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Category: Salvation

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God’s Whisper – The Conversation Continues

“Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,
“This is the way, walk in it,”
Whenever you turn to the right hand
Or whenever you turn to the left.” Isaiah 30:21

I had a moment of clarity today after reading a Facebook post from a friend concerning the question of whether or not God still speaks today. As I thought about it, my thoughts turned to a recent conversation with my son-in-law concerning the word of God which, at the time upset me a little. He insisted that the Bible is not a “text-book” and that even without it people will come to faith. I took issue with him because the word of God declares in (Roman’s 10:17) that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Which is to say that salvation involves hearing the written word of God. I believe that word is spoken both in our ears by the witnessing disciple and into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. The word the disciple shares comes from the written word and along with it the drawing word of God’s Spirit speaks from God’s heart into our own. These together work to bring a person to Jesus for salvation. My moment of clarity was in realizing that the Lord was using my son-in-law to remind me that God is still speaking today. But now, rather than a “thus says the Lord” to the masses its a “thus says the Lord ” to me.

To regard the Bible merely as a text-book is to view it on an gnostic or intellectual level only. But as I see it, the Bible is, among other things, a record of God’s interactions with mankind. The Bible itself is an authoritative record but it does not conclude the conversation. God still speaks today. His word, far from being a text book serves not only as a record but also as a proof text. As an authoritative record of what God DID say it serves as an indicator of what God WOULD say. You can be sure that any communication between you and the Lord today will NOT contradict what He has already said.

There was a time in the Biblical record when God was apparently silent, we call that time the Intertestimental Period. The 400 years between His concluding words to and through the prophet Malachi and the words spoken by the angel Gabriel to Zachariah and Mary mark a time when no word came from God.

But we insist that God still speaks today – 2022 years after Jesus walked among us; how can that be? The answer is simple, in the days of the prophets, the Holy Spirit did not indwell people; He abided ON rather than IN them. God gave and recalled His Spirit at a time of His choosing (for an example see 1 Sam. 16:14-15) but not so today. Since the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus the Holy Spirit is made a permanent resident in every believer (John 14:17). The indwelling Spirit of God serves as the guarantor of our inheritance with Jesus (2 Cor. 1:22, 5:5 and Eph. 1:14) as well as spiritual teacher, mentor and enabler. About the Spirit, Jesus said:

“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” John 14:25–26

It is by the Holy Spirit that God speaks and His conversation continues with us to this day. As I awakened to this day, a point was immediately impressed upon my spirit from God. What I heard this morning was this: you can go out and cut your lawn today and continue to maintain that which will eventually belong to someone else or you can set your mind on My kingdom and its priorities. That this was not my flesh or conscience talking is clear as my flesh is not going to demand that I share the gospel with others. Without a doubt the Spirit of the Lord was speaking.

God still speaks to us today. Through others led by His Spirit, through His word, through music and through the created world around us – God still speaks. The psalmist wrote in (Psalm 19:1-4):

“The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.“

Paul also pointed to the natural created world in (Romans 1) when he wrote that man will have no excuse with regard to knowing or turning to the Lord because everything He has made directs our attention toward the Creator. The wind, the waves, the hammering thunder of Niagara, a babies heartbeat, bird songs, whale calls, dolphins chatter, thunder; these are some of the voices God uses to get our attention. He is still calling, still speaking and still trying to get our attention today and His purpose in speaking to us is to call the lost to Jesus Christ- to salvation in His name and after that, to develop and sanctify the believer.

Can you hear Him? Are you listening?

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The Amazing Resurrection of Jesus Christ

“Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ And they remembered His words. Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.”  [Luke 24:1–9]

     It was the third day since Jesus had been among His followers; the third day since His arrest at Gethsemane, the third day since His suffering on our part had begun – where were His disciples and those women who loved Him dearly?  They were in Jerusalem mourning His death.  Had they forgotten the words of their Master spoken just days earlier? Had they forgotten that He said, “On the third day I WILL rise again?” Had they forgotten or did they just fail to believe what He said?

To be fair to His followers, what Jesus said about His suffering and death was unconscionable – unthinkable, unreasonable and unacceptable; they could not bear the thought of their Teacher and friend being treated in the ways that Jesus had described He would be; but it was after all Jesus who told them – shouldn’t they have believed? 

The Proof of the Resurrection of Christ…

The fact that Christ’s closest followers were still in Jerusalem is an important one for this reason – had they believed that He would rise again they should have been well on their way back to Galilee. It was on their way to Gethsemane Matthew writes, where Jesus spoke the following words [Matthew 26:30–32]:

“And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ [Zech. 13:7]

But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.””

Jesus did not command them to go to Galilee but He suggested to them that they’d find Him there.  A point that the angel confirmed to Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Salome “and certain other women with them” in the gospel of Mark [16:7]:

“But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.””

If you had believed the words of Christ concerning His resurrection where would you have been?

I say this to you for a reason this morning.  You see, from that time till now there have been those who suggested that Jesus’ own disciples and followers had taken His body and hidden it so as to create the illusion of His resurrection.  Had they believed – perhaps; but seeing as they did not yet believe – that they didn’t even understand the point (see John 20:9) concerning Christ’s resurrection; seeing as the women were coming to complete the burial process begun two days earlier – seeing as they came to the tomb that day to anoint a corpse and not to see a risen Savior it can then be safely ruled out that the resurrection of Jesus was a hoax.

And just where were the men while the women went to anoint the body of the Lord? They were where the risen Lord would soon meet them – in the same secret place wherein they shared the last supper with Him in fear of the Jews, behind locked doors (John 20:19)

Jesus’ followers were in Jerusalem and He did not scold them for their lack of faith – He met them where they were.

The Witnesses of the Resurrected Christ…

     There were many witnesses of the resurrection and the resurrected; among them the angels and the empty tomb, these bore witness to both the resurrection and the resurrected.  The Apostle Matthew wrote [28:2] “And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it.” The angel opened the tomb and heralded the message of the resurrection to all who came to look in (Luke 24:6; Matt 28:6):

“He is not here, but is risen, as He said!”

The empty tomb, the folded grave clothes these became evidence supporting the announcement of the heralding angel’s – the same who had announced Christ’s birth to the shepherds 33 years earlier were now announcing that He who had been killed and who was dead, was now alive!  Good news – Christ is alive! The Angel rolled the stone away for one reason – so that we could look in and see the evidence of the resurrection.

Consider this as well – Jesus died before a crowd but He rose before no one. No one bears witness to His walking out of the tomb, through (not past) the boulder that sealed it back into the land of the living. Perhaps the guards who had been stationed at the tomb since just after the Lord’s body was placed in it (Matt. 27:62-65) saw the actual resurrection; they no doubt saw something (Matt. 28:4), something which overwhelmed their senses, something which was so significant that the chief priests and elders felt it necessary to bribe the guards to tell a lie, [Matt. 28:13]: ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’

“We operate every day with the principle that truth may be established on the testimony of eyewitnesses. We punish criminals even when we did not see the crime being committed, precisely because the evidence gives away the truth of the matter“[i] – in the case of the risen Savior there are many witnesses both to the empty tomb AND the risen Savior:

  1. He appeared to the women who had come to anoint His body for burial [Matt. 28:5-10]:

“But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.””

  • He appeared to Mary alone at the tomb [Mark 16:9]:

“Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.” (see John 20:11-18)

  • He appeared to Cleopas and another disciple whom I suspect was his wife Mary on the road to Emmaus [Luke 24:15-16]:

“So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.” [for the larger context see Luke 24:13-35]

  • He appeared to Peter [Luke 24:33-34]:

“So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!””  This is not the appearance at the sea of Galilee recorded in John 21 but another otherwise unmentioned meeting.

  • He appeared to the remaining apostles [John 20:19-20]:

“Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.”

The Bible says that later Thomas (John 20:26-28) and a number of others adding up to over 500 more witnesses spoken of in [1 Cor. 15:5-6]:

“…and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.”

Why mention all of these witnesses? Because the Bible states that a case is substantiated by the witness of two or more people (Deut. 19:15); in the account of Christ’s resurrection there were many more than 2 or 3 who saw Him alive AFTER His death, burial and resurrection.

The Attitudes concerning the Resurrection of Christ…

 There were many emotions and attitudes at work during the period of Christ’s suffering, death burial and resurrection as you might imagine – there was fear, then grief and heartbreak at His suffering and death.  Then hopelessness as expressed by the two on the Emmaus road [Luke 24:21]:

“But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.”

These two represent the disappointment and hopelessness felt by all who totally misunderstood why Christ came; in their understanding of the old testament scriptures they “saw the glory but not the suffering, the crown but not the cross”[ii] they didn’t fully understand until Jesus explained it to them on the road home (v.27; 32). Let me tell you that Jesus meets people at the point of their despair and hopelessness [v31] says,

“Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.”

When Thomas later handled Jesus his hopelessness and doubt was also changed and He exclaimed [John 20:28]:

 “My Lord and my God!””

The Bible says that after their eyes had been opened the two from Emmaus rushed back to Jerusalem over 7 miles away to tell the others the good news – they had seen and spoken with the Savior but before they could tell them that the disciples also had news that Peter had seen the Savior – Unbelief was turned to joy unspeakable when the disciples saw for themselves the risen Lord in the upper room – hope fulfilled has a way of doing that. [Luke 24:41] tells us that “they still did not believe for joy;” but that is the “I can’t believe it’s you!” kind of joy that comes when one is coming to terms with something amazing!

There aren’t many places more heartbreaking than a children’s hospital cancer ward; there, children who ought to be out playing and enjoying life are isolated, medicated and otherwise treated for their menacing life-threatening illness.  David Jeremiah told the story recently of a woman who with her Christian drama team went into such a place to put on a show for the kids – the drama was to be a musical reenactment of C.S.Lewis’ classic The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The children piled in and kept coming in wheel chairs, crutches one even on a gurney; there were so many kids that portions of the set had to be removed to accommodate them all; still the kids were nearly right next to the actors.

In one scene the Witch of Narnia kills the lion Aslan.  The children were silent except for their soft weeping – many of the children were crying.  You see, Aslan is in the story is symbolic of Jesus Christ – kind, loving, strong, brave and the lion was dying to save the life of another.

The tears and weeping of the children brought the activity director alongside the representative of the troupe and she was furious exclaiming that the children were already suffering enough without such a thing. The troupe director calmed her down and the scene continued to unfold –two girls, sisters singing and weeping in front of the body of their dead friend Aslan who at that same moment was rising up again alive!  The excitement and joy of that moment was electric as the children celebrated even poking their neighbor’s young and old alike saying “did you see!!!????He is alive!!” The director said that at that moment it was as if she were present at the very resurrection of Christ Himself – expressing that she imagined this is how it was when Christ arose victoriously over death and the grave.

Unbelief gave way to unspeakable joy the day Christ arose.

The Reason for the Resurrection…

What is the reason for the resurrection? Joy? Believability? No Jesus didn’t give His life and take it back again so that you’d necessarily be happy – that’s a benefit. Neither did He lay His life down and take it up again just to prove the point that He could.  No, the reason for Jesus’ death burial and resurrection is much more profound:

All mankind was “dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1).”

All mankind needs the forgiveness of God because all have sinned against Him (Rom. 3:23) and anyone, if they will live for God need new life.

You see, Jesus’ death is the key to the forgiveness of God. 

The Bible says in [Hebrews 9:22] “And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.” “It is the blood” says God in [Lev.17:11] that makes atonement for the soul.”

According to the word of God it is Christ’s blood that paid the price to rescue, save, deliver, ransom, and forgive us [1 Peter 1:18–19]: “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” He laid His life down as [Heb. 2:9] says “…that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.”

If Jesus’ death and specifically, His shed blood is the key to God’s forgiveness then His resurrection is the key to our new and eternal life.

[1 Corinthians 15:20–23]: “But now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.”

The scripture declares [Eph. 2:4-7]: “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

Jesus died so that we might be forgiven and rose so that the life we have from Him we can share with Him forever.

Earlier I said that Jesus met His followers where they were.

Today, he is meeting you where you are.

Today he is meeting with the skeptic, the addict, the cynic and the sinner – He is saying, “Come awake, come awake, come and rise up from the grave” of your sin or your addiction and your doubt. He came to rescue and save not to judge and condemn (John 3:16-17) but that time is coming.

Jesus’ empty tomb proves that death does not have the last word.

The Lord said in [John 11:25]:

 “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”

Adding in (v.26)

“Do you believe this?”

That is the question of all questions on this day. Your unbelief does not change the truth that Jesus is Risen but your belief in the risen Son of God will change your life…. Do you believe?

The women who came to anoint the body of Jesus had to believe the angels report; the disciples who heard the women’s account had to believe the women; and we who have heard today and you who would have eternal life must believe the report of the disciples in the Word of God – Christ IS risen; risen indeed!!!

[i] Campbell, I. D. (2008). Opening up Matthew (p. 173). Leominster: Day One Publications.

[ii] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Lk 24:13). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

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Who is Jesus? The Objective Truth

In a search for cover art for my thoughts today I came across many which , instead of a statement asked, “Who is Jesus to you?” At first blush, I wanted to dismiss this question out of hand; I mean, is the identity of Jesus Christ really just a subjective summation of a person determined by our own suppositions, preclusions and pre-conceived notions?

There is objective truth to answer the question of who Jesus is but in order to get to it a person has to accept that there is also only one authority on the subject – the Bible. “But wait,” some would object, “after all wasn’t the Bible written by men? What makes their opinion the end all to the question?” The Bible itself answers even that question – can you accept it? The answer is found in (2 Timothy 3:16-17):

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

That the words are inspired require an instigator of inspiration and that instigator is the Holy Spirit of God (see 2 Peter 1:20-21). Everything given to us to know about Jesus Christ is found in the Bible, a book written by God through the hand of prophets, priests, tax collectors, fishermen, and even an ex-Pharisee. Some of these men were also eye-witnesses of the ministry of Jesus Christ as well as of His death burial and resurrection but the Holy Spirit, who provided the inspiration and is co-author of every word in the Bible, as eternal and intrinsically connected to both the Father and the Son is eyewitness to everything pertaining to Jesus from eternity past to this very moment. In essence, God Himself testifies in the Bible, declaring who Jesus is.

Did you know that not every self-declared Christian agrees with the Bible, let alone with each other about Jesus? Jehovah Witnesses for instance, believe that Jesus is inferior to or less than God having been created by God rather than being co-heir, co-creator and co-eternal with God. It is really this point about Jesus that I would like to address: Is Jesus God?

What do the scriptures say?

In prophetic literature we read of the coming of Jesus Christ in books like (Micah 5:2):

““But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”“

Here we see God the Father declaring the eternality of the One (a reference to Jesus His Son) coming forth to Him from Bethlehem. What does Isaiah the prophet Isaiah say about the Son of God then yet to be born in Bethlehem?

“For unto us a Child is born,Unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. and His name will be called: Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

Again, in Isaiah 7:9 the Bible says:

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

Allowing the Bible to teach the Bible, what does the name Immanuel mean? ““Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”” (Matthew 1:23) In the New Testament we also read in (Hebrews 1:1-12):

“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. for to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, today I have begotten You”? And again:“ I will be to Him a Father,And He shall be to Me a Son”? But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” And of the angels He says:“ Who makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire.” But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” And: “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain; and they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will fold them up, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not fail.””

Was Jesus a good man as some have said? Yes. Was He a great man? Yes. Was He a good teacher? A Rabbi? Or as eventhe Muslims say, a prophet? Yes, yes and yes. Was and is He MORE than those things? Without a doubt!!! Jesus said, “He who has seen Me, has seen the Father.” (John 14:9) Jesus said, “I and My Father are One.” (John 10:30) Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am;” (John 8:58) this also being a reference to the unique name of God: YHWH also speaking to the eternality of Jesus. Beyond that we read in (John 1:1-3):

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”

Can the Creator create Himself? Yet the Bible declares not only His eternal equality with God but also that Jesus at creation made all things. Passages like (Philippians 2:5-11 and Colossians 1:15-18) likewise point to Jesus’ deity.

Jesus is God – He has a divine nature, so says the Bible but is that ALL that Jesus is? God’s don’t die and Jesus, as we have learned is eternal – He is as His Father is: from everlasting to everlasting (Psalm 90:2). In order to “reveal God to men” as Ryrie wrote and to “provide us with an example for godly living” as well as to be the sacrfice for sin (see John 1:18. 1 Peter 2:21 and Hebrews 10:1-10) Jesus was also 100% man. In other words, Jesus had two natures: he was all man as well as all God. To be our Savior he set aside His rights as God rather then ceasing to be God (see Phil. 2:5-11) He was in the “form of God” but for our sakes He took on ” the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men.”

Regardless of our personal beliefs, descriptions, preconceived notions or understandings there is ONE OBJECTIVE TRUTH concerning who Jesus is; this truth is foundational to the Christian faith and a failure to believe that truth or a rejection of that truth about Jesus is to build a faith on a faulty foundation. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17) – the word of God declares who Jesus is and what He has done for your sake and mine; hear that word and believe. Does it matter if you believe that Jesus was less than God, a created being, a mere man or rather that He is equal with God, co-heir, co-creator and co-eternal with God? It matters as much (in that it as distinctly different) as day or night, darkness or light and life or death.

What you believe about the objective truth concerning Jesus Christ does not change it but your belief holds profound implications for you. Think about it…..

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God’s Best Gift

Satisfied with less…

Does that describe the hearts of people during a season which I’ve come to call the season of discontent – are they satisfied with less?

Are you?

I call it a season of discontent because when asked, rather than an “I have everything I need”” people young and old readily state what they want for Christmas. In reality, discontent rather than contentment is a problem for many people and the materialism of the season feeds that felt need for more or better.

This isn’t a rant on that but it is meant to challenge you to consider your desires. You see, I believe that the desire which God has for your life is far greater and better than what you want for and from it. I Believe that most people are simply satisfied with less than what God in Christ wants for them.

Those outside of faith in Jesus Christ are perfectly content to be in the condition I just described and that fact makes clear to me that while some people are never truly content with the things they possess – more are simply content with less.

Jesus Christ promised abundant life (John 10:10) to those who trust in Him – abundant life now and forever more but so many people are satisfied with less than that.

So many are satisfied with less because they can’t imagine a better life, a fuller life or a happier life than the one they have – they are satisfied with less because they don’t know or believe that there is more or better than what they have now or that they can have it.

God sent His Son to usher in better things – whether you know it or not, more than anything else, you really have need of those better things – of grace, mercy, forgiveness, eternal life and an eternal relationship with the Lord.

In Christ, those better things have been provided and are yours for the asking.

Click the link to listen to the full message on today’s subject. https://www.thetextmessages.org/sermons/gods-best-gift/

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Only One Way

Nearly 20 years ago, my wife and I traveled to Corpus Christi Texas for a weekend stay. After checking into our hotel room near the waterfront we set out for the flagship store of our favorite burger joint – Whataburger. It was already dark when, after settling in that we set out to fill our bellies at what is known as a Texas tradition. The streets around the hotel were under construction that year (probably still are) and it wasn’t long till I found myself going the wrong way on a one-way street. Thankfully, I wasn’t stopped and cited by the city police and more importantly I did not have a life altering meeting with someone actually going the right way on that street. As you might imagine, I quickly found my way out of that mess and headed in the right direction all the while singing to my wife (who was a little put out by my cavalier and seemingly careless driving) the words to a very famous Frank Sinatra song, you guessed it, “I did it my way!”

Believe it or not, life in this world is a lot like the layout of most city’s streets which have been designed with regard to the flow of traffic into and out of the city. Just as there is a deliberate right way and a wrong way to navigate those streets there is a right way and a wrong way to navigate life and that way has been determined by someone with far greater authority in this world – God.

My motive for this article is not to point out the right and wrong associated so much with the life style choices you and I make (that is for another time) but to point the reader in the right direction with regards to a proper relationship with our Creator. This past week, I had a conversation with a man who asked the following question: “Which religion is right, just tell me which one’s Jesus or God is the right one and I will believe in Him.”  Perhaps part of the reason for his confusion is the simple fact that the church with its many doctrines and denominations have so muddied the waters that people on the outside don’t know which way is the right way; or perhaps too many in the church have stopped pointing out the right direction altogether. When was the last time someone invited you to church instead of to Jesus?

My answer to the man was simple and straight from the Bible, I quoted Jesus’ words as found in (John 14:6): “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” He responded, “Yeah, but which Jesus?” He meant (for example), the Jesus of the Mormons, the Jesus of the Jehovah Witnesses or the Jesus of Islam. Each of these faith groups view Jesus differently and from the perspective of the Bible, erroneously. It became clear however, from our conversation that this man’s concept of Christianity itself may be incorrect. Biblically speaking there is but one way to God and that way is through His Son Jesus Christ as the words in John 14:6 make clear and yet people attempt to come into that relationship or to gain the grace of God in other ways – they are in essence in pursuit of grace but traveling in the wrong direction on an established one-way street.

For instance, Paul the Apostle made it clear in (Romans 3:20) that “by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His (God’s) sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” To be justified is to be declared righteous or good by God Who has already decreed through His word that (Luke 18:19) “no man is good, no not one” and that in fact (Genesis 6:5) “the thoughts and intentions of a man’s heart are evil only always.” We become justified through faith in Jesus Christ Whose righteousness God exchanges with our sin; the Bible says in (1 Cor. 5:21):

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

This justification was made available through the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on the cross and apart from faith in Him it is impossible to receive it (Romans 4:5):

“But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.”

The Bible clearly says, “By grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God NOT of works lest any man should boast…” (see Ephesians 2:8-10) yet today people try to earn the grace of God. They are in pursuit of grace through their “good works” but like my wife and I that night in Corpus Christi in pursuit of the world’s best burger they are going the wrong way on a one-way street to find that grace.

Not only does the Bible declare we cannot gain the grace of God and be saved by good works, it also states clearly that salvation is not a determination of our will (John 1:12-13):

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

This is in part where the man I was speaking to was stuck – salvation is not an act of our will alone. You might be thinking “Rich, what do you mean by that because it sounds like it contradicts the Bible?” There is a doctrine that teaches that man is so totally depraved that he would not nor could not ever choose to be saved. I agree and disagree with that position from Calvinistic theology. While I do agree that, like myself prior to my salvation, people do not care to know God let alone to be saved but are content to do whatever their flesh desires; I also believe that once the Spirit of God begins to intervene in a person’s life that mindset changes. Jesus said in (John 6:44):

“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

That drawing comes through in two ways which work together, the Word of God – “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17) and the Spirit of God who “when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” (John 16:8) The reality is that once the word of God and the Spirit of God begin their work in one being drawn by God to Himself their hearts may be led (as the first inhabitants of the early church were) to a time of great anguish for their souls. You may remember the response of those who heard the gospel message preached by Peter on Pentecost: “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”” (Acts 2:37) It is at that moment, when a person sees themselves as God sees him or her that he or she may come to God by faith in His Son sent for their redemption and justification. Thus, it is God and not men who initiate the process by which they can be saved.

The man I was speaking to made one more comment that I think is important at this point in our thoughts, He said, “My problem is a comprehension problem” implying that he did not know what to think or how to choose. Having  addressed much of that statement already let me say that my response to his statement identifies what may in fact be the larger problem for those struggling with the one right way. The Bible declares the problem in (1 Cor. 2:14):

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

Too many people put the cart before the horse when it comes to things of eternal value. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God – but, what word? What word does the natural man need to hear first? Let me just put it like this, if any person is to come to God they need to hear about Jesus – why He came and what He did. Jesus Christ is THE WAY, the truth and the life! No man comes to the Father but by Him! They need to hear about the one way to life God’s way. They need to hear about the one way to eternal life – a way blazed and made possible by Jesus Christ who left heaven for our sakes.  They need to hear about Jesus Christ who taught, literally who showed mankind what God was like. They need to hear about Jesus Christ who suffered and was tortured not because of any wrong that He had done but to satisfy the wrath of God for the wrongs – the sins WE HAD DONE! They need to hear about Jesus Christ who died for their sins and three days later rose from the dead to live again making forgiveness and power over sin available to all who believe.

Many there are in this life living the lyrics to Sinatra’s song – their way; we are called to point men to the one right way that leads to everlasting life through the gospel of Christ and the examples of our lives – point the way…lead the way…help them find the one-way that leads to a relationship with Almighty God.

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