Radical Christianity: Being Ruined by God
I. THE CALL TO BE RADICAL
A. So many today are crying out to do something radical or to be extreme. This is the cry of the Spirit in us. We must be
clear about what it is and what it is not. What does it mean to live radically? We want Jesus’ definition and to pursue God’s
dream for our life not our own.
B. The high point in the Sermon on the Mount is to live perfect or complete in our obedience by pursuing 100-fold
obedience by seeking to walk in “all” the light the Spirit gives us. To be radical is to pursue “complete obedience” as
defined by the two great commandments and the 8 beatitudes. Walking perfect in obedience is relative in this age and
absolute in the age-to-come.
48 You shall be perfect (walk in all our light), just as your Father is perfect. (Mt. 5:48)
37 You shall love the Lord…with all your heart…38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Mt. 22:37-39)
C. People who love Jesus will love others much more. Love for God always overflows to others. It is impossible to
love Jesus and not love people. We must continually realign our life to make the First Commandment our first priority.
This is what Jesus esteems as the most radical way to live.
D. Jesus defined being “perfect” by the 8 beatitudes (Mt. 5:3-12). The beatitudes are like 8 beautiful flowers in the
“garden in our heart”. They describe the radical lifestyle from God’s view. These 8 flowers must be continually cultivated
as we “weed our garden” by resisting the 6 negative influences related to lust (Mt. 5:21-48) and as we “water our garden”
by pursuing the 5 positive nutrients (prayer, fasting, giving, serving and blessing enemies, Mt. 6:1-18) that position us
to receive the Spirit’s impartation of grace.
E. Poor in spirit acknowledges our serious dilemma in needing a breakthrough in our heart. Mourning is to be
desperate enough to be “extreme” in pursuit of it. Walking in meekness involves our strengths (time, money, etc.).
Hungering and thirsting for righteousness includes embracing costly righteousness. Relating with mercy is treating with
tenderness those who fail us. Being pure in heart pertains to our thoughts and motives. Being a peacemaker refers to
the anointing to bring peace (reconciliation that restores relationships, bodies, finances, legislation, etc.). Enduring
persecution is part of the counterattack for plundering Satan’s Kingdom
F. The pursuit of “complete obedience” includes bridling our speech (Jas 3:2; Eph. 4:29-5:4), disciplining our
physical appetites (1 Cor. 9:27), managing our time (for service and prayer with the Word; Eph. 5:15-16) and money
(to increase the Kingdom beyond our comfort and honor; Mt. 6:19-21) and making a covenant with our eyes to refuse to
look upon anything that stirs up lust (Job 31:1; Ps. 101:3) as we consistently engage in communing prayer
(connectedness) with the indwelling Spirit (2 Cor. 13:14).
G. From God’s point of view, the main objective in this life is to be complete in our obedience.
9 This also we pray, that you may be made complete. (2 Cor. 13:9)
28 We preach warning every man and teaching every man…that we may present every man perfect (mature) in Christ Jesus.
To this end I also labor… (Col. 1:28-29)
3 The testing of your faith produces patience (endurance). 4 Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect
and complete, lacking nothing (in our obedience)… (Jas 1:3-4)
2 I have not found your works perfect before God… (Rev. 3:2)
H. Scripture presents two aspects of being complete before God. First, we are instantly made complete in Christ in
our legal position (justification). Second, we progressively become “complete in obedience” in our living condition before
God (sanctification).
17 In Christ…he is a new creation…21 we become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor. 5:17-21)
10 You are complete in Him... (Col. 2:10)
I. Different terms for the same truth of being complete in obedience (2 Cor. 13:9, 11; Phil. 1:6; Col. 4:12; 2 Tim. 3:17;
Heb. 13:20-21; Jas. 1:4); perfect (Mt. 5:48; 19:21; Jn. 17:23; Gal. 3:3; Eph. 4:13. Col. 1:28; 1 Thes. 3:10; Jas. 2:22; 3:2;
1 Pet. 5:10; Rev. 3:2); mature (Phil. 3:15); blameless (Lk. 1:6; 1 Cor. 1:6-8; Phil. 2:15; 1 Thes. 3:13; 5:23; 1 Tim. 3:2, 10;
5:5-7; 6:14; 2 Pet. 3:14; without spot (Eph 5:27); Worthy (2 Thes. 1:5-12; Lk 21:34-36; 20:35-36; Col. 1:9-10 Mt. 10:37-38;
22:8; Rev 3:4-5; Eph. 4:1; Phil. 1:27; 1 Thes. 2:12); Stand (Lk. 21:36; 1 Cor. 10:13; 16:13; Eph. 6:10-14; Phil. 4:1;
Col. 4:12; 1 Thes. 3:8. Rev. 6:17).
12 Epaphras…always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
(Col. 4:12)
22 Abstain from every form of evil. 23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole
spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful,
who also will do it. (1 Thes. 5:22-24)
9 I pray that your love may abound…10 that you may be…without offense (compromise) till the day of Christ, 11 being
filled with the fruits of righteousness... (Phil. 1:9-11)
10 Praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your faith…12 May the Lord make you
increase and abound in love…13 so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before God…at the coming
of Jesus. (1 Thes. 3:10-13)
10 May God…after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish…and settle you. (1 Pet. 5:10)
13 Keep this commandment without spot, blameless until…Christ's appearing. (1 Tim 6:13-14)
2 If one does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the body. (Jas 3:2)
II. LOVING GOD ON GOD’S TERMS
A. Jesus, the most radical man defined loving God as being deeply rooted in a spirit of obedience. There is no such
thing as loving God without seeking to obey His Word. Loving God requires more than singing to Him or having
sentimental feelings about God.
15 If you love Me, keep My commandments….21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me…
23 If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word… (Jn. 14:15-23)
B. We must love God on His terms (not on our terms). A core issue at the end-of-the-age is whether we will define
love on God’s terms or by the humanistic culture that seeks love without reference to obedience to God’s Word. Jesus
wants love that allows Him to totally control our lives.
C. There is no substitute for giving God our love. Some will give God more time and money if He will allow them to
continue in compromise. What God esteems as greatest and most radical is the response of love that obeys Him with
our time, money and talents.
D. There are many definitions of love, liberty and freedom in the culture of the Church in our nation. God is not
a hippie. His definition of love is not about being “laid back to chill out”.
E. Jesus describes five “grace-releasing activities” in our devotional life that position our heart to receive strength.
Our heart receives more grace as we consistently and secretly serve and give (charitable deeds: giving service and/or
money (6:1-4, 19-21), pray (6:5-13), bless adversaries (forgiving, 6:14-15; 5:44) and fast (6:16-18). Our devotional lives
are the means of appropriating free grace, not of earning it. We position our “cold heart” before the “bonfire of God’s
enabling grace” so as to receive the Spirit’s empowering to walk out the beatitudes.
F. Power in our Christian life is found only in pursuing 100-fold obedience. There are powerful dynamics that occur in our
heart when we soberly aim at walking in total obedience. The 98% pursuit of obedience has a limited blessing on it. The
last 2% is what positions us to live with a vibrant heart. A small piece of dust in our eye causes us to not be able to
function properly. The cost of non-discipleship is very high.
G. The pursuit of full obedience is different than attaining “sinless perfection” in this life. When we sin, we repent
and renew our resolve to war against the sin we just stumbled in. We “contend” for complete obedience and rely on
God’s grace to empower us to “attain” it.
H. Grace gives us confidence that God enjoys us and will bless us (after we stumble and repent) and that He will
discipline us in His love (if we do not repent).
I. When we neglect to thoroughly confront sin in our life we are not loved less by God but we do suffer loss in
several ways. We minimize our ability to experience the joy of salvation, the spirit of revelation, godly fellowship and to
receive eternal rewards.
III. RUINED BY GOD TO LIVE RADICAL
A. It is not about doing something “unusual” for a few months or behaving in an extreme way in a revival meeting.
It is not about retreating from difficulty and hard work into “selfish isolationism” so we are not bothered by the problems
of others.
B. Energized by intimacy: lifestyle of encountering God. Christianity is an on-going encounter of love with a Person.
Possessing fierce dedication and making radical choices for righteousness and a strong commitment to a noble cause
to change a city or nation will not keep us steady unless we encounter love. The labor will make us emotionally weary
without the consistent stirring of love in our emotions by the Spirit. Stirred emotions in love are very powerful!
C. Sustained in difficulty: it is not laziness or fainthearted before difficulty
D. Maintained in secret: it is not about gaining notoriety in ministry but living before an audience of One. It is not about the
size of our impact on others.
E. Expressed in the mundane: it is more than the pursuit of novelty to escape boredom and to have something new.
It is more than good music and lighting at prayer meetings or big events.
F. Anchored in eternity: with confidence of eternal reward (Heb. 11:6)
G. Enriched in community: we are strongest, safest and happiest when we pursue God together
H. Stands for truth: it courageously embraces truth and the stigma of standing for what men reject
IV. TO BE RADICAL IS TO LIVE ABANDONED TO JESUS FOR DECADES
A. Sustaining a fresh walk with God through decades is the definition of living radically before God. We are not
radical because we do something “unusual” for a few weeks or months.
B. Daniel sustained his prayer life with passion for decades (from about age 16 to 82 years old).
10 Daniel…knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom
since early days. (605-539 BC or 66 years) (Dan. 6:10)
C. David set his heart to live radically by pursuing full obedience (Ps. 101:1-6). To walk in our house with a perfect
heart (v. 2) is to obey God in our most familiar setting. David refused to set anything wicked before his eyes
(v. 3; Job 31:1). He sought out leaders with this heart (v. 6)
2 I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
3 I will set nothing wicked before my eyes…4 A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness….
6 My eyes shall be on the faithful…that they may dwell with me; he who walks in a perfect way, he shall serve me.
(Ps. 101:2-6)