What we are witnessing in our culture is not random unrest—it is the result of truth being sacrificed for causes, lawlessness being excused, and division being weaponized. Scripture warned us this would happen.
INTRODUCTION — WHAT PEOPLE SEE VS. WHAT THEY’RE TOLD
Open by grounding everyone in shared experience.
People aren’t confused because they lack information. They’re confused because what they see no longer matches what they’re told. We’ve all watched raw footage—unfiltered videos, livestreams, cell phone clips—before anyone explains them. And then we’re told what it “really means.”
Set the tension:
“When people refuse to believe their own eyes, the problem isn’t a lack of information—it’s a deeper allegiance.”
Bring in John 3:19 naturally: light has come into the world, but people love darkness instead.
Transition:
“This isn’t about politics. This is about truth, deception, and the spirit driving what we’re watching.”
SECTION 1 — LAWLESSNESS IS NOT A SIDE EFFECT, IT’S A SIGN
Scripture Focus:
Matthew 24:12
2 Thessalonians 2:3
Explain that Scripture does not describe the last days as simply immoral—but lawless.
Clarify:
- Lawlessness is not protest
- Lawlessness is not disagreement
- Lawlessness is rejection of authority, order, and restraint
Key line:
“When destruction is justified and restraint is mocked, lawlessness has already won the argument.”
Point out how:
- Violence is excused
- Destruction is minimized
- Accountability is called oppression
Tie it back to Jesus’ words: when lawlessness increases, love grows cold.
SECTION 2 — WHEN CAUSES BECOME MORE IMPORTANT THAN TRUTH
Scripture Focus:
Isaiah 59:14–15
John 8:32
Explain this carefully and pastorally.
Causes are not evil. Compassion is not wrong. Justice matters.
But a cause becomes dangerous when it is protected from truth.
Key line:
“When a cause becomes sacred, facts become expendable.”
Describe what people are doing:
- Defending behavior they would once have condemned
- Ignoring evidence that contradicts the narrative
- Attacking anyone who questions the cause
This is not confusion—it is devotion.
Truth no longer leads. The cause does.
SECTION 3 — DECEPTION AND THE WILLINGNESS TO BELIEVE IT
Scripture Focus:
2 Thessalonians 2:10–12
Proverbs 18:17
Explain the danger clearly:
Lies don’t succeed because they’re convincing.
They succeed because correction is unwanted.
Make this distinction:
“The greatest deception isn’t that lies exist—it’s that people refuse to let them be exposed.”
People double down because backing away would mean:
- Admitting they were wrong
- Admitting the cause has limits
- Admitting the mission was replaced
Tie in Romans 1:25 naturally: exchanging truth for a lie.
SECTION 4 — LAWLESSNESS REBRANDED AS MORAL COURAGE
Scripture Focus:
Isaiah 5:20
Explain how language has been inverted:
- Destruction becomes justice
- Intimidation becomes activism
- Disorder becomes courage
Key line:
“When lawlessness is baptized with moral language, deception is complete.”
Make this unmistakable:
Justice does not require chaos.
Righteousness does not produce hatred.
Truth does not fear scrutiny.
SECTION 5 — WHEN EVEN THE CHURCH IS NO LONGER OFF-LIMITS
Scripture Focus:
Matthew 21:12–13
2 Timothy 3:2–5
Psalm 74:7
Transition solemnly:
“One of the clearest signs of where we are is this—nothing is sacred anymore.”
Describe the incident plainly:
A church service was recently barged into by protesters. Worship was disrupted. The sanctuary was violated. And instead of restraint or correction, it was publicly defended—including by prominent figures like Don Lemon.
Make the point unmistakable:
This wasn’t about policy.
This wasn’t about compassion.
This wasn’t about justice.
Key line:
“When a cause gives itself permission to violate a house of worship, it has crossed from advocacy into arrogance.”
Explain:
Even pagan cultures respected sacred space. When God is removed, nothing remains untouchable.
SECTION 6 — WHY PEOPLE DEFEND THE INDEFENSIBLE
Scripture Focus:
Romans 1:21
Explain why people refuse to back down:
Because admitting wrong would mean admitting:
- The cause isn’t righteous
- The narrative isn’t pure
- The mission has been lost
Key line:
“When people defend what they once would have condemned, the issue is no longer justice—it’s allegiance.”
Correction is rejected not because it’s false—but because it threatens identity.
SECTION 7 — CAUSE VS. MISSION (THE HEART OF THE MESSAGE)
Scripture Focus:
Matthew 28:19–20
2 Corinthians 5:20
Micah 6:8
Define it clearly:
A cause:
- Is emotional
- Is temporary
- Seeks power, visibility, and control
- Justifies deception to win
A mission:
- Is eternal
- Is rooted in truth
- Seeks repentance and reconciliation
- Refuses lies—even when inconvenient
Key line:
“A cause wants to win an argument.
The mission wants to save souls.”
Christ never told the church to storm buildings.
He told us to go make disciples.
SECTION 8 — DIVISION IS THE TOOL, NOT THE ACCIDENT
Scripture Focus:
James 3:16
Luke 11:17
Ephesians 6:12
Explain the strategy:
Division keeps people emotional, distracted, and controllable.
The enemy doesn’t need unity in error—only division in truth.
Key line:
“The devil doesn’t need to destroy a nation directly—he just needs to get it fighting itself.”
Remind them:
Our battle is not flesh and blood.
SECTION 9 — THE CHURCH’S CALL IN A DECEPTIVE AGE
Scripture Focus:
Romans 12:2
Colossians 2:8
1 John 4:1
Clarify what believers are called to do:
- Renew the mind
- Test what we hear
- Refuse slogans
- Speak truth in love
- Reject hatred without surrendering truth
Key line:
“Love without truth isn’t love—it’s surrender.”
CLOSING — CHOOSE TRUTH OVER TRIBES
Bring it home quietly but firmly.
People aren’t divided because they lack information.
They’re divided because truth threatens identity.
Weave in John 8:32 naturally:
“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Final challenge:
“The real question isn’t which cause you support.
It’s whether you’re still on Christ’s mission.”
End with:
“The world is loud right now—but truth has never needed volume. It only needs light.”