Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
-John 3:3
A new year has begun. For many that means resolutions. Get to the gym more. Lose weight... Stop smoking (or some other bad habit)... Cut out junk foods... Eat healthier... etc.
For many of us, those resolutions won't survive to the end of January. For some, they won't survive through the end of today. We can go to one extreme and strive for a David Groggins (former Navy Seal) or Wim Hof (climbed Everest in shorts) approach to life... or swing to the other extreme of self-pity, depression, and fatalism... both are just the extreme fringes of the wide path that leads to destruction.
All the marathons run in arctic conditions barefoot or time swiping left... all the Guinness World Records set or laziness in procrastination... all the millions of dollars made or wasted... apart from faith in Christ it all leads to the same destination: HELL.
HELL is not where God sends us. Instead, HELL is our preferred and willfully planned destination via our rejection of Christ Jesus as Sovereign LORD. For some (atheists, nihilists, etc.) it is overt. For others (those who bear His Name in emptiness) it is much more subtle.
As Oswald Chambers said, "We shall all feel very much ashamed if we do not yield to Jesus on the point He has asked us to yield to Him... To get there is a question of will, not of debate or reasoning, but a surrender of will, an absolute and irrevocable surrender on that point. An over-weaning consideration for ourselves (selfishness) is the thing that keeps us from that decision, though we put it that we are considering others."
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the pastor who was hanged for refusing to submit to Hitler and Nazi Germany, once said of superficial Christians, "Everywhere it is the same – the deliberate avoidance of simple, literal obedience."
The reason is many are still holding onto the false belief, like religious David Groggins and Wim Hofs, that we can get into heaven through some combination of self-discipline, effort, merit, and manipulation. We don't really believe the best we have to offer through all of our best efforts on our best days amounts to nothing more than filthy menstrual rags (Isa 64:6).
King Jesus began something much greater than a "movement" with The Twelve. Those chicken-hearted cowards who abandoned Him in Gethsemane were truly changed by their experiential encounters with the Risen Christ. They were truly transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. They were conformed into the image of Christ and followed Him to the point of giving up their entitlements and very lives for the Gospel. It wasn't some transient or passing human "resolution" of finite energy that peters out into meaningless insignificance. It was the result of supernatural REBIRTH by the Holy Spirit for the everlasting glory of God Almighty!
But that's not the flavor of cultural Christianity today. That's not the vibe or mission of the vast majority of churches. Many, if not most, are nothing more than religious businesses marketing themselves rather than promoting and proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.
The Apostle Paul, the man who endured shipwrecks, beatings, persecutions, imprisonments, stonings, cold, exhaustion, rejection... his concern was this, "My eager desire and hope being that I may never feel ashamed."
Contemporary Christianity and Christians have drifted far from Paul's heart for missions and the Gospel. We've taken our eyes off the PRIZE and allowed the mission of the church, Christ's Body & Bride, to become modern-day Bronze Snakes (2 Ki 18:4) of good intentions and cultural acceptance. That's why, as Robert E. Coleman notes, "Today’s institution has a polite form of religion, but it seems to lack power, the power to radically change the wayward course of society."
Therefore, let us keep to the point. As the author of Hebrews wrote, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
It's not about human resolutions, it's about supernatural rebirth in the Spirit. Call out to Jesus in absolute desperation and He will bless you with the gift of faith (Eph 2:8-10). The Cross is the evidence of His love. The empty tomb is the evidence of His power. He is our UNSTOPPABLE Savior! All praise, honor, and glory be to the Lamb of God!
Blessings & love,
-Kevin M. Kelley
Pastor Kevin's New Year's sermon links:
Amazon Music: >>HERE<<
Apple Podcast: >>HERE<<
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