We Worship A Risen Martyr

Yesterday, a good man and a Christ-follower, Charlie Kirk, was murdered while speaking in front of thousands of people. Charlie Kirk started a nation-wide movement called Turning Point, and witnessed effectively to millions of people around the world. He will be remembered most of all for his faith in Jesus Christ, and for his uncompromising commitment to God’s Word.

Some have said that Charlie Kirk was too political. But the central claim of Christianity is political: Jesus Christ is Lord. He is the Lord of America, He is the Lord of Utah, and He is the Lord of politics. This means that the Federal Government is not Lord. It means that abortion is murder. It means that a boy cannot become a girl. And it means that Marxism is evil. Charlie Kirk stood behind this faith, he resolutely stood for the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and that’s why he was shot.

Christ or Chaos

Jean-Paul Sartre once wrote that without an infinite reference point, all finite points are absurd. Ironically, Sarte was a fierce atheist, and thus he explicitly taught that the universe is meaningless and absurd, and that there is no fixed point by which to orient yourself, except yourself. You are your own reference point. By embracing this truth, Sarte taught that you could set yourself free, free to do whatever you want, free to be anything you want. But if the world is meaningless, if there is no infinite reference point, there could be no such thing as freedom. Embracing the absurdity of the world leads to nothingness. The truth, however, is that there is an infinite reference point, and His name is Jesus. This means that there are only two options; Christ or Chaos.

Charlie Kirk believed in finding common ground with the Left, he truly believed that we could work our way through our current cultural divide by means of reasoned dialogue and open debate. But the radical and Marxist Left has shown that they don’t want reasoned dialogue. They aren’t interested in open debate because they’re not interested in finding common ground. Anyone who dares disagree with them will be an object of their wrath. Its because of this radical Leftist agenda that the most reasonable and charitable figure on the Right is dead.

This means, above all else, that the time for compromise has ended. The time for Christians to tolerate leaders who bow the knee to the progressive gaze is over. The time for Christians to pretend that they can make small compromises with the world has died. We have seen the fruit of our compromise. We wore the masks, changed our profile pictures to black squares, defended the BLM riots, and told God-fearing Christians that deep down they were actually racist. And where has it led us? It has led us to this point. The time to pretend that we’re not at war is over. Christians must repent of their compromises with the world, they must repent of pretending that the public square is neutral, they must repent of offering pinches of incense to the progressive god in order to maintain a good reputation with the world.

Charlie Kirk refused to compromise. He was willing to speak the truth to people who didn’t want to hear it. He refused to bow the knee, he refused to compromise himself in order to gain “a good witness”. And that’s exactly why he was a good witness. And that’s exactly why they shot him. Charlie Kirk was martyred because he, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, refused to fall down when the progressive music started playing. So the question that should be on all of your minds right now is this; are you ready to die for your faith?

We Worship A Martyr

Jesus warned us that because the world hated Him, it would hate us too (John 15:18–19). So don’t be surprised that the radical Left hates you. They hate you because they hate Jesus, and they hate Jesus because they love the darkness. John 3:19–20, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” So are you ready to die for your faith? Are you ready to be persecuted simply because the light of Jesus is in you? If you’re not ready, then perhaps the Christian faith is not for you. There are lots of other religions that are much safer.

Christians, however, worship a martyr. Our principle symbol is the cross, an execution device. Our God was put on trial for blasphemy, and accused of inflammatory language. Luke 23:5, “And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place.” If Jesus were living in our time, He would be accused of hate speech. But what the Pharisees and the religious leaders of Jesus’ day didn’t realize was that they were playing right into God’s hand. 1 Corinthians 2:8, “…for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” The forces of evil and darkness used every tactic in the book, they brought the full weight of the religious and civil power to bear upon Jesus. They pointed the biggest guns they had at Him and opened fire. But to their dismay, on the third day the grave was empty. And not only did Jesus refuse to stay dead, but then He ascended into heaven far beyond the effective range of their weapons where He sits now, ruling the nations of men with a rod of iron. We don’t simply worship a martyr, we worship a risen and ascended martyr.

This means that every single person who believes in Jesus Christ will rise from the grave too. Or as Charlie Kirk put it, Jesus defeated death so that you can live. Charlie Kirk will rise again, along with every martyr that there has ever been, to the eternal horror of those who murdered them. This means that, contrary to how it may seem, Christians are not the ones in a precarious position. We worship the man who knows the way out of the grave, so what can man do to you? Kill you? All that’ll accomplish is launching you into the throne room of God until the day you receive a glorious resurrected body.

No, Christians are not in a precarious position. The wicked are the ones who need to watch their step. Psalm 73:18, “Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: Thou castedst them down into destruction.” The wicked and demented Leftists, who are currently celebrating Charlie Kirk’s death, are the ones who are in a precarious position. They have aligned themselves against the Almighty Judge of the universe, which is not a very smart thing to do. They have spilt the blood of the innocent, and that blood cries out to God for justice.

How Shall We Then Live?

So, as Francis Schaeffer aptly asked, how then shall we live? I have three applications for you today. First, keep your head. Anger is appropriate, but our temptation will be to take matters into our own hands. Romans 12:19, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” This is a time for action, but that action is not to return evil for evil. Secondly, root out any compromise in your own heart and family. Where have you made concessions to the progressive god? What have you been willing to tolerate simply because “it’s just the way things are”? This may mean withdrawing from friends or family who are compromised. This may mean offending people. This may mean quitting your job. This may mean not going to that school. This may mean going to a different church. But life is short, and the need is urgent. We can no longer afford to allow the leaven of the world to infect our schools, our families, and our churches. This does not mean that you must withdraw from the world. It means that you must stop fraternizing with the enemy. And lastly, build and fight. Build by beginning a pattern of family worship and eating dinner together. Build your local church, invest in your people. Raise up your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, ensuring that they receive a Christ-centered education where they learn that it’s Christ or Chaos. Build institutions that will outlast you, and lay up for your grandchildren. And above all, fight hard. The way that we fight is by worshipping God. The Word and Sacraments are God’s howitzers against the kingdom of darkness. So confess your sins, sing the Psalms, pray without ceasing, and worship the risen Lord every Sunday.

Paul tells us that if the forces of darkness had known what they were doing when they crucified Christ, they never would have gone through with it (1 Cor 2:8). May God grant that the man who murdered Charlie Kirk feel the same way. May that ringing shot lead to the greatest resurrection of Christ’s church that the world has ever known, for the glory of our Triune God, Amen and Amen.