Category Archives: Grace / Forgiveness

Consequences of Sin, Father / Yahweh, Grace / Forgiveness, Heaven and Hell, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Loving / Kind, Merciful, Sin

We Are By Nature Children Of Wrath

Contrary to what many today want to believe, we are not born holy and righteous. Human nature draws us toward sin and disobedience to Jehovah rather than submission to Him. Left on our own, we are dead in sin and will be held accountable as such by God on the day of judgment. Yes, there really is a heaven and a hell.

While this makes many uncomfortable, it is important to understand in order to have a clear picture of God’s love, grace and mercy. He displays all of it by providing a way to save us from our sin, to bridge the gap between our selfish and rebellious nature and His holiness.

God demonstrates mercy in that He is willing to withhold from us the punishment we deserve based on the gap between our behavior and attitudes and His holy standard. Further He shows grace by providing us forgiveness we do not deserve and a way to be reconciled with Him. He demonstrated love by coming to live among us and die on our behalf to pay the penalty for our sins and rebellion. He did this in the person of Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:1-10

     1And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

It is important to remember that we are not inherently good. We do not deserve forgiveness. We can not earn forgiveness. We can never achieve God’s standard through our own works. We are saved by God’s grace, through our faith in Jesus Christ. It is a gift we do not deserve, but still we must choose to accept it. Once we accept this gift, God does indeed expect us to walk in good works as evidence of our submission to Him.

Trying to bridge the gap between us and God without accepting Jesus Christ as Lord is akin to trying to climb down into the Grand Canyon using a step ladder. We do not even come close on our own. Let us remember and remind others that God shows His great love, great mercy and great grace by the offer of reconciliation and salvation He offers in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We should praise Him and glorify Him and never take it for granted as something we do not need or something we deserve based on our own works.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Adultery / Sex Outside Marriage, Am I on the path?, Discerning / Judging, Envy / Jealousy / Coveting, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Greed, Idols / False Gods, Righteousness / Serving God, Salvation, Thankfulness

Should A Christian Judge Others?

The topic of judging others is one that typically brings out strong emotions amongst Christians today. One can have an argument erupt without ever getting deeper into the discussion behind the word “judge”. It is important to consider context of how we use the word “judge”. It can be used to refer to determining one’s salvation in Christ or also used in regards to determining right actions and motives from wrong ones. These are two very different contexts, even though the external actions are often a reflection of the internal motives. How might we go about considering this topic? How about we pick a good role model and see how they show it should be done?

From the time we are young children we are often taught to look at role models to guide our behavior. The concept is simple… identify someone who is doing something well and that you want to “be like” and then study how they think and act. Repeat their actions and hope to repeat their successful outcome in your own life.

The right role models help us succeed in our endeavors, but the wrong role models can lead us on a path to failure and destruction. The wise take great care in evaluating proper role models to follow, but the foolish decide quickly whom to imitate based on surface evaluation of fame or money or status. What we perceive to be “success” has great influence in whom we choose as a role model. Am I pursuing a football career? or a close personal relationship with God? If both, which is my higher priority?

Pause for a moment and consider who you would use as your role model in evaluating the topic of “judging others”. Now let us consider who Paul points to in Ephesians 5.

Ephesians 5:1-21

Be Imitators of God

      1Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

      3But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; 4and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

      6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore do not be partakers with them; 8for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light 9(for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.

14For this reason it says,
“Awake, sleeper,
And arise from the dead,
And Christ will shine on you.”

      15Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, 19speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; 21and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

I hear many cling to false doctrine that “I can do anything I want and the grace of God will cover it“… which essentially makes the case that we can intentionally rebel against God, or just ignore Him, instead of submit to Him and He does not mind! That is absurd.  Paul clearly teaches differently as did Jesus and all the prophets. The key message of all of them was to “repent, turn away from wrong behaviors and attitudes, submit to God, and sin no more“.  No Biblical prophet or disciple (and certainly not Jesus) ever taught that it was ok to keep sinning willfully. If you find that scripture… please send it to me. It is not there.

It should be sobering to all of us to read Ephesians 5:5.

Ephesians 5:5  5For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Yes… our behaviors and attitudes, which are observable by other people, are a reflection of our inner faith and relationship with God. We cannot claim to be righteous and in right relationship with God just because we say so and then keep on sinning!

Romans 6:1-3 1What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?

Ephesians 5:6-7 are actually a command for us to avoid the deception of empty words! Far too many are confused and declare no one should “judge” anyone else. We are clearly instructed to discern genuine followers of Christ from liars by their actions and then to keep away from those who are not truly following God!

Ephesians 5:6-7  6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore do not be partakers with them;

It is equally true that we should test even our own actions to see if they reflect Christ or not. Let us not be complacent in that we say Jesus is Lord, but rather test our actions to see if we are living in such a way that demonstrates we believe Jesus is Lord. This means we obey His commandments, not our own desires and not the value system of the world.

Ephesians 5:11 goes on to instruct us explicitly to not participate in and even to expose the deeds of darkness rather than ignore them for fear of “judging” others who do wrong. We are not called to just go along to avoid offending other people.  We are called to use wisdom and discernment to judge right from wrong!

Ephesians 5:11 11Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;

If we listen to many role models, even leaders in many churches, we will be told not to “judge” actions of others. But when we choose God as our role model, and the Bible as our primary source of revelation about God… an unchanging source of knowledge about an unchanging God… we see different instruction. We must wisely judge right from wrong so that we can do right and avoid wrong. To do so we must identify by their observable actions who are those that we can trust and who are those we can not. We should even go so far as to challenge ourselves by comparing our observable actions to the words we say when we claim to submit to Jesus.

As an interesting exercise, consider the following. If you were on trial, accused of being a Christian… a true follower of Jesus Christ… could anyone convict you based on actual observable facts?

James 2:18-19

18But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” 19You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. 20But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?

What changes should you consider to your life that may help build the evidence that you are a genuine Christian?  Keep in mind, of course, that doing works just to do works amounts to nothing. We must start by testing what we really believe in our heart, submit to and follow Jesus wholeheartedly, and you will want to do the works.

Said a different way, if you can not find evidence to convict you as a follower of Christ, do not try to fix the problem by starting with more works, but rather by inspecting your heart and transforming your heart to fully submit to following Jesus. Then simply live your life with a genuine love for Jesus and desire to obey His commands… and the works will just show up.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Jesus Christ / Yeshua

Set Free From Slavery To Sin

Have you ever found yourself continually repeating the same wrong behavior or thoughts even though you know it is a mistake… a sin? Do you feel powerless to break free of temptation and stop the behavior or sinful thoughts? Often the guilt makes it feel even worse because we can not imagine that we can be forgiven. There is no way out.

The good news is that Jesus died for us for just that reason… so we could be brought into right relationship with God even though we have sinned and made mistakes! Praise God for coming down as Jesus to walk among us and suffer punishment on our behalf.  Thank you God! Our Lord and Creator does not forget us… He made us. Rejoice that He has redeemed us from our sin through the death of Jesus Christ! By submitting to Him and asking forgiveness He can set us free from bondage to sin.

John 8:34-36

  34Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35“The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36“So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

Isaiah 44:21-23

21“Remember these things, O Jacob,
And Israel, for you are My servant;
I have formed you, you are My servant,
O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me.

22“I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud
And your sins like a heavy mist.
Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”

23Shout for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done it!
Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth;
Break forth into a shout of joy, you mountains,
O forest, and every tree in it;
For the LORD has redeemed Jacob
And in Israel He shows forth His glory.

Thank you God for creating a way for us to be set free from bondage to sin, forgiven and reconciled to you!

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, False Prophets / Teachers, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Obeying God, Persecution / Glorifying God, Share the Good News, Study the Word, Suffering / Adversity, Wickedness / Evil

Whom Shall We Believe? Whom Shall We Follow?

Many times even today people defer to the perceived “religious leaders” or authority figures for guidance on what is right and what is not of God. Often it is for lack of studying God’s word themselves and a habit to just trust whomever identifies themselves in a established religious bureaucracy or whomever has the biggest crowds or most Facebook likes. These are not reliable measures of who teaches the truth about God. Often this can lead on a path to Hell, lost and far away from God.

Consider the high priest, Pharisees, and Sadducees during Jesus’ earthly ministry. They not only killed Jesus but also persecuted His disciples  violently. For those who trusted only in the established religious bureaucratic organization, they were lost and missed out on the revelation of grace and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

Instead, the truth of Jesus Christ was being proclaimed by Jesus’ humble disciples, who were being arrested and whipped and threatened for speaking the truth of Jesus Christ.

Each of us should take care… God wants us to study His word ourselves and pray daily, wholeheartedly seeking after Him and changing our lives to reflect how He wants us to live… even if it means pain and suffering for us in our lives. Of course this is difficult, and that is why God sent a helper in the Holy Spirit to help us as believers and followers of Jesus.

Acts 5:27-42

     27When they had brought them, they stood them before the Council. The high priest questioned them, 28saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” 29But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 30“The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. 31“He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32“And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

Gamaliel’s Counsel

      33But when they heard this, they were cut to the quick and intended to kill them. 34But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time. 35And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men. 36“For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. But he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37“After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered. 38“So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; 39but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.”

      40They took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. 41So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. 42And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

Notice the wicked and hard hearts of the chief priest and the other religious leaders of the time. Not once is there a mention that they prayed to God for guidance regarding Jesus. Always they reacted in the flesh, seeking after their own traditions and power. They never considered that the Messiah they all said they were waiting for would actually come. What else could they possibly expect as evidence beyond what Jesus provided!

Now they are so mad that they want to kill the disciples rather than pause and consider if Jesus really was God. Now it is twice as hard for them because they would have to admit they were wrong and killed the Messiah.

Gamaliel came closest to recognizing the power of God… his advice was wise in that there is no point going against God.  However, he too missed the fact that Jesus was Messiah. The others still insisted on flogging and threatening the disciples before letting them go.

By contrast to the attitude and behavior of the religious leaders, we see the Spirit filled disciples rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for Jesus’ name. Despite continued threats, they returned to publically teaching and proclaiming Jesus as the Christ! Surely true followers of Jesus should seek to be like these men.

When we seek to discern those who teach truth from folly we must first study God’s word in the Bible consistently and seek God humbly in prayer daily. They we will be better prepared to test the teachers we hear to ensure we follow the right ones… and none have the authority to re-write scripture and change God’s word… not even a jot or tittle.

Matthew 5:18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

medium tile for posts

Anger (unrighteous anger), Envy / Jealousy / Coveting, Family, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Suffering / Adversity

Joseph’s Brothers Sell Him Into Slavery

We continue to see the build up of envy and resulting anger toward Joseph from his brothers as his father, Israel (formerly known as Jacob), sends Joseph to check on his older brothers. We already saw earlier in Genesis 37 that Joseph’s brothers resent him for the obvious favoritism Israel bestowed upon him and for the dreams Joseph had received from God that showed his family bowing down to him. There is no evidence in scripture that Israel ever tried to deal with this growing divide in his family. Instead, Joseph is sent out, wearing his fine tunic, and will face much difficulty and suffering at the hands of his brothers.

Genesis37:12-36

      12Then his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock in Shechem. 13Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “I will go.” 14Then he said to him, “Go now and see about the welfare of your brothers and the welfare of the flock, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

      15A man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, “What are you looking for?” 16He said, “I am looking for my brothers; please tell me where they are pasturing the flock.” 17Then the man said, “They have moved from here; for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

The Plot against Joseph

      18When they saw him from a distance and before he came close to them, they plotted against him to put him to death. 19They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer! 20“Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, ‘A wild beast devoured him.’ Then let us see what will become of his dreams!” 21But Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands and said, “Let us not take his life.” 22Reuben further said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay hands on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hands, to restore him to his father. 23So it came about, when Joseph reached his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the varicolored tunic that was on him; 24and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any water in it.

      25Then they sat down to eat a meal. And as they raised their eyes and looked, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing aromatic gum and balm and myrrh, on their way to bring them down to Egypt. 26Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27“Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. 28Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Thus they brought Joseph into Egypt.

      29Now Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; so he tore his garments. 30He returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is not there; as for me, where am I to go?” 31So they took Joseph’s tunic, and slaughtered a male goat and dipped the tunic in the blood; 32and they sent the varicolored tunic and brought it to their father and said, “We found this; please examine it to see whether it is your son’s tunic or not.” 33Then he examined it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him; Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!” 34So Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. 35Then all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, “Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him. 36Meanwhile, the Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, Pharaoh’s officer, the captain of the bodyguard.

Joseph’s brothers allow themselves to be driven to such anger by their jealousy that the even contemplate murdering him. This from the same group of brothers that ruthlessly sought revenge for their sister when she was mistreated. They had family loyalty in them… but allowed themselves to be blinded by jealousy against Joseph.

Reuben intervenes to prevent Joseph’s murder, but really does not take on the other brothers directly to speak against doing evil to Joseph. He tries to influence the situation but does not take it on and protect Joseph boldly. When he is not around, the others sell Joseph into slavery.

There is much deception within the family and much self-induced suffering.

Many of us today think that broken families are a new thing… that prior generations were more godly. Sometimes that is true and sometimes it is not. There is one thing for sure… division within families is not a new issue.

I urge you to pursue first the kingdom of God, including forgiveness, grace, mercy within your own family. Stand together for God rather than dividing within the family for earthly matters. Seek God together in prayer. Openly address conflict within your family rather than avoid it. Avoid favoritism at all costs.

Know that when we live by God’s rules, even broken families can be reconciled. We will see Joseph demonstrate this powerfully as we continue to follow the record of his life in Genesis. God restores the family, but only after Joseph’s brothers genuinely repent and Joseph demonstrates forgiveness on a level characteristic of a mature relationship with God.  He let’s go of bitterness and refuses to seek revenge when he has the power to get it. He returns good for evil. We should do the same.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

the way with scripture - for posts, medium 2

Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Grace / Forgiveness, Heaven and Hell, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Love, Merciful, Mockers, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Suffering / Adversity, Wickedness / Evil

No Greater Act of Love

The dreadful treatment that Jesus received up to and including dying on the cross gives us insight into what we deserve for our wrong behaviors and attitudes. He deserved no such treatment. Jesus lived without sin, in perfect obedience to God. God willingly chose to become man in the person of Jesus Christ and to suffer and die for our sins. There is no greater and more clear act of love than to take our punishment in our place. Picture yourself going through this suffering and death instead of Jesus… what would it be like? Then praise God for showing us love, grace, and mercy in taking our punishment for us.

Matthew 27:27-56

Jesus Is Mocked

      27Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him. 28They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. 29And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head. 31After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.

      32As they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon, whom they pressed into service to bear His cross.

The Crucifixion

      33And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, 34they gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink.

      35And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting lots. 36And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there. 37And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

      38At that time two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. 39And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads 40and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, 42“He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. 43“HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.

      45Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. 46About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” 47And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.” 48Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. 49But the rest of them said, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.” 50And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. 51And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. 52The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many. 54Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

      55Many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while ministering to Him. 56Among them was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

There are consequences for our sin, for our wrong behaviors and attitudes. The wages of sin are death, but God offers us mercy and grace through Jesus Christ.

Romans 6:23 23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God offers mercy in that He will withhold from us the punishment we deserve if we accept the lordship of Jesus Christ. God offers grace in His offer of eternal life and forgiveness, which we do not deserve. God shows us love by paying accepting upon Himself the punishment we deserve. The consequences of sin had to be dealt with. They could not be ignored.  Jesus suffered for us.

We see also the wicked, who mock and scorn Jesus and those who follow Him. They reject and rebel against God. Ultimately, all shall recognize Jesus as Lord, but for those who reject Him throughout their lives on earth, it will be too late to accept His offer of forgiveness when they stand before Him after they die.

Romans 14:11-12

11For it is written,
“AS I LIVE, SAYS THE LORD, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME,
AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL GIVE PRAISE TO GOD.”

12So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

the way with scripture - for posts, medium 2

Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Repenting from Sin

Did Judas Repent For Betraying Jesus?

Matthew 27:1-10 documents the guilt and regret that Judas experienced after betraying Jesus. He could not handle it and ultimately committed suicide. Let us take this opportunity to explore what some believe is evidence of Judas repenting from his sin and betrayal.  This is indeed an important lesson in that all of us have sinned and done wrong. All of us fall short of the glory of God and are faced with how to respond to that reality.

      1Now when morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus to put Him to death; 2and they bound Him, and led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate the governor.

      3Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to that yourself!” 5And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself. 6The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, since it is the price of blood.” 7And they conferred together and with the money bought the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers. 8For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “AND THEY TOOK THE THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER, THE PRICE OF THE ONE WHOSE PRICE HAD BEEN SET BY THE SONS OF ISRAEL; 10AND THEY GAVE THEM FOR THE POTTER’S FIELD, AS THE LORD DIRECTED ME.”

Some people get confused and want to believe that because Judas killed himself, it indicates a repentant heart and he was reconciled to God. This is a misunderstanding of repentance. Scripture gives no evidence of Judas repenting from his betrayal of Jesus. Judas simply felt guilt and could not handle it. He committed suicide. This is reminiscent of Cain’s response when confronted by God for murdering Able. Cain never admitted he was wrong, he never asked forgiveness, he never changed his behavior to follow and obey God… he simply could not handle the consequences of his wrong doing. Cain did not turn away from his wrong doing toward God (repentance), he regretted getting punished.

Genesis 4:9-13       9Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground. 11“Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12“When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.” 13Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is too great to bear!

One of the greatest examples of repentance involves Saul (later known as Paul). He was passionately killing Christians and after a dramatic encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul does not kill himself, but rather turns from wrong behavior to right behavior and spends the rest of his life passionately obeying Jesus Christ and going about God’s work spreading the gospel… enduring many hardships along the way for the sake of Christ.

Acts 9:17-22  17So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; 19and he took food and was strengthened. Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus, 20and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” 21All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” 22But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

Indeed, Saul truly repented… turned away from his wrong behavior. He asked forgiveness from Jesus and submitted the rest of his life to the work of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. Saul was forgiven and reconciled with God.

For all of us who have sinned and made mistakes… and that is all of us… we must understand how to response to the gracious offer of forgiveness offered by Jesus Christ.

Romans 3:23  23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

We must admit we have done wrong, have sinned, and cannot save ourselves. We must believe in our heart that Jesus died, was buried, and rose again so our sins could be forgiven and by accepting Him as Lord of our life we can become a born again Christian. . We must confess Jesus as Lord of our life and follow Him.

Romans 10:9-10 9that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

Do you want to be forgiven for all that you have done wrong? Are you ready to change your life and follow Jesus as your leader? Pray with us, but pray genuinely with your heart because it is not about the specific words but the condition of the heart and submission to God.

Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus Christ. I confess that Jesus is Lord. I believe in my heart that you raised Him from the dead. Come into my heart Jesus, and be Lord over my life. Thank you God for saving me.

If you made this decision today, we encourage you to reach out to us or other Christians so that we can welcome you into the body of Christ as well as pray for you and provide more information and encouragement for your life changing decision. You can reach us through our Contact Us page.

This is not all there is! This is but the beginning… the doorway. Once you pass through this doorway you submit your whole life to Christ. It requires a combination of Intellect (knowing God), Emotion (loving God and fearing God), and Will (choosing to do His will instead of our own). It is an ongoing decision in our lives that starts us on a journey to know God more intimately and to obey Him more completely. It requires study and prayer and action. It is a journey we never finish in this life, but it transforms us along the way to be more and more like Jesus Christ.

Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

the way with scripture - for posts, medium 2

Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Grace / Forgiveness, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Love, Salvation, Study the Word

Jesus Clearly Claims To Be Son Of God… Not Just A Prophet

For all those who claim that Jesus never said He was the Son of God… they stand in error. Billions of people around the world are misled by this deception and the Bible could not be clearer. Jesus could not have spoken more clearly than He did in Matthew 26:57-68. Jesus claimed to be the Son of God… thus He is not just a good teacher or prophet, but the Messiah.

Jesus before Caiaphas

      57Those who had seized Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together. 58But Peter was following Him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and entered in, and sat down with the officers to see the outcome.

      59Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. 60They did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on two came forward, 61and said, “This man stated, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.’” 62The high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?” 63But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.”

      65Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy; 66what do you think?” They answered, “He deserves death!”

      67Then they spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others slapped Him, 68and said, “Prophesy to us, You Christ; who is the one who hit You?”

The chief priests took quite some time going through witnesses to obtain false testimony about Jesus. Many false witnesses came, yet they did not find what they wanted as an excuse to kill Him. So, by contrast, we see that they clearly understood that Jesus claimed to be Son of God, which is to say God. For when they heard this, they stopped bringing witnesses and declared Jesus’ death sentence. They were being thorough and considered Jesus’ claim to be very clear.

Then they beat Him and spat on Him. Jesus experienced much physical and emotional pain up to death and the cross on our behalf. Jesus suffered this pain and humiliation for our sins… our mistakes.

Make no mistake… since Jesus clearly claimed to be Son of God. There are only three choices for us to rationally consider. Jesus is either God, as He says, or He is a liar or a madman. He cannot be a prophet or good teacher.

Billions are wrong about Jesus… Jewish people and Muslims along with others, deny that Jesus was God. They deny the very God who came to die for them and take their burden of sin for them. Many who identify as Christian dismiss what Jesus did too lightly as well. They continue in their sin, insisting on doing things their way instead of God’s way. There is only one way to God.

[John 14:6]  6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

God humbled Himself to become man in the person of Jesus Christ. He did so to provide a path to forgiveness for all we have done wrong in our lives… all the wrong we have done against living according to His standard as revealed in the Biblical text. The Bible is incredibly relevant. It is the greatest story ever told!

Please do not “read the Bible it in a year”…  but rather study it for a lifetime and apply God’s word to your life. We invite you to study the Bible with us daily through our devotions via email, Facebook, Google Plus, or on our website Latest Devotions page. You can also look around our website (HearingFromJesus.org) for many more resources and tools to help you.

If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as God, as the one who personally came to take the punishment for your mistakes, I urge you to do so today. Do not delay. None of us knows how much time we have before we die and then it is too late to submit to Him and accept Him as Lord. Tell your family and friends about Him!

Learn more about accepting Jesus as leader of your life through The Message of the Cross.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

the way with scripture - for posts, medium 2

Consequences of Sin, Grace / Forgiveness, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Love, Obeying God, Salvation

Jesus Gave Himself Willingly

2 Comments

Jesus demonstrates His great love for us in Matthew 26:47-56, in that He volunteered to suffer and die for our past mistakes so we could return to relationship with God. How many people can you imagine trusting God this much, volunteering for what was to happen… to save others? Most of us would be saying “I did not do anything wrong, so do not punish me.”

What great love God has for us! Jesus willingly suffered and died for our sins, so our past (and future) mistakes could be forgiven.

Jesus’ Betrayal and Arrest

      47While He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came up accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and elders of the people. 48Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him.” 49Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, “Hail, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 50And Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him.

      51And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. 53“Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54“How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?”

      55At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would against a robber? Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me. 56“But all this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets.” Then all the disciples left Him and fled.

Surely each of us can think of things we wish we would not have done in our past. Jesus died so we could be forgiven of these things and be reconciled with God. Jesus could clearly have defended Himself with even a thought… calling upon a host of angels to protect Him. He did not. He actually directed the one who did defend Him with a sword to put it away. From Luke 22 we see even more amazing grace from our Lord, Jesus. Jesus healed the injured man… one of those who had come to take Him into custody!

 50And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51But Jesus answered and said, “Stop! No more of this.” And He touched his ear and healed him.

Jesus shows amazing love and grace for His people. To accept His offer of forgiveness, we must admit we have done wrong and turn away from our wrong behaviors and attitudes… those motivated by our personal selfish desires. We must turn toward Jesus, asking Him to forgive our past mistakes. We submit our lives to Jesus as our leader, our Lord, and we begin to live according to His example… in obedience to God.  Then we can be restored to close relationship with God and truly find joy in this world and the world to come!

If you have not made this personal decision to make Jesus the leader of your life, I urge you to do so today. Do not delay. (Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.) This most important decision is the beginning of a journey that lasts your entire lifetime… transforming you to be more like Jesus and less like your old self.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

the way with scripture - for posts, medium 2

Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Heaven and Hell, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Love, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Salvation

Yes, Jesus Loves Us That Much!

After Jesus finishes His  prophetic response to Peter, James, John and Andrew regarding when the temple in Jerusalem will be destroyed and the signs of Jesus’ return and the end of the age, He again returns to the topic of His impending death. As we studied previously in our teaching, Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection – He Went Willingly, Jesus has made  a point to clearly communicate multiple times to His disciples that He is to die and be resurrected. As the day approaches, He even tells them what day it will occur, during Passover.

Matthew 26:1-13

The Plot to Kill Jesus

      1When Jesus had finished all these words, He said to His disciples, 2“You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be handed over for crucifixion.”

      3Then the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the high priest, named Caiaphas; 4and they plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth and kill Him. 5But they were saying, “Not during the festival, otherwise a riot might occur among the people.”

Jesus clearly went willingly to His torture and death. God loves us all so much that He became man in the person of Jesus Christ and willingly suffered and died and was resurrected for us…for our sins… all of us. He extends the offer to us, having already paid the price for our sin and wrong choices. All we need to do is accept His offer. (To learn more, study our teaching, The Message of the Cross – Salvation.)

He loved His disciples enough to continually remind them in advance of what was going to happen so they would understand later and recognize the proper perspective that Jesus did so willingly in obedience to God’s plan. He confirmed multiple times what was to happen and then even when it was to happen. God truly loves us that much. The Bible records this history so that even today, thousands of years later, we can be clear that Jesus willingly laid down His life for our sins. He was not tricked or defeated… He volunteered to take our punishment. We deserved to be on the cross, but He went on our behalf.

If someone died saving you from being killed in a tragic accident, such as being run over by a truck… you would tell everyone about it with thanksgiving and praise for that person. You would probably remember and retell it your entire life.

If someone offered us $100 and all we had to do was accept it… and then told us they would offer the same deal to everyone, not matter what they have done wrong in their lives… no matter who they are…  we would take it, thank them, and tell everyone else we knew about this great opportunity.

Why is it that when we hear of this offer for forgiveness of all our past mistakes and reconciliation with God for eternity, we so often keep it to ourselves?

We would tell everyone about the $100 without worrying if we were insulting them by implying they need the money. If we do not feel the same way about telling them what Jesus offers we must consider deeply whether or not we, ourselves, really believe it is true and whether or not we love others enough to help them find Jesus.  Some will reject the message just as some would not believe you about the $100 offer… but some will believe and will come to Jesus.

Rejoice in being a worker in God’s harvest! Do not be “embarrassed” by your love for Jesus but rather be glad in it and share it with everyone!

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

the way with scripture - for posts, medium 2