Key Life Network

Matthew: Kickers can kill. Let's talk about it on this edition of Key Life. Key Life exists to communicate that the deepest message of Jesus and the Bible is the radical grace of God to sinners and sufferers. Because life is hard for everyone, grace is for all of us. Our host is seminary professor and author Steve Brown.

Steve Brown: Thank you, Matthew. If you are just joining us, we are doing something that is a little bit unusual. I have a book coming out probably next year and I am asking you to help me write the book with your comments. The book has a bunch of titles, and I think the one we most recently looked at was *God's Not Mad at You: Confronting the Lies of Guilt and Shame and Fear and Regret*.

It had a bunch of other titles as I was working on it, but in essence, it is a book that lays out the lies that those of us as Christians sometimes believe. Because we believe them, it messes up our lives. I have spent some time on this broadcast looking at Lies 101 as we examined what lies were about. Then we talked about the lies that enchant us—that God is in His heaven and all is right with the world. It is not, and once Christians face that reality, you can deal with it better and not be surprised because of your high expectations.

Then we started last week talking about lies that cheat us, and those are about the kickers. The gospel is clear, in your face, wonderful, amazing, but everybody, or a lot of teachers, add kickers to it. Jesus loves you, and then the kicker: "but do not let it go to your head." I spent some time last week going over some of the kickers and showing you how it works. We are going to continue with that discussion today. But first, we are going to pray, so let's do that.

Father, we come into your presence asking that you would by your Spirit lead us to truth, to all the truth, to the truth that you have revealed and the amazing love and grace and mercy that you have given. Father, you know we need it. This is a hard place in a fallen world and it is so easy to get depressed and down and then to turn weird with our religion. So prevent it, please, sir. Please prevent it by your Spirit by teaching us the truth.

You know everybody who is listening to this broadcast. You know our needs, you know our pain, you know our tears, and you also know our laughter and our joy. We affirm that you are sovereign over all of that. As always, forgive the one who teaches. They call him Reverend and he is not much. Forgive him his sins. We would see Jesus. In His name we pray, amen.

As I said, we spent considerable time talking about the nature of kickers and how they can hurt you and make you feel guilty and be filled with shame and regret. I get it all the time from letters I get from you guys, talking about, "I wish I could have been better. I wish I could have done it differently. I wish I had listened to Jesus. I wish I had done this and that and the other." Sometimes that is nothing but a kicker that somebody has manipulated you with guilt.

Once a broadcast listener called our office and the receptionist buzzed me and she was in tears. "Steve," she said, "this man is really angry and I do not know what to do about him. Could you talk with him?" I said I would and I picked up the phone. "Doctor Brown," the very angry man said, "do you not know there are millions of people in hell because of you?" I was taken aback. You know what I said before I thought? "You have got to be kidding. I did not know I had that kind of power. Way cool."

You want to know what he said? Nothing. He hung up on me, that is what he did. Believe it or not, though, I have thought about what he said. I know that if what I am writing in a book, what I am teaching on a broadcast, what I am teaching at a conference or from a church pulpit—if it is not true, I am in a whole lot of trouble. And if you believe what I am teaching you about God's goodness and kindness and mercy, you are too.

But of course, it is all true because of what God has taught us. But I do understand those who add kickers because they do not want to hurt other Christians. The late Jerry Bridges—and I loved him a lot—was a friend of mine. We were at a conference once. He was maybe the finest Christian I have ever known. I mean, he loved Christ, he was kind, and I used to say that I did not understand why he taught so much about grace because if anybody in this world did not need it, he did not need it.

At a conference when he got up to speak, he referenced what I said about him. He said, "I am a sinner in need of grace." He said, "Let me confess something to you." You know what he said? He said, "I was at the airport this morning when I came in and they were late in bringing my bag and I was angry." I am sitting there thinking, you have got to be kidding. I thought, listen, that is not a sin. That was probably the right thing to feel.

But he was a good man and a kind man. During his ministry, he began to teach about radical grace and it really was grace. I introduced him at a Ligonier conference one time and when he got up, he said, "I loved what Steve said about me. I wish my parents had been here to hear it. They would have believed him." But at any rate, he was teaching grace. In the early part of his ministry, he wrote wonderful and best-selling books on holiness and sanctification.

Later on, Jerry had somewhat of an epiphany in his ministry and his books started focusing on grace and mercy. Not on what we needed to do and be, but what God had already done for sinners. Jerry was absolutely shocked at the very angry, condemning, and hostile criticism he received. I told him he would, but he did not believe me. He got it from well-meaning and some not-so-well-meaning Christians all over the country.

I still have a penciled note he wrote to me where he said, "Steve, are you sure we are right?" Sometimes Christians use a kicker because they want the Christian message to be biblical. Yet they end up with a kicker that does not clarify but rather confuses the clarity of the incredible life-changing message of the gospel. It is good news. And then there are some who use kickers out of fear. It is not just an "in case" effort to please God who we think is hard to please and may not be the God Jesus revealed.

I saw a bumper sticker a while ago. It said, "Jesus is coming back and man is he ticked." If you have never stood before God and been afraid, you are probably worshiping an idol. God is very big, very opinionated, and very strong. But because of another truth, there is more than the fear. If you have never stood before God and been profoundly and unconditionally loved when you knew you did not deserve it, you are probably worshiping an idol too.

What we think about God is really important. When you call it conviction, sometimes it is not conviction; sometimes it is manipulation and the use of guilt and a false picture of God to cause us to do and be what the teacher wanted us to do and be. Do not let them do that to you. Make sure the God you worship is the real God. You think about that. Amen.

Matthew: Thank you, Steve, for that reminder that the gospel is clear and true and 100 percent kicker-free. We are working our way through Steve's new book called *God's Not Mad at You*, and as we proceed, we invite your thoughts and feedback. You really do have an opportunity to shape that final book and like Steve said, it should be out later this year.

Round up the usual suspects. That is one of the famous lines from *Casablanca*. When it comes to the forces that drag us down spiritually, does it not seem like it is always the usual suspects: worry, fear, guilt? We recently spoke with best-selling author Max Lucado about this on our talk radio show, *Steve Brown, Etc.* Max offered some practical biblical tools to renew our minds and transform our lives.

Discover all of it when you hear that conversation on CD. We will send it to you for free. Just call us right now at 1-800-KEY-LIFE. That is 1-800-539-5433. You can also email Steve at Steve@keylife.org to order that CD or go to keylife.org/contact to find our mailing addresses. Again, just ask for the CD featuring Max Lucado.

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