What Will You Do With Jesus?
The Question:
What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?
Matthew 27:22.
This is the central question in everyone’s life. No human can avoid Jesus in this life or the next. We even count time by Him. The date is on every coin in your pocket, the newspaper you read, the receipt for the food you buy, your birth certificate and, if you die this year, 2011 will be on your death certificate and your gravestone because we reckon it has been 2,011 years since the Lord Jesus came to save us. You can’t escape Jesus and how you choose to respond to Him will determine where you spend eternity. He’s the only one who can make us fit for heaven. Without Him we’re all bound for hell.
The Wrong Responses:
Pontius Pilate’s wife said, Have thou nothing to do with that just man (Matthew 27:19). This is a common response. Pilate attempted to absolve himself from guilt by washing his hands, but it didn’t make him innocent. Jesus said to Peter, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me (John 13:8). Jesus is the only one with the authority to forgive sin so we must meet with Him for that.
Herod saw Jesus…and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him (Luke 23:8). People often say that if they see God do some miracle they will believe. Jesus never performed for people in that way, in fact He had some harsh words to say to those who demanded that from Him: A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah. And he left them, and departed (Matthew 16:4). He will leave and depart from us if we seek Him by this method also. Jesus has already given you all the signs He’s going to give. You must come to Him on His terms with humility or you can’t come to Him at all.
The Right Response:
Jesus was crucified for our sins. There were two other men crucified with Him. One was unrepentant and taunted Jesus. Jesus gave no reply to this man. The other man said, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom (Luke 23:42). Jesus assured this man that he would be in heaven that same day. Why? He wasn’t baptized, he didn’t attend church and he was, by his own admission, only receiving the just punishment for his crimes. Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly (Proverbs 3:34).
How To Get Saved:
The repentant thief acknowledged his guilt when he said, we receive the due reward of our deeds. He knew his own death wasn’t going to make him right with God.
He acknowledged that Jesus was without sin and so was acceptable to God as a substitutionary sacrifice when he said, this man hath done nothing amiss.
He acknowledged Jesus as Lord: realizing that Jesus was the Saviour, he called on Him to save him. He asked Jesus to do for him what he could not do for himself and trusted that Jesus was able to do what He promised. Jesus responded immediately, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43).
The man was still a sinner with no opportunity to make any amends for what he had done but he had been saved by grace through faith in Jesus alone to rescue him from sin and hell. He didn’t save himself, it was a gift of God. He trusted Jesus to do all that was necessary to save him. When you belong to Christ you can go anywhere Christ goes. Every room in the palace is open to you when you are a guest of the King’s Son.
Your response:
The unrepentant thief went to hell because he didn’t call out to Jesus to save him. Jesus could have saved him: He died for his sins too. God said, When I see the blood, I will pass over you (Exodus 12:13). Are you covered by the blood of Jesus? It’s the only way to aviod condemnation. Do you believe in Jesus or are you trusting in your own goodness? Is your faith in Him or in the things you do? Is it possible to save yourself or is He alone the Saviour? He’s already paid for all your sins. Have you accepted His payment on your behalf?
What will you do with Jesus? Neutral you cannot be:
Someday your heart will be asking, “What will He do with me?”
