Go And Sin No More

Here is a very interesting passage of Scripture where the people used a situation to try to trap Jesus in what He said or did.

"The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 

 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 

And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground.  But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.  Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”  She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

Here we have a situation where some religious people were going to trap Jesus by putting Him in a situation that they thought would be too hard for Him to figure out the answer to. These people were proud and didn't like Jesus. 

But their plan did not work out they way they thought it would. You see, Jesus is much wiser than they were. He is God in the flesh. They were the ones who went away disappointed.

So, they bring this lady who was committing adultery with a man. Why they didn't bring out the man, is something to wonder about. They bring the adulteress out so Jesus could have her stoned. They knew Jesus kept the law, so, they would assume that Jesus would want her stoned. But Jesus had a different idea. 

Jesus wrote in the sand and then asked the people to throw the stone at her, but they could only throw the stone if they were without sin. No one was qualified to throw the stone. So, eventually, they all left. 

After everyone was gone, she was left alone with Jesus. Jesus then asked her if anyone was there who condemned her, to which she answered 'No one, Lord'. But listen to the next words Jesus said to her. He told her 2 things. One was that He doesn't condemn her. What? She was sinning and Jesus doesn't condemn her? Well, listen to the next words. They are most important. He instructs her to 'Go and sin no more'. 

She was basically commanded to repent of her sin. She could not continue living in sin while enjoying the forgiveness of her sins. 

Likewise, we are commanded to 'Go and sin no more'. God doesn't want us to continue to live in sin. God can deliver us from our sins. If we struggle with letting go of practicing evil, we must turn to God, and He promises to set us free from sin.

New Life In Christ-Living a New Life With A New Power And New Desires

Have you been born again? When a person comes to Christ in repentance and faith, he or she becomes a new creature in Christ. He or she is learning to live a new life in a new way, with a new heart, and the power of God to say 'no' to sin and 'yes' to righteousness.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

There Is No Other Way Out Besides Taking Hold of The Rope

  Let's imagine a situation where there are many people stuck in a deep pit. There really is no way out for them. Most of them want to get out and some have tried to get out by climbing the sides or by coming up with clever ideas. But nothing works. People are still stuck in there. Unless there is some kind of outside intervention, these people will never be out of the pit. They will die there.

  But let's imagine that a rope appears. There is a place on the bottom so that the people can grasp the rope and hang onto it. So one by one, each person gets an opportunity to take hold of the rope. The rope pulls them out of the pit. They were helpless and could not rescue themselves, no matter what kinds of ideas they came up with or how strong and determined they really were.

  One difficulty about holding onto the rope was that the person could not take anything with him or her. Whatever the person had while he or she was in the pit had to stay behind. The person could not hold onto the rope and something else at the same time. It would be hard to leave things behind but if it meant getting out of the pit then it would be worth it, no matter how difficult it was to leave behind.

   This is much like our relationship with God. We are all in the pit of sin and darkness. We might not think we are in darkness, but the Bible says that we are all sinners and we all need to be saved from our sins, and from the wrath of God who will destroy sin and those who do not repent of their sins.

  Just as the rope was the only way out of the pit, Jesus is the only way out of the kingdom of Darkness. There is no other way. We cannot be good enough to go to heaven. Even if we produced thousands of good works in our life times, that would never erase the debt of sin that we have before a holy God. But, God sent His Son to die in our place, for our sins. Two thousand years ago, Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life without sinning, died a horrible death, not for anything He had done, but for all the wrongdoing we had done. He is the only way to heaven. We must believe on Him and repent of our sins. We must believe in His death on the Cross for our sins. We must turn to God and trust Him to cleanse us from all our sins. When we are clean from our sins, we can stand before a holy God and not be eternally punished for our sins.

   Jesus died for our sins. He was buried in a tomb. Then, He arose from the dead. He is alive today and will return to earth to take with Him those who belong to Him. Do you know Him yet? This is the time to come to Him. Turn from your self-centered life and trust in Him. He will give you a new heart that is filled with His love. He will help you love and forgive others who have offended you. He will give you power to live a holy life.

   Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me." John 14:6.
   "There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." 1 Timothy 2:5

It's like God gives out the rope. You and I can take hold of it. Jesus is the only way out of the pit. If we don't take the rope, we will never leave the pit. Please consider this serious matter before you go to sleep tonight. Tomorrow could be too late.

The Innocent is Killed, While The Guilty One Goes Free

The crowd went wild. "We want Barabbas!" they yelled out. Pilate gave them the choice. Either he could let Jesus go free, or someone else could go free. The crowd didn't want Jesus to go free. When they were asked, "What should I do with Jesus, who is called the Christ?", the crowd answered "Crucify Him". 


Barabbas was a notorious prisoner, who was sentenced to a cruel execution by crucifixion. While Barabbas was awaiting his sentence, Jesus of Nazareth was also brought to trial. Only the authorities could not find any thing to sentence Him with. Pilate wanted to set Jesus free, but the crowd insisted that He die. An offer was made by the authorities to set a prisoner free. When the crowd was asked who should be set free from his penalty, the crowd answered 'Barabbas". "We want Barabbas", they continually shouted. Imagine, choosing a notorious convict who made have even hurt your own family! Jesus didn't do anything wrong, but the crowd insisted that He must die. Jesus was innocent. Barabbas got to go free.
Friend, we are all Barabbases. We might not be a notorious murderer, but we have all turned against God and wanted our own way instead of His. Barabbas goes free. Jesus is crucified. But why?
Several significant things happened when Jesus was being killed on a cross made of wood. For about 3 hours, the whole atmosphere turned dark. God, the Father, was putting the sins of all of us on His Son. He was taking the penalty for our sins that we deserved. If Jesus were to be set free during that court session, He would not have taken our sins upon Himself.
The Bible says that "For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV
Jesus' last words were 'It is finished". He was done with taking the punishment for our sins. Now we can go free, if we want freedom from sin and its consequences. Barabbas went free from having to die the death by crucifixion. Jesus died so we won't have to spend eternity in hell.
Jesus was buried in a tomb. But He didn't stay dead. He rose from the dead, and was seen alive by many people. He ascended back up to heaven, and will come again to judge the world and to take with Him those who belong to God.
The question for all of us is, do you belong to God? Do you have a relationship with Him? Have you come to Him to receive forgiveness of your sins? Have you trusted in Jesus to be your Savior from sin, and from the punishment that God will pour out on every person who does not respond to Him?

What Is The Gospel And Why Do We Need It?

What is the Gospel? According to the Bible*, it is:

1. Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures.
2. He was buried.
3. He rose again on the 3rd Day according to the Scriptures.

  You might be asking, what does that have to do with anything? Why is it important?

  From the time Adam and Eve first disobeyed God, sin required something to have to die. An animal was usually killed to cover over sins (animal blood itself could not take away sins, but the animal's blood would cover sin).

  The animal was normally a lamb. Today we do not kill lambs to cover over our sins. But a sacrifice is still required. Why? For the same reason. Something has to die for our sin. Our sin requires death from someone or something. If our sin is not covered, we will die for our sins. Sin affected us physically, and spiritually. We are spiritually dead in our sins.

   Two thousand years ago, Someone did die for our sins. This person never sinned or did anything wrong. This person did not have to die for His sins, because He didn't have any. But we needed someone to die in our place, so our sins could not only be covered, but God says He will remove our sins from us as far as the east is from the west. He also says that even though our sins are as scarlet, they will be made white as snow**.

    When Jesus was walking on this earth, John the Baptist pointed Him out and called Him, 'The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world" *** . Jesus died for our sins. All of our sins were placed upon Him when He was dying on a rugged Cross. He died a terrible death so we would have the opportunity to turn to Him and be set free from the penalty and power of sin.

  For three hours, darkness covered the whole earth. Just before He died, some of the last words Jesus said were, "It is finished" meaning that the sacrifice that was necessary to pay for our sins was now accomplished. A heavy curtain was torn in two, which separated the Holy of Holies from the people. Because God's presence was in this place, no one could go in there, except a priest to bring an offering before God. Now the way to God was made open to people, because of Jesus' death on the Cross. Now, every sin we have ever committed or will commit has been placed upon Jesus and will be taken away from us if we repent and turn to God.

  It is not enough to know all this, as important as this is. We must individually act upon it and respond to it, or it will do us no good.

   We respond to it by turning away from selfishness and living for ourselves, and we turn to God in repentance and faith in what Jesus did on the Cross for us. We do not have to sacrifice lambs today in order for our sins to be covered, but we do have to turn to Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins.

   Here are two lies people believe in today, concerning the Gospel. Please take notice for many will argue about the need to turn to God in repentance and faith.

Two lies:
1. God is all-loving and will not send people to hell.
2. I am a good person, and will go to heaven when I die because I am not bad.

   First of all, God is love. His love is so great that He sent His Son to earth to pay for our sins. That is the greatest manifestation of love that exists. But He did this because He must punish sin. Either your sin will be punished by spending eternity in hell, or, by Jesus death on the Cross. God does not spare the world of punishment for sin.

   The Bible is clear that no one is good. No human being is good enough to go to heaven. Only Jesus lived a perfect life with never sinning. Even if we only committed one sin in our lives, it would be serious enough for God to punish it. But we sin continually because our fabric is made up of a sinful heart and nature. Only God can give us the power to say 'no' to sin, and 'yes' to righteousness.

God is merciful to us and does not want anyone to go to hell. Ask yourself these questions:
1. Have I ever told a lie?
2. Have I ever taken something that doesn't belong to me?
3. Have I ever looked with lustful intent on someone whom I am not married to?
4. Have I ever taken God's name in vain?
5. Have I ever loved something more than I loved God?
6. Have I ever wanted something more than I wanted God?
7. Do I let God have complete control over my life, or do I want to be my own boss and call the shots?
8. Have I ever hated anyone?
9. Have I ever been angry with someone because they didn't do what I wanted them to do?
10. Have I ever told others something untrue or stretched about someone else?
11. Have I always honored my father and mother, or my guardians?
12. Who am I living for; God or myself?
13. Have I ever had an abortion?
14. Have I ever had a sexual relationship outside of marriage?
15. Is God precious to me, and do I talk about Him and show my love for Him in the things I say and by the way I live out my life?

There are many more questions we can ask ourselves to see if we really are without sin, but this is a start.

Here is the url to a video that deals with the two lies people believe. It is a worthwhile video to watch.
Two Of The Scariest Lies On Earth Right Now

* 1 Corinthians 15:3,4
** Isaiah 1:18
*** John 1:29

Any questions or comments are welcome. Also, please send an email for more information on the Gospel if interested. Send to: awestruck@bellsouth.net

Born Once, Die Twice; Born Twice, Die Once

  Born once, die twice; born twice, die once. What does that mean?
 
  When you were born, you had a physical birthday. You were born to a mother who gave physical birth to you. That is the first birth.

   Jesus said to a man named Nicodemus, 'You must be born again.' What does it mean to be born again? Nicodemus wanted to know too.

   Being born again doesn't mean coming out of your mother's womb a second time. It is talking about a spiritual birth.

   Every living person has a physical birth, but not every person has a spiritual birth. Being born a second time is called, being 'born again'. It is a spiritual birth.

   Every living person will die one day. If the person is not 'born again' he will face God's judgment. He will go to a place called 'hell' to live forever. This is called the 'second death'. The physical death is the first death. That is why a person who is born once (only the physical birth) will die twice. Once a physical death, and then the second death.

   Every living person will die and meet God. If the person has been 'born again', he will enter heaven and live with God forever. He will not face the 'second death'. His only death will be physical. He will only die one time.

  Born once, die twice pertains to those who have rejected the salvation that was provided by God through the death of His Son on the cross, around 2,000 years ago. They have one physical birth, yet two deaths; one physical, and the other spiritual.

  Born twice, die once pertains to those who have come to Christ and who have turned from their sins and trusted in Jesus Christ to save them from sin. They have both a physical and spiritual birth, and they will only die a physical death.

  Have you trusted in God's Son, Jesus Christ, to take the punishment for your sins? If not, you can repent right now, and turn to Him. You can trust in Jesus Christ as the One who took the punishment or payment for your sins. Either you will have to pay the price for your sins in hell, forever, or, you can turn to God and trust in His provision for the forgiveness of your sins, by trusting in Jesus Christ as the One who can save you from sin. There are only 2 choices. The response is up to you. Please send an email to RUgood@mail.com  or leave a comment in the comment box if you have questions or want more information.

Bad News, Good News

Don't give up when you hear the Bad News. Keep reading to find the Good News.

Here's the bad news: " Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."
But here's the good news (if you are in Christ) " And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6: 9-11 ESV  If you are not in Christ yet, you can be. If God is working in your heart, He will help you turn from your sins and trust in Him! Let God work in your heart today. For more help see http://test4gp.wordpress.com
If you have questions, please send an email to RUgood@mail.com
We will be glad to help you!

Are you good enough for heaven?
How good do you have to be?
Go to www.thegoodtest.net
and take the test to see!

Remember that any score less than 100% means failure. That's bad news! But the good news is that we don't have to get into heaven on our own score. We can get in on Somebody else's score. Someone did score 100%. You won't get in on your score. You have to have a perfect score to get in!