Irvin Wasswa- Tylertown Campus Pastor LHBC
John 3:14-18
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
In the 1991 Track and Field World Championships held in Tokyo, Japan, an American by the name of Mike Powell from the United States made history. As a competitor in the Long Jump competition, not only did Powell have his eyes set on defeating his native foe Carl Lewis, he had his eyes set on defeating the 22 year old world record which was held by Bob Beamon of 29’2 feet. In his last attempt in the final, Powell took off and long jumped a whopping 29’4 feet, beating the world record. To this day, many of the world’s greatest athletes have tried to eclipse the mark, only to fall short each and every time. The world record held by Mike Powell for the longest jump still stands to this day.
The 29’4 distance is quite a distance for man to jump, wouldn’t you say? I know good and well that I am incapable of jumping that far even on my best day! However, there is a distance that is far greater for man than 29’4 feet- the distance between man and God. The Bible tells us that because of our sin ALL mankind falls short of God’s standard (Romans 3:23). Our sin separates us from God and has created this chasm between us and Him. Over centuries there have been many that have tried on their own to jump over the chasm to get to God by trying to be a good enough person, having belief in an idol or statue, or even attending religious services regularly. None of those strategies are good enough to help man get back to God again.
Though many have tried their own way back to God, there has only been One who made the jump. His name is Jesus Christ! The Bible said that Jesus came down from Heaven to Earth. He took on human flesh and lived 33 years yet did not sin. He did not live his life just for himself though. Jesus came and lived the life we couldn’t live and went to the cross, died and rose again. In doing so, He paid the penalty for our sin which was death, and made a way for man to have a relationship with God again. WOW! John 3:14 tells us that the Son of Man (Jesus Christ) had to be lifted up on the cross so that those who believe could have eternal life. Because of man’s sin, there was no way on their own they could get to God. However, Jesus living the perfect life we couldn’t, and going to the cross, built a bridge over the chasm between us and God making it possible to cross over and go to Him. Hallelujah!
The way we “make the jump” back into a relationship with God is by choosing to turn away from our sin and trust in what Jesus did. That is how we cross over the bridge that has been made for us. If you have never made a decision to follow Christ, my hope and prayer would be that you choose to believe in the name of Jesus. If you know Jesus as Lord and Savior, my hope is that today you would join me in rejoicing! Because God loved the whole world, He sent Jesus Christ to make a way for us to “make the jump” back to God again. In Christ we no longer stand condemned, we are His children. In Christ we are not lost anymore, we have been found. Praise be to Him!
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Dear Heavenly Father Lord, thank you for your love for mankind. Thank you that you demonstrated such a love in sending your Son to die on the cross for us to build a bridge back to Him. May I never take that for granted. Help me to cherish what you have done in my life and let the truth of the Gospel stir my affections for You more deeply, and lead me to a life of surrender, knowing You and making You known. In Jesus’ name, amen!
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
Romans 12:21
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.