I’m not sure I have much of an agenda for writing today. Sometimes I just feel like I should write. I think today is one of those days. Nothing seems to be as appropriate for me to do right now. So that’s why I’m writing.
Have you ever been overwhelmed by God’s grace? At a loss for words at His kindness? In tears because of His mercies? Has your heart ever been stirred to such emotion because of Christ Jesus who died as a ransom for your eternal soul? More and more I am convinced that this is a natural response for those whose lives have been profoundly transformed by God’s grace. And not only is it a natural response, but I believe that some similar response should be present in the life of a born again Christian if he/she is thinking rightly about God’s awesome love.
Now, I realize that not everyone is going to break down and cry every time he ponders the goodness of God and the Good News of Jesus Christ. But to ponder the unbelievable message of the Gospel and not be stirred emotionally, physically, mentally, etc. is becoming more and more inconceivable to me.
How can one claim Christ and not have a life-altering, emotionally-gargantuan response of both visible joy and an abundance of good works? How can you or I look upon the crucified Lord Jesus with the knowledge that God’s wrath was directed at the Perfect One instead of us and not be stirred to never before experienced emotions?
Is Paul a lunatic to say that all things are loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ? Is he in need of a padded cell because he says that above all things he wants to associate with Christ crucified and obtain the resurrection from the dead by any means possible?
Is David an idiot because he says that God’s steadfast love is better than life? Was John dumb to claim Christ all the way to exile on Patmos? Are all of the martyrs in the history of the Church just sad stories of people who gave too much for something too insignificant?
Or are all of these historical accounts pictures of the heart response that God wants from all of His people? The more I consider the lives of the saints of Scripture and hear of the incredible lives of Christians over the past two millennia and see the godly men and women in my life today, the more I am convinced that there is but one true response from one who has received by faith the Gospel of Jesus Christ: following Jesus.
But you won’t hear that most places you happen to be in the United States. You will hear “God Bless America” and “I am a Christian” and “I believe that Jesus died for my sins.” And accompanying these “in” things to say, you’ll find a lot of people who have no idea who Jesus is and who have never had a real experience of Christ and have never made a commitment to following Jesus Christ. Our country has distorted the true message of Scripture to the point that few, it seems, really know the Gospel at all. How do you go to Heaven?
“Put your faith in Jesus.”
“Why? Who is He? What good does that do me? Then I have to follow a bunch of rules and stop having fun in life.”
“Well, yes, you’ll have to stop doing some things but God is fun too!”
There is no thought of the eternal destination of those who are in active rebellion against God. There is no substance to the Cross. There is no evidence that Christ crucified has made any difference at all in so many people’s lives who would confess allegiance to Christ.
But these same people will smile as they live their comfortable lives, exalting themselves and pursuing their dreams, thinking that they have a ticket to Heaven when they die after living solely for themselves. And churches are letting this happen. Men who have devoted their lives to studying the Bible and leading God’s people are not offering any real, life-changing message to people who, as a general rule, don’t open their Bibles ever.
So what if you tell people to be nice to others? So what if you say that God wants to bless you? So what if you talk about Jesus as a great example of how we should live?
THESE THINGS DO NOT SAVE A SINNER’S SOUL FROM HELL!
There is one thing that saves a sinner from the eternal wrath of God: Christ crucified. Jesus Christ is the only hope for a world full of sinners who by our very nature exalt ourselves and deny that they will be accountable to God for how we have lived. Amazingly, we are often too wrapped up in ourselves to even consider eternity at all! As if today matters at all if you haven’t weighed your eternal place of residence!
Don’t be deceived by what you might hear from your friends and coworkers and family and even your pastors. God is not mocked. God will have His justice. He hates sin. And apart from Christ, we all owe God a debt that is unpayable. We will spend eternity in agony wishing that we had spent this life living for Jesus Christ and obeying the Word of God instead of working overtime to buy a nicer car or to send our kids to a better college. None of it will matter when we stand alone before the judgment seat of Christ. We will be naked. We will be alone. We will be without excuse. And only one response will provide us with rescue from God’s furious wrath: “I lived my life by faith in the Son of God for the forgiveness of my sins and my righteous standing before the throne of God.”
No matter how many good things we do, apart from Christ, we stand condemned. In fact, any “good work” apart from Jesus Christ only further proves our arrogance, which causes us to think that we could appease the wrath of a holy and righteous God, who we have sinned against, by the merit of our works. That is as inconceivable as a person who claims Christ but lacks a heart that has been radically affected by the Gospel!
What’s my point?
My point is that without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)
God tells us in His Word that His steadfast love is better than life. He tells us that everything is rubbish compared to knowing Jesus Christ. He tells us that eternity with Him will outweigh everything we will ever enjoy or experience in this life. And He tells us to taste and see that He is good. He tells us to make every effort to be made into the likeness of Jesus Christ. He tells us to set our minds on heavenly things. He tells us to rejoice always in the Lord Jesus. He tells us that we are precious and that He is jealous for our affections and our lives.
What then?
If you don’t believe these things, then who or what is your faith in? If you aren’t savoring these truths, can your faith save you? I dare say that your faith is dead and you are still under the condemnation of a holy God.
But there is Good News. Jesus died to set captives free and give life to those who are dead. He has graciously given new life to countless people from all over the world. And He longs for you to know Him and follow Him.
That I may know Him…
That’s the longing of my heart. I want to know Jesus. He is better than life. He saved me. My life is hidden with Him. And someday, I will be with Him in glory! What a Day it will be. If you aren’t confident that you’ll be there for the feast, I invite you to give your life to the author of life, King Jesus. He will care for you better than you can care for yourself. He will never leave you. He will teach you how to truly live. He will give you joy that can never be taken from you. And He will usher you into eternity by His precious blood that was shed at Calvary for your soul.
For the glory of Christ.
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