DOES JESUS FIT IN YOUR WORLD ?

 

Mat 16:13-17 (KJV) When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

John 1:45 (KJV) Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

John 3:16 (KJV) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:36 (KJV) He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

John 5:39 (KJV) Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

John 14:6 (KJV) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

 

Jesus is the central theme of the entire Bible. In multiple prophecies the Old Testament looks forward to His coming. And in precise detail the New Testament chronicles His birth, life, ministry, death, burial and resurrection concluding with the glorious promise of His return in power and glory.

From the first promise of the Redeemer in Genesis :

Gen 3:15 (KJV) And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

To the emotional plea of John in Revelation:

Rev. 22:20 (KJV) He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

In the book of Luke, chapter 24, the Bible tells us of an event which is dramatically revealing as to the reality of Jesus and His identity in the Old Testament.

( Read beginning with verse 13 to the end of the chapter)

 

A wonderful writer , J. Sidlow Baxter, has written in his book, THE STRATEGIC GRASP OF THE BIBLE :

The Old Testament cries, "Behold, He comes!"

The Gospels emphasize, "Behold, He dies!"

But the Acts follow on with, "Behold, He lives"!

The Epistles join in with, "Behold, He saves!"

And the Apocalypse ( or the Revelation) finalizes with the Hallelujah Chorus, "Behold, He reigns!"

 

Confronted with an historical record of Jesus, as well as a Biblical witness, every man and women must come face to face with the reality of the message and the consequences of their choice concerning the place they give Jesus in their life.

Man has always been delighted with his successes and achievements. In reaching higher and higher degrees of intelligence and invention, man has accomplished grand and spectacular performances.

Through many generations, we creatures of drama and fabrication have brought to pass the saying of Solomon in the Book of Ecclesiastes:

Eccl 7:29 (KJV) Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.

With the jet airplane we streak across the sky heavens at 20,000 feet; with radio, television and wireless, we listen to whispers on the other side of the world; with anti-toxins we control disease and plague; with nuclear weapons we frighten each other to near hysteria; with computer intelligence our scientists send astronauts to outer space and back as we watch in disbelief; with genius, a computer controlled rocket ship flies through space to explore mars and other celestial bodies; with cellulose, the movie industry blankets the world with fantasy and make-belief; and with smug self assurance we tell ourselves that we can solve every problem of our life for we are the master of our own destiny.

In all this, we find ourselves captivated by the grandeur and astonishment of man's achievements. It is estimated that in the past 50 years, the number of inventions far exceed the total number for all previous generations put together! It is likewise estimated that in the next ten years the new inventions will double or triple all previous generations. In the computer industry alone, your newly purchased computer with it's exciting software is almost obsolete by the time you get it out of the shipping box!

The Prophecy of Daniel 12:4 has certainly come to pass in our generation:

" But thou, o Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, even to the end of time: Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."

The question I pose to you today is, "Do you have room for Jesus in your life?"

A. Is He an invited guest in your life.

1. He comes into your heart at the moment you repent of your sins and accept Him as your Savior.

2. He will not intrude upon your will.

3. He will not stay if He is not wanted.

B. How does His presence alter your behavior?

1. Are you a better person because He is in your heart?

2. Does your family benefit from your relationship with Jesus?

3. Are you always aware that you have a Holy Guest in your life?

4. If he weren't there would anybody notice?

C. Does your world revolve around your desires or His?

1. What is your real passion?

2. Does your flesh control your judgements?

3. How often does He get His way in your life?

4. How often is He in the way in your life?

 

D. Is your faith undergirded by your daily walks and talks with Jesus?

1. When you pray is He surprised?

2. Does His love fill you so you have no room for the Devils' temptations?

3. What excuse would you give for not being where you ought to be with Him today?

 

I want to encourage you to make a serious evaluation of your life in Christ.

Our materialistic world has elevated man to the position of God and in humanistic foolishness has fashioned unto themselves many and diverse self-serving ideologies.

You cannot afford to indulge in the anti-Christ spirit which is ruling the world today. You must guard your heart and mind so you are not influenced by the sin which surrounds you and the filth which tries to engulf you.

It ought to be obvious to any thoughtful person that man, at his best, has no solution for the loathsomeness of life without Jesus.

Certainly, man at his worst, has no hope at all of solving the critical needs of the human heart.

Man is wise in his own conceits and in his crafty ways has designed Jesus out of his life. In his foolish sins he proposes to find his own way. He blindly stumbles into the snare which Satan has cleverly laid for him; and the Scripture comes to pass,

" There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." Proverbs 14:12

Jesus declares in Matthew 7:13,14-

" Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

HAVE YOU FOUND THE WAY?

DO YOU HAVE ROOM FOR HIM?