It’s been a tough week in a lot of ways. First of all, we had the remembrance of 9/11, which was a dark day in the history of our country, and we were already thinking about that. And then, with the violence we’ve seen this week—the murder of Charlie Kirk—it just breaks your heart. To see these things happening, playing out on our screens, on social media, and people bickering back and forth about it, pointing fingers at each other, it just hurts to think this is the world we live in and this is the way people act.
It’s easy to get swept up in it, to be overwhelmed either by sadness, or by anger, or by fear. But as I think about what’s happening in the world, it helps us see very plainly that our ways of doing things don’t work. They’re broken. They don’t lead to the solutions we hope for and long for.
So the message the Lord laid on my heart today is this: Come and look at a different way. A different way forward. Is there a better way?People are reeling from the tragic murder of Charlie Kirk. Some feel he is a
martyr for boldly professing his faith, while others are angry at his rhetoric.
Both sides are pointing fingers. Violence, outrage, and accusation swirl in the
air.
If we’re not careful, we can get swept into the very cycle of destruction Jesus
came to break.
Jesus and His followers faced similar issues in His day. The same troubles that plague the human heart today plagued people’s hearts then. The Jews were oppressed by the Romans, and they hated the Romans. The Romans, in turn, didn’t respect the Jews. It was a constant struggle that continued even after Jesus walked the earth.
Christ, the Son of God—the most perfect person who ever lived—was nailed to a cross. And while on the cross, He said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” He warned His followers: “If you follow Me, the world will hate you, because darkness hates the light.”
That’s exactly what happened. The first martyr, Stephen, was murdered simply for speaking the truth about Jesus Christ. Later, James and others were also killed.
But here’s the remarkable thing: how could a group of people teaching about love, refusing to lash out, possibly survive? And yet they did. We are here today in a Christian church because the faith of Christ, the way of Christ, His Kingdom, is the one that lasted.
Israel’s old kingdom is gone. Rome, with all its power, is gone. But the Kingdom built upon love still stands, because love is the most powerful force in the universe.
Matthew 4:19
19 Jesus
called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for
people!”
In Matthew 4:19, Jesus’ very first word to His disciples was “Come.” He didn’t start with a lecture on doctrine. He didn’t demand that they already understand the whole mission. He simply invited them into His presence: Come and see. Come and learn. Come and walk with Me.
This
is where true change begins:
This is where true change begins—not in anger or retaliation. Anger may be a catalyst, but it’s not the answer. The answer is recognizing the world is broken, that our ways don’t work, and that we are utterly helpless to heal it on our own.
Jesus
knows it. We know it. And so, Jesus invites us to come try His way. His invitation is wide enough for everyone. In His day, Jesus invited Jews & Gentiles (whom Jews despised). He invited tax collectors and the Zealots
(who wanted to kill tax collectors). He
invited Romans & people who hated Romans. All these different groups were broken and needed God’s forgiveness and
healing. If Jesus could bring a Zealot and a tax collector into the same circle, He can bring us together too.
Today, Jesus invites conservatives and progressives, Americans and non-Americans, people of all walks of life. He looks at you—your life, your brokenness, your struggles—and says: “You’ve tried your way. It hasn’t worked. Come, try My way.”
The world says: “Fight fire with fire. Get even. Destroy your enemy.”
Jesus says: “Love your enemy. Pray for those who persecute you.”
The world says: “Do what feels right. Make yourself happy. Look out for your own.”
Jesus says: “Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me.”
On the surface it sounds foolish. How could surrender bring victory? But this is the paradox of the Gospel. In His death, Jesus defeated death. In His forgiveness, He broke sin’s chains. Only His way interrupts the endless cycle of hate, violence, and destruction.
It’s like light shining in the darkness—darkness cannot overcome it. The cycle of hate ends only when one side refuses to pick up the sword and instead picks up the cross. That’s true in personal relationships, in national politics, and in international affairs.
We must remember: people are not the enemy.
Ephesians 6:12 reminds us, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark world.”
The other side is not your enemy. Sin is. Satan is. And the cure is Christ. That’s why His invitation is so urgent: Come.
Show me
one place in the New Testament where Christians took up arms against their
enemies. There is only one place I know of. Peter
in the Garden of Gethsemane…[i] Jesus told Peter in Matthew 26:52 “Those who use the sword will die by the
sword.”
Test His Way
Jesus told His
first disciples, in effect: “Come try My way. Walk with Me. Test it out and
see.” What if instead of lashing out, you came to Jesus first? What if instead of nursing bitterness, you laid your pain at His feet? What if instead of seeing others as enemies, you saw them as fellow sinners in
need of grace?
The word today is simple but profound: Come.
Come as you are.
Come with your anger.
Come with your grief.
Come with your questions.
Come with your sin.
Jesus doesn’t ask you to clean yourself up first. He simply says: “Come, follow Me.”
But come with your whole heart. Don’t do it halfway. When you come fully, you’ll discover His way—unconventional but eternally true—is the only path to peace, healing, and victory.
Father, I pray for hurting hearts today. As fears swirl, as doubts plague us, as we see violence around us, as we see our community and country turning into something we don’t want it to be—help us, O Lord. Give us faith to trust in You. Help us follow Your Son with our whole hearts, so that we may find healing and forgiveness and be part of the Kingdom that lasts forever. In the name of Christ we pray, Amen.
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