I realize we are all troubled by the signs of our times. If the spirit of the Antichrist is here, and it is, can the Antichrist himself be far behind? But if we are to make any kind of impact upon our children and our grandchildren, we must put aside this fleshly idea that we must change the culture, change the schools, change the media, change the government, change the laws, etc., that train has left the station.

If we are to have any effect upon them, it will not be by what we say or what we do, but who we are before them, for that is what they are going to remember long after we are dead and gone.  So, I must ask you, is the Christ within you being manifested through you? Can others see Jesus in you in such a way that they are drawn to Him?

We will explain this further in our final sermon in the series, “Confessing Christ in an Antichrist Culture.” The title of this sermon is “Thinking Straight in a Crooked World.”

Parents are still the dominating force in their child’s life because that is the way God intended it. But to protect their children from the evil forces today, parents must be willing to minimize at least, if not withdraw their children entirely from any involvement in those events and activities that do not respect their God-given authority over their children. Sadly, that must now include some churches.

We will explain this further in our third sermon on “Confessing Christ in an Antichrist Culture.” The title of this sermon is “The Principal Priority of Parents.”

In his book, “The Problem of Pain,” C.S. Lewis wrote: “The lost enjoy forever the horrible freedom they demanded and are therefore self-enslaved.” In Romans 1:24ff, the Apostle Paul put it this way: God gives [the lost] up to their choices and the consequences of those choices.

Beloved, as the Scriptures illustrate and secular history confirms, there comes a time when God simply removes His restraining grace, and He allows the evil intentions of man’s heart to surface. We will explain this further in our second sermon in this new series – “Confessing Christ in an Antichristian Culture.” The title of this sermon is: “When God Abandons A People.”

Within the last generation, America has regressed from a God-fearing nation to a God-hating nation, from primarily a Christian nation to a post-Christian nation, and now to an Antichristian nation.  Today’s neo-paganism is “wokeism,” a religion that aims to reconstruct western culture with a new set of values, including the foundation for the Christian Faith. Every concept of the Christian Faith is being redefined under the view of “experiential feelings” rather than “absolute truth” and “divine revelation.”

We will explain this further in our new sermon series – “Confessing Christ in an Antichristian Culture” – This sermon is entitled: “When A People Abandon God”

The essential proof that Jesus was the Messiah was not His immaculate conception, nor His mighty miracles, nor His marvelous messages, nor His amazing ministries. The fact that Jesus’ body remained in the tomb three days and three nights, just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, and the fact that Jesus rose from that grave, just as Jonah was delivered from the whale, is the unquestionable, indisputable, and undeniable vindication of the deity of Jesus Christ. No wonder skeptics scoff at the story of Jonah being swallowed by a whale. They know it is the undeniable proof that Jesus was and is the Messiah.

We will explain this further in our next sermon – Behold the King: “From Golgotha to Glory!” 

The events that occurred that night in the Garden of Gethsemane have reverberated down through the centuries. The passion Jesus displayed on that momentous night has been depicted in music, books, and films for centuries. From the 16th century, when Bach wrote two magnificent oratorios based on the gospel accounts of Matthew and John, to the present-day film, The Passion of the Christ, the story of this extraordinary night has been told again and again.  As you recall, the Lord Jesus asked the Father twice to remove the cup of wrath He was about to drink. However, each time Jesus submitted Himself to the Father’s will, even though He was “exceedingly sorrowful unto death.” (Luke 22:45)

Beloved, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus died to Himself! Only a few hours later, on a hill called Golgotha, Jesus died for our sins! Let us not forget that the Lord asks all who will follow Him to die to ourselves, and take up our cross as well. We will explain this further in our next sermon in this series – “Behold the King – From Gethsemane to Golgotha.

Pastor Wayne’s Personal Testimony

When we were born physically, certainly our parents never expected us to remain as little children, totally dependent upon others for our survival. However, when we are born again spiritually, we seem to think it’s okay to remain as “babes in Christ” – children that are always dependent upon someone to warm the spiritual milk to their liking. Sadly, according to all surveys, that describes the majority of those who claim to be Christians today, which is why the church is so weak in the world. We will explain this further in our next sermon in this series – “Behold the King: Life in the Kingdom of God # 7

If the amount of persecution we endure is an indication of the depth of our righteousness, and therefore our relationship with Christ, what does the absence of persecution indicate?  The fact is, the less the church is persecuted, the more unrighteous it becomes, and the more it adapts to the culture of the world, which describes the evangelical church today. The more the church is persecuted, the more it reveals the pure righteousness of Christ, and the more effective it is in its witness to the world. 

We will explain this further in our next sermon in this series – “Behold the King: Life in the Kingdom of God # 6

It is time Christians stopped fighting against the corruption of the culture and prepared to live in it, without being corrupted by it! Does that mean we give up and let evil men take over? No, but until we increase our “saltiness,” and the illumination of our “light,” we will continue to be ineffective in our assignment to be God’s witnesses in this world.

We haven’t achieved much by our anger – perhaps it is time to try meekness. Meekness says: I offer no defense for my life, for it doesn’t belong to me, but I will give my life in defense of Christ, because He gave His life for me!

We will explain this further in our next sermon in this series – “Behold the King: Life in the Kingdom of God # 5.