the basic message #E218
In my NIV study Bible, the book of Matthew begins with Jesus' genealogy, and quickly proceeds to the temptation of Jesus by Satan. When Jesus is finally ready to begin his work on earth in earnest, what do we read?
Matthew 4:17
From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
Now please notice that the passage doesn't say, "Jesus mentioned", or "Jesus' opinion was"- nope, he said very clearly "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." Notice another part of the passage that eludes many Christians: "From that time on Jesus began to preach....." In other words, this wasn't a one-shot deal; he apparently spent plenty of time on the subject. Some teachers like to say, "Oh, but you need to remember that Jesus' audience was the Jews." I don't read anything in this passage that includes or excludes any particular group. I believe Jesus was talking to everyone, but the problem then and now is that few want to listen.
What's so tough about accepting Jesus' instructions about repentance? It's very simple- repentance puts a kink in our lifestyles. Repentance- real repentance keeps us from doing the same bad things over and over and over. Perhaps we need to first understand the dictionary definition of repent. Webster's says, "To turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one's mind." Webster's also offers this definition: "To feel regret or contrition".
If we surveyed the average congregation this Sunday morning, what might they say about their personal repentance? First of all, the average Christian seldom considers his sins, and if he does, he doesn't have much of a plan to amend his mind or life. Why is it so tough to get Christians to take a good, hard look at their sinful lifestyles? The answer is simple, yet tragic. The modern Christian church has taken all of the burden of sin from the sinner and allowed Jesus to be the pack mule to carry all of the load. The easy-believism crowd loves it that way, since it gives them license to sin and not feel any remorse. "Jesus died for our sins!" thunders the pastor, but why would Jesus, very early in his mission on earth, say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near"? I firmly believe that Jesus wants each of us to take our sins very seriously, and he wants us to experience a change of mind and action to move to his perfect standard. All he's asking us to do is our best, and then he will handle the rest. This seems to be the point of contention- our best. Perhaps many people feel like they're already doing their best in curbing their personal sin. I know darned good-and-well that I'm not doing a very good job, and I struggle with that daily. What is the big deal, you might ask.
The big deal is simple- how does my life look to Jesus Christ? Not very good, I suspect. Oh yes, I write these messages and keep up with my website that is dedicated to Christ, but is that good enough? Of course not. And yes, I'm pretty faithful in attending church most of the time, but that isn't good enough either. What is it about my life that causes me so much concern? It's like this: what should I change in my life, what am I capable of changing, and finally, how well am I doing in making those changes? When an alcoholic goes to his first AA meeting, he must step-up and say, "My name is Jim, and I'm an alcoholic". Why is this step so critical? Until a person can admit he has a problem, there is no need for improvement. The same holds true for repentance- there is no need to repent until the person can admit there's a problem. Like what?
How about theft? Oh, I know, you've never stolen anything......or have you? Have you ever goofed-off at work? That's theft, because you've taken money for work you didn't do. "Oh, but everyone does that." Yes, and the road to Hell is wide and many are on it. How about this one: dangerous driving. When we drive too fast or yak on the cell phone or eat a Big Mac while driving, we're endangering the lives of others. If we kill someone while doing any of these, we'll say, "it was an accident". Was it? Accidents are different than actions that result from poor judgment. If a parent doesn't put their child in a car seat and that child is propelled through a windshield during a collision, is the injury or death of that child an accident, or is it poor judgment?
What do I need to repent of? Plenty, but I'll share a few things with you today. I'm judgmental, and I'm quick to rush to judgment. I justify this because usually my judgment of people and situations is correct, but until the day comes that I'm 100% right, I need to curb this bad habit. I often have an acid tongue. When I'm totally fed up with a person or a situation, I can cut them to pieces with my words. Is Jesus proud of me when I do that? I'm a control freak. I don't like to be involved in any event that is poorly planned or managed. I absolutely go nuts when I'm dealing with people that don't have a plan to do whatever they want to do. My time is valuable to me, and I have no tolerance of people who don't value time. Maybe this isn't a sin, but the way I react to the situation is. How am I doing in my quest to improve? Okay, I'd say. Not excellent, but okay. I've been called a legalist in my views, and that's fine- if being a legalist makes me acceptable to my Savior, you can call me whatever you like.
The real question is, "how good do we have to be?" I don't know, but one thing I do know is that the average American Christian is a long way from being what he should be. We're selfish, hotheaded, egotistical, materialistic and many other things that Jesus doesn't appreciate much. How can you know if you life is pleasing to Jesus? It's simple- just read what he said and did and try to mold your life into that image.