The Kingdom Perspective

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.

One of the most difficult things in life is having an accurate self-assessment. Knowing who you are (and who you are not) is foundational to everything in your life. However, achieving this is very difficult because we tend to have a high view of ourselves. We play a game of puffing up and polishing up our image. We do this on Facebook, and we do this face-to-face. Then, in order to maintain this image, we are in constant scramble-mode to make sure no one finds out the truth. It’s really quite miserable.

Now, in his day, John the Baptist was a very popular figure. We would say, “He had a lot of followers on social media”. He was the hottest ticket in all the Jordan River valley, and people were coming from miles around.

But what’s interesting is how John responded to this fame. He did not draw attention to himself but directed it to Jesus. John knew who he was; and he knew who he was not. As a matter of fact, when the religious leaders came to John and asked, “Who are you?” John basically replied, “I am not who people think I am…. I am just a voice directing people to Jesus.” In so many words, John was saying, “I’m not called to impress you with myself. I’m called to point you to Christ. Don’t look at me. Look at Him. Behold Him, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.”

My friends, what a relief not to have to bear the miserable burden of keeping up a false (and idolatrous!) image of oneself. John found his identity not by looking at himself but by looking at his Savior.

Where do you find yours?

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

(Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’”

~ John 1:19-29 (ESV)

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.

Truth is absolutely critical to any functioning society. Once lies become the public and political norm, then society becomes a game of thrones. It is power bloc vs. power bloc. Cynicism rules. Truth is DOA.

So, what’s the answer? Well, the answer cannot be more political power—merely more human laws, or, God help us, more power to Washington. If truth is dead, that only feeds the beast.

So, what is the soil in which Truth is able to flourish? What keeps the weeds of corrupt power plays from entangling and overtaking the seedlings of truth?

It is the fear of Almighty God. We were made for accountability to our Creator. One day, we will all stand and give an account to Him for our every word, our every thought, our every deed. Every motive of our heart will be revealed.

When we deny this fundamental truth, we poison the soil and truth cannot grow. When we manipulate God and His Word to our selfish or tribal ends, we uproot the seedlings of truth. When we no longer fear God, then we no longer fear harming and manipulating those made in His image (Luke 18:2).

The celebrated Russian author and Soviet dissident, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008) knew the effects of a society in which truth was completely DOA. He had spent many years in a Soviet gulag simply for telling the truth. At the end of his life, reflecting on why atheistic communism had destroyed so many millions of innocent lives in His beloved Russia (and beyond), he simply said: “Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened.”

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

~ John 18:1-8 (ESV)

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.

What is God’s will for you as you face the difficult circumstances of your life?

You should give thanks! The Scriptures command us: “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NASB). We are to give “thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20).

You see, Christians ought to be the most grateful people. Our hearts ought to overflow with an attitude of gratitude at every turn, because we know that God our heavenly Father is sovereign over every situation and is orchestrating all things, even the difficult and challenging, for our good.

So much of life is a matter of perspective, and that is often determined by whether or not you practice the art of thankfulness. Studies show that those who practice gratitude (thinking about and thanking others on a daily basis) are happier than those who don’t. This only makes sense, because nothing is more therapeutic than getting our eyes off our selves.

We have so much to be thankful for—
• Food and shelter
• Friends and family
• The simple pleasures of life
• Etc.

And, of course, the greatest reason to give thanks is for God Himself and the grace that He has lavished upon us in Christ Jesus.

Here’s my advice. Take a moment today to express your thanks. It will cost you very little, but you’ll gain so much.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV)

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.

As modern people, we tend to have a narrow or truncated view of freedom. We assume that as long as no one is telling me what to do or the government is not forcing me to do X or Y, then I am free. Now, this is certainly not less than freedom, but it is not the fullness of freedom. Biblically, freedom is submitting to God and His law.

In Psalm 119, the Psalmist rejoices: “I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts” (Psalm 119:45 NIV). In other words, the Psalmist is saying that he is able to walk in freedom precisely because he has constrained his footstep to the obedience of God’s Word, God’s commandments.

Now, this way of thinking makes sense because the Bible tells us that we were made not for ourselves, but for God and His commandments. Therefore, we were made for loving others—living for the good of others and not just for ourselves.

Nelson Mandela nails this when he says:

“…to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” ~Nelson Mandela (1918-2013), President of South Africa and Nobel laureate

Your “freedom” as an end in itself is not true freedom. True freedom is not measured by you living the way you want, but by you loving what God wants.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“May your unfailing love come to me, Lord,
your salvation, according to your promise;
then I can answer anyone who taunts me,
for I trust in your word.
Never take your word of truth from my mouth,
for I have put my hope in your laws.
I will always obey your law,
for ever and ever.
I will walk about in freedom,
for I have sought out your precepts.
I will speak of your statutes before kings
and will not be put to shame,
for I delight in your commands
because I love them.
I reach out for your commands, which I love,
that I may meditate on your decrees.”

~ Psalm 119:41-48 (ESV)

Thank you for listening to and supporting The Kingdom Perspective! The Kingdom Perspective is a ministry of Christ Redeemer Church of Hanover, NH. To hear more episodes you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts. To donate or to find out more about the ministry and resources offered by Christ Redeemer Church visit www.christredeemerchurch.org.

Transcript:

Hello! This is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective!

In our current cultural climate, we are increasingly tempted to become anxious over politics. We can be tempted to get upset that things are not going the “right way”. However, as Christians we need not be anxious. Rather, we are free to walk in faith, despite political disappointment or disagreement.

Now, why? Our anxiety and anger stem from a misplaced confidence—fixing our eyes on self and would-be saviors, instead of Christ.

The Scriptures are clear: The kingdom of God is not inaugurated with the next session of Congress. The Messiah doesn’t arrive on Air Force One. Jesus is not coming to take sides. He is coming to take over. As Abraham Lincoln put it so well at a time of great division: “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”

Remember, the early Christians were put to death for their simple confession, “Jesus is Lord!” By this, they were saying that no human leader or political regime is ultimate. Their hope and allegiance were in Christ Jesus, and the powers-that-be saw that as a threat. These Christians had their own center of gravity and so could not be manipulated by the state or society. As Christians, I urge you with renewed fervor to look to the Savior, not to Caesar. This allows us to engage the public square both courageously and peaceably. It frees us to enter the voting booth with the proper perspective: rightfully fulfilling our duty as citizens, not frantically looking for salvation.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”

~ Ephesians 1:15-23 (ESV)

Transcript:

Hello! This is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective!

In our current political climate, we are increasingly tempted to become anxious not only for any given election result, but also the potential reaction to it. However, as Christians we need not be anxious nor filled with dread. Rather, we are free to walk in faith and be peacemakers.

Why?

Well, first, we can know one thing for sure, that the day after any election nothing will have changed in heaven…or even ultimately on earth. Jesus is Lord regardless of the outcome. And that is very good news…for everyone!

Recently, a dear brother commented to me about the “devastating” situation our world is in. He wondered “what people hold onto without the hope and assurance of Christ.” How true! Thank God we have a hope that goes beyond elections. Indeed! We have a hope that goes beyond the grave!

Jesus—not earthly kings, congresses, or courts—determines our fate. All earthly kingdoms shall “come to pass,” but Jesus’s kingdom shall have no end.

One of the most arrogant politicians of all-time, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, finally got it right after God humbled him:

For His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
And His kingdom endures from generation to generation.
All the inhabitants of the earth are of no account,
But He does according to His will among the army of heaven
And among the inhabitants of earth;
And no one can fend off His hand
Or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’ (Daniel 4:34-35)

Nebuchadnezzar had quite literally lost his mind. His self-obsessed pride had driven him mad, until he “raised [his] eyes heavenward and [his] reason was restored” (Daniel 4:34). Nothing restores our sanity like a glimpse of the Sovereign Savior.

Are you anchoring your hope in the eternal God or in earthly government?

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“This is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. And as it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules. Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.”

~ Daniel 4:24-27 (ESV)

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.

What did Jesus do for us in His work of redemption? Well, the Bible uses a number of metaphors, but one of the most vivid is that of buying us out of spiritual and moral debt. As the book of Proverbs tells, a debtor is a slave to his debt. But in Christ, God has not only liberated us by paying off our debt, He has also filled our account with all His riches in Christ Jesus.

Think of it this way: Coming to faith in Jesus is like bringing your bank account to God. And the Bible tells us that, apart from Christ, our spiritual and moral bank account is running an impossible deficit. We’ve overdrawn so badly that we deserve to be locked up for a very long time. BUT when we come to faith in Christ, God makes Himself a co-owner, a co-signatory, on our account. And then, He proceeds to both absorb the tremendous deficit of that account and pour into it all the riches of His grace.

Thus, as Paul puts it in his letter to the Ephesians:

In him we have redemption [i.e., the payment of our debt] through his blood, the forgiveness of sins [i.e. the release from our moral and spiritual debt], in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. (Ephesians 1:7-8 NIV)

Do you feel spiritually and morally bankrupt? Do you feel like there is no way to get out of your great spiritual and moral debt? My friend, look to Jesus! No, debt of sin is too great that the riches of His grace cannot overcome.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.”

~ Ephesians 1:3-9 (NIV)

Thank you for listening to and supporting The Kingdom Perspective! The Kingdom Perspective is a ministry of Christ Redeemer Church of Hanover, NH. To hear more episodes you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts. To donate or to find out more about the ministry and resources offered by Christ Redeemer Church visit www.christredeemerchurch.org.

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.

What is the most political thing you will do this week?

Christian theologian Oliver O’Donovan points out that the act of public worship is a political act. Have you ever thought of it that way?

What is the outrageously bold political act that we do every Sunday? Well, we gather together publicly and declare our allegiance to King Jesus—that He is both Christ (the anointed King) and Lord of heaven…and earth! The kings, congresses and courts of this world do not ultimately determine our fate. Jesus does. Furthermore, we declare that He is coming back to judge the living and the dead—that the citizens of planet earth and its rulers are all ultimately accountable to but one King—a King who was brutally executed for us on a bloody Roman cross, a frightful symbol of state authority and power in the Ancient World.

Now, how this has escaped our notice can only be explained by how severely we have neutered the historic gospel. Our contemporary notion of Jesus is way too innocuous, way too harmless. He has become merely a “personal savior” endowed only with as much power that we allot Him in our compartmentalized world. But such a Jesus is not the true Jesus. The true Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords.

And when we fix our eyes on this Jesus, it undercuts the angsty hopelessness that plagues us in these modern times. As we see the kingdoms of this world tremble and even crumble, we remember that the real king was already “crucified, dead and buried for us…. He rose again from the dead…and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.”1

No one and nothing can escape the reach of King Jesus.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

” Therefore Pilate entered the Praetorium again, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “You are the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own, or did others tell you about Me?” Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed You over to me; what have You done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?””

~ John 18:33-38 (NASB)

References:
1 Excerpts from The Apostles’ Creed

Thank you for listening to and supporting The Kingdom Perspective! The Kingdom Perspective is a ministry of Christ Redeemer Church of Hanover, NH. To hear more episodes you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts. To donate or to find out more about the ministry and resources offered by Christ Redeemer Church visit www.christredeemerchurch.org.

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.

Aside from the foundational influence of the Apostles, in the first thousand years of the Church, St. Augustine’s influence is hard to match. However, St. Augustine was not always “Saint” Augustine. Although exposed to the gospel at an early age, he did not become a Christian until much later, in his early 30s (A.D. 386), just a few years after the Roman Empire became officially Christian (A.D. 380).

Although he was born into a Roman family in what today is Algeria, Aurelius Augustinus was probably not of European/Roman decent, but rather of the indigenous North African Berber tribes. As a matter of fact, his ancestors were probably slaves of the Romans until about 140 years before he was born.

Nonetheless, as a Roman citizen, Augustine was proud of his adopted empire and its influence in the world. As a child his home exclusively spoke Latin, the language of the Empire. His Romanized life afforded him many benefits and privileges.

However, when immersed in the culture and privileges of an empire, it is easy to confuse that empire with the kingdom of God.

Amazingly, Augustine largely avoided this confusion. Actually, we have Augustine to thank for clarifying the biblical truth that empires of this world—whether the Roman Empire or the American—is not to be equated with the “empire” of God. Jesus said that my kingdom is not of this world (John 19). The kingdoms of this world rise and fall. But the kingdom of God is forever. That’s where Augustine anchored his hope.

Where have you anchored yours?

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold.”

~ Daniel 2:44-45 (ESV)

Thank you for listening to and supporting The Kingdom Perspective! The Kingdom Perspective is a ministry of Christ Redeemer Church of Hanover, NH. To hear more episodes you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts. To donate or to find out more about the ministry and resources offered by Christ Redeemer Church visit www.christredeemerchurch.org.

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.

In ancient Rome, Christians suffered persecution precisely because they did not find their hope and ultimate allegiance in the kingdoms of this world. They refused to say that the political realm of Rome was supreme, and that Caesar was the Lord. To them, they had only one supreme political realm, the Kingdom of God, and only one Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ. Because of this they were seen by many as a danger to the civil order and therefore a threat to the state. However, nothing could have been further from the truth.

Actually, it was precisely because these early Christians were anchored in an eternal political reality—their citizenship in heaven—that allowed them to engage in the kingdom of this world in such a non-divisive and redemptive manner.

If you believe that this world is all there is, and that the political issues of the moment are make-or-break issues, then you will be desperate in your political engagement. And desperate people do desperately dumb things! You will be reactionary to your opponents, vindictive when attacked, cynical in the face of corruption, and hopeless in the face of setbacks. But if your hope goes beyond the kingdoms of this world, then you will be like the early Christians, who, though maligned as troublemakers, lit the path for a new way of engaging. Listen to this 2nd century tribute:

“Christians are no different from the rest in their nationality, language or customs…. They fulfill all their duties as citizens, but they suffer as foreigners…. They obey all laws, but they live at a level higher than that required by the law. They love all, but all persecute them…. In a word, what the soul is in the body, that is what Christians are in the world.” (Epistle to Diognetus, c. A.D. 150)

Could this describe you?

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

~ Acts 2:42-47 (NASB)

Thank you for listening to and supporting The Kingdom Perspective! The Kingdom Perspective is a ministry of Christ Redeemer Church of Hanover, NH. To hear more episodes you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts. To donate or to find out more about the ministry and resources offered by Christ Redeemer Church visit www.christredeemerchurch.org.