Mistakes don’t define your future- Being Godly, Not Self-Righteous
I think many people have to deal with at least a few bad decisions that they have made in their life. Many of these decisions might of not been intentional, but situational. Meaning, at the time it made sense, or they were in a different state of mind (not exactly Christian).
So do bad decisions define us as people…?
Well, of course not, many mistakes that we made as teenagers we wouldn’t make in a million years now that we are grown up. Or lets say as a child you are unaware a bee stings, you will be intrigued by its beauty and simply the lack of knowledge will prevent you from not being stung.
How many of you can say that you have never made a mistake…? How many of you can claim to be a saint simply because you haven’t murdered, stolen, deceived, cheated, lied, committed adultery, etc…
Are we justified by our actions in our life? Are we defined as humans because of a certain human rubric we have fallen under….?
What makes a person Godly, what makes a person right in front of God…?
Lets say we live a completely perfect life….granted if that was even possible, but lets say we think we are living a Godly life, will that ultimately get us into heaven?
Unfortunately, not! We are not justified by our works but by our heart. The once applied method- from simply being obedient and following the law- will no longer get you into heaven.
What will though?…
There is a passage that I have read, it really put things into perspective for me, and I hope it will do the same for you.
3 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
So who is this Nicodemus? Well he was a very intelligent leader among the Israelis who had been known for his status. He was an elder, he was wealthy, he was smart…He was like a high priest, similar to the pope in our generation.
So why did Nicodemus approach Jesus, especially at night?…
Well if you read closely you will notice Nicodemus referring to himself as we, as in “we noticed you doing these things…” So he is speaking on the behalf of the rest of his following (his group of friends)…
What did Nicodemus actually want…?
Well ironically he wasn’t there searching for answers, in fact he even came at night probably on purpose so no one else would see him associating himself with Jesus. Because his status among the town was so high it would probably ruin his reputation (We all know these types of people, they would do anything to save their image rather then do what God asks of them).
So Nicodemus actually asks..” What does it mean to be born again..?”
He was practically mocking Jesus, by saying what is this none sense you are teaching, you are making us (when he referred to himself as we) look bad.
He is almost being condescending here, you have to understand, that Jesus was a youngster compared to Nicodemus, and they perceived Jesus as this young uneducated drifter that lived out of a boat and random people’s houses.
And Nicodemus being this intelligent well educated man (who by the way was also morally perfect. As a Jew he actually followed 613 laws that had been made for the Jews that would keep them as far from sin as possible) was here questioning God…Who do you think you are crashing our party, cramping our style?….We are just fine without you, who are you to tell us we will not go to heaven…
Well, Jesus was making a point, he was saying its not by how many laws you follow but by the power of the Holy Spirit, by Gods grace, which changes your heart when you submit yourself to Him.
You see, Nicodemus was a perfect man, he had no noticeable sin in his life, he didn’t have a past, his credibility was so high among the community. But in the eyes of God he fell short….He could not inherit Gods kingdom, because he did not possess a new heart…
I know many people that have grown up in religious families, religious backgrounds, and they think they are so holy, so sanctified; simply because of their perfect track record…
These are typically the type of people that are so proud of everything they have accomplished, they are blinded to the truth. They spend so much time bragging to others how much they have accomplished, or how much they have attained meanwhile not focusing on what truly matters.
Nicodemus was a morally sound man, he was a religious man. But he lacked a Spiritually pure heart. A heart that does things for God not for people, a heart that will ignore human perspective and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit.
To be born again is to be born of the Spirit. This is what happens when God grants you repentance through his grace. When you accept Jesus into your heart, your heart is renewed. The Holy Spirit climbs into the drivers seat and you are no longer a slave to sin.
I think many people that grew up in the church think that their perspective is all knowing, that they somehow have the revelation, that God favors them over all else.
Nicodemus was one of these self righteous types of people, he often times raised himself up, because he thought he was above all other perspectives.
And although Nicodemus didn’t make any noticeable bad decisions that still wasn’t enough to inherit the kingdom of heaven.
I have made many bad decisions in my life, I will not deny that, some of which still to this day carry their consequences, but I know what it means to be humbled in front of God. I know what it means to be forgiven and leave my past behind me.
Satan will always try to revisit the past. He will continue to use the “guilt card” the “shame card” in hopes you stumble. The way we are to approach this is rebuke Satan and that sin.
If you live in the past, the future will resemble your past. If you live in the present and leave the past where it belongs, Jesus can do wonderful things for you in your future.
Who does God favor, the sinful or the righteous? Does God use my old sin against me? No he doesn’t…! And neither should people…As long as a person has repented of his sin, he shouldn’t be judged based off of that sin….the past is the past. We all fall, we all stumble, some more than others, but no one is perfect.
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 18)
Many people dismiss this verse, but I think it has so much power. A person that has sinned in his life (which may I add is everyone) and actually acknowledges it and repents of it will be justified in front of God, but the one that pretends he is all Holy will be humbled.
Many of you might of made mistakes throughout your life, just remember, God doesn’t Judge you based off those mistakes, but off of your intentions in life. If you repent all will be forgiven, God will give you a new heart and a new life……
-Amen-
