A little bit of housecleaning first: in yesterday’s devotion, I used the phrase “Jesus is Lord.” After looking again it is actually “Jesus is Honored.” So P-L-A-C-E won’t work. Plus, there is a tendency when dreaming of things to get a little too “cute.” I decided to go with the original of “Jesus is Honored” and not try to get too cute. That was confirmed by my study class last night when I mentioned “Jesus is Lord” vs “Jesus is Honored” and mentioned about being too cute. Several said, “Right” and liked the original version better.
Okay, now to today’s devotion. One of the “old” parts of the church’s Vision statement was Revealing Jesus Clearly. I’d like to share with you what I said Sunday morning. But first, this…
Today’s church culture is being assailed by forces designed by the enemy as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” Let me explain. On one side is the progressive side. No conviction. No positive stand. Jesus is whomever you make or want Him to be. Jesus is a feel good, smile-all-the-time guy (maybe) who won’t condemn anything except bigotry, or anyone against BLM, environmentalism, or some social justice issue.
On the other side is the legalistic, fundamental side that sees God as a God of wrath, judgment, nationalism, and one-sidedness who tolerates nothing and wields a divine whip and sword.
Those two, to be honest, are anathema to me. They are too radical for the Christ-follower in me. However, I do believe a stand needs to be taken about who Jesus is and His character. With that in mind, I shared the following on Sunday morning about Jesus and how we will not compromise these truths:
Mark 1:1 tells us Jesus is the Son of God. Mt.16:15-16 teaches us Jesus is God in the flesh, the one and only virgin born Son of God. John 1:1 tells us He is co-equal with God-“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, the same was in the beginning with God.” He was fully human and fully divine. He lived a perfect, sinless life; died on a cross in our place, for our sins; rose bodily from the grave; ascended into heaven; and will return to take us to be with Him for eternity and judge the righteous and unrighteous (You lose Satan). He is fully God and fully man; our Savior; the Great I AM; the Lord of all; the King of kings; the only way to the Father; our Redeemer; and the coming King.
Those truths about Jesus will stand. One cannot compromise who Jesus is. To do so is a slippery slope on greased tracks. Compromise on one and another will follow until the picture of Jesus is nothing like the real Jesus of the Bible. In fact, He almost becomes a cartoonish representation of His true self. Jesus does not change. Never has, never will…no matter our attempts to liberalize or pigeon-hole Him.
Who is Jesus to you?
Jesus is my Lord, my King, my Savior, and we should be quick to humble ourselves in His presence.
Blessings, Bill!
Amen to all of that Martha!
I am just going to come out and say it… unapologetically… My goal is to serve God… not man. My desire, though I fail more than I like to admit, is to do what is right in God’s eyes. — Not man’s
When given a choice to follow the culture vs following God’s word, I will strive to follow God’s word. Will I mess up, YES. Will I blatantly SIN, YES… AM I forgiven, ABSOLUTELY… But when culture tells me that something is NOT SIN, when the Bible clearly calls it SIN… Guess Who is going to WIN. That’s Right, God!
I don’t answer to man, I answer to God.
That said… I don’t have to be a jerk about it. I have to recognize that the world doesn’t agree with what I agree with. I have to recognize that at the end of the day, we will just have to agree to disagree. I will have to still be willing to show God’s Love and Respect despite our disagreement. I will NOT have to compromise or celebrate beliefs that are contrary to what God has written…
Asking (or attempting to force me) to do so will simply not be an option.
I will stand with you Ryan. Compromising is not an option for me either. God’s Word is His Word and it has not and never will change. Thanks also for making sure standing with love is the correct option and not being a jerk. May your tribe increase!
Jesus is Lord overall, I am happy to belong to my Savior, and grateful that He saved me, not just for my eternal life, but for the rest of my life on earth as well. I am grateful that I have learned to trust in the absolute truth of the Bible. Anything that does not line up with God’s word, is a lie. Thank-you Father for leaving the ninety nine and coming after me to save me.
I’ll AMEN your thought and your prayers Gail. Words fail when I consider how good He is.
Jesus is everything to me. I am so thankful for His precious Spirit that abides within and comforts and guides me continually. May He bless you always, Pastor Bill.
As He is to me Cheryl. Thanks for the stand.