I'm Better Than You!!!

Merry Christmas!! This will most likely be a short post today since it's Christmas Eve and all. However, I just had to write on this particular topic today because I think it is of up most importance. I have been recently reading a book by Mark Driscoll called Radical Reformission. Mark is the pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington. He is also the founder of the Acts 29 Church Planting network. In Chapter 3 of the book He talks about developing a reformission gospel, and the hindrances of completing such a monumental task. One of the obstacles he devotes a lot of pages to is self-righteousness. Everybody has to admit they have that group of people that they just can't stand. For example, I can't stand people who bring their little children into the supermarket and let them run around like wild apes on the loose. Also, those people who just don't feel that it's important to take a shower after three days of hard work outside in the sweltering heat before going out in public really annoy me. We all have our groups and unfortunately in our culture we tend to see ourselves in a better light than them because we do things differently. This can become extremely dangerous in our lives a Christians and one of the largest obstacles to true, loving evangelism. This is why it is so important to understand that we are all sinful. Our culture has a tendency to put a value on certain sins such as murder, rape and child crimes. However, it is completely acceptable to slander our friends, lie, and cheat in school just to bump up our social standing. We must all understand that "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23. Just because our society decides to deem our sins as acceptable doesn't mean that we are some how more righteous than a murderer, rapist or child molester. Jesus loves all sinners. We too must love all sinners, including ourselves. In Matthew 22, Jesus calls us to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." and "You shall Love your neighbor as yourself (v. 37, 39)." Jesus makes it crystal clear in John 15 that apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). So we must repent and ask the Lord for a true heart in which he calls us to have. Psalm 51 written by David after his adultery with Bathsheba gives us a great example of a truly repentant heart.

"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgement. Behold, I was brought forth in my iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me heart joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore me to the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Do good to Zion in you good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar."
Psalm 51 (ESV)

I am not saying in this that I am excluded from this sin, because we are all guilty of it. I just hope that as you read this you examine the areas in your life in which you are self righteous and repent immediately. I pray that we have a repentant heart and act out like David did, telling transgressors of the loving, saving grace of Christ.