WHOEVER
Have you ever thought of yourself as a "whoever"? I'm going to say most people have heard and can probably quote John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
You are a whoever. We are all born with a selfish sinful nature. This causes a problem that separates us from the one who created us.
Romans 3:23 tells us that "ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
The truth is there is nothing we can do to fix the problem on our own.
"For the wages of sin is death, BUT the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" Romans 6:23
Left on our own we will die a physical and spiritual death in a very real place, hell. Most don’t want to acknowledge it, but hell is real y’all. It is not something to joke about. Sometimes I wonder if the old fashion revival preaching of Hell and Fire might be what some of us need to hear. We may need to be reminded this life is not all there is. Eternal Life is what God is offering and it starts here and ultimately leads to heaven.
God loves you and made the ultimate sacrifice for you.
"BUT God demonstrates HIS OWN LOVE for YOU in this; WHILE we were STILL SINNERS, CHRIST DIED FOR YOU. Romans 5:8
Do you get this? Yep, right where you are even in the middle of a mess…HE LOVES YOU and DIED FOR YOU. He didn’t just die he paid the price for our sins. He said ‘it is finished’ once and for all. He sacrificed his life, because it was the only way to cover us all. Can you believe someone loves you so greatly He died to save you!
“If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9
I hope you love this part as much as I do…GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD! Eye witness accounts prove it, but the how a person is brutally injured, killed, lays dead in a rock solid tomb for 3 days then is brought back to life, that takes faith. I’ve raised a very intellectual son not because of me but how God wired him. He has stretched me and grown me in so many ways! I am the type that faith comes easily to. Ryan not so much, he needs to understand how things work and why. This has caused me to dig deeper into the why I believe what I believe, to help him understand as he has grown in his own faith. Well God raising Jesus from the dead…there is nothing except faith to believe it happened. Our guest pastor Sunday said you know why they put Jesus in a borrowed tomb? He wasn’t going to need it long! He conquered eternal death for you and me.
Now let's follow up with John 3:17 "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn you, BUT to save you through HIM”
Remember what problem we are all born into, sin that condemns us, Jesus is the only answer! He came, lived a perfect life, died, rose again and is coming back. Salty Sister set your anchor here…He came to save you and me!
Today is my Daddy's birthday, he just had open heart surgery and let me just say there is a lot of sermon material in that! His saying to the grandkids is "Good Choices and Good Decisions". These verses of TRUTH above lead us to the ultimate choice for all of us. You and I are whoevers. We need the One and Only Savior, JESUS as Lord of our life.
Satan loves to make you feel good about a casual seemingly “Christian lifestyle”. Don’t be confused by believing going to church, growing up in or around church, making seemingly good moral choices that you are going to be ok. Truth is there is nothing good in us apart from God. If we were good we wouldn’t need a savior. I am a sinner, saved by GRACE and yes, you are a sinner too. Have you decided who you are serving? Your selfish sinful nature that leads to death or embracing the free gift that leads to salvation… God or Man. We’ve talked about it already, you can't serve both. Remember the one thing God can’t be…second!
Here are some places to set your anchor when the world tries to sell you lies. Remember the buts. I love the BIG BUTS in TRUTH.
BUT the GIFT - I don't deserve nor can I earn it.
BUT GOD demonstrates His LOVE for Me, while I was a mess, not after I got myself all together.
BUT to SAVE, He isn't condemning me, He is saving me…you!
God created you, and many of us stop right there believing we are created and blessed but the truth is... we are all separated from Him due to the sin problem. The choice is before us all. He deeply desires a relationship with you.
“Christ died for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous" 1 Peter 3:18
"The one who knew no sin, became sin" 2 Corinthians 5:21
Wow, we talk about things not being fair! Seriously listen to those words of truth. He wants to show us mercy. We are all sinners with a choice and a decision before us. Choose to acknowledge your sin, repent (this is not a big word it literally means to turn and walk in the opposite direction) and decide to follow Him.
Knowing you are a "whoever" is key to your life. When you see yourself as a sinner saved by grace you know what happens? You are able to see others through the same lens.
“whoever believes in Me” (who adheres to, trusts in and relies on Me), as the Scripture has said, "From his/her innermost being will flow continually rivers of living water." John 7:38 (Amplified Bible)
Jesus is the Living Water that can satisfy the thirst in our souls. Stop trying to satisfy that thirst with things that leave you empty. Jesus is the only answer! Only when we have made the Good Choice and Good Decision to Follow Christ can we be truly satisfied and the overflow will be a blessing to others.
Are you creating a thirst to the whoevers around you for Jesus?
Go Be Salty!
