8 – Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.
9 – Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
10 – For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.
11 – He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.
12 – For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
13 – Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?
14 – But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.”
15 – But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
16 – keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
17 – It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
I don’t know about you, but when it comes to the state of our nation these days, I’m very discouraged. I say this because to me it seems as if every day our country moves further and further away from the Christian principles on which it was founded. Now…I know some people would stop me at this point and dispute whether or not our nation was actually founded in that way—but the fact is, the United States had VERY Christian origins. If you doubt that then let me give you a few quick U.S. History facts. Here’s the first.
- On May 17, 1776, the U.S. Congress appointed a day of fasting and prayer for the colonies, so that they might by sincere repentance, “…appease God’s righteous displeasure, and through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, obtain His pardon and His forgiveness.”
- Our first president, George Washington is the one who added these four words to his inauguration ceremony: “So help me, God.”
- Then, the very first thing that Washington did after being inaugurated was to stoop down and kiss his Bible, as an affirmation of the submissive spirit that he had toward the rule and authority of our Heavenly Father.
- John Adams, the second President of the United States, once said, “Our Constitution
- was made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. For democracy to work, the majority of the people have to be religious and moral at their core, or it falls apart.”
- On February 11, 1861, Abraham Lincoln spoke in Springfield, Illinois, and said, “In regard to this great Book,”—and he held up his Bible—“I have but to say it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated to us through this Book. But for It, we would not know right from wrong.”
- In 1909, President Theodore Roosevelt said: “After a week of perplexing problems, it does so rest my soul to come into the house of the Lord and to sing and to mean it, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.’ My great joy and great glory in occupying this exalted position as president of the nation is that I am enabled to preach the practical moralities of the Bible to my fellow countrymen and to hold up Christ as the Hope and Savior of the world.?”
But, it wasn’t just the PEOPLE who honored the Lord back then; the INSTITUTIONS did as well.
In fact, 106 of the first 108 schools started in America were founded on the Christian faith. For example, did you know that Harvard and Yale began as ministry training schools—schools to train Christians to be preachers?
I could go on all day—but my point in citing these facts is to help us see how very much things have changed in the United States over the decades—and not for the good. Here’s a few recent news stories to show you what I think of as a downward spiral.
This week the state of New York followed the example of other states and legalized gay marriage. Added to this is the sad fact that these days even my saying this from my pulpit in a negative tone might be construed by some governmental leaders as “hate speech.” This flies in the face of the clear teaching of the Bible that God intends marriage to be between one man and one woman for life.
Here’s another depressing news item. Not too long ago a school board in the Cape Cod area unanimously passed a policy allowing staff to distribute free condoms in school—understand we are talking about distributing them to children! The ruling even required that school officials keep it confidential so parents would never know if their child had requested any. I don’t know about you but these kinds of things grieve me because they show how far we have come from a Biblical view of sexuality.
And—I go from grief to ANGER when I hear about Christian kids being hassled by their teachers because they believe that this world didn’t just happen…but was created by God. It’s no wonder that so many parents are sacrificing to make it possible for their kids to go to private Christian schools these days.
And then, sometimes I don’t feel grief or anger as much as SHOCK…like when I read about Christians being arrested in Dearborn, Michigan a few months ago at an Arabic Cultural Festival—arrested for distributing the Gospel of John in English and Arabic.
These Christians were former Muslims sharing their faith and they weren’t even inside the festival area. Nor were they obtrusive or disrespectful. They were just making their materials available. How can this kind of thing happen in a nation founded by people who came here to have the freedom to practice their faith?
I could continue citing depressing news like this but surely you see what I mean. The sad and unavoidable truth is America has changed. Well, what are we to do about that? As Christians, how should we respond to a culture that embraces evil as good and perversity as freedom? This week as I prepared for my message I read about this man—Alexis de Tocqueville. He was a famous French political philosopher, who toured our nation in the mid-19th century to uncover the secret of its greatness. De Tocqueville traveled from town to town, talking with people, asking questions, examining every facet of our society. Returning to France, he wrote these amazing words. “I sought for America’s greatness. I found it not in her fields and forests. I found it not in her mines and factories. I found it not in her Congress and great tribunals. It was only when I entered her CHURCHES and heard her pulpits thundering against sin and preaching righteousness that I discovered the secret of her greatness. America is great because America is good. If America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”
Well, I think de Tocqueville was right in at least inferring that the secret to keeping America great in a Biblical sense lies in the hands of Christians like you and me. We need to heed de Tocqueville’s words because when we hear depressing headlines like I just shared we tend to blame our president or our congress or our judicial system. We also love to blame Hollywood and the liberal media and our education system. But as de Tocqueville infers—that’s not what the Bible teaches. No—God’s Word tells us that healing nations so that they remain a great tool in God’s kingdom—is the responsibility of God-fearers like you and me. Fixing things isn’t the president’s job—or congress’ job. It’s our job.
Do you remember that oft-quoted verse in the Old Testament about healing a nation? I’m referring to 2nd Chronicles 7:14 where God says, “If MY people who are called by MY name will humble themselves and pray and seek MY face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” So God’s healing comes as a result of our PRAYING and our TURNING. In short, bringing the light and salt that our rotting culture so desperately needs is OUR responsibility.
Well, how do we fulfill that responsibility? I mean, exactly how should we respond to ungodly laws and policies? What’s a Christian citizen to do? This fourth of July weekend I want to suggest three answers to this question…based on Erwin W. Lutzer’s book, Is God On America’s Side?
(1) Lutzer says the first way we must respond is by choosing the right BATTLE.
You see, as Lutzer wisely points out, there is indeed a conflict going on in our nation—but it is not cultural, moral, or political. No—it is spiritual. And, many times we forget this basic fact. When we do, we try to clean up our culture with things like legislation and boycotts. But these efforts are never going to be completely effective because that’s like trying to mop up a wet floor after the sink overflowed—with the faucet still running. Relying solely on legislation and boycotts and petitions is trying to convince citizens of earth to live as though they are citizens of Heaven—and that’s not going to happen. You see, the people who come up with these ungodly laws don’t know God—so we can’t expect them to embrace Christian practices like prayer in public schools. We can’t expect them to pray to a God they don’t know—much less, love.
The unavoidable truth is that our problem in America is a SPIRITUAL one. So we can’t fight it in PHYSICAL ways. No—the best way to change our nation—is not to change our LAWS—but to change the HEARTS of our lawmakers and the people who put them in office and that kind of change only comes through faith in Jesus Christ. Lutzer writes, “God’s agenda is the conversion of the heart, not merely the convincing of the mind.” And he’s right—so our PRIMARY focus must be on proclaiming the message we are entrusted to bring: that we are sinners…that Jesus is God’s only Son…that He died in our place…to make our forgiveness possible.
Now—of course we should support Godly laws…and vote for Godly law-makers. But have to remember that laws are limited in their power. They cannot make people good. Besides, our message is more radical and powerful than any governmental policy. As the church, we preach Christ crucified. That’s our message and the more faithfully we proclaim that message the more positive impact we will have on our nation. I agree with P.T. Forsythe who wrote, “If you move faith from the center, you have driven the nail into the church’s coffin. The church is then doomed to death, and it is only a matter of time when she shall expire.” We are the church…we are the body of Christ…and we exist to proclaim the message of the cross. That message is the only message that can turn things around.
You may be thinking, “But Mark, you don’t fully understand how bad things are. It’s never been this bad—so preaching the Gospel is not enough to do the trick. That’s not the right weapon to turn things around!” If you think that way then I would encourage you to study the book of Acts. If you are one of the Redlanders who’s been reading this NT book for the past week…then you know that the first Christ followers had all our national woes—times ten! Theirs was a fallen and falling culture. Plus—they had no political base, no voting block in the Roman senate, and not as much as one sympathetic Roman emperor. Yet as Acts 17:6 says, those first Christians, turned the world upside down—and their only tool was the Gospel message. Well, if those first Christians can turn the world upside down with rulers like Nero calling the shots, then with God’s help we certainly can. But to do this we must remember that we have a message that is far more important than saving America. We are called to save Americans!
Our first calling is not to get government right—but to do all we can to get people right with God. After all, America is made up of people and America won’t change unless its people do and they won’t change until they ask Jesus to come into their hearts and lives. Years ago, Jack Eckerd, owned a chain of drug stores called the Eckerd Drug chain. They are now a part of the CVS franchise. But back in the 80’s Jack Eckerd became a Christian and our Lord began to change his heart. One day Eckerd walked into one of his stores and he saw some soft-core porn magazines and books on the racks and immediately realized this was wrong. He ordered his chief of operations to remove the offensive magazines from all his stores. “But, Mr. Eckerd,” the man said, “you don’t know how much money those magazines bring in! Let me get some information together and show you tomorrow.” Early the next day, the man walked into Eckerd’s office and showed him the figures. The magazines did earn a substantial profit. But Eckerd still ordered them taken out. He understood that when he asked Christ to take over His life he had a new allegiance. According to the Christian Herald, Eckerd ALSO led a drive, through lobbying and public pressure, to convince other drugstore chains to stop selling that kind of stuff. Now understand—no laws were passed. No boycotts were held. No petitions were gathered. No picketing was done. But things changed for the better in Eckerd drug stores and in the communities they served because Jesus changed one heart. This shows that to change America for the good we have to fight the right battle—the spiritual battle. America will be changed from the inside out not the outside in.
(2) Here’s a second thing Christian citizens must do. In our “battle” we must use the right WEAPONS.
Now of course we need to get involved in government. I mean, we need to vote AGAINST ungodly laws—and vote FOR Christians whose calling is to serve in elected offices. We need to protest legally against things like abortion and work for the passage of laws that support a Biblical view of sexuality and marriage. But we must also use SPIRITUAL weapons and I want to cite several. First there is the weapon of PRAYER. We must pray and seek God’s face. This is especially true when it comes to praying for leaders who do not embrace our beliefs. 1st Timothy 2:1-4 says, “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
So we must get involved—and we must pray—and we must use another POWERFUL weapon—THE BIBLE. I’m saying that Christians who want to be a positive influence on their nation need to renew their dependence on its eternal truth. This is especially important in our current culture—a culture that increasingly denies the existence of truth—and tragically many Christians join in this foolishness. Did you know that according to George Barna, 53% of those claiming to be Bible-believing conservative Christians say there is no such thing as absolute truth? No wonder our nation is in trouble! So Christian citizens need to focus more on the Scriptures than the newspapers. We need to study and meditate on and memorize and live by this Book.
The more we do that—the better we will be at using a third weapon in our “culture wars” — and I’m referring to our LIFESTYLE as Christians. Here’s another shocking statistic. A recent Gallup and Barna research study showed that only 6-10% of Christians live any different from the lost world around them. It has rightly been said that many businesses associated with sin and filth would have to shut down if Christians would stop patronizing those places. Listen, we can’t succumb to all the immorality around us and expect to be able to make a difference. I’m reminded of Titus 1:16 where it says, “They claim to know God but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.” Does that verse ring true in your life? Do your actions deny that you know God? Listen, WE must “turn from our wicked ways and seek God’s face” if we expect others to do so. Only then will God heal our land.
And—I know it’s hard to stand out by saying “no” to the things our fallen world embraces—I know that living according to the Bible’s teachings can make us appear odd—but that’s okay. In fact, doing so can empower us to use another very powerful culture-changing weapon…the weapon of SUFFERING. We need to remember that suffering is part and parcel of being a Christ-follower. 1st Peter 4:12-16 says, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.” Passages like this one inspired Dietrich Bonhoeffer to say, “Suffering is not an interruption, but our calling.” I agree—it only makes sense that it’s going to HURT to go against the flow. It’s hard to be in the minority. It’s hard to live differently than our peers. But doing that—even if it causes us to suffer—is often the only thing that get’s people to listen to our message.
You know…sometimes as I hear the news I get afraid of the kinds of hardship that might come our way if we actually live out the teachings of our faith. In fact, I don’t want to ruin your day but I truly believe that in my lifetime Christians will suffer here in America simply for being Christians…but that should not cause us fear…because if we respond right, temporary suffering will empower us to communicate our eternal message even more effectively. Michael Baumgarten, a nineteenth-century Lutheran pastor who was excommunicated because of his adherence to a true gospel wrote, “There are times in which lectures and publications no longer suffice to communicate the necessary truth. At such times the deeds and sufferings of the saints must create A NEW ALPHABET in order to reveal again the secret of truth.” Baumgarten was correct. Suffering communicates the gospel in a new language. It authenticates our witness. Lutzer is right on the money when he says, “It is not how loud we can shout but how well we can suffer that will convince the world of the integrity of our message.” The fact is to change our culture will require us to take up our cross and follow Jesus—even in pathways that lead us to pain and difficulty.
There is a story—a parable of sorts—about a pilgrim making his way to the Promised Land. He was carrying his Master’s cross, a burden he cheerfully accepted. But he noticed that the farther he walked, the heavier the cross became. One day the pilgrim became weary and sat down to rest. As he did he noticed a woodsman nearby. He said, “Good friend, could I use your axe to shorten my cross?” The woodsman complied and he did. The pilgrim traveled on, making much progress. He was glad because the cross was shorter and his burden was lighter. He continued his pilgrimage but then suddenly he came to a deep gulf in the road—a chasm that separated him from the next part of his journey to the Promised Land. He could see that he could use the cross as a bridge to span the divide. But…he measured and realized it was too short—short by exactly the length he had cut off. Just then the pilgrim awoke—it was only a dream. So, with tears streaming down his face, he clutched his cross to his breast and pressed on. The cross was just as heavy…but its burden was lighter.
You know, there are many things we can do as we see persecution coming our way. We can organize politically; we can angrily denounce our enemies, but there are times when no matter what we do, if we live for Jesus we are going to suffer. In those times we must press on…carrying our cross….ALL OF IT…because as this pilgrim story teaches us: THE LIGHTER OUR CROSS, THE WEAKER OUR WITNESS. Quoting Lutzer once again, “We must bring the cross out of our churches and carry it to a hurting world. Our task is not to save America but to save Americans by living the Gospel.” The average person will never be convinced of the credibility of the cross until he becomes personally acquainted with someone who lives out the Christian faith, applying it’s implications to every situation, even at great personal cost.
St. Telemachus was a fourth century monk who lived in a monastery in Europe and under the leadership of the Holy Spirit one day set out on a journey to Rome. When he arrived, he followed a crowd of people into the Coliseum and as he looked into the arena gladiators came out and began their fight to the death, entertaining the crowd. Telemachus thought, “Here we are four centuries after Christ, in a civilized nation, and people are killing one another for the entertainment of the crowd. This isn’t Christian!” So he got up out of his seat, ran down the steps, climbed over the wall, walked out into the arena an stood between two large gladiators. Putting his hands up, he meekly cried out, “In the name of Christ, stop!” The crowd laughed and jeered. One of the gladiators slapped Telemachus in the stomach with the flat of his sword, knocking him down. But he got back up and again stood between the two huge gladiators. He repeated, “In the name of Christ, stop!” This time the crowd was angry that this little monk would spoil their entertainment so they chanted, “Run him through!” One of the gladiators obeyed and took his sword and stabbed Telemachus in the stomach. One last time he weakly cried out, “In the name of Christ, stop!”Then he died on the arena floor. The crowds grew silent, and within minutes they left the Colosseum. History records that, thanks to Saint Telemachus, this was the last gladiatorial contest in the history of the Roman empire. Listen, the same Holy Spirit that led Telemachus to stand up for the truth may lead you to do the same whether it be to speak out against the sin of racism or abortion or homosexuality…He may lead you to speak out…even if doing so causes you to suffer…because often it is suffering that makes people finally listen.
So we must choose the right BATTLE…and use the right WEAPONS…
(3) And finally, we must fight with the right ATTITUDE.
That is to say, we must confront the sins of our culture with Christlike grace and humility. When asked why we follow Jesus…our answer must be full of gentleness and respect. As Peter puts it in our text we must not.. “…repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, ‘Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.” In a compassionate and humble spirit we must live out our faith. When given the opportunity Christians should be the first to reach out to young single mothers helping them with the very difficult job of raising a child alone. Christians should not only talk about racial reconciliation. We should model it. We should stand up for the rights of the poor, the marginalized and the outcasts. We should minister to those suffering with AIDS…not with self-righteous condemnation but with the understanding that we all sin…we all fall short…we all deserve death. In short, we must not take up the cross and turn it into a club that would make the world “shape up.” No—we must love all people—even blatant sinners—in the same way that Jesus loves us. We must be Christlike in our response to our culture’s sins.
I imagine most of you have heard of Norma McCorvey….the “ROE” of “ROE v. Wade.” For decades she fought for the pro-choice movement and then she met a little girl named Emily and her family. This Christian family loved Norma and showed her that they valued her life even though they disagreed on this issue. Their warmth eventually led her to accept their invitation to church. She went and heard the gospel….responded to it….and invited Jesus into her heart and life. This is a picture of her baptism. After that—for the rest of her life she worked to end abortion…because her heart was changed as she met her Creator and committed her life to Him.
Norma was inspired to make this heart-changing decision by the Christlike behavior of Emily and her family. They fought with the right attitude—by lovingly ministering to a woman who was on “the other side” of this issue. Emily and her family knew that it is never right to fight wrong in a wrong way…that we are never justified to use the devil’s tools to attack his work. When we do we are no better than he is. We are never to hate sinner…only the sin. Those on the other side must never doubt our genuine love for them in spite of our disagreeing with their position on the issue of how to fight it.
LET US PRAY
“Father God,
We are Your people and we humbly bow asking that You would heal our nation. Shine the light of Your truth on our life so we can see our wicked ways. Convict us of our sins and empower us to turn from them. Help us to live Godly lives—so that our neighbors and co-workers can see our good works and be drawn to You. Help each of us to be light that leads people out of darkness to faith in Your Son. Even if it involves suffering…mold and make us into the kind of salt our culture needs in order for it to be a tool for the furtherance of Your eternal kingdom. Father, I ask that You would be with President Obama…and our congress and senate and judges. Lighten the burden of their office by guiding their decisions. And now—guide those of us who are in this room. Show us the decisions we need to make in order to please You. I ask this in Jesus’ name. AMEN.
As we stand and sing I invite you to respond publically or privately in any way that God leads. Come and profess your faith in Jesus…come and ask to join our church..come to pray…come.