In Matthew 8:11-12, Jesus said, “I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness.”
Jesus often injects sobering reality into our lives. Here He says not every believer will remain faithful and gain eternal life. Jesus had just seen great faith in a pagan Roman officer, faith He had rarely seen among His own people. He pointed to that soldier’s faith as an example to follow.
The soldier had a sick servant and Jesus said He’d come and heal him. The soldier said, “You don’t need to come to my house, Jesus. Just say the word and I trust You will get the job done.” Can we say that to Jesus? Do we have that kind of faith? I know I don’t. I want to see results, and I want them now! I can get actually get physically sick if I don’t see the results I want. I don't know about you, but I need to be healed from this!
Jesus must see a disappointing lack of faith among His people today. Instead of placing our faith in Him, we trust our money, or our philosophy of life, or our cleverness, or our ability to follow rules. Many in the Christian Church do this. We don’t reject Jesus, but we make faith a matter of pride in how well we keep the rules.
Trusting Jesus is not following a set of rules. The Gospel is not what we do, but what God has done for us in Jesus. The Ten Commandments may help us get along better, but they offer no hope for heaven. Those Laws reveal our sins and mirror how phony we really are.
Jesus Christ brings us hope for a new life through forgiveness. If we look into the mirror of the Ten Commandments, we will see how sinful we are. When we trust in Jesus, who kept all those rules for us, the person looking back at us in the mirror can know - and rejoice - that he or she has been set free from sin.
Trusting Jesus, you and I will not be tossed into “outer darkness.” Because of what He did for us, we can live forever with Him because He is the real Healer. Today, let us give thanks that God has given us a Savior, the One who has done it all - for us!
Jesus often injects sobering reality into our lives. Here He says not every believer will remain faithful and gain eternal life. Jesus had just seen great faith in a pagan Roman officer, faith He had rarely seen among His own people. He pointed to that soldier’s faith as an example to follow.
The soldier had a sick servant and Jesus said He’d come and heal him. The soldier said, “You don’t need to come to my house, Jesus. Just say the word and I trust You will get the job done.” Can we say that to Jesus? Do we have that kind of faith? I know I don’t. I want to see results, and I want them now! I can get actually get physically sick if I don’t see the results I want. I don't know about you, but I need to be healed from this!
Jesus must see a disappointing lack of faith among His people today. Instead of placing our faith in Him, we trust our money, or our philosophy of life, or our cleverness, or our ability to follow rules. Many in the Christian Church do this. We don’t reject Jesus, but we make faith a matter of pride in how well we keep the rules.
Trusting Jesus is not following a set of rules. The Gospel is not what we do, but what God has done for us in Jesus. The Ten Commandments may help us get along better, but they offer no hope for heaven. Those Laws reveal our sins and mirror how phony we really are.
Jesus Christ brings us hope for a new life through forgiveness. If we look into the mirror of the Ten Commandments, we will see how sinful we are. When we trust in Jesus, who kept all those rules for us, the person looking back at us in the mirror can know - and rejoice - that he or she has been set free from sin.
Trusting Jesus, you and I will not be tossed into “outer darkness.” Because of what He did for us, we can live forever with Him because He is the real Healer. Today, let us give thanks that God has given us a Savior, the One who has done it all - for us!
Thank You, Jesus, for forgiving our sins and healing us. Amen
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