| Abundant Life Today Media | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
Podcast: Play in New Window | Download To watch the video, click here. |
|
Introduction: In praying and preparing for today’s message I want to consider a few different possibilities before I get into the direction I want to take things. I have to take a principled stand at times that I realize may not make me very popular with some people. As a man of God, I choose to obey God rather than the pressure of some people.
The first direction is the direction people have commented on to me. Being injected with a fresh dose of Jesus causing us know him, feel him, and obey him. Kind of like a shot of life.
The second direction I’d like to take today’s message is to say that I believe in some senses of the word a little Jesus may be better than no Jesus at all but I don’t believe this is the best option, hence the message today. It’s not an either or proposition. You don’t have to settle for a powerless Jesus.
So this takes us to today’s message the way I originally intended to share it with you.
Thesis: Jesus, when misrepresented, will cause a deception which predisposes the person to rejection of the real Jesus.
Body:
A vaccination is a really amazing concept that has almost eradicated several very damaging diseases from many parts of the world. Not everyone is “pro vaccination” and I’d encourage you to do some research for yourself regarding this subject.
A Vaccination consists of a dead virus or a dead part of a virus that’s been blended up with some protein and sometimes mercury. This makes up the vaccination. What it does is it causes your body to react to the virus like it’s alive. This reaction causes antibodies to rise up and elevate preventing the real infection from ever afflicting the person in the future.
Sometimes people say, “Once you get chicken pox, you’ll never get it again.” This is because the chicken pox virus activates the antibodies in the person causing a resistance to the viral attack again.
Antibodies in your system will prevent you from getting the same cold 2x’s but the cold virus mutates rapidly enough to fool your immune system frequently.
I wanted to lay a little groundwork about virus' and now talk about what I think could be one of the biggest enemies to revival in America today. I believe it's a Church that thinks it’s in revival or it doesn’t need revival. I’ve often wondered why some camps of Christianity call a series of meetings that last 3 or 4 days a revival?
When I think of revival I think of sweeping spiritual and social changes, many come to know the Lord, drug dealers repent, bars close, sin is repented of, people are called into the ministry, the saints of God reconcile hurts, etc.
Also, when I think of revival I don’t think I can schedule it in. I think I can pray for it to happen, believe and declare it but God ultimately initiates revival through his people.
Matthew 23:15
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.
I’m sure these were very troubling words to the Pharisees. My point is that not everyone that thinks they are doing God’s work is actually doing it.
The biggest enemy of Jesus’s earthly ministry was not the prostitutes, tax collectors, Romans or sinners. It was the religious establishment that wanted to maintain their status quo. These human systems with their origins in the law were the biggest enemy of Jesus Christ.
The Bible says that one of the ideologies of the last days is there will be a people that have a form of Godliness but deny the power thereof. (2 Timothy 3:5)
I believe we’ve been in the last days since the ascension of Jesus and I also believe that today in our time there are people that have a form of Godliness but deny the power.
I operate from a position that the Church of Jesus Christ in the United States of America is not O.K. I believe it needs to be awakened to become the powerful, holy and influential Bride she once was!
How do you convince people that the Jesus that lives in them is powerless to do anything in the world? Teach them that miracles have ceased!
Power manifestations are dependent on faith and it seems to be difficult for most to walk in a faith that produces manifestations of God so a new “normal” is created and everyone goes along with it. This new “normal” is very similar to the world system so it comes naturally for people. It can be justified because it can be packaged in a very appealing message.
2 Timothy 4:3
For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
Numbers seem to be another justification for presenting a powerless gospel. Salvation is segmented away from the other kingdom expressions. People in these systems will often say, “Salvation is the greatest miracle!” They are right and it would be even better if they had some of those “lesser” miracles operating around them but they don’t.
Mark 2:9
Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’?
I want to make the point that some have an image of the Jesus that lives in them as powerless. The Jesus that lives in Heaven can do anything but the Jesus that lives in the Church is very weak.
I find this to be an error of the worst kind. This image of a powerless Jesus living in his Church will not only make the person faithless in many areas but it will also prevent the real Jesus from finding an expression through that believer.
Another pet peave of mine is when the saints of God call themselves sinners. This plays nicely with the whole weak Jesus living in his church concept.
John 9:16
Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” but others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.
Embracing a lifestyle of sin is not the way a Christian should see themselves. They should see themselves as saved, righteous and holy prepared for every good work.
My main point is that when people have been injected with a Jesus that is powerless or dead they will repel the real Jesus!
What I mean by that is this, this message will really tick certain people off. Instead of them saying, “Gee, Hammack is right! We should believe that Jesus lives in us and wants to do great things through us.”, they’ll think, “I wish that guy would shut his mouth.”
Jesus was not a “nice” guy. Many in the Church today are “nicer” than Jesus was. He was very polarizing and I believe if Jesus lives in us we also will be polarizing.
Luke 6:26
Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.
Religion is the biggest enemy of the living Jesus. If the devil can get you into a system that isn’t relationally centered on the Jesus Christ of the Bible you will repel the powerful Jesus. You’ll think he’s something foreign and resist what he wants to do in you and through you. You may even draw conclusions that things described in the Bible as being a manifestation of the Holy Spirit are actually from Satan himself. Ridiculous, but many very intelligent, trained and well intentioned Christian leaders proclaim this error. God help them.
While in Africa I noticed there were many miracles that happened and I concluded that “Jesus was Alive” in his Church. Yes, he’s a alive in the heavens but he should also be alive in the people of God.
Conclusion:
Have you been vaccinated against the living Jesus? If you think you have, please spend time studying the New Testament. No matter what anyone has told you, the Word of God is the final rule for faith and practice.
Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:15 AM (Central Standard Time U.S.A.) and Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM (Central Standard Time U.S.A.) If you can't be with us in person please visit via internet video on Jubilee T.V.
If you live in Batesville please tune into KBAP 88.1 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.
Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501
(870) 793-9124