JUBILATE SUNDAY 2020

"Travelling toward one's true Fatherland" is the summary phrase for the little gallery below. Pic #1 in John Bunyan's allegory, The Pilgrims Progress, is "Christian" who, with his weighty bundle of sins on his back, finds refuge and relief by faith in the crucified Christ; Pic #2 is a statue in New York's Central Park, dedicated to those who fled the Church of England's dictatorial mandates on religion. Orator Daniel Webster spoke of the “Pilgrim Fathers” at a bicentennial celebration 1820 of Plymouth (Massachusetts) colony founded in 1620, and thereafter the term Pilgrim enjoyed common usage; Pic #3 is a logo that should be familiar to all Americans: E Pluribus Unum (from the many, one). Just as it once was intended that many cultures would come together to form only one American culture, so it is with all Christians who are seeking their heavenly home. Pic #4 reminds us that all are one in Christ by faith alone.
This brings me to this Sunday morning's address:

“Christians Ought to Be Sojourners in this World”
1 Peter 2:11-12 NKJV "Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation."

My friends in Christ: If you aren’t a sojourner and a pilgrim in this world then you must have settled in and have become very comfortable in abiding here. Indeed, a sojourner is considered a stranger in the land wherein he dwells; and as a pilgrim he is headed toward his true abiding place, his heavenly home. Therefore, I ask you, do you look forward to and are you travelling towards your heavenly home? Do you value your eternal home more than your earthly temporal home?

Martin Luther remarked about Peter’s epistle for this Sunday:
“Thus, mark you, should every Christian conduct himself here on earth, according to Peter. In the first place, he should know where his real home is, his Fatherland. We learn this through faith in Christ, whereby we become citizens of heaven. Accordingly, we sing: ‘Now we pray Thee, Holy Spirit, for true faith,’ etc., when we depart home from this wretchedness.
“Peter calls us ‘sojourners and pilgrims’ – wayfarers in earthly wretchedness, desiring home and casting our thoughts beyond the gates of this sojourning-place. Second, though we must suffer this wretched condition in a foreign land, we are under obligation to render every honor to the host and to respect the inn, making the best of whatever may befall us.”

The Greek word for “honor” means also “good”, “agreeable”, or “virtuous.” Your conduct as Christians, St. Peter says, needs to be viewed as honorable among those who are not Christian. Peter just gives this one piece of advice, namely, “abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.” Unbelievers may not agree with your professed moral standards but, nevertheless, they should not find any inconsistency or fault in what you do and confess as a Christian.

If you are to be virtuous as a Christian, you will not want to settle and abide in the ways of this world. Today, instead of honoring God by trusting in His providential care, our government wants us to believe that a socialist’s government can bring about the normalcy to our God-given freedoms as U.S. citizens, as we are passing through this desert land to our true Fatherland. And so, the government gives away trillions of dollars (that it knows it doesn’t have) in what is known as a stimulus package during this pandemic we are presently in, to give the feeling of being secure. People now find it easier not to go back to their jobs since, in many cases, it is more profitable not to go back to work as we are led gradually into a one-world government and currency.

Being in this world will always have its disadvantages in that you may will at times fall short of virtue in expressing your Christian faith and the teachings of Jesus Christ. However, you must not be seen as the Nicolaitans who intentionally had one foot in the world and the other foot in the Church, trying to have the best of both worlds; having faithful deeds on the one hand and having unfaithful deeds on the other hand; confessing Christ on the one hand, and denying Christ on the other hand.

As Jesus revealed to John in Revelation 2:12 15 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, 'These things says He who has the sharp two edged sword: I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. And you hold fast to My name and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus, you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.’”

The true essence of Christianity is not morality but faith! Good morals should be had by all, especially by Christians, who should not be sexually deviant; who should not murder the unborn; who should not take the Lord’s name in vain; who should not be gluttonous, etc. In these matters Christians should be strangers in this world. Good conduct should also be a matter for legislation by the State if the majority deems so, and not just seen as a “Christian thing” that is being pushed upon other people. The saying that the State cannot legislate morality is a lie perpetuated by those who wish to destroy godly precepts.

When morality is just seen as a “Christian thing” then earthly governments may be torn apart. As Paul testifies in Romans 13: “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities…For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.” Note that Paul wasn’t the one who coined the phrase, “When in Rome do as the Romans do.”

When morality breaks down in society it tells you two things: There is no more a fear of God by the people; and, where there is no fear of God there is no wisdom, as the Scriptures say in Psalm 111:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endures forever.” Also, St. Paul tells us, “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2 Corinthians 7:1).”

Christians ought to take the lead in showing society what it is to be virtuous. As George Washington once commented on morality and the government, “It is substantially true that virtue or morality is the necessary spring of popular government.” It is this government we have now that has gone so far away from the “spring of popular government” in order to pursue its own agenda, oftentimes contrary to the people. And this agenda is an agenda without honor.

The Christian, however, will not be moral in so far as the government has legislated him to be so; the Christian will be moral because he lives his life by faith – faith in the Son of God, Jesus Christ who died to set the Christian free from living a depraved life and to set the Christian free to live a life of righteousness through faith, now and until the Christian is taken to his true homeland. This is what makes the world see the Christian as a misfit in society. But if there is one thing the world cannot or should not be able to say about the Christian it would be this, that the Christian is dishonorable, even in the midst of being called bigots and haters of humanity.

Here is the main problem for the person of faith, namely, that the person of faith is a Christian who is true to the teachings of the Bible. For the teachings of the world’s religious, Christian leaders are such that they deny that Jesus is the only Savior of the world; the only means by which a person can be saved. But what is explicitly set forth by Vatican II convened by John XXIII and Pope Paul VI in an ecumenical spirit that embraces all the religions of the world as equally true without any consequent value towards their heavenly homes.

Second only to Pope Francis, the late John Paul was mostly seen as the ecumenical Pope who embraced the leaders of the world’s main religions and set the course of salvation, not by faith alone, but by works. Mother Theresa was a wonderful caring woman who, no doubt, did great works of civil charity with the poorest of the poor and yet may never have converted a single soul to Christ. She, instead, stated that she wanted them to be comfortable with their own beliefs no matter what they may be. She wanted them to be better Muslims, better Jews, better Buddhists, etc. but that they need not convert to Christianity in order to be saved.

Many panel discussions had taken place since the burial of Pope John Paul II, known as “a friend to the world.” It was the Roman Church that took the lead of the world and even changed its own laws in order to canonize John Paul II as a saint. It used to be 50 years before one could be considered for “sainthood” and only after the dead candidate performed three confirmed miracles, but in this case it was rushed through by the many John Paul II advocates. Unfortunately for Christianity, Christians who have appeared on TV have likewise denied the faith of Christianity by just not being honorable. I have yet to hear one of these popular preachers, with the exception of Franklin Graham, proclaim that man is destined to hell without faith in the Son of God, regardless of age, race, sex, and regardless of how moral a person appears to be.

However, Franklin Graham has exceeded his own father, Billy Graham, in honor. Franklin Graham was “dis-invited” to pray at the Pentagon several years ago based simply on the fact that the world was uncomfortable with his presence. A decade ago, when the United States held its National Day of Prayer, a spokesman for the U.S. Army informed the nation that the Pentagon had rescinded its invitation to Franklin Graham to be the lead speaker at the May 6th Pentagon service to be held in conjunction with the National Day of Prayer. In a statement, Graham said he regretted the Army's decision but will still pray for the troops. What was the reason for the “dis-invite” at that time? Well, it was because of Franklin Graham’s earlier comments about Islam were “not appropriate,” said the Army. And, as far back as 2001, Franklin Graham has consistently described Islam as an evil religion. Although he finds Islam offensive, he prays that Muslims may know that Jesus Christ is “The Way, The Truth, and The Life” so that they too, along with all Christendom, will glorify God by faith at the time of a merciful and gracious visitation.

Jesus and only Jesus is the cause for your salvation, for as Scripture said, He has chosen you; you have not chosen him. That is Good News – that God is on the sinner’s side and saved you, not by the works that you have done but solely by faith in the merits of His only-begotten Son, Christ Jesus. God’s Son has already atoned for all sins (“It is finished!”) in order that you may receive, by faith, the salvation He now offers you.

Don’t talk to me about your morality and how you honor the Bible as a Christian when you may not honor what the Son of God teaches on the matters of morality and faith. It is the Son that will be your judge. John 5:21 23 states: “For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”

Faith, friends, faith alone in Christ is what should be held as honorable among the Christians who take this message to the world of those who are perishing! If you start talking about how good you are then you don’t understand what it is to live this life by faith, and you don’t understand where your true Fatherland is. You have become too comfortable in this world and in this country that you are allegedly only passing through.

King David knew that he was also a sojourner before God who alone gives all blessings. It is written in 1 Chronicles 29:13-15 that David blessed the Lord and prayed for all the assembly of Israel, who gave willing offerings, and prayed for his son Solomon who would become king: “Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. But who am I, and what is my people that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.”

As Christians, we should constantly remind ourselves that there is no honor in us; but that our honor, which is the value that God the Father places on each of us who believe in Jesus Christ, flows from His goodly Spirit keeping us in His will. For by living the life of faith in this earthly dwelling, by your pilgrimage, you surely will arrive at your eternal heavenly home. Amen.