Participants:
Series Code: AU
Program Code: AU000050S
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00:01 - You've probably noticed that you and I are living
00:02 in an increasingly impatient world. 00:04 Even though we are easily the most affluent generation 00:07 in the history of the world, 00:09 somehow we still seem to think we deserve more, 00:12 and sometimes that attitude can even show up in church. 00:17 [gentle country music] 00:37 I don't know if you're the same vintage that I am, 00:39 but when I was a kid, 00:41 anything you ordered would take anywhere 00:42 from four to 12 weeks to deliver. 00:46 When it was time for school clothes, 00:47 my mother would order from the Sears catalog 00:50 early in the summer, and then we would drive into town 00:53 when the packages arrived many weeks later, 00:56 picking them up at a service counter 00:58 in a tiny storefront on Main Street. 01:00 We didn't actually have a real Sears store, 01:03 just a mail counter. 01:06 Occasionally when my grandparents came to town, 01:08 they would buy my brothers and I a comic book. 01:10 Some of you will remember that in the back of a comic book, 01:13 there were ads for wild and wonderful things. 01:16 You could order sea monkeys, 01:18 which were nothing but brine shrimp, 01:20 but kind of looked like mermaids, 01:21 if you used your imagination. 01:23 You could stop being a 90-pound weakling 01:25 by ordering exercises from Charles Atlas for just 10 cents. 01:30 But again, it took weeks to get what you ordered. 01:35 Living in Canada, we also knew that when new technology 01:38 suddenly became available in the United States, 01:40 it would probably take another two to three years 01:43 before we had it. 01:44 If there was a new fast food restaurant in the Lower 48, 01:48 it could be 10 years before we saw it. 01:50 I mean, I was a teenager the first time 01:53 I ever tasted McDonald's and I'm not that old. 01:58 Nobody, nobody had answering machines or voice mail. 02:01 If you called somebody and they weren't home, 02:03 the phone just rang and rang and rang and rang 02:06 until you hung up and then you'd have to just try again 02:08 some other day. 02:11 If there was something you wanted to watch, 02:12 like a movie or a documentary, 02:15 you had to wait for one of your local TV stations 02:18 to show it and where I lived, we only had two stations. 02:22 Then later on, when VHS made its debut in the '80s, 02:26 you could go downtown, rent one of those big, bulky, 02:29 top-loading machines and a couple of movies, 02:31 and there would only be a few movies to choose from. 02:34 There was no streaming, there was no on-demand viewing. 02:38 You had to wait. 02:41 When you wanted to communicate with someone, 02:43 you actually pulled out a sheet of paper, 02:45 you wrote them a letter, 02:46 you drove to the post office to mail it, 02:49 and you were willing to wait a couple of months 02:52 to get an answer. 02:53 I mean, forget about email, forget about texting, 02:56 forget about social media. 02:58 Everything, everything happened the slow way. 03:02 And I have to say, in a lot of ways, it was a better life. 03:07 I mean, I love technology, 03:08 but I'm not convinced that having to wait for stuff is bad 03:12 because in some ways, 03:13 I think our current technology has made slaves out of us. 03:17 I mean, think about it. 03:19 It's nearly impossible now to just turn the world off. 03:22 Your smartphone is always in your pocket 03:23 or always in your car and it keeps you on a leash 24/7, 03:27 365 days a year and that has changed the way 03:32 that most of us behave. 03:34 We've become so used to getting what we want right now, 03:38 that it actually irritates us when it doesn't happen. 03:41 I mean, think about this. 03:42 You order a package from Amazon, promised two days shipping, 03:47 but it gets hung up somewhere and takes five days. 03:50 How do you feel? 03:51 Most of us feel irritated 03:53 and some people even demand some kind of satisfaction. 03:57 We send someone a text message and they don't respond 04:00 for three days and we think that's really rude. 04:03 Someone thinks the service in a restaurant 04:05 is a little bit too slow, 04:07 even when it's a real restaurant with a real cook. 04:11 The food comes out just a little bit slowly because they 04:13 actually had to make it, 04:15 so people run to Yelp and they leave a bad review. 04:18 You're plane delayed by 20 minutes 04:21 and you find yourself feeling a little put out, 04:23 even if you don't have to make a connection. 04:25 And you very quickly forget that once upon a time, 04:28 it took a week or more to drive across the country, 04:31 or half a year before we had cars. 04:35 And in fairly recent history, 04:37 there were only a handful of people 04:38 who had actually afford to fly. 04:42 The world of the 21st century is certainly more convenient, 04:46 but I'm not convinced it's made our lives more enjoyable. 04:50 If anything, it's been feeding the natural inclination 04:53 we have for entitlement. 04:56 I mean, it takes so little now to make us feel 04:59 put out that people have started mocking these things 05:02 as first-world problems, and in some ways, 05:05 I find that just a little bit concerning, 05:08 not alarming, but concerning. 05:11 Let me see if I can unpack what I'm thinking about. 05:14 When Covid finally made it to the West 05:16 at the beginning of 2020, 05:18 we suddenly experienced some shortages 05:21 in our grocery stores. 05:22 One of the weirdest developments 05:24 was the sudden run on toilet paper, 05:26 which doesn't seem to have a lot to do with Covid, 05:28 but hey, it is what it is. 05:31 And of course, as soon as you realize 05:32 there's no toilet paper in the store, 05:34 you kind of panic and you begin to hoard the stuff. 05:37 I mean, it's toilet paper, you gotta have it. 05:41 Then I remembered there were days 05:43 when I actually went to the Safeway 05:45 right next to the studio here 05:46 and there was no produce, and I mean no produce. 05:50 I asked the produce manager what they had, 05:52 and the only thing they had left was a single bag 05:54 of red onions, that's it. 05:56 So of course, just like you, I found that, 05:59 well, a little concerning. 06:00 When would I be able to buy vegetables again? 06:04 But then I reminded myself that just-in-time supply chains 06:07 and immediate fulfillment are a relatively new phenomenon 06:11 and the slightest disruptions can make it seem to some of us 06:14 like the apocalypse has begun. 06:17 We forget that much of the world lives with shortages 06:20 and delays most of the time 06:23 and we've just become so prosperous 06:25 that we're not used to waiting anymore. 06:27 I mean, here's a good example. 06:29 I've worked in a lot of countries where the power 06:31 goes out pretty much every day 06:33 and sometimes for hours and hours at a time. 06:37 I've stayed in places where they ration the hot water 06:40 to one hour a day because, 06:42 well, they can't afford to heat it anymore than that, 06:44 so if you miss your early morning shower, 06:47 you are out of luck. 06:49 I worked in one place where a group of students 06:51 was preparing to do missionary work 06:53 and I offered to buy them ice cream if they would just drive 06:57 me into town to the ice cream parlor. 06:59 And I know they wanted ice cream, 07:01 but they seemed really hesitant to take me up on the offer 07:05 and the reason they were hesitant 07:06 was because they couldn't afford the gas 07:10 for a 10 minute drive. 07:12 Now, if that was happening here in the West, 07:15 we'd probably lose our minds and demand our rights, 07:18 but I do have to tell you, 07:20 those people had so much less than we do, 07:24 and they weren't any less happy. 07:26 In some ways, they seemed happier than us. 07:30 It's almost as if the instant gratification of every desire 07:33 makes us feel less and less and less fulfilled. 07:38 It's the paradox of living in the wealthiest nation 07:41 in the history of the world. 07:43 We have access to more things, more services, 07:46 than any other group of people who have ever lived 07:49 in history, and yet somehow, we think life is worse. 07:53 All right, I've gotta take a really quick break now, 07:56 so don't lose your patience. 07:58 I will be right back after a short wait 08:01 with a potential solution. 08:06 - [Narrator] Dragons, Beasts, cryptic statues, 08:10 Bible prophecy can be incredibly vivid and confusing. 08:15 If you've ever read Daniel or Revelation 08:17 and come away scratching your head, you're not alone. 08:20 Our free Focus-On-Prophecy Guides are designed to help you 08:24 unlock the mysteries of the Bible 08:25 and deepen your understanding of God's plan 08:28 for you and our world. 08:29 Study online or request them by mail 08:32 and start bringing prophecy into focus today. 08:36 - You know, before the pandemic 08:37 pretty much shut everything down, 08:38 I used to spend anywhere from 100 to 200 days a year 08:41 on the road, and after a while, 08:44 some of the airlines started to treat me pretty well. 08:47 And because this is a donor-funded ministry, 08:50 I'm very, very careful with money 08:52 and I always buy the cheapest coach seat I can find, 08:56 even if it's a 15-hour flight 08:58 to the other side of the world. 09:00 But after a while, the airlines started giving me 09:02 the occasional upgrade as a reward for my loyalty. 09:06 Well, I'll be the first to admit, 09:08 when they gave me a first class seat for free, 09:11 that was a pretty happy day. 09:12 I mean, there's no question. 09:14 It really is nicer at the front of the plane. 09:17 You get to board first, there's lots of room for your bag. 09:20 They bring you something to eat. 09:22 The seats are far more comfortable 09:24 and, well, there's just no comparing coach with first class. 09:29 But then I noticed something interesting. 09:31 After I got the free upgrade a few times, 09:33 I kind of started to expect it. 09:36 I mean, intellectually, I knew I had no right 09:38 to be at the front of the plane, 09:40 but the first time I didn't get the upgrade 09:42 and I had to wait in line to board, 09:45 and I had to go to the back of the plane, 09:47 I'll admit it, I felt just a little bit put out. 09:49 As I was walking through first class on my way 09:52 to my rightful seat, I found myself looking 09:55 at all these privileged people at the front of the plane 09:57 thinking, "I used to be one of you, you know?" 10:01 So, imagine that. 10:03 A few nice gifts from an airline, 10:05 and suddenly I feel like I'm entitled to it. 10:08 And I don't wanna exaggerate my disappointment 10:10 because it really wasn't that big of a deal. 10:12 I don't really feel like I deserve 10:14 to be at the front of the plane, 10:16 but still, I couldn't help but notice 10:18 just how little it takes to make us feel like the world 10:21 owes us something and most of us 10:23 are so used to the convenience of living here in the West 10:27 that when the slightest inconvenience happens, 10:29 we feel that somehow our rights are being trampled, 10:33 and honestly, our threshold for hardship 10:37 is probably the lowest of any generation 10:39 in the history of the world. 10:42 I sometimes imagine that maybe only a recently deposed 10:46 Roman emperor who lost all his money and all his servants 10:49 would ever come close to feeling as violated as we do 10:52 when things don't go our way. 10:54 Now, this is gonna come as a surprise 10:57 to a lot of modern Christians because here in the West 11:00 we've become accustomed to demanding our rights. 11:03 I can't even begin to tell you how many people 11:06 have reached out to me over the last few years 11:08 to express their outrage that they've been inconvenienced 11:12 by something or other and they feel their rights 11:14 have been violated, and it surprises a lot of Christians 11:18 to discover that traditionally over the last 2,000 years, 11:23 Christians have not invested much energy 11:26 into asserting our rights. 11:28 That's really a recent thing and I'm not convinced 11:31 it's in harmony with the teachings of Christ. 11:35 I mean, travel back to the late first century 11:38 and watch the way the Roman Empire 11:40 actively persecuted Christians. 11:42 You'd be hard pressed to find notable Christian figures 11:46 protesting with placards out in the streets. 11:49 These were people who were literally being thrown 11:52 to the lions, and the way they responded 11:54 was to quietly persist in sharing their faith. 11:58 That was their protest, 12:00 a stubborn insistence on doing the work that Jesus 12:03 gave them to do. 12:05 Protesting, frankly, would've made matters worse, 12:08 especially when Christianity was essentially illegal. 12:12 By contrast, you and I are living under the protection 12:14 of a very important Bill of Rights 12:17 and I'm not always convinced that we need to just roll over 12:20 and take it when bad things happen. 12:22 I mean, sometimes there are good reasons 12:24 to claim your rights, but still, 12:27 it's the attitude I wanna think about. 12:30 These humble early Christians way back when 12:33 just kept about their work 12:36 and maybe that has something to do with the fact 12:38 that their founder operated the same way. 12:41 Jesus was falsely accused and he refused to answer 12:45 the charges in court. 12:46 He was willing to have every last right violated 12:51 in order to save us. 12:52 And when religious leaders approached him with the question 12:55 of Roman oppression, he gave them a very surprising answer. 12:59 Let me show you this from Matthew 22, where it says, 13:03 "Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle 13:07 him in his talk and they sent to him their disciples 13:10 with the Herodians saying, 13:12 'Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God 13:15 and truth, nor do you care about anyone for you 13:18 do not regard the person of men.'" 13:22 Now, here's the strange thing about this story. 13:26 On most days, the Pharisees and the Herodians 13:28 were completely at odds with each other. 13:31 The Pharisees were staunch nationalists 13:33 who longed for the day when every foreign influence 13:36 would just be banished from the country, 13:39 and the Herodians were supporters of King Herod, 13:42 who was a little bit of a Hellenist, 13:44 a man who loved Greek culture. 13:47 The Herodians favored collaborating with outside cultures 13:50 and so the Pharisees pretty much hated the Herodians, 13:54 but there was one thing they could all agree on, 13:57 all of them hated Jesus. 14:00 So, in this story, 14:02 which takes place shortly before the crucifixion, 14:04 they lay a trap for Jesus, 14:06 hoping to find something they can hang him with. 14:09 Here it comes now starting in verse 17, it says, 14:12 "Tell us, therefore, what do you think? 14:15 Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" 14:19 So, here's the big question. 14:22 Was it possible for a good Jew to pay taxes 14:25 to an oppressive Roman government? 14:28 The Pharisees, of course, were opposed to it 14:30 because they were nationalists. 14:31 Giving your money to the Romans 14:33 meant being disloyal to your faith, 14:36 but the Herodians disagreed, they didn't mind paying taxes. 14:40 And of course, both groups knew that Jesus 14:42 couldn't possibly come up with a good answer 14:45 that would make everybody happy, so they used it as a trap. 14:49 It continues now in verse 18, 14:53 "But Jesus perceived their wickedness." 14:55 In other words, he knew full well what they were doing. 14:57 "And said, 'Why do you test me, you hypocrites? 15:02 Show me the tax money.' 15:03 So they brought him a denarius." 15:05 That was about a working man's days wages. 15:09 "And he said to them, 'Whose image and inscription is this?' 15:13 They said to him, 'Caesar's.' 15:14 And he said to them, 'Render therefore to Caesar 15:17 the things that are Caesars and to God, 15:19 the things that are God's.' 15:21 When they had heard these words, 15:23 they marveled and left him and went their way." 15:27 Now, here's the important lesson for us. 15:31 There's no question that living under the Romans was no fun. 15:34 People really were being persecuted 15:36 and it was humiliating for the chosen people of God 15:39 to live under the thumb of a pagan oppressor. 15:44 I get the sense that many Christians today, 15:46 particularly here in America, 15:48 would be tempted to defy the Roman government 15:51 and not pay the tax, and to be honest, 15:54 I could probably think of 100 really good reasons 15:57 to join them and not pay it, 15:59 but that's not what Jesus taught. 16:01 He simply took the coin and noticed it was Roman currency 16:04 and said, "Look, this is Roman money. 16:07 Go ahead and give it to them 16:09 and still keep your obligation to God." 16:11 In other words, in the world of Christianity, 16:14 it will always be more important to be faithful 16:17 than to defend yourself and your personal rights. 16:20 These people were living under a Roman government, 16:23 frankly enjoying the benefits of Roman civilization, 16:26 which were not inconsiderable. 16:28 And so Jesus told them, "You pay what is due." 16:32 Unless a civic obligation directly contradicts your duty 16:35 to God, Jesus said you oughta do it. 16:38 So, here we are living under a secular government 16:41 and most of the time we're quite happy 16:44 to enjoy the benefits. 16:45 Honestly, we have it easier and better than any generation 16:49 of believers who have ever lived, 16:51 and yet when a city council decides 16:53 they don't want a nativity scene on government land, 16:56 we feel like we've been somehow violated. 16:58 I mean, I get it. 17:00 The decline of Christianity in the West 17:02 really is frustrating, it is, 17:05 but in what way does someone else deciding 17:07 they don't want a Christian display affect your faith? 17:11 I mean, if somebody told me, 17:13 "Look, Shawn, you're no longer allowed to read your Bible 17:15 or pray," I'm gonna do it anyway just like Daniel did. 17:19 If somebody told me I wasn't allowed to talk to you 17:22 about my faith and you were willing to listen, 17:25 I would do it anyway, just like the apostles did. 17:29 But if civic laws start to feel inconvenient, 17:32 am I gonna waste a lot of energy protesting 17:35 and demanding my rights? 17:37 No, probably not. 17:39 I mean, don't get me wrong, 17:40 I have a strong sense of civic duty, 17:42 and if they open a town hall meeting where I could go 17:45 and argue for my right to put a nativity scene in my yard, 17:49 yeah, sure, I'd probably be there, I'd make the case. 17:54 But I think it's a good idea for Christians 17:55 to occasionally review the long centuries 17:57 that brought us to this point and remind ourselves 18:00 that we have always been asked by God to be patient. 18:04 Seldom has the world favored Christians 18:07 or relished our presence and now that it has 18:10 for just a handful of generations, 18:12 we seem to think it's always been this way. 18:15 Oh, how quickly we forget. 18:18 "Others were tortured," it says in the Book of Hebrews, 18:21 "Not accepting deliverance that they might obtain 18:24 a better resurrection. 18:25 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, 18:28 yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 18:31 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, 18:34 were slain with the sword. 18:36 They wandered about in sheep skins and goat skins 18:38 being destitute, afflicted, tormented, 18:42 of whom the world was not worthy. 18:44 They wandered in deserts and mountains 18:46 in the dens and caves of the earth. 18:48 And all these, having obtained a good testimony 18:51 through faith, did not receive the promise, 18:55 God having provided something better for us, 18:57 that they should not be made perfect apart from us." 19:02 What the Bible is telling us is that every generation 19:05 of believers right up 'till right now 19:08 has been forced to practice patience and none of them, 19:11 none of them got their reward in this lifetime. 19:14 The Bible, it seems, teaches patience 19:17 in the face of hardship. 19:19 I'll be right back after this. 19:24 - [Narrator] Here at the Voice of Prophecy, 19:26 we're committed to creating top quality programming 19:28 for the whole family, 19:29 like our audio adventure series, "Discovery Mountain." 19:33 "Discovery Mountain" is a Bible-based program 19:35 for kids of all ages and backgrounds. 19:37 Your family will enjoy the faith-building stories 19:40 from this small mountain summer camp and town. 19:43 With 24 seasonal episodes every year, 19:46 and fresh content every week, 19:48 there's always a new adventure just on the horizon. 19:54 - You know, I'd be lying if I said I never ever fight 19:57 for anything when it comes to keeping the faith. 20:01 Maybe the most important element in the birth 20:03 of this nation, America, was the drafting 20:05 of the First Amendment, which recognizes our God-given right 20:09 to believe and to say whatever we want. 20:13 What happened here in the United States 20:15 is an exceptionally rare event. 20:17 Few people in the history of this world 20:19 have enjoyed this kind of freedom, 20:21 so yes, I fight and petition for people to have the ability 20:26 to follow God according to the dictates 20:28 of their own conscience and I openly resist laws 20:32 designed to force religious observance on anybody. 20:35 If somebody told me I wasn't allowed to pray, 20:38 I'm gonna pray. 20:40 If somebody told me the law said I'm not allowed 20:41 to read the Bible, it's not gonna stop me, 20:44 I'm gonna read it. 20:45 And if somebody said you weren't allowed to do those things, 20:48 I'd support you in your quiet defiance. 20:51 In fact, I'd support you in your right 20:53 to have no faith whatsoever. 20:56 Sometimes I think believers 20:58 forget about that word, though, quiet. 21:01 It's one thing to remain faithful to God 21:03 in the face of legal requirements designed to stop you, 21:06 it's another thing to make a public display of yourself. 21:10 I'm always reminded that when Jesus 21:12 stood in front of unjust accusers, he was silent. 21:17 Of course, he knew that the cross 21:18 was going to have to happen if you and I 21:20 were going to be saved and so it is a bit 21:23 of a unique situation, but all the same, 21:27 I'm pretty sure we can afford to learn something 21:29 from the way Jesus handled himself. 21:32 Predicting what would happen, 21:34 the Prophet Isaiah wrote this, he said, 21:37 "He was oppressed and he was afflicted, 21:40 yet he opened not his mouth. 21:42 He was led as a lamb to the slaughter 21:44 and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, 21:47 so he opened not his mouth." 21:51 And that's exactly how it happened 21:53 as we find over in Matthew 26. 21:58 "And the high priest arose and said to him, 22:00 'Do you answer nothing? 22:02 What is it these men testify against you?' 22:05 But Jesus kept silent." 22:08 Now remember, these were false accusations 22:11 and Jesus had already been treated brutally, 22:14 even before any kind of legal conviction, 22:18 so I'm not really talking about quiet defiance 22:21 because Christians have always done that 22:23 when they're asked to compromise their faith. 22:26 What I'm really driving at today is something else, 22:28 this new-found sense of entitlement that we seem to have 22:32 here in the West where we think any inconvenience whatsoever 22:37 is a violation of our rights. 22:39 Look, I've worked in countries where preaching the Bible 22:42 is illegal and I know people in churches right now 22:47 who are not allowed to advertise their meetings 22:49 or publicly invite anybody to come to church, 22:52 and instead of openly challenging the law in the streets 22:55 and demanding their rights, 22:57 they quietly persist in their faith and find workarounds 23:01 that enable them to be faithful. 23:05 They're choosing not to make themselves a lightning rod 23:07 for the authorities because then they'll lose 23:10 what little liberty they do have. 23:12 These people are doing what Peter advised us to do 23:15 nearly 2,000 years ago when he said this, 23:19 "But even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, 23:23 you are blessed. 23:24 And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. 23:27 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and always be ready 23:30 to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason 23:34 for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear, 23:38 having a good conscience that when they defame you 23:40 as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ 23:44 may be ashamed. 23:46 For it is better, if it is the will of God, 23:49 to suffer for doing good than for doing evil." 23:53 Unfortunately, it's getting harder and harder to describe 23:55 a lot of modern Christians by using the word meek. 23:59 Is it possible that we have been importing 24:01 that sense of modern impatience into the church? 24:04 And is it always wise to assert yourself as a Christian 24:07 and make demands as if the world 24:09 is a customer complaint box? 24:12 Read the Bible sometime and ask yourself, 24:14 "What generation of Christians has ever had it this good?" 24:20 All right, time for a final break, so hang tight, 24:22 be patient again, and I'll be right back. 24:29 - [Narrator] Are you searching for answers 24:31 to life's toughest questions like, 24:33 where is God when we suffer? 24:35 Can I find real happiness? 24:36 Or, is there any hope for our chaotic world? 24:39 The Discover Bible Guides will help you find the answers 24:42 you're looking for. 24:43 Visit us at BibleStudies.com or give us a call 24:47 at [888] 456-7933 for your free Discover Bible Guides. 24:54 Study online on our secure website 24:57 or have the free guides mailed right to your home. 24:59 There is never a cost or obligation. 25:02 The Discover Bible Guides are our free gift to you. 25:05 Find answers in guides like, 25:07 "Does My Life Really Matter to God?" 25:09 And, "A Second Chance at Life." 25:11 You'll find answers to the things that matter most to you 25:13 in each of the 26 Discover Bible Guides. 25:16 Visit BibleStudies.com and begin your journey today 25:20 to discover answers to life's deepest questions. 25:28 - You know, I'm reminded at the moment when Jesus 25:30 appeared in front of Pilot. 25:32 We find the story over in John 18. 25:36 It says, "Then Pilot entered the Praetorium again, 25:39 called Jesus and said to him, 25:41 'Are you the king of the Jews?' 25:43 Jesus answered him, 'Are you speaking for yourself 25:45 about this or did others tell you this concerning me?' 25:49 Pilot answered, 'Am I a Jew? 25:51 Your own nation and the chief priests 25:53 have delivered you to me? 25:55 What have you done?'" 25:56 Now, pay attention to this. 25:58 "Jesus answered, 'My Kingdom is not of this world. 26:01 If my Kingdom were of this world, 26:02 my servants would fight so that I should not be delivered 26:05 to the Jews, but now my Kingdom is not from here.'" 26:10 This is a concept that Martin Luther really struggled with 26:12 as many Christians in his day broke free from the system 26:15 that was existing at the time. 26:17 How much recognition should a Christian give 26:19 to the demands of the state? 26:22 In the end, Luther came to the conclusion 26:23 that you and I live in two separate kingdoms. 26:26 On the one hand, we're in this world 26:28 subject to human government. 26:29 On the other hand, the only real King we have is Christ, 26:33 so how do you navigate that seemingly impossible dichotomy? 26:38 Well, you handle it the same way Jesus did. 26:41 He told us, "You have heard that it was said, 26:44 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 26:47 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. 26:50 But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, 26:53 turn the other to him also. 26:55 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, 26:58 let him have your cloak also. 27:00 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 27:03 Give to him who asks you, 27:05 and from him who wants to borrow from you, do not turn away. 27:08 You have heard that it was said, 27:10 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 27:12 But I say to you, love your enemies. 27:15 Bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, 27:18 and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 27:22 that you may be the sons of your Father in heaven, 27:25 for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good 27:29 and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." 27:33 You know what? 27:34 I don't think I could summarize it any better than that, 27:37 so maybe I'll just add that Christians 27:39 also ought to look at the first few verses of Romans 13, 27:44 see what it says about government, 27:46 and then leave it at that. 27:48 Thanks for joining me this week again. 27:49 I'm Shawn Boonstra. 27:51 You've been watching "Authentic." |
Revised 2022-10-05