True Believers
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The Ultimate Sacrifice
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Eternity in Our Hearts
The Ultimate Sacrifice
"Those who have been born into God's family do not sin, because God's life is in them. So they can't keep on sinning, because they have been born of God"
Of the twelve disciples, we envision Judas Iscariot as the one with shifty eyes, lurking in the shadows. While the other disciples wore white, Judas would have worn black. He was the one you would have immediately recognized as the bad guy.
But I think Judas Iscariot was the very opposite: a phenomenal actor who came across as an upright man, devout in his faith. As one of the Twelve, Judas had been handpicked by the Lord Himself, but eventually betrayed Him for a few pieces of silver.
Judas made the wrong choice to do the wrong thing, even though he had been exposed to so much truth. With his own ears, Judas heard Jesus deliver the Sermon on the Mount. With his own eyes, Judas saw Jesus walk on water. He saw Lazarus raised from the dead. He saw the multitudes fed with the loaves and fishes. He saw the blind receive their sight. He saw it all. He heard it all. Yet he became more hardened in his unbelief.
Judas could go deeper into sin because he really never knew Jesus. If you are a true Christian and you begin to compromise, you will sense the conviction of the Holy Spirit. But if you can sin without any remorse, then one must question if you really know God. The true child of God, though still a sinner, simply will not live in a pattern of sin.
If you find yourself, as a follower of Christ, immediately experiencing conviction when you start to sin, then rejoice. It is a reminder that you belong to the Lord.
But I think Judas Iscariot was the very opposite: a phenomenal actor who came across as an upright man, devout in his faith. As one of the Twelve, Judas had been handpicked by the Lord Himself, but eventually betrayed Him for a few pieces of silver.
Judas made the wrong choice to do the wrong thing, even though he had been exposed to so much truth. With his own ears, Judas heard Jesus deliver the Sermon on the Mount. With his own eyes, Judas saw Jesus walk on water. He saw Lazarus raised from the dead. He saw the multitudes fed with the loaves and fishes. He saw the blind receive their sight. He saw it all. He heard it all. Yet he became more hardened in his unbelief.
Judas could go deeper into sin because he really never knew Jesus. If you are a true Christian and you begin to compromise, you will sense the conviction of the Holy Spirit. But if you can sin without any remorse, then one must question if you really know God. The true child of God, though still a sinner, simply will not live in a pattern of sin.
If you find yourself, as a follower of Christ, immediately experiencing conviction when you start to sin, then rejoice. It is a reminder that you belong to the Lord.
TODAY'S RADIO PROGRAM: "The Gift that Keeps on Giving — I"
Copyright © 2006 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version.
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights
reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced
in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas
Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000
Eternity in Our Hearts
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