Are Your Lemons Sugar Coated?

Today I found something I wrote about 4 years ago.
What do you think?

Are Your Lemons Sugar Coated?

Have you ever had a fish bone stuck in your throat? Hurts doesn't it? You know it won't kill you that instant, but what if it punctures your throat? Or gets lodged there long enough to become severely infected? Every time you swallow, it sends a searing pain through you body, so you try not to, but instinct has you gulping like a fish out of water. You know you need help, but don't know what to do.

            Now imagine someone passes by and offers you a palm-sized yellow object which sparkles. They tell you that it will get the bone out and save you, and they even offer to let you lick it a little to see if you like it. You try a timid taste and realize it is sweet! That, of course, makes you swallow again in pain, but you now have hope. You thank them profusely, and accept the life saving object gratefully. Beaming over your new treasure, you take a small bite and nearly drop it in disgust: It is horribly sour!  How could that possibly save you? Reasoning with yourself you begin to think that perhaps you are just supposed to keep licking it. As you do, the pain in your throat becomes gradually less, but deep down you know that the bone is still lodged there and that most likely you are becoming numb with pain. Well, nothing is wrong with that, is there? Perhaps that is all there is to it, and it is welcome enough. There is the nagging thought that you still have to get the bone out, so you decide to try biting it once more, but after all the sugar your mouth is coated in, it tastes even worse than before! Now what? If only that person had told you what to expect! If only you knew if it is suppose to be sour! How will this really save you?

Do we as Western Christians even recognize the full flavor of the gospel anymore?

When we are sharing the gospel with others in industrialized nations, do we tell them what they desperately need to know in order to be saved, or are we so worried that they will not be interested that we sugar coat it?  The Lord Jesus Christ never promised it would be easy: In fact, just the opposite. In John 15:20 Jesus says, “Remember the word I spoke to you: 'A slave is not greater that his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you...” ¹ It is not all sour however! Jesus also says in Matthew 5:11-12, “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of Me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” What are we truly more concerned of? This “...momentary light affliction...”(2 Corinthians 4:17) or the eternal?

If a person speaks of God, do we wipe the sweat from our brow and check off one more for the kingdom of God? Don't think that because someone believes that Jesus is the Son of God they are saved. Remember “...the demons also believe- and they shudder!”(James 2:19) Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord!' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to Me, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in Your name, drive out demons in Your name, and do many miracles in Your name?' Then I will announce to them, 'I never knew you! Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!'” 

How can we know then? The apostle John says in 1 John 2:4-6, “The one who says, 'I have come to know Him,' without keeping His commands is a liar and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly in him the love of God is perfected. This is how we know we are in Him: the one who says he remains in Him should walk just as He walked.” Is the truth in us and in those we are witnessing to? Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

What can we do? We work out our “...own salvation with fear and trembling”, knowing that it is “God who is working in you enabling you both to will and to act for His purpose.” (Philippians 2:12-13) We look forward to the day when we will hear our Master say, “Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your Master's joy!” (Matthew 25:21) Why? Just as Christ, we do this for the joy that lay before us! (Hebrews 12:2)

So, as we share with others that Jesus Christ is the Son of God... “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures...”(1 Corinthians 15:3-4) are we giving them sugar-coated lemons, or are we allowing God to make the lemonade?

¹ See also: Matthew 10:22, Luke 21:12-19

Back Up A Verse Or Two

There are so many wonderful verses in the Bible that Christians know and quote. They are great encouragement, reminders, and comfort to us. They only problem is that sometimes, when we haven't read the text around them in a while, we start taking them out of context. The majority don't do it intentionally, but it is still doing it.

While reading today, I came across one of these verses which will help to end that vicious cycle. We all have hear John 8:32 "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." That's a great verse. Christians tend to look at this as a cry of freedom for those who chose to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, and that's true. But - there is an IF right before Jesus says this. Let's back up and start at verse 30. Pay close attention to whom Jesus is speaking to and what the "if" declares:

As He was saying these things, many believed in Him. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in Him, "If you continue in My word, you really are My disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
John 8:30-32


Jesus was not talking to the masses in general here. He was speaking directly to those who had declared that He was the Messiah. So why did He feel the need to add, "If you continue in My word, you are really My disciples"? Emphasis Mine Isn't just believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and came to die for our sins enough? No. It really isn't. How can I say this? Let's look at the book of James. I will use several verses to show you the context, but pay special attention to the verse 19, which I highlighted.


James 2:14-20
 ¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith, but does not have works? Can his faith save him?
    ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well," but you don't give them what the body needs, what good is it? ¹⁷ In the same way faith, if it doesn't have works, is dead by itself.
    ¹⁸ But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works. ¹⁹ You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder.
    ²⁰ Foolish man! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless? 
(See also Matthew 8:29 and Luke 4:34)


Even the demons believe and know He is the Son of God, but that does nothing for them. They had made their choice when they sided with Satan, and their works deceived them. I'm not saying that we should base everything on works, for then we try to earn our way into heaven. "For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift—" Ephesians 2:8


So what do we do with these two seemingly opposing truths? 


1. We believe, by faith, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to pay the price for our sins cleansing us by His blood sacrifice so that we can enter into the presence of our Holy God for eternity.
2. We humble ourselves, knowing there is nothing we can do to earn the gift which is freely given to us by Jesus the Messiah.
3. We prove our faith by submitting ourselves to His will daily and produce much fruit through the studying and living out of His Word. (John 15:8)


The root of where we fall short as Christians is in choosing which few verses of Scripture we will cling on to. 


I'm putting out a challenge for you today: Think of one of your favorite Scriptures which you quote to yourself quite often. Go look it up, and read the entire chapter in which it is placed. If it is one of the very first verses, read the chapter before it as well. If it is one of the last, read the chapter after. 


Now, take some time to ponder whether you have been quoting the context correctly.