A Call to Authenticity
Kudos to you because you are killing it in life right now.
You have a great job, the newest and nicest car, and your kids and grandkids behave perfectly.
In fact, teachers are calling you from school to ask for the recipe to your success.
You attend church most Sundays and even go on Wednesdays for extra credit.
You're a K-State fan and you even pretended to cheer for KU yesterday.
But today, I want to call out all the frauds.
Listen, man, you can dress it up all you want, but outside of Christ, you are just putting on a costume.
When it comes to sin, we're either living in it, becoming tolerant of it and progressing in it, or because of Christ, we become dead to it.
But it breaks my heart because I think many of us are playing the game.
Yes, we show up at church on Sundays, we do our Bible studies and devotions, and we even listen to Christian radio. But behind all of it, we're still making time to give in to all those temptations.
We wait until no one else is around, we scheme in ways that create discord, division, and chaos. We make it a habit to give in to all those sinful and prideful desires in our lives.
But grace proclaims that in Christ, this is who you were; it is not who you are.
Before Christ, you were dead, headed for condemnation. Let's not sugarcoat it, that means hell, eternal torment. But God, in His grace, proclaims, "You are not who you were."
I remember a few weeks ago, coming to the realization that my wife had a superpower. I didn't know how she possessed it. It was like every single place I went and every penny I spent, she was aware of it.
She knew the Mexican restaurant I went to, the coffee shop I visited, even my Amazon purchases.
She had an app on her phone that told her everything.
It terrified me.
But when it comes to God, that terrifies you even more. You are absolutely terrified that after all you've done in your past and your current circumstances, Jesus wouldn't want anything to do with you.
But here's the reality: God already knows.
We, the Church, already know that God already knows. Yet, knowing that God knows every single thing we do, we still don't view it as enough to discourage us from our sin. How crazy is that?
If you took God half as seriously as your mother or the person sitting next to you, most of the sins you commit in your life would be unthinkable.
But could it be that you've reduced your view of God to the point that the thought of His presence doesn't even influence you to turn from your sin or at least make you hesitate?
This is cosmic treason, deserving of God's wrath.
Paul says, "This is how spiritually dead people think."
All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature, we were subject to God's anger, just like everyone else.
But here's the good news: We are not captive to our past.
Our old selves have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer us who live, but Christ lives in us.
We live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us. The old self, the ego, the way of caving to temptation, the way of giving in to sin, the way of living dictated by sin, can all be left behind because of Christ.
Praise God, we are not defined by who we were.
We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ.
And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
God is so rich in mercy and He loved us so much that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. It is only by God's grace that we have been saved.
So, let's embrace authenticity and live as people who have been saved by grace. Let's remember that our past does not define us and that we are no longer captive to sin.
Let's take our sins seriously and understand the weight of God's grace.
Remember, you were once spiritually dead, but now you are alive in Christ. That's the power of His grace.
Now, let's live in the freedom and authenticity that comes from knowing who we are in Christ.
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