On The Move

Posted on by korgrocker

“So he left Judea and returned to Galilee. He had to go through Samaria on the way. Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime.”
John 4:3-6 NLT

In Jesus’ day, there was no quick way of getting from A to B. It was a case of travelling by foot, or possibly by a horse or donkey, but 20-30 miles per day was the norm. To get from Judea to Galilee by the quickest route involved a journey through Samaria, a place that was not popular with the Jews, as it would mean potential contact with the hated Samaritans. This journey took about three days to complete, though the longer route skirting Samaria, and favoured by some, took five to seven days. But Jesus and His disciples took the route through Samaria, and ended up at a village called Sychar. But who were the Samaritans and why did the Jews hate them so much? “In Jesus’ day, the Jewish people of Galilee and Judea shunned the Samaritans, viewing them as a mixed race who practiced an impure, half-pagan religion” (quote from Gotquestions.org). But more on that in a later blog.

Jesus and His disciples had apparently walked some distance to get this far, and we read that Jesus was tired. It was the hottest part of the day and Jesus was resting, sitting by the famous well that had a history stretching back to the time of Jacob. But some people perhaps have a problem with the thought that Jesus was tired. After all, they think, how can the Son of God, with all the divine resources at His disposal, be wearied by a journey? Jesus came to this earth, taking on human flesh and all the baggage that came with it. So like us, He would have needed to eat and sleep, and even use a toilet, something that perhaps we Christians don’t like to think about. In Romans 8:3, we read, “The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins”. 

So on the journey from Judea to Galilee, how would we feel if Jesus, the Son of God, was suddenly transported there by some divine process, leaving His disciples to make their way on foot? At a stroke, it would destroy the reason why He came – to live in the likeness of a human being from His birth all the way to Calvary. It was important that Jesus’ humanity was seen by those around Him because through it He gave sinful mankind a hope for the future, a hope that promised them that they could be forgiven their sins and one day join God in Heaven. Jesus was on the move as part of Father God’s plans for Him. He was sent to His people the Jews and there would come a time when He would return to Judea and Jerusalem. But on the journey to Galilee He stopped at Sychar. A divine appointment was about to emerge.

Dear Father God. You have plans for us, plans that amongst other things provide us with a hope for the future. We are so grateful. Amen. 

His Testimony

Posted on by korgrocker

“He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them! Anyone who accepts his testimony can affirm that God is true. For he is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God gives him the Spirit without limit.”
John 3:32-34 NLT

The importance of having a testimony is, without doubt, something that every Christian should take note of. As a minimum, we have that date, even a time of day, when we made that momentous decision to follow Jesus and to believe His testimony that He was (and still is) the Son of God. We add to our testimonies those occasions when God blessed us, healed us, helped us – the list of divine interventions can be endless. Often we don’t know what God is doing for us behind the scenes, so we need to be open and sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s ministry. There are some big things that God has done for me, but there are also times when He showed favour apparently against the odds. That time when a car crash of a job interview still resulted in an offer of employment. The beautiful young girl who, by a series of coincidences, appeared in my life, and who is now my wife of many years. We must always be ready with a testimony so that we have an answer for those who ask. 1 Peter 3:15, “Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it”. 

Jesus had a testimony but when He testified about “what he [had] seen and heard“, only a few believed Him. Only a few, even though He spoke about God, their Heavenly Father. Isn’t it strange that people in general only believe what they want to believe. If what they are hearing doesn’t fit in with their world view then they refuse to believe it. Speaking about the “man of lawlessness”, Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth“. Jesus had the words of eternal life, words of truth, words that, if applied in their lives, would ensure the people’s eternal life with God in Heaven, and yet they refused to believe them.

The devil is a master of lies and in every generation he concocts evil ideologies that are based on his lies. So just now in 21st Century society, he has propagated a raft of lies over sexuality and gender. So impressionable people have been deluded to think that they can change their gender. Homosexuals think that they can still become a Christian while practising their same sex acts. Politicians here in Scotland are now trying to introduce laws that will criminalise a pastor praying for someone who has gone to them asking for advice over their gender confusion. All actions emanating from lies planted in people’s hearts by the devil. A quotation from best selling Christian author Dr Rosario Butterworth, “The Biblical truth is that homosexuality and transgenderism are found in the flesh, forbidden in the Law and overcome through the Saviour”. When our minds are assaulted by all sorts of strange ideologies, we pilgrims instead lift and open our Bibles and find the truth, free from the devil’s lies.

Jesus had a testimony, but He never forced it upon people. Then, and now, people have a choice. To believe His testimony, or to reject it. One way leads to eternal life and the other to eternal death. As for me, I know what choice I have made.

Dear Lord Jesus. Only You have the words that lead to eternal life. I believe them, and I pray that those I meet day by day will believe them too. Your testimony is truth and life. Thank You Amen.

He Who Comes From Above

Posted on by korgrocker

“He who comes from [heaven] above is above all others; he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks [about things] of the earth [his viewpoint and experience are earthly]. He who comes from heaven is above all. What He has [actually] seen and heard, of that He testifies; and yet no one accepts His testimony [as true].”
John 3:31-32 AMP

‭‭There are some potentially difficult thoughts in these verses. John the Baptist was setting out the differences between the inhabitants of Heaven and the inhabitants of earth. And, sadly, he pointed out that no one accepted what the Man from Heaven had to say about what He had seen and heard. Of course, we see the difficulty straight away because we look at these verses from a human perspective. We imagine in our minds a human being from Heaven and an earthly human, but of course this is not the case. Heaven is populated by spiritual beings and earth by natural beings. And the Man that John the Baptist was talking about had left Heaven as a Spirit and had taken on the form of a human being.

The Apostle John started his Gospel with the statement that “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). And a few verses on we read, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Paul wrote an explanation in Romans 8:3, “The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins“. 

We pilgrims all understand that within our human bodies is a spirit, and this spirit connects with our Father in Heaven through Jesus. But this isn’t the case for everyone. Those who don’t know God still have something within them that yearns for a spiritual connection with something or someone. So they try and satisfy that yearning by exploring other avenues. There are of course the other spiritual outlets emanating from the devil – he will always try and counterfeit the things of God. Then there are drugs like alcohol that seem to offer some sort of relief from the emptiness inside, but this is only a temporary solution. Some will try sex in all its deviancies, but find a downward path to oblivion. But John the Baptist knew the answer, and he pointed out that the Man with the solution to the spiritual yearnings, the Man who came down from Heaven, the Word of God Himself, but sadly He was not believed by the people of His day.

So what can we pilgrims learn from this? We too have seen and heard amazing things in the Spirit. We have glimpsed God Himself through Jesus. We have felt His loving arms around us. We have a testimony to tell others, a testimony about our amazing Heavenly Father. But we find that as we share our testimony with those around we are mostly greeted by scorn and derision, by ridicule and rejection. But, like Jesus, we never give up. In the background God works in the hearts of those around us, and we will find receptivity from those open to the truth.

Dear Father God. You have graciously given us a glimpse of Your heart, and have given us the privilege of sharing that with those around us. Please lead and guide us to those You have chosen for Your kingdom. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Generosity of Spirit

Posted on by korgrocker

“John replied, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven. You yourselves know how plainly I told you, ‘I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for him.’ It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the bridegroom’s friend is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success. He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.”
John 3:27-30 NLT

How generous John the Baptist was, in deference to the Messiah. To say “ He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less” was truly counter-cultural. John had a particular calling from God and he stuck to it, knowing that one day his ministry would decline. But he came out of the wilderness at just the right time, and with an assurance of his mission, which was “to prepare a way for Him”, the Messiah. 

Over the years I have discovered that God introduces “seasons” to His church and to His people. John the Baptist introduced a season of baptisms and people came to him, acknowledging that he was a prophet and anointed of God. In that religious culture, people were desperate for another prophet to emerge in Israel, because there had been a long prophetic silence of over 400 years. John introduced a season of revival in a moribund spiritual environment. 

But John was comfortable with his relationship with God, to the extent that he knew that whatever happened God was with him. God had called him to preach repentance and baptise the people who responded to his message. Of course, all of God’s children have a mission on life. It may be a high-profile role such as John. Or it may be something less public. Some people are called to be intercessors. Others to be evangelists. Even others to be pastors and teachers. But most of us are called to be salt and light in our working or educational environment. This is however not to say that any role is greater or lesser than another. The joy comes from knowing that what we are doing is in the will of God.

Sadly, there are those in public ministries who want to hang on to their “ministry” regardless of what God has planned for them. It is particularly hard for a pastor leading a declining congregation, to realise that perhaps that particular ministry, that season, has come to an end and God has something else in mind. The secret lies in being open to what God wants us to do.

A dangerous prayer to pray goes like this. “Dear God, what do You want me to do for You today?” The answer might be a shock or a surprise. Or it might just be “keep going – you’re doing well”. There was a man called Ananias living in Damascus, going about his everyday business, when all of a sudden he heard God say, ” … Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight” (Acts 9:11-12). God can speak to us directly, as He did to Ananias, but are we listening? What if Ananias wasn’t listening that day? Or if he said to God, “No, this man Saul is bad news and I’m not going to risk my life for him”? 

But we pilgrims are here for this season, both in the society in which we live, and in this stage in our lives. Perhaps, though, God has a different plan for us, one that involves a decline in what we are doing and a door opening somewhere else for a new season. To be a Christian is not a boring, pew-warming experience. God has exciting things for us to do and it starts with “Yes Lord, Your servant is listening”. Are we prepared to lay down what we are doing, and move over to allow someone else to take our place? John the Baptist did, and so can we – if God wishes it.

Dear Father God. You have a mission for each one of us. Please help us to relax in You, our Leader and our God. Amen.

Ceremonies

Posted on by korgrocker

“At this time John the Baptist was baptizing at Aenon, near Salim, because there was plenty of water there; and people kept coming to him for baptism. (This was before John was thrown into prison.) A debate broke out between John’s disciples and a certain Jew over ceremonial cleansing.”
ohn 3:23-25 NLT

Oh, don’t we love ceremonies. The wedding services with all the frills and fancies. The changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. The graduation programme at our colleges and universities. The church prize givings. Naming ceremonies for new born babies. Funeral ceremonies for those who have recently died. Baptismal ceremonies for new believers. The familiar acts incorporating rituals is somehow a natural part of societies everywhere and they bring a degree of comfort in times of distress, or joy and happiness in times of celebration. Human beings love a ceremony and I’m sure we could list large numbers of ceremonies that happen today, but also in ancient civilisations. The Jewish faith in Jesus’ day demanded involvement in many ceremonies. The argument with John’s disciples took place over the ritual washing of hands, and Book of Leviticus has many verses pertaining to washing. In some cases a practical as well as spiritual purpose was behind them, but the Jews of Jesus’ day had made it a ritual with little spiritual meaning. 

We believers can sometimes fall into the trap of replacing spontaneity with a ceremony. For example, it’s easier sometimes to read a pre-prepared prayer rather than make up one of our own from our hearts. Making the sign of the cross is good when we consciously know what we are doing, but if it is an automatic gesture, what is the benefit of that? Sadly, the intent behind the ceremonial washing of hands had become a ritual much followed and loved by the orthodox Jews of those days. But Jesus was having none of their hypocrisy. We read in Mark 7:6-7, “Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God'”.

But not all ceremonies are bad or useless. The ceremony of the Lord’s Supper, or Holy Communion, comes to mind, a ceremony that is very precious to us pilgrims. Paul wrote, “For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it”” (1 Corinthians 11:23-25). We take part in a sacrificial meal, eating the bread and drinking the wine, in remembrance of our Lord and Saviour. The Last Supper is probably the most significant ceremony for a Christian today. 

If we pilgrims find ourselves in a church of fellowship where ceremonies and rituals are involved, then perhaps we should pause and think sometimes about what we are doing. Have we become caught up in a meaningless ritual or is there something here that helps me connect with God? Ceremonies can provide a platform for our interaction with God but they can also be a hindrance to our praise and worship.

Dear Father God. Please help us to to worship You “in spirit and truth” unhindered by man-made ceremonies and rituals. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

People Kept Coming

Posted on by korgrocker

“Then Jesus and his disciples left Jerusalem and went into the Judean countryside. Jesus spent some time with them there, baptizing people. At this time John the Baptist was baptizing at Aenon, near Salim, because there was plenty of water there; and people kept coming to him for baptism.”
John 3:22-23 NLT

Jesus was baptising. John the Baptist was baptising, and the people kept coming for baptism. If that was happening today, then we would draw the conclusion that revival had broken out. The people of that day were perhaps conscious that the constant rituals of animal sacrifices for sins did not ease their guilty consciences. They still felt the weight of their sins and felt they had to do something about it. To them the public act of baptism was a declaration that they had repented of their sins and the guilt was washed away into the waters of the Jordan river. 

If there is anything needed today it is a new wave of the Holy Spirit, bringing a new awakening and revival in our churches. I had the privilege of being in a church in the 1990’s at the same time as the revival in Toronto, and the impact of that visitation of God spilled over into my church. Those were exciting times. The congregation swelled from two hundred or so to close on a thousand. There were as many chairs put out as possible within the space available, and still people kept coming. Standing around the walls, sitting on the floor. The fire doors were opened and groups gathered around outside. The 6pm service kept going until 1 or 2am the next morning, but the passage of time didn’t seem to matter. But most importantly, God visited His people. The Holy Spirit did some amazing things with miracles of healing and transformed lives. But as I look around our world today, conditions are ripe for another move of God. We keep praying.

We pilgrims are central to God’s purposes here on earth. We are the salt and light that allows God to touch the lives of the otherwise untouchable. We pray and do practical things for our friends, families and neighbours. We pray for them and perhaps even dare to see a revival again. 

O Lord. We pray, “may Your Kingdom come, may Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven”. Make it happen, Lord, we pray. Amen. 

Light and Dark

Posted on by korgrocker

“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”
John 3:18-21 NLT

It is a fundamental physical fact that all earth dwellers experience light and dark. So when the sun rises it brings light with it, and when it sets darkness ensues. Biological functions such as photosynthesis rely on it. God created light as we read in Genesis 1. But this natural phenomenon is not what Jesus was referring to. He was telling Nicodemus about spiritual light and dark. God’s light, Jesus, came into this world as a once only event bringing an opportunity for the salvation of mankind. The Word illuminated the sinful ways of mankind, and we read in Hebrews 4:12-13, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable”. We associate the “word of God” with the Bible, Holy Scriptures, but we mustn’t forget the opening verse in John 1, “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God”. 

But sin brought evil into the world, a darkness that has prevailed ever since the days of Adam. There is something attractive about sin, and Jesus very perceptively pointed out to Nicodemus that people prefer to walk in spiritual darkness for one simple reason – if they go anywhere near the light of God then their sins will be exposed. A person thinks that their thoughts, and deeds done in private, are safe from scrutiny, but God sees all. But people are generally in denial, deluding themselves that what they do and think is just for them.

We pilgrims saw the Light of the world and brought ourselves into God’s presence. We exposed all our sins before His cross in repentance and received forgiveness. But there are many people who know all about the Light and refuse to go into His presence because they prefer to continue with their sinful lives. Around us in the work places, the schools or colleges, the leisure and amusement facilities, we see the outworking of sin. People’s behaviour exposes the darkness within them, and last thing they want to do is change so that they can live in the light.

A believer doing right in an evil world finds themselves in a difficult and lonely place. Shunned by evil-doers. Denied promotions in the workplace. Persecuted for their faith in God. But God is pleased with such people because “they are doing what God wants”. I think we all would prefer God’s approval rather than follow the crowd, as they stumble through the darkness.

Dear Lord Jesus. You said that You are the Light of the world. Please help us to reflect Your light to the people around us. In Your precious name. Amen.

Judgement

Posted on by korgrocker

“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”
John 3:18-21 NLT

Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:17 that He didn’t come to judge the world but to save it. He then continued this theme, by saying that if anyone believes in Him then they are not subject to judgement, which, He said, was reserved for those “not believing in God’s one and only Son”. 

In our natural world, if anyone commits a crime, then judgement will follow only if the person is caught and brought before a court of law. So a speeding motorist will escape justice if he isn’t apprehended by a police officer, or clocked by a speed camera. But in God’s Kingdom, no-one escapes justice because God sees all. In fact, more than this, He sees what is in every person’s heart, their every thought. So God knows whether or not someone believes in Him and His Son Jesus. And if they don’t then judgement is inevitable and unstoppable.

Again, in our natural world, someone brought before a judge for a misdemeanour can try and claim mitigating circumstances so that perhaps they can get a lighter sentence. So perhaps they could try and claim that their speeding was as a result of a medical emergency or perhaps a shoplifter said that they had no money and had to feed their children. And in many circumstances, such pleas might be valid and result in a more lenient or compassionate response from the judge. But in God’s Kingdom, not believing in His Son Jesus is a far more serious situation. There will be no mitigating circumstances. There is only one verdict and only one sentence possible. Of course, there are many who justify their rebellion against God by claiming that a loving and compassionate God would never send anyone to hell. That God is loving and compassionate is a correct conclusion, but He can do nothing to save someone who has rejected Him and His Son. As John wrote, “anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son”.

Thankfully, not believing in Jesus need not be terminal – as long as the person concerned realises their mistake and turns to God while they still have time. So the thief on the cross next to Jesus turned to Him in repentance just in time, and Jesus was able to assure him that he would soon be with His Lord in paradise. After a lifetime spent in criminality, that thief suddenly came to realise the enormity of his future without God and turned to Jesus while he had time.

The message for us pilgrims is that we must never give up praying for our loved ones, for our friends and neighbours. We must continually encourage them at every opportunity to do as we read in Isaiah 55:6-7, “Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.“‭‭ We live in a season of grace that mustn’t be ignored.

Dear God. That You for Your grace and mercy. We worship You today. Amen.

God So Loved the World

Posted on by korgrocker

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”
John 3:16-17 NLT

John 3:16 must be the most well-known verse in the Bible. Books have been written about it. Preachers have evangelised with it. I even heard of it being used at a funeral service, though the minister taking the service left out the bit about “everyone who believes in him” to instead reassure everyone present that they will all end up in Heaven, enjoying eternal life, anyway. But however we view this verse, it is a clear statement as to why Jesus came to this planet two thousand or so years ago. On that occasion, God demonstrated His love for all people in the world, and put into action the plan He had for the salvation of mankind since the beginning, since that fateful day in the Garden, when sin destroyed what God intended.

We notice that the tense in this verse is in the past. Two thousand years ago God expressed His love by sending Jesus. But this was a one-off act of love. God doesn’t keep sending Jesus because there is no need – His one-off birth, life and death, were all that was required to provide a timeless pathway, so that He could one day enjoy the presence of His creation in Heaven with Him. And by so doing, He gave “everyone who believes in him” the opportunity to make a choice about where we will spend eternity. This is a stark choice, John wrote. The options are to “perish” or to “have eternal life”. There is no other way, no half-hearted selection process. We either buy into God’s plan through Jesus or we are effectively turning our backs on Him, choosing instead a lost eternity in a place where we won’t want to be.

In life we don’t know when or how our death will come. Our lives could be cut short in a road accident. Or we could end our days in a hospital bed. We just don’t know, and if asked if we would like to know, we would probably decline the invitation. Looking at the behaviours of some who engage in what are called extreme sports, we perhaps think that some people believe they are immortal. But Jesus came to this world the hard way. Born as a baby to a peasant girl in her early teens, He grew up normally, as far as we can tell, but by the time Jesus started His public ministry, He knew how His life would end. But He didn’t flinch. He didn’t look for a way out. He resolutely looked forward to the Cross, knowing that He would have to endure the whipping, the abuse, the false trial beforehand, all before a devastatingly painful and humiliating death on a Roman Cross. Knowing that this was all part of His Father’s plan. 

Jesus came to this world so that all who believed in Him would have eternal life. And just to emphasise the message, He went on to say that He wasn’t on earth to judge the people there – that was going to come much later – but instead He was going to open a window of opportunity of salvation for everyone through Him. There will come a day when the window will close forever. Jesus taught about it in Matthew 25:31-46, or we can read about it in Revelation 20. Jesus will come again so we must be ready to meet Him.  We pilgrims will never perish and we will enjoy eternal life with Jesus in our Heavenly home. Forever.

Dear Father God. Thank You for Jesus, for Your plan of salvation for mankind, for Your loving kindness. We can never stop thanking and worshipping You. Amen.

The Bronze Snake

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“No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.”
John 3:13-15 NLT

Jesus made a statement that people who have gone to Heaven have never returned. But why would they want to? To the thief on the adjacent cross, Jesus called it paradise, inferring that Heaven is a wonderful place. There are those who claim that they died and went into Heaven but returned to their bodies when resuscitated, though Jesus’ statement to Nicodemus puts doubts on their conclusion, albeit briefly, of a visit to Heaven.  Of course there are those who are convinced that they have seen ghosts. But we should remember that after death our spirits end up in one of two places – Heaven for the believers and Hades for the non-believers. If they exist at all, ghosts are the product of Hades. Jesus gave us an illustration about the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) that sets out the difference between the two places. From this story, it is not surprising that the spirits incarcerated in Hades would want to escape.

But there was one exception – Jesus is the only Person who has lived in Heaven and who came to earth. He came down to this world, implying that Heaven is a place that is above, higher, than where we are. But that introduces even more wonder into His incarnation – Jesus left a place of comfort, He called it paradise, to join mankind to live as one of God’s created beings. And Jesus came to Planet Earth for one reason – to provide eternal life to all those who believe in Him. 

We can read about the episode with the bronze snake in Numbers 21. The impatient and ungrateful Israelite slaves were speaking out, grumbling, against God and Moses, because of the long journey and the sameness of the food, manna. “So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died” (Numbers 21:6). This act brought them to their senses, and we read in the next verse, “Then the people came to Moses and cried out, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take away the snakes.” So Moses prayed for the people“. And God gave Moses a remedy, “Then the Lord told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!”” (Numbers 21:8). What a great picture of Jesus being lifted up on the Cross at Calvary. Just as the Israelites believed that by looking at the bronze snake on a pole they would be healed, Jesus said that all those who believed in Him, dying on that Cross at Calvary for their sins, would live for ever. The bronze snake prolonged the Israelites’ natural lives, but the Calvary Cross enabled people to live forever.

The Cross is central to our Christian faith. Without it there is no redemption from sin. No salvation and no eternal life. In John 14:6 we read, “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me”. There is no short cut into Heaven. The squeamish won’t find a sanitised route to eternal life. It is only through the blood of Jesus that we are saved. If anyone tries to tell us anything different, don’t believe them.

Father God. Once again, we thank You for Jesus and His willingness to come to this world to save mankind. I pray today for all those I know who have failed to embrace God’s Son and who are heading for a lost eternity. Amen.