An Inherently Political Gospel

Psalm 118:19-29 / Mark 11:1-11

The Threat

The Message was clear: “Jesus Is Lord!”

The threat to Caesar

Pilate - his position and peace

Polycarp, John’s disciple. Martyred ~155AD

Today?

John F. Kennedy, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee ,& Muslims

The threat to the religious establishment

Then: The Jewish / Temple Leaders

Luke 19:38–40 “saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.””

John 12:19 “So the Pharisees said to one another, “[our previous efforts] are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.””

Luke 22:1–2 “Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. 2 And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people.”

Matthew 27:20 “Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.”

Church / Religious leadership now

The only problem is how do you find new ways of being the church without repudiating the old ways or determining God to have told us a fib about what we need to do and be in order for Him to do what he has promised to do?  To find new ways of being church nearly always begins with Sunday morning.  Give it up, they say!  Give up the liturgy, the music of the past, the order passed down from generation to generation, the Word and Sacrament identity, and the preaching of Law and Gospel.  Give it up, they say!  Exchange those tired old vestments for a new uniform that mirrors the casual style of modernity.  Exchange those tired old hymns and, for that matter, the emphasis on singing the faith, and let music entertain us according to our preferred style.  Give it up, they say!  Exchange those old notions of truth that endures for cutting edge truth that is here and gone so quickly you have to stay connected to the social media to find out what works and what doesn't. Inevitably finding new ways to be church means ditching old doctrines and the old emphasis upon dogma (what we believe, confess, and teach).  Instead let the focus be on us, what we think in the moment, what we feel for now, and what we want to do and be at this particular juncture in time and space.  Creeds and confessions are relics of a bygone era and they won't be coming back.  So find what works for today, what is meaningful for the moment, and accept a truth that has an expiration date on it.  It is simply the way things are. - Pastoral Meanderings - Rev. Larry A. Peters

The Challenge

Be a Christian (rightfully bow to the Lordship of Christ)

Philippians 2:9–11 “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

This WILL come to pass. Your participation, timing, and experience will depend on what you do with the offer of grace, based on the finished work of Christ.

Passed this, Believer, it is to walk in integrity with who you truly are. In our age the call to show your true colors, is most often a veiled instruction to conform to a worldly and dangerous pattern.

Well, forget that. If you are a blood bought child of grace, then be that. Love people like some of them have never been loved; with the love of God. No shame. No apology. No deviation. No exception. Love people until they Love Jesus, then love people together with them while you both love Jesus.

Be a Christian Citizen

Be a Christian Citizen of the United States / Don’t be an American Christian

Philippians 3:20 “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,”

Our submission and allegiance to this or any other nation extends only insofar as it does not conflict with the laws of the land of our true citizenship. Only insofar as it does not conflict with the absolute Lordship of Jesus Christ.

If the expression and communication of our Christian faith winds up being star-spangled, we are somewhere between imbalanced and idolatrous.

We ought to be thankful for what God has provided for us here. We ought to genuinely love and seek the wellbeing of our neighbors and society.

What we need not to do is conflate patriotism (which is laudable) and Christianity. They are not the same.

We are not OF this world, but sent into it as emissaries. We are witnesses, ministers, ambassadors for Christ.

God grant that we are more guilty of bringing Heavenly things into this world, into America, into Middle Tennessee, than adding the earthly things and ways to the Lord’s Church.

The End of Elections

The sovereign proclamation - Jesus is Lord, unquestionable, forever

The Foreshadowing -

Revelation 19:11–16 “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.”

The Truly Good News

If Jesus truly is Lord, then none can threaten the safety for all who are in Christ.

Church Family, Our text today is one of several that clearly proclaim Jesus as Lord. The people who saw it were clear on the message. Today, we too should be clear on the message. May God help us to proclaim the same in our daily lives, and may we hear this clear profession anew from our unsaved loved ones soon.