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38th Street Church of Christ 3904 38th Street NW Canton, Ohio 44718 330-492-5523 Fax: 330-493-7119 |
“The
Hard Truth: Mixed Messages |
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I. Introduction.
A. The first priority in successful merchandising is to give
consumers what they want. If your market research tells
you people want bigger burgers, give them bigger burgers.
If water in fruit flavors is desired, produce it. If minivans
sell better with ten cup holders, give the public one with
twenty. The aim is to keep the customer satisfied.1. What this means is you must modify your product
and your message to meet the needs of the public if
you want to build a market and stay ahead of the
competition.2. Today, a similar consumer-oriented way of thinking
has captured Christianity.a. The church service is too long, some say.
So, we’ll shorten it.b. People have to dress too formally at church.
Ok, wear your sweat suit, or clothes more
suitable for the beach than for the assembly.c. Church assemblies are too boring. Well,
just wait until you hear our band!3. If the message is too confrontational, or sounds too
judgmental, or it’s hard to understand, well, we’ll
change the message to simplify it and make you feel
more comfortable.
B. The new and “improved” Christianity makes church
members design consultants for the life, and message, of
the church. It does away with old-fashioned authority,
accountability, and, above all, moral absolutes. One church
sent out a mailing promising an “informal, relaxed, casual
atmosphere, great music from our band,” and that those
who attend there will, “believe it or not, even have fun.”
That’s great, if you’re “Applebee’s,” or “TGI Fridays.”
But, anyone who claims to be calling people to the gospel
of Jesus Christ, with those things as priorities, is calling
people to a lie.C. Christianity for consumers, the watering down,
misinterpretation of the biblical gospel to make it more
palatable, and popular, will never give people what the true
gospel of Jesus Christ does. Why?1. Because it’s the design of people, not of God. As
such, it is hollow and worthless.2. Because it deceives people into thinking they are
hearing the true gospel, that they are receiving a
message that can rescue them from eternal
condemnation when, in fact, they’re being tragically
misled.D. The true gospel of the New Testament is a call to self-
denial, not self-fulfillment. The true gospel does not
present Jesus as some sort of utilitarian genie who, when
you summon Him, says and does whatever we want. Just
give Him your “wish list” and He delivers.1. In our culture today, upholding and defending the
true gospel, the hard truth, means being in serious
opposition to people who don’t want to take the
Bible seriously, who don’t want to face the hard
truth.2. That hard truth is one of being convicted of our
sins, being obedient to the commands of God,
recognizing the disturbing reality of self-denial
and following the hard demands of discipleship to
Jesus Christ.3. There are many who’d rather listen to, and believe,
the message of salvation through Christ
guaranteeing our health, wealth, and happiness.E. The man-centered gospel tells a person that Jesus gives you
peace, He gives you joy, He wants to make you feel better
about yourself. The goal of this gospel is to elevate your
self-image and put an end to negative thinking.II. Mixed Messages.
A. This movement toward a man-centered gospel has been
occurring over a long period of time. But, one sure mile-
stone in that movement was a book, published in 1982, by
well-known televangelist Robert Schuller. This book is
titled, “Self-Esteem: The New Reformation.” Schuller’s
point was to replace the New Testament gospel of self-
denial with a contemporary gospel of self-esteem. And, it
worked with many people.1. Calling for a “new reformation,” Schuller wrote:
“. . . classical theology has erred in its insistence
that theology be ‘God-centered, and not ‘man-
centered’” (p. 64).2. Schuller defines this as: “This master plan of God
. . . designed around the deepest needs of human
beings – self-dignity, self-respect, self-worth, self-
esteem.” (p. 71).3. The new gospel of self-esteem requires us to pull
God down from His supremacy so we can lift
ourselves up. To do this, we must alter, and
misinterpret, the Bible and its true gospel of Jesus
Christ.4. One of the most amazing statements in Schuller’s
book is this one: “Once a person believes he is an
‘unworthy sinner,’ it is doubtful if he can really
honestly accept the saving grace God offers in Jesus
Christ.” (p. 98). The new gospel proclaims if you
desire salvation, you cannot believe yourself to be
an unworthy sinner. How contrary to the truth is
that?5. But, it’s this man-centered, self-esteem gospel that
became the movement that took so many churches
away from the hard truth of self-denial. But, it
confirms what Paul writes in II Timothy 3:1-2
(re-read).B. The message now is “get what you want,” not “give up
everything.” The glory of God has been replaced with the
satisfaction of people. Peoples’ submission to God’s will
is replaced by God giving us what we will.C. Finding it harder to attract people with the real gospel
message of discipleship, some teachers and leaders have
gone to a different message, easier to accept, easier to live
with, not requiring sacrifice. But, the message is not what
Jesus told His disciples, and what God’s word still tells us.
(Matthew 16:24-25; read).1. Here’s Jesus’ message: it’s not about exalting
me, it’s about slaying me – the death of self.2. You win by losing; you live by dying. That’s the
message of Christ’s gospel. That’s what real
discipleship is all about.D. So, who’s right? Jesus said nothing about improving our
self-esteem, being rich and successful, feeling good about
yourself, having our needs met. Is the message of
Christianity self-fulfillment or self-denial? It can’t be both.E. The genuine gospel of Jesus Christ is not a matter of
opinion. It’s a matter of truth. What I want, or what you
want, or what anyone wants makes no different whatsoever.
It is God’s sovereign will that matters.III. The Hard Words Of Jesus.
A. I really don’t know how the followers of the new gospel
reconcile their approach to religion with the teachings of
Jesus, or how they become comfortable just ignoring what
Jesus said. But, the only approach to God and discipleship
that is acceptable is what we find in the Bible.B. In Luke 9 you find a repetition of Jesus’ words in
Matthew 16, but with some additions. Here, in Jesus’
words, is what Christianity, and discipleship, is all about.
Jesus was speaking to the apostles shortly after the
miraculous feeding of the crowd of 5000 + people.1. Read Luke 9:23-26.
2. What we find here is plain. Anyone who wants to
be a disciple of Jesus has to face three commands:
1) deny himself; 2) take up his cross daily;
3) follow Him.3. These are not consumer-friendly words. They are
the hard facts Jesus consistently taught throughout
His ministry.C. The original Greek word for “deny” meant “to refuse to
associate with.” Jesus says, if you want to be his disciple,
if you want forgiveness and eternal life, you must refuse
to associate any longer with the person you are. You have
to separate yourself from your past sinful person, and from
other associations as well, sometimes even in your own
earthly family (Matthew 10:34-36; read).1. If we give our life to Jesus Christ, there will be a
gulf opened between ourselves and those who don’t
give their lives to Him.2. Matthew 10:37 adds: “He who loves father or
mother more than me is not worthy of Me. And he
who loves son or daughter more than Me is not
worthy of Me.3. Verse 38 goes even further: “And he who does not
take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.”
At that time, people associated the cross with only
one thing: death. So, Jesus says, “If you’re not
willing to have conflict with the world to the degree
that it could cost you your life, you’re not worthy of
Me.”D. Hard words? Yes. Man-centered? No. It’s now what we
get that matters. It’s what we give, and give up.
IV. Conclusion.A. Out of mixed messages comes the one true gospel: deny
yourself, take up your cross, and follow Christ. Do we
hear that in the new gospel? Do we even hear that in the
teaching of those who promote self-esteem?B. The hard truth is not smart marketing. It doesn’t “sell”
as well as a softer, friendlier message. Not only is it a
hard truth, it’s hard to do. Self-denial isn’t easy, but it’s
what God requires.