“Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” John 4:48
In our Lord’s day, a craving for miracles was a symptom of the sick state of people’s minds. They refused solid nourishment and pined after mere wonders. The gospel that they needed so greatly they would not accept; miracles, which Jesus did not always choose to give, they eagerly demanded. Many people today want signs and wonders or they refuse to believe. Some have said in their hearts, “I must feel a deep horror of soul or I never will believe in Jesus.” But what if you never feel that, as you probably never will? Will you go to hell to spite God because He didn’t treat you like some other person? Some people say to themselves, “If I had a dream, or if I could feel a sudden shock of I don’t know what, then I would believe.” So undeserving mortals imagine that they will dictate to my Lord! You are beggars at His gate, asking for mercy, and you want to draw up rules and regulations as to how He will give you that mercy? Do you really think He will submit to this? My Master has a generous spirit, but He also has a kingly heart—He rejects all dictation and maintains His sovereignty of action. If this is your case, dear reader, why do you crave “signs and wonders”? Isn’t the good news of the gospel its own wonder? Isn’t this a miracle of miracles, that “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 3:16)? Surely the precious invitation, “Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life” (Revelation 22:17 NLT), and that solemn promise, “Those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them” (John 6:37 NLT), are better than signs and wonders! A truthful Savior ought to be believed. He is truth itself. Why will you ask for proof of the veracity of One who cannot lie? The demons themselves declared Him to be the Son of God; will you mistrust Him? - C. H. Spurgeon Morning and Evening
Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” JOHN 1:46
It’s not enough to know what the Scriptures say about Jesus, study the doctrines concerning Him, or ponder His teaching. There’s only one way to really know Jesus: we must follow Philip’s advice and experience Jesus for ourselves. That’s because Christianity is essentially a relationship with a Person. What we experience as we follow Jesus inspires us to love Him, share His truth, and continue following Him. John told of a blind man healed by Jesus—on the Sabbath. The Jews, outraged that Jesus would violate the law and commit such a flagrant sin, confronted the man about who Jesus was. The man’s answer was straightforward: “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see” (9:25). The healed man did not have all of the doctrinal answers. But one thing he did have was a life-changing encounter with Jesus. We may not be able to respond to all the critics or answer the cynics’ every question about our Lord. But we can, like the man Jesus healed, proclaim with confidence that “though I was blind, now I see.” Our relationship with Jesus has indeed changed our lives forever. - Blackaby Being Still With God
It's amazing how, from the very beginning of time, mankind has tried to tell God what to do.
We were created in the image of God for a purpose. A right and true relationship with Jesus Christ. We had it all in a perfect world. We don't know for sure how much time went by that Adam and Eve enjoyed the perfection that the Lord prepared for them. But we know that after the curse of sin, they were driven out of Eden. Never again to see that which their actions caused them to leave. Now they, like us now, would have to work at life. Work at seeking God's face. To rebuild that relationship. Mercy wouldn't be dictated by Adam and Eve to Jesus on the nature of that relationship. Here we are several thousands of years later, mankind is still attempting to create some vestige of Eden on Earth. Trying to tell God how our relationship with God is going to be. Trying to push Jesus aside to tell the Father how we WILL be accepted as we are! The arrogance of Cain is alive and well.
Jesus came down from His Throne to enter humanity as all humans do. To live a perfect life regardless of how the world treated Him, for all who would claim some excuse of how He wouldn't understand their situation. Scripture says He was a man of sorrows, well acquainted with grief. He knows all about betrayal of family and friends. He knows about the grief of loved ones being taken from this world.
Jesus knows what mankind goes through on a daily basis because He went through it.
Just that unlike Adam and Eve, He didn’t sin while living life. He showed the importance of communing with His Father. He showed how to love one another as yourself. He showed what was important in life. He brought the Good News to the world that all who would come to Jesus would be saved.
It's very prolific in our world that mankind is still trying to not only tell God what to do or not do, but they also want to tell Him how they will show Him the flaws in His plans.
They want to try to tell Jesus that He isn't the only way to be saved.
They want to tell Him that sin isn't worth a death penalty of separation from God.
They want Him to bow to their paltry authority.
They want to rewrite how biology itself tells plainly how life exists. They not only tell Him that men and women can exchange the natural function of the man with a woman, or the woman for man, but they go as far as to mutilate the body to try to force it. They force children to be physically changed before they even know what's going on in terms of self identity.
Mankind has no right to tell God how it is or how it will be.
Salvation is free. Salvation is free to those who would come to the cross to be saved.
We cannot tell God how to save us!
Jesus left perfection to live a perfect life in an imperfect world among imperfect people in order to save as many as would come to Him. To become the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
We can argue our case, till we are blue in the face, but all we prove is the old saying. A man or woman who defends themselves has a fool for a client.
We have to realize we have no right to self defense in the Court of God.
We have no way to live a life, as we are, apart from Jesus, and satisfy the requirements of entry into God's Heaven. We will never have any argument to make to convince Jesus of any good we have done that would be good enough to come in.
Jesus had to be the perfect sacrifice.
Jesus had to show a life of obedience is possible.
Jesus showed the world yet the world rejected Him, until Salvation came 3 days after He was crucified. Then, no matter what anyone could do, the gift of Salvation began to spread throughout mankind to all who would believe.
Mercy is us not getting what we deserve from God. There's limits that He sets on that, not us.
If Mercy didn't have limits, mankind would have been obliterated right after Adam and Eve sinned. Jesus isn't willing that any should perish but that all would be saved.
Salvation is free in order to make it universally available to all mankind. Regardless of status or stature. Regardless of age or gender. We lay down our lives at the cross in order to receive Salvation from Jesus. No terms or conditions on our part. It's us acknowledging what He says is true.
If you are still undecided when it comes to being saved, ask yourself why.
Why are you fighting it? What is causing you to put it off?
Stop and consider that God IS showing you grace and mercy by not immediately sentencing you to Hell. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The Bible tells us that everyone deserves death, separation from God, because we are born in sin. We cannot separate from sin without God’s way, Salvation in Christ Jesus alone.
The Bible says that by one man, Adam, all sinned.
By another, Jesus Christ, all man can come and be saved.
You, my Dear Reader, have read this much and are still here reading.
Take the next step and ask Jesus to save you. Look up the Romans Road to Salvation.
God in all three persons doesn't want to send you to Hell, it's your rejection of Christ Jesus for salvation that will cause you to send you there. That place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. People crying out to Jesus night and day, begging for a second chance.
People raging at God because He kept His word on the punishment for sin.
People raging in torment because the sentence was carried out and now they are paying for their sins.
It doesn't have to be that way for you.
Salvation is free. God's mercy and grace are available to you.
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