Message from Scripture: 12/19/2020

 

Our message from Scripture today is John 15:13; “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

When Jesus spoke these words, He would soon practice this very principle, not just for the eleven apostles, but for everyone. He would willingly go to the cross, suffering its shame, its pain, its separation from the Father, that by His death, by the shedding of His blood, we have the only hope for eternal life. Peter would later refer to this sacrifice for us all when he said, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

I believe Paul expressed this truth in a very real sense when he said, “For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Rom. 9:3). In a very real sense, Paul would have been willing to sacrifice his salvation, to be cut off from Christ, if doing so would bring about the salvation of the Jews. If you read the other letters of Paul, you know how much being with the Lord meant to Him. But he was willing to let that go if it would mean salvation for others. Of course, we all will be judged on our own merits, but what a spirit Paul showed, what a love he had, for his fellow Jews.

To genuinely care for the souls of others is to have the heart of Christ. Jesus would go on to define who is His friend by adding, “You are My friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:14). This is what Jesus did to fulfill the will of the Father for us, and it’s what we should do if we are to fulfill God’s will in our lives. We were not taught of Christ just to save our own souls, but that we might help others find salvation in Him as well. What if we all were willing to do all we can to help others know and obey Christ? What a difference it would make in our own personal lives, the lives of others, the promise of eternity? Do you have someone you love, you care about, that needs to know Christ? How much does it mean to you? When they know how much you care, they will care enough to know Christ. Put your life on the line for Christ, and see the difference you can make in others. God bless.

 Robert