To begin with, I’d like to take a little time to just brag about the magnificent God we serve. The One who reigns supreme over all of the universe to Whom we should continually offer the fidelity of our hearts as well as the fruit of our lips. The divine Creator of Life, the Giver of Grace and the Protector of His precious People is more than worthy of our worship and adoration because He has done so many great things for us and is therefore greatly to be praised. Truly, time itself would expire before we could thank God enough for the goodness He has bestowed upon us all.
Even the majestic aura of His mere existence begs this question, “Is there anybody who is like the mighty God we serve?” Because we’ve witnessed the awe-inspiring power and glory of our Father in heaven, our soul is compelled to ask, “Who is like the Lord?” And it’s not because we don’t already know the answer. For those of us who are intimately acquainted with Him and seek to serve Him daily with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, that question is purely rhetorical. And believe you me, we aren’t the only ones who have posed this question. Thousands of years ago, if you will recall, after the Lord miraculously parted the Red Sea to provide His people, who were being led by Moses, a path of escape from torment and slavery by their former captors who were pursuing them. And the same sea He used to provide that path of escape was the same sea He used to drown their enemies.
After that spectacular event, this grateful nation greatly rejoiced and even composed a song of praise which lyrics said, “ “Who is like unto Thee, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like Thee, glorious in holiness,fearful in praises, doing wonders. Thou in Thy mercy hast led forth the people which Thou hast redeemed: Thou hast guided them in Thy strength unto Thy holy habitation?” (Exodus 15: 11 & 13) They were so appreciative and excited that Moses’ sister Miriam and the other ladies grabbed tambourines and danced to the Lord saying, “Sing ye to the LORD, for He hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea.” (Exodus 15: 21)
Many years later, even inspired Psalmists proclaimed the unique and unparalleled nature of God: “All my bones shall say, LORD, who is like unto Thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him?” (Psalm 35: 10) “Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, Who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto Thee!” (Psalm 71: 19) “Who is like unto the LORD our God, Who dwelleth on high, Who humbleth Himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!” (Psalm 113: 5-6)
Of course all of creation knows unequivocally that the answer to this question is this: “There is no one who is like, compares to or even approaches the glory of God.” Yes ladies and gentlemen, there ain’t no god like our God! Even God Himself confirmed this undeniable and undisputed reality when He spoke to Abraham, His servant who was preparing to sacrifice his son Isaac as God had instructed him to do. The Lord said to Abraham, “…By Myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed My voice.” (Genesis 22: 16-18) And because this remarkable Old Testament statement was so wonderful, it bore repeating and clarifying in the New Testament: “For when God made promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no greater, He sware by Himself.” (Hebrews 6: 13) How glorious for God to recognize Himself as the preeminent Presence in the universe that He created. And how magnificent was the blessing Abraham received because of his obedience to a righteous and merciful God.
And speaking of blessings, we all know that blessings and favor from God are all around us all of the time. But of all the things God has done for us, there is one blessing that stands out above all the rest. There is one singular act that rises majestically to the pinnacle of indescribable glory and grace that is almost too wonderful to comprehend. A spectacular event so far beyond our wildest imagination and so undeserved by this evil and corrupt world that it is inconceivable how God could be so gracious and merciful. Even the angels wonder what God sees in us. “What is man, that thou art mindful of him?” (Psalm 8: 4) But there was one simple but amazing fact that prompted it all. And that fact is this ….. we belong to God and He loves us! And because of this pure, holy and unconditional love which can only come from the God Who is love, a decision was made by Him even before He brought this world into being, which is this: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3: 16) Yes! Praise God beloved ones, because it just don’t get no better than this.
So now, here is the real question ….. “What does the world do with this Jesus that God so lovingly sent to rescue us?” It is such a shame that mankind can be so dismissive and unappreciative of the greatest gift this world has ever known. But while the world can certainly choose to be indifferent about it, no permission will be granted to ignore it. We will not be allowed to shove Jesus to the side and act like He doesn’t exist or didn’t come to save us. The world would love to be able to claim ignorance of the God who says of Himself, “I Am that I Am”, but they can’t do it because the Lord God Almighty has already made Himself known to each one of us. Everyone and everything belongs to God because He is the creator of all things and the possessor of all eternity. And He has put the knowledge of Himself into all He has created “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” (Romans 1: 18-21)
And since we can’t escape or evade what was divinely integrated into the core of our very being, we are forced to decide daily what we will do with the knowledge of this Jesus, the One who was sent to free us from our captivity and fill us with rivers of living water. The One who says, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.” (Revelation 3: 20-21) This Jesus about whom it was also emphatically stated, “…Today, after so long a time; as it is said, Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.” (Hebrews 4: 7)
The Lord has designed it so that we can’t ride this one out and sit idly on the sidelines. Whether we want to or not, we all have to make a choice. “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey His voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto Him: for He is thy life…” (Deuteronomy 30: 20) Yes, Jesus is our life. “When Christ, Who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.” (Colossians 3: 4)
But He not only is our life, but He is life itself. Remember His response to a puzzled Thomas who, at the Lord’s Supper, that Passover meal known as the Last Supper, Thomas was still struggling to comprehend some things about Jesus’ soon coming death and resurrection back to life. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” (John 14: 6) Yes, many will try but they will fail.
So again, what will we do with Jesus? A decision on our part must, and will be made. To illustrate this let us recall the story of an individual who was confronted with this same question towards the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry. His name was Pontius Pilate. Pilate was the governor of Judea which at the time was a Roman province. His challenge was the very thing we’ve been discussing which is “What was he going to do with Jesus?” All humans have a date with divine destiny where a decision about Jesus must be made. Pilate’s date came after the Messiah was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, unjustly arrested by a violent mob, deserted by His own disciples, accused and lied upon by false witnesses, tried in a sham court by the Jewish religious establishment, mocked and beaten by Roman soldiers and unceremoniously delivered to Pilate’s doorstep as if He were a bag of trash. As the story goes, “Pilate then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this Man? They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered Him up unto thee.” (John 18: 29-30)
Initially Pilate didn’t want anything to do with Jesus and rejected any responsibility to take action concerning Him. “Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye Him, and judge Him according to your law…” (John 18: 31) Aint’ my problem. Oh, but yes it is. And since the Jews were under this Roman occupation and not allowed to execute anyone, they pressed Pilate to do their dirty work for them. “…The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death:” (John 18: 31) But as an official of the Roman government it was lawful for Pilate to do so as he sarcastically told Jesus, "...knowest Thou not that I have power to crucify Thee, and have power to release Thee?" (John 19: 10) Who does he think he is? Well, Jesus basically told him, “You can’t do nothin’.” He set him straight on the matter by responding, "Thou couldest have no power at all against Me, except it were given thee from above..." (John 19: 11) You tell ‘em, Jesus!
I’m sure Mr. Big Man on Campus probably didn’t take that too well. And then, seemingly both irritated and sarcastic, he reluctantly continued to examine Jesus. “Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto Him, Art thou the King of the Jews? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered Thee unto me: what hast Thou done?” (John 19: 33 & 35) To which Jesus confidently answered, “…Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice.” (John 19: 37) Pilate now confuses his own self and says, “…What is truth…?” (John 19: 38) My, my my! Hard heads, hard hearts and hard of hearing. Jesus had just told him the answer to his own question but he wasn’t listening. He couldn’t see the forest for the trees. He just didn’t get it that the real Truth was standing right in front of him.
Nonetheless, still trying to escape his obligation to personally decide what to do with Jesus, Pilate sends Him to the ruling official of the region Jesus grew up in, whose name was Herod, who happened to be in town at that time. “And as soon as he knew that He belonged unto Herod's jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time.” (Luke 23: 7) But unfortunately for Pilate, Herod was not going to bail him out and sent Jesus back. Pilate ultimately had to confess before everyone that Jesus was innocent. “And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, Said unto them, Ye have brought this Man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined Him before you, have found no fault in this Man touching those things whereof ye accuse Him: No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto Him.” (Luke 23: 13-15)
Pilate must have been quite conflicted at this point because he knew Jesus had done no wrong and even his wife warned him to tread very carefully in this matter. As is recorded, “When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just Man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of Him.” (Matthew 27: 19) So, continuing to evade his duty to bow down and declare Jesus as the Son of God and officially install Him as Lord over all, Pilate chickens out and offers an alternative to the people: “I will therefore chastise Him, and release Him.” (Luke 23: 16) I’ll just rough Him up a bit and that should be good.
However, the ruling religious elite were having none of that and incited the people to demand action. “But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.” (Matthew 27: 20) The prophesy of Jesus’ death had to be fulfilled, but woe by whomever was involved in its fulfillment. And so, in his cowardly closing act designed to pacify the people and avoid making an unpopular decision concerning Jesus, Pilate finally decided what he was going to do. He took it upon himself to have Jesus badly beaten and whipped. “Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged Him.” (John 19: 1) But that still wasn’t enough to satisfy the people’s bloodlust so he relented to their request. “And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. And he released unto them him (Barabbas) that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.” (Luke 23: 24-25)
Poor Pilate had several problems. He was afraid of the people, he was afraid of his Roman superiors and he enjoyed the power, the pleasures and the prestige of his position. In his heart he knew what was the right thing to do but he succumbed to his carnal nature which made the decision for him about “What he was going to do with Jesus.” “And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged Him, to be crucified.” (Mark 15: 15) He allowed someone who was a murderer, a rioter and a robber to be released into the populace instead of setting free our meek and lowly, but high and holy Jesus. And to make himself feel better about his wretched ruling, he performed this embarrassing spectacle: “When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.” (Matthew 27: 24) Cheap theatrics or worthless displays of piety won’t absolve us of our guilt for participating in acts of unrighteousness. We cannot make wrong into right. We can only sincerely repent and stop doing wrong. As Jesus said, “…go, and sin no more.” (John 8: 11)
So I now ask this question. What does Pilate’s uncomfortable encounter with Jesus remind us of ? And he was doing some serious squirming. Does it remind us of someone close to us? Someone we know casually or in passing? Perhaps even ourselves at times? How fidgety do we get when we are confronted with the presence of Jesus in everyday situations? Do we struggle with gazing at inappropriate things, entertaining unclean thoughts, harboring mean and hurtful impulses, taming the terrible and toxic tongue, humbling the haughty spirit, quelling physically aggressive urges, telling the truth, acting tastelessly or just doing the right thing even and especially if no one is looking? Just as Pilate turned his back on Jesus and sent Him to be crucified, we know that when anyone is in the valley of decision and fails to live as God intended, they, as scripture says, “crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame.” (Hebrews 6: 6)
And so again, what will we do with Jesus? Will we believe and accept Him, or will we scorn and reject Him? Will we turn and walk away, or will we fall down on our knees and pray? Will we acknowledge Him as our rightful King, or be content to just keep doing our own thing? Will we trust in the wisdom of men, or will we humbly repent to Him for our sins? Do we want to be filled with His Spirit, or do we just not even want to hear it? Will we ignore the holy condemnation of our heart, or will we submit and experience a great change that gives us a brand new start? What...will...we...do...with... Jesus?
Dear ones, my objective today is not to make anyone ashamed or to feel bad, though if it does and it causes one to repent and do better, then amen. But rather, today is a loving reminder to keep asking yourself, “What am I going to do with Jesus?” An affectionate encouragement to always be mindful of the presence of the Lord in your life and to make every effort, all the day long (and night, too), to do only those things that are pleasing in His sight. We have no time to waste and must always be ready for the time we will depart this earth. “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” (Romans 13: 11)
Every day that we are blessed to see, we not only receive new mercies and unfailing compassion, but it is another day unto salvation. A day to get saved or a day to stay saved. “…now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6: 2) Lord help us not to hesitate or wait too late as tomorrow is not promised to any of us. “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” (Proverbs 27: 1) Only God knows if today or tonight our soul will be required of us. But we can know right now that when that time does come we can experience it with joy. How? Just humbly submit yourself to God, confess and be godly sorry for any wrongs you have done, forgive others and live life fully committed to Jesus, the Savior of our souls, Whose precious blood has brought us back into fellowship with our Heavenly Father.
So what are we going to do with Jesus? Jesus Himself tells us what we should do. “And He said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” (Luke 9: 23) GLORY HALLELUJAH!
May you be blessed, dear ones, and be thankful that God has given us the ability to make the choice to choose Jesus. Give God all the glory and let us be eternally grateful that He has inspired us to understand Him and to know Him, that He is the Lord that exercises lovingkindness, judgement, and righteousness in the earth.
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