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People need hope more than ever. As followers of Jesus, we have this promise in Colossians 1:27.....CLICK HERE

Thursday-Unique

For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.

 

1 Peter 3:17,18

 

I’m not a betting man. Never have been, never will be. I don’t play the lottery or buy those scratch-off cards at local convenience stores. I don’t play cards for money. I don’t use my phone to bet on college or professional sports. Yes, I’ll buy a ticket from a local charity to raise money for something, but that’s about it.

 

This clearly makes me unique. Or different. Or even odd. Strange is another word that people use to describe me. I clearly know that I’m going against the flood of popular opinions about gambling that’s overrunning our country and the world. The latest estimates are that online gambling will grow to about $153 Billion dollars by 2030[1].

 

The reasons I don’t bet goes back to my roots. Both parents came from poor families, and they had lots of trouble just making ends meet. But the other thing that really closed the door on gambling for me was that I had an uncle that was part of the gambling scene in Baltimore. And after a car fell on his face because of his gambling activities, I got the hint that gambling wasn’t something I wanted to be a part of.

 

And whether or not you gamble on the lottery or sports, we’re all gamblers at heart. Yes, even though I might not gamble for money, I’m betting my life and future on things that I cannot prove. Think about it for a minute. So much of our life and the things we believe can’t be verified one way or the other.

 

I’m sure that you have some very strong feelings about the direction of the country. About our leaders and the government as a whole. And while there are pieces of information all around us, there is no absolute proof that your feelings and beliefs are absolutely true.

 

When it comes to faith and religions, it’s the same thing. There are so many different feelings and convictions. Some are just a little bit different. Others are just so wildly unique that it makes our heads spin.

 

This is exactly where the Apostle Peter takes his readers back to the first century. And while he can’t control who read this letter, he knows that the world of religions is basically separated into two very different sides. There’s the one side that has every kind of religion and faith except for one. And there’s that lonely one on the other side where Christianity sits all by itself. Christianity just goes in a totally different direction than any other religion.

 

All other faiths say that we have to keep paying the price for our sins. We start out having to make payment for all the sins of our past. Then we get on that hamster treadmill of having to keep on paying for the sins that we’re committing today. But it’s actually worse because there’s very little assurance that we made the payment in the right way. Did we say the right words? Did we do the right things? We’re we really sorry or just trying to make ourselves feel less guilty.

 

Please take a minute to see what Peter’s telling his readers and us about Jesus. His suffering was a one-time payment for all sin. Period. It happened in the past and he’ll never suffer again. And since our total sin debt has been paid, no more payment is needed.

 

Think about the wonderful freedom that gives people just like you and me. Instead of being worried about our sin haunting us all our lives, we can have total assurance of complete forgiveness. Instead of worrying about our sins and punishment, we can know without a doubt that we have eternal life.

 

My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God’s Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life

 

1 John 5:13 MSG

 

I’ve had the incredible privilege of praying with people who were at the end of their lives. And as they laid on their deathbeds, I prayed that they would know that they had eternal life because of who Jesus is and all he’s done. You cannot imagine how reassuring this was to them and their families.

 

Even though our world says that there’s nothing beyond this life, they have no answers for the fear that overwhelms them as they come to the end of their lives. They have no answers for their guilt, shame, and regret. They have no power to walk through the valley of the shadow of death[2]

 

Without a doubt, Jesus is unique. No one else claims to be totally God and totally man all at the same time. If you look at all the religions in the world, no one else claims a one-time sacrifice for all sin. So, the question is what’s our response to his unique claims. He’s calling us to come to him and receive full and free forgiveness for all our sins. And our response is to receive him as the Lord of our lives, responding through loving obedience to who he is and all he’s done.

 

Noodling Questions

 

  • List three things that are unique about you. Explain each.

  • Explain how Jesus’ sacrifice is unique in all the world.

  • How does Jesus’ uniqueness influence your life? Describe.


[2] Psalm 23:4

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