Tweet

Reading the Riot Act 2011

Listen to the sermon called "Reading the Riot Act 2011" preached on14th August 2011 here: Download Embed Embed this video on your site

Rom. 13.¹ Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. ² Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. ³ For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. ⁴ For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.

1 Tim 2:¹Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, 7 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle — I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying — a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

I am taking a break from the Gospel of Mark this week to look at what our response should be to the last week’s news in relation to the riots especially.

We are going to look at the two reasons for it that were not mentioned in the media and then we are going to look at our response.

Before we do that our hearts go out to those who have been caught up in the receiving end of the riots through loss of life and loss of property. We must not forget the human element in this and the genuine suffering caused to many people. Many families have been affected in an adverse way through the murder of 5 individuals. Many businesses that took years to build up were destroyed. We might be naïve to think that insurance would be sufficient to cover the loss for some things are irreplaceable such as the jobs that have been lost as a result of the riots. The Reeves furniture store employed 20 people before it was burned to the ground: A store that had survived the Blitz and the Depression but not rioters destroying their own neighbourhood. The human cost has been great as well as the untold stories of homes lost, people mugged and other opportunist crimes. The scenes were more like Beirut than London but it was happening on our own streets.

Neither of these should be a surprise to us as Christians and so we come to the first reason for the riots:

1. Sin

One of the things that could be counted as surprising about the riots is how blatantly they have gone ahead and done these things. Some people were not even covering themselves up to hide but bold as brass. When some of the rioters have been interviewed they come out with things like ‘We’re doing it because we can’ and ‘we are showing the police that we can do whatever we want!’ It is clear that the rioters and looters were a law unto themselves. There was no law being obeyed – lawlessness. What is lawlessness? It is to cross a boundary, to transgress. Above all though they were breaking God law and this is called ‘sin’. Above all they were shaking their fist at God and being rebellious. Thou shall not steal. Thou shall not be covetous. Deliberately breaking his commandments whether they knew the 10 Commandments or not their conscience will press on them that it was not right. Of course the whole economic system is based upon covetousness – a great desire to have, something we cover in language of consumerism. ‘If we want it have it’ is our motto. Our economic empire fulfils the desire and lust of the flesh – and the looters were saying we want to have these goods and so we will take them…just an extra step. Of course the question is are we guiltless? Have we not nailed our colours to the mast? Are we not also slaves of the system? We even maybe those who justify the downloading of films, music and software onto our computers without paying the due fees. We too are looters. I suppose we should not be surprised by the ferocity of what has happened in our nation for it does not want God’s law or the foundation of Christian values, in fact, it does not want the true God at all. To even discuss these things at governmental level would be a miracle.

Of course we should not be surprised that when the looters are interviewed that they blame the government, the rich, the shopkeepers and anyone else that they can taking absolutely no responsibility for their sin. It’s not their fault they went into Comet or into Sports Direct to steal. It’s not their fault that they set fire to furniture stores. They are free from responsibility. This is not so far from the garden of Eden where the husband blames the wife, the wife the serpent and both of them blame God. Sin always blames others.

There is a personal defiance of God. Get out of my life and get out of my nation. If we get rid of God then who fills the void except Satan?

Sin has led to the situation that led to the riots and the looting. Two young men were interviewed by Sky News who were ex-gang leaders speaking of the fact that the young men, especially, have no father to guide them, were born to 14 year old mums who were abused by the men in their lives and if this was not enough it is not isolated but estate-wide and so they know no difference where violence is rife and the women are gang-raped and where regularly the young men are murdered and where there is no hope. One of them spoke of how becoming a Christian turned his life around and now he has hope. When he was asked what of his future…he lit up and said his vision was to change London and then the World, a desire to seek the lost and give people hope.

The second reason for the riots might surprise you:

2. God.

He has lifted his hand up from our nation even if it were for a moment. God is the only one who can stop sin being prevalent in society. His merciful hand is upon our nation staying lawlessness so that when he does lift up his hand revealing his discipline and judgment we see and glimpse how terrible sin can be when it has free reign. They were not forced to sin but were simply allowed to do what they wanted. Wow! We have had a glimpse of what would happen if God was not around to control things – the same God who has been rejected by the multitude. But why would God lift up his hand and allow lawlessness to reign? Surely it is to show that God is being patient with the rest of us and that he is showing what it would be like if he was not in control. Of course we remember that Tower of Siloam which fell and killed 18 people. These 18 were not worse sinners than anyone else but there is a judgment to come which no one can escape unless they repent and turn to Jesus for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all lawlessness. Sin has to be judged and condemned. If God was to lift his hand off this world and let sin have its full and free reign in this world then overnight this planet would become the thing of our worst nightmares and kind of hell on earth but for now God is patient because he wants as many as possible to come into His Kingdom but time is running out.

2 Thess 2:5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He* who now restrains will do so until He* is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

There is a day coming when The lawless one will come and then truly all hell will break loose. We have had a glimpse of the future when the days of earth will be few and God will come and bring an end to history as we know it. And then the Day of Judgment.

What is our response?

This response is not in order but both are important: We are to pray for those in authority as we read in 1 Tim. 2. Do you know that a government’s manifesto is to deal with evil-doers and exalt good-doers? They are supposed to discourage lawlessness and encourage righteousness. This is the role that God has given to governments but our government is worries about the rights of those who do wrong rather than punishing them as God says they should be punished.Instead because we have given rights back to women to decide whether their unborn child should be born or not making us a nation of murderers killing 200,000 every year but going unpunished: this is not the role of government according to their God-given rights. In the same year as allowing abortions Capital Punishment was also abolished taking away people’s fear of authority and where a classroom today is a dangerous place for a teacher. According to the Bible they are to use the sword to deal with evil-doers and we all want to be biblical, don’t we? The biggest petition before this week was to bring back Capital Punishment: people see that there is a need. I said, before this week as, another petition was made to remove benefits to those who were involved in the mayhem of the last week. People want justice but governments are more concerned with human rights – and so we should be but not with the rights of criminals once justly convicted. Whilst many people live in fear of these criminals and that we see that justice is not done because of their so-called rights and because of corruption in the police we know that there is one who will do justly and righteously and what does the bible say about that:

2 Cor 5:11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.

We have the good news. A message of hope; a message of purpose. Jesus came to this planet to destroy the evil one who has not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. Does this not sound like what has happened in the last few days? But Jesus says he has come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10.10)

We easily forget we are to have a positive effect upon our community being light and salt. Today we talk about mentoring young men, especially, but that is another word for discipling. Remember that God has a special heart for the fatherless and most of the kids on this estate are not living with their father. Perhaps it is the Church’s role to step now into the breach and have a ministry for young men and boys who are in single-parent families. This is for prayerful consideration.

And, folks, we are not to be afraid to declare the good news of sin forgiven and eternal life being given for those who will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Knowing the terror of the Lord we warn people to escape the wrath to come in which people wilfully avoid the thought that they will have to give an account of their lives to their Creator whom they have rejected and who will give each person a life sentence.

Why are we not stirred to tell people their inner need of Jesus where even the worst of people can find forgiveness and hope for the future by turning back to God and trusting that the penalty of sin that they deserve has already been paid in full through the crucifixion of Jesus on a cross? My sin paid in full. Your sin paid in full. Jesus came to live in our hearts and has given us purpose and work to do satisfying our longing for God.

Rom 4:7 "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin."

Oh Hallelujah that we have had the Saviour revealed to us but let us not forget to pray for those in authority so that we can have peace in our time and share what great salvation we have found with others because for those who neglect this salvation it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.