Where Jesus is not with the sinner, the sinner must live and die in his or her sins.
A sinner without Jesus is without the Cross of Christ, His truth, His grace, His blessed substitution for them and their salvation from their sin and themselves as sinners.
If one departs from Christ, departs from the blessed receiving of Him in His Word and Sacrament, who will deliver that person?
It is a terrible thing when a person remains in their sin. How much more tragic when an infant, conceived and born in sin is denied access to Christ, to His saving grace through the Word.
And how even more tragic is it when parents bring their child to Christ in baptism – and then deny their child any further access to Christ by their refusal to faithfully worship, bring their child to Sunday School and share Christ with their children in the home. Doesn't such a parent force their children to only breath the second-hand spiritually of their mother or father. Such spirituality is pure smoke for it lacks the Holy Breath of the Spirit that God first breathed into their child in baptism.
When one is left to live in sin or the second-hand spirituality of this world, such a person, such a child, is bound to live and breath only what is sin and self. Sin and self become the place where one feels at home, at ease and comfortable, sin and self is the only air their soul is given to breath; and it is in sin and with self alone that such a one dies, waking up in sin and self for all eternity. What shall be the home, the ease, the comfort of such a person, such a child, when he or she realizes that all they have brought with them into eternity is their sin and themselves – with NO means for the breath life and salvation?
In John’s Gospel, Jesus says three times, “You shall die in your sins, unless you believe that I am He (the heaven sent Savior) Jn 8:24.
To believe is to receive Jesus Christ – AS HE IS, not as we would make Him or have Him to be.
To believe is to receive Jesus Christ – AS HE COMES TO US – not as we would have Him come to us.
To believe is to receive Jesus Christ – WHENEVER HE COMES TO US – not when we think we need to receive Him.
The only place on earth or in eternity where sin and our sinful nature and condemnation does not have the final word or work is in Jesus Christ alone. “Blessed are those who (live and) die in the Lord” Rev. 14:13.
Oh what grandness shall be the home, the ease, the comfort and the air of those who are in Christ Jesus as the live and breath by the Holy Air, the Holy Spirit of God now in time. Surely great shall be the joy and glory of those who awaken in eternity, seeing themselves with Christ – where all sin and sinful self is forever removed.
Lord have mercy on those who refuse to be with Jesus Christ.
Lord have mercy on those who refuse to receive Jesus Christ as He is.
Lord have mercy on those who refuse to receive Jesus Christ as He has chosen to come to us.
Lord have mercy on those who refuse to receive Jesus Christ where He has chosen to come to us.
And Lord have mercy on every child living in the second hand smoke of their parents' sin and selfishness.
Lord have mercy on us all, for our own sin would turn us all together, no less away from Christ our Lord.
- pmwl
Amen.
A sinner without Jesus is without the Cross of Christ, His truth, His grace, His blessed substitution for them and their salvation from their sin and themselves as sinners.
If one departs from Christ, departs from the blessed receiving of Him in His Word and Sacrament, who will deliver that person?
It is a terrible thing when a person remains in their sin. How much more tragic when an infant, conceived and born in sin is denied access to Christ, to His saving grace through the Word.
And how even more tragic is it when parents bring their child to Christ in baptism – and then deny their child any further access to Christ by their refusal to faithfully worship, bring their child to Sunday School and share Christ with their children in the home. Doesn't such a parent force their children to only breath the second-hand spiritually of their mother or father. Such spirituality is pure smoke for it lacks the Holy Breath of the Spirit that God first breathed into their child in baptism.
When one is left to live in sin or the second-hand spirituality of this world, such a person, such a child, is bound to live and breath only what is sin and self. Sin and self become the place where one feels at home, at ease and comfortable, sin and self is the only air their soul is given to breath; and it is in sin and with self alone that such a one dies, waking up in sin and self for all eternity. What shall be the home, the ease, the comfort of such a person, such a child, when he or she realizes that all they have brought with them into eternity is their sin and themselves – with NO means for the breath life and salvation?
In John’s Gospel, Jesus says three times, “You shall die in your sins, unless you believe that I am He (the heaven sent Savior) Jn 8:24.
To believe is to receive Jesus Christ – AS HE IS, not as we would make Him or have Him to be.
To believe is to receive Jesus Christ – AS HE COMES TO US – not as we would have Him come to us.
To believe is to receive Jesus Christ – WHENEVER HE COMES TO US – not when we think we need to receive Him.
The only place on earth or in eternity where sin and our sinful nature and condemnation does not have the final word or work is in Jesus Christ alone. “Blessed are those who (live and) die in the Lord” Rev. 14:13.
Oh what grandness shall be the home, the ease, the comfort and the air of those who are in Christ Jesus as the live and breath by the Holy Air, the Holy Spirit of God now in time. Surely great shall be the joy and glory of those who awaken in eternity, seeing themselves with Christ – where all sin and sinful self is forever removed.
Lord have mercy on those who refuse to be with Jesus Christ.
Lord have mercy on those who refuse to receive Jesus Christ as He is.
Lord have mercy on those who refuse to receive Jesus Christ as He has chosen to come to us.
Lord have mercy on those who refuse to receive Jesus Christ where He has chosen to come to us.
And Lord have mercy on every child living in the second hand smoke of their parents' sin and selfishness.
Lord have mercy on us all, for our own sin would turn us all together, no less away from Christ our Lord.
- pmwl
Amen.
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