This morning I had a doctors appt at the University of Minnesota. I was listening to a podcast sermon by Mark Driscoll on my drive to the U. I love listening to music when I drive (Anberlin, Flyleaf, Red Hot Chili Peppers...), but lately I have just needed some good Truth to be spoken into my life, and podcast sermons by Mark Driscoll fits that bill!What I love about Driscoll's teaching is, first, that he teaches the Bible, and second, he isn't afraid to rebuke (aka: call you out on your crap). I love this because Jesus did this!
"And Jesus rebuked Peter saying, 'Get behind me Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man'" - Mark 8:33
"Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me... woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born." Jesus in Mark 14:18-21
"You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." Jesus in Matthew 12:34
"You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?" Jesus in Matthew 23:33
The list of places where Jesus rebukes people and calls out their sin is incredible!
Now I confess, when I think about Jesus I want to picture the "Minnesota nice", always encouraging, always blessing, always lovey-dovey, smiling Jesus. I want to picture the Jesus that doesn't rock my boat or require me to change. I want to picture the Jesus who is always okay with who I am, even when I am living in sin, and will maybe suggest ways for me to feel better about myself...
Does this Jesus sound familiar to you? Unfortunately, this is the Jesus that many "Christians" have bought into... This Jesus is simply a lie. The problem with this Jesus that I tend to picture (and maybe you do too) is that ultimately this Jesus doesn't care about my eternity.
The Liar, Satan, has gotten so many people to believe that Jesus is something that he is not. The "Nice Jesus". The "Tolerant Jesus". The "Everybody-Goes-To-Heaven Jesus". Maybe your picture of Jesus is the opposite. The "Wrathful Jesus". The "Strict and Legalistic Jesus". The "You'll-Never-Be-Good-Enough Jesus". When our picture of who Jesus is isn't actually Jesus, our entire belief system becomes built on a lie.
The Liar is crafty. He knows how to wound us. He's built entire communities around lies and evil; communities that you probably know about... maybe you're in one...
But when we face the Liar and his lies; when we fight for Truth and look for relief... we find Jesus! The one who comforts those who are hurting and rebukes those who are evil. The one who finds us wounded and comes to restore us. The one who finds us living a lie and walking in sin and calls us out on our evil.
Jesus doesn't just want us to enjoy our life, but he wants us to enjoy our eternity. It's no wonder that the Liar's job is to take away what we have in Jesus.
So I ask you... Do you know the real Jesus? Have you read about him in your Bible lately? Have you talked to him lately? Have you let him comfort you and forgive you? Have you listened to his correction and rebuke? ...or have you let the Liar lead your life?
I want to leave you with 2 sections of Truth. One with many things Jesus thinks about you when you belong to him, and one with many things Jesus needs you to be called out on so you leave your life of sin. I encourage you to take the Truth of Jesus to heart. Let yourself be comforted in his Grace, and let yourself be convicted by his Love.
Words God uses to describe YOU once you belong to Jesus:
Accepted (Rom 15:7) Friend (John -15) Redeemed (Gal )
Adequate (2 Cor 3:5) Gifted (Rom 12:6) Royalty (Rom -17)
Beautiful (Is 61:10) Guarded (2 Tim ) Strengthened (Eph -16)
Beloved (Col Tim ) Thought About (Ps 139:17-18)
Blessed (Jer 17:7) Loved (Is 43:4) Treasured (Ps 83:3)
Cared For (1 Pet 5:7) Noticed (Ps 33:13-14) Valued (Mat )
Cherished (Eph ) Perfect & Complete (Jam 1:2-4) Victorious (1 Cor )
Delighted In (Is 42:1) Prayed For (Rom
Forgiven (1 John 1:9) Protected (2 Thes 3:3)
Sin God may be calling YOU out on so that you can live in the Truth of Jesus:
Acting Wrongly in Anger (Mat -22) Refusing Godly Correction (Jn -47)
Being Self-Righteous (Mark -40) Ripping People Off (Mark -17)
Causing Sin in Others (Mark -47) Speaking Evil Words (Mat -37)
Dishonoring Your Parents (Mark 7:9-13) Tolerating Sin (Mat -17)
Getting Drunk (Luke -36) Worrying (Mat -26)
Judging Others (Mat 7:1-5)
Justifying Evil (Mat 15:1-9)
Lusting (Mat -30)
Putting an Extra Burden on Others (Luke )
No comments:
Post a Comment