Category Archives: Concerned about the Lost

It Is Called “Good Friday” for a Good Reason

(In memory of Mary Neil Puryear Wise)

According to the Bible, the moment a person dies he becomes an instant theologian. Whether an atheist or a Buddhist … whether a Muslim or a Christian … whether a good person or a bad person or somewhere in between, when one “steps through an unseen veil” into eternity, he sees the one true God of glory (2nd Corinthians 5:8; Luke 16:22-23).  And as his mind adjusts to his new surroundings – be it Paradise or Hades – his perspective changes considerably.  The things of this world quickly fade as his eternal home comes sharply into focus.

On Sunday evening, January 20th of this year, the soul of my mother, Mary Neil Puryear Wise, stepped through that veil.

If we could somehow summon her out of eternity to stand before us once again, I’m sure we would have many questions to ask her.  But there would be one thing – above all else – she would want us all to know … clearly and fully.  She would, of course, declare that the crucified Son of God really is alive!  (After all, she has now seen Him in all His fullness.)  And so, let us all say, “May the wondrous grace and power of almighty God be praised!”  But there is something else my mother knows, and she would not want us to miss it.

She would want us to know why God the Father had His Son executed to begin with.  She would want us to know why it was not the will of God for Jesus to live to the ripe age of 90 (as she did), die of natural causes (as she did) and then be raised from the dead (as she will be).  No, as important as the resurrection of Jesus Christ is, Mary Neil would want us to understand more than the purpose of an empty tomb. She would first want us to clearly understand the purpose of a blood-stained Cross.

  • She would want us to know that she … and every member of her family … and every friend she’s ever had … and, indeed, every person reading these words … have broken the moral laws of a holy God …
  • that, in doing so, we have committed capital crimes against our divine Judge …
  • and that our capital crimes deserve capital punishment.  (“The wages of sin is death,” Romans 3:23).
  • She would want us to know that this deadly problem cannot be solved by being a good person or by promising God that we will try harder to be a better person.  (If that were true, then Jesus Christ died for nothing, Galatians 2:21.)
  • Nor can this problem be solved by going to church … or by joining a church … or by being active in a church … or by following the religious rituals of a church.  (One does not become a Christian by acting like one, Ephesians 2:8-9.)
  • She would want us to know that there is only one way to satisfy the justice of the righteous One we have all offended by our moral crimes; and that one way is death
  • that someone must pay this debt of death …
  • and until someone does, you and I will remain on God’s death row, under His just condemnation …
  • which explains why the Father sent His Son to be impaled to a Roman cross.

We call that day of His death “Good Friday”; and we do so for a good reason, for it is the day when our debt of death was paid in full.  As a result of that Execution, each of us can now be pardoned from our deserved sentence of eternal death …

  • forgiven of all our sins:  past, present, and future …
  • cleansed – fully and forever – by the blood of the Savior …
  • clothed with the righteous robes of the King of kings …
  • and confident that, as with the triumphant Son of God, we, too, will be resurrected by the power of almighty God unto eternal life.

Yes, it is true:  Mary Neil Puryear Wise was a woman of dignity and honor … a loving wife and mother, a helpful friend and a responsible citizen.  But let there be no mistake.  If she could stand before us right now, if we could somehow summon her out of eternity and ask her, “What is the one thing you want us all to know?” she would direct our attention away from herself.  She would, instead, laser beam our focus on

“the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world”

The One Who, on that Good … that Excellent … that Magnificent Friday afternoon,

died for us … in our place … as our Substitute … so we wouldn’t have to.

The One Who was, on that Joyous … that Glorious … that Breathtaking Sunday morning,

raised from death to everlasting life … so that we could be, too.

A “Good Friday”!  What an understatement!  It is a Priceless Friday, promising a priceless Deliverance to all who turn away from their lawless deeds and cling, by faith, to the finished work of the resurrected Son of God!  No deed is good enough for anyone to earn it.  No sin is too great to exclude anyone from it.  His invitation is offered to us all:

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”                 (Matthew 11:28)

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.  (Romans 5:8-9)

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Something to Consider From Luke 13

“Behold, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, you will not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!’ ”  (Luke 13:35)

Have you ever talked to a Jew about the Lord Jesus Christ?  I have found them to be, by far, the easiest group of people to talk to about the Savior.  Of course, most of them do not believe that Jesus is their Messiah.  In fact, many of them are not religious at all.  Nevertheless, if you would like to have an interesting conversation, ask one of these blood-relatives of Abraham what it’s like to be one of “God’s chosen people.”  And then get ready to hear a surprising reply:

“You are Jewish?  That’s fantastic!  Your people have such a rich heritage!  And even better, you have a glorious future ahead of you!  What is it like to be one of God’s chosen people?”  (I have heard the following answer at least twice.)

“We wish He had chosen someone else.”

If you know anything about Jewish history, that answer will not surprise you.  The Satanic spirit behind anti-Semitism did not begin with Hitler’s death camps nor did it stop with his suicide.  It has been around since the days of Israel’s patriarchs:  Abraham, Isaac and Jacob … and it will continue throughout the future Jewish holocaust initiated by the coming antichrist.  Nevertheless, this answer throws the door wide open for the Gospel.

“Your history is filled mostly with suffering, isn’t it?”  Do you know why?”  (Most Jews do not know how to answer this question.)

Luke chapter 13 tells us why:

  • Despite Jesus’ warning to Israel, “Unless you repent, you will all perish” (vss. 1-5) …
  • Despite God’s longsuffering patience, waiting for the nation to bear the expected fruit of righteousness (vss. 6-9) …
  • Despite Jesus’ use of miracles to validate His claim to be Israel’s Messiah (miracles that were discredited by their religious leaders) (vss. 10-17) …
  • Despite His exposure (through parables) of their religious leaders’ evil influence over the nation:  birds nesting in the trees / leaven spreading in the pecks of flour) (vss. 18-21) …
  • Despite Jesus’ warning that “many” in Israel would reject Him as the only way (“the narrow door”) to enter the kingdom of God, an alarming statement since they assumed that, as Abraham’s descendants, they would automatically be admitted (vss. 22-28) …
  • Despite His cutting prediction that many despised Gentiles (“from east and west and from north and south”) would – by faith – enter the Kingdom instead of Israel’s “many” (vss. 29-30) …
  • Despite His stated resolve to die for the nation of Israel and for the nations of the world because of His love for them (vss. 31-33) …

Despite all of this, Israel later demand that Jesus – their long-awaited Messiah – be executed, then placed the responsibility of that rejection squarely upon themselves and all their descendants.

And all the people said, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!”  (Matt. 27:25)

As a result Jesus informed His beloved people that they would remain under God’s severe discipline until the day of His Return (the Second Coming of Christ).

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her!  How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!  Behold, your house is left to you desolate.  And I say to you, you will not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!’ ”  (Luke 13:34-35)

This is why the last 2,000 years of Jewish history has been saturated with suffering.  It is not because they are God’s chosen people.  (They were not “made victims” of persecution because they are in a covenant-relationship with Yahweh.)

It is because of their unbelief, an unbelief that is without excuse.

May Gentile believers be warned!  Lest we allow conceit to fill our hearts and an anti-Semitic spirit to invade our church foyers, we ourselves should keep this sobering passage in mind:

But if some of the branches (unbelieving racial Israel) were broken off, and you (believing Gentiles), being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.

You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.”  Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either.  (Romans 11:17-21)

God is not yet finished with racial Israel (through whose veins flow the blood of their patriarchs).  They still have a glorious future in the plan of God (Romans 11:25-31).  We should, therefore, beware.  It is one thing to disagree with certain political decisions made by the Israeli Knesset (Parliament).  It is quite another thing to yield one’s will to the spirit of anti-Semitism.  To do so is to give one’s mind and heart over to the lordship of Satan.  God forbid that we Gentiles should join this evil angel in his attempts to thwart God’s plan for Israel, still His chosen people.

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Something to Consider From Luke 12

“I (Jesus) say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will warn you whom to fear:  fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell.  Yes, I tell you, fear Him!”  (Luke 12:4-5)

During the summer of 1972, a friend of mine was a cast member with the outdoor drama, “THE LOST COLONY.”   Because his performances were in the evening, his days were free to enjoy one of his favorite sports – surfing.  The area around Nags Head, North Carolina, was known for its good surfing and had become a popular spot.  The rest of this story is recorded in his own words:

“One day, while I was out in the surf with another cast member, something caught my attention just under the water’s surface.  Looking over my left shoulder, I noticed – not two feet from me – the dark form of a huge hammerhead shark.

I could clearly see the features of this grotesque shark … its hideous, protruding eyes staring right at me.  An indescribable feeling of panic and fear gripped me.  I realized that I was totally at the mercy of this aggressive type of shark and could be dead in seconds.

As my friend and I frantically paddled toward shore, I wondered with each stroke if the next one would be my last.  When I reached the beach, I was physically shaking all over.  I remember looking down and seeing my knee caps quivering.

After settling down a bit, I noticed two other surfers about a hundred yards down the beach, sitting with their boards by their sides.  Walking toward them, I wanted to warn them of what I had just seen.

‘Hey!  There’s a huge hammerhead shark out there!’

I was absolutely shocked at their response:

‘You mean he’s still out there?’

They knew the shark had been out there!  They had watched me paddle out into the surf; and yet, they had not bothered to warn me of the danger!

I could have been killed!”

Yet, they had not bothered to warn me of the danger!

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Tell me.  What kind of person would do that … one who knows that you are in danger of losing your life but does not care enough to warn you?  What would you think of an individual who couldn’t care less if you live or die?

To remain silent when someone is in danger is the ultimate in hate language.  That fact carries over into our presentation of the Gospel.  We need to warn the lost that God is more than a God of grace.  He is also a God of justice.  When we address those whose eternal souls are in danger of eternal death, we need to tell them both sides of their situation, the good news of God’s pardon and the bad news of God’s condemnation:

  • “This is what you can expect to receive from God if you repent of your sins and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation (His pardon) …
  • … and this is what you can expect if you don’t (His execution of the death sentence you are under).”

“Now as for you, son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a message from My mouth and give them warning from Me.

“When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require from your hand.”

“But if you, on your part, warn a wicked man to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your life.”

“As I live,” declares the Lord GOD, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live!  Turn back, turn back from your evil ways!  Why then will you die, O house of Israel?”  (Ezekiel 33:7-9, 11)

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Something to Consider From Luke 4

And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.  And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him: … “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.  HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD” … And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”  And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”

And He said, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown.  But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”  And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff.  (Luke 4:16-19, 21-22, 25-34)

This response to Jesus, first hot then cold, took place in Jesus’ home village.  These Nazarenes went from “speaking well of Him and … (His) gracious words” to being “filled with rage,” all within about two minutes.  Obviously, Jesus had struck a nerve.

What is so interesting about this change from admiration to anger is that it did not take place when Jesus claimed to fulfill Messianic prophecy.  That apparently went right over their heads.  It was when Jesus pointed out that two of Israel’s most revered prophets ignored certain Jews who were in need of help in order to minister, instead, to Gentiles.  That is when they came unglued.

Most Jews rejected the idea that God cared about the Gentiles.  They believed He was only concerned about Israel.  As far as they were concerned, Gentiles were nothing but “dogs.”  This had been the attitude of the prophet Jonah toward the population of Nineveh; and this was the attitude within this synagogue.  How could God possibly love them, these pagan nations

  • that had enslaved His chosen people while in Egypt …
  • that had constantly oppressed them in the days of the Judges …
  • that had constantly attacked them in the days of the kings …
  • that had dragged them off, first into Assyrian captivity, then later into Babylonian captivity …
  • and that now occupied their land by the hated Roman military!

Somewhere along the way, Israel lost sight of the heart of Yahweh, a longing He revealed in His covenant with their father Abraham:

In you all the families of the earth will be blessed.  (Genesis 12:3)

Somewhere along the way, they had abandoned the calling God had placed on them, to be a missionary nation:

God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us … that Your way may be known on the earth, Your salvation among all nations.

Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You.

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy; for You will judge the peoples with uprightness and guide the nations on the earth.

Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You.

The earth has yielded its produce; God, our God, blesses us.  God blesses us, that all the ends of the earth may fear Him.  (Psalms 67:1-7)

We might call Psalm 67 Israel’s “Great Commission.”  It is their call to proclaim God’s salvation among “all the nations.”  But Nazareth had no love for “the nations on the earth.”  Few in Israel did.  Sometimes I wonder if the Church is any different.

Have you ever been in a conversation with a church member about Kim Jong-un (Supreme Leader of North Korea)?  If so, what was the general tone of that conversation?  Have we become nothing but a Church of Jonahs, wanting Nineveh (North Korea) to be destroyed; or do we want them to be saved?  Has patriotic zeal clouded the missionary heart of the New Testament Church?

Can you think of anyone you do not want God to save?  What exactly do we want for ISIS … or Al Qaeda … or Islamic terrorists … or Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad … or Russia’s president Vladimir Putin?  Do our churches have too much red, white and blue in them and not enough blood red?  Which kingdom occupies the heart of the Church?

Perhaps now might be a good time to pray that God would have mercy upon the eternal souls of your temporal country’s enemy.

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