By His Grace Alone

With the NFL playoffs quickly approaching, we’re likely to hear more “trash talking” before it’s all over.  Here’s an excerpt from a sermon I preached at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii Chapel recently:

           Have you ever heard of the term “trash talking”?  When you hear of that usually it’s in connection with some kind of sport where one side is taunting the other with some outrageous boasts.  Now when it comes to trash talking there was nobody like the original King of trash talk: Muhammad Ali.  How many times did he brag that he was “The Greatest?”  Now it’s one thing to say that you’re the greatest and it’s another to back up that claim in the ring.  And after many of his performances people often agreed with his claim.  Because in his prime, nobody could match him inside the ring.  You see, Muhammad Ali invented “trash talk” with his constant taunting of opponents.  Ali would claim that he could “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.”  He made a habit of actually predicting the round in which he would knock his opponents out, now that takes some gusto, and the amazing thing is that in many instances he was right.  You see, he talked the talk… and what made him so memorable is that when he got in the ring he could make good on his claims: he walked the walk.  Likewise, it’s not enough to simply talk about your Christian piety.  God’s not interested in your talk… he’s more interested in your walk.  What you do is far more indicative of who you are than merely what you say.  That’s why John tells us in our text to “bear fruit in keeping with repentance…” You see, in John’s crowds there was no shortage of people who would profess to serve the Lord, but John wanted to see some PROOF that their repentance was genuine…

            So what about you?  Do you realize that the Lord expects repentance out of you as well?  That this repentance is not optional?  As Jesus says, “…unless you repent, you too will all perish…”  And sure we can go around and talk about how much we love the Lord and all that, but how many of you realize that “actions speak louder than words?”  And if that’s true, then what are your actions saying about you this morning?  Are they saying that you love God and are called according to his purpose…?  Or they saying something else?  So the message this morning is “try harder to be good…”, right…?  … no… That’s not the Christian faith.  The sorry fact is that our actions have already spoken for us loud and clear.  And unfortunately, what our actions have said doesn’t bode too well for us.  I want to read to you a few verses on the subject.  Here’s the bad news, folks, Ecc 7:20, “There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins…” Psalm 143:2, “Don’t bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you…”  Isa 53:6, “All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way…”  Rom 3:23, “For we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”  1 John 1:8, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves…”  And many more scriptures like that.  If God were to keep a record of sins, not a single one of us could stand before him.  And that’s why we need a Savior.  That all our record of wrongdoing could be placed on him… and his righteousness be imputed to us by faith.  That our sins could be washed away, never to be held against us ever again.  And that’s what Jesus is all about my friends.  That’s what makes this whole redemption story so incredible: that the Son of God became man and took our sins upon him in order to reconcile us to God.  And we receive all these benefits by faith alone as God’s Holy Spirit grants to us every saving grace.  And one of those graces that he gives us is the grace of repentance.  You see, repentance is a sovereign gift of God and he bestows it upon hardened sinners as he wills (2 Tim 2:25).  Repentance is the necessary consequence of saving faith.  We’re not saved by it, but we won’t be saved without it either.  So the question becomes: How shall we then live in the light of this marvelous grace of God?  How about by bearing fruit in keeping with our repentance; that our Christian faith would be more than mere talk… 

It was with mixed emotions that I learned of the fate of Saddam Hussein today.  I say ‘mixed’ because there’s no one word that can describe it.  Certainly there is sorrow, anger, melancholy, distress, unhappiness.  I can’t describe it, but it’s mostly sadness. 

Don’t get me wrong.  It’s not that I regret the outcome.  If indeed he did the things he’s accused of: massacring tens of thousands of innocents with chemical agent, etc, then justice demands his death.  This is the Law:

Lev 24:19 “If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him.”

1 Sam 15:33 “And Samuel said, ‘As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.’ And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.

Matt 7:2 “For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.”

So if this was indeed justice, then why the unhappy feeling about it?  Shouldn’t we rejoice that an evil murderer has been put to death?  The answer is NO.  This is a sad event.  It was evil that brought this event to pass.  It should be with sadness that we witness the execution of a murderer.  The news reports say that some of the witnesses rejoiced and danced around his dead corpse.  That shouldn’t be.  While they have the right to be satisfied that justice was done, their jubilee over his death reflects the same hatred and sin that brought this man to his ruin. 

On the contrary, God grieves over the sin that led to this event.  “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?… For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.” (Ezek 18:23,32).

Without a doubt, this is a tragic end for a tragic figure.  Over the course of his rule, he committed crimes so unfathomable that it boggles the mind.  Only God can rightly and fairly judge him.  And now he’s in God’s hands.

It’s been some time since my last post.  The Christmas holiday has taken its toll on my schedule.  I should get back to a somewhat normal blogging schedule soon.

Have a blessed new year…

To help save lives, the best-selling book Suicide the Forever Decision, For those Thinking about Suicide and for Those who Know, Love and Counsel Them, by Paul Quinnett, Ph.D. is herewith made available in a free electronic format to anyone in the world who wishes to read it or share it with others.  Electronic copying, translation and distribution is strongly encouraged. 

Click the image to download your free copy.  This is a very helpful resource for those struggling with issues surrounding suicide.  While not written specifically from a Christian perspective, there is a lot of good information here.  As a resource provided by a secular, therapeutic community, the usual caveats apply. 

Compliments of the The QPR Institute

It saddens me when I hear of faithful Christians being reproached as spiteful bigots.  Of course, I’m referring to the colorful descriptions often used to describe us by those on the other side of our country’s debates over homosexuality.  We have been compared to all sorts of evil for the simple reason that we cannot buy the “homosexuality is ok” message being sold in America today.

For that reason, we’re “homophobes”.  We’re compared to menacing punks and thugs who delight in bashing “fags”.  As the homosexual agenda is increasingly compared to the 60’s civil rights movement, that makes people of religious faith akin to the white racists of that era: even the KKK!  We’re Nazi’s.  Our religious beliefs are “hate speech”.  Our convictions are dismissed as the ravings of hysterical backwoods preachers drooling with hate. 

But that doesn’t describe Christians in the least!  The Christians I know grieve over those caught up in the homosexual lifestyle.  We wish them no ill, but rather that they would turn and find life as it was meant to be lived.  True faith harbors no animosity or hostility toward homosexuals.  On the contrary, we humbly recognize that it was for sinners just like us, and just like them, that Christ died. 

So where does this image of the foaming-at-the-mouth Christian dripping with hate come from?  David Kupelian goes a long way toward answering that question in his outstanding work, “The Marketing of Evil.”  His explanation of where this hostility comes from hit home with me:

“… Remember, all of us — homosexuals included — have a conscience (that other-dimensional standard that God has tucked away inside each of us) that causes us inner conflict when we’re doing the wrong thing.  But if we tumble into the grip of dark forces we don’t understand and then start to defend our obsessions and compulsions, we inevitably come to regard our conscience as an enemy.  And although we may be somewhat successful in drowning out that inner warning bell, what happens when this same rejected conscience factor appears in another person and gets too close to us for comfort?  We feel threatened.

Therefore, we feel compelled to silence the “voice of conscience” — not just the one inside of us, but the one in other people, which tends to revive our own conscience with which we’re at war.  This means we can’t tolerate dissent.  We simply can’t stand it.  It makes us want to scream. 

To the homosexual living in denial, then, even a loving offer of help from, say, a Christian ex-gay ministry or “reparative therapy” counselor (to help overcome homosexual addiction) feels like the most vile, abusive hatred.  In fact, it’s real love — which we misinterpret as hatred and “bigotry” simply because it causes us to confront truth that is not welcome in us…”

There’s a whole lot more similiar analysis in the book.  Highly recommended.

The Marketing of Evil: How Radicals, Elitists, and Pseudo-Experts Sell Us Corruption Disguised As Freedom

As a chaplain in this pluralistic and institutional environment, I encounter ‘political correctness’ daily.  Perhaps that’s why I found this clip to be so funny.  Take it for what it’s worth: Larry the Cable Guy on the increasingly popular “non-denominational winter holiday”.  Click the image for video.   

It was my honor to baptize the daughter of my friend and fellow chaplain, Brian Hill, this past week.  In keeping with Navy tradition, we did it with the ship’s upturned bell serving as the font.  Afterward, the child’s name is inscribed on the bell as a permanent memorial to the occasion. 

It was a beautiful Lord’s day at Pearl Harbor so the sacrament was adminstered outdoors on the fo’c’s’le with friends, family and members of the crew looking on.  Often military ministry involves things that aren’t fun, but on the other hand at times like this it can be a true joy. 

What made this one special was the fact that this was not a trouble free pregnancy and delivery.  A lot of prayers went up for this child and the medical complications that the Hill family endured.  So this service was a service of thanks as much as anything else.  We were delighted to even be there and have the opportunity to baptize this little girl. 

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His mercies endure forever…”

Why do I baptize infants?  Because Scripture requires it!  Click HERE to learn more…

Today I had the privilege of debriefing some Marines who had just returned from Iraq.  We did it in small groups where Marines could open up and discuss with each other how combat and operational stress has changed their lives.  It was a private meeting at the chapel behind closed doors with their chaplain.  This is the kind of ministry that I’ll never forget. 

It’s sobering to realize that this is not a drill.  There’s no play acting here.  This is the real thing.  These are the men who are doing the heavy lifting in Iraq.  Regardless of your politics and opinion of the Iraq war, you can rest assured that nobody wants peace more than our Marines.  As always, when our country sounds the call, these are the men who answer. 

As I went around the group, I asked what their job was in theater.  I got answers like “convoy security”, “radio operator”, and “sniper”.  One Marine described his job this way, “My job was to ride around in a convoy all day until we get blown up…”  After hearing their stories, I have a new found respect for these young men who put their lives on the line day in and day out. 

Honor, courage, commitment, sacrifice, dedication to duty, esprit de corps.  These are just words to so many today.  But they mean something to these young men.  There is a certain camaraderie there that civilians will never understand.  It’s an honor to be their chaplain. 

As much as we rejoice to have them home, we cannot forget their brothers still in the field.  When we go home in peace and safety to our families tonight, they are still in harms way; conducting operations in an often thankless job.  Nor can we forget those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, or those who failed to come home in one piece. 

Of course, we pray for peace and a speedy end to hostilities.  But on the other hand, we recognize that war is the result of sin.  War will go away when the sin in man’s heart goes away.  As long as we live in this fallen world, we will have “wars and rumors of wars.”  As much as we desire peace, we must acknowledge that real peace in this world will only come when the Prince of Peace consummates his Kingdom on earth.  Until then, the Lord has entrusted the sword to His servant, the state: “for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” 

As the Scripture says, there is “a time for war, and a time for peace.”  Let’s pray the latter is soon upon us.