For both truly and pretending Christians, Easter is an emotional time. The pain, suffering and humiliation Christ endured as an innocent person we can only imagine. For some, this experience is happening today. When the Lord taps you on the shoulder, it usually means you will be directed in His service, and you can expect to suffer some type of injury, physical or mental. You can't earn salvation, but you can earn rewards collectible in heaven. These rewards don't come cheap.
When we truly accept Christ's offer of salvation, we need to understand that acceptance is just like the testimony a military person gives on entering service. You agree to defend the Constitution and the nation with your life if necessary. You agree to follow military rules and directions. Service under Christ is no different. He gave us rules and directions in the Four Gospels. If you don't follow His rules, you never truly committed to Him.
I've warned previously (in Easter Part 2) about singling out verses of scripture that suit your personal agenda. I used verses from Proverbs as an example. Many professing Christians are using isolated verses of scripture to COMPLETELY DENY some of Christ's teaching/directions in the Gospels. The cause can be any of the following: greed, envy,
hate, and a complete lack of scripture knowledge. This is not only divisive, but very hurtful and harmful to those you have pre-judged to not actually be Christian. Think about many of the people Christ ministered to. They were not elite, wealthy, politicians, lawyers, fancy
dressers, entertainers or the leaders of society. They were the ones ignored by main-stream people and the pious. Many American Christians are even denying poor people the use of their personal savings (social security). Christ will take a hard look at this, because that money belongs to the people who placed it in savings for retirement.
If you didn't like the message about social security, please read the following verses of scripture. These verses represent the qualifications necessary to occupy a home in heaven, and are Christ's own words.
Matt. 25:31-46 (this is lengthy, but exactly Christ's expectations for you). "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the
sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, saying 'Lord , when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see you a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when
did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly I say to you, inasmuch as you did to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'
"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you have Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take me in,
naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'
Then they also will answer Him, saying Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly I say to You, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me. And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life." I pray these passages will serve as a wake up call for professing Christians who are so concerned about their personal life that envy and greed override consideration for others.
We go now to Matt. 22:35-40. 'Then one of them (Pharisee), a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, "'Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind; This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these TWO
COMMANDMENTS hang all the Law and the Prophets." Christ added the selfless commandment to be certain Christians would understand everyone should have the opportunity for salvation and dignity. I know needy people who do not seek help because of the judgment of others.
If you are a professing rather than a practicing Christian, you are ignoring the obligation---no, the requirement---Christ carefully outlines in the Gospels. He sacrificed for you; now it's your turn to sacrifice for Him by denying self. Matt. 25:1-13: "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
"And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!' Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who
sell, and buy for yourselves.' And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. "Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' But he answered and said , 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.' "Watch therefore, for you know neither the
day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."
Easter is about sacrifice and redemption. If you accepted Christ in your heart, you will show evidence to the world that your claim to be a Christian is founded on Christ and His teaching. There is no wiggle room for exceptions because you have a personal agenda
separating people because of your ill conceived judgment that certain sins are different than some others. God loves all men/women, but He hates all sins. We all sin, even after salvation. Homosexuality and abortion are sins, just as murder, stealing and adultery are sins. They are valued equally by Christ, who will be your final judge. A word to the wise when that image of Christ on the cross comes to mind on Easter: Do you have your Christian affairs in order--oil in your lamp is the knowledge and obedience of the Word of God.
Rev. Walbear
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