by Randy Willis

And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins. He is not for ours only but also for the whole world. —1 John 2:2

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” —Matthew 23:37

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The Word became flesh. —John 1:14

What is Jesus Christ’s will? We see His will in the Gospel of Matthew when He laments over Jerusalem.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! —Matthew 23:37

Jesus says, “I wanted…but you were not willing!” Jesus says I’m willing, but you’re not.

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. —2 Peter 3:9

Jesus is God in the flesh. Jesus is God incarnate, meaning God became a human being—fully God and fully human. This hypostatic union means Jesus is not part God and part human. Or as I once read, half-man and half-God. Jesus is fully God and fully human.

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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. —John 1:1

John, the Apostle, reveals that the Word (Logos) is Jesus, who became a person. And John does it in only four words: “The Word became flesh.”

Jesus is called the Lord of Creation in Colossians 1:16-17.

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. —Colossians 1:16-17

What does it mean: “In Him all things consist.” Jesus is the Sustainer of the universe. He is the “glue,” if you will, that holds all things together. Science cannot explain the fundamental “why” and behavior of gravity. Without it, everything would fly off into space. Jesus is the why of the universe.

Once again, Jesus says, “I wanted…but you were not willing!” Jesus says I’m willing, and you’re not.

How can this be since Jesus is God in the flesh? How can this be since Jesus is the Lord of Creation and “All things were created through Him and for Him,” as Colossians 1:16-17 says?

The answer is Jerusalem had a choice. And you and I do too!

God is sovereign; most Christians believe that. What was Jesus’s will concerning Jerusalem? They had a choice. Giving a nation or humans a choice does not lessen God’s sovereignty. Exercising that choice fulfills God’s will rather than overriding it.

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Are there some predestined for Hell? Are we a pawn on God’s chessboard of eternity? Has God, the God of sovereign choices, predestined some to be eternally separated from Him, i.e., Hell? Are we robots? Does God in Heaven force us to choose Him?

Does this “ism” contradict the Word of God?

Does this “ism” contradict John 3:16 when it says: “Whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Yes.

Does it contradict 1 John 2:2 when it says: “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins. He is not for ours only but also for the whole world.” Yes.

Does it contradict John 12:32 when it says, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” Yes.

Does it contradict Revelation 3:20 when it says: “If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Yes.

Does it contradict the last invitation in the Word of God in the last book in the Bible, Revelation, when it says:

And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. —Revelation 22:17

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Let no “ism” limit Jesus Christ. Let no man or “isms” tell you Christ’s atoning blood on the cross is limited to a select group.

Let no man tell you Christ’s mercy is limited to their select group.

Let no man tell you Christ’s grace is limited to thier select group.

Let no man tell you Christ’s love is limited to their select group.

Let no “ism” limit Jesus Christ. Let no man or “isms” tell you Christ’s atoning blood on the cross is limited to their select group.

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The Apostle John was inspired as to what to write and what not to write.

The Apostle John did not write in the Koine Greek, the priamry language of the New Testatment ‘ho ginoskōn, whosoever understandeth, let him come.

He did not write, ‘ho lambanōn, whosoever receiveth, let him come.

He did not write ‘ho paschōn, whosoever feeleth, let him come.

He did not write, ‘ho pisteuōn, whosoever believeth, let him come.

He did not write, ‘ho philōn, whosoever loveth, let him come.

The Apostle John inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote: ho thelōn, whosoever will, let him come. —Revelation 22:17

Ho thelōn, whosoever will is an invitation to everyone.

The invitation whosoever will, is to you and me and to the entire world for the inerrant and infallable Word of God states in 1 John 2:2: “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins. He is not for ours only but also for the whole world.”

And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself. —John 12:32

The word “all” in the original Greek is παντας (pantas) simply means “all.” All means all.

Where do you stand today?

Perhaps you’re in a panic mode today. Maybe your dreams have fallen apart. God seems distant to you. You once had religion, but perhaps not Jesus.

Or a “preacher” of some “ism” said you have to be chosen, elected, and predestined by God to go to Heaven and your not sure you’re one of the chosen for Heaven. Fear grips your heart.

Trust God and His promises. Not a person with an array of college degrees. For God has known you and your heart since before the foundation of the earth. And He love you. A thousands times over God loves you so much so he died for you.

My friend, you are why Jesus Christ came, was born of a virgin, shed His life blood on a cross, died, was buried and rose again. You were in his mind and heart before he spoke this universe into existance.

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. —Romans 8:29

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Did God know before the foundation of the universe that a skinny and shy eight-year-old boy, me, on a hot August night in 1958 at Temple Baptist Church in Clute, Texas, would accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior?

Of course He did—He is God. But that doesn’t mean I did not have a choice, for it is written in the Bible over and over again: “whosoever will.” God’s invitation must be accepted.

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As a boy of eight, I came face to face with a choice.

On a hot Wednesday night, my mother could not attend church. So, I walked to church from our home at 519 Coleman Street in Clute, Texas, with my twelve-year-old sister Marjorie. I was eight years old.  I had no intention of that night being any different from any other. It would remain etched into my heart, mind, and soul until this very day.

I cannot recall a word Pastor Bill Campbell said in his sermon. But I remember vividly another voice that spoke to my mind—my heart—my spirit.   It was not an audible voice.   It was a still, gentle voice, tender but ever so clear, telling me to go forward and accept Christ as my Savior.

I recall my response to the Holy Spirit as if it were five minutes ago.   “Lord, I’m too shy.   I would if my mother was here to go with me.”

I felt someone touch my left shoulder. My sister Marjorie was sitting in the back row with her friends.   She could not have seen my face, for I was seated near the front.

She said, “I’ll go with you if you want me to.” I immediately stood, walked with her to the front of the church, and made my decision public. I was “scared to death.”

I know you do not have to have an experience like that to be saved.  Nevertheless, I’m so grateful for that experience; it has never left my mind or my heart.

I knew no doctrine, theology, schism, or ism. But I knew of Jesus’s love. Mama and Grandma told me of Jesus’s love, but far more they showed me His love in the way they treated me and others. I could see Jesus in their eyes. So kind and caring. Now, that I am in the winter of my life, I have known no greater truth than the love of Jesus.

The next time I walked to our tiny backyard garden to fetch a few vegetables for supper for Mama, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace come over me. It was the first time the peace of God overwhelmed me. I didn’t understand it, still don’t, but I knew I belonged to Him.

Based on His foreknowledge, did Jesus predestine me to spend eternity with Him in Heaven with countless untold benefits? Of course He did—He is God.

But that doesn’t mean I didn’t have a choice. It means God knew in advance that I would surrender my heart to Him as a boy, knowing as little as the thief on the cross. God knew my choice not only before I was born, but before He spoke something into existence from nothing—this universe.

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He is the Great “I Am,” (Exodus 3:14), not the Great I’m going to be. He’s not looking down a corridor in the distant future to see what’s going to happen. It’s all before Him now, and it always has been, and it always will be. Do I understand that? No, but then again I’m not God.

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God has “put eternity into man’s heart.” Man can hope there is no eternity because of his rebellion against God called sin, but mankind is without excuse.

He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. —Ecclesiastes 3:11

The Apostle Paul made this clear in the Book of Romans.

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. —Romans 1:20

The question is, why does man reject the evidence of God all around us? The answer is found in the Bible, too.

And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. —John 3:19

Man loves his sin. He never can get enough of it to feel the emptiness in his soul. There is never enough money, never enough pleasure, never enough adulation. The eyes of man are never satisfied (Proverbs 27:20).

But none of those will fill the God-created hole in our heart except a personal one-on-one relationship with Jesus Christ. Only the Holy Spirit can fill the God-created space in you for Him.

No matter how much money. No matter how much sex. No matter how much recognition. No matter how much education, man is never content with the things of this world. Only Jesus Christ can fill that void in your heart.

Man rejects Christ’s call to repentance. Man refuses to turn from his sin to the righteous, holy, and sinless Lamb of God, Jesus. Man rejects Christ’s blood sacrifice on the cross. He rejects Christ’s substitutionary death on that tree for fear it will interfere with his sinful lifestyle.

But Jesus loves man…and shed His blood for him. Paul writes in Romans.

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. —Roman 5:6.

Thank God, ten thousand times over, thank Jesus Christ, for I am that ungodly man whom Jesus gave His lifeblood for—God’s blood. And you are too.

Lift up the name of Jesus

And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself. —John 12:32

I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. —Isaiah 46:10

God has no beginning. Nor does he have an ending. He knows the end in the beginning.

God knows every atom throughout eternity. He knows every molecule. He knows every single minute detail. And He knows it all now—right now.

God transcends time and is not bound by it, meaning He sees the past, present, and future all at once.

There’s no time with God.  Time is His creation in which we are confined, but not God!  Can anyone wrap their mind around that? I know I can’t, but the Word of God is clear on this.

God created, controls, and changes times and seasons, as stated in Genesis 1:14 and Daniel 2:21. He is the Alpha and Omega [the beginning and the end], existing outside of human time constraints.

God observes everything in the present. This includes all that happens and the entire story of humankind. The Lord views it continuously, from beginning to end.

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Who can witness the miracle of birth and not believe in God? We have no excuse for not believing in God.

And who can view the photos from the James Webb Space Telescope and say there is no God? Many cling to the notion that there is no God. They fear they are in big trouble because of their sin if there is a God. We have no excuse for not believing in God.

I read once where the founder of Playboy could not get past his fear of death. Who could blame him, since he rejected God’s Word and, therefore, God’s plan of redemption?

The eyes of many men are never satisfied. We have a choice: the temporal pleasures of sin or the reproach of following Christ.

We see this in the life of a man who was the second most powerful man on earth. He had wealth, fame, adulation, education, and was so strong he once killed a man with his own hands. His name was Moses.

By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. —Hebrews 11:24-26

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God has revealed His majesty and splendor through the birth of a child, in a sunset, and in His Word, the Bible. God says in Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Are we too busy to know Him?

My son Josh owns a home in Costa Rica. I loved writing in bed in Costa Rica, overlooking Pan Dulce Beach, with the sounds of the Pacific Ocean and Scarlet Macaws feeding in the trees.

Squirrel Monkeys jump and play, and I marvel at the ingenuity of clever White-faced Capuchin Monkeys. Spider Monkeys swing gracefully through the trees with their long arms, legs, and tails. And the haunting call of Howler Monkeys.

I marvel at the creative hand of God.

Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God, but only he who sees takes off his shoes.” —Elizabeth Barrett Browning

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What is going to catch God off guard? When does God Almighty go into panic mode and start drinking Maalox? When is He not in control? You got it: never.

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. —John 3:17

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We have all been at the “end of our rope.” Let me, for a moment, share a brief story of a man who was in a predicament. He could have been a “poster-child” for being at the “end of a rope.”

The man didn’t know any fancy, educated words. If he prayed, it was probably not to get caught. He was not a churchgoer. He knew no Biblical doctrines. He had never been to a Bible study group or done anything noteworthy. He was a complete failure.

On this day, it had all caught up with him. He would soon die, for he was about to receive his just punishment: the death penalty.

But he, for a brief moment, put his trust in the “man” next to him. We remember this man today as “the thief on the cross.”

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Jesus hung between two thieves (criminals) on a cross. One rejected Him, but the other put his faith in Him in the simplest of ways.

“Will You remember me when You enter Your kingdom?” the thief said. That’s all he said.

Jesus replied, Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise. —Luke 23:43

Imagine being surrounded by the most devout religious folks of the day, powerful political figures, and Roman soldiers “armed to the teeth.” They all gawk at him as he was tortured.

Jesus would soon be ushered into Heaven with this thief. The thief was the first person in history to accompany Jesus to Heaven. And we don’t even know his name. What did he do to deserve Heaven? Nothing. The thief put his trust in Jesus.

Both of those men next to Jesus were guilty of crimes serious enough to warrant the Roman death penalty. One put his trust in Jesus, and the other chose not to.

The question is, which thief on the cross are you? The one who says yes or the one who says no to Jesus?

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Now, there was the third cross that day. It was for another criminal imprisoned for murder, robbery, and insurrection. He was a dangerous man. His name was Barabbas, and he represents you and me.

Jesus was crucified on a cross meant for Barabbas—it was my cross—it was your cross, too.

And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. —Revelation 22:17

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Are you thirsty? Then come. Let him who hears come. And whosoever will, come.

The invitation is to you—to me—to “whosoever will”—it is to everyone!

Bring your disappointments, failures, fears, and heartaches. The Holy Spirit says, Come to Jesus, our Savior.

God loves you. He wants to save you. He will save you. Come to Jesus, and drink the water of life freely.

Christ suffered, He bled, He died because He loves you. Listen to the still voice of the Holy Spirit, bidding you come to Jesus.

Don’t wait—come today! The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:2 that today is the day of salvation.

Reach out and touch Him today!

For she said to herself, If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well. —Matthew 9:21

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Self-improvement will not qualify you for salvation, for God’s Word says, “There is none righteous, no, not one.” —Romans 3:10

Comparing yourself to others will not work either: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” —Romans 3:23

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” —Revelation 3:20

Jesus knocks, but you must open the door to your heart, to your life, to your future

The Ends of the Earth

Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. —Isaiah 45:22

All you ends of the earth includes the Aboriginal people of the Central Australian desert.

All you ends of the earth are those in darkest Africa.

All you ends of the earth are the isolated tribes in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.

All you ends of the earth are presidents, world leaders, and kings.

All you ends of the earth is the polished lawyer, the gifted doctor, and the brilliant college professor.

All you ends of the earth is the prostitute. It is the drug dealer. It is the rapist. It is the thief. It is the murderer.

All the ends of the earth is me—and you.

Will you say yes to Jesus, today?

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For God so loved the world. He gave His only begotten Son. Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. —John 3:16

If these words are how you feel in your heart, then pray:

Heavenly Father,

I pray to You, asking for the forgiveness of my sins.

I confess with my mouth. I believe with my heart that Jesus is Your Son. He died on the cross at Calvary so that I might be forgiven.

Father, I believe that Jesus rose from the dead. I ask Jesus to come into my life as my personal Lord and Savior.

I turn from my sins and will surrender to your will throughout my life.

Your word is truth. I confess with my mouth that I am born again. I am cleansed by the blood of Jesus!

In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen!

“Many today have just enough religion to inoculate them from knowing Christ.” —Randy Willis

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