Originally posted Dec. 7th, 2007 on my other blog space in response to the actions of Robert Hawkins who killed 8 people in a mall in Omaha.
"I've just snapped. I can't take this meaningless existence anymore I've been a constant disappointment and that trend would have only continued." This is a quote from the suicide note Robert Hawkins left before killing eight people in a mall in Omaha and finally killing himself on Wednesday, December 5th, 2007
This one sentence left me so very sad and spurred me to think about all the people I meet on a daily basis and do not share what Christ has done for them. Will they step into eternity without repenting of their sins, turning from their sins and putting the trust and faith in Christ because I am disobedient and do not tell of all Christ has done.
This young mans words were chilling but even more so they are convicting words. This young man had been deeply troubled for years by all accounts; now I have to stop here and add some things - "deeply troubled" let us not mince words he was a sinner as we are all sinners.
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Because of the fall we are all born with the sin nature through Adam. Romans 5:12 tells us "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned
God's standard is perfection; he not only judges our deeds but the thoughts and intents of our hearts. He sees our every sin, even those we think are secret. Nothing can be hidden from God and we will all give an account to God; the Bible tells us so in Hebrews 9:27 And it is appointed for men to die once but after this the judgment.
Psalm 69:5 O God, You know my foolishness; And my sins are not hidden from You.
The Bible tells us in Psalm 19:9 "The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous all together."
We do not have a problem as human beings that psychology is able to solve - we have a sin problem that can only be solved by repenting of our sins, turning away from them and putting our trust and faith in the person of Jesus Christ and the atoning work He did on the cross.
Now back to the young man who found the only solution to his pain, anger, sense of failure, and "meaningless existence" was to go into a mall and kill eight other people before killing himself. He had been through all the world system had to offer: treatment centers, group homes and foster care. I wonder if along the way any one shared our sin problem and what Christ had done to rescue us with him. We don't know and we may never know, as it is not being reported.
The response of some of his grieving friends is to lash out in anger; I can only imagine that while they may not have the same backgrounds of treatment centers and foster homes they most likely do share his nihilistic world view. Lives without meaning or purpose; if we are all a cosmic accident and this life is all there is… than this outcome is not shocking nor should we be shocked by it.
However, we are not a cosmic accident we are the creation of an amazing God.
Genesis 1:27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Psalm 139:13 For you formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb.
Psalm 139:14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.
Creation and most especially mankind were created for the purpose of demonstrating the attributes of God and giving Him all the glory. We will glorify our creator in repentance for our sins, turning from our sins, placing our trust and faith in Jesus or by spending eternity in hell as a just sentence for our rebellion against the God who has been so kind to give us a means of salvation, the very breath of life in us and all that is or ever will be.
I am not a cosmic accident and neither are you dear reader;
time + chance = nothing or said more accurately
nothing + nothing = nothing.
If I told you over a period of thousands of years the computer you are reading this blog on evolved from swamp mud to the functional computer you have in front of you; you would think me insane.
But, we are infinitely more complex than a computer and yet our children have been taught for decades that we evolved from goo.
If we just evolved from goo and there is nothing after death because there is no God than it is indeed a bleak existence we have.
This is exactly what are children are being steeped in an educational, entertainment, social and governmental system that tells us there is no God. That there are no moral absolutes and we much each follow our hearts, yet the Bible tells us that our hearts are wicked.
Genesis 6:5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?"
We have had so many of these horrific events that we can no longer keep track of them. How many have happened in just this year? Can you remember them all? Do you remember where? How many died? When it happened? With the advent of 24-hour news we take in every grisly detail over and over until we have become numb, hardened, calloused, indifferent and certainly no longer shocked and outraged that some one would end the lives of others at a whim that only the killer can understand or explain.
Nine people including the gunman stepped into eternity during this one event on Wednesday; how many of them knew where they were going if they died? How many of them had a Christian friend who was showing Jesus by example, or building a relationship before daring to share the answer that dying men and women so desperately need. Waiting for the right time to have the actual conversation with them about sin, repentance, turning from sin, trusting in and having faith in Jesus Christ and the difference it would have on their eternity. No one is hell by mistake any more than any one is in heaven by luck or good works. Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Our good deeds (works) are the result of gratitude for all God has done for us in saving us, giving us the breath of life, health (even poor health – which gives us the opportunity to cling to Him). Our good deeds are not a means of purchasing our salvation. That has already been done on the cross of Calvary by the only one who could do it; Jesus Christ – Son of God, The Word Made Flesh, fully man and fully God, the second person of the trinity. One God three distinct persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
I challenge myself and you my fellow Christians that we should not being living a passive life for Christ but an active life; serving at church, giving money to worthy Christian causes, giving to the poor and the needy are all good things but they are not the main thing we are command by scripture to do. The main thing is always the main thing Mark 16:15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
I write this from a place of complete conviction, I work out in the world with people I supposedly like and care for - how often do I boldly but loving share the truth with them? Not often enough, who will step into eternity that I meant to share with but well ummm just never got around to it? Again no one will be in Heaven or Hell who does not belong where they are; our God is a sovereign God we just miss our reward and chance to participate in God's redemptive plan when we are more concerned with what people will think than what our God has commanded us to and will judge us for (our works and our rewards not our salvation.) Once we have repented, turned from sin and put our faith and trust in Christ our judgment is no longer for our eternal destination ; Jesus has assured our place in heaven through his loving kindness and great mercy.
To my brothers and sisters in the body of Christ I challenge you as I challenge myself - share the glorious Gospel of Christ with those who are facing eternity without their sin debt paid for.
For those of you reading this who are not a Christian I plead with you to examine yourself in the light of God's standard He will judge all those who have not repented and put their faith in Christ by the standard of the ten commandments – including every thought, word and deed; realize your sinful state (same as the rest of us) tell God you are sorry for the sins you have committed against Him (we can hurt other people with our actions but our sin is always against God – He is the offended party because of who He is and because it is His laws we are breaking.) Turn away from your sins; place your trust and faith in Christ (as you would a parachute on a plane that was going down at 30,000 ft) and become a Christian.
Today is the day of salvation 2 Corinthians for He says: "IN AN ACCEPTABLE TIME I HAVE HEARD YOU, AND IN THE DAY OF SALVATION I HAVE HELPED YOU." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
Once you have repented of your sins, turned away from them, put your trust and faith in Jesus as your Savior you will be what the Bible calls born again. Jesus explained it to a Jewish man in John 3:2-6
2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."
3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"
5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
We have already been born of water when our physical bodies entered this world through our mothers womb – our spirit is born through repentance and faith in Jesus.
Jesus goes on further to explain to Nicodemus and us in John 3:7-8
7 Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'
8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
Now we approach the scripture that is familiar to nearly all people John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Jesus continued to explain why He had come and what He would accomplish on the cross in John 3:17-21
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
Once we have recognized our sin, repented of it and put our trust in Jesus Christ through faith alone and that faith is not even ours; God in His mercy gives it to us we become born again and new creatures as the Bible explains 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.
God changes us; because of our new life in relationship with Christ we no longer love the sins we once loved and we now love things we once avoided at all costs such as church, reading our Bible and being around Christians. Those things that we used to do we have a new attitude towards them; our behaviors do not change over night but our attitude towards sin and our eternal destination change in the instant we repent of our sins and trust in Jesus.
If you are not a Christian I encourage you to go to the web sites listed below – if you are a Christian I encourage you to go to these websites also. You will be challenged and find resources that can help you grow as a Christian and in sharing the glorious good news that God has been so gracious to purchase for us with His blood on the cross at Calvary.
Take the good person test at Good Person Test
Once you have done that you can go to LivingWaters.com Save Yourself Some Pain
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