Ask just about any person you meet: “Are you a good person?”
The vast majority will say yes. Most will admit to failures from time to time. But, when they add it all up…….their triumphs and their failures…….their love and their anger……..their generosity and their selfishness……..they say, in so many words: “when you look at the big picture of my life…….I am a good person”.
I do this myself……and so do you.
But
So did Hitler.
So does Satan.
I have come to the conclusion that being a “good person” may not be the goal we should be striving for.
The next paragraph is drawn from a sermon by Dr. Adrian Rogers. It is a series of questions:
Do you believe in one God….our creator?
So does Satan.
Do you believe that Jesus is his son?
So does Satan.
Do you believe in the virgin birth of Jesus?
So does Satan.
Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross
So does Satan.
Do you believe in the resurrection
So does Satan.
Will you serve in the church (usher, tithe, attend services)?
So will Satan.
Will you submit to the sovereign will of Jesus?
Oh….Oh?!?
90% of Christians will agree with the first six statements above.
But
So will Satan.
Item #7 is where we get into serious trouble.
It turns out that the dividing line between Jesus and Satan is defined by item #7……….our recognition of the sovereignty of Jesus.
Sovereignty comes down to “who is in charge here?”
And sovereignty is our biggest problem.
This problem comes into focus when our wants, needs, desires, and appetites are in conflict with the teaching of Jesus. And, don’t kid yourself, this happens every day……..to me and to you. And I fail……every day.
Any instance when I put my appetites ahead of Jesus’s teaching and of his example is a rejection of the sovereignty of Jesus. Any time when I refuse to submit to Jesus, I consciously put myself on the wrong side of the line between Jesus and Satan.
Any time when I put my personal appetites ahead of the sovereignty of Jesus……I am making exactly the same decision that Satan made before his “fall”.
This is as terrifying as it is common.
So……I think that we should redefine our goal in life. We should redefine our “mission statement”
“I will recognize and honor the sovereignty of Jesus.”
This is a much better goal than “I will be a good person”.
I fully recognize that I will fail…..probably before lunch today. But, as part of the package, Jesus offers forgiveness.
The key to life both in this temporal world…….and in God’s eternal world……..is to have the correct destination in mind.
The sovereignty of Jesus is a far superior destination than my personal “goodness”.
You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!
James 2:19, ESV
“When He [God] talks of their losing their selves, He means only abandoning the clamor of self-will; once they have done that, He really gives them back all their personality, and boasts (I am afraid, sincerely) that when they are wholly His they will be more themselves than ever.”
C.S.Lewis, “The Screwtape Letters”
Video of Adrian Rogers