The Commands of Jesus: Repent!

[This is the first in a series of articles about The Commands of Jesus.]

When I was in the second or third grade I went shopping with my mom downtown. I saw a shiny nail clipper in the store that came in a really neat leather pouch. So I took it home.

Later that day my mom saw me playing with it and asked me where I had gotten it. I told her. She explained to me that I had done something wrong and that we needed to take it back.

When we got back to the store, the owner loomed over me like a giant as I sheepishly gave him back his nail clipper. That store owner seemed so incredibly tall. Perhaps it was because I was feeling so incredibly low. I had no concept of sin and repentance at that time in my life. But I sure knew that I had done something wrong. To this day I have not forgotten that imposing father-figure looming over me. A good image to remember when we do things that are contrary to the will of God.

After Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness being tempted by the devil He began His teaching ministry. And what was the first thing He taught? Repentance.

"From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent. For the kingdom of heaven has come near." - Matthew 4:17

So what is repentance?

The Greeks used to word metanoia (met-an'-oy-ah) back in Jesus' day which meant a change of mind or a change in a man's heart. If Jesus felt we needed to repent, what were we doing that we needed to repent of? Well, reading the Bible can fill us in on the things we need to repent of - our sins.

So what is sin? It is anything contrary to the will of God. There are many examples of sin in the Bible. Galatians 5 has a short list.

"19  The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions   21  and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." - Galatians 5:19-21

Sexual immorality is a big one these days but it is a sin that has ALWAYS been with us. Adultery, fornication (sex outside of marriage), homosexuality, lust, even thinking impure thoughts about someone else is a sin. We must repent of these things is we are to please God.

Impurity. Have you ever heard of a purity ring. Usually girl wear these to remind themselves of a promise made not to have sex before marriage. We Christians are to remain pure as well and not have any other gods besides the One True God. More on that later.

Debauchery (excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures) is usually associated with  sex but it could also be a form of gluttony if we get a sensual desire about the food we eat. Put down the Twinkies and repent!

Idolatry is a MAJOR sin we all are good at. Some people are obsessed with sports, some people love their cars or their job. They spend so much time talking about these things that they often forget about God. NOT good. Repent!

I don't know too many people who are witches but they DO exist. Before you shrug this sin off and think you're pretty safe, think about it. Have you ever used a Ouiga board? Calling on spirits is a form witchcraft. Repent!

Hatred, jealousy, fits of rage, envy - all these are against God's will for our lives. We need to repent of these things whenever they happen to us.

Drunkenness. This is a big one in the state of Wisconsin or on any college campus for that matter. Drinking to excess is against God's will. Drinking, in moderation, is acceptable. But drinking too much is not. A friend of mine lost his daughter at the hands of a drunk driver. Hmm. Drunkenness AND murder. That guy is going straight to hell! Unless, of course, the driver knew Jesus . . . which I doubt. If He truly knew Jesus he wouldn't have been drinking to excess.

Our lives are full of opportunities to sin. I can't make it through the day without stumbling in some way. We should repent of our sins on a daily basis. Repent on an "as they happen" basis. The important thing is that we seek forgiveness from God. We are God's children. We should act like it.

The Birdcage - The Skit Guys

We Are An Adulterous People

Do you recognize this image? You might. It's from The Passion of The Christ movie. It is the story from John 8 about the adulterous woman. We read . . .

"2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 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. 7 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.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 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. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” - John 8: 2-11

This is an interesting story. Many people read it and think, "Gee, Jesus didn't condemn her. He let her off without punishment. It looks like Jesus broke the law!" Did He? The law clearly states that both the man and the woman should be put to death.

10 “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death." - Leviticus 20:10

According to the law she should have been put to death. Why did Jesus let her off?

Jesus knew she had sinned and that she was guilty; hence the "go and sin no more" statement. But do you see anything that is missing from this story? Something required according to Mosaic law?

There are several thing missing in this story. Ready?

Where was her partner in the alleged adulterous act? Hmm. Nowhere. Interesting. The law clearly states that "BOTH the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death." Where's the dude.

Something else is missing. Turn to Deuteronomy 17 . . .

"On the testimony of two or three witnesses a person is to be put to death, but no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness." - Deuteronomy 17:6

There are no witnesses present. It says the woman was "caught in the act" yets the witnesses were not present at this potential stoning. Let's keep reading in Deuteronomy.

"7 The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst." - Deuteronomy 17:7

The two witnesses are supposed to throw the first stones at the adulterous couple. None of the Pharisees were willing to throw the first stones. My guess is because the actually witnesses, if there were any, were not even present.

So Jesus obeyed the law. AND He turned the situation around to confront the Pharisees - questioning them about THEIR sin? Interesting.

So let's talk about you and me for a moment. When we sin, and we ALL do, are there witnesses? Are there TWO witnesses present to convict us of our sin? I would submit that there ARE two witnesses - ourselves and God. We know what we did. So does God. Are our sins on the level of adultery though? I also say yes.

Today there is a big football game. Our Green Bay Packers are in THE NFC Championship game. Many people will be tailgating at Lambeau Field . . . even though the game is in Seattle! Packers fans will be partying it up all over the planet. Will they be passing up worship today to do so? Will they be getting drunk out of their minds? Some WILL get "stoned" in a different way than described in The Bible.

In the Old Testament days people were stoned for adultery. I am grateful we don't do that to each other today because I would be one of those to be stoned. How many times have I put off reading His Holy Word to us? How many times have I not prayed? In other words, how many time have I cheated on my God by spending time with someone or something else? Yeah. I am worthy of death. So are you I'm guessin'.

However, we serve an amazing God. A God of grace and forgiveness. A God of mercy and compassion. As a matter of fact, God is SO gracious and merciful, so loving and forgiving, that He makes me want to worship and praise Him more!

My prayer is that we each would think about the adulterous lives we ALL lead, lthe time we spend ignoring God or replacing worship with something else, and come to Him on our knees in humility, seeking His forgiveness. Please, won't you join me in doing so today? The Packer game isn't until later. What are you doing right now?

Mighty To Save - Hillsong

Wasted

Last night on the evening news I watched a story about Colorado. Today is the first day of legalized marijuana sales in their state. Everyone was really happy. And I mean REALLY happy! Everyone except the head of the state's anti-drug coalition. Other than her, it seems as if everyone is super excited about getting, as we used to call it in high school, . . . wasted.

New Year's Eve is a traditional party night if there ever was one. Images of endless streams of champagne, flowing freely from bottle to glass and from glass to lips. Somewhere along the line, New Year's Eve has turned into a night of drunkenness and debauchery (bad or immoral behavior that involves sex, drugs, alcohol, etc.). Why?

To quote King Solomon, "There is nothing new under the sun" however. Maybe the marijuana parts might be relatively new but people have been getting drunk for thousands of years. The Bible is filled with warnings about such behavior and some of those warnings are very, VERY scary. Here's a few: Ephesians 5:18, Proverbs 20:1, 1 Peter 5:8, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Proverbs 23:29-35, Isaiah 5:11

But probably the scariest warning was written to the churches of Galatia by the apostle Paul.

"16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another." - Galatians 5:16-26

Paul is writing to Christians, telling them they shouldn't get drunk, amongst their many other sins. Yet year after year we present-day Christians, just like the Galatians, ignore Paul's warning and just continue on sinning. Why?

Well, it could be that we simply aren't aware of Paul's warning. Have you ever heard of the saying that "ignorance is no excuse?" It would be like trying to talk your way out of a speeding ticket by saying, "I didn't know that driving faster than the law allows would get me into trouble." That may play some role in the choices we make I guess.

Another reason for sinning, and that's what "getting wasted" in ANY "works of the flesh" listed above is, is that we are sinners by our very nature. We simply can't help ourselves. Besides, it makes us feel better and God wants us to be happy, right? Wrong! God wants us to be obedient. That is a large part of why we Christians continue to sin day after day. But there is another reason, far more scary than the two I have already mentioned. False converts.

When we receive the Holy Spirit we Christians are given the power to overcome sin. We are made strong, in Christ. Christians who have truly repented will exhibit signs of that repentance called Fruits of The Spirit." Read verses 22-24 again. The words "self-control" could easily be replaced by "don't get wasted."

There is good news for us sinners though, and that includes everyone reading, and writing, this blog. Jesus is mighty to save. He died for our sins - past, present and future. But we must allow Him to be the Lord of our lives. We are His, not our own. If we say we are Christians and go on sinning without remorse, are we not mocking what Christ did for us on the cross?

The scariest thing to comprehend is that some people THINK they are Christians but really aren't. That is incredibly scary!! If we are truly Christians we will be recognized by the change within us. We will begin exhibiting the fruits of the spirit. We will begin throwing off the old self and begin walking in the light. It's called sanctification - becoming more like Christ in everything we think, do and say. We must strive for that, if we truly are alive in Christ.

Before I close, one more scary passage to consider.

" 26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." - Hebrews 10:26-31

I'm not intentionally trying to start of the new year with a doom and gloom message this morning. Rather, I'd like us all to consider a God-honoring life in Christ. In everything we do let us honor God with our lives. When we are about to make a decision, let us ask ourselves "How is what I am about to do, honoring to God." If our lives are not exemplifying Christ, how can we truly call ourselves Christians? Let us not live wasted lives but lives alive in Christ. For as Christians, we do not live to "enjoy ourselves" but to honor God. Let us start off the new year doing so. Let us sanctify ourselves before the Lord and honor Him . . . as long as it is called "today."

Better Than Drugs by Skillet

Drunk

I went to school at UW - Madison back in the 70's. In those days, and even today, Madison had, and STILL has, quite a reputation as a party school. Yet, I never got drunk. Why not? It was clearly "the thing to do." There was beer and booze everywhere. Why didn't I ever take that final step and get drunk like many of my friends did? The reason is . . . my family. I felt like I would be disappointing my parents. Does that make sense? And I never even knew about this verse from Proverbs at the time, but it is SO true.

"6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." - Proverbs 22:6

I was raised in a family where my mother and my father did not drink. It was simply not done. I don't remember my grandparents drinking either. Although I do remember seeing a bottle of whiskey high on a bathroom shelf at the farm. The bottle was really old, almost empty and, I believe, never used - except for medicinal purposes. Seriously. That's why it was there.

When my wife and I got married, two worlds collided. My wife's family drank - not too excess by any means, but more along the lines of an after-dinner drink . . . you know, to be sociable. My side of the family didn't drink at all. It was a really weird wedding reception.

Have you ever been to a drinking party? Or gotten drunk at a wedding? Or maybe you've had a few too many beers at a sporting event. Why? Why do people drink so much that they get drunk and lose control of who they are? If you go to Google Images and enter the word "drunk" (as I just did, searching for a picture for this blog) you will find all sorts of images, many of them sincerely disgusting. Why do people do this?

Here is a blog I found that lists the Top Ten reasons why people start to drink. Read this.

The number one reason listed in that blog is "For the Effect." Basically, people drink because of the way it makes them feel. Drinking loosens our inhibitions. It makes us think we are more fun at parties and other social situations. It makes us someone other than who we are when we're sober. And apparently, that's what we're looking for. Most people also believe they can handle themselves when they drink. Most of them are wrong.

I have a friend where I work. He's retired now. His daughter was killed by a drunk driver. You can read about her here. The guy behind the wheel is still on the roads somewhere in Wisconsin. My friends daughter is dead an buried. How would you like to be THAT guy one day when he stands in front of Jesus to explain how he killed someone while he was drunk? Yeah . . . that's not going to be good.

I'd like you to read a verse that hopefully will cause you to think. It's a rather scary verse, especially if you like to get drunk.

"9 Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." - 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (ESV)

Do you understand what that says? Let's take all the other examples of sin-filled people out of the sentence and concentrate just on the drunkard . . .

"Do not be deceived: the drunkard will NOT inherit the kingdom of God." Umm. Yeah, that's not good. A person who gets drunk and continues to do so, without regret, is NOT allowed into heaven? That's what God says.

So does that mean that if someone has gotten drunk at some point in their lives, they are going to hell? Not necessarily. For an answer to that question look to the thief who was hanging on a cross next to Jesus.

39 One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” 40 But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” 43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” - Luke 23:39-43 (NASB)

The second thief confessed his own sin, he acknowledged Jesus was who he said he was - "remember me when You come in Your kingdom." And then Jesus forgave him. While Jesus was dying on the cross, He took the time to forgive someone's sins.

If the drunkard, or any of us other sinners, repents of his sin and asks forgiveness, earnestly, it will be given. But woe to the one who gets drunk, or sins, and then dies without being repentant, without seeking forgiveness. Even though they might profess a belief in God, that person, from what I read in 1 Corinthians, is NOT going to make it into heaven. Sorry.

You see, Jesus also said, "15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." (John 14:15) and He also told us to "go, and sin no more." (John 8:11)

Go back and read that verse from 1 Corinthians. Do you find yourself listed in its contents? I know I see myself in there a few times. So what must we do to be saved?

1. We must believe that Jesus is who He says He is - the Son of the Living God.
2. We must confess our sins.
3. We must have a repentant heart. We must truly be sorry for what we have done.
4. We must ask God to forgive us.
5. We must "go and sin no more."

Our ticket into heaven is more than just "believing." It is also conforming. Conforming to the likeness of His Son (Romans 8:29).

"You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror." - James 2:19 (NLT)

We must do more than believe. We must make Jesus Lord of our lives. He must become our Master. We must become His slaves. When James wrote his letter to us he introduced himself this way . . .

"James, a bond-servant (slave) of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ."

My friends, we too must become slaves of Christ. Whatever He says, whatever He commands of us, so must we do. We need to become 100% His. The old, sinful self . . . the drunkard, the thief, the adulterer, whatever . . . we must die and be re-born. We MUST be born again!

Jesus answered him, “3 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” - John 3:3 (ESV)

James Caldemeyer is a professional bass fisherman. He drank a lot back in the day – often, too much. He thought he could make it home one night after having a few too many drinks so he hopped in his car and took off. He never made it. Neither did the person he killed.

I Am Second - James Caldemeyer