Christ died for all

"For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." - 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (NIV)

According to the most famous verse in the Bible, John 3:16, God loved the world so much that he sent his one and only Son to die on the cross in our place. All we have to accept that gift to be saved from our sins, our misdeeds and to be blunt, our crimes against God.

Today, in a message presented at a Crusade in 1973 in Las Vegas, evangelist Billy Graham speaks on God's love for us.

The healing power of Jesus

"When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven.'  Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 'Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?' - Mark 2:5-7 (NIV)

Jesus of Nazareth by all accounts was an extraordinary man.

During only three years of public ministry, he turned the world on its head and changed the course of history. He healed the sick, gave speech to the mute and sight to the blind. He rocked the religious foundation of the day to its core, enough where they gave him over to the authorities of the day, the Romans, to be mocked and publicly executed, though that was not enough to stop him either.

One thing that Jesus did while on earth, and continues to do now, is heal sin. By virtue of being God in the flesh (see John 10:30), he could forgive the sins of people for good, with true, eternal effect. He made and continues to make that gift available to anyone who believes in him and confesses their sins (see Romans 10:9-10).

In this video, Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, in his Easter sermon in April 2011 at Seattle's Qwest Field, talks about Jesus being able to heal sin.

'Do as I say, not as I do...'

"You have not lied to men but to God.” – Acts 5:4b (NIV)

One of the major criticisms of the Christian church is that Christian are hypocrites, preaching that people should behave one way, but then the Christians themselves do the complete opposite of what they had been advocating. It is like they are saying, “Do as I say, not as I do.”.

The early church, shortly after Jesus had risen from the dead and had been taken back up to Heaven, had to deal with this in the case of Ananias and his wife, Sapphira. It was the practice of members of the early church to take their personal possessions, sell them, and then give the money to the church leaders who would then distribute it for the work of spreading the message of Jesus Christ and helping the poor.

Ananias had a piece of property that he pledged to sell and give all of the proceeds to the church. However, with the full knowledge of his wife, he sold the property, but kept part of the profits for himself (see Acts 5:2). Peter caught him at this, saying he had been lying to God when he pledged the full proceeds to the church but did not keep his bargain. Ananias dropped dead on the spot, stricken by God. Sapphira had a chance to tell the truth, but instead also lied, and she soon dropped dead as well (see Acts 5: 7-10).

Sadly, far too many times, Christians also have committed the same sin, pushing for one thing, but then doing the complete opposite of they have been advocating. In recent years, there have been high-profile cases of Christian leaders, ministers and priests who had taught on the need to be sexually pure, for instance, but then were caught committing the very sin they had spoken against. Needless to say, they had been caught, and had to not only reconcile themselves with God, but also work to repair the damage done by their acts, if possible.

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus Christ never condemned regular people for their sins, such as the woman caught in adultery (see John 8:3-11), reserving his harshest words for the religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees. The Pharisees regularly ordered the people to be humble and serve the synagogue in the name of God, but then pursued their own power while appearing to still be serving God. Jesus said “woe” on them, saying they were clean on the outside, but dirty on the inside (see Matthew 23:23-28).

Simply put, Christians should always examine their own hearts as to whether they are truly following Christ (see 2 Corinthians 13:5). Then we will be able to present ourselves as worthy representatives of Christ, and the rest of the world will know what Jesus is like.

Who is God?

“I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God.” Isaiah 45:5 (NIV)
Who is God?

As we finished celebrating Easter, which marked the resurrection of Jesus Christ, one question comes to mind: who is God? What makes God stand out? What bother with Him in the first place?

The Bible explains a few reasons why God is who He says He is:

• He is Creator of all we see. (see Isaiah 64:8)
• He is everywhere (see Psalm 139:7-10) 
• He knows everything (see John 16:30, 1 Corinthians 2:10-11)
• He has a will for all of us, including His Son (see Luke 22:42)
• He speaks to us (see Matthew 3:17)

God also is three persons, in the form of the Father (see Philippians 1:2), His Son Jesus Christ (John 10:30), and the Holy Spirit (see Acts 5:3-4). In the form of the Father, He is God, creator of all there is and holy (see Habakkuk 1:13). In the form of the Son, He is the resurrection and life for us, redeemer of us from our sin. In the form of the Holy Spirit, He points to Jesus as the way to be saved (see John 15:26).

So what does it matter? Because God made us (see Psalm 139:13-14), and He loves us. He loves us enough that he sent His Son to die for our sins:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” – John 3:16-17 (NIV)

If God is willing to go to that length to save us, creatures who have effectively spit in His face, doesn’t that say something to us? We were sentenced to death (see Romans 3:23), but saved through Jesus Christ (see Romans 6:23).

And if Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, shouldn’t He mean something? Shouldn’t He be worthy of our affection and our attention, our loyalty as King?

To end, please listen to this sermon by Dr. S.M. Lockridge, titled, “My King.”