I have just a few words today about the topic of suicide

I have just a few words today about the topic of suicide. I'm certain there will be some who read this who have been challenged by this spirit at some time or another, and maybe some who have suffered the loss of a loved one to this tragedy. All I can say to that is that God has healing for any and all unanswered pain, and if we can truly give it to him he will show us that miracle love and power. But what I really want to discuss in short order here is the ultimate form of suicide. That suicide is to refuse the love and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ in our lives. To start with let's look at a famous scripture that everyone is familiar with: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (Jn. 3:16). It cost Jesus his life to provide the hope of salvation for us, and it cost his Father great pain and heartbreak to endure the cruel torturous death of his Son. Yet they both agreed on this taking place because of the immense love that they shared for fallen mankind. Had Jesus not come and died for the sins of all men, there would have been absolutely nobody saved in the history of the world. Not Noah, not Abraham, not Moses, not David, not John the Baptist, none of those who became the apostles; and not anybody since that time (Jn. 8:56; Heb. 9:15). In fact if Jesus hadn't come and buffered the wrath of God against man's sins, the world would most certainly not have continued. As it is written: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse" (Mal. 4:5,6). According to Jesus this prophecy of 'Elijah' was fulfilled in his forerunner John the Baptist, which means if Jesus had not come God would have soon destroyed the world (Mat. 11:13,14; Mat. 17:10-13).

What this all means is that without the death and resurrection of Jesus, and without his heavenly priesthood and mediation between God and men, everyone would have died and gone to a devil's hell. It really is that simple. So what God and his Son did for us was not done for sport, but rather for the most serious and needful reasons that have ever existed. The point here is that if we refuse to repent of our sins and trust fully in Jesus for everything in our lives, we are committing the highest form of suicide that can be committed. If we do not believe on Jesus unto being filled with the love and power of his Spirit, and continue to walk therein, we are pursuing death and hell on all cylinders (Jn. 7:37,38; Rom. 5:5; Rom. 8:1,9; Gal. 5:16-21). Job asked the question, "who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?" (Job 9:4). The answer is obviously, "absolutely nobody," especially since Jesus paid the price for our redemption with his blood and his life. Repentance from sin and total faith and dependency on Jesus is not an option, but rather a commandment of God for the entire world, as the apostle Paul explained in his sermon in Athens at Mars Hill: "Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead" (Acts 17:29-31). Whoa!! That's some potent scripture that you don't hear very often.

This society and this world gives the impression that you can do what you want, believe what you want, practice any religion you want; and that everything is on this mystical even playing field. That is absolutely a lie because THERE IS NO SUCH THING!! Absolute faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to his will is the ONLY playing field where the only true God will meet you or bless you, and if you choose to play on another field then you do it to your own destruction. And make no mistake, it will be you who destroys you by resisting God's love and salvation for you. Peter told it like it is when the apostles were questioned by the Jews in Jerusalem about the healing of the man at the gate called 'Beautiful:' "Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:10-12). Man how I wish we had THAT sermon clip on youtube video! Nobody can be blessed with peace, an contentment, and joy in this life; much less inherit the glory world, apart from Jesus and his redeeming grace. The Son of God spoke in prophecy in the proverbs, and gave us the bottom line on this issue of the ultimate form of suicide: "Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death" (Prov. 8:34-36). Amen.