May 2, 2018 Wednesday

Genesis 3:22-24, John 3:16-18 Does God really care?

The Love of God expressed twice!

“22 ¶ And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live for ever." 23 So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:22-24 NIV)

“16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” (John 3:16-18 NV)

Death.  We talked about the gift of life but have you ever thought about the gift of death.  Yes the GIFT of death!

If after the fall we had continued to live forever that would be a horror movie of all time.  Growing weaker, more frail and devastated by disease would be a non-ending nightmare in a world filled with nursing homes and care facilities. God protects us from ourselves and from this nightmare by a guard to keep us from eating our way to hell on earth.

When our loved ones die we blame God and want them back.  Yet do we really want them to suffer again?  Do we want them to be with us at such a cost?  Through Jesus death becomes a gateway back through the sacrifice of Jesus for you.  Death is a doorway to true life itself.

YOU ARE A SINNER!  Does that amaze, astound, or even anger you?  GOOD!  For you must know you are sinners if you are to ever know you need forgiveness.

How does God respond to our fall and our sin?  The God who is absolutely Holy cannot accept sin so He must reject everything and everyone touched by sin.  WE ARE SINNERS!  WE DESERVE HELL!  God should reject and destroy us for destroying the goodness of His creation.

But God chose a more radical way.  God gave His only Son to die for you!  Knowing we were sinners God chose not to condemn us but to save us!!!

Save comes from the Greek word sozo which means to make safe, to deliver or protect, to heal or preserve, to save or make whole.  God in Jesus Christ offers to make you safe, to deliver and protect you (even from yourself), to heal and preserve you and to make you whole.  This is the fullness of what God wants to do for you and in you!

The deeper meaning of sozo is healing and making us whole.  There is similarity between cancer and sin, the destructive and deadly results of both.  Jesus came to heal us not only of the infection of sin, but the symptoms and disabilities of sin.  But sin is worse than cancer because EVERYONE will die of sin – it truly is not only the leading cause of death but the only cause of death!

God out of love chose forgiveness over condemnation, life over death, and hope over despair.  Why?  Because that is Who God is!  This is a God who cares and does something about it!  God loves you so much and proves that by offering “His only begotten son” Jesus as the sacrifice rather than Himself.  For most would die many times rather than have their child die!  GOD HAS SUCH A LOVE FOR YOU!!!

            TERRIBLE DAY!  The visit with my Sleep Apnea doctor wearied me and confused me.  Dr Barker seemed to radically change what she was saying before.  She also wants me to take another test and I will despite not wanting to.  Terrible pain and weariness and I spent the rest of the day in bed!  I am so tired and tired of being tired!