COMING TO CHRIST JESUS THE LORD — Part 3
"...and the one who COMES TO ME I will by no means cast out" (John 6:37b).
In the previous devotion, we observed that biblically "coming to Christ" is NOT a physical act. Today, we continue by stating that "coming to Christ" is NOT a mere mental activity.
Many are also deceived in relation to this critical issue. A preacher or a witness presents a set of "informational propositions" concerning the Person and the Work of the Lord Jesus Christ to an unconverted person. The preacher or the witness may say things like, "Jesus is the Son of God who was born of the virgin Mary. You are a sinner. Oh, but Jesus died on the cross for sinners. He triumphantly rose from the dead. You certainly don't want to go to hell. Surely, you want to go to Heaven, don't you?
Most probably, the witness also shares the proposition that "there is forgiveness and salvation in no other name, except the Lord Jesus Christ." After these various propositions are given to this unconverted person, the individual is told that, "If they will assent (agree) with this set of propositions and repeat a certain prayer (concerning these propositions), that this means that they have 'COME TO CHRIST."
Next, the person who is witnessing says something like, "Will you agree that Jesus is the Son of God and the only Savior of sinners?" And by an affirmative vocal or nodding of the head to this set of intellectual propositions about Jesus Christ, the witness tells the person that they need to repeat this prayer (which contains those propositions); and in doing so, they have "COME TO CHRIST".
However, dear reader, this can be highly deceptive, damaging, and dangerous. For if "coming to Christ" only involves the "nodding of the head to a list of propositions about Jesus and repeating some words which include those propositions", then John 6:44 should be removed from the pages of scripture. Again, I repeat that the Lord Jesus has clearly declared that, "No man can COME TO ME, unless the Father who sent Me draws him."
Merely asking one to agree to a set of facts mentally does not require a supernatural and miraculous regenerating work of God the Holy Spirit. Even when a witness persuades a person to give a "mental assent" to a set of minimized facts concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, it does not institute the supernatural birth from above!
An individual can acquiesce to these propositions and repeat those propositions in a 'sinner's prayer'; and yet, it can be nothing more than merely a mental assent to these minimal facts. But without the demonstration of the mighty convicting power of the Spirit of God, they remain lost in their sins.
Millions have certainly done nothing more than give an intellectual agreement to 'the lowest common denominator' of particular facts in what is called the plan of salvation. Afterward, they have parroted a prayer based on that minimal information in this plan. However, there is NO ongoing evidence in their practice of lifestyle that they have been miraculously born from above! These vast multitudes have been coerced by a humanized method, which contains a 'watered-down' set of propositions.
Consequently, their belief in Jesus is no different from their acceptance of historical facts concerning Abraham Lincoln, and then believing in him. We must be careful when handling the souls of others. A person may experience nothing more than an intellectual exercise, by which they agree to all of these historical facts concerning the Person and Work of Jesus, yet never have the miraculous and supernatural drawing work of God." Friends, physical activities, and/or mental assent are not what it means to "COME TO CHRIST."
The contemporary evangelistic message, which has mainly become man-centered and felt-need centered, has totally missed the truth that "coming to Christ" is not merely a mental assent to some information about Jesus. With great exhortation, dear friend, I am submitting to you that this "nodding of the head" to a minimized set of intellectual facts concerning the Lord Jesus is NOT "coming to Christ"!
THE VITAL ISSUE OF COMING TO CHRIST JESUS THE LORD — Part 2
"…and the one who COMES TO ME I will by no means cast out" (John 6:37b).
What does it truly mean when Jesus says, "And the one who COMES TO ME..."? Let's begin by describing what "coming to Jesus" DOES NOT MEAN.
First, "Coming to the Lord Jesus Christ" is not a physical activity. There are vast hordes of people (and even evangelical preachers) who are utterly deluded on this vital area. Multitudes of pastors, evangelists, and misinformed witnesses have equated "coming to the Lord Jesus Christ" with coming forward to a platform at church, at another venue, or before a preacher.
Sadly, on countless occasions, I have heard pastors, evangelists, and individual witnesses say things like, "Our pastor invited 'evangelist so and so' to preach at our Harvest Sunday meeting. There were 26 people who 'came to Christ'!" When, what they actually meant was that 26 adults, youth, and little children either actively raised their hand (while every head was bowed and every eye was closed), and some of them even left their seats and walked to the platform or the preacher.' In other words, they observed 26 people participating in physical activities that a preacher had asked them to do.
However, these misinformed people have mentally equated those 'physical activities' with the supernatural miracle of being powerfully drawn by the Spirit of God, so that a person savingly comes to the Lord Jesus Christ. This type of misconception has been so instilled into the mindset of contemporary evangelicalism that the vast majority of preachers and church people actually associate this humanly invented 'physical activity' with the miracle of regeneration and conversion.
Mistakenly, they believe that whenever they observe these physical activities of 'raising a hand and walking an aisle', they automatically assume that the individual has come to Christ! However, please understand, the Word of God clearly teaches that "COMING TO CHRIST JESUS" is not a physical activity.
If someone tells a sinner that 'coming to Christ Jesus' is any physical activity (such as raising a hand and walking an aisle), they have simultaneously contradicted what the Lord Jesus Christ taught us in John 6:44, saying, "No man can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him."
So then, if 'coming to the Lord Jesus' is some type of physical activity, the sinner does not need the supernatural and miraculous inward operation of the Spirit of God to 'draw them' to the Lord Jesus Christ. The assumption would be that all they need is the personal courage to raise their hand and the physical strength to walk from their seat to the platform!
Oh, but the inherent and infallible Word of God teaches that 'coming to Christ' is a direct result of the miraculous and supernatural activity of God the Holy Spirit, when He mightily applies the Word of truth in a spiritual heart transplant! Therefore, no sinner can come to the Lord Jesus Christ (in authentic repentance and saving faith) unless a spiritual act of God miraculously and supernaturally draws them!
Sadly, millions of people falsely imagine that they have "come to Christ" because they have gone through these man-invented concoctions of raising a hand and walking an aisle. However, the vast majority of them remain lost in their sins. They have gone through the 'humanly invented ritualistic motions of this physical activity. But they have never "COME TO CHRIST JESUS", as a result of a supernatural and miraculous drawing work of God!
There may be someone reading this devotion who is depending on one of these physical activities for their salvation. I pray that the truth of God will utterly expose and remove your faulty foundation. Even this day, may God graciously and miraculously draw you to "come to the Lord Jesus Christ in godly sorrow, which produces authentic repentance; and saving faith in the Person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
THE VITAL ISSUE OF COMING TO CHRIST JESUS THE LORD — Part 1
There are many glorious promises in relation to this vital issue of "Coming to Christ Jesus the Lord". For example, the Lord promises 'soul rest' for any weary sinner who will come to Him, saying, "COME TO ME, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). Another precious guarantee granted to all who come to the Lord Jesus is found in John 6:37, "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who COMES TO ME, I will by no means cast out."
With these words, the Savior issues a sure pledge that He will never cast away a single person who sincerely comes to him on His conditions. Then in John 6:44a, the Lord Jesus said, "No one can COME TO ME unless the Father who sent Me draws him." Notice in the second half of that verse the assurance that Jesus gives to one who does come: "and I will raise him up at the last day." The Lord Jesus gives the sure promise that those who come to Him (on His terms) will undoubtedly be glorified, to worship Him for all of eternity in Heaven!
Conversely, there are also some terrifying warnings to those who refuse to 'come to the Lord Jesus Christ'. In John 5:40, the Lord Jesus warns, "But you are not willing to COME TO ME that you may have life." He explained that anyone who refused to come to Him they were forfeiting eternal life by their unwillingness to accept Him.
Every individual who neglects to come to the Lord Jesus will be cast into the eternal furnace of fire. They will never experience and enjoy everlasting life. Instead, they will suffer the eternal torment of the 2nd death.
Therefore, it is evident that all must give the most earnest heed to this issue of "coming to the Lord Jesus Christ" on His biblical conditions. For this vital matter of "coming to the Lord Jesus Christ" should not be a subject of some casual interest. Moreover, it should never be a matter of a mere intellectual study. For "coming to the Lord Jesus Christ" is a matter of everlasting salvation or everlasting damnation.
The Lord Jesus Christ will receive all who come to Him. But those who neglect or refuse to "come to Him" are certain to be cast away from Him. For this reason, this matter of "coming to the Lord Jesus Christ" is the difference between a resurrection unto salvation or a resurrection unto condemnation.
Consequently, as we begin to consider in the following several devotions on this massively essential subject, we want to think about ourselves first, and think about others secondly. In other words, carefully examine your own spiritual condition first. Then, if you have the solid assurance that you have "come to Christ Jesus the Lord", these truths can give you excellent assistance as you think of the condition and the need of those around you.
For instance, there are souls, within the realm of my own life, who may be identified as 'sleeping sinners'. The fleeting things of this passing world consume them. They are absolutely unconcerned about the issues of eternal life and the second death. On the other hand, there may be others who are brought into my sphere of influence, who have been awakened to these eternally vital issues of everlasting salvation or damnation; Heaven and Hell; and this vitally important matter of 'coming to Christ or being cast away from Christ'.
If this is occurring, these spiritual realities will suddenly weigh heavily on their hearts and minds. While preaching recently, a few adults appeared to be in such a condition of heart and mind. They were being awakened both to the reality and the urgency of these spiritual issues.
You can be assured, "When the enemy of the human soul sees that a sinner, becoming awakened from their slumber (concerning the eternal issues of their own soul), he will seek to give that soul a variety of deceptive answers, related to this supremely critical issue of the ONE WAY to COME TO CHRIST JESUS THE LORD, unto the saving of their soul.
For this reason, we must become equipped to give a sound biblical explanation of what it truly means to "Come to Christ Jesus". I trust that these upcoming devotions may be both a word of instruction to some awakened souls, as well as 'a word of alarm' to those who have thought that they have come to Christ, but have not come in the manner in which the New Testament teaches. So, join us as we survey the glorious definition of what it means to "Come to Christ Jesus the Lord"!
TAKE HEED HOW YOU HEAR — Part 11
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who DOES THE WILL (is continuing to take heed to the divine will) of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS'" (Matthew 7:21-23).
In this last devotion on this topic, we want to be alerted to the reality that your quality of listening and reading reveals much about your spiritual condition before the Lord.” Jesus's sermon in Matthew 7 declares that the majority of those who professed faith in Jesus were superficial and artificial, because they were superficial hearers. It is the Lord Jesus who will declare to the many, “Depart from Me, I never knew you.” The preaching that should have spiritually enriched their lives actually impoverished them because of the manner in which they heard the Word.
We must be aware of this result. If one is an authentic reader and hearer, then they would have read and heard carefully, contemplatively, and fruitfully. But, because of their perilous pitfall of shallow reading and hearing, they never found the Lord Jesus Christ in the pages of the scriptures.
Recall the passage in which the Lord Jesus confronted the unconverted Jews with this warning, “You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and these are they which testifiy of ME” (John 5:39). Then the resurrected Jesus walked beside the two men on the Emmaus Road, Jesus, “beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He [Jesus] expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27). Therefore, whether we’re reading in the Old Testament or in the New Testament, we ought to see the glory of the Lord Jesus and draw closer to Him, if we are reading or listening carefully to what God has revealed.
Remember the two questions Paul asked the Lord Jesus in his life-transforming encounter with Him on the Damascus Road. They are excellent questions that we, too, should ask when reading or listening to God's Word preached: “Who are You, Lord?” and “What do you want me to do?” Since Jesus Christ is the risen Lord and Sovereign Savior, who gave Himself for your sins, it should radically affect the manner in which you live your daily life.
The person who hears or reads the Word of God and practices what they hear or read is like "a wise man who built his house on a rock." He will not be content with merely reading or listening to exhortations of the Word of God. This individual actually repents. They actually believe. They actually cease to do evil and learns God's ways. He abhors that which is sinful and cleaves to that which is good. He is a doer of the Word, and not a forgetful hearer.
The man who hears Christian teaching and never gets beyond hearing is like "a foolish man who built his house on the sand." He satisfies himself with listening or reading, but never takes heed of what he hears or reads. He imagines that all is right within his soul, because he has certain feelings and various desires which relate to the spiritual realm. But he never really breaks off from his pattern of sin. He never turns from his worldly idols. He never actually lays hold of Christ’s words in the personal obedience of taking heed. So, he never really denies himself; he does not take up the cross; and he never truly follows after Jesus Christ in a lifestyle of obedient faith.
As a direct consequence of their superficial and artificial religiosity, which costs them nothing in real-life change and consists of nothing but hearing sermons and reading some chapters occasionally, it will always prove to be a life built on shifting sand. Their judgment upon their death will issue the verdict, "Depart from Me, I never knew you, and they will pay the price for their sins and be cast into the eternal furnace of fire. Therefore, dear friend, take heed how you hear!
TAKE HEED HOW YOU HEAR — Part 10
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who DOES THE WILL (is continuing to take heed to the divine will) of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS'" (Matthew 7:21-23).
It is significant to notice that the 'walk' of these hordes of false professors of faith contradicted their 'talk'. They called Jesus' Lord, Lord', but did not take heed to His words, and did not submit their lives to the will of the God of the Word. They could talk a good talk, but neglected and refused to walk the walk. They even employed the NAME of Jesus to carry out their religious activities, but were never in possession of the NATURE of Jesus.
Observe that there was no mention of these religionists praying. Yet, prayer is the spiritual breath of the born-again believer. Prayer is as spiritually vital to the born-again disciple as physical breathing is to every human being. However, a false professor can be involved in a thousand religious activities and still be void of the spiritual breath of authentic prayer.
Remember what Jesus gave to his disciple, Ananias, to comfort him concerning the initial evidence of Saul of Tarsus' conversion, "Behold, he is praying." Notice the scriptures did not say, "Behold, he is delivering messages in Jesus' name; he is casting out demons; or doing many wonderful works." On the contrary, the overarching evidence of his spiritual birth from above was his spiritual breathing of prayer!
Oh, dear friends, many will come to the end of their lives believing in a religious delusion because they never embraced a biblical doctrine of assurance. They are relying on "parroting a prayer" at some time in the past. They are counting 'raising a hand' at the conclusion of a service and walking to a platform or a preacher as sufficient. They are looking back on a distant day in the past, when they were immersed in water. But in fact, all of these are nothing but a false refuge if that person continually refuses and neglects to 'take heed to the Word of God'. They continue to refuse to face the multitude of verses that testify that the authentic believer will manifest the ongoing fruit of "taking heed to the Word of God"!
Precious reader, what is the basis for your assurance of salvation? Is it the objective evidence of a spiritual heart transplant, manifesting itself in a direction of life that is both hearing and heeding the Word? Or is it the subjective evidence of trusting in your own heart or relying on a past religious experience?
So many respond wrongly. Most of these individuals think, and some openly confess, saying, "I know that I am continually refusing to 'take heed to the Word of God' in my practice of lifestyle; however, my heart tells me that I am okay, I am saved." However, there is a significant and urgent problem with trusting your own heart and following it. The Lord says that the 'human heart is deceitful above all things' and desperately wicked! The greatest imposter in the entire world is the unconverted human heart.
No one deceives the unconverted person more than their own masquerading heart. This is precisely the reason that the writer of Proverbs declares, "He who trusts in his own heart is a FOOL!" Well then, who can know the human heart? God responds, "I, the Lord, search the heart and test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings." This question is an eternally vital issue: "Is your life exhibiting the fruit of 'taking heed to the Word of God"?
Ed Lacy Ministries – Striving to do God's work, God's way, for God's Glory
edlacyministries.org
The Amazing Grace of God A Ten Part Video Study Watch The Life Which Glorifies God A 12 Part Study on John 15:1-9 Listen The Beatitudes The Key to Supreme Happiness, and Spiritual Prosperity Listen Th...
TAKE HEED HOW YOU HEAR — Part 9
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who DOES THE WILL (is continuing to take heed to the divine will) of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS'" (Matthew 7:21-23).
All must pay careful attention to this SHOCKING DECLARATION, the Lord will give to those who were in the close vicinity to the 'preaching of the Word', but failed to 'take heed to the Word'. This startling profession will occur at the Great White Throne judgment, when the Lord Jesus will raise all the hordes of eternally condemned souls from the bowels of hell. The word "MANY" (which Jesus employs at the beginning of verse 22) describes the vast majority of those who 'profess to be Christians' who had actually entered through the wide gate of counterfeit conversion. Because of their wrong thinking about the Lord Jesus and salvation, this vast multitude of unconverted religionists fell short of entering through the narrow gate of genuine conversion.
They indeed possessed a 'type of faith' in the Lord Jesus Christ, for notice they called Him, 'Lord! Lord!' They may have even experienced some brand of sorrow in their false religious experience. However, their faith in Jesus was never saving faith. The sorrow, which they expressed, was not the 'sorrow toward God' which produces repentance and leads to the salvation of the soul.
Observe these words again, "MANY will say to Me in that day." The Lord Jesus completely stuns us with the reality that the lion's share of those who claimed to be His disciples will be revealed to be "false professors" who were absolutely deceived. Some were deceived by false preachers, who proclaim a "watered-down message" and devise all manner of fleshly methods and manipulations to entice individuals into making a superficial decision. Those 'peddling preachers' had an ungodly view of success. Like today, they were interested in large crowds and hordes of decisions, regardless of how they were produced. For this tragic reason, many in these multitudes were utterly deceived and misled by their minimized messages, humanized methods, and fleshly coerced decisions.
Others were self-deceived because they trusted in the fact that they were deeply involved in religious affiliation and attendance. Adding to their deceptive state was their involvement in many religious activities. All the while, living a pattern of lifestyle which continually failed to "take heed to the Word of God" and manifest the evidence of "doing the will of God in their practice of living"!
What were the root causes of this tragic self-deception, which will bring them to the final judgment totally unprepared? Certainly, one primary root cause was, and is, the "false teaching on assurance." Please observe, 'there are only two vitally important questions, which a person needs to give the correct answer to with their life and their lips. The first question is, "What must I do to be saved?" Secondly, "How do I know I am truly saved?" You must be personally aware of the biblical fact that the Word of God gives two completely different answers to these two essential questions.
God's answer to the first question is that a person must repent and believe the Gospel to be saved. But the question concerning "assurance of salvation" begs for a totally different answer. First, the promises of God, concerning the salvation of your eternal soul, have become a living reality in the inner core of your being, so that you are clinging to Jesus alone, as your Lord, your Savior, and your sole refuge from the wrath to come! Secondly, the Spirit of God will bear witness with your spirit that you have been adopted into God's family. When an individual is born from above, the Spirit of Christ now resides within their regenerate spirit, crying "Abba, Father"! Subsequently, the Spirit of God that indwells you will be guiding and empowering you to take heed to the words of the Lord Jesus. Moreover, the Holy Spirit, out of His love for you to be conformed into His image, will faithfully correct you when you fail to take heed to Jesus' words. These are the overarching biblical doctrines of assurance. Do you see these overarching biblical doctrines of assurance as living realities in your daily life?
Ed Lacy Ministries – Striving to do God's work, God's way, for God's Glory
edlacyministries.org
The Amazing Grace of God A Ten Part Video Study Watch The Life Which Glorifies God A 12 Part Study on John 15:1-9 Listen The Beatitudes The Key to Supreme Happiness, and Spiritual Prosperity Listen Th...
TAKE HEED HOW YOU HEAR — Part 8
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who DOES THE WILL (is continuing to take heed to the divine will) of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS'" (Matthew 7:21-23).
With these words, the Lord Jesus reaffirms that it is not enough to call Him, 'Lord, Lord.' There must be a legitimate and lasting submission of your life to the truth that you profess with your lips. The lifestyle of practicing "taking heed to the Word of God" will be the 24-carat evidence of the authenticity of one's conversion. The Good Shepherd previously declared, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them." But what is the documenting evidence of the reality that Jesus Christ truly knows you, in a saving union? "YOU FOLLOW HIM!
There must be an initial obedience of 'taking heed to the Gospel and its terms'. However, that initial obedience will always manifest itself in the living reality of an all-inclusive commitment to the personal and perpetual practice of "taking heed to what you hear or read". Of course, we are fully aware that this will be a reality that is manifest in the practice of your life, not the perfection of your life. Only Jesus fulfilled this "taking heed" in the perfection of His life!
Do you possess a passion and purpose to bring the entirety of your life into harmony with the commands of the Lord Jesus Christ? Jesus said, "He that has My commands and guards them diligently, it is he who loves Me." The Lord Jesus continually emphasized the need to be "taking heed to His commandments", as manifest evidence of one's love for Him. Jesus said, "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him" (John 14:21). "He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me." (John 14:24)
Others consider this somewhat legalistic, particularly in terms of the obedience aspect. They would suggest, "Have you not read the scriptures which declare that we have freedom in Christ!" Yet, I would respond by saying, "Well, every child of God does have spiritual freedom in Christ!, But the Lord sets a sinner free from the tyranny of sin for the purpose of transforming them into a loving and joyful SLAVE OF THE SON! Thereby, I am saying that, "The vital key that nullifies this theory (that this call to manifest an obedient heart is some type of legalistic duty) is the fact that the Lord Jesus declares that, "this glad and willing submission to take heed to His commands" is the confirming evidence that a person genuinely loves the Lord Jesus! It is the undeniable proof that they are His 'loving and joyful servant" and "He is their gracious and merciful Master"! Biblical love is a self-sacrificing and caring commitment that seeks the highest good of the one who is the object of that love. Consequently, if you love the Lord Jesus Christ, then the highest good that you can accomplish for Him is to glorify Him through a life of taking heed to His words.
The greatest example is the Lord Jesus. God the Son glorified God the Father by obeying all that the Father commanded Him to be and do. His obedience was certainly not some "legalistic duty" being carried out! In the same manner, an authentic disciple must seek to glorify Christ by taking heed to His commands in a lifestyle of obedience.
Every disciple should have two personal motivations for "taking heed to His word". First, you obey the Lord because your Lord has commanded you to "take heed to His word". Secondly, you obey Jesus because you love the One who is commanding you to "take heed to His word"! True love for the Lord Jesus will blossom into obedience to the Word of God. The first fruit and a definitive sign of an authentic love for the Lord Jesus Christ is the personal submission to "taking heed to His teachings."