The Kingdom Perspective

Transcript:

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

What should we pray for right now more than anything else in these troubled times?

Certainly, we should pray for provision for our needs and protection from all our troubles—for ourselves, our family and our world. The “Lord’s Prayer” commands us to pray, “Gives us this day our daily bread…and deliver us from evil.”

Nonetheless, at the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus prioritizes something deeper and more important—the coming of God’s kingdom. As we pray, “Thy kingdom come!”, we pray for the inbreaking and advance of Jesus’s reign over our lives and over every human heart.

History tells us that God often acts in times of crisis to bring both revival to his people and awakening to his world. In such times, the spiritual fog that clouds our vision is suddenly lifted and our state of spiritual need is unveiled.

And so, we should be praying that God would use our present circumstances not just to drive us to cry for temporal relief, but to hunger for Him. We should pray with the prophet Isaiah:

Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down,
that the mountains might quake at your presence—
as when fire kindles brushwood
and the fire causes water to boil—
to make your name known to your adversaries,
and that the nations might tremble at your presence! (Isaiah 64:1-2)

What we need most right now, more than anything else, is God. And so, we pray, “May Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth, even as it is in heaven! Amen.”

Something to think about—and pray about—from The Kingdom Perspective.

“Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
[For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]”

~ Matthew 6:9-13 (NASB95)

Transcript:

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

I love the simplicity and wisdom of Martin Luther’s faith. In 1527 as the plague hit Wittenberg, the German pastor and professor offered some advice to a fellow pastor. Of course, Luther wrote without knowledge of modern science and medicine. Nonetheless, carefully note his courageous faith tempered with practical wisdom. Luther writes:

…by God’s decree the enemy has sent us poison…. I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then, I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine, and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed, in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance inflict and pollute others and so cause their death, as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me, he will surely find me, and I have done what he has expected of me; and so, I am not responsible for either my own death or the death of others. If my neighbor needs me however, I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely…. See, this is such a God-fearing faith because it is neither brash nor foolhardy and does not tempt God.” (Martin Luther to Johann Hess, pastor at Breslau)

I think Luther strikes the right balance. True faith in Jesus always mingles prudence with courage. It always seeks to find the intersection between the wisdom of science and the wisdom of religion. God is a god of faith, but never a god of foolishness.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“Wisdom cries aloud in the street,
in the markets she raises her voice;
at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
‘How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing
and fools hate knowledge?
If you turn at my reproof,
behold, I will pour out my spirit to you;
I will make my words known to you.
Because I have called and you refused to listen,
have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,
because you have ignored all my counsel
and would have none of my reproof,
I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when terror strikes you,
when terror strikes you like a storm
and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come upon you.
Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;
they will seek me diligently but will not find me.
Because they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the Lord,
would have none of my counsel
and despised all my reproof,
therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,
and have their fill of their own devices.
For the simple are killed by their turning away,
and the complacency of fools destroys them;
but whoever listens to me will dwell secure
and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.’”

~ Proverbs 1:20-33 (ESV)

Transcript:

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

In the frenetic pace of modern life, rest is often the first casualty.

However, biblically speaking, rest is a good thing. God instituted a Sabbath in the very created order. He commanded the children of Israel to “Remember the Sabbath, and keep it holy.” In other words, the nation of Israel was to cease from their labors, one day in seven, and reflect upon the fact that God provides for His people even when they are helpless. Indeed, it was in their helplessness that He delivered them from 24/7 slavery in Egypt.

You see, God is not like the pagan deities or rulers, that demand round the clock toil. Human beings do not exist for subservience to anyone. Even God himself shared His rule with human beings when He gave them dominion over the creation. Indeed, even our destiny in the kingdom of Heaven is spoken of a sabbath rest where we will reign with King Jesus.

Now, good Christians can debate about the proper application of the Sabbath command in the life of the church. However, what we cannot debate about is the heart of that command: God is a god who gives rest. Neither, can we debate about the propriety of the command: we are mere creatures which God in His grace has made kings of His creation, and so we need rest and deserve it.

Slaves have to work 24/7. Kings are free to enjoy the pleasure of their dominion.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’ And God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

~ Genesis 1:26-31 (ESV)

“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.”

~ Genesis 2:1-3 (ESV)

Transcript:

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

Do you know that God saves us through suffering, not apart from it?

Peter reminds us to not be surprised by the “fiery ordeal” that comes upon us for our “testing.” In the context the “fiery testing” speaks of precious metal in the furnace. The heat purifies the gold by separating out the dross. So, it is with our faith. God uses the sufferings of this present life (the heat of trouble), in order to purify our faith. It is this purity of faith that leads to the fullness of our salvation—the “praise and glory and honor” we will share with Jesus Christ at his second coming (1 Peter 1:7)—a glory so amazing, that even a glimpse in the here and now makes us “rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8). But this glorious joy comes only through the furnace of suffering; He saves us not apart from suffering, but through it.

Jesus presses the same truth on his disciples in the Upper Room discourse: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have trouble. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Remember, Jesus says this the night before his own crucifixion. His own crucifixion! A suffering so unimaginable that those closest to him could not see it coming. But it did come, and Christ suffered to take away our sin (1 Peter 3:18). And so, God saved us, not apart from suffering, but rather through the suffering of his only begotten Son.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.”

~ 1 Peter 3:13-17 (ESV)

Transcript:

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

All people are called to obey the civil authorities, but this is all the more so for the Christian. Why? The Christian knows that authority is not a “necessary evil” but is an essential good. All authority is from God, and He Himself is the authority above all authorities. God is good and so authority is essentially good.

Now, certainly human authority can become corrupt, and we must be on guard for such a threat. However, human authority, whether it is in the home, workplace, church or government, is essentially good and proper. It is a reflection and extension of God’s love and care for us. And authority is especially important in times of crisis. It exists for good order and the flourishing of humanity. Imagine what the world would be like without it!

As the Apostle Paul puts it in his letter to the Romans:

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves… (Romans 13:1-2)

Therefore, as a general rule, when you obey the recommendations and requirements of your federal, state, and local authorities, you are not only loving your neighbor by maintaining good social order, you are also loving your God who established such authorities.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.”

~ Romans 13:1-7 (ESV)

Transcript:

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

There is a reason why Christians of previous generations were more stalwart in the face of life’s troubles. They drank deeply from the well of good, gospel-driven theology. They were not content to skim the surface or merely dabble in doctrine, but dug deep into the truth of Christ and rooted their whole life in it. We would do well to learn from their example.

Our spiritual ancestors pondered the truths of Scripture, distilling their essential teachings into many creedal and catechetical statements, that were designed for recitation and memorization. For example, consider the richness of opening question and answer of 16th century Heidelberg Catechism:

Q: What is your only comfort, in life and in death?

A: That I belong—body and soul, in life and in death—not to myself but to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ, who at the cost of his own blood has fully paid for all my sins and has completely freed me from the dominion of the devil; that he protects me so well that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, that everything must fit his purpose for my salvation. Therefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

Such statements are not only beautiful, but they also serve as a bulwark for troubled times.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

~ Psalm 23:1-6 (ESV)

Transcript:

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

Sacrificial generosity is at the very heart of the Christian gospel. The gospel is the story of God generously sacrificing His life for us. When we believe the gospel, we become those that do the same for others.

Fortunately, We have 2,000-years of church history replete with accounts of this sacrificial generosity on display. One such example comes to us from a description of the church in 3rd century Alexandria (modern day Egypt)—as a lethal epidemic swept through that ancient pagan city. Listen to a church leader describe the response of Christians:

“[During the great epidemic] most of our… [fellow] Christians showed unbounded love and loyalty, never sparing themselves. Heedless of danger, they took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them in Christ. Many, in nursing and curing others, transferred their death to themselves and died in their stead…. The pagans behaved in the opposite way. At the first onset of the disease, they pushed the sufferers away and fled even from their dearest, often throwing them into the roads before they were dead…” (Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria, 260 AD).

Fortunately, with modern medicine the personal risk of caring for the sick and dying is somewhat mitigated. However, the impulse to do so must not be. The gospel makes us generous, courageous and loving even in the face of death and disease. Why? Because the One who has so loved us has overcome the mother of all fears—death itself!

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.”

~ Romans 12:9-13 (ESV)

Transcript:

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

Generosity is at the very heart of the gospel. If you do not understand generosity, you do not understand Jesus.

The Bible reminds us, that in this world there will always be those with physical and material needs. At times of extreme social and economic upheaval, this becomes all the more pronounced. At such times Christians are called to shine the most, by providing for those who cannot provide for themselves. One of the central ways we do this is though the shared benevolence or mercy ministries of our local churches. Therefore, we should always be eager to give to these above and beyond our regular faithful support to the church’s gospel teaching ministry.

In the 4th century the non-Christian Roman Emperor Julian tried to squelch the growing Christian movement. He ultimately failed, and in a letter, admits why. He laments that his own pagan religion was failing to attract the public while “the charity of the Christians to strangers…has done the most to advance their cause…. For it is disgraceful that… [Christians] support our poor in addition to their own” (Roman Emperor Julian, “Letter to Arsacius,” 360 AD).

You see, the gospel makes those infected by it unusually generous—eager to meet the needs of others. Why? Because we are beneficiaries of the infinite and eternal generosity of God in Jesus Christ.

Something to think about from the Kingdom Perspective.

“The religion of the Greeks does not yet prosper…. Why do we not observe how the charity of Christians to strangers…has done the most to advance their cause? For it is disgraceful that…the impious Galileans [Julian’s name for Christians] support our poor in addition to their own, while everyone is able to see that our coreligionists lack aid from us!”

~Roman Emperor Julian (332-363), Letter to Arsacius, 360 AD

“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

~ Luke 6:37-38 (ESV)

Transcript:

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

The Gospel of Jesus calls us to rethink the arrogant assumptions of our lives.

For example, as we’ve seen over and over again with tragedies near and far, it doesn’t take much to expose both our frailty and the foolish of our assumptions about life. The fact that a mere virus—something so small, unseen to the naked eye—can not only kill me but also bring modern civilization to a standstill ought to be a warning to us all.

Your life is not your own. You belong to God. You were made by Him. You were made for Him. You will give an account to Him. Your life is in His hands. Not to recognize this, both deeply and continually, is what the Bible calls “worldliness”—and “worldliness” is the height of foolishness.

This foolishness is what the New Testament writer James (echoing both Jesus and the Old Testament) goes after in James chapter four:

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a city and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

~ James 4:13-17 (ESV)

Transcript:

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

Christian history is filled with those made courageous by gospel hope.

One such example is the great German reformer Martin Luther. He is certainly one who knew fear and tragedy. But he also knew the power of Christ to overcome these. When the plague hit the university town of Wittenberg in August 1527, the pastor and reformer along with his wife Katharina maintained their post, ministering to the spiritual and physical needs of those suffering. Katharina was pregnant at the time, but they opened their home to the sick and needy.

How could they do this? Well, their hope was in the God of Psalm 46.

1 God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea…

History suggests to us that it was about this time that Luther wrote his most famous hymn based on this Psalm. The opening lines declare:

A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood
of mortal ills prevailing

Later he goes on to end his hymn with the following:

Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also:
The body they may kill:
God's truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

The gospel gives us courage that goes beyond the troubles and terrors of this world, because the gospel gives us an eternal God who is our unfailing defender.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah.”

~ Psalm 46:1-7 (ESV)