Each morning when I open my eyes, the first thing I do it pinch myself to see if my life, as I experience it today, is “real”, or am I still in a dream-state? I make that statement because the life I live today…I certainly never planned for; nor would I have ever thought possible. The amazing truth is, I finally found what I was always looking for, but as the familiar song tells us, “I had been looking for love (or value; or meaning; or fulfillment) in all the wrong places” for half a century. Today I am thrilled to say, my life IS happy, joyous and free! In fact, if I had a banner song it would be “To Life!” from Fiddler on the Roof.
So how did this happen? What caused this transformation? Well…it’s quite simple. I changed the way I think; and I know who I am today. But let me preface what I am going to continue writing about by saying: the answer is NOT a “self-help” solution!! In fact it is just the opposite.
We live in a culture that tells us it’s all about ME! For instance: you deserve a break today; look out for number one; go for the gusto!; your future is in your hands; ya gotta do what ya gotta do; you only have to be true to yourself, etc. No doubt that sounds good. And in fact, there is certainly truth (worldly truth) in those statements. But it is NOT the answer to being happy, joyous and free. That only comes from changing the heart, and that quite a different process.
When Jesus launched his three year ministry, it began with the famous “Sermon on the Mount”. In this presentation he revealed God’s perspective of the way things “should be”, and it was absolutely upside-down from the world’s perspective. For instance, in Matthew 5 we find: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven”; Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth; Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted; Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called Children of God.” Then Jesus went on to say we are expected to control our anger; to love our enemies; to help the poor; to honor our vows; to forgive those who have wronged us; and not to worship false-idols, ie. money, power, prestige etc.
Needless to say, it was a divisive message then and it is still a divisive message today. Why? Because it is contrary to our human nature -, which is vulnerable to our fleshly desires, the world around us, and Satan’s lies and deceptions! Our human nature, or as the Bible refers to it, our “sin nature”, is “just doing what comes naturally”. Without transformation, people can go from the cradle to the grave and miss the whole purpose and reward God has planned for them. Apostle Paul refers to this in Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know…how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.”
Make no mistake…God delights in blessing us. The Bible is literally full of promises we will inherit after we make a life-changing decision, and that decision is described in John 3. A Jewish Pharisee named Nicodemus came to speak with Jesus. He said, “Teacher, we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are proof enough that God is with you.” Jesus replied, “I assure you, unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God.” Nicodemus did not understand, so Jesus continued: “The truth is, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of the Spirit. Humans can only reproduce human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven.” The point is…to live the life God calls us to live IS impossible through our own volition. No amount of self-help will enable us to do that. Why? Because a spiritual transformation must take place in our hearts, and that only comes through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. That is also why people who are not ready to hear this message will not hear it. The only solution to spiritual problem is a spiritual answer.
REMOVING ROADBLOCKS
So maybe you too are like Nicodemus, “How do I do that?” Before I answer that question, let me dispel two myths. Being a good person is not the answer! No doubt God wants us to be good people, but that in itself will not solve the sin-issue. But we are given both the bad news and the good news in the same verse, Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is DEATH, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Jesus was God’s gift to mankind. He was the ransom paid for OUR sin! That is why it is referred to as a Gift of Grace; we did nothing to earn it and we certainly did’nt deserve it. In fact, Romans 5:8 tells us: “But God showed his great love for US by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”
Believing that Jesus is Lord is also not the answer! We are told in James 2:19 that “even the deamons tremble at the name of Jesus.” To know Jesus. even to know him as Lord, is not enough. Each of us has to accept him as Lord of our life in order to be reborn. That is the essence of Christianity. It is not about religious trappings; it’s all about our relationship with Jesus Christ and allowing him to live through us. Please trust me when I tell you from experience, His plan for my life far exceeded anything I planned. In fact, I’m doubly blessed. Today I get to conduct the Saint Louis Wind Symphony AND proclaim the Gospel of Grace. I gotta tell ya…it doesn’t get any better than this!
THE ANSWER
To be born again (spiritually reborn), we have to make a decision to accept God’s Gift of Grace. When we do that we inherit what Jesus did on the cross. He paid the price for our sins, so we are now sin-free and can come into the presence of God. Romans 8:1 says, “There is no condemnation for those who belong to Jesus Christ.”
Three days later Jesus walked out of the tomb. In doing that He broke the bonds of death and He rose to eternal life. That is also part of our inheritance when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior. Apostle John explains in 1John 5:13, “I write this to you who believe in the Son of God (who are in Christ), so that you may know you have eternal life.”
Those two truths are what draw most people to Christianity. And well it should, because now we have no doubt about our eternal destiny. But there is more…much more, and this is the answer to living a life that is happy, joyous and free. As stated at the beginning of this posting, we are living in a fallen world where temptation abounds. We are slaves to our fleshly desires and the enticements of the world around us. And if we make a decision to break free and follow God’s path for us, satan is relentless in his assault to keep us mired in his quagmire of sin. Make no mistake, he IS the prince of darkness, and our human nature is no match for him!
This point is highlighted in Ephesians 6:13: “For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms. Use every piece of God’s armor (God’s Word – the Holy Bible) to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm.” In other words, our only defense against satan and his evil minions is to combat them with the truth of God’s Word… just as Jesus did when he was tempted in the wilderness.
When we accept God’s Gift of Grace, we will be in a spiritual war that can only be won with the help of the Holy Spirit that indwells us when we become a “new creation in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) It IS way beyond our human capabilities. Galatians 5: 17, 19-22 tells the whole story. “The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activity, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, out-bursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, envy, drunkenness, wild parties and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
I want to close with one of my favorite promises: 1John 4:4, “He that is in me (the Holy Spirit) is greater than the spirit in this world” (satan!) Knowing and standing on that truth is our only pathway to a life that is happy, joyous and free. That promise tells us we are already victorious. The world will never grasp that truth because it takes the Spirit to discern Spiritual truths. But James makes it very clear in 5:10: “When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.” A-men
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May God Bless Ya…
Dan Presgrave, (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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