Monday, July 15, 2024
Sermon Video: God's Wrath and Noah's Righteousness - Genesis 6:7-13
Monday, October 2, 2023
Sermon Video: Crime and Punishment from God's point-of-view, Romans 13:3-5
What does an ideal government do with respect to crime and punishment? The Apostle Paul was well aware of the shortcomings of human governments, all of them fail to varying degrees to live up to the standard of being God's servant in this category, but there is still value in understanding what the responsibility of a government should be even when they fall short.
Thursday, December 8, 2022
Listen to the Word of God: 62 Scripture passages that refute 'Christian' Nationalism - #26: Luke 18:9-14
Luke 18:9-14 New International Version
9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
You're probably wondering right away, how on earth is he getting from the Chicken Dance to the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector? Stay with me, there's a method to the madness.
The Chicken Dance performed at weddings is a glaring example of how idiosyncratic culture can be. The things people wear, say, and do at weddings, and the celebrations afterwards, vary greatly depending on where on the planet and when in history we look. Future generations may look on in horror at the prominence of the Chicken Dance at American weddings and see it not as a whimsical bit of nonsense, but a sign of some deeper disturbance that confirms what they think of our culture from their point-of-view. Personally, I'm not a fan, evidently others love the silliness of this dance. In the end, there probably isn't anyone who thinks of the Chicken Dance as a moral imperative either way, but much of our cultural heritage, the things we hold near and dear to our hearts as THE way they must be done, are just as morally neutral as the Chicken Dance.
The Pharisees that Jesus contends with so often in the Gospels had elevated their own cultural expression, based on Mosaic Law, but still just their own viewpoint as to exactly how that Law should be interpreted and applied, and made it normative for everyone, period. In other words, the Pharisees were so convinced that they were right, about everything, that they scorned the way that fellow Jews worshiped God as something between insufficient and outright sacrilegious. They were far too sure of themselves, and it showed. It takes confidence like that to be militant, to hold that you know exactly what the government, society, or your religion needs and nobody else has a piece of the truth, nobody else can be trusted, they must all be opposed and crushed if they disagree with you.
Here is where 'Christian' Nationalism comes in. It has decided that one particular expression of the Church, from one time and place, should dominate not only all other current expressions of the Church, but the entirety of society as well. It is only our own pride and ignorance that would allow us to think that Anglo-Saxon Protestant Christianity as expressed in America {that's a pretty specific sliver both globally and historically} deserves total power in society over both other variations of orthodox Christianity currently alive America and also over those following other religions, or none at all. If you think that 'Christian' Nationalism can equally embrace all facets of the Church and America today, you don't know how power in this world works, sharing is not in its nature.
Do I think that I'm following God correctly according to the scriptures and the wisdom of Church history? Of course I do, otherwise I wouldn't be an American Baptist I'd be something else. But I am far from being prideful enough to think that there is no possibility that I'm wrong on some aspects of the way that my faith is interpreted from the scriptures and expressed in the life that I'm living. My brothers and sisters in Christ here in America that follow different traditions have things to teach me, not to mention the majority of the Church that isn't American, Protestant, White, or Western.
'Christian' Nationalism doesn't exist without certainty of its own superiority to everything else. Unfortunately, much of that certainty is based upon a particular cultural expression, not timeless truth, and it fails to reckon with God's work not only throughout history, but throughout the world today.
Monday, November 14, 2022
Sermon Video: Slaves to God? Romans 6:15-22
Contrary to post-modernism, American culture, and the tendency of Baptist theology, we are NOT autonomous individuals. Here's the thing, there's only two choices: (1) Continue to be a slave to sin, or (2) become a slave to God (and righteousness). That's it. "Free agency" is not a thing when it comes to your immortal soul.
In case you're wondering, slavery to God is the path to hope, purpose, fulfillment, and joy.
Monday, November 7, 2022
Sermon Video: "do not let sin reign" - Romans 6:8-14
Having described the condition of the redeemed Christian as being 'dead to sin' and 'alive with Christ' and 'alive to God', the Apostle Paul focuses on one key implication of this changed status: Sin can no longer reign in our lives.
Given that we have the power, via the Holy Spirit, to have victory over sin, we must do so. Instead of simply being a 'just say no' campaign, Paul tells us what must take sin's vacated place: the offering of our lives to righteousness.
Lastly, Paul ends with an additional reason for that we can achieve this transition from sin to righteousness, one he will develop fully in the book of Galatians: We are not under Law, but Grace.
Friday, September 2, 2022
Listen to the Word of God: 62 Scripture passages that refute 'Christian' Nationalism - #10: Matthew 6:33
Matthew 6:33 New International Version
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
When Peter Jackson adapted one of my favorite books, the LOTR, he and his screenwriters kept a line from Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring uttered by Frodo Baggins when he chooses to accept the burden of seeking the ring's destruction in the fires of Mt. Doom: “I will take the Ring", he said, "though I do not know the way.” Frodo was willing to attempt the quest, but he admitted up front that he would need guidance if he had any chance of getting there. The movie version adds a comical note when Frodo leads the Fellowship out of Rivendell asking at the very first fork in the road, "Mordor, Gandalf, is it left or right?"
What has this to do with 'Christian' Nationalism? Everything. As Christians, we already know our destination AND unlike Frodo we know the way to get there. When God established the New Covenant, appointing the Church to be its steward and sending his Spirit to empower it, he also explained in more than sufficient detail how the journey from Dark to Light, Death to Life, Wickedness to Holiness, Fallen Humanity to Christ-likeness, had to be conducted. God's kingdom has to come first, and it has to be pursued with righteousness.
'Christian' Nationalism has this wrong on both fronts. It offers the siren's call of earthly power, of 'winning' here and now, instead of the far more impactful, and difficult, commitment to the Kingdom of God. In fantasy terms, 'Christian' Nationalism is distracted by a side quest, not the true hero's journey, they've embraced Boromir's suggestion to go to Minas Tirith instead of Mordor. In addition, 'Christian' Nationalism subsumes methods beneath goals, embracing such lies of the Devil as, "might makes right", "the ends justify the means", and "fight fire with fire." In nerd terms, they think they can master the Ring and use it for good. Tolkien new better than such nonsense, and so should we.
In the end, the focus of Christians, and the Church MUST be first and foremost the Kingdom of God, the kingdoms of this earth will come and go, but God's kingdom is forever. The means of advancing and supporting that Kingdom MUST be righteous, or they will fail. Any other goal, and any other method is a fool's errand.
For a recent essay on this twisting of both goals and methods see: Christian Political Ethics Are Upside Down We’re adamant about politics and flexible about virtue. - by David French in The Dispatch
Monday, August 8, 2022
Sermon Video: Nobody is Good Enough for God - Romans 3:9-20
Before offering hope in the subsequent verses, the Apostle Paul emphasizes the conclusion that ON OUR OWN nobody is good enough for God. All, both Jew and Gentile alike, are "under the power of sin" therefore tainted and corrupted by it, unable to keep the whole Law of God.
Why the emphasis on the negative? Stark reality is needed to overcome human pride and pave the way for people to seek God in repentance and by faith.
Monday, July 18, 2022
Sermon Video: The insanity of: "Let us do evil that good may result" Romans 3:5-8
By way of answering a question about why our sinfulness doesn't make God's holiness more glorious, the Apostle Paul refutes a heretical path that might potentially be ascribed to Christians, "Let us do evil that good may result."
Why can't evil methods or processes lead to good (righteousness)?
Among the reasons why this is fundamentally impossible are: the nature of evil, the nature of God, the power of God, the wisdom of God, and the will of God. In order to believe that evil can result in good one must misunderstand all of these things.
In what ways are (have) Christians accepted this dangerously false premise? In our personal relationships, our collective actions as a Church (think Crusades, Inquisition, burning people at the stake, and a host of immoral behavior to gain power and control over various portions of the Church), and growing more toxic each year, our politics as American Christians.
In the end, we must reject the false siren's call that we can utilize evil without being corrupted by it, whatever else it is, such a path is not God's.
Monday, June 13, 2022
Sermon Video: Those who are Righteous in God's sight - Romans 2:12-16
Long story short, the only ones whom God will declare to be righteous are those who obey his Law (that of Moses for the Jews of the Abrahamic Covenant, that of Jesus' Gospel for everyone after he fulfilled the former). That nobody can live up to this standard is the conclusion Paul is building toward, but for now he lays part of the foundation by proclaiming that those without divine revelation will be judged by their consciences, and those who have received divine revelation (i.e. God's Word) will be judged by what it proclaims.
To those of us who have been blessed to hear God's Word this is not a comfort, but a hard dose of reality reminding us that only perfection will suffice (in a few paragraphs Paul will proclaim how Jesus resolved this fatal flaw in humanity). To those who only have conscience as a guide, the specific accountability will be less, but the judgment to come remains. In the end, both those who know more and those who only have what is common to all humanity made in God's image will have to reckon with the fact that with God knowledge is not enough, only obedience is acceptable.
Sunday, May 8, 2022
Sermon Video: Righteousness by Faith - Romans 1:16-17
It was the study of Romans, in order to lecture upon the letter, that led Martin Luther to question the accepted understanding of the relationship between faith and righteousness, and it was these two verses, in particular, that brought Luther into conflict with his contemporaries.
Romans 1:16-17 is Paul's thesis statement, the idea that he will prove in his letter moving forward. Paul proclaims that the Gospel (the Good News about Jesus Christ) is the power of God on display for EVERYONE who believes. How? The Gospel combines both God's justice, for payment for sin is indeed necessary, and God's love/mercy/grace because that payment comes not form ourselves but through Jesus by faith in him.
It is not our righteousness that is revealed by the power of the Gospel, for we have none and that's the heart of the problem, but God's, which he has in abundance in the sinless life of Jesus Christ. Thus it is not the wonders of Creation that most reveals the power of God, but the willingness to die upon a Cross.
Tuesday, March 22, 2022
Sermon Video: The Way of the Righteous - Psalm 1
The psalm chosen to begin the collection of music brought together as the book of Psalms highlights two stark and divergent paths. The righteous path delights in God's Law (his Word), studying it and living by it, and is rewarded with a steadfast and fruitful life (prosperity using God's definition). In contrast, the wicked lack this anchor and nourishment and are ultimately unable to stand in the face of God's judgment.
As Robert Frost wrote, there is a choice of paths, but it isn't a question of which is more or less traveled by, the true question is: which path leads to God?
Monday, February 1, 2021
Sermon Video: Tradition Needs Integrity - Mark 7:9-13
Having reprimanded the religious leadership of Judaism for clinging to tradition without sincerity, now Jesus focuses upon one example of a second problem: tradition without integrity. They had used a loophole in the Law to negate the command to honor one's parents by allowing resources to be offered to God instead, a case of greed masking itself as piety. Whatever traditions, habits, or cultural norms we use to excuse immorality and/or excuse a lack of righteousness, it won't work with God. God sees the heart, and knows our intentions. We need to examine ourselves, remove our excuses, and rededicate ourselves to devotion to God and family; no excuses.
Tuesday, September 8, 2020
Sermon Video: "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Mark 2:13-17
To watch the video, click on the link below:
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
Sermon Video: The problem with fake Christians
To watch the video, click on the link below:
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Sermon Video: The Messiah Needed - Ecclesiastes 7:20
To watch the video, click on the link below:
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
How a Christian must respond to adversaries
Romans 3:8 New International Version (NIV)
8 Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—“Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is just!
Romans 12:21 New International Version (NIV)
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Matthew 5:43-48 New International Version (NIV)
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
We, as Christians, have been called to a higher standard. We have been charged with living as disciples of Jesus Christ and thus imitating our Savior in this world. To "win" a battle utilizing immoral means is to lose the war.
Hear this, and hear it well: God is the judge of the world. It is better for us to lose morally than to try to win immorally. We have not been given a command to be winners, we have been given a command to be righteous. In this world, they're not typically the same thing. Each time Christians choose to try to be winners rather than righteous, they demonstrate that they don't have sufficient faith in God's final victory and they taint the message of the Gospel {as hypocrites}.
Zechariah 4:6 New International Version (NIV)
6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.
Thursday, April 25, 2019
A Refutation of: Easter isn't about sacrifice, it's about faith and love - by Jay Parini
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
The Pursuit of Happiness?
One of the more well known portions of Scripture regarding this topic is this:
Matthew 16:24-26 New International Version (NIV)
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
There are many more examples of the call in the Word of God to serve through self-sacrifice, among them, these words of John:
1 John 3:16-18 New International Version (NIV)
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
In the end, as a Christian, a disciple of Jesus Christ, it isn't just about you. Christians are part of something greater than themselves, part of God's plan for all of humanity, and have committed themselves (whether they know it or not) to serving the Kingdom of God, which means that our lives are not about pursuing happiness.
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Why "winning" as the goal ought to be anathema to Christians
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Sermon Video: God rejects moral equivalence - Malachi 2:17
The prophet Malachi rejects the attempt by the people of Israel to embrace moral equivalence, telling them that God is wearied by willingness in their ignorance to blame him for the evil in our world. God is holy, having no part in anything immoral or evil, that such things exist in our world is our fault, not God's. In the end, the "success" of the wicked will probe short-lived, the justice of God will prevail, and righteousness will be rewarded.
To watch the video, click on the link below: