[Jesus told his disciples] “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” Matthew 5:22
When confronted with an accident or unexpected problem, engineers, IT gurus, industrial process control experts and many scientific disciplines utilize a protocol known as “root cause analysis” to determine how to fix the problem. Wikipedia defines it as “a systematic process for identifying “root causes” of problems or events and an approach for responding to them. The process is based on the basic idea that effective management requires more than merely “putting out fires” for problems but finding a way to prevent them from happening in the future.”
In chapter 5 of Matthew’s biography of Jesus, Matthew quotes Jesus identifying the root causes of some of our most obvious sins: murder, adultery, deceit and retaliation. While most of us manage to avoid the outward expression of these big sins, Jesus’ Root Cause Analysis took away any pride we may feel in doing so. He clearly pinpointed the root causes of sin that remain deeply embedded in our hearts and minds. Jesus is the most intelligent human who has ever lived, so it’s not a surprise that He offered this insightful but unwelcome news. He was often a disrupter of the political, social and religious status quo in first century Palestine. Jesus cleansed the Temple, called the religious left (the Sadducees) harsh names, regarded the religious fundamentalists (the Pharisees) in even harsher terms, and tripped up the scribes and lawyers with ideas that blew their comfort zones out of the water.
This weekend at Trinity Downtown we’ll be discussing the choice we have in front of us every morning when we get out of bed: to choose to follow Jesus, or to go our own way. Jesus offers the chance to experience a joyful life working alongside the Creator. Choosing the path to life isn’t just a sterile exercise in obeying certain rules, engaging in certain rituals, or believing the right creeds. Following Jesus sometimes entails abandoning our assumptions and our social positioning so we can engage in a life-long relationship-building journey with Him. Along the way with Jesus we’ll experience joys we never anticipated and fight important battles and achieve victories which we might have otherwise sidestepped.
Come and hear what Jesus wants to say to you about the root causes of sin that remain in your soul. Hear His gentle voice speaking to the parts of your heart that mourn or the parts of your behavior that are meek and misunderstood. Your kids won’t want to miss our “Kingdom Quest” pre-school and student gatherings, and you’ll enjoy making new friends and learning more about your faith in our expanded array of adult bible study classes, all held at 9:30 am on Sunday.
This weekend come learn how placing our faith and fears in the hands of Jesus can lessen our stress load and bring deep transformation in our hearts. Celebrate with us the depth of Jesus’ love for us and find out how you can live a life of significance, filled with meaning. Discover how following Jesus can help you and your family navigate around the minefields of life.
Come get a fresh jolt of spiritual energy at Trinity Downtown. It will make a tremendous difference in your life.