Returning from an unexpected hiatus

Somebody once said, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.”  I can relate to that sentiment.  You see, my plan was to submit this blog way back on December 21st.  Then I wanted to post more Christmas themed blogs and a subsequent New Year’s Day entry.  But due to circumstances beyond my control, I was unable to do any of that.  Here it is January 9th and I am finally posting my first blog for 2018.  What do I say to all this disruption of my plans?  I say if that’s what God wanted (and clearly it was), I submit to His plan.

Last time, I left you with the question of what relevance Jesus has for your life today.  This question has been left hanging for much longer than I intended, so let me dive right in.  I submit to you that the answer has to do with who Jesus is and what He came to do.

The Bible tells us that Jesus isn’t just a man; He is God in human flesh.  The gospels describe Jesus as doing things that only God can do.  For example, Jesus and His disciples endure stormy weather in a boat.  The disciples freak out.  But Jesus calmly tells the storm to stop, and it obeys (Mark 4:35-41).  Or how about when Jesus’ friend Lazarus dies?  Jesus tells Martha, one of Lazarus’ grief-stricken sisters, these words: “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25), and He proves it by literally raising a man back to life who had been dead for four days!

   

In your Christmas celebration a few weeks ago, I wonder if you stopped to contemplate a verse in Isaiah 9.  Isaiah 9:6 – a verse prophesying Christ thousands of years before He entered the scene – states that Jesus is “Mighty God.”  Consider this: no one else in history is like Jesus Christ.  Jesus (“Mighty God” wrapped up in human flesh) was the only one in history who was worthy or qualified to carry out the role of humanity’s Savior from sin.  That’s why He came to Earth in the first place.

Let me illustrate this with a particularly noteworthy episode in the gospel of John.  In John 8, a woman who is caught in the act of adultery is thrown at Jesus’ feet.  The religious leaders, to test Him, say that she should be stoned to death, but they ask Jesus what He thinks should be done.  “If any one of you is without sin,” Jesus says, “let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”  The text says that His words pricked their conscience; they all knew they were guilty of sin.  So they each simply walked away; Jesus and the woman are left alone.  I can imagine Jesus saying these words to her with a smile: “Where are those accusers of yours?  Has no one condemned you?” (John 8:10).  She answers, “No one, Lord.”  And Jesus, with mercy, tenderness, and compassion, replies, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

Why did Jesus say that?  Why did He extend mercy rather than condemnation?  After all, she was guilty.  This exchange was not because Jesus was soft on sin.  No, I submit to you that Jesus knew that His mission all along was to pay the price for all of humanity’s sin, including the sin of the woman before Him.  That adultery was perhaps the worst sin that woman ever committed in her life, but let’s get intensely practical here: think of your worst sin – just as I recall mine.  Here’s the truth, beloved reader: Jesus paid the penalty of that sin when He shed His blood on a wooden cross at Calvary.  Jesus is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

Let me conclude with this: God loves you with a passion.  He proved that love by dying a horrific death (see Romans 5:8).  Unfortunately, it is possible for Jesus’ sacrificial death to make no difference in your life.  It’s like if you were an heir to a rich relative who bequeathed all of his wealth to you in his will, but you said, “I don’t care.  I don’t need his money.  I can make it on my own.”  Jesus paid it all on the cross for you.  But you have to say “yes” to Him and His sacrificial act for it to be of any good to you.  The Bible says, “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”  Someone broke that verse down this way: “believe + receive = become.”  Have you done that?  If not, we are not far into 2018.  It is a great time to make the best decision of your life; the decision to make Jesus your Savior, Lord, and friend.

Kevin