FOR THE GLORY OF GOD!

Transcription

1 Cat & Dog THEOLOGY Learn to Live Passionately FOR THE GLORY OF GOD! Perspectives LESSON , UnveilinGlory.com

2 CAT & DOG THEOLOGY 1 PERSPECTIVES LESSON 2 INTRODUCING CAT & DOG THEOLOGY {your notes Genesis chapter 1: Most Christians are bored because they have a people-centered perspective of the Bible. They don t get excited until Genesis 3 when the human story takes front and center stage; Adam and Eve sin and a giant rescue mission is launched to get them out of their predicament. Non-verbally we communicate to both God and ourselves that the Bible is all about us. QUESTION: Who is the main character of the Bible? ANSWER: God is the main character and lives to radiate His glory. Although most true believers say the Bible is all about God, they live as if people are and humanity often replaces God on the throne. Reading the Bible with a filter: What Do I Get? (WDIG) or What Do People Get? (WDPG) instead of What Does God Get? (WDGG). We tend to respond to God-centered questions with man-centered answers: Example #1: Jesus death on the cross is considered primarily for it s redemption of humanity rather than for the restoration of God s glory that was lost in the garden of Eden. Example #2: The primary reason for not wanting people to go to hell is so that they won t suffer. David the Psalmist has entirely different take on this in Psalm 30:9; he is far more concerned about God not being praised than he is worried about dying. QUESTION: Did Jesus focus primarily on us or on His Father? ANSWER: For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy (Romans 15:8-9). Now My heart is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name (John 12:27-28). Cat and Dog Theology defined: Dogs say to their masters, You feed me, you pet me, you shelter me, you love me You must be God! Cats say almost the same thing, You feed me, you pet me, you shelter me, you love me I must be God! In many ways this joke characterizes practical Christian theology today. While cats do not explicitly state that they are God, they do say that life is all about them. Jesus lives to make their lives safe, soft, easy, and comfortable. Cats think: Jesus left the Father s glory for me. He suffered for me. He died for me. He s gone back to heaven to build a mansion for me. He s up there interceding for me. And He s coming back for me. I wonder who He lives for? Yes, He must live for me! And if I m going to obey Ephesians 5:1 ( Be imitators of God ), I should live for me too in a Christian context of course!

3 CAT & DOG THEOLOGY 2 Two different mindsets in believers: Cats think God wants to bless me! God serves me! God advances my kingdom! God thinks the world of me! God bless America! God is a means to an end! Dogs think I want to bless God! I serve God! I advance God s Kingdom! I think the world of God! America bless God! God is the end! Practical differences created by two different mindsets result in MIXED-UP PRIORITIES and an INCOMPLETE THEOLOGY: 1) Motivations for getting to heaven: Cats are mainly worried about not going to hell they experience the RELIEF OF ESCAPE [Question: Do you know any joyless Christians?]. Dogs are pursuing a treasure of immeasurable worth (Matthew 13:44); for them it s the JOY OF DISCOVERY. Cats are saved FROM hell, period (not incorrect, but an INCOMPLETE theology). Dogs are saved from hell FOR worship (COMPLETE theology). 2) Perspectives on OBEDIENCE: Cats want God to obey people. Dogs want people to obey God. 3) Differences in QUIET TIMES: Cats want to be the center of attention during their time with God. Their focus is on what they can get from God while reading their Bibles or praying (not incorrect, but an INCOMPLETE theology). A Cat s heart beats for God s GIFTS ( What do I get? or What s in it for me? ). Dogs are focused on making God famous. They ask God for wisdom and direction to bring Him glory throughout their day (COMPLETE theology). A dog s heart beats for God s GLORY ( What does God get? ). 4) Closer look at one of our common PRAYERS: Cats pray, Thank-you Jesus for dying on the cross for our sins. Their focus is only on what God has done for them by washing away their sins (Not incorrect but an INCOMPLETE theology). Dogs pray the same prayer but then add, so that we might honor and glorify God and point others toward His mercy (COMPLETE theology).

4 CAT & DOG THEOLOGY 3 5) Perspectives on BLESSINGS: Cats want God to bless them in all areas of life (health, finances, family, friends, etc.) and fill up their blessings bucket. Then they pray for a bigger bucket (not incorrect to ask God to bless us, but it is INCOMPLETE). Dogs believe they have been blessed to be a blessing. Their blessings bucket has a hole cut in the side so they can bless others as God blesses them (COMPLETE theology). 6) Differences in the relationship between BLESSINGS and GLORY: Cats hunger more for God s blessings than they do for His glory. Dogs have a greater desire for God s glory than for blessings. Things (material blessings) are primary, God s fame is secondary. Health and wealth are primary, God s glory is secondary. God s fame is primary, material blessings are secondary. God s glory is primary, health and wealth are secondary. Living the American dream is primary, making God famous to those who have never heard about Jesus is secondary. Making God famous to the unreached is primary, living a comfortable life is secondary. 7) Differences in WORSHIP: Cats worship God primarily for what He has done for us, secondarily for Who He is. Dogs worship God primarily for Who He is and secondarily for what He has done for us. QUESTION: So why all the differences between cats and dogs in their perspectives and attitudes? ANSWER: Cats are into MEOLOGY ( it s all about me! ) whereas dogs are into THEOLOGY ( it s all about God! ). Theo is the Greek root for God. When dogs read the Bible beginning in Genesis they see all of creation pointing toward God. For them creation is like a giant stained glass window which God gets behind and shines His glory through. Each tile or cube of glass in the mosaic that makes up a stained glass window is called a tessera.

5 CAT & DOG THEOLOGY 4 Each tessera uniquely displays God s glory: the HEAVENS declare the glory of God! (Psalm 19:1) the diversity and beauty in the PLANT kingdom displays God s glory! we TASTE the glory of God in a variety of delicious foods and refreshing drinks! One tessera that God uses to reveal His glory is His desire to bless people. God blesses people in numerous ways to reveal His glory. Satan s strategy is to get humanity to focus in on something safe and close to God s heart so their focus is off of God s glory. As a result, many Christians begin to think that life is all about them. They think that God blesses them entirely for their sake. Because of this, a foundational shift takes place in their theology as they miss the bigger picture. Rather than God glorifying Himself through blessing them, their primary focus is on receiving the blessings from God. They focus on increasing income and better jobs, good relationships, more respect, prestige, and power, and a hassle free life. People become primary and God s glory becomes secondary. Cats want God s blessings more than they want God. CONCLUSION: Everyone living for themselves in a Christian context have embraced a cat MEOLOGY. Their Christianity is centered on themselves. Their prayers have a lot of Me, My and I. Their worship songs have a lot of Me My and I. Their problems take first priority in their prayer lives. They are basically using God to advance their kingdom. Cats want to get from cradle to grave in the safest, softest, easiest, most comfortable way possible. Again, they want the blessings more than they want God. Dogs are different because they know one key thing about life: For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created BY HIM and FOR HIM (Colossians 1:16). All of life is for God! Therefore dogs ask, What does God get? What does He get out of Creation? What does He get out of saving me? What does He get in eternity? What does God get? LIFE it s not about us it s about God! SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION: Name 3-4 areas where you have been blinded to the glory of God? How do the heavens declare the glory of God to you? What tessera is blown out of proportion in your life? Which incomplete theology or mixed-up priority impacted you? Why?

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