Luke 9:26 “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my word, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”
Christians don’t have the liberty to be ashamed of Jesus or his words. I preached this passage at the end of 2018, and it made a profound and lasting impact on me. Let me explain.
There are many things in our culture today that are hot button issues. You are on Facebook and Twitter, you know what I am talking about. The Bible has many things in it that don’t fit in with the wave of popular opinion in 2020. As I preached this passage, I found myself at a crossroads. It is a crossroads that every Christian in every era is faced with. Do we actually believe in the inerrancy and authority of the Bible, or not?
We have options. As we face opposition from the various pundits, those who say they believe the Bible has to respond. Jesus told us we are to be in the world but not of the world, so retreat is not an option. So we all square our shoulders to the nay-Sayers and make our move. But it’s not the same move. We have options.
Cool Christianity
Cool Christianity is the response of many. In the face of opposition, many Christ Followers seek to show the world that we are the cool kids. We must have the best of the best entertainment and maybe the distracted, short-attention-span world will forget their questions as they stand in awe of our smoke and mirrors. In this environment, the truth will not so much be denied as apologized for. If you can let people know these truths are hurtful to us as well then maybe everyone can stand on the same ground. With this option, we can apologize to all the haters as if everything is our fault, to begin with.
That is an option before us. We can put our heads down in shame and agree with the world that God’s word is mean and outdated. After that, we can say we are sorry, but “It’s still God’s word and we believe it.” Or we can be more bold and brave.
Liberal Christianity
Remember, we are at the crossroad together. The first crew made their choice, now we look at another large group who are taking another road, the path of liberal Christianity. This group acknowledges the Bible had one meaning when it was written, but the times have changed man. What the Bible says it doesn’t really mean. The only exception, of course, is the Sermon on the Mount. This road promises answers that conveniently line up with what everyone is saying in Hollywood and NYC. With this system, it will allow us to avoid saying anything controversial about marriage, sexuality, gender, or anything else. The only people that will be offended are those weirdos that think the Bible actually speaks authoritatively about all those things. And everyone knows the sermon on the mount does not apply when it comes to loving those people. But there is still another way.
The Real Deal
The remaining few stands with their jaw open in confusion. This group is stunned by the response of these other groups. These are the few who actually believe what they say they believe. When they read and preach the Bible they are not apologizing for it. God’s word does not cause them to stutter in embarrassment or qualify the text into oblivion. This Army knows who is in charge and what their Master has told them to do. Since they actually believe the sermon on the mount they love their enemies enough to be ridiculed by them. Every generation has a few radicals like this who look at the culture with eyes and Bible wide open with the attitude “Come what may.”
You?
When confronted with Luke 9:26, what is your response? Are you embarrassed or ashamed about what God says about salvation in Christ alone? Are you embarrassed about what God says about gender, sexuality, marriage, heaven, and hell? As Christians, we don’t get that option.
The Gospel
There is some good news here. For those who have been embarrassed, that is a sin for which Christ Jesus died. See it for what it is. If you have been ashamed of God’s word, that is a wicked and vile thing. Who do you think you are to turn up your nose to the Bible? Do you think you know better?! Jesus died for such sins. On the firm foundation of no condemnation, brothers, and sisters, never be ashamed of God’s word. Believe every bit of it. Don’t flinch. Stand! Open your Bible and love people enough to say “Thus says the Lord.”
Come what may!
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