The God of Self (Santosh Poonen)

The danger when we are around a lot of preaching, even if it is sound, is that we can become a people who see without perceiving, and hear without understanding (Matthew 13:10-13). If you don't obey what you hear, you will become "saturated" with hearing, always learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth (II Timothy 3:7). Some people study Scripture, listen to sermons, etc., expecting to get life out of THEM (John 5:38-40). Instead, our hearing must lead us to "behold the Lamb of God", and "come and see" HIS life (John 1:35-41). Then, Jesus invites us further to become partakers of His life. Yet, this invitation is offensive to most people, because it requires taking up our cross and putting our Self-life to death (Matthew 16:16-26). If you only talk about the way of the cross, but never actually walk it, you will never experience the power of Jesus' resurrection. This is a frustrating life, so many people end up finding false comfort in "cheap grace" instead.