I was hoping to get away from the topic of politics for a while. But, in my defense, today’s sermon mentions politics, but that isn’t really what the message is about. In fact, I had intended to give a pre-Thanksgiving sermon this morning, but then that all changed with an email I received early last week. You see, I love history—American history, world history, and especially church history. Accordingly, I enjoy an app by Christianity Today magazine that sends me emails each day entitled, “Today in Christian History.” Last week, one of the emails referenced an ancient Viking king known as Hakon the Good of Norway who lived during the 10th century A.D. His father had him educated in England where he converted to Christianity. Upon his return to Norway, Hakon, as the newly crowned king, wanted to share Christ with all of his people. In order to win them over, he sought to gain their trust and friendship. So, he decided it would be a good idea if he started to worship with them as they gave sacrifices to their Norse gods. His strategy was to introduce Jesus into their pagan worship services a little bit at a time until they warmed up to the Christian faith. But, as it turned out, his approach backfired. Instead of converting them to Christianity, he was the one who eventually reverted to paganism.[1] There’s a lesson in that for us today.
We too, like the Viking king, want to bring people to Jesus Christ. So, some Christians tell themselves that they can gain the trust of family members or friends by living a bit like they do. Then, using the same approach as the Viking king, they intend to wait until the time is right and win them over to a Christian worldview. The problem is, once these Christians start “living a bit like others do,” it becomes so easy to cross the line back into their old worldly lifestyles. Before they know it, they have left their Christian worldview behind. That is what happened to the Viking king. The Church in this country needs to make sure that does not happen to it today. This is a great concern when we observe some of our prominent evangelical leaders cozying up to politicians in an effort to “win their favor.”
During the past election, Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate, Tim Walz, called himself a “knucklehead” for some erroneous statement that he’d made in the past. I can relate to that, because sometimes I am a knucklehead for the things that I say. I need to be more careful in making complete statements rather than uttering only part of the story. One of my “knucklehead moments” was at the end of last Sunday’s Sermon. It was then that I said we should remember the Lord’s Prayer instructing us to pray: “Deliver us from evil.” I followed that up with my “knucklehead” comment. I said: “We need to thank the LORD for the outcome of the presidential election” (or words to that affect). Now, when was it that I realized the nature of my “knucklehead” statement?
Well, it occurred to me when I heard about a post-election comment made by the outstanding pastor and Christian writer, John Piper. Referring to the outcome of the presidential election, whereby former President Donald Trump gained his victory over the incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris, Piper posted the following on his X account: “Having delivered us from one evil, God now tests us with another.” Piper then appended a Scriptural note from Deuteronomy 13:3 which stated: “The Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”[2] When I thought about what Piper posted, I realized that my ending comment in my previous sermon certainly sounded like a knucklehead. My statement was incomplete, whereas the comment by John Piper provided a much more complete statement. Let me explain.
As you may have ascertained from my previous sermons leading up to the election, I feel strongly that governmental policies supporting abortion on demand, as well as policies supportive of the LGBTQ and transgender movements are inherently evil. They are evil because they are manifestly opposed to God’s Word. (See the appended footnote for what God’s Word has to say on these matters.) [3] For the past four years, such evil policies have been relentlessly pursued by the Bidden-Harris administration. And, in my view, it was for that reason the defeat of Ms. Harris in this past election was an answer to the prayers of Christians who oppose such evil policies. But, my statement left out something. I left out the part stating that Mr. Trump’s personal policies, as exhibited throughout his past presidential tenure in office, have been just as evil—albeit for a difference reason. Oh, don’t get me wrong. For the most part, Mr. Trump’s governmental policies were not evil—quite the contrary. Nevertheless, his arrogant, prideful demeanor, his expletive laced foul language, and the hateful and vengeful way he so often treats people who disagree with him amount to a personal conduct policy that is nothing less than despicable from a Christian perspective. This kind of behavior is evil.
Of course, Mr. Trump does not have a monopoly on this kind of evil. On the far left, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and her cronies, exhibit even worse displays of hatred and profanity. They too are very much part of the problem. But, when you happen to hold the most powerful position in the world—as President of the United States—such disgraceful behavior lends credence to John Piper’s comment. It could well be that we have indeed been delivered from one form of evil to another form of evil. Hopefully, we have not jumped from the skillet into the fire. That remains to be seen. In any event, whether Trump’s election proves to be for good or for ill, his presidency can definitely be influenced by Christians as much as any other group in this country. But, here’s the thing: If his presidency (or any others following him) is to be for the good, then Christians will need to step up to the plate and exhibit the moral fiber that insists upon something different from our newly elected leaders in the manner of their behavior and demeanor.
Now, many of you may be thinking with an appropriate degree of sarcasm: “Preacher, we don’t come here in order to gain your ‘astute’ political analysis.” If you are thinking that, then my response would be: “Yeah, you are probably right. So, let me turn from politics and get into God’s Word”—because God’s Word has some important things to tell us regarding what Christians need to be in relation to our incoming president, our new Congress, as well as our attitude toward the statements of some church leaders. So, what do Christians need to be? Perhaps more than any other time in our history, Christians need to be the followers of Jesus Christ that our Lord intended us to be. Christians need to take up their crosses and follow Him. Christians do not need to do what I see some church leaders doing today. We do not need to continue attacking each other needlessly. We all could stand to be a little more like John Piper, who had enough courage to point out the moral shortcomings of our politicians regardless of which side of the political aisle they may sit—Republican or Democrat. (Oops, I’m being a knucklehead again—back into politics. Sorry!) But, even better than thinking about Piper’s example, we’d do well to look to God’s Word. We must heed Jesus’ brother, James, who said: “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.” James 1:19 ESV Not only do we need to follow James’ advice, we must insist that our elected officials do the same. Why?—because of the words of the psalmist and of King Solomon are so very true. In Psalm 75, the psalmist expressed God’s attitude toward arrogant leaders: “I warned the proud to cease their arrogance! I told the wicked to lower their insolent gaze and to stop being stubborn and proud.” Psalm 75:4-5 (TLB) And, Solomon added: “When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.” Proverbs 29:2 ESV In other words, Christians can’t just stand there groaning when our leaders rule wickedly, we need to call them out regardless of their political affiliation.
Beyond that, it is incumbent upon Christians to share with the world around us something that the Christian writer, Jim Denison, recently wrote in one of his articles. Quoting the late pastor, Tim Keller, Denison wrote: “‘The Gospel [message of Jesus Christ] is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time, we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.’” Then, Denison continued, “If [we] truly believe that [we are] ‘loved and accepted in Jesus Christ,’ [then, we are] free to love and accept [others] as [we are] loved and accepted by my Lord. But, if [we] do not embrace this fact, [we are] as susceptible to the divisiveness of our day as anyone [else].”[4] What is Denison saying here? He is emphasizing that if we know that Jesus loves us despite our flawed and sinful nature, then we should extend love to others instead of building walls of hateful rhetoric that serve only to divide our nation even further. That is true for politicians, it is true for our church leaders, and it is true for you and me as well.
There is another dimension to all of this that we need to consider. When Christians applaud (or tacitly approve through their silence) bad behavior on the part of our elected officials, the world of unbelievers is carefully watching. When we claim to preach the Good News, but support bad behavior, people tend to see us as hypocrites—as well they should. They are also watching when Christians attack each other whenever one doesn’t like what the other one had to say. When we, as Christians, behave poorly like that, we become part of the problem. We join the problem because we encourage even further bad behavior on the part of the politicians. Let me give you an example of someone who has crossed over into the “problem” category.
In the past, I have generally liked what I have read and heard from Christian writer and speaker, Eric Metaxas. But, Metaxas recently posted on X a not-so-Christianlike response to John Piper’s remarks. Before giving you Metaxas’ post, I am going to tone his language down a bit so that it can be uttered in church. I am going to replace one of the words he used with the word “manure” instead of using what he actually wrote. (But, I will give you a hint—the word Metaxas really used for “manure” has four letters and rhymes with the word “map.”) This is my edited version of what Metaxas wrote. Referring to John Piper’s remark, he said: “This [statement by Piper] is religious horse[manure]. Shame on these pastors for NOT being Sons of Issachar, but rather modern day Pharisees and Sadducees, not knowing Truth from a lie. Lord deliver us from them.” Quite frankly, I pray that the Lord will deliver us from Pharisees like Metaxas. Did he really need to stoop so low, to the very borders of vulgarity, to express his objection? Is that not an example of a Christian falling prey to the disease rather than trying to be part of the cure?
And, who are these “Sons of Issachar” to whom Metaxas referred? Well, the Sons of Issachar were noted in the Old Testament for their support in helping to bring King David to power. They had a reputation for being in touch with the signs of the times.[5] The fact that Metaxas spoke of the Sons of Issachar is so very ironic. The irony is that Metaxas’ behavior is so indicative of the times in which we live. We live in a time of ugly words, sneers, slights and slanders as displayed in Metaxas’ post on X. When Christians become part of the problem, and not the solution, they stop being a source of peace and healing, and become a part of the chaos, divisiveness and malice that has become imbedded in our social fabric. They end up being like that Viking King who thought he could convert others, but by giving into the ways of the world, they eventually suffer the same fate he did.
Jesus calls us to take a different course. Rather than slinging mud that soils other people and causes more hurt and discord, we must heed God’s Words. Solomon gives us wise advice in the Book of Proverbs when saying: “Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing.” Proverbs 12:18 (NLT2) And, “the tongue that heals is a tree of life, but a devious tongue breaks the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4 (CSB) Paul caps this off by reminding us that: “Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Colossians 3:12 (NLT2) Some of our Christian leaders would do well to remember these Holy Words before attacking fellow Christians.
Look, I am not preaching this to favor one political party over another. I am not saying this because I am a John Piper fan or a detractor of Eric Metaxas. I am not even saying this because Ancestry.com said I’m about 1% Viking. I am saying this because Jesus calls us to love one another.[6] That is true not only in the realm of politics, but is applicable to every facet of our lives. Christians must come to grips with the fact that we, as Americans, will never get more out of our leaders as long as we applaud their evils. John Piper is right—we are being tested by God. The thing is some of our Christian leaders are already flunking the test—something that is evidenced by the ugly reactions of some modern-day Pharisees. This is not a political warning that I am giving. This is a warning in general to all who have decided to follow our Savior, Jesus Christ. We have long cried out against the “cancel culture” in which we live when it has sought to silence our Christian worldviews. But, we are guilty of the same thing when we are too busy throwing stones than we are in hearing out the views of fellow Christians. Of course, we will not always agree on things. But, we can show the world that we are different. We can only do that by heeding Jesus’ command that we need not worry about the speck of sawdust in our neighbor’s eye when we can’t see due to the 4X4 that’s blocking our own vision.[7] The sins of malice and ill will that resonate in the language we are hearing from some Christian leaders is highly contagious. Avoid such talk like the plague. We, as Christians, know the Truth. His name is Jesus Christ. But, we deny the Truth when we malign one another. Again, the writings of the Apostle Paul and King Solomon keep cropping up. Paul tells us to, “Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32 (NLT2) And, Solomon’s wisdom rang true when he said: “What you say can preserve life or destroy it; so you must accept the consequences of your words.” Proverbs 18:21 (TEV)
I am delighted that the upcoming White House and Congress will hopefully implement policies that are against the evil policies we have been subjected to for the past four years. It is my prayer that our political leaders, and especially our Christian leaders on the national level, will adopt these policies with love and respect for all people. Hopely, they will simply not trade one evil for another by serving up another brand of sinful horse manure. Yes, I love history. I love it because it shows us how people have gone astray in the past so that we can avoid the same mistakes in the future. Those Christians who imitate the evil of some politicians and act as their misguided cheerleaders—they fail miserably in imitating the love of Christ. If they aren’t careful, they’ll find themselves on the same dark path as that Viking king eleven centuries ago.
Now, having pointed out this “evil” on Eric Metaxas’ part, I don’t want to be more of a “knucklehead” than usual. So, let me be clear: Don’t let a political party’s platform be your primary source of direction in life. Politics isn’t the answer to life’s problems. JESUS CHRIST IS THE ANSWER! Let all that you say and do be guided by God’s Word. Avoid knee-jerk reactions that may cause you to blurt out angry words or to post some un-Christianlike remark on social media. Show the love of Jesus Christ, not only to your friends, but to your enemies as well. For, as Jesus said, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Matthew 5:44 (KJV) Even now, it wouldn’t surprise me if John Piper was praying for those who have recently attacked him. He’s that kind of guy. That is the example we need to follow.
But, I also have a warning of which you need to be aware. If you are determined to follow what Jesus’ commands, then you need to be prepared for what will be coming. Without doubt, you are going to experience significant negative backlash. The world is going to be slinging a lot of stones, mud, and maybe even some manure, right at you. But, that’s alright—because through the power of the Holy Spirit, you’ll stop acting like some of us “knuckleheads” and start shining a light that the rest of the world can follow out of the darkness. Who knows—you might even start loving those who persecute you and doing good to those who seek to harm you. But, in the end, you will be a better Christian who will have served the Kingdom of God and not the unrighteous kingdoms of this world.
Darvin Satterwhite, Pastor
Forest Hill Baptist Church
November 17, 2024
©2024 All Rights Reserved as follows:
Anyone is at liberty to use this sermon or any portions thereof for educational or religious purposes, with or without credit. The pastor believes the material presented herein to be true to the teaching of Scripture, and desires to further, not restrict, its potential use as an aid in the study of God’s Word. The publication of this material is a grace ministry of Forest Hill Baptist Church in Louisa, Virginia.
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[1] Georgia L. Beaverson, “Conversion of the Vikings: The Gallery – Power Evangelism Checked,”
Christian History, Issue 63, How the Vikings Took up the Faith, Vol. XVIII, No. 3 (1999).
[2] Milton Quintanilla, “Christians Rebuke John Piper for Calling Trump’s Re-Election Win an ‘Evil,’” Crosswalk Headlines Contributor, https://www.crosswalk.com/headlines/contributors/milton-quintanilla/christians-rebuke-john-piper-for-calling-trumps-re-election-win-an-evil.html (November 12, 2024).
[3] SCRIPTURE AGAINST ABORTION ON DEMAND because our personhood and human existence begins at conception:
- Psalm 51:5 “For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.” (NLT2)
- Isaiah 49:1 “Listen to me, all you in distant lands! Pay attention, you who are far away! The LORD called me before my birth; from within the womb he called me by name.. (NLT2)
- Jeremiah 1:5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” (NLT2)
- Luke 1:15 “For he [John the Baptist] will be great in the eyes of the Lord... He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.” (NLT2)
- Galatians 1:15 “But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by His marvelous grace.” (NLT2)
- Psalm 139:13-16 13 “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. 15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” (NLT2)
- Luke 1:41 41 “At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her. . .” 44 [And Elizabeth said:] “When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy.” Luke 1:44 (NLT2) (NLT2)
- Proverbs 31:8 “Speak up for people who cannot speak for themselves. Protect the rights of all who are helpless.” (TEV)
- Proverbs 6:16 “There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood. . . (NIV)
- Exodus 20:13 “You shall not murder.” (NASB)
SCRIPTURE AGAINST THE LGBTQ MOVEMENT:
- Leviticus 18:22 “Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin.” (NLT2)
- Leviticus 20:13 “If a man has sexual relations with another man, they have done a disgusting thing, and both shall be put to death. They are responsible for their own death.” (TEV)
- 1st Corinthians 6:9-11 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” (ESV)
- Romans 1:24-27 24 “So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. 26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. 27 And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.” (NLT2)
- Genesis 19:4-5 “ But before they retired for the night, all the men of Sodom, young and old, came from all over the city and surrounded the house. They shouted to Lot, ‘Where are the men who came to spend the night with you? Bring them out to us so we can have sex with them!’” (NLT2) Jude 1:7 “And don’t forget the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, all full of lust of every kind, including lust of men for other men. Those cities were destroyed by fire and continue to be a warning to us that there is a hell in which sinners are punished.” (TLB)
- 1st Corinthians 6:9-10 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” (ESV)
SCRIPTURE AGAINST THE TRANSGENDER MOVEMENT—i.e. God’s Word only recognizes the binary gender assignment of male and female:
- Genesis 1:27 “So God created human beings in His own image. In the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” (NLT2)
- Genesis 5:2 “He created them male and female, and He blessed them and called them ‘human.’” (NLT2)
- Matthew 19:4 “‘Haven’t you read the Scriptures?’ Jesus replied. ‘They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’” (NLT2)
- Mark 10:6 [Jesus said:] “But ‘God made them male and female’ from the beginning of creation.” (NLT2)
[4] Jim Denison, “Why Seeing the ‘Other Party’ as the Enemy Is Dangerous for Us All,” Denison Forum, https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/denison-forum/why-seeing-the-other-party-as-the-enemy-is-dangerous-for-us-all.html (November 13, 2024).
[5] 1st Chronicles 12:32 [The Sons of Issachar:] “From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders of the tribe with their relatives. All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take.” (NLT2)
[6] John 13:34 “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” (NLT2)
[7] Matthew 7:3 “And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?” (NKJV)
