Jesus is way cool!
As I was growing up I was taught about Jesus and was told that he was holy, perfect, pure, gentle, loving, NICE, etc..
But then one day I got revelation of God from a band called King Missile with their song "Jesus was way cool" and I realised that he was more than perfect but also cool.
- As the song describes Jesus was a revolutionary, he was radical - and hopefully what I have got to say will paint a picture of just how cool Jesus is.
So I thought I’d better do some research to check if Jesus truly was cool?
So I grabbed my trusty dictionary to see what cool really meant, of course it said cold and things like that, but it some definitions of cool, which fitted Jesus perfectly.
1) Calm - disciples woke him up at sea, they thought they were going to die, but Jesus told them to chill out and then LIKE THE FONZ, CLICKED HIS FINGERS AND ALL WAS STILL.
2) attractive – not physically – no brad pitt, but as a person
feeding the 5,000 – they came to hear him speak.
Our society generally perceives rebels as being cool. Eminem, James Dean, the sex pistols – thought of as cool.
Well I would like to tell you that Jesus too was a rebel. But he was not a rebel without a cause; he was a holy rebel.
He did what God wanted him to do and didn’t care what society might tell him he should do
- He broke the societies rule and not only came within speaking distance with lepers but he even touched them.
- He healed people on the Sabbath, the holy church day, this wasn’t allowed, and this really aggravated the religious leaders of the day. He cared more about people than rules, respect than expectations
One of my favourite reasons as to why Jesus was cool was that he was a passivist (that is he hated violence). When Judas came to betray Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane one of Jesus companions tried to stop the guards by having a swing at a guard with a sword, and in the process the guards ear was cut off. Not only did Jesus tell off his naughty friend for playing so rough, but he fixed up the whole problem by sticking the ear back on. (mOUTH NOISE.)
- By the way he healed the man’s ear he didn’t just force it back onto the open wound.
Jesus humility was also cool.
Arrogance is such an annoying quality, but Jesus was the opposite.
He was always humble even though he had every reason to arrogant - he’s God he can do what he wants.
e.g.
- Jesus washed his disciple’s feet.
- Forgave the men who crucified him.
- Humble enough to talk to the sinners next to him on the cross even throughout out the pain and suffering,
Jesus was also cool for being the first politically correct person (that is realise that every individual deserves love). Even though he lived at a time when it was normal and even expected to be racist, sexist, ageist and even to discriminate because someone sinned more than you did.
Jesus life was revolutionary and it changed the way people thought.
- Racist - the Good Samaritan, the story everyone knows, where the bad guys were the Jews and the hero was a half-cast.
- Sexist - he talked to the prostitute at the well and to Mary and Martha in a day and age when men made no excuses for being sexist. Women were treated as second class citizen but Jesus treated them as equals
- Agist - "let the little children come to me "
- Sinnist - " Zacheus, get down from that tree, I want to have tea at your place tonight" NO, JESUS WASN’T SHORT OF CASH AND NEEDED TO SCAB FOOD, by having tea at Zaccheus house he showed everyone that he didn’t care about Zaccheus sinful past wear he stole from people while collecting taxes.
- IQist - his disciples were just fisherman, they were wharfies, port Adelaide supports, not bright boys at all - but Jesus knew their heart were in the right place. (Well, maybe not Judas)
Luke 12: 22 - 26
- This passage show’s how relaxed Jesus was and it’s definitely cool to be relaxed.
- How cool are Jesus words in this passage, the song "Don’t worry, Be happy" pales into insignificance next to this because Jesus gives reason not to worry other humans can’t – Jesus IS the reason.
- "Life is more than food and the body more than clothes" and people try to suggest the bible is not relevant today, I’d say this passage is even more relevant today as all the youngest are so worried about wearing the right Fubu tops while us older kids are making sure we don’t look the same as the youngsters but we are just as worried about that fashion thing
Jesus ,however, just wore his dress and was happy! (gown/kaftan)
Jesus was cool because he preached love thousands of years before the hippie’s drug inspired sex-crazed form of love.
- And unlikely the hippies he preached unconditional love to everyone even your enemies.
- Even before Bambi was invented and Thumpers mum said "if can’t say anything nice don’t say anything at all " - Jesus came along and challenged us to be more than NICE to others but to love everyone.
- He challenged people to " Love their enemies", he not only said it but he did it himself, what greater display of love than to ask God to forgive the people who were crucifying him.
Everyone knows that the supernatural is cool, there are lots of popular TV shows around like Sabrina, Buffy, X-files.
Well Jesus regularly performed supernatural healings and miracles, that very cool – no need for special FX or TV tricks
He did it for practical reasons too - he fed the 5000 - why? Because they were hungry and there was no fast food takeaway shops around.
Likewise he healed the blind, lame, deaf, lepers, even the dead - Jesus reached out to people at their greatest need and for many of these it was they needed to be healed.
So hopefully by now you will agree with me that Jesus was cool, but your probably starting to think that he’s just not normal.
Well let me tell you he was also a human being not unlike you and me
- He not only learnt but did TECH STUDIES FOR A LIVING - HE WAS A CARPENTER, WE HAVE ALL HAD TO SUFFER THROUGH THAT AT SCHOOL WELL HE DID TOO.
- He was tempted
- He went to weddings, parties (he wrecked the occasional funeral by healing people)
- He had mates, lads, hommies - whatever you might like to call them, they are often traditionally referred to as THE DISCIPLES.
- He had other "sinful" friends who were as bad as your friends - they stole, slept around, killed people, Jesus was still friends with them but his lifestyle was not compromised by his friends influence, instead he influenced them.
- Jesus even had emotions, he did the ever so normal thing of crying upon the death of a friend - I’ve done it and I bet most of you have too.
- Jesus even got stressed out, in the Garden of Gethsemane he was so stressed out by knowing he was about to die that he sweated blood
Jesus is cool because he is the main character of the best- selling book of all time - ever.
Jesus was so cool and revolutionary that our whole measure of time is centred around him.
But without doubt the coolest thing about Jesus was that he didn’t just die, but instead rose from the grave. And has taken away my stuff ups and sins, by dying and rising from the dead. I think it is most excellent that someone so cool would want to die for each of us. He has forgiven us of ALL of our sins, all he asks of us is that we’d admit our guilt and choose to follow him.
Jesus is not just some dead Messiah, but he has risen and is still alive today. – Now that is cool. So the song ‘Jesus was way cool” is actually wrong, because it uses a past tense. Jesus IS still way cool, because he is alive and active even now. It’s because he IS alive that we can have that living personal relationship with him. If you have never experienced Jesus before then get into it, read the bible, learn to worship and pray, he wants you to no only know about him, but to experience him. GOSPELS
Okay, I bet most of you agree with me right now that yeah Jesus was pretty cool, much cooler than you thought, but the story doesn’t end there.
Jesus doesn’t want you to admire him or acknowledge him; he died for you so he wants more than that and rightly so. He wants you to be your Lord and Saviour.
As c.s Lewis stated, Jesus claimed to be God to many times to just be a clever moralistic teacher worthy of admiration. He can only be one of 3 options – liar, lord or lunatic
1) claim to be God, but just lying – why die for a lie
2) lunatic – really thought he was, not the words of a mad man
3) lord – maybe when he claimed to be God, he was telling the truth – risen from the grave.
If the great God that created the universe, said amidst all the billions of people, I care about you. I want to have a friendship with you, what would you think. If you realised, he knows everything you’ve done and thought, and despite the fact that he is perfect, he still loves you. Would you be interested.
Well, its true – his love for you is so great, he was willing to die for you, so that you can be set free from your sin and begin a relationship that begins now on earth, but continues forever in heaven. Its that sort of relationship what Alicia shared about that God offers each one of us to have. One of the main reasons he made you, is so that you can experience his love.
If you are sitting here tonight and are already Christian hopefully what I’ve said will have inspired you to be more proud of your Lord and saviour. Remember, Jesus is much cooler that you’ll ever be so please treat him accordingly. Jesus has done so much for you, He died for you now go and Live for him.
But my big challenge is if you are not yet a Christian or not sure – my challenge to you is simple, why not?
Today you can decide and make certain this very night, that you want to ask Jesus. The coolest person to have ever lived, the one who loves you unconditionally. You can begin a relationship with him tonight …..
