Key Life Network

Guest (Male): If we ever get honest, there'll be a revival. Let's talk about it on Key Life.

Key Life is all about God's radical grace. Grace that has dirt under its fingernails and laugh lines on its face. If you want the Bible to be a book of rules, you may want to stop listening now. But if you're hungry for the truth that'll make you free, welcome to Key Life.

Steve Brown: Thank you, Matthew. If you're just joining us, we are looking at a book that I wrote that's going to be released this month on the 14th of September. And I decided to start early and look at some of the themes in that book. And so that's what we're doing.

By the way, I hope your pastor's sermon was as good as my pastor's sermon. I always am anxious when a new book comes out. Carl Bart, who was one of the great theological minds in the church of the last 200 years, laughed and said, "Every time I turn out a book, the angels laugh and say, the old guy is doing it again."

Every time I turn out a book, they wince and they think the old guy is doing it again. But I'm going to keep doing it until I get it right or I drool or die.

And if you've been listening over the past few weeks, we've been looking at some of the lies that Christians believe and those lies mess us up. And the last week or two, we've been looking at the lies that God tests us. The lie is, your dreams are God's promises. No, they're not.

I think I told you that sometimes in places where I'm speaking. By the way, I forgot to pray. So let's stop right here and I'll pray and then we'll study.

Father, thank you for your word, for writing it down, for making it absolute and reminding us that it's all true and it's all relevant. As we study your word, put it in our head that we might not be shallow and silly Christians. And then put it in our hearts so we won't be cold Christians. And then put it in our vocal cords and our hands and our feet so that the world can hear the laughter of the redeemed.

As always, Father, we pray for the one who teaches on this broadcast. Forgive him his sins. We would see Jesus and him only. And we pray in Jesus' name, amen.

I think I told you that sometimes when I'm teaching in places, I say, I've been teaching this stuff longer than many of you have been alive. And just so you know, you don't fool me. You look spiritual, but I know that you're not. You seem to have it together, but I know that you don't. You seem to have never had a broken heart, but you have. You seem to have all the answers, but you don't.

I know you. You and every one of us, including me, have secrets we've never told the shame us. Sins that we've managed to keep hidden and doubts that nobody knows. It would be helpful to other people if we stopped pretending. And as a matter of fact, if we did stop pretending, we would see awakening and revival in the church.

Now, where did I get that? I got it from Jesus and the whole counsel of God found in the Bible. And I've learned, at least sometimes, how to apply it to myself and everybody else. Because I've experienced that in my Christian walk. Jesus, knowing all about me, every secret, every sin, every doubt, every pretense and fear, likes me anyway. That realization is a gift because it enables me when I remember to deal with denial in a healthy and helpful way.

Let me, let me show you how it works. We tend to be very positive about institutions we are a part of and people with whom we agree. And we do that sometimes to the point of blindness. As far as the church is concerned, that creates a kind of cult. And when it's about politics, it creates serial killers.

We've all watched the politicians and the talking heads who support them, point out the opposition's hypocrisy and lies and failures. When those politicians and talking heads are ours, and I know this is true of you and it's true of me, when they are ours, we cheer without realizing that the politicians and talking heads on the other side are saying the same thing about us and those we support. And they have a lot of cheerleaders too.

The truth is that there are a lot of people making a whole lot of money and achieving a whole lot of fame by demonizing the enemy and calling us to stand for the truth. During the last national election, my pastor said in a sermon that those in the congregation who had strong political views should try to remember there are 150 million people who disagree with you.

Now, what I just said may be helpful because it's true, but it's not my point. We all play the game of denial about ourselves and others because we fail to recognize that good and bad, wisdom and stupidity, love and hate, faith and doubt, faithfulness and unfaithfulness are universal. And denial is the soil in which false expectations grow.

It's what Martin Luther meant when he said that we are both saints and sinners.

Thus, a Christian person, this is Luther, is righteous and a sinner at the same time, holy and profane, an enemy of God and a child of God. None of the sophists will admit this paradox because they do not understand the true meaning of justification. This was why they forced men to go on doing good works until they would not feel any sin at all. By this means, they drove to the point of insanity many people who tried with all of their might to become completely righteous in a formal sense, but could not accomplish it. And innumerable persons, even among the authors, this wicked dogma has driven to despair in the hour of death, which is what would have happened to me if Christ had not looked at me in mercy and liberated me from this error. We, on the other hand, teach and comfort an afflicted sinner this way. Brother, it is impossible for you to be so righteous in this life that your body is clear and spotless as the sun. You still have spots and wrinkles, Ephesians 5:27, and yet you are holy. But you say, 'How can I be holy when I have sin and am aware of it?' That you feel and acknowledge sin is good. Thank God and don't despair. It is one step toward health when a sick man admits and confesses his disease. But how will I be liberated from this sin? Run to Jesus, the physician who heals the contrite of heart and saves sinners.

That, by the way, is from Luther's works, volume 26, in case you wondered. As always, Luther is passionate and strong in his language. But don't let that cause you to miss the point he's making.

I once asked my late mentor and probably the wisest man I've ever known, Fred Smith, how he made so much money as a consultant in big business. He didn't have formal education, received very little training, and had almost no credentials to be a consultant. Yet he was paid handsomely for his wisdom. Fred said the secret was simple. "I look for the ego, and when I have found the ego, I have found the problem." That is so wise. That is the problem, it's our ego. And because of our ego, we want to pretend. We want to pretend to be good and holy and righteous. And we're not sometimes. When we get that and say it, revival is the result. You think about that, amen.

Guest (Male): Thanks, Steve. That was Steve Brown resuming our exploration of his new book called God's Not Mad at You. By the way, that book comes out next Monday, and for a short while longer, you can order it at a special discounted price. Get the details at keylife.org/notmadbook. More tomorrow, hope you will join us.

A while back, Steve preached a sermon called Getting Better based on Ephesians 2. In that message, Steve explains how our sanctification actually happens. If trying to get better all on your own has just left you spent, then you're going to love this sermon. We'll send it to you on CD for free. Just call us right now at 1-800 Key Life. That's 1-800-539-5433. You can also email Steve at keylife.org to order that CD, or to mail your request, go to keylife.org/contact to find our mailing addresses for the US and Canada. Again, just ask for the CD called Getting Better.

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