Followers of Jesus

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.” John 6:35-36 ESV

The things of this world are not to be what we seek after. They are not to be our gods, what we worship and bow down to. God – Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit – is to be our only God. He is to be the One we long for, who we desire above all else – the one we look to to satisfy the longings of our hearts.

But, many people, even though they know this, and even though they have professed faith in Jesus Christ, perhaps for many years, are still hungering and thirsting for what will satisfy their fleshly lusts. And, so they are going after what will give them pleasure, in a worldly sense, rather than trusting Jesus Christ with their lives, to have him satisfy all their needs.

“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” John 6:37-40 ESV

When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, to be Lord and Savior of our lives, this faith has a definite beginning point, but that is not the end all. For, we come to faith in Jesus Christ, but then it is whoever is coming to Him who will not be cast out. It has to do with present tense, and it has to do with continuous action that persists, that perseveres, and which endures to the end of time.

And, this is consistent all throughout the New Testament. It is not the one who makes a profession of faith in Jesus Christ who has the promise of eternal life with God, but it is those who are coming to him, who are walking according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh (Rom. 8:1-17).

The righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled, not in those who make a profession of faith, but who walk (in lifestyle) in agreement with the Spirit of God and not according to our flesh. It is those who walk in the light, as Jesus is in the light, who have fellowship with God, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses them from every sin (Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

It is those who make righteousness their practice and not those who make a practice of sin, who have eternal life with God. For, Jesus died that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness (Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Gal. 5:16-21; 1 Pet. 2:24; Eph. 4:17-24).

For to look on the Son is not superficial, and it is not a one-time event, either, for the word “look” is present and active tense, not past tense. And, it is the same with “believes,” it is “believing,” and it is present and active, not past tense. We don’t just come to faith in Jesus Christ, and that is all done, but we keep coming, and we keep believing on Him.

And, believing in him is not some emotional thing we do, either. For, belief is divinely persuaded and God-given, and if so, then it submits to Christ as Lord. It leaves lifestyles of sin in the dust, and it walks with Christ in holiness and righteousness in the power of God within us.

Jesus said: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.” John 6:51-57 ESV

To eat is to partake of, or to participate in something. Jesus’ flesh and his blood were symbols of his death on a cross and of his blood that was shed for the remission of sins. In his death he put sin to death, on our behalf, in order that we might die with him to sin and live with him to righteousness. So, to drink of his blood and to eat of his flesh is to participate with him in his death to sin and in his resurrection in which he rose victorious over sin.

If we do not die with him to sin, and live with him to him, and to his righteousness, and if we choose to keep walking (in practice) according to our sinful flesh, and not according to the Spirit of God, then we don’t have the life of God within us. And, we are not filled with the Spirit of God.

And, again, our salvation from sin, and our relationship with Jesus Christ, has a definite beginning, so we have to have eaten of his flesh and we have to have drunk of his blood, but we also must be eating and drinking of him if we want to have eternal life with God (vv. 53-54). We have to daily be dying with Christ to sin and living with him to his righteousness (Lu. 9:23-25).

What is Being Taught

Yet, many people today are not teaching this. They are teaching a one-time event in which one professes faith in Jesus Christ which then assures them eternal life with God regardless of how they choose to live their lives from that point forward.

Not only that, but many are teaching that you don’t have to repent of your sins, you don’t have to obey Christ’s commandments, and that you don’t have to surrender your life to Christ but that heaven is still guaranteed you based on a profession of faith in Christ. But, that is a lie from hell!

And, so there are people who think they are saved from their sins and bound for heaven who are still lost in their sins and headed for hell, because they believed the lie that says sin can still be what they practice, and that heaven is still guaranteed them. So, we need to be those who are exposing this lie, and who are telling people the truth, for many are being deceived.

And, then there are those who know better, and who even espouse the true gospel, but by their practices, which they try to keep hidden, they reveal that they truly are putting their trust in the cheap grace, not in God’s grace.

For, His grace instructs us to say “No!” to ungodliness and fleshly lusts and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s return (Tit. 2:11-14). So, theirs is a false-righteousness, not based on legalism, but on a desire to appear righteous while they sin in secret.

True Faith

But, true faith in Jesus Christ submits to Jesus Christ as Lord. True faith in Jesus desires him, and wants to follow him in obedience. A true follower of Jesus will want to hear what Jesus has to say, and he or she will follow Jesus in obedience to his will and to his ways.

It doesn’t mean they will live in sinless perfection, but that sin will no longer be what masters them. Christ is now their Lord, and they want to please him. For, they are very thankful that he set them free from their bondage to sin and that he has given them a new purpose for living, which is to do his will.

If they do sin, they repent of the sin. Daily they are putting sin to death, by the Spirit, and they are living to God and to his righteousness. Sin is no longer what they practice, but they are now followers of Christ. And, daily they are enjoying sweet fellowship with him.

You Loved Me

An Original Work / December 3, 2019

A song based off the poem by the same name

When I was lonely and afflicted,

You were there to pick me up.

You took me in Your arms,

And You held me tenderly.

Your love embraced me.

Your grace sustained me.

When my heart cried out to You

In my fear and my despair,

You never turned away,

But You let me know You loved me.

Your grace forgave me.

You did not shame me.

Then, when I answered the call,

“Here, Lord, send me.”

You sent me to where I must be.

Your mercy held me, did not fail me.

All this, You had planned, to use me.

And, when all trials and scorn

Came to test me.

You gave me all that I would need.

You strengthened me so I’d not fail You.

Your kindness blessed me, it touched me.

And, when I needed the church

To lift up me,

To hearten me so I’d not fail,

You blessed me with folks who would love me.

Their presence with me, Your praise hailed!

And, when I walked through the valley

Of the shadow of the death,

And tears overflowed from my eyes,

You cared for me.

Your touch, it healed me.

For I believed You.

When now I think about the ways,

Of the many, many ways

That You in Your great love

Showed You cared for me,

You blessed me,

My heart, it thanks You,

And gladness fills me, fills me.

*Song not yet recorded with vocals.