The first thing that we all need to realize is that the problem lies within each of our hearts. We are all sinners. We were all born into this world with a sin nature. Our hearts were bent away from God when we came into this world. We were all born spiritually dead. It is our sin that separates us from a Holy and loving God. Our relationship with God is broken and our relationship with each other is broken as well. We need to be reconciled back to God before we can be reconciled to each other.
The world keeps pushing God away and trying to throw Him out of our of society. The world has tried to throw God out of schools, government, and every other area that we can think of and now we are seeing the results in our world today. People have turned away from God. People love the darkness and they don't want to come to the light and have their evil deeds exposed.
There needs to be a reconciliation to take place between human beings and God. God made a way for us to be born again and be reconciled back to Himself. God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into this world of darkness on a rescue mission to save sinners from eternal damnation. God doesn't want to see anyone perish or be placed in a literal hell for all eternity. God's desire is that everyone come to repentance of their sins and place their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross.
This past Sunday started the Advent season where we prepare our hearts for the celebration of the first coming of Jesus Christ when He was born into this world in which He created. Sometimes we get so used to hearing the Christmas story year after year that we fail to realize the awesomeness of all that transpired and the great eternal impact it has for each one of us. God came down to dwell with His creation in the person of Jesus Christ. God the Son, Jesus, came to the earth to live a perfect and sinless life.
I am reminded of what the Apostle John wrote in his Gospel in John 1:1-14 which says,
"1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcomea it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John.
7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.
8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.
11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
People sometimes think that Jesus got His start when He was born into this world, but that is not true. Jesus has always existed. He is the second person of the Holy Trinity. There is the Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. There is only One Living God and He exists in three persons. Jesus is the light of the world and He stepped into this world of darkness to save us all from our sin problem. There is not one of us that is good enough on our own to earn forgiveness of our sins and there is not one of us good enough to earn our way into Heaven. That is why God sent Jesus Christ into this world.
When we think of the first coming of Jesus we should also remember why He came. Our minds shouldn't stop at the manger scene and the shepherds. Our thoughts should also go to Golgotha where Jesus Christ died on a cruel old rugged Cross for my sins, your sins, and for the sins of the whole world. What God has done for us is wonderful because Jesus is Wonderful and worthy of all of our praise and worship.
Jesus rose from the dead on the third day and He is at the right hand of the Father in Heaven and one day Jesus will return to this earth as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. The Lord gives each one of us a chance to be reconciled back to God by placing our faith and trust in Jesus Christ and His finished work that He accomplished for us on the Cross.
God gave us the right to become children of God by placing our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We must repent of our sins and confess our need for a Savior to the Lord. We need to receive this gift of salvation by placing out faith in Jesus Christ.
When we start preparing our hearts during this Advent season let our focus be on the Lord Jesus Christ and all that He has accomplished for us and all that He is still doing for us each and everyday. The Lord Jesus loves you and He does care for you. The Lord promises to never leave us nor will He ever forsake us. We need to Adore Him as Christ our Lord.
The Word became flesh and dwelt among human beings and the world didn't seem to give much notice. Unfortunately the world still doesn't seem to give much notice to who the Lord Jesus is. Many are distracted with all the shopping, the planning for parties, and the tree decorated to even give God even a thought. There are people in Churches all over our world that don't give the Lord a single thought except maybe on Sunday mornings.
You and I are on His thoughts because He loves us so very deeply that He made a way for you and I to obtain forgiveness of our sins and entrance into Heaven through the precious shed blood of Jesus Christ. What an Awesome God to do all of this for us. We should be humbled and bow down before our God and Lord and serve Him.
There is great darkness all around out world these days and I am afraid it will indeed get worse. Many things will change and not necessarily for the better. The world is in trouble. The world needs a Savior and there is One in Christ the Lord. Times are hard and things will get really tough. When we place our faith in the Lord Jesus our problems don't just go away, but we can know that He will be with us through the rough times if we just come to believe on Him as our Lord and Savior.
The devil is running around like crazy and he is stirring us trouble trying to find people to devour. Satan is attacking to Church and it's leaders. We must place upon ourselves the full armor of God and be filled with the Holy Spirit. We must stand firmly upon the Word of God and not move from it. We must cling to the hope we have in the Lord Jesus Christ and flee anything that is not pleasing to Him.
May our hearts be focused on the Lord Jesus Christ during this season and beyond. May our hearts be filled with His joy that He brings into our hearts just by knowing Him and being known by Him.
Lord, Heavenly Father,
Thank You for sending the Lord Jesus Christ into this world on a rescue mission to save us from our sins.
We praise Your Name.
Pour out Your Holy Spirit upon us and have Your way in our lives.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment