09/24/2024
Entitlement Can Hit You in Ways
You Might Never Suspect
(What didn’t make the cut from Sunday’s sermon—Part 1—on An Entitlement Mindset)
The people of God (Israel) were chosen by God to fulfill a unique calling—to be a light to all the other nations of the nations of the world. God chose them because of their willingness to be used by Him for His purposes. For instance, Abraham’s willingness to follow God out into what would one day be the promised land, the Hebrew people willing to travel 40 years in the wilderness, a people willing to live by the laws of Moses even when it meant not fitting in with their neighbors, etc. But after a while the Israelites began to think that they were chosen--not because with God they could fulfill a special purpose--but because they were a special people, uniquely favored and loved for who they were. In the Bible, God doesn’t call the equipped. God equips those He calls. But the Hebrew people began to think that God didn’t equip them in order to fulfill their calling, but rather God called them because they were so uniquely equipped to serve him.
I very much doubt there was any particular point when anyone consciously thought to themselves, God loves us because we’re so lovable. It’s a slow road to a sense of entitlement. After a while the Israelites became less concerned about being an attracting light to their neighbors and more convinced that they needed to build fences to keep those neighbors out. The only good gentile is a gentile you can keep out of your clan, tribe, and nation. We are the chosen ones, they began to think. And we’ve been chosen because we are inherently exemplary. Alas, that was the opposite of what God brought his people to the promised land to do and be.
We’ve got to be careful that as Christians we don’t fall into the same trap. We should never forget that God’s grace is amazing because it is capable of saving wretches like us. In other words, without God’s generous favor we would still be wretches. We are inherently wretches. And the only reason we are anything more than that is because God is good and God is gracious.
Archived Posts
Matthew 24: One More Thing...
I sometimes stumble on old documents I’ve created but have completely forgotten about. I cannot remember why I created them or what purpose they were originally supposed to serve....
Keeping the Church Doors Unencumbered
Sunday, we considered Jesus’ disruptive actions in the Temple in light of his frustration with keeping gentiles from worshipping in their designated courtyard. We then reflected on how we still tend to throw up roadblocks to those who don’t normally attend church. I found the following, but didn’t have space for it in the sermon. It’s provocative and worth chewing on for a while.
What Was the Crowd Celebrating on Palm Sunday?
I came across this list which feels a little like a "Greatest Hits of Jesus' Ministry". I share it with you today for your inspiration and edification. Enjoy!
The Best Kind of Trouble-maker
While working on this last week’s sermon I was looking through Phillip Yancey’s excellent book—The Jesus I Never Knew—when I came across a section that I found profound. It didn’t quite fit my sermon, but it caught my eye enough that I copied it down.
Practical Tips To Avoid Judging Others
When I research a sermon, such as Sunday’s message on judgmentalism, I always try to think through some practical steps or tips in how to implement God’s desire for our lives. I rustled together a herd of ideas this week and I offer them to you.
The Shepherd, the King, and the Rescuer
God has got a long list of names, but some of those names are better than others. There is a small child who thought God’s name was Harold since the Lord’s Prayer includes the phrase “Hallowed be thy name.” When you think of all the scriptures that are most likely to be memorized you would have to include Psalm 23, The Lord’s Prayer, and John 3:16. The danger for us is our tendency to focus on the wrong thing.
Old Jokes Are The Best Jokes
Sunday morning, we took a look at Jesus’ command to make our enemies into neighbors and loving our neighbors as ourselves. One of the obstacles to doing this is our growing sense of tribalism—whether it’s a political, socio-economic, or even theological tribe.