Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro

Good morning brothers and sisters, the latest census in Australia, and one of the most important data is that Christinality is again in decline, in ten years we decline from 61% to 44%.

There are a lot to say about this data.

But I guess officially we are now a minority, and very often we see society not particular nice to us.

Just a few weeks ago, some feminist journalist again on ABC go on the attack of the champiancy program, say it’s offensive, arrogant and should be scrapped, of course along with SRE while it has been there for more than few hudrends years.

In these constant attacks and hostility, and all the mess in society, you may wonder, as a Christian, how do we face it?

In some way, today, at this whole series we will talk about faith in the public square, how our believe in Jesus Christ connects with the outside world.

Earlier this year, us pastors thought it would be good that preaching this time is not just one way God speaking to us, but also we asking questions to God.

Just like what Habbakuk was doing.

So we asked some of the leaders from this congregation about what topics they want to seek God’s will, so some of the leaders from Zone C, our youngest here said how their faith could engage with the society.

Actually I believe each sermon we preach here is about our public faith, our internal affects our external.

Say how we are to be a loving person affects how we engage with government with society.

But I also understand our church and probably evangelicial faith from HK have a particular spiritual inhertiance.

They are strong tradition of personal faith, personal evangelism, spiritual discipline, to read the Bible and do devotion.

These are very important foundation of a faith, but in terms of social responsibility and how to respond to public square, we may not be as well equipped.

And when all the political tensions that is happening in HK for the last few years, or the hostility of Australia public comes down, and what we taught about faith cannot handle all that is happening around us.

Even if we withdraw into our little circle, the society is still coming at us.

And so today and the next three weeks, we are aiming to bridge that gap, we are aiming to seek God’s will and hear his voice.

And I guess so we should say a few things before we embark this journey together.

First, after I have prepared, maybe I will still let people down as it might be not you want to here, as God’s answer is often not what we want to hear.

God’s solution to problems is not our solutions.

So in a sense we might need to put our guard down, our opinions down and let God speak to this area of our live.

Let’s all be humble and hear His word and follow His way.

Second, this is just a journey that we are exploring together and it involves complexity and nuance, it involves being faithful to the Bible of not just one passage, but many.

You might have questions, so continue discussion is encouraged.

What we’ll do is to also encourage dialogue.

After each sermon preach pastors are willing to take questions, as we further explore these topics.

And third, let’s be gracious to each other.

There are many opinion within our church on many topics, but let’s be humble to continue seek God’s will together, let’s agree on the central thesis of the Bible, and allow disagreement on peripah matters, Let’s pray:

Public Square is not neutral

Today we want to give everybody an overview, of the relationship between our belief and the society, the public square.

The first point we want to explore today is that public square is not netural.

And actually we should expect rage around it.

The thing is, countries are not netural in terms of belief, public square is also never neutral.

It is a battleground.

The first passage we look today is Psalm 2 “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”

As the church moves outward and engage in soceity, we must be prepared for battle.

This passage talks about the cornoation of a new king, and may point to the Messiah.

And from verse 1 to verse 3 here, it talks about before the king there is a period of destablization.

We are not sure if the psalmers is talking about at the time of David, the most proeper time of Israel or when Israel has been removed.

But clearly it talks about a time where nations rage, nation come together.

They want to rebel the king.

In verse 3, it says it wants to be themselves, out of God’s law and command.

But when we think about this three verses, isn’t it true to most of the times in history.

That there is these constant rage against the Lord.

That in every generation there are those who rise up against the Lord.

Rise up to rage against each other, rage against the God.

But this does not only apply to country, but also instituations in the public square.

In Australia, you feel that disdain in the media, academy, or courtroom roots in such rage.

The arguments on social media depict this rage.

The thing is public square is a battleground of gods, the saints should expect the rage of nations to burn hot in the square .

Some often argue, especially in our circle we can greet one another in the square on religiously netural terms,but actually every combatant will fight for his or her god’s brand of justice.

Every time, All the time.

The thing I don’t think we’re aware is that when we say seperation of church and state, when we retreat from the public square.

Some people are saying put your God back into your own private house, don’t show it in the public, don’t talk about it in workplace, don’t talk about it in the internet.

But when we are retreating, we are allowing another God to be promoted.

And for now it is Secularism.

One scholar said “Don’t be folled: secularism is a form of theoracy.

It is very jealous for its own glory, command our worship and deamnds a set of ethics.”

It is a faith that worships the self.

The self-definition and self-expression .

Through the classroom, the government, today they are very happy to enforce their version of moral and religious code.

Their way of sexuality, their way about santificty of life, their way about justice.

And unfortunately for us, we may even bent towards secularism, we ourselves may even worwship this self-definition and self-expression.

But Psalm 2 doesn’t stop with all the rage, it does not only talk about the power of the nations rage, but its futility.

Psalm 2:4 “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.”

The psalm promises the victory and rule of Christ over every nation, public square, military and government Psalm 2:8-9 “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.

You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.””

We come therefore with the word of the king of kings and judges of judges, and his word goes out to every nation, including ours: Psalm 2:10-12 “Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.

Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”

And we know, as we continue to read the Bible, that the Messiah here we are talking about Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ will one day win over the whole society, the whole public scare.

Jesus would be God’s son, will inherit all nations, all areas of public life.

he will judge all the earth, all areas of society and those who take refuge , those who serve in Him, will be blessed.

As we go out to this society, what if we really convinced that both we will have trouble in this world and that Jesus has already overcome this world, as he promised.

Might we present a strange but winsome confidnce that is not desperate to win the culture wars, but also tenderly and courrgeously committed to the good of others.

Until Christ returns, the nations will rage and plot in vain.

We, meanwhile, point ot he lOr dand to his Anointed, both in word and deed.

All the time people say we’re on the wrong side of history.

We’re on the right side of history so long awe stand with the Lord of history.

I guess to close out this point we need to think:

Are we not expecting the rage that is going on? are we not expecting battle?

Help us be alert.

Are we still worshipping Jesus, putting him first?

In this battle we are losing?

Help us repent.

Once we know that public square is not netural, we want to fight, we want the government to fight for us, fight for us about our public, but government is not a saviour, government is not our saviour.

Government is a platform builder.

Government is not a Saviour

To help us think about government, we need to think about the three purposses of government.

And all three is to be hinted in the opening chapters of Genesis.

Especially the Noahdic covenant.

While it does not directly say anything directly government, but it provides a infant framework of how government functions.

As we know God created Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth.

He made them kings and queens in order to make creation flourish and thrive.

But they rejected God’s plan, sin comes into the world, shown in Cain murdering.

Therefore, for Noah and his family, God repeated the commission he gave to Adam and Eve, to fill the earth, but yet he limited their dominion.