Familiarity can breed contempt
Sunday, 18 April 2021 by
Gathering Growing Going
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CloseIt is very easy to get over-familiar with Jesus. It is very easy to allow our familiarity with Jesus to spill over into a level of contempt – not obvious, but just there.
You see, we know a lot about Jesus – and that familiarity can lead to a level of contempt, perhaps even outrage, when we come to his proclamation and practice.
It certainly did in Jesus’ hometown. He returned home and his hometown was scandalised! They were familiar with this man – they knew his dad and mum, they still hung out with his brothers and sisters – and this is what he was saying, and doing? How could this Jesus rock the boat like that? What gave him the right to…?
Does that sound familiar? Have you ever had that moment when the Jesus you are familiar with said something, did something, that scandalised you? Has it ever prompted you to think, ‘Do I know this man, or do I KNOW this man?’
Scripture References: Matthew 13:54-58, Jeremiah 1:1-10, John 1:1-14
Related Topics: Matthew | More Messages from Bernard Gabbott | Download Audio
There are a number of sayings that I love, but one that I really use – ‘Pink in the morning, sailor’s/shepherd’s warning; Pink at night, sailor’s/shepherd’s delight’. It was actually confirmed as a true saying for me the other day, as I listened to an interview with a meteorologist! Sayings like this that are memorable and true – well, they provide terrific summaries that help us navigate life. And it is no different for God’s mob. In fact, within even a matter of years of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection (and ascension), sayings were starting to be developed and used that summarised the essence of what it meant to be a disciple of Jesus, and part of God’s mob. Those sayings are no less significant today – and one of them, from a letter from a bloke called Paul to a young fella called Timothy, summarises what we are on about here at Narrabri Anglican Church: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners’.
You eventually have to make a decision about the Gospel – in fact, the Gospel demands a decision. The slow build of the first five boxes of ‘Learn the Gospel’ has brought us to this binary moment. On the one hand, you can persist in the attitude and action that says, ‘I am God and God is not’, and the consequence is facing the judgement of God – the judgement of death – on your own merits. On the other hand, you can turn to Jesus (‘repent’), trust in what He has done (His life, death and resurrection) and submit to His right rule, and receive restoration with God, forgiveness of sins, and a completely new life. You eventually have to make a decision about the Gospel.
The resurrection of Jesus was not just another miracle of God but the definitive victory over sin and death! Yes, His death on the cross paid our debt of sin but His resurrection showed Him to be righteous, without fault and blameless before God, and highlighted His identity as truly God. The God-man who could restore our relationship with God. As such, Jesus is the ruler and judge over all the world, and to whom all will give an account. Jesus’s resurrection is the guarantee that those who place their faith in Him have present forgiveness of sins and are justified before God. We can be sure of the living hope that, as Jesus rose, so we too will rise to resurrected life and enjoy eternity with our Lord and Saviour together!
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