Saturday, April 8, 2023

Exclusively Jesus


Image from Unsplash
“We live in an age of loud voices calling for tolerance and equality. The Jesus we celebrate at Christmas and Easter, strikes at the heart of this. What is the offense? The demands of His exclusivity.”
We live in an age of loud voices calling for tolerance and equality. The Jesus we celebrate at Christmas and Easter, strikes at the heart of this. What is the offense of Christ? The demands of His exclusivity.

Two of Jesus’ followers, Peter and John, were preaching before a large group of people following an astounding miracle. A paralyzed man was instantly healed. While they were speaking officials from the Sanhedrin came and arrested them. They sat in jail overnight before they were brought before the council to be questioned. The Sanhedrin was the highest and most powerful religious and political body in Israel. A couple months earlier they had sentenced Jesus to death.

After they were questioned about the miracle that happened, Peter gave a brief defense. Near the end of his remarks, he made this statement “…there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

These words were offensive to them. As a result, the council agreed and charged them to “…not speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.” (Acts 4:18) Why was Jesus so offensive? First, in their religion of Judaism, they were worshippers of the Lord God, who made heaven and earth. And they had their Jewish Bible, where they regularly read the writings of Moses and the prophets, which included the studying and following of the Torah. To tell the Sanhedrin that they can only find salvation in Jesus, was immensely divisive. Second, knowing what this council had done a couple months earlier, Peter confronted them. He directly addressed the evil they had done when they blatantly rejected Christ and crucified Him. Clearly, the council did not want Peter or anyone else speaking about Jesus, because of the guilt it brought on them for the evil they committed against the Son of God.

The same offenses surrounding Jesus, from centuries ago, are still offenses today. And the root of them is the exclusivity of Christ. Let me ask a question, “Can someone believe in God, but not Jesus?” That was an issue with the Jews Peter was addressing, and can still be a problem with some today. Jesus had an answer for that when He said, “I and the father are one.” (John 10:30) Jesus was communicating that because of the oneness of the Lord God and Him, the two cannot be separated. Therefore, if one truly believes in the Lord God, the evidence will also be his belief in Christ. To trust in Almighty God is to trust in Jesus.

Let me ask another question surrounding the exclusivity of Jesus, “Can a person believe in Jesus, and also other gods? That was an issue in Peter’s time, when the good news of Christ was shared among the Romans and Greeks, who had cultures filled with gods. In our day, the world is filled with multitudes of religions, and some religions themselves have numerous gods. Peter has a straight answer though when he says, “there is salvation in no one else.”

And another offense the Sanhedrin experienced, was how Jesus exposed their evil deeds. When the authentic good news of Jesus is shared, it will confront us with our own evil. It is naturally what the light of Jesus does. When a person turns to Christ, He wants them to be exclusively His. “Sin no more,” (John 8:11) Jesus once told a woman. Are you willing to trust in Jesus exclusively? What is keeping you from doing that today?

A prayer for you. “Lord God, we praise you for sending your beloved Son to die and rise again. He is worthy to be worshipped and followed with all our heart. Search us, O God, if we are trying to hold on to you and someone or something else. Right now, we give it to you. We declare our submission to you and you alone. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Freedom Through Sacrifice


Image from Lightstock

“Freedom is a gift available to every person in the world. Is not a freedom of religion or speech. It is something better than all those? It is a freedom of the soul. How can one obtain this for themselves? Through the blood of Jesus.”

Freedom. It is a gift available to every person in the world regardless of race, income, education, culture, or what type of government they live under. It is not a freedom of religion or speech. It is something better than all those? A prisoner once remarked, “I am freer in here, than I ever was out there.” What is he talking about? A freedom of the soul.

How can one obtain this for themselves? Through the blood of Jesus. Read what Matthew, one of His disciples wrote, “And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” (Matthew 26:27-28)

Perhaps you have participated in a solemn act of worship in the church that goes by different names. The Lord’s Supper, The Eucharist, Communion, The Lord’s Table. It contains a significant feature: the cup. Jesus gave the meaning of it when He said, “for this is my blood of the covenant…”

Why is the blood of Jesus necessary in order to receive divine forgiveness? Because of the severity of sin. The Lord God is the Creator and Judge of all humanity and has a moral law, of which all are held to account. Have you entertained a selfish thought? Have you used God’s name as a curse word? Have you bore a grudge against someone? God tells us that if we violate just one of His many laws we are condemned to eternal death. Since all of us have, from the first man and woman until now, then all of us are under this sentence.

There is only one way humanity can be saved from this everlasting punishment. It is not by religion, trying to be morally upright or through service to others. God has declared it must come through a sacrifice. There is no other way. And not just any sacrifice. It must be a perfect one. In other words, we ourselves, are not good enough. It must be someone more holy, virtuous and honorable than you. This leaves only one man standing – Jesus.

When He left heaven and came to earth, He was on a mission. One to sacrifice Himself and pour out His blood for you and me. And His blood was not that of a mere man. Human sacrifice God forbids. Instead, as strange as it may sound, it was the blood of the Son of God. And it was not a forced sacrifice. No! It was a willing one, where He chose to lay His life down, and it came from a heart filled with love and mercy for the whole world.

Every drop of Jesus’ blood that came from the crown of thorns, the whips on His back, the blows to His head, the nails in His hands and feet and a spear in His side – every drop was a sacrifice for you. It was to spare you from the wrath of Almighty God against your disobedience. It was to cleanse you from the stain of your sin, and remove its divine penalty.

When the cup is taken in honor of the blood He shed, it is a symbolic and worshipful remembrance of His sacrifice. And the benefits of this holy work are available to all. It is both free and costly. Free, meaning you can do nothing to earn or deserve it, but it will cost something that is most valuable to you – your life.

Remember, God requires life for life. Jesus shed His blood for you, so you must lay down your life for Him. How do you do that? By turning from your sin and to Christ by faith, with all your heart. Not 10% or 50%, but 100% of your heart. Are you ready? Freedom is moments away!

A prayer for you. “Holy and Glorious God! We praise you for your most precious sacrifice – your only begotten Son. Thank you for His blood that was shed for the whole world. Today, bring people to cry out to you, to be cleansed and set free by its power. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Outpouring of The Grace of God


Photo by Artem Sapegin on Unsplash

“When an outpouring of God comes, it is a demonstration of His grace. It just comes in His timing, His way and to those whom He chooses. It comes to bring growth and renewal to the believer. It comes to wash clean the sins of the lawless and forgive the hard-hearted.”

People randomly falling on their face before God in prayer and worship. Church services being interrupted and extended due to an unusual experience of the presence of the Lord. Lives being saved from their sins in mass without much resistance.

On occasion in history, there have been unique movements of God like this, that bring souls unto Him in supernatural and almost unexplainable ways. What is happening in seasons of a time like this? God’s grace is being poured out in abundance. The Bible says of mankind’s Savior, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.” (Romans 10:20)

None of us were born with a natural inclination to pursue God. Nor has anyone ever had an instinctive desire from birth to be morally upright, and automatically tell the truth, forgive those who have offended them or put the needs of others above themselves. This is not who we inherently are. Rather, it is normal for us to be people who get angry, envy others, or not even think of God at all. Left to ourselves, we are disobedient to God, unholy and evil-hearted people, doing whatever is right in our own eyes.

So how do we get to a place where people are seeking God and lives are being eternally changed? Let me repeat the Scripture, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.” Men and women, who have no inherit desire for the Almighty, are transformed by God’s passionate pursuit of them.

When they were busy living for themselves, He came to them. When they were in the midst of their religious routines, He came to them. When they were pursuing their own unholy desires, God came to them.

There was once a man named Zacchaeus who lived in the city of Jericho. He was a wealthy tax collector. One day Jesus came passing through. As He did, word spread quickly and crowds were formed. Zacchaeus, a small guy, searched for a tree to climb, so He could see Jesus. And as the story goes, “…when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” (Luke 19:5) As a result of his time with Jesus, Zacchaeus’ life, along with his whole household, was changed. How did this outpouring of the salvation of God happen? By His grace.

Grace refers to a gift from God, that is not earned or deserved. While Zacchaeus was busy working and building his corrupt wealth, Jesus was already on His way. Before Zacchaeus knew he had a need, Jesus came to the tree he was watching from, and called him by name. Zacchaeus was not worthy of anything from God, yet Jesus came for him.

When an outpouring of God comes, it is a demonstration of His grace. It is something we have not earned or deserved. It just comes in His timing, His way and to those whom He chooses. It comes to bring growth and renewal to the believer. It comes to wash clean the sins of the lawless and forgive the hard-hearted.

What are we to do when the grace of God comes? Recognize it and respond, just like Zacchaeus. That can be both simple and hard. Avoid being like the critics in Zacchaeus’ story though. They were dismissive, and spoke evil of what was happening.

Is God drawing you right now? Is He calling you by name? Open your spiritual eyes. Do you see Him at work in your life this minute? Is He speaking to you through someone? Respond to His grace! Stop resisting. Yield fully to Him.

A prayer for you. “Lord God, open our spiritual eyes to see you at work. Help us to stop resisting and start responding. Come to those who have not asked for you. Come to all of us who are not worthy of you. Show yourself O, God. Pour out your grace upon us this hour. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”