THE PERFECT STORM

There is a “Perfect Storm” brewing over our nation and over our world.  The clouds of that storm are gathering.  The wind of that storm is beginning to blow.  A type, even a prophetic type, of that storm is found

on the pages of the New Testament.  Euroclydon is the storm.  The ship is the nation, and even our world.  Paul is the NT ministry of God’s Kingdom.

Acts 27:10-11

10      And [Paul] said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.

11          Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.

Acts 27:13-15

13      And when the south wind blew softly [peace and safety; 1Thess 5:1-3], supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.

14      But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.

15      And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive.

John F. Kennedy

Inaugural Address - January 20th 1961

“And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.”

This next line of the speech we seldom quote:  “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man. 

Jesus taught it this way:

John 15:13          Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Further commentary from Paul:

II Th 3:10

10      For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work [did not say cannot], neither should he eat.

1Thes 4:9-12

9        But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;

10      and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more;

11      that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,

12      that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.

John F. Kennedy was shot in the head on November 22, 1963.  He died of his wound.  He was 46 years old.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Delivered at the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963.

"I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

Jesus taught it this way:

John 7:24

24      Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

Martin Luther King Jr. was shot in the head on April 4, 1968.  He died of his wound.  He was 39 years old.

The foundation of a nation’s government is its morality.  That morality is established and defined by its religion (its concept of, and obedience to, whatever deity it recognizes).  Also upon its foundation of morality, and directly influenced by it, rests its educational system.  From the pool of educated minds the nation draws its business and government leaders.  If the religion of a people is altered, its morals are affected and the educational system is at once also altered.  If the educational system changes, the business and government leaders likewise change proportionally. 

The twentieth century brought great change to American religion.  In the first half of the century moral demands increasingly relaxed as religion modified its view of God and His laws.  In the sixties America was warned by both these men mentioned above to turn away from two specific immoral attitudes which would, if left unchecked, disqualify her for God’s continued grace and blessing.  But just who in this nation, even in the ranks of religion, and especially in that decade of such moral rebellion, would listen to a Roman Catholic politician and a black Baptist Preacher?  America killed the messengers and ignored the message.  Now, for our ignoring our Father’s voice, here we are driving to the very center of the Perfect Storm:

1        The greed referred to by Kennedy and the absence of good character referred to by King has brought us to the potential of world financial ruin and social disruption

2        The abortion of 43 million lives has depleted the American workforce, opened us to extremely expensive problems with illegal aliens, and has created a domestic society of great imbalance in reference to age and, therefore, productivity

3          Because of ever more relaxing moral codes, the youth we have not aborted have too often grown up without fathers.  Their work ethic is low (a secondary reason for the influx of an alien work force).  Their dependencies are high.  Their respect for authority is nil.  Their knowledge of God is…. Who is God? 

4        A whole nation of seniors is about to begin drawing social security and using Medicare.  Because these programs’ funds have been plundered for use in other areas not indicated at their conception (this act involving both greed and lack of character on the part of our government), both are projected to collapse within a few years.  Having been reared in an ever more relaxing moral climate which has progressively encouraged an extremely self-destructive lifestyle unfettered by effective religion, these “Baby Boomers” are more self-indulgent and drug and physician dependent than even a fully funded Social Security and Medicare system could have afforded.  

5        A whole world of “young Americans demanding change” is determined to have a socialistic, “Robin Hood” form of government which will take from the wealthy and give to the worthless while the helpless remain destitute for either their unwillingness to lie for gain or for their lack of knowledge of how to play the system.  The feminist-minded government mandate that all the “children” be entitled solely by virtue of existence to an equal share of our national everything has divorced them completely from the masculine balance that “you get what you work for.” 

6          Neither does Middle America – those who are supporting all of the above – have the self-sacrificial nature (Kennedy) nor the necessary character (King) to support the two ends.  For a lack of religion and the morality it genders, and with a deaf ear turned to the Kennedy and King messages, this generation will continue the abortion of their “inconveniencies” and will probably, in time, redefine the parameters of euthanasia to include anyone aged or incapacitated to the point of being unprofitable to the society.

7        The Perfect Storm is in the making.  America refused the Kingdom of God and its message.  She has killed not just the primary messengers, but also most every messenger God has sent since the 60’s.  There are precious few fathers left.  May God help that the heart of these few to be turned to the children, lest this national curse already upon us bring our eventual end (Mal 4:5-6).    

Some of God’s children have remained faithful.  They have remained moral, even to their ridicule.  They have offered their lives for Christ’s sake and for others.  They have faithfully given to their Lord, to their neighbor and to their nation, not asking what their country could do for them, but what they could do for their country.  Many have not looked with prejudice at color, or, for that matter, any other outward appearance, including rags or riches, but at the character of others.  They have not rejected or received another on the basis of any judgment other than the quality of the inner man.  These have nothing to fear from the Perfect Storm. 

This perfect storm will finally separate between the economy of Egypt (this world’s system) and the economy of Israel (the Kingdom of God).  God will make a difference.  While gross darkness covers all of Egypt’s economy, the lights will stay on in Goshen.  Those in Goshen have heeded the voice of the fathers as those fathers have spoken in the Name of their God.  They have sought first the Kingdom of God, and now all they need will be added to them: When the world has need, the faithful will have enough; When the world is dying of its disease, the faithful will be healed; When the world is boiling its babies for their bellies’ hunger, the faithful will satisfy their own hunger with God’s provision through the Lamb; When the world is loosing its firstborn, the faithful will be behind the door splashed with the Lamb’s blood and celebrating the life of all their children.  When the derelict craft of every host nation has sunk beneath the sea in a perfect storm of its own sin and perversity, those of the Holy Nation will celebrate the triumphant rising of their own ark above the waters of universal trial to sail eternally upon the seas of God’s everlasting Kingdom.     

Heb 12:25-29

25      See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven,

26      whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, "Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven."

27      Now this, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.

28          Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

29      For our God is a consuming fire. (NKJ)

Acts 27:20-25

20      And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.

21      But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.

22      And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship.

23      For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,

24          Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

25          Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

Message delivered by Pastor Bobby Norton

New Life Christian Fellowship

September 28, 2008