
Why You Must Make a Decision about God
Can God change your life?
Once we accept Christ, we must answer that same question on a daily basis.
It is doubtful whether Pilate truly understood the magnitude of the question.
Today I want to get personal with you and yes, put you on the spot. I want to ask you a question that you MUST answer. The answer to this question is a matter of life and death. Before I ask the question, however, permit me to give you some background.
In Matthew 27 we find Jesus standing trial before Pilate. Christ has been betrayed by Judas and arrested by the Roman soldiers. He is now facing Pilate who thinks he holds Jesusā fate in his hands. Unbeknownst to him, what Pilate really holds in his hands is his own fate. As Pilate is sitting on the judgeās seat with Jesus standing nearby, he asks a question in that should cause each of us to stop and think. It is doubtful whether Pilate truly understood the magnitude of the question, nor did he understand that he was making a decision that would affect his soul for all eternity.Ā
Matthew 27:22Ā (KJ21) provides us with Pilateās question.
āWhat shall I doĀ thenĀ with Jesus, who is called Christ?ā
The immediate answer that came from the people was to crucify Jesus and that is exactly what happened.Ā
Today I want to ask you, āWhat are you going to do with Jesus, who is called Christ?ā There are only two answers to this question.Ā You either accept Him as Lord and Savior of your life or you reject Him as Lord and Savior. There is no āIāll think about it laterā option. If you choose to āthink about it laterā, then you have rejected Christ. Do you understand the implication of choosing to reject Christ? We are never told anywhere in the Bible that Pilate became a believer in Jesus, but let me assure you, if he continued to reject Christ as Savior, a split second after he passed from this world, he became a believer in Christ. Unfortunately, at that point, it was too late. He had made his choice in this life and he discovered that in the next life the consequences of that choice were not pleasant. Eternity in hellāeverlasting tormentātotal rejectionācomplete alonenessāutter abandonment.Ā Ā
What if you choose to accept Christ? Is that the end? Absolutely not. Once we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, we must then decide how we will answer that same question on a daily basis.Ā āWhat shall I doĀ thenĀ with Jesus, who is called Christ?”
Do I put Him in a āSundayā box and pull Him out when I go to church?
Maybe I interact with Him when I am in church and also call on Him when I am in trouble?
Do I let my friends know that I am a follower of Christ?Ā If I do, Iāll be different. I wonāt be like everyone else.
What if someone makes fun of me?
What if I donāt fit in?
Every day Christians decide how they will answer the question,Ā āWhat shall I doĀ thenĀ with Jesus, who is called Christ?”
Do I spend time in Bible study or do I let my Bible gather dust on the table?Ā
Do I get alone with God in prayer and really get to know Him or do I turn on the TV or radio to fill the silence?Ā
Do I go to church or do I go to the golf course or grocery store?Ā
Do I make a choice toĀ notĀ watch television programs and movies that are inappropriate or do I watch them and think, āThat violence, bad language, or sexual content doesnāt really affect meā?Ā
Do I listen to uplifting, Christian music or do I listen to music that does nothing to encourage me in my Christian walk?Ā
Do I choose to clean up my language or do I allow filth to spew from my mouth?Ā
Do I encourage and support other Christians or do I have the attitude of āI donāt want to get involvedā?
Hear Jesusā words inĀ Matthew 10:32Ā (NLT),
āEveryone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.”
Again I ask you the question that youĀ mustĀ answer.Ā Ā āWhat shall YOU doĀ thenĀ with Jesus, who is called Christ?