Growing up in the Presbyterian church, I seemed to offend people with one comment. I told those who asked me that I was NOT a Presbyterian, but a follower of Jesus.
That ruffled feathers … some even in my own family.
But I have never been more convicted on this very topic.
I want to preface what I write today to say that I am absolutely not against the church, any church. I have no agenda against religion as I believe that it has benefited our communities greatly.
But my allegiance is to Jesus … and Jesus alone. If that fits in to a church—great. And if it doesn’t, so be it.
John has done a great deal to influence this — or should I say God’s influence on John has influenced this. I do not believe that John could have written his incredible literary masterpiece without the help of God alone.
And so I say today … Jesus alone.
This conviction does not belong to an individual church … or religion. After writing books in the New Testament, John was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching about Jesus and the word of God. On Patmos, John had some incredibly hard to understand visions but continued to preach the same message. In the book Revelation, he claims he was convicted by God to write this:
Revelation 3 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
This is a strange statement to me … but it implies that God has given us the choice. And that choice is to receive Him or to not receive Him.
It doesn’t say become a Presbyterian, or a Catholic, or a Lutheran, or a Methodist, or really, ANY other religion. In fact, John tells us in John 1 that
John 1 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
To THOSE who received Him.
To read those words is to realize … we have a choice.
Because Jesus’ life was not political … as a politician, he failed miserably (thank God). He successfully drove away BOTH SIDES.
His life wasn’t a military pursuit. But He drove back soldiers at the temple and stood up for the broken—no matter what the law might have been.
He could not be put in the religious category—after all, He was driven out of the synagogue and crucified for claiming to be God. After His execution and stories of His resurrection, the church not only disliked His followers, they pursued them, imprisoned them, and killed them. Saul lead the charge. And only after an encounter on the road into Syria did he change his mind and become a follower. The greatest champion of the new testament tried to squash out the followers of Jesus. And then … he changed teams.
Jesus could not be put in the category of rich. He had nothing but the clothes on His back at His execution.
He could not be put in the category of powerful. He chose not to push anyone back NOR force anyone to follow.
So what can we say?
In one of the most difficult texts to understand, He meets a religious leader at night:
John 3 1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night. 3 In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. ”
He tells all of us:
John 3 16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
After saying that He was “Jacob’s ladder”, that anyone who wanted to follow Him must “eat His flesh and drink His blood”, and after claiming that HE was the living water, He then declared:
John 10 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.
These are not the words of a prophet. They aren’t the words of a nice guy. These are the words of a lunatic, or a liar, or a man telling the truth.
But that being said, they are words that are worth reading.
I don’t think Jesus was crazy.
I don’t think that He was a liar.
I don’t think that He didn’t know what He was doing.
I think that Jesus knows exactly who He is … and exactly who we are.
I think Jesus loves Muslims, and atheists, and political leaders, and army generals, and prostitutes, and corporate raiders, and homeless addicts.
And, if I am reading His gospels correctly, I think that He is giving EVERYONE the same choice.
CHOOSE HIM
or
REJECT HIM
But, as He said, “weigh the cost”. It’s the most financial decision that you will ever make.
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Coach J
2 MINUTE WARNING 