From Compromise to Catastrophe...

As a Christ follower, what should you do when faithfulness to God costs everything? How should you respond when speaking truth does not change hearts but, instead, provokes hatred? How would you handle it if your righteousness leads not to reward, but instead, to a Roman prison cell or worse? Mark 6:17-29 shows us a man, John the Baptist, who faced these questions and ultimately lost his head due to his faithfulness. This passage also shows us a compromising king who lost his soul. Specifically, these verses show us that King Herod was a wealthy, luxurious and decadent king who was politically strong, but morally weak. He had everything this world had to offer; yet the God shaped, God-sized hole in his soul would never be satisfied. For this writing, we will focus on the faithfulness of John the Baptist and how we, as Christians, must follow his example today. 

To fully understand the dynamics occurring here, we must have some context. Herod the Great died in 4 BC, right before the birth of Jesus. His kingdom was divided and given to three of his sons, Archelaus, Herod Philip and Herod the Tetrarch. By reading Matthew 14:1-6 and Mark 6:17-29, we learn the following: Following Herod’s death, a woman named Herodias divorced her first husband (Herod Philip), citing the laws of Leviticus, to be with his half-brother (Herod the Tetrarch). During this time, John repeatedly told Herod and Herodias that what they were doing was unlawful. The Bible is clear: As Leviticus 18:16 and 20:21 states, God forbids taking a sibling’s spouse.  While Herod’s conscience is awakened to God’s law, Herodias’ conscience is inflamed with rage against John. She wants John’s head and conspires to obtain it. Stated concisely, because John the Baptist boldly spoke the truth to a very conniving Herodias and morally weak Herod, he lost his freedom and, ultimately, his life. 

Now, as we all know, today's Christians face the same dynamic that John the Baptist faced as our culture is just as sinful. In the name of gospel witness, popular voices tell today's Christians to keep quiet on cultural issues. They do not mind us speaking as long as Jesus has no practical implications in their life. However, they despise hearing that there is an authority outside of themselves to whom they must give an account. So, given what happened to John the Baptist and what present culture tells us, what should today's Christ followers do? Should we follow John's example and pay the price for speaking truth or should we compromise and acquiesce as culture tells us and remain silent?   Brothers and sisters, a faithful witness in the public square includes both biblical theology and biblical morality.  In today’s culture, it is a good and godly witness for Christians to publicly speak in favor of maintaining God’s standards for a biblical marriage. It is good and wholesome for Christians to argue in the public square that it is in the best interest of a country and culture that children be raised by a mother and father as opposed to gay and lesbian couples who adopt or use surrogate couples to give birth to a child. And, it is necessary and right for Christians to forcefully argue that God created each person male or female and that it is morally wrong to allow gender transitioning. Christian, speaking out is not Christian nationalism; Speaking out is Christian faithfulness! Are you, as a follower of Christ Jesus, willing to take a public stand for God’s law and pay the price for doing so as John the Baptist did? If not, will you ask God to give you the courage to begin doing so?...

To watch this entire sermon, click the YouTube video below: