10 Things Jesus Never Said

Jr. Davis Will

Description

Too often Christians carry a lot of guilt and baggage when it comes to their relationship with God. The problem is that so many of us believe unbiblical, damaging things about how critical God is and how fed up he must be with us. But many of the things we think Jesus would say to us--things like "I can't believe you call yourself a Christian," "If you really loved me, you'd try harder," and "I'm so disappointed in you"--are things he never said. The solution, says Will Davis Jr., is to stop believing the lies and start believing the things Jesus did say.In 10 Things Jesus Never Said, Davis unmasks commonly believed myths about our relationship with God and shows readers how to replace this pervasive theology of failure with the truth of how Jesus really feels about them. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter help small groups or individuals apply these truths to their current situations. Anyone who has ever felt that they didn't measure up to God's standards will love this freeing exploration of grace and forgiveness.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 01 juillet 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441232595
• Langue: English

Extrait

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© 2011 by Will Davis Jr.
Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.revellbooks.com
E-book edition created 2011
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
ISBN 978-1-4412-3259-5
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Scripture quotations labeled NASB are from the New American Standard Bible®, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org
Scripture quotations labeled NLT are from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., by Tyndale House Foundation, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Published in association with the literary agency of WordServe Literary Group, Ltd., 10152 S. Knoll Circle, Highlands Ranch, CO 80130.
To protect the privacy of those who have shared their stories with the author, some details and names have been changed. Any similarity to individuals the reader may know is coincidental.
“This will be a tool I will put in the hands of one person after another. Will clearly and biblically addresses the questions that tend to haunt so many, and in so doing infuses us with hope, reminds us of our Father’s grace, and causes us to smile.”
Jeff Young , pastor of spiritual development, Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano, Texas
“Will Davis has nailed it. He has identified the most common lies that keep people from experiencing true freedom in Christ and has replaced them with the truth. I was in shock when I saw that some of those lies had crept into my own mind. Thank you, Will, for putting us all back on the solid ground of grace-filled truth!”
Tim Liston , senior pastor, New Hope Church, Manvel, Texas
“We found ourselves smiling with relief as we read the pages of 10 Things Jesus Never Said . With stunning simplicity, Will Davis diffuses debilitating, unfounded guilt, inviting us to enjoy God with newfound trust and empowering truth.”
Bob and Audrey Meisner , television hosts, It’s a New Day ; bestselling authors, Marriage Under Cover
“Will Davis has a special ability to share incredibly profound insights in a way that makes you believe he’s walking beside you on a journey and knows exactly how you feel. There is not an honest person alive who hasn’t struggled with the mistruths outlined in this book. The freedom you will find as you read may change your life forever!”
Ryan Rush , senior pastor, Bannockburn Baptist Church, Austin, Texas
“This is Will Davis Jr.’s best book yet. You are about to be humbled, dismantled, and brought face-to-face with the misbeliefs that have stood between you and the most beautiful love that has ever been known. Be ready to fall on your face and into his arms and feel the divine lightness of his cross on your shoulders. Know this love. Nothing else matters.”
Nancy Turner , host, This Is the Day , Moody Radio
To my friend Dave Busby, who now lives in heaven.
He was the best example of grace in action I’ve ever known.
Learn more about Dave at davebusby.com.
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Endorsements
Dedication
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part 1: The Most Important Thing Jesus Ever Said
1 I Will Give You Rest
Part 2: Things Jesus Never Said
2 You’re Too Far Gone to Be Saved
3 I’m So Disappointed in You
4 This Wouldn’t Be Happening If You Were a Better Christian
5 It’s Okay Not to Love Certain People
6 Everyone Should Believe and Act like You Do
7 It’s All Up to You
8 You Don’t Have to Forgive Someone Who Really Hurts You
9 You Missed My Will for Your Life
10 I’ve Given Up on You
11 This Is a Cross You Must Bear Conclusion
Appendix
About the Author
Other Books by Author
Back Ads
Notes
Acknowledgments
Thanks to . . .
Susie Davis—for repeatedly showing me unmerited grace.
Will, Emily, and Sara Davis—for understanding what matters.
Greg Johnson—for helping to make this book happen.
Vicki Crumpton, Deonne Beron, Janelle Mahlmann, Debbie Deacon, Claudia Marsh, Karen Steele, Dwight Baker, and the amazing team at Baker and Revell—it’s a pleasure to be partnering with you.
The overseers, executive team, board of directors, and staff of Austin Christian Fellowship—for learning about grace with me and for encouraging me to write.
Joni Kendrick—for putting up with me, protecting me, rebuking me, and making me laugh.
Cordel and Christy Robinson—for defying the odds.
Peter Larkam—for modeling biblical forgiveness.
Audrey and Bob Meisner—for sharing your story and helping heal countless broken marriages.
Randy and Denise Phillips—I love you both. Randy, are you ready to get saved?
Terri Crow—for another round of impeccable proofreading. You’re the best.
Introduction
What would happen if you were invited to a face-to-face meeting with Jesus? Suppose it was just you and Jesus for an hour, sitting directly across from each other, so close your knees were almost touching. What do you think he would say? Would you be uncomfortable? Would you look forward to that meeting? Would you eagerly jump at the chance to spend an hour with the incarnate God? Or would you dread it? What would you do if you were told to spend an hour alone with Jesus?
For many, spending any time alone with Jesus sounds absolutely wonderful. They know that someday they will be in his presence, and they eagerly look forward to their unbroken fellowship with him. But for many others, unfortunately, such an invitation doesn’t sound too inviting. It’s not that they don’t love Jesus and long to finally and fully be in his presence; it’s just that many of them—or I should say us —live with a tremendous sense of guilt in their respective Christian walks. They know they don’t measure up to God’s high and holy standards. They believe they are constantly letting Jesus down, embarrassing him, and even causing him pain. If you felt like that about someone—a boss, a parent, a spouse, or a friend—would you look forward to spending time with him or her? Probably not.
So what do you think Jesus would say to you? How would the conversation start? I’ve asked that question to adults and teenagers all over the country. The answers are typically something like these:
I’m so disappointed in you.
What were you thinking?
You are a serious letdown.
You have no idea the damage you’ve done to my reputation.
If you were really a Christian, you wouldn’t act like you do.
If you really loved me, you’d try harder.
We’re done.
And one of my personal favorites: I’m really getting tired of forgiving the same old sin.
For a group of people supposedly saved by grace, loved unconditionally, and secure in our relationship with Christ, we certainly carry a lot of guilt and baggage in our relationship with God. Our hearts and minds are filled with tapes that play over and over, and the messages aren’t very inspiring. You don’t measure up. You’re not doing enough. I can’t believe you call yourself a Christian.
The problem is that many of the things we believe Jesus would say to us are actually things he never said and never would say. They’re patently unbiblical and don’t represent the heart of Christ. As Holy Spirit–sealed followers of Jesus, we must learn to push back against the mental messages that tell us how fed up with us God is. We must bring those rogue thoughts under the authority of our loving Lord Jesus. We need to rethink our theology and let God’s revealed truth direct our beliefs about him, not some fictitious statement that doesn’t even come close to accurately representing how Jesus feels about us. In short, we need to reject the things Jesus didn’t say and start believing the things he did.
In the chapters that follow, I will unmask several commonly believed myths about our relationship with God. I will expose many of the things that we think Jesus would say to us if he had the chance, and compare them to what he actually said. Then I want to replace the terrible failed theology of condemnation that so many of us have with the truth of how Jesus really feels about us. When you’re done reading this book, I hope you will be much more confident, emboldened, and joyful in your relationship with God.
But before we look at what Jesus didn’t say, we need to examine something he did say. In fact, I believe it may be the most important thing he ever said. By doing so, we’ll not only gain great hope and assurance of how he feels about us, but we’ll also lay the foundation for refuting the things he actually never said.

1 I Will Give You Rest
On July 4, 2010, I decided to celebrate our nation’s birthday by doing a long and d i fficult solo mountain climb. I hiked to the summit of a mountain I’ve climbed many times before—Mt. Ypsilon. But this time, instead of taking the gentle western slopes to the thirteen-thousand-foot summit, I took a much more difficult route. It’s called Donner Ridge. The final three miles of the push to the summit up Donner Ridge are considered Class 3. That means the route is extremely steep and requires much hand-to-foot scrambling. Class 3 climbs are just below technical. (Technical climbs are Class 4—they require ropes, helmets, carabiners, and harnesses. Class 3 climbs require you to be just a little crazy.) I found that Donner Ridge was every bit a Class 3 and then some.
It was, quite honestly