Denver’s Dark Night

The news hit the heart of our country like a hammer to the chest. At the premier of the movie “The Dark Knight Rises” in a movie theatre in a suburb of Denver, a young man opened fire and killed at least 12 people, wounded over 50, some of whom are in critical condition. Dressed like a character in the movie the audience at first could not distinguish reality from fantasy until the blood and screams began.

The news media began their work almost as fast as the police arrived to do their work. And the questions began—who, what, where, when. The most difficult question of all is this, “Why?” The same painful question is always asked. How can someone do such a horrible, evil thing?

Some people immediately begin to think that it is a political problem or perhaps the killer faced immense social pressures that made him explode or perhaps he was mentally ill. Some people immediately want to ban all guns not thinking that the killer could have blown up the theatre or used poison gas. It is not the lethal weapon used that is the problem. The problem is the human heart.

Christians are guided to understand all of this moral madness by the Word of God. Jeremiah the prophet said, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it (Jeremiah 17:9)?” Another translation is even more forceful: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly perverse and corrupt and severely, mortally sick! Who can know it (Amplified Bible)?” The human heart is capable of horrendous evil. The Lord Jesus Christ understands this and taught, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies (Matthew 15:19).” The first man, Adam’s, fall into sin unleashed evil, sin and death into the world.

Every single one of us is a sinner. We may not all commit such horrible offenses as happened in Colorado. But we are all capable of being tempted by a full range of sinfulness. So, how do we restrain such evil? The first point is to recognize that we are all sinners and individually turn to a gracious and merciful God to save us from ourselves. The Bible is quite clear that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).” As sinners we are all under a divine verdict of guilt and the penalty is death. But “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).” If you trust in God to save you from your sins through faith in Christ, his sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection, God will cleanse you of every sin.

Secondly, begin to transform the pattern of thinking in your own heart by learning Scripture, which is God’s Word to us.  The psalmist wrote, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You(Psalm 119:11).” Learn God’s Word and obey it.

Thirdly, teach your children. The Bible says, “fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).” Our children need to know that there is a God, that there is absolute truth: right and wrong. They need to know that they are sinners but that there is a gracious and merciful God who wants desperately to save them from the power and penalty of sin.

God has given life meaning and purpose. Without our understanding that we derive our life from Him and meaning and purpose, we will be people without hope. And life in our world will continue to unravel in meaningless acts of violence both physically and emotionally. But God says to us, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).” When we turn to God in faith then life takes on meaning, there is peace and a future full of hope.

Finally, we must admit that there will be no full resolution to evil and violence in this world. But there is a new world coming. God will renew our world at the return of Christ. At that time it is promised that “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away (Revelation 21:4).”

Pray for the people of Colorado. Pray for their grieving hearts to be comforted. Pray for our country and our communities. If you live in the greater Chicago area I invite you to be a part of the church I pastor, Grace Ministry International. Services are Sunday at 10:30AM at the Gorton Community Center, 400 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL. You may visit our web site at www.graceministryinternational.org. All of the e-books and audio and written teachings on the site are available free of charge. I am always happy to hear from readers. You may contact me at chuck@graceministryinternational.org. God bless you!