Financial bankruptcy is one of the most painful things a family can endure. It’s emotionally devastating on several different levels. Husbands take a massive ego hit. Wives often bear the brunt of future security. Few come out of it unscathed.
It can be absolutely disastrous.
Financial bankruptcy occurs when a family is incapable of paying its debts. Plus, their liabilities exceed their assets. What is owed exceeds what is owned. Often bankruptcy is self-inflicted but sometimes it’s a matter of circumstance.
Jesus masterfully used bankruptcy language to explain how we fit into His Kingdom. Embracing the truth that we are bankrupt in spirit is vital. We are incapable of buying or earning our way into His Kingdom. He alone was capable of paying the extraordinary price demanded by God.
Trust Me I’m A Good Person
The majority of people are convinced that they are “good”. Many persons are fully persuaded that they have done enough good to actually gain heaven. Certainly, when I see a newscast of a person who recently died they were always good. Most of them are borderline saintly.
I’m waiting for the honest person who actually tells the truth:
“I’ll tell you what. Old Cooter, he wasn’t the best of boys, no he wasn’t. He ran around on his wife, stole cable TV from the neighbor and that old dog still owes me $20! Good riddance!”
Even church members who believe that they are “saved by grace through faith” still struggle with the concept of being good. They’ll freely admit that salvation is grace-based but they continue to scratch and claw to ensure that their good works are noticed and appreciated.
Even Jesus Wasn’t Good
I had a tough time even typing that headline. If He hadn’t said it Himself I would not have used it. Honestly, I still don’t like it.
Mark 10:18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.
If Jesus deflected His goodness toward God why do we believe that we’re good? Our sinful nature constantly attempts to justify our egregious behavior and amplifies our intermittent moments of kindness and love. Make no mistake: those kind moments are not enough. God demands perfection (Matthew 5:48).
The Beatitudes
I’ve heard dozens of sermons based on the beatitudes and most were terrible and works based. The well-meaning but misguided minister traverses through the nine “blessed” verses to further burden and bog down the saints. Jesus’ point was missed completely.
Matthew 5:1-3 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
If we were to be 100% honest with ourselves, we’d freely admit that we are failures at fulfilling Matthew 5:3-12. Yet, Sunday after Sunday, preachers regurgitate this nonsense. We depart with our spiritual tails between our legs to face another week of pain, misery, and insufficiency.
That was the point Jesus was making. Without Him, we are unable and unwilling to live a life pleasing to the Father.
Wages of Sin Is Death
As long as we continue to fight for our own goodness we will remain in darkness. It’s imperative for us to come to God and freely admit our inability to meet His exacting and impossible standards.
I was born in sin and willfully continue to sin (Psalm 51). It’s crystal clear that the wages of sin is death. Daily, I make war against sin but since it’s coursing through my veins that fight will never end. The only permanent cure for my sinful nature is death.
Hell is what I deserve for my rebellion against the King. Thankfully, God through His mercy provided a substitute for me.
God is holy and just. He simply cannot ignore my sin and make it go away. That would be unjust. He’s also kind and loving and merciful. As such He provided a scapegoat for me — Jesus.
The Gift of God
Jesus paid it all. In the beginning, was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God and the Word became flesh (John 1:1,14). Jesus came to earth sinless and spotless.
He lived a sinless life yet became sin for us. Jesus had to pay the penalty for our sin and rebellion. It was the only plan that would work. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He asked His Father if there was any other way it could happen.
Matthew 26:38-39 Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.”And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”
There was no other way.
The payment for our sin was a beating, scourging, mocking, and crucifixion of the spotless and perfect Lamb of God. Jesus, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2)!
First Importance
Paul, in his letter to the church in Corinth, indicated that the death, burial, resurrection, and appearance (eye witness proof) of Jesus were of first importance.
Recently, the church has experienced mission creep. We, far too often, are doing everything except fulfilling our primary purpose of preaching the gospel and making disciples.
The first importance has taken a back seat to other niceties.
Meeting societal needs is crucial but should never take precedent over the Great Commission. As uncomfortable as it might be for some we must address the personal issue of sin in society.
Simply tacking a “salvation” scripture to the end of a social gospel-based sermonette is probably not what Paul had in mind when discussing things of First Importance.
Despite what the most popular-purpose-driven pastor believes, sin must be addressed, must be confessed, and must be nailed to the cross.
Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit
For the love of all things holy, it’s time that we began following the example Jesus established in His Sermon on the Mount. “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven,” is what He declared.
Stop leading witnessing conversations with “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life” and other similar tripe. That phrase is not biblical and it is not how Jesus conducted evangelism. *It’s been recently brought to my attention that even the word “evangelism” makes some church members queazy.*
Let’s return to the basics and imitate the evangelistic method of Jesus. We must confront sin. Until unbelievers are convicted of sin the good news is impotent. Why would anyone want good news unless there was bad news to overcome?
Your friends, neighbors, and family cannot save themselves. Jesus did not come for the well but for the sick. Are you modeling bankruptcy of spirit to your friends and family? Or do you say that you’re saved by grace through faith while simultaneously reflecting a works-based life?
Bankrupt families cannot pay their financial debts. Spiritually bankrupt persons are incapable of earning heaven. Even our best efforts are polluted by impure motives and pride.
Ostensibly, our spiritual balance sheet would have $0 on the asset side and a prodigious amount of debt on the liability side. We are spiritually bankrupt yet rich beyond measure.
A Final Word
Revelation 3:16-18 So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.
Timothy Kiser is the author of The Profit Dare: Winning At Wealth Without Losing Your Soul and Floating Axes and No Taxes.