THE RISKS OF BEING A CHRISTIAN
Today I will write a topic on the risks of being a Christian. Being a Christian is like a job or occupation that we do each day, such as a firefighter, a policeman, a physician, a construction worker, a soldier, a husband, a wife, or even a child.
A Christian has a job to do for his Boss. And what is that job? That job is to glorify His name. Help finish His job on earth. It is a job that Christians do daily for God the Father. Every role that we play, however, in a job or occupation, has some risk, small or big. What is the risk for Christians? The risk for Christians is that people will hate us.
Jesus said in John 7:7, "The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil." Does the world love us, or does the world hate us? According to Jesus, the world hates us.
In Matthew 5:10-12 Jesus said, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Does the world love us, or does the world hate us? According to Jesus, the world hates us. It is important for us to know this. If the world loves us, we know that we are not doing His job. We are only doing our job and not His job. Please read again what Jesus said in John 7:7.
In Matthew 5:10-12 Jesus said, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Does the world love us, or does the world hate us? According to Jesus, the world hates us. It is important for us to know this. If the world loves us, we know that we are not doing His job. We are only doing our job and not His job. Please read again what Jesus said in John 7:7.
In Luke 6:22-23 Jesus said, "Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets." Does the world love us, or does the world hate us?
Jesus said, "It is not everyone who keeps saying to me 'Lord, Lord' who will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the man who actually does my Heavenly Father's will." Matthew 7:21.
Do we know the will of God the Father? Do we know? Some say that the Father's will is that we have a good "relationship" with Him? Who is God the Father? Do we know Him? And how do we know Him? Where have we met Him? Do we have a good relationship with Him? How can we prove that we have a good relationship with Him? Adam and Eve did not have a good relationship with God the Father. Lucifer and millions of His angels did not have a good relationship with God the Father. Millions and billions who drowned during the big flood did not have a good relationship with God the Father. Do you know why? They refused to listen to Him. They refused to follow Him. In John 10:26-27 Jesus said, "But you do not believe, because you are not My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."
Jesus said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." John 14:15. Do we follow Him? No, we do not. Have we kept His commandments? No, we have not. Why? Because we don't believe Him. So, whose sheep are we and who is our Shepherd? How can we have a good personal relationship with God when we ignore His words? No, we cannot! His words are holy!
Can we be born again? No, we cannot. Can we become little children again? No, we cannot. Can we do the will of the Father? No, we can not. Why? Because we do not believe Him, number one. Also because we do not know what they are. We threw them in the trash can many years ago. You see, being a "Christian" is a very risky business. People will hate us! And we have no Shepherd that we follow. We are the lost sheep.
Can we be born again? No, we cannot. Can we become little children again? No, we cannot. Can we do the will of the Father? No, we can not. Why? Because we do not believe Him, number one. Also because we do not know what they are. We threw them in the trash can many years ago. You see, being a "Christian" is a very risky business. People will hate us! And we have no Shepherd that we follow. We are the lost sheep.
Jesus said, in Indonesian, "Jikalau kamu mengasihi Aku, kamu akan menuruti segala perintah-Ku.” (John 14:15) The English translation is "If you love Me, keep all of My commandments.”
Jesus wants us to keep all of His laws and commandments, and not merely some of His commandments that we want to keep and discard the rest.
In Matthew 7:21 Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” Jesus wants us to keep not only His will or His commandments, but He also wants us to do the will of His Father. Do we know what the will of the Father is? No, we do not. How can we know the will of the Father when we flushed all of His Ten Commandments in the toilet too.
We are under grace, so you say? We do not care about the law. We are not under the law but under grace. The will of the Father and the Commandments of the Son are law. They are work that we must do. We are not under the grace of Martin Luther.
Followers of Martin Luther do not care about the Law. They are hoping for the grace that comes from down from God. They are still hoping and waiting for grace from God.
You said that Jesus has called you. That’s good if you know that Jesus has called you. “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:14); Do we know if Jesus has also chosen us? Judas Iscariot was called, but he was not chosen. He came first, but he ended last. He was not faithful until the end - he became confused and distracted and betrayed Him in the end. Jesus said, “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:13.)
A man then asked Jesus, "Lord, are there few who are saved?" And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. "When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, `Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, `I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say, `We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.' "But He will say, `I tell you I do not know you where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity."
"There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. "They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. "And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last." (Luke 13:23-30)
"Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. (Luke 13:24); Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every intent of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them." But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. (Genesis 6:5-8).
“But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:13.)
"And pray that your flight may not be in the winter or on the Sabbath" (Matthew 24:20)
Jesus wants us to keep all of His laws and commandments, and not merely some of His commandments that we want to keep and discard the rest.
In Matthew 7:21 Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” Jesus wants us to keep not only His will or His commandments, but He also wants us to do the will of His Father. Do we know what the will of the Father is? No, we do not. How can we know the will of the Father when we flushed all of His Ten Commandments in the toilet too.
We are under grace, so you say? We do not care about the law. We are not under the law but under grace. The will of the Father and the Commandments of the Son are law. They are work that we must do. We are not under the grace of Martin Luther.
Followers of Martin Luther do not care about the Law. They are hoping for the grace that comes from down from God. They are still hoping and waiting for grace from God.
You said that Jesus has called you. That’s good if you know that Jesus has called you. “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:14); Do we know if Jesus has also chosen us? Judas Iscariot was called, but he was not chosen. He came first, but he ended last. He was not faithful until the end - he became confused and distracted and betrayed Him in the end. Jesus said, “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:13.)
A man then asked Jesus, "Lord, are there few who are saved?" And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. "When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, `Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, `I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say, `We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.' "But He will say, `I tell you I do not know you where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity."
"There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. "They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. "And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last." (Luke 13:23-30)
"Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. (Luke 13:24); Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every intent of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them." But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. (Genesis 6:5-8).
Brothers and Sisters. Could the LORD find grace in Noah and saved him if he was disobedient to the Lord, ignored Him, humiliated and insulted God, and flushed His holy commandments in the toilet? The answer is no! Could the LORD find grace in us and saved us if we were disobedient to Him, ignored Him, insulted and humiliated the LORD, and flushed His HOLY commandments in the lavatory? Again, the answer is NO!
"And pray that your flight may not be in the winter or on the Sabbath" (Matthew 24:20)
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