A Hope that Lives

I was driving back from the office yesterday when I heard the news. The assassination of Charlie Kirk was jarring and immediately heartbreaking. Tragically, crime happens every day and every minute of our existence, but this was different, and at first, I wasn’t sure why. Was it because I resonated with many of his beliefs, his character, his age, his ethnicity, his fatherhood, his spirited personality, etc.? No, not necessarily. I was struck by the reality that someone was murdered in such an intentional, graphic, and public way for simply speaking the truth. It was a stark reminder of the deep-seated evil and the spiritual darkness that pervades our world. When our society is impacted by such a high-profile tragedy, such as this, we are reminded that at the center of this battle lies a struggle between darkness and light, between evil and righteousness, between lies and truth. Though Charlie Kirk was not a prophet, an apostle, or even a pastor, he boldly proclaimed truth in the public square with conviction. We may feel that evil had won the day when his life was taken. We may feel confounded and frustrated by the lack of justice in this world. We may feel anxious over the growing anti-Christian rhetoric promulgated online. And we may even begin to doubt God’s sovereign control over these kinds of events. In our passage for this week, Luke describes the growing resistance Jesus faced during His time in Jerusalem. Attempts were carried out by the religious elites to entrap Him (20:19-20) in order to bring about a swift end to His life and ministry. But Jesus remained steadfast even to the point of death. He entrusted His life to the Father’s will and obediently fulfilled His redemptive plan. Death and darkness may seem victorious, but only for a moment. Jesus refutes the Sadducees’ denail of the resurrection in this passage, and effectively demonstrates their lack of faith in and worship of the “God of the living” (20:38). Death has no power over the “sons of God” because the children of God are children of the resurrection (v36). When death rears its ugly head, we must not respond with fear or worldly rage, but we must anchor ourselves all the more in the hope of God’s sovereign power over the darkness of this present age. We do not trust in men or political movements, but we trust in our living God who has already won. –Pastor Nate

Sunday at Liberty

9AM: The Holy Spirit–The Nature of the Spirit

10AM: Pastor Nate–A Hope That Lives–Luke 20:27-40 (sermon notes)

11:45AM: Potluck 

12:30PM: Members’ Meeting