Would We All Be Here If Jesus Had Not Come?

Good morning and Merry Christmas everyone! Christmas is only two days away, even though we have been celebrating now since the day after Thanksgiving. I am not complaining, I love Christmas! But December sure does seem like a very long month.

Now for some personal stuff!

Please remember Pastor Rob Mason in your prayers today, he's having shoulder surgery.

Annette ask me to make my banana pudding for our family Christmas dinner at mom and dad's. My secret for good banana pudding is simple...lots of bananas, vanilla wafers (lite), vanilla pudding, and lots and lots of whip cream (lite). I love it!

Can you believe Gabe's dancing or gymnastics Sunday on stage? He's kind of scaring me and his mom now days. Anyhow, we love him! He's a great kid. His mom and I are very blessed. He brings a new twist to life every day.

Wow, it suppose to be in the 50's and possibly the 60's this weekend. I love it! Last weekend's cold, bitter weather was ridiculous. Since my slight heart attack a few years ago, I try to stay out of the extremely cold air. Maybe, we will just skip the rest of winter and go directly to spring. Wouldn't that be nice?

Well, you may be bored by tears now, so I will stop with the personal stuff.

Have you ever thought what the world would be like if Christ had not come? Yes, there would be no sinless life to be an example to us. There would be no sacrifice offered for our sins to get rid of the guilt and the sin which keeps us from having a relationship with a holy God. There would be no resurrection that makes a new life in Jesus Christ possible. BUT LET ME SHARE WITH YOU ANOTHER BIG, BIG PROBLEM WE WOULD HAVE IF CHRIST HAD NOT COME THAT WE OFTEN DON'T THINK OF... without Christ's coming there is no Holy Spirit living in man which believe it or not changes everything.

According to the words of Christ himself in John 16:7 and John 14:12, the Holy Spirit could not come until Christ went away (or ascended). Just think of all that the Holy Spirit does. Its the Holy Spirit that sheds God's love abroad in our hearts (Romans 5:5). It is the Holy Spirit that convicts or persuades the world of the truth when it comes to sin, judgment, and the righteousness of Christ (John 16:8). It is the Spirit that Jesus said guides men unto all truth (John 16:13). It is the Holy Spirit that washes and renews our soul (Titus 3:5) when we come to Christ and are saved. I could go on and on, but it is the Holy Spirit who does the work of Christ here on earth. Without the work and power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers and convicting unbelievers I don't think mankind would be around in 2008. In other words, we would have self-destructed years ago or God would have judged us all like He did Noah's generation long before now.

You might wonder, wasn't the Holy Spirit on earth before Christ? And the answer would be yes, but not living inside of human beings. Jesus said of the Holy Spirit in John 14:7[Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. The Holy Spirit descended and began to dwell inside man in His fullness on the Day of Pentecost when 120 believers were filled with the Holy Spirit and spake with other tongues. Since that day, millions around the world down through the ages have experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The world has never been the same!

Undoubtedly, God's plan to send His Son followed by the Holy Spirit saved all of humanity from ourselves. Truly, Jesus was and still is the Savior of the world!