Who's in charge?

As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened (Daniel 7:9-10).

I don’t know why people bother with the news anymore—it’s relentlessly depressing.  Violent terrorist attacks. People treating sex like it’s part of dating instead of marriage.  Bitter fighting between conservatives and liberals. Gays and lesbians who tout their lifestyle as something to be proud of.  An ever-widening gulf between the rich and poor.  Legalized abortion.  Discrimination and bigotry.  And worst of all, widespread religious apathy.

With all this bad news coming at us from every side, it can make you wonder: who’s in charge?  As a Christian, you want to believe that God has everything under control.  But as a citizen of this world, it can sure look as if the devil is running things.  So our question for this weekend is: who’s in charge?

The government has made it illegal to place the Ten Commandments in courthouses.  The government won’t let students pray in school.  The government forbids manger scenes from being set up on public property.  The government has legalized abortion.  Some state governments have recognized same-sex unions as ‘marriage’.  So who is in charge of the government—God or Satan?

The news media has little interest in religion unless there is a scandal to report. You can get lots of negative press if you dare to criticize some behaviors as wrong.  If you claim that Jesus is the only way to heaven, you will be labeled intolerant and narrow-minded.  So who is in charge of the media—God or Satan?

Our society promotes freedom and fun.  Drug use is okay, so long as you are careful to avoid hurting yourself by overdosing.  Recreational sex is fine, so long as you use protection to avoid pregnancy or disease.  Gambling is no problem, so long as you keep a lid on your spending.  According to our society, addiction is a disease, not sinful behavior.  So who is in charge of our society—God or Satan?

To all appearances, it would seem as if Satan is running things.  But before you start blaming government, the media, and society for being willing tools of the devil, stop and take a look in the mirror.  Who elected our politicians, or stayed home and didn’t vote for the best candidate?  Who watches the programs and buys the magazines that glamorize sinful behavior?   It’s you.  Every time you and I commit a sin, we choose Satan over God and our society drops further into darkness.  To a large extent the world is what we make it, and most of the time we make the wrong choice.

It’s easy to see the badness at work all around us.  But what about God?  Where is His power on display for all to see?  Satan tries to overwhelm our senses with massive displays of evil, but God works more subtly. 

The power of God is evident in forgiveness.  When someone hurts you, it’s hard to forgive them.  Your instinct is to level the playing field by causing them pain in return—either through getting revenge or by making them earn your forgiveness.  But true forgiveness is different—it keeps no record of wrongs, it doesn’t seek revenge, and it doesn’t set any conditions.   This is how Christ forgives us.  And when we see one person forgive another in this way, we see the power of God at work, a miracle of healing that brings feuding people back together.

The power of God is seen in faith.  It’s hard to believe in something that cannot be seen or touched.  We were not around when Jesus cured a woman of incurable hemorrhaging.  We were not around to see Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead.  We did not see our Lord suffer on the cross, get buried in the grave, or ascend alive into heaven.  Yet thanks to the gift of faith, we trust Jesus to help us with our troubles.  Faith enables us to attend funerals with hope for a reunion in heaven.  When a Christian stays positive in spite of the bad things happening in her life, we see the power of God at work, a miracle of faith that gives joy to each day.

The power of God is shown by selfless acts of love.  Most of the time, our acts of ‘love’ are motivated by self-interest.  We do something nice for someone, hoping to cash in on their gratitude at a later date.  We give money to charity, looking for a tax write-off.  We volunteer our time to a cause, hoping that it will look good on our resume.  But true love is giving to others with no expectation of reward.  Jesus died for the sins of all people, knowing full well that many would never thank Him for the pain He endured on their behalf.  When followers of God give of their time and resources for no other reason than to show the love of Christ, we see the power of God at work, a miracle of loving generosity.

The power of God is evident everywhere.  His Word is shared in countless churches that dot the landscape.  The Good News of salvation is broadcast by radio and television.  The Bible is found in bookstores and on the Internet.  And if there are no churches or books, no radio or Wi-Fi reception, there are missionaries laboring to share the message of the cross with those who will go to hell unless they are introduced to the Savior of mankind.  When followers of Christ work hard to bring relatives, friends and total strangers to their Lord, we see the power of God at work, a miracle of commitment to the welfare of all.

How many believers are there in the world?  Only God really knows.  Surveys reveal that only 1/3 of the people living today claim to be Christians, but I suspect that many of them are ‘Christian’ in name only.  The Bible teaches that you either serve God or Satan—there is no middle ground.  So it is clear that Satan has at least twice as many followers as God.  As a result, Satan has considerable influence over public opinion and governmental policy.

This makes it seem as if Satan is in charge.  But let’s keep things in perspective—when it comes to numbers, God’s faithful people have always been in the minority.  At the time of the Great Flood, only eight people in the whole world were rescued because they were faithful to the Lord.  When Moses led God’s people out of slavery in Egypt, there were only about two million followers who pledged themselves to God.  During the time of Elijah, most Israelites abandoned God for other religions—only 7,000 remained faithful.  At the height of Jesus’ ministry, there were only 72 followers who were willing to go and spread the Gospel in His name.  During the early years of the Church, the emperors of Rome treated Christianity as a cult that should be eliminated.  During the Dark Ages, Muslims took over the Holy Land and destroyed Christian influence in a great many countries.  From ages past to the present, followers of Jesus have always been in the minority.

Yet in spite of all appearances, our Lord is in charge.  God has always been in charge.  Job is one of the oldest books in the Bible, and in that book we read of how Satan tried to destroy Job’s faith in God.  Yet God always put limits on what Satan could do; as Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:13, God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  Satan has never had free reign to do as he pleases, and Jesus has restricted the devil even further.  On the cross, Jesus paid the penalty for your sins and mine—all of them.  Satan uses our sinful impulses to steer us according to his desires; but when Jesus takes away our sin, Satan loses his control over us. 

When Jesus died, He visited hell as the conquering hero.  He told the devil to his face that God is in charge, and that the time is coming soon when Jesus will return as king and judge.  At that time, Satan and his followers will be jailed in hell to be punished forever. 

But Satan has not accepted his defeat.  Knowing that time is short, he has redoubled his efforts to make life miserable for the children of God.  Having lost the war to Jesus, he now resorts to spiritual terrorism instead.  He does whatever he can to make us afraid, sad, angry, and depressed.  He wants us to believe that he is in charge and that Jesus isn’t worth following. 

But Jesus is coming back, and when He returns there will be no doubt in anyone’s mind as to who is really in charge.  Jesus was 33 years old when He died, but in fact He is ancient—eternal like His Father and the Holy Spirit.  He has the power of creation, the ability to make anything out of nothing.  He used this mighty power to build the universe according to the Father’s perfect design.  And because Jesus suffered for every sin, He has earned the right to sit in judgment over all mankind. 

Human judges can make mistakes because they are sinners like everyone else.  But Jesus is the Righteous Judge, and His decisions will be faultless.  He is wisdom incarnate; no one can fool Him with fancy arguments, shameless excuses, or bald-faced lies.  When the Son of God passes sentence, everyone will get what they deserve. 

Now that sounds pretty frightening, doesn’t it?  God knows everything about your life.  He knows the terrible things you’ve done.  He’s heard every nasty word that’s come out of your mouth.  He even knows the evil thoughts that you’ve never shared with anyone.  The King of Creation has it all recorded in the ledger book of your life, and on the Last Day that book will opened and you will be called to account for what is written there.

The Day of Judgment will be awful—but there is a way to avoid a sentence to hell.  Jesus is willing to blot out everything bad in the ledger of your life; He is willing to erase all that you’ve done wrong.  To get this incredible favor, Christ only expects one thing of you—cling to Him as the most important thing in the universe. 

In 1st Corinthians 7:31 Paul writes, this world in its present form is passing away.  People die and looks fade with age.  Money can be stolen and property decays.  There is nothing in this world that can offer you a secure foundation for all time to come.  But Jesus is God’s word given human form, and God’s Word is the only thing that will last forever.  Jesus said, Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away (Matthew 24:35).  And what are these words? Jesus said, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). Jesus said, Remain in me, and I will remain in you (John 15:4). Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die (John 11:25-26).  These words are God’s promises to you, and you know that God never goes back on a promise.

When Jesus returns He will be looking for faith, and whoever believes in Him shall not perish but will be given eternal life.  Jesus will blot out every record of wrongdoing, sparing us from the judgment we deserve as sinners—He can do this because He already suffered our punishment two thousand years ago.  But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur (Revelation 21:8).  They will be denied everything that makes paradise so wonderful.  All because they preferred Satan’s company over fellowship with Jesus. 

When Christ returns, it will be clear who has always been in charge. Don’t let the devil fool you; his miserable end is written in stone.  For we, the faithful few who treasure our relationship with Jesus, it will be a day of glorious vindication.