Wednesday, November 7, 2012

The unpredictability of life.  The certainty of death.  The "foreverness" of eternity in either heaven or hell.  These three realities combine to make salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ an absolute necessity.  "I am the way, the truth, and the life-- no one comes to the Father but by Me," He said, without equivocation.  The claim is either true or it isn't.  His life validated it, His works supported it, His fulfillment of Old Testament predictions relating to Messiah further confirmed it.  His resurrection completed it. He said, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die."  Though one dies physically, he'll never die, spiritually, if his life is in the Lord Jesus.Is this so?  The men who walked the countryside of Israel in the first century, called to leave their livelihoods and follow Jesus, found it to be so.  
After He had been taken into custody they went into hiding, fearful that they, too, would be arrested.  Following His death, for the three dismal days that He seemed completely defeated, they remained cloistered behind closed doors, utterly intimidated by the Jewish authorities. 
But then what a change!  Suddenly, Peter is standing before the crowd of several thousand on the Day of Pentecost, preaching with a boldness completely beyond him.  This fearful fisherman who had caved when confronted with being recognized by a servant girl, was now fearlessly facing the enemies of Christ, saying, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ --- this Jesus whom you crucified."  (Acts 2:36)  The old Peter would have had too much fear for his life to risk making such a declaration... but then, this isn't the same man.  Nor were the other disciples, the same, either.What could possibly have made such a change...?  What would so revolutionize that group of demoralized disciples, transforming them into individuals who would live the rest of their days in holy boldness to the point of martyrdom?  They saw the resurrected Christ, and His Spirit had taken residence within them!  Only this would adequately explain the lives they lived for their Lord.  

Has there been such a change in our lives?  Does there reside within us a settled certainty that death will usher us into the Lord Jesus' heavenly presence?  If not, look to Him and be saved!