Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…Thanks to all of you who read last week’s blog and took the time to respond. It is much appreciated. I always encourage that, even when your perspective is different from mine. I like to look at this as a small group, or a discussion group if you will, because I believe that it is this setting that fosters personal growth. This is where questions get asked and answered; it is where different perspectives can lead to bigger, clearer pictures. I guess that is why teaching and counseling suits me better than preaching. I like the banter and the challenges that can come from the interaction. I believe that unless questions get answered to one’s satisfaction, our faith can be stymied. And my idea of a satisfactory answer is the one that is firmly grounded in Scriptural truth. I guess that is why I try to minimize the personal perspective in my writing, but instead present many Scriptures as the foundation for my perspective. Having said all of that…feel free to respond with questions or statements. 🙂
Today I want to tackle a subject that I choose to call the “dilemma of Mankind”, and that subject is SIN. (all caps are just for emphasis…however, when “Sin” is capitalized, it is a noun and refers to our state of being, such as “living in Sin”. When it is referred to as “sin”, it is a verb and describes an action. So think about this…are we a Sinner because we sin, or do we sin because we are a Sinner? Hummm…
On the sixth day, “when God created animals…livestock, small animals and wildlife, God saw that it was good. Then God said, ‘Let us make people in our image to be like ourselves. (The plural form is used to designate the Trinity) They will be masters over all life – the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the livestock, wild animals and the small animals. So God created people in his own image; God patterned them after himself; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:24-27) By creating us in His own image, God had to give us something that no other species in the animal kingdom had, and that would be a brain for rational thinking. All other animals live by instinct; Man has a brain so “WE” can make rational choices such as entering into a relationship with Him, or reflecting His glory by choosing to be in line with his will.
So here’s what transpired after the creation of Man. In the Garden of Eden, this perfect world where Creation began, God put two trees in the middle of the Garden with this proclamation: “You my freely eat any fruit in the garden except fruit from “the tree of knowledge of good and evil”. If you eat of its fruit, you will surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17) What we must see in this story is that as long as they chose “the tree of life” (staying obedient to God), his provision for the original inhabitants was more than sufficient. It was paradise; everything was perfect, and God’s proudest creation wanted for nothing. The only requirement was “don’t eat from “the tree of knowledge of good and evil” (which represents the “world” – which represents evil.) As the story goes, Eve was seduced by satan (who was cast down to this world after the rebellion in heaven) when he offered her the same lie he offers our world today: “If you eat from this delicious fruit (teachings of this world), your eyes will be opened. Then you won’t need God; you can be your own God.” (Genesis 3:4-5)
So here is the truth. With our ability to make choices (or exercise our free-will), we either choose good (the tree of life – God’s plan) or we choose evil (our plan). Notice that the original sin was taking the focus off of God and putting it on “self”. Eve was seduced by the idea that she could be self-sufficient; that she could be in charge; that she could be her own god. That’s what the world offers, and the author of that offering is still the “father of lies” himself, satan. (John 8:44) As long as the focus is on “self”, we are living to honor “ME” rather than honoring God, and therin is the chasm.
Was God surprised when Man chose to turn from His plan to follow his own plan? Absolutely not! God’s omniscience is displayed in Ephesians 1: 4,10-11: “Long ago, even before he created the world (and Man), God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. And this is his plan: At just the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ – everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because of Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us from the beginning and all things happen just as he decided long ago.” It is very important to see this point: the ones who were chosen long ago are the ones who are in Christ; those who were willing to accept his Gift of Grace. God’s plan from the beginning was always to provide a Redeemer to do for us what he knew we would not be able to do for ourselves.
Man had from Creation to 2017 years ago to wrestle with the dilemma of Sin. And how did we fare? Romans 5:6 is explicit in its detail: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time to die for us sinners. The right time for God to implement his plan was when we were utterly helpless to save ourselves. That indictment leaves little doubt about our inability to overcome our sin-nature through our own effort, and it also answers the question asked at the beginning…we are Sinners (separated from God), therefore we sin by our very nature.
God created Man for a relationship with himself. Not just a here and now relationship, but he wants us for an eternal relationship. But here is the rub: God hates sin because sin spreads, contaminates, destroys and kills – AND,” the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23) And since His standard is perfection, he said “you must be holy because I am holy”. (1 Peter 1:16) In other words, we can’t get through the pearly gates to spend eternity with God, Jesus and all other Christ-followers if we are stained with SIN, and no amount of our best effort or good works will make us clean As the song goes…”nothing but the blood of Jesus can wash away our sins”, but even more exacting, Jesus himself said in John 14:6: “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This leaves no doubt. Salvation is named Jesus.
Let me close with the story of Jesus healing the Leper. Jesus had just finished his famous “Sermon on the Mount”, and when he came down from the hillside, a huge crowd was following him. “Suddenly a man with leprosy approached Jesus. He knelt before him and said, ‘If you want to, you can make me well again.’ Jesus touched him, ‘I want to’ he said. ‘Be healed, and instantly the leprosy disappeared.” (Matthew 8:1-4) At that time, people with leprosy were outcasts. They had to live alone, outside the city, and maintain a certain distance from other people. The disease was a slow growing bacteria that affected the skin, and nerves outside the brain and spinal cord and manifested itself in disfiguring skin sores and lumps and bumps. For Jesus to reach out and touch the infected man definitely got the crowd’s attention, but the instant disappearance of the disease was even more astounding. Josephus, a secular writer at the time of Jesus, referred to lepers as “walking dead men.”
But the good news for us today is…what Jesus did for the leper, he can do for our spiritual disease of “SIN”. We too are walking dead men, but God in his gracious kindness has provided a way for us to be restored to spiritual health. It is a free gift that is available to anyone who is willing to do what the leper did; “bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him.” (James 4:10) Jesus is anxiously waiting to touch your heart and restore you to spiritual health.
Today can be your day of Salvation. It can happen by earnestly praying this simple prayer. “Dear Jesus… I know I have been living outside your will…I know that I have been displeasing to you…but I want to change to become the person you created me to be… I know I can’t do it without you…Please come into my heart and lead me down the path you want me to follow. In Jesus name, Amen!”
Feel free to respond to this posting, and please “like” and share with other social media friends.
May God Bless Ya…
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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