These are the notes from the talk I gave at the SALT Conference - the joint venture of Campus Crusade for Christ and the Cornerstone Movement, a fellowship of Indian-American students in Chicago.
MBI – Jesus’ recreation of our souls – and his continuing recreation of this world – compel us to specific, purposeful, and sacrificial action for the sake of his Kingdom.
What humanity was for
How Adam failed
What’s required of us – and how we fail
How Jesus succeeded
How his obedience is changing the world
How do we join him
MBI
pray
What we were created for Genesis 1:26-28 –
-ANE meaning of image
-So first thing – showing God off
-Happens in our existence – being persons (will, creativity, emotions...)
-But also in our character
-In what we do
-And where we do it (all over the world)
-so for glory in representing the rule of God (like flag on moon)
2 - How Adam failed (gen. 3:1-7)
-Character – what he valued
-valued relational comfort over obeying God’s word
-valued an opinion of someone else over future reward
-valued a ‘quick fix’ over the ‘hard’ road to glory
-In action
-Should have spoken up and led
-Should have risked himself and killed the serpent
-Should have said ‘no’ to immediate pleasure in hope of future pleasure
-In where he did it
-He had one job here – have sex.
-He saw what glory was – being like God – and picked that over sex
-tower of babel
3 - What’s required of us – 10 things
-be born again (John 3:3; 21) = change your nature (like telling a shark to eat a salad)
-righteousness must exceed the scribes/Pharisees (matt. 5:20)
-stringent requirements in the letter of the law, that and more required
-better than a cadet who always pleases his drill sergeant
-sell all you have and follow (matt. 19:21)
-Jesus came spreading the kingdom
-thus, reorientation of life around that priority
-not just being willing – willing + life change
-love Jesus more than family (matt 10:35-37)
-taking Jesus as King seriously -> relational strife
-in part because you’ll talk about him as such
-when I went on staff – yelling, removal of blessing/financial support, and not talking to me for I don’t know how long
-take up your cross and follow (matt 10:38-39)
-again – Jesus purpose – the spread of his Kingdom in the world
-he’s saying following him means suffering for that purpose
-put to death whatever is earthly in you (col 3:5)
-there’s stuff in us that rebels against Jesus as King
-we’re to exert force on it – make choices that hurt for his sake
-grandpa and black widow venom
-speak(!) – the assumption is Christians will be persecuted (2 tim 3:12)
-If Jesus is King and you care about it, you’re going to say it
-people are going to be mad
-love your neighbor as yourself (mark 12:31)
-you always operate for your happiness
-thus, you’re to always operate for everyone else’s with the same constant fervor
-hungry? Sleepy?
-you must be perfect./holy (matt 5:48, 1 peter 1:16)
-morally perfect
-always do exactly what God’s desire is
-not kidding (for instance, Jesus says don’t look to lust…)
-make disciples – people that bend the knee to Jesus - of all nations (matt 28:19, 20)
-not that’s not all people in a nation – it’s all nations
-contra tower of babel
-your life has to be about this
-heavy – right? Lots of practical questions – we’ll get there, but we need to wrestle with stringent requirements – and the fact that we are guilty of breaking God’s Law
4 - How Jesus obeyed the Father - 7 things
-had a nature pleasing to God – Col. 1:15a
-always obeyed God’s Law – 1 Peter 2:22
-always did the Father’s will
-John 6:38
-John 4:34 – loved it!
-oriented all his use of material things around spreading his Kingdom –
-Matt 8:19, 20
-Luke 5:30-32
-Jesus suffered
-John 7:3-5
-friends at home offended – Mark 6:1-3
-And that suffering was even unto death
-Phil 2:5-8
-That death rescued secured the spread of God’s image-glory over the whole world
-Rev. 5:9, 10
-talk about how next -
5 - What Jesus’ obedience is doing in the world – 4 things
-granting a new nature to people
-Rom. 6:4, John 3:8
-You have a new nature, then, that responds to God – faith = first mark
-dead to life; new creation; born again; enemy to child; hater of God to lover of God
-John 16:7, 8 – advantage – because every nation will be converted
-people counted righteous in Jesus
-our rebellion means judgment
-Jesus obeyed in the place of believers, and was punished in the place of believers – 2 cor 5:21
-The ‘day of judgment’ has already happened for everyone who trusts Jesus – and we are considered obedient and worthy to enter the Kingdom based on what he did alone
-You are – having trusted in Christ if you have – considered…
-firing squad analogy…
-And Jesus’ obedience to God will certainly result in that thru the world
-Rev. 5:9, 10
-Jesus’ obedience is producing obedience of believers all over the world
-Rom. 8:1-4
-in you
-in everyone – in every culture – that trusts Jesus for entry into his Kingdom
-that results in loving on the world – and a proclamation of the gospel throughout it! - Matt 4:13-17; Matt. 5:14
-Jesus’ obedience ultimately gains us entry into the new creation
-end of the world – new creation picture: rev 7:9-17
What can we do?
-in general, we’ve seen that Jesus’ obedience, even to death, results in the recreation of this world – including everyone who believes
-but what about specific action? Living on purpose? Taking up our cross…
-maybe you know stuff about Jesus – haven’t bent the knee to him -
-character – need accountability with giving up a certain behavior
-getting trained for evangelism – break, sp’s – on campus
-start discipling others, training them to be ambassadors (sg’s, etc.)
-start spending time with non Christians
-be a missionary – sp’s, stint/internship – perhaps this should be our m.o. unless God shows us otherwise
-enter into a time of response – let me pray, and we’ll give you time to pray, reflect, and fill out some response cards – these will help us serve you as together, we, the rescued children of God, pursue the expansion of his kingdom throughout the world
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