The Worlds Okayest Pastor
Faith. Life. Real Talk.
I’m a pastor with a deep passion for teaching God’s Word and helping people discover a meaningful relationship with Christ. But I’m also human—living in the same world you do, facing the same ups and downs.
This space is where faith meets everyday life. I don’t want to ignore the struggles we all face—whether spiritual, emotional, or practical. My hope is to walk alongside you, offering truth, grace, and guidance for both this life and the one to come.
Let’s grow together.
The Worlds Okayest Pastor
When Kings Rule but God Reigns
Have you ever wondered how to balance respecting authority while standing firmly for truth in a world that seems increasingly hostile to faith? Solomon's wisdom from Ecclesiastes offers profound guidance for this exact dilemma.
Solomon begins by telling us to "obey the king" – not just because he's king, but because we've taken an oath before God. This echoes Paul's later teaching in Romans that "authorities are established by God." But what happens when earthly kingdoms clash with God's kingdom? The answer lies in understanding that while we respect earthly authorities, our ultimate allegiance is to Jesus alone.
This sermon explores the delicate balance Christians must maintain as people of justice living in an unjust world. We're called to be different – to stand for truth without becoming tyrannical, to speak against corruption without resorting to the world's tactics. The powerful story of Helmuth James, a Christian lawyer who opposed Hitler from within the Nazi system, illustrates how believers can confront evil without becoming what they oppose.
As our society grows more polarized, the church's witness becomes increasingly crucial. We're called to be peacemakers, justice-seekers, and truth-tellers – all while demonstrating the grace and love of Christ. This isn't about grand gestures but daily faithfulness: speaking truth in love, standing with the oppressed, and pointing others to Jesus through how we live.
The darkness around us may seem overwhelming, but remember that in a world growing increasingly dark, we are the light that matters. How will you shine today? Join us as we explore what it means to be God's people in challenging times, standing firmly on truth while extending grace to a hurting world.
So last week we took a break and we kind of took a break from the book of Ecclesiastes and instead we focused on just really kind of pointed prayer time for the church, for the community, for the country as a whole. It's been a weird couple weeks. Different events that have transpired and I know we all have different views and opinions on them, but as a collective whole, I think we've realized that, just as a church, that the country's hurting and we need God to intervene. And God tells us in the Scripture that if my people will come together and they pray, I'll heal their land. And so that's what we did. We chose to pray specifically over the things that are happening and God would continue to use us, to use us as a church and in a world that feels like it's becoming increasingly darker. You know, the goal is always for us to shine brighter. That has to be right, and so, again now we're going to dive back into the wisdom that Solomon offers. And it's kind of funny because I feel like whenever I get into preparing for sermons and everything, I always enjoy and listen. This is me, because I'm human. I'm always surprised at how well the things I'm preaching on kind of fit what's going on at the time, and I know God's not. I know God's not like, oh, we got him, jason, that's not how he works. He's sovereign, he understands. So when he moves us and when he prompts us to do things, it's so important that we listen. And so even last Sunday, before we even decided to get together and pray, we got together as a leadership and we prayed and we asked God what do we do? How do we handle this? Where do we go from here? And I believe that he answered that and I believe that he gave us what we needed. And again, solomon's wisdom continues to be heavily focused on the fact that God is sovereign. All the things that we have in life we understand. We should understand that God is in control always. So these next two chapters we're going to be in chapters eight and nine.
Speaker 1:After reflecting under the sun, solomon now seeks to give his readers practical insight. So what I love most, especially considering how far his writings are removed from the New Testament, is how much what Solomon writes aligns with the truth we find in Christ. The connection underscores the importance of his words for us today. As we've looked at the last couple weeks, death is coming for us all Now. I know that doesn't sound highly motivational. So what should we do? How should we live? What should we pursue?
Speaker 1:In the next few chapters, solomon addresses the very question In our lives under the sun, as you and I continue to live on this earth, we are called to fear God and follow him. That's his conclusion, by the way, at the end of this, and we'll get there, the end of chapter 12. But in his pursuit, two ideas should define us. So the next two chapters, there's two ideas that define us as people who seek after God. One you and I are called to be people of justice. And two, we're called to be people who are marked by joy when people look at us, the church, those who are pursuing God. This is what they should see Now. It doesn't mean it's going to be easy for us. The challenge of this world is still a challenge for all of us. You and I don't get to escape it. We just have to learn to live within it. We're called to live not as people blind to the injustices of this world, but as people actively seeking to bring justice into it. We are called not to ignore the challenges of life, but to see God as working through them all. Solomon, in these chapters, is not asking us to pretend like everything is always okay. It's not. Instead, he's challenging us to be good in the world and to see the good in all circumstances. This is the things that should define us as Christians. We should be able to be good in the world. We should learn to see the good in all things.
Speaker 1:So let's start in Ecclesiastes, chapter 8, starting in verse 1. It says who is like the wise, who knows the explanation of things. A person's wisdom brightens their face and it changes its hard appearance. Obey the king's command, I say, because you took an oath before God. Do not be in a hurry to leave the king's presence. Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases. Since the king's word is supreme, who can say to him what are you doing? Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure. For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter. Though a person may be weighed down by misery. Since no one knows the future, who can tell someone else what is to come, as no one has power over the wind to contain it. So no one has the power over the time of their death, and no one is discharged in the time of war. So wickedness will not release those who practice it.
Speaker 1:All this I saw as I applied my mind to everything done under the sun. There was a time when a man lords it over to his own hurt. Then too, I saw the wicked buried, those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive praise in the city where they did this. This too is meaningless. When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people's hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong.
Speaker 1:Although a wicked person who commits a hundred crimes may live a long time, I know that it will go better with those who fear God, who are reverent before him. Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them and their days will not lengthen like a shadow. There's something else meaningless that occurs on earth the righteous who gets what the wicked deserve, and the wicked who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless. And the wicked who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless. So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat, drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun. When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe the labor that is done on earth people getting no sleep day or night then I saw that God is done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can discover its meaning. Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it.
Speaker 1:So again, solomon is kind of going back and forth but coming to the same conclusion that says the pursuit of wisdom is important and starting in verse 2, he says something that is kind of profound and every time I read this I always think it's funny, because he says I say obey the king. Well, yeah, he's the king. Why wouldn't he say that? I mean? I mean, how, how easy is it to be in power and say, well, you should just obey my authority because I'm in charge. I I think about this with my own kids and in my kids I have, I have, we have raised our kids well, to ask a lot of questions, but sometimes that word why just gets under my skin, like I'll tell them to do something and Everett in his little precious innocence goes why? And I'm like, because I said so. It's easy to be the one in power to say just do what I told you to do, because I told you to do it, that's what we should do, right? I mean, that's how we perceive it, and what's interesting about that is we're talking about a man who is in a position of authority.
Speaker 1:But as you read what he writes, he's not just talking about blind obedience. He says obey the king, because you took an oath before God. Don't be in a hurry to leave the king's presence, do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases. Since the king's word is supreme, who can say to him what are you doing? That whoever obeys his commands will come to no harm. And the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure. And in there lies the importance. He says the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure. He says, for there's a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a person may be weighed down by misery. And again he's reflecting to his audience. He says listen, obey the king, because those who are in authority have been established by God and you have taken an oath before God. And of course, we can say and we look at it and say, well, yeah, you're a king. It would make sense for you to say that, except when you get later into the letters that Paul wrote to Rome.
Speaker 1:In Romans 13, 1-6,. Paul says Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves, for rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from the fear of one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended, for the one in authority is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God's servants, agents of wrath that bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment, but as a matter of consequence. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants who give their full time to governing.
Speaker 1:Now listen, these are completely different contexts. Solomon is saying I'm king, follow me. Paul is saying you're under the impression of you, the church are under the impression of Rome, but you should still follow the authorities who are in place. You should pray for them, you should try to live well and listen. I realize how difficult that is. I can only imagine, as the oppression of Rome settled into the early church, that there was a lot of frustration with Paul's words. Why in the world would I listen to them? Why would I respect this authority? They're not even following God. But Paul says do these things? Solomon says do these things because in the proper time, with the proper wisdom, things can be done.
Speaker 1:And so how do we balance that? Because you and I are called to be men and women of justice, and we see justice not always served. We see injustice, and the reality is that in every power dynamic, the higher you sit, oftentimes, the more injustice you see. There's something about power that corrupts. That's biblical. There's something about having a ton of wealth or the love of money that corrupts.
Speaker 1:So how do we live in a world where we might not agree with everything that's going on, we might not agree with those who are in leadership. How do we balance living out our faith but also living in respect, as God commands us to Now? I think the first way probably not the best way is just to submit to everything we're told to do, always no questions asked. I don't think that's healthy. I don't think it's biblical either.
Speaker 1:By the way, I, we, we talked about daniel a little more than a month ago, and daniel shadrach, meshach and abednego they were the three were thrown into a fire furnace and Daniel was thrown into a lion's den because they refused to bow and worship an idol made by the king. Right, so understand. They didn't oppose the kingdom, necessarily. They opposed the bowing down and worshiping of anything else but God. So in there lies the answer.
Speaker 1:How do we live in a world that is governed by people who might not have God's best interests in mind? And I think the question, or the answer to that question is it has to come back to at the end of the day, the only king we serve is Jesus. That's it. The only kingdom that we fully submit ourselves to is God, and if anything from any other kingdom tells us to bow down or worship anything but God, then we have to question it. Then we have to be people who are willing to stand up for the truth. We have to be people who are willing to stand up for the truth. Then we have to make sure that we are approaching our leaders with respect, but being people who are willing to say this is not okay. That's important, because the kingdom we serve is always outside of the kingdom of this world. God's kingdom is not under the sun, it's above it.
Speaker 1:So we have to learn how to balance living in this world, respecting and praying for those who are in authority, because God put them there. That's an important part of what Solomon is saying, and even Paul, that God is sovereign. He's not surprised who's in charge. If anything, he allowed it to happen Because he's God and listen, he doesn't owe us an answer. It's about submitting to him and saying God, we trust you. But then again, learning to live in the world and being men and women of justice and seeking truth, standing on truth, speaking truth that's the challenge you and I face is how do we walk into a world that I feel like is becoming more hostile towards us and still be people who are peacemakers. Jesus says that that blessed are the peacemakers. How do we continue to pray for those in power? How do we continue to be those who help seek justice? How do we do all those things and still make sure that our witness as believers is intact, because that matters. Our goal is ultimately to point people to Jesus.
Speaker 1:I always think about the idea that people always talk about the idea of a utopia like this, perfect place where everything is good all the time and there's no pain and everything's perfect. And in my mind I'm like, yeah, that's called heaven, we're going to get there. And they're like, if we could just get rid of religion? And I'm like, well, I don't know, because I don't think I realize that there's a difference. Right, because there are religions, so we have religious practices and and there's a difference between having a relationship with God. But but the reality is those things are interconnected to each other. But but we've, we've, we have. People say we could just get rid of. If we could just get rid of God, everything would be perfect. And I look at the world around us and the more you get away from God and the more it falls apart. I'm like I don't think you understand the direction you're headed.
Speaker 1:If anything, god calls us to be people who live good lives. We are bound by a morality that stands outside of us. We are called to live differently. We are bound by a morality that stands outside of us. We are called to live differently. We are called to take care of those in need, to feed the widows, to help those who can't help themselves. Scripturally, if you're living in and out the way God has called you to, we're the best option to get us to that utopia, which I don't think we'll get there, not on this side of heaven, but if we are living like.
Speaker 1:The church is supposed to promote the good things. We're supposed to be loving, supposed to respect those in power, supposed to pray for those in authority. We're supposed to be people who seek justice and mercy and grace and wisdom and all the things that we do. We are supposed to lead the charge. You and I are supposed to defend the oppressed. Isaiah 1.17 says learn to do good, seek justice, correct oppression, bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause. You and I are called to practice fairness.
Speaker 1:Leviticus 19.15,. Do not be partial in judgment. We're called to show mercy and kindness. Micah 6.8,. Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with your God. Proverbs 14.31,. Whoever is generous to the poor honors God. We're supposed to take care of those who can't help themselves. Proverbs 22.22,. Do not exploit the poor and crush the needy. We're not supposed to take advantage of people.
Speaker 1:Matthew 5, 9,. Blessed are the peacemakers. Jesus himself says blessed are those who seek to make peace, not just keep peace. By the way, there's a difference between a peacekeeper and a peacemaker. A peacemaker is someone who is actively seeking to bring peace to their homes, to their lives, to their jobs. Psalm 146, 7 through 8,.
Speaker 1:He executes justice for the oppressed, he opens the eyes of the blind. You and I are called to be people of justice. Living in an unjust world Unjust, that's how it works. Living in an unjust world unjust, that's how it works. And Solomon said it starts by obeying the king. It starts by biding your time, by following the correct way of doing things, because every opportunity, in every situation, there's an opportunity to do the right thing. Every situation, there's an opportunity to do the right thing. And all of his wisdom he says take your time, respect the king, live as people who are seeking to do right, to be righteous. He understands the righteous get what the evil deserve and the evil get what the righteous deserve. This is unfair. There's no way to avoid this. This is life, he says. No man can understand these things, but he says it doesn't matter, because you are called to live as people with wisdom and people who have wisdom, seek God and fear Him. Above all, you and I are called to be people of justice.
Speaker 1:We stand on the side of what's right always. We stand on the side of what is right according to God, always. I think I need to clarify that we have to stand on the truth of what is right according to God, always. I think I need to clarify that we have to stand on the truth of the word of God. The things he calls wrong, we call wrong. The things he calls sin, we call sin. The things that he calls corrupted, we call corrupted. The things that are not of this world, that are not of him. We stand against those, but we do it in a way that's loving and passionate, and grace and mercy. We have to be people balanced with truth and grace.
Speaker 1:There's coming a day when Jesus will return and will fix all of this. There's coming a day when every knee will bow, those who are just, those who are unjust, those who are evil, those who are righteous. They will all answer for everything. Solomon makes sure of this. He says listen, god will. He will judge those.
Speaker 1:He's talking about this last couple chapters. Everyone will face judgment. It's not you and I, it's not our role to judge the world. There's already a judger. There's already a king sitting on the throne. You and I are called to be a place of justice and peace and mercy and grace, to stand for those who cannot stand for themselves. And we ask ourselves again how do we do these things in a world that feels like it's so much against us? Because what if standing on the Word of God gets you killed? That happens, you know. It happens all over the world. I think sometimes we just don't think about it as much in our country, but I've been in other countries and I can tell you stories of missionary friends that I've had that have lost loved ones, that have lost their lives, that have lost everything simply because they stood on the Word of God. The truth of the Word of God will always make the enemy fear us. That's the reality. The darkness does not want the light ever, but we can't stop being people who bring light. We can't stop being people who stand for truth.
Speaker 1:There's a man by Helmuth. His name was Helmuth James Groff von Malky. He was German. He lived from 1907 to 1945. If I did my math right, that puts him right at 30, 38 years old. He was a German lawyer and a key figure in the resistance against Hitler. So his life demonstrated how courage, integrity and commitment to justice can make a real difference, even in extreme circumstances. So Helmuth James was recruited into the German military intelligence. He didn't have a choice. He was told that he would do this or he would lose his job. He would lose his life. Potentially his family could be killed. So he was recruited to work alongside Hitler.
Speaker 1:But here there's a problem, because his conflict is he was a Christian, he was a man of faith and so immediately the light of him adamantly opposed the darkness of Hitler. But what is someone to do when a situation like this arises? And we've talked about a couple of different people in my life. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a name that I've mentioned several times. Same situation he was around during Nazi Germany, a man of faith, and it's sad because, as you read a little bit of his account, dietrich Bonhoeffer talks about how a lot of the church just went along with what Hitler did because it was easier than opposing him. A lot of them actually benefited from it, but not Helmuth.
Speaker 1:He started a resistance movement within his organization. He got together with other men and women who had faith, like him, and they prayed and they sought God, asking God and seeking God. What can we do in the face of such an atrocity? He was a lawyer. That's what he had studied for. He created a group called the Krasa Circle and this group got together and they would meet regularly, oftentimes underground, and they would talk about what a post-Nazi Germany would look like. They made plans for it to be a place of justice, of human dignity and reconciliation. But here's the thing they never staged one violent coup. Their members, hamath included, relied on God and his word and the moral guidance of scripture. They provided moral guidance, practical support and protection for those endangered by the regime.
Speaker 1:He was able to use his intelligence as a lawyer, oftentimes to stop public executions based on the law alone. He found ways to intervene of unjust prisoners, unjust murders. He did everything he could, as a man of faith, to stand against the tyrant. The tyrant who decided that he wanted to destroy the world to make it all like him. He offered legal advice for those who were escaping. He connected people with contacts escaping. He connected people with contacts. Everything he did was to oppose Hitler, and he did it in his own backyard. But the one thing Helmoth would never stand for, and their group never even entertained, is there was no discussion ever of the assassination of Hitler Because, based on his moral understanding and his belief in God, he believed that taking another man's life was never his choice. And so they adamantly opposed him. Under his rule. He was arrested. He was arrested not so much for the groups that he created, but he was arrested for the ideas that he had the idea that Germany could be free of Nazis, that it could stand on the word of God and be a place of moral, of justice and basic humanity. He was executed in prison in 1945.
Speaker 1:38 years old Simply for looking at a tyrant, for looking evil in the face and saying not. Today, this is the balance you and I strike as this world becomes increasingly more difficult to navigate. As we continue to be people of justice who speak the truth of God, you and I might often find ourselves in situations where we stand before evil itself and say not today. That's what we're called to do. When we see corruption, when we see things falling apart, when we see the world trying to convince our kids of things that are not biblical, when we deal with a world that is constantly trying to tell us that there's no need for a God, you and I often have to stand in the middle and say not today for a God. You and I often have to stand in the middle and say not today. But we have to do it in a way that makes us look more like Jesus and not a tyrant ourselves. That's the challenge.
Speaker 1:Jesus came into Rome the overly oppressed people, people who were not only oppressed by their own Pharisees, their own leaders, but people who were living under a regime that was crazy. It was harsh. Jesus walked into the middle of the mess and he lived differently. He taught differently, he loved differently. He stood on truth always. He always spoke truth. That's what made him so unique, but also so hard. His life was at the end because those who didn't want to hear the truth, they took care of it.
Speaker 1:You and I are called to be people of justice. Solomon says this, paul says this but we have to do it within the realm of the church. We are the light in the darkness and I'm not saying we can't find other ways, but I really believe that if we really want to see people, if we really want to see our country turn around, we've got to get people back to church. And I'm not talking a building, I mean like we need to get them back to people who are involved in a community, who love Jesus, who stand on the Word of God, who are people of justice and mercy and grace. Those are things that we should all strive to do, and it's hard. It's always going to be hard. If it was easy, jesus wouldn't have died.
Speaker 1:There's very few times in my life that I'm at a loss for words. If you ever met me, I've always got something to say. But sometimes I think the best thing we do is just go to God and we pray. How can you use us? How can we make a difference? And I know that we always think big. I told you my whole life I was always convinced that I was going to lead a church of like thousands of people. That's my vision for myself.
Speaker 1:I'm just letting you know it's probably the wrong one, but I've come to realize that it's the day to day interactions that make a difference. It's meeting people where they are. It's the day-to-day interactions that make a difference. It's meeting people where they are, it's having conversations, it's promoting good conversations, it's speaking truth, but it's also speaking truth as we walk alongside people who are going through really difficult things in life. That's the goal, is we have to walk into other people's mess and we're still a mess. But the difference is is I have an answer to my mess. I know what Jesus has done in my life, I know what he's doing in my life and my goal is to walk into their life and help them navigate that.
Speaker 1:By the way, I don't know if you figured this out, but I'm like way off of where I started. I don't care, it's okay, because I think that you and I have to be the difference we're called to be, to be people of justice and mercy and grace, to watch what we say, to talk less, to listen more, to seek God above all things and to point others to him, because outside of that, nothing else matters. It's not about people, it's not about a kingdom, dare I say. It's not even just about a country. We are much bigger than that. We ask God every day to use us to make where we live a better place, and that's good. But the only way we get everyone back to the same page is by pointing them to him. That's what changes people. He changes people. So when people say the only way to get utopia is to get rid of religion, I disagree. I think the only way we ever get back to a place of peace and love and mercy and grace is to get everyone back to God and not just like using him to like bludgeon people, but to actually walk humbly and live as those who follow Jesus.
Speaker 1:I love the fact that we got together last week and prayed. That was powerful. Listen, if you missed that last Sunday it was. I don't even know how to explain, but I felt God moving in a way that I think was desperately needed, and so now we have to do something with that. This world needs him, and the church is the way we do that To go into the world, to walk humbly, to seek justice, to live righteous, to be holy, to be set apart, to look, act, feel, live differently than everyone else. That has to be what sets us apart. In a world that is becoming increasingly darker, we are the only light that matters. All right, let's pray.