Neutrality is a term used to describe non-support to one side or another in a quarrel or war. Many countries will used the status of neutrality in a conflict or war between nations. Individuals will stay out of arguments between two people, not taking sides, if it doesn’t involve them. Being neutral in many cases is wise and may have its advantages, but being neutral in cases which are clearly between good and evil is not only unwise, but impossible for the Christian. The Word of God gives us understanding between right and wrong, good and evil, what God approves of and disapproves of, and what is a sin and not sin. There can be no neutrality in what God has already established in His Word as wrong and sinful. There can be no neutrality between good and evil.
Jesus in one of His many confrontations with the Pharisees, this time accusing Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Satan, said to them in Matthew chapter 12, “For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.” (Mt. 12:29) The demons were cast out by the power of God. The Kingdom of God had come entering into Satan’s domain where Jesus proclaimed and demonstrated His power over Satan. The demons under Satan’s control were cast out by Jesus. Scripture reveals the crowd’s reaction to Jesus’ healing of the demon-processed man, “The crowd was amazed and asked, ‘Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?’” (Mt. 12:23) The crowd had a choice to make. Do they side with the Pharisees who claimed Jesus cast out the demons with Satan’s help, or do they believe Jesus?
The same choice is presented to us today. Do we side with Satan or with Jesus? It might seem obvious that naturally we would side with Jesus. But do we really in all circumstances always side with Jesus? When we are under the watchful eye of our neighbors and co-workers, or when we fear of being excluded, do we side with the Lord, or do we make the choice most convenient or make no choice at all staying silent? The people in Jesus’ day had mounting pressure upon them by those in authority, especially the religious authority, to see it their way or be considered an outcast in society. Christians today have pressure and the stigma of rejection presented upon them if not adhering to the cultural changes in the world.
There were many who caved to the pressure of the Pharisees years ago, but there were also those who did not. May we be like those early followers of Jesus who sided with Him, taking a stand and proclaiming there is NO NEUTRALITY BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL.
“Then the high priest stood up before the others and asked Jesus, ‘Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?’ But Jesus was silent and made no reply.” Mark 14:60-61 NLT
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“Then the leading priests kept accusing him of many crimes, and Pilate asked him, ‘Aren’t you going to answer them? What about all these charges they are bringing against you?’” Mark 15:3-4 NLT
Jesus now deserted by His closest followers is led to Caiaphas’ house, the high priest, for His trial. Jesus’ trail is in two stages, a Jewish trial and a Roman trial. Each one comprised of three separate inquiries. In order to cover every segment of the two trials one needs to review all four gospels. Not one of the gospel writers compiled Jesus’ trials in totality, each gave more emphasis to certain portions of each stage. Here now, is Mark’s account of ‘Jesus on trial.’
“They took Jesus to the high priest’s home where the leading priests, the elders, and the teachers of religious law had gathered.” (Mk.14:53 nlt) All the ruling Jewish leaders were present. This ruling body made up the Sanhedrin who were the ones examining this case and the charges that would be brought against Jesus. They probably met at Caiaphas’ house and at night to ensure secrecy from the people. Their goal was to find evidence to be able to put Jesus to death. Many false witnesses were brought in to collaborate their testimonies to find two or three who agree. Two or three witnesses were needed according to Jewish law for conviction. The problem was, they couldn’t find any who agreed.
The high priest decided to push Jesus for an answer to the accusations He was hearing about Himself. Caiaphas didn’t understand Jesus’ silence through these allegations. Caiaphas finally asked Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” (Mk.14:60 nlt) But Jesus gave no answer. Caiaphas then push Him further by asking, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” (Mk.14:61b nlt) Jesus answered this time by saying, “I AM. And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Mk.14:62 nlt) The high priest torn his clothes at Jesus’ response. He considered the answer as blasphemous, dishonoring the name of God. Jesus claiming to be the Messiah and having the authority only belonging to God was enough for what they were looking for to condemn Jesus. “Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, ‘Why do we need other witnesses?’” (Mk.14:63 nlt) They declared Jesus guilty and deserving of death. They preceded to mock Him, spit on Him, and beat Him before sending Him on to Pilate.
Meanwhile, Peter is in the courtyard having followed the crowd to Caiaphas’ house. Standing by the fire in the chill of the night air he is noticed by a servant girl who confronted him saying this man has been with Jesus. Peter denied it. She began telling others, but again he denied it. Then a third time, “A little later some of the other bystanders confronted Peter and said, ‘You must be one of them, because you are a Galilean.’ Peter swore, ‘A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know this man you’re talking about!’” (Mk.14:70-71 nlt) Immediately, the rooster crowed and Peter remembered Jesus’ words telling him that ‘before the rooster crows you will deny me times.’ At this Peter went out and weep bitterly.
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The scene now shifts to the early morning hours where a second meeting of the Sanhedrin takes place to legitimize the trial and Jesus’ guilty verdict. It was illegal to hold a trial at night, so they sort of made it official in the morning light. They also had no authority from the Roman government to carry out capital punishment. Jesus had to be brought before Pilate. “Very early in the morning the leading priests, the elders, and the teachers of religious law—the entire high council—met to discuss their next step. They bound Jesus, led him away, and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor.” (Mk.15:1 nlt)
Pilate had only one concern as Jesus was brought to him by the Jewish rulers, was He asserting Himself to be king. Pilate asked Him, ‘“Are you the king of the Jews?’ Jesus replied, ‘You have said it.’” (Mk.15:2 nlt) The leading priests were continuing to throw accusations of many crimes committed by Jesus. It wasn’t uncommon for multiple charges to be made in a criminal case. Again as with Caiaphas, Pilate was confused why Jesus wouldn’t answer back against those charges. But Jesus didn’t utter a word.
During the Passover celebration it was Pilate’s custom to release a prisoner of the peoples choice. Pilate knew that the religious rulers brought Jesus to him out of envy. This was Pilate’s out, for he knew Jesus was innocent. But the leading priests stirred up the crowd to ask for Barabbas, an insurrectionist and a murderer. When Pilate then asked. ‘“Then what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?’ They shouted back, ‘Crucify him!’ ‘Why?’ Pilate demanded. ‘What crime has he committed?’ But the mob roared even louder, ‘Crucify him!’” (Mk.15:12-14 nlt) When Pilate saw he was getting nowhere; he appeased the crowd by releasing Barabbas, the murderer, and handing Jesus over to be crucified.
It is very much like our current day. Crowds can be stirred up to participate in the cruelest acts. Releasing the guilty and punishing the innocent. We live in a world that is corrupted by sin. Its influence is seen and felt every day. The world has a sin problem; we have a sin problem. As unjust as Jesus’ trials were, it was God’s plan of salvation for each one of us who believe in Jesus Christ. And Jesus accepted His Father’s will and remained silent letting the trial come to completion leading to cross where we pick it up next week……….
“who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” Titus 2:14 ESV
Have you ever stopped and thanked the Lord for keeping you from lawlessness? You may think to yourself, I’m not that bad. I would never do anything against the law. The ESV translation uses the word ‘lawlessness.’ However, the KJV uses the word ‘iniquity.’ The NIV translation uses ‘wickedness’ and the NLT uses ‘every kind of (plain old) sin.’ Again, you may say, that’s not me, and I would agree. For a child of God, if you truly know the Lord, that is not you, or me. But it very well could be if Christ hadn’t redeemed us by His sacrifice on the cross and purified us for Himself.
But we all need to be careful in saying, ‘I’m not that bad,’ remembering what Romans 3:23 says, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” (nlt) Falling short of God’s glorious standard is plain old sin and lawlessness in the eyes of God. There is no way to get around it. There are no big sins or little sins. All sin and lawlessness is the same with God. There may be different degrees, but it all falls short of God’s standard.
The penalty for sin and lawlessness is eternal death with Satan and his angels in hell separated from God. Accepting Christ as savior frees us not only from the lawlessness that we may participate in during our lives here on earth but frees us from the penalty of sin and lawlessness in eternity by accepting Christ as savior. So, have you thanked Him for keeping you from lawlessness, both in this life and in eternity? It’s something to think about.
It is always a good feeling when our homes are swept and in order. With the upcoming holidays, Thanksgiving in the United States and Christmas celebrated around the world, many of us spruce up our homes for expected company. Every spring around the Easter season we do the same calling it ‘spring cleaning.’ We clean out the dust from the long cold winter, let in the fresh air, and put everything in order.
Our spiritual lives work the same way. There are times when spring cleaning is in order. The sin in our life that has been hanging around filling our souls with the dirt of the world is starting to show its wear and tear on us. We make a commitment to the Lord, confessing our sin, sweeping the dirt out of our lives, and putting our lives on track to maintain a clean house. But once that sinful habit is gone, what have you replaced it with? Read what Jesus has to say:
“When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds that its former home is all swept and in order. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.” (Lk.11:24-26 nlt)
Just giving up a bad sinful habit is no guarantee it will not come back. If you haven’t filled your heart, mind, and soul with the things of God on a daily basis, it will come back as Jesus said and bring more sinful habits along with it. The first step is to confess those sinful habits, get rid of that sin, sweep your house and put it in order. Then fill your soul with God and His Word and the godly habits you will form will leave no room for those old habits to return.
True restoration is only realized when one is truly broken. Brokenness shows itself in various ways. The most common form of brokenness among all of us who breathe is in personal relationships. Here again, these show themselves through various means and circumstances. The longing for a relationship to be restored at times seems an impossibility, but when it occurs is a dream come true. Restorations do occur in accordance with God’s will and timing.
The nation Israel was restored to their land after seventy years of captivity in Babylon due to their gross sin against God. Although it was prophesized that they would return, it all seemed like a dream to them when it happened. They almost couldn’t believe it. Psalm 126 is a song of joy for the restoration of Israel to the land. The psalmist wrote that they were filled with laughter and sang for joy. The surrounding nations joined them in acknowledging the amazing things God had done for them. They asked the Lord to restore their fortunes by planting their seeds in tears, but they will rejoice in the harvest to come once again.
God is in the restoration business. No one is more broken than a sinner separated from God because of their sin. We were born with a sin nature, making us all broken and in need of restoration to God. With God being in the restoration business, He made it possible for each of us to be restored to Him through the blood of Christ on the cross of Calvary. There is nothing we could ever do to make things right with God. It is only through our acceptance of Christ as our savior. We can rejoice with the broken people of Isarel in their restoration to their land and our salvation through Christ’s sacrifice for us as we accept Him. A dream come true.
“They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, ‘All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!’” John 8:7 NLT
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The story of a woman caught in adultery recorded in John’s gospel is a very familiar one with Christians and non-Christians alike. It reveals the hypocrisy of certain religious leaders and those who assumed the role of being one up on everyone else on morality. The main point made by many is Jesus’s words, “let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Admittedly there is not one of us who is able to throw that first stone, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” (Rom.3:23 nlt) That lesson should be applied to every Christian in our daily walk in the world in which we live. But there is also another point that lies underneath the surface of the immediate that reveals the foundation for that exchange with Jesus.
The law in which the accusers wanted evoked would have been the Old Testament law of adultery. But certain facts of the case were not presented in their entirety as only one of the participants was presented. This didn’t seem to bother those who brought the woman for their own interpretation of God’s law. The fact is they weren’t as pious towards the carrying out the law as they were about trying to set up a trap for Jesus. They cared nothing about the law, but only the response from the one who came as a fulfillment of the law.
The religious leaders brought to Jesus a woman, minus the man, caught in the act of adultery. Their intent was to corner Jesus into deciding on whether or not to stone her according to the Law. Jesus essentially ignored them knowing of their deception. If He agreed to stone her, Jesus would be looked upon as having no forgiveness or compassion. If He did not comply with the Law it would appear Jesus was not who He said He was, the Son of God. They did not give up but kept on asking Him. They wanted Jesus to answer them either way to discredit Him. Jesus was interfering with their authority and their way of life.
There are those today who view Jesus as interfering with their authority and their lives. They demand an answer to the laws they perceive as right and just in their own eyes. They view the commands of God found in scripture as irrelevant today. They have gathered stones in their hands and are willing to throw the first stone, believing they have no sin. But tragically their aim is at God and His Word for interfering with their way of life. Be careful not to pick up stones.
“Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days. The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses. Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! Say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.’” Isaiah 35:1-2a, 4 NLT
There is an abundant need for restoration in our world today. Relationships in broken families need to be restored. Broken marriages need healing returning to health, strength, and stability. Incarcerated individuals need restoration while in prison and when released back into society. Those who have fallen into addiction of drugs, alcohol, pornography, or gambling are in dire need of restoration. Most governments around the globe have fallen far from the original intent of the law. Societal ills are the major cause of broken relationships, crime, addictions, and corrupt governments. And sin is the cause of all our societal ills including each of us who are estranged from God. But there is hope, hope for restoration.
The prophet Isaiah writes about a future day of restoration for the nation of Israel and the world during the Millennium period when Christ will rule on the earth. There will be no societal ills to worry about, no addictions, broken families, or corrupt governments. “Say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.’” (Is. 35:4 NLT) It is a comfort to know all will be restored in the future, but what about now you may say, where is my hope for restoration?
Our hope for restoration in the here and now begins with the forgiveness of sins as we confessed them to God. “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” (1 Jn. 1:9 NLT) Paul writes in 2 Corinthians, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (5:17 NLT) As a new person in Christ the Holy Spirit comes upon you to assist in your struggles within your family, your temptations, and your addictions. (1 Cor. 6:19)
God is in the business of restoration, so there is your hope for restoration. “Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days. The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses. Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy!” (Is. 35:1-2a NLT)
“I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.” Galatians 2:21 NLT
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Have you done your good deed for the day yet? Depending on when you are reading this, the beginning of your day or ending it or perhaps on your lunch break, there is still time to complete that good deed. When and if you do a good deed, does it count towards your entrance into heaven? How many good deeds you have stacked up at the gate so far? What’s the magic number you need for the gate to open? How do you know if your reached it? Do your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds? You hope they do. But you can never be sure. Trying to work your way into heaven is a fruitless effort. It will never be achieved no matter how hard you try. So, why don’t you quit trying to be good enough to become right with God, because you can’t, and count on Jesus’ righteousness through accepting Him for salvation.
The apostle Paul was telling the churches in Galatia that following the law would never make them right with God. If that where the case, then there was no reason for Jesus to die for our sins, seeing we could handle it ourselves through obeying the law and doing good deeds. The truth is there is nothing we can do to stand righteous before God. It is only through Jesus’ righteousness applied to us as we accept Him as our savior. That is why Jesus came. He needed to come to be the perfect sacrifice for sin which we could never be. Isaiah wrote, “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.” (Is.64:6 nlt) Even our good deeds are as filthy rags. They certainly won’t get us into heaven. They won’t make us right with God. But faith through grace will get us both right with God and into heaven.
Don’t give up doing good deeds. But know they are not what gets you into heaven. Accept Jesus Christ as your savior, having His righteousness applied to you, and your good deeds will be done in the name of Jesus showing others you are a child of God.
“Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.’” Exodus 14:13 NIV
Is there a sin in your life that you just can’t seem to get rid of? It keeps recurring as if you have never dealt with it before. Could it be that you don’t want to be free from it? As R. C. Sproul use to say, “We sin because it’s pleasurable.” But deep down it our souls, if we are honest with ourselves and truly love God, we know that God hates sin and it is not exactly pleasurable with Him. So we need to get rid of it and the sooner the better.
The children of Israel were in slavery for four hundred years by the Egyptians. They were forced to comply with all the demands made on them. Physical hard work to the point of torture in satisfying their task masters was the bulk of the demands. Israel longed to be freed from the never ending struggle of the helplessness they felt in being enslaved by the Egyptians. The Lord did not forget about His children in Egypt and miraculously delivered them as recorded in the Old Testament book of Exodus. As they were on their way to the Promised Land, once again they were being pursued by the subjects of their past struggles, the Egyptians have returned.
Similar to Israel being chased by their slave masters and now backed into a corner, or the Red Sea as we know it, Christians at times find themselves in the same place. Recurring sin is as if we never left the bondage of sin we were in before coming to know the Lord. The truth is, we have a sin nature and will continue to sin until we have our glorified bodies in eternity. But to allow the recurring sin to have its hold on us by not letting go completely is giving the green light for all kinds of temptation to creep in and take us captive once again. Give it to the Lord and He will make a path for you and see you through to the other side with your sins buried in the deepest sea. It’s time to get rid of it.
“Jerusalem, once so full of people, is now deserted. She who was once great among the nations now sits alone like a widow. Once the queen of all the earth, she is now a slave.” Lamentations 1:1 NLT
Repeated warnings that are not observed will end in disaster. In fact, failure to obey any warning could result in some type of misfortune. However, failing to heed multiple warnings you’re heard many times will lead you down a path in which there is no return. If you are able to return, life may never be the same. That is why we have warning signs and guardrails in life to keep us safe by obeying those‘ danger ahead’ signs.
The Bible is not just a rule book with an endless list of do’s and don’ts. It is God’s Word communicated to us. Within its pages are examples on how to live and how not to live; what pleases God and what displeases Him, the punishment for sin and the forgiveness of sin, the repentant sinner and the unrepentant sinner. The Bible may also be referred to as God’s love story to us. His wonderful plan of salvation for all who believe in Christ is what His story is all about, but the Bible also gives it to us straight concerning our unrepentant sin ignoring His warning signs and going our own way.
The people of Judah found out the hard way what happens when you ignore repeated warnings from the Lord. Over the centuries warnings were issued to the Jewish people, some in which the people repented but they always went back to their old ways. A point was reached in their continual sin that no words of warnings from prophets the Lord sent were ever acknowledged. They reached a point of no return. The Lord had the city of Jerusalem destroyed and the people taken captive to Babylon. The prophet Jeremiah witnessed all this in real time and lamented over their sin and the destruction of Jerusalem.
The Lord is gracious and full of mercy. He will give us warning signs on what to avoid in this life and how we should live. The Lord gives plenty of opportunities to repent and turn back to Him, but there will a point where continual defiance and being disobedient will result in severe consequences and sorrow of unrepented sin to bring us back to Him. When you begin to see repeated warning signs, it’s time to pay attention before you go over the cliff.
Word for the Soul 