GAINING BY LOSING

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. But remember that they will have to face God, who stands ready to judge everyone, both the living and the dead. That is why the Good News was preached to those who are now dead—so although they were destined to die like all people, they now live forever with God in the Spirit.

1 Peter 4:4-6

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

When a person chooses to believe in Jesus as Savior and truly commits themselves to change their living to model His ways, things change in radical fashion. As we examined in yesterday’s message, there is a required sacrificing of prior sinful behavior, a turning from “the evil things that godless people enjoy” (1 Peter 4:3). Some of these “things” included “immorality and lust” along with the “worship of idols” and “drunkenness” at “wild parties”.

Many times, newly minted Christians have to leave behind friends they used to hand out with because they can no longer be in the midst of the “godless” actions those friends engage in, actions labeled as “wild and destructive” in verse 4 of today’s passage from 1 Peter, chapter 4. More often than not, there is a backlash because Satan doesn’t like it when people choose to turn away from what he wants to do what Jesus desires.

And so, it should come as no surprise that those opting to continue in transgressive behavior would decide to slander their former friend who stopped hanging out with them to hang out with Christ. This proves what we so often see in human behavior for immersion in iniquity will always beget further iniquity when someone is living outside the Lord.

So what is a Christian believer to do when they suddenly find themselves smeared and defamed by people who used to treat them well before?

I believe they need to always remember that they are actually gaining by losing.

The scriptures affirm this as we go back to our verses for today. Look at verses 5 and 6 again here:

But remember that they will have to face God, who stands ready to judge everyone, both the living and the dead. That is why the Good News was preached to those who are now dead—so although they were destined to die like all people, they now live forever with God in the Spirit.

Here, we are reminded of the truth that all people, dead and alive, will face the judgment of God. This is a judgment that only has one of two outcomes: Hell or Heaven.

Those who reject Jesus and insist in continuing to live in the evil ways of the godless will find themselves sentenced to an eternity of damnation and torment. Conversely, those who give up their lives of sin to become a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) will receive the following:

1. The immediate indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13).

2. The honor of being seen by God as His child (Romans 8:14-15).

3. The inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven, a co-heir to that Kingdom with Christ Jesus (Romans 8:17). This is the eternal life promise found in the very words of Jesus in John 3:16, the promise that guarantees this as the saved believer abides with their Creator God forever:

Then I saw a new Heaven and a new earth, for the old Heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among His people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” Revelation 21:1-5

Friends, I don’t know about you but there is nothing this world offers that might appeal to my sinful desires that would lead me to turn from the everlasting glory that awaits me simply by believing in Jesus and committing myself to a better way of living, a way defined by righteousness and holiness, a way that sets me apart from the evil acts of godless people.

When we choose Christ, we might lose the world and the favor of those who choose to remain embedded in it but we gain far more than we surrender to include a sure hope of being made new in Heaven with the privilege to live with God and His Son Jesus forever.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.