The Cross And The Flag Part 2

Looking to Jesus we need to learn one lesson well goes across any nations do a disservice to both believers aping them distinct is the only way to fulfill our primary mission as ambassadors for Christ would stay with the Moody Church in Chicago this morning when loops are changing across the finish line… Or is it wrong to have allegiance to your nations fly.

That's a very interesting question that has a high pages of church history century.

What is the relationship between church and state. Of course it is not wrong to have allegiance to your flag. Patriotism is good, but it cannot be the kind of patriotism that says my country right or wrong. In other words, we have to abide by our consciences and making those decisions is difficult. I've written a book entitled Christians politics and the cross where I try to help people to think through the relationship of the Christian to the cross and to the flag if you're interested and I hope that you are because I think it will be of benefit.

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Go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 and now we go to the pulpit of Moody church where we discuss the relationship of Christians to the cross and to the flag why so many passages in the New Testament that I could reach this from. Because most of the letters that were written in the New Testament were written to churches that were islands of righteousness and is the reason that they were written is to help Christians know how to live in the midst of a pagan goblet society and that's why chapter after chapter in book after book is devoted to the topic.

Notice how we are to live if we are committed both to God and country rendering unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, and unto God that which is God's. He says in verse nine but you first Peter chapter 2, but you are a chosen race, elect by God from before the foundation of the world, a royal priesthood priest in the Old Testament could go into the day of atonement only under specific regulations.

We today live there in the holy of holies we live in the holy of holies Christ is brought us in. We are a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim in this now gives us the reason why we are here. What are we supposed to be doing.

People ask, let's hear that you might proclaim the excellencies of him who has called you darkness into his marvelous light that my friend the basic fundamental agenda of the church in all generations, regardless of the kind of regime under which they live in and the Greek word here is that you might proclaim the excellencies. The idea is the worthiness of Jesus Christ.

That's what the world needs to see his help worthy Jesus is the word proclaim is used here only in the New Testament is used in an Old Testament translation into Greek of the Old Testament for for praise that we ourselves, our lives might praise and give glory to the excellencies of the one who has called us out of darkness out of the pit of misunderstanding into his glorious light and that is our agenda. What is our responsibility to time when everything that is been nailed down is being torn up first to have a clear message. Let's not forget that.

That's why God called us is to have a clear message notice. Also, you say well, but people don't believe our message they they just don't want to believe this week somebody was telling me they said that the people to whom I witness have such hard hearts. I tried to tell them the truth and they won't listen, because I believe that God is sovereign. I think that God if he wanted to really could zap him and they catch the truth real fast of God zap them if they'd see it, but they are sinners that Christ died for sinners and they better rush to Christ, to believe we'd love that wouldn't but you know that's not the way God usually does it.

Notice program is his program is to enable his people to live in such a way that they soften the world and worm their way into the hearts of the unsaved to eventually see a life and say I can't explain it. What makes you tick.

That's why, in addition to a clear message. What we should do is to have a credible lifestyle. Verse 11 beloved, I urge you, as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lust.

The world most assuredly does not abstain.

Fleshly lusts are the things in which they indulge the things in which they glory and the things about which they boast, but we abstain from fleshly lust, which wage war against the soul. That whole battle with impurity. We become a part of a community that prays for us and that helps us to yield and that counsels us in the disciples us as so that so that we are not like the world. We are not into what they are doing and their magazines and whatever it is that they may want. We don't do that because we have been called to a higher calling.

Now that attention of the world. So what does it means to have a credible lifestyle negatively.

Moral purity positively notice, keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, that is among the pagans, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may, on account of your good deeds as they observe them, glorify God in the day.

Visitation is saying is, is that what you need is credibility. Credibility we've lost a lot of credit holiday. Been an office area or somewhere where there is somebody was a Christian, but they're a little bit left of center there a little awed anyway. There always spewing out these platitudes and then they begin to get out tracks and the people just shake their heads and say give me a break, give me a break. Why is it wise the message rejected.

It may be a true message, lack of credibility lack of credibility you live like the people of the world you engage in less like people of the world you talk like the people of the world you complain like they do. I was born close to a little town and I'll tell you something when it rained all the farmers would get together in the little store and all they did was complain, they complain when it rained, they complained during times of drought. They complain when the crop was good. They complained when it was bad. They complained when it hailed the complain when it didn't nailed it complained the complaint and if you're a part of that. Why should anybody believe that Jesus is able to save people like St. I met a doctor who can cure the blind, who in the world is going to believe that but if you say you know I've got six people who can comment they can tell you that they were blind and now they see people say I can't believe it. If that's true of Eakin cure the blind those blind why catty cure other blind and credibility is gained in the world today no longer believes that God actually changes the lives of people and that they live different. It is because they have heard us that they've heard a shout as loudly as they they'd seen us as angry as they are. They'd seen us go for our rights just as much as the world goes for their rights and and the world says what in the world is there to believe why should I believe in your Jesus a clear message. I credible lifestyle and we just keep moving through this passage because were not to the top of the hill yet cheerful, you know, it would begin with C, didn't you. If I after all had clear and credible, it would have to be see cheerful submission that when this was written, who was ruling Caesar. Of course, but Nero Nero was in charge and he's the one you remember I told you he killed his mother and dad did some very despicable things to Christians that we still read about in history textbooks today and this is what Peter says shock, submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it is to a king as one in authority or to the governor who is sent by him for the punishment of evildoers in the praise of those who do right, for such is the will of God, that by doing you are right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men act as free men do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as a bondslave of God, obey him, Nero, Stalin, Hitler, Church Hill Bill Clinton submit he's been put there by God.

You speak about him, you do not align him you pray for him because he is your leader. That's what you do as a Christian you say no. In America we have the privilege of choosing who our king is yes of course. And that's why you get involved in politics and you vote wisely and you pray about your vote and you take your voters guide and you ask yourself what it is that you should do. And of course, the point is that we live in a participatory democracy which the people didn't have. In those days and we take full advantage of it. But at the end of the day we realize that ultimately we are to submit even if it is not our man for our woman who gets elected. That's what the text says and then he goes on to say that we should submit to civil authorities verse 18 servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect not only to those who are good and gentle but also to those who are unreasonable or you should hang onto your rights and get an organization that says Christians are having the rights trampled on know this finds favor for the sake of conscience toward God. A man bears up under sorrows suffering unjustly. This is what credit is it the next verse. If you suffered justly to get what you deserve. Don't think that that's for Jesus. But if you get something you don't deserve what does he say this finds favor with God.

God is watching God's watch you sable should we be involved as needed. Christians who have been on the forefront of good legislation.

Yes, be involved.

Whether it's a Wilberforce against slavery, or whether it is child labor laws.

Often times it was Christians who brought about all the good changes that they could and what we should do today. If you're into term limits or even if you are for the NRA or whatever. Go ahead and do your agenda, just don't take all those agendas and mail them to the cross and call them Christian, so that in the eyes of the world. The cross of Jesus Christ. Looks like an overused bulletin board. Don't do that.

Don't do that. The cross must always be distinct, we must recognize today dear folks, that there are many people to whom we can appeal with persuasion and with the love and humility. Who can get onto our ethical agenda and that's perfectly fine.

Our moral agenda. But let's not tag it with the name Christian.

And let's not go out of our way to antagonize the world that we are supposed to represent Jesus Christ to and that's the way we live in a pagan society. The way the church is always lived.

We talked about the flag above the cross. I've spoken out about the flag and the cross and there's one other relationship, and that is the cross against the flag or the flag against the cross. However, you put it. You say don't we sometimes disobey.

Don't we just sometimes say enough is enough. Yes, we do whole history of the church is full of lawbreakers. At what point do we simply say were not going obey the government anymore rock to take it any very simply, whenever we are asked to do something that the Bible forbids or whenever we are asked to refrain from something. But the Bible commands. That's the time that we become lawbreakers brass to do something that the Bible forbids asked to not do something that the Bible commands.

We break the law here in Germany in the 60s in East Germany. You're asked to help build the Berlin wall. Of course you help build the Berlin wall be subject to every rule of man, but if the government tells you that you cannot witness to your colleagues, you will begin to witness you do so with care and with a great deal of wisdom but you witnessed. Nonetheless, because God has placed you there for one reason to display the excellencies of Jesus Christ.

That's why you are there. That's what. And in those instances that I spoke about earlier.

We can be involved in legislation that enters America fine wonderful but even there. Remember, we are to be witnesses of him who is called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. So what you do if your children are asked to watch steamy sex movies as part of sex education in the schools you do. First of all you appeal to the teacher and you go in humility because you know right well that all the sins in the world are basically found in the church if we knew the truth so you go with a sense of brokenness.

You don't do the first thing that you want to do. You don't go with a grenade to try to burn the school down you going humility. If that doesn't work. Yes, you can go to the school board and if you want to join a group of people, a group of concerned parents. You can do that too, but what you try to do as you try to work with the system you try not to gain adversaries by highly political means and start to call one another. Names like someone did. It was a great leader in this country who said that because you are calling us religious right wing fanatics were going to call you gets that's a quote you don't do that when we disobey we disobey wisely.

We disobey wisely. We disobey honestly will write letters about our opponents that are true in order to get some money so that we can fight some because we don't we don't embellish our argument for the cause of quote truth we do so, and we accept unfair treatment because we realize that Jesus said if my kingdom were of this world. That's really what is my servants would fight, I have enough resources to win this thing politically, but my kingdom is not from this world and therefore my servants will not fight Peter take your sword and put it back into its sheath. This is not the way you fight in God's kingdom. Not the way you do it. What is it that I'm saying is I come now to the top of the hill simply saying this folks, and I hope that you know that we've taken this journey together so that you might realize that it's possible for the kingdom of man to decline in the kingdom of God to be doing just fine, just fine.

The two different kingdoms, it's possible you see for the kingdom of man with all of its institutions to decline. I need to mention that in China where the church was so oppressed during communism and I'm not in favor of communism.

I'm not in favor of oppression, and I fear persecution because I don't know what I do. If persecution came. I hope I do the right thing.

I don't know but I need to tell you that the church is grown a lot more in China than it has in Taiwan with all of its freedom. I do need to tell you that it is possible you safe for estate to decline. It is possible for the city of man to go downhill in the city of God to rise up to fill the vacuum and see God do something wonderful in the midst of it. I'm here to encourage you and let you know that our destiny as a church is not dependent upon the next election that is going to take place in the United States. We have a higher leader. We have a higher calling. We belong to that city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

We are going in different directions. Yes, for this brief time we intersect at the city of man and the city of God will separate forever. Finally, in the end, and that's why we aren't complainers. I'm flying from Los Angeles to Chicago home and I have a stop off in Atlanta. How get all uptight about the fact that the washrooms in the Atlanta airport aren't carpeted there is inadequate lighting.

Some of the fixtures are dirty and shook why just passing through them on the way home number the years ago when we used to sing this world was in my home and some people actually believe that because we belong to another country, another city with another leader and our responsibility is to pick up the pieces of a crumbling society one day and age in which to live, so that we speak to the homeless and to that pregnant mother and we minister to her in a day care center and and we talk to those who are going through times of financial distress and and those single mothers. God bless them, whose homes have been ravaged by divorce and immorality, and alcoholism. And we move in and we take over and we represent Jesus to them. That's what we do when society crumbles to save America, but we are committed to saving Americans. That's God's agenda excellencies. Remember that story that comes to us from the turn-of-the-century that Boxer Rebellion called the boxers. By the way, because they used to calisthenics there in China. And during those terrible times Christians were going through times of persecution that were horrendous. They marched into the school with guns. This Christian school about 100 students, and they said we want all of you to come out as we laid across down on the step if you step on the cross, thereby despising it, you'll live if you walk around the cross will be shot. The first eight students step on the cross in their lives were spared, but the ninth was a girl and she stood and she knelt there beside the cross, asking God to give the grace to do what she knew she should do and she very quietly walked around the cross in respect of it and was mowed down all the other students in the school followed her example 90 children killed because they were Christians, were they losers when they losers because they didn't know anything about the American way of life know my friend. It is possible to lose in the city of man and win forever in the city of God, we belong to a different country with a different set of values with a different commander and we are in March to a different drummer and what we must do is to represent Christ.

Well, in a nation that is crumbling around us, looking for answers. We must call forth the excellencies of him who is called us out of darkness into his marvelous light go today in peace to your neighborhood to your home to your apartment to your place of work tomorrow in sight. I represent Christ. That's what we do when paganism encroaches. If you are agreed with come to the top of the mountain. Let us know about in prayer. Father, we thank you today for all those who have gone before us who have held high the cross that we love.

Thank you for those who have died because they understood clearly they understood clearly that there kingdom is not a kingdom of this world.

We pray today father that you might invigorate us, help us to know. Help us to know that we can be faithful no matter what. And for those who have never believed on Christ today have never been translated from one kingdom to the other cause that to happen to grant them the faith to believe personally even during this prayer during ask in Jesus name, my friend, this is Pastor Luther I sincerely hope that this series of messages is of special blessing to you and I think that these messages can continue to bless you and your friend for a gift of any amount they can be yours so that you can listen to them again and again if you're interested, here's what you do go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 now I'm going to be giving you that phone number again but I need to share my heart with you were living at a time of political wrangling when there is name-calling, oftentimes outrageous charges made from one political party to another and what we need to do is to remember that we are members of another kingdom now of course as members of that other kingdom. We interact with the kingdoms of this world, but we always remember our priorities. You and I are learning that the church of Jesus Christ is not built upon the American Constitution. It is built on Christ and we need to see the cross of Christ is the center of all that we do for a gift of any amount. These messages can be yours.

You go to RTW offer.com RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614. It's in the cross of Christ.

We glory, but our eyes are often drawn to secondary things such as political advantage. Sometimes we make the mistake of equating the cross with American value.

That's why we need to have a clear view of how important cross really you. So what does the cross mean to you next time I'm running to win. Don't miss what God thinks of the cross running to win is all about helping you understand God's roadmap for your race of life.

Thanks for listening. This is Dave Alister running to win is sponsored by the teacher