Sermon #1 Rev 9:1-6
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Sermon #1
I have tried to address in my own small way the issue of youth dysfunctional and diviant behavior on this broadcast and I took the position that we as parents have let down our youth and have turned over the leadership responsibility into their hands. Our youth themselves are not adequately prepared for this role. The resentment and frustration that we observe in youth must not be rewarded with this kind of responsibility. The resentment and frustration that we observe in youth are there simply because they refuse to be sterotypes for they feel that they will not be heard, they will not be related to, and they will not be accepted as individual persons in our society. It is simply an identity concern.
I am of the opinion that youth in and of itself is not a bad period of the human experience. Young people are not all alike. Some turn out to be good while others are evidently disappointing. We cannot fully blame the parents because in like manner some are good while others are a sad disappointment. What I would like to do is forget the blame rhetoric and present to you an alternative approach s we deal with the problem of crime in our island. A study of the Book of the Revelation suggests another approach especially in crucial and critical end times like these.
So let me take your attention to REV 9:1. This will be our text this morning. The apostle John previous to this passage took us on a tour of the age by telling us that Man has ruined our world. This is a world ruined by man but he continues to tells us that this is a world ruled by Satan. And under divine inspiration he tells how Satan is ruling this world. Listen to what he said in Rev 9:1 “And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.”
The point I need to make first of all is that our world or for that matter our island is experiencing a Visitation of Demons. That fallen star which is Satan is given the key of the bottomless pit to release those demons that rebelled against God with Lucifer and were reserved in chains of darkness. These demonic spirits have made their incursions in the lives of people in our times. Let me show you how serious this is. Suppose every criminal in our jails across the United States were let loose to infiltrate our cities. Those who committed the most heinous, vicious, and violent crimes as well as those who committed the small crimes. Do you know what chaos there would be in our world if these creatures are given an opportunity to practices their infamies on human kind? Yet we are facing something worse.
John prophesied that something more heinous and sinister would occur in the end times and that is exactly what is happening today. Demonic forces have visited our world and are operating not only here in St. Thomas but across our globe. In every area of our world people are displaying some real strange tendencies. We are not witnessing normal behaviour at all. What we see is demonic behaviour. We have tried to pin the growing problem of crime on the backs of our youth and our parents and they do deserve some blame because they make themselves available as instruments, but I am suggesting that we look beyond them and see the real problem. Ladies and gentlemen we have a demonic visitation.
This demonic visitation has affected our behaviour in an unprecedented way. John is telling us here that the earth has now become a penitentiary for evil spirits. When we talk about demonic visitation, we are not talking UFO or some spooky looking beings floating across the air on broom sticks or things of that nature. We are talking about spirits entering human beings taking over their faculties and affecting their behavior in a mark and special way. This repeated wave of criminal activity that has everyone of us searching for answers and solutions is nothing but demonic behaviour.
Why would a man just enter a restaurant and open fire on a number of customers killing them dead. There is no human justification for such behavior. Why would a man take a thousand dollars to beat a woman to death with a crow-bar? This is demonic behaviour. Why would one keep driving a car while a woman’s hand is being severed from her body amidst her pitiful cries for help? Why would a 60 year old man torture a 6-year old child under the guise of sexual pleasure. Why would young children beat other young children to death mercilessly as though this is a big joke. It really is not funny at all. This man is in prison and he admits openly that if he were to be sent out in society again that he would kill. He just constantly has that urge to take human life.
Tell me fellow citizens, is this human behaviour? Let me remind you that I have not reported the most graphic cases that repeat themselves daily on the human scene. If you want a sick stomach or your hair to stand up straight, check the reports that come to the police or just stick around the hospital for a little while. The devil is just waiting for an opportunity to control human beings who yield the members of their body to him.
Hitler was not an ordinary human being. His behaviour patters depicted a demon incarnate. There are many today in our world who have the same infamous bent as Hitler, albeit on a lesser scale. Sometimes we might think that we are wrestling against flesh and blood in our ordinary daily life but we might very well be wrestling against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Every passing day Satan religiously marshalls his forces against us in a formidable way. His aim is to destroy us as human beings. The devil cometh not but to steal to kill and to destroy and we must not be ignorant of his devices.
The subtle problem is that modern man hypocritically professes not to believe in the spirit world but demons do exist. I want to say to you that our island is in the grip of satan. He has countless hosts of invisible demons to aid him in his dark designs for every citizen. I know that you are ready out there to tell me where to go and peddle my ideas but the unadulterated truth is that demons are making a high bid for our lives. I want to point out to you that in the midst of all of our technological advancements, the most disconcerting and alarming thing is that millions are turning to drugs and the occult for entertainment. It is a puzzle that I cannot piece together it is a paradox that I cannot unravel and a problem that I cannot solve.
This demonic visitation has not only affected our behaviour it has also affected our beliefs. Every year hundreds of books are published dealing with demonism, witchcraft, magic, spiritism, and ghosts. This enormous increase in demon activity that has invaded our world and our community is disgusting to say the least. It is on the Television screen too. There is even a channel dedicated to the psychics nowadays. Many who find it so difficult to be led by scriptural proclamations are easy prey to this intellectual tragedy.
Some of you find it hard to come to church or even listen to this broadcast but you find it an honor to pursue someone who can read your palms. Our belief system is messed up and we find it hard to believe the truth. When a man’s maind is messed up he is gone. He is in a pitiful condition. He is susceptible to all kinds of demomnic doctrines and heresies. God will allow to be place at your disposal a strong delusion so that you can believe a lie.
Are you aware of the fact that our children lie and cheat on real professional levels. Teach school for one semester and you are bound to discover how much our children love to sex and how little they love to study. Even though our youth are aware of the horrifying prospects associated with drug addiction and drug abuse they still continue to use it without restraint. They come to school and harass the few who are serious about life and education, and make the task of the teacher so painfully difficult. It has happened down through the ages but not on such a large scale. This is a spin off from increased demonic activity in our world.
Some children when they graduate they are experts on cheating and this will follow them throughout their lives. These are the ones that repair to the sawed off shotguns, and the high powered rifles, and weapons of serious destruction. All too often the problem of drugs is associated with youth or with students. The fact is that the devil is using drugs to destroy our youth. They are too inexperienced and yielding to see how destructive this is and the time they wake up to reality they are irretrievably hooked.
Friends we are living in terrible times. Somehow it is the best of times but it is also the worst of times. 1TI 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
With this Visitation of Demons comes a Vision of Doom. Let me explain a little bit of what John saw happening to our world under demonic influence. I want you to listen to me out there in Radio land. We are facing some of it in our community. When demons control the land, their target is unregenerate man. Their hunger is for the godless, Christ-rejecting men. These are the people that demons prey upon. If you continue in your evil way. if you do not have the seal of God in your forehead you will go through a period of literal torment.
REV 9:5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. This is not the real hell. We are living in a day of pain and anguish. These demon locusts are inflicting a sting of real anguish. This is our day of pain and anguish. We are talking about anguish of mind and spirit almost beyond endurance REV 9:6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. Here we are today in the Virgin Islands we are exposed to the reaper’s blade and we wonder who is next and we cant even get an answer for that. We have to wait in torment to see what evil will befall. It is hell on earth.
I hate to say it but we are running about looking for a cure for our pain but there is no wonder drug. Politicians are baffled. This is an election year. They will ascend many podiums offering all kinds of panacea for our dilemma but they are all watery promises built on sinking sand. The unregenerate man has no weapon, psychologists and psychiatrists are embarrassed for they do not have answers. Science can offer nothing that will restore even a semblance of sanity to men who are screaming in their agonies and delirious torment.
Well what then, preacher? Is this the end of the road for us. Is there no hope. Is there no ray of light or hope at the end of the tunnel? The answer is yes. None of us is an accident. We were fearfully and wonderfully made and God is concerned about us and our dilemma. He will come through for you. He will prove to be God all by Himself. Notice what John said REV 9:4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
Against the backdrop of this terrible visitation of demon and this vision of doom, John points out The Value of Devotion. There are those men which have the seal of God in their foreheads. God has sealed them unto the day of redemption. They will not be hurt. God watches over His saints. God protects those who turn their lives over into His control. Paul said, I know whom I have believed and I am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day. We are kept by the power of God through faith. Paul said to Timothy “nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal. The Lord knoweth them that are His. 2 Tim 2:19.
The question that concerns and consumes us at this juncture is how can we be sealed. The answer is simply this, Repent of your sins. Repent means to change your mind. As a community and as an Island we need to repent of the works of our hands. It is thew same kind of message we get If we skip over a few verses. We will notice that our repentance should be two-fold. Firstly to our Heavenly Father REV 9:20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: We have to tell God sorry for the works of our hands. Our hands have been real dirty with with drugs, sex, injustice, greed, and so forth. We have sinned against God and have come short of His glory.
Many have placed themselves under the control of demons you have dabbled in witchcraft and the occult, you need to come to Jesus and repent of this your evil. We have become idolatrous by esteeming the value of the dollar over God. These things only have fleeting value they do not last. Then we have to repent secondly to our human family. Verse 21 says, Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. We have deprived our fellowman of their privilege to life and function as bone fide citizens. We have taken from our ladies that which is most precious to her. We must repent.
For us as Christians the issue is not repentance but resistance. We are bombarded on every hand by demon forces our response should be one of resistance. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. I am willing to meet with my peers, to pray, to preach, to march, to lecture, to protest righteously and peacefully against the rising tide of evil. I am willing to use whatever talent or resources there might be to put the devil to flight. Saints of God, the church is strong. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but they are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against God. We must resist the devil.
Sermon #2
Revelation chapter 19 is a chapter that deals with the final defeat of the Antichrist at the end of the Tribulation. This is an event in connection with Christ’s triumphant return in glory and power. He will bring judgment on the Antichrist and his armies and reign on earth with the believers. This is enough for me to shout alleluia. Alleluia simply means “praise the Lord.” When a man is sure that he is on the Lord’s side, he can rejoice There is a constant joy that wells within the soul of the redeemed. That is why Paul was able to say “rejoice in the Lord alway and again I say rejoice.”
REV 19:1 says “And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; “ We have much to praise God for. He has been good to us. I am so glad that I am on the Lord’s side. When we are down and out He is there for us. When my back is to the wall, He is there for me. When our brothers and sisters forsake us, Jesus is there for us. He promised never to leave us alone.
Let me use this text to tell you exactly why I say Alleluia. I say so because of the Salvation of God. Our text says, “Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: “ The driving force behind what we say and do is the fact that God saved us. We did not save ourselves. He saved us. I remember that the old account was large and growing every day and I was always sinning and never tried to pay. But when I look ahead and saw such pain and woe, I said that I would settle and settled it long ago. Long ago, long ago the old account was settled long ago and the record clear today for he washed my sins away for the old account has was settled long ago.
The hallelujah chorus is sung in heaven because of God’s salvation. Four times the two words, dropped out of the vocabulary of the angels into the various tongues of men, are lifted high: “Halilujah amen.” These two words seem to be the same in all the languages of men. They are praise words of heavenly hosts, loaned to men to help them voice their worship to the Lord of heaven. They are part of a universal language. You need to make good use of them and praise the God of your salvation.
I shout hallelujah not only because of the Salvation of God but also because of the Severity of God. We are living in a day when evil men and seducers will get worse and worse. There are dark and terrible days ahead of us. But God is not dead. He is alive and well. He will not allow sin to triumph forever. The longest day has an end. Sometimes it seems as though God is not looking on at all the wrongs that are done in our world. The ages roll on, and wickedness ripens, flourishes, bears fruit and multiplies. But in the end God will act.
God’s judgement of the great whore in the previous chapters brought divine vengeance on its fornication. God will judge us for our sins if we continue in them. REV 19:2 says, “For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. ‘ God is not afraid of you. He is not afraid of me. He will do what has to be done.
According to our text when the fifth seal was opened earlier in this book of the revelation, the martyrs under heaven cried out for just vindication. They were given white robes and told to remain quiet for a little season until other martyrs would be added to their number. Rev. 6:11. Now the little season has come to an end. The multitude of people in heaven rejoice that the divine judgment of Babylon has vindicated and avenged them with justice. That is how God works. We serve a God who said, “Vengeance is mine I will repay” Rom 12:19. Do you know that if someone does a wrong thing to you that God is watching on and will fight your case for you. Leave the spiting, hating, and revenging at God’s feet. He will fight for you. All you have to do is to stand still and see the salvation of God.
God is severe but He is just. He will not be unfair to any party. His balances are Accurate and well adjusted. What you get from God is what you deserve.
The Judge of all the earth does right. The lofty looks of men will one day be humbled and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down and the Lord alone shall be exalted said the ancient seer. The day in which His manifested glory will cover the earth and heavens is not too far away. His feet shall stand upon this earth again. God’s kingdom will not fail. All the promised events connected with the end of the age and the consummation will come to pass. In these dark and trying times when every man seems to be doing that which is right in his own eyes we must remember that God is on the throne which cannot be shaken. He will not fail to bless, He will not fail to judge. His judgments are just and righteous and so I join in the heavenly chorus. “Allilujah, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.”
I thank God for the opportunity to shout halellujah not only for His Salvation and for His severity but also for His Sovereignty. Let me say to you this morning that God is omnipotent. He is in charge of this world. God have never sold out this world and remind God has not given up or abandoned His world “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
I want you to know that I recognize Him as sovereign Lord of my life. I owe my all to Him. You owe him everything “for in him we live and move and have our being.” Everything I am and ever will be is under the control of my God. REV 19:4 says “And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thundering, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
There is nothing more majestic than what we are witnessing here in our text. The God I serve is sovereign, He is Lord God omnipotent. All of us small and great ought to join in this swelling halellujah chorus and make music in our heart to someone who is eminently worthy of our praise. Let me join with the song writer in saying
The saints are called upon to praise God. To the saints I ask the question, who is in charge. Who is controlling the affairs of life? I dont want to leave you in any doubt. God is on the throne of the universe. the sceptre is in his hands. He is directing all things after the counsel of his own will. Our God not only created this world. He is also ruling and reigning over all the works of his hands.
I affirm to you that God is the almighty. His will is irreversible. He is absolute sovereignty in every realm of all his vast dominions. Let me put it this way to drive home to you the sovereignty of God. God must either rule or be ruled. He must sway or be swayed. He must accomplish his will or be thwarted by his creatures. He must be Lord of alI or not at all. I accept the fact that He is the most High God, He is the Lord who is always present. He is the Lord who alone can provide for us. He is the Lord who is our shepherd so that we will lack nothing at all. He is the Jehovah Rapha who constantly heals our broken body and broken heart and spirit. He is the only potentate and King of Kings, vested with perfect wisdom and illimitable power. God is in fact God.
I need to address you in these closing moments so that we can settle some important business. Sir are you saved? If not why not? Why are you waiting so long to give your heart to Jesus. There is coming a day when you might be too late. I really would not like this to happen to you. therefore let me ask you right now to make a decision say yes to Jesus. You cannot go wrong. Let me encourage you to set your soul in order before time is no more.
What about you backslider. You once knew the Lord but you have now grown cold like ice. You cannot even say Halilieujah. Isn’t that sad. Our Lord can restore joy in your heart. Come to Jesus now and live.
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