Tag: eternal life

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Examining Biblical Scripture Preparing the Bride of Jesus Christ

The Power of the Cross: ticket for LIFE

The Power of the Cross holds the ticket to Life

The power of the cross is that through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we have the opportunity for eternal life. How does this work?

Isaiah 49:6 says “‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant

To raise up the tribes of Jacob,

And to restore the preserved ones of Israel;

I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles,

That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

In coming to earth, Jesus — GOD in the flesh — offers restoration between GOD and mankind. But how could His presence on earth make such a difference as to conquer death to mankind? What does “salvation” actually mean?

The LORD gave Jesus the commission to rescue the Jewish people, GOD’s elder son. But the commission of the Son, his suffering and his mission, was deemed to be too powerful and too huge a sacrifice to limit salvation only to the Hebrew people. 

GOD sent the son for ALL and faith in Jesus saves anyone who follows Him.

What Jesus did

Jesus was born without an earthly father, who is the source of our sinful nature. It is the sinful nature that separates us from GOD. So, with Holy Spirit as the father, Jesus was born without sin, unlike every other human being.

“I didn’t come to replace the Law but to fulfil it.” (Matthew 5:17)

GOD provides the Law in order to help mankind recognise their rebellious and sinful nature and to repent. Through sacrifice, mankind is able to repent and return to relationship with the Father. But while mankind demonstrates his inability to avoid sin, he is not able either to keep the Law. Therefore he needs something beyond the Law to save him.

Jesus offers reunion between the Law and the Father, between mankind and the Father, between Life and the source of Life. Faith in Him sets us free from our own sin through His sinlessness and His sacrifice. Jesus provides the “ticket” to eternal life.

Salvation enables freedom for the sinner, to reach the Father by His grace

Forgiveness, offered by the Father through faith in the Son, is the ticket to heaven after life on earth and freedom from oppression whilst on earth.

The first Adam sinned and gave up his immortality; the second Adam replaced sin and death with the opportunity for salvation and eternal life.

So, who is Jesus?

Jesus is the saviour for mankind: born of a virgin, He lived, taught, died, and in rising again brought victory over death. Jesus triumphed over sin and death. 

Faith in Him allows us to reap the benefit of resurrection. Faith in Jesus is the ticket to eternal life. The power of the cross is the resurrection power of a sinless substitute for our sin. 

Life is eternal for those who believe and follow Jesus. The power of the cross is the ticket to life!

“No one comes to the Father except through me”

Jesus said this not because He’s racist or egotistical but because no one else before or after, was sinless AND no one else before or after, defeated death. Those are the credentials Jesus has, and no one else. So like it or not, He’s the only Way to reunion with the Creator of the Universe, GOD the Father.

Shalom and God bless… may this explanation be useful to you and yours.

Categories
Preparing the Bride of Jesus Christ

Jesus is our future but also our present

When the whole world suffers anxiety, fear and distress, why isn’t the Gospel of Jesus Christ recognised as the balm for the afflicted? It is life. Why don’t we seem to recognise this?

Jesus is our future but also our present. 

Jesus is the road to heaven but also offers our path to peace while we walk the earth: inner peace, peace with one another, peace over war between nations. If only the world could see. 

Has Evangelism gone wrong? 

If we have been called to draw the world to The Saviour Jesus, why is the world population not entirely saved?

Why does the world not see the reality of Jesus’ power to heal and the powerful effect that a commitment to Jesus has on our minds and hearts? … Perhaps it is a simple answer: Because so many who love Jesus and have committed their lives to him, do not realise this truth, and do not walk in it themselves, so cannot share it with their unbelieving sphere.

I am not saying this to blame us for the message getting lost. There is an enemy, there is an array of other cultures and religions pitted against the message of Jesus. But perhaps we who follow him haven’t necessarily contemplated the Word as well as we might. To dwell even on one passage, Romans 12:1-2, would bring us to the realisation that walking with Jesus necessarily leads us to a renewed, healthier perspective as we walk out our faith.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Jesus saves eternally, but also his teaching offers life-giving common sense, taking us out of ourselves. 

Self-centred in our innocence

I just went through boxes of old letters recently. What innocence, what innocent self-centredness, as I — and fellow correspondents — were trying to discover who we are, how we relate to one another, how to overcome disappointment, defeat, and how we can try to be decent people.

Walking with Jesus enables us to hurdle all of that introspective searching. To truly digest his message means we can overcome that self absorption instantaneously, as we grasp his wisdom and live out his message.

Truth v a Religious life

Sadly, throughout the ages, human beings have captured Jesus’ reality without grasping his message of life and freedom through love. Instead, generations of Christians have lived a religion rather than grasping the abundant life that following Jesus offers.

And from the fronts of churches and in the home, we have told one another we must behave according to religio-social rules.

To us all I say, “Come out of religion and take Jesus at his word! Be free, be responsible for your freedom, and in so doing, ignore the religiosity and legalism that causes us to fear one another and fear making a mistake. Instead, seek to love, to do right toward one another and all, and discover the abundant life that Jesus has promised.” We need to look up, look out and not focus too much on the looking in.

One hope today

There is always hope! Today, our hope is that those who do not know Jesus will become so desperate in their affliction arising from the desperate circumstances of today: poverty, disease, natural disasters, decaying society, that people will look for hope beyond governments and society. Or even better, in their desperation, may they see the love we have for one another…. that the world will know us by our love and turn to Jesus themselves.

“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” (1 John 3:16)

Jesus is not just for today but for every tomorrow until eternity. Jesus is not only for heaven but for our earthly life as well. Grasp these truths that the truth will set you free: there is no fear but only love, when we walk in the truth of Jesus’ redeeming love and salvation. Trust, accept you are accepted, follow and know that you have overcome all if only you comprehend and walk in the fullness of your salvation.

Shalom, friends. Shalom. And the peace which passes all understanding guard your heart and mind… In Jesus, Amen.

Just as it is too small a thing for Jesus to die only for the Jews but for the Gentiles also (Isaiah 49:6), so it is too small a thing for Jesus to die for eternal life after death only. Our acceptance of Him allows us to be free in the acceptance He has given to us; and His power, love and truth reside within every one who believes (Acts 13:39).

Categories
Reflections and Poetry

When will I go home? – a poem

When will I go home?

“Abide with me”

my friend said.

And so

long days and evenings 

I did spend with Him.

“I can do all things”

he wrote.

And so I believed

and have lived.

“Do not be dismayed”

he said.

And so

I walk in strength.

“I go to prepare a place”

For me?

he said.

And I wait.

‘Live more abundantly’

He promised.

I am

though not how I expect.

Abide, 

All things, 

No dismay, 

Abundant life:

I await my Kingdom home

away from home

with others like me.

And Him.

Categories
Examining Biblical Scripture

How to have a Stress Free Life

How to keep the Stress Out of Life: Your spirit made alive by your faith in Jesus is a key to living a peace-filled life.

Ready: 

We want abundant life, as peaceful and free from stress as the life Jesus led. But we don’t generally experience that, do we? Why not? And if not, how can we get to the sort of peaceful existence Jesus lived?

Our flesh is powerful. The mind, and in particular our will, doesn’t always want to cooperate with God’s Holy Spirit. When we are surrendered to God the day runs smoothly; when we choose to control our day, it can be rough. We don’t live in a vacuum; we can’t control our circumstances nor everyone around us. Control is an illusion and trying to maintain it is like rolling a very large boulder up a very steep hill. Trying to stay in control creates stress. On the other hand, surrendering our will to the supernatural sovereign God of the Universe allows for His timing and His encounters. In my experience, I’ve accomplished more and had a more satisfying close to the day when I’ve lived with a plan that is surrendered to God.

Set:

We can say we surrender… but how do we stay surrendered to God beyond a moment of prayer in the morning (or the night before)?

Fortunately we are not on our own. We stay surrendered, “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit says the LORD of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6)

Try this:

still water1. Select a passage of God’s Word and read it. It might be a single verse or a chapter; the length doesn’t matter.

2. Rest in His Word. Read it and read it again.

3. Fight an urge to resist “resting” by telling God – out loud – that you surrender your will to Him today.

4. Recognize a key step….

Did you surrender your will to your spirit and then your living spirit to God’s Holy Spirit? We have a soul and we have a spirit. Your spirit and soul are not the same thing… Here’s how: Our soul is our mind: will, intellect and emotions. But our spirit is another part of us – the part of us that makes us different from animals. It is what completes us in God’s image.

God made us in His image (Genesis 1:27, 2:7) and it is our spirit which enables us to live and move and have our being in Him. It’s a huge topic for future posts. But here I’ll split a hair… (for more see LarusWalk post The Soul and Spirit within)

Just as through our faith in Jesus we have been given eternal life, so our spirit has been given new life. The Holy Spirit is God’s comforter, helper and convicts us when we need it. In between our soul and God’s Holy Spirit is our living spirit, surrendered to God and empowered by Him. Our spirit is unique to us, ready to enable us to walk, not by might nor by power but by His Spirit. Surrendering our will to our spirit is a key to walking in Life, Love and Peace – daily. So, knowing this…..

5. Surrender your will to your spirit, and your spirit to God. Inviting your spirit to have leadership over your soul makes surrender a whole lot easier.

6. Wait. Listen internally for God’s prompting. Perhaps during the waiting you’ll feel a spontaneous urge to sing or to praise Him in some way; go for it! Or maybe there will be a sigh. It is all a part of your private surrendering process.

Go: Now go, give your day to the LORD, and see how easy the day – even with all it’s responsibilities – can be.