We digressed this week to address a topic that I believe is important to our understanding of all we have learned in Romans. After all, if we really don't understand the enormous consequences of our sin, how can we grasp the reality of what Jesus and His grace has done for us?
We talked about hell starting with getting our identity from anything other than God. Ultimately, it all boils down to "me." I feel good about myself because I am handsome or beautiful, or because I have an amazing job, or because I am a wonderful mom, dad, kid, teacher, bookkeeper, gardener, babysitter, student or.... You get the idea. It's all about me.
What I want to focus on in this post is the last part of yesterday's sermon. People can't be scared into heaven. What? Let me say that again! People can't be scared out of hell and into heaven!
The reason that is true, is because if I start serving God and following His commandments and going to church because I don't want to go to hell, it is still all about me! I am now using God for my purposes (to go to heaven) but there has been no change in my heart!
A quote from yesterday's sermon:
Radical unconditional love is the only thing that will take our mistrustful, in denial, conniving hearts and shock them into a whole new way of living and being.
When man sinned in the Garden of Eden, it began with a thought of pride and arrogance and wanting what I want. If I begin to "straighten up" solely for purposes of escaping hell, all of those same sinful elements are there:
- Pride - I can do this myself. I can escape hell through my own choices and my own good works.
- Arrogance - I can beat the system. I can prove God wrong by doing it myself.
- Wanting What I Want - Forget the worship and the submission to God, I'll just do this thing to get what I want.
What God wants from us is a radical response to His radical love. He wants a bended knee and a contrite heart. He wants you to agree with His assessment of your helplessness and come to Him with a grateful heart. Not waving the white flag of surrender, although surrender is involved.
When a weary enemy surrenders in the battle of war, he waves the white flag, but in his heart he is still angry and hates the one he is surrendering to. He is only surrendering because he wants to save himself. But there is no change of heart.
When we come to God, it is more than a white flag surrender. It is a radical change of mind because we see the light and understand God's radical love and amazing grace. We are filled with gratitude that calls us to give our lives and everything we are and everything we have to our Savior.
