Welcome back, brothers and sisters! I hope that each and every single one of you enjoyed a blessed Christmas yesterday.
Beloved, do you know what separates Christianity from all other belief systems, faiths, and from the various religions practiced throughout the world? The answer is simple, but it is also exceedingly significant: Christ. Many groups claim to represent Christianity, but many of these groups do not have Christ Jesus at the center of their faith. True Christianity embraces the following:
- · Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God.
- · Jesus Christ led a sinless life here on the earth.
- · Jesus Christ suffered death by the cross in order to pay the sin debt of mankind.
- · Jesus Christ rose from the grave on the 3rd day.
- · All who genuinely accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior receive remission of sins, are born anew spiritually in Him, and receive everlasting life through Him.
- · Salvation is a gift given by grace through faith in accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (read Ephesians 2:8-9 and John 14:6). Salvation is not a lifetime achievement award given for a certain amount/type of good works. The only Way to heaven is Jesus Christ.
- · There is only one Christ, and His name is Jesus.
So why are we talking about this? Well, beloved, there is an undeniable and tragic rise in apostate Christianity taking place in this world. As its name implies, apostate Christianity is contrary to true Christianity. Apostate Christianity is one of Satan’s more effective counterfeiting attempts geared to steer the masses away from the Lord. The only Way to avoid being deceived is to stay your mind on Christ Jesus as the world bombards you with its “new and improved” offering of Christianity. It is high time that we return to our roots and discuss the absolute Truth that genuine Christianity is centered entirely on Christ.
Beloved, there are no politics in God’s presence, so as we engage in today’s discussion we will leave political correctness in the dumpster that it is most fitting to be placed in. With that being said, let’s proceed to “pull the curtain back” on some things.
First of all, let me ask you this: Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, or do you believe that Jesus is just the first of many Christs? Furthermore, do you believe that through living a wholesome life full of good works that you can become a Christ once your time on this earth comes to a close?
Beloved, the Word of God makes clear that while many antichrists will inhabit the earth, there is only one true Christ. His name is Jesus. If you believe that you have an opportunity to live your life in such a way that you can become the new Christ then I just want to make you aware that you are doing no less than aspiring to replace the Lord God Almighty. At the very least you have decided that you have the ability to be equal with Christ. How could anyone possibly believe this? That’s an easy answer: pride. Satan has worked very hard to smooth out the sharp edges of Mormonism in order to make it more palatable to the masses. Mormonism is now accepted by a great deal of the world as a Christian faith, even though it is actually exceedingly anti-Christian at its core. The Truth of the matter is that at the center of Mormonism is self. At the center of Christianity is Christ Jesus. I will not take up your time or mine by talking about all of the different aspects of what Mormonism is. Instead, let’s clearly identify what Mormonism is not. Mormonism is not part of the Christian faith. It is a cult, plain and simple. Consider the following passage from Scripture that makes very clear that Jesus is the only real Christ:
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth; And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” – Philippians 2:5-11 (KJV)
Do you realize that there are hundreds of prophesies in the Bible that were given to identify just who exactly the Christ is? Furthermore, do you realize that there has only ever been one person to walk the earth that fulfilled every single one of those prophecies to a “T”? Additionally, do you realize that no other person has ever fit into even 15 of those prophetic criteria? That’s right, beloved. Jesus Christ is the only person to fulfill every single prophecy identifying who Messiah is. Consider the following testament from the apostle John of who Jesus is:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the Light of men. And the Light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name [was] John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all [men] through him might believe. He was not that Light, but [was sent] to bear witness of that Light. [That] was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on His name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only Begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” – John 1:1-14 (KJV)
Now, beloved, doesn’t that further make clear that Jesus’ role as Christ is unique unto Himself. He is not the first of many. He is the only Christ. He lived life on this earth fully as a man, yet He is also fully God. So why don’t more people recognize Jesus for who He is? Sadly, precious one, the reality is that most people prefer to live in darkness. Men and women prefer to revel in their sin. Consider a person who works a long day and is heading home exhausted. The person is hungry and contemplates whether to stop by a drive thru on the way home for a burger and fries versus going home and making themselves something to eat. Here’s how their internal thought process is working: “I don’t have much money, and I know I haven’t been eating healthy lately. I should just eat something healthy at home, but I know the kitchen is a mess. If I see that mess then I’m going to make myself clean it up, because those dishes have been in the sink for 3 days already. I just want something quick and easy, and I don’t feel like working anymore today.” What happens next? The person flips on the turn signal and pulls into a drive thru to order a 99 cent heart attack with fries and a large drink, even though he or she knows that doing so is not a good choice financially or physically. When the person gets home, he or she avoids the kitchen and either plops down in from of the television, the computer, or in bed. They never go in the kitchen, because if they would have they would have had a vivid reminder that it was in need to serious attention in order to be cleaned up. Doing the right and necessary thing was conveniently bypassed in order to embrace “quick and easy”. Had the person gone into their kitchen, he or she would have noticed the mold on the untied bag of bread and the bugs that the dirty dishes were drawing. Instead, the person chose the bliss of ignorance so that he or she could avoid having to acknowledge the need of doing what they should have done.
Beloved, we did not recognize Jesus as the Christ during His time on earth, because it was more important to us to embrace our own personal desires and wishes. We did not acknowledge Him as Christ, because had we done so we would have to have done something about the way we were living our lives. Not a whole lot has changed in this regard over the last 2,000 years, has it? Consider the following passage from Scripture:
“And this is the condemnation, that Light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than Light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the Light, neither cometh to the Light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the Light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” – John 3:19-21 (KJV)
We still look to indulge our own lusts and desires rather than truly surrendering our lives to Christ. Many “Christian” churches are now putting openly homosexual clergy into the pulpit, and are subjugating the condemnation of homosexuality by the Word of God by choosing to espouse the worldly concept of tolerance. Many churches will now say that the worldly concept of tolerance is biblically-based. Yet, do you remember Jesus telling the women found guilty of adultery and presented to Him for stoning that she should just do what felt right to her and that her decisions were just as valid as anyone else’s? No! Jesus told her that her sins were forgiven her and that she should not continue to live in sin. If there was nothing wrong with what she had done there would have been nothing to forgive. Furthermore, if adultery had been acceptable to Him, He would not have told her to do it no more. Beloved, it is absolutely ludicrous that we are willing to offend the Lord God Almighty in order to not offend our neighbor by shining the Light into the darkness. Sharing the Truth does not make us hateful; sharing the Truth is one of the most loving and compassionate things we can ever do. How can we ever expect people to embrace the Truth if we are unwilling to live in and speak the Truth? We are never to judge the sinner, but that doesn’t mean that we are not to correct. Consider when Jesus said the following:
“But I have greater witness than [that] of John: for the works which the Father hath given Me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father hath sent Me. And the Father himself, which hath sent Me, hath borne witness of Me. Ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His shape. And ye have not His word abiding in you: for whom He hath sent, Him ye believe not. Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me. And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life. I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive Me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that [cometh] from God only?” – John 5:36-44 (KJV)
Precious one, the drum continues to beat in this world that sends out the tune that there are various roads that will lead home to eternal life. Many “Christian” leaders have helped to fuel this by professing that Jesus is not the only Way to receive salvation. The Word of God describes such leaders many ways, including referring to them as “false teachers”. This is exactly the role that these folks are playing. Regardless of their motivation for playing such a role, the end result will be a great many people being led down various paths leading to eternal damnation and separation from the Lord God Almighty for all of eternity. This is not a trivial matter, and I will not treat it as such.
Beloved, any person that teaches that you can receive salvation and eternal life without accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is not a person that is teaching you the Truth. Regardless of how scholarly they are, regardless of what esteemed position of authority they currently hold, and regardless of how well-intentioned they may seem, they are completely and utterly wrong. Such people are false teachers whether they intend to be or not, and they are teaching you to pit yourself in opposition to God. The unequivocal Truth is as follows:
“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 (KJV)
So, what does this mean? Well, Jesus’ claim didn’t really lend itself to interpretation right there, did it? Jesus clearly states that He is the only Way to receive salvation. We either believe Him, or we don’t. It’s actually as simple as that. I am not the least bit ashamed to tell you right now that I believe Jesus Christ is exactly who He says He is and that He is the only Way to salvation and eternal life spent in the presence of the Almighty. I am also not ashamed to tell you that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. Does that mean that I hate Muslims? Absolutely not. I love Muslims, Buddhists, homosexuals, liars, thieves, and any and every other person you can mention. Does that mean I will not speak the Truth and risk offending them? Absolutely not. I love them too much to not share the Truth with them. Furthermore, I love the Lord too much to not do His work by trying to reach these folks. The Truth is that God loves each and every single one of us. The Lord is saddened by every single person that chooses a life of sin that leads to eternal separation from Him, rather than choosing to embrace their Heavenly Father that longs to have all of His children return to Him.
I can honestly say I spent the majority of my life being lost and living contrary to God’s will. I am not proud of that, but I need to share that. I also need to share that even though I am no longer lost I have also not yet become infallible. Every Christian is a work in progress, and the Lord will continue to work a work in us until such time as He calls us home to be with Him for all of eternity. I feel love and compassion for all who are presently lost, but I cannot help the lost by not speaking the Truth in order to not offend them. You see, precious one, there will come a day when all peoples everywhere will no longer be able to deny the identity of Jesus Christ. No one knows when that day will come, and the Word of God tells us that no one but God knows the day and hour appointed for His second coming. That day could come in our lifetime, or it could take place in another 5,000 years. We simply don’t know. What I do know is that we don’t have forever to make up our minds about whether to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, but if we don’t accept Him as our Lord and Savior then we have no hope for eternal salvation. Consider the following passage from Scripture:
“Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they [also] which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen. ‘I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending,’ saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” – Revelation 1:7-8 (KJV)
Beloved, you may have led a life of sin all of your life. You may feel that with all you have done wrong in your life that there is no hope for you. The world may have convinced you that you are worthless. Satan will definitely try to convince you that you are tainted forever and that God wants nothing to do with you as a result of the terrible things you have done in your life. Precious one, this is a lie spawned by the author of lies (Satan himself). Regardless of the terrible things you have engaged in up to this point in your life, it is not too late to call out to Him. The Lord calls out to you through the ages right now and asks that you return to Him. Only He can give you the new beginning, the blessed hope, and the eternal salvation that He’s wanted you to have all along. Confess your sins, ask Him to forgive you, and accept His most precious gift that He purchased as the cross for you. You are far from worthless. Do you want to know how invaluable you are? He gave His life on the cross to save you. If you would have been the only sinner in the world, He would have paid the price for you just the same. Will you accept His gift right now? Jesus stands with arms outstretched, waiting to embrace you and welcome you home right now. You know who you are, but He knows who He always intended for you to be. Furthermore, He knows how to help you become that person. When God created you, He created you for a special purpose that only you can fulfill. His love is overflowing, and He wants to shower you with it right now. Isn’t it time to get clean beloved? No matter what you have done, Jesus (and only Jesus) can cleanse you from the stains of your past sins. Always remember the following passages from Scripture:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us.” – 1 John 1:9-10 (KJV)
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12 (KJV)
If you are ready to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please join me in praying the following prayer:
“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost. I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself. Lord, I know that only You can save me. I know that you paid for my salvation with Your own life and blood on the cross. I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, You conquered death and provided everlasting life to all who trust in You. Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You. Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You. I open my heart to You, Lord. Please come into my heart. Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child. From this point on, I commit my life to You. Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You. In Your precious and matchless name I pray. Amen.”
Precious one, if you just prayed that prayer with a sincere and genuinely open heart then I want to welcome you to the family of God!!! The Scripture tells us that every time a sinner comes to repentance, the angels in Heaven rejoice. Beloved, you just got the party started!!! You will still have trials in this fallen world, but you will never again face those trials alone. Furthermore, you can face those trials with confidence knowing that your ultimate reward is now firmly secured in Heaven. Praise God!!! I want to encourage you to get to know the Lord better by studying His Word (the Bible), talking with Him frequently (through prayer), and by seeking fellowship with your newfound brothers and sisters in Christ (Christians). You are a new creation in Christ! Your sins have been washed away, and you are now born-again in the spirit in Jesus Christ! We are so blessed and happy to have you in the family.
If ever we can join you in prayer, or help you in any other way, please don’t hesitate to reach out through the “Comments” box at the end of this message, or by emailing me directly at revjasont @ gmail.com (no spaces). You can also reach me by phone @ 520-288-9261. I am your brother in Christ Jesus, and it is always a blessing to be able to support you in any way that I can.
I want to thank you all for joining us for today’s discussion. I hope you will be able to join us for next week’s message, as well, titled “Can You Handle the Truth (Part 2) – Put Down Your Hammer & Nails”.
Have a wonderful and blessed week!!! Commit yourself to sharing the Lord’s word, love, and truth just as freely as you have received it. Redeem the time, beloved, and reach as many people for the Lord as you possibly can.
May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always. May you be strengthened and sustained by the only One who is able to keep us from stumbling and to present us blameless to the Father.
Your brother in Christ,
Rev Jason Thurwanger
