The BIG Surprise!
Do you like surprises? Most people might say "Yes," but then again, it might depend on what kind of "surprise" you are talking about. Now when it comes to our Lord, all of us should be asking ourselves if we think the Lord has any "surprises" left for us. The answer to that question is the foundation of the Bible, our Faith and the future of the world.Most Christians need to be reminded now and then that our Faith started out as a BIG "surprise." The disciples surely never planned on the Lord Jesus resurrecting from the dead. And even though our Lord told them over and over that He would rise from the dead, they just didn't fully understand or believe it ( Matthew 16:21). Even on Resurrection Morning, disciples like the Apostle Peter found the Lord gone from the Tomb and walked away wondering "What happened?" (Luke 24:12).
If you walk up to someone in any church these days and ask, "Hey, do you think the Lord has any BIG 'surprise' planned for His people?" you might get blank stares, questions or discomfort. Most Christians don't even know how to answer a question like that. They may even think you are weird for asking it. And yet, IF the Lord of glory does not have anything amazing and exciting ahead for us, we have lost the heart of our Faith. A Faith without surprises ends up being very predictable....at times routine and maybe for a few boring. After all, if church life is too much about potlucks or special speakers things can honestly become a little stale. Of course this is exactly what is happening to the American Church. Christiainity is on the decline in our nation. Some seem to be leaving the true Faith for other things that seem more real or a better use of their time. When you leave out the excitement and wonder of the future that the Lord gives us in Christ you can't really blame them.
If there is ONE issue that seems to be troubling our nation in this hour, it is the loss of the truth from public discourse. There is not a single day that goes by that we are not deluged with bold lies from political candidates, the media, our universities, foreign governments and a host of other sources. Once these lies get into the thinking of the public it is almost impossible to find the real truth. This clearly applies to this coming national election in November, but it extends to every aspect of life and every decision we will ever make. No one can make a good decision when the information used for that decision is based on lies. As an example, if you think Washington D.C. is north of New York City, you will never find it. If you go north looking for it you will end up at the North Pole and die of hypothermia. One lie wrongly believed and acted upon can have a disasterous effect on our lives.
Our great nation seems hopelessly divided as we get ready to vote in this year's election in November. And yet, this great divide happened before in 1857. Understanding what happened 159 years ago is the KEY to discerning the current spiritual issues surrounding the coming election that will significantly affect America and the world until our Lord Jesus Christ returns.
Whether we fully understand it or not, America stands at a crossroads like no other time since 1776. Perhaps that crossroads is best seen in the current political battle underway as the Presidential elections draw near this fall. Both candidates offer a radically different view of reality and the future that will forever change America and the world. 
While Americans are living in a brave new world of political correctness, almost no one understands what is going on or why. Our society is being totally transformed by a group of "PC Police" that want to control everything in life from where we go to the bathroom to how we refer to God. Universities, once a haven for the First Amendment, are being transformed into havens for fragile students and faculty that need to create "safe zones" on campus where no one will be offended by a different idea. Even America's pulpits are being shaped by politically correct Bible translations and sermons that might find it hostile to use non inclusive gender language or refer to the Lord as a "Him" or "He."
The greatness of any society or people rests on their ability to remember their past and what was sacrificed to create and defend it. Surely this is true for our Nation on this Memorial Day Weekend. No nation has sacrificed so much for the cause of freedom and justice as the United States. America has sent more of her youth to die on foreign battle fields than any other nation in human history. If you wonder about this, simply watch this video on American military cemeteries outside of this county at 
What would you do today if your government told you that you needed to wear an orange shirt or you would have to pay a large fine? And upon further investigation, you found that the reason you were asked to wear that orange shirt was simply because a politician in Washington liked orange shirts. You might think this was some sort of bad movie. After all, this is America, the land of the free and home of the brave. Right?
Imagine for a moment, that you are in a boat in the middle of the ocean with one other person and that person says, "I can't see any water." You might think they were a little crazy, but that is exactly what is happening today regarding the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us John 1:10 that, "He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him." The world is surrounded by the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus, like the water of a vast ocean, and yet people can't see him anywhere. His name is rarely referenced today in very many places. Even the church world is strangely quiet about Him.Where did our Lord go?
It's been an amazing week in politics. As of Tuesday, it looks like controversial businessman Donald Trump is going to be the Republican nominee for President after his main rival, Senator Ted Cruz dropped out of the race. Many of Senator Cruz's supporters and other Republicans don't feel Mr. Trump is a true conservative or conservative enough, triggering deep division within the Republican world. A similar battle is going on in the Democratic Party between Senator Bernie Sanders and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. However, on the Democratic side, people seem to be fighting over who is more "liberal" and what it means to be a true "liberal." Invariably, all of this leads to an obvious question on whether or not people have the slightest idea of what the words "conservative" and "liberal" really mean.
If you ever wanted a barometer to measure how much trouble our society was in today you need look no further than people fighting over "who" can go to "what" bathroom. How much worse can it get? That, of course, is the lastest battle going on in America today regarding where transgendered individuals can go to the bathroom. This issue has now even begun to be talked about by presidential candidates and the media on a regular basis. There surely is no end in sight to this fight, as it has started to involve the federal government and our legal system. One day soon it may even move to the Supreme Court, with people being eventually told where they can and can't go to the bathroom.
Lately, it's been a little hard watching what is going on. It's been hard to watch our Nation being seduced by socialism in one form or another from politicians of both parties. It has been hard watching our young people being deceived with silly campaign speeches that imply stealing from a few billionaires will "save the world" and makes their lives better. It has been hard watching a majority of our tenured professors in academia relentlessly attacking this Country's foundations and our economic system that created their colleges and universities. It has been hard to watch people thinking they can create Heaven on Earth without God. So living in America these days has increasingly been hard with so many delusions and illusions that seem to define "reality" for increasing numbers of people.
Often time's truth seems stranger than fiction. That is surely what must be said regarding the opening of Noah's Ark in Williamstown, Kentucky starting July 7. The full scale, 510 foot model of the Ark will open this summer after a couple of years of legal battles about religious freedom, employment hiring practices and tax exemption issues. The Noah's Ark Theme Park will eventually employ about 400 workers, to manage everything from the Ark itself, to supporting gifts, exhibits and concessions. When finally opened in July, this park will be a major tourist attraction for Christians and curiosity seekers from all over the world. If you are interested in what is happening in Kentucky, you might like to check it out at www.arkencounter.com and maybe even plan a trip for the summer.
If there is one cry that comes from the heart of every true believer, it is to hear from the Lord. Such a cry is the desire to have a real and powerful opportunity to hear from Heaven and know what the Lord is saying to us. Such a desire comes from deep within our souls and is very much like a child crying for their father and saying, "Abba! Father!" as the Apostle Paul reminds us in Galatians 4:6. Only the Lord Himself can meet the deepest need of being our Father, Lord and Savior by speaking tenderly and directly to His people through His Word.
While much of the Nation seems to be preoccupied with the "mud wrestling" going on today with the race for President, the story of greatest importance is being overlooked. Our current political chaos is only a symptom of a much deeper cause. The story everyone should be concerned with right now is the rapid secularization of the Nation and departure from the historic Christian Faith that helped to create it. This is the hidden story behind ever other story. It is THE story being suppressed by the media and largely ignored by many pastors and churches.
As we joyfully prepare to celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ in a few days, it is exciting to see the Lord confirming this glorious truth to the world in an amazing way. The Lord Jesus rose from the dead on the 3rd Day, as He promised during His public ministry in Matthew 16:21. However, many have missed the Resurrection of Israel as THE greatest modern witness to our Lord's victory over sin, death and Hell since the apostolic age.
Do you remember where you were when you heard something about the Resurrection for the first time? The Resurrection is such an amazing event that it should be like a spiritual 9-11 that is unforgettable. How could we not be shaken by it? Surely that had to be the case for the Lord's disciples when they knew Jesus was alive. How do you forget something like that? It is the kind of thing that once heard it redefines your life and reality forever. Nothing else matters as much after hearing about it. Of course, that was the Lord's intent from the beginning.
America is angry tonight. Have you noticed? If you are not sure about that, all you have to do is watch the recent debates and rancor going on within the Republican Party. These debates are a good barometer of how many people are feeling......angry. Many Americans are surprised, shocked and troubled by what is going on and are fearful for the future.
One of the things that have recently emerged in American politics is the rise of Socialism. Before the election of President Obama in 2008, almost no one in the Nation even used the word. Socialism and its more radical cousin, Communism, were systems of government in places like Europe and Asia, but surely NOT in America.
One of the great questions that has been raised by many Christians and Bible students over the years is simply this, "Does America appear anywhere in the Bible?" Surely that has to be an important question if the Lord has a plan for the world and America is at the center of the world right now as THE major Super Power. Several books, sermons and articles have attempted to tackle this subject, but there seems to be little agreement about a possible answer.
Many of us will be watching the Super Bowl this weekend. Some people even attend "Super Bowl Parties" with family and friends that were planned for weeks or months. It is estimated that about 190 million people will be watching the game. Even the commercials are "super," costing about $5,000,000 for a 30 second spot. The Super Bowl has grown over the years to not only be one of the most watched events in history, but it has made legends and superstars out of some of the players. For some people, winning the Super Bowl is the stuff of dreams and reflects the ultimate glory of this life with regards to achievement and status.
All over the world tonight there seems to be a HUGE leadership vacuum that is building toward some sort of emerging crisis. In Europe, for example, the recent flood of unwanted immigrants from the Middle East, the growth of Islamic terrorism and a variety of unsolved political and economic problems with the European Union have created a great cry for new and decisive leadership. Few seem to have a clue about how to solve these growing problems and the failure to address them has spawned a variety of reactionary groups from ultranationalists to neo Nazis. Europe is in a deep leadership crisis it hasn't seen since the 1920's and 30's before World War II.
The central problem facing all of us today is how you establish truth. If truth ultimately depends on the individual and our "feelings" or personal experiences of "faith," you can see we have a problem. That, of course, is what is going on today. Our society has made the self a "god," with each person deciding what is right or wrong in their own eyes like the days of Judges 21:25. Perhaps that is why many Christians are unwilling to engage the world with the fact that Jesus is the truth and Lord of all. The Church knows our message is not well received and people fear rejection. Now when the Church loses its' confidence in sharing the truth, Christianity just becomes another special interest group like playing football or quilting. It is almost as if Pontius Pilate had been resurrected and is putting every Christian on trial again with his infamous question to our Lord in John 18:38, "What is truth?"
The greatest, single objection to the Christian Faith is its' exclusivity. That exclusivity is best defined by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself in John 14:6, where our Lord says, "I am the way, and the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me." That verse is either greatly misunderstood to mean a variety of things OR it means that Jesus is the only Savior and way to Heaven. There really are no other options. IF Jesus is the only Savior of the world, then all other faiths and belief systems are false and cannot save their followers in this life or the next.