The United States of America Turns 250

Proverbs 14:34. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, July 5, 2026.

Two Hundred Fifty years ago yesterday, the Continental Congress debated and adopted the formal declaration of Independence that was worked out by the Committee of Five: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston.

It was actually on July 2^nd of that year that the same congress adopted a resolution absolving themselves from any allegiance and political tie to Great Britain.

Later after a decade of struggling to work together as a Republic, the Constitution was hammered out and ratified with this preamble:

"We The People of the United States of America in order to

• form a more perfect Union,
• establish Justice,
• insure domestic Tranquility,
• provide for the common defence,
• promote the general Welfare, and
• secure the blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity,

do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

Many things can be said about this statement.  First, it purposefully lists “We the People” in large letters as the agent creating the document.  No government was giving the people anything.  It was the people who were creating and empowering the federal government.

I want to focus on the last purpose listed for the creation of this constitution, “and secure the blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.”  The importance of Liberty, Freedom, was a common theme among the leaders of those days. 

Many sermons and speeches referenced Proverbs 14:34 in those days.  “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”

The question now hangs over our Republic as it did all those years ago, will we prosper as a people into the future, and what exactly is meant by prosperity?

When Patrick Henry passed away in 1799, there was an original copy of the 1765 Stamp Act among his personal effects.  This Act had been passed by the Virginia legislature, of which Henry was a member at the time.  A handwritten message was placed on the back of that document by Patrick, knowing others would go through his stuff at his death.  Here is the message.

“Whether this [the American Revolution] will prove a blessing or a curse will depend upon the use our people make of the blessings which a gracious God hath bestowed on us.  If they are wise, they will be great and happy.  If they are of a contrary character, they will be miserable.  Righteousness alone can exalt them as a nation [Proverbs 14:34].  Reader!—whoever thou art, remember this!—and in thy sphere practice virtue thyself and encourage it in others. P. Henry.”

The scope of this proverb is national, but Patrick brings it down to the personal level.  If it is true that righteousness exalts a nation, then I must do my part within my sphere of influence.  I must “practice virtue” myself.  Of course, much righteousness is not done because we are too busy pointing out the unrighteousness of others.  May God help us to grasp this once again across this Republic!

Let’s go deeper into this proverb.

Righteousness exalts a nation

Though this is a simple statement, it begs many questions regarding what is meant by the person making it. 

Just what is righteousness?  This is one of the prime questions of our day.  How we define righteousness, right and wrong, is up for grabs today.  Many refuse to accept that there can be an absolute right or wrong.  They are all about a subjective approach to this definition.

However, this creates a problem.  Everyone will complain if you punch them in the face and take their stuff.  Will it be any easier for them to accept it if I say, that it is “right” for me?  Of course not.  This is not a view you can actually live by, at least not for long.  It works fine, until it doesn’t.  Such people will have no problem pretending that you have absolutely wronged them!  Clearly, they won’t use that terminology!

This reminds me of the book of Judges in the Bible, each one doing what is right in their own eyes.  They too started out as a people with “No king, but King Yahweh!”  Yet, they couldn’t survive everyone being their own king.  God had to save them over and over again.

America started out with the mantra, “No king, but King Jesus!”  We too are finding it hard to stick to that path.  We would rather follow our own definition of righteousness.

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 14:12 that, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”  You could replace “seems” with “feels” and have the same sense.  This was illustrated by Adam and Eve in the Garden.  The serpent tempted them to define right and wrong for themselves.  Come on!  Don’t you want to be like God?  Thus, humanity embarked on a road of death almost from its beginning.

If you are using your “feelings” to determine what is right, you will quickly find out that no one else cares.  Why should my life be determined by your feelings?  If there is no absolute right and wrong, then we can’t even begin to have a discussion.  There is no foundation to start on but everyone’s feelings.

Those who are intellectually honest will see quickly that this is a weak position.  Thus, people will quickly retreat to a more sophisticated position.  The definition of righteousness becomes whatever the majority of people within a society agree upon for the time being.  Of course, there rarely is a vote on the subject.  And then in cases where a vote happens, it is rarely a true majority.  There are those who are for a position and those who are against.  Yet, there are many in the middle who become the target of the “highest bidder,” seeking to get their vote.  Of course, some of them do not vote.

In the end such a definition of righteousness creates a social quagmire, quicksand, upon which we can never depend upon what will be right tomorrow.  Everyone will be constantly “evolving” on the issues in order to look like they are with the times.  In the end, we are led to become a prostitute-people selling ourselves for the next beautiful trinket, selling ourselves for “bread and circus.”

In truth, this position is about what the majority can be manipulated to go along with.  Yet, God’s Word shows us a better way.  Psalm 145:17 says, “The LORD is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds.”  The best definition of what is righteous is that which conforms to the character of God.

This is often described as “the way of the LORD,” as opposed to “the way that seems right to a man.”  The Old Testament revealed the character and actions of God.  However, because men often manipulate words to their own ends, Jesus came as the exact representation of God the Father’s righteousness and nature.  He was the perfect image.  What did we find by the way Jesus lived and died?  God is far more loving than some want to pretend, and sin is far worse than we ever imagined.

The twisted nature of sin hijacks you from truth (if you were ever interested in it in the first place).  In the name of God, we will put God to death.  In the name of truth, we will put truth to death.  Without the righteousness of God, you will always end up in destruction because you are rejecting the Creator of all things and His wisdom, instruction, on how it was made to work.

So, what is the righteousness of a nation, or the lack thereof?  It is found in the public policies and their level of conformity to God’s revealed will.  It is essentially all the things we as a people are living by.

What is meant in this proverb by being exalted?  It is a general statement, so it is not so much about being the top nation in the world.  It simply means to rise, to rise up out of degradation, poverty, and slavery (first spiritually and then naturally).  No other nation has to be pulled down in order for a nation to rise.  A man rising up and being industrious all day does nothing to diminish the people around him.  They too could do the same thing.

We are a people halting at the intersection of the future.  I do not believe a majority of the people agree with the ungodly things that are being pushed in our land.  However, some think it is somehow godly not to promote the principles of Christ in our land.  Too often the standing down of people who claim to follow the righteousness of Christ contributes to the lack of righteousness in this Republic.  How long can a man do this and remain righteous?  This is a tension that we need to seek the Holy Spirit concerning.

The problem in our society is not the kid who is confused about their gender.  The problem is a collusion of so-called experts to tell them that their solution is surgery.  Again, I doubt a majority of Americans think that this is good and the best option.  So why does the majority stand down and let it happen?

Sin is a disgrace to any people

The second half of Proverbs 14:34 describes the reverse of the first half.  No people are so great as to make themselves immune to this truth.  Let me be direct.  The United States of America is not immune to this verse.  Before we get into that, let’s talk about what we mean by sin.

The English word “sin” refers to missing a target.  However, we should be clear on what the target should be.  A better definition would be any thought, speech, or action that goes against the revealed character of God.  This involves both internal and external things.

Of course, external sins cause more damage to a society, but then, all sins begin internally.  It is only a matter of time before it shows its ugly head in one form or another.  Thus, a person should never settle for simply nipping sin when it buds, i.e., breaks forth into our external life.  We must commit ourselves to rooting it out of our hearts and mind through a diligent relationship with Christ.  Such a relationship will involve the Written Word of God, prayer, listening for the leading of the Holy Spirit, and living out the righteousness of Christ.

Our society is in the midst of exalting and enshrining in its public policies full-throated rejections of God’s revealed will.  Things like no-fault divorce, no penalty for adultery, the attack of Christian families, the abortion issue, and many others, are encouraging the average persons in sin.  I don’t say that pointing the finger.  Yes, we all fall short of the glory of God and have plenty of fingers pointing at us.  However, I am talking about the public policies, what we are holding up as acceptable or good.  Many of these things are rejections of the revealed will of God.

All people need compassion and grace, but it is not an act of compassion to help people cast off the righteousness of God.  It is not an act of compassion to remove as many consequences as possible of a person’s sin.  Our society seems to have a sick form of sin where we try to make ourselves feel better by redefining sin.  In truth, this is a national suicide according to Proverbs 14:34.

The word “disgrace” here could be translated “shame.”  It is functioning as a contrast to the earlier exaltation caused by righteousness.

Shame can refer to feelings that we have regarding the bad things that we have done.  A person may or may not feel ashamed of the sin they are doing.

Shame can also refer to your position before society for what you have done.  It is the overt standing of society towards our sinful actions.  A person may or may not care about what society thinks.  In fact, society and people can be wrong.

Finally, shame can also be the consequences or damage done to us and others when we sin.  All sin causes injury to self and others to some degree.  Thus, the disgrace is a sinking down into the consequences of our sin.  It is the resultant bondage in which we find ourselves stuck.

How long can a people, a Republic, cause injury to themselves morally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically without falling?  What would that fall look like?  It would look like a dissolving of the things that once held us up.  It would look like righteousness becoming rarer and rarer while sin becomes more and more common. 

I said this earlier and I want to say it again.  No people are immune to the destructive effects of sin.  We must be a light to our people.  We must speak the truth in love.  We need to stand with Jesus in this hour for our people.

If you find yourself or others having an attitude that says, “Nothing can be done,” then hear the word of the Lord.  Our work is not based on the likelihood of success.  It is based upon the sacrifice and command of Christ.  It is based upon the leading of the Holy Spirit.  In our flesh, we may not care about politics and our Republic.  But, as a believer in Jesus, we must be concerned and involved in the public policies of our society, however that may be.

May God strengthen us in this day as we cross 250 years as a Republic!

America 250 audio

The First Letter of Peter- 15

Subtitle: Our Witness before the World- Part 7

1 Peter 3:13-17.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, March 1, 2026.

The verses leading up to this section were a quote from Psalm 34 which declares that God is against evildoers and on the side of the righteous.  This was written by David expressing his faith in the midst of a time of persecution and suffering.  In other words, it was written in a time when he could easily have doubted this truth.

This begs the question of why righteous people suffer.  Peter doesn’t approach the issue this way, but it is at the back of all that he says about it.

Let’s look at our passage.

You may suffer for doing what is good and right (13-17)

When I say that you “may” suffer for doing what is good and right, I am keying off of the conditional words that Peter gives in this section.  The clincher is in verse 17.  There Peter uses the phrase “if God should will it.”

Of course, there are levels of suffering and different kinds of suffering. Yet Peter is preparing believers for whatever levels they may face.

There is a cognitive dissonance that occurs when we recognize that, though God is on the side of the righteous, He often allows the righteous to suffer at the hands of the wicked.  How can this be?

Whether we can answer this or not, Peter makes it clear that God does allow believers to suffer for doing what is good (verse 13) and right (verse 14).  He does have a reason, but we do not always know specifically what that is.

Of course, we are talking about good and right as God defines it and not as society defines it.  This is what marks a Christian.  We have stopped defining these things for ourselves or using society’s definition.  We are following the thinking and mind of Christ.

Even a society that was built upon the foundation of God’s definitions of good and right can drift away from them.  Eventually this becomes all out rebellion to the Word of God and to the Spirit of Christ.  We see this in the Bible with Israel, and we see it today in these united States of America.  An example is how our culture has been accusing Christians of not showing love when they do not approve of homosexuality or the transgender craze that happening.  The world makes a “moral” accusation that is equivalent to saying, “You are bad, even evil!”

Yet the truth is this.  There is nothing more loving than to protect your child against this wicked persuasion that has taken over our land.  It is fundamentally God’s will for parents to shield their kids from this.  It is an age-old problem.  Society’s love to call evil what God calls good and to call good what God calls bad.

In verse 13, Peter opens with this question.  Who would harm you for doing what is right?  Some translations use the word zealous for what is right and others have for following what is right.  Regardless of which of these is the right word, they both are saying the same thing.  Zeal refers to an internal drive for what is right.  The phrase “following good” (or imitating good) focuses on the external act that flows out of an internal zeal.  Yet the main point is about who would harm you for this.

We can approach this question like Paul does in Romans 8:31. “If God be for us who can be against us?”  The answer in one respect is, “No one of any consequence.”  Thus, Paul states that nothing (no one) can separate us from the love of God.  This is true even when God allows them to persecute us (harm us for doing good). 

Both Paul in the Romans 8 passage and Peter in this passage immediately bring up what God has done through Jesus and his suffering.  When we think about the suffering of Christ, we are reminded that he endured this for the sake of saving those who are lost.  Thus, we can contemplate this question of who might harm us for doing good in the sense that it would only be a person who is lost and under the judgment of God.  This is a judgment that God does not desire for them.  If my persecutors don’t repent, then they are going to face a judgment that they will not survive.

Whether we think of them as having no real power to affect our actions or we think of them as lost humans that Jesus wants to save, the Christian can face persecution without yielding to the temptation to be angry with God and even stop believing in His love for them.

In verse 14, Peter says, “even if you should suffer…”  The experience of suffering in the first century and in the twenty first century is not uniform.  On one hand, we are all guaranteed some level of suffering if we follow Christ.  Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:12, “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”  You are going to pay a price.  But, on the other hand, the suffering of one person may be quite light compared to another.  The level of persecution is not the issue.  Rather, it is how we respond to it.

Peter challenges us to see that we are blessed even if we should suffer for the sake of righteousness.  He is using words from the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount.  Matthew 5:10 reads, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake.”  Those these people are blessed because God speaks on their behalf, this word for blessing emphasizes the happy experience of a life that is lived in right relationship with God.  How can a person be “happy in Jesus” when they are persecuted for doing the right thing?  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus continually points to what God is going to do for such people.  The kingdom will be theirs.  They have a great reward in heaven.  You will be like the prophets (and Christ) before you.  You will be comforted.  You will see God!  He ended with Matthew 5:12. “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad!  How can a person rejoice when they are being persecuted?  They have to trust in their heavenly Father greatly.

Peter then quotes a part of Isaiah 8:12. “Do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled.”  In the context of Isaiah, God is counseling Isaiah on how to respond to the fear and craziness of a society that is in rebellion to God.  He even tells Isaiah not to call a conspiracy the things his people called a conspiracy.  This is not to say that there is no truth to their fears.  Rather, they are only afraid of those things because they don’t know God.  The one who trusts in God should not fear the things that the godless fear.  When you have no fear of God and you walk away from Him, you feel exposed to everything.  You fear anything and everything because God is not with you.

Threats can even come from people claiming to know God.  Following the resurrection, the apostles were told by the religious leaders to quit preaching about Jesus.  If they didn’t quit, they would be thrown in prison.  Yet Christians are told by a man who faced such threats not to fear those who threaten us.

Think about David.  Saul sought his life and called him a traitor.  David could have let fear move him to protect himself.  He could have killed Saul several times.  Each time David refused to do so.  Saul was a man in rebellion to God, and so he was afraid of things he didn’t have to fear.  David was not a traitor, and even if he was, God called Saul and could protect him.  It was Saul’s awareness that God was not on his side that caused fear.

Instead of fearing their threats and actions of persecution, we should do like David.  He feared God too much to respond to Saul in like manner.  We too should fear God too much to respond to people like the world around us is doing. Jesus is our example and guide.

Peter then lists two things we should do (verse 15) in lieu of fear.  First, we are to set apart Christ as Lord.  To sanctify or set apart means to make this one thing more important than anything else.  Christ as my Lord must mean more to me than a perfect life of comfort and ease.  I would be willing to give up anything even suffer anything before I would give up Christ as Lord.  This is what Paul is driving home in Romans 8.  Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.  Yet I can let fears cause me to shrink back.  We are to guard our heart from such things.

The second thing we are to do is to be always ready to defend the reason for the hope that is in us.  People will be perplexed at the way you cling to Christ in the face of persecution and suffering.  How can you go through this suffering and not rant and rave against God?  How can you cling to Christ as your Lord when he doesn’t protect you from my torture?

They may never ask this question out loud, but we need to be ready to give a reason why we would have such faith in the face of such adversity.

Essentially, Peter is talking about testifying to your persecutors, your enemies.  In fact, the persecution of the righteous is one of the ways that God pricks the heart of those who do evil.  In those moments, we must not be overcome by their evil and return evil back to them.  This is our finest hour, our opportunity to slip the Gospel past their spiritual defenses.

Our great hope in Christ is still held in these weak, mortal frames.  It is easy for us to fear and balk under the threat of suffering.  However, we need to double down on trusting God.  When we are weak, the Spirit of God will be strong through us.  We can testify for Jesus and about Jesus to those who do us wrong.  This is the will and the mind of Christ.

Peter adds three descriptors to how we are to give our defense.  We are to do so with meekness, fear, and a good conscience. 

Meekness is strength under control.  It is hard to keep your composure when you are unjustly persecuted.  The Christian is called to control their flesh and follow the path of Christ.  Instead of letting anger cause us to rage, we are to let the Holy Spirit give us the words to say.  We are to trust God.

The fear (reverence) cannot be towards men.  He has just told us not to fear those intimidating us.  This is the fear of the Lord.  As I mentioned David earlier, he feared God too much to touch King Saul.  He would let God remove Saul.  When we give an answer to the ungodly, we are to know that we are to give the answer that God wants us to give.  It will be an answer that pleads with them to turn from their wickedness and turn towards the love of God that is even now extended to them through you.  Jesus is their judge, but he is also mine.  I must trust his judgments, whether with my own persecution or my ultimate judgment in eternity.

Finally, Peter mentions that we should have a good conscience.  This is also before God.  If I have done what I know God wants me to do (the good and the right as He defines it), then my heart and mind will have a simplicity (no ulterior motive) and the peace that comes from it.  David was no traitor.  He had a clean conscience before God.  Yet Saul still hunted him.  David didn’t understand why this was going on, but he knew that he was following God.  He didn’t deserve the things Saul was doing.  We may often struggle with the why of life, but there is a peace that can be found in having a clean conscience.  “I am following Jesus, and he will help me all the way.  He will be attentive to my prayer and against those who try to do me evil.”  I don’t have to know why; I just need to know Who.

Verse 16 ends with the challenge to do this in such a way that those who are slandering us (calling our good evil) will be put to shame.  All who falsely accuse the righteous of doing evil will one day face the shame of what they have done before God.  They may rail against your good conduct in Christ now, but they will be silent when they stand before God.  God will not be intimidated by the power and authority they had in this life.

Yet this can also go another way.  There is a certain public spectacle that happens when people given to righteousness are persecuted and slandered.  The person doing so may have their conscience pricked by the realization of what they are doing.  However, even if they don’t feel the shame of their actions, others watching may see the shame of it.  At the cross Jesus was truly paying the price for our sins.  Yet he was also pricking the conscience of everyone who ever hears the story of what was done to him and why.

Shame is real whether a person feels it or not.  Ultimately, we are challenged to live in such a way that those who do persecute us will only become a clarion call to the world around us drawing attention to the Lord we serve.

Verse 17 makes it clear, if it isn’t already, that God sometimes wills that we suffer for the good that we do.  This sounds strange, but Peter has laid the groundwork for the reasons He would do such things.  We are the goads in the hands of Jesus, pricking the dull conscience of this world.  We don’t do this just through our suffering, but also through how we suffer.

In these times, we must not lose sight of the purpose of God.  We must not let the enemy convince us that God doesn’t care about us.  We must not let the enemy separate our heart from the love of God, both for ourselves and for those who persecute us.

It was God’s will that Jesus suffer because it would make salvation possible, and it would draw people to that salvation.  Why do we tend to flee from suffering?  This is precisely what God uses to testify through us to others.  Perhaps we have fled too much, so much that there is no longer a testimony of Christ in our sphere of influence.

Peter ends with the encouragement that it is better to suffer for doing what is right than to suffer for doing what is wrong.  To suffer for doing wrong is not great feat.  You deserve it.  However, enduring undeserved punishments is a mark of someone who knows Jesus.  It is great righteousness.  We can only do this if we have a close relationship with Jesus by the Holy Spirit.  It is his vision, and it is what saved our soul.  He gave mercy to me and you through people who could have written us off.  If he did such for us, how can we not be his mercy in the lives of others, even those who persecute us for doing good?  We can’t, or better we shouldn’t.  We should say with Jesus, “Nevertheless, Your will be done!”

Our Witness 7 audio

The Acts of the Apostles 22

Subtitle: Rejoicing in Persecution

Acts 5:40-42.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on October 23, 2022.

There are many things in life that cause people to rejoice.  We rejoice at weddings and at the birth of children.  We rejoice at graduations and getting that first job as an adult.  Of course, there are many similar things of lesser caliber that we rejoice over as well.

However, it is not common for people to rejoice when they are being persecuted by others for the sake of following Jesus Christ.  Yet, if we are truly following Jesus, we should be growing in our ability to do so, and far more Christians should be spiritually mature enough to do it.  I do not mean in theory, or in pretense.  I really do mean that we should internally and externally rejoice when we are persecuted for our faith in Jesus.

Today we are going to see the Apostles of Jesus rejoicing because they were being persecuted.  May God bless us with even half the joy that they had on that day!

Let’s get into our passage.

The Apostles are released (vs. 40)

The Apostles of Jesus were in a tough spot with the council angrily planning their death right in front of them.  It seemed that the same thing that happened with Jesus would now happen to them.  Yet, something unexpected happens.  Gamaliel, a rabbi with a lot of clout on the council, stands up and gives a speech strongly cautioning the group against putting the men to death.  This is where we left off last week.

In verse 40, we are told that his speech “persuaded them.”  He is a very learned man who knows this assembly well.  He cannot easily be dismissed by the high priest and the Sadducees on the council.  It is also possible that he has caught them off guard, and the are persuaded more out of a lack of preparation to resist his logic. 

All this notwithstanding, Gamaliel is not the hero here.  It really is God who has turned them from this path of executing the Apostles.  God often works through people, both the righteous who are willing to be used of Him and the unrighteous who are used unwittingly by Him.  Thus, it is God who has set them free.

We should remind ourselves of how God protected Daniel in the lion’s den.  He sent an angel who was clearly unseen by others.  How many times was Israel outnumbered by their enemies, but God sent an angel, or stirred them to fight one another, or pummeled them with hailstones, etc.  Many are the methods that God employs to help the righteous, and sometimes it involves using those who are unrighteous.  Yes, I am saying that Gamaliel is unrighteous.  He is resisting and standing against the clear leading of the Spirit of God in his day.

However, God does not always set His servants free from the hands of those bent on persecuting them.  Everyone of these Apostles would be heavily persecuted by their fellow Jews, and by the Gentiles.  Most of them would be executed for the sake of Jesus as martyrs down the road.

Jesus himself had warned Israel that he was sending them prophets and that they would persecute them.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’

“Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.  Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt.  Serpents, brood of vipers!  How can you escape the condemnation of hell?  Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.  Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.”  Matthew 23:29-36 (NKJV)

They would become guilty of all the righteous blood shed on the earth because they were doing this over the top of the powerful light of God given in their generation.  Cain is the primary, or original, type of this.  He slew his brother even though he had been warned by God Himself.  He had great light and sinned against it.  There is a rejection of God and truth, and an embrace of wickedness.  We see the same thing with Mystery Babylon in the book of the Revelation of Jesus.  Revelation 18:24 says, “And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.” 

The light and the glory of Jesus Christ has spread across this world, and many who would speak of Jews as Christ-killers will themselves become the greatest persecutors of his true followers.  It has been figured that, from AD 1540 to 1580, papal Rome had over 900,000 Protestants killed.  However, those numbers pale in comparison to what can be done today.  Perhaps we will see the days when Protestants themselves call for the death of those they disagree with.  I pray not.  Yet, the rise of Pentecostalism in the early 1900’s received much social persecution from the Protestant churches they were being kicked out of.  Perhaps even Pentecostals will join in the fray of persecution.  This is always the challenge.  Will we allow ourselves to make the institution an idol and persecute those who refuse to do so?  Or, will we allow Jesus to lead us along the path that he has chosen?

Friend, hear me.  You had better flee to Jesus and deliver yourself from this wicked and perverse generation.  No denomination can save you.  No church can save you, only Jesus can!  I pray that you as an individual, and this church as a local body, and the Assemblies of God will hold the line in standing with Jesus.  However, our faith is anchored in Jesus, and not in an institution.

We are told that they are beaten and ordered not to speak in the name of Jesus, but it would not stay that way for long.  God had a certain work that they had to accomplish, and no one could stop them, until they had accomplished what He had sent them to do.  Yet, they were able to make the apostle’s lives difficult.

In our generation, we do not like it when sinful people, even sinful “Christians,” make our lives difficult.  However, this is the call to all who would follow Jesus.  Following Jesus is not easy because he is headed to a cross, and he tells you to pick up and carry your own cross in following him.  Praise God that there is coming a day when Christ will come in his glory, and the sons of God will be manifested to a world that is not worthy of those whom God has sent!  It is not yet clear who we are, but God Himself declares that we are His children.  He will manifest it on that day!

We should now turn our attention to the response of the Apostles.

The response of the Apostles (vs. 41-42)

Imagine how you would respond to being hauled before the Snohomish County Superior Court judge, or the supreme Court of the State of WA, or the House of Representatives of these united States of America.  What if you were unlawfully detained, questioned, beaten, and then told to quit talking about Jesus or you would get worse?  I know that it seems an impossibility and hard to fathom.  Yet, this is what had happened to these men.  How did they respond?  Maybe we had better focus more on how we would respond?

We are told that they responded by rejoicing in their suffering.  No, they were not rejoicing that they were released, but that they had suffered for Jesus!  Why would they do such an odd thing?  We could chalk it up to the fact that they had failed before the cross to stand with Jesus.  Perhaps this was an opportunity to prove their devotion and love to their Lord after having failed so miserably before.  However, I believe it is more than that.

Jesus had prepared them for this moment as a part of their discipleship.  The Gospels record several places where Jesus addressed this.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”  Matthew 5:10-12 (NKJV)

Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake.  Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!  For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.”  Luke 6:22-23 (NKJV)

They were not suffering because of living a sinful lifestyle, and rejecting the Word of God.  They were suffering shame for the name of Jesus and doing righteousness! 

Public humiliation, or public shame, is one of the ways that societies and governments have kept people in check through the years.  However, these men were more interested in pleasing Jesus than they were in pleasing people.  Leonard Ravenhill said it similar to this.  If we displease God, then it doesn’t matter if we please men, and if we please God, then it doesn’t matter if we displease men.  God help us to quit being people who are trying to please others at the expense of pleasing God.  God give us enough backbone to follow Him even when other Christians become our greatest persecutors and call us heretics, or accuse us of perverting the faith. 

This was the shame that these Apostles were suffering.  They were treated as traitors to Israel and to God.  They would be excommunicated and cut off as heretics accused of working for the devil.

I have saved the phrase “counted worthy” for last.  They were rejoicing, but Luke adds a sense of being counted worthy to suffer.

Do we have this whole issue of suffering backwards?  Do we think that the more we know God the less persecution we will encounter?  This is not an accurate understanding of a man like Daniel.  Yes, the lions did not eat him, and he was restored to his position.  However, Daniel was not protected from suffering persecution.  These men had laid in wait and used their power, position, and craft against him.  Martyrs are clearly suffering, but my point is that even the great examples of those who were protected by God (remember David?) suffered great persecution for standing with Him.

We may think that there is not as much persecution against Christians in America because we are far more civilized than those other nations.  We are somehow better and more righteous than they.  But what if we are not living lives worthy of suffering for Christ?  Maybe us pastors are living lives that do not have enough faith to preach the truth in the face of opposition?  Perhaps believers are afraid of what may happen if they get serious about warning others around them about a future without Jesus.  Or simply, maybe we are consumed with the lusts of our flesh instead of the eternal work of the Lord Jesus that the Spirit of God is calling us to?  O, friend, if you have ever sensed the Spirit of God before, then sense Him now.  Jesus is looking for workers in the fields, and those workers will encounter persecution to varying levels.  Will you answer His call?

We are told by Luke that the Apostles never stopped teaching and proclaiming the Gospel, that Jesus is the Messiah!  They did not surrender for even one minute!  They did not obey the unlawful command from the lawless authorities.  Rather, they continued to do what Christ had told them to do.  They preached Jesus as Christ to the people in his power and authority.  They declared him to be the Anointed one promised by God the Father.  This anointed one would be the savior of mankind, and he would have authority over all in heaven and on the earth.  He is the King of kings, and the Lord of lords!

I believe that Jesus is removing the middle ground here in America.  To our flesh, it is a scary day, just as the night of betrayal was to the Apostles.  But when you get on the other side of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit gives you a vision of what lies ahead!  May God help us to be a people who are seeking to be fille with His Spirit.  May we be a people hearing the Holy Spirit, repenting of lethargy, and exercising faith in him through loving obedience.  In short, may we truly be his disciples and take on the image of Jesus Christ! 

Persecution audio

The True Jesus: Forsaken

This Sunday is Easter or better, Resurrection Sunday.  We are going to return to our study of the Gospel of Luke next week.  But today I want to look at a question that Jesus asks while He is on the cross in Matthew 27.

Have you ever been forsaken by someone?  Or have you ever found yourself alone with no one who seemed to care?  Whether you were forsaken by parents, friends, loved ones, or someone else, it is a grievous thing to go through.  Take heart in this, you are in good company.  The Bible tells us that Jesus knows exactly how you feel because He went through the very same thing.  Let’s go to verses 45-46 and pick up the story.

Jesus Experiences A Dark Time

It is not by coincidence that darkness comes over the land for the last 3 hours of the death of Jesus.  It cannot be a solar eclipse because Passover occurs during the Full Moon and the sun is on the other side of the earth (besides the fact that they last less than 10 minutes).  Several ancient historians from the first century refer to earthquakes that were followed by a strange darkness lasting for 3 hours in what we would call AD 33.  I don’t believe we have enough information to understand what was physically happening to cause the darkness.  However, it is a powerful sign that this is a dark time.  The Savior of the world is dying on a cross and the heavens go black.  In fact the Creator of all things is suffering a symbolic dark night.

It is made dark by the unjust trial He had been given and the unjust punishment He was receiving.  Jesus had done nothing wrong, especially that would be worthy of death.  Still, He is run through a midnight trial with witnesses brought against Him that were so bad that the religious leaders balked at giving a sentence.  It was only when He was asked point blank, “Are you the Messiah,” and answered in the affirmative that they agreed to execute Him under a charge of blasphemy.  Was it really blasphemy to claim to be the Messiah?  Think about it.  If it is blasphemy to claim to be the Messiah then the Messiah could never come and save Israel.  Nowhere in the Law does it state it is blasphemy to claim to be the Messiah.  However, if you did claim to be the Messiah you had better save the people.  Instead of waiting to see if He does anything to save Israel, they quickly decide to kill Him.

Next, it is a dark night for Jesus because of the way in which they execute Him.  They go out of their way to publically shame Jesus before the whole nation.  He had been beaten to a bloody pulp and then paraded in front of the people.  He was chosen for execution over the top of a notorious criminal who deserved death.  On top of this is the Old Testament statement that He who hangs on a tree is cursed of God.  Lastly, as He hung on the cross people were taunting Him to prove He is the Messiah by coming off of the tree.  This public shame is a dark and heavy thing to put up with in light of the fact that you are doing it for them.

Yet, what made the time darkest for Christ had nothing to do with the religious leaders or the people.  It had to do with His Father in heaven.  Jesus had an eternal relationship of love between Himself and the Father.  Yet in this moment it is halted.  Instead of miracles of divine help, the supernatural becomes strangely silent during the crucifixion.  When God refuses to overturn this crucifixion it is taken for God’s agreement by the people.  Surely God wouldn’t let the true Messiah be killed, would He?

The Cry Of Jesus

It is at this darkest moment in the existence of Jesus that He cries out, “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?”  This is an amazing statement; that the Father would forsake His Perfect Son.  Clearly anyone in this situation would feel forsaken by God.  In fact, it is quite universal to feel that the God of the heavens does not care about you and will not help you in times of great injustice and in times of being forsaken.

Yet, Jesus is not just asking God a question.  He is actually quoting a verse of Scripture from Psalm 22:1.  Thus He is doing more than telling us how He feels.  He is calling the attention of those who saw this or hear the story to that Old Testament passage.

When you analyze this Psalm it is amazing.  It actually reads as if it was written by Jesus while He is on the cross.  It starts with the question of Why.  It then moves to point out that God has helped people in the past, but this One is a worm and will receive no help.  It talks about how persecuted and physically broken He is.  However, at the end of the Psalm a strange transition occurs.  The simple line, “You have answered me,” ends the grim side of this Psalm with the tortured author praising God and declaring that this is all God’s doing.

Thus the question of Jesus is not just a question.  It is telling us that He believes He is living out Psalm 22 and that no matter how much of a worm He has become and no matter how forsaken of God He will be, in the end God will hear Him.  It is a statement of explanation and of faith in a dark moment.  These dying words are clearly not words of doubt, but simply a way to let us know that in the midst of despising this forsaken situation, Christ knew He would be heard.  It may not look like it, but I will declare it among the Great Assembly.

Was Jesus Forsaken?

Well He was in the sense that God did not help Him and abandoned Him to the will of wicked men.  God did not protect Jesus.  Of course, if we look at the resurrection and the ascension, and the prophesied Second Coming, it is clear that He was not completely forsaken.  Yet this abandoning to an unjust death and public humility is only part of the His being forsaken.  Some have pointed out that God is more than abandoning Jesus.  He is actively pouring out His wrath upon Jesus.  This unthinkable break in the eternal love that has existed between Father and Son is the greatest agony.  God is not just neutral, but even worse; He is the very one pouring out His wrath and our punishment upon Jesus.  Why such a strange thing?  Is God truly a cosmic child abuser, who abandons those who serve Him, in the end?  This really is not fair.  Jesus is not a child being forced to endure something.  He is a grown, adult Son who is actually working in harmony with His Father in a Rescue operation.  God is not a cosmic child abuser.  He is the epitome of self sacrifice in grim circumstances; taking upon Himself the punishment of us all.  This is the plan that He and the Son had agreed to in eternity past as they counted the cost to creating.  Before God says, “Let there be light,” He and the Son have already agreed to the plan that required the Son to allow Himself to be nailed to a cross and the Father to pour out the punishment due all of mankind upon the Son.  Jesus Himself said, “No one takes my life from me.  I lay it down.”  This leads us to 2 Corinthians 5:17 and following.

Jesus was reconciling us back to God.  He is not just suffering, but He is removing a barrier between us and God so that we can have fellowship with Him.  We are sinners and He must judge us.  This is the white elephant in the room that can’t be avoided.  God does not avoid it.  Rather, He takes the pain upon Himself, that we might have a broken relationship restored.

Furthermore,  2 Corinthians 5 says that our sins are put on His account.  Yes, apparently God keeps records of all our deeds, words, thoughts, and actions.  Those who reject Jesus will have to give account for all the things that are written on their account.  But, those who turn to Jesus in faith, will have all of their sins placed on Christ’s account, which by the way is already covered.

It says that “God made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us.”  This is a reference to an Old Testament ritual that happened on the Day of Atonement.  Israel was required to make sacrifices on a specific day every year to make atonement or covering for their sin.  On this day two goats would be chosen.  One would be sacrificed as a sin offering and the other would be sent into the wilderness to die.  However, before sending this goat into the wilderness, the High Priest would lay his hands on the goat and symbolically transfer the sins of the nation onto the goat.  This goat would then symbolically carry their sins into the wilderness and the sins would die with the goat and never return.  This is the concept of the scapegoat.  Now in the world a scapegoat is often a part of the sin in the first place.  They are made to take the rap while everyone else gets off.  But in this case the scapegoat had nothing to do with the sins.  It is not just unfair.  It is unthinkable.  Now picture in your mind as sin upon sin is laid upon this goat.  Yet, Jesus is dying for the sins of the whole world, for all time.  There is seemingly no end to the sin as it is heaped up until no goat is visible only sin.  When the Father pours out His wrath, it is not really upon His son, but upon the sin that He carries.  Never forget that this is exactly how God feels about our sin.  It is something He hates and yet because He loves us He is willing to take our punishment upon Himself.  The Sinless One takes our sin upon Himself and carries it away; never to be heard from again.

How Can I Experience this?

The question remains.  How can I know that I am at peace with God and that Jesus has carried my sins away?  In 2^nd Corinthians 5 it simply says that those who are “in Christ” become a new creation.  Yet, this process of becoming “in Christ” is described elsewhere in several actions.

First, I must ADMIT that I am a sinner and in need of a savior.  As a healer, Jesus did not come to heal people who were already well.  Similarly He did not come to save people who don’t want a savior.  No one will be forced to accept this reconciliation to God.  All of us are spiritually sick and in need of God’s healing.  Until we admit this we cannot belong to Him.  This humbling of ourselves is the only thing that God will accept because it is the very nature of Jesus.  He humbled Himself and did for us what we could not do for ourselves.  It is only right that we should humble ourselves and admit that we can’t pay for our own sins.  We need a savior and God has given us Jesus.  Take it or leave it, but this is the only choice.

Second, I must BELIEVE that Jesus is God’s answer to cover my sin.  Some persist in thinking that they are good enough.  “Surely, I haven’t done anything worthy of great punishment!”  Yet, they have never stood before a Judge who knows everything they have ever thought and done in secret as well as that done in the open.  Now, when you ask most people if they are good, they will answer yes.  But if you ask them are they perfect, they will balk and then say, “nobody’s perfect.”  Yet, somebody is.  God is the perfect Judge and His Son is the Perfect One who was sacrificed for our sins.  You can accept God’s plan or you can fight against it.  But you won’t win by rejecting His offer of peace because you are not perfect.  Put your faith in Jesus by recognizing that He is God’s answer for your sins.  He is the only One worthy of our praise.

Third, I must CONFESS with my mouth that Jesus is my Lord.  Jesus is not just our sin-bearer.  By right of Deliverer, He becomes our Lord.  We owe Him our life and thus all we do should be for His purposes.  Although it might sound horrible to be obligated to another, remember that He is pure, righteous, trustworthy, gentle, humble, and loving.  To confess before others that Jesus is your Lord and Savior is to publically identify with Him.  Don’t think that you can accept Him in your heart while publically rejecting Him.  Jesus said, that if you deny me in front of men, then I will deny you before my Father.  It is not easy to confess Jesus before a world that crucified Him.  The world is no different today.  Whether it does so by redefining Jesus or cursing Jesus, this world rejects the True Jesus, what He stands for, and what He did.  Will you follow the world or hear the Holy Spirit calling you to be reconciled to God?

Lastly, we must Follow Jesus.  He said, “Pick up your cross and follow me.”  We can’t do what Jesus did in that we can die for the sins of others.  Neither do we need to because Jesus did it once and for all.  However, we do need to die to the purposes that our flesh wants to live for.  We have to come alive to the leadership of Jesus.  Die to this world and live to God.  Die to yourself and live to God.  This is the way of Jesus.  If we will do this, then God will work through us to be the Deliverer of others.  Not because we can pay for their sins, but because we can bring the truth of who Jesus is to them and the Truth can set them free.  Be free today!  Choose Life!

Forsaken audio