I suppose I should say something about Ferguson, MO. I suppose the eight of you that read this blog are interested to know my perspective on the events of the past few days.

I think it’s a tragedy.

I think that the sin of man knows no bounds, and this is perfectly illustrated in Ferguson. A man was killed, and in response to this man being killed, hundreds (if not thousands) of people are rioting, looting, and committing acts of violence. People are destroying businesses that don’t belong to them, stealing things that don’t belong to them, and acting as if the decision rendered yesterday somehow enables them to act however they want, with no brake except their own conscience.

These crimes are the inevitable result of the philosophy which states that either God doesn’t exist or that we are not accountable to Him for our actions. This is a demonstration of the lie of Satan in Genesis 3:5, that we would become like God, deciding for ourselves what is good and what is evil. You can’t tell me what to do, people yell. It’s MY body! It’s MY choice! I can have an abortion! I can end my own life whenever I choose! I can put whatever I want into my body and you can’t tell me it’s wrong. I can have sex with anybody I want, with any gender I want.

Well, the damage and destruction in Ferguson is the inevitable result of this philosophy of Hedonism (do what feels good). And it’s a tragedy.

The good news is that God is aware. God is in control. And the reckoning is coming.

I sang a song in the college chorale where I met my wife called “Things Done In Secret” and it refers to Luke 8:17 “For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.” The song goes like this:

He will not soon forget your work of faith
And labor of love that’s done for His sake
A cold cup of water that’s given in His name
One day from the housetops the Lord will proclaim.

Many slothful shall stand ashamed that day
When all of their talents are taken away.
But oh what rejoicing the righteous shall know
When Christ shall return their rewards to bestow!

Though you serve in the shadows be faithful still
Your steadfast devotion to follow His will
Shall not be forgotten, it’s all written down
And one day your cross He’ll replace with a crown.

CHORUS:
Things done in secret shall be made known.
When with the saints we will bow at His throne
The books shall be opened, your name He will call
And things done in secret shall be made known to all.

I know that song is referring to the good works that we believers do for Christ, for which we will receive a reward someday, but every time I sang the chorus, I couldn’t help but think about how it applies to the unsaved as well. All the works of darkness are known to God, and nothing is hidden from Him. All the unsaved will be held accountable for their burden of sin. The greatest tragedy of all is that these people are going to go to hell because they rejected Christ’s free offer of salvation.

Ferguson is a microcosm of what happens when people’s sinful desires hold sway. The message we should take from these riots is this: DON’T follow your heart. Follow God.