May 20, 2018 - The End of Religion (Mark 2:23 - 3:6)
(If it's not Sunday then listen online at www.crosswindschicago.org and take notes here...)
- Futility of religion
Two Paradigms of the Moral Law
- Human Religion - The moral law becomes a burden.
- The gospel of Jesus Christ - The moral law is a blessing.
Religion - “I obey therefore I am accepted.”
Christianity - “I am fully accepted in Christ, therefore I obey.”
In religion the purpose of following the law is to assure the individual that they are good with God.
In Christianity the purpose of the law is to show us how to love God and love others.
Two Approaches to Life…
- Moral Conformity
2. Self Discover
2. Finality of Jesus
Matthew 5:17 - “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
Matthew 11:28-30 - Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
A. Lordship of Jesus
Luke 10:18 - And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”
N.T. Wright says, “How can you live with the terrifying thought that the hurricane has become human, that the fire has become flesh, the Life itself has walked into our midst. Christianity either means that or it means nothing. It is the most devastating disclosure of the deepest reality in the world, or it’s a complete sham and non-sense. Most people unable to cop with saying either of those things are condemned to live in the shallow world in between.”
B. Sabbathness of Jesus
Two Levels of Rest…
- Physical and mental rest
- Spiritual rest