Be Angry about Injustice in the World...and Sin Not

I’ve been privileged to conduct classes for the Air Force on “Bystander Intervention.” The basic premise of the training is to prepare to intervene in bad situations in whichever way you are most likely to intervene if you actually see a bad situation happening. These situations range from sexual assault to domestic violence to child abuse to suicidal ideations. It’s not a Christian training, per se, but it is one of the only workplace violence trainings that is quantifiable in its results, decreasing workplace violence by 17% on average in the first year.

I appreciate this training because it is taking an active role in people’s lives to train them to be courageous and to be peacemakers in their world. Because of this training the tragic death of George Floyd makes me all the more angry.

The Untimely Death of a Human Being

All of the facts have not come out yet, so I cannot and will not speak on the toxicology or resisting of arrest allegations. I suspect more to this story will come about in future days from body-cameras and the autopsy. However, the life of George Floyd was not valued by the police officers at the scene, and this should make all of us angry. Putting pressure on someone’s neck for a prolonged amount of time is never acceptable outside of them trying to kill you. We’ve heard from several police officers that this violated safety training that all police officers should have received. In the military we speak of proportionality of using the right amount of force to accomplish the objective. The reason that this is such an important concept is because we don’t want to cause undue damage or suffering, and we certainly don’t want to kill someone we weren’t intending to kill.

When we see blatant safety violations and excessive force being used on a person who is made in the image of God we should be angry. We should be more angry in this case that George Floyd lost his life. Floyd’s pastor (whom I’ll address more farther on), said it well, “Even if he was a capital criminal he deserved to be treated as someone created in his image.”

The Bystanders are Culpable in their Cowardice

What makes me nearly as angry as the death of George Floyd is the video of his death, the pictures of the person holding the camera, and the uninvolved police officer standing nonchalantly listening to a man be assaulted. This will be what I think about in the future when I think about spinelessness.

This has long been called the “bystander effect” by secular psychology. The Bible calls it cowardice. Cell phones and portable cameras are purportedly making it worse, as holding the phone makes it feel like you’re doing something. 

Further Reading: People Are Filming Accidents Instead of Helping

But just because everyone is sinning by not helping doesn’t mean you are innocent of the blood that was shed. In the long list of sinners in Revelation 21:8 that will be thrown into Hell, cowards are at the top of the list. I am further and further convinced that this is on purpose, there is not a sin on earth that can’t be made worse by bystanders refusing to speak up for the truth or intervene.

All that the standing police officer had to do was tap his buddy and say something, anything, maybe, “He’s done resisting, let’s get him up.” or, “Hey, don’t forget to keep your knee on his shoulder.” Or, “Hey, let me tap you out.” Or the camera-coward could have said, “He’s not breathing, can you let him get a breath?” Or to save a life would you physically remove someone from an asphyxia situation?

The False Gospel Preached to George Floyd

While a Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd, a false gospel murdered his soul. Members of his “church” in Houston have testified to how faithful Floyd was in attendance, but a brief search of their doctrine shows them to elevate social justice far above salvation. Their gospel is no gospel and their peace is no peace.

Do you hate the police officers and bystanders who contributed to Floyd’s death? As awful as their sin was, it could only kill Floyd’s body, but could do nothing to his soul. But when Floyd met the judge of the universe he faced a Saviour spurned, and Floyd’s hope – if congruent with his pastor – was in social justice and self-worth, not in the blood of Jesus Christ nor the justification of his resurrection.

Get Angry

Dear Reader, there is sin in this world and it is going from bad to worse: people hate and hurt people. This is one reason that Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” We worship a God who takes peace and justice so seriously as to make peace by the blood of the cross.

So I am calling you to hate sin, and rage against it, not with worldly weapons, but with the love and forgiveness and peace of the blood of Christ. Love your enemies by taking the gospel of reconciliation with God to them. Declare his hope to a lost and dying world. Who do you hate the most? Might I suggest that there is your missions field?

Then, act as a righteous bystander who opens your mouth for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy (Prov 31:8-9). A friend of mine pulled into a gas station a few years ago to see the unthinkable, a man was on fire in the parking lot! My friend ran into the store to ask for their fire extinguisher but was told the fire department had been called and that he could not take the fire extinguisher. My friend was able to extinguish the flames with a rubber mat, but it was far too late, and he laid on the ground and prayed with the man as he died. The gas station had a fire extinguisher to satisfy legal code, not to extinguish fires. I’m calling you today to make the determination in your heart that you will be prepared, that you will act when action is due, that you will be a bystander who intervenes, not a coward who watches or films or walks by. That you will, to the best of your ability, use your life to extinguish the hatred and violence in the world.

And finally, loved ones, I’m calling you to love the gospel and hate imitations. Proclaim to the world forgiveness of sin in Christ’s sacrifice. Declare the only hope of Heaven found in the Prince of Peace. Stand firm in loving your enemies as Christ loved his enemies and died to give them a seat at his table and transform their lives from hatred to peacemaking so that they may be called sons of God.

Anything less is the murder of souls, and God will not hold those that love sin, preach falsehood, spread division, or watch injustice without acting, faultless on judgment day.

All is Discovered! Flee Now!

Consider for a moment that you just received a text from an unknown number, 

All is Discovered! Flee Now!

How would you react?

In the late 19^th century, and popularized by Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes), a tragically humorous anecdote was told of a person sending six telegrams to six upstanding Christian gentlemen (or pastors) stating only, “All is Discovered: Flee at Once!” The following day (or Sunday) not a single one of the men could be found, having left town in a hurry.

Tell this story at any gathering and you are sure to hear some nervous laughter. The joke is not that these six were accidentally discovered, for the author of the telegram had no knowledge or inkling of any secret sin, but that every man has a deep dark secret of which he would flee if it were found out, convicted by their own conscience.

The church has not been immune from secret sin, but beloved, there should be no unconfessed sin in your life that, if found out, would result in the end of your ministry, family, or life. This has been exacerbated in recent days by the findings of a major SBC investigation into Paige Patterson. The investigation began not because of secret sin, but because of public statements which were made in very poor judgment. Dr. Patterson had little to deny or even be ashamed of in his defense, other than a lack of clarity and of being out of line with the culture, but rather should have clarified and preached. But the investigation did not stop with public and defendable statements.

What was found that was utterly shocking and repugnant in Dr. Patterson’s investigation was that which was known by only a few people, that he had purposefully covered up rape allegations to either protect his seminary, or to protect the rapist. Either is abhorrent and a secret, which, when found out, led to his firing from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. I had supported Paige Patterson up until I learned why he was fired, as the board revealed, this was truly “new information” and was a sin worthy of firing.

Paul writes to Timothy on these matters, speaking about being slow to associate with just any man who shows interest in ministry, because you may be found taking part in his sin. Paige Patterson is a hero in the Southern Baptist Convention and by almost all accounts seems to bear fruit keeping with repentance. I truly hope that his cover-up was a serious stumble, and not the exposure of much deeper spiritual issues.

Paul continued his thought, “The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later (1 Timothy 5:24).” I’ve always felt this was a direct allusion to Moses regarding whether the tribes of Reuben and Gad would provide warriors to conquer what would become Israel, “Be sure your sin will find you out (Numbers 32:23).” Some men are obviously sinners and few are surprised when they fall, such were Jim Bakker, Ted Haggard, Paul Crouch, Mark Driscoll, etc, etc, ad nauseum, but the sins of others are hidden, such as those of Josh Duggar, Paige Patterson, and Paul Pressler, and many are surprised when they are brought to light. I believe that the Apostle Paul was making the point that some sins are exposed before judgment, and others won’t appear until after judgment.

The tragedy of many is that they will never get a wake up call, “All is Discovered! Flee Now!” but their sins will only be made manifest on the great and terrible day of judgment when their faith is shown to be a fraud and their sin finds them out. For, dear reader, you may hide your sin from many people, but you will never hide your sin from God, for his Word is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. No creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account (Hebrews 4:12-13). God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus (Romans 2:16).

Our associate pastor recently recommended a wonderful book to us on teaching children to keep their body’s safe, it is called God Made All of Me by Justin Holcomb. It makes many great points (the main failing is that it does not address the gospel, but dear parent, that is ultimately your job), but the most important for me was where it talks about how secrets make people feel confused, hurt, scared, sad, etc and how secrets have no place in the kingdom of Heaven. Christ came as light into the world and the darkness fled from him, lest their deeds be exposed. There is no place for secrets in the household of faith. We could argue minutia such as not revealing the identity of a rape victim, but we will not argue whether the rape should be reported, investigated, and punished. A secret has no place in Christian's life if we have truly come to the light.

Dear reader, make this decision now, that no secret will exist in your life that, if revealed, would ruin your career, your family, your life, or your eternity. Let no sin go unconfessed to God and man, and unrepented of. The blood of Christ cleanses from all unrighteousness.

There are some whom I know whose sin is evident to all but themselves; there are others whose sin is undeniably there, but which sin is unclear; there are others whom I pray would receive a wakeup call on par with, “All is Discovered, Flee Now!” Beloved, where do you stand on this scale, if a telegraph appeared at your door tomorrow would you have enough time to pack your bags, or would you know that all of your sin is already laid at the foot of a bloodstained cross and has no power over you?

And if all truly were discovered, to whom would you flee? At the end of the age many will flee to caves in mountains and under rocks but will have no reprieve from him who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. John the Baptist asked a wicked and perverse generation whose sin was more than conspicuous, “Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come (Matthew 3:7)!?”

Beloved, there is one Saviour, one name given under Heaven by which we must be saved, to whom we must flee: Jesus, raised from the dead, who delivers us from the wrath to come. Flee to him yourself, and call others to flee, instead of a telegram as a joke, implore men with all seriousness and love, “All is Discovered! Flee now to Christ Jesus who died for you while you were yet a sinner, defeated death, and is able to save completely all who draw near to him in faith!” For how will they call on him who is able to save and how will you declare it?

Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages, but now has been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. ~ Romans 16:25-27

The Daughter of Mordecai

In the wonderful biblical book of Esther are many godly lessons to be learned. As a father of three boys and two girls and having a third girl stay with us temporarily, I noticed something in Esther that I had never seen before: I noticed the fatherly role of Mordecai and the things he taught Esther in her youth that blessed her and her people when she became an adult.

In Mordecai we have not only a righteous man who stands for the truth, stands against (in refusing to physically stand) evil, and who rests on the providence of God, but we also have a great example of a biblical father. We see him teaching Esther obedience, compassion, prayer, and courage, among other things.

Mordecai Stepped up to Raise Esther

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world (James 2:27).” We see Mordecai stepping up to raise the orphaned Hadassah (later called Esther) in the death of her parents, who are Mordecai’s uncle and aunt.

He was bringing up Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother…Mordecai took her as his own daughter. ~Esther 2:7

Mordecai Cared for Esther

Mordecai not only stepped up to take care of Hadassah, but he stepped into the biblical role of father, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6).” He was much older than Hadassah, and so perhaps he might have thought that it would have been better to turn her over to a younger Hebrew family, but as we see later in the book, he trusted in the divine providence of God, and perhaps, he thought, she had come into his house for a reason.

Mordecai loved and cherished and cared for Hadassah. When the king of Persia sought out a new beautiful young queen, Hadassah was gathered into the citadel. During her time of preparation, one year, to meet the king, the Bible tells us, “Every day Mordecai walked in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and what was happening to her (Esther 2:11).”

In his love for her, he looked after her safety and made sure she was being taken care of. Mordecai had raised Hadassah to walk in the way she should, and he had done a good job.

Let’s look at some things that Mordecai had taught his daughter.

A Meek and Obedient Heart

The time in which Mordecai and Hadassah lived in Persia was a very dangerous one. And to make matters worse, Haman the Agagite held onto a 550 year old family feud with the family of Kish, which just so happened to be Mordecai and Hadassah’s great-grandfather many times removed. Haman greatly desired to put an end to the Jewish people. For this reason Mordecai felt it wise for Hadassah to conceal her genealogy.

Mordecai commanded Hadassah to keep quiet in this matter (Esther 2:10), and she did. This was not the first or only time that Hadassah had obeyed Mordecai, she was obedient in this very important matter because she had been brought up in obedience.

Esther had not made known her kindred or her people, as Mordecai had commanded her, for Esther obeyed Mordecai just as when she was brought up by him.
~ Esther 2:20

Obedience in the small things will be translated to obedience in the large things. Beloved, it is not a stretch of the imagination to see that if your child listens to you in your living room when you command them to put their shoes away, that it might save their life in a busy parking lot when you command them not to step off the curb, and it certainly will save their soul when they hear the command of God to obey the gospel of grace (cf 1 Peter 4:17).

Hadassah was quite possibly the most beautiful woman in Persia, she was well liked by everyone she met, she had her own entourage; she most certainly could have chosen to disobey Mordecai seeing as her political position was higher than his, but her strength bowed to Mordecai’s will, and it saved not only her life, but the lives of countless others.

Hadassah loved, obeyed, and respected her father.

A Respectful Demeanor

When Hadassah meets the eunuch who has charge over her, she wins his favor. We see in Esther 2:15 that the would-be-queens who go to meet the king are allowed to bring something with them, but Esther, in her trust in God, chooses to bring nothing special with her, except that which her Eunuch, Hegai, instructs her to bring. She respects his wisdom and position, and though she knows she has God’s favor and needs to bring nothing to meet the king, she respects Hegai and takes what he advised.

Because of this, she not only won the respect of Hegai, but also that of everyone who saw her (Esther 2:15). This was in no small part because of her respectful heart and demeanor. And where did she learn these things? From her father, Mordecai. Esther was kind to everyone, not just those that could benefit her, this was not something that could be taught with words, undoubtedly Esther learned this through watching her father interact with others.

It ought to be every Christian’s goal to be “well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil (1 Timothy 3:7).” The Christian ought to live a life of kindness, generosity, respect, and love. Surely the message of the cross is offensive and the Christian will be hated for it, but the only offense of the Christian ought to be message of the cross, not of a failed and offensive character (cf also 1 Peter 2:11-12).

Hadassah, just as all Christians, could show grace to a lost and worldly people because of a complete trust in God to grant mercy or mete out justice according to his infinite wisdom.

Trust in God

The maidens who appeared before the king of Persia had the option of asking for accompaniment into the king’s court. Some have speculated that this may have been music to show their prowess in dancing, or an expensive wine or perfume to seek to sway the king’s heart, or an important escort such as a prince or politician to show the king their importance. But Hadassah chose none of these things, she trusted in God that he would go before her and grant her favor in the eyes of the king. While Hadassah was very beautiful, she knew the Proverb, “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised (Proverbs 31:30).” Hadassah knew that if she won the king’s favor with her beauty, then in time when the years had eroded away at her beauty and figure, the king might replace her for a younger woman. Instead, Hadassah trusted God and met the king with her true and lasting beauty, the beauty of her spirit. Peter would write five hundred years later, “Do not let your adorning be external-the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear-but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quite spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious (1 Peter 3:3-4).”

Hadassah undoubtedly won the heart of the king through her respectful and pure conduct (Esther 2:17).

Purity

As we sit in the 21st century it is easy to think that sin is easier to find than it ever has been. We have television that brings wanton immorality straight into our homes, we have the internet that with just a keystroke can open up destructive things that will scar our souls for a lifetime, we have sexualized culture in every facet. But beloved, things were no easier for Mordecai and Esther. Sin has always been treacherous and abundant, and no temptation has appeared in the 21st century that has not always been common to man.

This is abundantly clear in the twelve month waiting period before a maiden would meet the king. These girls were locked away in the citadel with no men but eunuchs to guard them. It has been accurately surmised that the yearlong wait was partly meant to filter out the girls who were pregnant when the king’s decree was made. And while the Bible does not say so, I suspect at least a few girls were disqualified from meeting the king because of the wait.

Mordecai had trained up his daughter in such a way that she was chaste, pure, and worthy to marry a king.

Graceful and Submissive

One of the reasons that the king was in search of a new wife was because his previous wife had been contentious and disobedient. It must have been a tremendous relief to him to meet Esther in her submissive and graceful demeanor. “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels (Proverbs 31:10),” and “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all (Proverbs 31:29).”

Fathers, did you know, or more importantly does your son know, that Proverbs 31 is not written to teach women how to act? It is written to a son to instruct him on the value of a virtuous wife. I pray that I will raise my daughters to be a blessing to their husbands as they exhibit grace and embrace submissiveness and that my sons will not be destroyed (Proverbs 31:3) by worldly women.

I pray that they will reach out to the poor, speak for the mute, and open their hands to lift the downcast up to see Jesus, to love mercy, seek justice, and walk humbly with their God (Proverbs 31:9,20, Micah 6:8).

How to Read People

When Haman gains the ear of the king he devises a plot to wipe out all of the Jews in the Mede-Persian Empire, which for all intents and purposes included every Jew alive at the time. When Mordecai learns of the plot, he is obviously driven to despair and tears his clothes, dresses in sackcloth, and heaps ashes upon his head. Hadassah, oblivious to the danger, sought to comfort her father by sending him new clothing to wear. When Mordecai refuses, Esther realizes that something important is happening. She did not press him to change clothes, or cheer up, but instead listens to him and hears his distress.

From her position, it would have been very easy for Hadassah to have assumed Mordecai was overreacting or being ungrateful to her husband the king or sought to press him to end his lamentations (cf Nehemiah 2:2). Mordecai had probably taught her the proverb, “Whoever sings songs to a heavy heart is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, and like vinegar on soda (Proverbs 25:20).” So instead of fighting Mordecai, she empathized with him, and accurately identified that she needed to invest more time and effort into his current situation.

Hadassah knew how to read Mordecai, and knew that his distress was important to him, so she made it important to her, and in so doing she saved many lives, including her own.

Compassion

When Hadassah learns of the plot to exterminate the Jews she acts and in so doing saves not only the lives of her people, but also her own life. A case could be made that she acted only out of self preservation and not a compassionate heart. But that does not stand up to scrutiny, for by Esther 8:3 Hadassah is safe from harm, but she once against entreats the favor of the king to save her people. She puts her own life in danger (Esther 4:11, 8:3) to intercede for her people, even when her life is quite secure.

Mordecai had taught her well to love God and love people, and to make sacrifices in order to help, protect, and even save others. May we, like the Messiah Jesus, be teaching our children that it is “More blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).” May we, like the Apostle Paul, be willing to sacrifice everything for others (Romans 9:3). May we, like Christ, do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than ourselves, looking not only to our own interests, but also to the interests of others (Philippians 4:3-4).

Let us set the example for our children, as Mordecai did in adopting Hadassah and raising her, and then pray for them that they would be imitators of us as we are of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Prayer

The most important lesson that Mordecai taught Hadassah was how to pray and seek God. When the disciples approached Christ they did not ask him to teach them how to walk on water, or turn water into wine, or multiply fishes, or heal the sick, or even to raise the dead, they asked him to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1). Beloved, if you teach your children only one thing, teach them how to come to God (John 14:6) and know the one true God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent (John 17:3).

When Hadassah was faced with impossible circumstances she did not despair for her life, but turned to God in prayer and fasting, and entreated all of the Jews in town to likewise fast and pray for her (Esther 4:16). Hadassah did not suggest a menial prayer at mealtime, she called for a three day fast of food AND water. Three days without water is nearly fatal, but without God’s favor the Jews would surely die. Hadassah took her entreaty to God very seriously, and found faith, favor, and courage in God’s providence. For after all, if God is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31)?

Courage

Finally, in Hadassah’s life we see a tremendous amount of courage. She takes her life in her hands when she walks uninvited into the presence of the king, not once but twice (Esther 5:1, 8:3-5). She had replaced an unsubmissive wife and so contextually she was in far more danger than most in stepping into the king’s court without being summoned, but the necessity outweighed the risk and she put on strength (Proverbs 31:25) and accepted the danger. She told her father, “If I perish, I perish (Esther 4:16).”

I imagine a five year old Hadassah sitting on her grey-haired father's lap and him telling her, “Fear not those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear God who can destroy both soul and body in Hell (Matthew 10:28)." Esther put away her fear of man and kings, she took courage in the providence of God, and knew that God does not believe in coincidences and had not put her in the palace for no reason (Esther 4:14), but that she was to, as William Carey put it 2300 years later, “Expect great things from God, and attempt great things for God.”

Courage is something that God can muster out of nothing, but more often it is a character trait trained through years of practice. Young David did not rush out to meet Goliath without a character of courage that had risked life and limb earlier in his life (1 Samuel 17:34-36). Certainly Hadassah had not decided to be courageous for the first time in the king's palace, but Mordecai had raised her up to walk in courage and know that it was God who walked before her, and who commanded angels to guard her in all her ways (Psalm 91, especially Psalm 91:11). Hadassah was trained in courage, so when great courage was required of her, she was prepared to rise and meet the challenge.

Conclusion

Mordecai was undoubtedly proud of the things his daughter accomplished through the sovereignty and working of God. But beloved, I doubt he was surprised by them. He had ingrained these things in his little girl from the time she could understand his words, and probably even before that. He had trained up his child in the way she should go, and when she was older and a queen in a hostile and strange land, she did not depart from the statutes of God.

Take Mordecai’s example, step up to be the father your children or the children in your house (church, community, etc) need. Care for their needs, see that they are safe, and bring them up to fear God and be used by him in the way in which he has prepared (Ephesians 2:10). Teach them to respect others, to show empathy and compassion, to obey your commands so they will obey God’s commands, to submit and trust to God’s will, how to pray, and how to be strong and courageous. Teach your boys, and even your girls, to laugh in the face of danger (Proverbs 31:25).

You have come into your childrens’ lives for just such a task as this. And who knows, perhaps you and God are preparing them to see nations saved and the name of Jesus lifted high as his peace is published throughout a foreign and hostile land.

In closing, Esther means “Star” and I believe it refers to God shining his righteousness and steadfast love through her. I am also apt to say that it is a partial fulfillment of the prophecy of Daniel, “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever (Daniel 12:3).”

May it be, and may your name and the names of your children be forever remembered in regards to your faith in the living God who loved us and gave himself for us, and by the many that you and your family turn to righteousness, just as Mordecai and Hadassah are remembered and immortalized in the Book of Esther and in the hearts of millions of Persian Jews who were saved from the snare of the evil one. May your family be a starry cluster trained up in the way in which they should go.

God is Pleased to Cut Down Some to Warn Others – Josh Duggar

Josh Duggar is back in the news, and this time the sin he has been discovered in, and confirmed, is after his supposed conversion to Jesus Christ. It is a devastating fall and it is bringing disgrace upon the name of Christ, hurting the church, and crushing his family. It is a terrible and sad sin, but dear believer, God is using all things for good to those who love him and are called according to his purposes.

I pray that one of God’s purposes in the midst of this seeming irredeemable sin is to bring Duggar to repentance. I know that one of God’s purposes in exposing Duggar is to warn the church that secret and unrepentant sin is serious and dreadful.

It was said by Jonathan Edwards, “God is pleased to cut down some to warn others.” His original context is concerning death in young age, however, it is also very apt when a believer is caught in horrifying sin. Now, I am not confirming that Josh Duggar is a born-again follower of Jesus Christ, but it is not place to judge his salvation. That is the job of his close friends, his pastor, and his elders, and ultimately Jesus Christ, but based on his profession of faith, I hope he is a true believer in the Way.

Regardless, if we want to benefit spiritually from his fall, we must assume that he believed he is born-again, and also understand that is possible for believers to fall. The “Slippery-Slope” argument is sound, Josh Duggar did not choose to sin in a minute, his sin started in childhood, was nurtured through pornography, and blossomed in adultery; sin unchecked in the believer is more than capable of escalating to the levels that it has in Josh Duggar’s life.

Consider Ananias and Sapphira, there is scant evidence that they were true believers, but beloved, I submit that there is NO evidence that they were not. When their greed and deceptiveness manifested in lying to the Holy Spirit and they were cut down look at the response of the church, “Great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things (Acts 5:11).” God cut down Ananias and Sapphira as a warning to believers and unbelievers alike that he takes sin seriously and the consequences are dire.

The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was found out almost immediately, Duggar on the other hand has concealed his sin for months and years. Paul warns, “The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later (1 Timothy 5:24).” Beloved, search your heart, which sin in your life are you successfully hiding from the world? Be sure that it will come to light sooner rather than later, and beloved, it behooves you to deal with this sin sooner than later!

It could be that right now Ananias and Sapphira are in the agony of Hell crying out in warning to you not to come to this place of torment. Do not rest on the solace that they may be in Heaven praising the exceeding grace of a risen Saviour. When you pass into eternity, let there be no question in anyone’s mind concerning your salvation. There is no-one alive who can tell you where Ananias and Sapphira are spending eternity, and there are many who worry that if Josh Duggar stepped out of this world today, he would face God in his terrible fury. The warning from God in Ananias, Sapphira, and Josh Duggar is this: Be sure your sin will find you out.

Be sure your sin will find you out.

The sins into which Josh Duggar has fallen publicly are all sexual sins. Molestation, pornography, adultery. These sins are rampant today in and out of the church. Truly the days are evil. Dr. Kevin Leman, in his book Sheet Music, notes an interesting phenomenon regarding sexual sin; that unconfessed, hidden sin is impossible to repent of. He specifically relates this in the context of unwed couples engaging in fornication, that regardless of how much each wants to stop sinning and abstain from fornication it is impossible as long as the couple is the only two who know of the sin. Only once a pastor, parent, or friend are told, asked to pray, and keep the couple accountable, do the couple start making righteous decisions and stop their sin. Paul pleads with you, "Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, who you have from God (1 Corinthians 6:18-19)."

To flee from sexual sin requires light. Believer, if you are caught in sexual sin, you must tell someone who will keep you accountable and encourage you to repent of your sin. Tell your wife, your pastor, a close friend, tell someone. Depending on your sin their response may be judgment, but beloved, it is far better to be judged by a brother this side of eternity than by God, or to be found out like Josh Duggar. James exhorts you! “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins (James 5:19-20).” Employ a Christian brother to bring you back from your sin. Most likely, no matter how terrible your sin is, you will be met with empathy and a willing heart to help you if you bring the sin to light. Regardless, sexual sin requires light, and hiding it in the dark will never benefit your spiritual condition.

Look at the sinners in Ezekiel’s day hiding their sin, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of pictures? For they say, ‘The Lord does not see us (Ezekiel 8:12)…”

Likewise Jesus warns, “This is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed (John 3:19-20).”

Let Josh Duggar be a warning to you. Your sin will find you out. Dear reader, first make your calling and election sure, are you in the faith? Confess your sin to Jesus Christ and look to his work on the cross as your salvation, thank him that he saw fit to save a wretch like you. Second, repent of your sin! Take drastic measures to repent and be forgiven. Look to Caleb in the movie Fireproof when he destroys and disposes of his computer. Tell someone, tell your wife, your pastor, someone, and seek godly counsel to help you overcome and defeat your sin.

Paul promises, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it (1 Corinthians 10:13).”

Josh Duggar has been cut down for your sake. Be thankful for this warning and repent of your sin. Stop trying to hide it; it might be revealed today, or it might be revealed on the Day of Judgment, but it will be revealed, that is sure.

Ending Abortion With the Law of Love

There is a massive movement of evangelists at current to Abolish Human Abortion, not just to outlaw it, but to criminalize it. I agree completely that abortion is murder: those who perform abortions, get abortions, and are accessories to abortion are guilty of murder and should be prosecuted. In fact I wrote a position paper in 2006 anathematizing the USAF's consideration to fund abortions through Tri-Care, and I went so far (to start conversation within the class) as to call for the UCMJ to make abortion a punishable offense under Articles 118, 119, and 133.

But, the legality of abortion is only a symptom of a much greater problem. If abortion were 100% illegal and punishable by death tomorrow, as it should be, the world would only be a little cleaner on the outside, but inside, it would still be filled with every manner of filth and sin. A symptom would be gone, but the root cause, the root corruption would be un-phased.

Consider the abolition of slavery in the United States starting in the early 1800s and culminating in 1863. Now, I am completely against racial slavery (compare: The Doctrine of Slavery), but the abolition movement is not the godsend which it is so often credited with. In fact, I would rather say it has made some things worse, and the abolition of slavery, and the continued farce of the "End-It" movement, do what Peter said of false teachers, "They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption (2 Peter 2:19)."

The abolition of slavery was done by law, it ought to have been perfected with the gospel. I will explain this in a moment. First though, the Bible does not use the word "slave" only for the first century or to be thrown out when our superstitious secularism warrants, "Slaves, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust (1 Peter 2:18)." "Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord (Colossians 3:22)." "Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven (Colossians 4:1)." "Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it (1 Corinthians 7:21)." Slavery exists today throughout the world, and nonetheless in America, and will until Christ returns. Slavery was not wrong because it is slavery, but because it was abused, it was racial, it required kidnapping, and many masters were unjust.

Had slavery been perfected by the gospel, then the nation and the world would be in much less bondage than they are today. In a perfect postmillenial world (one that does not exist and will never exist), where the gospel had been preached and believed and obeyed in America, slavery would have ceased to be the stain on the humanitarian history of these United States. Had the gospel been preached, fair treatment of slaves exhorted, and the refusal to partake in purchasing slaves who had been kidnapped or treated like cattle, then the manselling trade and the Middle Passage would have ceased to function. Imagine this, the Hannibal, a slave ship, deemed a pirate ship by an 1808 law prohibiting the importation of slaves, anchors in Mobile Bay with 692 slaves aboard. The average price per slave is $10.50; but Christian slave-owners, seeing the abysmal conditions on board, and finding that not a single slave was willingly indentured, refuse to pay $10.50 else they be in support of this illegal and immoral practice (Similarly, and a complete aside, supporting pornography, even only through your cable-internet bill, enslaves and destroys thousands of young people each year). What would happen next? At the very least the Hannibal would not carry any more slaves to the New World, for there is no profit in it, nor would any other ship. Perhaps the captain of this ship, in order to recoup some cost, would drastically reduce the price of slaves, in which case Christians desiring to show the grace of Christ might buy them to set them free (Compare This Story), or to act as just and fair masters. In either case, the gospel would rectify the slave trade without prohibition and without promising freedom only to deliver greater slavery.

For there are two sets of laws in the world, the worldly prohibiting kind which are rarely obeyed and frequently broken (do not steal, do not drink and drive, do not murder babies), and the heavenly law of love (love your neighbor as yourself). The law of love is so encompassing and perfect that it need not prohibit violence or racism, because if you love someone, you will seek their highest good and ignore superficialities. The law of love demonstrated in slavery would have benefited everyone far more than the Emancipation Proclamation. The law of love is infinitely more capable of ending abortion than any legislation. A mommy who loves God and their baby will not destroy that baby or the image of God being knit together inside of them. A daddy who loves his child will stand up and be a man and honor Christ in protecting life and raising that child in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

An evangelist preaching the gospel indiscriminately to a crowd will (Lord willing) impact the lives of far more people than preaching focused messages at the abortion minded. Instead of fighting the symptom at a murder clinic, gospel preaching ought to start by addressing the root cause, a sinful heart which leads to fornication, disregard for life, and murder. In my ministry towards youth, allow me to boast for a moment, I know that it is more productive to ensure that little girls never need to consider an abortion and to teach them to love and obey Jesus and give them a hope in the Living God, than to try to ward them off at a moment of great despair and hopelessness.

A famous evangelist once compared addiction ministry to a playground near a dangerous cliff. Children regularly fell down the cliff, some were killed and others gravely injured. One response, the addiction ministry response, was to build a hospital at the bottom of the cliff in order to minister to those who had fallen. The other response, the gospel ministry response, was to put a fence and warning signs up to warn of impending danger. Beloved, which works better? The one that ministers to the effect, or the one that ministers to the cause.

The current abortion ministry and abolition movement are treating symptoms of sin, and while they are doing some good, the greatest good is to be done in full time gospel ministry, in treating the wicked heart which brings forth sexual immorality and murder. A girl converted to Christ in middle-school will never consider an abortion. A high-school boy who determines to honor Christ by waiting for his future wife will never pressure someone into taking RU-486 or be an accomplice to the murder of a baby. An abortion doctor who has no patients will have to resort to finding a second job.

It is a commendable thing to be against abortion, and to call it what it is: cold blooded murder. But beloved, just as the abolition of slavery did not abolish slavery, neither will the outlawing of abortion end abortion. The law has a way of awakening our nature to break that law, but Christ is the cure for the rebellion and fallenness of humanity, he alone has the ability to replace a wicked heart with a sanctified heart.

And finally, and probably most harshly, the abolition of slavery has done innumerable damage to the nation, not just to one people-group, but all who are enslaved without knowing their captivity to the devil. Christ came to set the captives free. A person who does not recognize their enslavement does not seek an Emancipator. The outlawing of abortion without a strong gospel presence will condemn many more people than are currently condemned. As harsh as it is to say, a child murdered is guaranteed instant Heaven by their faith in God (Matthew 18:3) and the faithfulness of God (Matthew 18:14). A child who grows up in a pagan culture is condemned by the sins of their fathers. Adrian Rogers once made the excellent point that fixing atrocities without the preaching of the gospel is only, "making the world a nicer place to go to Hell from."

Preaching the gospel faithfully to all men will result in fewer abortions and make famous the name of the One who is able to save to the uttermost all of those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. So beloved, I implore you to focus on the cause of abortion, and not the symptom of abortion, that you minister to lost sinners in your church, in their schools and universities, in the park, at the mall, at festivals. Wherever people may be found, preempt the need for abortion ministry by proclaiming Christ and him crucified.

St. Patrick's Day - Savannah - Update

Friday and Saturday Vernon, Evan, and I were blessed to preach in Savannah to an estimated one-million revelers. We had great conversations, sermons, and responses and the exhortation of the Apostle is more true than ever, "Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:58)

The following are the prayer requests I sent out to my beloved church, with pictures added. Most of these pictures are courtesy of Vernon. I must apologize for not being much of a photographer on this trip, I missed some great conversations Vernon had. Pray for the youth pastor of a local church there, he definitely knew the true gospel, and was striving for ways to arrest the descent he sees of so many youth into the animism and paganism that is overtaking Savannah; we encouraged him, Vernon with the message of Patrick the evangelist to Ireland, and myself with a copy of "The Way of the Master".

Friday, and Saturday Morning:

We've had a great first day here in Savannah. On Friday we set-up on River Street, and almost immediately had people stopping to ask questions. My best conversation was with Neil, a South Korean student who grew up Catholic and rejected God for the religion of evolution. After taking him through the law, he admitted to believing there was a god, but that it couldn't be the God of the Bible. We had a long discussion on evolution and creation, and I kept bring it back to the law. I concluded with, "'Till sin be bitter, Christ will never be sweet." He took my card and I'm hoping to hear from him again.

After this, the sky opened up and everyone ran for cover. We ended up in a massive impromptu party in a tunnel with our crosses, just standing there garnered us all sorts of glares. After about an hour the rain let up and we headed back out.

As I was preparing to preach, a Jewish Evolutionist came by and said, "One question: how old is the earth?" I responded with just a tad over 6000 years. He didn't like this answer, nor did several others walking by. This led to a great long conversation; the argumentative people kept changing with new people entering all the time, and we kept going over the gospel. At the end we got mired into a discussion with an Emergency Room Surgeon named Zackary who thought you couldn't be a scientist and a Christian. He didn't want to even consider his conscience, but I kept bringing him back to his conscience that he had sinned against the Creator God who holds the universe in the palm of his hand. Finally as we were going nowhere fast I left him with the same thought I left Neil, that until sin is bitter, Christ will never be sweet.

Finally I stood up and preached on the foolishness of the cross to the perishing. We had some very angry hecklers who started dancing and screaming, but they drew a massive crowd and I didn't finish preaching until the police came to shut the hecklers down because they were on the verge of violence. At that point it was almost 2am and so we called it a night. The only act of violence was minor, a drunk threw a beer at Evan but in his inebriation missed and only hit the very bottom of Evan's cross.

The parade this morning drew thousands of people, we quickly handed out our 1500 Patrick specific tracts then headed to lunch. On the way we passed a big park with many people in it, so stopped to share the message of Christ with them. Preached on the law which promised life, but brought death when transgressed, and now leads us to Christ.

Keep praying for us, there are lots of inquisitive lost people here, as well as angry hardened people, pray for our boldness and for the word to go out and call lost sheep home.

Saturday:

Thank you for your prayers this weekend, they most definitely were answered. One of my favorite proclamations of the gospel is, "He is Risen!" because in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ he has proven to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Saturday we proclaimed to Savannah that Jesus Christ is the Resurrection and the Life, that there is eternal life for the one who turns from sin and trusts in the gospel. We received many different responses, but indifference was rarely one of them.

The parade started at 10:15am, we very quickly handed out 1500 St Patrick's Day specific tracts. We watched the parade from a restaurant, then headed out to engage people with the gospel. We brought two crosses, they say "Repent & Believe" and "Foolish to the Perishing" on the front and both say "He is Risen" on the back. Almost instantly we had crowds gathering around us asking questions. The most common question was, "Why are you holding a cross?" My answer is usually, "I'm hoping it will start conversations." Frequently the follow-up question is, "Has it started any?" To which I reply, "If you died tonight, do you think you'd go to Heaven?" Many great gospel presentations ensued.

Pray for David, a young soldier who may have some serious mental and/or demonic issues. We talked for about half an hour and during that time he claimed to be both an atheist and a born-again Christian. He was certain that he was not just a good person, but a great person. Pray that the seed planted will take root and call David out of the darkness into the light of Christ.

We talked to three young men, 20 years old or so, one was so convicted after the law that he walked off without saying anything. I tried to get him to stay for the gospel, but he wouldn't. The other two stayed and were intrigued by the gospel, but both had grown up in dead churches and told sad stories of hypocrites who showed no fruit of the Holy Spirit, and so both denied any power in Christianity to change lives. I implored them to trust Christ and that God is true even when every man is a liar.

Afterwards we set up with our crosses at Ellis Square, a mid-sized park that became a major hangout as the day progressed. It was far too loud anywhere to preach, but many stopped to hear the gospel. One man was so furious that he spent several minutes screaming at me, he kept saying things like, "You're a fool!" "You're an idiot!" I pointed to the cross which says the message of the cross is "Foolish to the Perishing" and explained that God has chosen the foolish things in the world to shame the wise. He was finally escorted off by a man who was easily seven feet tall; Vernon affectionately named this reveler the "Jolly Green Giant".

Evan spoke with a young lady who seems to be in a church that is preaching the truth, but she does not seem to have yet repented. Pray that their conversation will call her to repentance. I spoke to a similar girl who has been through "The Way of the Master" training course but has at least a toe still in the world. I exhorted her to tell someone about Jesus that night: history has several examples of evangelists saved under their own preaching.

The son of a pastor came next, he asked if I believed in predestination. I said, "the word is in the Bible." He said he believed he was predestinated to not be saved. I said that sounded like a wicked excuse to sin. We talked for a while longer and he seemed convicted and ran off. He left his girlfriend though, and we continued the gospel conversation. She said she wasn't a Christian, but that I was definitely sharing Christ in the wrong way. I asked her how she was sharing Christ and she said she wasn't. I replied that I liked the way I was doing it better than the way she wasn't. She went away thinking.

The last good conversation of the night was with a Catholic young man who asked to take a picture with the cross. He then asked, why are you doing this? I said, so I can ask you if you're going to Heaven. He said he hoped so, but after the good person test he showed visible contrition. Pray for him, because his girlfriend told me his motives in taking the picture with the cross were not good at all, but we know that what was meant for evil God can easily turn for good, that many are saved.

We've had a great evangelistic time here, and great fellowship. Thank you once again for the prayers, continue to pray for those who heard the message of the cross, that it would not be foolish to them, but the power of God to salvation. May the Lamb who was slain receive the reward of his suffering!

Conscientious Christmas Objections

After my last post, A Defense of Christmas, I want to make sure that the conscientious objectionable parts are outlined so it does not seem that I defend all of Christmas. We must recognize that there are two ways to look at this, first is between Christian and non-Christian, and second between Christians; this article will focus exclusively between Christians. The reason that this distinction is so important is because for the unbeliever, all of Christmas is impure; they are NOT glorifying God in their observance of this holy-day (holy as in set-apart, not as a means of grace). See Titus 1:15 and Romans 8:7-8 for scriptural justification of this stance.

Between Christians it is possible to have two entirely different views on a matter of conscience, especially concerning things that one believer may have a past in. The prime example in scripture is food which was prepared as an offering to a false god. Some believers believe this food is a sin to consume, while others see no sin. The law says it is not sin, and therefore neither the one who abstains nor the one who partakes are sinning. Scripture is clear that someone MUST not go against their conscience and be careful not to go against the conscience of their brother (1 Corinthians 8:1-13).

Christmas is a prime target for this sort of matter of conscience discussion. Some see Christmas as sinful, while others see no sin. The scripture calls for the one who abstains and the one who partakes to be fully convinced as to their position. As my last post addressed, some (most) who abstain do so from utterly fallacious arguments, and these should be addressed, as God absolutely forbade Peter from calling any food unclean since God had made them clean (Acts 10:14-16).

This post will address several parts of Christmas which are lawful and logical reasons for abstaining from Christmas altogether. As my previous post attests, I love Christmas, but I willfully and completely abstain from the following parts of Christmas.

Consumerism

On the shopping-day following Thanksgiving, commonly called “Black Friday”, we were blessed to hand out over 2,000 gospel tracts to people who willingly stayed up all night, or arose very early in the morning, to patronize various businesses. Several times throughout the eight hours we were active in evangelism, I looked on the crowd and was overwhelmed by the insatiability of it all; that the crowds were longer than last year, and that the same people would be in the line again next year, and were buying and selling only because of the season.

I find no way in this exercise in greed to honor Christ; this holiday should not be about things or shopping or debt. The Bible says that the borrower becomes slave to the lender (Proverbs 22:7), and that we ought not store up our treasures here on earth (Matthew 6:19-20, 32-33), since we can only serve materialism or Jesus, it is absolutely impossible to serve both (Matthew 6:24).

On Black-Friday a man asked what the card I gave him was, I said, “It’s a gospel tract.” He said, “I’d rather have a TV.” It provided the subject of my open air sermon for that store where I preached that our greatest need is not televisions, iPads, or money, it is salvation from sin; things of this world are transient, we must seek the one who is immutable.

Unbalanced Affection

But then one may say, “But the things I go into debt for are to make others happy.” The idea that you can justify one sin with its positive outcome is probably my least favorite part of the Christmas season. Many become Machiavellians (the ends justify the means, even if the means are deplorable) during the Christmas season; people were shot and pepper-sprayed this year during shopping, last year people were trampled to death; yet the long-lines and great deals justify the violence and greed in the minds of many.

But worse than the unlawful justification is the idea that the ends are good; is going into debt in order to shower someone with presents on one day the loving and good thing to do? Isn’t it more loving and affectionate to teach children the principles that will lead to a joyfilled, fulfilling, sustainable, responsible life?

If you love someone, show them that more than one day a year, and not because the traditions of that day expect you to. Christians ought to be celebrating the Advent of their King every day of the year, remembering and honoring his humility and lovingkindness daily by loving their neighbors daily as themselves. One day of gift-giving does not make up for a year of absent charity.

Exchanging of Gifts

Let me be absolutely clear, I am not against gift giving; it is a viable and often excellent means of telling someone that you care about them. Consider, “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16), “Christ loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). We see in Matthew 2:11 that gifts were given to the Lord Christ as he entered human existence.

What I am against is the compulsive giving of ‘gifts’, which is why I am against the exchange of gifts.

Beloved, if you are only getting someone something because you know they are going to get you something, your tradition is one I despise. You’ve entered into a complicated and unrewarding system of barter, one that quenches love and cheapens the definition of love. Give out of your abundance, and do so for affection, not because you are paying someone back. Remember, “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Santa Claus

Depending on which tradition of Santa Claus you follow, there may be something redeemable in this character, but as he is celebrated by most today, I reject him totally. Santa Claus has become an antichrist, a false idol, with many of the attributes of God. He is omniscient, all knowing (he knows when you’ve been bad or good), he is omnipresent, present everywhere (he sees you when you’re sleeping), and he is set up as the judge of goodness, rewarding niceness with presents and naughtiness with disappointment.

Even his name is blasphemous, Santa, directly derived from the German “Sinter” which means “Saint”, or Christian. But if that weren’t bad enough, he even shares a name with Jesus. When Martin Luther was trying to wrestle the focus of Christmas from Saint Nicolaus, he pointed at the “Christkindle”, or Christ-Child, as the purpose of Christmas. Today if you ask most people who Kris Kringle is, you will be told that he is Santa Claus.

The Santa myth is one with absolutely no redeeming traits. He steals children’s affections from their parents, he takes the credit for presents he didn't give, he provides a convenient lie which sounds suspiciously like the truth of Christ, and his overemphasis during the Christmas season drags the affections away from the one they should be on, which is the Christ who gives the ultimate and everlasting gift of life.

Heretical Music

Some of the all time best hymns were written for Christmas. The best hymns focus both on Christ’s humility in being born a baby, and his saving work on Calvary. Consider from “Joy Has Dawned”, which is an archetypal great Christmas song:

Gifts of men from distant lands
Prophesy the story:
Gold—a King is born today,
Incense—God is with us,
Myrrh—His death will make a way,
And by His blood He'll win us.

Son of Adam, Son of Heaven,
Given as a ransom;
Reconciling God and man,
Christ, our mighty champion!
O What a Savior! O What a Friend!
What a glorious mystery!
Once a babe in Bethlehem,
Now the Lord of history.

But the part of Christmas music that I loathe are the ones that have absolutely nothing to do with Christ’s nativity or purpose of his advent, but rather focus on consumerism, joy without purpose, fleeting pleasure, and/or Santa Claus. I am utterly torn on heathens singing Christmas songs, because as we looked at earlier, the unbeliever cannot be pleasing to God (compare Isaiah 64:6), but I rejoice that they hear the gospel in the songs they are singing.

Granted, there is a place for secular music that is just fun, but when it claims to celebrate the birth of Christ I take an offense. I’ll sing “Winter Wonderland” or “Jingle Bell Rock” with you, provided we’re not doing so in church or listening to a “Christian” radio station, but we must keep it distinctly separate from any semblance of Christ worship, except to recognize that we are free to love life and fun and even silliness on occasion.

Conclusion

There is a call for every believer to be fully convinced why they are doing something or abstaining from something. I am fully convinced that most of Christmas is God glorifying and a valid means of honoring the Christ who is celebrated; I abstain from the consumerism, gift-bartering, Santa Claus myth, and bad music. But, I fully understand how someone could abstain completely from Christmas due to the debacle that it has been turned into by these traditions.

However you celebrate your Saviour, honoring him in your life, I pray that he will give to each of us a more tender conscience, one that is fully convinced we are living for eternity, one that hates sin and loves righteousness, that loves people and recognizes that stuff is perishable. Beloved, if you are convinced that any of these can be used to honor Christ, then by all means tell me, or if all of Christmas offends you, let us bear together, and may the God of endurance and encouragement grant us to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together we may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 15:5-6).

I feel that we can do so through Christmas, and so I once again echo the sentiments of the hymn, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”, that even though so many have defaced Christmas, it is still a viable and wonderful celebration of the Lord of History.

Now to the Lord sing praises,
All you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace;
This holy tide of Christmas
All other doth deface.

O Tidings of Comfort and Joy,
Comfort and Joy,
O Tidings of Comfort and Joy.

A Defense of Christmas

I love Christmas. I am fully convinced that I love Christmas, and that it is a viable and wonderful means of showing honor to the Lord Christ (Romans 14). I had intended this season to refrain from pressing too hard on those Christians who are offended by Christmas, after all, if they are convinced in their mind, and it grieves their conscience, then it is neither right nor safe to press them. However, as the antiChristmas rhetoric has started this year, much worse than in previous years, it has become apparent that this misplaced zeal is only meant to tear down the love and joy of the brethren, and therefore must be rebuked. I am praying to convert you to "this holy tide of Christmas, all others doth deface" (God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen), and encourage you to build up the church this advent season.

First of all, we must recognize that we are not living in sixth century BC Babylon, or seventh century AD Saxony, or first century Corinth, or any other place and age where paganism is indigenous. We live in "Post-Christian America", the verse that sums up this country the best is that they, "have the appearance of godliness, but deny its power." (2 Timothy 3:5) Raised under a Judeo/Christian system of law, no-one this Christmas season in America will be bowing down to trees or expecting that their yule log is anything more than a log, and definitely not a means of grace. I've asked thousands of people why they think they are going to Heaven, and I've gotten some outrageous answers, but not a single wrong answer has remotely dealt with observing Christmas or anything to do with Christmas.

Second of all, my friend Willem pointed out that the antiChristmas sentiments are taking on a definitive KJVO feel, chasing after every manner of myth that remotely supports their position. Everytime I've logged onto Facebook over the past week it's like I'm reading a Gail Riplinger novel...Strawmen seem to be the order of the day, ridiculous caricatures of facts are presented that are easily knocked down, the truth stands against the arguments. I'll leave the name out, because I really respect this pastor, but one pastor set up "Yule" as a Babylonian infant son, only to knock it down with ridiculousness; it sounds legitimate and of course you have to say, "I reject the Yule Log altogether!" But the problem is that it's utterly untrue; Yule means winter in German, I could go deeper into its awesome origins, but I just want to point out that KJVO superstitions are outside of the KJVO controversies, and we must forever be on the lookout for strawmen. Now, I've saved the best superstition for last; did you know that Christmas ends in MASS? It is clearly a celebration of the recrucifixion of Jesus and the Romanists are trying to get us to participate! Ok, let's apply your logic, it ends in Mass, true, which meant festival before it meant recrucifixion, and Christmas was around a lot longer than its name (earlier, Navity, Noel, Advent), but look at what it starts with, "Christ". It doesn't start with Winter, it doesn't start with Babylon, it doesn't start with Solstice, it starts with Christ. Every Papist recrucifixion ceremony is centered around their wrong interpretation of Christ, so ALL masses should be called Christmas, but they're not. The term, Christmas, means "Celebration of Christ", we're loving that God became a man, and dwelt among us.

So what of the date? I'm utterly convinced that my Saviour was born on the Winter Solstice (December 25th on the Roman Calendar, December 21st on the Gregorian Calendar); what better way for the King of Light to explode into the darkness rather than on the darkest day of the year? It's almost like he created it to be so. Were other pagan deities supposedly born on Christmas? Yes, but imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Jesus was born on Christmas. But if he wasn't, then you MUST be celebrating his birth somewhere else, because, beloved, you lose so much doctrine if you refuse to celebrate the Advent of your King. The coming of Christ is spoken of repeatedly in the scriptures, your assignment is to read: John 12:46, Luke 19:10, John 18:37-38, Galatians 4:4-5, Luke 5:32, John 3:16, 2 Corinthians 8:9, and especially Philippians 2:1-11; this list is not exhaustive, but it will give you a good start; your King is your example, he is King and Creator, yet he HUMBLED himself to pass into the world through his own creation, born in abject poverty in a stable.

The early church labeled Mary the "Theotokos", it's a word that really makes Protestants squirm, but it's not a term that venerates Mary, it's a term that defines Christ, it means, "God-Carrier", it's directly against the Eusebian heresy which said Jesus was born a man and only later became God at his baptism; the church invented the word Theotokos to say that Jesus is God now, was God in the womb, and forever will be God; it's a glorious term and I love it, even if it makes you squirm. This Christmas, you'd better remember that your Saviour is the Eternal God, even if you don't celebrate Christmas. Your God came not to be served, but to serve, and give his life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45; another Christmas verse).

Christmas really became popular when a terrible heresy was beginning, one we deal with today under the name, "Jehovah's Witnesses", they were originally called Aryans, and they denied the divinity of Christ; they were a major enemy of Christ in the 4th century. In Nicaea, in Turkey, in AD325, it was overwhelmingly agreed upon by the scriptures that Jesus is God the Son; so much so that Santa Claus (Nicolas of Myra, a great saint) punched Arius, the leader of the heretics, in the head. Christmas, or more accurately, the Feast of the Nativity, was a desperately needed festival to combat Aryanism, and another great saint, Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, wrote several great hymns to preach Christ in song. The KJVO people in his day were radically against his music, but it's beautiful.

O come, Redeemer of the earth,
and manifest thy virgin-birth.
Let every age in wonder fall:
such birth befits the God of all.

Begotten of no human will
but of the Spirit, Thou art still
the Word of God in flesh arrayed,
the promised fruit to man displayed.

All praise, eternal Son, to Thee,
whose advent sets Thy people free,
whom, with the Father, we adore,
and Holy Ghost, for evermore.

Speaking of music, it's this time of year that people remember that Calvin advocated the "Regulatory Principle", that if it's not in scripture, we're not doing it. They forget that for the rest of the year they follow Luther's "Normative Principle", if it's not prohibited in scripture and it's useful, we're doing it (do you drive a car or use a computer?).

Very few of us are, like Calvin, Psalm only singers. The greatest hymns of the Christian faith are Christmas hymns, and the only gospel that most unbelievers are going to get this year are in the hymns. I wish I could make every unbeliever sit down and seriously contemplate the lyrics of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and I rejoice that they are so thoroughly immersed in a gospel presence through song during this season.

Unbelievers undoubtedly associate this season as Christian; for a Christian to attack it is both confusing and destructive. We love that our Saviour put on flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14; another Christmas verse!), and we love that a whole nation is confronted with a God who so loved the world that he gave, as a gift, his only begotten Son (John 3:16, Romans 6:23), so I propose, neigh, demand, that we shine the light of Christ during this season, doing our best to ensure that people do not just honor Christ with their lips, but that they actually participate in his grace and are given a new heart which strives to obey his commands.

But is that what the regulatory principle calls for? Are you still holding to it? Then read John 1 and Luke 1-2 and Matthew 1 and Isaiah 9 and Genesis 3 and see that the birth narrative is a VERY real part of scripture, that Jesus having a birthday is hugely important. Like I said, if you reject the December 21st, 25th, or January 6th birthdates, then just make sure you're preaching that the Messiah came into the world in the most humblest way possible, that he held the universe together even as he was being held as a baby.

Do you celebrate birthdays? Did you know that in a PAGAN culture, they thought that birthdays were arrogant and that only kings were arrogant enough to celebrate their birthdays? Do you live in that culture? I don't. I celebrate the birthdays of the ones I love; a dear sweet lady I know and love is celebrating her birthday right now, and I have such affection in my heart towards her and her family that I am telling you that I love her; later this month, and over the whole of the year, I will do the same for my Bethlehem born Nazarene King. Something major happened 2000 years ago in Bethlehem, it was only important because of what happened thirty-three years later when the King of Glory gave his life as a ransom then defeated death; as John Calvin said, "If the gospel be not preached, Christ is, as it were, buried. Let us stand therefore as witnesses, and do him this honor." Let us celebrate and preach the great events of our Saviour, and their theological implications. There are some hugely important events in scripture which we ought celebrate, but they aren't commanded in scripture.

In the Old Testament there is a command to raise ebenezers, or commemoration stones, to great events. Truly, Christians are only commanded to keep Passover (in the month of Easter), but has the regulatory principle so damaged you that you refuse to raise ebenezers? Jesus went to Hanukkah (John 10), which is not in scripture, and therefore I love to stand by ebenezers and preach the great events that happened there: Christmas, Easter (Passover), Reformation Day, John Calvin's birthday (I love birthdays), Columbus Day, etc. etc. My King breached human history on December 25th, 6BC; I'm going to tell you about it, here I raise my ebenezer.

I love Christmas, I hope you will also.

Messiah born so small, asleep in cattle stall
Come to redeem our fall, nailed to a tree
This tiny, helpless child
Through death would reconcile
The holy God and vile, His grace so free
O come, let us adore. - Sovereign Grace Music