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2023 Kingdom Perspective

Graduating from the Gospel?

December 28, 2023 • Don Willeman

Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. Over the past hundred years or so, Christians in the West have tended to view the Christian life as steps in a process. Like a manufacturing process, Christians are “developed” step-by-step. Now, there are some aspects of this paradigm that can be helpful, as it recognizes the fact that living the Christian life is indeed a process. It is a “walk” that involves living our lives day-by-day before the face of God. However, it fails in at least one critical point. It usually places believing the gospel as merely the first step in that process. So, for example, it goes something like this… The first step is to believe the gospel. The second step is to understand the basics of the Christian life. The third step is to follow Jesus as a disciple. The fourth step is to… etc., etc. Now, here’s the problem. This way of thinking puts believing Jesus as merely the first step. However, that’s not how the Bible speaks of it. Believing the gospel is an ongoing aspect of living the Christian life. Believing in Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection informs and transforms every moment of my life. The gospel is not just the first step, but the interpretive grid and power for every step. As Zambian pastor Conrad Mbewe puts it: “Christians never graduate from the gospel.” ~Conrad Mbewe, pastor in Lusaka, Zambia The moment we get beyond the gospel is the moment we get beyond Jesus. And a Christianity without Christ’s saving and sanctifying work is no Christianity at all. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” ~ 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (ESV)

Jesus’s Radical Love

December 26, 2023 • Don Willeman

Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. The gospel is good news for sinners. This is both its attraction and its irritation. If I think of myself as a pretty good guy who only needs a little self-improvement here or there, then I am going to be offended at the notion that the Son of God had to die on a bloody cross to take away my sin. I can accept the notion of Jesus as my self-help guru. However, I cannot stomach the notion that my sin is so bad it caused the suffering and death of God Himself. I am going to chafe at the idea that, as Jesus put it, I “must be born again” and I must “deny [my] self and take up the cross daily”. Why does a person who is basically good need to take such drastic measures? However, if, on the other hand, Jesus is the savior of the helpless sinners (Romans 5:6)—if sin is so pervasive and overpowering that “without Him [I] can do nothing” (John 15)—then the suffering and death of the Son of God on the cross for me is going to be the best and sweetest news I’ve ever heard. Listen to the beautiful words of author, poet and hip-hop artist Jackie Hill Perry: “Jesus had the guilty in mind when He hung high and stretched out wide.... He, bare-bodied and face set on joy, became as a slaughtered lamb underneath the wrath of God... Didn't He know that wrath was mine? It even had my name on it. But He knew... Without asking my permission, a good God had come to my rescue.” Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” ~ Romans 5:6-11 (NASB) References: Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was and Who God Has Always Been by Jackie Hill Perry (B&H Books: 2018). 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.

Heavenly-Minded. Earthly Good.

December 21, 2023 • Don Willeman

Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. One of the critiques of Christianity is that it makes its followers so heavenly-minded that they are of no earthly-good. This assumes that heavenly-mindedness is somehow contrary or detrimental to earthly-good. I beg to differ. Any honest look at history will tell you the exact opposite; the most heavenly-minded did the most earthly-good. For example, the movement to abolish slavery was largely a Christian movement, animated by the basic biblical principle of the dignity of every person made in the image of God. The push for universal free education was likewise a largely Christian-animated movement. We forget that there was a time when a basic education was considered a privilege only for the elite. Likewise, Dr. Peter Brown of Princeton shows that the development of the hospital, as a place of care for all regardless of means or status, was a Christian invention. Prior to the church, the world had never before seen such an institution.1 The list could go on. But, why is it that the most heavenly-minded are of the most earthly-good? Because the God of the Bible cares about His world. He not only created it; He also came to redeem it. The Bible tells us that one day He will make it all new. Jesus promises a new heaven and a new earth—not just a new heaven but a new earth too. God’s coming judgment will not destroy the world but restore it. As the prophets foretold, all sin and evil will be removed, and “justice [will] roll down like a river and righteousness as a mighty stream” (Amos 5:24). Those animated with this vision have no illusions they will perfect this world. God alone can do that. Nonetheless, this hope makes them stalwart to live into that vision in the here and now. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “Alas, you who are longing for the day of the Lord, For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you? It will be darkness and not light; As when a man flees from a lion And a bear meets him, Or goes home, leans his hand against the wall And a snake bites him. Will not the day of the Lord be darkness instead of light, Even gloom with no brightness in it? I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings. Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” ~ Amos 5:18-24 (NASB) References: 1 Poverty and Leadership in the Later Roman Empire by Peter Brown (University Press of New England, 2002). 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.

Spurgeon on Jesus’s Love for Sinners

December 19, 2023 • Don Willeman

Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. The gospel of Jesus is completely counterintuitive. Now, to be clear that is not because it doesn’t make rational sense. Rather, it is because our souls have become irrational under the effects of sin. Because of sin, our minds tend to reason that we must get our life all together before God will accept and forgive us. Nothing could be further from the truth. That’s like saying that we need to prove our innocence before hiring an attorney! No, we hire an attorney because we need to prove our innocence. God specializes in saving those whose lives are a mess. Indeed, He can only save those who need to be saved. The gospel is for sinners only. Listen to the great London preacher Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892): “If you are to go to Christ, do not put on your good doings and feelings, or you will get nothing; go in your sins, they are your [proper attire]. Your ruin is your argument for mercy; your poverty is your plea for heavenly alms; and your need is the motive for heavenly goodness. Go as you are, and let your miseries plead for you.” ~from a sermon on Matthew 15:27 Well said! Spurgeon nails the sentiment of our Savior. Jesus famously said that it is the sick who need a doctor not those who are well. “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Jesus in Luke 5;29-32). Indeed, Jesus has come to seek and save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). God demonstrates His own unique love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?’ And Jesus answered them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.’” ~ Luke 5:27-32 (ESV) References: “Children’s Bread Given to Dogs: Matthew 15:27” by Charles H. Spurgeon on 14 October 1866. Sermon delivered at The Free Tabernacle, Notting Hill. 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 click here or to find out more about the ministry and resources offered by Christ Redeemer Church visit http://www.christredeemerchurch.org.

Jesus, Savior of Sinners

December 14, 2023 • Don Willeman

Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. The only way you can come to Jesus is as a sinner. As a matter of fact, if you come to Jesus as anything other than the Savior of your sins, you will not find the true Jesus. Rather, you will find at best a grotesque caricature of Him. Jesus is not the mascot for your favorite political or social cause. He is not your guru, your personal life coach, giving you advice on how to have a happier, more fulfilled middle-class life. He is not your divine barista, serving up personal happiness at the McJesus Café. No, Jesus is the creator God come to save you, giving up His life for your sin on a bloody Roman cross. Jesus is the exalted one who has dominion over all things. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the Creator and Redeemer of all things. All things were made by him, through Him and for him (Colossians 1:15-20; Revelation 21:1-4). He is the eternal judge of heaven and earth, who Himself was judged for His people. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Certainly, any caricature we make of Jesus will speak to something of His nature—after all this is how caricatures work. Nonetheless, Jesus is not defined by our culture-bound distortions. Jesus did not come to take your side. He came to take over. Jesus did not come to help you with “your life.” He came to give you His life. He did not come to conquer your problems or your enemies. He came to conquer you with His love. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. 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 click here or to find out more about the ministry and resources offered by Christ Redeemer Church visit http://www.christredeemerchurch.org.

The Fear of Shame

December 12, 2023 • Don Willeman

Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. Fear is very powerful and controlling. Bad fear, that is fear not rooted in the fear of God, will constrain you and keep you from growing as a person. It will stunt your spiritual, emotional and relational development. Now, one of the most powerful controlling emotions is that of shame, and it is very much related to fear. When we are tempted towards shame, we are being driven by a particular kind of fear—a fear of relational connection, or maybe better said, disconnection. Shame says, “I am fearful of being vulnerable, because I don’t want to be seen as inadequate. I don’t want to be uncovered in the nakedness of my soul. I’m fearful of being rejected and despised.” We all experience this sense of shame at times. The Bible suggests that this fear is deeply rooted in our human psyche, precisely because it is deeply rooted in the history of the human race. When our first parents Adam and Eve sinned, their initial experience was that of fear and shame. Listen to Genesis 3. Adam says to God: “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10). Now, here’s the good news. Adam would have never had this conversation with God, were it not for God pursuing Adam in his shame. Adam had swallowed the lie of sin and shame. But God’s pursued Adam, still. And in this we see the foreshadowing of the gospel of Jesus. In the gospel, God’s comes after us. In our shame we do not seek God; but in His grace He seeks us. Jesus put it this way, “The Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” ~ Genesis 3:1-13 (ESV)

All the Riches of His Love

December 7, 2023 • Don Willeman

Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. The problem with the gospel of Jesus Christ is that it brings us both the worst news we could ever receive and the best. First the bad news. The apostle Paul sums it up this way: We are dead in our sin (Ephesians 2:1). By “dead” he does not mean that we are inactive. No. Rather, in the context he means that we are born into a human race that is cut off from the life of God. Therefore, our manner of life is an offense to God. We follow the path of the devil, pleasing ourselves and not God (Ephesians 2:2-3). We are “by nature deserving of [God’s] wrath” (Ephesians 2:3). Now, what could possibly be worse than to be told you are on the wrong side of ultimate and eternal justice? This is the unbelievably bad news. But, the gospel doesn’t stop there. Secondly, the gospel then tells us unbelievably good news. Allow me to quote from Ephesians 2. No one has ever said it better: But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved (Ephesians 2:4-5 NIV) This is an amazing truth! But the gospel doesn’t stop there. It is not enough for God to spare us from eternal judgment. He then pours out upon us His own eternal riches. Listen: And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, [Why? In order to remind us forever of our failure? No!] in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. My friend, the problem with the gospel of Jesus is not that it is too negative. The problem is that it is too good to be true. But it is true! Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “And you were dead in your offenses and sins, in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all previously lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the boundless riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” ~ Ephesians 2:1-9 (NASB)

Your Sin vs. God's Grace

December 5, 2023 • Don Willeman

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)

Jesus Loves Sinners

November 30, 2023 • Don Willeman

Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. Jesus loves sinners. You could even rightfully say that He prefers sinners. But, our problem is that we tend to make too little of our sin, and therefore too little of our Savior. We pretend that our sin is not as bad as it is, or that God is not as mad at sin as He is. Now, we could stop here, and just berate ourselves over the seriousness of our sin. However, the Bible does not; it encourages us to go deeper. Why do we tend to downplay our sin? Well, the Bible suggests that it is a self-justifying move. In other words, we intuitively know that sin is bad and God is mad (Romans 1:18). And so, at a very deep, perhaps even subconscious level, we justify ourselves. We make excuses for our sin: “It’s not really my fault! It’s really my wife’s fault…my husband’s fault…my kid’s fault…my parent’s fault…. It’s really the ‘systems’ fault, not me.” Or we begin to compare our sin with others: “At least my sin is not as bad as those people. At least I don’t condemn others like my political opponents do!” “At least my personal choices don’t destroy the fabric of society as those evil people do!” All such maneuvers are a kind of deflection—a defense mechanism—a way of protecting ourselves from God. It is a way of avoiding the reality of our own sin. But when we avoid our sin, we avoid Jesus. Jesus loves sinners. He loves sinners just like you and me. With Him it is safe to lower your guard and let Him approach. During His earthly ministry, Jesus was so attracted to sinners and sinners to Him that He was constantly criticized for “receiving sinners and eating with them” (Luke 15:2). One gets the impression that sinners enjoyed Jesus and that He genuinely enjoyed them. My friend, your best ticket to Jesus’s table is not your spirituality but your sin. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” ~ Luke 15:1-7 (ESV)

Speaking Truth to Power

November 28, 2023 • Don Willeman

Transcript: Hello! This is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. Our culture correctly tells us that we should: “Speak truth to power.” The idea is that power must be properly used. It must be constrained by what is true, good, and beautiful. Though sadly Christians at times and places have not lived into this proposition, nonetheless, this is a deeply biblical and Christian idea. God is not God simply because He is all powerful. He’s not a cosmic bully. Rather God is God because He is good. You cannot separate God’s governance from His goodness. Thus, the Psalmist reminds us that “The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether” (Psalm 19:9). God in His very essence is power constrained by truth and goodness. And so, the Psalmist elsewhere exhorts us: “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His steadfast love endures forever” (Psalm 106:1). So, it is critical for us to speak truth to power, so that righteousness and goodness can animate our social life together. However, when we, as a society, have implicitly, if not explicitly, assumed that all truth statements are mere power plays—that there is no such thing as truth in any objective, impartial sense—then there is no longer any truth to speak to power. If it is merely my truth vs. your truth, and your truth vs. my truth, then there is no real truth to arbitrate our truth claims. We are left with only power plays, and so, are trapped by this or that version of the “might-makes-right” formula. Inevitably, in such a world, the individual or group that screams the loudest, or that is most physically threatening will end up with all the power. In a world where there is no truth, we are left with only disordered power. And where disordered power reigns, there is no freedom. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me; Then I will be blameless, And I shall be acquitted of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.” ~ Psalm 19 (NASB95)

The Goodness of God

November 21, 2023 • Don Willeman

Transcript: Hello! This is Pastor Don from Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. All things begin and end with God, which means that we do not really know which end is up until we see all things is the light of His being. For instance, we do not know what goodness is until we have understood that God is good. Historic Christianity does not teach that God is good because He meets the standard of goodness (Of course does!). Rather, God is not good merely because He meets the standard of goodness, but because He IS the standard of goodness. He’s the standard of all goodness, precisely because He is the source of all goodness. God IS good. This only makes sense, because if God is God, then He is the creator/source of all things. All the goodness of creation (all our true understanding of even the idea of goodness) is derivative from and therefore contingent/dependent upon Him. Listen to the 17th century Westminster Confession’s summary of this biblical truth: “God has all life, glory, goodness, blessedness, in and of Himself; and is alone in and unto Himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of any creatures which He has made, nor deriving any glory from them, but only manifesting His own glory in, by, unto, and upon them. He is the alone fountain of all being, of whom, through whom, and to whom are all things; and has most sovereign dominion over them, to do by them, for them, or upon them whatsoever Himself pleases. In His sight all things are open and manifest, His knowledge is infinite, infallible, and independent upon the creature, so as nothing is to Him contingent, or uncertain. He is most holy in all His counsels, in all His works, and in all His commands. To Him is due from angels and men, and every other creature, whatsoever worship, service, or obedience He is pleased to require of them.” (Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 2, Paragraph 2) You see, God does not measure up to some standard of goodness outside of Himself. He IS the standard of goodness. Something to think (deeply) about from The Kingdom Perspective. “I will extol You, my God, O King, And I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised, And His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of Your majesty And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate. Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts, And I will tell of Your greatness. They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness. The Lord is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. The Lord is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works. All Your works shall give thanks to You, O Lord, And Your godly ones shall bless You. They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom And talk of Your power; To make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts And the glory of the majesty of Your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord sustains all who fall And raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to You, And You give them their food in due time. You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all His ways And kind in all His deeds. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them. The Lord keeps all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy. My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, And all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.” ~ Psalm 145:1-21 (NASB95)

Ezekiel: The Sin Under the Sin

November 16, 2023 • Don Willeman

Transcript: Hello! This is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective! In the ninth chapter of Ezekiel, the prophet details God’s judgment against the remnant of Jerusalem. God’s judgment sweeps through the city slaughtering those who do not mourn over its sin. We learn something of how injustice overtakes a society by the way God describes the city. He says, “The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is full of blood, and the city full of injustice.” So, we see that the problem is that “injustice” has become epidemic and endemic to the way society operates. It’s “full of injustice!” But why does injustice become so embedded in the fabric of society? Well, the next line gives us a clue. “For they [the city’s inhabitants] say, ‘The LORD has forsaken the land, and the LORD does not see.’” Now, note that carefully. The reason we tend towards evil and give up fighting against injustice (in ourselves and in our society) is because we already, deep in our souls, believe: 1) that God doesn’t care (He’s forsaken the land!), and/or 2) that there is no God watching over us to whom we must give an account (He doesn’t see!). You see, at the root of all sin, individual or corporate, is a deep disbelief in the God of Scripture. Evil is driven by a cynical hopelessness that says it makes no ultimate difference whether I do what’s right or what’s wrong. Have you fallen for the lie? Do you find those doubts echoing in your soul: Does God see? Does God even care? When you believe God’s given up, then you will too. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. And the Lord said to him, “Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.” And to the others he said in my hearing, “Pass through the city after him, and strike. Your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity. Kill old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but touch no one on whom is the mark. And begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the house. Then he said to them, “Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out.” So they went out and struck in the city. And while they were striking, and I was left alone, I fell upon my face, and cried, “Ah, Lord God! Will you destroy all the remnant of Israel in the outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?” Then he said to me, “The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is full of blood, and the city full of injustice. For they say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see.’” ~ Ezekiel 9:4-9 (ESV)

Ezekiel: Weeping Over the Injustice of Our City

November 14, 2023 • Don Willeman

Transcript: Hello! This is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective! In the ninth chapter of Ezekiel, the prophet details God’s judgment against the remnant of Jerusalem. In preparation for the judgment God sends a man dressed in linen to mark those that will be spared from the pending judgment. God commands him: “Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.” (Ezekiel 9:4). Now, did you catch that? God divides the people between those that “sigh and groan over all the abominations” of the city and those that do not. Then, the judgement of God sweeps through the city slaughtering those who do not mourn over the sin of the city. We learn something here of the fundamental difference between the righteous and the unrighteous. The righteous weep over injustice. The unrighteous do not. The righteous mourn over their sin and the sin of others. The unrighteous do not. The righteous have a tender conscience towards sin and evil, while the unrighteous are hardened cynics. The heart of the righteous breaks over the sins of the city, both individual and societal. But the unrighteous only care for themselves and their own immediate gratification. Now, there is no shortage of sin and evil in our hearts and in our world. And so, to have the posture described here of the righteous (i.e. sighing and groaning over sin) sounds like a rather miserable life. However, remember it was Jesus who taught us: “Blessed [i.e. happy; fulfilled] are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4) Do you mourn over the sin of your city, your nation and your world? Do you mourn over the sins of your own heart? “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.’” ~ Matthew 5:1-4 (ESV)

Whose Goodness?

November 9, 2023 • Don Willeman

Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. There is a huge societal debate right now on the very concept of goodness and morality. What is the basis of goodness? What makes something right or wrong? Is there even such a thing as an objective, moral “right” or “wrong”? A number of years ago, I heard of the president of an elite New England university commenting in a public meeting regarding the need to “get back to teaching morality and ethics in our colleges and universities.” The audible, knee-jerk retort of one student was telling: “Whose morality?” he shouted. As soon as you mention moral goodness you have to ask the question of perspective. “Good” according to whom? Morality from whose perspective? Is it this group or that group? This power block or that power block? Whose viewpoint gets to decide. I am not knocking this response because it highlights one of the critical problems with human beings invoking absolute or objective morality: We are all short-sighted and driven by self-interests, and so it can be dangerous when we begin demanding morality without reflecting on our own limitations and personal interests. The Bible would agree. Without the God who speaks and engages with His creation, it is ridiculous to speak of “objective moral goodness”. All we are left with is warring political interests. But if there is a God who is: • the source of all reality, • whose character is the standard of all goodness, • who sees the ends of all actions, whether they be good or evil, • and speaks His good truth into His creation, so that we may know it and live by it… …then that changes everything. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man's whole body well? Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” ~ John 7:14-24 (ESV)

God's Goodness and Justice

November 7, 2023 • Don Willeman

Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. The Bible tells us repeatedly that God is good. For example, Psalm 106 commands: “Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” (Psalm 106:1) And again in Psalm 145:9… The Lord is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works. And Psalm 34:8… Oh taste and see that the LORD is good! Now, some may be thinking: “But I thought God was a judge. What about the angry-at-sin part? I thought God was not only good, but also just?” Well, think with me. God’s essential heart towards His creation is not one of punishment—that is corrective/retributive justice. God is not a grumpy god sitting up in heaven thinking: “What fault can I find today? Who can I get irritated with and punish? Certainly, God IS just and He will by NO MEANS allow the guilty to go unpunished (Ex. 34:7), And so, if you are evil-doer, this should make you terrified. But more to the heart of His character, God is “…abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands” (Ex. 34:6-7). From all eternity and to all eternity, God is overflowing with goodness and generosity. Corrective or retributive justice is not at the heart of who God is, but rather is what happens when God’s goodness (His infinite moral excellence) encounters evil (the warping of or rebellion against His goodness). For God to express His goodness in the face of such evil requires Him to punish it—to correct it. Justice is the necessary by-product of His essential goodness. It is God’s goodness that drives him to judge evil. We expect nothing less among our human rulers. How much more the ultimate ruler of heaven and earth! Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. The Lord said to Moses, “Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain. No one shall come up with you, and let no one be seen throughout all the mountain. Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain.” So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone. The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.” And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.” ~ Exodus 34:1-9 (ESV)