Summary: Our Sovereign LORD uses His Word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to get us to stop and consider that the walk we claim to have with Him sometimes needs an honest diagnosis and correction.

The Scriptures are harmonious. That is, they are all woven together without discrepancy or contradiction in God’s communication with His creation. He does not send “mixed messages,” nor does He have to add or delete anything that has been presented in the Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21). Every prophecy mentioned in the Scriptures has been or will be fulfilled according to the directions and plans of the Sovereign LORD of all creation, who is also the Author and Provider of our salvation. Every warning He has given both humanity and nations about the consequences of their sins and wicked deeds has resulted in either repentance or ruin for themselves (Isaiah 1:18).

No one has been spared from the judgment of the LORD when needed, and no one has been rejected by the LORD when their hearts were broken with sin and sought redemption; otherwise, the Prodigal Son would have stayed in the dung and mud of the pigsty and would have later been found dead as well as damned.

The Scriptures show us that when we walk with the LORD, the narrow road on which we share the journey can get trying at times but also rewarding. He does not leave us alone, nor is His attention diverted by something trivial that He goes off chasing like we often tend to do. When we are the LORD’S, He promises that He will not let us go, and that we do not have the power or ability to counteract or nullify that promise (John 10:28-30). He holds no grudge against us once we come before Him to ask His forgiveness, and does not bring it up against us when we fail (Psalm 103:12; Isaiah 43:25, 44:22, 55:7; 1 John 1:9). He promised that He will never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), and it is to Him that we can come and find the true rest our empty and burdened lives need so desperately (Matthew 11:28-30).

This causes me to wonder why anyone in their right mind would choose to walk away from the best thing ever offered or promised to us by the one and true Lord God Almighty. Yet, because of our sins, blasphemies, pride, hatred, and unbelief, far too many people reject the ONLY way by which the LORD would have us to come to Him and the ONLY means by which we may have real peace; that is through the Lord Jesus Christ, like it or not (John 14:6; Acts 4:12, 20, 16:31; Romans 1:18-32, 3:10-18; 5:6-11; 1 Timothy 1:15, 2:5-7; 2 Timothy 3:1-8, 4:1-5; Hebrews 2:1-4, 6:4-6; 1 John 2:22, 4:1-3; Revelation 1:8,17-18).

What I want to do is to concentrate on one verse by which we can examine ourselves to see whether we are really following Jesus or not; and if we are, why we do not fully commit to His commands for our lives. Be honest. We tend to fall short in our walk with Him, and what the apostle Paul tells the church at Corinth was meant to help them, as well as us, in this area.

The verse I want to examine is found in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (NKJV).

Let us look at the first portion of this verse: “If anyone is in Christ.” Here Paul addresses the main area of concern, not just for this church that had a multitude of problems, but is something we need to ask ourselves, especially as these days are getting more depraved and eternity looms for all of us: If you were to die today and are summoned to appear in front of the throne of God Almighty, and He asks you why you should be allowed to enter His heaven, how would you answer?

I hope that your answer will not be, “Well, I was a good person,” or “I did the best I could,” or any kind of word that implies that you had it within yourself to atone for your sins, or that God is some “good old boy” who will overlook what you said and did and figure that you were not as bad as Osama Bin Laden, or Saddam Hussein, or everyone’s favorite bad guy, Adolf Hitler.

The Scriptures say that our attempts to be righteous before God in our own power are as effective as a bloody menstrual rag (Isaiah 64:6). We cannot in any way make ourselves right before God, as we are all sinners stained with evil, depravity, perversion, and reprobation (Psalm 14:1, 53:3, 130:3; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:23; 1John 1:8, 5:19). We have no other place to go after we die other than hell for eternity as the punishment for our sins if God Himself had not decided to intervene on our behalf and provide us with the redemption we do not deserve.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God Incarnate, without sin or fault, came to this wicked world to live among us; teach us about the character and grace of God, as well as His wrath that far too many of us would just as soon not mention or consider; and to demonstrate through word and deed that He was and is the Promised Messiah, Deliverer from our sins and the coming King who will rid this world of all wickedness and the rotten harvest it has produced throughout human history (Isaiah 9:1-7; 11:1-10, 52:12-53:12; John 3:16, 10:11, 12:23-24; Acts 4:12, 20, 16:31; Romans 5:6, 14:9; 1 Corinthians 15:3; Revelation 5:9).

The Holy Spirit of God draws us to Him (John 16:5-15). We come to Him in repentance, asking for forgiveness for our sins and to surrender our lives to His Lordship and saving grace for all time. He gives this salvation to everyone who will come to Him. Even the final book of the Bible gives this invitation (Revelation 22:17), and it is my prayer that you have responded to His call. If not, do so today (2 Corinthians 6:2; James 4:13-15).

If you are, as Paul refers to as “new creations in Christ,” then the second portion of that verse should apply to you as well: “old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

When we read this, it is easy to assume that Paul is referring to the old sinful life that has been forgiven, and we are now saved and secure in Him. That’s true, but I believe we need to dig a little deeper and see that these words are also telling us that since we are new creatures because of the mercy of Christ, we are not to go off to do our own things, hoping that God will bless us in our endeavors.

Scripture says that we have been bought with a price, and we are not our own (1 Corinthians 6:20). By surrendering our lives to Jesus Christ, we have also surrendered to His authority to do with us as He pleases. HE OWNS US! We are His “bondservants” for eternity. The apostles testified as such at the beginning of their letters and teachings in the New Testament. We are under an obligation, as they were, to obey Him through the Word and the direction of the Holy Spirit.

He created us and knows how we work and think, and after a lifetime of experience with submission and struggle, I can testify that I trust Him to run my life a whole lot better than I could ever do in my own capacity. I have bowed my head in shame many times over the things I have done and said that could have been avoided if only I had allowed Him to guide me earlier in my life instead of my own stubbornness that I thought was His direction. We can all make that confession as believers at times, can we not?

When old things do pass away, such as our deadness in sin, and we embrace Christ’s direction, He plants the seeds of maturity and faith within us that He expects to germinate and produce fruit if we are serious about following Him (John 15:1-8). Faith in Christ does not stop at the moment of conversion, and we are not to merely sit back, sing hymns, and wait for Him to return (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). All throughout the Scriptures, the LORD commands us to tell everyone the Good News of the Gospel, to learn the Scriptures and the doctrines of our faith (2 Timothy 2:15; 1 Peter 3:15), and to endure hardship as His good soldier (2 Timothy 2:3).

The persecution that our Lord Jesus spoke of is now here and will intensify as the time comes for Him to return and pronounce judgment on this wicked world. Here is where you need to be absolutely certain of where you stand in Christ. The time for games and pretense is over. You are on the devil’s hit list if you are in Christ, and he will, only by the permission of God, put you through the wringer if you are not real in your faith or have been less than devout and serious about Jesus and the times in which we live now.

Either you are right with God at this time, or you are not. It is time for you to make your stand, and the Scriptures make that clear. Let what has been presented here convict you to get right with Him, to encourage you to stay faithful and loyal to Him, and to be assured that His promises are true, solid, and will never fail or be deterred. Please be that new creature in Christ of which the Scriptures describe, and hold on to Him more than ever, because He will indeed make all things new here on Earth and in the hearts of all who will come to Him in these last days.

Glory, honor, and praise be to Him.

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Proverbs 14:12: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” (Also Proverbs 16:25 – all emphasis mine)

Proverbs 16:8, 18-19; “Better is a little with righteousness, than great revenues with injustice…. Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud.” A reminder that the reason Satan fell was due to destructive self-pride.

Of course, we must include Matthew 7:13-14; “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

Also important for this message, Romans 12:2; “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

When Jesus was on this earth as a human, He made it clear that the way to Salvation would not be easy. One of the main reasons is, it is difficult to believe and follow something that is not seen. It takes an act of faith, and the majority would rather attach themselves to what they can see, hear and feel. Romans 10:17; “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

Jesus said in John 16:33, “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world.”

More and more in today’s world, we see His testimony being fulfilled in reference to the end of this age. The changing morals, the falling away from Jesus, and the satanic evil influence increasing everywhere are obvious to those who are willing to face reality.

To the masses, true believers are “losers,” while those joining the evil, abominable causes are declared winners by the world. Satan is getting his last “hurrah” before the wrath of God/Tribulation years get fully started.

Pastors in various places around the world are being charged with criminal offenses for speaking Biblical truth. The LGBT and all the other alphabet groups have gone from hiding in the closet to become a major influence on world politics. Though it hasn’t actually happened in the U.S. yet, in Canada and some places in Europe, there are pastors being charged as “criminals” and are facing prison time. To think it isn’t going to happen here is being totally naïve.

Some may think there’s going to be a great revival, but that just isn’t so. The largest groups that are turning to Jesus right now are in Iran, China, Africa, and some other places around the world. These countries are especially cruel to any Christian converts, and when they are discovered, they usually are martyred. Even in Saudi Arabia, one cannot stand in the streets and proclaim Jesus. In the persecution countries, people are offered amnesty if they renounce Jesus, but most converts would rather “depart and be with Christ,” as given in Philippians 1:23.

In America, the younger generation just doesn’t want to get to know Jesus, as they mostly feel it’s a waste of time. Those that still attend church services seek the ones that offer entertaining programs with catchy music and “flower power” messages. Biblical messages are absent in these “churches.” Jesus, Peter, John, and others warned of an increase in false prophets and antichrists at the end of this age, and this is evident in many previously Bible-based evangelical churches. I say previously because there are a number of them that are “updating” God’s word to say His abominations no longer are considered as sin.

At this point, I am determined to be a “loser” in the eyes of this world. You see, I firmly believe John 14:6 and Acts 4:12 that tell us Jesus is the only way to the Father. John 14:6; “Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” Acts 4:12; “And there is Salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Going to Acts 5:29,” But Peter and the apostles answered, we must obey God rather than men.”

I will know I am a true winner when I stand before Jesus at the Judgment Seat of Christ. In 2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due him for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”

This is for those who truly believed, received, and accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The Judgment Seat is there to receive or lose rewards based on our activity here. Sin can cause believers to suffer loss of some rewards in Heaven, but not cause us to lose our Salvation because of them. And winner or loser, all of us sin, and we will do so as long as we’re in these human bodies (Romans 3:23).

For any who believe they are walking around with a halo over their heads, Romans 3:10 states, “None is righteous; no not one.” Earthly losers will continue to believe there are many ways to Heaven, but eternal winners understand Romans 6:23 very well; “For the wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” We know we deserve to be the ones that should have been “crucified,” but then we know Our Jesus secured our pardon with His own sinless blood.

Earlier, when the hard straight and narrow was mentioned, it’s understandable that people want to “belong.” To go against the masses is to be cut off from the normal world, which would make our existence here a lot harder. That is until we take our last breath here.

God is not impressed with glowing accolades we may get from our fellow man; He wants to know if we receive and accept His Son. Suddenly, the words of a wonderful song come to mind; “And the things of this world grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” (Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.)

Actual losers believe all this is foolishness, as stated in 1 Corinthians 1:18. As winners, we know we must admit we’re sinners and confess our sins and seek Jesus to be our Lord and Savior. Believe that He died for our sins and was raised to conquer sin and death by the Father. Call out to be saved (Romans 10:9-13). The final promise of all this is that all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Winner in this world’s beliefs – not interested. Loser because I belong to the Greatest Shepherd that ever lived – must have it!

Jesus will accept all who repent and truly call out for His forgiveness. No one has sinned so greatly that His blood can’t cover it. To die without Jesus is automatically the unforgivable sin and to have a place in line at the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). No matter what, all who are in that judgment will end up in the lake of fire; no exceptions; no pardons; no Hope.

Choose today to be a part of the Savior’s flock, and you will eternally be glad you did. This world is rapidly heading for the Rapture, followed by the 7-year tribulation. As long as you have Jesus, you’ll be in the first event, not the last. You will be forever thankful to have called out to Him before it’s too late.

Loser in this world’s view – Winner in God’s eyes!

Shalom!

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