Forgetting Jesus Summary

Here is the wrap up for the 4 types of Christians who often can end up forgetting Jesus in their walk. Forgetting Jesus can lead to a lot of problem in our faith walk because Jesus is not just Christianity 101, or how you get saved. He is everything in our faith and the main central focus of it. He is the one who provides our growth, joy and help.

Intro

The Distracted Christian

The Chruchy Chrisitan

The Spiritually Blind Christian

The Defunct Christian

Don't just think Jesus is in your company and your walking along with Him fine. Take some time to step back and examine your walk

Forgetting Jesus: The Defunct

Matthew 26:47-50 "While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: 'The one i kiss is the man; arrest him.' Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, 'Greeting, Rabbi!' and kissed him. Jesus replied, 'Friend, do what you came for.' Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him."

Some Christians forget Jesus and ultimately just end up walking away from Him. Things get hard, times get tough and God seems far so they throw in the towel. This can be quite troubling to watch, especially if you know the person who is walking away.

Jesus gives warning to this in a parable, which is a story used to explain a theological concept. 

Luke 8:5

A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up

The parable here is Luke 8-4-15 and in this part Jesus is speaking about a farmer sowing seeds. The seeds represent the gospel message of Jesus and the way the plant develop after having each seed planted show the condition of the soil. The plant is representative of the person. So the seed which does not grow up or even take root is analogous of a person who chooses to follow Jesus but then just gets hammered by life and throws in the towel.

The soil for your salvation must be solid in order for you, the plant, to grow up big and healthy. The soil must contain the idea that you are a sinner before a just God who has every right to punish you. Instead though he provides amnesty through Jesus Christ whom lived a perfect life on your behalf and dies in your place for your sins. He then rises from the dead 3 days later to give you his perfect life so that you can stand in judgment before a holy God and pass because you have Jesus' perfect life.

A case could be made "If he walks away from the faith he lost his salvation" or "if he walks away he was never really saved." We will not dive into either here today but just leave it at this:

2 Timothy 2:19
....Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,”....

Bottom Line:

What is your motivation for following Jesus? Please do not believe the lies that following Him will make you rich, happy, save you marriage and everything will be great. You may come to God and those things may happen, but more then likely they will not. In fact things may get even harder for you when you become a Christian. The foundation and core motivation for you becoming a Christian must be this: That you are seeking salvation from your sins and God's wrath toward them. With this motivation and a deep seated love for Christ, when troubles you will not want to leave. This is because you would be leaving your salvation and shelter. Hard times will come and no one is saying it will be easy.

Forgetting Jesus: The Spiritually Blind Christian

2 Peter 1:9

 ⁹ But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. 

This is the Christian who you could call carnal or immature, he is a Christian but he hides it really well. Every opportunity for growth toward God he seems to pull the emergency brake and slow down. He has forgotten that his sins were paid for and he is nearsighted or blind to what that cost.

The flip side of the coin is the Spirtually blind Christian who has forgotten what Jesus has done and this leads to legalism. When Christians forget Jesus' work on the cross then can slip into moralism and legalism.

This type of forgetfulness can play itself out in one of two ways: one the Christian will be walking on spiritual egg shells around God because he still feels that he has to help God pay for his sins. The second way, the immature way, it plays out is the Christian who never really grows up and just keeps taking from the church, he lolly gags in his sins and shows no real concern for growth.

Characterized by:

• Subjective roller coast relationship with Jesus
• Constant fear of dying, unsure that he has done enough to make God happy
 

or

• Very immature, still playing around in his sins and he is hesitant to leave
• Not looking to give only to take from the local church

Futility of the Christian:

For the first Christian he has forgotten that Jesus died for all his sins and that he  needs to rest in that.

For the second Christian he has forgotten that Jesus is Holy and Lord. He has not allowed the gospel to penetrate his heart and produce motivation to repent, grow and serve

Bottom Line:

Look to the gospel for both cases. To forget that Jesus has forgiven your sins will lead to either despair and trying hard or it will lead to lazy living and sin. They both are bad and come from walking along and forgetting Jesus.

When Jesus said on the cross "it is finished" he meant it and all sins - past, present and future were dealt with. The immature Christian simply needs to grow up and contribute to the local church and stop taking and complaining. He will complain about the church but never lift a finger to help, he will take the free stuff but never give. He will be playing around in his sin and resisting God's push toward growth.

Forgetting Jesus: The Churchy Christian

Rev. 2:2-4

" ² I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. ³ You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

   ⁴ Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first."

 The churchy christian no doubt will offend some of you because I listed him among the ones that forgot Jesus. He could also be called religious or borderline Pharisaical. This Christian has been going to church his whole life, he never lets you forget it, and does not do the "bad things." He can keep up the skin deep Christianity that allows everyone in the church to praise him. Inside though he is rotten and has never seen himself as a sinner in need of Jesus. The key to this Christian is that he acts but does not know why and he has become lukewarm and half into in his walk.

Christians go to church but the primary purpose of the church is for outsiders. This type of Christian has forgotten Jesus because they do not interact with non Christians because it is frowned upon to hang out with people who smoke. They also go through the motions at church almost like it is a country club for people who dress and think like them.

This person can often get so caught up in church and doing this and that, that they often forget why they are doing it in the first place!

Characterized by:

• Thousands of church actives and go to about them all but never really any deep change
• Looks down on those outside the church because they might stain his sweet sweater vest
• This could also be the guy doing everything right and trying real hard to “play by the rules”
• Going on mission trips, serving, staying late but not knowing why, mainly doing it because all his friends are doing it.

Futility of the Christian:

3 problems:

• No interaction with outsiders
•  Forgets church is for the people outside the walls, those who do not know Jesus
•  Not understand culture or arguments against Jesus and thus ineffective in giving the gospel in a way that is culturally relevant 
• So wrapped up in church you forget why you are actually serving

Bottom Line:

This Christian forgets two main things:

• Jesus loves the outsiders, so we need to love them too and not care what it does to our "image."
• Why he does he do different church activities, why does he serve, why does he stay late? Is it to impress others for a shallow positive judgment or is it to help the church reach outsiders?

Forgetting Jesus: The Distracted Christian

Luke 10:38-42

 ³⁸ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” ⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Martha here is very busy.  She is even too busy to sit around and hear Jesus teach.  When Jesus see this he calls her name twice to get her attention. Martha was very busy with work and totally forgot about Jesus.

Today this could be the guy/girl climbing the corporate ladder, super into work or even just too busy watching movies and playing World of War craft to spend time with Jesus. It might not even be busy or productive things, it could be just getting distracted with hobbies. Am I saying that Christians should go home and have no fun? No way, what I am saying is remember Jesus and take time to rest. 

The bottom line is this person is very distracted with life and really does not find a lot of time for Jesus. I mean picture Martha, worrying about dishes when the Son of God is teaching in her living room! Think about us, too busy with You tube when God wants to teach us from the bible and use us to serve!

Jesus gives a stern warning about the distracted Christian in Luke 8:5-16:

^“….7 the Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.”

Jesus then explains what the parable means for the 3^rd seed:

^“…14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.”

They get choked out by life, things get too busy and they don’t have time for Jesus! Martin Luther once said “I am so busy now that if I did not spend three hours each day in prayer, I could not get through the day.” Pretty intense dude!

This type of Christian is characterized by:

• Always busy with … car, pc, movies, sports whatever… it is all they think about and mostly what they spend most free time and money on
• Complain about others not being busy (like Martha did). They moan about how they work so hard every day while other people enjoy a weekend rest. They could also be just the opposite, they sigh because their friends are off working and they have no one to play video games with.
• Usually they could drop what they are doing and spend time with God but they hold the actives more important than God. The reason they do is because they may be false functional saviors. A false savior is a functional item or activity you create to get you out of a little personal hell (credit: Mark Driscoll). This could be a man who needs to find fulfillment in work and what he can accomplish and it becomes a little God to get him out of the “hell” of being unimportant.  It could also be the guy who wastes his days watching movies or screwing around. This Christian is distracted and has no time for God.

Futility of this Christian:

⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Spend some time with God each day, the distracted Christian often can forget Jesus in the daily hustle of life.

Bottom Line:

Your hard work will not get you closer to God, simply resting at His feet and listening to what he has to say. This means when you read your bible open it and ask Him to show you what he has for you each day. Do not get so distracted that you forget what this life is all about.

Forgetting Jesus

 Luke 2:41-49:

“…⁴³ After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. ⁴⁴ Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵ When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him…”

 We see here while Jesus is a boy and traveling with his parents and they leave him behind by accident! What a mess to be in, and I often think "how can you forget the son of God?" It seems pretty silly to be walking along and then all of a sudden stop and say "Wow where is Jesus, the savior of  the world?" I would like to submit that it happens much more often then we would like to admit it our own lives. The forgetfulness though is very subtle, so this week we will take a look at 4 types of Christians who have forgotten Jesus. 

I think we should meet Jesus first:

Everyone has one thing in common, we are all not who we are supposed to be. We were created perfect in the garden of Eden in perfect relationship with our creator. God allowed us to rule the garden and do with it as we saw fit. He established only one rule which was don't eat from a certain tree. Adam and Eve ate from that tree, disobeying God and sending human history into dismay disarray. We have been trying everything we can think of to restore that relationship with God, including more sin. The fact of it is though that God himself came to earth to restore the relationship that we botched! He came as a man, Jesus, and took the penalty for our sin. He became our sin and suffered hell for it. Why did Jesus need to die? He needed to because God is holy and He cannot let sin go unpunished, murders, rapists and those who break his law have two choices: pay for your own sins or let Jesus pay for them. Those who wisely choose the latter can live a new life a joy and in response turn from there sin and worship God. It is not just "bad people" though who have problems with God, because we all have sinned. God's standard is perfection, which means those of us who lie, get angry or are proud are counted as sinners. Jesus took the wrath we deserved and is a great and good God.

OK, little check did you read all of that? Did you just brush it off as "Christianity 101?" Often forgetting Jesus starts with forgetting the gospel.

Here are some questions to get you thinking:

• Are you more focused on performance then on Jesus? (Trying to do this or not do that, instead of worshiping Him and letting that change you)
•  Do you rest at the end of the day or look forward to trying harder? (At the end of the day is it Wow I need to step it up or God will get mad)
• Are you trying to prove your not all “that bad?”(Want to show that you are something and you’re not a “bad sinner” like other people)

Does the truth of what Jesus’ death on a cross impact your life daily?

Check back this week and see how Christians can forget Jesus!

Use Your Noggin' Series: Fallacies - Ad hominem tu Quoque

Logical Fallacies

What is a logical fallacy?
It is a false or deceptive notion within a logical argument. It is an error in reasons while making an argument. It is not simply just being wrong about a statement, it is a statement where your premise does not provide sound logic or support for that conclusion. In other words, your statement that you make before you come to a conclusion is not grounded in logic.

Why learn them?
Because you want to be able to present and defend your faith and views with intelligence. The main goal ultimately being able to point people toward Jesus while gently helping clear some confusion about Jesus

Today we will be looking a fairly common and easy to spot logical fallacy. After this you can go impress your friends and look really smart when your sister is making fun of you.The logical fallacy is:


Ad hominem tu Quoque


Commonly called the You Too fallacy! This type of logic fallacy occurs when a person uses a event, view, or previous statement to attack the speakers argument.


Example:

• Person A: Presents several claims about a topic
• Person B: Shows several past statements or events that person A said or did which are inconsistent with Person A's original statement
• Therefore Person B claims that Person A's original claim is false.

This is a fallacy because past events or statements cannot be used as a way to side step current issues brought up in a claim. Past events or statements are independent of current claims made by a speaker. Inconsistency in speakers claims do not automatically render all current claims false.


In other words, let’s say speaker A for years says "We should not sign a nuclear treaty with Russia" then lays out 5 good points as to why we should not. If speaker A then votes in the Senate to pass a bill allowing an arms treaty, it does not nullify his arguments against it. If you want to nullify speaker A's claims against not making a treaty you must attack the claims not the person’s actions or past contradicting statements.

Example:

• Doctor tells patient “Don’t smoke it will give you cancer
• Patient says I saw you smoking earlier it can’t be that bad
• Patient arrives at the conclusion that smoking is OK, because the Doctor does it

Again, this type of fallacy is committed because actions are inconsistent with words. This could also be called acting like a hypocrite, but just because someone does not do what they say does not discredit what they are saying. It should give way to further examination but my statement of A cannot be discredited by my actions with are on the contrary of statement A.

The truth of a statement must be judged on the statement not against the person delivering it. Attacking the person delivering the statement is another fallacy listed below. This is important because too many people make this error when entering into debates or discussions.


Example committed commonly by non Christians -

Non Christians will often attack Christians caught in a sin and point to that instance to say “see look the bible is not true and Christianity is a shame!” This is incorrect logic obviously as we learned above. The fact is, Christians sin and that does not disprove anything in the bible.


Example committed commonly by Christians -

In the book of Galatians, chapter 2, we see an error committed by many Christians in the life of Peter. Peter is telling these new Christians one thing, you do not have to obey Jewish customs, and when Jews come around he is going back on what he said and acting in complete contradiction to his teaching.


When many of us read this we miss the hypocrisy but I promise it was not missed by the Galatian church. The incorrect response to Peter would be to disregard all of his teaching. The correct response would be to call him out on it and lead him to repentance, read chapter 2 to see what happens




More to follow

Bitterness

Bitterness can fester like a wound. It starts small and over time can become so large it cannot be handled. Bitterness can destroy friendships, marriages and even a relationship with God. Albert Einstein says compounding interest is the most powerful force in the universe, I would say bitterness has to be a close second.

In the great classic Moby Dick by Herman Melville we see what bitterness can do to man. Captain Ahab here is issuing a rally to his men to join him in killing Moby Dick, the whale that took his leg earlier in life. This ultimately leads to his death by the hands of the great white whale. We see though that in general bitterness festers over time. It starts with a sin committed against us which we never make peace with. Below is a snippet from Moby Dick

 
"...it was Moby Dick that dismasted me....Then tossing both arms, with measureless imprecations he shouted out: "Aye, aye! and I'll chase him round Good Hope, and round the horn, and round the norway maelstrom, and round perdition's flames before I give him up."


Some of you who have been seriously wronged by others may say “So what I hate that jerk (or whatever is your favorite expletive).” Some of you may be saying to yourself  “You know what self (or whatever you call yourself), I don’t want to make peace with so and so.” Or the classic “They hurt me!” Is reconciliation worth it? Can’t I just give him the right hand of fellowship – right into his jaw? Will my bitterness really turn into something bad? I totally agree with you and wonder the same things at times! Also yes, you are probably right, the person you don’t like probably is a jerk, but so are you at times.

So the question now should be: Why should I make peace with someone who only hurts me? Why should I be nice to anyone who is stubborn, stuck up, rude and being mean to me? Why should I care about someone who doesn’t care for me?

The answer is very simply found in Jesus

Jesus came to make us right with Him even though we were the ones who wrecked the relationship first! We offended Him and then He came as a man, lived without sin, and died on the cross in our place. He took the death we deserved for our sin. He did this so we could be reconciled to Him. He wants a relationship with us and wants to give us new life. I ran from him, he came for me. I cussed him out and gave him nothing, yet he blessed me and gave me his life. I did not show him any love, but he showed me His love for me by dying for me.

I don’t deserve this forgiveness and it is very debilitating to my bitterness toward others. How can I, who have been forgiven and loved while being a jerk, now turn around and refuse forgiveness and love to someone who sinned against me?

We can restore our broken relationships and be freed of our bitterness because Jesus already reconciled us to Himself. In other words, I want to seek reconciliation with others because Jesus sought it with me. 


Today – consider all that Jesus had done for you – and let his goodness to you absorb your bitterness for those who have wronged you.