Wrong Jesus : What You Want
Not There
Jesus did not want to go to the cross. We do not want to go to the cross.
There was a mighty conflict between Jesus and God concerning the cross.
For Jesus to obey and die on the cross He had to wrestle it out to the depth of wrestle-stress that drops of blood poured out from His flesh.
Therefore let the question be asked. If you claim to be a Christian, walking as Jesus walked, where then is the conflict in your life? Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. (1 John 2:6)
In your prayer life where is the conflict and obedience?
Is there wrestling over Scriptures you do not like unto full obedience towards such holy writ?
Is your church membership a result of joining a church where you do not want to be a member?
Is the last sermon you listened to increased the conflict and overcoming unto the holiness of Jesus?
Is the persecution a result of conflict unto holy obedience or that fact you cannot put off compromise with the world any longer?
In the same way, whether small or large, the will of God for us each day will require wrestling before the cross unto obedience.
And if you are not experiencing this suffering of turmoil and obedience, then rejoice in the Good News – you are not a Christian.
Blessed are you that God is attempting to open your eyes to the Truth of who you are right now.
Good news because you have the chance to repent. To repent and accept that church, that Christian, that message of the cross that is the true gospel.
It truly is Good News when anyone accepts, wrestling out the lies by the turmoil of the cross unto a holy walk with God. Blessed are those who do such today, because tomorrow mostly likely will be too late.
Now, this moment, today, before the conviction fades is to follow the Holy Spirit where you do to not want to go – toward the cross.
The Conflict
They are in conflict with each other, – Galatians 5:17
Let this sink deeply into your heart and soul. The Jesus most individuals claim as their savior creates no or so little conflict within their lives that they will be denounced by Jesus come Judgment Day. Fact is many who have given up on Christianity were never experiencing a congregation where all were engaged in the conflict and they soon grew tired of everyone claiming they were of Jesus but were not. But I stray too far from the point.
Consider that a holy Jesus causes small and mighty powerful conflicts to confront us each hour of the day.
Sadly our quiet prayer times are comfortable and do not reflect the pray life of Jesus. The Jesus embraced and adore is one that conforms to our concepts of blessings and does not cause serious conflicts to arise. If I be wrong then tell me how your prayer life from time to time is walking as Jesus walked.
The true disciple is confronted 100% with conflict. There is a lot of either and or.
There is your sinful nature and there is the will of the Holy Spirit.
There is no compromise, nor room for agreement and certainly no unity between your sinful self and God. The Holy Spirit and the Sinful Nature are in total opposition to each other and one must wrestle to overcome the fulfilling of sins. Period.
Everyday, every hour of every day, even as one sleeps, the Holy Spirit is directing, inspiring and demanding that which sinful self is always, repeat, always fighting against.
At all times this conflict rages if one is truly following the real Jesus. The conflict is so intense that any joy a disciple of Jesus experiences must come from an outside source. The same Holy Spirit that leds us to the cross is the same Holy Spirit that will provide joy in the measure God wills for that hour.
Since the swimming mass of Christians know nothing of the conflict they do not under the joy I speak of here. This is just one reason why it is critical to be saved as God instructed. A good foundation must be laid because the rising waters of conflict will come.
This is why Paul declares with tears that many, though claiming The Name live as enemies of the cross. Paul writes: For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. (Philippians 3:18)
If you know what I am talking about in this post, then you too have wept at the condition of the congregations. If not, best to get in the conflict today. Now.
Side Note
Many are comfortable with the church they attend because the Jesus that is idolizes is one of their shaping. Thus there is no conflict to make them feel uncomfortable. Indeed, they leave feeling comfortably saved, comfortably righteous and comfortably blessed. If one sat outside these churches and watched people leave the buildings they would not see: Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed–not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence–continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, (Philippians 2:12)
The sermons that are pounded out at these pulpits do not confront individuals with a holy demanding Jesus. At best there is only comfortable conflict. That is just enough to make the congregation feel comfortably conflicted over the message of the cross but not enough to be a disciple of Jesus. While this might sound off-key it is true.
The vast majority of Christianity would not last 45 minutes with a truly Holy Spirit inspired confrontation by the Word of God sermon.
Most have sought a comfortable church to join. For some that is a comfortable conservative Bible believing church, for others that is a comfortably offensive message of the cross Bible church but in the end it is only a comfortable religious experience. Lucky are those few that have fallen away from such churches for there might be some hope they can now fall in love with Jesus.
The church does not hire preachers that confront them with a holy God and like those of the Old Testament will often with great slander, accusations and energy oppose any truth that creates a holy conflict within their soul and lives.
The coming turmoil in the world is first, and foremost a judgment on the Christian church and many are going to fall away because they are not what they think they are.
We Burn
For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit – Galatians
We all have a burning desire to get what is contrary to the Holy Spirit. Like Paul, we all burn for the unholy. As Paul wrote to the Corinthian Church: Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? (2 Corinthians 11:29)
We burn for Christian books and songs that make our sinful nature feel happy and hopeful.
We burn for sermons and preachers that promise blessings upon our will and desires.
We burn to dress comfortable when we go to church to hear comfortable sermons.
We burn for and long for relationships that will appease the impurity we burn for.
We burn for thoughts we want to think are pleasant not the mind of Christ.
We burn to be entertained, waste time or be a workaholic.
No one in their sinful nature desires to read books, listen to sermons or accept advice that is contrary to their sinful nature. Any sermon, book or advise that is of God will have an element of going where we do not want to go. If not, it is either not of Jesus or one is twisting the advice given in the Holy Spirit so as to puff up their self-righteous notions. In this way they can fulfill the lusts of the flesh while claiming Jesus and avoid any conflict with God.
Paul feels weak because he is involved in the conflict with burning. Unlike the preachers of today many of whom fall into great sins proclaim sermons that allow the congregation to escape the conflict. Question is are you weak right now because you are overcoming by obedience though the conflict by not doing what you want to do?
Now you understand why persecution is so hard against those who understand and operate under the influence of a Holy Spirit that is always at conflict with the sinful nature. Many individuals who start out following Jesus turn back and are bitter because they simply got tired of hearing and having to do things they do not want to do. And since they had gotten close to Jesus their delusion of getting to go to heaven is shattered. When such false hopes are shattered any love turns to rage against such a holy God.
To The End
…someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go. – John 21:18
The test of maturity in Jesus is how much we do what we do not want to do.
Those who have fallen to the ground and are slowly transformed each hour of the day into the new image of Jesus are those who step by step have kept going in the way they do not want to go.
God calls such His obedient children..
Take the example of the Apostle Peter. To the very end Jesus said he would go where he does not want to go.
The only way Peter could prove faithful to Jesus in those final hours was if day after day, in the smallest ways possible down to the thoughts and attitudes of the heart he always went where he did not want to go.
This is why Peter fully understood and taught all will need a proper attitude. Odds are you need an attitude adjustment.
An attitude to suffer as Jesus did. An attitude of mind, heart and soul that learns obedience through suffering just as Jesus did. You can read 1 Peter 4:1 yourself, Prepare your mind to accept the Lord’s joy in the mist of going where you do not want to go. Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin.
Want to be “done with sin”? Then let God lead you where you do not want to go to the very end of your life. You have been crucified with Christ and it is time to act like you are on that cross by suffering and going where you do not want to go. Of doing things you do not want to do and finding it to be a joy.
To the very end you will be in conflict with the books God calls you to read. You will be conflicted with the music He wills for you to listen to. You will be conflicted about the cloths you should wear. You will be conflicted about where to travel and where to stay. You will have to take a step of serious faith to fellowship with others with like attitudes in the Lord, going where you do not want to go with whom you do not want to go with.
That is you will go where you do not want to go that is in your sinful nature. As you mature in the Lord – which takes serious time of denying self – you, which is no longer you will desire the holiness of God in all things.
Time is very short. It is time to crave pure, let me repeat that again, pure spiritual milk so that you might grow up on the goodness of the Lord. Do not be a fool that claims the goodness of God without having engaged in the suffering conflict of doing what you do not want to do.
Top drawer point is this – find like-minded disciples of Jesus today and fellowship with them in the Light of God – today. If you can find any. If not, pray from some disciples who will walk in the light and holy love of the Living God. You will need them.
God has chosen that the safety, the vulnerability, the spiritual growth, the increasing in the Truth takes place only as we fellowship others who genuinely love the Lord like this.
Time is short and far too many people have been avoiding the conflict and will not be able to overcome what is about to take happen in the world.
The great shaking of purifying judgment on the Christian Church is starting to take place. Woe to the many who think they are being persecuted for righteousness sake.
Now do you see why it is easy to spot who really loves Jesus? As John wrote, “We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us.”
Warning: This is not self-imposed or self-timed conflicts. The is led of the Holy Spirit in His timing towards the cross.
T. Williams
If anyone does not love the Lord–a curse be on him.
Come, O Lord ! (1 Corinthians 16:22)
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