"Do You Also Want To Go Away?"

                It's not a formal logical fallacy.....but it can at times prove itself.....circular reasoning. There is an ad right now on Breitbart for a tee shirt that has two lines of words....the top says....I MAY BE OLD....BUT I'M OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER.....and below an eagle....AMERICA BEFORE IT WENT TO S**T.
                The mere fact that someone would wear this shirt with profanity on it....with children to see....proves the assertion that the person who bought and wears the shirt was making!
                A half century ago or more....the 'liberal'....(an imperfect choice of words but it will serve its purpose here)....said that they do not want this old time religion God....they want their more enlightened God. On our side....we also said that we don't want that old time religion God....we just want the God bless America....God.
                Evangelicalism....embedded within the MAGA movement today....wants something that is impossible. They want God's blessing on what they do and who they are. As you may know....the news is only a day old....Louisiana passed a law that requires schools to display the Ten Commandments. That is not enough folks....because it is trying to bribe God....or to put it in a more milder way....make a compromise with God....we will fight to put the Ten Commandments in school....but we are keeping our sports and entertainments.
                We are like this out of ignorance. We are not out-and-out telling God that will we give Him some of what he demands but not all. So....we need to know.....to be informed....of how and where we went off the path. We need to be reminded of the awesome holiness of God! That is the job of the pulpit....but the pastors in those pulpits are on their own. The glory of God has long since departed.
                We just visited the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte. I love the place....and I love the memory of the man....but he was imperfect as we all are. He made major mistakes in discernment in his early decades....but as he neared seventy he began to change. The words of judgment for America that he bellowed early on became real to him. His last decades were spent more like those of Jeremiah. This is the same with me....and I hope that it will be the same with many in evangelicalism.
                 John MacArthur made a similar transformation. We are today in the church....the remnant of believers anyway....as in a landing craft....the days shipboard are over. The beach is ahead....and it won't be as the beach that I just returned from.
                 The shepherds are asleep in the fields...and only God can awaken them. There was a microburst in our neighborhood as we were away. I'm sure that all of you have been in a microburst of wind at some time or other. You just huddle there and pray....pray that the trees don't fall and the roof stays intact. Well more than a microburst is in store for us....and the trees will not stand....and the roof will not remain intact.
                 This will wake up the men in the pulpits....but we need them awakened beforehand. We need them awakened.....yesterday.....to use that familiar form of expression. We need them awakened three days from now in their pulpits! We need them on their knees today!
                 This is not what we want. We want to go back....but we cannot go back. This winnowing that is coming will cause great division....but when the dust settles....and we can see what is front of us....we will then see who is still there.
                 I want to give you just one Bible passage....the 6th chapter of the gospel of John. Jesus had just fed the 5,000. The people wanted more of Him....they wanted to make Him king. Jesus knew this and went off to pray. The disciples got caught in a storm on the sea that evening....and Jesus appeared to them walking on the water. Peter then walked on the water...before he began to sink....and Jesus calmed the sea! The people followed to the other side of the sea....and Jesus confronted them. They didn't discern the signs he gave them....but wanted the food. We today do not see the signs of the times....we just want the food....they wanted a king....we want a leader.
                  Jesus then entered the synagogue and gave the most thrilling discourse in that He was the bread of life...."Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you." Well this was just too much! Many of His disciples walked away from Him....John 6:66....interesting number....and many will walk away today when they see that our bread is not the bread of a free and powerful nation.
                  Jesus saw disciples leave and asked of Peter...."Do you also want to go away?" Peter rhetorically answered....'Where would we go....You are the Christ....the Son of the living God.' 
                  The 6th chapter ends with this....Jesus said to the remaining disciples....referring to Judas...."Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" Why did Jesus bring this up here? This whole passage has end-times implications....in fact end-times implications are literally all over through God's Word.