Danger Zone!

J. We are called as followers of Christ to get rid of every bit of bitterness in our lives, to forgive as the Lord forgave us.

K. No one says it is easy. It won’t be for Steve Utash. A young child ran out in front of his pick up truck as he traveled down an inner city street in Detroit last week. He stopped to help the child and was brutally assaulted by nearly a dozen young men and literally beaten nearly to death. He is said to be a Christian and if he recovers this side of heaven he will have to make a decision on whether he will nurse a grudge against these men or extend forgiveness. It won’t be easy, but it is possible in Christ.

L. It wasn’t easy for Renee Napier. She had to choose between nursing a grudge or forgiving the drunk driver who killed her daughter. (You can find this story by doing a search for “Renee Napier” or “Matthew West, song story, Forgiveness, Renee Napier”. Matthew West wrote the song “Forgiveness” based on this story.)

M. Are you holding onto bitterness or a grudge against someone? Hear the call, see the signs-Warning! Danger! Danger! It is time to confess that bitterness, that grudge. It is time for you to find forgiveness in Christ and extend that same forgiveness to others.

3. Notice the danger of Spiritual Curiosity.

A. Spiritual Curiosity? Isn’t that a good thing? Aren’t we very interested in spiritual seekers? There has been a “seeker sensitive” movement in the church.

B. Please notice that King Herod, the one who had John the Baptist beheaded, was spiritually curious.

v. 20-Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him.

C. If you read on in the story of Jesus you will find that he questioned Jesus and hoped he would do a miracle for him.

D. Herod’s spiritual curiosity didn’t help him at all. Why? Because he never got beyond his curiosity.

E. I think there were plenty of spiritually curious people around Jesus. There had to be. Many people came to see him because they were in great need. However, there were certainly may who were curious about this man who was teaching with such authority, who healed so many people, and who had such power over demons.

F. Is it bad to be spiritually curious about Jesus? Certainly not.

G. But is that all that Jesus was looking for? If we examined his words and his life would we come to the conclusion that he is satisfied with merely provoking some spiritual curiosity in his followers? I don’t think so.

H. I think Jesus is looking for spiritual honesty and life commitment. Spiritual curiosity can be a good thing. I think Jesus wants people to be curious about him. I think Jesus was seeker sensitive. However, mere curiosity wasn’t the end result Jesus had in mind. It he only wanted us to be curious or to seek him when it was convenient then he never would have spoken words about losing our lives and picking up our cross and following him. Does Jesus welcome the spiritually curious? He most certainly does and we clearly see this in the gospels. However, he calls the spiritually curious to spiritual honesty and complete commitment to him.