“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, ‘If you continue in My word, then you are really My disciples; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’” (John 8:31-32)
We see in John chapter 8 that the teaching ministry of Jesus was met with skepticism, self-righteous posturing, and even rage. That chapter ends with a mob of hating believers, stones in hand, seeking to pummel Jesus to death. The temptation is to say that haters aren’t believers. But they are: it's just that they don't believe enough. Pastor Sam gave us a wonderful lesson via the old joke about a tightrope walker looking for a volunteer to go across the tightrope with him.
To continue with the analogy, the skill of the tightrope walker was never up for debate. Everyone could see that he knew exactly what he was doing. He was expert, fearless, ultra-competent. They all believed that he could do anything on that tightrope, even push another person across the tightrope in a wheelbarrow. But when the call came for volunteers to join him, no one volunteered.
Pastor Sam made an incredible statement in Sunday’s second service, and I will paraphrase it here: What if Jesus, the resident expert on life, wants to put your life in a wheelbarrow and push you across a tightrope? What if He rocks the wheelbarrow from side to side while you’re in it? What if you and Jesus come off of the tightrope and are falling through the air together? Do you love Him enough to put your life in His hands?
This is it. One can be a believer and a hater, or one can be a believer and a lover. Haters know that God is sovereign. But, according to Scripture, belief combined with hate creates a recipe for separation from God (John 8:34-37; Matthew 7:21-23). Jesus wants us to be believers and lovers, walking in joyful obedience to His commands and allowing Him to be Master of our lives.
Believe. Love. And have a seat in the wheelbarrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment