Tag Archives: gospel

Jul 22 2009

God is angry!


wrath“The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” (John 3:35-36)

This passage gives a stark contrast of two realities. The first are those who have eternal life. The second group is those who have no life and the wrath of God is on them.

The same contrast is given earlier in the third chapter of John’s gospel where Jesus says to Nicodemus these words.

“Whoever believes in him (Jesus) is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:18)

Here the contrast is given, not condemned, and condemned already. The person who fails to put his faith in Jesus in favor of the love of his own evil deeds, his religion, his church, his family, his work, or a thousand other things, does not wait for condemnation, he is already condemned. The wrath of God is already on him. He is a natural child of wrath. (Ephesians 2:3)

The wrath of God is something to be feared and to avoid at all costs. Just what is the wrath of God? The most basic meaning is that God’s wrath is his hatred of sin, or unrighteousness. But it is more than that. It is also His holy vengeance against sin and finally against sinners. God will get even!

God is a God of love but He is also a God who hates evil. He is a God of forgiveness, and second chances, and more, but He is also a God who damns. He cannot be holy and just and not judge sin and sinners in the harshest way possible. This tension is at the very heart of the gospel of Christ.

Paul addressed the Roman believers in the first chapter of Romans by saying the following.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.  For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.  For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature   have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.  For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (Romans 1:16-21)

The beauty of the good news is that in the telling “the righteousness of God is revealed” (Jesus). Never forget that the righteousness of God is a person, not a pattern of behavior. When we share the very good news about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, and what those acts affords those who believe, God is revealing His righteousness. God’s revelation is the written word but it is also the spoken word. As we tell he shows.

Paul didn’t stop where most of today’s preachers stop; he went on to discuss the flip side of grace, God’s wrath. Just as sure as God’s righteousness is revealed in the gospel of the grace of God, just as sure is the reality of God’s fierce hatred of sin.

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”

Here is the love of God and the wrath of God. There is righteousness and its rewards, and unrighteousness and its sure end. God has gone to extreme lengths to make clear his nature but wicked men and women put the truth away and believe a lie. Oh, they know God but they liked themselves and their evil ways more and their hearts are darkened. They are objects of the furious anger of a holy God.

When Jesus died on the cross as a common criminal God unleashed his wrath against sin upon the Lamb of God for you, in your place, on your behalf. Now just as in Adam all die, all of those who are in Christ live forever!

So here lies before us the crisis of faith. Will a man repent (change his mind about the course of his life) and put his trust in Jesus who took his appointed wrath upon him? Or, will he, like those Paul described, attempt to fashion his own religion and not honor God, or be thankful, and stay on a course of certain damnation and the wrath of God.

I can’t begin to imagine how terrible God’s punishment for sin will be, but we have a glimpse by looking at the suffering of Jesus.

I beg you, forsake your way of doing things and put your whole trust in Jesus. Don’t trust your church membership, your family heritage, or your own goodness. It is the way of destruction, the broad way to hell. You can exchange death for life, wrath for righteousness…..it’s up to you.

For Jesus,

Royce

Jul 16 2009

You must be born again


newbirth

When one of the most respected leaders of the Jews, Nicodemus came with questions for Jesus the answer was not what he expected. (John 3) 

Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin court, a group of select scholars whose lives and academics were above reproach, whose job it was to rule on problems among the Jewish community with respect to the Law of Moses. Undoubtedly, measured by the citizens of the great city of Jerusalem, Nicodemus was a very good man. 

He had either observed the ministry of Jesus or had heard about Him and so inquired of Jesus saying 

“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” (v2) 

Nicodemus was correct but Jesus’ reply was shocking! Jesus replied 

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (v3) 

The stunned man then asked 

“How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” (v4) 

Jesus then answered the question as follows 

“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.” (Vs. 5-8) 

Nicodemus again questions 

“How can these things be?” (v9) 

And Jesus answers in detail saying 

“Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (Vs. 10-21) 

New birth? Born again? Fact or fiction? 

1 Peter 1:3,23, John 1:13, 1 John 2:29, 1 John 3:9, 1 John 4:7, 1 John 5:1,4, 18, 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Galatians 6:15 are all references to this truth. 

In the face of the overwhelming truth about the new birth (being born from above) many people do not think this “new birth” is a real birth at all. I think the reason is that if we can’t experience something with our natural senses the tendency is to reject it as truth. This is a grave mistake. 

God is a spirit. I can’t see him, feel him, smell him, hear him with my ears, taste him, or touch him. Should I than conclude that he does not exist? Of course not! Because something is “spiritual” does not render it any less real than something physical. In fact, when talking about God and his work, the “spiritual” is even more real than the physical because it is “eternal” and everything we experience that is “physical” is temporary. 

The “New Birth” is just as real as physical birth.

The “New Birth” produces a “new creation” that never existed before.

Only those who have been “born again” can enter the kingdom of God. 

If the “New Birth” is real, and it is, some interesting questions arise that deserve honest answers. 

  • Does the one born initiate the birth?
  • Can a birth be reversed?
  • Everyone born is the son of a Father. How long is a son a son? 

Have you been born again? Have you done what Jesus told Nicodemus he must do? Read it for yourself and answer the question. (John 3:15-18) 

Christianity is not joining a church, doing good deeds, keeping a set of rules, doing rituals, and dozens of other things people do in attempts to receive God’s favor. Christianity is Christ. He has purchased a perfect salvation for everyone who will come to him, depending only on him to forgive every sin and give eternal life as a free gift.

This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone, And 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 4:11, 12) 

Royce

Jun 11 2009

The Jesus deficit…


jesus-savesI recently visited some unnamed blogs by church of Christ preachers who had their “tag cloud” visible. (A tag cloud is the group of key words used to point readers to a post) These are men whose church is so and so “church of Christ” so you would think that “Christ” would be the most often used key word on their blogs. Nope, “church of Christ”, “baptism”, and even “a cappella” were ahead of “Christ” and “Jesus”. What does this prove? Perhaps not much but it does deserve some thought.

Jesus promised that if He is lifted up He would draw all men to Himself. (John 12:32) Paul and the other Apostles preached Christ, the gospel of grace (Acts 20:24) and He was the center of the message and mission they served.

Are our churches of Christ known for their devotion to Christ? Do we put Him first? Is He and His story the center of our message? I’ll let you decide. I do know this for sure. Not one person will be in heaven because they were right about how to do communion or because they sung a cappella. There will be no saving grace extended to one person because they despised the Baptists.

There is one mediator between man and God, His name is Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:5) Jesus declared “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life and no one comes to the Father except through me”. (John 14:6) Since these things are true why don’t we preach Christ? Why isn’t He the focus of every ministry? Why isn’t He the most talked about on our “Christian” blogs? Why do we talk far more about the “church of Christ” than the Christ of the church? Why?

I think it is because many don’t really believe He is the only way to God. They think he is a part of the way but not the way. Or, some my believe that the sum total of believing the right doctrine, having communion each Sunday, singing a cappella, being in the right church, and believing the historic stories about Jesus combined with living a good life puts one in good standing with God. What Jesus told one of the most religeous men in his day is still true, you must be born again.

 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

Unless you have this right nothing else matters. Please brothers and sisters, lets put Christ in his rightful place at the center of our living, our giving, our missions, our worship, and our dying. Let us become known for making a fuss about Jesus Christ and loving people as He did. Unless we are loving the unlovable as they are where they are seeking nothing in return we are not doing what Christ wants us to do. There is no greater task, no higher honor, no more noble endeavor than to make Christ and His work for sinners known.

In Him,
Royce

Jun 5 2009

The charges have been dropped!


cri

 

Tonight I celebrated with 14 men whose lives have been forever changed by the power of the gospel of Jesus.

My friend John Grigson called me and invited me to attend the graduation tonight at Richwood Correctional Center here in Monroe, LA. I am so very glad he invited me and that I accepted the invitation and went.

God is doing some amazing things using John and Celebrate Recovery Inside (CRI). 14 inmates gave testimony to what Christ had done in their lives in the past year. They have completed the step-studies and are now discipled and matured so that now they will themselves be leaders beginning next Monday night. Also present tonight were 63 other inmates who will begin their step studies next Monday. Those who weather the storm and endure the soul searching hard work will in all probability begin a relationship with Jesus Christ if they haven’t already done so.

In the coming months, in some form, CRI will be in 7 other prisons in N E Louisiana. God is strategically using CRI to tell the captives of sin the charges have been dropped! (Col 2:13,14) When I think about the possibilities of all the changed lives of inmates and their families it seems to me that revival could be about to burst out from inside the prison walls!

The gospel is the very good news about Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished for wicked sinners. The story of His work still transforms lives and raised the spiritually dead to new life of love and obedience to the Lordship of Christ.

A hearty AMEN and Praise the Lord for what He is up to in prison ministry in our town.

The charges have been dropped!
Royce