Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: GRACE (08/24/23)
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TITLE: Why Wait? | Previous Challenge Entry
By Art Fahy
08/31/23 -
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For three hours, Jesus hung on the cross. Trails of blood flowed down his face from the crown of thorns piercing into his head. The wooden cross digging into his torn flesh. Every movement causing more pain and ripping of the flesh. Even going through all this, Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at Him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting our deeds deserved. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Luke 23:39-41
Why did one criminal continue to hurl insults at Jesus? Maybe he wanted the torturers to believe he was like them. It could have been his pride that held him back from turning to the only One who wanted and could save him. Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18. There will come the day that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. Phil. 2:10 This criminal will be doing it under the earth.
The other criminal heard God’s call to repent of his sins and seek the forgiveness of God through the death of Jesus. When this man said, “remember me when you come into Your kingdom,” is a plea and a show of faith in who Jesus is. Jesus assures him that he will be with Him in Paradise.
I have a friend who is an addict. He may be clean for six months and go back out onto the streets. He may use drugs for three months and return to Narcotics Anonymous meetings. Unfortunately, in the mean time he loses jobs, friends, and cars.
I spoke to him many times about the power of Jesus that could heal him. His response, “Jesus is good for you not for me. I can do this on my own.”
My friend is no different than the thief who rejected Jesus. What were your thoughts about Jesus before you became a christian? Did you think you could do life on your own? Thinking you didn’t need help from anyone. What held you back? Pride?
When I realized how much Jesus loved me and the meaning of what he did on the cross, I felt embarrassed ashamed that I did not accept Jesus sooner as my Savior. I am fortunate I did not wait as long as the thief on the cross to ask repentance and know Jesus.
Like the criminals we have a choice to accept or reject Jesus. We are all sinners and need a Savior. Jesus is that Savior. He died for our sins so we can spend eternity with Him. One criminal will spend eternity in damnation the other will spend it in Paradise. It is never to late to turn from our sins and repent.
This criminal who rejected Jesus would have never made it into heaven by his deeds. He was a criminal and being crucified for his actions. Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8,9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so no one can boast.” God’s grace the undeserved favor in providing salvation for those deserving condemnation. We receive this grace by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior and committing our lives to Him.
The saving activity of God was manifested in Him giving His Son up to die in the place of sinners. So sinners like us can live eternally with Him in Paradise.
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