Living and Dying to Show the Preciousness of Christ
Did you know God wants you to fight? Now He doesn’t want us to fight each other. He doesn’t want us to fight and hurt widows or orphans. But he does want us to fight sin, to fight bad guys, to fight evil in us and around us.
How do we fight evil? Not with swords or guns first (maybe later). We first fight by trusting Jesus, worshipping Him joyfully at church each Sunday, loving our neighbor, and praying daily “thy kingdom come.” That is how God wants us to fight.
This was all too predictable. Just like a California forest management program leads to wildfires, the events of yesterday were all but certain to transpire. The Trump crowd which decided to give themselves a self-guided tour of the Capitol building on Wednesday was simply the next stop on the fracturing of our Nation. Let’s review some game film, though, shall we.
Let me say at the outset, that I think Wednesday’s activity at the Capitol was foolhardy, and while there is time for rebellion against tyranny, out-right battle is the last (though sometimes necessary) resort.
The same city which saw yesterday’s fiasco was also one of many US cities which were lit on fire all last summer. Back then, seems ages ago now, we were told these riots were the words of the unheard. But go back to 2018, when celebrities led protesters in invading the Senate building, camping in Sen. Grassley’s office during the Kavanaugh hearings, their tweets from back then expressed in no civil terms that they desired to throw all GOP out of office. From the get go of Trump’s administration the media bombarded us with the line that he was an illegitimate, incompetent, bumbling fool, or else a dangerous threat to our democratic principles. How many times on CNN were we told (with a breaking news chyron) that the walls were closing in around Trump?
He was a racist, and if you supported him in any way you were too. Couple this with Governors deciding that you couldn’t visit your grandparents in nursing homes, or run your business, all while liberals praised rioters seizing land in Seattle, stettin fire to federal buildings in Portland, and all sorts of other shenanigans elsewhere. If you can’t see that we had a powder keg on our hands, and if you’re shocked by what took place yesterday, you need to see your optometrist. May I recommend Rand Paul?
The media hated Trump and his supporters and did not veil that disdain for 5+ years. While statues of noble men were toppled, Abe Lincoln’s name was taken off of schools, the Democrats and the Blue Checkmarks on Twitter applauded with loving approval.
Now, however, this is an unprecedented attack on our democracy. Excuse me for a moment while I remind y’all that the Pentagon lied to President Trump about the number of troops in Syria and the media gave the story a yawn; but tell me again who cares about democracy and upholding the constitution? Remember when Obama threatened to overrule our 2nd amendment rights by executive order? Was that not a threat to the “hollowed halls” (misspelling purposeful) of our democracy? Remember when Twitter killed the NYPost story about Hunter Biden’s laptop, crippling the dissemination of an important story weeks before the election? Did that not compromise the pristine purity of our democratic process? “Hey ma, the dog bit me after I kept pulling his tail.”
All that said, I think those who took a self-guided tour of Nancy Pelosi’s office made a severe tactical error (if indeed it was Trump supporters who led the charge into the Capitol). First of all, instead of propping your feet up on her desk, if you’re gonna go to jail, you should have at least taken some photos of documents. But on the whole, the tour group stayed between the velvet ropes. They mostly looked dazed and surprised they had gotten in, and didn’t know what to do once they got in.
The tactical error is that they interrupted the debate over the shenanigans which went down in the swing states in question, and caused some GOP fence-riders to lose their spleen for a fight (which doesn’t take much). If you’re going to successfully overthrow the government, you might want to have thought a step or two beyond getting inside. In other words, these folks clearly didn’t have a plan, and like crowds usually do, they rushed forward until the momentum stopped. Then they dissipated.
Now, for a few thoughts on what to do now. Over the next few days the Democrats, NeverTrumpers, MSM, the GOP squishes trying to abandon ship, and many in the BigEva speaker circuit will strike a holier-than-thou pose and hit an I-told-you-so note. But remember as they do so they preside over a nation that, with finely manicured fingernails, slaughters babies every day. Those trying to pretend to have unspoiled skirts believe that gender is interchangeable, they believe the anus is a sex-organ, they believe your church should be closed while the strip clubs remain open, they want to send your daughters to the battlefield, and they’ll make your hard earned money into Monopoly money (then tax you on it). Do not believe them. Do not be cowed by them. Do not give them an inch. Do not believe their lies. Do not admire them and their false garb of feigned innocence.
The United States was the greatest missionary sending nation in Christian history; but perhaps in our zeal to disciple the nations we neglected to disciple our own. Trump supporters often wave flags with Jesus’ name emblazoned on it, but studies show that most Evangelicals only attend church sparsely. They tired of the Oprah-like sermonette from the pulpits, and the lame pop songs passing for songs of praise, and opted to find refuge in QAnon conspiracies, in a leader (Trump) who spoke straightforwardly, firmly, and in some ways, courageously. While on the other hand, BigEva leadership who failed to denounce the race riots of Summer 2020, had blog posts ready to publish after yesterday’s events. As a result of the church’s failure to disciple our nation in the glorious truth that Christ is King, the rich republic which our forefathers fought and died for has now fallen. That republic, after all, could only stand so long as we faithfully acknowledged the Lord in our constitution, in our work, in our worship, in our families.
Finally, as one pastor friend of mine pointed out on Facebook, this is what comes of praying to Brahma. They’ve pulled down deep heaven upon their heads. Look this truth straight in the eyes, the Capitol bruh-haha perfectly reflects our democracy. We have descended into madness because of our national renunciation of Christ. Return to Him, perhaps our God shall have mercy and grant healing to our nation. But if not, we deserve this judgement, every last inch of it.
How many temptations await you later today, this week, this year? How many duties do you have to perform: loving your spouse selflessly, parenting your kids patiently, caring for your aging parents faithfully, working your job honestly, and so on? How many adversaries do you have to face?
How do you plan to resist sin and maintain righteousness in all your dealings? When you look at the mountain of challenges you face, where do you turn for sustenance? What do you crave? Do you have an appetite for this meal? Or do you have a hankering for other meals?
The answer to all those questions is that you need the grace which this meal holds forth. You will not be sustained by the stale crumbs of worldly power and prestige. You will not get far perusing your own pockets for the moldy crusts of self-determination.
Your Lord has promised to sustain you and dwell with you. Here in this meal we partake of a visible word of assurance that He dwells in and with you. His Spirit has been poured out upon you. The Father gladly welcomes you here. So what does your appetite say about you? Do you crave this meal, hungering and thirsting for the assurance which God promises in it?
Every other table can only offer fare that will leave you hungering still. Here is true bread. Here is true wine. Here is true sustenance. Here is grace upon grace for all your trials, for all your duties, for all your battles. Here is Christ crucified, risen, ascended. Here is His body broken for you, His blood spilled for you.
So come in faith and welcome to Jesus…
Promises are only as good as the one who makes the promise. A politician’s promise is worth about as much as a Zimbabwean $1,000,000,000,000 bill (perhaps an insult to Zimbabwe’s currency). You should be rightly incredulous if you get an email promising they’ll wire you a share of a Thai prince’s inheritance, if you provide your bank account number.
The word of promise is reliable or suspect all depending on the nature of the Promiser. Baptism is a promise, but Who is promising in this sign of baptism? The One who is promising salvation by grace through faith to this child is the King of Israel. His nature is not fickle; His character doesn’t ebb & flow; His purpose doesn’t change with fads; His will isn’t determined by public opinion polls. As Solomon once prayed, “there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant (1 Kng. 8:56).”
He spoke light into being, and it was. He promised a Seed to Eve, and after many years, He was born in Bethlehem. He promised that He’d die & rise again, and He arose triumphant. Christ the Promiser now promises to these parents & their child, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out (Jn. 6:37).”
So welcome covenant child to Jesus Christ…
Courage is not being the first to comment, and the last one to leave a Facebook fight (round about 1am). Courage isn’t talking louder than everyone else. It isn’t the mere presence of adrenaline in the midst of a tense situation. Courage has many counterfeits, while cowardice often wears a bold face.
The coward masks his spinelessness with all assortment of props. Protein shakes & workouts. Or an arsenal of guns & ammo. Or an airbrushed Instagram profile with perfect furniture, perfect clothes, perfect food, perfect family, perfect face. But when push comes to shove, the coward’s props all topple over with him.
Scripture defines courage, very simply, as standing strong. This begins in the inner man; but true courage is too big a thing to stay in the heart, it manifests in our actions. To stand fast when everyone else is fleeing takes firmness of will, confidence regardless of circumstance, and determination to remain in the place which you’ve been assigned.
It takes courage for a couple in the midst of a marital rough patch to remain faithful to their vows. It takes courage to not capitulate when a rebellious teenager is trying to exploit loopholes in your household rules. It takes courage for a citizen to swim against the current flowing quickly to national destruction.
So, do you cover your cowardice with all variety of props? Or do you stand firm? When you give in to temptation, you prove (despite all your props) that you’re a coward. But, if you would be a man or woman of courage, you must remain steadfast in obedience to God’s word, with a godly immovability. Some may call it stubbornness, but if you are standing in the spot God assigned you to stand, it goes by another name: courageous obedience.
Jonathan Edwards famously had a list of resolutions which he sought to live by. With a few exceptions (i.e., “Resolved, never to speak anything that is ridiculous, sportive, or matter of laughter on the Lord’s day.︎”), these were wise goals for growth in holiness, restraint of sinful desires, and productivity in work. Used rightly, such resolutions can be an aid to us in making progress in our sanctification. Used wrongly, it can turn us into a ball of legalistic guilt.
So if you’ve resolved to make a resolution, without fail temptation to compromise will soon come barreling towards you. The dead man thinks his mere resolve will be enough to stop the temptation dead in its tracks. But that’s like expecting to stop a freight train by sticking your ankle out to trip it. Something’s gonna get broken, and it ain’t gonna be the train.
Resolve is an act of the will. The will is either in bondage to sin, or renewed by the saving work of the Holy Spirit. If it is a will in bondage, the result will be a bloodbath. If it’s a will which has been renewed, the resolutions which are made will be made taking into account a few things.
First, your good works are not and will never be the grounds of your righteousness before God. Second, battling sin and growing in holiness are the work of the Holy Spirit working our salvation out in us. Third, our continual resolve should be aimed at glorifying God, and loving our neighbor. Fourth, the renewed will will have new desires, and new hatreds; it will desire Christ, and hate sin.
In short, if you’ve trusted in Christ, you have a new will which, by grace, joyfully resolves to pursue godliness and fight sin. You have that new will, because God resolved to save you.
The early Christians were accused of being political traitors. The accusation was that, “these [Christians] all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus (Acts 17:7).” Upon hearing the apostles’ teaching, the pagans concluded that Jesus wouldn’t fit politely in some corner of “the tapestry of human expression.” They realized what many Christians today don’t, which is that the preaching of Jesus is in diametric opposition to earthly kingdoms’ claims to sovereignty and ultimate authority.
Christ’s gospel isn’t intended to pedal in tandem with earthly kingdoms. It subdues kingdoms under it (Ps. 47:3). The Gospel of King Jesus isn’t content to simply run parallel with other kings. Rather, the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honour unto Christ (Rev. 21:24). The Good News of great joy, of which the angel choirs sang over Bethlehem, isn’t intended to stay confined as a “private and deeply held personal belief.” To be exact, this good news is to be taught to all nations, and they’re expected to obey everything which Christ commanded (Mt. 28:19-20).
That’s the gospel which this meal heralds. It tells of Christ’s kingdom; a kingdom which shall have no end; where justice and truth reign; where sins are passed over, envies are dispelled, evil is cast out; a kingdom before which every other kingdom is obliged to bow, and every earthly ruler must do homage. Here we each lay down our claim to some imagined sovereignty over our sliver kingdoms. Here we confess that we are citizens of the heavenly Zion. Here we proclaim our fealty, and invite the kings and nations to join us in communion with our heavenly Lord: the Prince of glory and our King of love.
So come in faith and welcome to Jesus
Christ’s birth was God announcing to His enemies that He had come to defeat them. Every last one. Every disease. Every virus. Every cancer. Every tyrant. Every fallen angel. Every wicked principality and power. At Bethlehem, God put them all on notice that their doom was nigh. The Eternal Word, the Sword of the Most High God, had become a man who would sever the ancient dragon’s head.
So sing––on this eve of Christmas––as those whose Enemies are defeated, scattered, and on the run; for God in Christ has given us the victory. Mingle your voices now in loud & joyful praise to the Father who sent His Son, conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, to defeat all of His and your enemies. So sing in victory, sing in conquest, and out-sing the darkness.
The darkness roars with foaming anger, it gripes in carping envy, it rasps with glutted greed. It doesn’t want to hear what the angels of the Lord proclaimed at Bethlehem, and which we proclaim in our Christmas songs of praise. The darkness thinks it should get the final word, it thinks its cacophony of sinful rebellion can drown out the truth, and stop the light. But this night, the saints of God sing in harmonic joviality of the Light of World. Like a flame catching the corner of a page and then spreading with increasing rapidity, the Light of Christ and the song of Christ cannot, and will not be stopped.
The Father now joyfully receives our praise, for we bring it in the name of the Christ child, the name of our older Brother, the name of Mary & Joseph’s son: Jesus; and we gladly offer these praises because the Holy Ghost has given us new hearts, full of Light.