IN THE WORD DAILY
with Brother Rick
Luke 7: 20 -22
When the men were come unto him, they said,
John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? Or
look we for another?
V- 21 And in that same hour
he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto
many that were blind he gave sight.
V- 22 Then Jesus answering
said unto them, Go your way, and tell John, what things ye have seen and heard;
how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear,
the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.
In this text, we find John
the Baptist in the prison. Herod had shut him up in the prison for preaching
the truth. John was a man of conviction. He stood by his beliefs. He was not
tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. He was a man who believed God's
words and would not be moved. He was not like our president, who claims to be
Christian, loves the prayers of Islam, sympathizes with the sodomites, denies
the precepts of the Bible and despises hard working people who want to get
ahead a make a buck. That clown is mixed up as a termite in a yo-yo. That's
right, I said it and I ain't taking it back. I saw a bumper sticker the other
day, and this girl had all the bases covered. On the back of her car, she had
an Ichthys (Jesus fish), and zombie skull, an Obama sticker, and a coexist
sticker. She had no idea what she believed. What do you really believe? 2
Timothy 1: 12 says, “For the which cause I also suffer these things:
nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am
persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against
that day.” Paul was also one of those men who stood firm on his
convictions.
Our text reveals the fruit of
true Christianity. What do you believe? Your actions will tell on you? Jesus
told the disciples of John, “Go tell John what you have seen and heard. Go tell
John about the people who follow Jesus. The followers of Jesus love one
another. Jesus says in John 13: 35, “By this shall all men know that ye
are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” The followers of
Jesus are not walking in darkness, the blind can see, the deaf can hear, the
lame can walk. There is evidence of what you believe. There is evidence of who
you follow. Let's be real for a minute. If you follow Islam, you hate the
infidel, that is anyone who denies the teachings of Muhammad. You can't have it
both ways. You can't trust Jesus and Allah. Let the heretics say what they
want, the fruit of Islam is war and hate. You know an Islamist when you see and
hear them. If you follow religion, you count on the church to get you to
heaven. Your works keep you in fellowship with God. Your money will buy your
blessings in heaven. Your status will carry you into the presence of God, but
it will not. There is evidence when you trust religion.
Jesus told the disciples of
John, “Go and tell John what things ye have seen and heard.” Go tell John that
the town harlot is now singing in the choir down at the local church. Go tell John
that the ex-con is teaching down at the nursing home telling people about
Jesus. Go tell John that those who used to chase drugs and stay drunk are now
serving Jesus and leading the lost to Christ. Go tell John that the one time
pervert who used to look at porn, is now reading his Bible. Go tell John that
the man who used to shoplift for a living is now an usher down at the house of
God. Friend, there will be evidence of who you follow.
Do those around you know that
you are a follower of Jesus? Have they ever heard you mention his name? You
should not have to tell others that you are Christian. They should see it in
your walk, they should hear it in your talk. They should know that you are
different. One of my favorite stories in the Bible is in Acts, chapter 4. Peter
and John were preaching in the streets and the religious crowd captured them
and took them before the high priest. Acts 4: 13 says, “Now when they saw
the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and
ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.”
Here's the question of the day. Have you
been with Jesus?
