When you were young, you were always expecting to hear what a good little boy or girl you were from those who loved you. You probably, like most grew up believing that you were a good person. Like anything else, it is all relative. When you were young, or even today as you have grown older, you probably never gave much thought to the fact that your eyes and ears work only because your heart is pumping an iron rich solution through 75,000 miles of circulatory system. Like anything else, it is all relative. You focus on the plate or the screen and not the superhighway inside.
The frame of reference is key here. When we consider how we have all been wonderfully and fearfully made by Almighty God, and created in His image, it truly is all relative. You see, when we compare our good deeds to The One who created us, it is all as if they were filthy rags. Our righteousness, good works, or our perceptions of being good people are so far from the truth that it is frightening.
God is Holy, and we as a man, woman or child are sinful, and wicked, everyone last one of us, all of us, no exceptions. The human race has such a proclivity to do evil? People are good? I am a good person? The frame of reference is key. Can you imagine going into a critical care ICU unit to visit a sick child after working in the sewer? How about a computer chip factory clean room after playing soccer in the mud. We have no idea just how tarnished and unclean we really are. Look at our thoughts, what we watch on TV or the internet. Look at what we allow to happen to the unborn, to children, and to the elderly. Look what we do to our bodies, what we say or do to others, or worse what we don’t do for our fellow man or woman. We as a race are born selfish, and vile, going astray from the minute we left the womb. Obviously, some of us are more evil than others but we all have the same problem, sin. If you think this doesn’t apply to you think again.
Because we will live forever after we die, all of us deserve eternal judgement for how selfish and evil we have lived our lives. Once again don’t kid yourself. Think of the things we have done to others, refused to do to help others, taken part in, watched or even orchestrated. If you think you don’t need to repent and be forgiven, then there is no hope for you. You will die in your sin and you will be judged. ETERNITY AWAITS.
A sinless man named Jesus Christ was born of a virgin in a feed trough in fulfillment of the ancient promises and prophecies of The Bible. Jesus lived among our ancestors and was fully God and fully man. He lived a sinless life told it like it was, and like no other, he changed the world. He was crucified, he died and was buried.
His death on that cross took all of the sin of man past present and future, so much so that the sun went dark for three hours while he bled out on that cross. When he gave up his spirit, when He said it was finished, there was a great earthquake, graves were opened and there were dead people coming back to life and walking in the streets. But that wasn’t the end of it. The atonement for the sins of the world was just completed and made available to any who would believe in Him and accept it. The end of man’s futile attempts to bridge the gap between God and man had finally been completed.
On the third day, in fulfillment of the Scriptures, just like He promised, he rose from the dead and left the tomb empty. He conquered death, paid for your sins, and rules and lives forevermore. Sin’s grip will be broken by His power if you truly seek it. The grave is no longer the end of the line but a mere curtain to pass through once we are appointed to death. Fear not man, ladies and gentlemen, but rather fear The One who can cast your soul into hell and who holds the keys of life and death in His hands. He is the only way to God, don’t believe the lies. Salvation is free, you just have to accept it. You must repent, turn from your wicked ways and believe in Jesus and His shed blood that cleanses from sin. You don’t need to go to confession, you don’t need to ride your bike around for a year with a white shirt, you don’t have to shave your head and live in the side of a mountain, you don’t have to go to some temple, building, or church and listen to people try to separate you from your wallet.
Folks, put your money back in your wallet, Bibles are at the 99 cent store. If you want to give your money away, give it to people who really need it, not to these corporation phony churches that do nothing but steal from everyone, never tell the truth and let the evil wax greater and greater while the country goes to hell in a hand basket and they keep putting everyone to sleep. WAKE UP AND GET RIGHT WITH GOD NOW! HE WILL OPEN YOUR EYES AND YOU WILL NEVER BE THE SAME. YOU WILL FINALLY KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE ALIVE AND FREE FROM THE GUILT AND SHAME. SIN WILL NO LONGER HAVE YOU UNDER ITS POWER.
I urge all of us to take our hearts and minds put them on His table. Our hearts and minds need to be changed and given to Him to be renewed and transformed so we can see instead of being blinded by the prince of the power of the air. Look inward, face what we all are, accept what is freely given, and give freely to others what no one could ever afford to pay for-The Truth , the good news of THE FINISHED WORK ON THE CROSS-THE SHED BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SIN AND ETERNAL LIFE IN HIM.
EASTER IS NOT ABOUT THE BABYLONIAN FERTILITY RITUALS, RABBITS THAT DON’T LAY EGGS, BOOZING IT UP AND OVEREATING, IT IS ABOUT THE ONE WHO PAID IT ALL, LIVED TO TELL ABOUT IT, AND WHO SO DESPERATELY WANTS YOU TO COME BACK TO THE THINGS THAT YOU ONCE KNEW WERE TRUE AND RIGHT.
HIS OFFER IS TRULY ONE NO ONE CAN OR SHOULD REFUSE. IT IS FREE TO ALL AND WILL TRULY SET YOU ALL FREE INDEED. MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL AS WE CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NO VOICE AGAINST THOSE THAT SERVE DARKNESS. IT IS MY PRAYER THAT THIS BE THE DAY THAT THE LIGHT FINALLY COMES ON FOR ALL OF US.
HAPPY EASTER FROM THE FULLERTON INFORMER.
#1 by Barry Levinson on April 16, 2017 - 2:35 pm
As I sat in the pew of Saint Andrews Episcopal Church in Fullerton, I could not stop thinking about that African American young man who was savagely beaten by a sick and deranged Sacramento police officer.
What was his terrible crime that illicited such savagery? He jaywalked in a quiet residential neighborhood.
Question: Who has not jaywalked in a residential neighborhood?
Answer: No One!
This police officer is now on paid administrative leave. I hope he is fired for cause very quickly and then arrested for his actions. He deserves to be in jail!
My paster Pat, who is filling in for our regular Paster that is on Sabbatical, did a great job in today’s sermon. I will paraphrase some of her very important and apropos words. What does it mean to be Christian? Did you help a less fortunate person today? Did you treat your fellow man kindly? Did you visit someone who is ill in the hospital?
In other words, did you in even some very small way make this a better world by your individual actions.
If that is what is most important about being Christian, then I hope and pray every human being of good will and with a good heart is a Christian today…Easter Sunday! God bless all of you who make a positive difference no matter how small.