What's More Dangerous: Sin or Self-Righteousness?

Matthew 11:23-24
²³ And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
²⁴ But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

For many years, the church has made a big deal over sin. At least in the churches that I grew up in, there was a strong emphasis on the dangers of sin, specifically, what was thought of as the notable sins. The message was clear: "don't dance, drink, smoke, or chew or run with those who do." I heard countless messages on the dangers of sin, the disease of sin, and the death that sin brings.

Now don't get me wrong, sin is dangerous. The wages of sin is death. But we should have made a bigger deal of the One who paid those wages on the Cross----Jesus! Why should we make a big deal of sin and minimize the work of Christ? It should be the other way around---we emphasize that Jesus paid the price for sin on the Cross and watch sin fade into the background. It's not making light of sin, it's simply making a big deal of Jesus!

Sin is not too big for Jesus to handle. Romans 5:20 tells us that where sin abounds, grace does much more abound. The Greek wording indicates that grace "super-abounds.....and then even more grace on top of that"! No, sin will never be a worthy opponent to grace. But there is something that is more dangerous than sin and a greater threat to the grace of God. It's called self-righteousness.

In Matthew 11:23-24, Jesus makes a remarkable statement. He says that if the miracles that he did in Capernaum had been done in Sodom and Gommarah, Sodom and Gommorah would have repented and remained. Remember, they were the cites that were "nuked" by the wrath of God. Modern-day archeologists have a difficult time even finding remnants that such cities existed. They were literally burnt to the ground because of their gross immorality, and most notably, their homosexuality. And yet, Jesus said that if he had been there and done his miracles in those cities that he did in Capernaum, those cities of gross immorality would have had a revival and received Jesus with open arms.

Capernaum, on the other hand, experienced the earthly ministry of Jesus but did not repent. Jesus lived in the region of Capernaum, spent most of his time there, taught there, and did most of his miracles in their midst. But as a whole, Capernaum refused the ministry of Christ. Unlike Sodom, they were a much more polished and civilized people. Set along the sea, Capernaum was a region of religion and a safe city. It was the kind of place you would want to raise your children. But it was a region mired in self-righteousness. They didn't need Christ, they had their religion. But Jesus could not stand their religious arrogance.

Matthew 11:23-24 (The Message Paraphrase)
²³ And Capernaum! With all your peacock strutting, you are going to end up in the abyss. If the people of Sodom had had your chances, the city would still be around.
²⁴ At Judgment Day they'll get off easy compared to you."

This makes us ask the question: what is more dangerous, sin or self-righteousness?

In light of Jesus' jarring statement, I say self-righteousness if more dangerous. Please understand, I'm not making light of sin. But when people recognize their need and humble themselves before the grace of the Lord, no sin can stop the salvation of Christ. In contrast, self-righteousness hinders Christ's ability to save. Religion renders grace powerless to move.

Our current world may resemble Sodom and Gomorrah with our unbridled passions, greed and love of money, social injustice, and our twisted, confused natures. But we are in a better position than ancient Sodom because Jesus is here. Jesus has come. And Jesus forgives. We, too, can repent, be revived, and remain. As long as we don't resemble self-righteous Capernaum, His grace cannot be stopped.

Thought for the day

Self-righteousness if dangerous because it impedes the grace of God

Not Our Will-power but His Will-power

Hebrews 8:12
¹² For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

You have probably heard the statement, "If there's a will, there is a way." The statement is clear: if we have determination to do something, we will always find the method or path to do it. This kind of thinking makes sense from a natural standpoint. Man has done some amazing things through the power of a "made-up mind" and unrelenting determination.

The problem comes when we attempt to mix this kind of philosophy with the Gospel. According to the Gospel, the answer to our problems is not more "will-power." The answer to the drug addicts struggle with addiction is not in having more self-discipline and a stronger resolve to stay away from drugs. The solution to people's inability to control their lusts and passions is not in their will. And the way to success is not in living a life that depends on the strength of our flesh.

The Gospel tells us that our will is not the way; Jesus is the way! (John 14:6). In Hebrews chapter eight, God initiates the New Covenant of faith in Christ. In explaining the New Covenant, God uses the words "I will" six times. He says "I will make a new covenant.....I will make (this covenant) with the house of Israel.....I will put my laws into their mind......I will be to them a God......I will be merciful to their unrighteousness......I will remember their sins no more."

The burden of responsibility is on the Father. In the Old Testament, the focus was on what man could do. In this new way, the focus is on what Christ has already done. Six times, he says what He will do. Of course, the number six is the number of man. This is a covenant established by the Father and Jesus and mankind becomes the beneficiary of the blessings! When we accept the Father's work through Christ, our strength is no longer in our will-power. Our strength is in His will-power! The power of His will is more than enough to cause us to overcome and succeed in any area of our lives.

Stop relying on your own will-power to overcome and succeed in life. Find yourself in His will! In that will, there is more than enough power for you to succeed!

Thought for the Day

When the strength of our will fails, the power of His will takes over

The Kingdom Way to Change for the Better

2 Corinthians 3:18

¹⁸ But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

All of us have certain areas of our lives that we want to see changed for the better. God put within our DNA the desire to increase, improve, and influence. A sense of satisfaction comes when we can see the positive proofs in our lives that we have changed for the better. The question is: how do we change for the better? Man's answer to this common question is to work harder, become more disciplined, give more self-effort, and stay diligent, focused, and determined to reach the desired goal. There is nothing "evil" about this approach to change. Many positive things come through man's diligent effort. But is this diligent self-effort also God's prescribed method of change?Now that we are in Christ and the Kingdom of God is within us, what does God say about the power to change?

As in many things, God's method of change is drastically different than man's way. 2 Corinthians 3:18 tells us that we are changed when we behold "as in a mirror the glory of God." The glory of the Lord is the entirety of God's goodness, loving nature, and faithful character. In the New Covenant, Jesus is the totality of the glory of God. So we are changed for the better when we behold Jesus. This seems too simple in contrast to man's hard work and self-effort. But this is God's way. This is a better way.

Also note that we are to behold God's glory "as in a mirror." In the natural, when we look into a mirror, we see ourselves. But the mirror we are to look into is the Word of God (James 1:23). In the Word of God we see our true selves, we see who we are in Christ. As we behold Jesus and gaze upon his perfection and his perfect work that he did on our behalf, we are "changed." The Greek word is "metamorphoo" meaning "transformed." We are not just changed, we are transformed. Biblically, there is a difference. When you work hard, stay disciplined, and give optimal effort to change, you can modify your behavior. On the inside you are still the same but you have modified your behavior on the outside. But when you gaze upon the glory of God in the perfection of Christ, you are transformed. Transformation is stronger than change. In transformation, the change happens from the inside out. This is God's way to change---the better way!

While man seeks change through hard work, discipline, and determination, God works change in us through grace. Specifically he graces us in three ways so that we can change from the inside out:

1. The grace to behold the perfection of Jesus and His perfect work (2 Cor 3:18)

2. The grace to renew our minds, change our beliefs to line up with His Word, and thus, change our outward actions (Romans 12:1-2)

3. The grace to obtain all the goals and destiny God has set before us (1 Cor 15:10)

If you have been trying to achieve change through your own effort and hard work, make a decision today to see change happen in your life---God's way. Don't rely upon your own strength to change for the better. Look to Christ and watch the transformation take place!

Don't Look Down on Yourself but Look Up to Christ

2 Corinthians 3:3-5
³ Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
⁴ And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:
⁵ Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;

In today's culture of self-worship, so much emphasis is put on having a healthy and positive self-esteem. The fruit of this emphasis is people who either are arrogant and self-centered or people who are depressed and downcast. Both extremes are the results of looking to self for satisfaction and sufficiency.

I believe that it is important to be confidant, secure in who you are, and demonstrate a healthy confidence in how God has made you. But I don't believe that focusing on "self-esteem" is the answer for the child of God. We have something better than "self-esteem" and it's "highly esteeming Christ." When we look to Christ, we gain an authentic security and satisfaction in who we are. In 2 Corinthians chapter three, Paul is focusing on the difference between the Old Covenant of the Law of Moses and the New Covenant in Christ Jesus. In this New Covenant, he says that we "are not sufficient of ourselves to think anything of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God." This is a powerful statement that hits the "self-esteem" mentality straight between the eyes! We are not to think anything of ourselves! Now does this mean we are to look down on ourselves, beat ourselves up, and walk around with a sense of false humility of how horrible we are? Absolutely not! The key is in finding your sufficiency in who you are in Christ. The more you look on Christ, the more confident and secure you become!

In the Old Covenant, the burden of performance was upon the people. If God's people performed adequately by obeying God and being holy, then they were eligible for God's blessings. In other words, they learned to become "self-sufficient." Religion thrives on self-sufficiency. Now this will make you either boastful or beat-down. Boastful if you perform well; beat down if you perform inadequately. But in the New Covenant, our sufficiency is not in ourselves. Our sufficiency is in what Christ has done---- not in what we have or haven't done.

This truth is so powerful it will change your life for the better! Down look down on yourself but look up to Christ. He has the perfect pedigree, the perfect performance, and the perfect position! Find yourself in Him and all will be well!

Thought for the Day

When you look to yourself, you will always find an imperfection. But when you look to Christ, you will find yourself in his perfection.

God will Never Be Angry With You Again

It never feels good when people are angry with you. Despite how emotionally strong we are or how much self-confidence we possess, having someone angry at you can affect you in a negative way. Sometimes somebody close to you will be angry with you and not verbally communicate their anger toward you but they will show signs of their displeasure. They won't talk to you, they avoid you, or they show no signs of love and agreement. Other times, people will be angry with you and they will be sure to let you know their feelings! They scream, yell, punish, and even may seek to harm you. These are never enjoyable moments!

How much greater would the negative impact on us be if God, the Maker of heaven and earth, was angry with us? How would he show his anger toward us? Would he punish us? Maybe he would refuse to allow good things to happen in our life. Or maybe he would display the silent kind of anger and refuse to speak to us, show his goodness towards us, or give us the sense of agreement and peace. And if God really gets angry with us, would he become wrathful and even seek to harm and hurt us?

For many people, these are legitimate questions. Religion has taught us that God will get angry with us just like people can get angry with us. And when God gets really angry, it's not outlandish to think that he would even allow tragedy to happen to us.

Today, let's set the record straight! God has promised that he would never be angry with us again! Not even for one moment or second! In Isaiah chapter 54, God is predicting the coming of the New Covenant established by the death and ressurection of his Son, Jesus Christ. In this passage God makes this promise: "For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies I will gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so I have sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee" (Isaiah 54:7-10).

The promises in this passage are outstanding and seem almost too good to be true! But that is exactly what the Gospel is----almost too good to be true news! Now notice the words in this passage. First the Father said, "For a small moment have I forsaken thee....." The history of Israel shows us that God forsook his people momentarily when they disobeyed him. But in light of the fact that God will never forsake his people again, this is merely a sliver of time in the light of eternity. Secondly, the Father said he will have "everlasting kindness" towards us and everlasting "mercy" on us. How long is everlasting? It's forever! Think of it. God will take our lifetimes and eternity to show His kindness towards us. And his mercy will never run out!

Then, God illustrates his promise that he would never again flood the earth as in the times of Noah. Likewise, he has "sworn" that he never again will be angry with us or show us his wrath. Simply taking the time to read this passage slowly will stop all the preachers and the world from blaming God whenever a natural disaster of tragedy occurs. God has promised to never be angry with us or show us his wrath!

But this passage also has personal benefits for your own life. You do not have to live under the burden of thinking that God is mad at you. God is not holding his goodness back from you because of your sins or failures. And he will never hurt or punish you. In contrast, he desires to show you his kindness for the rest of your life and beyond! He has promised that this kindness towards you will never cease and he will forever relate to you based upon the eternal covenant of his peace (verse 10). So when the "mountains shall depart and the hills be removed" remember that it is not God who is angry with you. And if God is not angry with you, then that puts everything in proper perspective.

Thought for the Day

People may get angry with you, but God will never get angry with you.

Keep it Simple!

2 Corinthians 11:3
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

This one verse reveals a great truth: The Gospel of Jesus Christ is simple! Now this may sound so simple that it doesn't offer much great revelation or insight. But I disagree. Over the years, religion has complicated the simplicity of the Gospel. Primarily, this has been done by adding more and more requirements, rules, and regulations to walking in relationship with the Father. The focus shifts from what Christ HAS DONE to all that we NEED TO DO. Once this happens, the purity of the Gospel is tainted by unhealthy additives!

The Apostle Paul was concerned that "the simplicity that is in Christ" would be complicated by the strategy of the serpent, the devil. Just like the devil tempted Eve, he would tempt us to complicate the Gospel to the point where it is unrecognizable. Of course, the enemy wants to do this because the Gospel is the "power of God unto salvation" (Romans 1:16). The devil fears the simple Gospel! He fears a people who will live their lives in the simplicity that is in Christ! True power to live an overcoming successful life is found only in the Gospel.

Notice that the serpent will try to complicate the simplicity that is in Christ "by any means." Also notice that his target is our minds and thoughts. This indicates that his tools will be teachings, philosophies, and ideas. We don't like to admit it, but the church has been one of the primary perpetrators of corrupting people's minds from the simplicity that is in Christ! That may be hard to swallow, but it is the truth. Think of all the teachings and messages you have heard that added more requirements to the Gospel than was necessary. The messages implied that its Jesus and this or that. It's Jesus and your ability to live holy. It's Jesus and your faithfulness. This is not the Gospel! The Gospel is Jesus plus nothing equals everything!

Many will agree that the Gospel is simple in its presentation for salvation: Jesus died, he rose again, and salvation is dependent on you believing and receiving Jesus as Lord (Romans 10).But once we do that, the Christian life becomes more and more complicated. In other words, we started out simple, but now the journey becomes more difficult and elaborate. Religion urges us, "You can't stay with such a simple message, grow up! Get deeper!" But this kid of thinking is a great deception and exactly the kind of mentality the serpent wants us to have.

Colossians 2:6 says, "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him." Now think about how you "received Christ." Did you work your way into receiving Christ? Did you live a holy life to receive Christ? Did you serve God to receive Christ? Absolutely not! You received Christ by hearing truth and believing it! The same way you received Christ is the same way you are going to grow in Christ. You hear the truth of the good news and you believe it!

I know this goes against much of what we have been taught because it's too simple! But its the simplicity of Christ that will work wonders in your life! Come out of the confusion, the complexities, and the entanglements of religion. Choose to keep it simple!

Thought for the Day

The simplicity of Christ is enough to confuse the serpent and work the miraculous in your life.

The New Covenant Mentality

Have you ever got stuck reading a certain passage of Scripture. Recently, I am "stuck" on 2 Corinthians chapter three. In this passage, the Apostle Paul clearly shows that there is a New Covenant that has come into place since the death of Christ. This New Covenant is to be the "policy manual" for the Christian. Unfortunately, many Christians are still operating with an Old Covenant mentality. They approach God on the basis of their performance, they labor under a "works" mentality, and ministry becomes tainted with religiosity and legalism. But 2 Corinthians 3 tells us that the Old Covenant is a ministry of "death" and "condemnation." If we want our lives to be snuffed out and die a slow death, then the Old Covenant is where we want to be! But if we want life, joy, peace, and wellness, then we must turn to the New Covenant and renew our minds to this new way of living!

As I continue to meditate on this passage, we see several truths concerning this New Covenant:

1. In the New Covenant, the emphasis is on living from the heart and not being dictated by a book of rules and regulations (verse 3).

2. In the New Covenant, the emphasis is on depending upon the sufficiency of Christ and not relying upon self-sufficiency (verses 4 and 5).

3. In the New Covenant, the emphasis is on living and enjoying life as Christ infuses His life into every area of our life (v6).

4. In the New Covenant, we are given the ability to have ever-increasing revelation and a closer relationship with the Father (v7-8).

5. In the New Covenant, we can have a greater expectation of miracles, God's manifest presence, and blessings in our lives (v8-9).

6. In the New Covenant, we are given a guarantee that if we teach the right message, we will get the right results (v9).

7. In the New Covenant, we no longer need to live by the dictations and burden of the Old Covenant (v10-11 Amplified version).

8. In the New Covenant, there is no need for hesitancy, wonder, or questioning; ministers of the New Covenant can be bold, emphatic, certain, and fearless (v12).

9. In the New Covenant, there is no need for hype, playacting, showiness; we are free to be authentic, transparent, and real (v13-14).

10. In the New Covenant, the moment you turn to Christ, the veil is taken away (v15-16).

11. In the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit has full liberty to work (v17).

Praise God the veil has been lifted! There is no hindrance to our relationship with the Father. The glory of God is now in us! Once we get rid of the law mentality, we can see the grace and goodness of God clearly!