Bible Ballistics: Vol. 11 No. 20 What Are You Passing On???
“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD,
choose you this day whom ye will serve;
whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood,
or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell:
but as for me and my house,
we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15
Joshua knew that his life was nearing the end, so he called the people together to call them to remember the goodness of God, and to serve Him from a heart of love, gratitude and devotion. He reminded them of all that God had done, challenging them to choose wisely, and declaring his choice before all, “as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD”! Joshua made the choice consistent with his life—he had followed God with Moses, and then God called him to step into Moses place as the leader of Israel. Now at the end of his life, he is still calling people to follow God. And that always requires a personal choice and commitment.
Jesus called people to choose Him recognizing the cost is more than many people expect.
“Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected
of the elders
and chief priests
and scribes,
and be slain,
and be raised the third day.
23 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.
24 For whosoever will save his life
shall lose it:
but whosoever will lose his life
for my sake,
the same shall save it.
25 For what is a man advantaged,
if he gain the whole world,
and lose himself,
or be cast away?” Luke 9:22-25
To follow Jesus we must recognize our own inability to deal with our sin, and come to HIM in repentance and faith. We must “deny” (abandon our self-reliance) self, “take up” our “cross daily” (identify with the sacrifice of Jesus), and “follow” Jesus. Paul gives us a clear picture of following:
“I am crucified with Christ:
nevertheless I live;
yet not I,
but Christ liveth in me:
and the life which I now live
in the flesh
I live by the faith
of the Son of God,
who loved me,
and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
We are to live unto Jesus, yielding ourselves to the work of the precious Holy Spirit of Jesus, which He imparts to all who come to Him. When we will walk with Him, in the power of His Spirit, God will work in and through us to make a difference in this world.
“So, as much as in me is,
I am ready to preach the gospel
to you that are at Rome also.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ:
for it is the power of God
unto salvation
to every one that believeth;
to the Jew first,
and also to the Greek.
17 For therein is the righteousness of God
revealed
from faith
to faith:
as it is written,
The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:15-17
Jesus is the Gospel! And knowing Jesus through the power of His blood, we are saved and transformed into His servants, being enabled as His witness to a lost and dying world. We can pass on the ‘good news’ and lead others to Jesus, or we can live our own way and lead others to the same “hell” that all will face without Jesus. Even as Jesus shared with Nicodemus:
“Jesus answered and said unto him,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born of water
and of the Spirit,
he cannot enter into the kingdom
of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh
is flesh;
and that which is born of the Spirit
is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee,
Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth
where it listeth,
and thou hearest the sound thereof,
but canst not tell whence it cometh,
and whither it goeth:
so is every one that is born
of the Spirit.” John 3:5-8
When we are ‘born again’, we are able to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, living a life devoted to God according to the faith, gifts and abilities that He gives to His own.
“I beseech you therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God,
that ye present your bodies
a living sacrifice,
holy,
acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed
to this world:
but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove
what is that good,
and acceptable,
and perfect,
will of God.
3 For I say,
through the grace given unto me,
to every man that is among you,
not to think of himself more highly
than he ought to think;
but to think soberly,
according as God hath dealt
to every man
the measure of faith.” Romans 12:1-3
Those who come to Jesus receive all we need to serve Him faithfully and lead others to the cross—to pass on life, not death; all by Him and His Holy Spirit at work within us.
“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you
through the knowledge of God,
and of Jesus
our Lord,
3 According as his divine power
hath given unto us all things
that pertain unto life
and godliness,
through the knowledge of him
that hath called us
to glory
and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us
exceeding great
and precious promises:
that by these
ye might be partakers
of the divine nature,
having escaped the corruption
that is in the world
through lust.” 2 Peter 1:1-4
HE gives us “all things” that we need to serve Him—Jesus and His indwelling Holy Spirit. We are born of The Spirit who then dwells within us and is the manifestation of the genuineness of our salvation.
“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:
13 Which were born,
not of blood,
nor of the will of the flesh,
nor of the will of man,
but of God.” John 1:12-13
Born of God so that we can live by HIS power!!!
“But ye are not in the flesh,
but in the Spirit,
if so be that the Spirit of God
dwell in you.
Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ,
he is none of his.” Romans 8:9
Only The Spirit of Jesus within makes us usable in God’s kingdom! We can choose to walk in The Spirit or the flesh—but there are consequences to each choice. We can pass on the truth and freedom of the Gospel or we can cause others to miss heaven by missing Jesus! What am I passing on? What about you?
“For, brethren,
ye have been called unto liberty;
only use not liberty
for an occasion to the flesh,
but by love serve one another.
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word,
even in this;
Thou shalt love thy neighbour
as thyself.
15 But if ye bite and devour one another,
take heed
that ye be not consumed
one of another.
16 This I say then,
Walk in the Spirit,
and ye shall not fulfil
the lust of the flesh………
24 And they that are Christ’s
have crucified the flesh
with the affections
and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit,
let us also walk
in the Spirit.” Galatians 5:13-16 & 24-25
Are you alive in God’s Spirit? Have you been born again? Do you have peace with God? As Paul said so clearly, we can only “pass on” what we have received—the Gospel of Jesus!
“For I delivered unto you
first of all
that which I also received,
how that Christ died for our sins
according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried,
and that he rose again the third day
according to the scriptures:
5 And that he was seen of Cephas,
then of the twelve:” 1 Corinthians 15:3-5
What are you ‘passing on’?
“Therefore being justified by faith,
we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 By whom also we have access by faith
into this grace wherein we stand,
and rejoice in hope
of the glory of God.” Romans 5:1-2
Amen & Amen!!!
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