Sermon Video: Jesus: Prophet, Priest, and King - Psalm 110

King David wrote prophecy through the Spirit of a descendant to come who would be his 'lord', one who would rule with power and might, but also curiously be a priest as well.  Jesus, demonstrating his own prophetic understanding, knew that his role as priest (both final High Priest and final sacrifice) must come before his rule as king, that the suffering necessary to accomplish an atoning sacrifice for sins would precede the final glory that David foresaw.

Sermon Video: The Absurdity of Conspiring Against God - Psalm 2

The universe is not a dualism, there are not equally opposing forces. There is God, and there is nothing. To oppose the will of God is not, as the lie would have it, a path of freedom or autonomy, but one of addiction to sin. It is vanity to reject God, and yet individuals and even nations have done so and continue to do so. In the end, Jesus Christ will assert his lordship over all things, will conquer all resistance, and will reconcile the world to himself. Our choice is simple, submit and know the love, grace, and hope of God, or fight a battle without hope.

Mark Meadows, Ginni Thomas, and the blasphemy of thinking God is on your side.

 

It was recently revealed that the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was deeply involved in trying to prevent the inauguration of President Joe Biden.  The politics of that decision will ripple through 2024 and beyond, but one exchange (of those thus far made public) between Ginni Thomas and then White House Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, should concern all Christian Americans who do not believe that God is an American or Jesus is a Republican.  In other words, if you are willing to see the distinction between Church and State, between Church and America, and between Church and the Republican Party; it is frightening one of the most influential people in the ear of the formerly most powerful man in the world apparently did not.  Here is the quote:

"This is a fight of good versus evil. Evil always looks like the victor until the King of Kings triumphs. Do not grow weary in well doing. The fight continues. I have staked my career on it. Well at least my time in DC on it." 

{First on CNN: January 6 committee has text messages between Ginni Thomas and Mark Meadows}

There are heretical problems with this quote on several levels for Mark Meadows who has publicly, on numerous occasions, declared himself to be a Christian (and has made his public proclamation of being a Christian a central part of his appeal to voters, thus increasing the scrutiny his faith has earned).

1. American political discourse is not 'good versus evil'.

While it may not be blasphemy to declare one's political enemies to be 'evil' (it is certainly false testimony, another sin), it is blasphemy to declare one's own side to be 'good' in the sense that Meadows uses the word.  This is apocalyptic, binary choice, type language.  Meadows is declaring the Republican party to be Righteous and the Democrat party to be Wicked, in a sheep and the goats, wheat and the tares, type language familiar to those who have read the Gospels.  This type of political rhetoric is common, I've heard all my life from people I've known personally, sadly often in church growing up, that 'they' (typically meaning Democrats, liberals, etc.) were 'evil', with the insinuation made, at times explicitly, that 'they' are in league with Satan.  If 'they' are on Satan's team, then surely 'we' are on God's team, right?  Here's the thing, there are things about the Republican Party, its policies and leaders (now and in the past) that are biblical, moral, and just, AND there are things about the Republican party, its policies and leaders (now and in the past) that are unbiblical, immoral, and unjust.  The exact same thing is true of the Democrat Party, and the exact same thing is true of all the parties in all the countries in the world, always has been, always will be.  Why?  Because they're human creations, led by fallible and fallen human beings, and tempted by the "root of all kinds of evil" (1 Timothy 6:10), that is money.  

It doesn't matter what issue Meadows, or anyone else is talking about, the battle between political parties in America is NOT 'good versus evil', it is blasphemy to say so because anyone who does is associating the things of mankind with the will of God, and tarnishing the reputation of God through guilt by association.  God is not the exclusive property of any one party or philosophy, period. The Church belongs wholly to Christ, when it fulfills its calling by living righteously, by overflowing with the Fruit of the Spirit, it can rightly claim to be fighting a battle of 'good versus evil'.  The Church often fails to live up to this calling, it wasn't given to America, nor was it given to the Republican Party, and neither this nation, nor that political party, are God's representatives on earth, neither are living by faith through the Spirit.  The blurring of the line between Christian faith and politics, between Church and political party, has always led to this sad conclusion: blasphemy.  Mark Meadows is far from the first, he wont' be the last.

Stop for a moment and consider the affect of this rhetoric on a democracy.  Is it any wonder that we're seeing more and more political violence in America when those who are supposed to be responsible leaders are stoking the fires of religious zeal against fellow Americans?  If we are 'good' and they are 'evil' the emotional distance one needs to walk to justify killing 'them' is terrifyingly short.

2. The allusion to Jesus' eventual triumph over all things is misapplied, at best.

It is absolutely true that Evil seems to triumph in this world, and it is absolutely true that Jesus Christ will triumph in every way possible when he returns (Philippians 2:9-11).  When one makes that allusion, in the context of the 2020 election, it is not the eventual triumph of Jesus that comes to the fore, but the grossly misunderstood Christian Republicanism that assumes that the will of God MUST be that 'our team' wins elections, that 'our team' triumphs in this generation.  There is gross arrogance in the assumption that the anyone could understand the will of God for any nation, or in the assumption that God's will and our own hopes/purposes are in alignment, especially when the topic at hand is the power, wealth, and fame of politics.  The King of Kings will triumph, that outcome is assured, but it has ZERO to do with any American election.

3. "Do not grow weary in well doing" is Scripture abused, painfully.

Galatians 6:9  New International Version

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

I would give Mark Meadows credit for knowing this verse of Scripture (he appears to be quoting the KJV) if he wasn't using it in a way that would have made the Apostle Paul throw up.  Once again we have the false equating of 'good' with Republican party priorities, in this case the retention (against the law) of Donald Trump as President.  How can this possibly be 'good' in the sense that Paul intended it?  Here is the actual context of Paul's statement:

Galatians 6:7-10  New International Version

7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

God cannot be mocked!!  A few sentences before the quote that Meadows uses for political purposes is a warning against mocking God!  And immediately after the quote is the command to do 'good to all people', especially fellow Christians.  Joe Biden is a Christian, attending Mass regularly.  Disagree with his politics all you want, but this command from the Apostle Paul applies, and is binding between Mark Meadows and Joe Biden, yet Meadows is using this out-of-context portion of God's Word to urge Ginni Thomas to continue working against the 'evil' Joe Biden.  It is a sad commentary on the Church in America that so many self-professing Christians treat each other like foes to be destroyed and not brothers and sisters to be loved, as God commands them to do.  God will not be mocked, those who use scripture to prop up partisan goals will stand in judgment before God and answer for it {And don't think I don't hold myself to that standard, every minister of the Gospel will be held to account for misuses of God's Word for personal goals}.

Conclusion:

The text message from Mark Meadows to Ginni Thomas reveals a deeply flawed theology of equating the Republican Party with the Church, the priorities of the Republican Party with the will of God, and the choices/leaders of the Republican Party with 'good'.  This is a subset of 'Christian' Nationalism, and is as blasphemous for Mark Meadows to utter as it was for the Pharisees to assume they held a monopoly on understanding the Law of Moses, the Pharisees were blinded by self-righteousness and hatred of their enemies, history is repeating itself here.

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?

Is God 'woke'? The answer should matter to you.

Language changes constantly.  Every language does this, words are coined, borrowed, transformed, to fit the need of the moment.  Old words take on new meanings, sometimes at odds with how they were once used.  Some words fall into disuse and disappear from the cultural consciousness, other words rise into the zeitgeist for their own fifteen minutes of fame.

Woke is having a cultural moment.  During the 2022 and 2024 election cycles you will hear the term woke used a lot, a whole lot, by pundits and politicians, usually as an insult, a Scarlet 'A' akin to calling someone a Commie back before the Berlin Wall fell.  {Not that smearing one's opponent as a Communist or Socialist has fallen out of favor entirely}.  How the word 'woke' is being used now, especially as an insult, goes far beyond what the word meant just a few short years ago.

woke

/wōk/

Learn to pronounce

verb

1. past of wake¹.

adjective

INFORMAL•US

1. alert to injustice in society, especially racism.

   "we need to stay angry, and stay woke"

As Professor Andy Smith taught me back in the day when I was trying (and sort of succeeding) to learn Biblical Greek: "Word usage determines word meaning".  'Woke' doesn't technically mean anymore what the dictionary (in this case Oxford) says, at least not only that, because it isn't be used that way primarily anymore.  A 2nd definition now exists after the first, "an insult synonymous with calling someone a 'liberal'".

But what of the question in the post title?  Is God 'woke' by the dictionary definition?  Is God alert to injustice in society, especially racism?  Let us let the Word of God speak, and then we will ask the crucial question: Does God's attitude on these issues matter to us?

Leviticus 19:15 (NIV) “Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly."

Deuteronomy 10:18 (NIV) He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.

Deuteronomy 27:19 (NIV) “Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.”  Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

Psalm 82:3 (NIV) Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.

Psalm 140:12 (NIV) I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.

Proverbs 21:3 (NIV) To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

Proverbs 24:24-25 (NIV)  Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent,” will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations. 25 But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come on them.

Proverbs 29:7 (NIV) The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.

Isaiah 1:17 (NIV) Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed.  Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.

Jeremiah 22:3 (NIV) This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.

Amos 5:10-12 (NIV) There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court and detest the one who tells the truth. 11 You levy a straw tax on the poor and impose a tax on their grain.  Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine. 12 For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins.  There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.

Micah 6:8 (NIV) He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Luke 11:42 (NIV)  “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.

James 1:27 (NIV) Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

James 2:14-17 (NIV) What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

There are more, a lot more, verses and passages of holy scripture that both declare God's concern for the poor, the fatherless, the widow, and the foreigner, AND reprimand God's people, in no uncertain terms, for failing to maintain justice.  Of the things that caused God to send Judah into exile (which included idolatry), how the poor and powerless were treated was a primary cause of God's anger.  In addition, Jesus himself famously (and controversially at least with the Pharisees and priestly class) sought out those in 1st century Judea who were forgotten, belittled, and oppressed: tax collectors, prostitutes, 'sinners', Samaritans, etc.  Few things angered Jesus' critics more than his willingness to point out to them that they were failing to 'do justice' because they had slammed the proverbial door in the face of those in need.

There is no way to read the Word of God, or study the history of Israel or the Church, without concluding that God is very much alert to injustice in society, that God cares a great deal about how society treats the 'least of these', and that God will absolutely judge, indeed he will pour out his wrath, upon those who oppress others and deny justice.  

If you think that racism is somehow an exception to this call for Justice, as if its pains and sorrow, injustices and griefs, are somehow lesser in God's sight, I pity you.  God is the Creator is all mankind, his Imago Dei is equally stamped upon every person, neither race nor nationality make any single person more or less the image of God than any other person.  Racism denies God's role as Creator, it spits in the face of God's common grace, of Jesus' commands to take the Gospel to all nations.  Racism is injustice in the eyes of God no less than sexism or classism, all of which immorally place human beings in categories of greater than, less than.

God is not less aware of injustice than we are, God is more aware, perfectly aware.  Afterall, God knows the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts, and is not fooled by our pretenses and the lies we tell ourselves.  As the Judge of the living and the dead, God will avenge those who have been the victims of injustice.  

God knows the flaws (and strengths) of America, American culture, and the system of justice in America, with perfect depth and full clarity.

God is more 'woke' than anyone, he has been from the beginning.

God cares about injustice, therefore lack of care about injustice on our part is a sin, period.  On the flip side, putting effort and passion into overcoming injustice is an act of righteousness because it reflects the mind and will of God.  God honoring Christians can, and will, disagree about whether or not this particular example is injustice at work.  God honoring Christians can, and will, disagree about how to best remedy injustice in a free society.  But God honoring Christians cannot disagree about the importance of justice and the sinfulness of injustice, God has taken that option off the table.

Do you still think that 'alert to injustice in society, especially racism' is a fitting insult?

For further reading:

The Prophet Amos: What provokes God's wrath? - Injustice and False Worship

Taking the name of the LORD in vain: PragerU's "Social Justice Isn't Justice"

Systemic Racism: The casual racism of the phrase "Black on Black crime"

Josh McDowell's folly in addition to racism: Claiming that the Bible only talks about individuals

When the shameful past of Racism hits close to home

"What does the Bible say about systemic racism?" by WWUTT.com - an error filled and shameful tragedy that only makes things worse

Mitigating racism can't wait: Why Pastor Robert Jeffress is wrong

The danger of defining 'real' Americans vs. the necessity of categorizing 'real' Christians