Sent 2

Sent 2!

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:17 KJV

Context:

Nicodemus, a Jewish leader and teacher of the law, must have felt something fundamental was missing in his life. He knew the law; after all, he taught it regularly, but he had no real understanding of the mind of God about the law. The law was a precursor to Christ; it was to announce a new and better way of access to God. It was to remind us of the weakness of the human nature and the availability of grace and help available in Jesus. Unfortunately, the teacher of the law did not understand the message of Jesus about the need to be born again. Like Nicodemus, have I filled my head with book knowledge of what the bible says, but I know nothing about the heart of God behind the words I have read? Am I all about optics and how I look to people, or have I settled the delicate and urgent matter of what I will do with Jesus? 

A quick review of the verse just before today's extract gives great insight into God's heart, as well as the basis of today's extract. Let's look at verse 16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. At the heart of ALL that God does is LOVE. He does not create a person for whom he has no use or plan, and he will not bring a man to the point of destruction unless the man chooses to walk the path to destruction of his own freewill. That is the focal point of the verse under review God has done all that he can to ensure that all men come to him; what I do in response is my own decision, of my own freewill. God will not compel me to choose him, but he has made compelling arguments why I am better off choosing him. What is your own decision today?

Message and Response:

It was LOVE that took Jesus to the cross, even when he knew the pain and loss that would occur. For the first and last time in the life of Jesus the son, the father turned his eyes away from his son as he bore the sins of the whole world. It was my sin, your sin, that took the sinless Son to the cross. Sin demanded the prescribed price, which had to be a life. The bible says quite clearly that the wages of sin is death. No connection, bank account balance or circle of influence can change that fact. I can try all else; until I come for the washing by the blood of Jesus, my sin cannot be taken away. God's prescription for sin is the life of his son, and all who will get the life of God must take of the life of the son of God. 

The life of Jesus reminds me of what is missing in mine. I come to know that I cannot please God by the fallen human nature in me. That nature has to give way for the life that Jesus gives, which is the life of God. The coming of Jesus to the world reminds us that it is only in and by Jesus that we can please God. Men, both in bible times, and in these contemporary times, have tried to 'bribe' God with several things: good works, charity,  good neighbourliness and a good reputation among men. However, as good as all these sound, they cannot replace the need for the life of God in a man. If I do not have the life of God in me, it won't matter what else I had. If I have the life of God in me, every other thing I do is guided and directed by that life. 

This life of Jesus also reminds me of the eternal consequences of my actions. No matter what I do now, good or bad, it does not end down here. My actions are seeds sown toward my eternal reality. Let no one deceive me into thinking that something does not matter; I will account for careless words uttered by me. If God is this involved in my daily life, it means that it is out of love that this concern is borne. He knows what is ahead, and he provides a way of escape from the trouble that is coming. He has said that this same Jesus is returning again, and when he does, he is coming back for those who have put their faith, hope and trust in Jesus. On that day, bank account balances, circle of influence and network or net worth would be of no use, if the life of God, represented by Jesus, is not in you. 

Do not let the devil also deceive you into thinking you are not good enough, or that your past life is so terrible that Jesus cannot save you. In fact, if there is any sin that the blood of Jesus could not cleanse, then the death and resurrection of Jesus are all in vain. God assures us that the sacrifice of Jesus, done once and for all, is valid for all time, as long as the earth remains. The guilt of sin is strong; the grace of God that brings salvation to all men is stronger. The pull of sin is strong; the mercy of God that gives strength for a man to live above sin is even stronger. Which one do you want to submit to: the power of God that is able to deliver a man from sin and guarantee him eternal life or the power of sin that leads to eternal death and separation from God? 

There is no man alive who is beyond the grace of God, unless that man is dead. As long as there is life, there is a hope of forgiveness and cleansing from sin, and eternal life with God. Through the gift of God, who is Jesus Christ, the world has an oppourtunity to receive all that God intends, which is life through his son. This life is God's greatest gift; anything else you get from God is the extra layer on top. Nothing and no one else will give you that which only God can give you. Accept this gift, which is free to you, and look forward to eternity with hope. It won't matter how your earthly life ends; it will matter where you get to spend all of eternity. Make sure it is with Jesus. His time of favour is here.