Shy, my
little dog, and I went out for a walk this morning, as we do most mornings. It
was nice not to have the rain and wind, we were fortunate that it was a bad
weather free morning. As I turned a corner I saw someone I knew, or at least I
thought I did. Yes, it was Graham, I was certain of it, same height, same walk,
same build, he swung his arms the same, his clothes were the same, the colour
of his hair was the same. I started to speed up so that I could catch him up,
as I did so he turned his head to look at something across the road, no, that
was definitely not Graham. How could I have been so wrong?
In the grand scheme of
things it didn't matter did it? This gentleman, whoever he was had no idea I
had mistaken him for someone else. As a Christian, I am very aware of how easy
it could be to follow the wrong Jesus, especially if I rely on my own senses
and feelings, rather than on the Word of God and sound teaching. There was a
time that I followed a wrong Jesus, for all intense and purposes He looked and
sounded like Jesus should, it was not until I studied God's Word,
prayerfully seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit that I was led to the real
Jesus, the Jesus of Scripture. I am also very grateful that God led me to a
fellowship where I would receive sound doctrine, our pastor who expounded the
word of God to us twice a week, who took out the meaning rather than putting in
his own preconceived ideas.
There are many who do
this, and over the years it has got worse, they refuse to acknowledge their sin
lifestyle and choose instead to say that Jesus died for everyone and we're all
going to heaven. They teach a universal gospel, this is not the Jesus of the
Bible, even though the back view might look right, Jesus loves, Jesus died for
all, Jesus went around doing good, Jesus fed people, Jesus cared about people,
Jesus ate with sinners, and so their list goes on. The back view may be right
but everyone will not be saved, and everyone is not going to heaven.
The true Jesus, warns
people of their sins, the sinners He sat with He changed their lives, they
didn't remain sinners, nowhere in God's Word does it say that Jesus told the
sinners He spoke to that they were alright because He loved them anyway. Don't
be fooled, take responsibility for your own salvation, prayerfully and
diligently seek the true Jesus in scripture and do as it says, which is that
you must repent and believe on Him, and you must be born again. We do not remain the same, having repented of our sins we leave our old ways and follow Jesus.
Acts 2:38
Then Peter said to
them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptised in the name of Jesus
Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit.
There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the
Jews.
This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know
that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that
You do unless God is with him.”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the
kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can
he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the
Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit.
Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but
cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born
of the Spirit.”
Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do
not know these things?
Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify
what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.
If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will
you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should
not perish but have everlasting life.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world through Him might be saved.
“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not
believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God.
And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world,
and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
For everyone
practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds
should be exposed.
But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may
be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
