A New Year, Same Old Nonsense!

One of the movies that I find most interesting and poignant is “The Patriot” starting Mel Gibson. Although the historicity of the movie has been questioned, it is a fair portrayal, in general, of some of the issues that took place during the American Revolution. At the end of the movie, when the colonists are about to defeat the royal forces at the battle of Yorktown, the actor that portrays Lord Cornwallis utters a phrase that could describe all that is going on around us today: “how has it come to this”? The thought that, again in the actor’s words, a “rabble” could have defeated the mightiest military in the world at the time was unthinkable.

Fast forward to our nation in our own day. When I look at the events that have transpired in this country, especially over the last year, I can’t help but feel rather befuddled. Start with some of the onerous restrictions that some states and cities have instituted in the wake of the Corona virus. Although some restrictions may be called for and we certainly can discuss those matters, there are some in places like California and New York who have made it clear that part of their intent is to restrict the worship of the true church. They may not have stated it explicitly in public, but some have been caught in their private moments saying just that. In response to this intent, many churches have either accommodated the governing entities or have closed their doors never to open again.

As the summer progressed, we were treated to a seemingly never ending parade of demonstrations, riots, “insurrections,” and arrests related to, ostensibly, the death of a black man at the hands of a group of white policemen. Unless you’re blind or a raving partisan, and unfortunately there are far too many of those, it must be admitted that the demonstrations, which may have started with good intentions, quickly devolved into lawlessness and violence. The most telling picture of what was going on was perhaps the many images of newscasts showing buildings burning in the background while the reporter informed us that “these, mostly peaceful demonstrations” were continuing all over the country. There is nothing like ideology to blind the eyes of the ideologue.

Then, of course, we have our recent election. And again, we can argue the merits of the Trump side who suggest that the election was, in their words, stolen and that Biden will be an illegitimate ruler. The point that I want to focus on, however, is the events that have followed the voting. Accusations and counter-accusations have flown about with abandon. Many on the left side of the spectrum have conveniently forgotten that four years ago they recklessly claimed that Russia had stolen the election for Trump with whom they had colluded. Of course, they had no proof to that effect, but hey we should not let the truth or falsity of a claim determine whether we believe it, right?

All this culminated in a couple of events this week that show the utter depravity and perversity that our society continues to demonstrate. First, the state of Georgia found it necessary to elect two leftist senators to seat in that chamber. One of them, the “reverend” Raphael Warnock, is a supposed pastor who supports abortion by calling it a “moral good” and a necessity for women in order to have access to all the “health care” that they need. The left is good at the euphemisms game. Abortion is “reproductive health,” euthanasia is “death with dignity,” and so it goes.

Then you have the spectacle this past Wednesday, of people breaching the barriers at the capitol and creating all kinds of havoc once inside. Several people were killed, many arrested, and several others were injured in a demonstration of lack of self-control that was breathtaking in its brazenness. It matters little what side of the political spectrum you may be on. To witness such a display of wanton destructiveness is appalling. Some have claimed that the demonstrators were ultra-rightists, and others have said that they were infiltrated by such leftist groups as Antifa. Regardless, such a riot is a demonstration of how perverse our society has become. Again, as Lord Cornwallis said, “how did it come to this”? How is it that a nation that was founded on moral principles that respected “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” and which understood that these rights are given by God, not by the system and not by the government, devolve to such a low place?

I’ll tell you why. Because that society, the society that we no longer recognize has sold itself to the humanist, secular ideas that plague the human mind. Atheism and its spawns, have so destroyed the human mind that it is inevitable for such to end where it has. When your worldview tells you that you’re little more than “cosmic dust” and that your end will be no different than the dog that you rescued from a shelter, how can you think that your life has any kind of lasting, eternal value? All restraints are thrown off because pleasure and your desires are more important than anything else. Although those who deny the existence of God can’t help but live like there is in fact One, they insist in their proclamations that their position is one of “human dignity” that in reality has no foundation on anything of value. If such is the case, then how can anyone possibly overcome the despair that comes with such thinking?

“For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible mankind, of birds, four-footed animals, and crawling creatures.” Romans 1:21-23

The Problem: Sin!

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) 

A recent report claims that one in four young people have contemplated suicide in the last 30 days. Other reports indicate that there have been more suicides and deaths from drug overdoses than there have been from COVID. According to still other reports, murders have also increased greatly since the beginning of the pandemic. In Los Angeles, for example, murders have increased 20% since the restrictions related to the virus began in the spring.

God “rigged” this election for you

Well, as the saying goes, "it is all over, but the singing." As we contemplate the election and the repercussions of such for our future, it behooves us to understand that, as the title of the video says, God is the one who determined the results. There is no such thing as a coincidence or mere random events. God has ordained whatsoever comes to pass, our confession says, and we need to believe it wholeheartedly because it is scriptural and true. Yes, many of us (hopefully all of us who care about the unborn and a number of other moral issues) would have liked to see a different result. But whether the trend holds and Joe Biden becomes president or God decides to work a different outcome, we know that all things are in His hand including us. We need not fret and we need not sound a defeatist horn. On the contrary, we need to stand more firm than ever as the world around us goes from bad to worse. The one thing we must not do is doubt whether this is in God's plan. All things are in God's plan. Some of His plan is for the good of some, His people. Some of His plan is for retribution and the ruin of others, the unbelievers. But it is all holy and good. So, today we rejoice that even in the midst of what seemingly appears to be defeat for the forces of morality and decency, the Lord will gain the victory and the glory!!