Now that's quite the title isn't it. It has been brought to my attention more so now than in last few years that there seems to be a perceived stereo typing of Christians. What I mean by that is when someone states "I am a Christian" they are lumped into a religious category generally referred to as hypocrite's, bigots, self righteous, bible thumping do gooders. Of course the list goes on. This has caused me to wonder just why do people perceive the Christian community in this way. Now I am not saying everyone perceives Christians this way, but a larger number now than ever before. Maybe it's because they don't really understand what happens to a person when they choose to believe in Jesus Christ. This is where I want to start, what happens to a person when they have turned from their old way of life to follow the one God said would redeem us from our sins?
Generally when someone comes before God confessing their sins, they have either come to the end of their rope and are desperate for a change in how they are living and are presented with the Gospel or they come to God because they have heard the good news or the Gospel about Jesus Christ and they want to be forgiven of their sins and follow after Christ. Whichever way one comes to God indicates that they realize they are lost and cannot on their own find their way back to God. This is the case of every human on the face of earth. So what happens when one turns to God seeking forgiveness? What really changes? Sometimes when a person puts their trust in Jesus Christ an almost immediate change can be seen. A new look or glow seems to be about them, they seem happier and more content than before. Peace is generated in them that cannot be explained. Then there are other's that turn to Jesus Christ and struggle with this new found faith. There's a battle going on that makes it hard to understand just what took place when they accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. What makes it so different from one conversion to the other?
In the most simple of ways, here's what I have come to understand, the one who finds it easy and change becomes more natural to them are usually, but not always, those who have not been infected with the world as severely as those who struggle with their conversion. Again, this is not always the case, but in general those who have lived a hard life and lived according to the worlds way of thinking have much to rid themselves of. Now, let's examine what happens when someone puts their belief in Gods Son Jesus Christ. To understand this you have to realize that we humans are made up of three parts consisting of body, soul, and spirit. Our fleshly body is nothing more than a structure in which the spirit and soul live. The soul is our conscience, our will, the part we think with, have emotions from, the soul is what most people call their personality. Your soul and body can be felt. If I touched you physically, you would know it because your soul has told you this through that physical touch. I could cause reaction from you by what I speak to your soul, like making you mad by what I say or making you happy or joyful by telling you something good. Your soul and body are interconnected, they work together. What you sense in your soul is manifest in your body. Your spirit on the other hand is not connected to either soul or body, your spirit is actually who you are. Your spirit cannot be accessed in any natural way. Jesus declared, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6). He meant that there's no direct connection between the two. They are interrelated. You simply cannot contact your spirit through your emotions or your physical body. This is where the Christian has the greatest problem in their Christian life.
In 1 Ephesians 1:18-20 God's Word declares that we have the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. Truth cannot be discerned through your natural senses. Look at 2 Corinthians 5:17 and John 14:12 which speak of being a brand new creature who can do the same miraculous works that Jesus did. If you don't understand the spirit, soul and body you are going to be wondering "where is it?" "I don't really have that kind of power in me." "The Bible is hard to understand." If you can't see, taste, hear, smell or touch what the Word reveals about you, you'll immediately be thrown into conflict. Since the spirit realm cannot be seen or felt, the only way to accurately perceive spiritual truth is through the Bible or God's Word to us, and believe it. John 6:63 tells us what Jesus said concerning flesh and spirit. The flesh does not profit anything, but the words that Christ spoke to us are spirit and life. In order to know what your spirit is like you must find out from the Word.
When the Word talks about all things becoming new in 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 you may be wondering why you don't have a new body or all those old habits are still present in your life. There will be a time "when this corruptible will put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." Christ's atonement provided for you physically, your body has not yet been saved. It's been purchased, but not yet redeemed. Your soul can be transformed now but only to the degree you renew your mind, change your attitudes, and conform your values to the Word of God. This by all means should happen, but it is not automatic. In your soul, old things didn't pass away, and all things haven't yet become new. The renewing of your soul won't be completely finished until you go to be with Jesus. "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--His good and perfect will." Romans 12:2.
If you are seeing Christians that seem to be a mess or they don't seem to be living up to what you deem a proper Christian and they don't do the things that you think they should be doing, or you see them acting like the rest of the world, then maybe you are seeing a Christian who has not yet been transformed in their soul, old habits are still present, old attitudes keep cropping up and they just don't measure up to the standards you think they should measure up to, then maybe you are the one with the problem, you are looking at them through tainted glasses or through the lens of the world.
Some people take longer than other's to clean up, and some struggle with understanding the concept of spirit, soul, and body. Yes, change needs to happen, and by all means it should, but you and I are not to be the judge of how fast that is to happen. Now here's where we need some understanding. When someone comes to Jesus Christ and turns their life over to Him as their Lord and Savior something happens to their spirit. This is what Jesus told Nicodemus in the New Testament. Nicodemus was a Pharisee who lived by the letter of the Law. He was a religious person for sure and knew the expectations of God in meeting the laws requirements, but when confronted by Christ he discovered that the law could not provide salvation. We find the story in John 3:1-8. When you place your belief in Jesus Christ your spirit is reborn, that old sin nature that we inherited through Adam is no longer, our spirit is now like Christ, the Holy Spirit and our spirit are now as one. This is what God sees when He looks at us, He does not see our sin, He sees His Son Jesus Christ. Read John 3:16-17, it describes very plainly the purpose God sent His only begotten Son.
Do you see the difference, your spirit is redeemed, this is you, your soul and body have been purchased but not redeemed yet. This is why many Christians may not be meeting your expectations of purity. If someone continues to live in sin, then I would question the validity of their salvation. When someone loves you as much as God loves us, then we would naturally want to avoid anything that would displease Him. The Word of God is truth, it will change your attitude, and even change your mind, but it will only do so according to the amount of time and effort you put into it.
I hope this helps those who view the Christian in a negative way, though I know there are those who will continue despising Christians no matter what truth hits them in the face, but, this is why you can see such a variety of Christians throughout our world. Many Christians are walking around with a wrecked mind because they haven't replaced their old way of thinking with God's way of thinking. Romans 12:2 can't be any plainer.
I would like to leave you with an example of someone who experienced the life change that Jesus Christ offers everyone. After Victor turned his life over to Christ he still did not understand what happened, he felt he had to live up to certain standards and rules until one day his daughter prayed for her dad, then the Holy Spirit told Victor, "You're healed, but your mind is a wreck, You've got to wash it." This is a very, very brief description of his story and I hope you will take the time to look up the rest of it. Below are a couple of links that will take you to the websites that tell his story.
http://victormarx.com/about/
https://www.youtube.com/user/atpministries
Friday, December 4, 2015
Monday, September 21, 2015
The Gospel, The Best News Ever!
I was listening to an old Billy Graham message the other night and found myself mesmerized by it. The message was speaking about the only hope that not just we as individuals have but the only hope that this world has. Sometimes I think we Christians just get it wrong when we try to share Jesus Christ with people. Think about it, how many times do you hear a Christian trying to share the gospel with someone and what you hear isn't really such good news. Now, what do I mean by that? This was something that was brought to my attention in some studies I have been doing on grace. It seems that I have been going about this in a backward sort of way, I have to many times been sharing the bad news of what happens if one does not turn to Christ.
The world is full of bad news, such as wars, rumors of wars, financial worries, immorality issues, family hating family, unrest in our communities, confusion of what is right and wrong, drugs and alcohol enslaving people, killings at random, civil unrest and the list just goes on. Then someone wants to point you in the right direction intending to turn you towards God, but, instead turns you off because all you hear is more bad news. I am sure you have had someone try to tell you about the kingdom of God and how to get into it but all you heard was "if you don't repent your are going to hell." Now that is just bad news is it not? This is where the church has gone wrong so many times, they speak the truth of course, if you don't repent of your sins and turn to Christ you have no hope, this is true. But wouldn't you rather hear the GOOD NEWS!
So, what is the good news if it isn't about repenting and not to going to hell? You see, people don't want their sins pointed out to them and then be told you cannot get into heaven because you are a sinner. They already know they fall short of what is needed to enter heaven. Most live good lives and do good things believing that this will help them get past the pearly gates. The problem with this thinking is how many good things does one need to do in order to be accepted into heaven? How good does one have to be for God to say "well done good and faithful servant, enter in to my heaven?" Most people live under this delusion of working their way to heaven. All religions promote this type of belief, even religious Christianity. Christianity in its original form was not about doing good works or obeying every creed and law laid down by the church. Jesus simply stated; "I am the way, and the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me," John 14:6. The Gospel or the Good News is just that, there is no other way into God's Kingdom except through Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son. In other words there is absolutely nothing you can do to earn your way to heaven, there is no amount of money you can give to enter through the so called pearly gates. It doesn't matter how many good things you do for others or how many hours you work to care for your family or give to the poor, Christ said there is only one way to the Father (God) and that is through Him. The Good news is that you don't have to do but one thing in order to enter the Kingdom of God and that is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God and allow Him to be the Lord of your life. You must believe that He gave His life for your sins, was crucified on the cross, died, was buried and on the third day rose again from the grave. If you come to Him and ask God to forgive your sins, repent of them and you truly believe this then you are saved, period. From this point on you develop a relationship not with a religion or a church, you develop a relationship with the very person of Jesus Christ, God's Son.
Now pay attention here, once you are saved through God's Son, you are no longer living under the law, you do not live by some form of religion or by some set rules or regulations, you are living under God's Grace. God has forgiven you of your sins and does not remember them anymore. To be free from your bondage of sin is Good News, to have a personal relationship with the Son of God is Good News, to be free from trying to earn your way to heaven and please God is Good News. You see, God loves you and He has been trying for a long time now to convey that to you but you keep running from His love and try to gain His love through people or drugs, sex, success, work, family, having nice things, etc. None of these things will satisfy your craving for the kind of love that God has for you. Yes, you must repent of your sins, which means to turn around and go in a different direction, but honestly, is that so bad when you can be at peace with not only yourself but with God? Under God's Grace you are no longer in bondage to those things that kept you bound up and enslaved, you have been set free. God's Grace is something you do not deserve, it is unmerited favor, it is God's love for you being brought to you by His Son Jesus Christ. This is Good News! All you have to do is reach out and receive it.
Here's something that everyone needs to realize; God has loved you from the very beginning, He has loved you throughout your life no matter how long you have been on this earth. He will always love you no matter what you have done with your life. Yes, there is a penalty for anyone's disobedience to God, but that is not His desire. God's desire is to bring you back into relationship with Him, He doesn't want you to end up in hell, and He proved that by sending His only Son to this earth and offered Him as the only sacrifice that would bring you and I back into a relationship with Him.
You may be reading this and wondering if God loves you. How could God love a person like me who has been doing drugs, or living with someone out of wedlock? Someone like me couldn't be loved being a prostitute, having several abortions, fighting and angry all the time. How could God love me who has dealt in pornography and sleeps with every girl available? How could God love someone who has committed murder, or raped women? How could God love someone who has destroyed their life with hatred, sex, drugs and living the most immoral life there is? The one thing we all must understand is that God created everything good, even you and me. God does not hate His creation, He loves everything in His creation, and that means you. John 3:16 says that; "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." This is how much God loves you. Romans 5:8 relates how God demonstrates His love, "but God demonstrates His own love for us in this; While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Then in 1 John 3:1 "see what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him." Here we see that God loves you unconditionally, there are no strings attached, there are no steps to take except one and that is to believe in God's only Son. To believe that He gave His life for you and for me. That His shed blood was the ultimate sacrifice. Yes, even you who thinks God doesn't love you for how you have lived, He gave His life for even you. Here's what everyone coming to God through His Son must not only realize but must accept, there is absolutely nothing you can do to earn your way back into God's presence, it doesn't matter how many good deeds you have done, they won't gain you an inch onto the grounds of heaven. It doesn't matter how rich or how poor you are, it doesn't matter how much money or time you give to charity, you won't get any gold stars that will help you enter into the kingdom of God. John 14:6 says it very plainly, only through Christ can one gain a personal relationship with the Heavenly Father. God doesn't pick and chose who gets into heaven, we decide whether we go to heaven or stand before God in judgement of hell, it's our decision.
So back to the beginning, the GOOD NEWS is God loves you and me unconditionally. Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son came to give each one of us a way into His Kingdom. The GOOD NEWS is God's unmerited favor or His Grace is available for everyone and there are NO strings attached. The GOOD NEWS is you can leave behind all that burdens you, all that has you enslaved and bound up. The GOOD NEWS is that Jesus Christ came to set you free and break the shackles of drugs, sex, alcohol, material things or just the worldly way of living from your heart, He has lifted the heavy burden that has you smothered. The GOOD NEWS is Jesus Christ came to offer you a new life in Him. Now isn't that the best news you have heard, isn't better than the bad news you have been hearing? Read the following scriptures in the order they are listed, they will lead you to a better understanding of God's plan for all of us, (just hold your cursor over the scripture reference). Romans 3:23, Romans 3:10-18 (what sin looks like in our lives), Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8, Romans 10:9, Romans 10:13, Romans 5:1, Romans 8:1. These scriptures are referred to as the Romans road to salvation. You can have this new life by coming to Christ and let Him be the Lord of your life. You do this by saying a simple prayer of faith. If you truly want this and want Christ to be your savior just pray this prayer: Father God, I know I am a sinner and have lived in rebellion of your word. I ask you to forgive me of my sinful ways and I believe Jesus Christ is your Son that came to give His life for me. I receive Christ as my Lord and Savior, I want Him to rule over my life. I repent of my sins. Please help me to live a life that pleases you Father. Jesus come into my heart and life and cleanse me of my sins, past, present and future. In Jesus name, Amen.
Now that you have become an adopted child of God you are one of His son's or daughter's. You are now in a very big family and have the full attention of your Heavenly Father, He wants to bless you and give your life purpose. If you have a Bible, God's Word to us, start reading it, the book of John is a good place to start. If you don't have one, get one, if you can't afford to get one go to a local church that believes in Jesus Christ as God's only begotten Son and ask them if they could help you get one. Tell your family and friends that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, this is your confession that He is the Lord of your life. Find a church or another Christian and study the Word of God together. May your life be blessed of God and may it be fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
The world is full of bad news, such as wars, rumors of wars, financial worries, immorality issues, family hating family, unrest in our communities, confusion of what is right and wrong, drugs and alcohol enslaving people, killings at random, civil unrest and the list just goes on. Then someone wants to point you in the right direction intending to turn you towards God, but, instead turns you off because all you hear is more bad news. I am sure you have had someone try to tell you about the kingdom of God and how to get into it but all you heard was "if you don't repent your are going to hell." Now that is just bad news is it not? This is where the church has gone wrong so many times, they speak the truth of course, if you don't repent of your sins and turn to Christ you have no hope, this is true. But wouldn't you rather hear the GOOD NEWS!
So, what is the good news if it isn't about repenting and not to going to hell? You see, people don't want their sins pointed out to them and then be told you cannot get into heaven because you are a sinner. They already know they fall short of what is needed to enter heaven. Most live good lives and do good things believing that this will help them get past the pearly gates. The problem with this thinking is how many good things does one need to do in order to be accepted into heaven? How good does one have to be for God to say "well done good and faithful servant, enter in to my heaven?" Most people live under this delusion of working their way to heaven. All religions promote this type of belief, even religious Christianity. Christianity in its original form was not about doing good works or obeying every creed and law laid down by the church. Jesus simply stated; "I am the way, and the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me," John 14:6. The Gospel or the Good News is just that, there is no other way into God's Kingdom except through Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son. In other words there is absolutely nothing you can do to earn your way to heaven, there is no amount of money you can give to enter through the so called pearly gates. It doesn't matter how many good things you do for others or how many hours you work to care for your family or give to the poor, Christ said there is only one way to the Father (God) and that is through Him. The Good news is that you don't have to do but one thing in order to enter the Kingdom of God and that is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God and allow Him to be the Lord of your life. You must believe that He gave His life for your sins, was crucified on the cross, died, was buried and on the third day rose again from the grave. If you come to Him and ask God to forgive your sins, repent of them and you truly believe this then you are saved, period. From this point on you develop a relationship not with a religion or a church, you develop a relationship with the very person of Jesus Christ, God's Son.
Now pay attention here, once you are saved through God's Son, you are no longer living under the law, you do not live by some form of religion or by some set rules or regulations, you are living under God's Grace. God has forgiven you of your sins and does not remember them anymore. To be free from your bondage of sin is Good News, to have a personal relationship with the Son of God is Good News, to be free from trying to earn your way to heaven and please God is Good News. You see, God loves you and He has been trying for a long time now to convey that to you but you keep running from His love and try to gain His love through people or drugs, sex, success, work, family, having nice things, etc. None of these things will satisfy your craving for the kind of love that God has for you. Yes, you must repent of your sins, which means to turn around and go in a different direction, but honestly, is that so bad when you can be at peace with not only yourself but with God? Under God's Grace you are no longer in bondage to those things that kept you bound up and enslaved, you have been set free. God's Grace is something you do not deserve, it is unmerited favor, it is God's love for you being brought to you by His Son Jesus Christ. This is Good News! All you have to do is reach out and receive it.
Here's something that everyone needs to realize; God has loved you from the very beginning, He has loved you throughout your life no matter how long you have been on this earth. He will always love you no matter what you have done with your life. Yes, there is a penalty for anyone's disobedience to God, but that is not His desire. God's desire is to bring you back into relationship with Him, He doesn't want you to end up in hell, and He proved that by sending His only Son to this earth and offered Him as the only sacrifice that would bring you and I back into a relationship with Him.
You may be reading this and wondering if God loves you. How could God love a person like me who has been doing drugs, or living with someone out of wedlock? Someone like me couldn't be loved being a prostitute, having several abortions, fighting and angry all the time. How could God love me who has dealt in pornography and sleeps with every girl available? How could God love someone who has committed murder, or raped women? How could God love someone who has destroyed their life with hatred, sex, drugs and living the most immoral life there is? The one thing we all must understand is that God created everything good, even you and me. God does not hate His creation, He loves everything in His creation, and that means you. John 3:16 says that; "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." This is how much God loves you. Romans 5:8 relates how God demonstrates His love, "but God demonstrates His own love for us in this; While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Then in 1 John 3:1 "see what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him." Here we see that God loves you unconditionally, there are no strings attached, there are no steps to take except one and that is to believe in God's only Son. To believe that He gave His life for you and for me. That His shed blood was the ultimate sacrifice. Yes, even you who thinks God doesn't love you for how you have lived, He gave His life for even you. Here's what everyone coming to God through His Son must not only realize but must accept, there is absolutely nothing you can do to earn your way back into God's presence, it doesn't matter how many good deeds you have done, they won't gain you an inch onto the grounds of heaven. It doesn't matter how rich or how poor you are, it doesn't matter how much money or time you give to charity, you won't get any gold stars that will help you enter into the kingdom of God. John 14:6 says it very plainly, only through Christ can one gain a personal relationship with the Heavenly Father. God doesn't pick and chose who gets into heaven, we decide whether we go to heaven or stand before God in judgement of hell, it's our decision.
So back to the beginning, the GOOD NEWS is God loves you and me unconditionally. Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son came to give each one of us a way into His Kingdom. The GOOD NEWS is God's unmerited favor or His Grace is available for everyone and there are NO strings attached. The GOOD NEWS is you can leave behind all that burdens you, all that has you enslaved and bound up. The GOOD NEWS is that Jesus Christ came to set you free and break the shackles of drugs, sex, alcohol, material things or just the worldly way of living from your heart, He has lifted the heavy burden that has you smothered. The GOOD NEWS is Jesus Christ came to offer you a new life in Him. Now isn't that the best news you have heard, isn't better than the bad news you have been hearing? Read the following scriptures in the order they are listed, they will lead you to a better understanding of God's plan for all of us, (just hold your cursor over the scripture reference). Romans 3:23, Romans 3:10-18 (what sin looks like in our lives), Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8, Romans 10:9, Romans 10:13, Romans 5:1, Romans 8:1. These scriptures are referred to as the Romans road to salvation. You can have this new life by coming to Christ and let Him be the Lord of your life. You do this by saying a simple prayer of faith. If you truly want this and want Christ to be your savior just pray this prayer: Father God, I know I am a sinner and have lived in rebellion of your word. I ask you to forgive me of my sinful ways and I believe Jesus Christ is your Son that came to give His life for me. I receive Christ as my Lord and Savior, I want Him to rule over my life. I repent of my sins. Please help me to live a life that pleases you Father. Jesus come into my heart and life and cleanse me of my sins, past, present and future. In Jesus name, Amen.
Now that you have become an adopted child of God you are one of His son's or daughter's. You are now in a very big family and have the full attention of your Heavenly Father, He wants to bless you and give your life purpose. If you have a Bible, God's Word to us, start reading it, the book of John is a good place to start. If you don't have one, get one, if you can't afford to get one go to a local church that believes in Jesus Christ as God's only begotten Son and ask them if they could help you get one. Tell your family and friends that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, this is your confession that He is the Lord of your life. Find a church or another Christian and study the Word of God together. May your life be blessed of God and may it be fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Friday, August 14, 2015
Grace, what's that?
In these past few months God has been speaking to me concerning the Christians way of life and what that means to the world around us. In my last message I brought up the issue of how we as followers of Christ are to conduct our lives. In that message I attempted to show the difference of being religious or living by faith. In this message it is my hope to give insight into what the word grace means and why it is so important for us as believers in Christ to take a step back and see if we are living by His Grace and showing that Grace to the world. I am learning some things about myself that I don't like and they just don't reflect God's Grace at all. As I learn these things of myself, I also see that I am not alone in this reflective life. If you are one of God's children and see yourself struggling also with showing Gods Grace, then this message is for you. If you are one who has never put your trust in Jesus Christ, then maybe you will see something here that might cause you to desire more of what is being offered. Stay with me through this message and allow God to speak to you.
The definition of Grace in a spiritual sense is this; unmerited favor that is not deserved. In other words, God has and is showing His Grace to you and to me even though we absolutely do not deserve one iota of it. God has shown His love to his creation even when we human's, His highest form of creation, turned our backs on Him and rejected His love. That is unmerited favor or favor undeserved, GRACE. What is really amazing about this grace is that there is absolutely nothing we can do to earn it. It is a free gift from God to us. To put it yet another way; it is God's LOVE in action. You see, the world literally fell apart after Adam and Eve rebelled against God by disobeying Him. That sin that they allowed into the world affected every human being that was born from there on. God in His infinite MERCY and LOVE made a way for mankind to be redeemed from that sin nature. God, because He loved us so much decided to send His only begotten Son to pay the price for our redemption, and that meant God's Son would have to die. He not only had to die but in order for us to have hope He had to be raised from the dead. This why we Christian's celebrate Christmas (birth) and Easter (death/resurrection) holidays. Read Romans 3:23 tellings us that we are ALL guilty of sin and deserve death, Romans 6:23a, but God's FREE GIFT to us is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord, Romans 6:23b. This is undeserved GRACE. Ephesians 2:8 says it this way, for it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves (can't take credit for it, not of your own doing, this does not come from you, you had nothing to do with it) it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast (brag).
My friends, if we are living not only under this grace but in this grace then it is in my opinion that much of the church is failing in this area and does not understand what this really means. The most important part of this to grasp is that God gave us His Grace freely, the only stipulation to receive this gift was to believe in His son Jesus Christ and that He came and died on the cross and rose again on the third day, FOR US. Once someone does this and allows Christ total control of their life then we must in return show this same grace to the world. This is where I believe many of us have failed, we do not show God's Grace to those who we do not agree with or we consider our enemies. I want to tell you a story I heard from a Pastor on television. His name is Kerry Shook. I believe this story really relates to how grace is extended to those that we may think just aren't lovable or even deserve such favor.
I know I won't get this story exactly as Pastor Shook told it but I believe it will be sufficient. The story takes place in Korea. By the way, this is a true story.
This is a picture of Grace. God looks beyond our faults, all of our puss filled wounds and scars. He doesn't see what you are on the outside nor does He care where you have been, what He cares about is you, and what He can do for you. He extends His hand out in love and compassion to receive you into His arms so He can love you, protect you, and give you a new life and a new direction. This is undeserved Grace, love with no strings attached. Even though you and I do not deserve such love, God offers it through His Son Jesus Christ, who died for you to set you free from your bondage or slavery to sin and He rose from the dead so that you can have hope of joining him one day in His heavenly Kingdom. Grace is what God has given us and that should be more than sufficient for us all.
Just so the story of the little girl does not end with the adoption, that little girl now serves her God in the Pacific Northwest of the United States by helping other abandoned and unloved children. I know I did not get the whole story exactly accurate but the main part of the story is there. God loves all of His children, it is those who accept His love who will experience it. Remember this, if it wasn't for God's GRACE, there would be absolutely NO hope for mankind.
I speak to the church, the followers of Jesus Christ. If we do not extend God's Grace through our actions then what does that say about our faith in Christ? You see, when we start pointing an accusing finger at people and threaten those we don't agree with, or in many cases don't understand the person and we belittle them then we become the judge and jury. We have exceeded far beyond what God has called us to do. John 3:17 says; "for God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." In a paraphrase way of saying the same scripture could be like this; "God didn't go to all the trouble of sending His Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again." (a paraphrase by Eugene Peterson, quoted in Philip Yancey's book "Vanishing Grace). If God did not send His Son to judge us, then why would we as follower's of Jesus Christ want to point fingers at people and tell them how bad they are? In reality we are to be about sharing or spreading God's grace that touched us to a lost and hurting world. We are not to be looking at the outside of the person, but we are to see what God see's in the person and that is a lost, abandoned by the world, hurting, hungry, and even dying world. God's Grace is offered to all mankind not just a few. John 3:16 says it plainly; "for God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Jesus said in John 12:47 "If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world." Also look at John 12:48, John 8:15-16, John 8:16.
Here's the thing, God wants to adopt everyone into His family, no matter how bad. He knows what sin has done to His creation. Yet, even though we reject Him and spit in His face time after time, He keeps coming back to adopt us, He will not give up. This adoption requires our consent and until we do that, He is going to keep extending His hand out to us because His Grace never runs out. God loves you and wants to adopt you into His family. This is GRACE, something you cannot pay for, something you cannot earn by working, or doing good deeds, or just by being good. This GRACE is a free gift from God to you.
It is hard for us humans to understand such love as what God offers us, but sometimes we just don't have to understand everything, we just need to accept it. If you are a believer in Christ then don't point fingers at those who have not yet experienced God's Grace, but reach out and love them with everything you have. Remember, "for it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the Gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do GOOD works, which God prepared in advance for us to do," Ephesians 2:8-10.
The definition of Grace in a spiritual sense is this; unmerited favor that is not deserved. In other words, God has and is showing His Grace to you and to me even though we absolutely do not deserve one iota of it. God has shown His love to his creation even when we human's, His highest form of creation, turned our backs on Him and rejected His love. That is unmerited favor or favor undeserved, GRACE. What is really amazing about this grace is that there is absolutely nothing we can do to earn it. It is a free gift from God to us. To put it yet another way; it is God's LOVE in action. You see, the world literally fell apart after Adam and Eve rebelled against God by disobeying Him. That sin that they allowed into the world affected every human being that was born from there on. God in His infinite MERCY and LOVE made a way for mankind to be redeemed from that sin nature. God, because He loved us so much decided to send His only begotten Son to pay the price for our redemption, and that meant God's Son would have to die. He not only had to die but in order for us to have hope He had to be raised from the dead. This why we Christian's celebrate Christmas (birth) and Easter (death/resurrection) holidays. Read Romans 3:23 tellings us that we are ALL guilty of sin and deserve death, Romans 6:23a, but God's FREE GIFT to us is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord, Romans 6:23b. This is undeserved GRACE. Ephesians 2:8 says it this way, for it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves (can't take credit for it, not of your own doing, this does not come from you, you had nothing to do with it) it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast (brag).
My friends, if we are living not only under this grace but in this grace then it is in my opinion that much of the church is failing in this area and does not understand what this really means. The most important part of this to grasp is that God gave us His Grace freely, the only stipulation to receive this gift was to believe in His son Jesus Christ and that He came and died on the cross and rose again on the third day, FOR US. Once someone does this and allows Christ total control of their life then we must in return show this same grace to the world. This is where I believe many of us have failed, we do not show God's Grace to those who we do not agree with or we consider our enemies. I want to tell you a story I heard from a Pastor on television. His name is Kerry Shook. I believe this story really relates to how grace is extended to those that we may think just aren't lovable or even deserve such favor.
I know I won't get this story exactly as Pastor Shook told it but I believe it will be sufficient. The story takes place in Korea. By the way, this is a true story.
As we all know when there is a war and troops go to a country to help fight there are always war babies born. In Korea during the war this was a very serious problem. You see, when babies are born out of wedlock coming from another race they are then considered a mixed race baby, or as some would call them, half breeds. In Korea, this just isn't acceptable and most babies are abandoned or turned over to orphanage's. This was the case for one such baby girl fathered from a United States soldier. The father of course went back to the states and left the mother with the responsibility of either raising this baby or abandoning it. She chose to raise the baby and she did this for about four years. This woman struggled while raising this girl trying to support her and help her through the discrimination of being a mixed race child. There was a lot of hurt caused because of this. One day the mother meant a Korean man who took a liking to her. As the relationship progressed the man decided he would marry this woman and arranged with the mother's parents to be married. But there was a condition for that marriage. The man said he would marry the mother of the girl but the girl had to go, she was mixed and not wanted by this man or society. The woman had to choose between the man and the child. The mother had given this a lot of thought and new if she lost this man she would have to go on struggling and give up a chance to live a better life. The woman had made her decision and chose the man. The child had to go. The mother took the child to to the train depot and put her on the train to go to another city where her uncle would pick her up. Once the child arrived at the station she got off the train and waited for her uncle to pick her up, she waited and waited but no uncle. Now the child was alone, scared, no means of support, she was cold, hungry and desperate. This little girl was determined to live, she ate what she could find, stayed warm wherever she could. As time went by she became weak and sick. She had contracted worms from the bad food and living conditions. She was so bad that the worms would actually crawl out of her mouth when they were hungry.
Then one day a woman who worked with a place that took in babied had spotted her and took her to an orphanage where she could get some help. Here she had it a little better, she could stay warm, be fed. She did not get much if any medical help, but just the basic shelter. This little girl was still frightened, sick and did not receive any form of affection. She stayed at this shelter helping out by changing the diapers of the babies and giving them some affection. Then one day someone came to adopt a baby boy and as he picked up the babies and held them and observed them he noticed this little girl, now about seven years old out of the corner of his eye. The man approached the girl and got down to her level to look her in her eyes, then he put his hand on her face and stroked her hair, which by the way was filled with lice so much that it looked white. The girl didn't want the affection to stop, she had never felt this kind of kindness before. She was still scared, dirty, hair a mess, and still had worms. Then all of the sudden the girl reached up and yanked the man's hand down and spit twice in his face then ran off. You see, she was not used to being loved let alone to be touched with a warm friendly hand. What she was used to was being called "Toogee" which meant Garbage, Dust, Bastard, Alien Devil. This girl who was abandoned at 4, survived by stealing food, eating mice and locust, had to sleep in a fox hole with straw around her, abused and sexually used as a toy, was despised by all finally felt a touch of Grace that she had never known before. The little girl thought for sure that was the end of her chances for being adopted. The next day the man came back and to the little girls surprise he wanted to see her again. This time the man reached out and took her in his arms and said my wife and I have prayed about this and ask God to guide us, this is the girl we want to adopt. So the little girl who was abandoned now has a warm loving Father and Mother who loves her beyond measure.
It took Stephanie a long time to realize that she was not a servant for these well to do people. She couldn't understand why she did not have to work or do chores. All these people did was treat her kindly like she was their child. She could not understand why the people in the community did not chase her off and call her Toogee anymore. Then one day she was talking with one of her friends she had made at school and explained the odd behavior of these people. The friend said "Stephanie, do you know, you are their child now. They adopted you and you are their child. Stephanie turned and ran home and right up to her mother and said, "you are my Mother, you are my mother." With that the new mother broke out in tears and said yes, I am your mommy.
(If you would like to read the actual story, get Lee Strobel's book titled "The Case For Grace.")
This is a picture of Grace. God looks beyond our faults, all of our puss filled wounds and scars. He doesn't see what you are on the outside nor does He care where you have been, what He cares about is you, and what He can do for you. He extends His hand out in love and compassion to receive you into His arms so He can love you, protect you, and give you a new life and a new direction. This is undeserved Grace, love with no strings attached. Even though you and I do not deserve such love, God offers it through His Son Jesus Christ, who died for you to set you free from your bondage or slavery to sin and He rose from the dead so that you can have hope of joining him one day in His heavenly Kingdom. Grace is what God has given us and that should be more than sufficient for us all.
Just so the story of the little girl does not end with the adoption, that little girl now serves her God in the Pacific Northwest of the United States by helping other abandoned and unloved children. I know I did not get the whole story exactly accurate but the main part of the story is there. God loves all of His children, it is those who accept His love who will experience it. Remember this, if it wasn't for God's GRACE, there would be absolutely NO hope for mankind.
I speak to the church, the followers of Jesus Christ. If we do not extend God's Grace through our actions then what does that say about our faith in Christ? You see, when we start pointing an accusing finger at people and threaten those we don't agree with, or in many cases don't understand the person and we belittle them then we become the judge and jury. We have exceeded far beyond what God has called us to do. John 3:17 says; "for God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." In a paraphrase way of saying the same scripture could be like this; "God didn't go to all the trouble of sending His Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again." (a paraphrase by Eugene Peterson, quoted in Philip Yancey's book "Vanishing Grace). If God did not send His Son to judge us, then why would we as follower's of Jesus Christ want to point fingers at people and tell them how bad they are? In reality we are to be about sharing or spreading God's grace that touched us to a lost and hurting world. We are not to be looking at the outside of the person, but we are to see what God see's in the person and that is a lost, abandoned by the world, hurting, hungry, and even dying world. God's Grace is offered to all mankind not just a few. John 3:16 says it plainly; "for God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Jesus said in John 12:47 "If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world." Also look at John 12:48, John 8:15-16, John 8:16.
Here's the thing, God wants to adopt everyone into His family, no matter how bad. He knows what sin has done to His creation. Yet, even though we reject Him and spit in His face time after time, He keeps coming back to adopt us, He will not give up. This adoption requires our consent and until we do that, He is going to keep extending His hand out to us because His Grace never runs out. God loves you and wants to adopt you into His family. This is GRACE, something you cannot pay for, something you cannot earn by working, or doing good deeds, or just by being good. This GRACE is a free gift from God to you.
Philip Yancey says "We can never sink so far that God's grace will not reach us. At the same time, grace does not leave us there. It raises us to new heights."If you have never received this free gift it is because you have not reached out to receive it. For those who have received it by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you must now extend that love to those around you and allow God to offer through you His loving Grace.
It is hard for us humans to understand such love as what God offers us, but sometimes we just don't have to understand everything, we just need to accept it. If you are a believer in Christ then don't point fingers at those who have not yet experienced God's Grace, but reach out and love them with everything you have. Remember, "for it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the Gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do GOOD works, which God prepared in advance for us to do," Ephesians 2:8-10.
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Jehovah, Not Religious But Faithful
These past few years I have been deeply concerned over the spiritual condition of those who claim they are Christians. So in an attempt to clarify the difference between those who are religious people and those who say they are followers of Christ I want to share with you what the Word of God says concerning this matter. Once you have finished reading this message it is my hope that you will understand the difference. We are living in very troubled times and it is my belief that we must be able to tell the difference. Sound a little radical or maybe way out in left field? This is just a brief summary of what the scriptures have to say on this matter. God is more concerned with what's on the inside of a person than what's presented on the outside, Matthew 23:25-27. Well, let the message speak for itself and then you be the judge.
Paul, Gods apostle to the Gentiles and first missionary to countries outside the boundaries of Israel spoke to the believers, those who put their trust and faith in Jesus Christ. He also spoke to those who still followed the Law that was given to the Jewish people long ago. Paul continually drew a distinction between the religious law followers and those who truly followed Jesus Christ heart and soul. Let's see how Paul spoke to these different church's throughout the asian areas. Paul suffered tremendously for proclaiming the Gospel throughout the region and he never faltered from that conviction.
I would like to take us through his journey from the city of Corinth to Ephesus and on to Philipi and Colosse. We will also look at Paul's letter to Timothy while in Ephesus and his letter to Titus while serving in Crete. Each place had its positive aspects and its negative aspects. Paul mentions them in each of his letters to either the church or his co-workers. Lastly I will give a short summary of what the book of Hebrews has to say on the subject. Listen to what the Holy Spirit says through Paul to each of these church's and minister's while writing predominantly while in prison. Paul addresses those who are followers of Christ and those who claim to be religious according to the law. Paul gives each good advice and direction for their proclamations of Christianity.
You will notice very quickly that I have taken scripture portions from each book and am writing only what God directed Paul to write concerning being law abiding Christians or true followers of Christ. I realize this may seem like I am taking some scriptures out of context but I believe the verses stay within one theme. My purpose is to lay out a theme from these scriptures to see a message that rolls through not only time but many different areas and cultures. The first thing one must realize about Paul is that he took the law of Moses very seriously. He led the way in persecuting those who turned from the law and chose to follow Jesus Christ. One day on the road to Damascus he had an encounter with the very one he was fighting against, Jesus Christ. From that day on Paul not only had a change of mind, he had a change of heart and would become the greatest apostle for preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ to the Gentile world. Let's begin with the message that Paul clearly spoke to church's and minister's concerning the law and faith.
"I am writing to God's church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be His own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as He did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours, 1 Corinthians 1:1-2. Don't you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16. Our dedication to Christ makes us look like fools, but you claim to be wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are so powerful! You are honored, but we are ridiculed. Even now we go hungry and thirsty, and we don't have enough clothes to keep warm. We are often beaten and have no home. We work wearily with our own hands to earn our living. We bless those who curse us. We are treated like the world's garbage, like everybody's trash-right up to the present moment, 1 Corinthians 4:10-13. For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God's power, 1 Corinthians 4:20. Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:21. Don't team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God's temple and idols? for we are the temple of the living God. As God said: "I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. don't touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty," 2 Corinthians 6:14-18.
Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. for no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law. Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down, Galatians 2:16, 18. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die, Galatians 2:20-21. For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs and God's promise to Abraham belongs to you, Galatians. 3:26-29. But when the right time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent Him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that He could adopt us as His very own children. And because we are His children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, "Abba, Father." Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you are His child, God has made you His heir, Galatians 4:4-7. For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another. So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there, Galatians 5:13-24. It doesn't matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation, Galatians 6:15-16.
God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure, Ephesians 1:5. God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it, Ephesians 2:8-9. For Christ Himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in His own body on the cross, He broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in Himself one new people from the two groups, Ephesians 2:14-15. And this is God's plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God's children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus, Ephesians 3:6. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God, truly righteous and holy, Ephesians 4:21-24.
Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting your selves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ, Philippians 1:27. Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too, Philippians 2:3-4. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with Himself depends on faith, Philippians 3:9b.
For He rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins, Colossians 1:13. This includes you who were once far away from God. You were His enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body. As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault, Colossians 1:21-23. You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by Hs victory over them on the cross, Colossians 2:13-15. You have died with Christ, and He has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, "Don't handle! Don't taste! Don't touch!"? Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person's evil desire, Colossians 2:20-23. So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don't be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him. In this new life, it doesn't matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and He lives in all of us. Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony, Colossians 3:5-11, 13.
We know that the law is good when used correctly. For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders. The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God, 1 Timothy 1:8-11. "The Lord knows those who are His," and "All who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil."
Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted. Such people claim they know God, but deny Him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good, Titus 1:15-16. For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds, Titus 2:11-14.
Now for an insight into the book of Hebrews, where I will only give a short summary. The author of Hebrews lays out for us "The Superiority of Christ." Christ is greater than the angels, Christ is greater than Moses, Christ is greater than the Old Testament priesthood, The new covenant is greater than the old. The author shows us in chapters 10-13 "The Superiority of Faith." The superiority of Christ over everyone and everything is clearly demonstrated by the author. Christianity supersedes all other religions and can never be surpassed. Where can one find anything better than Christ? Living in Christ is having the best there is in life. All competing religions are deceptions or cheap imitations. Jews who had become Christians in the first century were tempted to fall back into Judaism because of uncertainty, the security of custom, and persecution. Today believers are also tempted to fall back into legalism, fulfilling minimum religious requirements rather than pressing on in genuine faith. We must strive to live by faith each day. When God speaks of a "new" covenant, it means He has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear, Hebrews 8:13.
In Matthew 5:17 Christ said "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." In other words, Jesus Christ came to fulfill the entire law and when He went to the cross and gave His life for ours, He fulfilled the entire law. We do not have to satisfy the law, it was taken care of for us. So, we are not under the law, we are under God's grace free from the enslavement of the law.
Those who claim to be Christians and are bound by some form of religious restrictions are still trying to satisfy the law, you can't do that and be under grace. You cannot satisfy the law, it was meant to show us our sinful nature. No amount of abiding by the law would set us free. Only through faith in Christ can we be free from our sinful nature, and that is because of the sacrifice that paid the full price for our sins. Religion offers us laws and restrictions. Religion says we must work our way to heaven by doing good deeds or making some form of sacrifice on our own, it doesn't work that way. Religion is a man made organization that separates us from true freedom in Christ. Those who put their faith in Christ are truly free from the restrictions and enslavement of the law. Does that mean we should not find a church somewhere that preaches Christ and adheres to the Word of God, no, it does mean we have an obligation to join together in worship and praise to God who sent His only begotten Son to die for us so that we would have salvation and a way back to God our Heavenly Father. We are free in Christ when we put our trust and faith in Him and that is what pleases God.
Are you a religious person trying to earn your way to heaven by doing good things, or by abiding by some set of rules and regulations? If so, you are running in a religious circle that only leads to disappointment and destruction. Stop running in circles and put your faith in the one who fulfilled the law for you. God loves you very much and wants you to return to Him, but you must meet Him on His conditions, not your own or someone's set of rules. His conditions are to put your faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ. Step out of your religious circle and step into God's saving grace. He's waiting for you to take the next step.
Friends, religion is a man made institution, even the Christian religion. Being religious is not the way to go, being Christ like is. Following Christ by putting your trust and faith in Him means you accept Him as your Lord and Savior, and it means you will be an example of Christ to the world around you. It is a way of life not a set of rules or laws that we must follow. If you truly want to be free, put your trust and faith in Christ.
Paul, Gods apostle to the Gentiles and first missionary to countries outside the boundaries of Israel spoke to the believers, those who put their trust and faith in Jesus Christ. He also spoke to those who still followed the Law that was given to the Jewish people long ago. Paul continually drew a distinction between the religious law followers and those who truly followed Jesus Christ heart and soul. Let's see how Paul spoke to these different church's throughout the asian areas. Paul suffered tremendously for proclaiming the Gospel throughout the region and he never faltered from that conviction.
I would like to take us through his journey from the city of Corinth to Ephesus and on to Philipi and Colosse. We will also look at Paul's letter to Timothy while in Ephesus and his letter to Titus while serving in Crete. Each place had its positive aspects and its negative aspects. Paul mentions them in each of his letters to either the church or his co-workers. Lastly I will give a short summary of what the book of Hebrews has to say on the subject. Listen to what the Holy Spirit says through Paul to each of these church's and minister's while writing predominantly while in prison. Paul addresses those who are followers of Christ and those who claim to be religious according to the law. Paul gives each good advice and direction for their proclamations of Christianity.
You will notice very quickly that I have taken scripture portions from each book and am writing only what God directed Paul to write concerning being law abiding Christians or true followers of Christ. I realize this may seem like I am taking some scriptures out of context but I believe the verses stay within one theme. My purpose is to lay out a theme from these scriptures to see a message that rolls through not only time but many different areas and cultures. The first thing one must realize about Paul is that he took the law of Moses very seriously. He led the way in persecuting those who turned from the law and chose to follow Jesus Christ. One day on the road to Damascus he had an encounter with the very one he was fighting against, Jesus Christ. From that day on Paul not only had a change of mind, he had a change of heart and would become the greatest apostle for preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ to the Gentile world. Let's begin with the message that Paul clearly spoke to church's and minister's concerning the law and faith.
"I am writing to God's church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be His own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as He did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours, 1 Corinthians 1:1-2. Don't you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16. Our dedication to Christ makes us look like fools, but you claim to be wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are so powerful! You are honored, but we are ridiculed. Even now we go hungry and thirsty, and we don't have enough clothes to keep warm. We are often beaten and have no home. We work wearily with our own hands to earn our living. We bless those who curse us. We are treated like the world's garbage, like everybody's trash-right up to the present moment, 1 Corinthians 4:10-13. For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God's power, 1 Corinthians 4:20. Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:21. Don't team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God's temple and idols? for we are the temple of the living God. As God said: "I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. don't touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty," 2 Corinthians 6:14-18.
Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. for no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law. Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down, Galatians 2:16, 18. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die, Galatians 2:20-21. For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs and God's promise to Abraham belongs to you, Galatians. 3:26-29. But when the right time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent Him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that He could adopt us as His very own children. And because we are His children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, "Abba, Father." Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you are His child, God has made you His heir, Galatians 4:4-7. For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another. So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there, Galatians 5:13-24. It doesn't matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation, Galatians 6:15-16.
God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure, Ephesians 1:5. God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it, Ephesians 2:8-9. For Christ Himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in His own body on the cross, He broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in Himself one new people from the two groups, Ephesians 2:14-15. And this is God's plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God's children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus, Ephesians 3:6. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God, truly righteous and holy, Ephesians 4:21-24.
Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting your selves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ, Philippians 1:27. Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too, Philippians 2:3-4. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with Himself depends on faith, Philippians 3:9b.
For He rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins, Colossians 1:13. This includes you who were once far away from God. You were His enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body. As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault, Colossians 1:21-23. You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by Hs victory over them on the cross, Colossians 2:13-15. You have died with Christ, and He has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, "Don't handle! Don't taste! Don't touch!"? Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person's evil desire, Colossians 2:20-23. So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don't be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him. In this new life, it doesn't matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and He lives in all of us. Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony, Colossians 3:5-11, 13.
We know that the law is good when used correctly. For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders. The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God, 1 Timothy 1:8-11. "The Lord knows those who are His," and "All who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil."
Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted. Such people claim they know God, but deny Him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good, Titus 1:15-16. For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds, Titus 2:11-14.
Now for an insight into the book of Hebrews, where I will only give a short summary. The author of Hebrews lays out for us "The Superiority of Christ." Christ is greater than the angels, Christ is greater than Moses, Christ is greater than the Old Testament priesthood, The new covenant is greater than the old. The author shows us in chapters 10-13 "The Superiority of Faith." The superiority of Christ over everyone and everything is clearly demonstrated by the author. Christianity supersedes all other religions and can never be surpassed. Where can one find anything better than Christ? Living in Christ is having the best there is in life. All competing religions are deceptions or cheap imitations. Jews who had become Christians in the first century were tempted to fall back into Judaism because of uncertainty, the security of custom, and persecution. Today believers are also tempted to fall back into legalism, fulfilling minimum religious requirements rather than pressing on in genuine faith. We must strive to live by faith each day. When God speaks of a "new" covenant, it means He has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear, Hebrews 8:13.
In Matthew 5:17 Christ said "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." In other words, Jesus Christ came to fulfill the entire law and when He went to the cross and gave His life for ours, He fulfilled the entire law. We do not have to satisfy the law, it was taken care of for us. So, we are not under the law, we are under God's grace free from the enslavement of the law.
Those who claim to be Christians and are bound by some form of religious restrictions are still trying to satisfy the law, you can't do that and be under grace. You cannot satisfy the law, it was meant to show us our sinful nature. No amount of abiding by the law would set us free. Only through faith in Christ can we be free from our sinful nature, and that is because of the sacrifice that paid the full price for our sins. Religion offers us laws and restrictions. Religion says we must work our way to heaven by doing good deeds or making some form of sacrifice on our own, it doesn't work that way. Religion is a man made organization that separates us from true freedom in Christ. Those who put their faith in Christ are truly free from the restrictions and enslavement of the law. Does that mean we should not find a church somewhere that preaches Christ and adheres to the Word of God, no, it does mean we have an obligation to join together in worship and praise to God who sent His only begotten Son to die for us so that we would have salvation and a way back to God our Heavenly Father. We are free in Christ when we put our trust and faith in Him and that is what pleases God.
Are you a religious person trying to earn your way to heaven by doing good things, or by abiding by some set of rules and regulations? If so, you are running in a religious circle that only leads to disappointment and destruction. Stop running in circles and put your faith in the one who fulfilled the law for you. God loves you very much and wants you to return to Him, but you must meet Him on His conditions, not your own or someone's set of rules. His conditions are to put your faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ. Step out of your religious circle and step into God's saving grace. He's waiting for you to take the next step.
Friends, religion is a man made institution, even the Christian religion. Being religious is not the way to go, being Christ like is. Following Christ by putting your trust and faith in Him means you accept Him as your Lord and Savior, and it means you will be an example of Christ to the world around you. It is a way of life not a set of rules or laws that we must follow. If you truly want to be free, put your trust and faith in Christ.
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Jesus Christ, Eternal Thirst Quencher
While listening to some music on the radio, I heard a song playing that used the lyric's or phrase "Just Look What We've Done." I never really caught all the verse's or lyrics to the song but that particular phrase stuck in my mind. The song itself was relating to what is going on in much of our world today and how much of a mess it is in. It reminded me of how God in the beginning intended our world to be before He actually created it and put it into motion. Something that was meant to be beautiful and forever lasting turned into something quite the opposite. So what happened anyway? How did this once beautiful creation end up in such a mess?
Have you ever seen absolutely clean, pure, fresh water and tasted it also? I have, or at least it was the purest I have ever experienced. Taking a hike with some young people many years ago I can still recall just how wonderful and refreshing that water was. We had been hiking for some time and needed some fresh water. We came across a small stream coming up out of a snow pack, this water was the melted ice from a glacier above. It ran freely and popped up out of the snow pack every once in a while then disappeared again as it traveled on down the mountain side. I filled my canteen with this fresh, cold water and began to drink some, and wow, what a refreshing moment that was. It was really cold and had no flavor whatsoever. I waited for a couple of minutes and had some more, experiencing that refreshing moment all over again. I continued drinking that water until my canteen was almost empty. It seemed I could not get enough of this pure water. Finally, we had to move on, I filled my canteen again and journeyed on. We had reached our destination and played around in the snow and ice pack for a while just enjoying the day. I could not wait to get some more of that water.
A few years ago the area we live in experienced a fairly large flood. Many farms and lowlands were covered in very nasty, muddy water. Once the waters began to recede it left layers of silt and debris over many areas. The water just looked horrible with the mud mixed into the once fresh, clean water of the McKenzie River. The scars of that flood stayed with us for several years. Some of the landscape had changed because of the high waters, some homes were destroyed by either the waters entering the house or the land was washed out from under them. What a contrast of two waters, one extremely fresh, the other extremely polluted.
I have always been amazed at how God after creating the earth formed all living things then started the living process of life. Not an evolutionary process, the process of life started from Gods word. The earth was created for life and it was created perfectly. God then put man on earth in an absolutely perfect environment. You can read the account in Genesis 1:1-2:8. I can imagine the water must have been perfectly pure, refreshing to the body and the soul. Man was given an awesome responsibility when he was placed in this beautiful garden. He was given the responsibility of taking care of the garden and was given free reign on how he did this, Genesis 1:26-27. Only one rule existed for man, and that rule would test faithfulness of him to his Creator, Genesis 2:15-17. In the next chapter of Genesis we find the result of that faithfulness, man turned on his Creator and rebelled against His word. Genesis 3 is a sad, sad story of mankind's decision.
As I listened to the lyrics of that song, I was reminded again of the responsibility mankind was given by the Creator, Jehovah. Our first reaction to something like this song is to blame someone else, blame Adam, blame Eve, blame my neighbor or my co-worker, blame the government, blame my wife or my children, but by no means blame me. When you read that scripture in Genesis about being given authority over this earth and all the animals, birds and fish and then listen to some lyrics of a song that makes a statement like "just look at what we've done" begins to shed light on just what it means when you hear about the fall of mankind. We have really messed it up, we've taken the pure, fresh bubbling water that was given for our enjoyment and refreshment and turned it into a flooded mess of muddy, polluted water that is good for nothing unless it gets cleaned and filtered to remove all that horrible mess.
Christ, God's only son was going to be that method of cleansing and filtering that we humans are in need of, Genesis 3:14-15. Unless we choose to be cleansed and run through the filter of Jesus Christ's blood, this world we live in will become more polluted, more muddy with the silt of the world covering the landscape of our souls until we will no longer be able to find the fresh, pure water of God's love for us. Like the pure water that flowed out from the snow pack in the mountains and provided such a refreshing and quenching of my thirst, the Holy Spirit will quench the thirst of our empty and thirsty souls. I found myself longing for that pure water over and over because it was so satisfying. Jesus Christ is the fountain that provides that water that will quench your thirst once and for all. The scriptures tells us that Christ provides living water and it will quench our thirst eternally. "When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a jew and I am a Samaritan woman, How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." "Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?" Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life," John 4:7-13.
"Look at what we have done" the lyrics say, look how we humans have muddied the world we were given to care for, look how we have messed up the good things God has given us to care for. We have muddied our souls with the enemies way of thinking and we hide our shameful acts by keeping the beauty of His creation buried in the silt of rebellion and sin. Only through Christ, Gods plan for our salvation can we filter the sin and rebellious nature from our souls. It is through Christs blood that was shed for us that we can have our souls cleansed from the muddiness of this world. It is through Christ that we are offered the fresh, pure water of the Holy Spirit that will quench our thirst eternally. John 14:6 gives us direction, a simple and forth right way to the truth of how to quench our thirst and fill our emptiness in our souls. In Isaiah 43:19-20 God is reminding His children, Israel, that He will provide for them and quench their thirst. He will provide a stream in the desert so His people can be refreshed.
Isn't that a wonderful picture of how loving our Heavenly Father is? He will make sure we have that fresh water that bubbles up out of the ice so we can be refreshed and have our spiritual thirst quenched eternally with living water. If you are in a dry, barren place in your life, why not return to the Creator and ask Him to provide living water for you through His son Jesus Christ. Like the pure, clean, refreshing water I experienced one day on a mountain side during a hike, I drank from that stream and was refreshed beyond measure. Although that refreshment did not last, it caused me to long for more. Jesus Christ will provide your muddied soul with fresh, clean, pure living water and as you take in this water you will find that it will quench that dry, parched soul. It will replace the polluted land of your life with the purest and most refreshing experience you will ever have. In Revelation 3:20 it says; "Look, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me." What an outstanding invitation, asking Jesus, God's Son to come in to your life and enjoy a great spiritual meal together and have someone to actually care for you just as you are. Can't get any better than that, right?
Have you ever seen absolutely clean, pure, fresh water and tasted it also? I have, or at least it was the purest I have ever experienced. Taking a hike with some young people many years ago I can still recall just how wonderful and refreshing that water was. We had been hiking for some time and needed some fresh water. We came across a small stream coming up out of a snow pack, this water was the melted ice from a glacier above. It ran freely and popped up out of the snow pack every once in a while then disappeared again as it traveled on down the mountain side. I filled my canteen with this fresh, cold water and began to drink some, and wow, what a refreshing moment that was. It was really cold and had no flavor whatsoever. I waited for a couple of minutes and had some more, experiencing that refreshing moment all over again. I continued drinking that water until my canteen was almost empty. It seemed I could not get enough of this pure water. Finally, we had to move on, I filled my canteen again and journeyed on. We had reached our destination and played around in the snow and ice pack for a while just enjoying the day. I could not wait to get some more of that water.
A few years ago the area we live in experienced a fairly large flood. Many farms and lowlands were covered in very nasty, muddy water. Once the waters began to recede it left layers of silt and debris over many areas. The water just looked horrible with the mud mixed into the once fresh, clean water of the McKenzie River. The scars of that flood stayed with us for several years. Some of the landscape had changed because of the high waters, some homes were destroyed by either the waters entering the house or the land was washed out from under them. What a contrast of two waters, one extremely fresh, the other extremely polluted.
I have always been amazed at how God after creating the earth formed all living things then started the living process of life. Not an evolutionary process, the process of life started from Gods word. The earth was created for life and it was created perfectly. God then put man on earth in an absolutely perfect environment. You can read the account in Genesis 1:1-2:8. I can imagine the water must have been perfectly pure, refreshing to the body and the soul. Man was given an awesome responsibility when he was placed in this beautiful garden. He was given the responsibility of taking care of the garden and was given free reign on how he did this, Genesis 1:26-27. Only one rule existed for man, and that rule would test faithfulness of him to his Creator, Genesis 2:15-17. In the next chapter of Genesis we find the result of that faithfulness, man turned on his Creator and rebelled against His word. Genesis 3 is a sad, sad story of mankind's decision.
As I listened to the lyrics of that song, I was reminded again of the responsibility mankind was given by the Creator, Jehovah. Our first reaction to something like this song is to blame someone else, blame Adam, blame Eve, blame my neighbor or my co-worker, blame the government, blame my wife or my children, but by no means blame me. When you read that scripture in Genesis about being given authority over this earth and all the animals, birds and fish and then listen to some lyrics of a song that makes a statement like "just look at what we've done" begins to shed light on just what it means when you hear about the fall of mankind. We have really messed it up, we've taken the pure, fresh bubbling water that was given for our enjoyment and refreshment and turned it into a flooded mess of muddy, polluted water that is good for nothing unless it gets cleaned and filtered to remove all that horrible mess.
Christ, God's only son was going to be that method of cleansing and filtering that we humans are in need of, Genesis 3:14-15. Unless we choose to be cleansed and run through the filter of Jesus Christ's blood, this world we live in will become more polluted, more muddy with the silt of the world covering the landscape of our souls until we will no longer be able to find the fresh, pure water of God's love for us. Like the pure water that flowed out from the snow pack in the mountains and provided such a refreshing and quenching of my thirst, the Holy Spirit will quench the thirst of our empty and thirsty souls. I found myself longing for that pure water over and over because it was so satisfying. Jesus Christ is the fountain that provides that water that will quench your thirst once and for all. The scriptures tells us that Christ provides living water and it will quench our thirst eternally. "When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a jew and I am a Samaritan woman, How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." "Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?" Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life," John 4:7-13.
"Look at what we have done" the lyrics say, look how we humans have muddied the world we were given to care for, look how we have messed up the good things God has given us to care for. We have muddied our souls with the enemies way of thinking and we hide our shameful acts by keeping the beauty of His creation buried in the silt of rebellion and sin. Only through Christ, Gods plan for our salvation can we filter the sin and rebellious nature from our souls. It is through Christs blood that was shed for us that we can have our souls cleansed from the muddiness of this world. It is through Christ that we are offered the fresh, pure water of the Holy Spirit that will quench our thirst eternally. John 14:6 gives us direction, a simple and forth right way to the truth of how to quench our thirst and fill our emptiness in our souls. In Isaiah 43:19-20 God is reminding His children, Israel, that He will provide for them and quench their thirst. He will provide a stream in the desert so His people can be refreshed.
Isn't that a wonderful picture of how loving our Heavenly Father is? He will make sure we have that fresh water that bubbles up out of the ice so we can be refreshed and have our spiritual thirst quenched eternally with living water. If you are in a dry, barren place in your life, why not return to the Creator and ask Him to provide living water for you through His son Jesus Christ. Like the pure, clean, refreshing water I experienced one day on a mountain side during a hike, I drank from that stream and was refreshed beyond measure. Although that refreshment did not last, it caused me to long for more. Jesus Christ will provide your muddied soul with fresh, clean, pure living water and as you take in this water you will find that it will quench that dry, parched soul. It will replace the polluted land of your life with the purest and most refreshing experience you will ever have. In Revelation 3:20 it says; "Look, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me." What an outstanding invitation, asking Jesus, God's Son to come in to your life and enjoy a great spiritual meal together and have someone to actually care for you just as you are. Can't get any better than that, right?
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