You Must Say "Yes" to Jesus

And the Word was God

John 1:1-5 NIV

 

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

 

As we read further on down in John, chapter 1, we see where John, the author of the book of John, as inspired by the Holy Spirit, declared Jesus to be the one of whom he was speaking as being from the beginning, being with God, and being God. Jesus Christ is the Word being spoken of here. He is our creator God through whom all things were made.

 

Jesus is the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When he walked the face of this earth, he was fully God and fully man. He is the light of the world. He is truth and righteousness, holiness, and godliness. Through him and through his death on the cross we have salvation from sin and eternal life with God, by God-given faith in him.

 

He is the author of life. Not only did he give us physical life on this earth, but he is the one to give us spiritual life in him, new life in Christ to be lived for the glory of God, free from the control of sin, and free to become slaves of God and of his righteousness. For Jesus died that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness.

 

The darkness is representative of sin and wickedness which is opposed to the light of God and to his righteousness. But the love and grace of Jesus Christ shine right into that darkness and they expose the wicked deeds of the flesh, and they confront people in their sins, and they call them to repentance and to obedient faith in Jesus Christ.

 

His Own did not Receive Him

John 1:9-13 NIV

 

“The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God."

 

When this speaks here of receiving Jesus Christ, this is not talking about saying some scripted words after someone else who tells you that this is the way to “receive Christ.” This is not about praying a prayer one time in your life to “receive Christ” after which you are congratulated that you are now part of God’s family, that heaven is your eternal destiny, and that no one can ever take that away from you, no matter how you live your life.

 

To receive Jesus is to accept him, to agree with him, to say “Yes” to him and to all that he is and to what he did for us and to all that he requires of us in thought, word, and deed. It is not words we say with our lips. It is not even a mere acknowledgment of who he is and to what he has done for us, nor is it merely a public confession of him as “Lord” with our lips.

 

For, if we say “Yes” to Jesus Christ and to his salvation, we are saying “Yes” to dying with him to sin and to denying self and to doing this daily, as a matter of life course, not just once. And it is saying “Yes” to walking in obedience to him and to his commands (New Covenant), to doing what he says to do, and to not doing what he says not to do (Lu 9:23-26).

 

But the popular “gospel” message of today does not teach that. They reduce faith in Jesus to some mere acknowledgement of him and of what he did for us, or some words repeated after someone else, or an accepting of his love, grace, and forgiveness, but with the understanding that nothing is required of us – no repentance, no obedience, and no surrender of our lives to Christ.

 

Even if they do teach repentance, some lower that to mean only a change of mind to believe in Jesus but having nothing to do with forsaking our lives of sin to follow Jesus and his commands. And even if they do teach that it is turning from sin and obeying the Lord, many do not teach that this must be ongoing, that this must continue until we die or Jesus comes back for us.

 

Many are teaching that “receiving Christ” is a one-time decision which secures you heaven for eternity regardless of whether or not you commit your lives to him or you walk in obedience to his commands, for they separate the “salvation experience” from the “walk of faith,” but they are one and the same. Discipleship is NOT optional!

 

So, many people are professing faith in Jesus Christ, convinced that their sins are forgiven and that heaven is their eternal destiny. But many are also not walking in fellowship with the Lord Jesus, they are not forsaking their sins, they are not obeying the Lord’s commands, and they are not submitting to Christ as Lord, because they believe they don’t have to.

 

So, if you want to be a true child of God, born of God, by God’s grace, through God-given faith in him, you must say “Yes” to Jesus and to his plan and to his will for your life. You must say “Yes” to daily dying with him to sin and to daily denying self. And you must say “Yes” to walking in obedience to his commands, by his Spirit, in His power and strength.

 

For, if you resist him, and you choose to go your own way, and if you think that you can ignore his commands and continue in sinful addiction, please know what the Scriptures teach. They teach you will die in your sins. They teach you will not inherit eternal life with God if sin is what you practice and if righteousness is not what you practice, so get your heart right with God today while you still have today, for none of us are guaranteed tomorrow.

 

[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:9-10, 19-20; 2 Co 5:10, 15; Tit 2:11-14; Jas 1:22-25; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Matt 7:21-23; Heb 10:26-27; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Rom 12:1-2; Eph 2:8-10]

 

The Prayer

 

Written by David Foster, Carole Bayer Sager,

Alberto Testa and Tony Renis

 

I pray you'll be our eyes

And watch us where we go

And help us to be wise

In times when we don't know

 

Let this be our prayer

When we lose our way

Lead us to a place

Guide us with your grace

To a place where we'll be safe.

 

I pray we'll find your light

And hold it in our hearts

When the stars go out each night

Remind us where you are.

 

Let this be our prayer

When shadows fill our day

Lead us to a place

Guide us with your grace

To a place where we'll be safe.