Good afternoon, Christ Fellowship Bible Church. It's a pleasure to be up here with you today. I am concluding our series on the what do I do when. And we've heard some very amazing practical topics that hopefully have been helpful. I know they have been for me. And so today I've been charged with the task of what do I do when I am consumed by current events and the lunacy of this world. And that word lunacy was picked on purpose. because we are living in a clown world. This world has gone insane and we need to be lights in a dark place, don't we? So hopefully you have your hand out. I have four different points that I want to go through. We are going to jump to four specific scriptures that I don't want you to hear from me, my opinion. I want you to hear from God's word, what he says, how we apply his word to today's current events. And how we should proceed. So before we do, I want to read just a few headlines of the day. If you're anything like me, you check the news every day, hear the news, hear some stories. So these are all within the last month. Give you a little snippet here from MSNBC. Bernie Sanders says, the world is burning. Here's how we stop it. The Telegraph wants us to know that there's a NASA asteroid strike which is unleashing boulder storm as deadly as Hiroshima. The New York Post warns us that COVID cases are up 55% in New York and doctors warn that there are new variants. The Wall Street Journal tells us that Earth just had its hottest month ever and how six cities are coping with it. CNBC says 56% of student loan borrowers will have to choose between loans and necessities. The Economist has a really uplifting article saying, horrifying numbers of Americans will not make it to old age. There's some comfort for you as you drink your coffee in the morning. NPR has a coronavirus frequently asked question, is it wiser to get a booster now or do I wait for the new fall booster? CNN has some Very important news. Quote, Barbie Botox is the latest trend worrying experts. I know all of you woke up this morning worried about that. Reuters tells us that the Pope tells a transgender person, quote, God loves us as we are. MSNBC again says the surprisingly sexist history of chess is the backdrop for outrageous new anti-trans rules. Bet you didn't know that chess was sexist. And then lastly, the Washington Post says, US chips enable Russia's war drones. We live in a time where everything is urgent and everything is messed up. We live in a world that has gone mad. And if you succumb to all the headlines and all the news articles, you have no other option than to be in fear, because that's what they're selling. John MacArthur has a quote, this is in your handout here, this is from A World Gone Mad. John MacArthur says, quote, on top of the endless chaos surrounding us, our society is drowning in a sea of lies, such that the culture is permeated by a sense of devastating insecurity. We no longer have confidence in politicians, health experts, social activists, academics, or the media. All of them have lost credibility by pursuing agendas over honesty. Even religious leaders have shown a knack for doublespeak and outright deception when it suits their purposes. We have been lied to so routinely that we treat every claim as dubious. Living in that constant state of doubt and suspicion is both exhausting and exasperating." End quote. Amen to that, right? We feel that. The past couple of years especially have been very tumultuous. We don't know what truth is. in a lot of ways. We get to succumb to whatever the newest hottest trend, newest latest fear is and that's right where the world wants you to be. So let's think of a few scenarios practically in our lives. How does this happen? You're driving home from work and you're listening to the radio and you hear about the most recent natural disaster to happen somewhere in the world and you think, what if that happens here? What do I need to do to prepare against that? How do I protect myself and my loved ones from something like that happening to me? Or you're talking with a co-worker about politics, which I don't recommend, but if you are and find yourself in that situation, you see the godless trajectory this country is on, and you say, wow, there's no hope. There's no hope. God has lifted his hand of restraint, and we're all doomed. Or you overhear a conversation at a local coffee shop, about so-called reproductive rights and trans rights, and you wonder how in the world will my child or grandchild grow up in a society that is so bent on murder and perversion. So let's face it, we know it's everywhere. It's in the news, radio, billboards, yard signs. bumper stickers, co-workers, family members, it's everywhere. You can't escape it. And one click on your smartphone or tablet and all of a sudden, hours later, you've gone down the rabbit hole and you've wasted all this time and energy by the nonsense and distractions of the world. And sometimes it's just a lack of focus. We have reminders, we have pop-ups, we have dings, notifications, and now we're in it. Before it's too late, we know we've gone too far down the rabbit hole. So what are we going to do about it? Do we ignore it all? Do we retreat and start a commune in the hills of Missouri and live off the land? Is that the answer? There was at least a recent satire article that says, get a load of this ignorant moron who doesn't follow politics and is also really happy with his life. It's humorous, but it provokes the question. What do we do with all of this surrounding us in the world? Where do we go? What do we turn to? Do we just ignore it? Do we embrace it? What do we do as believers? So with that as the introduction today, I want to give you some hope from God's Word. I want to give you some practical tips that you can lean on in times of worry and despair and frustration. And you can see them in your handout here. What do you do when? And I have four different points we're gonna cover, four different scriptures. I'm gonna try and go through the scriptures quicker than I'd like to, just so we have time for everything. But the first one here, what do you do when you're depressed or anxious about current events? If you're anything like me, probably at some point this week, you got depressed or anxious about the events that are surrounding us in our country, right? So what do we do? Turn with me to Philippians chapter four. What do you do when you're depressed and anxious about current events? You rely on the peace of God. And this goes without saying, but we have to always come back to the word of God. That is our foundation. That is our truth. And you'll see through today and just as you look back at your life, when you start straying from God's word, start straying from your morning Bible times, your prayer time, your time at church. When you start straying from that, that's when you start getting very worried and anxious and you start getting, you succumb to the world and all the nonsense in it. So when you're depressed or anxious about current events, you rely on the peace of God. Philippians chapter four, we're gonna start in verse four. And remember, just like I teach the catechism kids downstairs, the most important thing when we dive into a passage of scripture is what is the context? Who is the author? What is he saying? Who is he saying it to? So Paul wrote this to the church in Philippi and he just reminded the Philippians that their citizenship is in heaven and that they need to stand firm in the Lord. Christian, same thing for us. Our citizenship is in heaven. We need to stand firm in the Lord. So let's look at chapter four, verse four. Paul says, rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone that the Lord is at hand. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. So verse four, rejoice in the Lord. Literally, be glad and take delight and find joy in the Lord. That is the sphere that we need to rejoice in. The sphere does not contain our circumstances. It does not contain our feelings, the current events, the noise of the world. The sphere that we need to rejoice in is a place of comfort in our sovereign, omnipotent God. And we know, as good Bible studiers, that when anything is repeated in the Bible, it means what? The repetition means the emphasis. So rejoice in the Lord, always. Again, I will say rejoice. I think Paul's trying to bring out a point here. Rejoice in the Lord. Don't rejoice in your circumstances. Don't rejoice in the things around you, whether those things could be good. They could be blessings from the Lord, right? But we rejoice in the Lord, okay? Verse five, why? Because the Lord is at hand. The Lord is always working. He's always present. He's always near to his kids. He never leaves you or forsakes you. We know that. But sometimes in these circumstances, we can get caught up in them, right? So when we're worried, when we're anxious, what does he tell us? Verse six, do not be anxious about anything. The news and the media today would have you be anxious about everything. Right? Be worried about this, be worried about that. Have you thought about this? Did you know about this new variant? Did you know a bunch of people are dying over here? Right? All these things that you need to worry about. I don't know. Paul reminds us through the Holy Spirit, do not be anxious about anything. Because as a Christian, what does it say when you and I are worried? What does that say when we're anxious? It says, in that moment, we're not trusting in the Lord. We don't have faith in God. We don't believe in His wisdom, His sovereignty, His power. Now, you and I might not say that out loud, but that's what our actions say, is it not? That's exactly what it says. So what are we to do? Verse 6, do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. So what do we do when we're steeped in worry? We pray. We pray and we're thankful for all the many blessings God's given us. This happens again over and over in the Psalms. You'll see a Psalmist saying, Lord, crying out, Lord, this is happening. The wicked are prevailing over us. Your city is in desolation. We are in ruins. And what happens? But Lord, we thank you, right? Here's our prayer. Here's our supplication. In thankfulness, we come to him. Because remember, he's the creator and sustainer of all things. Why wouldn't you pray to him? Remember what Peter says in 1 Peter 5, cast all your anxieties on him because he cares for you. He cares for you. The greatest antidote to worry is spending time with the Lord in prayer and in his word. So once you pray, what do we do? Look at verse seven here. You've prayed, supplicated with thanksgiving, you made all your quests known to God, verse seven, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. So what do you do when you pray? You rest. You rest. You rest in your sovereign God's arms. Much like a little child. Think of a little boy, three or four year old little boy is terrified of the thunderstorm. Lightning, chaos, crashing, thunder. But you know, what does he do? He runs to his daddy, and he lies in his daddy's arm. And guess what? That little boy's comfort is daddy tells him it's gonna be okay. He doesn't have to fear the storm. The storm's gonna pass. And in the same way, Christian, we need to rest in the arms of our heavenly daddy, our heavenly father, knowing that he's our stronghold in the wild, relentless storm of this life. And I know I'm telling all of you, I'm preaching to the choir, right? But we need these reminders. And think of Jesus in Matthew chapter 6. I wish we had time to go into it. We don't. Think of the Sermon on the Mount, right? He tells them, don't be anxious. You can't add a lifespan to your life. You can't add a cubit of height, right? And he says, look at the birds of the air. They're not worried about tomorrow. Do I provide for them? Absolutely. Look at these beautiful lilies, these beautiful flowers in the field. Today they're here, tomorrow they're gone. Do they worry? No, they don't worry. They're more beautiful than Solomon in all of his splendor. How much more of value are you than that. So Christian, don't be depressed or anxious when the world tells you everything's falling apart around you. We know this world is gonna fall apart, right? But those of us that have our feet firm on the Lord's word, unshaken because of Christ, right? So what do you do when you're depressed or anxious about current events? You rely on the peace of God. Okay, second in your handout. What do you do when you feel like you're one of the few Christians left? You feel like you're on an island. You feel all alone. There are so many wicked people in this world, and everyone has these opposite views of what scripture says. Everyone's rebelling against the Lord. Everyone's rejoicing. They're calling good evil and evil good. I am the only one left struggling with this. Well, you're not alone. Elijah knows how you feel. Turn to 1 Kings chapter 19. First Kings chapter 19. Now, familiar story. One of my favorite stories. And I don't have time to go through the whole story, so I'm gonna summarize a lot of it. And this idea of God leaving a remnant was the whole focus of the Shepherds Conference this year. So if you wanna hear some great sermons about this, I highly recommend go to that. It was very beneficial to listen and go through. But 1 Kings 19, again, our context, you have Elijah the prophet in Israel, and Baal worship is huge. You have Ahab the king, you have Jezebel the queen, they are pro-team Baal, and Elijah comes up with the God contest. Hey, take your prophets, me versus all of them, they get a bull, I get a bull, we're gonna sacrifice the bull, and whatever God can bring fire down from heaven, that's the true God. Seems pretty straightforward, right? So you guys know the story. All 450 prophets of Baal, they're singing, they're chanting, they're cutting themselves and doing all these things. They're waiting for Baal to bring down fire. You guys know he doesn't. Elijah's over there poking fun of him. He's like, hey, maybe you should chant louder. I don't think he hears you. Actually, you know what? He's probably pretty busy. He probably doesn't have time for you. Ooh, actually, you know what, guys? I think he's on the toilet. He ain't got time for you, right? So he's poking fun of him, and then it's his turn. And they're in the middle of a drought, right? What does he do? He dumps water all over the sacrifice many times. He prays to the Lord, and then, Fire, miraculous. People are amazed. Oh my goodness, it's a miracle. It really is a miracle. Fire from heaven consumes it. And then what does Elijah do? He goes and he slaughters 450 prophets of Baal. And Elijah's screaming on high and he's like, all right, here we go. Baal worship's over. They're gonna worship Yahweh. Ahab and Jezebel are gonna repent. It's gonna be beautiful. Wrong. So wrong, unfortunately. So pick it up, verse one, chapter 19 of 1 Kings. So Ahab saw the God contest, saw everything happen, and he told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword, the prophets of Baal. Verse two, then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying, so may the gods do to me and more also if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow. Now, you're Elijah, you've seen this miracle, you're running on high. Queen Jezebel does that, you're like, man, my God just brought fire down from heaven, bring it on. Nope, he says, I'm out of here, peace out. He runs the other way, right? And it's easy for us to poke fun of Elijah, we probably would've done the same thing. So verse three, he was afraid. He rose and ran for his life, came to Beersheba, which is the southernmost part of Israel, which belongs to Judah, and he left his servant there. Okay. What is he focused on right now? His circumstances, right? All these miraculous things just happen. But the queen, who's very powerful, don't discount that. She has a lot of emphasis, right? She's a very powerful evil woman. Says, I'm gonna kill you. And he runs away. Okay, his eyes are on his circumstances rather than on the Lord. Okay, so if you look through verses four through eight, you know what happens? God provides food for him. Elijah comes and says, God, I'm the only one left. I did all these things. Will you just please kill me? He said, you know what? Don't let her kill me. Why don't you just kill me? We'll just end all this now. God says, nope. He gives me food. He gives me supplies. And so through that, He travels down to Mount Horeb, which is Mount Sinai. Okay, Eliza travels down south. The same Mount Sinai that Moses was at, that the Israelites were at. So think of this little parallel here. This was just so cool in my study. He's traveling through the same desert, the same wilderness that Moses and Israelites traveled about 650 years prior. And think of the parallels here, right? God provided for the Israelites for 40 years with manna in the desert, right? Even though they continued to whine and complain, even though they disobeyed, all those things, he provided for those people in the same way he provides for Elijah, all this food for 40 days journey to get to Mount Horeb. It just shows us that God in his infinite wisdom was teaching Elijah his faithful care and provision just like he did to the Israelites. Our God is an unchanging God and he's a loving God. Okay, so let's pick it up. Verse nine. There he, Elijah, came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him and said to him, what are you doing here, Elijah? And Elijah said, verse 10, I've been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts, for the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. And I, even I, only am left, and they seek my life to take it away. He's seen these great victory, miracle after miracle, and guess what? He's scared, fearful, discouraged, and all alone. Have you felt like that? Have you seen God work again and again in your life, provide again and again? You've had impossible prayers that the Lord has answered, and yet we get in a similar situation and we're discouraged. We really are like sheep, aren't we? But let's read on, verse 11. And he said, go out and stand on the mount before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed by in a great and strong wind, tore the mountains and broken pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind, an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake, a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, the sound of a low whisper. So God shows Elijah some spectacular demonstrations of his power, right? He's got the wind, the earthquake, the fire, but these weren't the instruments that God was gonna use for his self-revelation here. This is not how God was gonna show himself to Elijah. Literally, he shows himself in a gentle whisper, a sound of thin silence. Verse 13, and when then Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave, And behold, there came a voice to him and said, what are you doing here, Elijah? Same question, same question. And verse 14, he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts, for the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I only am left, and they seek my life to take it away. Same answer, same question, same answer. Here's the lesson for Elijah, and here's the lesson for us. God was quietly, sometimes imperceptibly, doing his work in Israel. God had revealed himself in spectacular demonstrations, kind of like the fire and the earthquake, right? Think of the ravens that provided food for Elijah at Kareth, right? Birds don't bring you and I food, miraculous. Think of the widow at Zarephath, the widow and her son, with the flower jar that never ran out. She said, I'm worried, I'm gonna be fearful, we're gonna die, and he said, no you won't. And God provided that way. And then the God contest, where God brings literal fire down from heaven to consume the sacrifice. He did these amazing, miraculous outward signs, right? And now he says, I'm gonna use you in a different, less dramatic way. And he goes on in the passage to tell Elijah to commission three men, Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha. And you know what those three men eventually do? They bar Baal worship from Israel. Through the work of those three men, through God using them as their tools, his tool, they bar Baal worship, was what Elijah thought he was doing at the God contest. He thought it would happen, then it didn't. God was using it all for his perfect plan for it to work out later. And then, let's pick it up in verse 18 here. God says, after he gives them instructions on how to commission these three men, he says, yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him. He encourages Elijah to remind him, Elijah, you're not alone. I know your circumstances are scary. The queen wants you dead. You've been through a lot, but I'm your sustainer. and you're not alone. 7,000 others are here. So even though Elijah's not alone, you know what? He felt very much alone. And in the same way, when you and I are discouraged and we feel alone, know that God has always provided remnant and he will continue to always provide a remnant. So you are not alone, Christian. Never feel like you're on an island because you aren't. So what do you do when you feel like you're one of the few Christians left? Know that God always provides a remnant. Okay, number three in your outline. What do you do when you're worried about future persecution? Turn with me in the New Testament to 1 Peter, 1 Peter chapter four. What do you do when you're worried about future persecution? You prepare for it and you entrust yourself to God. Now, we know, Christians, that we are not of this world. Can I get an amen? Amen. We are sojourners passing through. And we need to prepare our hearts and minds for the coming persecution, just like Peter here is warning the New Testament believers. We need to look at this passage and say, how does it apply to us today? Because persecution has always been here. And guess what? Until Jesus comes back, it's always gonna be here. I think as Christians in America, we've been able to look at the believers maybe over in North Korea or maybe in China or Iraq and say, wow, how are they doing it? They're being persecuted. They're running from their lives. They have to choose between their family and the Lord. Wow, that must be awful. That must be hard. And I'm sure it is, but guess what? This country, I don't know how much longer we have the freedom and the safety that we've been used to. So, what do we do? Verse 12, 1 Peter chapter 4, verse 12. Peter says, Stop right there. We got to expect it. We need to expect it. We don't subscribe to the health, wealth, and prosperity movement. We don't try to make every day a Friday. That's not biblical. We know that we're not of this world, and therefore the world rejects us. Remember our Savior's words in John 15. If the world hates you, this is Jesus talking, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. The world hated Jesus so much, it says in one passage, they sought how to destroy him. And when they can't get to Jesus because he's conquered sin and death, amen, what are they gonna do? They're gonna go after his followers. So we need to expect it, verse 13. But rejoice insofar as you share in Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. We should rejoice in persecution. Now that doesn't mean we go out looking for it. We're not out there trying to be arrogant. We're not out there trying to judge. We don't go pursue persecution, but guess what? You don't have to. It will come. But remember, God allows persecution for our testing, for our purging and our cleansing. Remember James chapter one, Jesus' half-brother James says, count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, because what? It produces spiritual maturity, completeness, therefore you're lacking in nothing. So we should expect it, we should rejoice in it, but we also need to know the cause of our suffering. Confirm that it's because you're loyal to Christ. Verse 15 here. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God. And if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if the righteous is scarily saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? Think of Moses. And we're gonna talk a lot about Moses in the next hour when Pastor Jeff preaches. But remember Moses, he didn't count the treasures of Egypt worth anything. Remember, he was royalty in Egypt. But he rejected all that looking to the future reward of Christ. And we need to do the same. He rather put up with a bunch of whining, complaining babies in the desert than the riches and the royalty of Egypt. And we need to not be so caught up in the things of this world and the things that we have to where these we can let go, we can go straight to heaven's door and be with our Savior forever. Remember, Pastor Jeff just preached on Hebrews 2, that we are heirs with Christ. We're not just saved, we are heirs, heirs to the King. So know that your cause of suffering is because of your loyalty to Jesus. And then 19, entrust your persecution to God. Verse 19 here. Therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good. Literally deposit your soul into the bank of God for safekeeping. As creator, God knows what's best for his creatures. He knows our needs. He knows you and loves you better than you do. And know that when we're persecuted, there are many promises in Scripture that He will provide us with the strength and perseverance, and He will even give us the words to say to our persecutors. So while persecution can be scary, and it is scary, know that we can entrust ourselves to God, and that He's going to give us all the strength and wisdom and words to persevere, and that it will be worth it. So what do you do, Christian, when you're worried about future persecution? You prepare for it and you entrust yourself to God. Okay, we've been through a lot of things. Quick recap. So, when you're depressed or anxious about current events, you rely on the peace of God. When you feel like you're one of the only few Christians left, you know that God always provides a remnant. And when you're worried about future persecution, you prepare for it and you entrust yourself and your soul to God. So number four, finally, number four. What do you do when you're worried about the future? We're gonna turn to Psalm two for this one. When you're worried about the future, You need to remember how it ends. How does it end? Psalm 2, probably part of Psalm 1, right? More than likely King David wrote it. This is an amazing Psalm. And it's broken down into four parts. Verses one through three, first let's look at the human rebellion, the human rebellion. Follow along, Psalm chapter two, verse one. Why do the nations rage in the people's plot and vein? The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us. Christian, you and me, we need to have faith like the psalmist here that's like, why would the nations rage? Why would they plot? It's all in vain, don't they know that? Sometimes, when I look at the nations raging, and I look at the current events and say, oh my gosh, what are we gonna do? Psalmist here's like, why would they do that? Don't they know that it's worthless? It's pointless? It's gonna end up in vanity. Because, verse two, the world's against God and his people because Satan is the prince of this world. Don't forget that. There's a lot of blessings in this world. God said a lot of his creation is good, and it is good. But guess who's running the joint right now? Satan. So don't be surprised, but expect it when these things happen. In verse three, they want to be free from God's control. They can't tolerate God. They can't tolerate the things of God. They can't tolerate the people of God. They are of the flesh. They are of the devil. They are literally enemies of God, as were we, right? We, just like them, were running headlong straight to hell until Jesus plucked us away from the fire and saved us. Praise be to God. But that's what they are right now. They're enemies of God, they hate God, and they are children of the devil. So, the human rebellion. Verse four through six, let's see what the divine reaction is. I love verse four. He who sits in the heavens laughs. Can you just picture that? God in heaven, just looking down. You're like, oh, that's what you guys are doing? That's funny. He who sits in the heavens laughs. The Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath and terrify them in his fury, saying, as for me, I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill. So derision, he holds them in derision. He ridicules them. He mocks them. He holds them in contempt. They are worthless, meaningless. God scorns them. Don't forget, that's the God whose team we're on, right? In verse six, God's gonna speak to the nations in his wrath, and he's gonna tell them, and he's gonna install a king in Jerusalem who will end their rebellion. He's gonna crush their rebellion. And when God establishes a king, he subjugates those who oppose his king, and that was true with David back in Jerusalem then, but it points to the end of the age with David's greater descendant, our Lord Jesus Christ. So the divine reaction, he laughs and he warns them, here's what's gonna happen. Verses seven to nine, the divine rule. I will tell of the decree the Lord said to me, you are my son, today I have begotten you. Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage and the ends of the earth your possession. Verse nine, you shall break them with the rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. So despite the rebellion and their desire for freedom, Jesus is going to rule over them. Guess what? You don't have a choice. This is what's going to happen. And that's what we need to remember. He's coming. He's coming. And he will crush them just like the most fragile pot you have in your house, crushed into a million tiny pieces. So now I want to camp here for a minute, verses 10 through 12. Now, therefore, because of everything I just said, Therefore, O kings, now he's addressing the kings, this is the human responsibility. O kings, be wise, be warned, O rulers of the earth. Here's what you need to do. You need to serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the son, lest he be angry and you perish in the way. For his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge. Okay, so knowing all of that, the Lord is against, that the world is against God and against his people. God laughs at the rebellion. Jesus will crush him. Here's the ultimatum. You submit or you perish. You serve the Lord or you will be destroyed. There are no other options. This isn't multiple choice. You don't get to fill in the blank. A or B. That's all you get. And we as Christians need to have this mentality with the world around us because these foolish nations, these foolish rulers, they need to submit. They need to submit to the king before they perish in his wrath. Remember Jesus's words, Matthew 10, 28. Do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear who? Fear him who can destroy both body and soul in hell. I know sometimes it's terrifying living in this world. And you see these corrupt rulers and these evil people. But you know what? We need to look at that and say, whoa, whoa, whoa. You think you're powerful? You think you're in control? You think you've got this all figured out? You don't. And if you don't repent and bow the knee to Jesus, you are gonna feel his wrath and you will perish. You can say and do whatever you want, but that's what's coming. And Christian, that should give us hope, right? Not because we're better than them, not because we're stronger than them, but because we serve the one who is. And so when these things happen around us, don't be fearful, don't be anxious, know how it ends. Because as Christians, remember, we should lead lives of submission, not rebellion. We should live lives characterized by godly fear and trembling, not arrogance. We need to live lives filled with the exaltation of Christ, not in the gloom of oppression. Because you and I know that only in the Son is there safety from the wrath of God. Only under the arms of Jesus Christ. There is no coexist bumper sticker. All the roads don't lead to heaven. There is one way, one truth, one life, and that's through the Son, Jesus. And if you do not kiss the Son, you will be destroyed in His wrath. But verse 12, kiss the Son lest ye be angry and ye perish in the way. for his wrath is quickly kindled. The door is still open. They can still repent and believe because we have such a merciful God. Amazing. But the second coming will mean wrath to all who rebel. but great joy and refuge for all of us who by faith have submitted to God's plan to rule the world through David's greater son, Jesus Christ. Remember Revelation 19, beloved. If you get discouraged, go to Revelation 19, specifically verses 11 through 21. What is it? It's Jesus' second coming. His first coming, he came. He was born in a manger. He was presented to lowly shepherds. He lived a life of poverty and suffering. He died the shameful death on the cross. He rode the fall of a donkey. He came in humility. Not the second time. Second time, he's coming on the horse, the white horse, and he's got eyes that are flame of fire. His sword is wet. The bow is stretched back, right? His garments are gonna be splattered with blood because he's coming to take vengeance. He's coming to judge. And if you are in Christ, it's gonna be a glorious day. But if you're not in Christ, you are gonna scream for the mountains to fall on you, because that would be a better end. So Christian, why do I belabor the point? Because when you're worried about the future, remember how it ends. Remember how it ends, and look forward to the second coming of our Savior. Okay, so we've gone through these four points. You need to rely on the peace of God. We need to know that God always provides us a remnant. We need to prepare for persecution and entrust our souls to God. And we need to remember how God says it ends. So let's talk about some practical tips, because in the day to day, we can get distracted. How do we apply these things? Obviously, we need to be in the Word, but know your limit is first and foremost practical tip. Know your limit. If you read the news or listen to the news or see different things and you're a giant stress ball and you're anxious and you can't handle it, guess what? Stop it. Stop it. Don't do it. We have great resources like the briefing by Al Mohler and there's a bunch of great news sources that try not to be biased, but you know what? At some point, If it's too much, don't do it. You don't need to do it. Because, second, second point, you should prioritize the Word over social media and the news. If you're so succumbed to all the nonsense going on in the world and the clickbait here and here and there, and you're not in the Word, well, you're doing something wrong, and that's why you're fearful. You need to meditate on Scripture. You need to be in the Word. Because remember, when you're in the Word reading, that's God talking to you, and when you're in prayer, you're talking to God. Just like any other great relationship, you need to be communicating. So meditate on scripture, and with that, thirdly, set your minds on things above. You all know Colossians chapter three. If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are on earth. Don't do that. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth. So that could be memorizing scripture. That could be thinking of the things of God, being with the people of God. But meditate on things that are above. Third, know that God brings salvation, not the government. The government's full of who? Humans, sinful humans. Maybe a good one here or there. Maybe a truthful one here or there. But the government's not gonna bring salvation. Now, I'm not saying don't go vote and don't be involved. That's not what I'm saying. But what I'm saying is remember where salvation is. Remember where our rock is. Remember where we stand and hold fast. It's not behind a candidate. It's behind the Lord Jesus Christ. So with all the noise trying to pit one another against this candidate, that candidate, this topic, that topic, it's all noise. We stick to what this says and the one who wrote it. And lastly, a great exercise to go through is focus on the character of God. Do a word study on all God's character. So his omniscience, his omnipotence, his sovereignty, justice, mercy, grace, love. Look up Bible verses on certain characteristics of God and get to know your Heavenly Father better. Because when you're focused on that, you don't have time or the capacity or even the willingness to be focused on all the other nonsense. So focus on the character of God. When I was in college, I had the privilege to go to Australia with my family. And we flew into Sydney and saw all the beautiful sights in Sydney, which is on the eastern side. And then we went south to Melbourne. We rented a car and drove down to Melbourne. It's about an eight-hour drive. So enough to do in one day, not too much though. And on our drive, interestingly enough, I kept seeing billboards on the highway that said things like, pull over and take a 10-minute power nap. Feeling tired? Stop for coffee. And then there are little government highway signs that would say, free coffee ahead. Stop for free coffee. So I'm a little intrigued and I thought, OK, these Australians must have narcolepsy or something. They have a problem falling asleep at the wheel. I don't know. But they actually have government signs telling you and warning you to not drive for very long. So obviously, there's a problem. Well, about four hours into the drive, I'm driving on the wrong side of the road, mind you. They drive on the wrong side. The steering wheel of the car is on the wrong side. Trying to figure all this out. And this little light on my dashboard starts blinking. And I start, I'm like, what is that? And then this, the, the, it starts dinging too. You know, if you were driving with your seatbelt off, don't do that. If you ever have that, it beeps at you until you put your seatbelt on. So that's beeping. This is blinking. And I'm like, that's not the check engine light. That's, that's not the gas light. Is it like, are angry kangaroos about to ambush us? Like what, what, what does this mean? It's none of those. You know what it is? It's a coffee cup. It's a coffee cup on the dashboard that's blinking. And you know what? It would not turn off. until I pulled the car over and turned the car off. The country of Australia has such a problem with people falling asleep behind the wheel of a car and crashing that they had to take drastic measures to remind them to keep their focus on driving. And while that's kind of silly, don't we need that though? Don't we need a persistent reminder to remind us to be in God's Word and prayer? Every day we should have like a little Bible-shaped light on the dashboard of our busy schedules that flashes and beeps at us to remind us of the priority of being in the Word and the danger if we ignore the warning. So Christian, let me encourage you. Be in the Word daily. Commune with your Savior daily. Be among the people of God. And then you don't have to be depressed and anxious about world events. You don't have to feel like you're alone. You don't have to worry about persecution because you're going to remember how it ends. Let's pray. Almighty Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the truth of your word. And we thank you that you never leave us or forsake us. Lord, the world around us is crumbling. The prince of the power of this air is using his evil ways to bring destruction and chaos. And yet, Lord, you are faithful to your people. So we pray, Lord, that we can take these practical applications and we can implement them even this week. Father, you give us the strength and perseverance to be with you every day, that we would make it a priority to be in the word, to be in prayer, and that we can encourage one another And Father, we can look forward to the day when Jesus comes back riding on that white horse in triumph and in judgment. Lord, would you come quickly? It's in your name we pray, amen.