October 2nd 2022
Jesus Will Be Coming To Take You To Where He Is, When He Is Ready For You!
Romans 6:4 (NIV)
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Paul is writing about how followers of Jesus are born again into their eternal life cycle leaving behind the mortal part of our being. Of course, we do not actually leave our mortal sin-cursed body that we inherited from the original sin of Adam. However, this rebirth does immediately free us from the hold that this sin-cursed world promotes. The promoter is called Satan, and he tries to continue to tempt us even after we have been born again. You (we) can avoid sinning BUT doing so requires constant monitoring on our part. Are you feeling the temptations to do things you know are not positive for you to do?
Your sinful nature will cause you to produce ideas of sinful attractions that seem very appealing, and do not seem like such actions and reactions are really all that bad. Remember, Satan tempted Jesus immediately after John the Baptist baptized him. Jesus was born into this sin-cured world without a sinful nature, since He did not have an earthly father. But just as Adam committed that original sin when he did not yet have a sinful nature, so Jesus could have sinned too. This was the first test Jesus experienced after He had been baptized! Yet, Jesus did not sin!
It is true you (we) have a sinful nature, but that does not mean we will sin when tempted, as your (our) sinful nature has been covered by the blood of Jesus Christ, when you (we) accepted your salvation by the grace of God! Remember, your salvation is a gift, you do not deserve it, as down deep you (we) are all sinners, thus unable to be good enough to save our immortal soul by all the good deeds we may do.
Paul again wrote for us the promise Jesus Christ makes to all His followers about the salvation plan He offers! That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 9:10). Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? The answer to this question is the most important priority for your mortal life, as the answer results in where your immortal soul will reside for all eternity.
In this lifetime we all need directions to help us live in a way that allows us to be happy and fulfilled. Jesus often referred to following Him and thus being lead as sheep are led by their shepherd. One such quote is recorded by John. Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. (John 10:7). Jesus was not just making another notable “I am” statement in this verse but also putting forth a sober warning. This warning is related to the statement likening His followers to sheep, a common theme for God’s people in the Old Testament as well. Sheep are directionless, weak, prone to wandering, timid, stubborn, easily frightened, and utterly defenseless against predators. Without a shepherd, they are in deep trouble.
Okay, we may not like being compared to sheep, after reading the above paragraph, which I borrowed from a daily devotional I use. However, it seems this writer does kind of hit home on the normal temperament we may experience most every day if we are alert to our thought process. The final sentence “Without a shepherd, (we) they are in deep trouble.” I would think about substituting (we) in this sentence replacing (they)!
Matthew recorded what Jesus once said to His disciples, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14). It seems very few people will in their mortal lifetime find Jesus Christ, and believe He is the promised Messiah and the only Way to follow, as a sheep, follows its shepherd. Who or what are you patterning your lifestyle after? With the social media we can hear opposite answers to the same question, and both answers may be wrong.
Only Jesus Christ supplies answers to the most important questions of this life, and it is important that we study His Word, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide our thoughts. Of course, you can get some good advice from theologians and/or preachers to help us understand. However, be careful as all those interpreting God’s Word also have within them a sinful nature.
There is only one salvation plan that will lead your immortal soul to spend eternity with Jesus Christ! However, there is NOT one earthly agreement about all the earthly requirements that will allow your salvation when you die! As usual we human beings are not satisfied with a simple answer to the question, “What must I do to be saved?” Jesus told His disciples several times that He is the answer! Just like most of us, the answer was too simple, surely it cannot be so simple!
One of those times Jesus told His disciples that salvation is not complicated as it can easily be understood. Jesus said, For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:21 and 24). Do you believe in God the Father and in Jesus Christ, who are both awaiting you in heaven? If you do, then your salvation is complete. Believe it and be happy in Jesus!
If someone you like or love does not seem to believe this, can you tell them what having Jesus in your life has done for you? Be happy in Jesus and be ready to meet Him some day! Jesus will be coming to take you to where He is, when He is ready for you! He has already prepared a place for you! Once you were dead in your sins, but now you are alive, forever! Now, you have heard the Good News! Now “Believe it!”
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
Romans 6:4 (NIV)
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Paul is writing about how followers of Jesus are born again into their eternal life cycle leaving behind the mortal part of our being. Of course, we do not actually leave our mortal sin-cursed body that we inherited from the original sin of Adam. However, this rebirth does immediately free us from the hold that this sin-cursed world promotes. The promoter is called Satan, and he tries to continue to tempt us even after we have been born again. You (we) can avoid sinning BUT doing so requires constant monitoring on our part. Are you feeling the temptations to do things you know are not positive for you to do?
Your sinful nature will cause you to produce ideas of sinful attractions that seem very appealing, and do not seem like such actions and reactions are really all that bad. Remember, Satan tempted Jesus immediately after John the Baptist baptized him. Jesus was born into this sin-cured world without a sinful nature, since He did not have an earthly father. But just as Adam committed that original sin when he did not yet have a sinful nature, so Jesus could have sinned too. This was the first test Jesus experienced after He had been baptized! Yet, Jesus did not sin!
It is true you (we) have a sinful nature, but that does not mean we will sin when tempted, as your (our) sinful nature has been covered by the blood of Jesus Christ, when you (we) accepted your salvation by the grace of God! Remember, your salvation is a gift, you do not deserve it, as down deep you (we) are all sinners, thus unable to be good enough to save our immortal soul by all the good deeds we may do.
Paul again wrote for us the promise Jesus Christ makes to all His followers about the salvation plan He offers! That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 9:10). Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? The answer to this question is the most important priority for your mortal life, as the answer results in where your immortal soul will reside for all eternity.
In this lifetime we all need directions to help us live in a way that allows us to be happy and fulfilled. Jesus often referred to following Him and thus being lead as sheep are led by their shepherd. One such quote is recorded by John. Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. (John 10:7). Jesus was not just making another notable “I am” statement in this verse but also putting forth a sober warning. This warning is related to the statement likening His followers to sheep, a common theme for God’s people in the Old Testament as well. Sheep are directionless, weak, prone to wandering, timid, stubborn, easily frightened, and utterly defenseless against predators. Without a shepherd, they are in deep trouble.
Okay, we may not like being compared to sheep, after reading the above paragraph, which I borrowed from a daily devotional I use. However, it seems this writer does kind of hit home on the normal temperament we may experience most every day if we are alert to our thought process. The final sentence “Without a shepherd, (we) they are in deep trouble.” I would think about substituting (we) in this sentence replacing (they)!
Matthew recorded what Jesus once said to His disciples, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14). It seems very few people will in their mortal lifetime find Jesus Christ, and believe He is the promised Messiah and the only Way to follow, as a sheep, follows its shepherd. Who or what are you patterning your lifestyle after? With the social media we can hear opposite answers to the same question, and both answers may be wrong.
Only Jesus Christ supplies answers to the most important questions of this life, and it is important that we study His Word, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide our thoughts. Of course, you can get some good advice from theologians and/or preachers to help us understand. However, be careful as all those interpreting God’s Word also have within them a sinful nature.
There is only one salvation plan that will lead your immortal soul to spend eternity with Jesus Christ! However, there is NOT one earthly agreement about all the earthly requirements that will allow your salvation when you die! As usual we human beings are not satisfied with a simple answer to the question, “What must I do to be saved?” Jesus told His disciples several times that He is the answer! Just like most of us, the answer was too simple, surely it cannot be so simple!
One of those times Jesus told His disciples that salvation is not complicated as it can easily be understood. Jesus said, For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:21 and 24). Do you believe in God the Father and in Jesus Christ, who are both awaiting you in heaven? If you do, then your salvation is complete. Believe it and be happy in Jesus!
If someone you like or love does not seem to believe this, can you tell them what having Jesus in your life has done for you? Be happy in Jesus and be ready to meet Him some day! Jesus will be coming to take you to where He is, when He is ready for you! He has already prepared a place for you! Once you were dead in your sins, but now you are alive, forever! Now, you have heard the Good News! Now “Believe it!”
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
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