I thought it was important to start this journey by understanding that we serve a great King as we talked about yesterday. Not only do we serve a great king, we serve a risen Savior, the Messiah and the Son of God and we are to bow down to Him with our lives. Romans 12:1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Submitting to our King and Savior means we no longer serve ourselves and we will no longer be like the world. By doing this we will be transformed with a renewed mind. Hebrews 12:1 “And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
Submission is not something we can do on our own. Our only involvement is our submission of belief in Jesus and then we must obey His words. Jesus said to Martha, Lazarus’s (Jesus raised him from the dead) sister, John 11:25 “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
No one else can offer you eternal life. Yes in the world of mythology and cartoons, certain people could live forever but that is what fiction is made of. Kings and rulers, leaders and gurus have come and gone as no one lives forever. When you die, you die. Even in the bible, kings died and even the prophets died. Peter said Acts 2:29 “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day.” Great leaders from around the world have died and are still in the tombs they were buried in. Every religion worships a leader who led but then died. Their teachings then live on and their appearance may live on in the form of an idol or statue but that person is nowhere to be seen. Yes some will say they were reincarnated but the person that died is not the same person they supposedly reincarnated into. Jesus on the other hand died and rose from the dead but was the same person, before his death and after he rose. Matthew 28:6 “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” Acts 1:3 “After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” John 20:24 “Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” 26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Yes even in that day, dead was dead. But Jesus was different; he died but he was raised from the dead, which then gives us hope of eternal life but we must believe. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” John 14:6 “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 1 Corinthians 15:20 “Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” Jesus is the only way to eternal life. Peter said in Acts 2:22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.”
Our only hope of salvation is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We must believe to receive eternal life. As we talked about all through our Lenten journey, you must make sure you believe in the real Jesus and His gospel otherwise you have believed in vain. The only way to know for sure is to turn from our wicked ways and return to God’s word and follow wholeheartedly. If we return to God’s word and Romans 10:9 “if you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Jonah 2:9 “But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’” Stop doubting and believe!
