We Fell, He Rose
He had everyone in the room riveted to their seats as he began to speak about the fall. The white board was on center stage and he would periodical walk over to it, draw a picture or spell a word on it. Each one had a powerful meaning to it.
Pastor Nelson started out by drawing a circle in the upper left hand corner of the white board. The circle represented the universe and within the universe was the home in which the story of sin and redemption had its beginning. “And the Lord commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat for it you will certainly die’” (Gen. 2: 16-17).
It wasn’t the fruit that was bad and it wasn’t the act of eating the fruit that introduced sin. It was the act of choosing disobedience, in breaking the one and only rule given to them. Yes, we have always had a choice. Choosing to be disobedient is what brought and brings separation between them, us, me and the Father.
First, sadness filled the heart of the Father on the day our disobedience caused us to fall, but He (God) had a solution to change our demise from turmoil and joy.
The second thing to happen on that day; a new kind of thirst came down to envelope the inhabitants of this land called Earth. An insatiable thirst and from that point on no one, no person, nothing on earth would be able to quench it. This was the beginning of our downward descent to death and hell.
The rich man sees and walks by Lazarus on a daily basis and turns his face, so as not to have to acknowledge the other man’s presence, until one night he finds himself in a hot place. Even then he still avoids looking directly at Lazarus. He stands pointing at Lazarus while speaking to Abraham, saying, “Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire” (Luke 16:24), can only mean one thing. The rich man was no longer on earth in his lavish home, he could only be looking at Abraham and Lazarus – who were in heaven and he the rich man – was in hell. This was the result of the descent from the relationships given to us in the Garden of Eden to our present day actions of disobedience.
The rich man asked Abraham, “’Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’” (Luke 16: 27-29).
He gave His son that we would have a chance for absolution and once again, ascension to heaven, would be possible for those who choose to follow Him. Yes, choose. He gave us free will, to choose who and what we want to believe. We can choose to accept and believe in the Son (Jesus Christ), which joyfully leads to heaven or we can choose to continue on our downward spiral, which sadly leads to hell.
Jesus spoke to a woman at a well asking her to draw some water for him. She was a Samaritan woman and at that time, Jews and Samaritans (Gentiles) did not associate with each other. Jesus introduced a new way to quench our unquenchable thirst. “Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life. The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” (John 4: 13-15).
Not long after that meeting, Jesus would be facing a ruler and throngs of people who would cry out for His crucifixion. Because of Jesus and His obedience to the Father and His love for us, we, now we have choices of love, grace and mercy, which (for those who choose Him) will bring eternal life with our heavenly Father in heaven.
Pastor Nelson closed the service with a call to prayer, asking those who had not already chosen Jesus as their Lord and Savior to do so. He declared and cried out in regards to choosing eternal life with Christ in heaven and then we partook in communion as a church body, rejoicing that we have chosen well.
We have always had and as long as we live and breathe, will always have choices. We and we alone are responsible for the choices we make. The choices I make. To me the choice is obvious, but that is my choice. It is up to you to make and stand by your choices. “But as for me and my household, we will serve (choose) the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).
I have made my choice. Now, it is your turn. Whom will you choose?
