Rev. David Holwick ZB Hot Potatoes, #6
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
August 24, 2014
Matthew 26:50-52
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I. Biking in Amish country.
A. A group from our church just returned from Lancaster, PA.
1) We had a wonderful time seeing the play "Moses."
a) Very dramatic, especially the descent of the Angel of
Death, and the staff that turns into a serpent.
b) God fights for the Jews and the waters of the Red Sea
part for them - on both sides of our auditorium.
2) Celeste and I also did a little bike riding.
a) It was interesting to see the Amish up close.
b) They don't use bikes, just foot-propelled scooters that
look like bikes.
1> We were told they couldn't ride anything that was
faster than a horse.
c) The Amish are known for their old-fashioned ways.
1> But what really makes them different is their
attitude toward violence.
2> They will not attack anyone or even defend
themselves.
3> They say that Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount
commands all Christians to be pacifists.
B. Most of us are not like the Amish.
1) We don't shun modern conveniences, though sometimes we may
be tempted to think they are on the right track.
2) We also don't follow them on pacifism.
a) Most Christians believe the world remains a very
dangerous place, and force is sometimes necessary.
b) At the same time, we wish we needed much less of it.
C. The dangers of modern life are evident.
1) There has been a lot of coverage of the persistent riots in
Ferguson, Missouri, with an emphasis on the way police
use weapons, and the military armament they have
available.
2) When I drive on Interstate 84 in Connecticut, I always
take note of the Newtown exit where that tragic school
massacre took place.
3) If you are a religious minority in Iraq or Syria, it would
seem like everyone is out to kill you.
a) The Islamic State is especially notorious for its
medieval violence.
4) Sometimes the danger is very close to home.
About thirty years ago Celeste and I attended a
community Thanksgiving service in our tiny town.
One young man, the son of a Nazarene pastor, came
forward and tearfully announced that he needed to
forgive his wife, whom he had caught with another
man.
Then he went out in the parking lot and opened his
car trunk.
Inside were a variety of guns, which he handed over.
Apparently he didn't hand over all of his weapons.
Sometime later he went to the next town and ambushed
his wife and her boyfriend.
She survived; the boyfriend did not.
In the wrong hands, guns can be very tragic.
II. Our American heritage.
A. Guns are woven into our history and our documents.
1) The Second Amendment has been variously interpreted.
a) Is it limited to organized militias?
b) An individual right, so government's power is limited?
c) All agree it is not an absolute right - no machineguns.
2) The history of taming the land.
a) Hunting for our food.
b) Conflict: Cowboys and Indians are high in our image;
I also think of Sgt. York, using his skill with a
rifle to capture scores of Germans in World War I.
B. My collection of old rifles.
1) All are from my dad.
a) Most are from World War I or II.
b) Some were taken from a Viet Cong arms cache in Vietnam.
2) Police say they are legitimate in my home.
a) None have ammunition, but I can bayonet you to death.
3) I have enjoyed target practice.
4) Others like hunting.
5) Americans own a lot of guns.
C. What does the Bible say about guns?
1) Guns didn't exist back then but weapons are often mentioned.
2) Let's look at some of the principles the Bible gives.
III. Key Biblical principles.
A. National defense.
1) When an enemy attacked the Israel, each citizen became
part of the army and brought their own weapon.
2) In the Psalms, Jews praised God and passed the ammunition:
Psalm 149:6-7 says,
May the praise of God be in their mouths and a
double-edged sword in their hands,
To inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment
on the peoples."
3) Not every war is justified, and no war is totally pure,
but there is a need for nations to defend themselves.
B. Law and order. Romans 13:1-4
1) In Paul's famous teaching on the government, it bears the
sword to enforce what is good, and to defeat evil.
a) The focus here is on internal order rather than national
defense.
b) This is why cops can carry guns.
c) However, many citizens question whether they need tanks.
2) Police (and armies) can misuse their weapons.
a) If they misuse their power, they should be punished.
b) Old Testament kings were condemned by God for abusing
their power and hurting the little people.
C. Self-defense.
1) In the law of Moses, if a thief is caught breaking
into your house at night, you can kill him. Exodus 22:2
a) You would not be charged with murder.
b) However, you cannot kill a thief if it is daylight.
1> In the light you can more accurately assess the
danger he poses.
2> If he is just stealing, you cannot kill him.
3> If he threatens your family, you can kill him.
2) Even Jesus seemed to teach self-defense. Luke 22:35-36
a) At the end of his ministry, he told his disciples to
prepare for difficult days.
b) Instead of relying on the kindness of strangers, they
needed to carry money with them.
c) And he tells them to sell the shirt off their back to
buy a sword.
3) It is wrong to not confront evil.
In "The Life and Death Debate: Moral Issues of Our Time,"
leading Christian apologists James Porter Moreland and
Norman L. Geisler write:
"To permit a murder when one could have prevented it is
morally wrong.
To allow a rape when one could have hindered it is an evil.
To watch an act of cruelty to children without trying to
intervene is morally inexcusable.
"In brief, not resisting evil is an evil of omission, and
an evil of omission can be just as evil as an evil of
commission.
Any man who refuses to protect his wife and children
against a violent intruder fails them morally."
#64565
IV. The other side of the Bible.
A. Even justified bloodshed carries a stigma.
1) David was not allowed to build the temple because he shed
too much blood in war. 1 Chronicles 22:8
2) When Peter used the sword Jesus told him to buy, and cut
off a guy's ear, Jesus healed the man. Matthew 26:50-52
a) He also said, "Those who draw the sword will die by
the sword."
b) Is he forbidding self-defense, or warning that violence
can cut both ways?
1> And Jesus would have known that Peter was carrying
it that night but apparently did not forbid it.
2> Also note that Jesus told Peter to sheath his sword,
not throw it away.
3> He forbids him to use it aggressively, perhaps
because he knew it was God's will for him to
be arrested and condemned on the cross.
B. We are called to be Peacemakers. Matthew 5:9
1) The most famous pistol in America was the 1873 Colt .45
"Peacemaker."
a) It got that nickname for the way it settled disputes.
b) I think it is more appropriate to call a Christian
the ultimate peacemaker.
c) Rather than dividing people into "us-es" and "them-s,"
Christians should work at bringing people together.
2) Love can be the best weapon against an enemy.
a) Paul says it heaps burning coals on their head.
b) The justice from the barrel of a gun is very definitive.
Remember that dead people can't repent.
c) Our goal should be to redeem people, not destroy them.
3) Turn the other cheek.
Matthew 5:39
"Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on
the right cheek, turn to him the other also."
a) Interpretations vary:
1> Forego personal retaliation?
2> Don't resist insults (but not deadly violence)?
b) At the very least, Christians should not use violence
as a first resort.
V. Our weapons have power.
A. Our best weapon is not a gun but the gospel.
1) Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 -
"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the
world.
On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish
strongholds.
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets
itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take
captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
2) Even in the Old Testament they knew that a relationship
with God was better than a sidearm.
Psalm 44:6-7 says,
"I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me
victory;
but you [God] give us victory over our enemies, you put
our adversaries to shame."
B. Is God your first defense?
1) I know many people who love guns and yet live in fear.
2) They are paranoid about other groups who are out to get
them, so they hunker down in their basements.
3) Christians don't need to be afraid.
a) We have a God who can deliver us from evil people.
b) Even better, he can deliver us from ourselves.
1> It is our personal sin that separates us from God.
2> Jesus endured great violence so we could be brought
near to him, forever.
3> Have you accepted him as your savior?
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SOURCE FOR ILLUSTRATION USED IN THIS SERMON:
#64565 “What Does The Bible Say About The Right To Bear Arms?”
Mary Fairchild, <http://christianity.about.com/od/whatdoesthebiblesay/a/The-Right-To-Bear-Arms.htm>
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