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Responding to 9/11 PDF Print E-mail
Written by David Charlton   

Scripture

Roman 12:14-21

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; never be conceited. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." 20 No, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

  Core Idea, Challenge & Summary

Core Idea: Christians are to respond to 9/11 with love

Challenge: To challenge Christians to respond to 9/11 and other acts of evil with love and goodness

Summary: In response to 9/11, our government took military action. It was right for our government to take necessary measures to protect us from future terrorist attacks. We are grateful for the men and women who are protecting us. We must realize, however, that any type of military response to evil is always temporary. Another terrorist or dictator will rise up.    

The only permanent solution to evil and suffering is Jesus Christ. The root cause of evil and suffering is sin. Jesus paid the penalty for sin and enabled us to receive God’s forgiveness. Once we receive God’s forgiveness, we enter into a restored love relationship with God. At that moment, the Holy Spirit enters our hearts and begins the process of cleansing our hearts of sinful desires. In this way, Jesus changes hearts and that is the only permanent solution to evil. Jesus has won the decisive battle on the cross and, one day, he will have total victory over evil.

So, as followers of Jesus, we should respond to evil acts, such as 9/11, in accordance with his commands. Jesus said to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. So, we should love the Muslim extremists who are intent on killing us. That means we pray for them. We pray for their salvation. We also treat any Muslim we run into the same way we would treat anyone else. We treat them with love, dignity and respect. We, of course, share our faith with them. Introducing people to Jesus is love.  

The Sermon

I. Introduction: Where was I on 9/11?

     A. On morning of 9/11 I was at a motel right outside of Ft. Huachuca, AZ.

  • I was a CPT in the U.S. Army reserves attending Military Intelligence (MI) Officer Advance Course (OAC)
  • As I was getting ready for the day, I went to the motel front office for some reason.
  • The motel clerk stated a plane flew into one of the World Trade Center (WTC) buildings. I thought, “wow, what was that pilot on?”
  • Then, as I passed another room, the person inside told me to look at the t.v. I learned that a second plane flew into the second building. We then knew we were under attack. In a matter of minutes there were about 30 soldiers crammed into one hotel room watching the little t.v.
  • I called my commanding officer and told him I was anxious for our unit to be activated.

     B. Just about everyone can remember where they were on 9/11

II. The U.S. government reacted

     A. U.S. government reaction: Invading Afghanistan and disrupting Al Qaeda. A few
          months ago, we finally got Osama Bin Laden.
     B. It’s right for the U.S. government to react this way. It’s the government’s role to
         protect us from evil. We’re thankful for the military personal who risk their lives to
         protect us.
     C. We must remember, however, that although sometimes necessary, a military
          response to evil is always temporary.
  • We defeated the Axis powers in WWII but since then, Pol Pot in Cambodia, Idi Amin in Uganda, Pinochet in Chile and many other ruthless dictators have risen to power.
  • With Bin Laden gone, we can expect another terrorist to rise up.

     D. The only permanent solution to evil and suffering is Jesus Christ

III. Jesus: The only permanent solution to evil and suffering

     A. The root cause of evil and suffering is sin.

     B. Jesus is the only one who can eradicate sin

  • As fully human and fully God, Jesus lived the perfect life and became the sacrifice to pay the penalty for all our sins.
  • Because Jesus paid the penalty for our sins, we can receive Gopd’s forgiveness and have a restored love relationship with God.
  • As part of this restored love relationship, we receive the Holy Spirit into our hearts.
  • As we walk with God through faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit cleanses our hearts of sinful desires.
  • In this way, Jesus changes hearts and eradicates sin.
  • This is the only permanent way to deal with evil. Jesus won the decisive battle on the cross and will have the final victory over evil at the right time.
     C. So, as followers of Jesus, we should respond to evil events, such as 9/11, in
          accordance with Jesus’ commands.

IV. Jesus’ commands and how to respond to evil

     A. Matthew 5:43-44: “You have heard that it was said, `You shall love your neighbor
         and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those
          who persecute you”

     B. The Apostle Paul reiterated Jesus’ commands in Romans 12

  • Romans 12:14: “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.”
  • Romans 12:17-21: “Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." 20 No, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

V. The Christian response to 9/11

     A. Love and pray for the Muslim extremist who want to kill us

  • Pray for their salvation.
  • Pray for God’s grace to pierce their darkness and awaken them to God’s love and the reality of who Jesus is.
  • They won’t continue to hate and want to kill us of they come to know Jesus. This would be ultimate victory in the war on terror.

     B. Treat any Muslim you run into like you would anyone else

  • Not all Muslims are terrorist extremist. Most Muslims you meet in America are average people.
  • Treat Muslims with courtesy, respect and love.
  • If you have an opportunity to help and serve a Muslim, take advantage of that opportunity.
  • Share your faith with any Muslims you meet. Like everyone else, THEY NEED JESUS AS THEIR SAVIOR AND LORD.

VI. Remembrance on 9/11

     A. On this day, we are reminded of hopw evil and hateful we can be towards each
          other.
     B. On this day when we are reminded of the pervasiveness of human sin, let’s also
          remember and reflect on God’s unconditional love for each of us.

     C. Let us resolve to spread this love throughout the world.
 
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