Grieved by Sin

Hopefully you have taken the time to ask yourself the hard question each day so far. If we desire to see God do something extraordinary in our midst, we must ensure that we are seeking Him. Not simply a surface level, happy interaction to make us feel better, but a true encounter with the Living God that requires us to reveal the very core of who we are.

As we continue on this journey of self-examination, the questions get harder. Today we look at what lukewarm people think about sin. Chan writes, “Lukewarm people don’t really want to be saved from their sin; they only want to be saved from the penalty of their sin. They don’t genuinely hate sin and aren’t truly sorry for it; they’re merely sorry because God is going to punish them. Lukewarm people don’t really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one.” (Crazy Love, p. 70) I told you it gets harder!

As you examine yourself, can you say that you genuinely hate sin? That is a tough question when we dig past the surface. As a parent, I frequently have to help my children understand that it is not “getting in trouble” that should motivate their actions, but instead a longing to glorify God by making right choices. As followers of Chris,t we must hate sin because by His very nature He hates sin. We cannot be conformed to the image of Christ and hold on to those things that are in direct opposition to His nature.

There was a time in my life when this description fit me perfectly. And I would have to say that my relationship with Jesus was lukewarm at best. Romans 6:1-2 says, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1–2 ESV) We must move past simply being sorry for the consequences of sin to being grieved by the sin itself. The new life that God has for us is better by far than the bondage of sin. Do you believe this is true?

Consistency

Today we look at Francis Chan’s third indication that our life is lukewarm. Chan writes, “Lukewarm people tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They desire to fit in both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives.” (Crazy Love, p. 69) Attempting to be like the people you are with is a natural human response. As followers of Christ, we are not called to live in the natural but instead to be transformed in the image of Jesus.

The major flaw of the religious elite of Jesus’ day was that they cared more about what other people thought of them than encountering the living God. The same can be true for us. When we care about being like our church friends when we are around them, but being like our non-church friends when we are around them, we are showing that our heart is not first and foremost after Jesus.

Jesus was not impressed by the religious efforts of the scribes and Pharisees, so we should not think that He might be pleased with our divided attention either. In Matthew 23, Jesus pronounces judgment on the conduct of the religious elite in His culture for their outward conduct, while they remain full of “hypocrisy and lawlessness” on the inside (Matthew 23:28).

As you examine yourself, where is it that you find inconsistency in your actions and attitudes in the different areas of your life? Would people describe you as loving Jesus no matter what area of life in which you encounter them? If we desire for God to bring revival in our lives, we must be ready for the necessity of allowing Him authority over every area in our lives. There can be no areas that we hold back.

Where is your heart?

As we prepare for the Summit, it is important for us to remember that self-examination is key to the process of renewal or revival. The process of looking into the mirror and examining ourselves is often times painful at best. When we look at our devotion to Christ, often times we can be disappointed feeling as if we simply do not measure up. There are people who seem far more spiritual than we do. The question is not how spiritual we seem on the outside, but where our heart is.

Today we look at another heart-probing statement from Francis Chan’s, Crazy Love. The second description of someone who is lukewarm is; “Lukewarm people give money to charity and to the church... as long as it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so. After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right?” (Crazy Love, p. 69) Now this is starting to get personal!

When it comes to checking on where our heart is, there is no better indicator than our money. Jesus taught about money and wealth frequently. That means it must be a pretty important subject. What we do with our resources is a good indicator of our spiritual condition. If we are wise, we will use money as a spiritual EKG. What is your money saying about the condition of your heart?

As we look to Christ, asking for a fresh touch of His presence in our lives, we must do so from a position of full surrender. We cannot hold back anything in our life and expect the Holy Spirit to do something extraordinary in our midst. It is a matter of devotion. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24 ESV)

God shows up when His people demonstrate their heart is for Him. When they humble themselves, pray, seek, and turn. We must turn from our way of self-reliance in every area of our lives. That includes our money.