A Friendly Reminder: A Christian's Enemy is His or Her Mission Field!

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When I remembered Pastor Robert Kent Jesalva's sermon on Jonah, it's very easy to forget that your enemy is your mission field.  It's very easy to fall into Jonah's mistake or to say that so and so does not deserve God's forgiveness.  When I think I get into a state of unforgiveness and bitterness, it's time to really address the issue to myself, "Did I even deserve forgiveness?"  Not at all, when you look at the Bible, it doesn't matter who did more wrong than the other, God has condemned everyone just the same.  The person who stole brass and who stole gold are both sentenced to Hell.  The person who told a "white lie" and the con artist are both sentenced to Hell.  

James 2:10-11 and Romans 3:10-19 are clear as crystal to reveal the reality that all are guilty before God and nobody really deserves forgiveness.  You cannot live salvation by merits and demerits from one's own sinfulness.  Jesus did not die for the righteous because there's none righteous but as Romans 5:6-8 states that He died for the ungodly.  A person who is so sinful is hopeless by human standards it takes something supernatural to change that person's lifestyle.  Even if the signs are not there but salvation is indeed supernatural because nobody expects a wicked person to change on his or her own, but only God can change the heart of the wicked.  Forgiveness is based on mercy, not on God's sovereign justice.  Forget about the song "Amazing Justice" because we are all justly condemned and when a person is saved from sin and gets a new life, it's "Amazing Grace".

To close, Ezekiel 33:11 says, "Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?"