Jesus Prove Yourself

 

Alistair Begg is a brilliant Scottish Pastor. His sermons are so rich. One in particular is relevant not only because Good Friday and Easter Sunday are nearly here, but he draws parallels between the attitudes of people at our Lord Jesus’ Crucifixion and today’s masses who cry, “save yourself and us!” (Luke 13:39-43) and “prove yourself to me Jesus, save me from this situation, help my relationship, and etc and then I will believe.” (Pastor Begg). Like Brother Begg says, we want “Jesus to obey our command and give us what we demand and then we will give him devotion.” (Pastor Begg, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QN23VmUYink). This is indeed the culture, “Christ prove yourself, then I may believe.” We are fastly becoming like those ws Crucifixion shouting “save yourself, and then we will believe!” Which is the opposite of Jesus mission, and his natuee, “Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,” (Matthee 20:28) and “No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.” (John 10:18). Even Jesus who is God The Son obeyed God The Father! 

What a warped culture we have become. We demand of Jesus signs, when He bled for us and was killed for our iniquities. What audacity! That we say to the Son of God, “prove yourself to me!” He already did! What gaul and ungratefulness to demand more. And sadly this is not just the disposition of the unsaved, we Christians do this to our Christ. We ask our Lord Jesus to obey our commands as if he were a Jinn and we rub a lamp seeing wishes that He will grant on demand. While yes He did say, “ask for anything in my name and it will be given to you,” (John 14:14) He isn’t going to give you things that are bad for you. You may ask like Tavia in Fiddler On the Roof, “Lord smite me with riches and may I never recover,” but The Almighty sees sudden wealth would alter you, perhaps even turn you into a worshipper of Mammon, or it may invite parasitic people wanting to plunder your newfound riches. It is like the apostle Paul who asked to be healed, but God denied Him on these grounds, “to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,[a] a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). It was mote important that Paul not become prideful than have a tormentor of Satan removed that kept him humble. So you see, you can ask God for something but He has the the right to refuse, and the ability to see if its good for you or not. 

Sometimes our demand on Immanuel’s faithfulness is not tied to Prosperity Doctrine purse strings, we may simply want a loved one to be cured of cancer, or our circumstances to change. It is not that we are commanding Christ to make us a millionaire or drop off a new sports car. When people unsaved and even saved do not get the answer they want, the family member gets worse or their circumstances descend into one of Dante’s circles of Hell they lash out and even question God’s goodness. Well I have this to say, God was already good to you! He hung on a cross to spare you eternal death, and to reconcile you to the Godhead (Homy Trinity). I understand you want the “abundant life,” (John 10:10) He promised, but to turn on The Lord in anger and disappointment that He is not answering your prayer request the way you like when He suffered for you and made it so you will not only exist forever, but go to where there is no pain, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:8).  I love Brother Begg used “command Jesus to do what we want.” That is so how people have become in this Post-Modern Instant Gratification world. And yet as Begg pointed out this is not new, people said the same at our Savior’s crucifixion, “save yourself, and we will believe,” and the Pharisees, “show us a sign,” which Jesus said, “He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:39-40). We need to Remember Jesus is not ours to command! He is Holy God! Our friend and Bridegroom yes, He is not a mean distant king, but He is still The Lord God and we follow His commands not command Him!, “Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them,” (John 14:21) “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:15), “If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and remain in His love.” (John 15:10). 

Our Lord Jesus is The Creator (John 1:3), The I AM (Mark 14:62), and El Shaddai (God Almighty, Omnipotent) who deserves our worship and reverence in addition to the closeness and friendship we share as His Bride! We have reversed things with our attitude of demi-godery, where we treat The I AM as if he is beholden to our commands and desires! What folly! The time has come to this approach of Jesus the Jinn (Genie) to end! We need to accept His decision as they  did in olden times, “It is as God Wills it,” or Deo Volente when we make requests, “God be willing; if God is willing,” rather than Deus lo Vulting (God Wills it; I name it and claim this is God’s will when it is my own will). We must move from Deus Vult to Deo Volente, the later respects Holy God The Trinity’s right as Supreme Ruler of All Things to say yes or no. We demand this same right of ourselves, the right to say yay or nay, in response to requests from people; we hate when we are forced to do something vi coercion or manipulated via codependency, fear, and etc to do what we don’t want to; and yet we do the same to God! “Lord do as I say!” How brazen!  Oh we may not say it like that, but our demand is heard like in that manner, we acting as if we can tell the King of the Universe what to do. While yes we partner with God, He lives in us and we in Him (1 John 4:15), but when you really are in this relationship with God, you do not act like a tyrant telling Him to obey you, you love Him ad God and Bridegroom, and respect His Divinity and Godhood, that He made us and holds all things together, “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17). 

I recommend you Check out Brother Begg’s sermon The Crucifixion: 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QN23VmUYink

It is the best sermon I have heard in ages. Amen.