Sermon snippet – Should Christians Support Violence? Part II
INTRODUCTION – The answer is still “No!” Last week, we saw that God has always opposed violence and always will, that God has always warned about violence, and that God is always met with violence. We touched upon Ephesians 4:26-27 last week and return to it now. How can we be “angry and sin not”? We have the example of Jesus Christ, God the Son. What made Jesus angry, and what did He do with that anger?
- THE ABUSE OF CHILDREN ANGERED – AND ANGERS – JESUS
Mark 10:13-16 tells us that Jesus evidenced “much displeasure” at the cavalier dismissal of children. With that strong emotion, Jesus did something good: He blessed them and presented them to all as blessings. In Matthew 18:1-7, Jesus spoke of children and their trust as an example to everyone. Moreover, He placed upon them the greatest possible value as He warned of the sad, inevitable, and eternal consequences that arise from mankind’s mistreatment of “these little ones.” It is almost unbearable to think of our culture’s violence against little ones. Jesus was addressing foremost the spiritual abuse of children, the eroding of faith in the existence and goodness of God. Certainly He rejects abortion, which, as evil as it is, has been made even worse in our nation as a tool of genocide against minorities. Sexual abuse abounds, made even easier by lax enforcement at our borders, where it is estimated that at least one in six children is being trafficked. Psychological abuse is now mainstream, as our children are being forced to kneel before others; such self-loathing is self-destructive. This degradation is a violation of our humanity and violence against the divine image in each one of us. Never bow down, children! Those who demean and intimidate and abuse receive God’s righteous judgment (Matthew 18:6-7). Clearly, Jesus cannot be happy with what our culture is doing to our children. Instead, like Jesus, let us bless them.
- THE ABUSE OF A HOUSE OF WORSHIP ANGERED – AND ANGERS – JESUS
In John 2:13-17, Jesus cleanses the temple in Jerusalem. He was not violent. Rather, He made this place of worship a better place; He made it what it was supposed to be. Unfortunately, men’s hearts are hard. Three years later, in Matthew 21:12-13, Jesus again restores (temporarily) the temple as a place dedicated to God. Obviously, the love of money had not been eradicated from the lives of many in Jerusalem,and, as Jesus taught in Matthew 6:24, “You cannot serve God and money.” Present violence against places of worship is almost routine in our nation. One church was burned recently because the people wanted to worship during the coronavirus outbreak; perhaps if they had dressed up like looters they not only could have met but also would have been applauded for it. The even more recent burning of a church in Washington, D.D., was fortunately contained. However, the narrative quickly turned to whether or not the President should have stood in front of that damaged building. No, the story is that a church was set on fire in our nation’s capital! Burn the church down or build it up – the right choice is obvious. Jesus cannot be happy with what our culture is doing to churches.
- THE ABUSE OF AUTHORITY BY LEADERS ANGERED – AND ANGERS – JESUS
Matthew 12:34 is one verse of many where Jesus sternly confronts the Pharisees (verse 24) about their poor leadership. They were religious leaders, but their power over the entire culture was enormous and extended into politics. There is no doubt that they were violent, for they crucified Jesus. Here, Jesus is particularly concerned about their words. Some of our leaders today are attempting to defend violence; a number are actually promoting it. Jesus is good in warning everyone about evil speech, but He cannot be happy with what some of our leaders are saying and doing.
CONCLUSION -Let us go back to Ephesians 4:26-27. We are warned of the possibility in all of us of anger erupting into sin, including the sin of violence. If we go down that vicious path, we are walking side by side with the devil. There is a much better place to be. Ephesians 3:14-19 points us to that place before our God. We bow down to no man, but gladly will we kneel before the Lord God. Gladly, joyfully, may each one of us marvel that the suffering of Jesus Christ in His violent death on the Cross returns not violence upon us but rather the offer of life eternal through faith in Him; may each of us be certain of His everlasting salvation.