Category: Salvation

Jesus Said WHAT!?

There’s a passage in the book of John where Jesus shocks His followers. Here’s the passage:

 So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. 

But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. 

For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 

Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 

I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me.“

~John 6:53-57

If you’re wondering what-in-the-world Jesus is talking about here, you’re not alone. The people listening to Jesus argued over what this meant, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat? (John 6:52)” and “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it? (John 6:60).” In fact, many of Jesus’s followers “turned away and deserted Him (John 6:66)” over this very teaching.

So what’s going on here? What are we to make of it? Is Jesus introducing some radical, new teaching involving cannibalism? To make sense of this passage, we have to look at the context, and we have to look at it in light of other scripture.

Literal or figurative?

We can safely dispense with the idea that Jesus wanted His followers to literally eat His flesh and drink His blood. He never carved off pieces of Himself and fed them to His disciples, nor did He fill goblets with His blood for them to drink.

The questions that need answered are:

  1. why did Jesus use this shocking metaphor?
  2. what does it mean?

Context.

If we back up a little bit, we see that this passage takes place one day after the feeding of the 5000. Jesus has just fed a multitude with only five loaves and two fish, and the people are beyond excited (John 6: 1- 15). They have just witnessed a true miracle, and they want more.

Now, this is important: In regards to the feeding of the 5000, Jesus tells them they do not understand the meaning of the miracle. (John 6:26) Jesus is offering them something far better than perishable food; He’s offering them eternal life! They have failed to make a connection between the physical food He miraculously provided, and the spiritual sustenance He wants to give them.

The crowd just wants more miracles. They talk about how Moses brought down bread from heaven. Jesus tries again to get them to see that their spiritual needs outweigh their physical needs:

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. 

The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

The crowd’s response is:  “Sir, give us that bread every day.”

This reminds me of the response from the woman at the well. When Jesus tells her that He has living water, she doesn’t grasp what He’s saying. She says, “Sir, give me this water… so that I won’t have to keep coming back to this well.“

These people are wanting Jesus to literally give them a magical loaf of bread, or a glass of magical water.

Once again, Jesus tries to help them make a connection between something they are familiar with (food and drink are necessary for the survival of the body), and a spiritual reality they don’t yet understand (Jesus is necessary for the survival of the soul).

Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

But you haven’t believed in me even though you have seen me. 

However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them.

For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. 

And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. 

For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.“

~John 6:35-40

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. 

Yes, I am the bread of life!

Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. 

Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die.“

~John 6:47-50

Let’s return to the shocking text we started with. By looking at the verses leading up to it, it seems clear that Jesus is intentionally taking His metaphor to the extreme because His audience is thinking too literally. When He does, there is no longer a reasonable, literal interpretation of what He is saying. The audience is forced to either accept that Jesus is teaching a spiritual truth they don’t fully grasp, or abandon Him.

After a large portion of these “followers” decide to turn away, Jesus asks the twelve apostles, “Are you also going to leave?” To which Simon Peter replies, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:67-68).

Even the apostles did not fully understand what Jesus was teaching at the time, but they had faith that Jesus was the way to eternal life… and that was the essence of what Jesus was trying to teach them!

The Last Supper and the cross.

Obviously the “eat my flesh; drink my blood” teaching takes place prior to Jesus’s death and resurrection. It’s not a coincidence that Jesus revisits this theme with His disciples at The Last Supper.

When the time came, Jesus and the apostles sat down together at the table.

Jesus said, “I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. 

For I tell you now that I won’t eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.”

Then he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. Then he said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. 

For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come.”

He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.”

~Luke 22:14-20

Here Jesus makes it clear that His broken body and shed blood are what make salvation possible. Once again, He brings in literal food and drink (bread and wine) to help them understand a spiritual truth. Just as their physical bodies would perish without food and drink, so their souls would perish without the broken body and shed blood of Christ.

A key takeaway is this: when it comes to salvation and eternal life, it’s not enough to just believe that Jesus existed, or that He was a good man and a prophet. You have to personally accept the sacrifice that Christ made on your behalf. And that is what it means to eat His flesh and drink His blood.

Another layer of meaning.

There’s a poem by Walter de la Mare that begins like this:

It’s a very odd thing –
As odd can be –
That whatever Miss T eats
Turns into Miss T.

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “you are what you eat.”

Our bodies automatically take the things we eat and drink, and transform them into… us!

In a spiritual sense, the same thing happens when we eat Jesus’s flesh and drink His blood. Not only does this sustain us and give us life, it also transforms us… making us more like Him.

To accept Jesus as savior, to be “born again”, is to invite Him to transform you.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

~II Corinthians 5:17

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.

~Galatians 2:20

How about you? Have you received eternal life? Have you been transformed by the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ?

New Life.

Read Colossians 3: 1 – 16.

This is both an encouraging and challenging text. It focuses on what it means to have new life in Christ, and how we ought to conduct ourselves as a result. Here’s some of what I gleaned from this passage:

New focus.

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 

Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.

~Colossians 3:1-2

One of the greatest blessings we have as Christians is a hope that lies beyond this world. This earth will pass away, but that needn’t concern us if our eyes are fixed on heaven where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal (Mathew 6:20).

As you go through life, with all its trials, remember that this world is temporary, and think about the wonderful future God has prepared you. That shift in focus should put things in perspective and give you comfort and peace.

New habits.

So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you.

~Colossians 3:5a

I love the way that Paul phrases this. As Christians, sinful urges still lurk within us, but thankfully we are no longer slaves to them. With God’s help, we can put them to death, and live a life that is pleasing to Him.

Paul gives a list of things that have no place in our new lives, including: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed, anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language.

These are old, sinful habits that need to be eliminated. How? Paul gives us the answer in verse 10:

Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.

~Colossians 3:10

The key is to put on your new nature. Study the Bible daily, get to know God better and become more like Him. As a result, those old habits get replaced with new ones.

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 

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 3:12-14

When you compare the list of things associated with our old lives to the things that make up our new lives in Christ, it’s a night and day difference, is it not?

Take a moment and self assess. How much of the old life do you still struggle with? What areas of the new life do you need to manifest more? Continually ask God to help you shake off the old, put on the new, and become more like Christ.

New future.

What an amazing thing it is to have new life in Christ! What a future we have to look forward to! One day, Jesus will come back, and those of us who have found new life in Him will not be disappointed.

For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 

And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.

~Colossians 3:3-4

“Lord, help me to keep my focus on things above. Help me to put away the old nature and to put on the new. Thank you for the promise that one day you will renew all things and that I will share in your glory. Amen.”

Then What?

Our Pastor has told the following story from the pulpit a couple of times. I don’t remember it verbatim, so the details aren’t right, but you’ll get the gist of it:

One day Pastor picked up a hitchhiker, and since they had a long way to drive, they struck up a conversation. The hitchhiker began to tell Pastor about his life and plans.

“I’m going to college to get my degree,” the hitchhiker said.

“Then what?” Pastor asked.

“I’ll get a good job. Make lots of money.”

“Then what?”

“I’ll buy a nice car and a nice house.”

“Then what?”

“I’ll probably get married and start a family.”

“Then what?”

“I guess I’ll raise some kids. Eventually retire.”

“Then what?”

“Well, I’ll go fishing and play with my grandkids.”

“Then what?”

Exasperated, the hitchhiker said, “Well, then I’ll die!”

Pastor smiled and asked him, “Then what?”

One of two fates.

Most people don’t like to think about death, let alone talk about it, but it’s important to face reality: one day, death will come for you. You can’t escape it.

The Bible reminds us in Hebrews that we are destined to die, and then we face judgement. In Romans we’re told that we will give an account of ourselves before God. The writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us that after death our deeds will be judged.

It’s important to keep death in mind as you go through life, because one day you will stand before your Maker, and you will either receive His justice or His mercy.

Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies—so the living should take this to heart.

Ecclesiastes 7:2

When God judges you, no matter how good a life you led, you will not measure up to His standard. The Bible makes it clear that we all fall short, and that the penalty for this is death (see Romans chapters 3 – 6).

So if you face justice, you will be found guilty, and your death sentence will be carried out. This means you will be eternally separated from God, the source of all that is good. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Mathew 13:42 / Luke 13:28).

But there is hope! God sent His Son, Jesus, to die in your place. Instead of justice, mercy is yours for the asking. If you confess that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9). If you do this, then when God judges you, the righteousness of Christ will be all that He sees.

Don’t put it off.

I know it’s not fun to think about death, but it’s vital that you do, because it’s going to happen, and I want you to be prepared.

God’s invitation for mercy expires when you do. The decision to accept Christ as Lord and Savior must be made while you are alive. You won’t be able to change your mind after death when you stand face-to-face with the Almighty. At that point it’s too late; your fate is sealed.

Salvation is simple: set aside your pride, and ask for forgiveness and redemption. Trust in what Christ did for you on the cross, and acknowledge Him as your Lord. There’s nothing more to it.

If you have rejected God’s offer of mercy up to this point, I pray that God will soften your heart and open your spiritual eyes before it’s too late.

Like it or not, friend, one day you will die. The question is… Then what?

Good News!

The literal meaning of the word “gospel” is: good news. But the gospel is more than just good news. It’s the best news! It gives meaning and purpose to our existence, and points the way to eternal life in a perfectly restored world.

Today I want to share the gospel with you, the essence of the Christian faith.

The Romans Road.

In his letter to the church in Rome, the Apostle Paul laid out the fundamentals of Christianity. The “Romans road to salvation” is a selection of key verses from that letter that succinctly present the gospel message.

We’re going to examine those verses, and delve into their meaning and application. I encourage you to read the entire book of Romans so that you can appreciate the verses in their full context.

Bad news first.

The first few chapters of Romans are a bit of a downer. Paul is “setting the stage” so to speak, and the picture he paints is quite grim. It turns out that no matter how good you are, you’re not good enough to earn God’s favor. God judges you against His standard of perfection, and you simply do not measure up. You have sinned (an archery term meaning: missed the mark); you fall short.

Key verse:

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

Romans 3:23

It gets worse.

Ok, so you’ve sinned. Is it really that big of a deal? As it turns out, yes. Our sin is an affront to a holy God, and the penalty is death. Not just physical death, but an eternal separation from God, the source of all that is good.

Key verse:

For the wages of sin is death…

Romans 6:23a

We are all guilty of sin, and therefore, we are all sentenced to death. The importance of this truth cannot be understated. Until a person realizes they are a sinner facing eternal punishment, they cannot see their need for salvation.

For the hard-hearted, the seed of the gospel dies here. The proud man will not acknowledge he is a sinner. He shakes his fist at God in defiance. Such a man is doomed if his heart does not change. But for those who acknowledge the sinful nature inside themselves, a nature that behaves contrary to God’s laws, there is hope.

The solution.

The second half of Romans 6:23 is our first look at the good news.

…but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23b

Yes! A reprieve! A gift that replaces death with life! A gift made possible by Christ Jesus.

The obvious questions are: “how does Jesus provide this gift?” and “how does one receive it?”

The ultimate sacrifice.

Because God is just, He cannot let sin go unpunished. But because God is merciful, He made a plan to both punish sin and forgive sinners like you and me. How did He accomplish this? He came to earth as a man: Jesus. He lived a perfect, sinless life. Then He took our penalty upon Himself, and suffered death in our place. The blood He spilled on the cross paid our ransom in full.

Key verse:

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Romans 5:8

Salvation.

Jesus’s death on the cross paid for our sin. His resurrection confirmed that He had the power and authority to make this atonement on our behalf.

Now we come to the nuts-and-bolts of salvation: repentance and faith.

Repentance means admitting that you are a sinner, and turning 180 degrees from your sin toward God. It means acknowledging that God is right, and you are wrong. It means confessing to God your personal need for forgiveness, and asking Him for it.

Faith means trusting that God will make good on His promise. It means believing that because of what Christ did for you, you have been made holy in His eyes, and will not suffer His righteous judgement.

Key verses:

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9

For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 10:13

When you repent and put your faith in Christ, you receive the gift of salvation. As a result, you become a new creature (see II Corinthians 5:17). Christ becomes your King. This is what it means to be a Christian.

Blessed assurance.

Our journey down the Romans road ends with reassurance that our hope in Christ is not misplaced.

Key verses:

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.

Romans 5:1

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:1

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 

No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38 – 39

If this is your first exposure to the gospel, or if you have heard it before but never responded to it, I pray that the message pierces your heart. May you be moved to repent and put your faith in Jesus Christ.

If you are already a Christian, let the gospel encourage and inspire you. Thank God for your blessed hope, and look for opportunities to share the good news with others!

You’re Not Good Enough.

Ask a thousand people, “are you a good person?” and 999 of them will answer, “yes!”

“I’m on par with my friends and neighbors,” they think to themselves. “Compared to some of them, I’m practically a saint!”

Our secular culture tells us that we’re good. Look at this article titled, How to Be a Good Person, and you’ll see what I mean. Just love yourself, be yourself, be honest and forgiving and… presto! You are a good person!

A lot of “spiritual” people think that being a good person is their ticket to heaven. “When I die, God will weigh the good I did against the bad. I’m a good person, so Saint Peter’s gonna let me through the pearly gates for sure!”

This idea goes back a long way. The ancient Egyptians believed that when a person died, the gods weighed their heart on a scale against the feather of Ma’at (truth, order, justice). If the person did evil things in life, their heart would be heavier than the feather, and it would be gobbled up by a demon. But if they were a good person, their heart would be lighter than the feather, and they would be allowed into paradise.

The hard truth.

Thomas Sowell said, “When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear.”

If you tell people they are good; that they’re terrific just they way they are, they’ll love you for it! They’ll smile and walk away feeling great. It’s exactly the kind of thing we all want to hear.

If you tell people they are wicked and vile, they won’t be too happy with you. They will probably get offended and angry. No one wants to hear that, let alone believe it.

But if we care about people, we have to tell them the truth from God’s Word, even when it’s unpleasant, and Scripture absolutely destroys the idea that people are good.

As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;”

Romans 3:10 / Psalm 53:3

Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good!

Psalm 14:1

The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?

Jeremiah 17:9

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.

I John 1:8

Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.

You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 

All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

Ephesians 2: 1-3

I know… it’s all about as pleasant as a cancer diagnosis, but it’s what the Bible says.

The world may say that you are a good person, but God says otherwise. It is by His standard that you will be judged, and His standard is absolute holiness.

We all fall short of God’s definition of good (Romans 3:23). We can never be good enough to earn our way into Heaven. What few good works we actually do are equivalent to filthy rags:

We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.

Isaiah 64:6

No amount of good deeds will wash away your sin, and the Bible says in Romans 6:23 that “the wages of sin is death.”

If this news frightens you… that’s the point. A man who believes he is healthy doesn’t seek a doctor, but a man who knows he is sick does. Similarly, only a man who grasps his desperate spiritual condition will seek the Savior.

The good news!

The bad news is: we are all sinful people, and God has decreed that sin must be punished. There’s no getting around it. The debt must be paid.

But God loves us enough that He sent His Son to die in our place. Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life. He went willingly to the cross, and shed His blood as payment for your sin and mine.

For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.

Romans 3:25a

You have been offered a full pardon for your sin, but you must accept it. You accept this gift by putting your faith in Jesus Christ alone.

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

Romans 3:22

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

When you stand before God as your judge, your good works won’t be enough to save you. Only one thing will matter: Did you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ? “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)”

If you haven’t come to Jesus yet, don’t delay. Life is but a vapor that will soon pass. Humble yourself. Admit that you are a sinner. Ask for His mercy and forgiveness, and you will get it.

If you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, remember to take a few minutes each day to express your gratitude for the amazing, free gift of salvation!

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

Psalm 118:1

Nothing New.

When I write these posts, I have a couple of goals in mind. One is to communicate truth, and only truth, to the best of my ability. I never want to lead someone down the wrong path.

Another goal is to write something useful. I don’t want to waste your time. I want you to walk away with something important to think about; something that will have a real, positive impact on your life.

These are good goals, but the second one sometimes trips me up. It subtly morphs into, “I want to write something new / innovative / flashy / profound / exciting!” My ego whispers, “unless what you have to say is new and brilliant, it’s not worth saying.“

I was recently reading C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity, and the following passage really spoke to me on this issue:

“The real job of every moral teacher is to keep on bringing us back, time after time, to the old simple principles which we are all so anxious not to see; like bringing a horse back and back to the fence it has refused to jump or bringing a child back and back to the bit in its lesson that it wants to shirk.”

Mere Christianity; Book 3, Chapter 3

I realized I needn’t worry about writing anything new or original. It is worthwhile to revisit those old, simple principles that we so easily forget; those truths that we need to be reminded of, over and over again.

True love.

So, today, allow me to remind you of this: God loves you.

It blows my mind that God, Creator of all things, cares about us. In the scope of creation, what are we but specks of dust? Yet, the Bible makes it clear that God loves mankind, and not just mankind as a whole, but individuals, including you and me.

His love is not based on who we are (for we are truly wretched creatures), but on who He is. So great is His love for us that He became flesh, lived a sinless life, and took the punishment we deserve onto Himself, providing the way for us to be forgiven and redeemed.

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Romans 5:8

For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

I John 4:10

We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.

I John 4:16

No matter what you’ve done, no matter where you are in life, God loves you. If you call out to Him, He will save you from your sin… because He loves you. He will make you into a new creature, and He will carry you through life’s difficulties… because He loves you.

The fact that God loves you may be nothing new, but it’s definitely a truth worth revisiting over, and over again.

Peace.

It’s an understatement to say that over the last few days, my heart and mind have been troubled. A few days ago, terrorists marched into the neighborhoods of Israeli civilians, and committed unspeakable acts of violence. People were gunned down in their homes, women were raped, babies were beheaded, hostages were taken.

There is no justification for these atrocities. Period. I am appalled that there are people around the world, including here in the United States, that are not only justifying what happened, but gleefully celebrating these barbaric attacks. It is unconscionable. How deranged and depraved these people are!

Now, another war is upon us. More innocent people are going to die. I must confess that watching these things unfold has made me physically ill. My digestion is out of whack. I’m not sleeping well.

It’s time to recalibrate.

Focus.

My problem is easy to identify. My focus is on the wrong thing. Like Peter when he tried to walk on water, I have taken my eyes off of Jesus and begun to sink into fear and despair. Oh me of little faith.

It’s time to remind myself that God knows what He’s doing. I may not understand it, I may not like it, but that doesn’t matter. My role is to trust. Trust that He is good. Trust that truth and justice will prevail. Evil will not go unpunished… one day, the sheep will be separated from the goats (Matthew 25:31-46), and the goats will burn. That day is fast approaching.

Until then, I must take my focus off of what’s happening, and instead focus on God and His Word.

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sworn this oath:

It will all happen as I have planned.
It will be as I have decided.

Isaiah 14:24

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9

Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.

Deuteronomy 31:8

I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

John 14:27

Signs of the times.

When you look to the sky and see dark clouds, you know rain is coming. When the leaves start to fall and the temperature cools, you know that summer is ending and autumn is imminent.

The Bible tells us that one day Jesus will return, and the world as we know it will come to an end. It also tells us about the things that will take place as that time draws near. Many of those things are happening right now. Evil is rampant, persecution of Christians is on the rise, natural disasters are increasing in frequency and intensity, wars and rumors of wars are upon us, technology is pushing us closer and closer to a global system of trade and governance. And on, and on.

This is very good news for those of us who have put our faith in Jesus Christ… and very bad news for those who have not. But if you’re reading this, it’s not too late! Today is the day of salvation, and God has made salvation simple, so that anyone can be saved. Pastor JD Farag constantly reminds people that the gospel is as simple as A.B.C.

Admit that you are a sinner in need of a savior.

Believe that Jesus died to pay for your sins.

Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord.

That’s it. There is nothing else you need to do to find forgiveness and salvation. Don’t put it off. Don’t wait. Life is short, and time is short. In these troubled times, trust in Him, and find peace.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Isaiah 26:3

Cause And Effect.

There is an inescapable law at work in the universe known as the law of cause and effect. Every effect has a cause, and conversely, every cause produces an effect. Some effects are easy to predict. Place your hand into a fire, and you will get burned; drop a ceramic mug on concrete, and it will shatter. Other effects are more subtle and harder to spot because they accumulate over time, like what happens inside your cells when you eat chocolate cake, or the damage done to your liver when you drink alcohol.

This law is important to understand because your life is a series of causes and effects. Your choices in life cause things to happen. In general, good choices lead to good outcomes, poor choices lead to bad ones. For example, if you choose to eat healthy foods and exercise regularly, you are likely to see great benefits to your health. If you choose to smoke, drink, overeat, and live a sedentary life, your body will suffer as a result.

My point is, your choices generate causes, and whether the results are immediate or delayed, every cause has an effect. There’s no getting around it.

Three words.

The law of cause and effect may seem obvious, but it’s something that has to be taught. Children need to learn it early on, and if they don’t, they pay dearly for it later in life. As soon as our daughter was old enough to understand, my wife and I used three words to teach her about this law: Actions have consequences.

It’s up to you to demonstrate this. When you tell your child that if they do (a) that you will do (b), you must follow through with (b). If you don’t, you’ll wind up with a child that has no respect for you, and who will wrongly think they can disregard authority without repercussions. If you let that happen, they will learn the hard way that actions have consequences.

The consequences of sin.

The original sin, Adam and Eve’s decision to rebel against God in the Garden of Eden, was a choice that had grave consequences. It brought a curse that still affects all of creation to this day:

When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.

Romans 5:12

The earth mourns and dries up, and the land wastes away and withers. Even the greatest people on earth waste away.

The earth suffers for the sins of its people, for they have twisted God’s instructions, violated his laws, and broken his everlasting covenant.

Therefore, a curse consumes the earth. Its people must pay the price for their sin. They are destroyed by fire, and only a few are left alive.

Isiah 24:4-6

We all suffer because of that original sin. Then we compound the problem because we are all sinners ourselves. There is none righteous, no not one (Romans 3:10 / Psalm 53:3). Our own sin has consequences. It negatively affects us and those around us, whether we realize it or not.

In Romans:6 we learn about the ultimate consequence of sin. The wages of sin is death. Here death refers to an eternal separation from God. It means to be cut off, forever, from Goodness, Light, Justice, Mercy, Love … all that God is.

A way out.

If the law of cause and effect is certain, and sin leads to death, and all have sinned, then what hope is there? Can you escape the consequences of your sin? Can you cheat death? No. Not in and of yourself. But God, in His mercy, provided a miracle. He came to Earth in human flesh and died in your place. Jesus took the consequences of your sin upon Himself. Your debt has been paid. You are free! All you have to do is accept His free gift.

Cause and effect: Sin leads to death, separation from God; Jesus leads to life and a restored relationship with God!

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

John 3:16

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.

Ephesians 2:8-9

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

Acts 16:31

If you are not a Christian, choose today to accept Christ as your Savior. If you are a Christian, choose to seek after Him more fervently. Both choices will have a positive effect on your life.

Freedom.

We recently celebrated the 4th of July here in the U.S.A. One of the main things we celebrate on this day is the concept of freedom. This got me thinking about what freedom is… and what it is not.

Free from… / Freedom to…

Total freedom (the ability to do whatever one wants without consequences) is actually a bad idea. For example, no one should have the freedom to commit acts of evil. When we talk about freedom, what we’re really talking about are individual freedoms (plural). These fall into two broad categories: freedom to do something, and freedom from something.

Our founding fathers believed in freedom from oppression. They risked everything, including their lives, to throw off the yoke of a tyrannical government. They also believed we had certain God-given rights, and they enshrined specific freedoms in the Constitution. Among these are freedom to peaceably assemble, freedom to worship God, and freedom to speak our minds.

Spiritual freedom.

Spiritually speaking, we are all born slaves. Slaves to sin. And sin is a cruel master, promising pleasure but delivering death. Have you ever seen a meth addict? Sin is like spiritual meth. It feels good for a while, but eventually it owns you, and you cannot escape its destructive effects.

A slave to sin puts “self” above all else. He is his own idol, his own god. He chases wealth, fame, and pleasure, believing these things will bring him happiness. But satisfaction is always just out of his reach, he becomes a prisoner of his passions, and sin slowly eats away at his soul.

Jesus talks about spiritual slavery in the book of John:

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.“

They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.“

John 8:31-34

There is only one way to be free from the tyranny of sin, and that is through Jesus Christ.

because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

Romans 8:2

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

John 8:36

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!

Romans 5:8-9

One master or another.

Spiritual freedom is a bit of a paradox, because the Bible makes it clear that we have to serve something. Here are a few verses that illustrate what I mean:

Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

Romans 6:16

You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

Romans 6:18

Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.

I Peter 2:16

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.

Romans 6:22

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

I Corinthians 6:19-20

Why trade one master for another? What’s the difference? The difference is, God is a loving and kind master who wants what is best for us. We serve Him willingly because we owe Him everything, and to serve Him is to serve absolute Goodness, Truth, Love, Righteousness, and Peace. There is nothing higher or nobler one could dedicate themselves to.

We serve because His yoke is easy, His burden is light, and we enjoy rest for our souls (Mathew 11: 29-30).

True spiritual freedom is both freedom from sin and freedom to serve.

More than slaves.

As Christians, even though God is our Master, it’s not accurate to say that we are His slaves, at least not in the common understanding of the word. God could enslave all of humanity if He wanted to, force us to do His bidding, and there would be nothing we could do about it. But He wants us to come to Him and submit willingly.

Amazingly, scripture teaches that when we accept Christ as savior and are freed from sin, when we pledge our loyalty to our new Master, He goes far beyond anything we have a right to ask of Him: He elevates us to the position of sons and daughters, joint heirs with Christ!

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.

And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Romans 8:14-17

The process of moving from a slave to sin to a child of God is something I have experienced personally. It feels like a crushing burden lifted off your back; like cruel, iron shackles falling away from your wrists and ankles. I pray you find the same relief that I have. Call out to Jesus and experience true freedom!

On Truth And Trust.

I recently watched a documentary about Bernie Madoff, the man who ran the largest Ponzi scheme in history, and swindled people out of billions of dollars.

Bernie Madoff was a giant on Wall Street with impeccable credentials. He owned a large, successful business and held prestigious titles in the world of finance. People believed he was a man of integrity, and so they gladly handed over their hard-earned money for him to invest.

Bernie’s clients regularly received statements showing how great their investments were doing. It seemed Bernie could read the market like a clairvoyant. He always bought and sold at the perfect time. His clients always made money, no matter what shape the stock market was in, and this of course made his clients very happy.

The problem was, Bernie never actually invested any of the money. The reports he sent to his clients were complete fabrications. So, while his clients believed they were making great returns on their investments, the truth was Bernie was stealing every dollar they gave him and using it for his own purposes.

It’s a tragic story that had a devastating impact on thousands of people. It made me reflect on the nature of both truth and trust.

Truth.

Let’s talk about truth for a minute. Truth is not subjective. It is a mountain, fixed and unmoving. It is not altered by your perceptions or beliefs. There is no “your truth” or “my truth” there is only “the truth.” You may not always know what the truth is, but your lack of knowledge doesn’t change the truth either.

I say this because today there is an assault on the concept of objective truth. There’s this notion that truth is whatever you want it to be, or believe it to be; this idea that reality bends to your will. This is a terrible lie with real consequences.

Going back to the Madoff story: the truth, the inescapable reality, was this: Bernie was stealing his client’s money. What his clients believed was irrelevant. They believed a lie, and that belief cost them dearly.

You cannot alter the truth with what you believe. You can only alter your beliefs to align with the truth.

Lies.

Bernie and his team crafted elaborate lies to hide the truth, and Madoff’s scam remained hidden for decades. Very few people knew about the fraud while it was happening, and those who did had a vested interest in keeping it going.

Why did the investors believe the lies? Because they trusted in Bernie’s reputation, they trusted in the SEC (the government agency that was overseeing him), and they trusted in the financial statements they got in the mail. Sadly, their trust was misplaced, and they didn’t find out until it was too late.

What Jesus said about lies and truth.

Satan is the father of lies…

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

John 8:44

The truth will set you free…

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 8:31

You must be born again…

Jesus replied, “What I’m about to tell you is true. No one can see God’s kingdom unless they are born again.”

John 3:3

Jesus is the truth…

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.“

John 14:6

Do your beliefs align with the truth?

The truth is, one day you are going to die. What then? Maybe you don’t believe in God, and you think that when you die, you will just cease to exist. Or maybe you believe in reincarnation. Maybe you believe you can get to Heaven by being a good person. Friend, if you believe any of these things, then, like Madoff’s investors, you have been deceived by clever lies. You’ve placed your trust in something that will prove to be false, and it will cost you everything.

The truth is, one day every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11). On that day, if you have not already accepted the gift of salvation, it will be too late. Repent of your sins and trust in Jesus before that day comes. Because He is the way, the truth, and the life.

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