REJECTING THE MESSIAH

The age of grace is coming to a close and we are witnessing the world plummet headlong into depravity ...

This know also, that in the last days, perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. 2 Timothy 3:1-4

Men not only reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ but seek to eliminate any mention of Him from society as a whole. The Word of God gives an illustration of what is happening in these, the 'end of days', with the following story ... 

And when He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men confronted Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way. And they cried out, saying, “What business do You have with us, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” Matthew 8:28-29

This dramatic incident reveals what Satan does to a lost soul. He robs him of self-control; fills him with fear; and (if possible) condemns him to an eternity of judgment. Outside of applying Christ's redemptive act to your life, you are no better than these poor demoniacs.

Now there was a herd of many pigs feeding at a distance from them. And the demons begged Him, saying, “If You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”  And He said to them, “Go!” And they came out and went into the pigs; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. Matthew 8:30-32

We too are set free from that which binds us when Jesus comes into our lives. Satan's power to keep us enslaved is conquered the moment we receive the gift of salvation. 

And the herdsmen ran away and went to the city and reported everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they pleaded with Him to leave their region. Matthew 8:33-34

This is one of the saddest passages in all of Scripture. The villagers were in the presence of the Messiah and were more concerned about the death of the hogs than they were over the redemption and reclamation of the tortured men. 

They wanted Jesus to go away ... and He did.  

Kent Hughes - Tell Jesus to leave you alone, and He will. And if you tell Him enough, there will come a time when the opportunity for repentance will be gone. 

Today we find that people are growing more and more hard-hearted against the very thought of a sovereign God. They cling with every ounce of their being to a reprobate, sin-filled lifestyle and openly despise those who give testimony to how the Lord has saved them. 

Christians are considered intolerant 'hatemongers' who want to deprive men of their freedom to do as they wish ... when in reality, we long for them to know the Redeemer of lost souls.