Who’s Talking?

One of the greatest inhibitors of our Gospel joy and Gospel transformation is that we spend more time listening to ourselves than talking to ourselves. Martin Lloyd Jones asks, “Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?” I think MLJ is dead on – if we want to have joy and see transformation in our lives (becoming more Christ – like) we need to be proficient proclaimers of the Gospel, even to ourselves.

This post was the application point from Sunday’s sermon from Galatians 4.1-20 and it’s important not just because listening to yourself versus talking to yourself is important but because of what this application point rests on, or from where this point of application gets it’s power.

We learned from Galatians 4.1-20 this past Sunday that we where brought from where we were and kept where we are because of who Jesus is and what He has done. We were once slaves to the law (mosaic or moral), and to sin, and to elemental beings – stoicheia (see 1 Corinthians 12.2 and Ephesians 2.1-3). “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because we are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying “Abba Father!” Because we were sinners, separated from God, and dead, God sent Jesus. But now, because we are sons – adopted sons with the same standing as Jesus – God sent us The Holy Spirit.

On the cross Jesus removes all of our sin – and on the cross Jesus gives us, or credits to us, all His righteousness. It is not because of what we do that we earn God’s favor but what Christ has already done.

When we listen to ourselves, telling ourselves that God can’t be happy with us because of our poor physical or spiritual life, telling ourselves that we can’t change our sinful habits and behaviors, we are basing God’s favor or blessing towards us on our work. However, our favor with God doesn’t rest on our work but on Christ’s. Our work, now – in Christ, is our response (worship of God, love of and for the Church, mission to the city and world)!

So, you can use “mind over matter” (if you don’t mind it doesn’t matter, right) or some Oprah Secret. But the real power of preaching – speaking – talking the Gospel to yourself comes from the great biblical truth that in Christ you are heirs with Christ – alive with Him, raised with Him, seated with Him – in Christ you have the same standing as Him. Are angels and demons and humans and God telling Jesus He’s not good enough? No! Everyone is and has been astonished with Jesus. So when the stoicheia come whispering, telling you that you’re not good enough, that God can’t be happy with you, that you can’t change, what do you believe? You, with and in Christ and have the same standing as Him, which means they are lying (John 8.44), deceiving (Revelation 12.9), trying to blind your eyes (2 Corinthians 4.4), and trying to hinder the truth (Galatians 4.8).

Start talking:

“You aren’t good enough!” –

“Fine, but Jesus is good enough for me!” (Romans 3.21-26; 1 Peter 3.18)

“You can’t change, you’ll always commit that sin!” –

“Yes, I can, He is changing me” (Philippians 1.6; 2 Corinthians 3.18; Philippians 2.12-13; 2 Timothy 3.16-17)

“God isn’t happy with you!”

“God is my adoptive Father and because of Jesus He sees me the same as His Son – He always says to me, because of Christ, ‘You are my child…and with you I am well pleased.’” (Romans 8.31-39

Just like the man in the commercial above, stop listening to yourself and start talking to yourself – and start beating the tar out of those that would consume you.