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My Second Lament from the Darkness of Vermont

MY SECOND LAMENT FROM THE DARKNESS OF VERMONT

MIKE CUNNINGHAM

PALM SUNDAY 2009

It was nice receiving so much positive feedback on the style and content of my “Pastors Lament” sermon. Two of the folks at Harvest Time even printed it and then tucked it into their bible with the intent of making it their own personal prayer. These were some of the reasons I decided to continue that message on this Palm Sunday morning. Now as the Lord enables, I’ll share my second lament.

I come before you Father as a man who once was your enemy, but who is now by your grace and nothing else, (Ephesians 1:2-8) been forgiven of his rebellious evil behavior through the excruciating death and the miraculous resurrection of your Son, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. You know that when I left this house of worship last Sunday, I had no idea I would return today and pray another lament to you. But you did Father, didn’t you? And I’m so glad because I would like to share some more of my thoughts with you. To think that back in eternity past, you planned, ordained and then by speaking your world into existence, predestined me and these particular folks to be assembled here at this precise moment in human history, is something which leaves me awe-struck to say the least.

You know that lately I’ve been finding it especially comforting knowing that you are not a Creator way up there somewhere in the outer reaches of your seemingly never ending universe gazing down upon this grey-haired old man who is hard of hearing, and finding it increasingly difficult not to tilt, but rather that you are right here with me and everyone else. I also marvel at the fact that no human being can hide him or herself in some secret place so that you won’t be able to see them because you fill heaven and earth, (Jeremiah 23: 23-24). In fact, you are not far from any of us, because it is in you that each of us creatures live and move and have our very being, (Acts 17: 27-28). You also know how saddened I become whenever I remember that most of my fellow human beings are oblivious of this wonderful fact.

O how grateful I am that you have given me your Word. It’s living and active, sharper than any two edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of my heart, (Hebrews 4: 12). I’m thrilled when I read passages such as those which proclaim that your eyes are everywhere; keeping watch over the evil and the good, (Proverbs 15:3). No creature is hidden from your sight, but all are naked and exposed to your eyes. You are the Creator to whom each of us must account to, (Hebrews 4:13). I love being aware of the fact that you are at this very moment you’re encircling me and caring for me as an apple of your eye. Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions, (Deuteronomy 32:10-11). I vividly recall those times when out of my distress I called on you, and you answered me and set me free, (Psalm 118:5). I love it when you give power to the faint, and to him or her who has no might you increase their strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for you shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint, (Isaiah 40:29-31). Thank you for never failing to keep this promise. I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t count on you to always be so faithful. You and I know I’m weak, but we also know I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, ( Philippians 4: 13) for when I am weak, then I am strong, (2 Corinthians 12: 10) as you once again demonstrated to me a few minutes before I penned these very words. Your eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose hearts are blameless toward you, 2(Chronicles 16:9) that magnificent blessing which you made possible for me to receive through your Son.

I realize you are aware of the fact that since starting this series of sermons of waging a vigorous offensive against Satan and the other cosmic forces of evil in this present darkness, I have been subjected to a relentless barrage of flaming darts from those evil beings the Apostle Paul warned about, (Ephesians 6: 16) but I derive enormous comfort, encouragement and strength to continue fighting them, because I know each of them are challenges which have been ordained by you for your own glory and my eventual good (Romans 8:28). Although those demons repeatedly clobbered me real hard this past week, they didn’t knock me out, but they sure had me on the ropes as you well know. In fact, I was pushed so hard that I was starting to fall, but I cried out to you, and you helped me almost immediately, (Psalm 118:2). Thanks to the prayers of those closest to me and in my total reliance on your Son for His strength, I was able to bounce back, and continue fighting vigorously; I praise you from whom all my blessings flow!

You search human hearts and test their mind to give every man and woman according to the fruit of his or her deeds, (Jeremiah 17:13) and that’s something I would like to address this morning. It’s difficult for a Bible-believing Christian trying to live out his or her faith in Vermont; a state which is almost saturated in spiritual darkness. For instance, last Sunday at breakfast I became nauseous. Not from something I ate, but because of what I had read in the newspaper, and I realize you already know that Father, don’t you? I felt that way after reading that editorial in the Burlington Free Press which was advocating for the enactment of a law of something which is an abomination in your eyes; (Romans 1: 26-27; Leviticus 18: 22; 20;13; 1 Corinthians 6: 9; 1 Timothy 1: 9-10; Deuteronomy 22: 5, Galatians 5: 19-21; Ephesians 5: 3-5; Jude 1:7 ) the legalization of same-sex marriage. It seemed as though that editorial was a direct response to a letter I had written to the newspaper a few days previously because it hadn’t been published. Father you know I gave a lot of prayerful thought in composing my letter and I was somewhat disappointed it wasn’t published. I checked every day and it wasn’t there but you were and I could almost hear you whispering softly in my ear, “Mike, “be still and know that I am God,” (Psalm 46:10). And I was! You are such an awesome God. Father you must have been delighted to see how pleased I was when I found myself reading my letter in the newspaper a couple of days ago, a letter I prayerfully hoped you would use to influence and direct the hearts of some of those lawmakers, (Proverbs 21:1). Allow me to share my heart-felt words with you again Father.

“I appreciate the often thankless public service of our legislators. They appear to be women and men who truly care about our state and the welfare of its people. But for the life of me, I can’t understand how any of them would even consider deliberately choosing to treat their fellow Vermonters with contempt by denying us an opportunity of voting on such a controversial issue as same-sex marriage.”

Father when I interpret the mind-set of the paper’s editorial board in light of your inerrant Word, I come to the unmistakable conclusion that Satan is flourishing at that anti-Christian newspaper. I realize you already know what I found to be so offensive in that editorial but I feel good in telling you again, so here goes.

“The fundamental flaw in the call for a referendum on marriage equality is that the issue is civil rights, something that must stand above the opinions of even a majority of voters.” “Even in a democracy, some ideals cannot be left simply to majority rule” “Speaking of our legislator’s; the editorial stated: “True leaders must do what’s right even if that means at times, going against the majority.” To use one of my favorite phrases, I must say that editorial was “belched out of the bowels of hell.”

Father you know I wrote my letter in a spirit of my love for you and also for all those who have been blinded by Satan into believing a behavior you say is evil, but which they arrogantly insist is good. Whenever I recall the words you inspired the prophet Isaiah to record I feel awful for those demonically deceived people. I’m saddened whenever I I meditate on the divinely ordained consequences they will each experience both in this world and the one to come unless the stop rebelling against you and flee to your Son asking for forgiveness I’m saddened. Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight! Isaiah 5:20-21 (ESV)

O merciful Father, using whatever means you chose, please demonstrate to these same-sex marriage proponents the error of their ways. Please shake them up and continue to shake them so they wake up and become firmly convicted of their evil. And Father please, please exert your restraining power and strongly incline people not to succumb to the satanically influenced temptation of taking matters into their own hands such as certain alleged Christians did to abortion clinics property and physical harm to the staff a number of years ago. Please drive home the fact so that everyone will understand that vengeance belongs to you and you alone, (Romans 12: 19). As for that newspaper which vehemently opposes the church your Son suffered such an excruciating death for, please turn that editorial into its death-knell. And in your perfect time, please bring all other like-mined newspapers throughout our nation to their final edition in your perfect time. Once again I want to thank you for planning for me to live in the beautiful Green Mountain State, during such a disgraceful time in its history.

I know you remember those early days when I was a newly born child in my faith. Back then I wished I could have lived during the time Jesus visited this world. Just seeing Him and walking and talking with Him and watching Him perform all those supernatural miracles would have thrilled me no end and greatly strengthened my faith. But you planned for me to live today in the little state of Vermont at such a time as this, and for Him to appear on the scene in a little place named Bethlehem and an into an environment which would make our entire country seem like Paradise in comparison.

Among the Jews who were held in captivity by the Romans, the husbands had absolute power over their wives. Fathers also had absolute power over other family members, including the right to divorce their wife without any reason and sell or execute their children. A chase wife was almost nonexistent and whenever one of them became pregnant she destroyed the evidence by abortion. You are also aware of the fact Father that it wasn’t uncommon for infant girls to be abandoned on the side of the road and eaten alive by ravenous beasts of prey. There was no religious, moral, social or cultural stigma attached to premarital sexual intercourse. Prostitution was legal and widely practiced as was lesbianism and male homosexuality. And you also know Father that most male homosexual acts were pedophilic and that group sex and bestiality were not uncommon. This was Satan’s Kingdom and it was one of darkness, the kingdom of into which you sent your only Son to usher in “the kingdom of God.” I feel like crying whenever I think about the evil that was so prevalent at that time. But I could also be moved to tears in thinking about the possibility of history repeating itself soon, and our nation reverting to such evil practices if all too many American Christians continue to apathetically stand on the sidelines and refuse to fight like hell.

Now Father I hope you don’t mind but I would rather not spend any more time speaking to you about the society you sent Jesus into. Instead I would like to think about those truly beautiful wonders I would have loved seeing Him do during His public ministry. Miracles such as turning ordinary water into magnificent wine (John 2: 6-10).I wish I could have been present and witnessed Jesus healing the royal officials son, (John 4: 46-53) and those lepers, and the poor crippled and blind folks and watched Him feeding thousands of hungry people with a little bit of bread and some fish; (Luke 9: 1-17) and later watching Him as He walked on the raging sea and spoke the storm into submission to His will(Luke 8: 22-25 ). I know I would have loved being privy to the conversation He had with the Samaritan woman at the well, (John 4: 6-26). And then there was that memorable night when a religious leader named Nicodemus paid Jesus a visit. I think I would give anything to have seen the look on the man’s face when Jesus told him “unless a man is born again he cannot see your kingdom” and that “you so loved the world that you gave your one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but enjoy eternal life with you,” (John 3-1-21) Who could blame me for wanting to be among that group of mourners and hear Jesus tell the dead man’s sister that “He is the resurrection and the life and that everyone who believes in Him shall live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in Him will never die,”(John 11: 25-26). I also would have loved to have been there with His disciples and heard Him say: I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to you Father except through Him, (John 14:6) a fact which is still despised by most of the people living in today’s world. And then there was the time when not only would I be amazed, but I also know I would have been scared stiff when He was met by a poor demon possessed man who,

When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him, Luke 8:28-39 (ESV).

Once again your Son did a big time number on Satan and the other cosmic forces of darkness. So much so that He infuriated the so-called religious leaders who were threatened by His increasing popularity. Then the event which we now refer to as being the first Palm Sunday arrived, the day when He and His followers triumphantly made their way into the city of Jerusalem. That day the large crowd that had come to the [Passover] feast heard that Jesus was coming to the great city and its Temple. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” John 12:12-15 (ESV).

Shortly after this event, those despicable religious leaders who had been secretly plotting to kill Him and Lazarus, the man He had raised from the dead, seized an opportunity and arranged for Jesus to be tried before the Roman authorities on triumphed up charges and sentenced to death by crucifixion on a wooden cross. Before the Roman soldiers nailed Him to it they scourged Him unmercifully with a whip. His body was mutilated so badly that Jesus didn’t even look like a human being anymore, exactly as your servant Isaiah had prophesized, (Isaiah 52:14). We both know Father I couldn’t bear being there and watching helplessly as He suffered such torment to satisfy your righteous wrath in order to take away the penalty my sins so justly deserve. Nor could I bear hearing your beloved Son cry out His last words from that cross “It is finished”, and He bowed His head and gave up His spirit,”(John 19: 30). I also know I couldn’t handle walking slowly with tear drenched eyes away from that ghastly scene, down what to me would have seemed like the Hill of Shattered Dreams. You know exactly what I mean by that statement, don’t you Father? And all the while I can imagine Satan hovering over that living nightmare applauding wildly, while the delirious demons who accompanied him shrieked in delight, just as I can visualize them doing whenever a group of grief-stricken Christian mourners leave a cemetery after participating in a grave-side committal service for a person they love dearly.

And now Father, if you don’t mind I would like to end my lament here, and, if you allow me to, I’ll continue it next week.

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April 5, 2009 Posted by Categories: Uncategorized Tagged with:
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