MLK Jr.

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Text-Romans 12:9-13:10
Civil Rights: Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.

Introduction

Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968) was an
African American clergyman, activist, and a prominant leader in the
American civil rights movement. His main legacy was to secure progress
on civil rights in the United States and is frequently referenced as a
human rights icon today.

A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his
career. He led the famous Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956)
and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (1957),
serving as its first president. His efforts led to the 1963 March on
Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where King delivered his "I Have a
Dream" speech. There, he raised public consciousness of the civil
rights movement and established himself as one of the greatest orators
in U.S. history.

In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace
Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination
through civil disobedience and other non-violent means. By the time of
his death in 1968, he had refocused his efforts on ending poverty and
oposing the Vietnam War, both from a religious perspective.

There is much more to be said of MLK Jr., but now I would like for us
to focus on why we have civil rights, and why it is important
to have laws to protect these rights. Take a look with me now as we
explore Biblical references on laws and why they are put into place.

Part one: In the name of the law

Have you ever wondered how to protect your family, your money, your
job, and/or your rights? If you are like most people, you probably do
not know much about your legal rights and responsibilities, until you
run smack-dab into a messy legal problem.

In a book by John Ventura, we can discover different things. These are
things such as: how to protect your child support rights, arm yourself
against identity theft, clean up your credit and improve your credit
score, hire the right attorney for your needs, and/or draw up living
wills. You can also learn things like felonies and misdemenors, and
the workings of the judicial system. Believe it or not, our society
has all types of laws ranging from things like bankruptcy to
immigration, to traffic violations to no tresspassing.

According to Romans, law is living according to God's will. This is
requirement that is fulfilled by the love toward God and our fellow
man. The law was first written into the heart of man, which is to say
that man himself knew right from wrong.

Even today, every person has an innate knowledge of the law according
to Romans 2:14-15. Through sin, the law has became blurred. Though we
still know by nature that certain acts are wrong, such as robbery and
murder, yet we still do not know that by nature, the desire to murder
or steal is wrong. That is why we have police to enforce laws, and
attorneys who prosecute us when we break them.

Paul, considered to be a lawyer himself, reaveals to us in Romans 3
that Christ is like the policeman, and the Holy Spirit is the judge
who convicts us of sin. Likewise, Romans 2 gives us prosecuting
arguments as if we are being convicted of sin. As for Romans 5, we are
pardoned from sin and all offenses by a free gift, which is by God's
grace, unto justification of life through righteousness in Christ. As
Romans 5:13 states, "For until the law, sin was in the world, but sin
is not imputed when there is no law".


Part two: The Right Kind of Ethics

Business, government, and all professions seek to hold their members
to ethical codes. This subject has to do with moral do's and don'ts.
Ethics can be systemized and taught as a subject, but much more is
necessary. You can, for example, outline on a paper how the game of
baseball is to be played, but if the individual has neither the desire
nor the ability to play the game, very little is accomplished.

There is a right way and a wrong way to motivate, teach, and enable
people to lead ethical and moral lives. This is the Christian way, the
Bible, which begins with God's moral law drawn from the ten
commandments. This moral law is like a mirror which shows us our sins
and condemns us for them. It calls for love to God and the neighbor
but does not give us the power to fulfill it, but God does not leave
us in this predicament. In his grace, he comes to us in the Gospel and
makes us new people. Through Jesus Christ, his own perfect son, God
grants us faith so that we trust in him for the forgiveness of our
sins. Our coming to faith was accompanied by a change of heart, and we
are now God's new creation in Christ.


Part three: Rules to live by

Confucius once said, "Repay kindness with kindness, but evil with
justice". Confucius was a pagan, but what he said in this statement is
an acceptable principle in a area I would like to call "civil
righteousness". Civil government exists to maintain law, order, and a
level of decency in life as we lead it in community, state, and
nation.

Jesus rises above the minimal righteousness as enunciated by Confucius
and as practiced by us as citizens. Shall we, as Christians, repay
"evil with justice" in our private lives? Jesus has a different
formula. He tells us in Matthew 5:44, "Love your enemies and pray for
those who persecute you". In these words, he sets aside the eye-for-an-
eye and tooth-for-tooth principle as improper in our private Christian
lives. St. Paul follows through by likewise enunciating the higher
Christian ethic as recorded in Romans 12:14, 17-19.

Personal Christian ethics are based on love-love that conquers and
endures, supersedes feelings of revenge, and does not repay evil with
punishment but with prayer. Such love has its source in the redeeming
love of Jesus Christ (see Ephesians 3:17-18).

We keep in mind that Christian love must at times be "tough". It does
not want to aid and abet evildoers, perhaps even encourage them, by
covering things over with a declaration of love. True love, to be
helpful and healing, must occasionally serve as a corrective.


Part four: Faith and Rights

As a Roman commander arrested Paul and ordered that he be beaten, Paul
used his his Roman citizenship to protect his rights (see Acts
22:25-29). He had done the same thing at Philippi after being
illegally jailed (see Acts 16:36-40). In Jerusalem, he insisted on due
process, rather than endure unjust mob retaliation. He set the record
straight so that the authorities could intervene appropriately.

Rumors, anger, and distortion regarding the faith need to be met
forthrightly, as Paul's example shows. There is no need to allow
discrimination to hinder one's practice of Christianity in society,
particulary in one's workplace. As believers, we need a clear
understanding of the laws and rules and their application, and we need
to ensure that they are applied fairly on behalf of everyone,
including ourselves.

Now a Christian can begin a life of good ethics and morals, not merely
in outward deeds and demeanor, but in our innermost thoughts and
emotions. God's moral law is still there for Christians, not as the
source of Christian ethics and morals, but as the norm, as a guide or
rule showing us what good works God wants us to do. It is through the
Gospel that true love is instilled, and God's Ten Commandments are our
guide (not our motive) for its exercise.


Part five: Playing Favorites

Countless laws and legal battles have been fought and continue to be
fought over civil rights and the effort to end discrimination. James
calls on the ultimate law, the "royal law" in James 2:8, to speak out
against discrimination in the one place it ought least to exixt-the
church. He specifically condemns favoritism toward the rich and
discrimination to the poor. When believers discriminate on the basis
of socioeconomic status, they violate the core of God's law.

As you may well know, this happens all the time. Does it happen where
you work, or in your community or church? Are the wealthy the only
ones most likely considered as candidates for church leadership (it
was like this when I was growing up in a church) ? Now ask yourself
this, how do you respond to customers at work, visitors at church, or
shoppers at a grocery store who look "down-and-out"?

On the other hand, does James stern warning against favoring the rich
and dishonoring the poor imply that we should favor the poor and
dishonor the rich? Do you ever practice "reverse discrimination"? Does
your church condemn wealthy people for their wealth? Do you assume
that someone who has riches gained them by dishonesty or oppression,
rather than by honest work and service. In James 2:10-11, James says
that favoritism is as much a sin as adultry or murder, and apparently,
God takes this rather seriuosly.


Conclusion

Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis,
Tennesse. He has been awarded numerous times for his efforts to make
this nation a better place to live. If he were still around today, I'm
sure he would appreciate everything I just written in today's sermon.
It is God's law which made King's work possible, and we should be
greatful for that.

Please take the time now to think about what civil rights means to you
and realize why various laws have been put into place. If you have not
done so already, invite Christ into your life and ask him to reveal
his laws to you; that way, your life will totally complete. Take care
and God bless.
written by E. Strunk on 1/20/2009