Good Day, My Friends…just got back from spending last weekend in Ohio at my 50th HS reunion. What a hoot! And as you might expect, none of us have changed a bit…other than our eyesight may have become a bit faulty… But it’s when we have an experience like that we come to appreciate the true value friendships, and come to realize all the more, it’s what we invest in people that is our most important investment. I am very thankful today God has blessed me with so many friends!
Last week I talked about what it means to be a Christian. Quite simply it means we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and as a result of that decision, (1) our sins have been forgiven and (2) we inherit eternal life. It is those two blessings that draw most people to Christianity, and well it should. It certainly beats the alternative: Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death.”(spiritual death; eternal damnation!) While I certainly don’t want to under-state or under-rate the value of those blessings, I do want to point out they are only the beginning of the many blessings that come to us from being in Christ. Allow me to take a moment and explain the “why” and “how” we get those two blessings before I get into the “icing on the cake” result that comes from being a follower of Jesus Christ.
Prior to our decision to become a follower of Jesus Christ, we lived our life according to the values of this world, albeit a “fallen world”. We didn’t set out to sin. We just did what comes naturally according to our human-nature (sin-nature), or what we observed other non-believers doing. We were living life to satisfy our prideful, lustful, self-centered desires while conforming to the standards of this world without even realizing it was displeasing to God. In essence we all are (or were) participants in this fallen world. But the good news is…there is an alternative to this quagmire of stressful, sometimes futile, existence that offers us the hope, fulfillment, peace and serenity we have all been searching for, but have been looking for in all the wrong places.
When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the above scenario changes. We are no longer slaves to our sin-nature. Now we have a choice. At conversion, we became a “new creation” in Christ, meaning our old nature (our sin-nature) has been removed and we are filled with a new spirit, the Holy Spirit that empowers us to live a new life – a God-centered life. That is what we as Christians are called to do; we are called to be “God’s light in a world filled with darkness.” (Matt.5:14-16)
As I mentioned in last week’s blog, God’s plan for our salvation is perfect. Not only does he save us from eternal damnation; not only does he promise us eternal life, but he empowers us to begin living a life that brings honor and glory to Him right here, right now in this fallen world. While salvation certainly gives us hope for what happens after death, it also gives us the ability to begin receiving God’s blessings in this life. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to be his ambassadors to non-believers by carrying his message to the world. The best way to carry that message is by demonstrating the principles Jesus represented: love, mercy, grace, forgiveness and service to others. A message lived is much more effective than a message preached. Conversely, a message preached, yet not lived does little or nothing to further the truth of Jesus’ teachings to non-believers. As we learn from 1 John 4:4, Jesus told his disciples, “…if you follow my teachings you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” Jesus was very specific about the truth he was referencing: my teachings, which is the truth of God’s word.
The freedom Jesus is referencing is freedom from our sin-nature. As stated in 2 Cor. 5: 17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here.” The “old has gone” refers to our sin-nature; the “new is here” refers to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. (Ref. last week’s blog, “What is the Holy Spirit”, paragraph 5, for a more detailed explanation of the Holy Spirit.) Briefly, the Holy Spirit is the essence of Jesus Christ that indwells all believers and empowers us to rise above this world and live the life we are called to live.
Jesus absolutely knows what it means to be a human living in this fallen world. He experienced it himself. Therefore he understands the temptations, the pressures, the trials and tribulations we will face as his followers. The same concern and compassion he showed to his original twelve disciples, he still shows for his disciples today through the Holy Spirit. That is why he said in John 16:7, “I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go away. If I do not go the Helper will not come to you. If I go away, I will send him to you.” It is the Holy Spirit – our helper, our guide, our strength – that empowers us to resist the pressures of this world; the lustful desires of our flesh, and the temptations of the enemy (Satan). It is the Holy Spirit that empowers us to love God with all of our heart; all of our strength; and all of our mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. If we live those two commandments, we automatically live the Law that was given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. Jesus said in Matt. 5:17, “…I did not come to abolish the Law of Moses (the Ten Commandments) or the writings of the prophets, but to fulfill them.”
As Christians, we too are called to be an example of God’s love, mercy and grace to the world around us. That is a super-human calling, and without the help of the Holy Spirit, we too would still be in bondage to our sin-nature. But now we have the power and the freedom to resist the standards of the world and rise to a higher standard, not by our own effort, but by allowing the Holy Spirit to live in and work through us. Now when we face temptations, trials or tribulations, we ask the Holy Spirit to give us whatever we need to overcome the issue at hand. Perhaps we need wisdom; perhaps strength; perhaps perseverance; perhaps patience. 1 John 5: 14-15 tells us that “whatever we ask for, that is in line with His will for our lives, will be given to us.” And in Romans 8:28 we find that “…in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” God’s promise to us is that he will bless those who are in line with his will. Step III of the twelve step recovery program states this most eloquently: “we became willing to turn our will and our life over to the care of God, as we understood Him.”
I highlighted “care” above because I believe that is key to understanding God’s plan for our life. He is not interested in controlling our lives. If that were the case, he would have programed us at creation to be perfect ladies and gentlemen and this would still be the perfect world he created. But he didn’t do that. Instead he gave us free-will so we have the power to choose our own destiny. But when we turn from the corruption of this world and turn to Him, he becomes our care-giver and does what any care-giver would do. He meets our needs and looks out for our safety. He also delights in blessing those who are in Christ. In the beginning we were his proudest creation, but now that we are in Christ, we are his Masterpiece. Eph. 2:10 reads, “He has created us anew in Christ so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” First and foremost among those things he planned for us long ago was to let his light shine through us as we love one another. That, my friends, is why we are here.
Unfortunately there are many Christians today who live their lives seemingly oblivious to the power of the Holy Spirit that indwells them. That is a sad situation, because it is that power that allows us to live a life that is happy, joyous and free right now. As I stated earlier, salvation is not something that is reserved for our after-death existence; it is intended to start the moment we become followers of Jesus Christ.
But the truth is…when we become Christians there is no mental delete button to immediately erase the many years of faulty teaching; faulty impressions; lies and half-truths we have stored away in the recesses of our mind. Again, when we make the decision to follow Christ, the great deceiver (Satan) goes into warp speed to do everything he can to shipwreck our new life. His greatest weapons are lies and deception, so he uses those faulty impressions, faulty teachings, lies and half-truths as his weapon against us. “You don’t really think you’re worthy…..”; “You’ll never be able to do…..”; “God will never forgive….”. All of that is a lie! The truth is found in 1 John 4: 4, “He (the Holy Spirit) that is in me is greater than He (Satan) that is in this world.”
We are already victorious! Satan was defeated more than 2000 years ago at the cross. Your sins were forgiven. You are now acceptable to God because you are a Child of God. Romans 8:1 makes it crystal clear: “There is no condemnation for those in Christ.” Sin is no longer an issue. You have been set free. Now you have the power of the Holy Spirit in you to resist temptation, so now you ask: Holy Spirit, empower me with, patience, strength, wisdom, courage…(whatever you need) to resist sin and bring honor and glory to God. That is when the shower of blessings is bestowed on us. We, as followers of Christ, are heirs to all the promises of Abraham; all the promises in the Bible, and all the blessings in the spiritual realm. It doesn’t get any better than that, my friends, and that is the source of our joy!
My question to you today is… Do you live your life with confidence realizing you have the Holy Spirit in you? Are you God’s light in this fallen world?
May God bless ya,
Dan Presgrave, (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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