December 16th 2018
Your Salvation Was Started When A Baby Named Jesus Was Born!
1John 3:1 (NIV)
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
Recently I was part of a discussion with a man who practiced one of the worldly religions, and he stated that in essence, all religions lead you to God, and thus some form of salvation. His reasoning was based mostly on his disbelief that Jesus was the Savior of the world. He believed that the Savior was not yet here, but was still coming! This made what John wrote so obvious, “The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” This man was following the 613 laws given by mankind as his guide to some form of salvation, which would be obtained by rigorously following these laws given, he believed, by God! He admitted he did not know he would get to heaven when he died, because that decision was entirely up to God. He believes we are all following the same god therefore we who follow god will be somehow be rewarded when we die. He did not believe there was a place called hell! The references in this paragraph to god are not a typing mistake, as I believe we do not all follow the same god! Only Christians try to follow the God of the Bible, which has a New Testament section that sets us apart from all the worldly religions. I believe that only following Jesus Christ can save your immortal soul when you die. What do you believe?
If we really believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven, as Jesus said He is, then anyone not following Jesus will not go to heaven when they die! Jesus once taught His disciples how to know the Way to heaven. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." (John 14:2-7). If we do not tell people who have been misled to follow some worldly religion, then we are allowing them to go to hell when they die.
Remember too, we have been commissioned by Jesus to tell everyone who has not heard or yet believed the New Testament accounts given in the Bible. Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:16-20). It is amazing how difficult it is for mankind to believe that Jesus Christ is the Savior and the Way, the only way, to heaven. Matthew noted this for us the current day disciples, when he wrote, “they worshipped him; but some doubted.” It seems that one or more of the 11 Apostles had some doubt about Jesus Christ, at that time!
Yes, I know that we are currently in the Advent season, not the Lenten season, but it seemed necessary to lay out the proof of who this baby Jesus became, so we can hold dear the birth of a baby into this world, who would become the Savior of the world! Someone posted a picture and a comment this week on Face Book that caught my attention. The picture was of Mary meeting Elizabeth when Elizabeth was six months pregnant with John, who would become John the Baptist. And it then stated that this developing embryo somehow recognized who Jesus was in the embryo being carried in Mary. Luke wrote about this meeting of embryos for us to read during this Advent season, and marvel at it! When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? (Luke 1:41-43). Therefore, the first human being to identify Jesus as the Christ, was not yet born into this world. He was still residing in his mother’s womb! Please take note that the Bible tells us that human embryos are knowledgeable of their surrounding even before they are born.
In this Christmas story Luke wrote for us about how Mary was told by an angel of God that she would become the mother of God, and she was told to name this baby Jesus. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; his kingdom will never end." "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" (Luke 1:31-34). Mary knew she was still a virgin, so she was confused about how this great event would occur. Of course, she would have a lot of people near her who would not believe she was still a virgin. So, she would have a lot explaining to do, or just stay quiet and except the abusive talk about her. It is a good thing Mary was not a practicing Pro-Choice mother, and having a baby now was kind of inconvenient! In this modern time, would Jesus have been aborted, and then there would have been no Savior?
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no-one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no-one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." (John 3:2-3). Nicodemus was confused by this idea of being born again, and many people today are still confused by this term. We are born again when we accept salvation through grace by believing that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. We immediately know we are saved, because our salvation was guaranteed by what Jesus did, not by any good works we do! Christianity is the only religion that allows us to know we are saved, because our salvation is not contingent upon us gaining salvation through our good deeds! We do good deeds, because we know we have been saved!
Your salvation was started when a baby named Jesus was born into this world!
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
1John 3:1 (NIV)
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
Recently I was part of a discussion with a man who practiced one of the worldly religions, and he stated that in essence, all religions lead you to God, and thus some form of salvation. His reasoning was based mostly on his disbelief that Jesus was the Savior of the world. He believed that the Savior was not yet here, but was still coming! This made what John wrote so obvious, “The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” This man was following the 613 laws given by mankind as his guide to some form of salvation, which would be obtained by rigorously following these laws given, he believed, by God! He admitted he did not know he would get to heaven when he died, because that decision was entirely up to God. He believes we are all following the same god therefore we who follow god will be somehow be rewarded when we die. He did not believe there was a place called hell! The references in this paragraph to god are not a typing mistake, as I believe we do not all follow the same god! Only Christians try to follow the God of the Bible, which has a New Testament section that sets us apart from all the worldly religions. I believe that only following Jesus Christ can save your immortal soul when you die. What do you believe?
If we really believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven, as Jesus said He is, then anyone not following Jesus will not go to heaven when they die! Jesus once taught His disciples how to know the Way to heaven. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." (John 14:2-7). If we do not tell people who have been misled to follow some worldly religion, then we are allowing them to go to hell when they die.
Remember too, we have been commissioned by Jesus to tell everyone who has not heard or yet believed the New Testament accounts given in the Bible. Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:16-20). It is amazing how difficult it is for mankind to believe that Jesus Christ is the Savior and the Way, the only way, to heaven. Matthew noted this for us the current day disciples, when he wrote, “they worshipped him; but some doubted.” It seems that one or more of the 11 Apostles had some doubt about Jesus Christ, at that time!
Yes, I know that we are currently in the Advent season, not the Lenten season, but it seemed necessary to lay out the proof of who this baby Jesus became, so we can hold dear the birth of a baby into this world, who would become the Savior of the world! Someone posted a picture and a comment this week on Face Book that caught my attention. The picture was of Mary meeting Elizabeth when Elizabeth was six months pregnant with John, who would become John the Baptist. And it then stated that this developing embryo somehow recognized who Jesus was in the embryo being carried in Mary. Luke wrote about this meeting of embryos for us to read during this Advent season, and marvel at it! When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? (Luke 1:41-43). Therefore, the first human being to identify Jesus as the Christ, was not yet born into this world. He was still residing in his mother’s womb! Please take note that the Bible tells us that human embryos are knowledgeable of their surrounding even before they are born.
In this Christmas story Luke wrote for us about how Mary was told by an angel of God that she would become the mother of God, and she was told to name this baby Jesus. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; his kingdom will never end." "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" (Luke 1:31-34). Mary knew she was still a virgin, so she was confused about how this great event would occur. Of course, she would have a lot of people near her who would not believe she was still a virgin. So, she would have a lot explaining to do, or just stay quiet and except the abusive talk about her. It is a good thing Mary was not a practicing Pro-Choice mother, and having a baby now was kind of inconvenient! In this modern time, would Jesus have been aborted, and then there would have been no Savior?
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no-one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no-one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." (John 3:2-3). Nicodemus was confused by this idea of being born again, and many people today are still confused by this term. We are born again when we accept salvation through grace by believing that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. We immediately know we are saved, because our salvation was guaranteed by what Jesus did, not by any good works we do! Christianity is the only religion that allows us to know we are saved, because our salvation is not contingent upon us gaining salvation through our good deeds! We do good deeds, because we know we have been saved!
Your salvation was started when a baby named Jesus was born into this world!
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak