By Pastor Greg
So it seems that these four
ministers had a series of theological arguments, and three were always against
the fourth. One day, after the usual 3
to 1 vote, the odd pastor out decided to appeal to a higher authority. "Oh, Lord!" he cried. "I know in my heart that I am right and
they are wrong! Please give me a sign to
prove it to them!" As soon as the
minister finished his prayer, a storm cloud moved across the sunny sky right above
the four pastors. It rumbled once and
dissolved. "A sign from God! See, I'm right, I knew it!" said the
fourth pastor, but the other three disagreed since storm clouds can form on hot
days. So the pastor prayed again:
"Oh, God, I need a bigger sign.”
This time four storm clouds appeared, rushed toward each other to form
one big cloud, and a bolt of lightning slammed into a nearby tree. "I told you I was right!" cried the
minister, but his friends insisted that it all could be explained by natural
causes. The Pastor was getting ready to
ask for a *very big* sign, but just as he said, "Oh God...," the sky
turned pitch black, the earth shook, and a deep, booming voice said,
"HEEEEEEEE'S RIIIIIIIGHT!” The
minister put his hands on his hips, turned to the other three, and said,
"Well?" One of the other
pastors shrugged and said, "So. Now
it's 3 to 2."
Some people are so
stubborn. They simply will not believe,
no matter what might happen. This kind
of reminds me of a group of people who heard God speak to Jesus one day. Some believed. However, some thought it was just thunder
(John 12:28-29). Apparently, they still
needed convincing. Some of them doubted
that the words of Jesus were true. So
God shouts, “He’s right”. And yet in
John 12:37-38 we read, 37 But despite all
the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe
in him. 38 This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had
predicted: “Lord, who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord revealed
his powerful arm?”
John
says these people refused to believe the message of Jesus because God blinded
their eyes and hardened their hearts (John 12:40). In other words, God was not going to force
them to open their eyes or open their hearts.
If these people were going to be this stubborn, then God was not going
to intervene. I mean, think about what
these people had seen and heard. Many of
them witnessed Jesus shout the name of a dead man and watch him come back to
life. Many saw Him feed the crowds, heal
the sick, give sight to the blind, and help the lame walk again. Some even watched Him calm a storm and walk
on water. And here, God had just spoken
from Heaven confirming that the words of Jesus were true. Yet they would not believe. What more could Jesus do to confirm the
truth? But instead of shrugging His
shoulders and walking away, Jesus persists.
He shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you
are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. 45 For when
you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me”
(John 12:44-45). It seems Jesus
sincerely wants these people to open their hearts and believe. It seems like their rejection is a big deal;
as if their very life depended on trusting and believing in Him.
So,
have you ever wondered why Jesus is such a big deal? Why is it so important that a person believe
in Jesus and trust in His message? Why
did Christians back then and Christians today insist that Jesus is our
Savior? And what exactly does He save us
from in the first place? What’s out there that is so
terrible, that it took the death of Jesus to save us?
Jesus often spoke of a future
time when people would be cast into outer darkness (compare Luke 13:28). In another conversation, Jesus said that the
wicked would be thrown, “into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:50).
What does all of this mean? It
means that a time is coming when, “cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral,
those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in
the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death” (Revelation
21:8).
Jesus
ends this conversation in John 12 by saying, 46 I
have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their
trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. 47 I will not
judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world
and not to judge it. 48 But all who reject me and my message
will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken. 49 I
don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what
to say and how to say it. 50 And I know his commands lead to
eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say.”
One day, humanity will face a
Day of Judgment. God will put an end to
wickedness, selfishness, and deceit. However,
in His mercy, God sent Jesus to offer His life as a ransom BEFORE that day
arrives. A Day of Judgment is coming,
says Jesus, but He has come to spare us from this terrible Day of the Lord.
Listen, I want to make this as
clear as I possibly can. When the Lord
takes the Church away, those left behind will face a horrible future. There will be religious persecution,
financial persecution, and political persecution. A man who is empowered by the Devil will be
in control of everything. And eventually,
God will unleash severe judgments upon him and all who worship this Antichrist. Eventually, earth and the sky above will be
destroyed. But even then, many will not
believe. Even after Jesus reigns on this
earth for a thousand years, some still will not believe, and because they
reject Jesus and His message, they will be cast into a lake of fire for the
rest of eternity.
The future of this world and its
people is darker than anything we have ever imagined. Yet in His mercy, God sent Jesus with a message
of peace. By accepting Jesus as the
Messiah (the Savior) and by believing His message, we are saved from the
disaster that awaits us. That’s why the
words of Jesus are such a big deal.
That’s why it’s important for you and me to accept Jesus as Savior. Because of Him, we are spared from living a
nightmare.
Today we are living in the day
of grace; the time between the Cross and the Second Coming of Christ. Right now, Jesus is offering to save us; to
spare us the Day of Judgment. That’s
why Jesus and His message is such a big deal.
It not a matter of you finding your way to Heaven, as some religions
suggest. It’s a matter of accepting the
Man from Heaven God sent to save. This
is why we call Him Savior.
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