This last Fourth of July, Michael wrote: As Christians we celebrate two birthdays. The date that we were born and the date that we were born again. When we were “born again” of God's spirit, this was our Declaration of Independence from ourselves and our Declaration of Dependence on our Lord Jesus Christ. Likewise, we commemorate the Fourth of July 1776, our nation's birthday. On this date our nation was born when our Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain rule. This was also our nation's Declaration of Dependence on Almighty God when they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor in "a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence."
Many people have walked down the aisle in church at the invitation to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord of their lives. However, when they continue to commit sin, these people question whether or not they actually received salvation. There has been a shift in our church pulpits from preaching the "bad news" portion of the gospel: the emphasis on sin that separates us for God, the penalty of death for those sins, and the rightful condemnation of the soul unto eternity in Hell. However, the gospel is both good news and bad news. How do you convince the world of the need for salvation unless they understand that they are in dire need of saving? Jesus came to shine the light of the gospel to convict lost and dying people of their sin and their need for repentance and salvation. He came to reveal the lies and hypocrisy of the upside down religion of His day. He said to the Scribes and Pharisee's, "in vain do you worship me, you draw near unto with your mouth and honor me with you lips but your heart is far from me." Like those Pharisees and Scribes, many are offended at the bad news that without saving faith in Jesus Christ, we're hopeless and condemned to death; we're helpless in our own power to approach the throne of a righteous, just and holy God.
Jesus didn't come to save those who thought that they were righteous in their own power. Instead, he came to minister to those who knew they were lost spiritually, and mentally, physically and emotionally. He came to rescue the repentant ones who knew that they were in need of God’s help. To repent means to "change your mind" and to turn from sin and unto the Savior. Jesus came not to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved.
There are four types of responses upon hearing the gospel of salvation through saving faith in Jesus Christ. These responses are illustrated in Matthew 13 by Jesus' parable of the sower and the seed.
The sower sowed the crop seed. The seed represents the Word of God. The seed fell on four types of ground. Each type of soil represents one of the responses people have when they hear the gospel. The first type of soil is the hard-packed earth. This represents people who have hardened their hearts so that the Word of God cannot penetrate. The devil will snatch away the seed before it can enter in.
The second type of soil is represented by the stony ground. These are people who receive the seed of the Word and it immediately springs up. However, because they have no depth of soil, the seed cannot take root. As soon as the hot sun appears (representing persecution), they wither and die. These are people who go through the motions and walk down the aisle, but never truly believe. They cannot live by the truth of the Word because the seed of the Holy Spirit has not penetrated their hearts. They are living according to the world's systems and cannot see from a spiritual perspective. When they encounter trials and tribulation, they quickly turn away from the truth of the Word.
Let's continue Michael's message in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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