Our paragraph topic is: (The doctrine of the cross) Part 5.
Christ continues to teach his disciples and the crowd about the value of the soul. He told Peter, who was possessed of Satan, to get behind him. He told the crowds to take up their crosses and to follow him. He posed the ultimate question of the value of the soul. And he reminded them of the day of judgement. What do we choose? The decision belongs to us, as humans. Do we seek the riches of the world and give up the most valuable thing that we possess? Or do we follow Christ and take up our cross so that we may have life eternal with him? The choice is ours.
Christ made his choice. He came that man would have a choice. He came that man would have the opportunity to have life. He came that man would no longer have the judgement of death over our heads. For Satan had tricked Adam and Eve into thinking that they would not die if they disobeyed God and eat the forbidden fruit. And God pronounced judgement upon man. But the decision was theirs to make. And so death entered into the world and mankind lost their souls and with it, eternal life. But Christ came to satisfy the judgement and pay the penalty for man's transgressions. Christ came that man would have life if he wanted it. And Christ came to right the wrong brought by Satan.
What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and loose his soul? What do we gain if we do not have life? We gain death, eternal death. For the day will come when all mankind will be judged and all mankind will have their decisions weighed by God. The truth will come forth and all mankind will know the truth of their decisions. Christ told his disciples and the crowds that the day of judgement will come. "For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will render to everyone according to his conduct.
And so we wait. And so we live. And so we die, each day, having made the decisions as to how we live in this world. We are driven by the lusts of this world and the passions that it offers us. We live on autopilot in a world that does not offer us a choice. Our daily lives are filled with the choices that help us to loose our souls. We seek repentance one day of the week in our efforts to put to right all the things that we do the other 6 days of the week. And we believe that we are happy. We believe that we have life. We enjoy the choices that are given to us not knowing or believing that we have a choice.
Seven days a week, 24 hours a day we have the choice to be who we are. But that choice goes against what the world offers us. Think what the world would be if we did not have entertainment that thrilled our hearts with sex and violence and action. Think of what the world would be like if we did not have gossip and scandal. Think of what the world would be like if we did not have porn and adultery and lust. Think of what the world would be like if we did not have murder and rape and violence. But this is not the world we live in. And those are not the choices that we are offered. What choices do we have? We have the choice to be who we are. We have the choice to become the persons that we were created to be. We have the choice to live the life that was given us by God. We have a choice. The question is will we choose that choice.
To sleep the sleep of drunkenness. To sleep the sleep of denial. To sleep the sleep of the choices we are offered in the world, is not to sleep but to refuse to awake. We have the choice to know ourselves as we are known by Christ. We have the choice of living in him daily, knowing the truth of who we are. We have the choice of seeing ourselves, now, as we will be seen in heaven. We have the choice of knowing the consolation of the Holy Spirit, that will be our guide, our protector, our provider here in this world. And we have the choice of knowing that death is no obstacle for us but only a door, opening to our meeting with our Lord Jesus Christ and our father, God, our creator. Seek the treasure that is yours in heaven and discard the worthless trinkets that are offered in this world. The door is open. Walk through and receive the knowledge of who you are in Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits your coming. Rejoice!
Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in!
Christ continues to teach his disciples and the crowd about the value of the soul. He told Peter, who was possessed of Satan, to get behind him. He told the crowds to take up their crosses and to follow him. He posed the ultimate question of the value of the soul. And he reminded them of the day of judgement. What do we choose? The decision belongs to us, as humans. Do we seek the riches of the world and give up the most valuable thing that we possess? Or do we follow Christ and take up our cross so that we may have life eternal with him? The choice is ours.
Christ made his choice. He came that man would have a choice. He came that man would have the opportunity to have life. He came that man would no longer have the judgement of death over our heads. For Satan had tricked Adam and Eve into thinking that they would not die if they disobeyed God and eat the forbidden fruit. And God pronounced judgement upon man. But the decision was theirs to make. And so death entered into the world and mankind lost their souls and with it, eternal life. But Christ came to satisfy the judgement and pay the penalty for man's transgressions. Christ came that man would have life if he wanted it. And Christ came to right the wrong brought by Satan.
What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and loose his soul? What do we gain if we do not have life? We gain death, eternal death. For the day will come when all mankind will be judged and all mankind will have their decisions weighed by God. The truth will come forth and all mankind will know the truth of their decisions. Christ told his disciples and the crowds that the day of judgement will come. "For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will render to everyone according to his conduct.
And so we wait. And so we live. And so we die, each day, having made the decisions as to how we live in this world. We are driven by the lusts of this world and the passions that it offers us. We live on autopilot in a world that does not offer us a choice. Our daily lives are filled with the choices that help us to loose our souls. We seek repentance one day of the week in our efforts to put to right all the things that we do the other 6 days of the week. And we believe that we are happy. We believe that we have life. We enjoy the choices that are given to us not knowing or believing that we have a choice.
Seven days a week, 24 hours a day we have the choice to be who we are. But that choice goes against what the world offers us. Think what the world would be if we did not have entertainment that thrilled our hearts with sex and violence and action. Think of what the world would be like if we did not have gossip and scandal. Think of what the world would be like if we did not have porn and adultery and lust. Think of what the world would be like if we did not have murder and rape and violence. But this is not the world we live in. And those are not the choices that we are offered. What choices do we have? We have the choice to be who we are. We have the choice to become the persons that we were created to be. We have the choice to live the life that was given us by God. We have a choice. The question is will we choose that choice.
To sleep the sleep of drunkenness. To sleep the sleep of denial. To sleep the sleep of the choices we are offered in the world, is not to sleep but to refuse to awake. We have the choice to know ourselves as we are known by Christ. We have the choice of living in him daily, knowing the truth of who we are. We have the choice of seeing ourselves, now, as we will be seen in heaven. We have the choice of knowing the consolation of the Holy Spirit, that will be our guide, our protector, our provider here in this world. And we have the choice of knowing that death is no obstacle for us but only a door, opening to our meeting with our Lord Jesus Christ and our father, God, our creator. Seek the treasure that is yours in heaven and discard the worthless trinkets that are offered in this world. The door is open. Walk through and receive the knowledge of who you are in Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits your coming. Rejoice!
Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in!
