I Never Knew You

In our lifetime, we will hear words we do not want to hear such as, you're fired, I don't love you or it's not you, it's me. Well, some of us might have heard those phrases and maybe not. But there are some words, as Christians, we should never want to hear and those are the words of Jesus when He says,

'I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’  MT 7:23

 To stand before Jesus on judgement day and hear those words will be terrifying. I can't imagine what that would be like after a lifetime of thinking I was doing the right things and the right works only to find that I had missed one important thing. I had missed the most important thing when it comes to Jesus and that is knowing Him as my Lord and Savior. To stand there and realize I had never been saved, I had never accepted Him into my life and asked Him to forgive me and now I am looking at an eternity of suffering.

No, I can't imagine that and I don't want to; it's terrifying to even consider hearing those words. As a younger Christian, young in my Christian life, I would always question my salvation and its security. But as I grew spiritually in the Lord, I began to know and understand what the true meaning of salvation really is. God's word is full of promises and statements which tell us when we are saved, we are saved for eternity. I'm talking about a true, sincere faith and relationship with Jesus. Too many people want to throw around phrases and sayings which can hinder newer Christians in their faith and walk with God.

I'm sure we have all heard them, "A said faith" or "Once saved, always saved" are just a couple which some will use to carry a message of doubt or make one think about the security of their salvation. A said faith, in a true sense of the phrase, is a person who believes they are saved but has not ever really accepted Jesus as their Savior. Once saved, always saved is an irritating phrase to me because it actually states the truth concerning true salvation. But it is used as a derogatory phrase to imply that a person can be saved and live any way they want. If that's the case, then I have to question the person's position or place in Christ.

Now, there are many who have taken that position. They truly believe they are saved but have never invited Jesus into their life. Why not? Well, there are many reasons for that. A person might have never heard the true gospel message and never knew what is required for true salvation. It's possible this individual attended a local church which never mentioned the gospel or how to have an eternal relationship with Jesus. You might find that hard to believe but there are many churches who never mention the name of Jesus let alone provide the gospel message.

Many of the old Mainline Churches are so liberal in their message, a person could attend for years and never hear the gospel. Many of those churches have invited the Gay agenda into their fellowships  and have adopted the idea it is OK for Gays to be in ministry or to perform Gay weddings. These same churches have preached twisted messages concerning Jesus, His work and His words. I have attached the following article from a publication which I use only to show what is going on in some of these churches.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/29/karen-oliveto-gay-lesbian-methodist-bishop

I'm not writing this to shine a spot light on the Gay agenda but only to use that information as a example of what is going on in these organizations, which some still refer to as a part of the Church. I use them as an example of how a person can be in attendance there for years and never hear the true gospel and therefore never be saved. The agenda is not serving Jesus but some other worldly platforms.

There are also other situations a person can find themselves in which could prevent them from ever hearing the true gospel. There are many churches which subscribe to an experiential type message and atmosphere. It's not about what Jesus might be doing in a persons life or how the Holy Spirit may want to work in that person but it is what that person experiences. This can sometimes be explained as hype or spiritual hype. It's like a Wal Mart pep rally before the shift starts (if you've ever heard one of those). It's like attending a 'you can be a better person' seminar or any kind of rally type atmosphere.

It's the use of the right words expressed in the right way; it begins to play on a person's emotions and feelings and that's not how Jesus works. We cannot depend on our emotions and feelings to steer us in the right direction for God. Many of these churches will use the right type of music and songs which will begin to move people in the direction they want them to go. These people are more susceptible to the experiential process of sensing what they believe is God. It's not the Holy Spirit moving in them, as they think, but it is their own senses and emotions which are moving them and these leaders will take advantage of that.

"I had learned how to create the right atmosphere. The type of music also had to be just right. I knew that the right music created the right ambience. Words, as well, I learned, were a key element to enable us to focus on the Person of the Holy Spirit and what was going to happen. Those, for example, who believe I was 'highly anointed' automatically believed that I had a greater ability to 'allow the Holy Spirit to flow' through them."  -Mark Haville, The Signs and Wonders Movement Exposed 

Mark Haville had been heavily involved in this type of ministry before realizing how wrong it was. In this book, he gives some background and detail how he used to conduct these services. People who are trapped in these movements might never have the opportunity to know the true gospel. They may go through life believing that what they feel is the truth.

There are also those who just never get saved. They will spend their life going to church on Sunday and Wednesdays and never accept Jesus as their savior. Why? I don't know other than they never wanted to know Jesus personally and as their savior. There are many people who sit in church services for years and never allow Jesus in. Maybe this person believes that attending church makes them a better person or it ranks them among a certain social status. It could be any number of reasons but one thing is for sure, they didn't ask Jesus to forgive them and start that relationship with Him.

Some attend to make someone else feel good. Maybe it's a husband going with his wife because he knows she really appreciates him being with her on Sunday morning. Maybe he thinks he's setting a good example for his children. But the truth is, we only need to please one and that is Jesus. Going to Church doesn't make anybody a Christian any more than walking into your garage makes you a car.

Whatever the reason is for hearing those terrifying words, it all adds up to the same thing, eternity in hell and eternal suffering. There have been many who have tried to explain away hell but the Bible is true, absolute truth and there is nothing in it which is not true. The Bible refers to hell in many places and in different terms but all having the same meaning. In Rev 20:12, 15 we see this account of the final judgement of those who died without knowing Jesus as their savior,

 I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books.

 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire. 

In verse 15, the lake of fire is another reference to hell, a place of eternal torment, where a person will suffer what is known as eternal death. It will be an eternal burning in the flames without the fire consuming the body. There have been many who have written this truth off as a scare tactic by Christians in order to coerce one to be a Christian. There is a problem with that; no person can convince anyone to be a Christian. It is only by God, through the working of His Holy Spirit in our hearts, who can change a person's life and bring the individual to Jesus; thus, being saved and then being a Christian. It's not a sales job or winning an argument, it's divine intervention on behalf of Jesus who saves us from our sin.

For the person who doesn't know Jesus and doesn't have that personal relationship with Him, it is very simple. Just confess to Jesus that you are a sinner and need to be saved from that sin and ask Him to forgive you and invite Him into your life as your Lord and Savior. Salvation in Jesus is for eternity; you can never be cast aside by Jesus, you can never lose or forfeit your salvation and you will have eternal life with Jesus in heaven. And, one more thing. This is not fire insurance or just an escape from hell. This is all based on love; the love Jesus has for us and in turn our love for Him. True salvation is always based on love. Then, you will never hear those dreadful words from Jesus,

“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.  On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’  But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’  MT 7:21-23

 

Sin, Love and Compassion

Recently, I was part of a discussion concerning how we will, at times, elevate ourselves above those who are not saved. The point was we will see ourselves as being better than someone who is not saved and forget that we, too, were once in their place. What we need to remember are three words, sin, love and compassion.  The sin we were in and the love God showed us through a witness and the compassion of their heart to share His love with us.

Have you ever been brought to tears because of the lost soul of a friend or loved one? Have you ever asked God to replace that person with you, giving your salvation to them? Well, we know that's not possible because your salvation belongs to you and you can't give it away nor is it necessary. But this is exactly what the Apostle Paul told the Lord in Romans 9:3,

...for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them. NLT

Can you grasp what Paul is saying here? Can you sense the compassion he has for his Jewish brothers and sisters? He, if he could, is will to sacrifice his salvation and spend eternity in hell if they would understand and know who Jesus really is and know Him as their savior. I have had compassion for people before but I must admit, I have never felt or experienced compassion to that extent. How could Paul say that or feel this way? Let's long at something else Paul said.

 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.  1 Tim 1:15  NKJV 

Paul tells us he is the 'chief of sinners' and Jesus came to save him and us but he is the worst. I think Paul is saying that he recognized how deep his sin had run, how much of a sinner he really was. He knew he was lost in his sin and Jesus was the only way out. He is saying he is the chief of sinners because he had not only rejected Christ, he was murdering and throwing into prison those who accepted Jesus. He was the worst of the Jews in his sin. In other words, Paul knew his sin.

When we look at this verse in connection with Roman 9:3, we then can see the compassion he had for them. He was a Jew who would not accept Jesus; he was a Jew who spoke against Jesus and was a leader against those who followed Christ. He had realized how bad he was and how wrong he was and he knew what Jesus had done for him. In Romans 9:3, he was willing to forfeit his salvation if it would open the eyes and hearts of the Jews to see Jesus as their savior.

Paul had come to know this on his way to Damascus; he was on a mission to do more harm to the believers there and Jesus revealed Himself to Paul. What grace and what mercy; Jesus could have struck Paul dead to keep him from the believers in Damascus. But Jesus knew Paul (Saul at the time) and had work for him to do and He saved Paul from himself and his sin. Paul was ruthless; he didn't care at all for those who were following this new way. In his mind, he believed he was doing God's work. He was very sincere in this work but he was sincerely wrong.

The Lord took that compassion Paul had to work against Him and used it to work for Him. That is why Paul referred to himself as the chief of sinners. He knew what he had done in relationship to his battle against believers and he understood how wrong he had been and how he had worked directly against Jesus. He understood that a rejection of Jesus and then death would bring eternity in hell. He knew where Jesus had brought him from and saved him from.

His compassion and love ran so deep, he was willing to trade places with them. His salvation for their belief in Jesus. Do we feel that way when we think about that unsaved loved one or friend? Can we even understand it or comprehend a love and compassion which moves a person to that extent? Honestly, I couldn't do it; I couldn't trade my salvation for a lost soul, even though it is not possible. But I have to admit, my compassion has never reached that depth. But we can reach a level or depth of compassion for lost souls which would bring us to tears over them.

There is another account in Exodus which is very similar to what Paul said above. In Ex 32:32-33 Moses was pleading with God following the golden calf incident. This is what Moses said to God,

But now, if you will only forgive their sin—but if not, erase my name from the record you have written!” But the Lord replied to Moses, “No, I will erase the name of everyone who has sinned against me.  NLT

Moses was pleading for this rebellious nation of Israel. He told God to take his own name out of the book of life. What compassion he had for them and this after he had put up with their constant complaining and accusations. His love and compassion ran deep for his fellow Israelites. Some have commented that Moses was asking God to end his life right there while others suggest he is asking to God to take his life physically and for eternity. Either way, he, like Paul, was showing tremendous compassion and love.

I heard a testimony from a man who was asked by a pastor, after answering an invitation to talk, if he would get on his knees with him while he prayed for his salvation. The pastor had such compassion for him and was urging him to pray for salvation but he said he would not get on his knees and pray. He told the pastor he didn't want that and as he was turning to walk away, he noticed the pastor was crying. That's the compassion and love this pastor had for his lost soul.

I'm not an emotional man and I have never experienced this type of moment with an unsaved person. But I do know how it feels to experience that love and compassion in my heart for a person who is not saved, regardless if I know them or not. I was once accused, by a Christian friend, of not having any compassion for the lost. Knowing that I am not an emotional person and not showing much in that way on the outside, he was only commenting on what he saw, not what he knew. I took the time to explain my compassion for not only the lost, but for all who might be hurting for whatever reason.

I guess what I'm saying is, you don't have to cry every time you witness to someone about Jesus. But if you're witnessing to the person, you do have a degree of compassion and love for them. Paul always felt this way; in reading his epistles, it's obvious. But just because Paul, the greatest preacher, evangelist and missionary of all time was like that in the Bible, doesn't mean we are not capable of it today. Our hearts should break over the lost souls of this world and that should drive us to prayer for them and a desire to tell them about Jesus.

Jesus made Himself a sacrifice for us. He didn't have to go to the cross and die in our place. He could have kept His seat at the right hand of the father and threw in the towel. We don't deserve His grace and mercy or His love and compassion. But because of His love and compassion for us, He did go to the cross and die in our place, paying a debt we couldn't pay. He provided a way to salvation for us because He so loved us.

The bottom line in all of this is, we have to know how deep our sin was in our life before Jesus. We can't forget where we came from or the sinful life which Jesus saved us from. That doesn't mean we dwell on the past, it means we have to remember we were once lost and wandering around in a world that is lost and were on our way to hell. We didn't earn our way to salvation, we didn't buy it and we didn't do anything to obtain it. It was only by the grace of God we were saved and by the sincere love and compassion of one of His witnesses. We can never forget where we were and what Jesus has done for us. Our heats must be full of compassion and love for the unbeliever.

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much,  that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) EPH 2:4-5

Why Genesis Is So Important

We, as Christians, have heard the stories and accounts from the book of Genesis. The creation, Abraham, Noah and the flood, Jacob and Joseph as well as the other important historical accounts. But why is Genesis so important? Would the rest of the Bible be able to stand on it's doctrines without the Genesis account? Would there be a solid foundation for why we believe what we believe about marriage or the sanctity of human life or even something as simple as the seven day week?

One of the most argued topic over the last twenty years, or even longer, has been the belief of marriage being only between a man a woman. Genesis addresses this topic early on in Gen. 2:24,

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.  NKJV

So, how is this supported by later Biblical writings? How about when Jesus refers to this verse in Matt 19:4-5?

 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’  and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? NKJV

Jesus himself quoted this verse from Genesis to support His answer as recorded in the scriptures above. Now, the counter argument to these type of quotes from scripture have been they are outdated and our thinking needs to come into the 21st century. And that can be expected from those who don't believe in God and don't have a relationship with Him. They are not saved and therefore do not have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within them who, enables us to understand the word of God.

It also does not allow them to know that God never changes ( “For I am the Lord, I do not change Mal 3:6) and what He has said 6000 years ago is still valid today. Regardless of what man wants Him to say or wants to interrupt what He says, in their own words, does not apply to Him. In Genesis 2:24, the Lord established the institution of marriage and even the New Testament writers referred back to it. How could Paul have written 1 Corinthians 7 if there were no basis for marriage? Paul covers a wide range of marriage topics in this chapter. He states in verses 10-11 of this chapter the following concerning divorce,

Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband.  But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife. NKJV

Notice what Paul makes very clear in verse 10, 'not I but the Lord' and that makes it very clear that God has established this back in Genesis and Jesus confirmed this in Matt 19:6,

 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”  NKJV

There is no place in the Bible which states that marriage is anything but between a man and a woman. It also doesn't say, "Go and be happy and live together." Marriage is not a tradition, it's an institution initiated by God in Genesis. Just in my lifetime, I have seen the institution of marriage deteriorated in a process which has gone from proper marriage to living together to gay marriage to who knows where next. I guess I skipped over the trans couples and I'm not sure what is what or who is who in those relationships.

So, what about the sanctity of life or just how precious life is? Why is it illegal to commit murder? The first murder recorded in the Bible was Cain killing his brother Abel. God put a curse on Cain for this murder but later in Genesis 9:6, God declared capitol punishment as the penalty for committing murder,

 If anyone takes a human life, that person’s life will also be taken by human hands. For God made human beings in his own image. NLT

This established the punishment for committing murder. In our society today, the sanctity of life is meaningless to so many. People are killing other people for some of the dumbest reasons. I read a news story the other day of a killing of one man by another man. The reason given was because at a basketball game, as one man climbed the steps of the bleachers, his foot brushed the foot of the other man and he took it as a sign of disrespect! Are you kidding me? This escalated into a shoot out with the death of one of them. Respect? Where is the respect for life? Our prisons are filled with people who have committed murder and the penalty was put in place back in Genesis.

What about the seven day week? How was all this determined? I'm not a scientist and will not claim to know all the answers concerning astronomy, but Genesis does give us the creation account. Here is where the evolutionist and those who believe a big bang created everything, stand firmly against this account in Genesis. God created everything that exists, (Gen 1:1, Col 1:16) and He placed the stars in the sky, the sun and the moon in the sky (Gen 1:14-17). Consider the following statement:

"There is no secular basis for a seven day week. All other units of time have a foundation in astronomy; a day is the moment of time for earth to rotate once with respect to the sun, a month is the amount of time for the moon to go through all its phases, and a year is the amount of time it takes earth to orbit the sun." -Jason Lisle, Why Genesis Matters

There have been arguments concerning the length of a day in this account but one thing needs to be remembered when interpreting scripture and that is context. Without going into the entire study of the Hebrew word usage and the breakdown, the context of the passage in Genesis 1, it is a 24 hour day. Considering the statement above and the fact that God has placed the sun and moon in the sky and the fact, I repeat, the fact that earth's rotation in respect to the sun is 24 hours, then many things in the creation of the earth, sun and moon would have to change to accommodate another length to a day.

God, himself, made the statement, "So, the evening and the morning were the first day...." and the second day and the third day and so on. This account sets the basis for recorded time into the remainder of scripture and time. Jesus was crucified and rose on the third day. Is there any question of how many days or how much time passed before Jesus rose from the grave? God established all of this back in genesis.

How about the gospel? Is there anything in Genesis that indicates anything about the gospel? Yes there is. Adam was given specific instructions, a command, not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve were created in perfection; the world was perfect and Adam and Eve could have enjoyed perfect fellowship with God forever. But Eve was tempted by the serpent and then she in turn, after tasting the forbidden fruit, invited Adam to do the same. So what happened here? What did Adam and Eve do that brought such a harsh response? It's simple, they disobeyed God's command and it broke that perfect fellowship with God.

Disobedience to God is sin; when we are not obedient to God's command, we are in sin. But where did this all come from? When Adam disobeyed God's command, sin entered into the world and everything suffered from sin as a result. God had told Adam if he ate from that tree, he would die. What that means is he would not die immediately, there was no poison or special powers in the fruit. It was the effect of sin not only on Adam and Eve and every other human born following this event, but also on the earth and every living thing.

Adam was in charge, he was the ruler of the creation or a steward of everything God had created. When he disobeyed God and sin entered in, it affected everything because he was over everything. Because God had given Adam authority over the creation, everything within the creation would have to suffer from the effects of sin or God would be made a liar and lose His integrity. So, all creation suffers under the affects of sin,

Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope,  the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.  For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  Rom 8:20-22

But God didn't stop at the point of sin entering the world. He knew He would have to provide a redeemer and a savior to provide a means of salvation for not only Adam and Eve but for humanity. It would be 'the Seed of the woman' who would pay the price for sin. We know this is Jesus and we know He died on a cross to pay that debt and it is available to those who are lost in that sin.  But where do we see this in the Genesis account? How did God find Adam and Eve following the breaking of the commandment? And, it wasn't like God was surprised by what they had done, He knew the moment they did it.

 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.  Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.” “Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”  Gen 3:8-11  NLT

Their sin had exposed their nakedness which they had not even been aware of before. It has had that same affect on us as well. But the Lord killed an animal or animals to cover their nakedness or their sin. It is the first recorded sacrifice in the Bible and it is recorded in Genesis. It covered the sin of Adam and his wife Eve and as you continue to read on through the Old Testament and the Law, it is obvious that animal sacrifices were made for the temporary covering of sin. But more important, these sacrifices pointed to the future messiah who would bring a one time sacrifice for our sin. The writer of Hebrews in 9:12-14 states it this way,

 

With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.  Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity.  Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.   NLT

Jesus is the one time sacrifice for us all; His death on the cross superseded all the animal sacrifices and that was stated back in Genesis. So, why is Genesis so important to us as students of the Bible? Why is it important to understand that there is more to Genesis than just the account of the creation? We need to understand that all Bible doctrine originated in Genesis. Evolution has made so many inroads into our education system and Christians need to understand not just what the Bible says but why and where.

Just having a simple understanding of what is really involved in the creation account or why everything that exists is because Jesus created it. It is important to understand the basics of why there are 24 hours in a day or seven days in a week. When unsaved people denounce the Bible as some old, out of date crusty book, you want to know how to explain why it isn't out of date. Why is marriage between a man and a woman only? We have to be students of the Bible and it starts back in Genesis.