Knowing, Living, or Demanding? by Pastor Ed Evans

Knowing, Living, or Demanding?
by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture: Isaiah 42:1-9
42:1 Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.
42:2 He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street;
42:3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.
42:4 He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching.
42:5 Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it:
42:6 I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations,
42:7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.
42:8 I am the Lord, that is My name; My glory I give to no other, nor My praise to idols.
42:9 See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.

This past Saturday saw an act of attempted murder that many are calling senseless. U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, while hosting a meeting with her constituents, was shot in the head, while a federal judge was killed by the assailant, and a nine-year-old girl and four others.
A suspect is in custody, a 22-year-old former college student, known for his brushes with the law, his anger at "the current government", who at one point posted on the Internet his message, "No, I won't believe in God."
Giffords had been interviewed by the news media before concerning a break-in at her district office, and demonstrations outside her office, during which she spoke of "heated rhetoric" by the protestors.
In an interview with MSNBC-TV last March, Giffords said, "“You look at these examples around the country, which really try to incite people and inflame emotions, then chances are they’re going to have a couple people, extremes on both sides, frankly,” Giffords said, not finishing her thought. “Most of the country is in the middle, but we do have these polarized parts of our parties that really get excited and that’s where again, community leaders, not just the political leaders, but all of us need to come together and say, OK, there’s a fine line here.”
Shall Christians not speak out about such things?
I have spoken before about the current loss of public civility, the rise of public anger and frustration, and the directions such unrestrained anger often takes. It seems to run rampant through today's society, and is not confined to criticism within the political arena. It happens in the grocery store parking lot over a parking space, in the store aisle over the last box on sale. It happens on TV over a disagreement of ideas and purpose. It happens on the highway about right of way, about the space between vehicles, about yielding the way. It seems to happen especially in the social networks online resulting in foul language, ugly comparisons, crude, rude and out of control responses.
Some of us feel we have a right to our anger, a right to play into the building frustration of those who see no answers to wrong acts, wrong though unintended consequences, and a wave of unrighteousness we, as individuals, cannot stop. And the frustration builds, the anger is contagious. We know we are right, we know our cause is just, but what we see as injustice continues, unabated. Frustration at a lack of resolution continues, anger at being ignored builds. We tell ourselves this is a just anger, and we can control our resulting actions. And maybe we can. But what of others privy to our anger?
The danger of yelling "Fire!" in a crowded room is not that we will panic and trample anyone, but that those over whom we have no control will panic and trample and injure others. Once the panic is loosed, it cannot be undone or contained.
One thing I know experientially, as one who has spent a lifetime dealing in words, is that words have meaning, words have consequences, words can hurt, maim, and kill. Still, words are but a tool used to save and build, as well. What matters is what we do with them, whether they are used for salvation or deadly extremism.
Christianity is not about such extremism. If God is love, and all evidence points to the fact that He is, then all that is about Christ is about love; Christians are about love.
And yet, it is such extremism that infects, that incites, that leads others astray and away from the will of Almighty god. 1st Corinthians 8:13 speaks to not doing that which causes my brother to sin, as does 1st Corinthians 10:32, and 1st Timothy 4:12, Romans 14:13, 2nd Corinthians 6:3, and the evidence mounts.
Notice in today's scripture that "God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it", he whom God Himself has selected, whom He chose as His servant, "whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching." This is He whom the Lord God supports and gives us as an example of His will. There is no hint or discussion of revolution, forcible argument, actions taken to demand adherence to God's purposes.
So, let me ask you, where do we get off demanding of one another what the God who created us does not demand of us?
Knowing what God wants, living what God wants, is different from forcing others to do what we believe God wants. Even God, especially God, gives us free will.
When we demand, through whatever means, that others conform to our perception of what is right and wrong, we have crossed the line into extremism. Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, speaking to the Republican convention in July 1964, said, "Those who seek absolute power, even though they seek it to do what they regard as good, are simply demanding the right to enforce their own version of heaven on earth. And let me remind you, they are the very ones who always create the most hellish tyrannies. Absolute power does corrupt, and those who seek it must be suspect and must be opposed."
For 33 years Jesus Christ walked the earth, given access to and imbued with the power of the Father, able to drive out demons, heal the sick and crippled, able to bring the dead back to life. And yet at no time did He force anyone to join Him in His belief that the Father was to be worshipped. The Law of Moses, as given to Moses by God on Mt. Sinai, was on His side, and yet His response to was to say, " A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."
Anyone who does not understand that need only refer to 1st Corinthians 13:1-13, where Jesus lays out specifically what love is all about.
However, we as human beings are not naturally about love, and it is common that within our anger at others and building frustration lie the roots of jealousy and strife. We do not agree with something they have said or something they are doing, some decision they have made, but we cannot stop them, they are "winning" and we are jealous of their position over us, and we strive with them for supremacy of whatever is the problem between the parties.
But life in the body of Christ is not about winning and losing, it is about the worship of Almighty God. Romans 13, verses 12-14 says it very clearly: "The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts."
In a previous chapter, 1st Cor. 6, verse 12, Paul is speaking mainly about keeping oneself from being subordinated by the love or lust of food, but he makes a larger point when he writes, "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything."
As we live our lives before Christ, we may feel empowered in His freedom to the point that all things are lawful to us, but we need to remember Paul's following admonition that "not all things are profitable" to us. In particular, all things may not only not be profitable to us, but they may indeed be detrimental to the well-being of others. We are here to do the bidding of Him who created us, to preach His gospel by word and deed. Our purpose here does not include demanding our rights, gaining supremacy in any discussion, or even winning.
Jesus Christ, through his death, burial and resurrection has already won our salvation, our freedom, and our future before God. Everything that matters has already been won. That is far more worth speaking up about. He has already won. Praise God.
Amen.


Daily Scripture Readings for January 10-16, 2011
Monday -- Isaiah 46:5-11
Tuesday -- Hebrews 6:9-20
Wednesday -- Matthew 19:16-30
Thursday -- Matthew 6:25-34
Friday -- 1st Corinthians 3:10-17
Saturday -- 2nd Timothy 1:1-14
Sunday -- Isaiah 42:1-9; Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 29; Matthew 3:13-17