You might have a problem with Jesus

A Blessed Easter to you all! Jesus has risen to His Father in Heaven! Amen!

A prominent American Catholic clergyman was seen on TV saying that people come to him all the time to tell him that, while they have no problem with Jesus, they have a big problem with his church – or any organized “church” structure.

But that’s not really true. Christendom – that vast group of people of all denominations who unthinkingly obey men and not God – really does have a problem with Jesus.

For example, if you think that by merely believing in Jesus’ death on the Cross, you can be guaranteed a ticket to eternal life with God, you have a problem with Jesus, who told us that saying “Lord, Lord” would NOT guarantee such an outcome.

If you think you can continue to sin with impunity because you believe Jesus’ death and resurrection allows you to do so, you have a problem with Jesus, who said we must repent from sinning and be born again into a new life that does NOT include sinning.

If you think that you no longer have to obey God’s moral Laws simply because you believe Jesus died and rose to his Father, and condemn “Commandment Keeping” as something God hates, then you have a problem with Jesus, who said he came NOT to destroy the Law, and taught that obedience to it would determine our Eternal destinies.

If you believe that you are UNABLE to obey God, basing this belief on a story about the sin of the first human, then you have a problem with Jesus, who called us to obey God – without excuse – and said (along with ALL the Scriptures) that we would be judged solely on our OWN acts (and inaction) not the actions of others.

If you believe that you can live without ever forgiving others, then you have a problem with Jesus, because he taught that unless you forgive others, you WILL NOT have forgiveness from God.

If you think that God wants you to be rich, and is plotting a wealthy future for you right now, then you have a problem with Jesus, and all the Prophets, and the Psalmist, and all of Scripture, who say in unison we must never rely on riches, and should store up riches in Heaven, not in this life.

If you believe that by calling yourself a “Christian,” that you will be guaranteed health and riches, then you have a problem with Jesus, who said to follow him is to be hated, to be persecuted by others, and to even be put to death.

Many, many people have a problem with Jesus. And Jesus has a problem with THEM and the man-made doctrines they follow!

Jesus came not ONLY to die, but to preach repentance from sin, and to challenge us to be sinless, and the God who sent him – the One who created our Souls – knows us well enough to know that we CAN obey the commandments He gave us through Jesus.

Jesus was killed because he challenged the status quo. He challenged the religious leaders of his day, and called them out on their hypocrisy, greed and narrow view of Scripture.

Jesus Followers today are also called to present unpleasant realities not just to religious leaders, but to their misinformed flocks, as well.

And part of what they need to hear is this: Anyone who would make the Cross a magic totem, by which one could, by mere belief in it, magically force God into instantly granting them eternal life and absolving them from the duty of performing Good Works – which God sent Jesus to specifically commanded us to do – demeans the Cross, and demeans the death and rising of Jesus.

The Cross and the Easter story of his Rising to God are only for those who obey Jesus – and ALL the world may come and obey. You may not say, “Jesus died for me” if you’re not obeying him, and do not understand that his ministry was all about obeying God’s commandments and doing Good Works in God’s name.

Jesus said so. Clearly. “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you." (Jn. 15:13-14)

If your life isn’t changed by the life, words and ministry of Jesus, the Cross is meaningless to you, and has even become an Idol, an abomination to God, because you are merely worshiping the wood and the blood spilled upon it, and not the selfless service and total dedication of Spirit that happened upon it.

Let us, on our knees, humbly beseech God – the God of Jesus, and our God – to forgive our presumptions and return to a HOPE that we would be saved through belief in, and obedience to His Spokesman, His Anointed and Chosen Son, our Master, Jesus.

A Good Friday meditation

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!" Matt. 32:29-31 (NIV)

"Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should die outside of Jerusalem." Luke 13:33 

Why did Jesus die? Jesus said explicitly why he was going to allow himself to be killed: "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you." (John 15:12-14) So, why did Jesus die? Because laying down his life was the greatest form of love. For whom? His friends. Who are his friends? Those who obey his word, which will never become irrelevant (Mark 13:31.) 

This is Godly simplicity! And yet men want to make more, and at the same time, less, of the life, teachings and sufferings of God's Prophet, Jesus. What a shame!

Welcoming the wrong Messiah - both then and now

As Jesus entered Jerusalem on that last week of his life, his disciples were joined by the many who had heard and seen him preach in Galilee and those who heard about his fame far beyond that region. And they rushed to welcome him.

Surely they had heard of his teachings and his works, and believed him to be the Messiah. And so he was. Today, we understand his Messiahship clearly when he said he was sent by God, Whom he called The Father, to rescue us from our sins and call us to repent and turn back to God. He proclaimed God’s Kingdom, and said it was both within us and among the people in the form of himself. And he called disciples to follow him in creating this Kingdom and spreading it throughout first Judea and then the earth.

But that wasn’t what many had in mind that day as they welcomed him and proclaimed him “King.” They sought a military leader, someone who would lead a military revolt and overthrow the Romans, re-establishing a literal kingdom of Israel, and bringing justice by the sword, not by words of peace.

And within days, almost all of them would be going home disappointed – saddened that THIS Messiah would not be leading a military revolt. They had somehow drastically misread the clear words of Jesus, and their failure to listen would have grave consequences for them and their nation.

Jesus was always very clear about his mission. He was clear that this Kingdom was to be brought into this earthly reality by our deeds and actions by following God’s Moral Commandments, and that we would all be judged by those deeds to be deemed worthy to enter in to Eternal Life.

His kingdom was “not of this world” and that which belonged to Caesar should be given to Caesar. Every opportunity he was given to sow sedition against Rome, he instead spoke of peace and individual repentance from individual sinful behavior. That’s not the preaching of a revolutionary, conquering Messiah.

Perhaps that’s why the Gospels portray even the Roman Prefect Pontius Pilate – who was otherwise known by historians as a brutal, ruthless ruler – as finding no sedition in him at all. Jesus is said to have answered Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, so I would not be delivered over to the Jewish leaders. But my kingdom is not from the world.” This was a huge disappointment to those who sought a military revolt.

His entry into Jerusalem on a donkey, rather than on the massive white horse of a general, was also subtle hint about his true mission.

The key to understanding Jesus’ true mission (one of inaugurating a Heavenly Kingdom, not a military revolt) is that the religious leaders of the day hated him. They saw his teachings as a threat, and made numerous accusations against him, all of them false. They accused him of trying to end God’s Law (but he said he was upholding every line of it) and of trying to destroy the Sabbath observance (but he said he was upholding the true spirit of the Sabbath) and even trying to make himself equal with God (something he denied over and over again.)

And the day after his triumphal entry, he did something else that was unexpected: he entered the Temple, and there he loudly condemned those who were using it as a money-making venture, rather than a place of pure worship.

Today, Christendom – those who supposedly revere him and his teachings – continue to misunderstand him. They, like his contemporaries, believe him to be a conquering king who’s going to come back and smite all of his enemies – secular “Romans” – in a bloodbath.

Many arrogantly call themselves “children of the King” and believe that entitles them to riches in this earth, while Jesus taught we should never trust in riches, but instead store up riches in heaven by doing Good Works in this life (which today’s Christendom also condemns.) 

Most are quick to worship and admire him, and make his death and return to God into a magical charm that absolves them of the hard work of living in Righteousness as Jesus commanded us to do, rather than obeying his words and honoring his teachings. 

And many make God’s house into a money-making venture, rather than a pure house of worship.

So as we greet Jesus as he enters Jerusalem, let’s renounce those misunderstandings and look back to Jesus and his actual teachings. Let’s stop looking for a conquering General who will make our lives easier by simply killing our enemies and giving us all of Rome’s riches so we can live easily and in physical comfort in this life.

Let’s instead remember that we are greeting God’s chosen Prophet – the one who brings us a Good and Beneficial Message (“Gospel”) that tells us if we turn from our sins, we may live with God eternally, and live the Righteous life God wants us to live here on earth. 

Can we obey God's Will?

Are we really able to obey God’s Will for our lives?

The scripture – God’s revelation to us – reveals His Will, and Jesus, God’s Anointed Prophet, makes it remarkably clear what is expected of us by God. And that all human beings have the ability to choose to obey God and the admonitions and teachings Jesus, or freely reject them, and reject God Himself, is amply attested to by all the Scriptures.

One such example: “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.” (Deut. 30:19)

Now, one might say, “Isn’t the will of someone who has never heard of God’s Will for our lives weakened, and in some cases, depraved, by the constant habit of moral degeneracy?” Definitely. The wills of those who have sinned persistently have weakened by their own previous actions.

But even so, God’s holy Spirit enlightens us, and, through the clear teachings and ministry of Jesus, and those Followers who become the salt and light to the world, they are enlightened and awakened to God’s great Purpose for us – to live Righteously, and they may do so, relying on God’s Grace and the example of His Son.

The Gospel would not have set out so clearly the rules and precepts of virtue, piety, the excellent maxims of charity, humility, purity, temperance, integrity, honesty, and diligence in well-doing, if we didn’t have the ability to obey them – and the duty to do so.

The declarations of Jesus that no one shall enter into heaven who did not do not the will of his Father, and that God will render to everyone according to their works, would be meaningless – and unjust – if we were unable to obey, even after having been enlightened by God as to His Will, and strengthened by God’s fellow-workers.

Without the ability to obey God, the commands of His Son to have faith, to perform Good Works, or to even love and serve God by imitating him in all things, would be mere suggestions, and unworthy to be uttered by a Just God, and unworthy of our attention.

Without all of these Scriptural encouragements, the example of Jesus, and the ongoing help of God’s holy Spirit and the Light given by those who Follow Jesus, many to whom the Good and Beneficial Message Jesus preached would remain unreformed servants of sin.

But whose fault is that? If we are unable to obey, blaming some imaginary, hereditary sin-stain in our souls, then we throw up excuses at God, simply because we (as Jesus says) love darkness rather than light, and are really refusing to repent and Follow Jesus fully.

God provides us an Eternal Destination, and shows us a road that leads to it, and the means – which are like a car that is given to us to drive towards it. And He gives us gas in the car, and a key to start the car. And a precise map to that Destination. And co-pilots to encourage us along the way. 

We are told about the Destination, and the free gift of a car to take us there. We must get into the car, must start the car, and remain on the road. 

If we do, we reach the Destination. If we veer off the road, or fail to use the car, or don't accept the key, or stand next to the car, hoping that by simply thanking God for the car, or merely praising the gift, or praising the car, will get us to the Destination, we would have failed to reach the Destination, and we have deluded ourselves. And we would have no excuse for it.

I’m indebted to Rev. John Jortin for much of the wording and ideas in this sermon today. Thanks, John!

By the way, Rev. Jortin was an Anglican minister preaching in England in the mid-1700s. Clear and plain preaching on obedience has LONG been missing from pulpits, creating millions of lost, deluded christians.

Rev. Jortin’s preaching (like that of Jesus before him) rips away all excuses for disobeying God:

“To suppose men entirely passive, driven like mere machines to do good or to do evil by fatal, irresistible impulses, deprived of choice or liberty, and incapable of doing any thing, or taking any step towards amendment, to exaggerate the weakness and corruption of human nature contrary to the plain feelings and inward conviction of every rational agent, contrary to many clear expressions of scripture, contrary to the very use and design of admonition and exhortation; this surely is a strange method of bringing men to a sense and to a love of their duty. It is rather calculated to promote a false and presumptuous security, or a total dejection and despair, according as it operates on different temperaments. 

On the contrary, a persuasion that by God’s favor we can draw near to Him, if we will, is the only consideration that can excite us to exert ourselves in working out our salvation. Without this persuasion, there can be no hope, and without hope, there can be no endeavor. Let us then make it our choice and our occupation to serve God, and never plead want of power and of ability. Such thoughts are injurious to the Gospel, and to the Grace of God, Who will never be wanting to us while we are not wanting to ourselves.”

Amen. Let us therefore serve God by using our God-given moral ability to do so, using the free Gifts of His Grace that have been provided to us, following His chosen Son’s perfect example in all things.

Selected Scriptures:

"For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.” Deut. 30:7-14

“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” Deut. 30:19

“And if it seem evil unto you to serve YHWH, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve YHWH.” Joshua 24:15

“And ye shall observe to do all the statutes and judgments which I set before you this day.” Deut. 11:32

"But those who do what is true come to the light in order that the light may show that what they did was in obedience to God." John 3:21

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” John 3:36

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” John 14:15 

"Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me." John 14:24

“Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.” James 3:13

“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” 1 John 5:2-3

Good works, according to a writer in 1650

The truth that Good Works and serving others are required for our eternal salvation is a position held throughout Christian history.

Read this from "The Breast-plate of Faith and Love," by John Preston, written in 1650, in which it appears perfectly natural that this is true.

"Good works are required, of necessity, as the way to salvation (Eph. 2:10) We are God's workmanship, created in Jesus Christ unto good works, which he hath ordained that we should walk in them." Good works are required of necessity; God judges us according to our works (Rom 2) and at the last Day, the reward is pronounced according to that which men have done; "When I was in prison you visited me, when I was naked you clothed me, etc." (Matt. 26:35-36.) And if they be required for necessity, then it is not a dead, lifeless, worthless faith, but a powerful, energetic faith, a faith that is stirring and active, a faith that is effectual, which God requires, without which we cannot be saved." (p. 170)

We are saved from Sin to do Good Works

We know of the Will of God for our lives because He has graciously Anointed a Son, Jesus, as our Guide and Prophet to reveal it to us, and to give us the Good and Beneficial Message (Gospel) that we may live more purely and abundantly in this life, and at the end of our lives, may be united with the God, the Creator and Ruler of the Universe, for all eternity.

We truly have been saved from sin by Jesus, and are saved from it and forgiven for all past sins when we first accept him as our Master and Savior. We are granted eternal life through obedience to God's commands as revealed by His Son, Jesus, and through God's constant forgiveness and a reliance upon Him for guidance.

Heaven has been opened and made available to all of humanity though the gracious teachings, life and example of Jesus - who reflected in all things the will of God, who is his Father and ours. But no one can enter into Heaven except by believing what God has revealed through His Anointed One, Jesus, and by doing what God has required of us.

Faith is the root, and Good Works the branches of our Salvation, but neither can exist, unless nourished by the ongoing Grace of God.

No one can deduce from the fact that God's Grace is in this way supreme that, therefore, we may sin with impunity, or that we may ignore the duty God has laid upon us to do Good Works.

All MAY go to Heaven, if they use the means and observe the conditions prescribed by God, because Salvation is conditional. All CAN now go to Heaven IF they fulfill those conditions, and are judged by God according to their Good Works worthy of entrance. (And know that it is not for us to judge whether we or any other person will be found worthy in God's sight. It is not for us to boast that we have forced God to grant us eternal life, or presume that we can or must do a certain amount of Good Works in order to earn it. It will be determined by God alone whether we have served Him, and will separate the wheat from the chaff in His own way, and in His own way. All we can do is strive and rely on his ongoing Goodness and Grace.)

The first of these conditions is to begin having Faith in God - a Faith that believes that the Ruler of the Universe is real, that His commands are Just and that His Prophet and chosen One is Jesus, the Anointed ("Christ") through whom God's will was revealed to us.

The second condition is obedience to those commands, expressed through Good Works, which are required by God. We are shown perfect obedience (and shown that all people may indeed obey God) through the life and example of His chosen one, Jesus, who lived, taught and died as a pure moral example to us, so that we should follow him and be made perfect in righteousness though observance of the commandments. We do this with God's help and a reliance on God's holy Spirit. And we must, on this journey of Faith, always seek God's forgiveness for our faults and failures as we strive towards this perfect expression of Righteousness God's Anointed Son, Jesus, has modeled for us.

Salvation from sin, that offer God makes to man that rescues him from sin, is accepted purely and completely by faith alone. How could it be otherwise? Even our knowledge of what sin IS comes from God, so man's works, apart from God and the knowledge of God, are clearly not sufficient to do works that are up to God's standards, and only accidentally and by chance even approach what is "Good." We learn from God's Anointed One - His Prophet, Jesus - what obedience really means: that it starts in the heart, and in our intentions to do Good in the sight of God, and that this is made real in our daily lives in all that we do. 

This knowledge of God's Will, given to us by the One whom He sent, is a gift we did not earn, nor did we merit it, since Jesus was sent out of God's love for us, who are His creations (John 3:16.) But once we learn of this great and free offer of salvation, we must act upon it, and will judged according to our obedience to God's offer. For whoever believes in him has eternal life, but those who do not believe and "does what is true" and "comes to the light" that Jesus calls us to, works righteousness, according to God's plan, and is granted eternal life with the Father.

Let us not have a false reliance on our Good Works alone, relying on a false sense of smugness. But also know that we may not falsely rely on our first bloom of Faith alone to carry us into Heaven, for God has prescribed the path that we take, and we must meekly strive to follow it according to His Will without arrogance or pride.

The clear teaching of scripture, therefore, is that once we have been exposed to and accept this offer of salvation, we will be fully accountable for our response to it, and will be judged thereafter according to our deeds. Every means of improvement and happiness, and the knowledge of it, is God's free gift, but then it is our duty to act upon that knowledge.

With God's holy Spirit aiding us in all things and at all times, and Jesus' example always before us and in our hearts, we may live this life in peace and happiness, and thereafter, according to God's good pleasure, enter into God's Eternal Presence.


Scripture Selections:
"And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” John 3:19-21

"By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him." 1 John 3:19-22

“Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave.” Matt. 20:26-27

“And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?’” Mark 8:34-36

"Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him." 1 John 3:4-6

Yes, Good Works are Required for Salvation

No other doctrine has done so much harm as the false and unbiblical belief that Good Works are not required for our Salvation, or are somehow despised by God.

Faith and works surely work together, but faith in God is alone insufficient, and Good Works alone are insufficient, in order to ensure salvation for our eternal souls.

Scripture is literally filled with the requirement for us to both love God and perform Good Works, and that we all shall be judged according to them. And Jesus spoke very clearly on the matter during his ministry.

Through his parable of the Talents, Jesus taught that to those much has been given, much will be required from them, and that to simply not work (resting on the security of Faith Alone) is lazy and slothful, and is not enough.

Jesus challenged us to do Good Works, saying that they must exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees – which is like today saying “You must be more righteous than Billy Graham, Mother Theresa and the Pope!”

And most tellingly, Jesus, when asked specifically, “What GOOD DEED must I do to have eternal life?” answered “If you would enter life, keep the commandments.”

Now, as a practical matter, one cannot do Good Works without knowing what such commandments ARE, and if one is ignorant of God’s commandments, one cannot obey them (or may do so only by accident, and haphazardly.) How can a Good Work be performed, if we never know what is considered “good” by God?

But God through his Prophets and lastly, through his Anointed One, his Son, Jesus, lets us know clearly what we must do in order to be Saved.

Faith in His Son is thus the starting point to all Good Works that are pleasing to God, and in that way, it may be said that faith and works do indeed work together, because works without any faith is like a student without a teacher. How can students know what works are truly good without a Master to instruct them?

Having faith that Jesus is God’s Prophet is a starting point, however, and no one should be deluded into thinking that is enough. As Jesus says, crying out “Lord, Lord” (“Master, Master”) is not enough to ensure salvation, any more than students can rely solely on their teacher alone to learn facts and pass tests in their name, so long as they simply show up to class. That kind of faith, without any works, is indeed dead and useless, as James tells us truthfully.

But doesn’t relying on Works make us prideful and arrogant? Jesus does indeed warn of doing Good Works “to be seen by men.” But conversely, he commands that Good Works be performed that are then seen by God alone and rewarded secretly and accrue as Treasures in Heaven.

Therefore, it’s God who is the audience and the One Whom we must please, not others. Neither God nor his Servant Jesus, whom he sent, ever condemns the requirement of Good Works, let alone degrades them as “rags” that God somehow dislikes (let alone actively hates!)

If we will be rewarded by God for performing Good Works, how can someone claim that they are not required? How can we be judged by those acts we perform here in this life, but somehow rationalize them away, saying (contrary to Jesus’ teachings) “Oh, those are just voluntary ‘fruit’ which flow from being Saved. They are just the natural things that happen, and are optional, not requirements on which we can base our Salvation, which is instantly given because of our faith.”

Of course this is all dead wrong, on various levels. If something is not required, it’s optional – a “gift” we may or may not give to God. That’s directly contrary to the direct teachings of God’s Anointed One.

Modern preachers of “Faith Alone” Easy Believism who condemn “works salvation” and “commandment keeping” destroy and make null and void the obedience required by the Master, Jesus, who was sent by God to proclaim a Good and Beneficial Message (Gospel) to humanity: That we must repent of our sins, stop sinning, and rely humbly on God’s ongoing grace and forgiveness as we strive for the goal of Moral Perfection, which God commanded through Jesus, His Anointed One.

Some Scripture References:

“Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” Luke 12:48

“For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.” Matt. 16:27

“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” Rev. 20:12

“Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave.” Matt. 20:26-27

“For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” Matt. 16:27

“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matt 5:20

“As his mercy is great, so is his correction also: he judges a man according to his works” Prov. 16:12

“To you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work. Psalms 62:12

“Commit your works unto the LORD, and your thoughts shall be established.” Prov. 16:3

“Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?” Prov. 24:12

“Say not, I will do so to him as he has done to me: I will render to the man according to his work.” Prov. 24:29