WHAT GOOD IS A POINTLESS COMPASS?

#1 · July 2, 2007, 9:25 am

Quote from Forum Archives on July 2, 2007, 9:25 am
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>
WHAT GOOD IS A POINTLESS COMPASS?

July 1, 2007

Text: Matthew 27:11-26

When the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie came out, viewers were introduced to the compass used by Captain Jack Sparrow. It was a compass that did not point north. In the following two movies, the role of that compass was expanded even more. It turns out that this compass leads its user to whatever is the owners hearts desire.

In the context of movies and stories, this can be a useful device. Sometimes the results were humorous as the compass pointed the rascally Captain Jack to a couple of bottles of rum. Other times, the compass directed the user toward the hidden treasure or, more importantly, to the damsel in distress. Yes, in the context of contrived stories, the idea of a compass that leads its user to his or her hearts desire can be quite useful.

In the context of reality, which is where we actually live, a pointless compass is catastrophic. The whole purpose of a compass is to provide the user with a standard. Trust me; a lot of our military leaders were quite glad to have compasses that pointed north as they charged across the vast desert during the campaigns against Iraq. Imagine leading a force across an expansive desert with no landmarks and holding a compass that does not point north. You can trust me on this, too: when you are in the middle of the ocean on a cloud-covered night, one direction looks like any other direction. North, south, east, west they all look and feel the same. Want a recipe for disaster? Sail the open ocean with a compass that does not point north.

In the context of our cultural life, using a pointless compass is also a recipe for disaster. Yet, this is exactly what the American culture has been trying to follow for quite some time. The moral compass that once guided men and women in this land toward a knowledge of the salvation, love, morality, and ethics of Jesus Christ has been replaced largely by a pointless compass that will direct men and women toward whatever their hearts desire. Unfortunately, the human heart and mind, left to its own device, guides men and women toward the shoals of darkness, fear, and sin instead of toward the light and freedom found in the love of God.

This was certainly the case when Jesus was brought before Pilate as the members of the Sanhedrin sought to secure the death penalty against him. The setting and sequence of events are familiar to us. Jesus has been betrayed; he has been turned over to the leaders seeking his destruction; he has been brought before the Jewish legal council who produced false witnesses against him; Jesus acknowledges his deity, which sends the members of the Sanhedrin into a rage; and now they have brought Jesus before Pilate. It is the tradition of the governor to release a condemned prisoner at the time of the Feast. So he asks the well known question, Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?

Here is where the result of a pointless compass becomes evident. But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. Which of the two do you want me to release to you? asked the governor. Barabbas, they answered. What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ? Pilate asked. They all answered, Crucify him! Just days before, Jesus had entered the city to cries of Hosanna! Know he had to face their cries of crucify him! When they replaced the compass that points to the love and laws of God with a pointless compass that led them to their hearts desire, the inevitable result was destruction and death.

This is a lesson that the world continually fails to learn very well. This is always unfortunate. In the days of the founding of this nation known as the United States of America, those establishing the guiding principles of liberty and freedom used a compass that clearly pointed in a certain direction. It was a moral compass guided by the light of faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ. They were not perfect men who followed this compass, but they did confess the righteousness and glory of the one to whom their compass pointed. John Adams, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the second President of the United States, stated in an address to the military, We have no government with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. (John Adams, address to the military, October 11, 1798) In other documents, Adams leaves no doubt as to the specific religion and morality to which he refers: The general principles, on which the Fathers achieved independence, were the only Principles in which that beautiful Assembly of young Gentlemen could Unite And what were these general Principles? I answer, the general Principles of Christianity, in which all these Sects were United (John Adams, letter to Thomas Jefferson, June 28, 1813)

I use these remarks from John Adams as a simple reference to the moral compass being used. Document after document, speech after speech, and letter after letter of nearly every one of this nations Founders are filled with expressions of their Christian faith and their determination to build their new government upon the foundations of that faith. Even those signers of the Declaration of Independence and/or the Constitution who did not express a personal belief in Jesus Christ as Lord declared every bit as much as the Christians in their midst that the house of a free people could be built on nothing less than the foundation of the morality, ethics, and religion of a Biblical Christian faith. Even though Im not going to present here quote after quote, the evidence for this is plentiful and too overwhelming to ignore.

Fortunately, this was the overall attitude of a majority of the American population for decades following our nations founding. It is, I am convinced, the real reason behind every success America can claim. Im not trying to be simplistic or unrealistically optimistic about this. I realize that the driving forces behind any nation or culture are complex. But I firmly believe that, overall, God blesses a land that follows the compass that points to Him. I also firmly believe that any people who follow Gods moral compass naturally adopt ideas and take actions that lead to success. Yes, for more than a century after our nations founding, Americans lived by and/or honored the true foundation of our liberty, as depicted in this poster entitled The American Way of Life created by the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. (reference: http://www.damchicago.com/american-way.html) As you can see, our political and economic rights stand on the foundation of our Constitutional Government. But this same Constitutional Government stands only upon the foundation of our Fundamental Belief in God. This is a representation of being led by a clear moral compass.

Unfortunately, our American culture is rapidly replacing the compass pointing to a true moral north with the pointless compass of moral relativism. It is leading us to disaster. For whose hearts desire are we following if we fail to follow Christ? There can only be one answer to that: satan. We see people across our land succumbing to satans deceptions daily. For instance, I happened across an unsettling article just a few days ago. The Rev. Ann Holmes has been an ordained Episcopal priest for more than 20 years. For a little more than a year, she has also been a Muslim. According to the article in the Seattle Times which was included in a recent blog article by Dennis McFadden, Holmes claims to now practice both religions Christianity and Islam. According to her, At the most basic level, I understand the two religions to be compatible. That's all I need I am both Muslim and Christian, just like I'm both an American of African descent and a woman. I'm 100 percent both It wasn't about intellect. All I know is the calling of my heart to Islam was very much something about my identity and who I am supposed to be. If thats not bad enough, the Rev. Redding will begin teaching New Testament as a visiting assistant professor at Seattle University this fall. The points have definitely dropped off of her compass as she follows her hearts desire.

Just when we think that it cant get any worse, the same article goes on to report that Redding's bishop, the Right Rev. Vincent Warner, accepts her as an Episcopal priest and a Muslim. He finds the interfaith possibilities exciting. (Janet I. Tu, I am both Christian and Muslim, Seattle Times, 6/17/2007, http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003751274_redding17m.html) Small wonder that our culture has become so antagonistic toward anyone who has the audacity to still declare Jesus Christ as the way and the truth and the life. (John 14:6) This is a classic case of moral and religious relativism. Truth is derived from the hearts desire instead of obedient faith in Jesus Christ.

The results of this type of religious and moral relativism will be as disastrous today as they were in Jesus day. Righteousness will be treated as violation of law, and evil will be elevated to new heights of celebration. As this happens, everything that our Founders risked and worked for will be undone. In yet another recent book attacking faith, God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, author Christopher Hitchens argues that a world ruled by faith is like North Korea, a place where all is known and all is ordered. In an ironic twist, one of Christopher Hitchens critics is his brother, Peter Hitchens. In response to his brothers claim, Peter writes, On the contrary, North Korea is the precise opposite of a land governed by conscience. It is a country governed by men who do not believe in God or conscience, where nobody can be trusted to make his own choices, and where the State decides for the people what is right and what is wrong. And it is the ultimate destination of atheist thought. If you do not worship God, you end up worshipping power (as reported on His Barking Dog blog, http://hisbarkingdog.blogspot.com/2007/06/god-is-not-great-hitchens-vs-hitchens.html) Trying to follow the pointless compass of moral relativism leads down a dark path, indeed.

I hate to bear such news, but I believe that it will be inevitably true. Unless repentance and a return to God takes hold, America will become like Israel as they sought to place idolatry on an equal level with worship of God. Unfortunately, it always took catastrophic disaster to return Gods people to their first love. It is continuing to appear that similar disasters will be visited upon this dear nation at some point as once again the voices in the public square cry out, Crucify him! For now, though, and as long as I am able to do so, I plan to celebrate our nations birthday once again with thanksgiving to God for the moral compass that our Founders used when they laid their very lives on the line to secure a nation that would give freedom from the tyranny of sinful man.

Let us remember together this morning the true foundation upon which our liberty has been built and from which all of our national blessings have derived: the sacrifice of Jesus himself who secured our salvation and set us free from the bondage of sin and the grave. We remember this as we share in the service of communion.

Rev. Charles A. Layne

First Baptist Church

PO Box 515

170 W. Broadway

Bunker Hill, IN 46914

765-689-7987

bhfbc@bhfirstbaptist.com

www.bhfirstbaptist.com
-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org   

Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

July 1, 2007

Text: Matthew 27:11-26

When the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie came out, viewers were introduced to the compass used by Captain Jack Sparrow. It was a compass that did not point north. In the following two movies, the role of that compass was expanded even more. It turns out that this compass leads its user to whatever is the owners hearts desire.

In the context of movies and stories, this can be a useful device. Sometimes the results were humorous as the compass pointed the rascally Captain Jack to a couple of bottles of rum. Other times, the compass directed the user toward the hidden treasure or, more importantly, to the damsel in distress. Yes, in the context of contrived stories, the idea of a compass that leads its user to his or her hearts desire can be quite useful.

In the context of reality, which is where we actually live, a pointless compass is catastrophic. The whole purpose of a compass is to provide the user with a standard. Trust me; a lot of our military leaders were quite glad to have compasses that pointed north as they charged across the vast desert during the campaigns against Iraq. Imagine leading a force across an expansive desert with no landmarks and holding a compass that does not point north. You can trust me on this, too: when you are in the middle of the ocean on a cloud-covered night, one direction looks like any other direction. North, south, east, west they all look and feel the same. Want a recipe for disaster? Sail the open ocean with a compass that does not point north.

In the context of our cultural life, using a pointless compass is also a recipe for disaster. Yet, this is exactly what the American culture has been trying to follow for quite some time. The moral compass that once guided men and women in this land toward a knowledge of the salvation, love, morality, and ethics of Jesus Christ has been replaced largely by a pointless compass that will direct men and women toward whatever their hearts desire. Unfortunately, the human heart and mind, left to its own device, guides men and women toward the shoals of darkness, fear, and sin instead of toward the light and freedom found in the love of God.

This was certainly the case when Jesus was brought before Pilate as the members of the Sanhedrin sought to secure the death penalty against him. The setting and sequence of events are familiar to us. Jesus has been betrayed; he has been turned over to the leaders seeking his destruction; he has been brought before the Jewish legal council who produced false witnesses against him; Jesus acknowledges his deity, which sends the members of the Sanhedrin into a rage; and now they have brought Jesus before Pilate. It is the tradition of the governor to release a condemned prisoner at the time of the Feast. So he asks the well known question, Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?

Here is where the result of a pointless compass becomes evident. But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. Which of the two do you want me to release to you? asked the governor. Barabbas, they answered. What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ? Pilate asked. They all answered, Crucify him! Just days before, Jesus had entered the city to cries of Hosanna! Know he had to face their cries of crucify him! When they replaced the compass that points to the love and laws of God with a pointless compass that led them to their hearts desire, the inevitable result was destruction and death.

This is a lesson that the world continually fails to learn very well. This is always unfortunate. In the days of the founding of this nation known as the United States of America, those establishing the guiding principles of liberty and freedom used a compass that clearly pointed in a certain direction. It was a moral compass guided by the light of faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ. They were not perfect men who followed this compass, but they did confess the righteousness and glory of the one to whom their compass pointed. John Adams, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the second President of the United States, stated in an address to the military, We have no government with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. (John Adams, address to the military, October 11, 1798) In other documents, Adams leaves no doubt as to the specific religion and morality to which he refers: The general principles, on which the Fathers achieved independence, were the only Principles in which that beautiful Assembly of young Gentlemen could Unite And what were these general Principles? I answer, the general Principles of Christianity, in which all these Sects were United (John Adams, letter to Thomas Jefferson, June 28, 1813)

I use these remarks from John Adams as a simple reference to the moral compass being used. Document after document, speech after speech, and letter after letter of nearly every one of this nations Founders are filled with expressions of their Christian faith and their determination to build their new government upon the foundations of that faith. Even those signers of the Declaration of Independence and/or the Constitution who did not express a personal belief in Jesus Christ as Lord declared every bit as much as the Christians in their midst that the house of a free people could be built on nothing less than the foundation of the morality, ethics, and religion of a Biblical Christian faith. Even though Im not going to present here quote after quote, the evidence for this is plentiful and too overwhelming to ignore.

Fortunately, this was the overall attitude of a majority of the American population for decades following our nations founding. It is, I am convinced, the real reason behind every success America can claim. Im not trying to be simplistic or unrealistically optimistic about this. I realize that the driving forces behind any nation or culture are complex. But I firmly believe that, overall, God blesses a land that follows the compass that points to Him. I also firmly believe that any people who follow Gods moral compass naturally adopt ideas and take actions that lead to success. Yes, for more than a century after our nations founding, Americans lived by and/or honored the true foundation of our liberty, as depicted in this poster entitled The American Way of Life created by the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. (reference: http://www.damchicago.com/american-way.html) As you can see, our political and economic rights stand on the foundation of our Constitutional Government. But this same Constitutional Government stands only upon the foundation of our Fundamental Belief in God. This is a representation of being led by a clear moral compass.

Unfortunately, our American culture is rapidly replacing the compass pointing to a true moral north with the pointless compass of moral relativism. It is leading us to disaster. For whose hearts desire are we following if we fail to follow Christ? There can only be one answer to that: satan. We see people across our land succumbing to satans deceptions daily. For instance, I happened across an unsettling article just a few days ago. The Rev. Ann Holmes has been an ordained Episcopal priest for more than 20 years. For a little more than a year, she has also been a Muslim. According to the article in the Seattle Times which was included in a recent blog article by Dennis McFadden, Holmes claims to now practice both religions Christianity and Islam. According to her, At the most basic level, I understand the two religions to be compatible. That's all I need I am both Muslim and Christian, just like I'm both an American of African descent and a woman. I'm 100 percent both It wasn't about intellect. All I know is the calling of my heart to Islam was very much something about my identity and who I am supposed to be. If thats not bad enough, the Rev. Redding will begin teaching New Testament as a visiting assistant professor at Seattle University this fall. The points have definitely dropped off of her compass as she follows her hearts desire.

Just when we think that it cant get any worse, the same article goes on to report that Redding's bishop, the Right Rev. Vincent Warner, accepts her as an Episcopal priest and a Muslim. He finds the interfaith possibilities exciting. (Janet I. Tu, I am both Christian and Muslim, Seattle Times, 6/17/2007, http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003751274_redding17m.html) Small wonder that our culture has become so antagonistic toward anyone who has the audacity to still declare Jesus Christ as the way and the truth and the life. (John 14:6) This is a classic case of moral and religious relativism. Truth is derived from the hearts desire instead of obedient faith in Jesus Christ.

The results of this type of religious and moral relativism will be as disastrous today as they were in Jesus day. Righteousness will be treated as violation of law, and evil will be elevated to new heights of celebration. As this happens, everything that our Founders risked and worked for will be undone. In yet another recent book attacking faith, God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, author Christopher Hitchens argues that a world ruled by faith is like North Korea, a place where all is known and all is ordered. In an ironic twist, one of Christopher Hitchens critics is his brother, Peter Hitchens. In response to his brothers claim, Peter writes, On the contrary, North Korea is the precise opposite of a land governed by conscience. It is a country governed by men who do not believe in God or conscience, where nobody can be trusted to make his own choices, and where the State decides for the people what is right and what is wrong. And it is the ultimate destination of atheist thought. If you do not worship God, you end up worshipping power (as reported on His Barking Dog blog, http://hisbarkingdog.blogspot.com/2007/06/god-is-not-great-hitchens-vs-hitchens.html) Trying to follow the pointless compass of moral relativism leads down a dark path, indeed.

I hate to bear such news, but I believe that it will be inevitably true. Unless repentance and a return to God takes hold, America will become like Israel as they sought to place idolatry on an equal level with worship of God. Unfortunately, it always took catastrophic disaster to return Gods people to their first love. It is continuing to appear that similar disasters will be visited upon this dear nation at some point as once again the voices in the public square cry out, Crucify him! For now, though, and as long as I am able to do so, I plan to celebrate our nations birthday once again with thanksgiving to God for the moral compass that our Founders used when they laid their very lives on the line to secure a nation that would give freedom from the tyranny of sinful man.

Let us remember together this morning the true foundation upon which our liberty has been built and from which all of our national blessings have derived: the sacrifice of Jesus himself who secured our salvation and set us free from the bondage of sin and the grave. We remember this as we share in the service of communion.

Rev. Charles A. Layne

First Baptist Church

PO Box 515

170 W. Broadway

Bunker Hill, IN 46914

765-689-7987

bhfbc@bhfirstbaptist.com

http://www.bhfirstbaptist.com

-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org