Today a friend asked me a good question. “Gene, do you believe that humans that do not have Jesus as Lord will suffer eternally in flames?” That is a common belief among some Christians.
I cannot but in wonder stand
O what great love in garden spent,
The choice he made for me,
That I in freedom, heaven sent,
Might live eternally.
I cannot hope for earthly fame,
Nor wisdom, wealth, and power.
But I will humbly preach his name,
And praise God every hour.
Sherry and I read the Bible before we go to bed. One night this week we read Mark, chapter 5. The gospel of Mark shows Jesus as a servant. He gives his all to save each individual he meets. The price of a soul is beyond earthly value.
Last night Sherry and I gave away a jigsaw puzzle we had enjoyed to our kids. A few hours later, a friend said she had a jigsaw puzzle she wanted to give us. That’s an example of a great principle in life. We are designed to give and to receive. To hold on and to let go.
Living on earth for many decades can bring insight when a person is meek to the Creator. The greatest man who ever lived was only here for three decades, and yet he knew the Creator as a loving Father and made this eternal Spirit known to others. To understand the things of God, let’s consider four questions that every human will face during our brief existence in this world. Where did I come from? Why am I here? Why must I die? Where will I go after death?
One reason there is division and misunderstanding in the church is that some Bible readers do not understand scope. God calls Himself the Holy Spirit, and He spoke by His spirit that He gave to the prophets so they could write the scriptures (II Peter 1:20,21). This included the Apostle Paul (II Peter 3:15,16). If, over thousands of years, our Father gave His Word to people to make up the Bible, then it all must agree within itself. And it does.
The Gospel of Matthew shows Jesus as the Messiah, the great King. It begins with John the Baptist preparing the way for him, his baptism with holy spirit, his temptation in the wilderness, and then shows him declaring his kingdom in 4:12—7:29. Much of this declaration is in what is called the “Sermon on the Mount.”
Background
Jesus Christ was the son of David. Like his ancestor, his life was constantly in danger from the attacks of evil men. There is nothing wrong with recognizing evil and voicing our concerns to the heavenly Father.
Sickness fully overtook him,
Lazarus was in the grave,
Messengers sent to the master,
oh my brother can you save?
After four days he hath rotted,
stinking at the doors of death,
Now could even the Messiah,
bring back mortal life and breath?
Driving to the Chicago Midway airport, I reflected on some of the sweet memories of our trip. Here are a few that you can read about in my previous posts.