What would be your reaction if you were at the bottom of a long hill on a street in San Francisco when you looked up to realize that there was a large, unmanned streetcar that had gone out of control and was headed speedily directly towards you? There is absolutely nothing that can be done to slow it down enough to prevent it from soon reaching you–it is just too heavy and it is just moving too fast. This obviously leaves you just two options, which are that you can either run off to the side as the runaway streetcar rushes past, thus preventing yourself from getting harmed, or you have the second option which would be to simply stare dumbly at the massive hulk of metal as it bears down upon you, effectively crushing and killing you. Option one and option two, the choice is up to you.
While this illustration that I put before you should seem to be a rather simple question to answer, it really should be quite as simple to answer the question of what a person is going to place their faith in, but maybe more specifically, what they are going to do with that faith. Because before each and every person lies the question of whether or not they believe in Jesus, and what are they going to do to prepare for His return?
In the short example that I used, the world is that runaway, out of control streetcar, just headed for destruction, and anyone who stands in its way and doesn’t make the decision to move will be destroyed along with it. It doesn’t take a genius to point out to someone that this world is a very sinful, corrupt place, as sin has spread like a virus across its surface. Everywhere you go, everywhere you look, you will constantly see or hear about sin that has just happened there. Murders, thefts, adulteries, wickedness everywhere, and truthfully it will not be getting any better, but will in fact only become even worse, and worse, until the day that Jesus does finally return to gather His followers, and this world and all of the sin in it is destroyed.
Jesus has called the faithful who believe in Him to come out from the sins of the world and be separate.
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
You don’t take the food that you plan to eat for supper and place it on the floor directly in front of the shower and toilet, do you? You wouldn’t put on a manure riddled t-shirt to go to a wedding when you have a clean one waiting for you on your bed, would you?
Choices, questions, decisions, answers, we all have them and need to pick what we are going to do. But if there is just one single choice that you ever needed to make, that choice would be to the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, which Jesus asked Peter in John chapter 21. He said to Peter, Do you love me?
John 21:15-17 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
Right there Peter had a choice to make, whether or not he did indeed love the Lord. And what did Peter say? He said yes. He had made his decision, and he had picked yes.
When someone loves the Lord, it will be shown by their actions. It will be shown by their decisions.
John 14:23-24 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
We cannot stop time, it just keeps ticking. That time will vary from person to person as not everyone will live the same length of time, but one thing will remain the same. There will always be the exact same question that is presented before everyone who breathes upon this earth.
Do you love Jesus? There are only two answers to this question, and a person may only choose one of them. Option one and option two, the choice is up to you.
In Christ
Andrew
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 