Ben Zornes, Author at Ben Zornes

Politics and the Pulpit 2 | A Ziggurat of the Unborn

by Ben Zornes · Nov 14, 2024

Introduction

The conservative Christian cause emerged victorious on many levels this week. But one of the most important principles of warfare is to not get lost in the fog of victory and give way to gathering spoil before the enemy is entirely scattered. God has kindly given us a tailwind for advancing Biblical justice and truth in the civic sphere. The enemies of God have made it plain that they will not renounce or retreat from the need to heartlessly destroy the unborn. Victory is not permission to set down your weapons. Rather, it is the best opportunity to press our advantage.

The Text

Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
Isaiah 49:15

Summary of the Text

Isaiah foretold the various exiles that were approaching both Israel and Judah for their rebellion and idolatry. When the just calamities arrived, Zion would be tempted to ask whether God had forgotten them. To answer this, Isaiah, by the Spirit’s inspiration, gives one of the most tender statements of God’s mercy which is found in Scripture. God summons to mind the image of a nursing mother tenderly cherishing the son of her womb. God points at that and asks a question. Could a mother treat the child which was knit in her womb with disdainful indifference? Could a nursing mother forget to kiss those sweet cheeks, or to nurture the vulnerable life of her infant?

The picture of a woman nurturing her child is a true picture. It is feminine glory. To mar that image is to mar femininity itself. Nevertheless, there have always been horrific instances of women who neglect, abandon, or even slay their young child (Cf. Deu. 28:56-57). When we forsake the good ordering of our lives according to God’s Word, we find perverse distortions of the good way God made us. Such mothers may vandalize this painting, but the Painter of that image, which is the Truth behind that image, will not and cannot mar it. God declares to Zion that He will not forget her.

The consequences for our sin may cause us to think God has forsaken and forgotten us. But the wonder of the Gospel is found in this incomprehensible mercy of God. He will not forget. He has graven the name of His people upon the palms of His hand. The Gospel, as presented here in Isaiah, requires a true portrait of maternal and feminine glory. For that image is a shadow of the true mercy found in the heart of God the Father towards the Church. The lie of feminism cuts to the very heart of what it means to be a female created in God’s image, called to imitate and reflect the Creator.

The Horror we Don’t Abhor

Therefore, the horror of abortion, and the feminist dogma which props it up, which we have culturally tolerated is an affront to the very Gospel. It is not a long and involved argument to show from Scripture that human life begins at conception in the womb of the mother. Jeremiah was set apart by the Lord from the womb (Jer. 1:5). Moses’ Law applied lex talionis for the crime of striking a woman and causing her to miscarry (Ex. 21:22-25). In both the story of Jacob & Esau doing jiujitsu in Rebekah’s womb, along with the story of John the Baptist leaping at the voice of Mary, who was already pregnant with Jesus, we see undeniable evidence that life begins in the womb. Not only that but significant theological categories are established in these stories. Many Psalms praise the providential hand of God knitting us together within our mother’s womb, and being our covenant God from our conception. Perhaps the strongest argument in favor of all this is that the incarnation of Christ in Mary’s womb requires us to affirm that the union of God with human flesh took place at the holy conception.

But our nation has insisted that the authoritative Word need not shape how we think about life in the womb. We have chosen instead to draw an arbitrary line the sand for when life is viable (or disposable) according to the expertise of the all-wise and never fallible physician. For instance, Arizona passed a constitutional amendment enshrining the right of every individual to abort their child before “fetal viability” which they define this way: “Fetal viability” means the point in pregnancy when, in the good faith judgment of a treating health care professional and based on the particular facts of the case, there is a significant likelihood of the fetus’s sustained survival outside the uterus without the application of extraordinary medical measures.

The white lab coats of the medical industry have become the robes of a priestly class. It is by their omens and priestcraft that it can be discerned when a child must be sacrificed to the gods. Our nation has refused the Word of God and has submitted to the word of health care professionals. There is no molecule in existence that has viability within itself, for it is only by the word of God’s providential power that all things are held in existence. For us to dispose of life so flippantly is to claim that we hold the keys of life in our hands.

The Tender Mercies of the Wicked

The abomination that is abortion demonstrates that truth of Proverbs 12:10 that the tendermercies of the wicked are cruel. When God made an image of Himself He made man with righteousness, knowledge, spiritual life, and authority. Genesis teaches that image is displayed in both male and female, not male alone. This is because in the union of husband and wife there is the possibility of the conception of more image bearers. The womb of the woman is where those image bearers are seemingly brought out of nothingness into being.

The wicked feign compassion for women’s rights. Yet their mercy is as a tender as a bludgeon. Their compassion is as soft as a brick to the back of the head. They have persuaded an entire generation of women to despise the glory of bearing in their wombs a being which will exist forever. A being whose purpose is to hymn God’s praise for everlasting days, dwelling in the joy of God’s joyful life and light. The progressives and squishy conservatives have deluded themselves into thinking that women can determine to snuff out such a life without any eternal consequence or guilt. Mothers are told they can crush that skull, dismember that body, poison it with saline, turn it away through a blockade of pills and not bear any guilt or shame.

We might stand astonished at the tales of gruesome horror from ages and cultures in the past like Nineveh or the Aztecs. But we daily erect a ziggurat of unborn babies throughout our nation. And we have the deluded pride to proclaim that it is health care for women. That’s like a little boy throwing a baseball through his parent’s living room window and then claiming to be a home renovator. The health of a woman is found in honoring God with her feminine glory, and in that alone. This is worship. Offering up our bodies as living sacrifices. This is faith. For the Christian, bearing godly seed (Mal. 2:15) is an act of faith that this world will be remade and will be filled with a countless multitude of redeemed men and women.

A Word to our Nation

So, to God’s people, do not despise the feminine glory of a mother nurturing her child from conception. For this is to cherish the greater glory of God’s everlasting mercy to His people.

To the State and Federal Government, the Word of Christ demands that you end this atrocity speedily. Christ, by His Word, commands that you unsheathe the sword of justice against this grievous injustice.

Nationally, we have sinned grievously. The various calamities which have visited us are the result of our stubbornness. Yet God points to a picture of a nurturing mother and says His tender-mercy is like that, only greater and higher and further.

CHARGE & BENEDICTION

The Trump administration said that pro-lifers have a welcome seat at his table. Our task is to make sure that we are quite noisy in that chair. We do this first and foremost by thinking Biblically about what it means to be male and female, and the glories respective to male and female. This can be done in your marriage and in your training of your sons and daughters. And all of this must be done with an unwavering faith in the indescribable mercy of God which firmly surrounds us.

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26

Other Sermons in this Series

Godly Seed

by Ben Zornes · Nov 11, 2024

Scripture teaches that having a child isn’t merely biological, but is also profoundly spiritual. This is because we are not mere mortals. We aren’t mere molecules in motion. When a farmer sows seed, he sows in hope of a harvest. God commanded our first parents, who were effectively farmers, to be fruitful & multiply, to sow the seed of children, in confident hope of a harvest of godly seed.

This task is certainly fraught with risk, danger, and difficulty. Because of the fall, childbearing was laden with additional peril. But Christian parents put their trust in God to bless the conception, bearing, delivery, and raising of godly seed. In baptizing our children we confess the purpose of our children: to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. By faith we see that here is godly seed, who also by faith will plant more godly seeds, until one day, when the whole earth will be like a golden crop of wheat.

So welcome our sister to Jesus Christ…

Marriage Ruts

by Ben Zornes · Nov 5, 2024

Introduction

Marriage is a life-long vow to love your wife, provide for her, and protect her. It doesn’t take long, however for marriages to fall into ruts which they obligingly trudge through for decades. It isn’t that either husband or wife have done atrocious things (although this certainly will make the ditches deeper), but they’ve planted a field of landmines of ungodly attitudes and actions.

In both the inner and outer life, each spouse has decided to settle for “this is just the way things are” rather than deliberately laboring for holiness within their marriage. As men, the fault for every last action within the marriage may not be yours, but the responsibility is entirely on your shoulders. So, I want to address a few ruts which husbands, in particular fall into in their marriage, and offer a few steps of godly leadership to get out of such ruts.

Intimacy

The E on the eye chart for most men is the sexual vibrancy of their marriage. If sex is irregular (or entirely absent), if it is perfunctory, if she is regularly unresponsive, or sex is a constant source of contention, it can turn the joyful bodily partaking into a realm of mutual resentment. Men must remember that it is their duty to lead their wives entirely, and this includes in their sexual life.

Adopting the moodiness of a horny junior high boy will not suddenly turn your wife on to you. Neediness will certainly disincline her to give herself to you. So then, it is imperative that you have a biblical view of your sexuality. You are not a vessel of raging hormones. You are a lord of the earth, under the dominion of the Lord of Heaven and Earth; He has commanded you to take dominion…and this begins with your own desires. A steady contentment will go a long way to creating health in the bedroom. Sexual leadership requires you to remember that she is female and you are male, and she thrives on love expressed through stability and security, while you are fueled by admiration. This then should compel you to be admirable, hard-working, and gentle towards her. It also means that you must take initiative, but not just getting handsy in the kitchen. Sexual initiative looks like taking various financial, relational, and circumstantial burdens off her plate. If the finances are tight, if you’re not hustling, if you haven’t drawn clear boundaries with the overbearing in-laws, she will not suddenly find herself in the mood.

If, however, you refuse to be “needy”, and instead your attention and generosity is great toward her, you will have taken a step towards making your physical relationship warmer than it otherwise was. One writer put it this way, “Generally speaking, a man finds intimacy and acceptance through sex while a woman needs to first experience intimacy and acceptance before she can be prepared to enjoy sex.”

Anger

Too many Christian husbands have recognized that they aren’t allowed to yell, scream, and beat their wife, so they’ve opted to metamorphose their anger into a low-grade fever of seething resentment. It could be the aforementioned sexual distance that leads to a grumbling spirit. Or it may just be stress at work, trouble with the kids, or getting passed over for the promotion has led you to be in a continual funk. As Lewis shrewdly pointed out, there is a grave danger of not just being a grumbler but to become an endless grumble.

Consider these words from Proverbs 29:22 and 17:19 – “An angry man stirs up strife, And a furious man abounds in transgression. […] He loveth transgression that loveth strife: and he that exalteth his gate seeketh destruction.” Notice the close relationship between anger and transgression and self-exaltation. Brooding anger is often times a proof of pride and not humility. Jesus really does exemplify for us that true leadership is found in humble service; not the tepid “servant leadership” which vanilla evangelicalism presents. Rather, the sort of humble service that is joyful in bearing a bloody cross, overthrowing tyrants, driving out demons, tending the sick. Your cranky attitude is like salting your garden and then being surprised that it never blooms. This is an area that men must have mastery over so that their marriage really can be playful.

Attentiveness

Complacency can be deadly in every sphere of life. But if you’ve gotten into a routine within your home where you are habitually inattentive to your wife, she will also be inattentive to you. This takes real work and leadership to make sure that you put various distractions off to the side. Whether it be good things (i.e. an important work project, a good book, balancing the books, etc.) or simple distractions (i.e. that addicting video game, the social media food fight, the big game, etc.), your wife has a greater claim on your attention. Now, there can be times when couples can lean too far in the other direction and neglect other duties (like showing up to work on time).

However, “drifting apart” happens slowly and then all at once. You must not let your marriage drift. This means you need initiate conversations with your wife, listen when she’s sharing things with you (even when you think they are about a trivial matter), and pay close attention to how what she’s saying describes how she is feeling about it all. Don’t let her feelings govern your actions and decisions, but do not dismiss them outright. They are often the “low oil” light on your dashboard.

You need to make sure that you’ve set aside time to go over various logistics of married life. Something like a quick trip to a coffee shop after the kids are in bed is a good way to spend time talking about things on her mind.

Parenting

It is important for Christian parents to remember that raising their children is secondary to their marriage. From a spiritually healthy marriage will usually flow spiritually healthy children. But we must beware of the sorrows that come from inattentiveness in our parenting: “He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow: and the father of a fool hath no joy (Pro 17:21).” Here as well, you are responsible for setting the tone and trajectory of the instruction and correction of your offspring.

Wives will be more trigger shy when it comes to discipline, and they can often convince the husband that he needs to take it easy on the kids. It may be that you’re going over the top with how you’re disciplining. This comes back to the previous section, if you have pointed conversations with each other you will be able to dial in your discipline standards together. Lead her towards consistent firmness, while she can help you soften up in the right directions. The last thing you want to do is put parenting on cruise control, make assumptions, and be hands off.

Dollas

One rut that has been hinted at, but needs to be addressed directly is the problem of money. Or rather, the absence of money! There are two directions husbands fail their wives financially. One is too be absent-minded about the need to budget well, foresee needs, work hard to bring in extra income, and so on. A failure to lead your wife financially is like taking a hammer to her emotional kneecap. But the other direction of failure is to earn well, but be stingy with it. Husbands need to lead by providing a clear structure for their wife to be free to spend within, and then trust her implicitly with that spending. Lack of money will cause stress, but lack of trust will cause even more stress. A wife who maxes out the credit cards is crying out for clarity, communication, and financial leadership from her husband. Earn as much money as you can, and be as generous with it as you can, and let your wife be the first recipient of that generosity.

Conclusion

If you’re in one or more of these ditches (or all!) don’t despair. No black-pills. Rather, start tonight by taking a step out. Don’t be content with an icy marriage. Don’t think this is the way it has to be. If the ground is hard, turn it over and fertilize it. Two actions will go a long way: taking responsibility and acting generously.

Politics and the Pulpit 1 | Voting in the Unraveling

by Ben Zornes · Nov 5, 2024

Introduction

We are on the cusp of another election. It is incumbent upon God’s people to understand what we are and aren’t doing when we vote. The message of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ is Lord of Heaven and Earth, and therefore all matters fall under the purview of His authority. Politics isn’t some dirty thing that Jesus is too holy to have anything to do with. Rather, the civic realm is to submit itself to the scepter of Christ’s righteousness, cleaning its stained robes in the blood of Christ the Redeemer of the World.

The Text

Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee. If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace. So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said. And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
Exodus 18:19-26

Summary of the Text

Here we have the foundation and precedent for representative governance. As the nation of Israel was being formed in the Sinai wilderness, Jethro offered counsel to Moses regarding the resolution of various sociological episodes. Moses ought to spend his time teaching the people God’s Law. His task was instruct the people as to how to walk before the Lord (vv19-20). But the great prophet of Israel need not conduct the exam or grade the papers. Thus, Jethro counsels the appointment of God-fearing men into a tiered form of judgement (vv21-22). If Moses would heed this counsel, Jethro insightfully foresaw that the people could go about in peace (v23). Moses took on board this good counsel and implemented it right away (vv24-26).

This had two effects over time in the life of Israel. First, it placed an expectation amongst men that they were to be raised up to some degree of leadership before God and unto the people. Responsibility was laid on the shoulders of parents to raise sons who could eventually judge rightly and in accordance with the Wisdom of the Law of the Lord. Second, this also led, eventually, to the establishment of the synagogue system wherein the community would (in various ways) elect their elders. This then was incorporated into the life of the early church, where elders and deacons were put forward by the people (Cf. Acts 1:20-26 & ch.6). Moses once longed for all of God’s people to be prophets, full of His Spirit of Wisdom (Num. 11:29). At Pentecost, God filled His people with His Spirit, in order that they might all serve Him in their various offices and callings, with Christ as their head.

What is Voting?

Voting is not a sacred duty. Your sacred duty is here on the Lord’s table. But we can rightly speak of voting as a civic duty. It is a duty of reminding our three branches of government that their power rests on the consent of those governed. By not voting you are arguably consenting to be governed by whomever everyone else picks.

Of course, our nation has more than a few corridors which even the most meatheaded building inspector would condemn for demolition. This includes the silly commitment of progressives to expand voting to more and more people, hunting for an infallible word under the banner of democracy. The 19th amendment effectively just doubled the number of votes for married couples that vote the same and cancelled out the votes of those who vote against each other. Still others advocate for lowering the voting age to 16 or lower. But this is misunderstanding the mechanics and meaning of voting. But if the populace has rejected the notion of Christ’s almighty rule over them, and ignored the right ordering of the family and society according to scripture, the voting of a democracy simply becomes an act of vanity, thinking that in our communal decision, the majority will make an infallible decision. This world isn’t an autonomous world, it is covenantal and representative.

A vote is the citizen’s participation in selecting which person should be given the particular job description which the constitution gives to them. Power is corrupting, and this is why our government was chopped into three segments. Your vote is an exercise in dominion over these branches. The term “citizen magistrates” is an appropriate way to describe it. This was a glorious development which our founding fathers brought into history.

In voting you are exercising a certain amount of God-given authority over the constitutional government we have consented to be governed by. It is through wise and prudential casting of votes that we remind politicians that government is not God, but answers to God through the conscience of “we the people” and the lesser magistrates we elect. The potency of our vote is thus greatly weakened by faithlessness and unfaithfulness. If Christ is not the acknowledged head of a nation, it will lead inevitably to godless men attempting to take dominion of the world for the glory of man instead of the glory of God.

De Tocqueville offered a worthwhile perspective in his evaluation of early American life and government: “The nation participates in the making of its laws by the choice of its legislators, and in the execution of them by the choice of the agents of the executive government.” In voting for the executive you are selecting the man best suited to executing the laws of our nation. In electing senators & representatives you are selecting the man best suited to drafting laws. This principle also should be borne in mind when selecting sheriffs, mayors, and city council members.

How Should You Vote?

Our constitution is structured in such a way as to reward the victor of an election and leave the loser with absolutely nothing to show for their labors except for a pile of cheesy campaign ads. In a parliamentary system, losers often still get a slice of the pie. But American elections are winner-take-all. This helps to answer the question how should I vote? Who do you want to give constitutional authority to? Who do you think will best stay within the confines of that constitution and honor the biblical precepts which the founders envisioned? Who will secure the blessings of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Conversely, it often helps to ask yourself, who do I want to make sure is never given power over me and my children and my liberty and my earthly possessions?

There are various national, state, and local decisions before us on the ballot. At each level the choice is quite plain. Will I vote for that which is expressly contrary to God and His Word? Or will I vote for the candidates and amendments which will govern far more closely to not only the constitution but to the principles of Biblical justice and law?

This is all another way of say that your civic duty to vote must be done in unwavering faith in the fact that Christ sits upon the right hand of the Father. He is ruling over the nations with the rod of His Word. The Christian’s vote is an exercise in dominion, seeking to obey the Lord Jesus in all things and insisting that our country and county do the same.

Conclusion

“Thy Kingdom come” is a plea for Christ’s majesty to illuminate all the earth; not only the mountains of religious life in the ecclesiastical sphere, but in the plains of economy, in the hills of civics, along the lush river valleys of family life. But the light of Christ must not be restricted to only that, the light of Christ must and will shine in the dens of sin and in the crevices of wickedness. There must be no corner of this planet which is not bright with the warm and piercing light of this Gospel. Our job is to apply that Gospel wherever we go, including the voting booth.

CHARGE & BENEDICTION

The charge is this: vote. And vote with the righteous authority God has given you. It is because of Christian indifference and apathy that our country has decayed as it has. But as you vote, remember the long-term project before us in raising our sons up to be elders in the gate, and our daughters to be great women of economic industry.

Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Hebrews 13:20-21

Other Sermons in this Series

Bread in Hand

by Ben Zornes · Nov 1, 2024

If this meal is not taken in faith it’s not only taken in vain, it’s taken unto damnation. This has led the church at times to put the Supper out of reach. But such actions were evidence of a defective, not excessive, reverence.

While there is nothing holier than the Lord Jesus in His exalted and glorified state, our response to this glory ought not to be to shrink back. He became flesh, died and rose again, in order to draw you unto Himself. The height of His glory should fill us with awe, the sort of awe between a couple on their wedding day.

Jesus calls you to partake of this feast by faith. But many turn this summons into a work of the flesh instead of a gift of grace. They try to summon up a very sanctimonious mood of what they imagine faith should feel like. But Jesus gives us a hint as to how to partake by faith. In effect, He says, “Here’s some bread. Here’s some wine. Take it in your hand. Put it in your mouth. Let it fill your stomach.” As easily as you take hold of and consume these elements is akin to how you must lay hold of Christ by faith. He hands you grace, and you put out your hand. Of course, our hand too is a gift of His grace.

Faith isn’t a final act on our part to get us across the finish line of salvation. Rather, it’s the first act of new-begotten life. Just like your bodily strength is a blessing of physical life, so faith is the blessing which arises from the new life which electing grace effects. So take hold of this bread, and know that with the same ease you might boldly lay hold upon the holiest of all: Jesus Christ our Risen Lord.

So come in faith and welcome to Jesus Christ…

The Inescapable Story of Jesus 16 | A Dragon’s Lair No More

by Ben Zornes · Oct 28, 2024

Introduction

One of the physical responses to fear is the inability to speak. When you are frightened, you tighten up. When you are flustered, words come with difficulty. Fear leads to silence. If monsters are on the prowl, you put your hand over your mouth. You hide in terror. You pull the blankets over your head. But what happens when the fear passes away? You suddenly find your outdoor voice.

The Text

And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. […]
Mark 16:1ff

Summary of the Text

The high Passover Sabbath being over, the group of women introduced at the end of chapter 15 attempt to perform the necessary burial ceremonies as the sun arises on the first day of the week (vv1-2). They are troubled with the difficulty of how to remove the heavy stone which had been rolled in front of the entrance (v3, 15:46). Upon arriving, they are met with three increasingly marvelous wonders. First, the great stone was already removed (v4); second, a young man with a white garment was inside the tomb (v5); third, he declared to them that Jesus was risen, he was no longer where Joseph of Arimathea had laid him a few days before (v6). The man instructs them to go and tell the disciples and Peter that Jesus was going before them to Galilee (Cf. 14:28), and they were to go see Him again there (v7). The women quickly flee the tomb, trembling with amazement, telling no man of these things, for they were afraid (v8). Some manuscripts end on this uncertain note of trepidation and fear. And no doubt Mark intended to leave his hearers on the edge of their seats.

Was this angelic messenger right? Could their crucified leader really be alive again? To answer this, Mark commences with a rapid fire description of the Lord’s appearances. First, Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene; a woman who had been possessed with seven devils which Jesus had delivered her from (v9). She then rushes off to tell the disciples, as they wept and mourned, but they don’t believe her witness (vv10-11). Jesus then appears to two of his followers, but the disciples don’t believe their witness either (vv12-13). At last, He appears to the eleven and reprimands them for not believing these 2-3 witnesses (v14). How are they to be apostles if they are so slow to believe the very thing which Jesus had been revealing to them all along? That His death would bring about a new creation, and as such, He would rise again to reign over that new creation (Mk. 4:21-41).

Nevertheless, despite their slow faith, He calls them once more and sends them out; He had sent them out in Mark 6:7-13 & 30-32 on an apostolic mission to Israel. Remember that mission had consisted of three things: calling people to repent, confirming this by the twofold sign of driving out devils and administering healing to the sick, and pronouncing judgement on the unbelieving. Jesus again sends them on a similar mission in content, but far more massive in scope. They are sent into all the world to preach the Glad Tidings of the risen King to every creature (v15); those who believe these tidings are to be baptized as a sign of their salvation, whereas those who do not believe shall receive damnation (v16). The Lord promises certain signs that would accompany the believers and serve as a warning to those who believed not; the apostles would proclaim this Gospel in languages they had not learned, demonic spirits and sorrowful illnesses would flee before the Church, and neither serpents or cups of death would do them harm (vv17-18). All of this is evidenced in the book of Acts, and while certain of these signs have ceased, the substance of these signs have continued, for wherever the Gospel goes, the demons flee, the sick are ministered unto, the Word is translated into all languages for all peoples of the earth, dominion is exercised over the beasts, and the deadly schemes of our enemies do not thwart Christ’s Kingdom.

Having spoken all these things to His disciples, Jesus does what He said He would do: He takes up the throne of David at the Father’s right hand (v19). But His work was not done, for as the Apostles went forth in obedience to preach this Gospel everywhere the Lord worked with them, confirming His Word by accompanying it with the glorious sign of a trail of crushed serpentine skulls (v20).

Manuscript Cliff-Hangers

A few of the oldest manuscripts that have come down to us simply stop at verse 8. Not only that, but they stop with a preposition. Talk about a cliff-hanger. To oversimplify, we have four sorts of manuscripts. The oldest ones end at verse 8. A few have another verse or so of text that resembles parts of the longer ending. One manuscript includes another lengthy verse within the longer ending, but it is, to put it mildly, a bit off-kilter. Lastly, the majority of the manuscripts contain the longer ending which we have in our Bibles.

While such a discussion is best suited for an academic setting, it’s worth pointing this out in a sermon for two reasons. First, our doctrine of Scripture’s inspiration isn’t a belief that golden scrolls fell splat into the lap of the prophets and apostles. Rather, we believe that the Holy Ghost inspired the human authors of Scripture and carried them along in their work of composing and compiling the text of Scripture. So-called manuscript problems are only a problem if your conception of authoring a book conforms to modern publishing standards and practices; making and maintaining scrolls/codices in the ancient world held vastly different challenges.

Which leads to the second reason for pointing this out at all. The shorter ending really is a cliff-hanger. Mark clearly intended that section to end abruptly. But why some manuscripts end there is a question we can’t fully answer. What we do have is a broad witness that eventually the church received the longer ending as the authentic––and I would add, fitting––conclusion.

Bruise in Us the Serpent’s Head

Many have pointed out the significance of Jesus’ first appearance being to a woman in a garden. A woman whom He had delivered from seven devils. All four Gospels testify to this episode. The picture should not be lost on us: Eve beguiled by a serpent, Mary Magdalene beholding the Resurrected Christ. His resurrection was the decisive overthrow of all the devil’s wicked schemes.

The disciples were scattered. Peter had denied Jesus. Even as witnesses testify to His resurrection they were slow to believe. But Jesus was risen. Jesus gathers them. Jesus calls them. Jesus sends them out on a mission to crush devils. He began His earthly ministry by preaching the Good News of His coming Kingdom as well as contending with wild beasts and demonic serpents; now He gives to the church, the new Eve, the task of doing the same as He had done. Earth is no longer a lair for dragons. Their forked tongues will be silenced.

The gravest temptation for those who profess faith in Christ is to live as if the Resurrection did not take place. When you look at your own track record of sin you might be tempted to think this is just the way you will always be. A cold and joyless marriage is all you can expect. Your parenting mistakes are now set in stone. Your habits are unbreakable. The shame of your sin will follow you all the days of your life. But that is not the Gospel of the Resurrected Christ.

Silent No More

Fear convinces you that your sin and shame should keep you silent. Fear drives you to imagine that the dragons and monsters are too big and scary. “Stay quiet sinner. How can you dare to speak?”

Despite your sin and shame Christ calls you into His resurrection. By His resurrection serpents, poison, sickness, and sorrow are all passing away. The silence of your fears is replaced by the song of your faith. Jesus insisted on keeping the messianic secret until after His resurrection. Now, He calls His Church to herald this Gospel. Man was sick, Jesus healed every part of him. Man was afflicted by unclean spirits, Jesus drove them out. The remarkable and inescapable story of Jesus is not finished, it carries on louder than ever in our songs, our “Amens”, our baptism, our partaking of bread & wine, and our confession: Jesus Christ is the Risen Son of God.

CHARGE & BENEDICTION

Mark composed his Gospel in such a way that it is easily heard, memorized, and then retold. It is to be told loudly and urgently. It is to be told with certainty that in the telling of it people will be called by the voice of Christ, their evil will be commanded to flee, and they will be cleansed by hearing and receiving this Gospel Word. So, having heard this inescapable story of Jesus, go forth to tell it loudly.

Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work. Amen.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Other sermons in this series

A Revival of the 5th

by Ben Zornes · Oct 28, 2024

As we celebrate the spark that lit the Protestant Reformation, we should consider the character of such revivals. One of the prominent features of the Reformers was the refrain ad fontes or “to the sources”. This was nothing other than the promised spirit of Elijah, which always accompanies such a renewal of God’s church.

Where the Spirit goes, father’s hearts turn tenderly toward their children, and children’s faces are upturned in a hearty respect for their fathers. But a movement that reviles its fathers of the faith does not bear the tang of the Spirit’s presence. A movement that treads upon children isn’t born from above, but from below.

As we labor for cultural revival it must begin in this relationship between fathers and their children. If you are a father, regardless of how old your children are, you are summoned by the Spirit of God to turn your heart with tenderness to your children. You are not to despair over your children’s failures, nor should you presume that their bad character or habits are permanently fossilized. Rather, you must, by God’s grace, find another gear to pursue your children with scandalously generous love. Your joy and favor should rest upon them like the sun on a cloudless day. While this holds true especially for fathers, of course it’s applicable to mothers as well.

And children, as your father’s turn their hearts toward you, return that love with loving obedience. Let the instruction of your father and the wisdom of your mother be as a crown, a sword, a scepter unto you. They bestow you with the royalty of being children of the covenant, and so receive that lofty calling and fulfill it in honor of both God your Father and your parents. The true spirit of the Reformation is a glorious retrieval of the fifth commandment to Honor thy father and thy mother.

Prayer of Confession

Father God,

In a nation plagued by resentment and animosity between generations, where fathers have abdicated and walked out, where mothers are killing their unborn, where children defy their cultural heritage, we ask that within your church you would send forth Your Spirit. Stir up within fathers a strong paternal and selfless love for their sons and daughters; give fathers the courage to diligently sow seeds of righteousness within their children, plowing the fields in hope. And grant that our covenant children would not slacken their pace in walking according to Your Word, but stir them up to honor their parents by honoring You in all areas of their life. Where we have neglected this calling of hearts turned to our children, and so taught them to turn their hearts from us to sinful enticements, forgive us. Grant such a revival of godly love between fathers and mothers and sons and daughters in our day and in our midst.

You have called Your church to truth in the inward parts, so we now confess our individual sins to You. Selah.

We do this in Jesus’ mighty name, and Amen.

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