Excuse me while I do a little venting…
IF YOU DON’T GET ANYTHING OUT OF READING THE BIBLE, THE PROBLEM IS NOT THE BIBLE.
THE PROBLEM IS YOU.
IF YOU DON’T LISTEN TO GOOD, ACCURATE, BIBLICALLY SOUND, SPIRIT LEAD BIBLE TEACHING, THE PROBLEM IS NOT WITH A LACK OF GOOD, ACCURATE, BIBLICALLY SOUND, SPIRIT LEAD TEACHERS. THE PROBLEM IS THAT YOU ARE SPIRITUALLY LAZY AND INDIFFERENT TO WHAT GOD HAS TO SAY ABOUT HIMSELF.
MODERN DAY (SUPPOSED) CHRISTIANS PURPOSELY IGNORE AND AVOID READING, STUDYING, PRAYING ABOUT OR INTELLIGENTLY DISCUSSING THE WORD OF GOD.
CHRISTIANS USED TO BELIEVE THAT READING THE BIBLE WAS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THEIR DAILY CHRISTIAN WALK. APPARENTLY THIS IS NOT TRUE ANYMORE BECAUSE ALMOST NO ONE BRINGS A BIBLE TO CHURCH.
PASTORS USED TO KNOW THAT THEY SHOULD PREACH AND TEACH THE WORD OF GOD FROM THE PULPIT AND YET THEY DON’T BECAUSE PASTORS ARE MORE AFRAID OF OFFENDING PEOPLE THAN THEY ARE OF OFFENDING GOD.
MANY PASTORS HAVE NO CLUE HOW TO PREACH AND TEACH THE WORD OF GOD EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE WELL ACQUAINTED WITH CHURCH GROWTH PROGRAMS AND HOW TO PRESENT SUPPOSEDLY EXCITING, THIS IS THE LATEST FAD THAT WORKED IN THIS OTHER CHURCH, LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU AND GIVE YOU LIFE LESSON #1, 2, 3 GARBAGE.
THROUGHOUT CHRISTIAN HISTORY, MEN AND WOMEN HAVE ENDURED TORTURE AND HAVE GIVEN UP THEIR LIVES TO POSSESS AND READ AND MAKE COPIES OF THE BIBLE. WEREN’T THOSE PAST GENERATIONS REALLY STUPID?
WHY WAS THE BIBLE IMPORTANT AT ONE TIME IN HISTORY, BUT IT ISNT NOW?
HOW HAS THE WORD OF GOD GONE FROM BEING TO DIE FOR, TO BEING SUGAR COATED, FABLE FILLED, DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND, NON REVELANT, NOT FOR TODAYS SOCIETY, SUPPOSED WORD OF GOD?
WHEN DID CHRISTIANS BECOME SO LAZY ABOUT AND IGNORANT OF GODS WORD?
HAVE YOU BEEN SPOON FED A CONSTANT DIET OF “JESUS LOVES YOU”, “YOU’RE SPECIAL TO GOD”, “GOD WILL FORGIVE YOU BECAUSE GOD LOVES EVERYBODY”, THAT YOU FORGOT THAT THE ONLY REASON THAT GOD LOVES YOU IN THE FIRST PLACE IS BECAUSE JESUS TOOK A PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL WHIPPING THAT YOU COULD NOT POSSIBLY HAVE SURVIVED?
DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT JESUS ACTUALLY TOOK YOUR SINS FROM YOU, PLACED THEM UPON HIMSELF AND THEN BORE GODS WRATH JUST SO YOU COULD FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF AND THEN MAYBE “MAKE A DECISION” FOR JESUS, BUT ITS NOT REALLY THAT IMPORTANT BECAUSE THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO GET TO HEAVEN?
HAS IT EVER OCCURRED TO YOU THAT IT WAS YOUR SELFISHNESS, YOUR EVIL, YOUR GREED, YOUR PRIDE, YOUR SIN, THAT KILLED A PERFECT, LOVING, JUST, GOOD, MERCIFUL AN INNOCENT MAN?
HAS IT EVER OCCURRED TO YOU THAT IT WAS YOU WHO RIPPED HIS BACK OPEN BECAUSE OF YOUR SIN?
THAT IT WAS YOU WHO SMASHED THAT CROWN OF THORNS ON HIS HEAD BECAUSE OF YOUR SIN?
THAT IT WAS YOU WHO DROVE THE SPIKES THROUGH HIS HANDS AND FEET BECAUSE OF YOUR SIN?
THAT IT WAS YOU WHO MOCKED HIM?
THAT IT WAS YOU WHO SPIT ON HIM?
THAT IT WAS YOU WHO SLAPPED HIM?
HAS IT EVER OCCURRED TO YOU THAT IT WAS YOU?
HAS IT EVER OCCURRED TO YOU THAT GOD SHOULD HAVE CRUSHED YOU?
THAT GOD SHOULD HAVE PUNISHED YOU?
THAT GOD SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU?
THAT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YOU WHO WAS MOCKED, SLAPPED, SPIT AT, WHIPPED, HAIR PULLED OUT?
HAS IT EVER OCCURRED TO YOU THAT GOD SHOULD HAVE TURNED HIS BACK ON YOU?
I WOULD BET YOU WON’T HEAR THAT KIND OF PREACHING IN YOUR POSTMODERN, SEEKER SENSITIVE, EMERGENT, EMERGING, SOCIAL GOSPEL, CHURCH IS FOR THE UNBELIEVERS, LETS PLAY CHURCH ON SUNDAY MORNING, MAKE BELIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD IS HERE BECAUSE WE FEEL GOOD ABOUT OURSELVES CHURCH?
IF YOU ARE STILL HANGING IN THERE WITH ME AND YOU HAVENT BEEN INSULTED BY MY IN YOUR FACE, THAT WON’T KEEP PEOPLE COMING BACK FOR MORE PRESENTATION OF THE GOSPEL, LET ME READ SOMETHING TO YOU.
Parentheses are my emphasis…
Ephesians 2:1 AND YOU
(1) were dead in YOUR trespasses and sins,
2 in which
(2) YOU formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air,
of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
3 Among them
(3) WE TOO all formerly lived in the lusts of OUR FLESH,
indulging the desires of the FLESH AND OF THE MIND,
and (4) were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
4 But God,
(1) being rich in mercy,
(2) because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 (3) even when WE WERE DEAD in our transgressions,
(4) MADE US ALIVE together WITH Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6 and (5) RAISED US UP with Him,
and (6) SEATED US WITH Him
in the heavenly places IN Christ Jesus,
WHY WOULD GOD DO SUCH A THING?
7 so that in the ages to come
He might show
the surpassing riches of His grace
in kindness TOWARD US
in Christ Jesus.
GOD SNATCHED YOU OUT OF THE GRASP OF SATAN.
GOD REMOVED YOU FROM THE DARKNESS OF SIN.
GOD RESCUED YOU FROM ETERNAL SEPERATION.
WHY?
SO THAT FOR ALL ETERNITY
YOU WOULD UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE
THAT JESUS CHRIST AND ONLY JESUS CHRIST
IS THE GRACE OF GOD.
Keep reading with me in Ephesians 2…
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
Lets break this down…
What is Grace?
GRACE: The merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues.
What does it mean to be Saved?
SAVED: To keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction.
What Faith?
FAITH: The conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ.
What does yourself mean?
YOURSELF: what is already yours or of you.
What Gift of God?
GIFT: Gifts offered in expression of honor. Something that you do not, and can not earn by your own efforts.
So let’s try and read Ephesians 2:8 again…
For by the merciful kindness by which God exerted His holy influence on you, that you would not only turn to Christ, but that He would continually strengthen and increase your faith, knowledge and affection towards Him so that you could continue to live a virtuous life you have been rescued from danger and kept safe and sound through the conviction that God not only exists, but that He is the ruler, provider and bestower of your salvation; and that not which comes from or is earned by you, for it is the expression of unearned favor, merit and honor of God;
Now is that the Good News or what?
Would you get up in the morning and go to church for that kind of information and teaching?
DO YOU WANT SOME MORE GOOD NEWS?
Galatians 3:13 SAYS…
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law,
Now that is some more Good News isn’t it?
But wait, it gets better!
having become a curse for us
Isn’t that absolutely wonderful!?!?
Jesus became a curse for special little you!
What exactly is a curse?
A curse is an execration, an imprecation.
It means that…
Jesus became the very thing that is held as an abomination before God.
Jesus became the very thing that God loathes and detests.
Jesus became the very thing that God would call down and invoke a curse upon.
And He did it all for you…
So are you feeling special yet?
Simply put,
JESUS CAME TO EARTH TO BE CURSED BY GOD.
PHILIPPIANS 2:6 WILL TELL US HOW JESUS BECAME CURSED FOR US…
Philippians 2:6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
First and foremost,
JESUS HUMBLED HIMSELF BEFORE GOD by laying aside His equality with God.
What did Jesus lay aside?
His value, rank (position) and ability.
But that wasn’t enough, so Jesus…
7 emptied Himself,
What does that mean?
It means that Jesus gave up His reputation in exchange for no reputation at all!
But that wasn’t enough so Jesus took…
the form of a bond-servant,
What does that mean?
It means that Jesus was devoted to you to the disregard of His own interests.
But that wasn’t enough, so Jesus was made…
in the likeness of men.
So what does that mean?
It means that Jesus made you amount to His equal…
JESUS ACTUALLY HUMBLED HIMSELF BEFORE YOU by allowing Himself to be born into the same type of fleshly, human, physical body that YOU were born into.
8 Being found in appearance as a man,
He humbled Himself
by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Remember that old song by Foreigner, I want to know what Love is?
JESUS HUMBLED HIMSELF IN ORDER TO DISPLAY REAL, AUTHENTIC, SELF SACRIFICING, GENUINE LOVE.
John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this that one lay down his life for his friends.
9 For this reason also,
God highly exalted Him,
and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW,
of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and that every tongue will confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
SO, WHY DID GOD HIGHLY EXALT JESUS?
WHY IS JESUS WORTHY OF ALL OUR PRAISE?
WHY SHOULD WE WORSHIP JESUS?
Luke 9:56 for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.
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