“I Was Wrong”

Nov. 13

Read: Matthew 3:1-6, Luke 10:5-12

“I Was Wrong”

“In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt 3:1,2)

The proper response to the Kingdom of God is repentance. One cannot enter into the Kingdom of God without it! This is not simply a one time act, but the transformation of one's character and demeanor. The Kingdom of God is the sort of place where we are willing to say, “ I was wrong… I need help… I want to change.”

This is why both Jesus and John the Baptist both declare in unison: “REPENT, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” (cf. Mark 1:14,15, Matt. 3:1,2) You can’t see the perfect Kingdom of God without realizing the things that you were “wrong about! This is rooted in something SO MUCH deeper than just the “naughty” and “sinful” things we do that we need to ask forgiveness for. It starts there, but stretches far beyond that. Picture this: Imagine that I draw a picture of the most beautiful thing I can think of - say the Maroon Bells in CO. Now if I travel to the actual place in Colorado, and look out at those majestic mountains in that setting and then look back at my picture… how do you think I will feel? On one level, I may see many things I did RIGHT and find joy and satisfaction in the drawing. Yet, if I am truly honest with myself (and honesty is a mark of the Kingdom of God) there will be things that are MISSING… things that are WRONG about my drawing. There are bound to be ways that my drawing “falls short” and does not capture the fullness of the place. How foolish would it be to pretend the picture I made is as good as the real thing… or that it is perfect. Ha! The true response would be that I would have to “repent”… admit that what I created falls short. Imagine how foolish it would be for me to arrive at the ACTUAL mountain scene… and then stare at my picture instead of the real thing!?! Imagine how silly it would be for me to only stare at my drawing because I wouldn’t want to find out the ways my drawing fell short!?! When we are unable or unwilling to admit we are wrong… that say that our picture of the world is incorrect… unwilling or unable to repent… we sit in the field staring at our own picture and missing the most excellent view!

This is the truth of the Kingdom of God. We not only enter into it through repentance but with each passing day we have the opportunity to experience the GRANDEUR AND BEAUTY of who God is through his Son Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. It is like getting to see the real thing and realizing that we had settled for so much less. We start to admit how the pictures that we painted were wrong. I want to stress one more thing here: in this way, repentance is not all “doom, gloom, and guilt”. It is true that no one likes to say “I was wrong". No one initially loves admitting they are weak and need help. No one naturally accepts correction and rebuke. All of these things take time, practice, and most importantly… the transformative work of God in us. But the end result is worth it. There is actually something freeing and beautiful about admitting you are wrong… repenting. This is the difference between “guilt driven” ministry and ministry driven by a picture of Heaven on Earth… a revealing of the Kingdom of God.

What do you need to repent of now that you have been given eyes to see the Kingdom of God? In what ways have you painted a picture of the universe that is not actually correct? What have you thought about other people that turned out to be wrong? What limits have you placed on God that are not truly there? How have you mis-stepped in treating your wife or kids, and are you willing to come back to them and say you are sorry… or admit you were wrong? Can you see ANY of God’s goodness around you? You realize that hopelessness is like staring at your own picture in the field instead of lifting your head and seeing the majesty of the mountains!?! Repentance IS NOT purely a fixation on what is wrong… it is an embracing of and declaration of what is right… what you are turning towards. When we see the beauty of Christ, and the goodness of the KOG… we can JOYFULLY repent and enter in! There is NO ROOM for the unrepentant in the KOG. Those places and people that are unrepentant will be destroyed by the Lord. May that never be said of us. Love you guys. - JDP