Luke 13:1-5
LESSONS AMERICA LEARNED ON SEPT. 11, 2001
Intro: Early Sunday morning December 7, 1941,
Japanese fighter pilots executed a surprise attack on
the American naval forces anchored at Pearl Harbor.
After that event became public, President Franklin
Roosevelt declared that it was "a day which will live in
infamy." The word infamy means, "an evil reputation
brought about by something grossly criminal,
shocking or brutal." For almost 60 years that heinous
event was the most infamous event in US history.
However, this past Tuesday, September 11, 2001,
we witnessed a new day of infamy that eclipsed the
horror of Pearl Harbor. As we watched on live
television, thousands of American citizens and people
from other nations were sent into eternity by an act so
brutal and so devastating that it is almost beyond
comprehension. The loss of life was staggering! The
economic cost hasn't even begun to be measured. It
was an event that will impact every person in this room
for the rest of our lives. It will do so emotionally,
economically, militarily, psychologically and especially
spiritually! The events os this past Tuesday were
horrible beyond belief or description.
In the aftermath of the terrorist attack, and in the
midst of the recovery of the bodies of the dead, in a
time when the United States stands on the brink of war,
we should take a long hard look at what happened and
at ourselves. This morning, I would like to consider the
events that transpired Tuesday and talk about some
lessons that we can learn from these events.
In our text, Jesus used a tragic event of that time to
teach the people some spiritual lessons. There are
lessons in this tragedy that can teach us in this day.
Allow me to share with you the Lessons America
Learned On September 11, 2001.
I. WE LEARNED LESSONS ABOUT LIFE
A. Life Is Brief - James 4:14; Job 7:6-7; Psa.
103:15-16; Pro. 27:1
B. Life Is Precious - Gen. 1:26; Matt. 10:29-31
(Note: The outcry over the thousands dead in
New York. This is justified because those were
real people in those buildings and in those
planes. May we never forget them! May their
deaths have not been in vain! However, what
about the 4,000 plus who die every day legally in
the abortion clinics? What about the 4 per
second who are dying every second? This
amounts to 345,600 people who die per day, and
the majority of them are lost! Where is the
outcry and the outrage over these? Life is
precious, regardless of where life is!)
C. Life Is Tragic - Job 14:1; Eccl. 2:22-23; John
16:33
D. Life Is Tainted By Sin - (Note: Why do these
things happen? There are many complex
answers, but the simple answer is sin! The root
of these events can be traced back to the sin of
one man and one woman. In Genesis 16, God
had promised to give Abraham and Sarah a
child. Instead of waiting for God to answer in His
time, they sought to help God out and a baby
named Ishmael was born. This baby was the
father of all the Arab nations, and ultimately the
father of those who conceived and carried out
this attack. These things are a perfect illustration
of Gal. 6:9.) Rom. 3:10-18; Psa. 14:1-3
E. Life Does Not End At Death - All those
thousands who stopped living here Tuesday
morning started living somewhere else
immediately, 2 Cor. 5:8; Luke 16:22-23; Acts
1:25. (Note: One man called his family to tell
them that he would see them in Heaven!)
I. We Learned Lessons About Life
II. WE LEARNED LESSONS ABOUT LIBERTY
A. Liberty Is A Precious Possession - We have a
precious liberty in this country. We are free to
worship and live for God without governmental
intervention or persecution. That liberty must be
preserved and defended at all costs.
B. Liberty Is A Fragile Possession - We could
see our freedoms stripped away. It wouldn't take
much to see America fall into the kind of disarray
that plagues many nations around the world
today. We must take our place alongside our
fellow Americans and defend this great nation.
C. Liberty Is A Costly Possession - America is
the nation we are because two and a half
centuries ago men and women were willing to
pay whatever price was demanded of them to be
free. We did not live during the days of the
revolution, but we are still involved in the fight for
freedom! We must do our part in these days to
defend this nation and to protect the freedoms
we enjoy. We must saturate this situation in
prayer, 1 Tim. 2:1-4. We must be ready to
sacrifice, without complaint, to protect our liberty.
We must be willing to give all we have, even our
lives if necessary, to secure freedom for
successive generations.
I. We Learned Lessons About Life
II. We Learned Lessons About Liberty
III. WE LEARNED LESSONS ABOUT THE LORD
(Ill. Events like those on Tuesday always raise
questions about God. Some are: 1.) Where was
God? 2.) Did He know? 3.) Could He have
stopped it? 4.) Why didn't He? While there are
no easy answers to those questions, there are
several truths we know about God that give us
comfort in times like these.)
A. His Love Is Constant - Some have no doubt
questioned the love of God in the light of these
devastating events. However, God's love was
not diminished in this event. He still loved those
who perished and those who perpetrated this
cowardly act. If those who are hurting would
reach out to God, they would find that His love
has neither flagged nor failed! His love is
constant! Jer. 31:3; John 3:16; 1 John 4:8
B. His Promises Are Sure - Some may have
wondered about the Lord's promises at a time
like that. I just want to remind you that what
happened Tuesday changed nothing as far as
God is concerned. His promises are still as valid
today as they were on Monday. His Word is still
true. God is still in control and He will still keep
His Word, Rom. 4:21. Friends, Psalm 23 still
stands true today!
C. His Grace Is Sufficient - Many are asking
themselves, "How will we make it through
these days?" The answer is simple! We will
make it through these days as we place our faith
in and our reliance on the God of Heaven. As
we lean on Him, we will find that He is able not
bear us up and to take care of these trials as
well. We will find that His grace is abundantly
sufficient, 2 Cor. 12:9. (Note: The Bible tells us
that the last days will be troubled and dangerous
times, 2 Tim. 3:2. We are in the last days. If we
will be able to endure the trials and troubles that
will befall our world in these days, we must sink
our anchor deep into God and trust Him to
sustain us by His power, Heb. 6:19.)
D. His Plan Is Perfect - Others may be left with a
feeling that somehow God is no longer in control
of the world and of what is going on. Some may
be guilty of questioning God's plan for the ages.
Let me just say that God is a sovereign God!
That is, He is in absolute control of all things
and we have no right to question His reasons
for what He allows to happen. May we ever
remember the following:
1. He Is In Control - Rom. 9:21; Nahum 1:3;
Job 9:12; Dan. 4:35
2. He Brings Rulers To Power For Specific
Times - Pro. 8:15; Dan. 2:21; Rom. 13:1.
(Note: This was Mordecai's word to Esther -
Esther 4:14.)
3. He Allows These Events To Accomplish
His Own Purposes - 1 Sam. 2:6-9; Psalm
33:10; Psa. 127:1-2; Pro. 19:21; Rom. 8:28
(Note: These things may be the judgment of
God on the sins of America! Don't forget that
we, as a nation have sinned against Him.
Instead of seeking revenge, maybe we
should be seeking a place of repentance.)
4. This Did Not Catch God By Surprise - Isa.
42:9; Isa. 46:10; Heb. 4:13
E. His Salvation Is Available - The best comfort
that can come from these events is that men
may realize their own mortality and turn to God
for salvation. If men will call on Him, He is
faithful to save them by His grace! Rom. 10:13;
Rev. 22:17; Rom. 10:9-10.
Conc: What lessons have you learned from these
events? Have these things spoken to your heart?
Maybe you came here today with questions relating to
the why of these events. Those answers will be found
in the Lord. Maybe you came here today knowing that
if you had been there in one of those buildings or on
one of those planes, you would be dead and in Hell this
morning. If so, there is salvation in Jesus Christ.
Perhaps you can see where you, as a Christian, haven't
been living as close to the Lord as you should have,
and that you have been wasting your time. If so, there
is forgiveness and restoration in Jesus Christ. Maybe
you can see where this thing is headed, and you want
to seek God for our leaders, our troops and for the
families of those who have lost loved ones in this
tragedy. If so, there is a need for people to make
intercession at the throne of grace. I am saying that
there is a place for everyone in the altar this morning!
