Jesus Wants You to be Free

 Jesus died to set you free.
Jesus died to save you from eternal death, to free you from despair and endless hopelessness, without God, without friendship, without comfort.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NRSVue
 
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Rom 8:1 NRSVue

Jesus died to free you from your twisted, selfish human nature.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Cor 5:17 NKJV

Jesus died to free you from loneliness.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Cor 13:14 NIV

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 Jn 1:7 NIV

Jesus died to free you from sickness.

… “He took our infirmities and bore our diseases.” Mt 8:17 NRSVue

Jesus died to free you from legalism.

Welcome those who are weak in faith but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. 
Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. 
Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat, for God has welcomed them.

 Who are you to pass judgment on slaves of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand. 
Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds.

 Those who observe the day, observe it for the Lord. Also those who eat, eat for the Lord, since they give thanks to God, while those who abstain, abstain for the Lord and give thanks to God.
Those who do not eat meat do so for the glory of the Lord, and they also give thanks to God. Rom 14:1–6 NRSVue

Jesus died to free us from authoritarian leadership.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Eph 5:21 NIV

Submission is mutual.

 You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! 
In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. 2 Cor 11:19–20 NIV

Here Paul teaches through the Holy Spirit that Christians have the right, even the duty, to resist arrogant, authoritarian, or cruel church leaders. 

God sacrificed Jesus to free women from the arrogant rule of men.

 The extreme subordination of women was not God's intention in creation. After the Fall, God sadly predicted that because of sin, women would be enslaved by men.

To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labour you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” Gen 3:16 NIV

But in the new covenant, women are free.

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Gal 3:28 NIV

It is wonderful that Jesus wants to give us freedom, but we do not receive that freedom automatically.
 
There are people everywhere who do not believe in freedom, even in the church.

 There are many people who do not want to allow you to be free.

But Paul says:

For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Gal 5:1 NRSVue

Love in Heaven

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Rev 21:4–5 NIV

There is a new world coming. It will not be ruled by men. It will not be governed by the rich or the powerful. It will not be ruled by the Americans, the Europeans or the Chinese.

It will not be governed by business or socialism. There will be no politics, no dominant classes or races. There will be no national borders and no armies, no weapons, no locked doors, no police.

There will be no celebrities, no different religions, no church leaders.

It will be God’s world, governed by God alone. God will not be our president. He will be our loving father.

We will have no need for doctors, nurses, psychologists or lawyers.

Men will not rule over women. Priests and pastors will not rule over other believers. We will be brothers and sisters.

There will be no evangelism.

We will all be one loving family. We will know and see and love God for ever. It will not be difficult to believe, because we will all be bathed, washed and overwhelmed by the tender love of our loving creator.

There is one problem. We have all offended against the love of God. We need to be forgiven before we can be received into the family of Father God. This new world is only for those who love the Father. It is a choice.

But there is another problem. God is just. Sin must be punished. God hates sin but he loves you and me in spite of our sin.

God sent His only Son into this world to live as a man. He did not sin but he suffered brutal execution to suffer the punishment we deserved. He was punished on your behalf and my behalf. He paid our penalty.

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.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Jn 3:16–17 NIV

Are you ready to believe and receive forgiveness from God?

If you receive God’s forgiveness and commit your life to living in the love and goodness of God. You will be one of the billions of blessed ones in God’s new world.

So why will God need to wipe away our tears in Heaven?

If we get to heaven but we miss some loved ones who did not turn to God, it will be heartbreaking. God shares our grief. He will comfort us in our grief and wipe away our tears.

While we are here on earth, we must not judge and reject our children who make bad choices in life. We must not stop loving and forgiving them as our heavenly Father loves us and them.

Strong and Weak Believers

 Do you trust Jesus with all your heart? Are you determined to live in a way that pleases God? Then you will be completely forgiven, not partially forgiven.
Are you saved then?

Absolutely.

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. Jn 3:16 NIV

You are either on your way to heaven or on your way to hell.

But Jesus preached not only forgiveness, but repentance. God doesn't just want to forgive you, he wants to free you from sin.

When sinners are converted, we often see dramatic changes, but in other cases the change seems slower, but if your character does not begin to change, your faith is nothing more than religion. Religion does not save.

My father gave his life to Jesus when he was 88. He lived another 3 years after that. He was demented and helpless, but we saw a change. Before his conversion, he was desperate and hopeless.

How are you doing? ‘Still alive.’

But afterwards we saw no trace of despair.

Paul was very strict in some respects.

Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men
nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Cor 6:9–10 NIV

But he recognised that some Christians are strong in faith and others are weak. We need to remember that it is not a sin to desire something forbidden. It is only sin if we give in to temptation.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul recognises Christians as saints, although he then writes in the letter about their sins and character flaws, which they have not yet overcome.

There are Christians who regard sex before marriage as normal, and these Christians should recognise their danger.

But there are also Christians who condemn themselves for every misstep and see themselves as hopeless failures and damned sinners.

It is for these Christians that Paul wrote the marvellous promises of God.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Rom 5:1–2 NIV

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, Rom 8:1 NIV

You are so Valuable to God

You are extremely valuable in God's eyes.

God is constantly interested in you. He thinks about you every minute.

God created humanity, but to God you are not just a mere specimen of humanity. God loves every human being like a good mother loves her own child.

That is why God suffers with deep heartache when we distance ourselves from His love, when we want to live as if He did not exist.

Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 1 Jn 4:8 NRSV

God created Adam and Eve and they were totally good in the beginning. God made them without fault.

So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Gen 1:27 NRSV

God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. Gen 1:31 NRSV

We know our ancestors went wrong because the Bible tells us the sad story, but if we want confirmation, we need only look at the horrible state of the world.

You and I need only consider the inadequacy of our own lives and we know that we have all gone wrong.

If we are not merciful and faithful, God still loves us totally because He cannot help but be faithful and merciful.

Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 1 Jn 4:8 NRSV

• God loves you because He created you and He created you because He loved you.

• God saw you and loved you before the creation of the world.

• God loved you when you were conceived.  

For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Ps 139:13 NRSV

My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Ps 139:15 NRSV

He loved you in the womb.

He loved you when you were born and he never stopped loving you.
But maybe you were conceived in a car. Maybe you began as an unwanted pregnancy, but God wanted you and he still wants you.

That makes no difference to God's love. He does not blame you for your parents’ mistakes.

Were you then abused as a child? God is just. What was done to you does not affect his love for you in the slightest.

You are not responsible for your parents’ mistakes but you are responsible to God for your own life. We have all gone wrong and we need God’s forgiveness, but God loves you and He wants to forgive you for everything. He is waiting to hear the cry of your heart.

Finding your Way to Faith

 Preachers often talk about faith. They didn't invent it. It was a favourite topic of Jesus himself.

Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” Jn 6:28–29 NIV

For Paul, faith was just as important.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. Eph 2:8–9 NLT

Maybe you have a longing for God, but you look into your own heart and you see doubt. You see uncertainty. You have questions, but you may not be satisfied with the answers you hear.

In some Church meetings, rituals are offered to guarantee salvation.  

Many are baptised but do not experience new life.
Many say a prayer of commitment, but afterwards they remain uncertain and inwardly unchanged.

You cannot deceive God. He understands your thoughts from afar. Even if you try to deceive yourself, God loves you as you really are. He wants to create a new life in you, not an outward form of religion.

Jesus explained the way that is necessary for many.

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Mt 7:7–8 NLT

Before the war, a young Jew lived in Romania.
He was an atheist, but his worldview gave him no comfort.

One day he saw an old Orthodox church and he stepped inside. He saw old people kneeling before an old man. He didn't believe, but he felt the emptiness in his soul.
 
He began to pray.
 
``God. I maintain that you do not exist. But if you do exist, I am not obliged to believe in you. It is your duty to reveal yourself to me.
 
Later he went to the countryside. He was poor and he walked. The sun was setting and he sought shelter in a village.
 
There lived a deeply devout Christian who had been praying to the Lord for years to win a Jew for Jesus.

The young Jewish atheist was warmly welcomed. The host gave him a Bible. When he read the words of Jesus, flames of love were kindled in his heart.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live,
and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Jn 11:25–26 NRSV

From that day on, his life was completely new. Jesus was his best friend and faithful companion in life.

It is better to talk to God yourself, to speak the thoughts of your heart openly, than to say some formulaic prayer.

You can also pray sincerely:

‘If this message is indeed true, come into my life and change my heart and soul. I don't have a firm faith, but I want to believe if you really are as the Bible says.’

God Rescues Ruined People

There are terrible people who repent and God forgives them.

Hermann Zaiss was a very blessed German evangelist at the end of the war. As early as 1945, thousands and thousands of people from all regions of Germany and other countries came to his meetings.

Many gravely ill people were miraculously healed, but these were not the greatest miracles.  

He was a young soldier in the British army of occupation. He had a burning hatred of the German people.

His commander was a Canadian officer who looked upon this young man with Christian compassion because his uncontrollable bitterness was poisoning his own soul.

This young man was no monster. A Jewish child from Germany, he had found refuge in England, but his entire family was murdered by the Nazis.

The Canadian officer brought the emotionally wounded young soldier to the meeting where the German evangelist was preaching.

Also among the audience was another seriously injured man. He was a hardcore Nazi from the Waffen SS, a loyal disciple of the Führer.

In the last days of the war, he was hit by an artillery shell explosion.

When he woke up from a coma, he saw a black American nurse smiling at him with Christian compassion.

He no longer understood the world. One of his legs had been torn apart, and he was permanently crippled.

The helpless SS officer and the embittered young Jew listened to the sermon, saw the healings, and felt the presence of God with his love and mercy.

Then their hearts became warm and soft. They turned to Jesus and testified of their experience.

He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds. Ps 147:3 NASB95

Then the most amazing of all miracles took place. They became firm friends.

We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death. 1 Jn 3:14 NRSV

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Rom 5:1 NLT

Only in the Bible is the God of Love

 Only in the Bible do you find an almighty God who loves you with all his heart.

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 1 Jn 4:16 NIV

The God in the Koran is Creator and Judge, but there is no Father God in the Islamic scriptures.

Only in the Bible do you find an almighty God who loves all people.

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. Jn 3:16 NIV

This is good, and pleases God our Savior,
who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 1 Ti 2:3–4 NIV

Only in the Bible do you find an almighty God who loves his enemies.

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” .. Lk 23:34 NIV

This is how Jesus prayed when he was hanging on the cross and dying.

For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Ro 5:10 NIV

Only in the Bible do we find an eternal, almighty Father God who sacrifices his eternal Son to pay our debts so that we can have eternal heavenly life through repentance and faith.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ro 6:23 NIV

Near Death Experience. Revived in the Morgue

 Ian McCormack had a loving Christian mother. As a child in New Zealand, he was brought up as a Christian, but as a young man he had no desire for God. He sought pleasure and adventure in the wide world. He travelled first to Australia and then to Indonesia.

He became an avid surfer and was always looking for the best wave and a new adventure.
His life revolved around sex, drugs and rock'n'roll.

``In my own way, I was on my way to finding the ‘meaning of life’. At certain times I would have labelled myself an atheist, at others a ‘free thinker’.

I wanted to experience everything that life had to offer. My philosophy back then was to just throw myself fully into life.‘’

His mum prayed for him every day.

He found adventure in the ocean, sweet young women and fun mates everywhere. His thirst for adventure was so extreme that his life was often in danger.

It was a stormy night in Mauritius. He went fishing and dived at midnight in the Indian Ocean. He was stung five times by huge poisonous jellyfish. Once would have been a death sentence.

When he collapsed on the beach, he was staring at his death.

``The image of my mother was clear before my eyes. It was as if she was saying again the words she had spoken so long ago: ``Ian, no matter how far you have strayed from God, no matter what you have done wrong: If you cry out to God with all your heart, he will hear you and forgive you.‘’

Mortal fear gripped him. Is there perhaps a God? But who is God?

He had no money and nobody wanted to drive him to the hospital, but then he somehow found help.

``The image of my mother was clearly before my eyes. It was as if she was saying again the words she had spoken so long ago: ‘Ian, no matter how far you have strayed from God, no matter what you have done wrong: If you cry out to God with all your heart, he will hear you and forgive you.‘’

Mortal fear gripped him. Is there perhaps a God? But who is God?

``Could it be the Christian God? But if it is the God of the Christians, then I have a big problem.’ I thought: ‘If it's about Jesus ... I had cursed that name. I was ridiculing the Christians! My life was all about sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll...’‘’

``Suddenly words appeared before my eyes like an advertising neon sign: FORGIVE US OUR SINS. I asked myself: ‘Where should I start? I have committed so many sins. I don't have time to list them all now.‘’

He began to pray the words.

It was an uphill struggle to stay awake, humble himself in prayer, forgive the sins of others, and somehow reach the hospital before his death.

Finally, he reached a dirty old hospital. He was dying.

A nurse tried to give him an injection of antidote, but his circulation was no longer working. It was hopeless.

Then he died. His invisible soul was in terrible darkness. Then he reached an even more terrible place, on the threshold of hell.

Then he cried out in despair.

``Now I wept and cried out to God: ‘Why am I here? I asked you for forgiveness! Why am I here? I have turned my heart to you. Why am I here?’ Then a dazzling light shone down on me and literally pulled me out of the darkness.‘’

Ian was pulled out of hell and found himself in the glorious, loving presence of Jesus himself.

He had prayed for forgiveness and God forgave him.

Ian McCormack was dead. A doctor prepared his body to be transferred to the morgue. 

Then Ian returned to his body. Without a miracle cure, Ian would never have returned to normal, but now Ian is a healthy man with a wife and children.

McCormack, Ian. I was dead: a glimpse into the afterlife - a true story (Living with Hope) (German Edition) . Agency PJI UG. Kindle Edition.

The Promises of Jesus

You can always trust Jesus.

• You can trust Jesus when you are sick.

That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. 

This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”  Matthew 8:16-17 (ESV)       

  

And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. 

Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. Acts 10:38 (NLT)   

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Heb13:8 (NKJV)   

• You can trust Jesus when you are guilty.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 Jn 1:8-9 (ESV)  

• You can trust Jesus when you feel rejected.

However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. John 6:37 (NLT)   

 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. John 6:37 (NKJV)  

• You can trust Jesus when you don’t know if God accepts you.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (NKJV)   

The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. 

He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.  2 Peter 3:9 (NLT)   

...for he longs for all to be saved and to understand this truth: 1 Tim 2:4 (TLB)

• You can trust Jesus when you feel pressurised, tired and overwhelmed.

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 (NLT)   

• You can trust Jesus when you feel empty and unsatisfied.

And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. John 6:35 (NKJV)   

 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. 

I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10 (NKJV)  

 

• You can trust Jesus when you feel alone.

    "But I will send you the Comforter—the Holy Spirit, the source of all truth. 

He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me. John 15:26 (TLB)

  Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. 

And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20 (NLT)  

• You can trust Jesus to speak to you. 

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. John 10:27 (NKJV)   

• You can trust Jesus when you are grieving over the loss of what was precious to you.

 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:10 (NKJV)  

• You can trust Jesus to care for your children.

 He will feed His flock like a shepherd; 

He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young. Isaiah 40:11 (NKJV)  

• You can trust Jesus when you are afraid to die. 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, 

for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4 (NIV)   

Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 

Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. John 11:25-26 (NLT)