Why American Secularism Shouldn't Scare the Church of Christ

And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews." Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, 'I am the Son of God.'"
(Matthew 27:37-43)

In these seven verses Matthew demonstrates how our Lord and Savior was mocked, ridiculed, and humiliated by mere men seeking to downplay Christ's possession and fulfillment of the offices of prophet, priest, and king. I do not know how many times I have read these words and only generalized the verses as fulfillment of Psalm 22:7, but upon further study there is a goldmine of truth concerning Christ's humiliation and the truth behind Paul's words: "And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Phil. 2:8).

Pontius Pilate places an inscription over Christ's head that reads "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews" (John 19:19). The chief priests, the scribes, and the elders mock Christ, taunting Jesus to save himself if he truly is the Son of God. The people of Jerusalem passing by, Israelites who knew the prophets and the prophetic words concerning the Christ, mock His prophecy to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. The irony in Matthew's account of Christ's crucifixion is strong and profound. The earthly king rejects Christ's kingship. The chief priests reject Christ's high priesthood. The people of Jerusalem reject Christ as the prophetical Word.

In these seven verses, we see the very Son of God being tempted to execute his offices of prophet, priest, and king by those who merely held the office as a type; a type that only pointed as a sign to the King of kings, the great High Priest, and the very Word of God. Pilate, as an earthly ruler, was a member of a government that was instituted by God to kiss and serve the very King of kings that he crucified. The chief priests were to faithfully carry out sacrifices at the temple, mediating on behalf of the people, to remind Israel that the sacrifice of goats and bulls cannot take away sin but that God would provide the Lamb for the sacrifice that would be sufficient for the forgiveness of sin. The inhabitants of Jerusalem, the holy city, where God specially dwelled with His people in the Temple, the recipient of numerous prophecies of a coming savior, demand the death of their kinsman redeemer (Mat. 23:37). 

It is evident that Matthew purposefully highlights the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as prophet, priest, and king. Matthew purposefully focuses on the irony of the rejection of Jesus' offices of prophet, priest, and king by those who were to receive the promise prophesied, by those ordained by God to serve as mediators, and by those who God placed in ruling authority to bend the knee and recognize Christ the King. Perhaps you, like myself, missed the treasures contained in these seven verses, but let us learn who Christ Jesus is from these people's mistake.

In his commentary, John Calvin writes:

Wicked men demand from Christ such a proof of His power that, by proving himself to be the Son of God, he may cease to be the Son of God. He had clothed himself with human flesh, and had descended into the world, on this condition, that, by the sacrifice of his death, he might reconcile men to God the Father. So then, in order to prove himself to be the Son of God, it was necessary that he should hang on the cross. And now those wicked men affirm that the Redeemer will not be recognized as the Son of God, unless he come down from the cross, and thus disobey the command of his Father, and, leaving incomplete the expiation of sins, divest himself of the office which God had assigned to him. But let us learn from it to confirm our faith by considering that the Son of God determined to remain nailed to the cross for the sake of our salvation, until he had endured most cruel torments of the flesh, and dreadful anguish of soul, and even death itself. And lest we should come to tempt God in a manner similar to that in which those men tempted him, let us allow God to conceal his power, whenever it pleases Him to do so, that he may afterwards display it at his pleasure at the proper time and place.

We often think that Jesus' greatest temptation was in the wilderness, but Christ endured another great temptation while humbling himself to death on the cross. I cannot remember who this reference belongs to, but it has been argued by some theologians that this was Satan's last desperate temptation, recognizing that unless Christ should display His power and forfeit the cross then He would fulfill the prophecy and crush the serpent's head. Although a case might be made based on passages like Matthew 16:23 and Mark 8:33 where it is obvious that Satan tempts Christ to avoid the cross, nevertheless, the mocking and ridicule that Christ endured on the cross comes from the heart of men. In our sinful nature, we are naturally pre-programmed to reject the notion of a savior. We reject the fact that we are sinners, that our hearts are desperately wicked and deceitful, and that unless God provides the Lamb to be slain, we will die in our sins and trespasses. Therefore, we must first ask ourselves what Christ we believe, serve, and worship: the war leader or the suffering servant.

And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?" At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples left him and fled. (Matthew 26:51-56)

If we are worshiping a war hero, then like the disciples, we will tend to flee and run when Jesus demonstrates His power through His death on the cross. Sadly, all of the disciples were seeking Christ as a war leader despite His profound ministry and Gospel message that clearly articulated that He came as a lamb led to the slaughter to lay down His life for His sheep. Therefore, when an army came to arrest Him and Jesus forbad warfare, the disciples themselves doubted Him as the prophet, priest, and king that the Scriptures prophesied would redeem Israel.

Brothers and sisters, Jesus died on the cross as prophet, priest, and king. As a prophet, Christ uttered not a word when the chief priest demanded a prophecy as he struck Jesus. As a priest, Christ nailed our sins to the cross, becoming a curse nailed to a tree in our place. As a king, Christ humbled himself to the excruciating death of a slave on a cross so that His enemies will be His footstool and His people might be His everlasting inheritance. There is far greater power and glory exhibited in Christ's humiliating death on the cross then there would have been if twelve legions of angels gathered the ends of the earth to be condemned for their sins and thrown in the lake of fire for all eternity.

What greater power and glory has the world ever seen than when the very Son of God, bearing the frailties of man's flesh and bearing the putrid sins and God's wrath for them on the cross, humbled Himself to the most painful death, and made Himself vulnerable to the mocking of His creation, His people, His priests, His king, and now from His church? Never ever be ashamed of the cross! The glory of Christ's warfare on the cross is that, like a mere child facing a fully armored giant with a few stones and a sling, His power is perfected in His weakness.

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor. 12:9-10)

God promised the crushing of the serpent's head, but it would require the bruising of man's heel. Is the church today content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ as the Apostle Paul demonstrates here? More and more, I perceive the church trying to demand certain "rights" and "privileges" that we believe we are entitled to because of Christ's offices of prophet, priest, and king. Yes indeed, our Lord and Savior reigns as King of kings, but even He did not demand the trial and death deserved of a king but humbled Himself to the trial and death of a slave. So often, the church gets discouraged when God allows persecution, hardships, insults, and calamities to demonstrate the weakness of His church. Why doesn't God defend His people, never allowing an evil finger to be laid on His children, and protect them from every mocking mouth and wagging head? Why do we demand from God a treatment not even afforded to Christ, the Son, in His death?

Yes, this world will not rest until every remnant of Christ and His church is removed from every tribe and nation. Even America will continue to become more and more secular, will abandon its "Christian" foundation, lose its grip on the Gospel message, and turn to the rest of the world that wants to deny the fact and truth behind Christ's death and resurrection. Removing Christ from "Christmas" (although arguably a good thing) should be the least of our worries. We must learn to be content with weakness, insult, hardship, persecution, and calamity because it does not diminish the power of the Gospel but only perfects it! If Christ had justly demonstrated his offices of prophet, priest, and king on the cross as he was tempted to by mere men, then we would have justly died in our sins and received the eternal wrath of God. As the church serves as stewards of the mysteries of God, we need to recognize the inevitable although it requires the church to appear weak and defeated so that Christ might be glorified.

I am calling the church to lay down their arms, stop trusting in whatever sword they cling to, whether it be warfare, politics, education, media, or publication, and trust that Christ's power was made perfect in His weakness. There is a truth war taking place in the church in North America, and we are clinging to a war leader and not the Lamb of God for salvation. Like the disciples, we too shall run and flee when God reveals that power is perfected in weakness. We need to defend the truth but not for the sake of being right but for the sake of the lost. Christ, although tempted to prove the truth, remained nailed to the cross, bleeding profusely, drinking the cup of God's wrath to the dregs in order to fulfill the promise and to save the lost.

We need to abandon the sword before we abandon Christ! Be content with weakness, because power is made perfect in weakness. In America, a large portion of the church has abandoned Jesus Christ as the Lamb slain and are clinging to Joshua to fight their battles and to lead them into the Promised Land. However, their Promised Land sought is a Christian America, returned to the "Christian" foundation that it once rested upon. Truth is relative in colleges across America, abortions are massively prevalent, God's institution of marriage is no longer recognized nor obeyed, popular ultra-conservative newscasters proclaim on national television that Christianity is a philosophy and not a religion in order to win an argument with an atheist and protect his rights, and Christians spend more time fighting for the right to participate in public prayer than they spend in private prayer. It would seem that we are losing this battle. It would seem that all that we proclaim or should be proclaiming from the pulpit is a farce. Apparently, Jesus is not prophet, priest, or king, otherwise He would save Himself and reveal Himself as the Son of God rather than depending on this weak church. Jesus had to die before the resurrection could occur three days later and His power would be perfectly revealed. The church must become weak before the power of the Gospel is perfected.

The American church is not content with weakness. We feel entitled to be king of the hill of truth because our King reigns over all thrones. That was not the example set by Christ. We feel entitled to speak the truth and proclaim the Gospel in every venue without persecution or calamity. That was not the example set by Christ. We feel entitled to a corner of the market in the mercy ministry, and are tired of the government over-stepping its bounds and illegitimizing the ministry of the church to those who need more than just material needs. That was not the example we learned from Christ. He remained weak, He remained silent, He remained on the cross, and He died so that He might perfect power in weakness.

Christians, the battle is not for rights but for souls. The war is not about the right to speak the Gospel without persecution or ridicule, but the war is about preaching the Gospel without fear of persecution. The world needs to see that they can mock us, ridicule us, persecute us, demoralize us, bring calamity upon calamity against us, but that we will not drop the cross we bear, we will not cease to proclaim Christ and Him crucified, and we will never cease to fear God rather than men.

Teachers, you will never have the right to teach the Gospel in a public school setting, but that should never stop you from taking advantage of every opportunity God provides you to share the Gospel with your students. Employees, you do not have the rightful luxury of protecting your job and your career advancement by refusing to work on the Lord's Day, but you must rest in Christ and obey His commandments. Students, your teachers do not have to proclaim Christ crucified in your philosophy, biology, ethics, literature, or engineering classes, but you must tell your fellow students the truth that is not merely philosophical conjecture! Citizens, the government and this nation will continually strip Christians and the church of rights and privileges that have been luxuriously enjoyed and abused for over 235 years and replace them with secular laws and requirements. Pastors, a time may come when your calling will cost you dearly to serve and preach the Kingdom of God underground, to fear for your life every Lord's Day you preach the Word, and to know the sacrifice other pastors around the world have made for Christ and the Gospel for centuries.

A time may soon be coming when Christians will no longer be protected by their 1st Amendment rights to speak the Gospel freely and attend church without persecution. Will you run and hide like the rest of the disciples, or will you, like Stephen, proclaim the Word of God as truth all the more publicly? Are you clinging to the Prophet, Priest, and King crucified or are you clinging to another Christ? Will you remain by Christ when the battle seems lost? When every "right" you cling to is forfeit, when your worldly sword loses its power, will you deny Christ three times or will you willingly lay down your life so that power is made perfect by weakness?

Let us pray earnestly that God would continue to protect His church throughout the world, and that nations and kings would recognize the Kingship of Christ and provide protection to Christians to worship God and proclaim the Gospel without persecution. However, I think the church in America has placed blinders over our eyes to the church in other countries, to the religious persecution they endure, the blatant weakness they must endure, but how their humility and weakness demonstrates the power of the Gospel. When you forfeit all luxury, comfort, protection, and right that this nation has so far afforded Christians, you will begin to see the Scriptures in a new light, recognizing the tragedy that is taking place in this nation. When you open your eyes and see the church in this nation using the freedoms that this country provides for the public proclamation of the Gospel in order to preach another gospel, to proclaim another savior, and to constantly contribute to the receding influence of the church and God's Word on the culture, government, schools, businesses, and homes in this nation then you will begin to grasp the tragedy that is America. Only then will you begin to accept that power is perfected in weakness. Then you will begin to recognize that persecution and a humble church speaks a better word than a militant church that seeks to protect their rights to proclaim truth in order to proclaim lies.

In America, Christians teach one thing and do another, fight for what is good and right tooth and nail with their heathen neighbors but when it comes to doing the right thing they abandon truth, and are quick to forfeit faith in God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, when they are not delivered from every calamity, suffering, and persecution that Christ promised them in this life. In other nations, Christians fear God rather than men, are willing to risk luxury, comfort, health, financial stability, and even their lives in order to bear their cross and follow their Prophet, Priest, and King to the cross and know that His power is perfected in weakness. They know that they must be weak in order to know the strength of Christ. They know that they are hidden in Christ, and that He is their glorious inheritance no matter what worldly realities might shake them. The men and women that witness their willing sacrifice to faithfully cling to Christ and Him crucified despite persecution, even to the point of death, recognize that their sacrifice speaks louder than American pastors who arrive to church in their BMWs, wearing their fine suits, and preach a health, wealth, and prosperity gospel with their religious freedoms.

You do not have an unalienable right to religious freedom. You do not have an unalienable right to speak the Gospel freely without fearing persecution. These are not inalienable rights afforded to us by God. These rights are only afforded to us as long as the people that surround us are willing to recognize these rights are provided in the U.S. Constitution. When they cease to believe as the Founding Fathers did, then we will see how inalienable these rights are with the rest of the persecuted church throughout the world. Just because governments should never forbid citizens to worship God and preach the Gospel, it does not mean that governments always obey God and fear Him.

The question set before you, then, is will you remain faithful to Christ, being content in weakness, and praying that God's grace will be sufficient for you to bear every persecution and calamity? It is sad to see that all of the disciples stood by Jesus' side and were ready to wage battle and die with him as the warrior redeemer, but when Jesus told them that this battle was to be fought without a sword, they fled and abandoned all willingness to die alongside Him in spiritual warfare. Is this not the case with the church in America? We keep trying to cut off ears here and there, Jesus is restoring them left and right, and is making our swords less and less effective in defeating our enemies. It is beginning to appear inevitable that the Son will by crucified and that He will be exposed to the blasphemous mockery and wagging heads of the enemy. Are you running and hiding, or are you staying put and bearing your cross no matter how much it costs you?

Lest you be discouraged, God's grace is sufficient, believer. Yes, you know that you have feared men rather than God before. You know that you have fled along with the rest of Christ's disciples, but like them too, you shall be restored because Christ remained faithful and died on the cross for His disciples even when they were faithless and abandoned Him. You recognize that you have chosen to keep your mouth shut fearing that you will appear weak and receive mockery for sharing your faith with others, but Jesus still asks, "Do you love me?" and commands you to feed His lambs, tend His sheep, and feed His sheep.

Brothers, I am the most guilty of these things that I now seek to convict you of. It is easy enough to proclaim truth from behind a computer screen, but it is difficult to expose ourselves and make ourselves vulnerable to those around us by sharing our faith to those that will only mock, belittle, and wag their heads at us. How many times have I been too proud or felt too strong to proclaim Christ crucified with friends, coworkers, family, and neighbors? I don't need to be the butt of their jokes and mockery as they deride my Lord and Savior who is the Great Prophet, High Priest, and King of kings. You have no excuse, not even the false premise of avoiding the mockery of the name of Jesus Christ.

You have the freedom to speak the truth and attend worship services and glorify the one, triune God without government persecution. You fight and you would fight for that right tooth and nail, but your mouth remains closed and you neglect the gathering of the saints week after week. Others willingly proclaim a false gospel, using their freedom to spread lies. Ask yourself, would you be willing to die for the words that come out of your mouth and for the Gospel that you cling to by faith should the government strip you of your freedoms and persecute you? Would you preach Christ and Him crucified even if doing so required your death on a cross yourself?

We need to recognize that these questions are mere speculation to American Christians, but these are very real questions to millions of Christians around the world right now. Without rights to hide behind, these believers nevertheless do not recognize any legal prohibition to proclaim the Gospel of Christ and worship God no matter the cost. They would still be standing by Christ after He told them to lay down their swords and pick up their crosses. They would make themselves susceptible to the ridicule of others, humbling themselves to weakness, so that the power of the Gospel may be made perfect. They would count their present sufferings as nothing compared to the glory to be revealed when Christ returns. They would desire to decrease that He might increase. They would and they do day in and day out.

He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. In closing, consider these words from the chief priests and the scribes. These words are very telling about true faith and a false faith in a false salvation. Changing these words into the first person, consider the statement: I trust in God; let God deliver me now, if He desires me. What deliverance are you awaiting? Are you, like the chief priests, waiting for God to specially pour forth His gracious favor towards you by never allowing you to suffer loss, suffer persecution, suffer trials and tribulations, suffer temptation, and miraculously delivering you from every calamity? Is this the deliverance you seek from God? Or are you resting in Christ alone by faith alone, recognizing that God's deliverance is not an observable reality but a spiritual fulfillment that is foolishness to the world, and that despite your perceived weakness, you are truly strong in Christ, in Whom power was made perfect in weakness?

Don't be like Job and his friends, wondering what you did to lose God's gracious favor, on a personal or a national level. God has shown common grace to America in a special way, but let us never forget his saving grace revealed in Christ's weakness. Christ did not suffer crucifixion, humility, and weakness because God's favor had been removed, but rather, Christ suffered according to God's sovereign plan and will. As this nation goes downhill, as the church within it slips down the same slippery slope, and as Christians face more and more persecution, rejection, mockery, and calamity, we must stand fast in God our deliverer. If Christ had not humbled himself to death on the cross as prophet, priest, and king then we would have died in our sins. If Christ had not suffered then we would not be saved. Therefore, as the remnant of the church of Christ seems to dwindle and shrink, we must never forget where our deliverance comes. It is not in government, Christian education, protected displays of public piety, freedom of speech, freedom to worship God, or the church's ability to hold a corner of the market on truth. Our deliverance rests in Him who became weak so that His power might be perfected. Therefore, if the church continues to grow weaker and weaker then why do we conclude that we have lost God's gracious favor due to our disobedience? Rather, trust in God; let God deliver His church now, if He desires them! Either you are waiting for something miraculous or you recognize that God has delivered His church then, now, and forevermore by the crucifixion of Christ, prophet, priest, and king.