“There is a difference between cynicism and realism.”

Steve Brown: There is a difference between cynicism and realism. Let's talk on Key Life. Key Life is all about God's radical grace. Grace that has dirt under its fingernails and laugh lines on its face. If you want the Bible to be a book of rules, you may want to stop listening now. But if you're hungry for the truth that'll make you free, welcome to Key Life. If you've been if you've been with us over the last few weeks, I just finished a book and we're getting it together and we're going to release this book on September the 14th. You know, I've done so many books, the angels laugh and say that old guy did it again. That's what Karl Barth said after a lifetime of writing books. Every time he came out with a new book, the angels got the giggles. Well, if they did that for Karl Barth, they do that for me too. And the truth is that I wanted to I wanted to try one more time to get it right. The title of the book, as I said, it'll be out next month, and I'll give you some information on it, is God's Not Mad at You. Confronting the lies of guilt, and shame, and fear, and regret. And if you were listening last week, I introduced another lie, a lie that exalts us. It's the lie that says, "Doggone it, I am good, and people love me, and they should love me." Before we get down and talk some more about that, let's pray. Father, as we confront the lies that rob us of the joy and the freedom and the love that we should be experiencing, make us open to the truth. Not in an arrogant way, but in a way that rejoices that you took the time to write it down in the scriptures. And that we can go there anytime to find truths that change our lives. Teach us to be Bible believers in the best sense of that word. As always, we pray for the people who are listening now, those who are going through tough times, and those not so much. Remind us that you're sovereign over everything, and that includes our lives. You're not just sovereign, you're also sufficient in every need. And then as always, we pray for the one who teaches on this broadcast. Forgive him his sins, because we would see Jesus and Him only. And we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Last week when we introduced this subject, we I spent a good deal of time talking about the two views of human nature. And illustrated it with the statism and anti-statism argument that goes on all the time. Now, if you're not familiar with that, I looked it up and I'm going to tell you. Statism is a view that government can fix all problems, that human beings are basically good. They want to do right with all of their hearts, and that government was created to help them to be as good and pure as they could possibly be. The other side is anti-statism. And that's the people who say, as did Ronald Reagan, "The most scary statement anybody ever utters is, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'" An anti-statist, and this was the position of the Federalist Papers, is that human beings are not good. They're capable of great evil. And that includes you and me, and government can make it worse. We could go on and on with a lot of illustrations, but the Bible is clear about that. And if all of that is true, and it is, there are several ways to live with the radical and pervasive corruption that is a part of human nature, of nations, of societies, of churches, of you and of me. First, we can pretend it's really not a part of human nature. Or that some suffer from the problem and some don't. In Lewis Carroll's children's book Alice in Wonderland, when the Queen asked Alice to believe something impossible, Alice says, "I can't believe it!" And the Queen points out that Alice hasn't tried very hard. The Queen says that when she was a child, she believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast. And the Queen says, "Close your eyes and try harder." Listen to me, and you know, I'm not throwing rocks. I'm talking about me too. There is no lie so big that some won't believe it, or maybe even a majority of people will believe it. The innate goodness of human beings is that kind of lie. If you choose to believe in the natural and innate goodness of human beings, especially when it applies to you and those like you, or to me and people like me, it will skew reality. And your wonderland will be as weird and as shallow as Alice's Wonderland was. One can also choose a totally cynical view of human nature. In that case, you won't trust anyone. You won't have any real friends, and your life will become defined by paranoia and fear. The most cynical friend I have is also my loneliest friend. You've heard me say a number of times on this broadcast that I'm a cynical old preacher. And there's some of that in me, that Ecclesiastes is my favorite book in the Bible. It certainly is one of them. But there is a difference between cynicism and realism. Cynicism simply can't trust anybody. Cynicism says everything is dark. Cynicism says nobody is honest and everybody lies all of the time. Realism knows the truth and at the same time knows God, who is in the business of making things better. As I said, my most cynical friend is my loneliest friend. There's a difference between cynicism and realism. Now, let me show you a better way: the way of Christ and one of health and wholeness. We all have the choice between forgiveness and condemnation. Jesus said that when we ask God to forgive us, we must at the same time, this is Matthew 6:12, forgive those who sin against us. Matthew 7:1-5 leaves no wiggle room. Jesus said, "Judge not, that you not be judged. For with the judgment you pronounce, you will be judged. And with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is a log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." I've read the commentaries and a lot of them, you ought to see my library, on that text. And the ways we've tried to avoid what Jesus is clearly teaching. And as I've read those commentaries, I became kind of irritated. Some say that he isn't suggesting we not judge immorality and corruption or that we be blind to evil. Others point out that Jesus is saying uninformed, false judgment of others is not permitted. But when we set aside all of the commentary on what Jesus said, if we don't wince at what he said, we simply haven't understood. Jesus is saying that nobody is good enough to look down on somebody who is bad. Because there's enough bad in the best of us, and enough good in the worst of us, to cause us to be very cautious about judging others for anything. Got to speak truth. That's very important in our culture. You got to speak truth. But when you speak truth, it's got to have a response that is an important response, and it should be, "You too." You too. Hey, you think about that. Amen.
Guest (Male): Thanks, Steve. That was Steve Brown resuming our tour of the biblical truths that informed his latest book called God's Not Mad at You. You can now pre-order that book, by the way, at keylife.org/notmadbook. Tomorrow, we'll continue our look at Matthew 7:1-5 and the subject of judging others. Hope you'll join us. The avatar of all things evil doesn't mind you saying you'd move mountains for those you love, as long as you don't adjust your schedule to attend an important event or talk about your feelings. The red-suited one yawns when you say you'd die for a partner if you're not considering their needs and wants and desires as much or more than your own. Well, that excerpt is from a great article by Chad West and you can find it in our new digital summer magazine. You'll also enjoy articles from Steve, Jerry Perris, and Justin Holcomb. Get all of it on demand for free at keylife.org/magazines. Hey, just one more thing before you go. If you've been blessed by the work of Key Life, would you help share that blessing with others through your financial support? Giving is pretty easy. Just charge a gift on your credit card, or include a gift in your envelope, or you can now give safely and securely by text. Just take out your phone and text Key Life to 28950. And if you can't give right now, all good, seriously. But if you think about it, please do pray for us, would you? Thanks. Key Life is a member of ECFA in the states and For C in Canada, and Key Life is a listener supported production of Key Life Network.