There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Luke 23:33-34 (NKJV)
Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 23:39-43
Do you understand what this passage is trying to tell? It's telling you that you have a choice. You can choose to blaspheme or in the NIV hurl insults at God or you can recognize that he shouldn't be on the cross and ask him to remember to you. It's really that simple.
These two men are a picture for us. You can choose to go right or you can go left. That's how great our God is that he leaves up to to make your choice. For some the choice isn't hard. You can choose the left or the right.
All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Matthew 25:32-33 (NIV)
Now it doesn't say which criminal was on the right or the left but because the sheep go on the right let's just say the repenting criminal is on the right and the other one is on the left. So the choice is yours do you want the right or the left. Let's take a look at both sides.
Starting with the left. You can choice to hurl insults at God. You can live life however you want. You can choose to rebel and not follow God. Like all choices in life there consequences. This choice is a bad choice because of the consequences. Like the second criminal said "for we receive the due reward of our deeds" These verse tell of what happens when you choice to go left.
Then they will go away to eternal punishment Matthew 25:46 (NIV)
I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too. Luke 13:5 (NLT)
Did you see that key word in that last verse? Again, this means he has said it before. These aren't the only verse that say that if you choice to go to the left, if you choice to hurl insults at God you will perish. I'm not going to go into detail what hell is like. I'm not the fire and brimstone kinda person. I do think that you need understand your choice. Here are earth we are separate from God, in hell you removed from God. That's a big difference. Separate means not near but you may still access to something that is separated. Think of it like this I'm separate from my parents. There is huge distance between and I don't see them, but I can pick up the phone or send and e-mail and still have access to them. That's what earth is like. God isn't near but we can pray or read the bible and have access to Him. Remove is gone taken away from. When I was a teacher I would remove students from my classroom, I would take them out of my classroom and out them another. This student that was removed no longer had any access to me. That's what hell is, you are taken away from God and you no longer have access to Him. What I'm trying to point out is if the life is hard and rough being separate from God, I don't even what to think about life where there is no God. This what will happen if you choice to go left.
So back to Matthew 25:32-33 and going to the right. If you choice to recognize that Jesus didn't belong on that cross what happens. First you have to believe and then repent. Turn away from a life living for yourself and start living for God. What needs to be done in order to be the right, look at these verses.
And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life. Matthew 19:29 (NLV)
but the righteous to eternal life. Matthew 25:46 (NIV)
Just do your best to be righteous and follow God and you can go to the right. All it takes to believe and repent. Follow Jesus understand that he loves and try to reflect that love. When you choice to go right you are choosing to spend the rest of you life with God. Nobody can even began to think what that would be like. God is so good us. If you think of all the blessing God has given so far to you, it's nothing compared to heaven.
Think wisely and make choice the left or the right. I'm leaving with the words from a song by Big Tent Revival about choosing life.
Choose Life :
a choice is set before you,
living or dying, blessing or cursing
and know, the time has come around
to turn form your fighting and rest in his mercy
CHORUS:
choose life that you might live
the life that He gives, He gives you forever
choose life the way that is true
from the One who chose you, your father in heaven
choose life
trust the lord with all of your heart,
with all of your soul, with all of your being
hold on, listen and obey
surrender your life into His keeping
(Chorus)
and the weight you're under will be lifted away
and world will wonder, "what happened here today?"
and you'll stand right there and say...
(Chorus)
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
It'll move a mountain.
Faith is such an awesome thing. If you have it you can do amazing things with it. Faith is something that grows as you use it. Faith is having belief that God will do it. We have great examples of this amazing belief that God will do it.
In Genesis 22, Abraham is tested by God just to see how much faith he has. Abraham was told to sacrifice his son. He got up early the next morning and went to sacrifice his son. Look at verse 5: He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” (NIV) There's a pronoun there that makes a difference. It states Abraham's faith. He said We will come back. Abraham had faith that if he obeyed God would provide a substitute for Isaac. He says it again in verse 8: Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. (NIV) Isaac asked where the lamb was for the sacrifice. Abraham was told to sacrifice Isaac but he had faith. Faith that saved a child's life.
David had faith. In 1 Samuel 17, the Israelites are facing the Philistines. David is to young to be among the fighting men. His father sent him to check on his brothers and bring them food. When he gets there, Goliath larger than life is hurling insult. David shows up and wonders why nobody has done anything. He even points out that they are the army of God. David uses his faith and offers to go and fight Goliath. In verse 37, The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear he will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” (NIV) David says that God will take care of Goliath. In verse 46, This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. (NIV) David proclaims to Goliath that God will had him over. Goliath was giant but young David had giant faith.
Take a look in the new testament. Over and over again people have a faith that Jesus will heal them and he does because of the faith. There are numerous example. The woman with the bleeding issues thinks if she can just touch him she will be healed. These four guys believe that if they can get their friend to Jesus, he will be healed. They believe so much to the point that when they see the house so full the door is blocked, they go through the roof. All it took was faith.
The funny thing about faith though is that you don't get sitting on the couch eating bonbons and watching TV. You have to get up and do stuff. Abraham wasn't laying in a hammock waiting for his faith to grow. He was packing and moving around. David wasn't in a field with a bunch of sheep. He as facing a giant. You have to be active if you want faith to grow. You have to be doing things. You can't just sit and wait for faith to grow. However there is something you should know about growing faith, it isn't cheap. It'll probably cost you. It almost cost Abraham his son. It almost cost David his life. It something you pay for. I've been paying for it. I can tell you though at times the cost maybe high, having faith that moves mountains is wroth every penny I've paid. The great thing about God and faith is that if you aren't sure at first, try having faith in small things. As you see that having faith in small will make it grow and you can start having faith in bigger things.
In Genesis 22, Abraham is tested by God just to see how much faith he has. Abraham was told to sacrifice his son. He got up early the next morning and went to sacrifice his son. Look at verse 5: He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” (NIV) There's a pronoun there that makes a difference. It states Abraham's faith. He said We will come back. Abraham had faith that if he obeyed God would provide a substitute for Isaac. He says it again in verse 8: Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. (NIV) Isaac asked where the lamb was for the sacrifice. Abraham was told to sacrifice Isaac but he had faith. Faith that saved a child's life.
David had faith. In 1 Samuel 17, the Israelites are facing the Philistines. David is to young to be among the fighting men. His father sent him to check on his brothers and bring them food. When he gets there, Goliath larger than life is hurling insult. David shows up and wonders why nobody has done anything. He even points out that they are the army of God. David uses his faith and offers to go and fight Goliath. In verse 37, The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear he will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” (NIV) David says that God will take care of Goliath. In verse 46, This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. (NIV) David proclaims to Goliath that God will had him over. Goliath was giant but young David had giant faith.
Take a look in the new testament. Over and over again people have a faith that Jesus will heal them and he does because of the faith. There are numerous example. The woman with the bleeding issues thinks if she can just touch him she will be healed. These four guys believe that if they can get their friend to Jesus, he will be healed. They believe so much to the point that when they see the house so full the door is blocked, they go through the roof. All it took was faith.
The funny thing about faith though is that you don't get sitting on the couch eating bonbons and watching TV. You have to get up and do stuff. Abraham wasn't laying in a hammock waiting for his faith to grow. He was packing and moving around. David wasn't in a field with a bunch of sheep. He as facing a giant. You have to be active if you want faith to grow. You have to be doing things. You can't just sit and wait for faith to grow. However there is something you should know about growing faith, it isn't cheap. It'll probably cost you. It almost cost Abraham his son. It almost cost David his life. It something you pay for. I've been paying for it. I can tell you though at times the cost maybe high, having faith that moves mountains is wroth every penny I've paid. The great thing about God and faith is that if you aren't sure at first, try having faith in small things. As you see that having faith in small will make it grow and you can start having faith in bigger things.
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