Being a City Within a City
One of core values printed on our Sunday morning service banner is that our goal and vision is to be a “City Within A City.” In order to help us press in with the mission Jesus has called us to in The Resolved Church, I thought I’d let Tim Keller give us some of his thoughts on being a “City Within the City.” I’ll give you some excerpts from an article he wrote for Christianity Today a while back.
If you haven’t heard of Tim Keller, he is the pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian in New York, is part of the Gospel Coalition works closely with Acts 29 and has written several great books (including: The Reason for God, The Prodigal God and Counterfeit Gods). Being a city within a city is part of the main goals that we have as a church…to create a gospel city inside the city of San Diego. A gospel city that lives under the rule and reign of Jesus and because of that experiences the goodness of life under a good king.
The Art of Eugène Delacroix
Blog | Pastor Duane
The artwork from our Viva La Vida sermon series (to the left) comes from the cover of Coldplay’s album, which is actually a 19th century painting by Eugène Delacroix called “Liberty Leading the People.” Delacroix was a French Romantic artist who specialized in illustrating the literary works of William Shakespeare, Sir Walter Scott, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Yet, his most famous painting was the highly political piece, “Liberty Leading the People.”
In the painting a woman representing liberty is leading representatives of the three main classes in society…the rich, the poor and the middle-class while waving the French tricolour, which became the symbol of the French Revolution. The painting is on display at the Louvre, where it has been since 1874.
The subtitle to our VIVA LA VIDA sermon series is “Living the Life of Christ.” So I thought I’d take this entry and an opportunity to talk about the connection between the life of Christ, revolution and liberty.
When you read the New Testament Gospels one of the striking things thing you notice is these repeated crowds showing up all over the place because of Jesus. Some were undoubtedly attracted to Jesus because of his miraculous feats. Some were surely drawn to him because of his great teaching the spiritual wisdom he imparted. And without a doubt many gravitated to him in hopes of him being a social and political revolutionary.
The first century was a tumultuous time particularly for the Jews. They did not like the ruling order of the Romans and hoped for a leader a messiah to lead a revolution and deliver them. And various potential messiahs of this sort tried. In historical order, this includes these men: Eleazar (Josephus, Jewish Wars [J.W.], 2.13.2), Judas Son of Ezekias (Joshephus, Antiquities [Ant.], 17.10.5), Simon Servant of Herod (Ant., 17.10.6), Athronges (Ant., 17.7), Menahem Son of Judas (J.W. 2.17.8), Simon bar Giora (J.W. 7.26-32), and Simeon bar Kokhba (Dio Cassius 59.13.3).
These are just revolutionaries who got recorded in history books, but there were also several other unnamed ones merely dismissed as “bandits” and “guerillas.” Of the ones who are recorded 5 were before Jesus started his ministry and two (which were the biggest and most successful revolts) were after Jesus’ ascension.
Knowing about these revolutionaries makes the following statement of Jesus from Matthew 24:5 astonishing, “Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.” Here Jesus does two main things. One, Jesus acknowledges that he is The Christ, The Messiah, The Revolutionary, the only one. Two, Jesus prophesies of all these false christs, messiahs, and revolutionaries.
Revolution and revolutionaries throughout history are wanted because the lack of freedom or liberty. Jesus never denies being The Social, Political, and Military Revolutionary…he just had to deal with something first, the cause of our lack of freedom/liberty, which comes from sin and us being bound by it. So he went to the cross to deal with sin first before he comes a second time to topple over governments and establish his rule. If he had done so in his first coming there would have been no people to enjoy his rule because we would have all been found guilty and overthrown.
In order to bring true liberty, Jesus went to the root, the root of all war, violence, and oppression…the human heart. The cross is the most revolutionary thing that could ever have been done. This is the gospel my friends, freedom in Jesus.
Martin Luther said, “The Christian is the most free lord of all and subject to none…the most dutiful servant of all and subject to every one.” Because of Jesus we become the most free people of all. We are free because there is no longer the constraints of guilt and judgment hanging over us. Jesus has done all the work for us in order to free us. Once a believer, this freedom changes us and enables us to truly love God and those around us…and that is all the freedom we have ever wanted or needed. The freedom to becomes slaves of all and to love being so.
Eugène Delacroix thought a physical change in regime could bring liberty to lead all people. He was only partly right. Freedom does lead. But true freedom is the ability to sacrificially love without demand, return or expectation. Eugène was wrong if he thought merely a new regime could bring liberty. Liberty must first be gained in the heart, then Jesus, the servant of all can truly lead us all in the way of freedom.
- Pastor Duane
Oct. 12th – Think, Gather, Feed
Girls Think Tank, headed up by our own Rachel Jensen, is putting on the second annual community picnic in Balboa Park addressing homelessness in San Diego. Along with several other organizations, The Resolved Church is helping to sponsor this event by donating hands, equipment and our hearts. The picnic is on October 4th from noon to 4pm. Read more from Rachel about this event…
