The Christian Message Isn’t One You Want To Hear

A lot that is taught within scripture about living for God and being a Christian are things you don’t want to hear or do. We are told to deny ourselves and give up our lives to follow Jesus. To bless those who curse and despitefully use us. The Bible calls us to generously give to those in need without expecting anything in return. We are required to give up the sins that our flesh finds so satisfying and live a new life. All this and so much more is placed on the life of every Christian and if we are honest much of those are things we simply don’t want to hear. But they are all found within God’s word.

Matthew 16:24 (ESV)

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Matthew 10:39 (ESV)

39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 

Luke 6:28–29 (ESV)

28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.

Luke 6:35 (ESV)

35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.

Luke 12:33–34 (ESV)

33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 

1 Corinthians 6:9–10 (ESV)

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Peter 2:11 (ESV)

11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

Of course, there are promises in scripture that are pleasing to the ears and that we do want to hear. Such as salvation, forgiveness, eternal life, a future with no pain or suffering, blessings, answered prayers, and the list could go on. But those promises only follow a life that is lived in submission and obedience to the things we don’t want to hear. 

John 3:16 (ESV)

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

1 John 1:9 (ESV)

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Revelation 21:4 (ESV)

4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 

1 John 5:14–15 (ESV)

14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. 

The truth is God’s message can often make us feel bad. It can inspire sorrow within those who receive it. Because it speaks to the sins and failures in our lives. Exposing the fact that we haven’t lived in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord. But this isn’t a bad thing because as Paul points out this sorrow only works to make us better. By leading us to repentance and the salvation God freely offers. Giving us another chance to live righteously for Him. Making the Gospel often something we don’t want to hear because of the way it can make us feel. While also being the one we need to hear in order to course-correct and lead a life that leads to salvation and not judgment.

2 Corinthians 7:8–11 (ESV)

8 For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. 9 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. 

10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. 11 For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter.

I don’t say all this to speak of the difficulty of the Christian life. Or to make it sound like it’s not worth living for God. Instead, I want to point these things out as a reminder of the dangers of a message that pleases the ear. One in which everything you are taught pleases you and doesn’t challenge you to live for God. If the message you are being taught only tells you what you want to hear and nothing you don’t, you should question if it’s really from God. Because God challenges His people to live a better life. One different from that of the world around them.

1 John 2:15 (ESV)

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Romans 12:2 (ESV)

2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 

James 1:27 (ESV)

27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. 

This is especially important to remember as scripture makes it clear that in the last days, people will only listen to those who tell them what they want to hear. They will trade the truth of scripture for a lie that makes them feel good about how they already live. A trend that we sadly see becoming more and more popular in our world. This verse also means that there will be many false teachers willing to proclaim such a message and they will be the same ones who scripture declares will deceive many. Keep yourself from this deception by knowing that often the truth isn’t what you want to hear.

2 Timothy 4:3–4 (ESV)

3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

2 Peter 2:1–3 (ESV)

1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. 

Matthew 24:11 (ESV)

11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.

Don’t be taken in by a message that is pleasing to your ears. Don’t seek a message like that out. Scripture is tough and it truly calls us to do things that aren’t pleasing to the flesh. Often the message you need most on your walk with God is the one you don’t want to hear. Because it will have the best impact on your life and lead you closer to the Lord. So pay attention to what you hear. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. Find a church and pastor who is willing to tell you what you don’t want to hear in order to save your soul.

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