He’s So Much Sweeter
Written by Jarred Rushing
(6 minutes)
Do you realize that all the wealth of his extravagant kindness is meant to melt your heart and lead you into repentance? (Romans 2:4)
One of the greatest questions that we could ask ourselves is, "Are we truly convinced that God is good?" All of our religious, law-infused theology was built on the lie that Yahweh was not really kind.
And the serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:4-5)
The first thing the enemy ever did was sow a seed of doubt in us concerning the goodness of the Father. "No, Yahweh isn't good. He's withholding good things from you because He doesn't want you to be powerful like Him. He can't be trusted." The enemy painted the Father with darkness and made us call His nature into question. And so the question has remained in play since that moment, "Is the Father really loving? Is the Father really good? Is the Father really kind?"
Religion never allowed us to see Abba rightly. He was always untrustworthy and suspicious. Let me see if I can sum up the trashy, impoverished, no-good gospel that we all received: Religion told us that the Father was distant, disapproving, and disgusted with our sin, so much so that He couldn't even look upon us without compromising His own holiness. Until one day Jesus convinced the Father that we were worthy to be redeemed so He came to the earth to live holy like the Father always wanted us to live, and then Jesus died to absorb the wrath of God that was meant to be poured out on us, because someone had to be punished for sin. And now the Father can barely stand to have us in His presence and we can only be there as long as we're clothed in Jesus. If He ever sees us poking our head out of our Jesus dress-up suit, He will cast us out because He really only tolerates us because of the Son. We have no worth on our own. We really deserve to go to hell. And then religion enters on stage right and boldly exclaims, "Don't give up! There's something you can DO to make Him love you more!" And this is how we inherited the endless list of laws that we could keep to stay in God's good graces. So we try to keep up with them all, until the day comes where we mess up and fall off the wagon. Then we get a flat tire and think, "This is God getting me back for messing up." And suddenly the unconditional love of God becomes conditional, rising and falling with my ability to keep up with the endless list of laws. And what we thought was the finished work of Christ turns out to be unfinished, because there's still something I have to do to make God love me.
Did I miss anything?
No wonder we have to be convinced that the Father is good and kind! Religion painted Him with darkness and now we're left with questions about His nature. Religion produced an entire generation that is anxious to be in the presence of God because they aren't really sure how He'll treat them.
This is the same problem that Jesus' disciples had. Listen to what Phillip says after walking with Jesus for three years:
Phillip spoke up, "Lord, show us the Father, and that will be all that we need!" (John 14:8)
Why in the world would Phillip still be asking, after three years, for Jesus to show him the Father? Because Phillip still wasn't sure that the Father was as good as Jesus was. "Jesus, you're the most loving person I've ever encountered in my whole life. You are perfectly and completely good. But could you just pull the curtain back on the Father, because I'm not sure that He's as good as you are. I'd hate to get closer to Him and then have the rug pulled out from under me. Jesus, show me the Father, and I'll be good to go!"
Many of us are at this exact place with Abba right now. How could we share the same feeling as this first-century disciple? Because religion hasn't changed it's story since the beginning of time. Religion taught Philip everything he knew about God. And religion taught us everything we know about God. And religion never told us the truth!
So Jesus responds to Phillip, "Phillip, I've been with you all this time and you still don't know who I am? How could you ask me to show you the Father, for anyone who has looked at me has seen the Father." (John 14:9)
This is why Jesus came. To bring Light to the darkness. He came to show us what the Father is really like. John 1:18 says, "No one has ever gazed upon the fullness of God's splendor except the uniquely beloved Son, who is cherished by the Father and held close to his heart. Now he has unfolded to us the full explanation of who God truly is!" When we see Jesus, we see the Father.
Jesus is everything that the Father has to say about Himself. Jesus is perfect theology. If you want to know what the Father is like, look at the Son, because they are one and the same.
Do you realize that all the wealth of his extravagant kindness is meant to melt your heart and lead you into repentance? (Romans 2:4)
Our only hope at change and transformation is to get well-acquainted with the kindness of God. Dr. Simmons, author of The Passion Translation, helps us see that the Aramaic word for kindness can be translated "sweetness." There is a sweetness to Abba that we have yet to encounter and it is the only thing that will change us.
Pastor Tim presented an incredible question to us this past Sunday: What if how willing you are to believe that He is kind is how far into transformation you will go?
What if our transformation and change is directly tied to how far we're willing to go in letting our heart be convinced that He is actually good?
Dr. Simmons adds that this verse in Aramaic could be translated "Do you not know that it is the fulfillment of God to bring you blessings?" That's not what we were taught. We only ever heard that there was wrath stored up for us. Believing that it is actually blessings that He has in store for us will require a whole new theology, a brand new wineskin.
Everything that was built on religion's lie about the Father must be thrown away. We can't trust anything that was built on the foundation of that lie. Our foundation must be the complete kindness, the perfect goodness, and the wonderful sweetness of our Abba. He is trustworthy and there is no trace of darkness in Him.
As we take our walk today, we must let our heart descend into the loving-kindness of Abba. The wealth of His extravagant kindness will be the thing that melts our heart and brings us to the place of metanoia, our mind being completely changed. Let the river of His love erode the bedrock of religion's lie and carry it away from your heart. And let Him replace the lie with the truth of who He really is and what He really thinks about you. This will be the new foundation that will hold all the new revelation you will receive about Yahweh. It's the new wineskin that will be capable of holding the new wine without seeing any go to waste. It's the beginning of an exciting journey with Abba. Enjoy your walk with Him today!
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Worship: "Fill My Cup" by Kingdom Culture Worship
Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place
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