Covenant Presbyterian Church

It does not matter in the least who becomes the next President of the United States. There are some very obvious reasons for this. First, the political frenzy associated with next year’s election is purely media driven. Anything driven by mass media is intrinsically meaningless. Mass media is not concerned with educating the populace or generating serious discussion but with making money, advancing its own agenda, and excluding serious thinking and interchange from public discourse.

A frustrating and destructive tendency of a consumerist society is the push to "get things done." I refer not to the legitimate responsibilities allotted to us by our heavenly Father or the desire to undertake much for his pleasure and glory. Nor do I condemn the spirit of hard work that so ornaments the profession of the gospel. I mean the tendency to value one’s life in terms of a completed to-do list and the practice of filling one’s list with as many activities as possible just to feel busy.

Growing up in a family and in churches that took the Bible seriously, I regularly heard that God’s judgment would eventually fall upon this nation for its apostasy from his truth. Neither superior intellect nor mystical insights was necessary to see the truth of this message. As a child and teenager, I suppose my conceptions of this judgment were in terms of silly Dispensational fairy tales - the fodder of apocalyptic movies. With age and better knowledge of Scripture, I realize that judgment does not usually or often come in such forms.

The legacy of a man does not consist in the possessions he leaves behind or the accolades he receives from the world. The championship jerseys of his favorite team will one day find their way into a clothing receptacle for the needy. Others will divide his most cherished personal belongings; or they will gather dust in attic corner. Death reminds us that everything the world holds dear is of little value. What counts is character. This alone is a man’s true legacy because it is the fruit of his life’s loves and priorities.

Balance is elusive. We hear a sermon about a duty of our Christian discipleship - a legitimate aspect of holiness. Failing to relate that duty to Christ’s grace and promise to assist us in our weakness, we soon enter a cycle of guilt-induced attempts at personal reform. Frustration and despair develop; we soon give up. We then hear a sermon about our adoption by God to be his sons and daughters, a sermon that emphasizes the all-sufficiency of Christ’s righteousness for us and of our security in him.

You have probably heard the adage, "Idle hands are the devil’s workshop." This is generally true for all of us, but it is especially pertinent for older teenage and young unmarried believers. The leading pursuit of this age group is fun. As our culture has moved farther away from God’s Word and hardened in its rebellion, "fun" is typically equated with sexual experimentation and entertainment, both of which are symptoms of a distracted, purposeless, and misdirected life.

If you have grown up in the church, you will one day ask the question, "Can I take the Lord’s Supper?" You may be six years old, or ten, or fourteen. Whatever your age, this is a very good question to ask. It shows that you are growing in your faith and starting to think like an adult. At the same time, you may be a little scared. What will the elders ask me? What happens to me when I take the Lord’s Supper? Am I really ready? Can I stand in front of the congregation and publicly confess that Jesus Christ is my only Savior?

Growing up in a large Baptist church, I will never forget a congregational confession that was made each week: "The Bible says it; I believe it: tithing. Though no doctrinal confession was required or maintained by that congregation, their commitment to tithing was creedal, congregation wide, and often effectual for accomplishing great works for Christ.

Throughout history there are two, and only two, cities: the city of man and the city of God. The city of man is men and families, philosophies and institutions, which are built upon a principle of revolt against God. The city of God is the believing portion of humanity, whose sinful hearts have been subdued to teachableness by the Spirit of God. Its central earthly manifestation is the faithful Church of Jesus Christ. There is not a third city. One is either a member of the city of God or of the city of man.

Even among the creed-less, one confession persists and trumps all others: "I believe in whatever is meaningful to me." Whether it is made in reference to doctrine, worship forms, or personal piety, today’s canon or rule is, "I like this." There are all kinds of reasons, good or bad, why we like something. But here is the crux. What is my standard of evaluation? How do I judge if what I perceive as meaningful to me is in fact honoring to God and, therefore, truly in my best interests? Why do I like this? Do my likes and dislikes define reality?