BELIEVING ON THE INSIDE: If what’s on the inside is real, it will make it out.
- Luke 12:8-9.
- Many people have the idea that as long as I have “Jesus in my heart” then I’m ok.
- And often implicit with that is the idea that my faith can be a private thing. It’s “me and Jesus.” Whether I share my faith publicly, whether I ever mention my faith, whether there are any outward manifestations of my faith is immaterial.
- If our faith is real, it’s going to make its way out.
- We are not going be able to keep it hidden.
- The idea of a private faith that doesn’t need to be known by anyone else is a misnomer. Real faith is going to come out.
- Like the old story about the senior saint who always had a dour, sour look on her face. One day a little girl in the church asked her why she didn’t have the joy of the Lord. The senior saint replied, “I do. I have it in my heart.” The little girl said, “Well, your heart needs to tell your face.”
- Would Jesus really disown someone?
- It’s worth taking a moment to note that this is a harsh concept: that Jesus would disown someone.
- It doesn’t fit with the Mr. Rogers image that many people have of Jesus.
- But we have similar statements in other places, including: Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 10:32-33; Matthew 25:41, 44.
THE "RESPECTABLE PERSON" QUESTION: Asking “What will Jesus do to my image?” betrays that “follower of Christ” is not our main identity.
- The “respectable person” question is “What will Jesus do to my image?”
- This is a concern that many believers have:
a. “If I take a stand on that issue, will my friends still like me?”
b. “If it’s known that I’m a Christian, is that going to change how people perceive me?”
c. “How will my reputation change if I start talking about my faith?”
d. “What will they think of me?”
- Implicit in all those statements is that I am willing to stand for being a Christian only at a certain price.
- One way to respond to that is to ask what your main identity is.
- Above everything else, what do you see yourself as?
- There are obviously a ton of different answers, but the right one is “Christian” or “follower of Christ.” That should be the primary way that we define ourselves.
- If that is the primary way I define myself, then the “respectable person” idea fades away. I’m not worried about how my faith is going to impact my reputation as a businessman because businessman is not my primary identity. I’m not worried about how my faith is going to impact my reputation as a jock at school because jock is not my primary identity.
- It goes without saying that how we relate to God should be our primary identity. But then again, it also goes without doing too often, so I guess I better say it.
- Ask yourself this morning: What is my main identity? What is the main way that I see myself?
- What does this look like? Does it mean that I need to be talking about Jesus all the time?
- Ways that it might show up:
a. In talking about what happened at church.
b. In offering to pray for someone (and then following up).
c. In a change of behavior on an issue where it makes you stand out (and you’re willing to say when asked that the reason in your faith).
d. In sharing a story about answered prayer.
e. In leading your kids in prayer each evening before bed.
f. In the humble, compassionate way that you treat people.
- It’s not about being that “slap-them-upside-the-head-with-a-Bible” person who is annoying in their faith. It’s about it being a real part of your life: something that you’re proud of and excited about.
DEVELOPING MORE PRIDE IN OUR FAITH:
1. Do you understand how much you’ve been forgiven of?
- Matthew 12:36-37.
- Continuing with the idea of a “respectable person,” we sometimes minimize our sinfulness because we’ve been able to maintain a solid public image.
- We are sinners, but not sinners like “those people.” You know, the really bad ones.
- In truth, as Colson wrote, we are each much more like Hitler than like Jesus, when we are in our natural state.
- We forget the higher standards that Jesus put forth: adultery is not only the physical act, but the lustful thought.
- We justify our sins because of the extenuating circumstances.
- We excuse much of our behavior because we know we have so much pressure and stress on us.
- But we are, in fact, sinners.
- And when we come to admit how deeply we’re in trouble, that’s a big step toward being more thankful for how much Christ has done for us.
2. How far has He brought you in spiritual maturity?
- Philippians 1:6.
- Another driving force is the spiritual maturity that Christ brings.
- In Romans, Paul explains how we have been made into new creatures through Christ and that we have been given the Holy Spirit within us so that we can live victorious Christian lives.
- How much have you grown spiritually as a Christian through the power of Christ in your life?
- The problem for many people sitting in the pews is that the answer is, “Not much.”
- They haven’t been using the spiritual resources that Christ has made available to them. They haven’t been asking the Spirit to guide them. They haven’t been digging into the wisdom of the Word. They haven’t been praying for God’s open doors.
- The more that God has changed us, the more thankful we are to Him. The more God has matured us, the more passionate we’re going to be about Him.
- On the other hand, if there’s no growth, that’s a big reason for us to not have any desire to stand up for our faith.
3. Can you add up all the blessings He’s given through answered prayer?
- Ephesians 3:20.
- When we think of the ways that God has answered our prayers, providing what we’ve needed in a whole host of situations, it makes us incredibly grateful to Him.
- We can list off the ways that’s He’s taken care of us. We can list off the times that He’s come through for us.
- On the other hand, when we treat prayer as a spare tire, only to be used in a worst-case, last-resort situation, it’s not surprising that we can’t point to any situations where He’s answered.
- That lack of answers makes it easier for us to not give Him the public credit that He should have in our lives.
MORE THAN MERELY "ACKNOWLEDGES": Be overjoyed and amazed at your association with Jesus.
- At the end of the day, I think that merely “acknowledging” Jesus is a pretty paltry offering. Instead, we need to be overjoyed and amazed at our association with Jesus.
- That He would call me His brother – that’s amazing!
- That He would receive me into His Kingdom – that’s amazing!
- That He would let me serve Him and bring glory to Him – that’s amazing!
- When we consider the opportunity and the gift that He has given us, we should go far beyond merely being willing to “acknowledge” – we should be overjoyed and eager to tell anyone who’ll listen.
- In all this, I should note that we live in a country where being jailed or tortured for your faith is an extreme rarity. Many who heard Jesus’ words back then would have been facing physical pain in order to publicly acknowledge Him.
- This makes our situation both better and worse:
a. It is better because we are blessed to not have that fear.
b. It is worse because if we fail on this point we will have denied Him with less danger.
- Rather than denying Him at the point of pain, we will have denied Him simply at the prospect of social pressure or some damage to our reputation. That puts us in danger of a very harsh judgment.
