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Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.   When we think of the idea of “hospitality”, we usually think of wining and dining. Images of nice houses, fine meals, and throwing parties that impress our friends and neighbors comes to mind. A whole segment of our economy has developed around what we call the “hospitality industry”, which makes a business out of increasingly impressive hotels, restaurants, and venues.   Now, I have nothing against nice hotels and restaurants—and certainly nothing against nice homes and good meals! However, the biblical idea of hospitality is much different than all this. The New Testament word translated hospitality is made of the Greek words for “lover” and “stranger”. Someone who practices biblical hospitality is a “lover of strangers”. In other words, they are doing the hard work of making outsiders feel welcomed. Thus, hospitality is not merely for those with means, but those with very little means. It is for all people. It doesn’t matter how much you have; what matters is how much of that you give. It’s not about impressing others with how valuable you are; it’s about impressing others with how valuable they are.   It's not surprising then that hospitality is a character requirement of church leaders (1 Timothy 3:2), and of Christians in general (Romans 12:13). If God loved us when were strangers, wandering from Him, then how can we not do the same for others.   Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.   “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.   Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” ~Romans 12:9-21 (ESV)

Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.   Arguably the most basic thing to a church culture is the shared mindset or attitude of its members. It is not so much the stated mission or strategy of a church that matters as much as the vibe its members give off, especially as they gather. This vibe flows from the shared mindset—the deep often subtle beliefs and feelings that each person has toward themselves, others, and ultimately God.   Now, the gospel calls us to have a peculiar mindset. Paul exhorts the believers in Philippi saying “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…” (Philippians 2:5). And what is that mindset? To do “nothing out of selfish ambition (politicking for status) or vain conceit (self-glory). Rather, in humility value others above yourselves….” (Philippians 2:3 NIV). We are to understand and value the perspectives and preferences of others above our own.   Now, this is deeply counterintuitive and fraught with the challenge of self-justification. We tend to flatter ourselves we are doing the “others-centeredness thing” better than our neighbor—that our self-sacrifice in loving others is greater than their self-sacrifice in having to love us. But, of course, this is the very opposite of the gospel mindset.   This is why our minds must be saturated and shaped by Jesus’s shocking sacrificial love for us. We need to be daily struck in the gut by this truth (gut could be another possible translation for “mindset”). If Jesus, who is in very nature God, did not think highly of Himself, how in the world can I?   And that’s something to think about, daily, from The Kingdom Perspective.   “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!   Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” ~Philippians 2:1-11 (NIV)

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. Rome was the most pluralistic civilization the world had ever seen.1 The Empire was comprised of people from all sorts of backgrounds, cultures and religions. So, this raises the question: Why then were Christians so singled out as a threat? Well, the answer is simple: they refused to declare the state and its leader ultimate. Under the authority of Rome, you could worship any god you please. Rome didn’t care which of the gods you preferred, so long as you also worshipped Rome and its Emperor. Now, these early Christians had nothing against human government. They believed and taught that it was established by God (Romans 13:1) and was necessary for good order (Romans 13:2-5; 1 Timothy 2:1-5). They had nothing against obeying human laws and kings. They simply refused to worship them, as their ultimate authority. Just like faithful Jews before them, they refused to bow down and swear absolute allegiance to any earthly king or man-made god.This meant that they could not obey any human dictate that forced them to disobey the dictates of heaven. However, this was a huge problem to Rome. In the mind of Rome, the universal and absolute worship of the Emperor guaranteed the continuation of Pax Romana—the Peace (stability) of Rome.Historian and scholar Justo Gonzalez summarizes why Christians and their Jewish counterparts were seen as such a threat: “In that atmosphere, Jews and Christians were seen as unbending fanatics who insisted on the sole worship of their One God—an alien cyst that must be removed for the good of society.”2 To the early Christians, Jesus was the Lord of all, or He was not Lord at all.Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.”~ Romans 13:1-7 (ESV)References: 1. The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon (1776).“Roman Religion” by Donald L. Wasson in World History Encyclopedia (2013). Accessed online at https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Religion/.2. The Story of Christianity, Vol. 1 by Justo Gonzalez (Harper One: 2010). Thank you for listening to and supporting The Kingdom Perspective! The Kingdom Perspective is a ministry of Christ Redeemer Church of Hanover, NH. To hear more episodes you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts. To donate or to find out more about the ministry and resources offered by Christ Redeemer Church visit www.christredeemerchurch.org.

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.Your sin is no match for the riches of God’s grace. Where sin abounds, grace super-abounds!You may be overwhelmed by the seriousness of your sin and the debt you owe God’s justice. You may be filled with shame at the spiritual and moral crimes you’ve committed. You may be embarrassed for your continued struggle against sin and its effects in your life. But at the very moment that you put your faith in Jesus’s work for you on the cross, at that very moment, all the riches of heaven were transferred into your account. In the words of St. Paul, God blessed you “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). In yourself you were a pauper in the kingdom of sin, but in Christ you’ve become a prince in the kingdom of heaven, with all the riches of your Savior now at your disposal.God in His grace spared absolutely no expense when He chose to redeem you. He was under no obligation to redeem you. But when He freely chose to do so He broke the bank. He did not redeem us with the leftovers of His love. He did not redeem us with the hand-me-downs of heaven. Rather, He found the most valuable thing that He had, His beloved Son in whom His soul delights, and He gave Him freely, fully and gladly for us.This is why we sing of “amazing grace” and “amazing love”. Though we see echoes of such love in this world, they are but echoes, dim reflections of a love that is essentially foreign to this world, but overflowing from the throne of Christ.Christian, God demonstrates His own unique love for you in that while you were still a sinner, Christ died for you (Romans 5:8). Something to think about from The Kingdom of Heaven.“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” ~ Ephesians 1:3-6 (ESV)

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. The early church was distinctive for many reasons, but one of the most powerful was the quality of loving community found among in it. Tertullian, the 3rd century church leader, wrote a number of works defending the gospel in the face of persecution (see, To the Gentiles and Apology). In one of his more famous statements, he directs his pagan detractors to look at the quality of love among Christians, as compared to its lack among the pagans. He writes:“Look . . . how they love one another (for they themselves [pagans] hate one another); and how they are ready to die for each other (for they themselves [pagans] are readier to kill each other).”Tertullian knew that the love of Christians for one another was incredibly powerful and persuasive. Not surprising, since this is exactly what Jesus taught.In His famous prayer recorded in John 17, Jesus not once but twice says that it is this unifying love among Christians, in spite of their many differences, that shows to the world the truthfulness of the gospel. Jesus prays:…that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. [And again a few verses later, Jesus prays…] The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. (John 17:21-23 NASB, emphasis added)The quality of our relationships as followers of Jesus Christ is our strongest and clearest witness. Twentieth century thinker Francis Schaeffer called this love, “the final apologetic”—that is, the final proof of the veracity of the gospel. The kindness, mercy and grace of genuine love may be in short supply in the world, but it must not be in the church. Is your life dripping with love toward your fellow Christians?Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.“I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.“O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; 26 and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”~ John 17:17-26 (ESV)

Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.   The kind of community that the New Testament calls us to is radically different than what you may find in the world. Non-Christians create all sorts of different communities where people feel welcomed, and many times it’s really quite wonderful. But such community is based on affinities such as shared hobbies or interests, political alignments, racial, ethnic or other identities. The community that the gospel calls us to is not based on any of these but is rooted in a shared experience of the love of Jesus. “We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)   Now, the “problem” with the love of Jesus is that it is indiscriminate. It is a love that comes to us despite us. It comes to us not because of who we are, but because of who He is. Not because of our identity, but because of His! It assumes our unworthiness but rests in His worthiness. This means that the love of Jesus forces me together with those that have differing natural affinities – maybe even those that I struggle with.   The Apostle Paul put it this way. Becoming a Christian is: “a renewal [i.e. a radical makeover of identity] in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.” (Colossians 3:11)   Today, we might say, there is neither Republican or Democrat, black or white, privileged or under-privileged, etc., etc., but Christ is all, and in all.   The test of whether you have truly believed and received the grace of Jesus is not how strongly you demand that grace from others but how gladly you give it to them, especially those for whom you would have no natural affinity.   Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.   “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” ~ Colossians 3:9-11 (ESV)

Transcript: Hello! This is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective!   Though ancient Christians practiced the strictest sexual ethic of their day, they were anything but judgmental towards those ravaged by the effects of sexual sin. The followers of Jesus were distinguished by the grace they extended to those exploited by the sexual confusion and callousness of Roman culture. The church was seen as a place of healing. Not a trophy case for saints, but a hospital for sinners!   Now, why was this the case? Well, classical Christianity teaches us that sin is not just bad things we do. Rather, it is also a deep dysfunction that causes destruction in both soul and society. When we participate in sexual sin, it tears at the very fabric of human nature. When someone commits sin against us, it’s as if they are pulling on a thread in our soul’s fabric, causing us to unravel. Anyone who has been the victim of such sin can testify to its lasting negative impact.   Now, arguably, the ancient world was not much different than our own, rife with both perpetrators and victims of sexual sin—people whose lives were unraveling. Into that world came the radically restorative message of Jesus. Jesus’s main mission was not to condemn but to mend that which sin had destroyed—to make us whole.   It is for this reason that the church became a place of healing. This was true not only because of the healthy sexual ethic it practiced (truth), but also because it so welcomed the victims of a bad sexual ethic (grace). It didn’t require wholeness; it created it. The church was a hospital and like its Chief Physician (the Lord Jesus), it was full of both grace and truth.   Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.   “but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?’ This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, ‘Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.’ And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.’” ~John 8:1-11 (ESV)   Some sources to consider: The Rise of Christianity: A Sociologist Reconsiders History by Rodney Stark (Princeton University Press 2020).   The Patient Ferment of the Early Church: The Improbably Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire by Alan Kreider (Baker Academic 2016).

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to the Kingdom Perspective.How should we respond to the cultural chaos we see all around?We should learn from earlier Christians, such as St. Patrick, and the churches that originated from him. When European civilization was overwhelmed by barbarian hordes, the recently converted Celtic tribes preserved, and then eventually reestablished, Christianity throughout the continent. In the words of Thomas Cahill, “the Irish…saved civilization” (see How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill). Most basically, they did this by starting and nurturing churches—essentially monastic-type communities that cared for every aspect of life. Jesus’s Lordship redeems all of life, and they put this truth into practice. These Irish monasteries were different from the Roman ones. As one writer put it: “The…monasteries [in Roman Christianity] were organized to protest against and escape from the materialism of the Roman world and the corruption of the church; the Celtic monasteries organized to penetrate the pagan world and extend the church.” (see The Celtic Way of Evangelism by George Hunter). These Celtic Christian communities were not an escape from the “public square”, but a mission to it. Often these monasteries were set up at the gates of ancient cities, in order to minister the gospel to these cities. They were, in effect, a “new city” shining as a light within an existing city. For us, this means the redemptive community of the church must become all the more essential. How can we live together as a distinctively new society amid our existing society that is so full of fear and division? How can we love and care for one another, practically, in such a way that the watching world sees the truth of the gospel through our shared life in the church? All of these are very good question, and indeed……something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”~ 1 Peter 2:9-12 (ESV)

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.Sometimes we can struggle to have patience with the weakness we see in others. This impatience speaks not to our superiority but to our sin. God is patient with the weak. Worse, sometimes we can struggle to have patience with weakness in ourselves. We are disappointed with the weakness of our own faith. Again, this speaks more to our sin than it does to our faith. In our sinful pride, we judge and condemn ourselves. The good news is that God’s grace is no match for our sinful pride. God can more readily save the sinner than the one who thinks he is righteous; he can more readily save the weak than the one who thinks himself strong. The weak reach out their hand for help. That is the hand of faith. The one who thinks he is strong never reaches out his hand for divine help. His hand is too strong to need God’s grace. He has no faith because he’s convinced he needs no grace.The great Puritan preacher Thomas Watson put it this way:“The weakest believer is a member of Christ as well as the strongest; and the weakest member of the body [of Christ] shall not perish. Christ will cut off rotten members, but not weak members. Therefore, Christian, be not discouraged. God, who would have us receive them that are weak in faith, will not himself refuse [us]. Rom 14: 1.”~Thomas Watson (1620-1686), Cambridge (Emmanuel College) graduate and Puritan pastor in his work The Ten CommandmentsMy friend, God is tender and gentle with the weakness of your faith. It is not the strength of your faith that saves you but the strength of Christ. Your faith may be small. Your Savior is big.Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions…. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand…Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother…. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.~ Romans 14:1,4,10-13,19 (ESV)

Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.   We are easily tempted to both judge others and live under the judgment of others. This dynamic is toxic both to our souls and to our relationships.   However, in the gospel, we are called to live under God’s assessment of us, and not set ourselves or others up as the judge.   The theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer tells us that being a Christian means living under the judgment of Jesus alone. Bonhoeffer was referencing the fact that, as human beings, we can’t help but live under the assessment of some judge or law. And since we were made to live under the judgment of God’s gaze, when we reject Him, something else will take its place.   Often, in times of social tension, we will feel the heat of living under the gaze of others more intensely. Am I socially aware enough? Am I responding to this crisis or that crisis properly? Am I sensitive enough to this issue or that issue? What do people think of me?   Now, as a Christian you are free from the judgment of others and, perhaps even more profoundly, from the judgment of your own conscience. Why? Not because there is no standard to which you are called and by which you will be judged. No! Rather, because Jesus, the ultimate judge, was already judged for you. The true Judge has rendered His verdict, and He did so on the cross, where He died for you.   This is tremendously liberating, and when properly understood leads us not to dismiss others and their concerns, but to understand them and to serve them—just like Jesus did for us.   Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.   “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy. But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.” ~ 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 (NASB)

Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome the Kingdom Perspective.   Sometimes, you see things better as an outsider than an insider. For example, when you first move to a new community, certain cultural distinctions about that community stand out.   One of the things that struck me when I first moved to the Dartmouth College area was how hesitant, even insecure, many parents were to exercise authority, even over their own children. These were otherwise intelligent, well-educated people. Why did they not see the wisdom and necessity of parental authority? Well, the assumption seemed to be that exercising authority might somehow squelch their child’s individuality. Saying “no” ran the risk of damaging the child’s little ego, and so not allowing them to develop into their “true self”.   Now, certainly, there is such a thing as misapplication of authority, but it doesn’t come merely in the form of abusing your authority; it can also come in the form of abandoning it. Just as children need physical boundaries (the walls and roof of a house, the fence around the yard or playground), they also need emotional and social boundaries to protect their inner develop. Just as a vine needs a trellis to direct its growth, so also, children need parental authority and structure. Letting your kids do or believe whatever condemns them to wander and flounder, never reaching their full potential.   Years ago, I asked a longtime and celebrated Hanover High School teacher what kids today need the most. The response was quick and unequivocal: “Kids today don’t need more friends. They don’t need more therapists. Kids today need parents to be parents.”   And that’s something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.   “Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. ‘Honor your father and mother.’ This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, ‘things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.’   Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.” ~ Ephesians 6:1-4 (NLT)

Transcript:   Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.   What drives our sinful pride and inability to humble ourselves before God and others? The Bible suggests that what drives our sinful pride is worry. We are anxious for our lives and so we worry. And in worrying we are implicitly worshipping ourselves. This is the very opposite of humility. Anxiety leads to pride, which lead to further anxiety. A vicious cycle.   This subterranean sin is what Jesus goes after in Matthew 6:25. “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”   Jesus is suggesting that our worry about “worldly things” reveals that we are not worshipping God but ourselves. We are not seeking “first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).   Surprisingly, this suggests that the most impressive of us are often the most prideful—and therefore, under the surface, the most anxious.   And so, every area of our lives becomes warped: Material possessions – I need to have more and nicer things than others. Social status – I want to be powerful. I want to have an impact. I want to leave a legacy. Spirituality – I want to be the impressive Christian that everyone looks to for wisdom and insight. I want to have all my spiritual and theological ducks in a row. Happiness – I want to feel good all the time—especially about me. Now, none of these things are bad things in and of themselves. But none of these are first things. God is the first thing, and so, the sun around which all the planets of our other priorities must orbit. What twists them is our anxious pride—putting ourselves in the place of God. When we fret about any of these other things, it inevitably leads to disordered relationships, especially a disordered relationship with God.   Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.   “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.   For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.   So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” ~ Matthew 6:24-34 (NASB95)

Transcript:    Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.   Why do we resist humbling ourselves? Well, the Bible would suggest to us that there is a connection between our pride and our anxious worry.   Peter writes to us: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6-7 NASB95, emphasis added)   Notice that a part of the command to humble oneself is to cast all our anxieties, that is, our fretful worries, onto God. Why? Well, what is worry? Worry is our feeble attempt, as sinful and finite creatures, to rule the universe. We are anxious because we think we should control this or control that. We want to be in charge. We think we know what’s best, and so we want things to go our way. Such thinking exposes a deity-complex that is at the very root of sin.   When we forget God, we tend to take His place. This sinful pride leads to worry. And worry leads us to double down on trying to take God’s place. It’s a vicious cycle.   Now, God doesn’t respond to our sinful anxiety by shaming us, but by assuring us. “Cast all your anxieties upon him!” Why? “Because He cares for you!”   We see the same thing from God through the prophet Isaiah:   Isaiah 41:10 (NASB95) “Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”   God doesn’t just say, “Don’t worry!” Rather, He says, “I am with you.”   Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. Isaiah 41 (NASB95) 8 “But you, Israel, My servant,   Jacob whom I have chosen,   Descendant of Abraham My friend, 9  You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,   And called from its remotest parts   And said to you, ‘You are My servant,   I have chosen you and not rejected you. 10 ‘Do not fear, for I am with you;    Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.    I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,    Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ 11 “Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored;    Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish. 12 “You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them,    Those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent. 13 “For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand,    Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’ 14 “Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel;    I will help you,” declares the Lord, “and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.   God is a god of overflowing abundance and generosity. He gives liberally to all without discrimination.   Now, if we struggle when we see the wicked prospering, we’re not alone; the Psalmist also struggled with this at times (cf. Psalm 73).   Of course, just because God causes the wicked to prosper for a time does not speak to how lightly He takes sin. Rather it speaks to how liberally He dispenses His grace. God is not a bitter god, constantly fuming to get His way and settle the score. Oh, God is just, and you can count on His justice being thorough and perfect (Exodus 34:7). But He is also patient and kind, longing for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).   So, the kindness that He showers on the wicked does not speak to a failure of God’s justice, but to the abounding nature of His grace (Romans 2:4-5).   Jesus put it this way:   “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” ~Matthew 5:43-48 (ESV)   You see, such generosity of spirit is rare, because it generated only by the Spirit of God.   Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.   Psalm 73 (ESV)   1 Truly God is good to Israel,     to those who are pure in heart. 2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,     my steps had nearly slipped. 3 For I was envious of the arrogant     when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.   4 For they have no pangs until death;     their bodies are fat and sleek. 5 They are not in trouble as others are;     they are not stricken like the rest of mankind. 6 Therefore pride is their necklace;     violence covers them as a garment. 7 Their eyes swell out through fatness;     their hearts overflow with follies. 8 They scoff and speak with malice;     loftily they threaten oppression. 9  They set their mouths against the heavens,     and their tongue struts through the earth. 10 Therefore his people turn back to them,     and find no fault in them. 11 And they say, “How can God know?     Is there knowledge in the Most High?” 12 Behold, these are the wicked;     always at ease, they increase in riches. 13 All in vain have I kept my heart clean     and washed my hands in innocence. 14 For all the day long I have been stricken     and rebuked every morning. 15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”     I would have betrayed the generation of your children.   16 But when I thought how to understand this,     it seemed to me a wearisome task, 17 until I went into the sanctuary of God;     then I discerned their end.   18 Truly you set them in slippery places;     you make them fall to ruin. 19 How they are destroyed in a moment,     swept away utterly by terrors! 20 Like a dream when one awakes,     O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms. 21 When my soul was embittered,     when I was pricked in heart, 22 I was brutish and ignorant;     I was like a beast toward you.   23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;     you hold my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel,     and afterward you will receive me to glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you?     And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail,     but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.   27 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;     you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. 28 But for me it is good to be near God;     I have made the Lord God my refuge,     that I may tell of all your works.

Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.   We tend to be fearful of difficult circumstances and trouble. It has been my experience that underneath this fear is not merely a revulsion to hard things, but a faulty belief system that equates suffering/pain with God’s lack of care or concern. Nothing could be further from the truth!   Trouble and trial in your life doesn’t mean that God does not care about you; it doesn’t mean that God is upset and is trying to punish you.   My friends, the Bible teaches almost the exact opposite. “Those whom the Lord loves, he disciplines” (Hebrews 12) or we might say “trains” or “disciples”.   Trials are not contrary to God’s love but are the means by which He works that love in us.   You have to ask yourself the question, what is the goal of life? What is God trying to produce in me? Well, God’s goal is that we might share in His character, and so, share in His joy. We are to become like Jesus, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame (Hebrews 12:2).   Thus, we are not saved from trouble in this life; we are saved through it. We are not saved from suffering; we are saved through suffering. We need only look to Jesus’s suffering for us on the cross to see that. After all, it was by His suffering that He saved us.   Jesus put it this way, “…in Me you may have peace. Here on earth, you will have trials and troubles. But take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).   You see, our fear makes us run from suffering. Looking at Jesus drives us to embrace it.   Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.” ~ 1 Peter 1:6-9 (NASB)