What Do You Think of Christ?

Pastor Bill's Thought for the Day for 5/19 "Those who live for the Lord never see one another for the last time" While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, Saying, What think ye of Christ? Matthew 22:41,42 Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him. Let him be crucified. Matthew 27:22 The questions in the above Scripture are the two most important questions ever asked. They are questions that must be answered by every person who has heard the name of Jesus. We are in another election year and constantly exposed to the many speeches, debates and interviews. That is the American way choosing our leaders and we need to know what the candidate’s intentions are. We hear some honest answers but we also listen to some who are expert in the art of evading issues and making promises with escape routes attached. The questions in the above Scripture will be answered! They cannot be avoided, evaded or circumvented! They cannot be passed off with a smile and a “no comment.” It is not a question of “can” or “can’t!” It is a question of “will” or “won’t!” “What think ye of Christ? If you can think, you are accountable. We are for or against Him! There is no “no man’s land” in this war! There is a fork in the road! We have a choice! Believing that He is the Christ and the Savior of the world, we accept Him as our personal Savior and take the upward way or reject Him and continue on the downward way. There are no non-partisans here. To abstain is to vote no! I am an early riser! I am always up and about by 4 a. m. and working on my “Thought for the Day”. There is another blessing to my rising early. I can watch the sun rise from our kitchen window and we have some spectacular sunrises here. It will happen whether I watch it or not but if I choose not to watch, I am the loser. It won’t change the fact. The sun will rise tomorrow morning as God has ordained but I may not be here, God knows! Men can reject Jesus Christ but that won’t change the fact. He is now and will be tomorrow, the Savior of the world and to reject Him is to become the loser. Perhaps you will have another opportunity tomorrow, to choose Him and perhaps you won’t. It is a matter much to important to postpone. “...behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2nd.Corinthians 6:2)

Courage in Jesus

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus." Acts 4:13 Jesus is the Great Life Changer! No other figure in history has changed so many lives, for the better, as Jesus Christ. It is, depending on the individual, often a very radical change, but always a change. When the temple officials called Peter and John in for questioning, they discovered, to their great surprise, that these men were not the poor, unlearned fishermen whom they expected to be completed cowed and intimidated by the judges. When “they saw the boldness of Peter & John” they blamed the change on Jesus. They had that right! The testimony is always the same! Jesus changed my life! The list is very long! From Saul of Tarsus to Augustine to Luther to Wesley to Billy Sunday to Charles Colson to George Bush; the testimony is the same. “Jesus Christ changed my life!” There is no doubt that men’s lives need to be changed! Just listen to the evening news! The problem is that men don’t want to change. They want to go to that place called heaven but they want God to relax the requirements. That won’t happen! Jesus said, “I am the way...” to heaven. (John 14:6) He said, “I will come again to take you to be with me.” (John 14:3) He didn’t discriminate in His invitation. He used the words “whosoever will” (Revelation 22:17) which will allow anyone in who chooses to come. However, He didn’t lower the admission requirements for any privileged class. All must possess the same credentials! It is called being, “born again” (John 3:3) There is no substitute. Nothing short of being “born again” will effect the necessary change that qualifies us to become a citizen of heaven. There are not many doors to heaven. There is one door and all must enter by that door. Jesus said “I am the door:” (John 10:9) Right now the door is open and the invitation also is open. One day it will be closed. Reservations must be made before the departure date. Once we are on the way we cannot change course. “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” (2nd.Corinthians 6:2 NIV)

The Time For Repentence

Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead. Acts 17:30,31 NAS There are three very significant days in the history of the world! Two are past and one is yet to come! The two that are past are; the day that God created the world and the day that God redeemed the world. The day yet to come is the day that God will judge the world. Our only hope is in what happened on the second day referred to. The world was created by Jesus Christ! (John 1:3,10) The world was redeemed by Jesus Christ! (John 3:16) The world will be judged by Jesus Christ! (Above text) Judgment is not a happy thought! It’s going to happen! A day of judgment has been fixed! There are highly paid attorneys who specialize in helping guilty people avoid judgment but it won’t happen in that day. Before declaring the coming day of judgment, Paul revealed the only way of escape, ”that all everywhere should repent.” To suggest that men should repent of their behavior is now considered as unacceptable (by the proponents of the political correctness concept) as to suggest that judgment is coming. I saw a book review by a liberal, anti-Bible writer. He was expressing his opinion of the “Left Behind” series of books by LaHaye & Jenkins. He was outraged that such terrible judgments were pronounced upon the world. Like much of today’s world, accepting Jesus Christ and turning from their unbiblical behavior is also unacceptable, so, for them, judgment is inevitable. So we have “bad news” to proclaim and we have “good news” to proclaim. The Judgment Day is fixed and coming! That is the bad news! The Redemption Day came first and gave us a choice! That is the good news! Which day will we choose? It should not be a difficult choice. We know, of course, that Christians have suffered much for their faith even to a violent death. It happens in other countries now and it is not impossible that it could come to that in our country. When we leave here everything becomes much, much better. When the Christ rejecters leave here it is to await the final judgment at a place called “The Great White Throne” (Revelation 20:11_15) and everything will become much, much worse. The world has been warned and the world has been invited, now it is a matter of personal choice.

PECULIAR??

For ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 1st.Peter 2:9 In the verse above Peter begins by informing us that we are a chosen generation (people NIV) Becoming a believer does involve some choosing. The Scripture tells us that Jesus chose us first. “He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world...”(Ephesians 1:4) but at some point in time we must choose Him. “Choose you this day whom you will serve...”(Joshua 24:15) Jesus’ choice to love us and provide redemption for us involved Him in a number of things. It meant that Jesus Christ, the omnipotent One from all eternity must assume, for a short time, a human body with the limitations, privations and discomforts that are associated with humanity. It meant that He chose to enter a world where He was not welcome! (John 1:10,11) He was in the world and the world was made by Him and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own and His own received Him not”> It meant that He brought a message that was not received by most! “Who hath believed our report and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?” (Isaiah 53:1) It meant that He chose to be humiliated, beaten, nailed to a cross and to die for the “great love wherewith He loved us”.(Ephesians 2:4) When we respond to that love and choose to love and serve Him we become involved. We become a part of the family of God and Peter has a few more descriptive words for us. “a royal priesthood” Wonderful! “a holy nation” Sounds great! “a peculiar people” Not quite so flattering! I know that the word ‘peculiar’ (KJ) means ‘redeemed’ but non-believers often consider us to be peculiar in the literal sense of the word. God’s people have, in the eyes of the world, done some peculiar things on occasion. Take Noah for an example. He built a large boat in a valley where there was no water! He preached a message of righteousness that no one wanted to hear! He predicted a flood to people who had never heard of rain and who would not believe. However! The rain did come! The flood happened and Noah’s boat, which the world had rejected and no doubt, laughed at, was the only place of safety. What is the “thought” of all this? “Choose Jesus Christ and follow Him!” Peculiar or not it is the only safe way.

The True Light

A man called John was sent by God as a witness to the light, so that all who heard his testimony might believe the light. This man was not himself the light: he was sent simply as a witness to that light. That was the true light, which shines upon every man, which was now coming into the world. John 1:6-9 Later, Jesus spoke to the people again and said, “I am the light of the world. The man who follows Me will never walk in the dark but will live his life in the light.” John 8:12 Scripture from J. B. Phillips N. T. Jesus announced that He was the “Light of the world” and John declared that He was the “true light.” Everything about Jesus reflects light! When Jesus was born the midnight sky was filled with a holy light as angels announced His birth. When Jesus died, the midday sun refused to shine and a great darkness covered the land. A greater darkness was ruling in the hearts of those who had rejected the light and arranged for His death. Jesus promised that those who follow Him will not walk in darkness but live their lives in the light. The contrary side of that promise is that those who reject the light are walking in spiritual darkness. That statement will bring howls of indignation from the “I’m okay! You’re okay! We are all going to the same place!” people but Jesus said it. I’m just quoting Him. The Scripture above reads that the “light shines upon every man” I take that to mean it shines upon every man with out distinction. No person is excluded because of race or position. It does not shine upon every man without exception simply because some peoples have refused the light and will not allow it to shine on them. They prefer (and they have the privilege of choice) to walk in darkness or follow a false light that is really no light at all. (Galatians 1:6,7) “I am amazed that you have so quickly transferred your allegiance from Him who called you by the grace of Christ to another “gospel”! Not that there is another gospel, but there are men who are upsetting your faith with a travesty of the gospel of Christ.” The devil seldom denies the word but he is a master at twisting the meaning of it. I have not heard one of his agents, since Madelyn Murray O’Hare, claim that Jesus never existed but there are multitudes who claim that He isn’t really needed. There are many ‘substitutes’ for many products, on the market now, but don’t even consider a ‘substitute’ for the “true light”.

The Proven Way

“To declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus.” Romans 3:26 How can God be just and yet be the justifier of guilty men? A difficult question to be sure! Only God could provide a solution to that problem and He did. We sometimes see products advertised with the admonition, “Accept no substitutes!” God’s solution to the problems referred to above is that He did accept a substitute. It was our only hope. It is written, “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28) Someone translated that this way, “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life instead of many having to give their lives.” He was the only acceptable substitute and, thank God for ever and ever, He was a willing substitute. Make no mistake about it! Mankind was damned and doomed and without hope except for our substitute. All of the benefits and blessings of the Christian life and the hope of eternal life depends on the willing substitute. The Scripture reads, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) and that we were, “having no hope, and without God in the world.” (Ephesians 2:12) In the words of the song writer, “I was lost and undone, without God or His Son, When He reached down His hand for me.” It was only the wisdom of God that could provide a plan whereby men could be restored to fellowship with Him but it was only the great love of God that could put that plan into operation. Now to carry the thought of substitution in a slightly different direction, God accepts Jesus Christ’ death as a substitute for our spiritual death but there is no acceptable substitute for that plan of redemption. The Bible is very clear on the subject! There is just one way and it is the way described above. I believe that we have now more professing Christians and self-proclaimed Bible teachers who are promoting the “many ways to heaven” lie than ever before. The Apostle Peter doesn’t agree! He said, “...for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be save.” (Acts 4:12) We had best stay with the proven way!

The Man who didn't have to die

Pastor Bill's Thought for the Day "Those who live for the Lord never see each other for the last time" Phil 2:5-6 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, NKJV Read Philippians 2:5-11 This is the record of the death of the only man who didn't have to die. The one man over whom death had no power but who chose to die that others might live. I have often tried to imagine what the effect on Pilate, the Sanhedrin and the soldiers, would have been had Jesus refused to die.He could have refused, you know.He said, (Matt. 26:53-54) that He could have called for twelve legions of angels. One angel appeared at the tomb after Jesus' voluntary death and caused an earthquake,rolled back the great stone from the tomb opening and put all the guards to sleep. It is difficult to imagine what twelve legions of angel might have accomplished. There are some things here that we should make every effort to imitate. Verse 8 tells us that Jesus was obedient to the plan. God has a plan for you and I and we are to be obedient to the plan. We are not born submissive but by nature we are all a bit rebellious. life is filled with situations where we must rebel or obey and what is the deciding factor? It is not appetite, affection or influence but God's will. Often to submit to God's will is to rebel against the will of others and to submit to the will and advice of others is to disobey God's will.I mentioned yesterday in "Thoughts" that when we became Christians and left on missionary assignment we had to go against the thinking of some who were dear to us but we wanted God's approval more that we wanted the approval of family or friends. Jesus didn't have to die but the plan, decided eons ago (Rev. 13:8) was that He would die and He was obedient to the plan. It all depended upon the obedience of Jesus Christ. Had He been disobedient to the plan all would have been lost. You and I do not know what all depends upon our obedience to God's plan for us but I believe it may be very important to others It will be a moment of thankfulness if when we come down to the time of our departure that we can say, as Paul said, "I was not disobedient..." (Acts 26:19)