The Truth Is....

And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:32, John 1:17, John 8:36)

Below is a little story sent to me by a friend. I've seen it before and as I read it I noticed the simplicity in the understanding. Jesus was an uncomplicated Man. What you saw is what you got. He wasn't rich, He had no formal education, yet because He listened and obeyed the words of His Father, what He spoke either grabbed a person and caused them to want to hear more or the words offended and caused people to want to silence Him.

The words kept coming to me this past week: Jesus was an offense. And so is anyone else who wants to proclaim the truth of who He is. The truth that encompasses how we are to receive eternal life and how we are to live our lives. The truth is that He is the only Truth, Way and Life and the only Mediator between God and man. The truth that He loves us if we come to Him as little children to learn about Him. The truth that we are all sinners and that it is not by our good works but by the blood of Jesus that we are saved. The truth is that no man in this world can take His place. 

It's Jesus and no one but Him. We try to complicate the salvation issue by believing we have to work to receive God's grace and mercy. We try to complicate it by believing we we must go through an earthly man because Jesus is too holy or too busy...or something. 

Jesus is holy and He wants to share that holiness by our simply believing that He gave...and now He lives...and He continues to call people to believe in Him...not just knowing who He is but knowing Him personally...as in a relationship with someone in your life who is close to you. Relationship over religion, religion being no more than working to receive Jesus. He did all the work for us. 

We are all sinners in need of a Savior. We all deserve the punishment He received on that cross. BUT He chose to die in our place, to take the sins of the world upon Him. He did the work so we wouldn't have to. It's relationship, one-on-one with Jesus Christ. It has nothing to do with any church. You will not go to hell if you do not belong to a particular denomination. You will only go to hell if you do not confess your sins and choose to have this one-on-one relationship with Jesus Himself. 

This little story is just that, a story. But the simplicity of its meaning is marvelous! It's about the work Jesus does in each person when they reach out to Him. He brings warmth, fills your spirit, refreshes and cleanses and provides the rest for a weary soul. And best of all, He makes life worth living. Who wouldn't want all of that? Who wouldn't want to know that this Jesus can be all things to everyone? 

John 3:16 - I don't understand it. 

A little boy was selling newspapers on the corner; the people were in and out of the cold. The little boy was so cold that he wasn't trying to sell many papers.

He walked up to a policeman and said, "Mister, you wouldn't happen to know where a poor boy could find a warm place to sleep tonight would you? You see, I sleep in a box up around the corner there and down the alley and its awful cold in there for tonight. Sure would be nice to have a warm place to stay."

The policeman looked down at the little boy and said, "You go down the street to that big white house and you knock on the door. When they come out the door you just say 'John 3:16' and they will let you in."

So he did. He walked up the steps and knocked on the door, and a lady answered. He looked up and said, "John 3:16." The lady said, "Come on in, Son."

She took him in and she sat him down in a split bottom rocker in front of a great big old fireplace, and she went off. The boy sat there for a while and thought to himself: John 3:16... I don't understand it, but it sure makes a cold boy warm.

Later she came back and asked him "Are you hungry?" He said, "Well, just a little. I haven't eaten in a couple of days, and I guess I could stand a little bit of food."

The lady took him in the kitchen and sat him down to a table full of wonderful food. He ate and ate until he couldn't eat any more. Then he thought to himself: John 3:16... Boy, I sure don't understand it but it sure makes a hungry boy full.

She took him upstairs to a bathroom to a huge bathtub filled with warm water, and he sat there and soaked for a while. As he soaked, he thought to himself: John 3:16 ... I sure don't understand it, but it sure makes a dirty boy clean. You know, I've not had a bath, a real bath, in my whole life. The only bath I ever had was when I stood in front of that big old fire hydrant as they flushed it out. 

The lady came in and got him. She took him to a room, tucked him into a big old feather bed, pulled the covers up around his neck, kissed him goodnight and turned out the lights. As he lay in the darkness and looked out the window at the snow coming down on that cold night, he thought to himself: John 3:16 ... I don't understand it but it sure makes a tired boy rest.

The next morning the lady came back up and took him down again to that same big table full of food. After he ate, she took him back to that same big old split bottom rocker in front of the fireplace and picked up a big old Bible.

She sat down in front of him and looked into his young face. "Do you understand John 3:16?" she asked gently. He replied, "No, Ma'am, I don't. The first time I ever heard it was last night when the policeman told me to use it." She opened the Bible to John 3:16 and began to explain to him about Jesus. Right there, in front of that big old fireplace, he gave his heart and life to Jesus. He sat there and thought: John 3:16 … don't understand it, but it sure makes a lost boy feel safe.

You know, I have to confess I don't understand it either, how God was willing to send His Son to die for me, and how Jesus would agree to do such a thing. I don't understand the agony of the Father and every angel in heaven as they watched Jesus suffer and die. I don't understand the intense love for ME that kept Jesus on the cross till the end. I don't understand it, but it sure does make life worth living.

You know, I didn't understand this thing about Jesus either at first. We all are in the same place, wandering lost in the world, until He is pointed out to us and we listen and we receive. Then...poof...the truth is made so absolutely clear. 

John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.