Things Ain't What They Used to Be
And they ain’t going to go back to what they used to be. Forget that nickel Coke and whole bag full of candy for 5 cents. Five pounds of sugar for 29 cents, and 14.9 cents for a gallon of gas -- goodbye to yesterday.
In the Ole West, the Sheriff might ride up to a man and say, “Get out of town by sundown.” That was enough. It was time to leave town.
My task is to inform you that you cannot get out of town—not by sundown, not by sun-up, not by tomorrow, not by next month. You are here caught in this dramatic moment when news is sent in seconds by satellite around the world. Within minutes of a bombing in England, news is spread worldwide to all continents, outer space, and to submarines on ocean floors.
There is no place to run and hide. No escape. No retreat from the present. No avoiding the inevitable future—whatever the future may be. Even if the sheriff rides up and says, “Get out of town,” they are only empty words. You are here for the ride regardless of how bumpy the ride may be.
Paul wrote to Timothy that these prophetic times will be filled with peril and violence, lust and rebellion, untruthfulness and a spirit of the anti-Christ. Fear will cause hearts to fail (Luke 21:26).
Fear (paranoia) is a primary cause of mental illness. Obsessed with fear, persons do not leave town; they cower in corners, run from themselves, avoid the obvious, and become afflicted with the curse of depression.
Put a person in a room. Tell that person all the terrible things that are going on in the world. Tell of wars and rumors of war, pestilence, terrorism, disease, famine, and God-haters. When you have finished, if you offer no hope, you have trapped and doomed the listener. From the carnal perspective there is no hope, no where to go, and no way out of town.
Bring in Jesus. He says, “I put you where you are for this time and place. Do not look with the human eye and judge by what you see and hear. Open your eyes to see the spiritual. Open your ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church. Take heed how you hear” (Luke 8).
In one of the worst times Jerusalem ever faced, God told Jeremiah to buy worthless land. He made a public purchase, had it notarized, entered as a court record, and publicly acknowledged. God was saying, “There will be another day. There will be a day of victory. There will be a day when your purchase will be valuable. There will be a tomorrow. I am on my throne. I will bring you forth with victory and triumph!”
In these tenuous times, God -- the Sovereign God, intends and desires for every sinner to be saved. God wants every believer to be a warrior against evil, praying, working, and resisting the forces of Hell. God wants his children to look up and see the glory of the Lord that is being manifested throughout the earth.
Jesus is not the sheriff riding by to say, “Get out of town by sundown.” He is the Savior of the World who conquered sin, defeated hell and the grave, and who reigns in glory. He is saying, “I put you where you are for my glory. I will give you power to fulfill and accomplish my will and purpose. I want you right where you are, doing what I want you to do right where you are.”
One old preacher said of Paul’s message to Titus:
- You need Crete.
- Crete needs you.
- God needs you in Crete.
Do not try to roll the clock back. God is able in these times to give us victory. The past is not nearly as glorious as God’s plans for the future.
God put you here for His glory. Live to bring him glory, and you will have joy, peace, hope and eternal life with Christ.
With much love,
Pastor Bare
“As I was with Moses, so I will be with you” (Joshua 3:7).