Know Who Bought You and Saved You

How many redeemed, blood-bought Christians out there understand why they are redeemed, blood-bought Christians?

Before writing it off as a dumb question, ask it and answer it honestly. If you cannot answer the question for yourself then how can you tell another person why they must put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ?

The apostle Peter wrote, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” — 1 Peter 3:15-16

You may say, “I have faith,” but faith in what? Do you have faith in church ritual; do you have faith in your own goodness? You may even say you have faith in Jesus Christ — which is my hope.

Even if that is your answer to the question, we must ask what is the basis of that faith in Jesus Christ? The question must be asked, because an unbeliever will want to know why they should choose Christ over Allah, Buddha or a tree in the backyard. They will want to know what makes Christ so exclusive over the other religions.

The answer is simple, but few dare to speak of it and truly get to the root of what makes Jesus different — the blood.

Beginning with the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai, we begin to see a pattern through the rituals of sacrifice and offerings, with the main impetus being that sin could not be forgiven but by blood.

First, we have this picture of the sacrifice under the law, then of Christ’s perfect work in the epistle of Hebrews 9:7,11-14, “But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God.”

In Hebrews 13:12 the writer tells us, “And so Jesus suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.”

Now you may be saying, “That’s great, but if an unbeliever does not believe Jesus is who he said he was, and does not believe the Bible, then how can you convince them?”

First, it is not up to us to convince, only to tell, but it is in the proper telling where the Holy Spirit can go to work and do the convincing.

There are varying pictures of Christ the world continually paints. Most are unsuccessful in trying to convince people Jesus never existed; so they try and turn him into something else. This was true even in Jesus’ day when he was traveling the land doing things the world had never seen.

“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’

“They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’

“But what about you?’ Jesus asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’

“Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’” — Matthew 16:13-16

This same Peter, 30 years later, again is answering questions and telling people who Jesus is and why we must put our trust in him. Thirty years of being hunted down and tortured did not blunt the disciple’s testimony.

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits — to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also — not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand — with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.” — 1 Peter 3:18-22

There are deep spiritual truths Peter and Paul go in great detail to tell us — even at the peril of their own lives. Time and again they strive to let us know there is nothing we can do to gain access to God.

That is what makes Christ different. Islam, Hindu, Buddhism, Shinto, Druidism and a whole host of other beliefs require work on the adherents’ part to earn their salvation. Their salvation, they suppose, is to be earned by works.

Now is where we can turn the tables. If God is perfect, how can the imperfect (human beings) work to be made perfect? Even the most beautiful of diamonds have flaws. The same is true of the living. No amount of work can wipe away the stain of sin from our lives.

Enter Christ.

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God,” — 2 Corinthians 5:21

Herein is our hope, and the hope for those who are lost. The righteous blood shed upon the cross was and is sufficient to cover all of the greatest of sins ever committed.

Albert Barnes in his notes on the Bible wrote, “It is not improper to appeal to them by the conviction of duty; to appeal to their reason and conscience; to remind them of the claims, the power, the goodness, and the fear of the Creator; to remind them of the awful consequences of a continued hostility to God; to persuade them by the hope of heaven, and by the fear of hell… but, after all, the strongest argument, and that which is most adapted to melt the soul, is the fact that the Son of God has become incarnate for our sins, and has suffered and died in our stead. When all other appeals fail this is effectual; and this is in fact the strong argument by which the mass of those who become Christians are induced to abandon their opposition and to become reconciled to God.”

Every evil ever conceived was poured out upon Christ on the cross, every lie told in secret, every abortion, every murder, every lustful glance was placed upon Christ and that is the burden he bore — for us. Now, turn to him and be free from yours.

———

If you need prayer or would like to comment Wayne can be reached by e-mail at etagnews@dctexas.net

Don't be Deceived by the World

It is easy to see the world is full of deceived people.

They are deceived by their loved ones, fellow workers, politicians, friends, scientists, media, professors, teachers, and yes, even pastors and spiritual leaders.

Deceiving people has become an art form in this modern age, in fact Hitler’s psychological profile it is noted,  “people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it.”

In Satan’s constant struggle with God, he continually works to not only deceive believers in Jesus Christ, but also to spread lies to keep others from coming to life-giving faith in our resurrected savior.

In 2 John 1:5-8, the apostle wrote, “I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

“I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out in the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be fully rewarded.”

John, as a “Son of Thunder,” calls these deceivers antichrists. What he was dealing with the first century church was a form of Gnosticism. They believed Jesus, being God, could have no dealings with the flesh. They taught Jesus was only present on earth in Spirit.

There is a reason John was kept alive so long, as the apostle who watched Jesus die on the cross knew Jesus came her in the flesh and gave himself willingly to death on the cross.

John also saw the empty tomb and gave testimony to everything he saw and knew about Jesus.

Now, we are still being deceived. The deceptions are different, now people just outright deny there ever was a Jesus. Others say he was just a prophet, or a wise teacher — the deceptions are many and they all are meant to draw people away from God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

Now this is to believers out there, if someone asks us, “Why should I believe in the Jesus of the Bible?” are we prepared to answer the question sufficiently? My guess is probably no.

We have become so enamored with our own selves we fail to relinquish this world to Christ. This self-reliance that we hold so dear in essence cripples our witness and our relationship with God.

Let’s say the folks 40 and over were imbued with the Puritan work ethic from the time they were children. We were taught to work and do for ourselves, then we go to work and sing praises to God, but not allow him outside the church doors.

People see that, they see us living life as they would live it in a constant search for “heaven on earth.” Some search in politics, others search in illicit drugs while others search in treasure.

They search because they have believed the lie that Jesus cannot satisfy every want and ache in their body. They search because we, as believers, fail to deliver the truth as can be seen in our daily lives.

There is coming a time when we will have no more opportunity to refute the lies being paraded around as truth. The truth for Christians is we must love one another. Not in some hippie kind of commune, but a love through Christ that goes beyond emotion to a faithful obedience of God’s commandments. A love that would not deny anyone the life-giving gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, His name be praised.

Now, how do we gird ourselves from being deceived — study the word and put your life in the hands of Jesus.

“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We live in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” — Titus 3:3-7

Our truth is the cross of Jesus, on this side of it is pain and death, on the other is life through Christ’s atoning blood. A truth that will never lead down the path of destruction.

Flee from Idolatry

In the middle of Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth he makes this simple statement, “Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.”

In chapter 6 of 1 Corinthians, Paul gave the Corinthians instructions about eating food sacrificed to idols and the great apostle noted, “An idol is nothing at all in the world.”

Back to chapter 10, verse 14, notice Paul does not say flee from idols, he says flee from idolatry — something quite different.

In this day and age most Christians don’t give much credence to idolatry. When we think of idolatry we think of ancient Greek mythology or chanting Indians and totem poles, but idolatry is alive and well.

In the second letter to the church in Corinth, written just a few months after the first letter, Paul further explains his warnings against idolatry in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 and 2 Corinthians 7:1.

“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

“I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God and they will be my people. Therefore, Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thin, and I will receive you. And, I will be a Father to you and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.

“Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates the body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”

Paul is not advocating a return to law, but he is telling Christians in Corinth, and in America today, to divorce themselves from the world and let nothing stand between them and Christ.

All are guilty of idolatry. We allow life and the world to come before our relationship with God and we set up idols for ourselves whether it be a flag, a country, money, work, family — they all can be idols if we fail to have Christ in the proper place in our lives.

That isn’t the worst part, though; as the world is watching those who have claimed the name of Jesus.

If we work the way the world works; if we follow the rules of the world; if we compromise the gospel for the sake of the world then we are seen for what we are — hypocrites.

So what does Paul tell us? He tells us to come out from the world and to be separate. There are extremes of separation, but we must live our lives so we are not a stumbling block to others. What worse dread is there than knowing people chose the world instead of Jesus Christ because of our actions?

“The purpose of our lives isn’t to see how much we can get away with and still be Christians,” pastor David Guzik noted. “Rather, it is to glorify God… Paul is saying none of our behavior should encourage another to sin.”

We should do away with the worship of things through our senses. Many serve addictions — flee from them.

Many reject all for the love of money — flee from it. Many will skip the worship of God to be with their family — flee from it. Others will join a political party and throw their treasure behind a cause.

I make a bold statement dear friends, but whether you claim the name Democrat or Republican you serve an ideology opposed to God — you serve an idol. It is part of a world system and from it we must flee.

I, and neither is Paul, advocating we abandon our responsibilities in the world, but they must be put in their proper perspective.

Jesus Christ, God incarnate, allowed himself to be lifted up on the cross and shed his blood to rescue us from the bondage of sin. The world is sin and we must abdicate our positions in order to serve Christ and nothing and no one else.

Take a look at the world made by the hands of man — is it something you desire? Now, look to Christ, who out of perfect love allowed himself to be nailed to the cross in order to wipe us clean from the stain of sin and give us life with Him and share in His resurrection.

Why do we look to the temporal for our pleasure, our wants and our needs when Christ will fill us beyond all measure?

Today is the day of salvation.

“For He says, ‘In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.’ — 2 Corinthians 6:2

There is nothing to be gained from delaying your decision for Christ; but all eternity could be lost if you die without accepting Jesus and his finished work on the cross.

Take off the feted clothes of the world and take up the glistening white robe Christ has — call on His name.

For those who know Christ but have locked him in a closet so the world will not see Him in us; I ask us to repent and ask the Holy Spirit to rid us of our pride so we may rest again in a right relationship with our Savior.

Look at the news brothers and sisters, God is telling us to get our house in order — do it today and flee from your idols.

———

If you need prayer or would like to comment Wayne can be reached by e-mail at etagnews@dctexas.net

Rest Easy in God's Plan

In simple terms, the concept of entropy holds that nature moves from order to disorder in isolated systems, in other words, entropy is a way of measuring chaos.

Right now it seems the world is in a chaotic state, a state of entropy, but in the eyes of God the chaos is only in an isolated system because every moment in time is seen by God — future and past — and by God’s holy word we know He will bring order (Jesus Christ) to the chaos.

“In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel, because they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land. They cast lots for my people and traded boys for prostitutes; they sold girls for wine to drink.

“Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon and all you regions of Philistia? Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done. For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples. You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, that you might send them far from their homeland.

“‘See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them, and I will return on your own heads what you have done. I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, a nation far away.’ The Lord has spoken.” — Joel 3:1-8

Pastor Ray Stedman noted, “Joel reveals the hand of God, the hand that controls destiny, the hand that moves history.”

In other words, God will bring order to the chaos of the world. In fact, for a Christian, that order can be found in Jesus Christ and his work on the cross.

A blood-bought servant of Christ’s life may be haggard and worn, but there is a foundation under there which is unshakeable, and that is the salvation that comes from Jesus Christ.

This prophecy by the prophet Joel, who likely was a contemporary of Isaiah, brings us to the last day, the day of the Lord. The whole world is arrayed against God’s people Israel.

It is a familiar refrain throughout the Bible, but it is prophecy we can see fulfilled on the evening news.

For many, they will read the words of the prophet and shrug it off as hocus pocus; others, will read the words and tremble; still others will read the words and be moved to action because the Lord is near and there are people in the world who need to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Some, I suppose, long for God’s revenge on a fallen world. They long to see God’s judgment upon the world at the battle of Armageddon, but that is what we desire in our bloodlust, but maybe we should rethink our own desires and look at what God desires of us — to be living witnesses to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We know that time is coming, and just as God told Noah in Genesis 6:3, He will once again say, “My spirit shall not strive with man forever.”

Until that day comes, though, we are to be busy about the Lord’s work, which is proclaiming to the world Christ crucified.

Upon all believers there should be a burden of souls. In our daily walk with Christ through prayer and reading of Scripture, we come to know Christ not just as our Savior, but as God incarnate who came to offer himself as the perfect sacrifice, which permanently washes away all sins who obey His call.

We also come to realize God not only redeems us, but also allows us and encourages us to take part in His redemptive plan as gardeners.

“What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe — as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the own who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” — 1 Corinthians 3:5-9

All believers are co-workers with each other to bring people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, but we also are privileged enough to be co-workers with God.

What greater joy is there than to work with God?

We don’t have to have the oratory skills of Billy Graham or the fire of Charles Spurgeon, but we can be used by God in everything we do, but we must allow God to take charge of our lives and understand God’s purpose.

God’s purpose is simple, and is stated by the apostle Paul in Ephesians 1:7-10, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect with the times reach their fulfillment — to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.”

So while the world seemingly devolves into chaos we can rest easy because God has a plan, and that plan is Jesus Christ.

God has included us in His plan and as believers we will be a part of the implementation of God’s perfect plan as He brings all things on earth under the control of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

We All will face Judgment

In our studies of Holy Scripture we should never lose focus on the fact we all are destined for judgment.

It is scary to contemplate standing before the Lord Jesus Christ and giving him an account of our lives, but it is our destiny. The specter of judgment frightens many and turns them bitter toward a loving God, but the problem is we tend to focus more on the trial phase more so than the sentencing phase of our trial before God.

“But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew or Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood — to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished — He did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” — Romans 3:21-26

Every Christian who has sat through a church service is familiar with the trial concept when it comes to Christ’s atoning work on the cross. We say we are found guilty, but upon belief on Jesus Christ our punishment, or sentence, was carried out upon Jesus and what he did on the cross.

This act of propitiation makes us favorable to God. There is a story about sheepherders in New Zealand, which helps explain this concept of us being acceptable to God.

Every year when lambs are born invariably there are times when a newborn lamb dies and times when the mother dies. A ewe will not allow a lamb to suckle that is not her own, but if the sheepherder covers the motherless lamb with the blood of the stillborn lamb, then the mother will take it.

This is what happens to us through Christ, His blood makes us acceptable to God. As noted before, though, we need to focus more on the sentence than the judgment.

God, in His nature, does not hate his creation. Christ’s sacrifice does not make God love us, but instead allows us to be in the right relationship with God.

Anglican pastor John Stott wrote that “God does not love us because Christ died for us, Christ died for us because God loves us.”

It was God’s desire for us to be reconciled to Him that he allowed Himself to be crucified upon the cross.

So, in our trial, our sentence is death — but as the plan of redemption played out there was some shocking new events which changed the course of the sentencing phase of our trial.

R.A. Torrey wrote, “Scripture testifies that man, by his wealth, by his righteousness, by his self-sacrifice, can never redeem himself, much less his fellow man. God claims this for Himself; He has found a ransom, He Himself is the Saviour of men, and He has laid help on His Fellow, His Equal, even Jesus our Lord. Everywhere in Scripture the sinner’s justification before God rests upon what Paul describes as ‘the righteousness of God.’

“That is, it is a Divine righteousness, provided in the Lord Jesus Christ and offered to all men who hear the Gospel. It is not a mere man’s righteousness at all that we have in Christ; it is God’s own righteousness, and therefore it meets and satisfies every claim upon us whether of law, or justice, or satisfaction to God, or holiness.”

At our trial, our verdict is guilty. For those who reject Christ, the sentence is immediate — eternity without Christ in Hell. For the believer, though, it is a different story.

For the believer, based on our life, the verdict rendered against us will still be guilty, because as Paul said, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

Upon reading of the verdict, though, our judge said then sentence was carried out and for the believer it goes beyond an acquittal and suspended sentence, the believer is then set above the law and is made like Christ and will then experience the glory of God.”

There is a judgment facing all of us, but our sentence, in essence, is in our own hands. If we choose Christ, we choose life. If we deny Christ, then our sentence is carried out.

It’s not complicated. If it is, then it is us who make it so.

———

If you need prayer or would like to comment Wayne can be reached by e-mail at etagnews@dctexas.net

We are all without Excuse

We are without excuse.

A statement like that tends to go against the grain in this age of universalism. Presidents, even a Republican, will use their considerable influence and claim there are many paths to God. Popes have intimated the same thing, along with countless others.

Then there are some who deny the existence of God completely, but when Jesus came the world ran out of excuses, especially in this day and age when the Bible is readily available, for free, to all who desire to have it.

“Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’” — John 14:23-25

There is no conscionable reason for the world to hate Jesus and to rebel against God by denying the Son. Despite what many say, the teachings of Jesus never caused war, even though evil men twisted scriptures to fit their needs, as in the Crusades.

In fact, Jesus teachings said His kingdom was not of this world, so there is no need to war over it with weapons for killing, but as Paul said we clothe ourselves with the armaments of the Spirit, what Paul in Ephesians called, “the full armor of God.”

So why does the world hate Jesus and His adherents? David Guzik in his commentaries noted, “There is no just cause for the world to hate Jesus and his followers the way they do. Instead the world hates because its sin is exposed, and because they know not the Father or the Son.”

Why do Muslims hate Christians as they do? One, they hate Christ’s followers because they are the standard bearers of His holy name. Two, they hate because all sins must come to bear in the light of Christ.

While the world is awash in its sins, almost reveling in them and hating Christ, they revile the one thing sent by God to set them free and restore them to a right relationship with the Father — that being his Son and what he did upon the cross of Calvary.

If Christ had never come into the world then we would go on about living our lives, thinking we are good people, but that changed when Jesus got here.

With Jesus we’re not as good as we thought we were, we are not truly free and there is no possible way we can reconcile ourselves with the Father. Jesus brought this realization with Him, but He provided the remedy in himself.

That’s the part that tends to get ignored — the remedy.

Christ, God incarnate, came to speak to men and still speaks to us through the Bible if we will open His word.

Matthew Henry wrote, “Every word of his is pure, carries with it a commanding majesty, and yet a condescending tenderness, able, one would think, to charm the deafest adder.”

Since we have this sure word, those who do not choose Christ are in contempt of Him.

There are those whom we should pity. We hear them say, “I can’t believe in a God who would condemn someone to Hell.”

They should be pitied because they do not know the truth, God does not condemn them. As judge He stands ready to acquit us of all our sins if only we would accept and believe on His Son and what He did for us on the cross, paying the penalty for our sins with the shedding of His precious blood.

Knowing this, the convicted sentence themselves to an eternity in Hell — not God.

There is no remedy for sin except through Jesus Christ. No works of man can wash the stain of sin off of us; but Christ’s blood covers over our transgressions and makes us clean before God.

Now for believers, do not flinch from the arrows of accusation thrown at us by the world.

“If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is tie for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” — 1 Peter 4:14-17

As noted last week, our life is a simple, yes or no, question. Once we say yes, our eternity is answered with a “yes” from God, guaranteed by Jesus Christ.

———

If you need prayer or would like to comment Wayne can be reached by e-mail at etagnews@dctexas.net.

Jesus Makes Sense of the Confusion

A look at the news makes it seem like someone keeps throwing logs on the fire, making the kettle the world is sitting in boil over.

Many don’t see it happening, others wring their hands in nervousness while a precious few are at peace and are waiting on the Lord. That peace is available to all and it is there for those who are willing to come out of the world and enter the narrow gate that is Jesus Christ.

There are perils in the world and men’s hearts fail them from fear. Despite the rhetoric of a politician and the machinations of those in power they all are powerless to stop what is happening.

What act of man could have prevented all the flooding and the following cyclone, which hit Australia? Did all our technological knowhow prevent the immense blizzard from sweeping across this nation and paralyzing many major cities? Did all the backroom wranglings prevent friendly governments falling one by one over the past few weeks?

The answer to every question is, no. Now that is a testament to the power, or lack thereof, of man.

It is when we embrace our powerlessness that God begins to really work and move in our lives.

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” — Romans 5:6-8

Hopefully those are familiar verses for us all, but if they are not, read them again and consider why Christ’s death on the cross was so unique and fulfilling.

We were, and are, children of sin. There is nothing we can do, no ceremony we can perform to change that undeniable fact.

Paul tells us in Galatians 5:4-5, “You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope.”

It’s quite simple indeed, but it is powerful, but many do not want to hear it.

“I received some years ago orders from my Master to stand at the foot of the cross until he came. He has not come yet, but I mean to stand here till he does. If I should disobey his orders and leave those simple truths which have been the means of the conversion of souls, I know not how I could expect his blessing. Here, then, I stand at the foot of the cross and tell out the old, old story, stale though is sound to itching ears, and worn threadbare as critics may deem it. It is of Christ I love to speak — of Christ who loved, and lived, and died, the substitute for sinners, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.”

It is strange to hear a preacher rail against the dilution of the gospel found in many churches today. It is odd indeed to not follow common thought among many in churches about updating the message to get more people in the seats.

On March 30, 1862, Charles Haddon Spurgeon was no ordinary preacher, and he still isn’t today, as words he spoke nearly 150 years ago still resonate today.

Somewhere, somehow, we have forgotten the simplicity of the gospel and now we like to talk about unusual passages from Scripture and relate them to our modern life. That’s great, and all Scripture should be studied in earnestness, but we mustn’t ignore the golden thread running through the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation, the salvation offered by Jesus Christ through his death on the cross.

It is a simple message, but it must be proclaimed over and over that, “He who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ has eternal life.”

The gospel is still just as simple today as it was when Jesus was here, but just as those who were in his presence rejected Christ, so now today many more deny him and turn their backs upon the Living Savior.

For the unrepentant sinner this life is filled many things. They experience pleasure and happiness just as much as they experience pain, sorrow and suffering. So do the blood-bought servants of Jesus Christ, but for those who reject Christ there is a hole inside them; some try and fill it with objects while others fill it with anger and resentment even though they do not understand why they are angry.

Though Satan accuses us all daily before the throne of God, Jesus will reach down from the cross with his hand and take the burden of sin from our shoulders and place them upon himself, and wipe the tears from our eyes.

We are the woman caught in adultery. Out of anger and hate we are brought to Jesus and thrown down at his feet. Caught in our sins we cannot hide, the corruption of our flesh exposed, but Jesus stands between our wretched body and our accusers.

“And He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. Straightening up, Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?’

“She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either go from now on sin no more.”

When we go to the cross Jesus will not condemn us. Instead He will restore us to the Father. We condemn ourselves to an unthinkable eternity when we deny Christ.

The cross exists for a singular purpose, to bring us back to a “right” relationship with God and impute Christ’s righteousness upon us.

The message of Jesus and the cross is so simple, but it should not be ignored. Yes, the world is in turmoil, but when we are in Christ it makes sense. Chaos reigns, but with Jesus there is order. People are in anguish, but when we are covered by the shed blood of Jesus the pain is taken away.

There is nothing else but to believe on Jesus, all else is flotsam.

———

If you need prayer or would like to comment Wayne can be reached by e-mail at wstewart@texasfarmandhome.com

Doing Right in the Sight of God

There are many things people will be resolving to do over the coming few weeks of the New Year; resolutions will cover everything from losing weight to spending more time with the family, but maybe if people strived to do just one thing everything else would fall into place.

What is that one thing — do right in the sight of God.

We all know the story, or at least we think we do, of Cain and Able. If not, let’s refresh a bit through Scripture.

“Now Abel kept flocks and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering — fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.” — Genesis 4:2-5

Most people like to skip ahead and say Cain, out of jealousy, murdered his brother Abel, and God then banishes Cain and sets his mark upon him. That is true, but we’re leaving out something very important.

“Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.’” — Genesis 4:6-7

In the book of Hebrews we have a better explanation of what was going on in those early days regarding the sacrifices of the world’s first brothers.

“By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.” — Hebrews 11:4

In commenting on this David Guzik noted, “Cain’s offering was the effort of dead religion, while Abel’s offering was made in faith, in a desire to worship God in spirit and in truth.”

All that’s interesting, but it still doesn’t get to the meat of the matter, which is doing right before the Lord. Faith must be more than an act of worship, it must be the cornerstone of our lives and by faith we will act as God desires us to act and if that faith leads us to repentance, God will accept us, just as he would have accepted Cain.

As a child we had rules in the house; the rules were not arbitrary as they were meant for our benefit and they were laid out for us so we would know what to do. When the rules were not followed it hurt when Daddy would talk to us and confront us with our wrongdoing.

Many times, like Cain, we were angry for getting caught and scolded, but look at the love in God’s voice as He talks to Cain. God is trying to root out the problem and the hurt inside Cain, just like a loving father does with a child.

Then God encourages Cain and tells him all he does will be accepted if he does what is right.

The same is true of us in our daily lives. If we do what is right God will accept us. Notice I said God. If we do what is right in the sight of God, much of the time the world will hate us for it, but that should not matter. The world is not our ultimate judge; that is reserved for Christ on the dreadful Day of Judgment when he will separate the sheep from the goats.

On that day, when Christ asks, “Why did you not do what was right in my sight?” Will the answer be, “The world thought I was good.”

Let’s hope not.

Temptations abound about us, begging us to give in and forget what Christ did for us on the cross, just hoping to get a foot in the door of our lives and as Christ said, banish us to, “where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

Those are the choices we all must face — to do what is right in the sight of God, or not. It’s that simple.

You say, “I vote Republican, I go to church, I don’t steal — so I am a good person.” Well, that’s great, but is Jesus the No. 1 priority. Does he come before politics, your job, your hobbies and your family? Hopefully the answer is yes, but if you are like me, the answer is a resounding, no.

In everything I do, I do not do what is right, but through the conviction of the Holy Spirit I am driven to repentance.

God was encouraging Cain toward repentance, for if we repent God said he separates our sin from us as far as the East is from the West, but Cain became an enemy of God and refused repentance, instead choosing to go his own way.

Now, to sum this up, we must define what is right in the sight of God. There is a progression in this.

First and foremost comes an abiding faith in Jesus Christ, without this, we are doomed and nothing we can do will make us acceptable to God — only the blood covering of Jesus Christ.

Next, we must act upon that faith — not out of desire of gain because we can do nothing to gain favor with God outside of faith in Jesus — but through love of our Savior we live our lives in the quiet strength of Christ, proclaiming his name at every opportunity.

As Christians we must avoid the entanglements of the world and act as people who have been ransomed from its perils; we must live for Christ and not ourselves.

Those are things that are right in God’s sight — now we must resolve to do them.

Seek the Eternal

In this materialistic world we live in we all want more stuff.

A newer and better car would be nice; the newest 3-D TV sure would be fun to have and show off to friends and family.

Many will mortgage their life away to get the things they think will make their lives “better.” Some will even go so far as to call on God to get them the things they think they need.

In John 6, we are given the picture of Jesus feeding 5,000 men and their families with five loaves of bread and two small fish. It is quite a feat, and other than the resurrection, the only miracle to be recorded in all four gospels.

Needless to say Jesus’ miracle satisfied the people’s hunger, and it left many of them wanting more. Some just wanted more bread, but some wanted, and all need, what Christ came to offer.

“The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

“When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, ‘Rabbi, when did you get here?’

“Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.’” — John 6:22-27

This crowd that followed Jesus across the Galilee wanted to know how Jesus had gotten there. Even though they had seen Jesus work a great miracle they had no idea who Jesus really was, they saw a powerful man who could give them what they want, whether it was an independent country or even perhaps personal wealth, they wanted Jesus for what he could do — not for who he was.

With such lowly sights, they still constrained Jesus to the movements of mere man, so they marveled at his speedy trip across the sea and questioned him on it.

Jesus, being the Son of God, knew their thoughts and their desires and confronted them on it, ignoring their query. Jesus knew they sought him out of fleshly desires, so he decided to present them with something else when he told them, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the son of man will give you.”

It’s marvelous to read what Christ is saying to these people. Jesus tells them, “sure, I can satiate your desires, but if you seek me, and not what I can do, then I can present you to the Father.”

In Matthew Henry’s great commentary, Henry faithfully points out Christ tells the people what they work for spoils, but what Christ gives, and gives freely, is eternal, “But when we have laboured ever so much for it, we have not merited it as our hire, but the Son of man gives it… It is an encouragement that he who has the giving of it is the Son of man, for then we may hope the sons of men that seek it, and labour for it, shall not fail to have it.”

Our works will not endear us to Christ, but if we labor to find Christ, then Jesus himself will bring us to him. We must give up the notion of Christ on our terms.

Jesus did not compromise with the Father and forego the cross. No, Jesus knew from the foundation of the world He was destined for the cross. He was God, He could have changed it, but Jesus knew the cross was needed to make man clean and He went willingly.

Through God’s holy word we know what is required to come into the presence of the Father, Jesus tells us in John 10 that He is the gate, then again in John 14 Jesus said He is the way, the truth and the life, and that no one can come to the Father except through Him.

We must shrug off our willful insolence toward the cross and seek the meat that does not spoil. There is an imminent danger in believing salvation can be found in other forms than Jesus; and there also is danger in believing Jesus’ saving power is not enough.

As Charles Spurgeon said, “Never hope to be saved except by God’s way of salvation… Resolve, O seeker, to have no refuge of lies, no Savior but the Lamb of God.”

We get the eternal meat when we fulfill the lone task God requires of us, put your faith in the One he sent, our eternal Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.