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“Christianity Is Too Restrictive” Why I'm Not a Christian, Msg. 3 John 8:31–38

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“Christianity Is Too Restrictive” Why I'm Not a Christian, Msg. 3 John 8:31–38 He stops wearing clothes made of any mixed fibers “Christianity is too restrictive” He plays a ten string harp Why I’m not a Christian, Msg. 3 He refuses to shake hands with women who might be ceremonially unclean; (awkward: you got on a short skirt, I bet John 8:31–38 you’re unclean) And (this was one of my favorites), he tries to fling tiny pebbles at people without them noticing in order to stone Nicole Keegan: 8:31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, adulterers. “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will This whole process almost drove his poor wife crazy for a year. know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to I hope it is obvious that that is not what it means to really take the anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” 34 Jesus Bible seriously and follow it. But the appeal of that book is that it answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin plays on something that many people assume… and that is to live is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the under the direction of the Bible would be an impossible, and basically son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free ridiculous, way to live. Even if you tried, you couldn’t really do it, and indeed. 37 …You seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. if you did, you’d be living a miserable life… (for many of us that are 38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you Christians, this is basically how people outside of Christianity view have heard from your father.” us… you get invited to some party and you’re like, “I can’t go.” And they’re like, “Why not?” “I’m not allowed. My religion won’t let me.” AJ Jacobs, The Year of Living Biblically. (Book picture) Picked up this And so, they see Christianity as an oppressive, life-inhibiting book the other day in Barnes and Noble… It’s not a Christian book, in restriction. fact the author is an agnostic who grew up in what he describes as an extremely secular home. He writes, “I’m officially Jewish, but I’m This plays into a larger assumption by people in our culture about Jewish in the same way that Olive Garden is an Italian restaurant.” what real freedom is: our culture thinks that to be free you have to The premise of the book is that this very secular, worldly Manhattan have no restrictions. The path to freedom is to shed all authorities, all resident, with no religious upbringing, is attempting to follow every constraints and to discover yourself and then live out of that. rule of the Bible as literally as possible for an entire year. He starts You see this conception of freedom everywhere, even in the out by reading the entire Bible for a month, and he writes down every Supreme Court = Pretty famous ruling in a 1992 case which states, single directive that he finds, big or small… so, that includes things “The heart of liberty is to define one’s own concept of existence and like the Ten Commandments, but it also includes lesser known Old the meaning of the universe.” Testament laws for diet and ritual cleanliness. Or, on a more popular level, the movie, IRobot… the basic gist of the movie is there’s this robot, Sonny, whose purpose is to stave off a As you can imagine, the outcome is somewhat interesting… for plot to destroy the human race by the other robots. After Sonny example, succeeds he tells Will Smith that he’s depressed because now he Leviticus says that men should leave the edges of their beards doesn’t know what to do with himself now that his purpose in being unshaven, so this guy stops shaving and ends up with a created has been fulfilled. Will Smith, ever the insightful massive beard that makes him look like a member of ZZ Top. philosopher, tells him, “Well, I guess now you’re like the rest of us, free to make your own way.” See, that’s the current view of Something whereby you escape “bumness…” Achieving freedom—real freedom is freedom from any design or purpose. a certain status in your career, making a certain level of grades; being a good parent, whatever. Well, that’s exactly what Christianity does, gives you design and That something controls you because you have to have it. You purpose and instruction about how best to thrive in that purpose. So, become a slave to it. some people see it as oppressive. Success: You have to have success. You become a slave to it in that you get depressed if it ever looks like you’re not So, let me begin here… Christianity agrees with the culture on what going to be successful, you’re jealous of those who are freedom feels like-- freedom is feeling alive and fulfilled; feeling like more successful for you, and you make some really stupid you’re doing exactly what you were meant to do. But Christianity decisions to attain success by overworking and hurting departs from the culture when it comes to saying how we get that your health or your family. freedom. In John 8, Jesus makes 2 really important observations Other’s opinions: For others of us it is other people’s about freedom: opinions we have to have. Other peoples’ opinions control how you dress, how you act. You are always worried about I. Real freedom is found only in serving God what everyone else thinks about you or what you’re doing. Criticism kills you, or when you think people are looking Now, that sounds like a paradox. Serving sounds like the opposite of down on you or talking poorly about you it really bothers 33 freedom. But look at what he says in vs. 33: They answered him, you. “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to Romance: some people feel they have to have a romantic 34 anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus excitement or affirmation to be fulfilled. They’re enslaved answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin to it, so they become serial daters. Irony: “I don’t want to is a slave to sin. be married; I am independent.” Dependent on their First, do you see how they define freedom? Not being under independence. oppressive authorities. A lack of political constraints. Jesus Materialism: two ways… you’ve got to have the latest, says, “no.” There is also a tyranny from within. See his phrase nicest thing or you’re bored. Iphone for the night. Or, you vs. 34, “Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.” This is obsess about losing money… saving, worried, warranty sometimes a little difficult so let me take a few minutes to monger. explain it. All of us look to something that fulfills us or makes Sensual pleasure: You become a pleasure glutton. life work for us, and whatever that thing is usually ends up Pornography, drunkenness. controlling us. Everybody lives for something. ((BTW, you might ask, What is it for you? o A few weeks ago I told you about a great scene in o Just ask, when you look to the future, what one Rocky I… They are in the ice skating rink and Adrian thing has to be there for you to feel like you’ll be asks Stallone why he’s going to fight the world champ… happy, or ok? and Rocky says, “I have to go 15 rounds with the guy. o Or, just answer this: If I could change one thing Because if I go 15 rounds then I’ll know I’m not a bum.” about my life right now it would be… Everyone has something that is like those 15 rounds. o Or, what would you be most worried about losing o He feels his home is with the Father. Home is where right now? you know you belong. You know, you’ve been a way o Or, here’s another way to tell: What do you tend to for a while that feeling you get when you come back look down on others about? KIf they’re not home? Home is where your heart is. Sweet Home successful? Not good looking? (Palin and Alabama. Going to Carolina in my mind. My home’s in education) Maybe you look down on people who Alabama. Country Roads take me home. (From WV, it’s are not as righteous as you. What that tells you is like our national anthem). You get the point… The son what you need to feel fulfilled is to feel like you’re knows that where the Father is, that is where His home better than other people.)) is. God created us so that we would only be happy in We all have something that we have to have for life to be Him. Augustine. Pascal. Angelina Jolie. No matter good and fulfilled and because we depend on it, it controls what we try, we can never replace the fact that we are us.
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