One Nation Under God

Ho Hum

Brian and the Boz

Played football at Oklahoma 1984-1986.

Played for the Seahawks and retired after two season in 1989.

“Shoulders of a 60 year old.”

Documentary speaks more about the intra-personal dilemma

“Who is Brian? Who is the Boz?”

Persona that confused the man Brian - driven to find his Father’s acceptance

Still dealing with the damage done to himself and the relationship with his Father

Still dealing with the pain from letting his teammates down - Steroid use at Oklahoma and Distractions at Seahawks

When we take on the persona of the world we end up like a Brian Bosworth, conflicted. We don’t know who we truly are as a people.

It is good for God’s people to have in mind who they are:

WBTU

God’s people are a people of promise not a people of slavery

Paul speaks in allegory, A Covenant is like: Sarah and Hagar

A people of slavery: Under the Wrath of God: Covenant of Works

A people of promise: Free from the wrath of God: Covenant of Grace

When we don’t see ourselves as God’s covenant people we end up looking and acting more like the world: a people of slavery

FI

Sarai tried to take control of the situation and make things happen

She tried to provide for what God had rightly promised

Abram was on board with this and tries to provide this inheritance on his own

When we do this we are acting like a people of Hagar and Not Sarah

We put our trust and faith in our own abilities and strengths

We believe that people are in control and not God

FI

Castilians

Men who stormed St. Andrews Castle in 1546.

David Cardinal Beaton of St. Andrews in Scotland sought to “stamp out the protestant reformation”

Had legislation written into the laws of the land that condemned teaching and practice outside of the parliamentary act deemed “contrary to faith and laws of the Holy Kirk.”

He had people hanged and drowned. One mother was drowned after praying in Jesus name for her child instead of Queen Mary’s name.

Beaton had the great protestant reformer and preacher George Wishart burned at the stake.

The Castilians stormed the castle in response and found themselves in the bedchamber of Beaton. One man drew his sword and killed him, stating that Beaton was a “an obstinate enemy against Jesus Christ.”

These men had a worldview that saw people as supporting the church of Jesus Christ, or those opposed to it.

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John Knox - Reformer in Scotland, preaching Grace of God over the law of the Roman Catholic Church

Found himself as the chaplain to these Castilians

Mary Guise, queen regent would summon the French to aid her against these Castilians.

They would prevail and these noblemen and Knox would be imprisoned and taken back to England

During this time French Catholics would attempt to convert Knox.

Some French officers attempt to get Knox to venerate a wooden image of Mary

Knox: “Such an image is accursed, and, therefore, I will not touch it.”

They thrust it into his face and forced it into his hands

He tosses it into the river and says : “Let our Lady now save herself, she is light enough. Let her learn to swim.”

Knox would go on and oppose the Queen after his exile and his return to Scotland. He would face his greatest challenge n Queen Mary “bloody Mary” who persecuted many Protestants for their faith in Jesus alone.

opposes English Protestant Thomas Cranmer - kneeling at communion as it turned the elements into idols

Would go on to preach against the corruption of the state church and government itself.

“Some men create ripple. Knox created tsunamis.”

While preaching in England, before his exile and before returning to Scotland Knox stood against the Church of England and the bishop and stated:

“O God eternal! Hast thou laid none other burden upon our backs than Jesus Christ laid by His Word? Then who hath burdened us with all these ceremonies, prescribed fasting, compelled chastity, unlawful vows, invocations of saints, with the idolatry of the Mass? The Devil, The Devil, brethren, invented all these burdens to depress imprudent men to perdition.”

Knox was able to stand because he understood that as a child of God he was called out to follow Jesus rather than man.

So What?

Verse 30: “Cast Out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.”

Paul’s point: The people of God are a people of promise, a promise of an inheritance. This inheritance is the salvation accomplished through Jesus Christ.

This must be our starting point as a people of God. Our worldview must start with an understanding of our salvation and that we are God’s covenant people. A people of Promise.

Then everything else flows from there. We will speak to those in the next few weeks. We will take a look at what this means for God’s people. How are we to be different?

First, we must recognize that we are different. Our actions our thoughts, our deeds, our teachings, our practices are all different from the world.

If we look and act just like the world, then we should be concerned. If the world is clamoring to a dependence on anything other than God we should avoid it. If we turn to the US Government to do more than they are established to do: Defend and protect our religious freedoms, then we are like the world.

We need to use caution in adopting the thoughts of the children of slavery. We must use caution in acting, and speaking, and thinking like them.

Message

What things are in your life today that look more like those around you who are not children of Promise?

This is not legalism or works righteousness. Rather, it is because we are justified by the blood of Christ that we seek to ask ourselves, are we following Jesus and his ways or are we following the world?

During this time of fear and uncertainty, how should Christians respond? We should first remind ourselves that we are children of God.

2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV

5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

Remember you are a child of God, under a Covenant of grace

Remember you are a child of promise, a promise of God, who cannot lie (Heb 6:18)

Seek to cast off the thoughts and actions that come from living as the world, as children of slavery still under the law

In what ways are you living like the world?

Parents and children: Can I do _______? Everyone else is doing it?

Christians should actually be different in our thought, words and deeds. We are children of promise and may Christ ever place this on our hearts and minds. May Christians see ourselves again as “One Nation under God.”

AMEN