Will You Grab God’s Lifeline?

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”  – John 3:17

In 1829, a career criminal named George Wilson robbed a United States mail carrier. Wilson was arrested and convicted of six charges, including violent assault, which carried the death penalty. So, Wilson was sentenced to hang.

But in the days leading up to his scheduled execution, things got really interesting. Some friends of George Wilson petitioned President Andrew Jackson and convinced him to offer Wilson a presidential pardon. But George Wilson dropped a bombshell: He refused to accept the pardon.

Well, the district court wasn’t sure what to do. So, Wilson’s case was bumped all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, which reportedly handed down this ruling: “A pardon is an act of grace …. and delivery is not complete without acceptance. It may then be rejected by the person to whom it is tendered, and if it be rejected, we have discovered no power in a court to force it on him…. Therefore, George Wilson must die.” By most accounts, having rejected the gift of grace, George Wilson was hanged for his crimes.

Are you another George Wilson? Are you rejecting the forgiveness and grace that Christ has offered to you?

The frequently-quoted John 3:16 is an amazing verse. But verse 3:17 is equally amazing. In His first coming, Jesus didn’t come into the world to condemn people to hell. That will happen at His second coming, on Judgment Day. But Jesus’ first coming was never about judging or condemning. It was all about love and salvation. In love, God has offered every person the free gift of forgiveness and eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. But God cannot and will not force you or me to receive His loving pardon from hell. What you do with God’s get-out-of-hell-free card is up to you.

Jesus went on, “Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already” (v.18). Again, Jesus didn’t come to condemn us to hell—because we’d already beaten Him to the punch. We’ve already condemned OURSELVES to Hell. Satan has convinced most people that if so-called “good” people end up in hell, it’s God’s fault. If anyone other than murderers, rapists and child predators go to hell, it’s because God unjustly sent them there. Ultimately, it’s easier to blame God than to look in the mirror and realize how steeped in darkness and evil we really are. Here’s the truth: If you end up in hell, you have no one to blame but yourself. God didn’t sin. YOU did. Jesus doesn’t deserve hell. YOU do. If you didn’t take hold of God’s get-out-of-hell-free card, the fault is yours. Jesus threw you a lifeline, and you shoved it back in His face.

So, why would any rational person do that? Why would anyone reject Christ’s gifts of forgiveness and heaven?

Jesus responds, “Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light, because their deeds were evil” (v. 19). Most people will say they “love Jesus.” But the sad truth is, most people love their sin MORE. Most people love the darkness of the world more than they love the light of Jesus. Most people love their own evil deeds more than they love the righteousness of Jesus. Christianity has never been about simply believing in Jesus (John 3:16-17). Christianity is about believing in Jesus AND walking in the light of Jesus (John 3:18-19). The proof of your love for Christ is in your actions, your priorities and your lifestyle.

Here are three Life Lessons we can draw from this passage:

Life Lesson #1: Before Jesus came onto the scene, you were drowning in your own sin. You were self-condemned. Going to hell is easy. Just live your life here on earth however the “hell” you want to, and you’re a shoo-in. Every person who ends up in hell will end up there because of their own wicked choices—because they wanted to live life on their own terms. They didn’t care about God. They ignored God’s commands. And when Jesus Christ stretched out His hand to offer them a lifeline, like a cockroach fleeing the light, they rejected Him and retreated back into their darkness. Ultimately, they will be in hell because they preferred the darkness of hell over the light of heaven.

Life Lesson #2: Jesus didn’t come to earth in anger to bring you judgment. He came to earth in love to bring you the gift of salvation. When the perfectly holy Creator of the universe came to earth 2,000 years ago, He had every right to condemn us all to hell then and there. Hell is the just punishment for our sin and rebellion against God. But that’s what’s so remarkable about John 3:16-17. God had every right to send Jesus to judge us and condemn us. But instead, “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (v. 16).

Life Lesson #3: When Jesus Christ reaches out to save you, you can cling to your sin and stay in the dark … or you can cling to Christ and step into the light. President Jackson threw George Wilson a lifeline by giving him a pardon. Like a fool, George Wilson refused it. And most people today—like George Wilson—refuse Jesus’s lineline and pardon from sin.

Are you another George Wilson? Are you rejecting the forgiveness and grace that Christ has offered to you? The light of the world, Jesus Christ, is within arm’s reach. I hope and pray that you will take hold of Him today.

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church. Join us at our new worship location in Apple Valley (16209 Kamana Road), now meeting at 8:30am and 10am. You can also join us livestreaming online at Facebook or YouTube. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

Human Life Is Sacred

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." - Jeremiah 1:5

Last Tuesday marked the 46th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to legalize abortion in the United States. In their landmark Roe v. Wade decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the 14th Amendment protects a woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy. Interestingly, the 14th Amendment was intended to protect an individual’s rights while providing him/her with equal protection under the law. Evidently, the Supreme Court justices didn’t believe these protected individual rights extend to the unborn child. As a result, over 60 million pre-born babies have been aborted in the U.S. since 1973. That’s roughly equal to the entire populations of California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona and New Mexico combined!

With this sobering reality in mind, Christian leader Dr. Frank Wright wrote, “Will a differently constituted U.S. Supreme Court make a difference in the defense of life? It could, but we have heard those promises before. Besides, a question more important than whether the courts will defend life is: Why is the culture running headlong after death?” Now, that’s a sobering question. Why is our culture running headlong after death?

Honestly, one of the main reasons is because we as a nation no longer read, understand, or embrace what God’s word says about the great value of human life. We have failed to embrace what God says in the very first chapter of the Bible—Genesis 1. He makes it clear that all life on earth is good and beautiful. But only human life is sacred, which is defined as “connected to God and dedicated to a religious purpose and so deserving veneration.” Every human life is connected to God in a way that a dog or cat couldn’t be. Every human life is dedicated to a religious purpose—to worship Him and love Him in a way that a rhino, monkey, or polar bear never could. As a nation, we have rejected these timeless truths.

And we have ignored and rejected the timeless truth of Psalm 139:13-15, where King David answers the “when” question: “When does God create human life as good, beautiful and sacred?” David answers—in a mother’s womb. David expresses amazement at the thought of God creating his kidneys, lungs, and heart before he drew his first breath. Without a doubt, human life begins in the womb. Therefore, the life of the unborn child is good, beautiful and sacred in the sight of God. From God’s perspective, a fetus is not a clump of cells, a mass of tissue, or an inconvenience. What the medical community labels a “fetus” is a child, created with great love and care by our Creator. As a nation, we have rejected this timeless truth.

The truth is: There are only four differences between an unborn child and a toddler, and none of these differences taken individually or together diminish the value and “humanity” of the unborn child. See for yourself. [These four differences form the acronym, SLED.]

SIZE. For years pro choice groups like Planned Parenthood have argued that a human fetus is not a human being because of its tiny size. But since when does human size equate to human value? Would anyone make the case that a 7-foot-tall NBA center’s life is 3 ½ times more valuable than a 2-foot-tall toddler’s life? Would anyone try to convince us that a teenager is twice as human as a two-year old because the teenager is twice as tall? No way! The size argument is completely illogical. Size has nothing to do with human value.

LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT. Abortion clinics have peddled the lie that because a child in utero is less developed than a baby, it’s not a human being. Because the heart isn’t beating until the second month and the pain receptors aren’t functional until the second trimester, it’s not a baby. But since when does level of development determine human value? Toddlers are less developed than teenagers. Teenagers are less developed than adults. Many adults have diabetes or other diseases that keep them from feeling pain, and some severely disabled adults aren’t self-aware. Would any reasonable person conclude that children and adults with developmental disabilities are less human than those who are perfectly healthy? I think not!

ENVIRONMENT and DEGREE OF DEPENDENCY. These last two differences between an unborn child and a toddler are equally important. Abortion advocates make the case that because a human fetus is inside his/her mother and is completely dependent upon her for survival, the fetus is not a human being. But under close scrutiny, both of these arguments fall apart. When toddlers change environments, do they change their value? Is a toddler in the house more human that a toddler in a swimming pool?  As for degree of dependency—Is a retiree on dialysis and oxygen less human than a senior with a clean bill of health? Hardly! You see, dependency is irrelevant to value. In fact, a greater level of dependency signals us as compassionate human beings to help and fight for the one who is dependent. Right?

Perhaps we will never fully understand why our culture has been running headlong after death. But of this we can be sure: God holds all human life—from the earliest stages in the womb to the final day of hospice care—as good, beautiful, and sacred. Therefore, we as His followers must also hold all human life to be good, beautiful and sacred. As God loves and defends human life, so too must we.

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.YourVictorvilleChurch.com  and join us for worship tomorrow at 10 am.

The Not-So-Great Social Experiment

Those who practice these things "will not inherit the kingdom of God."

– 1 Corinthians 6:10

Maybe you’ve already noticed, but we are living in the day of the great social experiment. For several thousand years marriage was defined as a lifelong union between a man and a woman. But in recent decades, we’ve been trying to redefine marriage. Maybe we could replace it with cohabitation. Or maybe we could regard it as something temporary. Or it could even be a legal long-term relationship between “two people” regardless of gender.

Last week we looked at one of the alternatives to replace traditional marriage, cohabitation. Today I’m going to talk about two other alternatives: serial monogamy and gay marriage.

Serial monogamy is the practice of engaging in a series of monogamous sexual relationships. Most people probably wouldn’t refer to it by its formal name, but here’s how it goes: date, have sex, break up, repeat. Date, have sex, break up, repeat … you get the idea. Serial monogamy is the alternative to marriage that is most glamorized by Hollywood. But while Hollywood is obsessed with serial monogamy, it’s safe to say that God isn’t crazy about it, since the Bible makes it clear that sex is meant to come only after marriage.

So, let’s focus on one specific kind of serial monogamy: serial monogamy in marriage. The pattern is pretty much the same, with minor modifications: fall in love, get married, get divorced, repeat. Fall in love, get married, get divorced, repeat. But in Matthew 19:3-9, Jesus makes his views on marital serial monogamy clear: divorce and remarriage was never part of God’s plan either. He explains that the law of Moses allowed for divorce only because of the hardness of our hearts. But if you’re divorcing your spouse for any reason other than adultery, when you marry someone else, you’re committing adultery with that person!

That drives a nail in serial monogamy’s coffin. Because the New Testament makes it clear that adultery—if it continues without repentance—will keep us out of heaven: “Do not be deceived: Neither the fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders, nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9b-10). So, these verses state that both premarital sex and adultery are sins that will keep us out of God’s kingdom.

And, you will note, homosexuality is another sin that will keep us out of God’s kingdom. That’s a point to remember as we turn to one more alternative to traditional marriage: gay marriage. This is an alternative that’s gained in popularity and acceptance in recent years. Less than nine years ago, here in one of the most socially liberal states in America, Californians voted to approve Prop 8, which defined marriage in our state as being “between one man and one woman.” But it was shot down in the courts. Then, just over 2 years ago came the Supreme Court ruling that state bans on homosexual marriage were unconstitutional, which—in effect—legalized gay marriage in all 50 states.

According to the Pew Research Center, in 2001, 35 percent of Americans supported same-sex marriage. In the 16 years since then, the level of support has almost doubled: 62 percent of Americans support same-sex marriage. So, what does God say? Oh, I’m so glad you asked. God created marriage in Genesis 2:18-25, forming the first human relationship—between one man and one woman, Adam and Eve. And if we take that great passage together with Paul’s description of marriage in Ephesians 5:22-33, here is a biblical definition of marriage: a lifelong covenant relationship between one man and one woman for the purpose of companionship, bearing children and learning to love as Christ loves.

So, regardless of what an American court calls it when two men or two women enter a contractual relationship with each other, to God … it’s not marriage. Period! And as we read in 1 Corinthians 6:9, God considers homosexual sex of any kind to be in the category of sexual sin along with heterosexual premarital sex and adultery. Just as with premarital sex and adultery, homosexuality, if it is not followed with repentance, will keep someone out of God’s kingdom. Whether or not someone in a homosexual relationship has a marriage license, to God it’s sin. Sex is only to be practiced in a married relationship between one man and one woman.

Regardless of whom you are attracted to, every one of us has to overcome sexual temptation. God urges us to resist temptation and pursue holy relationships that are set apart from the world and in line with His word. So, God’s answer to sexual temptation is biblical marriage. God’s answer to our deep longing for companionship and acceptance and love is—you guessed it—biblical marriage.

It bears repeating: Marriage is a lifelong covenant relationship between one man and one woman for the purpose of companionship, bearing children and learning to love as Christ loves. And what could be better than that?

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.fccvv.com  and join us for worship Sundays at 10 a.m.