by edouardo
Ask yourself this question. Do you know Jesus? Stop. Think
about this for a minute. Let it sink in.
I didn’t ask, “Do you know about Jesus?” or “Do you know who
Jesus is?” There is a difference.
For true Christians, followers of Jesus Christ, they would
know that they know that they know that they truly know Jesus. How? Have they
seen Jesus face to face? Have they sat down at a table across from Jesus and
had a conversation while sipping tea?
How do you know? How do they know?
This is, really, a crucial question. Because if you don’t
know Jesus experientially then you’re not a Christian. Obviously, then, what is
meant by experientially. Simply put, this means you’ve encountered Jesus and
He’s changed your life. From there the experience comes in all forms, shapes,
and sizes.
Suffice it to say that if you’ve met Jesus and have come to
know Jesus, you’ve had an experience where Jesus has changed your life. For
some, that means He’s freed you from addictions. Others, maybe you’ve experienced
healing that goes beyond human reasoning. Maybe there was a relationship that
was fractured and He brought you back together. There could be a million ways
where He has touched your life. But you know one thing. Only God could have
stepped in and done this thing.
It’s complicated. It’s complicated because no one person can
adequately explain it. It’s a mystery.
But then again, it’s simple. It’s so simple that even a
child can receive Jesus into his or her heart and know Jesus.
Is it a paradox? Or is it simply truth?
The Bible, which is God’s Word,
says, “…walk by faith, not by sight.”
The Christian world is filled with seemingly complicated and
contradictory statements. But to the Christian, it makes absolute sense. For
example, Jesus
said, “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” He
also said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your
enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on
the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” At
the same time, God
says, “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath,
for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.”
Is God a God of love or judgment? Yes. Contradictory? No.
That’s where coming to know Jesus comes in. It’s in a
personal relationship with Jesus, He reveals truth to you. His truth. Jesus
prayed to the Father, “…I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because
you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to
little children.” The Apostle
Paul said regarding this, “…these are the things God has revealed to us by
his Spirit.” Jesus
added, “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the
truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he
will tell you what is yet to come.”
Do you know Jesus?
Many people know about Jesus. Many people can recite
Scripture. But has the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ, changed your
life?
If someone were to ask you today, “If you were to die
tonight in your sleep, do you know where you would spend eternity”? For the
Christian, it would be clear. Yes, with Jesus in heaven for all eternity.
But what about you? Is He some distant deity, a fairy tale,
or maybe someone you learned about in Sunday school but never gave a second
thought? Maybe the world is such that you have a hard time wrapping your mind
around the fact that there is a God? There is, after all, so much corruption,
greed, and anger to name a few that it’s difficult to believe that there is an
All-Powerful God.
You may not believe it, or understand it, but you do not
have to give up your sense of reason or rationalization to believe in God. It
is a matter of faith, however. Scripture
says, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” It’s a matter of trusting God by
faith, not by things you can actually see.
Do you know Jesus?
If you do know Jesus, then there are certain things that you
know to be true. You know that Jesus is the living Son of God. You know that He
died on the cross for your sins. You know that you are a sinner deserving of
judgment and death. You know that if it weren’t for the shed blood of Christ on
the cross that you’d be damned to hell for eternity. You know that God paid the
price for your sins and justified you to God the Father not by your
righteousness, but by Christ’s righteousness. You know that you’re not deserving
but eternally thankful that you’re forgiven. You know that Jesus gave His all
for you so He demands that you give your all to Him…and you do. You repent, you
ask for forgiveness, you believe, and you are saved.
“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no
other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be
saved.” Acts
4:12
Do you know Jesus?
If you don’t know Jesus, then you’re lost. You’re condemned.
You’re an enemy of God. You are already lost in your sins and destined to live
in hell, separated from God, for all eternity. You have no hope and you have no
peace. You will never experience the joy, happiness, and love that awaits God’s
children.
But you don’t have to stay that way. You can change the
course of your life and destiny. You can make a choice. Right here, right where
you are.
Do you know Jesus?
Do you want to know love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? You can. You can know
Jesus.
There is a website that explains how you can know Jesus
personally. Go to CRU by following this link: http://www.cru.org/how-to-know-god/would-you-like-to-know-god-personally.html.
If you do, please let me know and I’ll pray for you.
Ultimately, it’s between you and the Lord. I hope that you do know Jesus or
come to know Jesus. Because He’s the most important One you’ll ever know. It
really is a matter of life and death.
