There was a time when our Creator looked down at His beloved people and realized that they were all full of sin. He loved them so much, and wanted to be able to spend all eternity with each of them, but He knew they were too full of sin to be able to enter His kingdom. So, God decided that the only solution was to send His only Son down to Earth to show them the true meaning of unconditional love. His son would preach and teach, showing the people how to love each other and then He would take the blame for all the sin of every person living and yet to be born so that they would each be blameless before God and be able to enter His Kingdom. But, God wouldn't force people to believe Him. They needed to use their own free will to choose to accept this gift of unconditional love and forgiveness. So Jesus came as a helpless baby. He grew up and He taught and preached and modeled unconditional love for the people and many believed. But sin was still alive and well in the world and some men became so resentful of Jesus that they unknowingly fulfilled the will of God the Father. They accused Jesus of blasphemy, they arrested Him, tried and convicted Him, and sentenced Him to death. He was beaten and scourged until the flesh hung from His body. They shoved a crown of thorns into his skull, then forced him to carry the cross He would be hung on up to Golgatha...the place of the skull. He had been beaten so severely He collapsed and couldn't carry His cross all the way, so they grabbed a man along the road and had him carry it for Jesus the rest of the way. They stretched Him out on that cross, and they nailed His hands and feet to it and hung Him there to die, just as the Creator had willed it. Then, the blame for all the sins of all the world, every disgusting, depraved, horrendous sin, was placed on Jesus. In that moment His Father turned His back and let Him die so that we could be saved. But...the story doesn't end there because you see Jesus had already told the people that He would be raised on the third day and then He would go back to His Father to prepare a place for them in Heaven. Three days later, inside a tomb that had been sealed with a massive stone and guarded by Roman guards, Jesus arose! The stone rolled away and He came out! The tough Roman soldiers fainted. Jesus made no less than ten appearances to His followers that are recorded in scripture. He instructed His disciples and other followers periodically for 40 days and then ascended from Mount Olive, near Jerusalem while the apostles watched. This is not a fairytale. You can read this for yourself in the Bible. I dare you to read it. So many people out there say it's just a book of fables that can't possibly be true, but if you take any time at all to study it, you see that it can't possibly be false. The universe we live in is a miracle. There is as much chance of it all happening by accident as there is you placing all the parts to a watch in a bag, shaking it up and a perfect watch coming out. It is statistically impossible. He is evident in every part of this universe and every part of the Earth. The Earth itself is exactly the perfect size. If it were smaller, it couldn't hold an atmosphere. If it were larger, the atmosphere would be toxic. It is also the perfect distance from the sun. Any further away and we'd all freeze...any closer and we'd all burn up. The moon is the perfect size and distance from earth to create the tides so our oceans don't stagnate, but remain without their boundaries so the whole earth doesn't flood. The water on earth is perfect for our bodies and the bodies of every living plant and animal. Without it, everything would die. It is so perfectly constructed that is can carry the various required chemicals, minerals and nutrients throughout our bodies into the tiniest of blood vessels. It makes this planet's survival possible. I'll say one last thing, even though we could go on and on. Scientists agree that our universe came into being because of one enormous explosion of energy and light, which we now call The Big Bang Theory, the singular start to everything that exists, the stars, the planets, and the beginning of every living thing and yet, they cannot tell you what caused it to happen. Why was there a colossal explosion that filled the universe with light? I can tell you. It's in the first chapter of the first book in the bible. Genesis 1:3 says "And God said, Let there be light, and there was light. And God saw that the light was good, and God divided the light from the darkness." And in Genesis 1:16 it says, "And God made two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night, He made the stars also." There's your Big Bang. God said, "Let there be light," and it was so.
I am going to tell you something you might already know. Some people who claim to be Christians are mean, hurtful and judgemental. You may have been hurt by someone like that. You may have been condemned by "church people". But that is not the kind of love that Jesus taught and many churches have forgotten that. To be a Christian is to be a disciple of Christ...a follower of His teachings. Today it has taken on a derogatory meaning in many people's minds and represents someone who is hypocritical, hateful and judgemental, much like the Pharisees who are described in the bible, they cannot see the forest for the trees. They're so worried about everyone following the rules, they have forgotten that Jesus told us to love each other above all else. I can love you and not agree with your life choices. I can talk to you about the love of Jesus and the way He wants us to live and not say hateful, mean things about you. I can disagree with your belief in something, and still be your friend and show you kindness and love. These days the word tolerance comes up a lot. I think it's used in the wrong context most of the time. To tolerate something is to allow the existence, occurrence or practice of something that one doesn't necessarily like or agree with, without interference. If we were all practicing tolerance all the time then we'd be allowing murders and abuse and theft and a million other things that we don't agree with to go on without interference. It's a horrible word to use the way it's used today. Forget tolerance...how about loving your neighbor as yourself...how about love people the way Jesus loves them...how about love people regardless of their sins. My friend, you may be doing things that the bible says are a sin. In fact, I'm certain you are. So am I. So is everyone still alive on this planet. That's not the point. The point is that you have this one life on Earth, this one chance to accept the unconditional love and gift of Jesus Christ so that when you die and leave this Earth you can live for all eternity in the fathomless splendor of Heaven. There are no second chances once you die. Jesus is not uncomfortable with who you are. He will meet you right where you are, just as you are...all you have to do is believe Him. He's calling you to something better, to lay down your sins at His feet and let Him help you. Easter Sunday is coming. What a glorious day to begin a new life with Him! Think about it!
And now my dear friends... "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:16-19
