Sunday Sermon

Today is the day of prayer for the persecuted church. The one day out of the year when we as believers (as part of the visible church) have a chance to concentrate our prayers on the needs of our fellow believers suffering for their faith in our Lord God. Today we really get to pray for them.

NOT saying we can't or even shouldn't pray other days. We should, but today as a whole church we can pray. The prayers of the faithful matter much to God.

So Jim's sermon today is called "How Should Christians Respond To Persecution" And his text is Psalm 83. It reads as follows:

A Song. A Psalm of Asaph.

1O God, do not keep silence;
do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
2For behold, your enemies make an uproar;
those who hate you have raised their heads.
3They lay crafty plans against your people;
they consult together against your treasured ones.
4They say, "Come, let us wipe them out as a nation;
let the name of Israel be remembered no more!"
5For they conspire with one accord;
against you they make a covenant—
6the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
Moab and the Hagrites,
7 Gebal and Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Asshur also has joined them;
they are the strong arm of the children of Lot.
Selah

9Do to them as you did to Midian,
as to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,
10who were destroyed at En-dor,
who became dung for the ground.
11Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12who said, "Let us take possession for ourselves
of the pastures of God."

13O my God, make them like whirling dust,
like chaff before the wind.
14As fire consumes the forest,
as the flame sets the mountains ablaze,
15so may you pursue them with your tempest
and terrify them with your hurricane!
16 Fill their faces with shame,
that they may seek your name, O LORD.
17Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever;
let them perish in disgrace,
18that they may know that you alone,
whose name is the LORD,
are the Most High over all the earth.

This is prayer to God. A cry that God remember his people. That God won't remain silent in the face of all that his people are going through. A cry that God will act against the people who are enemies of his children. WHY? So that "they may know that you alone ... are the Most High over all the earth." So not just for the benefit of God's children...but so that GOD might be truly seen by those who oppose him.

I have to admit, I hope Justin is quiet for church today. I would like to be able to actually hear the sermon today.