Neutral Ground?

 "Jesus.....asked His disciples, 'Who do men say I am?' 'Well,' they replied, 'some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.' Then He asked them, 'Who do you say I am?' Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.' " Matthew 16:13-16...."What are you doing with Jesus right now? There is no neutral ground." Vance Havner

In the history of the world, there is no more controversial figure than Jesus Christ. Millions have recognized and received Him as Lord and Savior. Millions more have rejected Him, blasphemed Him, despised Him, hated Him. Examine the names of Buddha, Mohammed, or the myriad of Hindu gods. None of their names brings the response that His name does. When men curse, whose name do they overwhelmingly use? Isn't it the name of Jesus Christ? Those other names can be rejected, ignored, or accepted, but they do not, and have never brought the white hot response that the name of Jesus Christ does. White hot with love.....or white hot with hate. As Havner says, there can be no neutral ground with Jesus Christ. When He confronts us with His claim that there is "no way to to the Father but through Me," it is impossible to be neutral. That claim, through the centuries, has either been embraced in love, or rejected, very often violently rejected. Humankind does not like being told there is no other way to the living God but through His only Son, Jesus Christ. A Son who is Himself, fully God, and fully man. We like to think that we can make our own way. We have never responded well to being told that we can't. The proof of that is seen in the cross. Sin put Him there, Our sin, yours and mine.

Only Christ and His Kingdom strike terror into the heart of hell, into the heart of the enemy. Satan doesn't care one bit what and who it is we believe in.....as long as it is not in Jesus Christ. Scripture says that "There is no other Name under heaven by which we must be saved." His name, the name of Jesus, shakes the very foundation of hell. The Word says that in the end, "every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." As Havner says, there can be no neutral ground with Jesus Christ. So.....what are you and I doing with Him right now? Are you trying to maintain neutrality? You can't.

The first matter surely aims at His claims to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life, that there is salvation in no other. As He stands before you, what do you do with that? You can reject Him, mock Him, laugh at Him, run from Him, but the day will come when you will be called to account on those claims. Be assured, there will be no neutral ground then, just as there is none now. The difference is that on this side of eternity, there is still time for us. On that side, all time for us will have run out.

Yet accepting and believing on His name does not dismiss us from the responsibility of having to choose what we do with Jesus each and every day. What are we doing with Him in our marriages, our parenting, our relationships, our serving of Him? What are we doing with Him in His call to our living holy lives, lives set apart for Him? What are we doing with Jesus in the matter of our character, our integrity, and the secret desires of our hearts? Jesus' claims aren't limited to that of being Savior, but also of being Lord. Our only Lord. His claim of Lordship covers every aspect of our lives. We may not have a problem with receiving Him as our Savior, but we can strongly resist, even resent His claims of Lordship over our lives. He doesn't give us the option of receiving Him on our terms. He tells us who He is and what He commands. We can accept, or reject. Which are we doing right now?

The world and the enemy who works through it have been trying to deny the claims and reality of Christ from the very beginning. The empty tomb, His resurrection, the reality of His life and ministry have all been attacked and denied. We still see countless TV series and documentaries seeking to disprove His claims, denying that He wasn't, isn't, who He says He is. So we come to the question He had for His disciples. We may know who others say He is, but His piercing question for us is, who do we say He is? Who do you say He is? What are you doing with Him today, right now? There is no neutral ground.

Blessings,

Pastor O