Bow, Willingly

“⁹Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” – Philippians 2:9-11 (ESV)

Someday, we don’t know when, everyone will bow before Jesus Christ as LORD. There is no escaping the bowing. It will take place. The question really is whether we do so willingly or as a point of process. James MacDonald writes, “In fact, compared to what Jesus Christ has already done throughout history, including the creation of the universe itself, getting all of the people from this tiny planet in our little solar system to bow before Him will be a nonissue.” My reaction to that sentence was “WOW!” I had not thought of it that way. Bowing before Jesus as LORD is going to happen and there is nothing that will get in the way to stop it.

When we choose to wait for judgment to bow we do so beggingly in an attempt to escape eternal condemnation in Hell. This will not work out well. Our choice had already been made. We only have this one life to choose Jesus Christ as LORD. Once we leave this life, we are subject to the consequences of our choice and that is condemnation.

“²⁷And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,” – Hebrews 9:27 (ESV)

But, we can escape eternal condemnation. We can choose Jesus Christ as LORD of our life. We do so in the everyday decisions that we make. It starts with accepting Jesus as the bringer of salvation and that He died so that I would not have to as a result of my sin. Then we choose to follow His teaching as we wander in this world.

We only have this life to choose Jesus Christ as LORD. We have a finite amount of time to bow to His authority willingly. Someday, although we do not know when, all will face the judgment of Jesus Christ as LORD and will bow before Him. Those of us who missed our one earthly life opportunity will bow and beg for an escape (to which it is too late). Those of us who have chosen to bow before Him in this world by giving our lives in service to Jesus Christ as LORD will inherit the kingdom of Heaven and reign with Jesus for eternity.

How will you bow? Are you looking for the way out to avoid bowing at all? What if you accepted Jesus Christ as LORD willingly and choose to follow Him in this world so that you can avoid eternal condemnation as you cannot escape bowing before Him at the judgment day?

Sin – Why Keep Talking About It

Well, because it is always a part of our lives. It is rooted in our DNA. I am a sinner, and I cannot escape that, in this world. I am no different than each of you. We are all sinners and need to understand that as we go through this world. We cannot escape it in this world, we can pursue God who provided the way out of sin, and He is waiting on us.

Back to this sin and why we cannot escape it in this world. James MacDonald has identified 5 reasons; We are determined, diseased, deceived, desperate, and destined sinners. I know what you are thinking as I thought the same, those are pretty strong reasons and if this is so, how do I escape.

“²³For the wages of sin is death,” — Romans 6:23a (ESV)

Each of the above are terminal reasons. And even read the above verse. We are to be put to death for our sin. So there really is no escaping our sin, in this world. “Everything happening in the universe and in your heart that is sordid and sideways is because of sin” – James MacDonald. We are headed for certain death thanks to our sin.

“²⁰20The soul who sins shall die.” – Ezekiel 18:20a (ESV)

So, if we are destined to die thanks to sin, why discuss it. Shouldn’t we just discuss things that are more positive, like getting what we want from this world. Even the bible says to let tomorrow worry about itself. Well, let’s discuss that. If death has been determined and we cannot escape it, we should think about positive things. How about we think about the way to escape. Remember above how I phrased the no escape, “in this world”. There is an escape and we should discuss that.

“²³but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our LORD.” – Romans 6:23b (ESV)

Look at that, the back half of Romans 6:23 gives us the answer. Eternal life is free from God with our belief in and trust in our savior who took our sin upon Himself and died, so that we do not have to. Yes, we will die, or pass, from this world, but we will live eternally in the New Heaven and New Earth without sin. So there is an escape, through Jesus Christ.

Here is what I have thought about this morning. I am, and all of us are, a sinner. I cannot escape it in this world. I am determined, diseased, deceived, desperate, and destined a sinner. It is in my DNA thanks to my ancestors, Adam and Eve. As a sinner, I am doomed to continue to experience sin in this world, as long as I am here. The consequence of my sin is death, but I can escape that consequence through the life giving sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He took my sin, yes mine, and paid for it with His death.

That is what I should think and discuss, the idea that my sin is there, and in this world I cannot shake it. I have to remember sin by talking about it and then shift to the escape from it. Jesus died for me and in the New Heaven and New Earth I will finally escape sin thanks to Him.

What are your discussions of sin? Are you working to try and avoid it for something more positive? What if you did keep talking about it to be reminded of your sin and then added in that the only escape is in the New Heaven and New Earth thanks to our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ?

Qualities that Lead the Escape of Sinful Desire

“⁵For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, ⁶and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, ⁷and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.” – 2 Peter 1:5-7 (ESV)

And there they are, the qualities that I have to undertake each and every moment. I notice this morning that they begin with faith and build up to the quality of love. What a great quality to have. We have to love. After all, it is the top two commandments.

“³⁷And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” – Matthew 22:37-39 (ESV)

Jesus, when asked, identified love as the important part of those commandments and it is no wonder that Peter identifies it as one of the key qualities to escape sinful desire. But, it is not just about knowing the qualities, we are called to live them out.

“⁸For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. ¹⁰Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.” – 2 Peter 1:8-10 (ESV)

Peter lets known that the qualities, where having them is important, it is more important to live them out. And notice in the second half of verse 10 that “if you practice these qualities you will never fall”. This fall is not related to the experience of hardship or persecution, but that you will escape the trap of sinful desire.

“³His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, ⁴by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” – 2 Peter 1:3-4 (ESV)

So here we have it. Immerse into the qualities that are good, faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. They begin with faith and the pinnacle is love knowing that the top two commandments are rooted in love. When I am living these qualities daily, I am able to escape sinful desire and inherit the kingdom of God.

“¹¹For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” – 2 Peter 1:11 (ESV)

What are you doing to escape sinful desire? Are you looking to simply be good? What if you lived daily the qualities above knowing that they will keep you from sinful desire?