It’s no mistake
This is an excerpt from the message “It’s No Mistake” by Andy Stanley:
Sin. It’s such a pesky word. We don’t use it anymore….I mean, sin makes me think of God. Sin makes me think of judgment. Sin would mean there’s some giant moral absolute or absolutes out there, and I’m accountable and if I’ve broken those laws or those rules that God has set up, then I’m in big trouble and I’m accountable….. In fact, if I have sins, then after a while I think I’m kind of a bad person. So, we don’t use that word.
We like this word: “I didn’t sin. I just made a mistake. I made a mistake.” … See, this is a lot better word, because when you catch me, I can say, “Ah, my bad! My mistake.”… …You see, if everything I do wrong can kind of be dumbed down to where it’s just a mistake, then that makes me a mistaker, which means I don’t have sin. If I don’t have sin, I’m not a sinner. If I’m not a sinner, I don’t have any need for a Savior. You see, if you’re just a mistaker, then all you have to do is do better. Mistakers just have to try harder….
The problem is that we know ourselves. The problem is that we know better. I may be able to convince you that, okay, I made a mistake, so, let’s get over it and move on. I may be able to convince you that it’s just a mistake, but the truth is when the lights are off and the music’s off and the television’s off or you’re looking at yourself in the mirror, you know yourself better…..
Now, if that wasn’t enough, Jesus comes along and just stirs the pot and whacks the hornet’s nest and just makes a mess of this whole thing…. It’s like he came along with one message that was extraordinarily condemning that said nobody’s good enough to be in God’s good favor, and then he came right along and said, “Oh yeah, by the way, God loves you. Oh, God loves you. He loves you just the way you are. God loves you.”
People are thinking, “Wait a minute. Which is it? Either I’m terrible or God loves me.”
Jesus said, “It’s both. You’re terrible and God loves you. You’re worse than you thought and God loves you more than you imagined.”
And this was so strange to people. As for the people that just wanted to be mistakers, they did not like Jesus because he made them feel so bad. And the people that knew in their gut they were sinners, guess what? They loved him because they were honest enough to be able to look in the mirror and say, “You know what? He’s right…..”
Now, here’s the amazing thing, and if you don’t read the New Testament, it’s worth reading Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John just to find these little bits and pieces right here. Throughout the Gospels, the people who were the most convinced that they fell into this category flocked to hear Jesus. They loved him! They were nothing like him and they liked him. The tax gatherers, the prostitutes, the men and women who were condemned by society as being outright sinners, they loved to be with Jesus because he had these two messages–Message #1: You’re a sinner; you’re in trouble. Message #2: God loves sinners and has sent a Savior on their behalf. Message #1: You’re hopelessly lost. Message #2: God sent me to find you.
…Here’s the deal. Listen, listen, listen. Mistakers never run to God. They run away. As long as it’s just a mistake, I don’t need God. I don’t need church. Okay, just give me a little time and I’ll do better. I’ll do better. …
Here’s the great news…You see I don’t know where we got this idea. Good people don’t even go to heaven. Forgiven people go to heaven. And forgiveness is found through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ….
Click HERE to read the complete message.