In that moment, I marveled at the miracle of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that draws us to God, not our own will. We are drawn by God, but we still have to cooperate and choose to move toward Him. I have watched the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in my own daughter when she came into my room a few months prior, again in tears, and said, "Momma, I want to stop sinning. I want to be saved." In two sentences my eight year-old daughter summed up the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, then we turn away from it and towards Christ and ask Him to save us because we want to stop sinning. We are not saved to go to heaven, nor are we saved to be in relationship with God. Both of those things are the RESULT of our salvation. We are saved from our sin-- Jesus saves us to end sin in us. Only then can we enter into right relationship with God. Which means that any Gospel that doesn't deliver you from sin, is a false Gospel. We are saved so we can be restored into right relationship with God, but the point of salvation is to save us from sin.
Once you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, you are sanctified and set apart to be transformed into His image. He gives you His Holy Spirit to work within you, gradually turning you away from sinful actions and sinful thinking, as you grow to reflect His character and behavior more and more, but we must cooperate. That is genuine Christianity. Anything else is a farce and an illusion. That is why Paul warned the Corinthian church not to deceive themselves at 1 Cor 6:9-11, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God."
I was a sinner, a drunkard and a verbal abuser and Jesus wanted to end that sin in me. He wanted to wash me, sanctify me, and justify me through my faith in Him. I am glad that no one told me that it was okay for me to stay that way. I am glad that someone loved me enough to tell me that I either had to choose Jesus as Lord or my sin as Lord, but I couldn't have both. I am glad that no one told me that Jesus loved me just the way I was. Jesus will meet you where you are, but He will not leave you that way because He wants to change you into something holy that looks like Him. He will meet you at your mustard seed, but that seed has to die in the dark ground so it can be transformed and grown into something else.
It hurt me to hear that my sin was sinful. It offended and crushed me to see my sin for what it was-- treachery against a holy God and the holy image He wanted me to bear. So I held onto my sin and rejected the truth for as long as I could, I made excuses for it, I sheltered it, I hid it, I defended it, but praise God, He finally said, "ENOUGH-- choose life or death. I will deliver you from this if you turn toward Me.” This world is a train hurtling head-long toward a brick wall. Noah preached righteousness until he was loaded up onto the ark and then the door was closed. He was mocked, he was disregarded, he was ignored, and no one understood until the flood came and destroyed the entire planet. The flood came because of sin. It was sin that brought the flood and nothing else. Only one man and his family turned from sin and entered into the ark and were saved.
My eight year-old daughter heard God and entered into the ark when He called, “Turn away from your sin and be saved.” God calls all of us to enter into the ark of Jesus Christ, before the day comes when He shuts the door and no one can enter in.
“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. After the Master of the house gets up and shuts the door, you will stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ But He will reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’” Luke 13:24,25
“The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ ‘No,’ said the wise ones, ‘or there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ But while they were on their way to buy it, the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. Later, the other virgins arrived and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’” Matt 25:8-12
Once you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, you are sanctified and set apart to be transformed into His image. He gives you His Holy Spirit to work within you, gradually turning you away from sinful actions and sinful thinking, as you grow to reflect His character and behavior more and more, but we must cooperate. That is genuine Christianity. Anything else is a farce and an illusion. That is why Paul warned the Corinthian church not to deceive themselves at 1 Cor 6:9-11, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God."
I was a sinner, a drunkard and a verbal abuser and Jesus wanted to end that sin in me. He wanted to wash me, sanctify me, and justify me through my faith in Him. I am glad that no one told me that it was okay for me to stay that way. I am glad that someone loved me enough to tell me that I either had to choose Jesus as Lord or my sin as Lord, but I couldn't have both. I am glad that no one told me that Jesus loved me just the way I was. Jesus will meet you where you are, but He will not leave you that way because He wants to change you into something holy that looks like Him. He will meet you at your mustard seed, but that seed has to die in the dark ground so it can be transformed and grown into something else.
It hurt me to hear that my sin was sinful. It offended and crushed me to see my sin for what it was-- treachery against a holy God and the holy image He wanted me to bear. So I held onto my sin and rejected the truth for as long as I could, I made excuses for it, I sheltered it, I hid it, I defended it, but praise God, He finally said, "ENOUGH-- choose life or death. I will deliver you from this if you turn toward Me.” This world is a train hurtling head-long toward a brick wall. Noah preached righteousness until he was loaded up onto the ark and then the door was closed. He was mocked, he was disregarded, he was ignored, and no one understood until the flood came and destroyed the entire planet. The flood came because of sin. It was sin that brought the flood and nothing else. Only one man and his family turned from sin and entered into the ark and were saved.
My eight year-old daughter heard God and entered into the ark when He called, “Turn away from your sin and be saved.” God calls all of us to enter into the ark of Jesus Christ, before the day comes when He shuts the door and no one can enter in.
“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. After the Master of the house gets up and shuts the door, you will stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ But He will reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’” Luke 13:24,25
“The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ ‘No,’ said the wise ones, ‘or there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ But while they were on their way to buy it, the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. Later, the other virgins arrived and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’” Matt 25:8-12
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