As to be expected, this young man digs himself into such a hole that he will never be able to pay off all the credit card debt along with all the interest charges he has incurred. In desperation, he goes to his parents for help. And guess what his wealthy father does? He gathers up all his son’s bills…and writes out a single check and pays off the enormous debt. Talk about a miracle of being set free. Then…he tells his son to go….and try to spend less. But should he find himself in trouble again…don’t worry…Dad ‘has his back’ for all future debts as well.
Let me ask you this: Has the root of this young man’s problem been dealt with and resolved?
I would submit to you today…that the illustration I just presented is probably the way most people have heard the gospel presented and hence…live out something similar in their own lives. But instead of us having a ‘spending problem’, we had a ‘sin problem’.
By our own admission, we don’t believe the ‘sin problem’ can really be fixed in this world…so thank God for a loving Father in heaven who ‘has our back’. Problem is…Jesus didn’t instruct us to go and ‘sin less’…He commanded that we ‘go and sin no more’. (John 5:14; 8:11)
Do you know what Jesus came to do? He came not only to ‘pay our enormous debt’ but He also came to FIX OUR SIN PROBLEM. But you have to be ‘born again’, receive a new nature which comes as a byproduct of abiding in Him and as we do, we begin to walk like He walked as we are conformed to His image and those who do…not only cease from sinning, but they cannot sin because they have been born of God. (2 Cor. 5:17; John 15:1-8; 1 John 2:6; Rom. 8:29; 1 Pet. 4:1-2;1 John 3:6,9) Please…go make note of those passages…highlight them and even write them out.
Let me clue you in as to what you might expect to experience the more you delve in to studying this and allowing God to reveal this truth to you – Something within you won’t want to accept it, or at least resist it as this awareness will begin to wash over you suggesting the majority of us have either been asleep…or we’ve been duped. Maybe both. Then you only need to be reminded that we were told in scripture that this would be the condition of the church in the last days- deceived and/or asleep. (Matt. 25:1-13; 2 Thess. 2:3, 9-13)
And there we have in ‘red letters’, the words of Jesus telling His disciples: “See, I have told you all these things beforehand.” (Matt. 24:25)
Another line of thinking that will run through your head will be similar to what has, and continues to stir in the forefront of my own thoughts which is this: IF what we are seeing here laid out in front of us in our bibles is true…then this is like so much more serious than anything we could have ever imagined. Sounds like hyperbole, I know. So as you begin to digest this and meditate on it and study it out even more, you feel compelled out of urgency and love, to want to share it with others in some form or fashion. [This would be my 509th post] But you realize it can’t be done dropping one verse or a clever ‘meme’ on them, or even in a twenty minute ‘sermonette’. When you do try to communicate some of this, you will most likely get that ‘deer in the headlights’ look.
Some might give a head-nod of agreement but it becomes apparent they just don’t see it as they continue on with the normalcy routine of their lives, …’eating and drinking and giving in marriage…just as it was in the days of Noah’. (Matt. 24:38-39)
But the one thing that will begin to resonate with you is how ‘few’ really do want to ‘wake up’ and make themselves ready…just like those wise virgins did in Matt. 25. For many, it will become a ‘numbers deal’. You know, “that many people can’t be wrong”. And the minute you even hint that it seems ‘few’ are listening or ‘seeing it’, red flags go up all over the place because we’ve been conditioned to reject anything that is not the ‘norm or mainstream’. I get it. I was just as guilty of dismissing such talk or thinking.
But if you want to talk numbers, how many people did Jesus indicate would be on this ‘narrow path that leads to life?” (Matt. 7:14; Luke 13:23)
I don’t know what the population of the world was back in the days of Noah, but when it was all said and done, how many were saved by entering the ark? (1 Pet. 3:20)
I don’t know what the population of Sodom and Gomorrah was when it was destroyed, but there were but a handful with Lot who escaped the destruction . (Gen. 19)
And here’s some interesting history for you that came to light for me not long ago. When God’s people went into exile as captives to Babylon for 70 years, there was somewhere in the neighborhood of a million Jews who settled in during that time of captivity there in Babylon. When that time period was up, as promised, God was going to bring His people back to restore the city and rebuild the temple. This is where the books of Ezra and Nehemiah come in to play. What I was not aware of and recently learned, stunned me. According to most records, around 5%, if even that, heeded the call to leave Babylon and return to their homeland. No doubt, there were multiple reasons for this. But only a ‘remnant’ escaped to the homeland. I say ‘escaped’ because even though God used Babylon to carry out His judgments against His people, God had plans to then bring destruction to Babylon. That is what most of Jeremiah 51 details. In fact, look at the cry of warning there in vs. 6- what are the people exhorted to do there?
Now…not to confuse you here, but we should know that so much of what we read in the OT, in the natural realm, is a foreshadowing of what God plans on doing in the ‘spiritual realm’ today. All those ‘types’ seem to lay this out clearly. Revelation 17-19 make frequent mention of a ‘spiritual Babylon’ that has kept God’s people in captivity. Let’s just call it a modern day ‘religious system’ built on lies. After you read Jer. 51:6, check out Isa. 21:9 before flipping to Revelation 18:1-4. See any ‘connections’ there?
I find it interesting that God continues…to call people out of darkness. (1 Pet. 2:9). This has always been the call and mission of God…to separate the light from darkness. (Gen.1:4; John 1:6-9). We know that many will refuse to come to the ‘Light’ because they love darkness more. (John 3:19-21) But that does not stop Jesus form encouraging us to walk in the light while we have it. (John 12:35-36). Oh, should I also mention that the only way we can receive forgiveness of sin and be cleansed by the blood of Jesus is if we ‘walk in the light as He is in the light’. (1 John 1:7)
Did you catch that warning by Jesus there in John 12 about being ‘overtaken by darkness’? (35) Again, we easily get in to the habit of reading our daily chapters and just fly over so many nuggets of dire warnings and sobering truths. What was the warning to God’s people back there in Deut. 28:45 that if people did not heed God’s commands, what would ‘overtake’ them?
When the Lord called and then ushered me out of my ‘tomb of darkness’ almost three years ago, (an experience I liken to what Lazarus experienced), the Holy Spirit led me back to ‘school’ in His word. I would not even want to hint, pretend, or even suggest that I have this all ‘figured out’. But there were three very specific areas of study that God has just kept me camped out in that I have no doubt are foundational truths that have been grossly neglected or overlooked. I don’t say this to draw attention to myself or make myself out to be some Nehemiah who is trying to rebuild the foundations and walls. But make no mistake about it…these three areas are crucial for so many people today who have been deceived and led astray by other gospels, spirits, and ‘Jesuses’. (2 Cor. 11:2-4; 1 Tim. 4:1)
These three areas have to do with the teaching (or lack thereof) regarding The Law, Dealing with the Old Man (sinful nature) and the ‘powers of darkness’. And the more I have seen the word brought to life in these areas, the more I can see how the enemy has sidetracked us with diluted gospels where we want to argue and debate over what it means to be ‘saved’ or not, whether one can ‘lose their salvation’ or not, all the while we have failed to understand what it means to ‘abide in Christ’. And the reason I make such a point to leave you with multiple passages and scriptural references is with the hopes you will do the same that they did in Berea and study this out for yourself to see if what I am sharing here is true. (Acts 17:11)
Yes, I am…sounding the alarm. Jesus said whoever continues to commit sin is a slave to sin. (John 8:34) Sin is breaking the law of God. (1 John 3:4). Find me churches today that will teach you that you can be set free from sin and actually ‘go and sin no more’. The majority of God’s ‘sheep’ have been told, taught, and repeatedly lied to that they will ‘always be sinners…saved by grace’ and most don’t even know what they are saying when they repeat that. Especially in the light of God’s word which is clear: “Whoever abides in Him no longer sins…he cannot sin because he has been born of God and God’s seed remains in him’. (1 John 3:6,9)
When Jesus told that man in John 5:14 to ‘go and sin no more or something worse will happen to you”, He knew full well that the law was still in place and the law brings wrath and curses. But guess what…IF…IF…IF…you are abiding and following Him with all your heart (which is what real disciples do) then you are not under the law nor subject to its curses and wrath. (Gal. 5:18) And do you know what will be evident? You won’t be walking in or fulfilling all those evident deeds of the flesh. (Gal. 5:16, 19-21). Because IF…you are following Jesus and abiding in Him, then you are putting to death ALL the deeds of that sinful nature. (Rom. 8:13). Those…who ‘belong to Christ’…have done this very thing. (Gal. 5:24)
Allow me to leave you with this thought today for some prayerful consideration. People often profess the need for God’s grace daily….because of their sinful failures. Can I share with you another way of looking at grace? God’s grace was not given to continue ‘covering up our sins’ and ‘paying off our debts’. God’s grace was made available so He could empower us to overcome all sin, and the flesh and the wiles of the devil. That…is how we are ‘saved by grace’. Romans 6 might be a good chapter to spend time in today…
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