Messy
Aug 11, 2009 Print This Post
This past weekend at Riv, we talked about the temptation of Jesus in the Wilderness at the start of his public ministry here on earth. For those of you who haven’t watched the message yet, beware this post comes with spoilers (seems weird to say that about a sermon).
The bottom line of my message was that each of Satan’s temptations were really asking Jesus the question,
“Do you REALLY believe that God’s plan is the best plan?”
I then gave a few examples where we may be tempted to think our plan is better than God’s. The two that have spurred the most conversation are Sex Before Marriage / Shacking Up and Divorce. I picked these two because they are both big issues with people at Riv. And as I chat with people who are facing the issues, I always get the same response: “But MY situation is unique.” In other words, God’s standard can’t possibly be the same for me as it is for everyone else…I have extenuating circumstances.
The response from the message has been huge, and I am reminded how messy sin makes our lives. Here’s a sampling of the people I have had dialogue with:
- An unmarried woman who has two children and is living with the kids’ dad.
- A man who is living with his pregnant girlfriend and he just became a Christian.
- A Christian woman who is living with her non-Christian boyfriend.
- A man going through a divorce he doesn’t want while he takes care of his young child.
- A couple who were on the edge of divorce and are now trying to reconcile / rebuild their marriage.
- A single woman who is rebuilding her life after an affair with a married man.
Wow. Each of these situations is so very unique. The people involved range from their early-20s to early-50s. Some are single, some are married. Some are Christians, some are not. If there is one way to describe all of this it’s: Messy.
Is there no better picture of why we need Jesus? Our lives are a mess because of sin.
Is there no better picture of how awesome it is that we have a God who has faced temptation? We can lean on him and trust him to understand.
Is there no better picture of how huge and amazing and all-encompasing his love is? “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.” – Romans 5:8-9
If you have placed your faith in Jesus, you have already been made right with God. You are free from condemnation. Let that sink in. Yes, your life is a mess. But let God work on you. Trust him that his plan is really the best plan for you and start taking steps in a new direction. It’s gonna stay messy for awhile, but that’s OK, Jesus understands.
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