Daily Devotional for Sunday May 20, 2007

It is ok to Mock Jesus

(Isaiah 53:7; Matthew 26:62-63; Psalms 22:6-8; Matthew 27:39-40)

It is OK to mock Jesus. The "Insurgent" is the student newspaper on the > University of Oregon campus, and in a recent edition this paper ran two > cartoons of Jesus. In one, He was hanging on the cross naked with an > erection. In the other, Jesus is shown kissing another man and they both > have erections. One of pop music's biggest stars is Madonna. She was > on her worldwide "Confessions" tour, and at one point sang while > hanging on a huge mirrored cross in a mock crucifixion complete with a > crown > of thorns. One of the biggest movies last year was "The DaVinci > Code," a movie that denies the deity of Christ, reduces our Lord to a con > man, while calling the Christian faith a lie. My friend, in Nov. of 2006 > it > is perfectly acceptable and even applauded to mock, demean, and debase the > Lord Jesus Christ! > > I wonder what would happen if that same newspaper ran similar cartoons of > civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King? Can you imagine the uproar > there would be? Or what if they ran cartoons depicting Mohammed as a > homosexual? Those responsible would be in fear for their very lives. Or > what about if they ran cartoons that mocked and demeaned people who choose > to commit the sin of homosexuality. There would be marches and protests > by > every pro-homosexual group that exists. The fact is, nobody would dare to > publish these types of disgusting representations of ANYONE other than > Jesus > or Christians, since the public outcry would be deafening. People would > be > fired, students expelled, and millions would be spent to appease those who > were offended. > > Let there be no mistake, mocking Jesus is not a new phenomenon. There > were > people who lived at the same time as our Lord who rejected Him, just like > there are people who reject Him today. We know from the Bible that in the > fulfillment of Scripture He was mocked and scorned in the last hours of > his > life. So many of the supposed "lost books of the Bible" and these new > "gospels" are nothing more than the anti-Christian writings of men who > rejected the message of Christ and who He is. Those anti-Christian > writings > have always existed throughout the last 2000 years, right up to today with > the modern day heretics like Dan Brown, the author of "The DaVinci Code" > and > Michael Baigent , who wrote the equally blasphemous "Jesus Papers." > People > have mocked our Lord since the days He walked this earth. > > What is new is the bold and fearless public attacks on our Lord throughout > the world today. I have told you often that the United States is no > longer > a Christian nation. A classic example of that fact is the way those who > hate Jesus publicly mock Him. Just 10 years ago, no legitimate newspaper, > even those on major college campuses which tend to be more liberal and > radical, would have EVER had the audacity to publish cartoons depicting > Jesus in the way the University of Oregon paper recently did. Ten years > ago, a blasphemous book like "The DaVinci Code" would have never sold tens > of millions of copies like it has today. While Madonna has made a career > of > mocking Christ and His church, even she has taken her blasphemy to a new > level by mocking the crucifixion. > > I have done many Devotionals over these nearly 8 years on the boldness of > satan versus the timidity of Christians. Do you believe me now? > > The natural question of course is what do we do about it? First, you > can't > blame those who put out these disgusting and blasphemous representations > of > Jesus. Oh, don't get me wrong, God WILL hold them accountable, but these > are people who have clearly rejected God, His Truth, and Jesus, so what do > you expect? They have given themselves over as instruments of > unrighteousness so they are actually only doing what comes naturally to > them. How can you really blame those who hate and reject the Lord from > expressing that rejection and hatred? Hear me carefully. They are not > the > problem, WE ARE THE PROBLEM! > > Maybe now you can understand why I hammer relentlessly on how Christians > have abandoned the marketplace for the comfort, safety, and oh yes, the > profitability of this Christian subculture we have created for ourselves. > In reality, we are in rebellion to God since the Bible doesn't say > separate > yourselves from the world, it actually COMMANDS us to do the exact > opposite! > What we are seeing with the open and public mocking of Jesus is one of the > results of our abandoning the culture of our day and leaving it to the > devil. He operates virtually without any opposition so why are we > surprised > that he has taken his hatred and scorn for Jesus to the extremes we > witness > today? Let me warn you my friend, it is only going to get worse! > > The answer to this blaspheming of our Lord is to get back into the > marketplace and start taking a stand for Christ. Each follower of the > Lord > can do their part each day where you live, where you go to school or work, > where you shop, in the recreational activities you are involved in, and > with > the people God brings across your path. You take your stand by living a > Godly and holy life. You take your stand by not being afraid to speak up > for our Lord when you are around people who are speaking against Him. You > take your stand by finding ways to serve Him You can't stop the mockers, > but you can make sure their message of hatred for our Lord does not go > unchallenged!!! > > I love you and care about you so much. For anyone who loves Jesus, it has > to break your heart to see how our Lord and Savior is portrayed by those > who > hate Him. I have no doubt Jesus is looking down and saying "Father > forgive > them, for they know not what they do." The reality is, those who were > responsible for creating and publishing those horrible cartoons in the > University of Oregon student newspaper, Madonna, Dan Brown, as well as Tom > Hanks, Ron Howard and all those involved in the "DaVinci Code" movie will > die one day. At that moment they will be standing before God their > Creator > to be judged. If they die rejecting the Lord, the Bible says they will be > cast into everlasting darkness. > > I believe the last thing they will see, the picture that will be with them > as they suffer for all eternity, will be that of King Jesus, the One they > openly mocked and scorned!!! Pray for these lost souls. Without the Lord > in their heart, they have allowed their lives to be used as agents of > satan. > Don't forget that there was a man named Saul of Tarsus who persecuted the > early church, killed Christians, yet that same Saul was visited by Jesus > one > day and his life gloriously transformed. He became Paul and went on to > live > one of the greatest Christian lives ever documented. > > I pray that this will be a wake-up call for all Believers today. A > wake-up > call that we have got to get back into the marketplace where we live each > day and boldly, without shame or compromise proclaim our faith in Christ. > If this doesn't motivate you, nothing will. For too long, we have been > intimidated into keeping our mouths shut while those who live in rebellion > to God speak loud and bold without fear or conscience to promote their > ungodly lives and choices. > > Maybe this will give you some insight into my drive and passion for what > we > do each day here at Liveprayer. Our number one goal is to bring the lost > to > the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Getting people saved is the > ultimate > answer. In addition to proclaiming the Gospel to the lost and bringing > the > hope of Christ to the hurting, I am here to bring Biblical Truth back into > the marketplace. I can't stop newspapers from publishing disgusting > representations of Jesus, I can't stop pop stars like Madonna from mocking > the crucifixion, I can't stop people like Dan Brown from writing > anti-Christian books, but I can go out into that VERY SAME marketplace and > reach those VERY SAME people with the fact that their only hope and their > only answer is faith in Jesus Christ! > > Those who hate our Lord are bold and courageous in taking their message of > hate to the masses. I challenge you today that if you love Jesus, you > should be even bolder and more courageous in taking the message of His > love > to those same masses! While the world mocks our Lord, we have got to > praise > Him!!!