February 20
Bible Reading: John 8:12-30
John 8:24, “I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”
According to Benjamin Franklin’s famous quote, the only two certitudes in this life are death and taxes. He was right. I just finished preparing my taxes, as I do every year. And, as you’ve noticed, old taxes never go away, they only birth new ones. He was right about death, too. Sadly, I’ve witnessed more than my share of that reality in my job as a hospice chaplain. The question with death is not if it will happen, but the state of our soul when it does.
Set before us is a clear and succinct statement of warning and remedy. The warning is to all since “all have sinned” (Romans 3:23). Sin demands and deserves punishment (Romans 6:23). God is holy and just. A day of judgment looms in which “the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 4:6). They will “suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might” (2 Thessalonians 1:9).
To die in one sins is to die and then stand before God with no remedy in hand. No defense or excuse will work to deflect His wrath. No amount of supposed self-righteousness will stay His fury. To die in one’s sins is to depart this life, troubled as it may be, to an existence of eternal woe. One can only imagine the pain and suffering of such a place, where there is eternal weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:42). There is a great chasm fixed between heaven and hell—there will be no future escape from pain or sorrow for the one who dies in his sins.
The “unless” at the beginning of our text offers the one remedy through with certain doom can be avoided. The remedy lies in a person and is bound up in our response to Him. John wrote his gospel to proclaim the truth that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:30). Seven recorded miracles testify to His deity.
It is in this One—the divine Son of God who died for sins—that a sure solution for sin is found (John 1:29). That He has done all that is needful to save us is without question. The resurrection was proof-positive that God had accepted His once-for-all payment for sins (Romans 1:4, 4:25; 1 Peter 3:18). Sin’s remedy is acquired only by grace through faith in Him (Ephesians 2:8-9; Acts 16:31)! “None else can could heal from our soul’s diseases!”
Life is short. Death is sure. Sin the cause. Christ the cure!
NO, NOT ONE!
There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus–
No, not one! no, not one!
None else could heal all our soul’s diseases–
No, not one! no, not one!
Refrain:
Jesus knows all about our struggles,
He will guide till the day is done;
There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus–
No, not one! no, not one!
No friend like Him is so high and holy–
No, not one! no, not one!
And yet no friend is so meek and lowly–
No, not one! no, not one! [Refrain]
There’s not an hour that He is not near us –
No, not one! no, not one!
No night so dark but His love can cheer us–
No, not one! no, not one! [Refrain]
Was e’er a gift like the Savior given?
No, not one! no, not one!
Will He refuse us a home in heaven?
No, not one! no, not one! [Refrain]
LookingtoJesus 