Palm Springs Drive Church of Christ

Series: Life and Character of David

Service: Wed Bible Study

Type: Bible Class

Speaker: Dwayne Gandy

Series: Life and Character of David

Service: Sun Bible Study

Type: Bible Class

Speaker: Dwayne Gandy

Series: N/A

Service: Lord’s Supper Service

Type: Lord's Supper Talk

Speaker: Dwayne Gandy

Dwayne Gandy’s Lord’s Supper Talk – June 29, 2025

In this Lord’s Supper talk, Dwayne Gandy continues his series on the unique and countercultural kingship of Jesus by focusing on one of His most extraordinary attributes — the kind of peace He offers.

Most rulers throughout history have offered peace by force. Nations secure treaties by defeating their enemies. Leaders command loyalty and impose control, often at the expense of others. Peace, in this world, usually comes after conflict, bloodshed, and a demand for submission. Even in our day-to-day lives — whether at school, work, or within nations — the strongest often impose their will to create what they call peace. The message is simple: surrender to me, and you’ll have peace.

But Jesus is not like any other king.

He doesn't win peace by killing His enemies. He wins peace by dying for them. Jesus doesn’t demand submission by fear or force — He offers reconciliation through sacrifice.

Dwayne reminds us that the greatest conflict in human history isn’t between countries. It’s between us and God. And this conflict wasn’t caused by God. Scripture makes it clear: we are the ones who rebelled. James 4:4 tells us that friendship with the world puts us at odds with God. Romans 5:10 says we were “enemies” of God. Colossians 1:21 says we were “alienated and hostile in mind.” Isaiah 59 shows that our sins separated us from Him.

This is not a mutual misunderstanding. It's not a 50/50 dispute. We were entirely in the wrong. The rupture in our relationship with God was entirely our doing — and yet, Jesus came to make peace anyway.

To illustrate this, Dwayne turns to the familiar story of the prodigal son (Luke 15). The son demands his inheritance while his father is still alive — essentially saying, “I want your gifts, but not you.” He walks away, chasing pleasure, independence, and worldly comfort. But eventually, in his brokenness and poverty, the son remembers his father’s goodness and returns.

This story mirrors what each of us has done to God. We’ve told Him — with our lives, our desires, and our decisions — that we want the gifts of this world more than a relationship with the Giver. Like the prodigal, we’ve traded eternal inheritance for temporary pleasure. But just as the father ran to welcome the son, our perfect heavenly Father longs to receive us back — not with punishment, but with peace.

The difference, of course, is that our return to God required more than just a change of heart. It required the blood of Jesus. Our sins had created a chasm so deep that only the cross could bridge it. Romans 5:6–11 tells us that Christ died for us while we were still sinners — while we were still enemies, still in rebellion, still not waving the white flag.

Peace didn’t come from our surrender. It came from His death.

Isaiah 53:5 says, “The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” Jesus bore not only the consequences of war, but the cause of it — our sin. He didn’t just end the conflict; He absorbed it. He took our punishment and paid the price in full.

As Dwayne reminds us, Jesus was not forced into this role. He wasn’t drafted into service. John 10:11, 17–18 makes it clear: Jesus chose to lay down His life. He had the authority to lay it down and take it up again. No one took it from Him. This was voluntary, self-giving love from a King who desired peace at any cost — even His own blood.

And what a cost it was. Peter reminds us (1 Peter 1:18–19) that we were not redeemed with silver or gold — the way kings might buy temporary peace — but with the precious blood of Christ. Nothing on earth can purchase the kind of peace Jesus offers. It’s not a ceasefire. It’s not a temporary treaty. It’s reconciliation — an eternal, restored relationship with God Himself.

As we take the Lord’s Supper, we’re not just remembering a historical event. We are celebrating the greatest peace agreement ever made — one we could never have achieved on our own. A peace that doesn’t fade or fracture. A peace sealed not with ink or treasure, but with the blood of the King who died for His enemies… and now calls them family.

This is why we remember. This is why we worship. Because Jesus is a different kind of king — and He offers a different kind of peace.

Series: Authentic Relationships

Service: Praise and Preaching Service

Type: Sermon

Speaker: Dwayne Gandy

Dwayne’s Sermon – Authentic Relationships Series

Conflict. It’s one of those words that instantly stirs emotion—because we’ve all lived it. We face conflict with friends, family, coworkers, even with ourselves. But beneath all the shouting, misunderstandings, and hurt feelings, there’s something deeper. Every conflict has a root.

This lesson explores those roots—not just to diagnose them, but to help us grow into the kind of people who bring peace rather than tension. Scripture shows that even strong, faithful believers have found themselves in conflict. Yet in every story, God offers wisdom to help His people rise above division and find unity again.

It’s easy to think that if we’re spiritual enough, we won’t have conflict. But the Bible proves otherwise.

• Paul and Barnabas—two pillar apostles—had such a sharp disagreement over John Mark that they parted ways (Acts 15:36–41).

• Jesus and Peter clashed when Peter tried to rebuke the Lord Himself.

• Abraham and Lot quarreled over grazing land.

• Moses faced conflict with his own siblings, Miriam and Aaron.

• David and Absalom, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers—the list goes on.

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is filled with people trying—and often failing—to live at peace with one another. But conflict in itself isn’t always sinful. What matters is how we handle it.

Some conflict exposes heart problems that need to be addressed. Some is simply the result of clashing personalities or perspectives. And some stems from poor communication that distorts understanding.

In this sermon, we’ll look at all three.

The first and deepest source of conflict is a heart problem. Until the heart is right, peace will remain out of reach.

Pride is when we lift our own worth above God, His word, or others. Most of us don’t consciously place ourselves above God, but we often put ourselves above others. We want our way, our comfort, our opinion to prevail.

Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4 is a striking example. He looked over the splendor of Babylon and said, “Is not this great Babylon that I have built by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” (v. 30).

Before the words even left his mouth, God humbled him—sending him into the wilderness to live like a beast until he learned that “the Most High rules in the kingdom of men.”

Pride sets us against others, but even worse, it sets us against God. Only humility can bring reconciliation.

Another example comes from Sarah and Hagar. When Hagar conceived and Sarah did not, Hagar’s pride caused her to look down on Sarah. In response, Sarah’s wounded pride lashed out in harshness. The result was a bitter, lasting conflict—one that only God Himself could calm.

Pride always whispers, “I’m better,” but God calls us to whisper, “I’m His.” Our worth comes not from status or success, but from belonging to Him.

If pride says, “I’m better,” selfishness says, “I deserve better.”
It is the sinful pursuit of personal gain or advantage at the expense of others.

Paul warned the Philippians against this mindset:

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” (Philippians 2:3)

Jesus Himself is our example. Though equal with God, He “emptied Himself,” taking the form of a servant. Selfishness divides; selflessness unites.

James contrasts heavenly and earthly wisdom, calling selfishness “earthly, sensual, demonic.” It breeds “confusion and every evil thing.” (James 3:15–16)

Wherever selfishness exists—at home, at work, or in church—conflict won’t be far behind.

Pride and selfishness often lead to a hunger for control. Some people simply cannot tolerate losing influence.
3 John 9–10 describes Diotrephes, who “loved to have the preeminence.” He rejected the apostles’ authority, slandered them, and even expelled faithful members from the church.

When control becomes more important than compassion, we’ve lost sight of Christ’s heart.

A humble spirit, willing to yield and listen, invites peace. A controlling spirit breeds isolation and division.

• Jealousy and envy – wanting what others have.

• Anger and bitterness – clinging to old wounds.

• Unforgiveness – refusing to release others as God has released us.

• Discontentment – always comparing, never grateful.

• Fear and insecurity – acting defensively instead of faithfully.

The heart is the wellspring of life. If it’s poisoned by pride, fear, or resentment, everything downstream becomes toxic.

That’s why David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God.” When we pray that same prayer, peace begins there.

Not all conflict is sinful. Sometimes it’s simply the product of different temperaments or perspectives colliding.

God created personality diversity. He designed some to be bold leaders and others to be gentle encouragers. Some are thinkers, others are doers. These differences are meant to complement each other—but Satan twists them into competition.

During family or church disagreements, personality differences often play a quiet but powerful role.
In Acts 15, Paul and Barnabas illustrate this perfectly.

• Paul was mission-driven, disciplined, focused on results.

• Barnabas was relational, compassionate, focused on encouragement.

When John Mark abandoned them early in their work, Paul’s “D” personality said, “No second chances.” Barnabas’s “S” personality said, “Let’s help him grow.” They split paths, yet God used both for good.

The same happens in families and congregations. Understanding personality types doesn’t excuse sin, but it helps us extend grace. When we recognize how God wired others, we can stop expecting everyone to process, feel, and respond like we do.

Churches that intentionally learn each other’s personalities—like PSD’s elders and deacons who took personality profiles—build understanding and reduce unnecessary friction. As we learn to “make room” for each other, differences that once felt like obstacles become assets.

Beyond personality, we also see conflict arise from perspective—the way our experiences shape how we see the world.

Age, gender, education, culture, family background, region, and even accent can color how we interpret the same words or events. Two people can hear the same conversation and walk away with entirely different understandings because they filter it through different life experiences.

Rehoboam’s story in 1 Kings 12 is a clear biblical example. The older advisers urged wisdom and gentleness; the younger urged dominance and pride. His decision to follow the young men’s advice split the kingdom of Israel in two.

Perspective differences aren’t sinful—but ignoring them can be disastrous.

No story better shows how Jesus handled perspective gaps than His conversation with the Samaritan woman (John 4). She was shocked that a Jewish man would even speak to her. Ethnicity, gender, and moral reputation all stood between them.

Yet Jesus broke every barrier. He saw beyond her background to her soul. He offered her living water—and in doing so, He healed centuries of prejudice.

If we hope to reduce conflict, we must learn to see people as Jesus saw her: not through the lens of culture or bias, but through the eyes of grace.

Our upbringing shapes how we react to others.
The Bible shows this in countless ways:

• Birth order affected Jacob and Esau’s rivalry.

• Favoritism poisoned Joseph’s family.

• Economic differences led James to rebuke believers who gave the rich the best seats and shamed the poor (James 2).

• Regional identity divided Israel when the Ephraimites were killed for mispronouncing “Shibboleth.”

All these perspective clashes reveal how easily human distinctions can overshadow divine unity.

When the church acknowledges and respects these differences, it turns potential conflict into an opportunity for mutual growth.

The third root cause of conflict is poor communication. We fail to listen, we jump to conclusions, we react before we understand.

James reminds us to be “swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19). Yet our instincts often reverse that order.

The goal of communication is simple: to get what’s in my mind accurately into yours. But that’s difficult when both minds are full of noise—memories, emotions, biases, and filters.

One of the most powerful biblical examples comes from Joshua 22.
After the conquest of Canaan, the tribes who settled east of the Jordan built a large altar. The western tribes assumed they were rebelling by offering unauthorized sacrifices. Anger flared; an armed confrontation loomed.

But when they finally spoke face-to-face, the eastern tribes explained:

“We built this altar not for burnt offerings, but as a witness between us—that your God is our God too.”

They wanted their children to remember their shared faith. The misunderstanding vanished, and peace returned.

Assumptions almost started a war. Listening ended it.

How many modern conflicts—marital, congregational, or personal—could be resolved the same way if we simply listened before judging?

As Proverbs 15:1 reminds us, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
When emotions run high, words become weapons. A sarcastic remark or careless tone can undo years of goodwill.

Before speaking, we must ask: “Will this heal or harm?”
Because once spoken, words can’t be taken back.

The gospel doesn’t just reveal the roots of conflict—it gives us the tools to overcome it.

Before confronting someone else, ask God to search your own motives. Pray like David: “Create in me a clean heart.” If pride, envy, or fear is driving you, confess it. You can’t have peace with others until you’ve made peace with God.

Even when wronged, choose love. The second greatest commandment—to love your neighbor as yourself—solves more conflict than any argument ever could. When people know they’re loved, they stop fighting to be understood.

Spend time together. Learn each other’s backgrounds, personalities, and stories. The more we know people, the less likely we are to misjudge them. It’s easy to assume the worst about strangers; it’s hard to do that with friends.

Our diversity is not a threat—it’s a gift. Praise God that we are not all alike. Each difference is an opportunity to see another facet of God’s wisdom and creativity.

Treat others the way you want to be treated. Give them the same benefit of the doubt you hope they’ll give you.

Understanding your own temperament helps you anticipate your weak points. As parents, spouses, or leaders, learning our natural tendencies allows us to manage conflict more wisely and graciously.

At the end of the sermon, Dwayne reminded us that the greatest conflict of all isn’t between people—it’s between humanity and God. Sin made us His enemies, but Jesus resolved that conflict on the cross.

He is our propitiation, our peace-maker, the one who bridged the divide.
Through faith, repentance, confession, and baptism, we can be reconciled to God and begin living as peacemakers in His image.

If you find yourself in conflict today—whether with others or with God—know that peace is possible. Jesus has already paid the price for reconciliation. He stands ready to bring you out of strife and into His everlasting peace.

Series: Cultural Issue

Service: Sun Bible Study

Type: Bible Class

Speaker: Brian Messerli

Why this Matters:

• A) The way we view how America treats immigrants can directly impact our relationships with immigrants we come across in our lives.
  • Some Christians may not be sure if they can even have a relationship with them since they came here illegally.
  • Some may be afraid of them because American leaders call them criminals.
  • If they have friends or acquaintances that are either illegal OR legal immigrants and they see Christians posting things on social media or talking around the “water cooler” at work about getting illegals out of our country, it can hurt our influence with them.
• B) Some treat America like it’s God’s chosen Christian nation.  We’ve certainly been blessed by God, no doubt, and I’m grateful for the Christian principles upon which our country was founded.  But it doesn’t mean everything America does is based on Christian principles.  Anytime we can use the Bible to challenge what America is doing and to remind people where their true citizenship lies, it’s great spiritually.  We need to be reminded that America’s will is not always in line with God’s will, because those two can easily get conflated.
• C) MLK once said, “The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state.” I love this quote because it provides such a good balance as Christians.  We submit to the state yes, but we’re not their servants in the sense of serving them unquestioningly regardless of what they tell us to do.  We’re also not masters of the state and we don’t have the authority to tell the government what to do, nor did God give us the responsibility as the church to give the government orders.
  • However, Christians absolutely should speak out against evil in the government.  I’m NOT saying deporting illegal immigrants is evil in every case, but it might be in some cases, and it might be in the WAY we’re deporting them, or in the way our leaders talk about them, and we should be willing to call that out.
• D) I believe one of the main causes of division comes when people think an issue is simple and the other side is dumb or evil for not seeing that.  Just plug in any controversial and divisive issue over the years.  Second serving of the Lord’s Supper?  It’s just so simple!  Of COURSE it’s okay or of COURSE it’s not okay.  Why can’t people just see how obviously sinful or not sinful this is?  During COVID, do we keep going to worship in person?  It’s just so simple!  God says to put faith over fear, so OF COURSE we should keep worshipping in person.  Or, God tells us to use wisdom and to love our neighbor by not giving them a deadly disease, so OF COURSE we shouldn’t worship in person.  Why can’t people just see how obviously sinful or not sinful this is?
  • If we can learn not to oversimplify complex issues that have multiple sides to them, it can go a long way in preventing division by promoting what Paul calls in Ephesians 4:2, “Tolerance for one another in love.”
• E) It’s important to be reminded the Bible is our ultimate authority for absolutely everything we think, believe, say, and do.  There are SO many voices clamoring for our attention today and clamoring to be our authority.  Satan wants so desperately for the media to be our authority, for the President to be our authority, for political parties and pundits to be our authority.  Hopefully this class helps us see that in the end, it doesn’t matter what ANYONE else says on a subject, only what God says.

In preparation for this, I’ve listened to about 6 hours of debates, 4 hours of sermons, I’ve read 600 pages worth of books and articles from sources on all sides of the debate because I wanted to leave no stone unturned, but what I’ve found is that under every stone I turn, there’s another stone under that one too.  I’ve never been so torn on a subject, and I’ve never seen one so complex, but one of the reasons this subject is so divisive is because each side says the issue is simple, and the people on the other side are either dumb or evil for not seeing it their way.      

The Issue in a Nutshell

• In the US, we have between 11-18 million undocumented immigrants living among us (3-5% of the overall population).  58% of them entered the country illegally and the other 42% came in legally on temporary visas, but overstayed their limit.
  • Now, depending on which poll you look at, anywhere from 80-97% of Americans support arrest and/or deportation if they commit crimes while they’re here.  I think most Christians agree as well, so this isn’t really the main debate.
  • The main debate is should we deport ALL undocumented immigrants, regardless of whether or not they’ve committed crimes here.  And while it sounds simple to say, “Of course deport them because they committed a crime by crossing illegally or overstaying their Visa,” only 33%-50% of Americans believe we should do this, so it’s not as clear cut, and this is the main debate for Christians too.
    • And if you answer on either side, you can be immediately demonized.  If you say, “Well, they broke the law, therefore we should deport them all back to their home country,” you’re accused of being a racist.  If you say, “We should let them stay,” you’re accused of wanting to destroy America by crime and the importation of 3rd world values and of wanting to rig future elections.
  • And this opens up other debates whether it’s good or bad for the economy to keep or deport them, whether immigrants pose national security risks, whether they’re taking our jobs and draining our resources, and whether a failure to assimilate means the destruction of American values.
    • Now, for us as Christians, NONE of those things should be our primary concern, even though the media tells us they should be.  Our primary concern should be, “How would God want us to think about and handle this situation?”
      • That’s why this morning, I don’t want to focus on what right wing, left wing, moderate, or libertarian politicians or podcasters say on the subject, I just want us to focus on principles from God’s word, and honestly I think God makes everyone on all sides of the debate uncomfortable.  So if you feel discomfort this morning, that’s a good thing, because God doesn’t want us to oversimplify things and pick sides without deep thought and struggle.  I want to share 3 Biblical principles with you right up front because I think it’ll help to properly frame the issue and why it’s complex even for Christians.

1. We’re Commanded to Love Immigrants

• Leviticus 19:33-34 - This is the same chapter Jesus quoted from when asked what the greatest command in the law was.  He said the first was to love God, and the second, to love your neighbor as yourself.
  • Leviticus 19:18 - God says to love your neighbor as yourself and to love the stranger or foreigner as yourself.  Which means loving immigrants is the second greatest command in all of Scripture!  Now, the Jews had a hard time with this because they defined their neighbor as only fellow Jews, but in the Parable of the Good Samaritan Jesus showed that our neighbors include foreigners too!  They were part of what one writer called, “The quartet of the vulnerable,” in Scripture - widows, orphans, immigrants, and the poor.  And God stresses over and over again in dozens of verses how important it is to care for the needy, the displaced, and the vulnerable.
    • And there’s a RICH history of immigrants in the Bible that were pleasing to God and that God used to accomplish His purposes.  Abraham was an immigrant, Ruth was an immigrant, the Israelites were immigrants who were enslaved and mistreated in Egypt, the Jews of the Dispersion were immigrants and God used their influence to bring monotheism to the world and prepare people for Jesus, Jesus was an immigrant from Heaven to earth.  God is EXTREMELY pro-immigration (at least in times of dire need) and pro-immigrant and when people denied justice to immigrants or wronged in any way, God’s prophets preached fire and brimstone to them!
      • So any discussion for Christians about immigration has to start with this foundation.  We MUST empathize with their plight, put ourselves in their shoes, and ask ourselves, “How does God expect us to treat them and how does He expect us to think and feel about the way our country treats them?”

2.  Immigrants Should be Subject to the Law

• Exodus 12:49 - Now, I understand ancient Israel was a theocracy and I’m not binding the Law of Moses on the United States, but I do believe it teaches us a timeless principle that you shouldn’t tell your own citizens not to steal, murder or defraud people, but then not hold immigrants to the same standard.  We can’t have cops pulling immigrants over for a crime, and saying, “Oh you’re not from here?  Okay, the crime doesn’t matter then.”  No, if I immigrate to France, I need to submit to France’s laws.  It’s common sense, human courtesy, and if I get busted for violating their laws, I should face the consequences.
  • God is both a God of love AND a God of justice.  And herein lies the debate among Christians about whether to be pro-deportation or anti-deportation.  Those who are pro-deportation say, 1) they’ve broken the Law, and our law says they’re subject to deportation.  2) It’s not fair or right for those who are coming here legally to be cut in line.  3) If we don’t enforce the law, it’ll only encourage more immigration which is dangerous for immigrants making that trip, especially if they get involved with coyotes.  4) There’s all kinds of human trafficking and sex and drug trafficking, and we want to stop all that.  5) It’s not right to overburden our city’s taxpayer funded welfare resources, and put the welfare of other citizens before our own.
    • Anti-deportations Christians say, 1) Our laws are unjust and against God’s will.  We need to obey God when the government conflicts with His Word.  2) We’ve made legal immigration almost impossible in this country, so for most people, there is no line to wait in.  Type “Green Card Game” into Google and play the game at the Cato Institute and you’ll see how absurdly difficult it is to get a green card legally in the US.  You can also click “Legal Flowchart” on Cato’s site and you’ll be blown away at how complex our system is.  Apparently, the immigration is second in complexity only to the tax system.  3) Most people who enter illegally do so out of desperation, not out of malice.  They can’t find any work and are starving to death, or they may be facing gang violence or persecution.
      • 4) Many of them have lived here for 10 to 20 years with no criminal record, worked hard, paid taxes, bought homes, and even raised children here, and deporting them is too severe a punishment.  It doesn’t seem just to destroy their livelihood for a nonviolent offense.  It’s way too harsh of a punishment because it separates them from their families, destroys the lives they’ve built, and sends them back to dangerous and unstable conditions.
      • 5) Justice in the Bible isn’t just about enforcing laws; it’s about doing right by the vulnerable (Isaiah 1:17; Zechariah 7:9-10).  We tend to think of justice as strict law and order, but it’s also about showing compassion and care toward “the quartet of the vulnerable.”

3.  Respect Each Other’s Convictions

• Romans 14:10, 12 - God’s principles are indisputable, but how exactly to implement those principles is a matter of judgment and opinion.  And our temptation might be to be to classify some Christians as on the side of love and others on the side of justice.  Then the lovers look down their noses at the lawyers as unloving and the lawyers look down their noses at the lovers as lawless.  It’s also tempting for the lovers to label the lawyers as right wing Republicans, and lawyers to label the lovers as left wing Democrats.  But neither label is fair, even the lover/lawyer distinction isn’t fair, because people who love care about law and people who advocate for law care about love.
• But it’s important that we treat each other as coming from a good place no matter what view we take on this because we’re all trying to balance the two principles above and honor God, and we need to be willing to really listen and hear the other side because we may be wrong and need to adjust our attitude.  Maybe the reason we’re on the side we’re on is because we don’t have our facts straight or because there are things we haven’t even considered.
  • • Honestly, it frustrates me to say this because I love to have firm convictions, but I’m not 100% convicted either way.  I will confess that I used to lean more towards pro-deportation, but now I lean more towards anti-deportation.  That shift happened for me when I saw the absolute wall to wall coverage in the Bible about how pro-immigration God is and how sacrificial and loving He wants us to be towards them, and it makes me nervous to see our country becoming anti-something that God is for, BUT I also respect the other side too because God is not a God of chaos, but of law and order.  What I AM convinced of is that if this issue is ever going to be solved in this country, all sides are going to have to make some compromises, and so far we haven’t been willing to do that.

Question:  What other Biblical principles can we apply to the current immigration situation?  And we’ll try to classify these principles as either pro deportation, anti deportation, or neutral.

4.  The Majority Population is Tempted to Demonize Immigrants

• I pointed that out before the Lord’s Supper.  It’s always our tendency.  And while it’s absolutely true some illegal immigrants do commit crimes here and they SHOULD be demonized for that, especially because some of the crimes have been truly demonic and too brutal to even talk about.  But we should be very careful thinking that’s representative of the whole population, and giving in to our fears that they’re going to destroy our country, because historically those fears haven’t been rooted in reality.  We can be wise yes, but not paranoid or living in fear.
  • Statistically, you are 800 times more likely to die from a lightning strike than at the hands of an undocumented immigrant.  The VAST majority of them are extremely averse to committing crimes because they came here to make a better life and they know if they step out of line even to so much as steal a candy bar, they can be deported.

5.  We’re Kingdom Citizens First, American Citizens Second

• Sometimes Christians get caught up in the demonization of immigrants because we’re viewing it through an American lens, not through a Christ lens.  Instead of looking at them as precious souls made in the image of God for whom Jesus died, we first look at them as criminals, drains on the economy, and corrupters of our culture.  America is not the church; it’s a nation so it’s primary concern is for its own safety, I get it.  But our primary concern as Christians is human flourishing through the gospel of Jesus Christ.  When immigrants cross into our country, they’re bringing the mission fields to us, and honestly some of them are already Christ followers, bringing Christian values that strengthen our country even more spiritually.
  • Revelation 7:9 - We need to be so careful not to approach this conversation from a tribalistic mindset, an us vs. them mindset, and instead see it as an opportunity to meet and build relationships with more of God’s people from around the world.
  • Isaiah 11:15 - God envisions a day when there are no longer any national borders.  He describes it as destroying the Red Sea in Egypt so people can cross freely over it, destroying the Euphrates River as the boundary of Assyria, and allowing people to cross freely to and fro.  The idea is that borders are necessary to keep nations safe from invading forces, but in the church we won’t need protection from people who do us harm because in 11:9, “They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain.”  Now, I get that this is God’s vision for the church and wouldn’t be realistic for America, but I’m making the point because as Christians we need to see our foreign neighbors NOT first and foremost as threats, but as potential brothers and sisters in Christ!  We don’t want to be naive and welcome everyone without any border security or vetting, but our default position as Christians toward foreigners should not be hostility and fear, but love and acceptance.

6.  Immigrants are Humans Made in God’s Image

• Genesis 1:26-27 - We need to be very careful not to use dehumanizing language about them.  While I don’t think it’s wrong to call them illegal immigrants, I’d be careful calling them, “Illegals.”  That’s like branding them with a scarlet I as if their crime is their identity.  Certainly we need to avoid using any sort of racial slurs, or overgeneralizing labels by calling them all criminals.  Yes it’s a crime to cross the border illegally, but it’s also a crime to speed, so we’re all criminals too if that’s our metric.  And we’ve all committed crimes against God, yet in His grace He doesn’t define us by our sins, He loved us enough to send Jesus to die for us (as He did for illegal, undocumented immigrants).

7.  Immigrants Should be Measured by the Same Standard of Justice as Citizens

• Exodus 12:49 - This means if Americans have a right to a fair trial, so should immigrants.  This is what the 5th and 14th Amendments to our Constitution support, that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.  Now, our Supreme Court has ruled that due process doesn’t apply to people who have illegally crossed the border within 14 days because it’s so obvious they’re here illegally they don’t need a trial to prove it.  But one of the major debates right now revolves around how ICE is handling deportations.  From what I’ve researched, ICE is applying expedited removal procedures to deny people of due process.   For instance, immigrants can lawfully apply for asylum, but it takes time for the courts to approve asylum status.  In some cases, ICE is not waiting for that process to be finished; they’re waiting at courthouses for immigrants to show up for their appointed court dates and arresting and deporting them.  They’re showing up to Home Depots, to restaurants, farms, hotels, and stadiums and arresting and deporting illegal immigrants without due process, and these aren’t even people who have committed crimes here.  While it’s true the government has a right to enforce laws, the government needs to respect its own laws and not show partiality by applying a different standard of justice to immigrants than to citizens.
  • Numbers 35:15 - If you committed manslaughter, you could flee to a city of refuge for due process and a fair hearing to distinguish between manslaughter and an intentional killing.  Notice foreigners/strangers were afforded the same right to flee there and wait for trial.

8.  Nations have the Right to Protect their Borders

• Numbers 20:17 - Israel asked permission before crossing into Edom’s territory.  Earlier, Joseph’s brothers asked Pharaoh permission to settle in Egypt.  People in the Bible built walls and fortified cities along borders.  In fact, God is the one who gave those nations borders.
  • Acts 17:26 - I don’t think it’s a wise position for Christians to promote open borders with absolutely no vetting or no security whatsoever.  And the Bible doesn’t teach that everyone has a right to everyone else’s land; usually people came in by invitation or were vetted at city gates.  This is why when you come to America’s border or ports of entry at airports, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents are asking for identification, reason for your visit, how long you plan to stay, and they’re getting your biometrics like fingerprints, photographs, retinal scans, and they’re running their names through criminal and terrorism databases.  I don’t see anything Unbiblical about that, it’s just wise to know who’s coming in and why.
    • Note:  While this verse could be used to say it’s generally God’s will that people reside in their own countries, it doesn’t mean God is opposed to migration under difficult circumstances.  When the Israelites moved to Egypt, they did so in part because of a worldwide famine and also for the purpose of family reunification with Joseph.  It certainly wouldn’t be good or right for ALL of Mexico (131 million people) to migrate to the US because then Mexico is no longer Mexico and it’s going to be hard to call the US the US.
      • But even when immigration numbers were really high in 2024, there were 1 million Mexican immigrants in total (legal and illegal), which is less than 1% of their population.  So it’s not like all of Mexico is crossing over.
      • And even if we take the high estimate of 18 million total illegal immigrants in the US (not just from Mexico but other countries as well), that’s still only 5% of our population.  So we should be careful saying our country has been “totally overrun” by illegal immigrants.

9.  Crimes Should be Punished No Matter the Reason

• Proverbs 6:30-31 - We can have total compassion on someone for committing a crime, and understand why they did it, but it doesn’t mean they don’t have to face consequences for it.  Likewise, we can sympathize with immigrants crossing the border illegally, but it doesn’t mean there should be no consequences at all.
  • Now again, this is where the debate comes in on what punishment is just and matches the crime, and many Christians have proposed issuing a fine.  The fine could be hefty enough to discourage others from entering illegally, while also allowing the offenders to make restitution without destroying their lives.
  • I understand some could argue deportation does fit the crime of entering illegally, I just don’t believe it does.  It would perhaps if one entered illegally last week, but if one has spent 10-20 years contributing to our society, working hard, staying out of trouble, being good neighbors, owning a home, deportation causing them to lose everything now seems way out of proportion to what they did.  But I acknowledge that’s just an opinion.

10.  Immigrants Don’t Get the Same Perks as Citizens

• Deuteronomy 17:15 - Again, we’re not under the Law of Moses, but we find a principle that it’s okay with God for not every privilege of citizens to be extended to foreigners.  Foreigners couldn’t be king, they didn’t have land inheritance rights, and they couldn’t serve as priests or judges.  Likewise, American citizens have certain perks immigrants don’t like the right to vote, to run for office, and full access to federal benefits because the perks of US citizenship are a privilege, not a right.  That’s perfectly Biblical.

11.  Immigrants Should not be Exploited

• Deuteronomy 24:14-15 - This means employers should not be taking advantage of an immigrant’s desperation by paying them unfair wages.  Now, this opens up the question of whether employers should hire undocumented immigrants at all, and this is going to be a conscience issue for sure.  I do believe it’s sinful to pay them under the table.  It’s not only dishonest, you’re both cheating the government out of taxes, and it makes the possibility of exploitation much easier.  Instead, the IRS will give them an ITIN so they can pay taxes, and what’s fascinating is that the IRS is not legally allowed to tell the Immigration authorities about their status.  Which means our own government is perfectly fine with collecting taxes from illegal immigrants, so to me if they’re fine with that, I don’t see how it’s sinful to provide them with employment and help facilitate those tax payments.  It also shows us there is no legal requirement for Christians to report them to authorities either.  The laws about deportation gives the government the right to enforce those laws, but the government doesn’t mandate that the public start calling tip lines and handing them over.  It IS illegal to harbor them if ICE comes to your door looking for them, but not illegal not to report them.

12.  Some Assimilation Required

• Deuteronomy 31:12 - Foreigners in Israel were expected to assimilate to Israel’s way of life.  Now, they didn’t have to FULLY assimilate in every way, they weren’t required to be circumcised for instance, but they did need to learn God’s laws, and presumably part of that was learning the Hebrew language.
  • Some of the demonization of immigrants throughout history in America is that we’re afraid they’re going to destroy our culture by bringing anti-American values with them.  And honestly, multiculturalism is hard to pull off if there are no unifying values.  So it’s not unreasonable for Americans to expect immigrants to learn English.  That makes life easier for everyone, including immigrants.  It’s reasonable to expect them to learn about our history, and while I can’t say how many American values they need to adopt, at least the most basic ones like respect for democracy and the rule of law, free speech, all people are endowed by our creator with inalienable rights, hard work pays off, and other basic American ideals.
    • We should embrace the richness brought to America by foreign art, literature, clothing, and food, but it makes sense to expect them to be on board with what America stands for.  Though in fairness, we have US citizens that hate our country, and one of the core tenets of free speech is that you’re allowed to hold those views here, whether native born or not.

13.  Israelites Were Forbidden from Returning Runaway Slaves

• Deuteronomy 23:15-16 - The rationale behind this is that the slave was likely being mistreated somehow, and God was much more concerned about protecting the livelihood of that slave than He was about whether the slave had the legal right to run away.  Now, this isn’t a perfect 1:1 comparison, but often the reason people come here illegally is because they’re fleeing desperate situations economically and they can’t find work and their families are starving.  We could send them back for breaking in to the country, or we could just let them stay here as a way to protect them from brutal conditions back home.

14.  Prioritize Life Over the Letter of the Law

• Mark 3:4 - There are so many verses that emphasize the protection of life over strict adherence to law.  Like Jesus’ teachings about working to life an animal out of a pit on the Sabbath day, or how David ate the unlawful bread when he and his men were starving, how Jesus spared the woman caught in adultery from the death penalty and showed her mercy instead, or how Rahab lied to protect the spies, or when the midwives lied and disobeyed Pharaoh to save babies.
  • Now, I realize deportations aren’t necessarily a death sentence for everyone, but for some it may be…
    • A) Some may have serious health problems they won’t be able to get care for back in their home country.
    • B) Sometimes deportees are targeted by gangs when they get back because they’ve been to America and are assumed to have a lot of money.  They can be extorted, forced to be recruited, murdered, or kidnapped.
    • C) Some may be torn away from their families so children are left without their mothers and/or fathers.  You could say, “Well can’t they take their families with them?”  But it’s not that simple.  If their children were born in the US, they are US citizens.  If they leave, they lose access to education, healthcare, and legal protections.  If they leave, they can be barred from re-entry permanently.  While you can say, “Well they can just go live together in their home country and never come back,” their parents are NOT going to want their kids to lose their citizenship.  Their parents may even tell their kids to stay in the US so they can have the life and protections they never had, so they may be separated forever at that point.  It may not be a physical life or death situation to be separated from your parents, but it’s certainly NOT God’s will for families to be separated.  You can argue, “But if someone commits murder and goes to jail, they’re separated from their families as a result.”  Very true, but does crossing into the country illegally with no malice and a desire to provide for one’s family merit family separation as punishment?
    • D) Based on my research, the Trump administration and ICE are currently breaking our commitment to Afghani’s who were promised permanent protection in our country for helping us in the war in Afghanistan.  They were to be offered SIV’s (Special Immigrant Visas) which allowed them a pathway to a green card and eventually citizenship.  These were interpreters and others who offered direct support to our military in the war, and they were told by Congress and multiple presidential administrations that they could come back to America and have a future here.  Unfortunately, in many cases their protection is being revoked and Afghani’s are being detained and receiving deportation notices.  Aside from the injustice of going back on our word to them, their people back home will NOT take kindly to the fact that they aided the US against their own country, they’ll be viewed as traitors, and their lives will absolutely be in danger.

15.  God Prioritizes our Loves

• 1 Timothy 5:8 - The truth is, we can’t take care of everyone on the planet, and God doesn’t expect us to.  He seems to give us concentric circles of care and an order of prioritization for our loves.  Obviously 1) We love God first.  2) We love our families.  3) We love our neighbor.  4) We love our enemies and the broader world.  Our primary responsibility is to our own families first, then the natural extension of that would be our local neighborhood and church, then the larger community/city, then the country, then other countries.
  • It can be argued that America has a responsibility to itself first, to take care of its own problems before trying to help other countries with theirs.  There’s an argument to be made that America is on life support because of our crazy level of debt.
    • But I just want to mention a few challenges to this view:
      • A) It may be a false choice to say America can’t help immigrants while also helping itself.  This point about the order of loves is built on the premise that immigrants are bad for the economy, and while studies show there may be short term drains on the economy, they offer us long term gains.  It’s certainly true, if they all get funneled to one city like New York and put up in 5 star hotels (like has been happening), that’s a drain on NY city's resources and it’s going to prevent them from focusing on their own problems.  But perhaps we just need a different strategy for helping them get integrated in a way that’s less burdensome on local cities.  Like host families and transitional shelters to help with job placement.  It’s not Biblical or responsible to put them up in luxury hotels that cost $500 a night, or put them on welfare programs that disincentivize them from working.
      • B) When exactly will America take care of its own problems?  At what point could we finally say, “Okay, we’ve got our own house in order, now we can take care of immigrants”?  We’ve been trying to get our house in order forever, and when will that be enough?
      • C) While I realize we can’t help everyone in the world who’s starving, these aren’t total strangers; they’re people who have settled in communities and helped our country for 10-20 years through hard work and taxes toward a government that has made no serious attempt to remove them.  It’s honestly odd even to continue calling them strangers/foreigners/immigrants at this point since they’ve been integrated into American life for so long.  It seems oddly unjust for someone to live here 20 years, and for us to say, “Sorry, you’re not one of us, we need you to get out so we can take care of America first.”

16.  They Should Pay their Fair Share in Taxes

• Matthew 22:21 - It’s a common misperception that illegal immigrants don’t pay any taxes and make all their money under the table.  The truth is, the IRS will issue them an ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) which allows them to pay taxes without fear of deportation.  Note: In class, I said the amount of taxes paid by illegal immigrants federally each year is 11.34 billion.
  • And if you do the math and there are 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US and they’re paying 11.34 billion in federal taxes, that’s only 1,000 per immigrant, which is still very low (and even lower if we take the 18 million number).
    • However, I didn’t realize that number A) was outdated, from way back in 2017 and B) didn’t count the total amount of taxes paid, including federal, local taxes, sales tax, property tax (if they own property, or if they rent they pay for it because the landlord works it into the cost of rent), and excise tax combined.
      • According to newer figures from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), the total number of taxes paid per year by undocumented immigrants is 96.7 billion.
      • That’s roughly 9,000 per person with the 11 million population figure, less if we’re counting 18 million people.
    • But it’s also helpful to remember many of the 11-18 million are not wage earners; they’re kids, elderly people, and stay at home wives/mothers, so a “per person” average isn’t the fairest calculation.  Plus those who do earn wages don’t earn very much so their taxes are lower than most.
      • When you take those things into account, it seems like most are indeed paying their fair share.  I’m sure there are many still taking money under the table and that’s not right, but is it fair for us to kick people out who’ve been paying their fair share of taxes for 10-20 years?

17.  We Need to use Both our Minds and Hearts

• Matthew 10:16
• Matthew 9:13 - One of the things that bothers me the most about this subject is that Christians tend to be either headless or heartless.  Some want to remove ALL emotion from the subject and say, “They broke the law, it’s not personal, they’ve got to go.”  And others want to remove ALL thought from the subject and say, “We shouldn’t even have borders, everyone should be welcome in because we’re all God’s children.”
  • Jesus tells us to be wise as serpents, He tells us not to be naive and leave our brains at the door.  BUT He also tells us to be merciful and compassionate, to be empathetic and put ourselves in people’s shoes.
  • When we’re only using our heads, undocumented immigrants tend to just be numbers and statistics to us, not people with feelings, hopes, dreams, families they love and are trying so hard to provide for.  When we only use our hearts, we don’t think about the logistics of how we can function as a country if we let everyone in and let everyone stay.
    • We have to balance the heart and the head if we’re going to please God on this issue (and ANY issue for that matter).    

18.  Remember Your Ancestors were Immigrants

• Exodus 22:21 - It’s been estimated that between 33-40% of America’s population today can trace their ancestry back to immigrants who came here in the late 1800’s through Ellis Island.  And it’s easy to say, “Yea but my ancestors did it legally!” because there were very few restrictions on them!  In those days, 98% of immigrants who arrived were admitted to the US, and usually within just a few hours.  Now we tell immigrants to wait their turn in line, but there is no line and it’s almost impossible to get in.  If that’s how things were back in the late 1800-1900’s most of us wouldn’t be here.

19.  Enforcement of Laws Should be Consistent and not Hypocritical

• John 7:22-24 - In this passage, it was hard for Jesus to take the laws of the Pharisees seriously because they were so inconsistent.  They believed it was sinful to perform a medical procedure on the Sabbath day, even if it’s to save someone’s life.  Yet they were perfectly fine performing circumcisions on the Sabbath?
  • It makes it really hard to enforce that law on Jesus when their own practices betrayed that they didn’t take their own laws seriously.  Instead their inconsistency just sends mixed signals.
    • And that’s what the immigration laws in the US have been; incredibly inconsistent.  For instance…
      • A) We’ll call you an illegal immigrant and deport you if we find you, BUT if you want to pay taxes while you’re here, we’ll give you an ITIN number and we’ll not only take your money, we won’t report you to Immigration authorities for being undocumented.  We’ll label you as a drain on our economy, but we’ll accept your contributions.
      • B) You can even use your ITIN to buy a home!  You can go through the whole mortgage process to own your own land in our country, and the bank/mortgage lender will NOT report you, but also we don’t want you here and if we find you we’ll deport you.
      • C) What’s more, our immigration laws change, sometimes every few years.  For instance, there are immigrants who did absolutely everything right and came to the US legally under the Biden administration.  They filled out all the paperwork, and followed all the instructions.  Then the Trump administration came in and changed the rules and now those very same people considered legal under Biden are now considered illegal under Trump and are subject to deportation.  How is that just or right?
      • D) I have a preacher friend in Tampa who knows many illegal immigrants, and he’s told me about several cases where they were pulled over by the cops, and even though they didn’t have their papers, the cops let them go.  He even told me about court appearances where the judge let them go.  Now, someone could say, “The cops and judges are failing to do their job and enforce the law,” and that’s true, but this is my point.  In the current administration we’re suddenly treating illegal immigration as one of the most serious crimes one could commit, but for decades that’s not been the message we’ve sent at all.  And even today, we’re still sending mixed messages by offering them ITI numbers and homes.
      • E) Children of undocumented parents are forced to attend public school.  Now, I think assimilation is a good thing, but it’s a mixed message to say to the parents, “You’re not welcome here, but your kids are welcome in our schools.”
      • F) They’re officially banned from the labor market, but unofficially needed and hired.  I saw a humorous meme of two signs along the US border.  “Help Wanted” and “Keep Out.”
      • G) They’re encouraged to come in legally, but then legal immigration is nearly impossible.
      • H) They’re told to self-deport to avoid being deported and to have a chance to come back in legally, but if they self-deport they face a minimum 10 year ban, and most will never be allowed back in legally.
      • I) States, and even certain cities, can’t agree on immigration policy, and so depending on where you live, it might be considered a “sanctuary city,” where local law enforcement isn’t going to bust you for being here illegally.  It’s confusing that our country isn’t unified on whether or not to deport undocumented immigrants and it sends a mixed message that “This is not okay, but we’ll still protect you in certain parts of the country.”
        • Now, someone could rightly say, “We just need to get rid of the mixed messaging, and that’s part of what Trump’s administration is trying to do.”  Fair enough, and if we want our messaging to be clearer in the future, we can start right now.  But to deport people who have been living under this confusing messaging for 10-20 years, I’m not sure it’s just or right to deport them when we’ve been so wishy washy and inconsistent for so long.

Bottom Line:  There are principles in God’s word that one could use to argue for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, even of those who haven’t committed crimes since they’ve been here.  However, there are also principles in God’s word that argue against it.  My goal isn’t necessarily to change anyone’s mind, but only to bring awareness that there are two sides to this, and it’s not an easy issue at all.  Any attempt to simplify this on either side doesn’t seem fair to the other side.  We should not take this issue lightly, and we should most importantly consider how our view of this issue will affect our relationships with undocumented immigrants we might be able to reach for Christ.

Which leads to this final question:  what are some practical ways, as an individual Christian, to show love towards immigrants, even undocumented ones?

• A) Treat them with kindness.  Use their language.  Sometimes even as Christians, we’re too quick to be angry about undocumented immigrants not knowing English.  We’re frustrated we have to push #1 for English on phone calls, and annoyed when their English is broken and hard to understand.  I absolutely believe they should learn English because it makes life better for them and for everyone, but English is hard and takes time.  So why not be patient?  Why not dust off some of our old high school Spanish and use their language to make them feel welcome?  Or we could use Google Translate to communicate.  The point is not to write them off as dumb foreigners who aren’t worth our time because they can’t speak our language, because God’s kingdom welcomes those of “all tribes and tongues.”
• B) Get to know them personally and learn their stories.  I’ve known Christians who were super strict on deportation policy and believed undocumented immigrants should all be removed from the country, but their hearts softened when they actually met real undocumented immigrants and heard what they had been through to come here and to get established here.  This doesn’t mean we have to check our brains at the door and be led solely by emotion, but it helps us not check our hearts at the door either.  These are real people made in God’s image who have real feelings, fears, and dreams for their families, they aren’t just statistics.
• C) As you get to know them better, you may even offer them temporary lodging if they need it.  They may be asylum seekers still awaiting court approval for official asylum status.  If they’re undocumented, you may be able to help walk with them through the process of filing for asylum or seeking legal status.  You can also help them work on their English while they stay with you.
• D) Help them with transportation.  Even immigrants here legally may be struggling financially and forced to take the bus, and they could carpool with you to work.
• E) Help them fill out paperwork for work, immigration status, school enrollment for their kids.  If their English isn’t very good, it can be a great help for you to make sure they’re following instructions and signing things properly.
• F) Help them understand our culture.  When Olaitan was with us on a temporary visa from Nigeria, he stayed with me in my house for a few months, and I was able to explain things to him about American culture that made it easier for him to navigate life here.  Truth be told, he was a great guy, but he was doing things that annoyed people and made them suspicious of his motives, and he was so confused why people treated him with such suspicion.  But when I explained to him how certain actions for us in America set off alarm bells for people and raise our suspicion in ways it may not in Nigeria, he found it extremely helpful so he could stop doing those things.
• G) If you’re an employer, you can sponsor immigrants.  It can be expensive and a little complicated, but it can give them a great opportunity to make a better life for themselves here.
• H) Invite them to worship.  Pray with them and for them.  Unless ICE is knocking on the door of the church building demanding we send them out, having undocumented immigrants worshipping with us is not the same under our laws as harboring fugitives.
• I) Donate to and/or volunteer for immigration relief organizations.  There are organizations like RAICES, CLINIC, HIAS, IRC, KIND, etc. dedicated to helping immigrants file applications with the government, they may help with legal fees for court hearings, guidance for filling out paperwork, helping with family reunification, offering food, clothing, education, job placement, medical care and shelter.
• J) If you know an immigrant in need, you can offer them more direct help financially.
• K) You can help them through political advocacy, by voting for representatives who will be fair and balanced on the immigration issue, or by contacting present representatives to help influence legislation, or by signing petitions.

-  We can debate policy all we want, but where the rubber meets the road is how we treat our neighbor.  “The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself…” (Leviticus 19:34a)    

Series: N/A

Service: Lord’s Supper Service

Type: Lord's Supper Talk

Speaker: Brian Messerli

John 1:9-11 - Since the dawn of human history, it’s been the tendency for the majority population in any culture to view foreign immigrants with suspicion.  For instance, Hebrews 11 says part of the suffering Abraham faced was living as a foreigner in the land of promise.  In the ancient world, there was a stigma and shame attached to sojourners because people assumed you must have been kicked out of your homeland and rejected by your own people, otherwise you wouldn’t be there.

When the Israelites were living in Egypt, Pharaoh became paranoid, thinking they’d take over the country, so the Egyptians made them their slaves to them to keep them in line.  In Jesus’ day, the Jews had no dealings with Samaritans and viewed Gentiles as unclean in every way.  The Romans viewed Jews with suspicion for refusing to worship Roman gods, and Emperor Claudius didn’t like all the conflicts over Jesus, so he expelled all Jews from Rome in 49 AD.

In our own country, back in 1751 there was a massive influx of German immigrants to Pennsylvania, and Benjamin Franklin was terrified they were going to Germanize their colony.  He asked, “Why should immigrants establish their language and manners to the exclusion of ours?  Why should Pennsylvania, founded by the English, become a Colony of aliens who will shortly be so numerous as to change us instead of our Anglifying them, and will never adopt our language or customs, any more than they can acquire our complexion?”

In the mid 1800’s, there was a surge of Catholic immigrants from Germany and Ireland, and many protestant Christians were furious about it.  Even Christians called them, “an invading enemy, audaciously conspiring, under the mask of holy religion, against the liberties of our country.”  This led to decades of arson attacks against Catholic church buildings and convents.

In 1924, members of the Immigration Restriction League argued to Congress that the American gene pool was being polluted by a rising tide of intellectually and morally defective immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe, and when President Coolidge signed the Immigration Restriction Act of 1924, he commented that “America must remain American.”  He didn’t just mean ideologically, but racially.

And of course, some of the same anti-immigrant sentiment and fears continue today.  It’s a sad, but common human reaction to view people who are different as dangerous.  So is it really all that surprising to find that people looked at Jesus with suspicion too?

Jesus wasn’t just an immigrant from out of town, but from out of planet!

John 1:1, 14 - I find it interesting that the word “dwelt” doesn’t mean that He templed with us, but that He tabernacled with us.  The temple was the more permanent dwelling place of God, it’s what Jesus would do if He intended to settle down here and make this His home.  But instead, He tabernacled or tented with us.  He was just a foreigner passing through, staying with us temporarily.

God in the flesh came to dwell with His own, but because His way of thinking was SO foreign to the locals, they didn’t recognize Him as one of their own at all.

Luke 9:58 - “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”  Jesus understood He was an unwelcome foreigner on the earth, that He could never settle down and get comfortable here, and always had to live on the road and on the move from people who wanted Him gone.

Jesus was a Heavenly immigrant rejected as an outsider who didn’t belong.  Let’s consider 3 ways He was rejected…

1. They Looked at Jesus with Suspicion

• Matthew 2:2-3 - Herod is troubled because He thinks the Messiah is going to take the throne from him!  Even as a baby, Herod views Jesus as a threat, but he can’t find him, so he orders the death of all the male children in Bethlehem so Jesus will be killed, but…
  • Matthew 2:14-15 - Even as a baby, Jesus and his family became immigrants and fled to Egypt for asylum against persecution.  After Herod died, it still wasn’t safe to go back to Bethlehem, so they immigrated to a city called Nazareth, which had a bad reputation.
  • That’s why Nathaniel was suspicious and asked Philip, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
  • Matthew 9:10-11 - The Pharisees ask this because this is NOT how things are done around here.  Jesus is changing the culture, He’s going against the grain of accepted practice and values, and they don’t like it!  They’re questioning his motives and viewing Him with suspicion, assuming He must be supporting sin because He doesn’t do things the way they do!
    • They questioned His ability to forgive sins, they accused Him of casting out demons by the power of Satan, they accused Him of being a glutton and a drunkard, even His own brothers didn’t believe His claims, the religious leaders questioned His authority, and in John 8:48 they explicitly called Him a Samaritan, which was basically a racial slur to imply He’s not a real Jew and He has perverted true religion.  Even His hometown was like, “Isn’t this the same little kid who grew up here, who does He think He is?” He was treated like a foreigner by His own home community!  Everywhere Jesus went, even when He was doing good by helping people, He raised eyebrows because people tend to view different as dangerous.    

2.  They Viewed Him as a Threat to National Security

• John 11:47-48 - They viewed Jesus as an insurrectionist upsetting law and order in Rome, and they were terrified that Rome would come in and drop the hammer on them for it.  When they put Jesus on trial, they even accused Him of refusing to pay taxes to Caesar and even telling others not to pay taxes either.
  • They not only accused Jesus of being an insurrectionist, they viewed Him as WORSE than an insurrectionist, because when Pilate gave them a choice between putting Jesus to death and putting Barrabbas to death, someone who was an ACTUAL insurrectionist, they chose to save Barrabas and kill Jesus instead!

3.  They Deported Him from their City and from This Life

• Hebrews 13:11-12 - In ancient cities, to be cast outside the gate was an act of rejecting someone unclean.  In the Old Testament, whenever priests offered sacrifices on behalf of the nation, they would take the bodies of those animals outside the camp to be burned.  Why?  Because it was symbolic of the removal of sin and impurity from the nation.  It’s as if once those animals were removed, all their problems were gone.  They laid all their problems on those animals and treated them like a scapegoat.
  • Likewise, when Jesus was crucified on the hill called Calvary, the place of the Skull, that hill was outside the gates of Jerusalem.  It was a symbolic deportation from their city to make it clear He is not welcome there.  They’ve treated Him like He is the source of all their problems, and if they can just get rid of Jesus, things will be better for them, so they not only deport Him from their city, but from this life by having Him executed.
    • And now notice…
      • Hebrews 13:13-14 - As Christians, we’re called to be rejected immigrants too.  It should be no surprise for the world to look at us with suspicion, to view us as a threat to their security in life, and to want us gone because different is dangerous.  In the first century, that’s exactly what happened.  The Romans looked at Christians with suspicion and thought they were atheists for rejecting their gods, as insurrectionists for not worshipping the emperor, they thought they were cannibals for eating the Lord’s Supper, they blamed Christians for their problems like the Great Fire in Rome and treated them like scapegoats, to the point of deporting them from their cities and from this life too in mass executions.

And as scary as all that is, there’s a tremendous comfort I want us to remember as we partake of the Lord’s Supper this morning.  Because Jesus was willing to become a rejected foreigner on our behalf, we are no longer rejected foreigners to God.  The world may reject us, but because of Christ’s sacrifice, God never will.

Ephesians 2:11-13 - Before Christ, we were strangers and foreigners to God, and God’s suspicion and deportation of us from His presence was perfectly justified because we were horrible sinners.  Yet now in Christ, we’ve been brought back into God’s presence and granted permanent citizenship in Heaven.

Series: Life and Character of David

Service: Wed Bible Study

Type: Bible Class

Speaker: Dwayne Gandy

Series: N/A

Service: Wednesday Night

Type: Invitation

Speaker: Connor McClenny

Series: N/A

Service: Praise and Preaching Service

Type: Sermon

Speaker: Brian Messerli

Genesis 3:15-16a [The Mother’s Day sermon was called the Maternal Mission, and today’s lesson is called the Paternal Mission.  Both are rooted in Genesis 3] - Based on these two verses, we said that the maternal mission is to crush Satan’s head by bringing life to the world through suffering in sacrificial love for your children.  It will cause her great pain to reverse the curse of death in the world through bearing and raising children.  And if we continue reading, we see the paternal mission.

Genesis 3:16b-19 - The paternal mission is to crush Satan’s head by being willing to die to protect life in the world through servant leadership for your children.  Adam is given the role as ruler of his household, and Eve won’t like it.  She’ll want to take the lead from him, but leadership is not her mission; it’s his.  Yet notice, Adam’s rulership is not like a king or boss giving orders to his family.  His rulership is described in v. 18-19 as going out to labor and toil by the sweat of his brow to provide for Eve and their children, even to the point of death!  So he’s a leader yes, but one who puts backbreaking effort into protecting the life Eve brought into the world.  He is a servant leader.

Now, there’s some overlap between these missions.  It’s not like fathers don’t suffer in sacrificial love for their children or that they play no role in bringing life into the world, and it’s not like mothers aren’t willing to die to protect their children and that they don’t play any role in leading them.  But this is about their primary mission, so even though a mother might be willing to die to protect her children, the point is she shouldn’t have to because that’s the Father’s mission.  And even though the father plays a role in bringing life into the world, he doesn’t suffer to do so like Mom does.  The mother’s suffering comes from the creation and nurturing of life.  The father’s suffering comes in the protection of life.

And this morning, I want us to look at the way God protects the lives of His children in…

Deuteronomy 1:29-33 [Here Moses speaks to the generation of Israelites on the brink of entering the Promised Land, and he’s reminding them how scared their parents were 40 years before when they refused to trust God.  Listen to the way Moses tried to comfort them and give them confidence that they absolutely CAN defeat the Canaanites and enter the Promised Land.  I think this is one of the most powerful encapsulations of the fatherhood of God in all of Scripture.] - This passage shows us exactly what the paternal mission looks like on a practical level.  It means 4 things…

1. Presence

• Moses reminded the Israelites that God their Father has been with them this whole journey out of Egypt, through the wilderness, and to the Promised Land!  It was God’s presence in the pillar of cloud and fire that was leading the way for them and showing them which way to go!
• What’s more, God told the Israelites to build Him a tabernacle so His presence could dwell with them and travel with them everywhere they went!  You might say God went camping with His kids!
  • Exodus 29:45 - Now of course, mothers should be present for their kids too, but I think presence is harder for fathers and history has shown men are very tempted to leave all the child-rearing responsibilities to Mom.  Many fathers want the fun of making kids without the responsibilities of being present for them.
    • Which is why today, nearly 25% of children in this country live without a biological father in the home.  We’re facing a major crisis from a lack of father-presence.  Since fathers are meant to be protectors, a lack of his presence creates anxiety and stress in the home, a lack of discipline, a lack of identity, confidence, competence in children, and research shows homes without the presence of a father are far more likely to face poverty, for their kids to drop out of school, to end up with behavioral problems, mental health problems, higher likelihood of committing crimes, and higher rates of teen pregnancy.
      • And it’s not to say the mothers of those kids are terrible, it’s to say that kids need their father’s presence too!
      • Another reason it’s tempting for fathers not be present is because they’re too busy toiling away at work!  They get so wrapped up in the sweat, thorns and thistles of trying to make more money to protect their families that they don’t spend much time with their families.  But look in…
• Deuteronomy 6:7 - This verse, though not directed ONLY to fathers, assumes his presence!  God knows the only way you’ll be able to successfully lead your kids to learn about Him is to sit with them in the house, to have conversations with them, to go out for walks with them, to be with them at bedtime, and with them in the morning!
  • Now, certainly there are going to be times, fathers, when your work takes you away from your kids more than you want it to, but it’s important to ask yourself if you’re doing that to protect your family from starvation, or if you’re doing it to protect your family from not having all the nicest stuff.  Sometimes fathers aren’t present, not because they HAVE to work so much, but because they think the best way to show their kids love is to give them the best of everything!
    • But the truth is, your kids need your presence more than your presents!  Being present with them is so stabilizing and helps them feel safe and secure.  It’s why Moses told the Israelites not to be afraid, because their Father is with them!  So make time for family meals, set aside one day a week that’s just a family day and/or a family night where you all do things together.  Plan family vacations at least once a year.  It doesn’t have to be fancy, it can be a cheap camping trip where you’re roughing it together like God and the Israelites, and actually the hardship will bring you closer.  And remember to set aside one on one time with each of your kids as well, so that you can get to know them as unique individuals.
      • Your presence not only helps your kids, it helps you know how to serve them as their leader.  You’re learning their strengths and weaknesses, their needs, their interests, their fears, dreams, and goals.  It’s impossible to influence them and show them the way to go in life without your presence.
        • Because without presence, there’s no relationship, and without relationship, your leadership will feel like dictatorship.
          • Mark 10:42-43 - Some kids feel like the only time their father is present in their lives is to come lay down the law if they’re disobeying Mom.  In those cases, it doesn’t feel like servant leadership, it feels like a judge dropping the hammer on them.  That’s because your kids take orders from you, but they don’t feel like you know them or that they know you.  I read a helpful book called “The Shepherd Leader at Home.” by Timothy Witner.   He takes all the verses about shepherds in the Bible and applies them to fathers, which I think is a perfectly fair comparison and very helpful!  For instance…
          • John 10:13-14 - Fathers, the only way to know your children and for your children to know you is to spend time with them.  Even if it means laying down your life and your schedule and your preferences to make yourself available to them.  Your kids need that from you far more than you know.

2.  Provision

• Deuteronomy 1:33 - God was seeking out places for Israel to encamp along the journey.  He’s actively involved, He’s not a passive father; He takes the initiative to find His children safe places to live…
  • Deuteronomy 2:7 - Notice there’s a direct connection here between God’s presence and God’s provision.  Because God was with them those 40 years, He has KNOWN their wanderings.  He knew what they needed and the struggles they faced, which helped Him provide for their needs so they lacked nothing.  Now, that doesn’t mean He gave them everything they wanted.  But it does mean He gave them everything they needed.  In fact, God allowed them to go through rough times in the wilderness on purpose to build their character, to test them to see if they’d be content with what they had and to trust the Father to take care of them.
  • Deuteronomy 8:3-5 - A temptation for a lot of Dads is to get their kids absolutely everything they want.  It comes from a good place, like maybe you grew up poor and you don’t want your kids to ever struggle like you did.  But isn’t it true some of your struggles were good for your character development?  It’s good not to OVER-provide for your kids as a way to teach them contentment and self-control and to not be consumed by materialism.
    • In fact, God says in v. 3 one of the reasons He withheld provisions from the Israelites sometimes was to teach them to value spiritual things over material things.
      • That’s why one of the first things God did for Israel in the wilderness was to provide them with His Law to teach them how to live righteously!
      • Deuteronomy 4:7-8 - Moses is saying, “No nation has a God who is as present in their lives as ours is.  Our Father is NEAR to us and He’s always there when we need His provision.”  And God not only provided for them physically, but spiritually by giving them this righteous law that teaches them how to flourish as human beings in this world.
        • Psalm 23:1-3 - This is how you want your children to feel about you as their father.  To want for nothing means you have given them everything they need, and that they’re content with your material provisions.  But even more important is to provide for them spiritually by guiding them in the paths of righteousness.
• So Dads, part of the paternal mission is to be a hard worker to meet the material needs of your family so that they don’t want or lack for anything they need.  It may mean taking jobs you don’t want or that you feel are beneath you, at least temporarily, to put food on the table.  The paternal mission means the shedding of blood, sweat, and tears in the service of meeting your family’s needs.  It doesn’t mean working 80 hours a week so you can’t be present for your family, but it does mean doing whatever it takes to provide food, shelter, and clothing for them.  They don’t need to be rich, they just need to be safe.
  • They also need spiritual provision, so you want to instill in them a reverence and love for God and His Word.  And of course that starts with you.  One writer said, “Train up a child in the way that he should go — but make sure you go that way first.” - Charles Spurgeon.  Being a leader isn’t about driving them with an iron fist to love and obey God; it’s about showing them what that looks like and inspiring them to follow your example.  It means when you’re present at the dinner table or before bed or when you’re driving, you’re bringing God into your conversations with your kids.  It means letting them see you read the Bible and pray as part of your daily devotion, it means making worship attendance non-negotiable, it means being an active participant in the church, not just a spectator who comes and goes.  It means having short daily devotions with your kids where you’re reading God’s word together and discussing how you can all bring Him more glory in your lives.
    • Fathers, you want your families to feel safe physically, but also to feel safe spiritually.  You want your kids to feel the safety of knowing their Dad is right with the Lord, and that you’re leading them to be right with the Lord too!  That’s eternal provision.

3.  Protection

• Deuteronomy 1:30 - God is a Father who fights on behalf on His children!  And when His children are weak and can’t stand on their own, in v. 31 He carries us to safety.
  • Deuteronomy 4:24 - Kids typically find their Fathers to be scarier than their mothers.  That’s because they’re the fighters and protectors of the family, and that requires a kind of dangerous strength that if not kept under control can burn a whole forest down in the fight for his family.
    • Deuteronomy 5:25 - The Israelites have a healthy fear of God’s strength because they know if they disobey Him, His fire will turn towards them.  But God wants them to fear Him, yet not be afraid of Him.  He’s on their side, He’s their protector, so He doesn’t want His children to live in terror and run away from Him, but He does want them to have a healthy and reverent fear to realize if they disobey Him, there’s going to be consequences.
• Why?  Because part of a Father protecting His children is to protect them from themselves through discipline!  It’s why when Mom says to her kids, “Wait until Dad gets home,” it’s terrifying because we know the discipline is coming, BUT Dad does that because He loves us and He’s trying to protect us from far worse consequences down the road if our behavior doesn’t change.
  • Ephesians 6:4 - It’s not that Moms can never discipline their kids, they certainly can.  But God made it the primary mission of fathers to protect their kids from danger, and discipline is protection.  As a simple example, I was over at the Park’s a couple months ago and I remember Ryan had to discipline Asher because Asher kept playing with an electrical outlet.  Now to Asher I’m sure it was a scary experience, but Ryan was showing him it’s much better to be disciplined by Dad than by electricity.  Dad’s discipline is for his good to keep him safe, the outlet’s discipline is not.
    • So the way you protect your kids is to make reasonable rules, to be clear about the consequences for violating those rules, and to be consistent in the enforcement of those rules.  I was listening to some parenting advice from the clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson and I thought this was so helpful.  He was talking about how important it is to be consistent with your follow through on discipline, because sometimes parents cave because they don’t want to do it.  And he said the reason slot machines at a casino are SO addictive is because they offer random rewards.  The machines are completely unpredictable, so it convinces people, “If I just pull it one more time, I might win!”  He said that’s the same thing that happens to children with parents who are unpredictable in their discipline.  If you only enforce the rules some of the time, it makes your kids think, “Hey maybe tonight is one of those nights I can get away with stuff!” And it’ll encourage them to keep playing the slot machine of disobedience.  Instead, they have to know with 100% certainty and predictability that if I break a rule, I’m going to face the consequences.  And he described the kind of disciplined home you want to create this way:  “Discipline in your home should be like islands of predictability amidst an ocean of play.”  So it’s not like it’s all discipline all the time; no your kids should feel free to play and have fun and be themselves, but there need to be predictable times when they have to be disciplined for crossing the line.
      • And notice, Ephesians 6:4 also warns against provoking your children to anger.  It doesn’t mean to never make your kids mad, because of course they’re going to be mad at you for telling them no or disciplining them.  But Paul’s saying don’t turn them into angry people, and I wrote an article about how to avoid this in the bulletin, but one of the best ways to avoid this is to let them know they’re forgiven after the discipline.
      • Deuteronomy 4:29-31 [After God disciplines His children, listen to what He says…] - Your kids need to know their Father is always eager to welcome them back when they realize they’ve done wrong.  That’s true protective discipline.  Without knowing they’re safe with you after the discipline, your discipline won’t feel like protection, it’ll only feel like punishment.
• Discipline protects them from themselves, but another part of the paternal mission is to protect them from the evil influence of outside threats.  God not only disciplined Israel, He fought to protect them from the evil around them.  This means fathers that you’ll need to get to know your kids’ friends, having their friends over to your house on play days so you can know what they’re like and how they’re influencing your child, it means knowing what they’re being taught in school, controlling access to screen time, how much TV and what kind, being careful not to introduce them to social media too early because it’s been proven to destroy kids psychologically, it means setting clear boundaries and expectations about dating and where they can go and how late they can stay.  While you don’t need to be a helicopter parent micromanaging every aspect of their lives, there’s nothing worse in a Father than passivity.  A father who has no idea where their kids are or what they’re doing and feels like he has no control over their behavior is poison to a family because there’s no protection and no one feels safe.  Your wife will resent you for it, and even though it may seem to your kids like it’s awesome because they have all this freedom to do whatever they want, they secretly resent you for it too.  So when you tell your teenage daughter, “No, I’m sorry you’re NOT going to be alone with a boy in your room,” she may be really mad and accuse you of not trusting her, but deep down she appreciates it, and even if she doesn’t know it now, later on she’ll be so grateful that her father wasn’t some passive weak wallflower, but was actively engaged in her life to protect her from Satan, the roaring lion who roams around seeking families to devour.

4.  Preparation

• Deuteronomy 1:33 - This is one of the keys of fatherhood; to know that your kids are on a journey.  They aren’t meant to stay in place forever.
  • Deuteronomy 1:6 - This is one of the differences between Moms and Dads.  Moms tend to want their kids to stay where they are, to be little and stay in her arms forever.  And that’s not a weakness, that’s how God designed her.  It’s what makes Mom feel so safe for the child.  But Dads see where their child should go, their potential for what they could become, and he challenges them to leave the comfort zone of Mom and to venture out to find a life of blessing.  When Dad’s challenges get too scary, they can run back to Mom for safety and comfort.  But deep down the child knows they aren’t meant to stay forever either, and they need Dad not only to push them along on their journey toward a blessed adulthood, they need Dad to prepare them to flourish when they get there.
    • A great metaphor for all of this is when a father teaches his child to ride a bike.  The goal is for the child to be able to ride a bike on his own without his father’s assistance, but in order to do that, he has to prepare them by giving them instructions about how a bike works, guiding their feet to go around in a circle to move the wheels, putting training wheels on, and then when the training wheels come off, he holds the seat with his hand.  Now this process is scary for your child, and maybe the first time Dad lets go the child falls, scrapes his or her knee, then runs back to Mom for comfort and safety.  But then Dad encourages the child to try again because it’s going to be so rewarding to finally be free to ride on his own, so he climbs back on and tries again, and when he finally gets it, the child celebrates because they’ve accomplished something great and you’ve helped prepare them for a new level of flourishing independence.
• The paternal mission is to do the same thing for them, but in life more generally!  You’re trying to prepare them to leave the home and live successfully without your constant assistance.  Now, it’s not that your child won’t need you at all.  You’ll still have a relationship, they’ll still come to you for help and advice, and in cases of emergency you’ll always be there for them.  But the goal is for you to so prepare them for the world that they don’t need you to tell them everything or do everything for them or solve all their problems anymore; instead, they can use the wisdom and skills you’ve given them to go live a flourishing life with their Heavenly Father.  Really, the goal is to hold on to the bike seat of their lives until you can pass them off to another Father, to their ultimate Father in Heaven.
  • Deuteronomy 6:23 [I love this verse so much] - God had a goal for His people; He brought them out to bring them in.  He brought them out of Egypt where they were floundering, with the goal of bringing them into the Promised Land where they’d be flourishing.  This is what fathers are called to do; to move your kids along the journey from floundering to flourishing, but you have to prepare them for that.  One way is through instruction in God’s Word.
    • Deuteronomy 6:24 - God’s word was meant to prepare them to flourish in Canaan, so that they would survive and live a good, long life in the land.  God’s teachings are not arbitrary; everything He tells us to avoid is because it prevents human flourishing, and everything He tells us to pursue is for our good and will help us navigate life so much more smoothly.  So teaching your kids God’s Word is the best form of preparation for this life and the next.
    • Another way to prepare them is to challenge your kids to take risks to gain competence.  Now, Mom’s gonna be nervous about this, but good leaders influence their kids to accomplish things and it’s hard to accomplish anything without some level of risk.  The more your kids accomplish things, the more confidence they’ll have because they’ll have more competence.  Now of course, the risks need to be reasonable, you’re not asking your kids to climb Mt. Everest or jump off the roof of your house.  No, but you may pick them up and put them on your shoulders as a toddler, you may let them play a sport, you may make them place their own order a restaurant, you may go on a hike down a new trail with them, you may put them on your lap in a 4 wheeler or tractor, all of which is a little scary, but they know you’re right there with them to help them face the fear.  That’s what God does for us all the time.  He asks us to do scary things because He knows it builds our character, but He also says, “Do not fear, for I am with you.”
      • You can also prepare your kids by helping them set short and long term goals for their lives and make plans to accomplish those goals.  God’s goal for His children was that they’d live with Him in the Promised Land, that they’d live righteously, and that they’d flourish in peace with him forever.

And that’s still God’s vision for us today.  The problem is our sin prevents that from happening.  Our sin keeps us from reaching the final goal of the journey we’re on.

Which is why our Father in Heaven sent Jesus in order to fulfill the paternal mission to crush Satan’s head by being willing to die to protect life in the world through servant leadership for His children.

When Jesus came, He represented God’s presence among us.  Jesus said if you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father.  Jesus represented God’s provision for us, nourishing us with God’s teachings and providing us with a safe place to live in God’s home forever.  Jesus was God’s protection, disciplining us by disciplining Jesus in our place to awaken us to the horrors of our sin and save us from ourselves, while also crushing Satan’s head and dealing with the external threats.  And finally, Jesus was God’s preparation for His children, as Jesus not only went to prepare a place for us, but to prepare us for that place so we can flourish for all eternity with our Father.

But in order to make all that possible, God had to become our servant and to be willing to die to protect and save our lives.  He became a servant leader who put our needs above His own, and the question this morning for fathers is, will you be a servant leader like God for your family?  And the question for all of us is, will we trust our Father in Heaven enough to follow His lead?  If you’ll put your trust in Him, you’ll be perfectly taken care of both in this life and the next because He is the perfect Father, and He’s calling you home to Him where you belong.

Series: Life and Character of David

Service: Sun Bible Study

Type: Bible Class

Speaker: Dwayne Gandy