Day 50: Cynicism: Believing Everything Your Told.
Read: John 14:5 - 14
You know folks we are becoming a cynical kind of people. Please let me
explain what I mean to you. What would you say to me if I told you that a
single phone call from a company you never heard of located in a place
you did not even knew existed would give you a free vacation to
somewhere and add $250 to sweeten the deal just for you filling out a survey about something you would not otherwise even take the least bit of time to care about? That couldn’t be true could it? There’s a catch, right? Probably is. Seen any of those infomercials that promote the weirdest "I so wish I
had thought of inventing that (not!)" thingamabob they say you can't
live the rest of your life without? Point made?
We are a people who have
been so over exposed to claims that we know just can’t possibly be true,
that we really don’t want to believe in anything unless we can see it
for ourselves, or (gasp - actually buy that thingamabob) or look on the
internet to see some bizarre set facts that the inventor or the
salesman said would definitely back it up. There are those wise and well
considered philosophers somewhere in the midst of our culture who sit
on top of their mountains of good sense and sensibility saying in loud
and clear whispers; “Prove it to me first, then I might believe it.”
Right?. Well, I pray so for there are some people out there trying to
sell dirt back to mother nature. A deal she cannot refuse?
This morning I want you to really concentrate with me on our passage, and the life changing Truth that we can apply to our personal lives and the Life of
our Church as we get ready to move into new sales territory together. As
we approach Scripture, I want you to ask yourself a question. We
realize that the world we live in is cynical, it’s a world that
recognizes that it needs to see something to believe it. Words are
thrown around in unrecognizable ways through bizarre unbelievable
claims. "Take my word for it" nowadays sounds like a con job not a
signal of a persons integrity. In some industries and some cultures a
mans spoken word is truly accepted with all sincerity, his oath is very much his sacred bond.
This
morning as we dive into the Word of God.... I want you to ask
yourself... Do I really believe What I read in God’s Word? In my heart
of hearts, do I believe what Jesus said? 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the
way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through me. 7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on
you do know him and have seen him.” This is one of those places in the
Bible where Jesus claims to be absolutely the only way, the only truth
and the only life, the only gateway to God the Father. Thomas doubted.
Phillip doubted. My question is this - what about those other disciples
in the room? What about you too?
Let Us Pray: Lord, there are
many claims in the Bible that are simply extraordinary and truthfully,
in today's day and age, very hard to take at face value. We were not there face to face, we are not the 2000 year old flies on the wall that
could bring to the people of this worldly kingdom the authentic witness
to the words spoken at this moment and the facial expressions of each
disciple as they decided whether or not what was being said was
something they could, should, would truly believe with all their hearts.
Lord, help us to rise above the sin of our cynicism that we too may
truly come to believe the Words of Jesus Christ spoken in that very place at that very time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuPC0C9qlXs&feature=related
Sidewalk Prophets - You Can Have Me
www.youtube.com
A song about submission and commitment to God, about devotion and sacrifice. "Lord, I give You my life, You can have me"
Read: John 14:5 - 14
You know folks we are becoming a cynical kind of people. Please let me explain what I mean to you. What would you say to me if I told you that a single phone call from a company you never heard of located in a place you did not even knew existed would give you a free vacation to somewhere and add $250 to sweeten the deal just for you filling out a survey about something you would not otherwise even take the least bit of time to care about? That couldn’t be true could it? There’s a catch, right? Probably is. Seen any of those infomercials that promote the weirdest "I so wish I had thought of inventing that (not!)" thingamabob they say you can't live the rest of your life without? Point made?
We are a people who have been so over exposed to claims that we know just can’t possibly be true, that we really don’t want to believe in anything unless we can see it for ourselves, or (gasp - actually buy that thingamabob) or look on the internet to see some bizarre set facts that the inventor or the salesman said would definitely back it up. There are those wise and well considered philosophers somewhere in the midst of our culture who sit on top of their mountains of good sense and sensibility saying in loud and clear whispers; “Prove it to me first, then I might believe it.” Right?. Well, I pray so for there are some people out there trying to sell dirt back to mother nature. A deal she cannot refuse?
This morning I want you to really concentrate with me on our passage, and the life changing Truth that we can apply to our personal lives and the Life of our Church as we get ready to move into new sales territory together. As we approach Scripture, I want you to ask yourself a question. We realize that the world we live in is cynical, it’s a world that recognizes that it needs to see something to believe it. Words are thrown around in unrecognizable ways through bizarre unbelievable claims. "Take my word for it" nowadays sounds like a con job not a signal of a persons integrity. In some industries and some cultures a mans spoken word is truly accepted with all sincerity, his oath is very much his sacred bond.
This morning as we dive into the Word of God.... I want you to ask yourself... Do I really believe What I read in God’s Word? In my heart of hearts, do I believe what Jesus said? 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” This is one of those places in the Bible where Jesus claims to be absolutely the only way, the only truth and the only life, the only gateway to God the Father. Thomas doubted. Phillip doubted. My question is this - what about those other disciples in the room? What about you too?
Let Us Pray: Lord, there are many claims in the Bible that are simply extraordinary and truthfully, in today's day and age, very hard to take at face value. We were not there face to face, we are not the 2000 year old flies on the wall that could bring to the people of this worldly kingdom the authentic witness to the words spoken at this moment and the facial expressions of each disciple as they decided whether or not what was being said was something they could, should, would truly believe with all their hearts. Lord, help us to rise above the sin of our cynicism that we too may truly come to believe the Words of Jesus Christ spoken in that very place at that very time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuPC0C9qlXs&feature=related
Sidewalk Prophets - You Can Have Me
www.youtube.com
A song about submission and commitment to God, about devotion and sacrifice. "Lord, I give You my life, You can have me"
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