By
Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
The Bible says: "He was in the WORLD, and the WORLD was made by
Him, and the WORLD knew Him not. He came unto His own and His own
received Him not. But as many as received him, to him gave He the power
to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name."
(John 1:10-12)
During the Gold Rush, a minor lay dying in a little shack in the hills
of California. A kind Christian lady came to be with him during his last
hours on earth. She read these words from the New Testament: "For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
The dying man asked, "Is that in the Bible?"
The woman answered, "Yes it is in the Bible." He asked, "Is
He speaking to me?" She answered, "Yes, He is speaking
to you."
The dying man asked, "Did
He say anything else?" The lady answered, “He said: As many
as received Him to them gave He the power to become the sons of
God." Then, she said softly, “Yes, He is speaking to you.” The dying
man answered, "I receive Him. I'm satisfied."
Then, he closed his eyes and went directly into the loving arms of
JESUS. How powerful and reassuring, indeed, are the inspired life-giving
words of the Holy Bible!
"For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son that
whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting
life." What an amazing promise! Peace flooded his soul and he
died knowing that he had been accepted into God's Kingdom.
God's Word says: "According as He hath chosen us in Him before the
foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before Him in
love. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus
Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will."
"To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He
hath made us Accepted in the Beloved; in Whom we have redemption through
His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace."
(Eph. 1:4-6)
CHRIST: GOD'S PASCAL LAMB
He LOVES us! He KNOWS about us! He CARES for us! He
DIED for our sins! He AROSE from the dead for our justification!
And He will RETURN for us! The Bible states that Jesus "was delivered for our offences, and
was raised again for our justification." (Romans 4:25); '
"So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of
many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without
sin unto salvation." (Heb. 9:28)
Our OFFENCES speaks of the sins of unbelief, pride and treason against
our God, Maker, Life-Giver and Saviour. Our sins nailed Him to the
Cross! He was delivered, meaning: He was arrested, condemned, scourged,
crucified and died for our sins! The Bible teaches the
substitutionary (vicarious) Death of Jesus the Messiah, for the sins of the
entire world!
The Bible states: "Therefore being, justified by FAITH we have
PEACE with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. For when we were yet
without strength (hopeless), in due time Christ died for the ungodly. But
God commends His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ
died for us."
"For more then, being now justified by His BLOOD, we shall be saved
from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled
to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved
by His life." (Romans 5:1, 6; Romans 8:10)
The hymn writer penned these amazing words: 'O love of God so rich and
pure, so measureless and strong. It shall forevermore endure the saints
and angels song. If you could with ink the ocean fill and were the sky of
parchment made and every stock on earth a quill, To write the love of God
above, Would drain the ocean dry and could the sky contain the whole would
stretch from sky to sky.'
GOD IS FOR US: NOT AGAINST US
There are those who believe that God is against us and wants to punish
us for our sins. Nothing is farther from the truth. The Scripture
states: "As I live saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of
the wicked, but that the wicked TURN from his way and live: Turn ye, turn ye
from your evil ways for why will die....? (Ezekiel 33:11)
"For I know the thoughts that I have toward you saith the Lord,
thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end (hope and a
future). Then ye shall call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me,
and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me and find Me, when ye
shall search for Me with all your heart. And I will be found of you saith
the Lord..." (Jeremiah 29:11-14)
This Scripture holds out
hope for us all, even those who have fallen into gross sins. Israel had sinned by breaking His laws and
God judged them with seventy years in Babylonian captivity. His extended
hand of love, mercy and grace reached out to them again letting them know that
they were still His people and that if they would call upon His name He was
ready to forgive and give them a bright future in Palestine as well as an
eternal Home in Heaven!
St. Peter writes: "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise as
some men count slackness; but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9).
So great was the love of God toward us that He sent His only begotten Son into
this wicked, desperately evil WORLD to save us all through the SACRIFICE of
Himself!
GOD'S
LOVE IS UNIMAGINABLE
His love toward us is incomprehensible, inconceivable and beyond the
scope of human understanding! That God the Son would wrap Himself in
human flesh and come down in our midst and offer Himself as a ransom to pay for
the sins of the world - past, present and future - to meet the demands of
Divine Justice, exceeds the limits of our intelligence!
The Bible declares: "To wit (that is), that God was in Christ
reconciling the WORLD unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them;
and hath committed unto us the Word of reconciliation. For He hath made
Him to be SIN (sin offering) for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:18; 2 Corinthians 19:21)
The word GRACE means unmerited favor. We are saved by grace and
kept by the power of God through His mercy. St. Paul stated: "For by
grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God: Not of works lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8,9)
It is
by Grace alone, through Faith alone and in Christ alone that we are able to
enter God's Kingdom.
The Gospel is all about JESUS CHRIST and what He has done to redeem
sinful and lost humanity. The mercy, grace and love of God was extended
to us in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, "Who for the joy that was set
before Him, endured the CROSS, despising the shame and is set down on the right
hand of the Majesty on High." (Hebrews 12:2)
Jesus Christ said: "I am the Way, the
Truth and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me." (John
14:6) "I am the Door; by Me if any man enter in, he shall be Saved,
and shall go in and out and find pasture.
JESUS THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN
There is no other road one may travel, no other way one may go and no
other entrance into the Kingdom of God, except through God's Pascal Lamb, Jesus
of Nazareth, Who was crucified on Golgotha nearly 2000 years ago.
No one else could have filled the role of
the God-man, the Jewish Messiah, and no one else could have RISEN from the dead
three days later! He is not only the sole Saviour of the world, but also
the King of kings and Lord of lords and the ultimate Judge of all mankind!
That is GREAT NEWS if you are a believer in Christ, but very scary,
indeed, if you know not Christ as personal Saviour and Lord. St. John
makes this definitive, judicially proper and theologically correct statement:
"He that believeth on the
Son of God hath the witness in Himself. He that believeth not hath made
Him a liar, because he believeth not the RECORD that God gave of His Son.
And this is the record that God hath given to us Eternal Life, and this LIFE is
in His Son. He that hath the Son hath LIFE, and he that hath NOT the Son
of God hath NOT Life." (1 John 5:10-12)
The Bible states: "The Thief (Satan) cometh not but for to
steal, and to kill and to destroy. I am come that they might have LIFE
and have it more abundantly. I am the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd
gives his life for the sheep." (John 10:9-11)
Saul of Tarsus, a rabid enemy of Jesus of Nazareth and His followers,
was apprehended by the RISEN LORD on the Damascus Road. The encounter was
supernatural and life changing as our Lord appeared in a light brighter than
the sun, blinding the murderous religious Jewish Enforcer! (Acts 9, 22, 26)
St. Paul states: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in
Christ Jesus: Who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal
with God, but made Himself of no reputation and took upon Him the form of a
servant and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a
man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross.
"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him and given Him a
name which is ABOVE every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, of things in Heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth: And
that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
the Father." (Philippians 2:5-11)
LOVE
NOT THE WORLD
There are three obstacles that impede our ability to receive power with
God. The three giants that must be defeated to experience power with God
are the Lust of the Flesh, the Lust of the eyes and the Pride of life!
With God's strength in us we can do it, and we will by His grace!
St. John issued this directive
to the Church: "Love not the WORLD, neither the things that are in the
world. If any man love the World, the love of the Father is not in
him.
“For all that is in the World, the lust of
the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the
Father, but is of the world. And the WORLD passes away and lust thereof;
but he that doeth the will of God abides forever." (1 John 2:15-17)
Satan used these three temptations to snare EVE in
the Garden of Eden. The LIAR promised that she would not die if she ate
the forbidden fruit, but rather become wise. He accused the Creator of
withholding something good from her. The word devil means: Liar, slanderer, false
accuser.
The DECEIVER convinced her that he was concerned about her
well-being. Satan is still the greatest of all deceivers. He
promises everything but delivers only death! Eve believed that the fruit
which was pleasant to her eyes (lust of
the eyes) would be good to eat (lust
of the flesh), and it would make her wise (pride of life).
When Satan, which means Enemy and Adversary, tried his
three knock-out punches on our Blessed Lord and Saviour, he was soundly
trounced and beaten and had to retreat! Jesus refuted and finally rebuked
him and he had to back off. WE
CAN DO THE SAME!
St. James stated: "Submit yourselves unto God, RESIST the
devil and he will FLEE from you" (James 4:7) and St. Peter warned:
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil (LIAR), as a roaring lion, walks about
seeking whom he may devour, whom resist steadfast in the Faith...." (1
Peter 5:8)
Jesus used the Word of God to stop the devil. Three times Jesus of
Nazareth authoritatively said: "IT IS WRITTEN." We can do the
same! The Bible states: "The Word of God is
quick (alive) and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even
to the dividing of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a
discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)
The devil confronted JESUS with these words: “If Thou be the Son of God, command that
these stones be made bread.” (Matthew 4: 3). The Liar knew full well
that Jesus of Nazareth was the incarnated Son of God and the Deliverer that the
Almighty God had promised would one day crush his head, yet he tried to seduce the very Son of God!
(Genesis 3:15)
SCRIPTURES FROM GOD'S MOUTH
The Lust of the flesh was a powerful tool to use on a man who had
fasted for forty days and forty nights, but out Lord countered: “IT IS
WRITTEN man shall not live by bread
alone but by every WORD that
proceeds out of the MOUTH of God.” (Matthew
4: 4)
The LORD told the Devil and everyone else
that He believed the Old Testament Scriptures. What a powerful answer! Jesus
said two things: Man is a spiritual being and should not be controlled entirely
by his flesh and the reason the Holy Scriptures are so powerful is that GOD
Himself is their Author.
The Second Temptation that the Adversary used was the Pride of Life. Again he challenged our
Lord’s position as the Son of God, trying to make Him demonstrate the fact that
He could cast Himself down and be protected. That would have shown PRIDE. Jesus
did not fall for the temptation, but rather quoted the WORD of God: “IT IS WRITTEN again, thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God.” (Matthew 4:
7)
Jesus lectured Satan by reminding him that He was the Son of God and
deserved worship, and that Satan was only a created being and
still under the jurisdiction of the “Lord thy God.” And that he was clearly out of order in tempting Him!
The Third Temptation is
called the Lust of the Eyes. Satan took Jesus up into a high
mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of this world and the glory of them,
saying: “All these things will I
give thee if Thou wilt fall down and worship me.” (Matthew 4: 9). What
possessed him to believe that Jesus would fall down and worship such an Evil
one? Why did the LIAR think he could seduce the Son of God, Who had created the
universe and every living creature?
PRIDE blinds people and no doubt the Deceiver thought that since he had influenced one third of the
angelic host to follow him, he would try it on the very Son of God. He is
twisted in his mind and knows no shame! One day he will be cast into the LAKE OF FIRE forever!
(Revelation 20:10)
Jesus, the Perfect and Holy Son of God ordered the devil: “Get thee hence, Satan. IT IS WRITTEN; Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and
Him only shalt thou serve.” (Matthew 4: 10).
The Lord commanded the fallen archangel
to “Get away from here.” The contest was over and Satan was
gone: “Then the devil leaves him and behold, angels came and ministered
unto Him.” (Matthew 4: 11)
THE
WORLD, FLESH & THE DEVIL
The World had no attraction for the Son of God. He had come to EARTH for
one purpose only and that was to SAVE the world! The Plan and Purpose of
Redemption had been in the heart of God from before the foundations of the
world. (Romans 8:29; Eph. 1: 1 4; 1 Peter 1:20)
And Jesus of Nazareth, Who was in the bosom of the Father (John
1: 18), knew His great part in the deliverance of lost humanity! (Luke 19:10;
John 3:16-17; 18:37; Luke 24:27). He had come to die in our place in order to
save us for time and eternity. He stated: “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of
God be lifted up.” (John 3:14)
He had witnessed Lucifer’s rebellion and his eviction from Heaven
by the Archangels Michael and Gabriel (Revelation 12: 7-14). He had seen
him fall to the earth and observed the great carnage that ensued there.
(Ezekiel 28:13-17; Isa.14:12-17). He had witnessed the Traitor’s verbal assault
on ‘the woman” in the Garden of Eden.
He knew full well the pain, agony and eternal doom that Lucifer had
wrought on the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve. And He knew the price He had
to pay to meet the demands of DIVINE JUSTICE in order to redeem the sick and suffering
and lost and dying of the earthlings. (Luke 24: 25-27; 1 John 3:8)
The Jewish Messiah would be rejected by His own people and judged
by His Heavenly Father, suffer, bleed and die the most humiliating, ignominious
and torturous death upon the cursed cross outside the city walls of Jerusalem,
and after three days rise again in power and great glory.
PREACHING & HEALING THE SICK
Preaching and healing the sick is necessary for the proclamation of the
Gospel. The miracles of healing confirms the message preached. It proves the
love of Christ in His kindness and caring Spirit. It is also a witness to the
fact that sickness and disease is the result of Adam's fall. It shows everyone
that God is still in charge and one day we will be restored again to the
perfect form from which Adan fell.
JESUS had chosen twelve men as His apostles whom He sent out to
preach the Gospel and heal the sick and suffering. They returned with glowing
reports of great victories that multitudes had received the Good News of the
Kingdom of God and that the very same works of healing the sick and casting out
of demons had occurred also in the their meetings.
"And when He had called unto His
twelve disciples, He gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out,
and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease...
“And as you go, preach, saying, The
Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise
the dead, cast out devil: freely ye have received, freely give." (Mark
10:1, 7-8)
“And they went out, and preached that men should Repent, and they cast
out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed
them.” (Mark 6: 12-13); “And they departed, and went through the
towns, preaching the Gospel and healing everywhere.” (Luke 9: 6)
“And the seventy returned again
with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through Thy name. And He said unto them, I beheld Satan
as lightning fall from Heaven.
“Behold, I give unto you POWER to tread on serpents and
scorpions, and over all the power of the Enemy (Satan): “And NOTHING shall
by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits
are subject unto you; but rather rejoice that your names are written in
Heaven.” (Luke 10: 17-20)
JESUS CHRIST LOVED THE WORLD
Jesus stated: "For God so LOVED the WORLD that He gave His Only
Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life. For God sent not his Son to condemn the world but that
the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:16, 17)
JESUS stated: "I am the light of the world."
(John 8:12); "My Kingdom is not of this world." (John 18:6). "For the Son of Man is come to seek and
to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10); "Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life
for his friends," (John 15:8);
"If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated
you. If ye were of the world, the world would love its own: but because
ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the
world hated you."
Jesus Christ said: "Remember the word I said unto you, The servant
is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted Me they will
persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep your also. But
all these things will they do for My name's sake, because they know not Him who
sent Me. If I had not come and spoken with them, they had not had
sin: But now they have no cloak for their sin. He that hates Me
hates My Father also.
"If I had not done among them the works which none other man
did, they had not had sin; but now have they both seen and hated both Me and My
Father. But this comes to pass, that the Word might be fulfilled that is
written in their Law, they have hated Me without a cause." (John 15:18-25)
JESUS LIGHT OF THE WORLD
The BIBLE states: "Jesus cried and said, He that believes on
Me, believes not on Me but on Him that sent Me. And he that sees Me sees
Him that sent me. I am come as a LIGHT into the WORLD, that
whoever believes on Me should not abide in darkness and if any man hear My
words, and believe not, I judge him not, for I came not to judge but the save
the world."
"He that rejects Me, and receives not My words, hath one that
judges him. The Word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the
last day. For I have not spoken of Myself; but the Father which sent Me,
He gave Me a commandment, what I should say and what I should speak. And
I know that His commandment is LIFE EVERLASTING: whatsoever I speak therefore,
even as the Father said unto Me, so I speak." (John 12:44-50)
St. Paul wrote: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners
of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me
first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them
which should hereafter believe on Him to Life Everlasting. Now unto the King
Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory forever
and ever. Amen." (1 Timothy 1:15-16)
The world is that which is
sin and rebellion against God. To Jesus, the world was the
Jewish religious leaders who rejected Him as Messiah and turned others away
from the Truth of who He was, even though they had the writings of the prophets
and the Holy Scriptures. He stated: "But woe unto you scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men:
for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go
in." (Matthew 23:13)
For us, the world is
anything that opposes God, Christ and His Gospel. The great preacher
James Denney stated: "If God has really done something in Christ on which
the salvation of this world depends, and if He has made it known, then it is a
Christian duty to be intolerant of everything which ignores, denies or explains
it away."
THE FLESH VERSES THE SPIRIT
St.
Paul declared: "This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill
the lusts of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the
Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that
you cannot do the things ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are
not under the law."
"Now the works of the flesh
are manifest which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
lasciviousness (lustful), idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance (conflict),
emulations (jealousies), wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envying, murders,
drunkenness, reveling, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have
also told you in the past that they which do such things shall not inherit the
Kingdom of God."
"But the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance: Against such there is no law. And they
that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections (passions) and
lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."
(Galatians 5:16-25)
St. Paul again exhorts us to holy living and fruit bearing in God's
Kingdom: "For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the
flesh; but they that are of the Spirit, the thing of the Spirit.
"For to
be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and
peace. For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die; but if ye through the
Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live."
"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of
God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye
have received the Spirit of Adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our
spirit that we are the children of God: And if children of God, then heirs;
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him,
that we also be glorified together." (Romans 8:5,6,13-17)
O’
THE JOY OF LOVING HIM
In our Gospel Meetings, we love
to praise and worship to our Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ. A
song that always blesses my soul says: O’ the Joy of knowing Him. O’ the
joy of loving Him, and O’ the joy of praising Him, and O’ the joy, joy, joy of
serving Him!
Hallelujah to the Lamb of
God! What an honour to know Jesus Christ as our Lord, Saviour, Healer, Master
and God! What a joy it is to serve Him and be led by the blessed Holy Spirit.
The secret of a joyous Christian life is to fully dedicate
ourselves to the Lord in sincerity and humility and to submit to God’s Word in
repentance and faith. Through prayer and intercession, we must seek God for the
infilling of the Holy Spirit. He will give us the grace to follow the path of
righteousness and become living epistles of Christ’s love and mercy!
