Jesus Lite, Part 4
It’s pretty simple.
Anyone who wants to come after Jesus into the kingdom of God—
anyone who wants to be a Christian—
has to follow three commands (found in Matthew 16:24-25):
1. Deny himself
2. Take up his cross daily
3. Follow Him
Are these words hard for you to believe?
That you really have to DENY yourself?
That you have to take up your cross daily
(in other words DIE to all that’s you?)
And that you actually have to follow in HIS footsteps?
Not simply in the same area as He is—
but actually FOLLOWING Him—
meaning literally walking in His steps!
It’s much easier to believe a “Jesus Lite” gospel—
one that promises happiness
and bliss
and lots of blessings.
But that’s not the gospel that Jesus came to proclaim.
Many of us have mistakenly bought into “Jesus Lite”—
a diet-form of Christ.
Jesus says that to be true followers of Him, we must DENY ourselves.
The original Greek word for “deny” means
“to refuse to associate with.”
The thought is . . . that if you want to be Christ’s disciple,
and receive forgiveness and eternal life,
you must refuse to associate any longer with the person you are!
You’re sick of your sinful self
and want nothing
to do with you anymore.
That’s the invitation Jesus offers.
Thoughts?
I’m speaking in Elk River, WV Sept. 25-28.
Will you please pray for me?
Jesus Lite, Part 3
The true gospel is a call to self-denial.
It’s not a call to self-fulfillment.
This is in opposition to what we often hear—
that Jesus wants you well, rich, free from debt and happy.
But that’s “Jesus Light.”
It’s a watered-down gospel that isn’t found in the Bible—
yet it’s a trending message that’s prevalent in many churches.
Psychologically man-centered evangelicals tell you that
Jesus gives you happiness,
Jesus makes you a better real estate agent
and Jesus helps you make more touchdowns.
Jesus really wants to make you feel better about yourself.
He wants to elevate your self-image.
He wants to put an end to your negative thinking.
Christ DOES definitely want to give us the fruit of the Holy Spirit:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23NIV).
But He never promised popularity, health, wealth and
an everything-rosy life by following Him.
We seek HIM first, and as we grow in a relationship with Christ,
He produces that fruit in our lives.
Jesus told us to deny ourselves:
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross,
and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses
his life for My sake will find it (Matthew 16:24-25 NKJV).
“To deny oneself” isn’t a “get what you want” deal.
It’s a give up everything lifestyle.
What does it mean to deny myself and to “take up my cross”?
Well, it’s not about exalting me.
It’s about SLAYING me.
It’s the death of self.
You win by losing.
You live by dying.
And THAT is the heart message of the gospel.
Notice this Scripture doesn’t mention anything about
improving your self-esteem,
being rich & successful,
or having your felt needs met—
that’s a sugar-coated gospel.
That’s Jesus Lite.
And that’s unbiblical.
(And I’m assuming you know that I’m not suggesting it’s wrong to be rich or to have a positive self-esteem! Jesus trusts many Christians with wealth, because He knows they’ll use it to glorify Him. And when we’ve truly aligned ourselves with Christ, we DO have a positive self-esteem.)
We need to think about something:
Is the message of Christianity self-fulfillment,
or is it self-denial?
Can’t be both.
Seems that Jesus answers the question in Luke 9:23-26.
I’m not printing that passage here,
because I’d rather you pick up your Bible and read it.
How will you answer the question?
Is the message of Christianity self-fulfillment,
or is it self-denial?
Thoughts?
I’m speaking at the MO District Ladies retreat this weekend.
Please pray for us.