We Can’t Fix the World

We Can’t Fix the World

Should pastors be preaching on current events? I think so. It’s good for Christians to know how to respond to evil happening around them. They need to be continually reminded of God’s Word and will for us. John MacArthur is a pastor who is doing this. Since the lockdown, we have been listening to him.

This past week, he preached a sermon called How Should Christians Respond to the Riots? And like the previous week, it was an excellent sermon. I took notes so I am going to share them with you but I didn’t take it of the entire sermon. He went into the evil roots of the Black Lives Movement and I’m not writing about this since I have already shared that on Facebook. (Read what they believe if you don’t know.) Here’s his sermon:

There is a two pronged life of a Christian in the world: to denounce sin and to speak for God of inevitable judgement and plead with sinners under that judgement to escape by embracing Jesus Christ. People will accuse us of being unloving because we denounce sin and warn of judgement.

Can we join the protests? Can we mingle in a crowd of the lawful and the lawless? “Don’t join in an evil matter” (Ecclesiastes 8:3). Rebellion often turns out very badly. What good is there in being in rebellion against authority? In Romans 13, we are warned against resisting authority. You want no fear of authority? Then do what is good. Do right. Submit.

So you are suffering unjustly? So what. Welcome to the world. Welcome to life in a fallen world. You put yourself in a position of divine grace when you suffer unjustly. (Read 1 Peter 2.) We’ve been called to suffer unjustly. Christ is our example. What do we do when we suffer unjustly? We commit no sin, no deception. We don’t strike back. We utter no threats. We entrust ourselves to the One who judges righteously.

When Christ suffered unjustly, He accomplished the greatest work ever in history. God has His purposes in our suffering. When you suffer unjustly, you’ll receive grace and it will make you stronger. The Apostle Paul lived in a world of slavery. Millions of slaves and he never protested slavery. He called us slaves to Christ.

We are people of the truth. We are perfected through our suffering. Yes, the protests have grievances, but they have covered the truth with lies. To conclude that there is systemic racism, white supremacy, and widespread police brutality are all lies. I can’t join the protests without being part of the lies. Satan is the father of lies. The Black Lives Matter movement is a satanic system so you can expect lies. It’s trying to bring down the last restraint against evil, the police.

What about working to change laws? No matter how many laws you make, you can’t change the sinner. Those who are in the flesh can’t please God.

God has put restraints in the world. First, it’s the law of God in our hearts and in our conscience. This culture has completely destroyed that. The second restraint is the family, and the authority and discipline that the parents bring to restrain sin in children. The culture has destroyed that. The Church has fallen on hard times by trying to entertain sinners and make them feel comfortable so it comes with no force against sin. The final one standing is police and they’re under assault.

The bottom line is we can’t fix the world. All is fleeting and vanity. We can’t control life in a fallen world. Wise people understand this. We’re going to die. The only one who can change it is God. We don’t know what God is doing in all these times. There’s nothing better than for you to rejoice and do good in your life.

Live your life in joy, happiness, and goodness as one who knows God, because we don’t know what God is doing in the world. Every single thing that happens will have its day in God’s court. We need to fear God and set our minds on Him as the One who will resolve all of the injustice and unrighteousness. We’re just passing through. We aren’t going to erase fallenness. Be happy in your activities! Walk in obedience to God. Don’t be part of disruption and rebellion. What’s the point?

We don’t know what’s coming. Be happy. Take everything God has given you and enjoy your work. Enjoy your marriage and enjoy your life. Be happy. You don’t need to spend your life as an agitator, hostile, angry, full of bitterness, and vengeful. (What an awful way to live!) We’re all dust to dust so enjoy what God has given to you. God will make everything beautiful in His time. We aren’t built to see the big picture. Only God can.

For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.
1 Peter 2:21-23

13 thoughts on “We Can’t Fix the World

  1. Amen! We were never promised an easy life or “fair” life. This world is not our home we’re just passing through. The world will get worse we know from the word. Jesus is returning soon, just rejoice.

  2. Reg Kelly (sermonaudio.com) also shared a recent sermon. He’s KJB and doesn’t play pattycakes.

  3. Amen Kevin!
    I long for His return! I tell my sweet Daddy everyday “we are one day closer to our Heavenly Jerusalem” we are living in sad but very exciting times!
    ???

  4. I have been so upset lately from all of the craziness that I have decided to avoid the news when at all possible. This post was a breath of fresh air and filled with wisdom, thank you for sharing this.

  5. Quote = Should pastors be preaching on current events?

    Ezekiel 33:6 KJV
    But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.

    So yes, pastors should be preaching on current events for 2 reasons.
    #1 they should be pointing out and preaching against the sin being done in current events
    #2 they should be warning about the VERY real possibility of violent, perilous times coming to each of our own, personal neighborhoods.

    Proverbs 22:3 KJV
    A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

    Some of you have been watching the news reports of current events.
    Some of you have said that you do not watch the news to see the danger.
    That is your own personal free will choice of which you do.

    Did you ever think that you would see riots all over the country?
    Did you ever think that you would ever see sections of a city have police purposely pulled out and turned over to hoodlums?
    Have you thought about the real possibility of that happening to your neighborhood?
    What would you do?

    So yes, pastors have the responsibility of preaching / warning about the sins and dangers of current events.
    It is each person’s free will choice of what they do with the warning.
    Heed the warning or ignore the warning.

  6. Thanks for sharing! So many don’t understand what is going on right now. But, it is imperative that we go back to the basics. We must read God’s Word to tell us what to do in these bizarre times we are living in. I so appreciate the faithful messages John MacArthur continues to preach. But we must study the Bible, too. The Biblical Path of Life is a simple study to help one get back into God’s Word. http://www.biblicalpath.com

  7. Should pastors be preaching on current events? I think so.

    I absolutely agree, but with the following caveats:

    1. Not only pastors, but ALL believers must be EXTREMELY careful about where they get their news from. Mainstream news organs have been proved time and again to be fonts of disinformation and propaganda and are NOT reliable sources for what is actually happening in the world. This means that great discernment is required on the part of the believer when analyzing the Information they’ve received. Given the rarity of discernment in the church today where things scriptural are concerned, this leaves cause for great concern.

    2. Pastors who warn their flocks of the clear and present dangers inherent in specific current events need to focus solely on the impact of these events on the faithful as they relate to Scripture and leave temporal partisan politics completely out of it. This is toxic distraction! On more occasions than I care to remember, I’ve heard pastors turn a reference to some event that seems to correlate to prophecy in the Book of Revelation into a campaign speech for a Republican president and his platform (from pastors of evangelical congregations) to calls for social justice (from left-wing pastors of established Protestant denominations). This is the enemy co-opting the message of Scripture!

    The bottom line is that NONE of the horrific things happening in our society today are historically unique. Variations of them have happened in every society, ever since the first human civilization was formed. Even a cursory reading of the Bible shows us that God is well aware of this and that He provides words of guidance and wisdom for trusting in HIM when our world is falling apart. GOD AND HIS WORD ALONE ARE SUFFICIENT TO SEE US THROUGH ALL THINGS.

    “Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.” Psalms 146:3 (KJV)

  8. If we are not careful, speaking of myself for sure, we will get our eyes and lives completely fixed on what is going on around us(some we might could change, but most we can’t) that we neglect our relationships with the Lord first and then our husband and children and not be what we need to be as wives and mothers and keepers of our homes. We will not enjoy the abundant life in Christ as we should. Thank you for this!!!

  9. Man, you spoke the exact words I needed to hear today. I was driving in the car today in tears thinking about how far down the wrong direction our country is being pushed by craziness. I cry because of the world the next generation is getting and I too have children. Evil is being called good every day. I don’t see good being called good at all in the secular world. Yes secular is not where to expect it but there use to be some good that was considered right by both sides. Now, I can’t think of anything that is not called bad if it is Scriptural. Heaven help us. It is hard to feel happy.

  10. Spot on Michelle. I rarely watch the news (local or national) but when I do, I get so “angry” – it upsets and conflicts me. Sure, I like to know what’s going on but it rattles me too much-my inner peace is more important.
    I really like Lori’s quote – “We don’t know what’s coming. Be happy. Take everything God has given you and enjoy your work.” – words to live by (daily).

  11. Reg Kelly is a great preacher! He loves the Lord and preaches the truth of Gods Word ?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *