July 25th 2021
Enjoy Your Life Because You Are Free To Believe!
1 John 2:1-2 (NIV)
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
Are you a slave to something in this world? This world has been cursed because of the first or original sin committed by mankind. In this world you have a freewill, so you can choose what or whom you will follow. Paul wrote about his, and our struggle, with Satan, or our alliance with Jesus. Those are the only two choices! What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 7:24-25 and 8:1-2).
Paul wrote about the struggle we all face in this world of self-satisfaction or ego, which causes us to error on the side of sin, rather than to be happy by trying to be sinless. It appears as time goes by mankind is losing the battle to becoming slaves of Satan, and thus, avoiding any contact with Jesus. Most people are choosing to live “in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.” Without the Holy spirits guiding in your life, the job is turned over to Satan and his demons. Again, these are the only choices available to mankind in this world.
In the “Parable of the Sower” we read about the available choices we have. When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, "‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’" (Mark 4:10-12). The above statement can be somewhat confusing, as it seems that Jesus’s parables may have been meant to confuse those who do not yet believe, thus keeping them from accepting salvation through understanding who Jesus is. However, what Jesus is saying is just that once you come to believe, then you will be able to discern God’s truth and turn from your sinful ways. These are the people who Jesus refers to when He talked about the seed that fell on the good soil. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown." (Mark 4:20).
It seems very important to indicate here that the Twelve were not the only ones who could understand the parables of Jesus, and thus be saved, as some may think! For Mark wrote “the Twelve and the others around him.” Thus, all the followers of Jesus are included in the reference to “Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop!” So, if you are a follower of Jesus, you will be able to understand the teachings of Jesus and pass them on to contribute to the possible salvation of others.
No natural man could ever truthfully say, “I delight in the law of God,” and in our modern world it is probable that most people have broken at least most of God’s Ten Commandments and often delight in doing so. But the “old man” becomes a “new man” when he accepts Christ as his Savior, for “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” (Galatians 3:13). Thus, the “inward man” can thus “delight in the law of God!” Not to earn salvation (which we could never do) but because we love to live for Him who died for us. Are you trying to live for Jesus because He died for you?
Jesus never painted a pretty picture of what you should expect once you have committed your life to following Him! If you are expecting a great and wonderful life, as soon as you accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, well maybe you should expect joy in your personal life, but it is unlikely that unbelievers will ever respect your belief system. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:11-12). Look forward to a reward at the end of this mortal lifetime
The writer of Hebrews wrote about a time that seems to me to still coming, as I do not see any evidence that people now have the love of the Lord, and thus other people lovingly in their hearts. "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds." (Hebrews 10:16). We do see this type of love shown by some people, and maybe this is already true, for people today who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. We see such people taking their own time and money to help those people who have earthly needs. They do not do these good deeds to attract attention to themselves, they seem to do them out of love for all people, and they seem to try to love even the seemingly unlovable people.
This writing in Hebrews was referring to the time after the perfect sacrifice was made by Jesus, therefore, no more animal sacrifices were needed for God to forgive sins. Today would Jesus say of such people. “I have put my laws in their hearts, and I have written them on their minds!" Would Jesus include you in this category? Jesus died to free you from your sins, accept this grace offered by God, and enjoy your life, because you are free to believe!
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
1 John 2:1-2 (NIV)
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
Are you a slave to something in this world? This world has been cursed because of the first or original sin committed by mankind. In this world you have a freewill, so you can choose what or whom you will follow. Paul wrote about his, and our struggle, with Satan, or our alliance with Jesus. Those are the only two choices! What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 7:24-25 and 8:1-2).
Paul wrote about the struggle we all face in this world of self-satisfaction or ego, which causes us to error on the side of sin, rather than to be happy by trying to be sinless. It appears as time goes by mankind is losing the battle to becoming slaves of Satan, and thus, avoiding any contact with Jesus. Most people are choosing to live “in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.” Without the Holy spirits guiding in your life, the job is turned over to Satan and his demons. Again, these are the only choices available to mankind in this world.
In the “Parable of the Sower” we read about the available choices we have. When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, "‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’" (Mark 4:10-12). The above statement can be somewhat confusing, as it seems that Jesus’s parables may have been meant to confuse those who do not yet believe, thus keeping them from accepting salvation through understanding who Jesus is. However, what Jesus is saying is just that once you come to believe, then you will be able to discern God’s truth and turn from your sinful ways. These are the people who Jesus refers to when He talked about the seed that fell on the good soil. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown." (Mark 4:20).
It seems very important to indicate here that the Twelve were not the only ones who could understand the parables of Jesus, and thus be saved, as some may think! For Mark wrote “the Twelve and the others around him.” Thus, all the followers of Jesus are included in the reference to “Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop!” So, if you are a follower of Jesus, you will be able to understand the teachings of Jesus and pass them on to contribute to the possible salvation of others.
No natural man could ever truthfully say, “I delight in the law of God,” and in our modern world it is probable that most people have broken at least most of God’s Ten Commandments and often delight in doing so. But the “old man” becomes a “new man” when he accepts Christ as his Savior, for “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” (Galatians 3:13). Thus, the “inward man” can thus “delight in the law of God!” Not to earn salvation (which we could never do) but because we love to live for Him who died for us. Are you trying to live for Jesus because He died for you?
Jesus never painted a pretty picture of what you should expect once you have committed your life to following Him! If you are expecting a great and wonderful life, as soon as you accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, well maybe you should expect joy in your personal life, but it is unlikely that unbelievers will ever respect your belief system. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:11-12). Look forward to a reward at the end of this mortal lifetime
The writer of Hebrews wrote about a time that seems to me to still coming, as I do not see any evidence that people now have the love of the Lord, and thus other people lovingly in their hearts. "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds." (Hebrews 10:16). We do see this type of love shown by some people, and maybe this is already true, for people today who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. We see such people taking their own time and money to help those people who have earthly needs. They do not do these good deeds to attract attention to themselves, they seem to do them out of love for all people, and they seem to try to love even the seemingly unlovable people.
This writing in Hebrews was referring to the time after the perfect sacrifice was made by Jesus, therefore, no more animal sacrifices were needed for God to forgive sins. Today would Jesus say of such people. “I have put my laws in their hearts, and I have written them on their minds!" Would Jesus include you in this category? Jesus died to free you from your sins, accept this grace offered by God, and enjoy your life, because you are free to believe!
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak