.

[3] If the foundations are destroyed,

What can the righteous do?

Did you hear people talk like David’s friends this week? I did. I heard it on the television, and on the radio, and from people at the school. They said things like, “Flee like a bird to the Kwik Trip, for look, the wicked have attacked, and gas will be $5 a gallon tomorrow!” “What is the world coming to?” they ask. “What next?” They feel powerless. They flock to the blood centers, they send money to the Red Cross, and they hug a firefighter.

Why? Because they are captured by the same emotions David’s friends are feeling in the last verse, “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

Of course they are well intentioned. They are “good people.” But they are looking in all the wrong places for their security. “Flee to the mountain!” they say. “Trust in your own ability to get away, your own ability to hide. Run to a place of safety.”

But David has another place to turn.

And he makes it clear even before he lists their poor advice. Hear how he says it? “In the Lord I put my trust, how can you possibly tell me to run away? You warn me that the wicked are attacking, that they are plotting for my destruction. You fret that the foundations are crumbling, and you don’t know what to do. Let me tell you where to turn…”

Then he gives us the words we all need to hear today. Across the centuries these words ring out to us in America. Hear the Word of God:

[4] The LORD is in His holy temple,

The LORD'S throne is in heaven;

His eyes behold,

His eyelids test the sons of men.

[5] The LORD tests the righteous,

But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.

[6] Upon the wicked He will rain coals;

Fire and brimstone and a burning wind

Shall be the portion of their cup.

Even when the world seems to be spinning out of control, The Lord is in His holy temple. Even when the enemy has his arrow strung, and aimed at our heart, the Lord is on His throne in heaven. No matter how bad it gets, no matter how the evil rages, God is still God!

Does that mean that the wicked will not be permitted to commit their evil deeds? No. The heart of man is desperately wicked, and the outflow of those evil hearts is foul. But notice that God’s eyes see, and their deeds do not escape his scrutiny. Do you see how that thought is repeated? David wants to make sure that we understand that God’s eyes not only see, as the first phrase says, but His “eyelids test” the sons of men. That phrase carries the thought of a squinting, closely examining the deeds of men. God has not set the world spinning and then sat back to wait for us to destroy each other. He is closely, intimately involved in the affairs of our world. He is sovereign. And He will bring judgment. Don’t let the events of this week cause you to doubt the truth – God is in Control.

We have interrupted our series today entitled Absolute Truths for a Relative World. One of the basic tenants of Relativism is the belief that God is not in control, if He exists at all. They believe that we are an accident of nature, that we answer to no higher authority than our selves. If there is some higher force, it certainly does not care or interfere in the events of man.

But the truth is far different. God is in control. Certainly evil exists. Bad things happen to good people. But it is not God who causes this evil. It is the result of the free choices of evil men. It is we who have chosen to ignore God, to spurn His guidelines, to disobey his laws, and then we want to blame Him when we reap the consequences.

God will allow the evil to go about their dastardly deeds, but He will have the last word. He will pour out judgment on the evil men do. But make no mistake, you and I are just as much sinners as the men who piloted those airliners into the Pentagon and World Trade Center towers. Isaiah 53:6 says,

“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way;”

But never forget the end of that verse,

“And the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

You see, even in the midst of our sinfulness, God has mercy on us. He loves us all more than we can comprehend. And David recalls that at the end of this Psalm. Look at verse 7. It reads,

7] For the LORD is righteous,

He loves righteousness;

His countenance beholds the upright.

While the eyes of the Lord are intent and even squinting as they observe the deeds of the wicked, “His countenance beholds the upright.” The difference is amazing. The unrighteous will see judgment; the righteous will see God’s face. “They will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

This week we watched the foundations destroyed. We saw some of the greatest testaments to man’s power and wealth crumble. We saw evil in live-time television. We watched death in action.

“What can the righteous do?”

We can remember:

“The LORD is in His holy temple.

Let all the earth keep silence before Him." Habakkuk 2:20

[One minute of silence]

Prayer: Almighty God, Creator of the Universe, Sustainer of Life, You are in Your holy temple, and we are silent before you. We humbly come into your presence and ask for mercy upon our land. Forgive us for our wandering, rebellious hearts. Forgive us for our pride. Forgive us for our idolatry. We have placed many other Gods before you.

In this week of shock and trauma, we have realized the shaky foundations upon which we have placed our trust. All our strength, all our wealth is temporal. It will all one day crumble and burn.

In these days, call our nation back to that Foundation that will never fail. “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 3:11) Help us to never forget the images we have seen, the memories of those who are lost, nor the lessons we have learned. May they be pressed upon our hearts, and may we return to you, Oh Sovereign Lord, our strength, our shield.