Sin Dismantled
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.”
Today’s Text: Matthew 3:1-12 (Living Life Daily Devotional)
How is it that foreigners from the east knew of the coming of the King of the Jews, when the religious leaders of the Jews completely missed it? How is it that those foreigners travelled a vast distance to worship the King of the Jews, but the Jews themselves were disturbed by the news of His birth in their own back yard?
Is it possible that, somehow, our religious traditions can get in the way of true vision? Is it possible that our religious traditions can be disrupted and disturbed by a true encounter with Christ?
Jesus didn’t come to affirm and validate and justify our religious traditions. He came to dismantle the power of sin in our lives with the power of forgiveness, the power of eternal life, and the power of His love.
If we reflected honestly and deeply about our religious traditions, we might find that much of it is driven by human passions and ambitions. Those human passions and ambitions may not necessarily be bad. But it’s just that they are driven by the human spirit and not the Spirit of God.
Whatever passions and ambitions are driven by the human spirit, Jesus Christ came to overturn them. We might find our own human spirit and flesh rising up in resistance and defiance to His work. Our human passions and ambitions do not naturally gravitate toward letting go of control.
Our human spirit wants to control our religious expression. Our human spirit pursues the outward appearances and outward formalities of “spirituality.” On the one hand, “fiery worship.” On the other hand, “edifying discipleship.” On the third hand, “deep fellowship.”
But it is easy to miss the one thing that truly defines us as followers of Jesus Christ:
1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
— Philippians 2:1-4
The brokenness of this world makes it so difficult to surrender our lives to such spiritual principles. That is why the world desperately needs Jesus and desperately needs Jesus now, and so do we. Let that be our witness.
Father, There is power in the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus there is love that heals and protects. We need the power of Your love in our lives and in this church. May the power of Your love destroy the power of sin in our lives. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
