2022 Kingdom Perspectives
Defeating Spiritual Despair
December 29, 2022 • Don Willeman
Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. Spiritual despair is a terrible thing. It can settle upon us like a dark cloud, obscuring our vision and leaving us feeling like a failure of a Christian. The accusations of the devil flood our conscience, and it feels like there is no way of escape. What should we do? The great Martin Luther gives some advice in a letter to a young man who had become overwhelmed with similar feelings of despair. He counsels him: “By all means flee solitude, for the devil watches and lies in wait for you most of all when you are alone….” For us this may mean, we must call a friend, perhaps several friends, and ask for encouragement and prayer. But what Luther says next is most potent, for it draws its strength from the very heart of the gospel. “[The] devil is conquered by mocking and despising…, not by resisting and arguing with him. . . “When the devil throws our sins up to us and declares we deserve death and hell, we ought to speak thus: ‘I admit that I deserve death and hell. What of it? Does this mean that I shall be sentenced to eternal damnation? By no means. For I know One who suffered and made a satisfaction in my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Where he is, there I shall be also.’” My friends, the gospel is totally counter intuitive. It is when we are least deserving that Jesus is most for us. And even when your faith fails, the faithfulness of God does not. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.” ~ 2 Timothy 2:11-13 (ESV)
Seeking Reconciliation
December 22, 2022 • Don Willeman
Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. Times of crisis often reveal hidden problems. Repeatedly, we have seen national crises expose and exacerbate lingering social divisions. Class, race, politics are often pressed (and even, at times, manipulated), to further divide our nation, and even the church. As Christians, we must not allow this to be so. Jesus called us to be “peacemakers” (Matthew 5). Jesus Himself accomplished peace for us on the cross, by “swallowing” the animosity that divides us (Ephesians 2). Therefore, if we do not live into that peace, in practical ways, we deny (even undermine) the peace Christ has secured for us (Ephesians 4:1-6). But how exactly do we do this? There are perhaps many things we need to do, but most critically we need to do the hard and sacrificial work of seeking understanding. We need to repent of our self-centered arrogance and become curious of other people’s perspectives—especially those that may differ from our socio-cultural experience. Don’t assume that you see it all. Don’t naively assume that your news source gives you the “objective perspective”. We need to become learners. This is exactly what Paul commands us in Philippians 2:3-4 (NASB95): “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” As Christians we are called to humble ourselves by stepping into the experience of others. And we are to do this, because this is precisely what God did for us in Jesus. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “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!” ~ Philippians 2:3-8 (ESV)
Incurvatus In Se
December 8, 2022 • Don Willeman
Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. We sometimes have a thin and petty understanding of sin. But sin is anything but thin and petty. The 5th century Christian leader Augustine (354-430) along with the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546) used a Latin phrase to explain the profoundly problematic nature of sin. They called sin “incurvatus in se”. Sin by its very nature is “deeply curved in on itself…. [Under the corruption of sin, our soul] wickedly, curvedly, and viciously seeks all things…for its own sake” (Luther in his Lectures on Romans, emphasis added). This means that sin is a radical self-addiction—a deep and abiding self-obsession. It is the very opposite of love as described in 1 Corinthians 13. Thus… Sin is not patient. It wants what it wants when it wants it. Sin is not kind. It is cruel, using and running over others. Sin is jealous. It always feels very insecure. Sin is arrogant. It’s always full of itself—puffed up with its own perspective and convinced of its own rightness; it is ready to explode at the slightest injustice or irritation. Sin is self-seeking. Sin is bitter, keeping track and nurturing every hurt and wrong. It is in a constant state of self-pity. Sin is easily provoked. It takes everything very personally. Sin rejoices in unrighteousness. It finds its pleasure in the pursuit of raw desire and refuses to be restrained with consideration of others, especially God. It says, “No one’s gonna tell me what to do. I live by my own rules.” Sin refuses to endure suffering. The sinful self is far too precious to be spent on anyone but itself, especially anyone who it deems to be “wrong”. Sin is obsessed with self; it’s curved in on itself. But Love is willing to suffer for others; it is willing to liquidate its life for the good of others. Indeed, this is what the embodiment of love—Jesus Christ—did for us on the cross. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (ESV)
Knowing Who You Are Not
December 6, 2022 • Don Willeman
Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. One of the most difficult things in life is having an accurate self-assessment. Knowing who you are (and who you are not) is foundational to everything in your life. However, achieving this is very difficult because we tend to have a high view of ourselves. We play a game of puffing up and polishing up our image. We do this on Facebook, and we do this face-to-face. Then, in order to maintain this image, we are in constant scramble-mode to make sure no one finds out the truth. It’s really quite miserable. Now, in his day, John the Baptist was a very popular figure. We would say, “He had a lot of followers on social media”. He was the hottest ticket in all the Jordan River valley, and people were coming from miles around. But what’s interesting is how John responded to this fame. He did not draw attention to himself but directed it to Jesus. John knew who he was; and he knew who he was not. As a matter of fact, when the religious leaders came to John and asked, “Who are you?” John basically replied, “I am not who people think I am…. I am just a voice directing people to Jesus.” In so many words, John was saying, “I’m not called to impress you with myself. I’m called to point you to Christ. Don’t look at me. Look at Him. Behold Him, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.” My friends, what a relief not to have to bear the miserable burden of keeping up a false (and idolatrous!) image of oneself. John found his identity not by looking at himself but by looking at his Savior. Where do you find yours? Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’” ~ John 1:19-29 (ESV)
Our Ultimate Citizenship
November 9, 2022 • Don Willeman
Transcript: Hello! This is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective! Your ultimate hope will drive what you obsess about. Said another way, wherever you find your greatest sense of belonging will determine what you think is ultimately valuable. “Home” is always where the heart is. Paul calls this our “citizenship”, and it effects how we think of ourselves, especially in our public engagement. Although the Bible tells us that we are indeed citizens of this world, with all the rights and responsibilities thereof, our ultimate “citizenship is in heaven from which we eagerly await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:21). Such a hope functions like an anchor in the stormy world of politics. It doesn’t keep us from the public square; it keeps us steady in the public square. While everyone else may be getting sucked up in the vortex of divisions and partisan politics, we are able to operate with both shrewdness and gentleness. It gives us the strength from which we can both obey God, love our neighbor, and testify to the truth. Thus, at the end of the day, we must be formed not by the kingdom of this world but by the kingdom of heaven. Since we are citizens of God’s kingdom, we are thus called to be ambassadors in this world. The most political act you will do this week is not campaigning for an election or voting. Rather, it is gathering with God’s people and calling on the King of Heaven—asking that His kingdom come and that His will be done on earth, even as it is in heaven. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! The Lord is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples. Let them praise your great and awesome name! Holy is he! The King in his might loves justice. You have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. Exalt the Lord our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he!" ~ Psalm 99:1-5 (ESV)
The Peace of True Wisdom
November 10, 2022 • Don Willeman
Transcript: Hello! This is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective! In our current cultural climate, we are increasingly tempted to absolutize politics. We, thus, become convinced in our own rightness, and so begin operating in a very “us vs. them” framework. In contradiction to this Jesus calls us to a different posture. He calls us to humble service and love, even toward those we might think are wrong. There is no righteousness, there is no truth, without humility. Proverbs tells us: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”—the “beginning of [true] knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10). True wisdom begins with humbling yourself. True wisdom never ceases to be a humble servant, a humble learner. That’s why James challenges us in our prideful “wisdom”: Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him, by his good behavior, show forth his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. (James 3:13-16) Does your “wisdom”, or your “rightness”, lead you to bickering, hatred, and bitterness? Then, it is not from God—no matter how right your position might be. Rather, true wisdom is: …first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, free of hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (James 3:17-18) And that is something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” ~ James 3:13-18 (ESV)
Misplaced Confidence
November 8, 2022 • Don Willeman
Transcript: Hello! This is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective! In our current cultural climate, we are increasingly tempted to become anxious over politics. We can be tempted to get upset that things are not going the “right way”. However, as Christians we need not be anxious. Rather, we are free to walk in faith, despite political disappointment or disagreement. Now, why? Our anxiety and anger stem from a misplaced confidence—fixing our eyes on self and would-be saviors, instead of Christ. The Scriptures are clear: The kingdom of God is not inaugurated with the next session of Congress. The Messiah doesn’t arrive on Air Force One. Jesus is not coming to take sides. He is coming to take over. As Abraham Lincoln put it so well at a time of great division: “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.” Remember, the early Christians were put to death for their simple confession, “Jesus is Lord!” By this, they were saying that no human leader or political regime is ultimate. Their hope and allegiance were in Christ Jesus, and the powers-that-be saw that as a threat. These Christians had their own center of gravity and so could not be manipulated by the state or society. As Christians, I urge you with renewed fervor to look to the Savior, not to Caesar. This allows us to engage the public square both courageously and peaceably. It frees us to enter the voting booth with the proper perspective: rightfully fulfilling our duty as citizens, not frantically looking for salvation. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” ~ Ephesians 1:15-23 (ESV)
Why Were Christians Persecuted?
November 1, 2022 • Don Willeman
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 http://www.christredeemerchurch.org.
The Terror and Tenderness of Jesus
December 20, 2022 • Don Willeman
Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. We should take great comfort in the terror and tenderness of Jesus. Now, I realize that this may seem a strange way of speaking of Jesus, and perhaps a bit counterintuitive—that He is both terrifying and tender. Nonetheless, when John details His appearance in the book of the Revelation, He is described as having “a voice like the roar of many waters” (1:15); and eyes “like a flame of fire” (1:14); and “from his mouth [comes] a sharp two-edged sword, and his face [is] like the sun shining in full strength” (1:16). Is it any wonder then that when John saw Him, he fell at his feet as “a dead man” (1:17)? A few chapters later, John describes Jesus as the conquering Lion from the Tribe of Judah. What could be fiercer and more frightening than coming face to face with a lion? However, when John looks up to see this terrifying lion, he does not see a lion at all. Rather, he sees a tender lamb. And not just any lamb, but a slain lamb—yet alive! Standing—having conquered sin and death! What does this imagery tell us? It tells us that the King of creation is also that Christ of the cross. That the judge of heaven and earth was judged for you. That in the roar of the Lion we find our rest in the Lamb. You see, in the gospel, Jesus’s terror does not overpower His tenderness, but rather is poured through it. His power becomes our protection. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?’ And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, ‘Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.’ And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.'” ~ Revelation 5:1-10 (ESV)
Solzhenitsyn on the Problem with the 20th Century
November 29, 2022 • Don Willeman
Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. Truth is absolutely critical to any functioning society. Once lies become the public and political norm, then society becomes a game of thrones. It is power bloc vs. power bloc. Cynicism rules. Truth is DOA. So, what’s the answer? Well, the answer cannot be more political power—merely more human laws, or, God help us, more power to Washington. If truth is dead, that only feeds the beast. So, what is the soil in which Truth is able to flourish? What keeps the weeds of corrupt power plays from entangling and overtaking the seedlings of truth? It is the fear of Almighty God. We were made for accountability to our Creator. One day, we will all stand and give an account to Him for our every word, our every thought, our every deed. Every motive of our heart will be revealed. When we deny this fundamental truth, we poison the soil and truth cannot grow. When we manipulate God and His Word to our selfish or tribal ends, we uproot the seedlings of truth. When we no longer fear God, then we no longer fear harming and manipulating those made in His image (Luke 18:2). The celebrated Russian author and Soviet dissident, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008) knew the effects of a society in which truth was completely DOA. He had spent many years in a Soviet gulag simply for telling the truth. At the end of his life, reflecting on why atheistic communism had destroyed so many millions of innocent lives in His beloved Russia (and beyond), he simply said: “Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened.” Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” ~ John 18:1-8 (ESV)
Eternal Hope and the Lordship of Jesus
November 7, 2022 • Don Willeman
Transcript: Hello! This is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective! In our current political climate, we are increasingly tempted to become anxious not only for any given election result, but also the potential reaction to it. However, as Christians we need not be anxious nor filled with dread. Rather, we are free to walk in faith and be peacemakers. Why? Well, first, we can know one thing for sure, that the day after any election nothing will have changed in heaven…or even ultimately on earth. Jesus is Lord regardless of the outcome. And that is very good news…for everyone! Recently, a dear brother commented to me about the “devastating” situation our world is in. He wondered “what people hold onto without the hope and assurance of Christ.” How true! Thank God we have a hope that goes beyond elections. Indeed! We have a hope that goes beyond the grave! Jesus—not earthly kings, congresses, or courts—determines our fate. All earthly kingdoms shall “come to pass,” but Jesus’s kingdom shall have no end. One of the most arrogant politicians of all-time, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, finally got it right after God humbled him: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are of no account, But He does according to His will among the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can fend off His hand Or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’ (Daniel 4:34-35) Nebuchadnezzar had quite literally lost his mind. His self-obsessed pride had driven him mad, until he “raised [his] eyes heavenward and [his] reason was restored” (Daniel 4:34). Nothing restores our sanity like a glimpse of the Sovereign Savior. Are you anchoring your hope in the eternal God or in earthly government? Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “This is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. And as it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules. Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.” ~ Daniel 4:24-27 (ESV)
Walking in Freedom
November 15, 2022 • Don Willeman
Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. As modern people, we tend to have a narrow or truncated view of freedom. We assume that as long as no one is telling me what to do or the government is not forcing me to do X or Y, then I am free. Now, this is certainly not less than freedom, but it is not the fullness of freedom. Biblically, freedom is submitting to God and His law. In Psalm 119, the Psalmist rejoices: “I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts” (Psalm 119:45 NIV). In other words, the Psalmist is saying that he is able to walk in freedom precisely because he has constrained his footstep to the obedience of God’s Word, God’s commandments. Now, this way of thinking makes sense because the Bible tells us that we were made not for ourselves, but for God and His commandments. Therefore, we were made for loving others—living for the good of others and not just for ourselves. Nelson Mandela nails this when he says: “…to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” ~Nelson Mandela (1918-2013), President of South Africa and Nobel laureate Your “freedom” as an end in itself is not true freedom. True freedom is not measured by you living the way you want, but by you loving what God wants. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “May your unfailing love come to me, Lord, your salvation, according to your promise; then I can answer anyone who taunts me, for I trust in your word. Never take your word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws. I will always obey your law, for ever and ever. I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts. I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame, for I delight in your commands because I love them. I reach out for your commands, which I love, that I may meditate on your decrees.” ~ Psalm 119:41-48 (ESV) 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 http://www.christredeemerchurch.org.
Considerate of One Another’s Perspective
November 3, 2022 • Don Willeman
Transcript: Hello! This is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective! When engaging in political discussion, we must always seek to be considerate of our brothers and sisters who may have differing perspectives, born of differing personal experiences. Do not stand in judgment of one another. Human politics are always messy. Our options are never perfect, and our perspective is never quite clear. In a real sense, whenever we enter the voting booth, we are always settling for some compromise. Therefore, when we fulfill our civic duty to vote, we must have the freedom of conscience to make the choice we think is best, before the eyes of God. It is before God that we will give an account, not before one another! Certainly, we have the freedom to persuade one another as to which choice would best facilitate the common good. But we do not have the freedom to judge one another’s consciences—disdaining others by casting their motives and intelligence in the worst possible light. Inevitably, we are going to have differing perspectives, differing consciences, and therefore, we may come to different conclusions. Our responsibility is not to sit in judgment, but to love, understand, and serve one another under the kingly authority of Jesus. Jesus commands us to love our enemies; how much more so our brothers and sisters with differing opinions! The true and final Judge has commanded us to understand and accept one another. He does so precisely because He has already been judged for us all. And that’s something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” ~ Philippians 2:1-8 (ESV)
The “Threatening” Good News
October 27, 2022 • Don Willeman
Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. The message of Jesus’s Gospel was very difficult for the ancient Roman Empire to process. The word “gospel” was not unfamiliar to the Romans. They would have spoken of the “good news” of the rise of a new emperor. For example, when Augustus, who a few years earlier had conquered all the rebellious factions within Rome, was established as emperor on January 16th, 27 B.C. monuments were soon erected proclaiming statements, such as, “Providence… by producing Augustus [has sent] us and our descendants a Savior, who has put an end to war….” Such language sounds quite religious to us, but it was actually quite natural for one to use of the empire. The state demanded ultimate allegiance. Thus, the state and its leaders took on, what we would call, “religious significance.” So, when the message of Jesus comes on the scene proclaiming Him as “Lord and Savior”, His followers are not using “religious language” but are borrowing from secular. They are saying that there is an allegiance higher than all earthly kingdoms. Thus, is it any wonder that this was seen as a threat to the peace and stability of Rome? It was actually this implied threat that helped seal Jesus’s fate. Remember, the crowd at Jesus’s trial shouted: “If you release this man, you are no ‘friend of Caesar.’ Anyone who declares himself a king is a rebel against Caesar” (John 19:12). And so, Jesus was executed by Rome. Now, today’s Christians have, perhaps, the opposite difficulty the Roman state had against Christians. Since we live in the wake of 2,000 years of Christian influence, we have a hard time processing the audacious claims of Jesus. We have a hard time seeing how our “private and personal” beliefs could be a threat to anyone. However, Jesus is not just your “personal Savior and Lord”; He’s Lord…of all! Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, 'Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.'" ~ Luke 2:1-11 (ESV) 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 http://www.christredeemerchurch.org.
The Bank Account of Faith
October 25, 2022 • Don Willeman
Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. What did Jesus do for us in His work of redemption? Well, the Bible uses a number of metaphors, but one of the most vivid is that of buying us out of spiritual and moral debt. As the book of Proverbs tells, a debtor is a slave to his debt. But in Christ, God has not only liberated us by paying off our debt, He has also filled our account with all His riches in Christ Jesus. Think of it this way: Coming to faith in Jesus is like bringing your bank account to God. And the Bible tells us that, apart from Christ, our spiritual and moral bank account is running an impossible deficit. We’ve overdrawn so badly that we deserve to be locked up for a very long time. BUT when we come to faith in Christ, God makes Himself a co-owner, a co-signatory, on our account. And then, He proceeds to both absorb the tremendous deficit of that account and pour into it all the riches of His grace. Thus, as Paul puts it in his letter to the Ephesians: In him we have redemption [i.e., the payment of our debt] through his blood, the forgiveness of sins [i.e. the release from our moral and spiritual debt], in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. (Ephesians 1:7-8 NIV) Do you feel spiritually and morally bankrupt? Do you feel like there is no way to get out of your great spiritual and moral debt? My friend, look to Jesus! No, debt of sin is too great that the riches of His grace cannot overcome. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.” ~ Ephesians 1:3-9 (NIV) 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 http://www.christredeemerchurch.org.