Photizo
In Memory of Those Cruelly and Cowardly Murdered
On September 11, 2001

Ephesians 1:17-23 "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: [18]  The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, [19]  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, [20]  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, [21]  Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: [22]  And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, [23]  Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all"

If there was ever a week when we all needed "the spirit of wisdom and revelation" from our Father, this is the week. On Tuesday morning a jet liner, hi-jacked by misguided lost individuals, slammed into the World Trade Center in New York. Less than an hour later, a second jet liner slammed into the same target, and within this same time frame we saw another hi-jacked plane hit the Pentagon and the ground outside of Pittsburgh. All jets were hi-jacked by terrorist cells, certain in their belief that their actions were "righteous" and "rewardable" in the hereafter. No other interpretation of these events makes sense. These people honestly felt that they were fighting a jihad, a holy war for their god, and that their sacrifice would earn them great honor in the next life.

How foolish, and misled they were. As they now stand before the Judge of all, Yahweh, Creator God, Yeshua our Lord, they now understand the error of their way - but it is too late.

In the aftermath of this terrible tragedy, a swirl of television interviews and newscasts all focus on what we should do. One commentator said, "investigation today, vengeance tomorrow". In several cities around our nation Middle Eastern people who had nothing whatsoever to do with these attacks are, themselves, being reviled and attacked. I heard of one man who, on seeing a Middle Eastern woman on the street, swerved his car to try and hit her. Is this right?

In the midst of all this darkness, in the midst of the tragedy that has attacked us all, we need "the eyes of [our] understanding [to be] enlightened". That word, "enlightened", is the Greek photizo [fo-tid'-zo], which means "to supply light so as to remove the darkness, to open the understanding and make to see" (Thayer). We need that, this week. We need to see light in the midst of this uncertain darkness.

Ephesians 1:18-20 "... The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, [19]  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, [20]  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places ..."

Evil and deceived men struck at innocent people on September 11, 2001, but evil and deceived people have always struck at the innocent. It is easy to focus on the evil people, led by Satan, and to allow hatred to dominate our own souls. Yet, believers, the truth is, there have always been evil and deceived people who have fed on the innocent, and these people will stay on the earth until our Lord Jesus returns and eliminates the problem. This is a reality that has always been with us. The Muslim extremists feel that the power of God is shown in how many Americans you can kill. They feel that their jihad, their alleged holy war is blessed by God because it kills those who are not Muslim. How wrong they are!

Power is not in how many people can be hurt, or in how many innocents can be killed. God has shown us power, True Power, and has planted the seed of that Power in us who believe. God's power was worked out through Jesus who, in obedience to our need, went to the terrible Cross for us. Jesus bore our penalty on the Cross and, after giving the ultimate sacrifice, laid down His life for us.

There is no power in the wild eyed fanatic that will kill innocents while throwing his own life away. This is not power, but Satanic, Lucerferian, evil. There's no power in that, and men automatically - whether saved or unsaved - turn away from the deceived who consider kamikaze tactics as powerful. No, there's no power there. But to sacrifice yourself in order to save others, to lay down your life for those who do not deserve that laying down - now, there's power! The Son laid down His life:

John 10:16-18  "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. [17]  Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. [18]  No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father."

and again,

1 John 3:16  "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."

Jesus Christ laid down His life for us! Now, there's power! Don't look at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and say, "Look, that's power". No its not. That's cowardice, and evil, and Satanic - the act of insane individuals. Here, I show you Power - I show you the Cross!

But there is more to the Power of Christ. If the Cross were all there were, the willing sacrifice of an innocent for we who are guilty, this would be Power enough. Yet God our Savior has done more than pay for our sins, for:

Ephesians 1:20 ... "he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places ..."

Let's see one of the deceived terrorists rise from the dead. Will they? No, not in this lifetime, though they will rise again to stand under the Judge of the quick and the dead. But our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father resurrected Him from the dead. Imagine, imagine the enormous power necessary to raise someone from the dead, to restore life to a body three days in the grave. God wrought this power in Christ when He raised Him up, and then seated Him on the right hand of glory forever.

When our Father raised Jesus Christ from the dead, He photizo, clearly illuminated two truths to us.

1. Since God had the power to raise Jesus, He has the power to conquer the trials that threaten us:

1 Corinthians 10:13  "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

2. Since God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, we know that He has the power to raise us also:

2 Corinthians 4:13-14  "We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; [14]  Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you."

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18  "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  [17] Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  [18]  Wherefore comfort one another with these words."

When we see the infidels rejoicing in Middle Eastern streets over innocent lives lost, we are tempted to feel hatred or vengeful toward them. Yes, those who did this evil must be brought to justice, but never forget that those who were in Christ at the time of this evil are now in the loving arms of Father. It is not that we will never see them again, nor is it good-bye forever, but we will see them and worship with them again before the Throne of Christ:

Revelation 7:9-10 "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; [10]  And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb."

Just as Jesus was raised from the dead, all those who have had their lives abruptly ended now stand before the Lord, and one day will unite as one in the Body of Christ. One day we shall all stand before Christ with glorified bodies, resurrected and complete. Dwell on this, beloved of God.

Ephesians 1:19-21 "... according to the working of his mighty power, [20]  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, [21]  Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come ..."

Evil likes to rear its ugly head periodically, and entice us to its way - or try to draw us into an evil retaliatory response. Yet what we must remember and focus on is that evil has already been defeated, robbed of the final victory by our resurrected Savior. Our Lord Jesus was placed "Far above all" principality, and power, and might, and dominion. These four words all refer to degrees or categories of spiritual conflict, either in this world or in the spiritual world around us: "Principality", arche [ar-khay'] or the chief rulers; "Power", exousia [ex-oo-see'-ah], ruling forces; "Might", dunamis  [doo'-nam-is], dynamic forces; and "Dominion", kuriotes  [koo-ree-ot'-ace], governing forces.

If these four words refer to fallen angels, then Christ has been placed far above them, and has conquered them for all time. If these four words refer to categories of world governments, or of evil men who, in cowardly cells, sneak around to destroy the innocent, Christ will ultimately reign over them as well. As Scripture tells us:

Colossians 2:10, 15  "And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: [15] And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it."

That Jesus Christ is the "head of all principality and power", and that He has "spoiled" or robbed them of their power. In ancient times when a conquering King returned to his city, he would march his defeated enemy before him so that all could see their defeat. Our Lord Jesus has, in the same way, "made a shew of them openly", and has demonstrated to all in the Heavenly Kingdom that He has defeated Satan and his cohorts. Not only has He defeated them, but He has transferred the power of His defeat to us who believe on Him. Satan and his demons have no power to truly harm those who are in Christ:

Romans 8:38-39  "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, [39]  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Though evil reared its head in the form of terrorists and terrorism, evil is a defeated enemy. Evil is the puppy that barks on the other side of the door, making noise, but ultimately harmless. Though physical life was lost through evil's act this week, those who were innocent and in Christ are yet still in Christ.

Evil as a defeated enemy has no power. Our Lord Jesus created the angelic hosts in the beginning:

Colossians 1:16-17  "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: [17]  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."

They were created "by him, and for him". Yet there came a time when the created angels, led by Satan, rose up against their Creator and were consequently cast out of Heaven. Evil thought that it could triumph over the Creator - but has been defeated once and for all by the precious sacrifice of Christ. Though we may well have to go to war as a nation to bring evil to justice, the Head of all evil has already been defeated. Though evil constantly roams this earth, seeking whom it may devour, we need not fear the evil - those who are children of God by faith in Christ Jesus are covered by the protecting arms of our Father.

Ephesians 1:22-23 "And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, [23]  Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all"

Since Evil cannot defeat the believer, and Evil itself is already defeated by Christ, then the reality is that we can only be defeated by evil when we succumb to it. Adam and Eve were living in a perfect environment until they decided to forsake the Word of God, and eat of the forbidden fruit. Israel was given a Promised Land, and all they had to do was to cross Jordan and receive that promise. The land was theirs, until they forsook the Word of the Lord and refused to follow their Leader.

As the Church, Jesus Christ is our Head, our Ruler, our General in this great spiritual conflict. We must remain focused on Him and on His Word. This week the events at the Pentagon and the World Trade Center have indeed been tragedies. Yet, out of this evil, I see good coming forth. Never in all my life have I seen more patriotic fervor in our country. We have been changed from "Republican" and "Democrat", from "Black" and "White", from "Us" and "Them", to The United States of America. Marquees and signs all over our town state "God bless America", and television stations all carry special music, hymns, and services that sing praises to God our Savior.

The hearts of all Americans are now tender to the Gospel of Christ.

While their hearts are tender, we as the Church of Jesus Christ need to remember that He is our Head. We need to respect and revere His Word, while promoting His Gospel to those around us. While those around us seek to make sense of the events of this week, we need to be the light of the world:

Matthew 5:14-16 "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. [15] Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  [16]  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

Our eyes have been opened and the darkness removed by the Spirit of God, by faith in Christ Jesus. Now we who can see need to shine, to let others see Christ in us, let others hear the Gospel through us, so that they might have photizo, their understanding enlightened, their eyes opened.

We cannot do this by proffering our own opinions to the world. We can only be the Light of the world when we take what Jesus has said, and, while living it, tell others about it. We can spread the Gospel:

Romans 10:9-13  "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [10]  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. [11]  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. [12] For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. [13]  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

... and let the world know that this Gospel applies to all men, regardless of race or nationality. Though we need to bring the terrorist faction to justice, we need to be careful not to unjustly condemn the innocent with the guilty. The saving power of Jesus is for all people, and "Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed".

And, as believers in Christ Jesus, we need to follow the commandment that He has given us:

Matthew 5:43-48 "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. [44]  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; [45]  That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. [46]  For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? [47]  And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? [48]  Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

We must refuse to allow prejudice and hatred to enter into the equation. Seek out the perpetrators of this evil, and bring them to justice. But refuse to allow Satan to win a victory by falling victim to hatred. Jesus refused to hate His captors, and refused to hate His betrayers - in like manner we must refuse to hate, but continue to shine the pure light of the Gospel message to our fellow Americans.

Triumph will come out of this tragedy, as long as we remember who our Leader is. Do not allow yourselves to sink to the low estate of those whose hearts are dedicated to evil. Remember that you are His Church, members of His Body, and called to spread His message to a lost and dying world.

God give us the strength to shine for Jesus, especially in these dark days.  "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen." (Romans 16:20)

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