From the desk of Pastor Ben
Unbelief Blurs the Obvious – Part 2
“They were astonished, and said, ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?’”         (Matthew 13:54b
Just as the religious leaders did, the people of Jesus’ own home synagogue allowed willful unbelief and prejudice to blur the obvious truth about who He was. They refused to let the seed of the Father’s Word and the Son’s specific gospel message penetrate their sin-hardened hearts. This phenomenon happened and still does, in large part because “men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). Their stubborn refusal to believe their Messiah occurred in the face of overwhelming evidence, and because they wanted to keep their sin. The Jews preferred their way to Christ’s words and way.
When people reject the Lord, even the most convincing evidence and arguments won’t persuade them to turn from error to truth (Luke 16:31). Members of sects & groups and those who prefer liberal and postmodern theologies always seem to find countless arguments for not acknowledging who Jesus really is and for discounting the most obvious Scripture truths. They have an academic respect for the Bible but don’t apply its precepts, and they want to honor Christ in a superficial way without embracing Him as Lord and Savior. To such people, our Lord continues to say, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter” (Matthew 7:21).
Ask Yourself:
How deeply are you affected by the fact that people who reject the truth about Christ are dooming themselves to eternal damnation? How often is this heart’s cry a part of your praying? How are you laboring to present authentic faith to those who are turning away from Christ?