"And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate." - Luke 15:21-24
I am certain that you are familiar with the parable about the prodigal son, his repentance and restoration. Not until he realized that he had sinned did he repent and find restoration with his father. All too often I have known people who didn't realize that their sin was the problem and that they needed to repent by faith. What they wanted was relief from the consequence of their choices with no intention of changing the way they made choices. They did not understand that sin was the problem. Like Jesus talking to Nicodemus in John 3.
"Jesus answered him [Nicodemus], “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?" - John 3:4-9
Unless the truth is revealed by the Spirit to a yielded heart the person will not repent. I received a phone call not long ago from someone who was desperate for a solution to their struggle. I told them the answer was Jesus, but they wanted it to be something else other than Jesus. Today, we would like to have an easy answer - like a pill - take one and you will never have this problem again. Faith will save you from the eternal consequence of sin but may not relieve you of the temporary consequence of your sin. But your faith will help you endure those consequences. Like Nicodemus, the person I talked to could not understand the spiritual truth. Jesus told Nicodemus that he could not understand how being born again happens.
"Nevertheless, I [Jesus] tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper [the Holy Spirit] will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged." - John 16:7-11
Don't you wish you could make people understand? To see the truth and the true source of relief. There is a "pill" you can give people who ask for help - the "Gos-pill". Jesus Saves! But, sadly, you will find that for many that “pill” will be too hard to swallow!
"All to Jesus I surrender. All to Him I freely give. I will ever love and trust Him. In His presence daily live. I surrender all." - [I Surrender All - Judson W. Van DeVenter, 1896]
Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone
No comments:
Post a Comment