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Kick the Tires

The following is a sermon I preached on September 29, 2020 at Faith Church in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. You can download the outline as well as the Listening Sheet by clicking here. The underlined words are the blanks you’ll see on the Listening Sheet.

cover I) Intro There are ­three sides to the topics we’re dealing with in our society today. There’s what’s wrong … …there’s what’s accurate and then there’s what’s True “Facts” are like pieces of a puzzle. However important and credible they may be, there are nevertheless fragments of a greater whole. The Truth is the fully assembled puzzle with all of the “facts” correctly configured. It’s the Truth that you need in order ensure that your convictions are fully vetted and informed. Otherwise, you’re basing your perspective on a solitary instrument as opposed to a full orchestra and you’ll never be able to hear or appreciate the music as it was intended to be heard. It’s for that reason you can’t afford to be merely smart, you have to be wise. You can’t allow yourself to be satisfied with your intellect alone, you have to make use of the Perspective God offers by “testing” what it is that lies before you.

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 Jn 4:1)

You have to “kick the tires.”

II) What Does it Mean to be Wise? To be wise is to evaluate a situation correctly. In order to do that, you need as your starting point a Perfect Resource which is God Himself:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Prov 9:10)

By framing your thoughts according to what’s specified in God’s Word along with the Guidance that He promises (Ps 143:12), you’re now on track to do the right thing at the right time in the right way for all the right reasons (Matt 5:48). It’s not an especially mystical transaction. You pray for instruction and then you let God reveal His Preferences in the context of your circumstance and however else He might shape your mindset (Rom 8:6). There’s one thing, however, that you can do from a purely practical standpoint that Christ Himself demonstrated in the way He responded to some of His detractors… You have to ask the right questions.

III) Ask the Right Questions

A) When Contending with the Enemy

Throughout the gospels you see the Pharisees asking Him questions that would’ve revealed Him as a fraud had He not been everything He claimed to be. But rather than “answering a fool according to his folly (Prov 26:4),” He responded with the “right” question that compelled His opponents to acknowledge both their sinister intentions as well as the flawed logic that were attempting to assert as a philosophical given. Here’s an example:

27 They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. 28 “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?”

29 Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 30 John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!”

31 They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ …” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.)

33 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.” (Mk 11:27-33)

Jesus had no formal training nor academic credentials. While that might be a legitimate cause for concern, John the Baptist didn’t have any formal training either. The fact that were willing to validate John as a prophet despite his non-existent resume (Jn 1:19) but not Jesus demonstrates that weren’t looking to validate Him as much as they were trying to discredit Him. But do you see how Christ countered their question with another question? Rather than allowing the flow of the dialogue to be dictated by a hidden agenda, Jesus responds with the “right” question in that it addressed the way the Pharisees were posing as concerned authorities when in fact they were hypocritical assailants. Ravi Zacharias once said, “When you question someone’s question, you compel them to open up about their own assumptions. Our assumptions must be examined.”1 It’s the philosophical scaffolding that supports the question that qualifies it as something that is either looking to justify itself or transform itself into something that better accommodates the Truth. C.S. Lewis reinforces this by saying that “The most dangerous ideas in a society are not the ones being argued, but the ones that are assumed.”2 Consider the following:

Does the Bible endorse slavery? What was the punishment in the Old Testament for kidnapping?
How could Abolitionists base their argument against the slave trade on the Bible if Scripture supported it?
Was every one of our Founding Fathers a born-again Christian? Who did our Founders identify as the Source of our Freedom?
Don’t homosexuals have the right to be happy? Do homosexuals have the right to redefine Moral Absolutes?
Shouldn’t we trust the news? Shouldn’t we want the truth?
Aren’t all Christians hypocrites? Are all church members genuine Christians?
Don’t I have the right to choose? Does your baby have the right to live?
Is the Bible reliable? Is the integrity of the Bible dependent on the accuracy of man or the Ability of God?
Why does God allow suffering? Why did Jesus have to die?

You have to ask the right questions. And while the example of Christ and the above responses demonstrate the utility of the right questions being asked in the context of refuting a flawed premise, it’s also a dynamite way to ensure the quality of your own assumptions.

B) When Contending with Yourself

The movie, “Moneyball” is based on the book by the same title authored by Michael Lewis. It stars Brad Pitt and it tells the story of the manager of the Oakland A’s who, at one point, deployed a strategy when it came to recruiting new employers that represented a dramatic departure from convention. Instead of going after big ticket all-stars, they focused instead on players that could consistently get on base. Not home run hitters, just solid and consistent ball players that could get on first every time they got up to bat. The result was amazingly successful. That year the A’s turned in a winning season and were able to do it at a fraction of the cost that comparable teams were paying for a roster that was supposedly more talented. Satan is described in Scripture as both a snake and a lion. Put those two illustrations together and you have something that is as vicious as it is subtle. He’s not posing as a home run hitter. Rather, he’s just trying to get on first. And what happens over time is he keeps advancing runners and before you know it, he’s putting points on the board and you’re up to your neck in the kind of sin you never thought possible. Again, it comes back to asking the right questions and laboring to be truly wise as opposed to being merely smart.

1) Politics, Race and COVID-19

Volatile issues are sometimes labeled as “divisive” and therefore something to be avoided altogether in order to better foster a Christian sense of unity, peace and compassion (2 Tim 4:3). That’s one extreme. In the middle of the spectrum you have Scripture being applied in ways that resonate as “accurate,” but because the application consists of the Bible being deployed in a manner that is incomplete, the result falls short of true obedience (2 Tim 2:15). And then there’s the Truth where topics are being processed according to the whole of God’s Word and the resulting approach is profoundly positive (Rom 12:1-2). Think about it… In the absence of wisdom…

  • Unity becomes Corruption
  • Love becomes Neglect
  • Peace becomes Indifference
  • …and however you want to be perceived as compassionate, in the absence of wisdom you become an accomplice

So, how do you “stay in the zone?” How do you ensure that you’re being wise? Ask the right questions. Test the spirits. Kick the tires.

i) Politics

We’re commanded in Scripture to pray for our leaders that we may, “…live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” (1 Tim 2:1-3). That’s the goal. In order to pray intelligently, you need to be engaged just like the men of Issachar (1 Chron 12:32). And when it comes to supporting a particular candidate, you base your decision on the platform and not their personality. Should you find yourself distracted by what appears to a godlessness on the part of the one you may favor, remember King Cyrus . King Cyrus was the Persian King who God used to enact legislation that would give the Hebrews the opportunity to rebuild the Temple and the Wall. But look at what is said of Cyrus is the book of Isaiah:

who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,” and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.”’ (Is 44:28)

God calls King Cyrus, “my shepherd.” But in the very next chapter…

For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me. 5 I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me…(Is 45:5)

Would you have voted for King Cyrus?

King Cyrus didn’t know or acknowledge God. For an orthodox Jew, that must’ve been a hard pill to swallow given the fact that Cyrus was not only a Gentile, but he was an idolater. Yet, God referred to him as “my shepherd” and it was through Cyrus’ administration that the Hebrews were able to rebuild their capital city. The example of Cyrus demonstrates that a leader can be a heathen and still be worthy of your support because of the way their platform promotes and protects the work of God. So the question isn’t, “How can I support someone who doesn’t acknowledge God?” The question is, “Whose platform is most aligned with that which promotes and protects our nation’s spiritual wellbeing?” Or, another question which better accommodates the whole of Scripture as opposed to those passages that restrict God’s usage of individuals to those that honor would be, “Would you have voted for King Cyrus?”

P.S. To write in another name on the ballot or to abstain from the voting process entirely is to withdraw your support of “King Cyrus” and insist that unless God provides the kind of leader that’s consistent with your expectations than God’s Activity goes unnoticed and both the wall and the Temple remain in ruins.
ii) Black Lives Matter

God evaluates individuals according to their character and not their uniform or their ethnicity (Dt 24:16; Ez 18:20; 1 Cor 3:13). To project the character flaws of a select few on to an entire institution or people group is the very definition of Racism, yet this is the approach represented whenever you hear the term, “Police Brutality” or “White Supremacy.” From that standpoint, those who use those terms are the very thing they claim to despise and theirs is an agenda of Destruction and Deception rather than Direction. You can see this illustrated in the way the Israelites were commanded to treat the “foreigner” in the Old Testament. These “foreigners” were inevitably a part of people group that were among Israel’s enemies. It would’ve been both logical and perhaps even appropriate to assume that these people according to the vile gods they worshipped and the murderous acts they committed against the Israelites. But commanded the Hebrews to love the foreigner who had agreed to live among the Jews peacefully rather than raise their hand against both Israel and her God. (Ex 22:21; Dt 20:10-15). And what’s significant about this is that some of these foreigners would go on to occupy prominent positions in Israel’s army, leadership and even a part of Christ’s lineage (Uriah [2 Sam 11], Caleb [Num 32:12 {Gen 15:19}], Ruth [Ruth 4:13-22; Matt 1:5]). This demonstrates conclusively that individuals are gauged according to their merits and not the flaws of their lineage or whatever label society would fix upon them. Whatever injustices have been committed, they need to be evaluated first in terms of the individuals involved and their personal history before evaluating a system either according to the way it’s abused or as a veil to conceal the moral failings of the individual being considered. So, the question isn’t “Do black lives matter?” The question is, “Do you evaluate a person according to their skin or their character?”

iii) COVID-19

The Corona Virus is a very real sickness that can be lethal. Statistically, however, the chances of a person dying from Covid-19 are comparable to dying in an automobile accident. Proverbs 21:16 says,

Whoever strays from the path of prudence comes to rest in the company of the dead. (Prov 21:16)

To throw caution to the wind is not responsible, but anything taken to the extreme is never wise (Ecc 7:16-18). So the question isn’t, “Do we trade the economy for the elderly?” as much as it’s, “At what point does ‘caution’ become destructive?”

IV) Conclusion

Let’s review some of the verses that we looked at today: We just concluded that anything take to the extreme is never wise:

Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise—why destroy yourself? 17 Do not be overwicked,  and do not be a fool—why die before your time? 18 It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes. (Ecc 7:16-18)

In other words, you want to be prudent. In Proverbs 8:12, it says:

I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion. (Prov 8:12)

Prudence is a companion of wisdom and wisdom is…

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Prov 9:10)

Whether you’re talking about being prudent or avoiding extremes, it all comes down to being wise. And true wisdom is based first and foremost on the Perspective that comes from God. However obvious a particular issue may be, it’s always good to “kick the tires” and test those things that would appear to be givens by asking the right questions. It’s in the context of those questions that you’re able to discover the assumptions that may be lurking behind those dispositions and it’s there where you can ensure that you’re not being merely smart… …but you’re being truly wise.

Test the spirits.

Ask the right questions.

Kick the tires.

A Name, A Person and a Choice

nametagThe vocabulary of today’s Liberal is framed in the context of Labels, Mobs and Crowds.

Referring to individuals in the context of their nationality or their religious creed is not inappropriate, but it can become a problem when personal responsibility is intentionally put aside in favor of the assumed “goodness” of the group you’re placed in. At that point, depending on how your opinions line up with the Liberal mantra, either your mistakes are excused as involuntary reactions to a flawed system and you are a victim or, should you embrace the notion that a person is to be held accountable for their actions regardless of their environment, you are cast as a villain and a merchant of fear and hate.

It’s a brilliant strategy in that the individual is never really considered. Rather, it’s the label that has been fixed on to your person and it’s that label that can now be moved around and positioned as a legitimate reason to destroy any institution or ideal that differs from the Progressive mindset.

Take Racism, for example.

Your ethnicity is your argument. Your label is your cause. Whatever it is that constitutes an unmet expectation in your life is blamed on a broken system and an unjust legal paradigm. Your diploma, your SAT scores, your work ethic, your morality – none of that is considered apart from the way it can reinforce the legitimacy of your crowd and the desperation represented by your label.

From a Biblical standpoint, you’ve got all kinds of Truth to reinforce the idea of personal responsibility. 2 Thess 3:10 quotes Paul as saying that if you don’t work, you don’t eat. It’s not whether your family or your community works, it’s whether or not you’re working. The most substantial Truth, however, would be the fact that come Judgment Day, it is your actions being weighed and not someone else’s (see 1 Cor 3:13 [2 Cor 5:10; Heb 9:27]).

And it works the other way too.

There are those who lack for nothing, yet are critical of wealth because they’ve never had a job and all they needed to in order to get what they wanted was to simply manipulate the authority figures who provided for them. Hence, all wealthy people are processed, not as creative hard-workers who’ve succeeded according to their industry and ambition, but as a like minded mob who extorted profit from the employee or the customer that was willing to be deceived.

In order to see the world for what it truly is, you have to get beyond Labels, Mobs and Crowds and instead see it in the context of a Name, a Person and a Choice.

Again, Collectives are not necessarily sinister. We are Americans, we can embrace our membership in different organizations such as the military or sports teams that drive you to become more than what you might otherwise be. But however you might be categorized in the context of a nationality, an ethnicity or a particular talent – that group identity can never suffice as a replacement for personal responsibility.

If you claim to be a victim based on your “crowd,” or you would demonize an individual because of the “label” you’re determined to fasten on to them as a comprehensive caption, there is no point to be made unless you can validate your platform in the context of a Name, a Person and a Choice. In other words, your innocence or someone else’s guilt is not defined according to the uniform they wear or the color of your skin. Rather, it is the character and the actions of the individual that is considered first and foremost. Only after their behavior and / or your choices can be validated as something that is beyond reproach are you justified in indicting the system that would otherwise be the focus.

Anytime you hear someone accuse another of a hate crime, or you hear an individual demonize an entire segment of society, challenge them with a Name, a Person and a Choice. And remind them that there’s a word that describes what they’re doing when they assume someone to be either guilty or virtuous based on the Label, Mob or Crowd that they use to justify their perspective…

Racism.

Everything You Know…

graduationEverything you know about the world is based on what you’ve been told.

Interviews, video clips, testimonies, photos, statistics, polls – the information is as accessible as it is abundant, but…

Your boots have never touched the ground, you weren’t in the squad car nor were you on the scene. I don’t know the players personally, you’re not a doctor nor a biologist, we’re not collecting the data…

We’re simply consumers assuming that the information we’re getting is both credible and comprehensive.

The problem is that the information we’re processing isn’t always packaged in a way that is complete. And in that way, it’s not honest and can lead to convictions that, however passionately they may be held, they are nevertheless flawed (Prov 19:2).

But it’s not the responsibility of the media to ensure an accurate perspective on the world.

It’s ours.

I’ve decided there are three things you have to do in order to guarantee an accurate assessment of the world:

  • Pop the Hood
  • Keep Your Balance
  • Kick the Tires

Pop the Hood (1 Jn 4:1)- if a physician tells you that you have a terminal disease, among the first things you’re going to do is get a second opinion. If you’re “hearing a noise” in your engine, you pop the hood and you investigate things for yourself. You become your own reporter so that your outlook is based on more than a knee jerk reaction to a headline that is designed to both inform and to sell advertising space. Remember: Every news outlet is biased at least to the extent that they’re determining what it is that constitutes a headline. “If it bleeds, it leads.”

Keep Your Balance – rarely are you going to encounter a media segment that is a complete falsehood. There’s an element of truth to most of what you hear pertaining to the current events that are being reported. But you have to listen to more than just your preferred source of information so you’re hearing both sides of the story (Ecc 7:16-18). Apart from a “balanced” intake of information, you become biased according to the implied philosophies being communicated by the journalistic pool that you unwittingly default to every time you want to know what’s going on.

Kick the Tires – Christ said that you’ll know a tree by its fruit (Lk 6:44). In other words, if something is true, it’s going to reveal itself as such at some point. Trust is something that has to be earned and if you find yourself constantly disappointed by a resource that proves to be consistently flawed in the way it reports the news, then you want to keep that in mind when they present themselves yet again as a noble commentator on a particular topic.

So, what does all this mean? How does it translate to some action items that improve the overall situation both for yourself and your neighbor?

Be able to explain what you believe and why (1 Pet 3:15).

Be able to explain why you think the way that you do. Your feelings are important but they have to be companions to your logic and not replacements. Take the time to investigate the nuts and bolts of your reasoning so you don’t sound like you’re just regurgitating a random sound byte. Whether it’s Black Lives Matter, COVID-19 or the administration of the President…

  • Look, don’t just watch
  • Study, don’t just read
  • Think – don’t just feel

And don’t neglect one of the most productive disciplines you can ever engage and that’s the practice of laying your world at the feet of Christ Himself. There’s a difference between being smart and being wise and it all stems from the extent to which you’re either looking at things from the ground or in the air. However stark things may appear, there’s another Perspective that is far more capable and is seeing things from a viewpoint that encompasses literally everything both now and in the future. It’s one of the advantages of being both Sovereign and Omnipotent. Hitch your mental wagon to everything He offers and not only will you be able to confidently cast off those things that are bogus, but your sense of calm and confidence will be dramatically improved as well.

Everything you know about the world is based on what you’ve been told. It can be a toxic lullaby in the way it dulls your senses and cheats your mind.

But you have options. Use them. Be informed and not just opinionated and vet your convictions through the Filter that is 100% correct, 100% of the time. In that moment, what you know goes beyond what you’ve been told…

…it’s now based on what you know to be true.

An Imaginary Sermon Preached by a Famous Civil Rights Leader

❶ There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Gal 3:28)

❷ When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan. (Prov 29:2)

❸ Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. (Prov 16:32)

❹ You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. (Rom 2:1)

❺ I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth— everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made. (Is 43:6-7 [emphasis added])

On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. (Jn 14:20)

❻  In the same way, let your light shine before men so that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matt 5:16)

In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. (Titus 2:7-8)

❼  He repays everyone for what they have done; he brings on them what their conduct deserves. (Job 34:11)

When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the Lord. (Prov 19:3)

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.
5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct. (Gal 6:4-5 [NLT])

❽ Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? (Prov 6:27-28)

❾ For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. (Rom 13:4)

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness but rather expose them. (Eph 5:11)

❿ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. (col 1:16)

➀ Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (Jas 1:22)

➁  Do not hastily bring into court, for what will you do in the end, when your neighbor puts you to shame? (Prov 25:8)

Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. (Ecc 5:2)

➂  “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Cor 2:16)

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, (Jas 1:19)

➃  a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, (Ecc 3:3)

➄ Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people. (Prov 28:15)

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions. They will even deny the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Even so, many will follow their licentious ways, and because of these teachers the way of truth will be maligned. And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced against them long ago, has not been idle, and their destruction is not asleep. (2 Pet 2:1-3)

➅ For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. (Ps 51:3-4)

➆ You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. (Ex 20:7)

➇ For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. (1 pet 2:15)

⑨ “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Matt 7:1-2)

Brothers and sisters in Christ, greetings!

I come before you today in the Name of Christ Who, with His death and Resurrection, destroyed every social construct that would otherwise be used by sinful men to restrict the rights and opportunities that God gives to every man ❶.

We are here today to consider the tragic death of George Floyd and to determine if his death is the result of a wicked mindset manifested in the actions of ones entrusted with the role of keeping the peace. ❷

We, as a culture, have been conditioned to project any one of a number of assumptions on to scenarios such as these and believe that it is all part of the insidious sin of Racism our ancestors had to endure for centuries. But I come to you in the Name of Christ today to remind you that we become the very thing we claim to despise if we first do not mediate on the Truth of Scripture which is what gives Divine Credence to our cause. ❸

Here me.

You Who Pass Judgment Do the Same Things

If we do not call out these officers by name and instead condemn the entire law enforcement community –   if we do not address those individuals within the system who are corrupt and instead  indict the entire system…

Are we not doing the very thing that we accuse others of doing to us? ❹

Set Them an Example

Moreover, when we take the stand in the court of public opinion, how does our testimony resonate in the minds of the jury? It says in Proverbs 3:1-4:

My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, 2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity 3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. (Prov 3:1-4)

Later in chapter 22, it says;

A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. (Prov 22:1)

As believers, you bear the Name of Christ. As a son and as a daughter you bear the name of your forefathers and of your immediate family. It is because of this Truth, that your reputation is so important because your actions reflect, not only on yourself, but also on those whose name you bear. ❺

What is our reputation?

41% of our young people drop out of High School, 70% of our infants are born out of wedlock. Combine that with the fact that while we account for only 13% of our nation’s total citizenry,  the population of our country’s prisons are 34% African American.

When a police officer kisses his wife good bye in the morning, there is an unspoken reality that he is seeing his bride for the last time given the risks he takes to serve and protect. Does our reputation put him at ease or does it put him on his guard?

Is our reputation such where the words we speak are immediately embraced as the legitimate concerns that they are or does our notoriety drown out the voice of our hurting and the sound of our appeal? ❻

Jesus said you will know a tree by its fruit. What sort of produce do our collective vineyards yield? Is it characterized by law abiding citizens or arrest records?  Do we have more abortion clinics than nurseries? Does it boast a rich collection of graduates or a large number of empty classrooms?

Are we collectively setting an example that compliments our cause or does it distract from it?

We Each Are Responsible

We accuse our own within the law enforcement community of being corrupt, we assault the character of anyone who dares to suggest that our bad reputation is deserved, we complain that the system is rigged, that our image is distorted and even now, we prepare to protest the newest appearance of Police Brutality because we believe that it was not only Racism that caused the death of George Floyd but it’s Racism that’s to blame for all the adversity we contend with. ❼

But to what extent do our collective actions place us in the position we’re in? Are we victims of a biased infrastructure or are we merely victims of our own immoral decision making? ❽

We complain that the police project on to every one of us the trouble and the harm they have suffered at the hands of our brethren. But should not a portion of our indignation be directed to those of us who are lawless instead of hating the one who enforces the law? ❾

We burn the flag that elects a black man as president, we spurn the anthem that destroyed slavery, we denounce the system that gives us free education and all the while it is our fathers who are leaving, it is our grades that are lacking and it is our own that we are killing.

If our platform is to have any credibility –  if our indignation is to resonate as righteous –  than we cannot be hypocritical in our accusations, we must set an example in our conduct and we must take responsibility for our actions.

Regardless of Race

And it is here where I would pause and remind you that at this point I do not speak only to those who are gathered in this sanctuary, but to all men regardless of race.

We stifle the resolution we seek by referring to men as either black or white. And ladies, I beseech you to hear me include you when I say, “men” in that I’m referring to all humanity.

We are not “white,” we are not “black” we are all God’s offspring ❿  and we are all therefore obligated to not only hold the Bible we own with our hands, but to obey the God it proclaims with our whole heart. ➀

More Than An Authority

As an officer of the law, you are tasked with keeping the peace and assuming all suspects are innocent until proven guilty. Even those whose records are tarnished with past mistakes, the Bible rebukes those who make false assumptions. ➁ Your badge must be more than an authority, it must also be an example. And however you are maligned and even threatened, your response must go beyond being merely “smart,” you have to be “wise.” ➂

And I am not suggesting that by being “wise,” you are therefore restricted from using deadly force. It’s not that you are restricted as much as you are resolved to kill only when it’s appropriate to do so.

And yes, there are times when it’s appropriate to kill. ➃ But there is also a time to heal and you must be able to make that distinction.

Should it be determined that you are using your position to lord it over those who are obligated to obey, you are identified in Scripture as a wicked oppressor and a false teacher and there is a special kind of destruction awaiting you on Judgement Day. ➄

To those who are breaking the law, in whatever capacity, know this: You are not just violating a human regulation, you are breaking a Divine Directive. If you commit murder, if you steal, you not only incur the righteous wrath of of the law, you also sin against God.➅ Just like the Police Officer who has to answer to a Higher Standard than his immediate supervisor, you also have to answer to a Higher Law. And should your behavior be revealed as violent and disrespectful when you are apprehended, you do nothing but add to your guilt both in the sight of your jurors as well as in the sight of your King. ❾

It’s Not Only the Law That You Are Breaking

And to those who murder, steal and destroy and excuse it as a reasonable reaction to “not being heard” or a “miscarriage of justice,” let me remind you that the moment you break the law, you are no longer a protester or an activist, you are a criminal and, again,  it is not only the law that you are breaking, it is your God that you are offending – especially if you do your wanton acts insisting that you represent a godly disposition ➆.

What Are We Doing?

In the sixties, a number of extraordinary people emerged who had labored beneath the weight of racial prejudice and went on to accomplish some amazing things:

  • Rosa Parks was a soft spoken black woman whose refusal to surrender her seat because of her race would inspire the Montgomery Bus Boycott and lead to her being honored with the Medal of Freedom in 1996.
  • James Meredith was a nine year veteran of the United States Air Force who would go on to become the first black American to attend the University of Mississippi despite the riots his enrollment inspired which would be dispersed only with the intervention of Federal Troops.
  • Percy Julian is one of the most influential chemists in American history despite his not being able to attend High School and had to study abroad in order to secure his doctorate because of his color.
  • Barbara Jordan grew up in a poor, black neighborhood in Houston, Texas and, despite the challenges of being an African American in an area where Jim Crow laws was common, she was nevertheless able to make history by being the first black female in congress to come from the deep south.

These are among the heroes of the Civil Rights Movement. They inspired change, in part, by presenting an argument that reeked of moral and professional excellence. By living and performing in a manner that was beyond reproach, they were able to silence the criticisms that would’ve otherwise distracted from the injustices they sought to resolve and the result was dramatic ➇.

Today, we are instructed to embrace an entirely different kind of individual and and honor them in the same way we do the noble persons who carried the baton of the Civil Rights issue decades ago.

  • George Floyd had a criminal record that included five arrests and five years spent in prison for aggravated robbery.
  • Rodney King, at the time of his arrest in 1991, had been sentenced to two years in prison for robbing a convenience store armed with a tire iron.
  • Freddie Gray had been arrested on multiple occasions for drug related crimes.

In each case, you have a person that had a criminal record and was resisting arrest when they were initially apprehended. Now, rather than being able to prosecute our cause in the context of moral courage and professional excellence, we are seen as accusing others of being unprincipled when our champions seemingly have no principles ourselves. ⑨

What are we doing?

If we would answer that question with a response that included successful appeals for justice and productive conversations that yielded positive results, we need to cease all attempts to qualify an event by asking whether or not it involved a black man or a white man and instead ask whether or not it involved a good man – be they the one being arrested or the one that is making the arrest. And if Christ really did die and come back to life, than the definition of a good man is a godly man, can I get an “Amen?”

Let Us Move Forward

Let us move forward, then, by refusing to express our concerns in the context of labels, mobs and crowds. Let us avoid becoming the very thing we claim to despise by  by directing our questions to the individuals involved and not the institutions they represent. Let us labor to be living manifestations of the moral excellence we would demand in others. Let us move beyond race and instead look at one another as fellow soldiers battling our eternal enemy as a unified force, sanctified by the blood of Christ and empowered by His Holy Spirit. And let our cause be a racially diverse venture that battles true bigotry by holding up specific instances of moral excellence responded to with an undeniably sinful bias- and not the flawed campaigns triggered by legitimate arrests and prosecuted with even more criminal activity.

That is how you effectively assert the Truth of your God, that is how you lead by example and that is how you effect true and enduring change.

Let us move forward and let us pray now for both the Strength and the Wisdom to do just that.

Lets’ pray…

How Do You Refute an Argument Based on Facts?

clarkeIt can catch you off balance when you hear something that you know to be wrong, yet because of the way it’s articulated in the context of facts and statistics, you’re not able to refute it directly. It’s a strategy that is often used by the media and in the context of debates where topics are subordinated to tactics.

How do you refute an argument based on facts?

With a platform based on Truth.

Loaded questions and agenda-driven campaigns can be difficult to navigate. It’s especially challenging when what’s being communicated is offensive to the point where you feel a certain amount of anger welling up inside you. Even if you’re able to respond with something effective, unless it’s stated in measured tones and in a manner that sounds confident and well thought out, it can pale in comparison to a well rehearsed collection of bullet points, however nonsensical they may be.

A good example is an interview with Sheriff David Clarke conducted by CNN’s Don Lemon. Don begins by saying the that message of the “Black Lives Matter” movement is one of peace and bringing the country together. He then asks Sheriff Clarke, “What’s your message?”

The question is brilliant because however Sheriff Clarke answers, if it’s distinct from the message of “Black Lives Matter,” the implication is that it’s something other than peace which is precisely what Lemon and his compatriots at CNN want to promote in that it gives credibility to the notion that our country is fundamentally flawed and needs to be recast in the image of something more liberal.

It’s more than racism. It’s same sex marriage, it’s the doctrine of entitlement, it’s the eradication of any notion of an Absolute save the absolute of yourself. It’s amoral, it’s godless and it’s twisted. And what makes it especially lethal is that it’s incessantly promoted with words such as “compassion” and “equality.” Should those tactics prove to be ineffective, then words like “fascist” and “neo-Nazi” are deployed in an effort to distort the message of Conservatives so that it appears cruel and irrational.

The interview between Lemon and Clarke was conducted in the aftermath of some demonstrations that happened earlier that month (July of 2016). Lemon’s question was particularly offensive to Sheriff Clarke given the fact that in Dallas, a “Black Lives Matter” protest deteriorated into a violent scene of carnage as 12 police officers where shot. Sheriff Clarke looked at Lemon with an expression on his face that revealed the disdain he had for Lemon’s apparent, if not obvious apathy, for the cops that were shot and his simultaneous support he had for a movement based on a distorted perspective on the facts.

What Sheriff Clarke demonstrates is the way in which you handle an argument based on facts. You dismantle it with a platform based on Truth.

When you ask the wrong questions, you inevitably arrive at the wrong conclusions and the accuracy of your answers is in direct proportion to the accuracy of your perspective. You see this in the context of social justice, in politics and you see this in matters of theology.

Know what you believe and why (1 Pet 3:15-16). And when you’re confronted with a compelling sounding piece of fiction that fans the flames of a godless perspective, be ready to dismantle their argument with something other than a strategically collection of facts. Rather, respond with the Truth – a comprehensive picture of the issue as it truly is that acknowledges the substance of their platform while at the same time reveals it as a flawed and incomplete disposition in light of the bigger picture.

While Sheriff Clarke didn’t respond to Lemon by simply saying “The Truth,” his rebuttal was just that. It was “The Truth.” By asking Lemon if he really believed the message of the “Black Lives Matter” platform is one of “peace” and going to ask if there was any outrage on their part as far as the deaths of the policemen that were killed during their riot – this reveals the inconsistency of their mantra.

You don’t evaluate a system according to the way its abused. Where there is corruption, you address it in the context of the individuals that are guilty, not the entire institution they represent. Furthermore, the indignation that supposedly serves as the philosophical foundation for the “Black Lives Matter” group is based on intentionally falsified accounts of what really happened in order to give their rhetoric credibility (cnsnews.com, thepoliticalinsider.com, muscularchristianityonline.com). That is the truth and while it may not sway those who are determined to cling to a lie because of the way it reinforces the view they have of themselves and the world around them, for the sake of those who are on the outside looking in, it’s a needed breath of fresh air to keep the smog of Progressive thinking and godless convictions contained and revealed for what it genuinely is.

How do you refute an argument based on facts?

With a platform based on Truth.

Well done, Sheriff Clarke…