Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Dying Declaration

Luke 23:33-34, "When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."[a] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots."
The scripture says that the words of Jesus were like no other words. When the Roman soldiers heard the words of Jesus, they came back and they reported to their superiors, they said, "no man has ever spoken like this man. For his words had authority, and not like those of the scribes." In the words of Jesus, He could still the storm, He could raise the dead, and He could cleanse the lepers, in the words of Jesus there was power and there was light.
Matthew 24 tells us "that heaven and earth will pass away but my word will never pass away." Jesus himself said in John 6:35, "the words I speak to you, they are spirit and they are light." No other man could say that about his words and so the words of Jesus are extremely important.
I believe that the words Jesus spoke from the cross are very importance. Why? They reveal the very heart of God. If we wanted to know the heart of God, if we want to understand the Father, then we need to study the words Jesus used on the cross. Then we will understand the heart and the mind of God as in no other words in the bible.
Many times we hear people say, "Nobody’s perfect!" The Bible wholeheartedly echoes this point. Look at Romans 3:23: 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Micah tells us that shameful men "do evil with both hands earnestly" while Hosea proclaimed, "they sin more and more." Sinful folk rise early to corrupt their own lives (Zephaniah 3:7) and become as chaff which God blows away! The vain nothingness of corruption is best described in: Jeremiah 3:25: "We lie down in our shame, and confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God."
Paul wrote of men who were without God and without hope in this world (Ephesians 2:12)? In Hebrews 3:13 we read of the deceitfulness of sin and in II Corinthians 2:11 we learn of Satan's devices. Only being steadfast and loyalty to Christ can we withstand his wiles (Ephesians 6:10-12).
Sin is like the lizard which change its colors to meet the surroundings. Sin is dangerous because the Devil is clever and man is gullible. Too many people would rather believe a lie and be condemned than to joyously embrace the Truth and be saved (II Thessalonians 2:10-12). As Isaiah state, rebellious children sin more and more (Isaiah 30:1) we know that as time pass "evil men wax worse and worse." It takes little effort to be a sinner while righteousness requires the very best production of our lives. The path of least resistance makes crooked rivers and ungodly people.
The penalty of sin is death. Death is both physical and spiritual in nature. Our sin dooms us for all eternity. But God in all His grace has offered us a free gift. One that cannot be earned, and is most certainly undeserved. That gift is Life...Eternal Life. Only God could give us this gift and once given He will never take it away.
Jesus replied, "I assure you, unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God." John 3:3 (NLT)
That free gift of Eternal life is amazing. It begins with a new beginning. Spiritual birth takes place, we receive a clean slate as children of God.
Just as God has given the gift, He has provided a way to receive that gift, but there is only one way...Jesus Christ.
John 14:6 (NCV) Jesus answered, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through me."
One way means there is only one way to God. You can’t get there by being a "good person", going to church, by being "religious" or by being baptized. Only through Jesus Christ can we come to God...there is no other way.
Jesus died so that you might live.
Corinthians 5:15 (NLT) He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live to please themselves. Instead, they will live to please Christ, who died and was raised for them.
Jesus died for everyone. No one is so "bad" that Jesus did not die for them. As with any gift, God’s gift of salvation must be received, it’s a free choice. With salvation comes new life, a fresh start, a chance to live for the purposes in which God has created you.
Will you open the door of your life today?

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