Jealous of this?

When was the last time that you were jealous because your neighbor watched television or mowed his yard? Or how about the last time that your coworker drove to work? Or perhaps the last time that our spouse washed clothes?
All of those things are pretty ridiculous reasons to be jealous I’ll admit. Being jealous means that you see something that someone else has and you feel that desire to have the same thing. It’s not a small desire but a burning passion that can cause you to even become highly enraged in certain instances. Take a moment to remember a moment you were jealous of someone and what it was that you so adamantly desired to have. Feel the passion once again rise within you at just the mere thought of this. Jealousy if pretty powerful.

The Apostle Paul writes in chapters 9 thru 11 of the book of Romans about his earnest desire to see his family members of the household of Israel to see the truth of what God has done through Jesus Christ. He recounts many passages from the prophets and the law which clearly indicate how Israel’s unbelief and adherence to the works of the law has blinded them to the grace of God. As you come to the close of the eleventh chapter Paul makes a remarkable claim. His desire is that Israel will become so jealous of the grace shown to the Gentiles that they will finally have their eyes open and embrace the gospel of grace which he is a minister of.

That is a remarkable statement that cannot be seen, let alone claimed to be in action, anywhere in the church today. How can I make such a claim? Look at your church, or even yourself as a believer. What would make Israel jealous? What do you have that they intensely desire to possess? Practically every church looks and operates just like the Jews do in the following of the law. Yet Paul says that it is the law that has blinded Israel to the message of grace. Well if Israel is blinded by it, how can the church not experience its same effect?

Paul is quite clear that it is the message of grace, the new covenant, the new creation realities found in the finished works of Christ are the driving factor to what will make Israel jealous. I know this is hard to accept, but as long as your life and the community of believers that you associate with are bound to any thing from the law you aren’t that special. You’re just plain. There is nothing super about you that anyone will be jealous about. In other words, you lack the ability to change the hearts and minds of people.

Now there’s something that most preachers won’t even think about telling you grace is capable of doing. Why? Because the moment that they begin preaching the truth about the liberty found in grace they know that they lose all control of the people they have gathered around them. Kind of a oxymoron approach isn’t it? You want people to experience the freedom found in Christ but not the freedom from my controlling you? The true, unfiltered, pure word of God’s grace cuts through all that **** and will make people who don’t have it jealous, period. So why not make it your mission to just make people jealous of you? I dare you!