War and Peace

War. Some Christians believe that war is inherently evil, and that any true Christian must remain a pacifist. I disagree. In this sermon, I will attempt to give the major points of the pacifist argument and my own. Keep in mind while I do so, however, that these are both interpretations of scripture, and not the definitive word.

The first logical argument for pacifism is, of course Exodus 20:13, "Thou Shalt Not Kill." If one of the Ten Commandments forbids killing, then what counterargument could there be? However, there is some argument over what the original Hebrew for this Commandment means. Some people say it means Kill, others say it means Murder. One source I read claims that the word actually means "kill in the way an animal would," meaning letting your passions drive you to kill, or lying in wait to kill. This last claim gives other uses of the same original Hebrew word (among them Hosea 6:9, Judges 20:4, 1 Kings 20:19, and Job 24:14). I believe it is the most accurate.

Moving on to the New Testament. In Matthew 5:39 Jesus says "But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also." However, in chapter 21 of the same book, He drives money-lenders out of the temple--a story mentioned in all four gospels. According to John, he had a whip. His words and his actions seem a bit opposed here. Now, assuming that Jesus was not schizophrenic (a basic assumption to Christianity, so I'll take it as a given), the only explanation I can come up with is that Matthew 5:39 is not a blanket ban on violence, as it is usually read to be. Looking at the verses around Matthew 5:39, I see that Matthew 5:38 refers to an Old Testament law that in essence bars mercy from the legal system. Taken in this context, verse 39 is an encouragement to mercy and to grace, rather than a prohibition on war.

Ok, those are the two biggest arguments for the Doves, I think it's the Hawks' turn now. Look at Matthew 5:21-22. This is the passage where Jesus talks about the sixth commandment (thou shalt not kill). He says, among other things, "Anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgement." This goes back to the earlier point that passion is the main problem-killing is merely the effect of the real sin of anger.

In addition to this point, I'd like to point out the books of Joshua and Judges. These two books alone cover at least a third of the passages on war in the bible. Now look at Joshua 1:9. It says, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." God is telling Joshua that He will be with him in battle. In the book of Judges, there are various verses that state that the spirit of the LORD came upon various judges (6:34, 11:29, and 13:25). If God blesses warriors to make them better warriors, can war be purely evil?

Of course, war is not necessarily good either. Much of the dark ages was characterized by "land grab" wars within Europe, when the European Monarchs weren't allied in trying to take Jerusalem. The crusades were no better--they were merely whitewashed by the "It's the Holy Land" argument. However, I believe that there were wars that had Godly motives behind them-World War Two, for example.

Even if a war is a good thing, there are people for whom it is evil. We have been given the task of obeying God in all we do. If God calls you to a war, then you are to enlist. If He calls you to avoid a war, then you are not to enter it. If He does not guide you, then you have already been given your answer. As with everything else else in the world, the answer is "Thy Will Be Done."

Creation

Long Ago, Long Long Ago,
Before the Land was raised,
Long Ago, Long Long Ago,
Before the Moon and Sun;
Long Ago, Long Long Ago,
Before the Earth was formed,
Long Ago, Long Long Ago,
The Creator Was.

Long Ago, Long Long Ago,
Before the beasts did roam,
Long Ago, Long Long Ago,
Ere birds first flew the skies;
Long Ago, Long Long Ago,
Before the birth of Man,
Long Ago, Long Long Ago,
The Creator Was.

Long Ago, Long Long Ago,
He made the dark and light,
Long Ago, Long Long Ago,
He sent the breath of life;
Long Ago, Long Long Ago,
The lands and seas He formed,
Long Ago, Long Long Ago,
The Creator Was.

Long Ago, Long Long Ago,
He caused the land to grow,
Long Ago, Long Long Ago,
He filled the skies and seas;
Long Ago, Long Long Ago,
The beasts of land He made,
Long Ago, Long Long Ago,
The Creator Was.

Long Ago, Long Long Ago,
From dust He made a Man,
Long Ago, Long Long Ago,
He Breathed it into life;
Long Ago, Long Long Ago,
A paradise He made,
Long Ago, Long Long Ago,
The Creator Was.

Consider The Lilies

Trust in the lord with all your heart. Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. I am the way.

It's hard to accept, isn't it?
Dependence is a challenge to most people, and has been since before the fall. Yes, before--the sin of Adam and Eve was an act of rebellion, and as such, of independence. The word "Independent" has become a word of strong praise in this country, because of an incident involving two men named George--one a king of England, and the other a Virginian aristocrat. Our country was founded on independence, and so dependence does not come easily. But this cannot be merely the fault of the US; Independence is a common theme in most capitalist states, at the very least.
"And? What's so wrong about Independence, after all? Surely it's better to lead your own life than to follow somebody else. After all, we were given free will by God." As it stands, I believe that this argument is absolutely right. The problem with independence from Man is that it leads, in people's minds, to independence from God. Good luck with that.
Dependence, according to the dictionary, is reliance, or trust. The Bible has a lot to say about trusting God. At the beginning of this sermon I quoted Proverbs 3:5, Luke 9:23, and John 14:6. These are only three of many verses on the subject. The book of Job can be described as a story of dependence on God. The history of Israeli and Judaean monarchy (also known as the books of First Samuel through Second Chronicles) show the ways that dependence on God can help a country, as well as the ways that its lack can hurt it. Psalm 23 is an astonishing example of trust in God. The Bible also gives promises to those who trust God; for example, Isaiah 26:3 says to God "You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You." Psalm 9:10 states that "you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you." In Matthew 6:28-30 Jesus asks "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" There are many more such examples, but all have one theme in common: Trust God, and He will bless you. It may be hard, It may be near impossible, but it is worth any cost.

Materialism

Everybody has heard of materialism. Such-and-such a person was just called a materialist, instead of the simpler "greedy". But what is materialism? What is its significance? Is it wrong, and if it is, why?

Let's start with the easiest question. According to the dictionary, materialism is a preoccupation with or stress upon material rather than intellectual or spiritual things. But what does it mean? In essence it is a focus on things instead of ideas. Of course some people have their own definitions. Andrei Platonov for example, said that "Happiness will come from materialism, not from meaning," while according to Doug Horton, "Materialism is the only form of distraction from true bliss."However, I think that Adam Sedgewick described it best, when he said that "A cold atheistical materialism is the tendency of the so-called material philosophy of the present day." Materialism is the tendency of today's philosophy.

A book I once read stated that "if people bought only what they needed, world trade would collapse." World trade is only one small example of the influence of materialism in this world. It is because of materialism that we can travel around the world in a week-without it, we would have far less reason to make faster and faster vehicles. Of course, without the materialistic mindset, there would not be such things as Foie gras or Caviar, for which geese and fish would be thankful. Materialism is why Capitalism works and Socialism does not-because people are greedy, they try to get more and more. Of course, it is also why there is such a divide between the rich and the poor.

Materialism is so ingrained into our lives that our culture itself is shaped by it. The Game of Life, for example, is about having the most money at the end of the game. So is Monopoly, although at the end of that all losers have nothing. Even Risk is materialistic-your goal is to own the world. Game shows, too, are shaped by materialism-even their names(Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Greed). Materialism is so powerful that there's a song called "Material Girl." None of this is inherently bad, unless materialism itself is. Is it?

Proverbs 15:27 says that "Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household, but he who hates bribes will live." In Mark 8:36, Jesus asks, "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?" In Luke 11:39, He names it together with wickedness. Paul lists greed as something to avoid in 1 Corinthians 5. Much of the teaching in the Bible is about greed and money. All of it seems to put Materialism firmly in the category of "bad stuff." so what should we do about greed? My suggestion: follow the teaching found in Hebrews 13:5: "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

You reap what you sow

Why should I follow the Lord? What good will come of it for me? These are good questions, and they deserve answers.
I'd like to ask you to consider a Fairy Tale for a moment. Consider Beauty and the Beast. In the original story, Beauty was the youngest child of a merchant, and had at least two older sisters. Beauty's sisters try to ruin all the good in her life, going so far as to fake sorrow to force her to break a promise. In the end, though, all their schemes come to naught; Beauty lives happily ever after, and her sisters are turned into statues until they repent of their evil ways.
What on earth does this have to do with the questions I asked? This simple fact: you reap what you sow.

Psalm 37:1-3 says, "Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness." The evil will be cut down, but the good will feed on God's faithfulness. The Lord promises to curse those who hate Him to the third and fourth generation, but also to show love to those who love Him to the thousandth. (Exodus 20:5-6)

This principle of sowing and reaping can be found in countless places, inside the Bible and out of it. There are, at a guess, hundreds of fairy tales that reflect this principle, as well as millions of other stories. The movie "Miracle" shows this principle as well, as the hockey team that is willing to go all-out wins the Olympics. How many testimonies have you heard that, if stripped to their essentials, would not include the phrase, "I followed God more closely, and my life got better?" This last point is the core of the principle of sowing and reaping.

In closing, I would like to present you with a challenge; Trust in the LORD, and do good. I promise your life will be better.

My Story

Christianity and the Church were part of my life from the day I was born. For the first ten years or so of my life, my family were active members of a Lutheran Church. I accepted Christ into my life by the time I was nine. But despite all of that, I had little idea what that all meant.

After we left the church to which we had been going (I just learned why, and it is too long to go into now), we started searching for another one, and found New Day. I hated it. It was so free! There was no system! How could I survive it? Such as these were not my thoughts, but they were certainly my feelings. I feared disorder and chaos, and this was what I saw at New Day. I much preferred to have my life micromanaged, thank you very much.

Fortunately for my faith, we stayed at New Day, and I joined the dance team, and learned that it's possible to worship God by dancing, of all things. Shocking, I know, but the Bible does say so(In Psalm 149:3, among other places). I also started going to the youth group, where I learned to hear God's voice and to soak.

A few years ago, I went to a youth conference. There, as at New Day, I experienced a strong dose of culture shock. Fortunately, I was able to deal with it this time, and I went back to the conference twice. All three times, I learned more about my Lord.

At about this time, I started copying King David-spontaneous dancing in church.(He does so in 2 Samuel 6:14, while the Ark of the Covenant is being brought to the temple-a pretty good reason, no?) This probably took more courage than anything I had ever done before.

All in all, my walk with God has been one that drew me closer to Him. It has had some struggles, but what worthwhile thing doesn't?