Do you know why it's hard to trust in Jesus?

An obvious truth

If someone were to drive into the middle of town (picture the Lockport Street business district here in Plainfield), set up a folding table on an empty lot, and hang a sign reading, "free gold bullion" how long do you think it would take for him to be overrun with people? Once folks figured out this was not a scam, but a legitimate offering of actual, precious gold, is there a single person in town who would not come out, who was able? And certainly, those who were unable to come would send a representative: "Go get me some of that free gold!" It is a simple matter of a cost-benefit analysis: people would determine that the value of what they would gain (gold bricks) would surpass the value of what they would potentially lose by coming (gasoline, time, opportunity cost). This is so obvious, it's silly. If you're going to give away free, valuable gifts, people are going to flock to you to receive them. 

Alright, now why am I going through all this trouble to prove that people would take free gold? No, I have no intention of setting up that kind of "business" on Lockport Street. The reason I bring it up is this: right now, God is offering you something way more valuable than gold, and you have yet to accept it. Read on.

God's free offer

In the biblical book of Romans, St. Paul writes, "The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Let's do a a quick cost/benefit analysis on this investment.  Here are a few considerations:

1. You are a sinner (don't be offended. I am too. I am not holier than you. I'm probably--no, definitely worse than you).
2. Your lifestyle of sin has earned you death. Since God is the source of life, and sin goes against God, it makes sense that sin produces death. 
3. God is offering you life. This life is accessed through Jesus, God's Son. You go to Jesus, and he gives you life. Jesus says, "The one who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live" (John 11:25).
4. God's life is a free gift. You can't earn it. Good deeds don't earn it. Jesus earned it for you. Again, you can get it only from Jesus, and only as a gift. You do not need to repay God for this. You can't. You simply have to accept it. 

Would it not seem like a no-brainer that you should accept God's free gift? Think about it: you have earned the exact opposite of life. God had Jesus take what you deserve (death), in order to give you what Jesus deserves (life).

This is an incredible message of good news (the word "Gospel" means just that) that we should shout from the rooftops (or at least blog about on Patch), right?

Then why have you not yet believed? The Bible has the answer to that question, too. 

Your inner inhibitor

There is a fascinating story in the Gospel According to Luke, Chapter 8. Read it here before you continue. 

When that demonized man encountered Jesus, he was terrified. Though he recognized that Jesus could liberate him, he resisted that transformation. At his core, he enjoyed his oppression. He knew it. He was comfortable with it. Change--however beneficial--was terrifying. 

Well Jesus isn't having any of that. Like a boss, he orders the demons out of the man. They immediately obey. 

But then, when the local folks hear what happened, they become terrified. They beg Jesus to leave them alone! 

Huh? 

The townspeople were suffering from a condition similar to that of the demoniac: they loved their wickedness. Oh, compared to the outright evil of the demoniac, theirs was a low-grade evil. A spiritual fever. Yet evil is evil, and sin is always opposed to God. 

So they beg Jesus to leave. 

And you and I are no better than those townspeople. At our core, we love our sin. When confronted with the possibility of being released from it, we cling to it like Gollum clinging to his "Precious," and we lash out at anyone trying to take it from us. I have experienced this in my own life. Being confronted about my sin is painful. When that happens, I feel indignant. Hurt. Angry. Afraid. I like my sin, and I do not want to give it up. I have an internal inhibitor against the things of God. You have the same problem. 

Unfortunately, unless God opens your heart to himself, the message of the Gospel is going to seem repulsive. It might look good on paper (or screen, as it were), but something is keeping you back. You just aren't ready to commit to Jesus. It does not matter that the man is giving away free riches downtown. You're happy enough without it, thank you very much. 

Thank God, there is hope. 

God's hope for sinners

Did you notice that Jesus did not ask the man for permission to save him? He just saved him. He liberated the man from demonic oppression, but then came the real decision. Would the man follow Jesus? 

By looking at other accounts of this story (in Matthew & Mark), we learn that there were actually two demonized men Jesus healed at that time. 

After they were healed, only one of them became a believer. He begged Jesus to let him follow him, but Jesus sent him back into his town to proclaim what God had done for him. 

If God has opened your eyes to the truth of the Gospel--if you get that Jesus is God's Son, who came into the world to live a perfect life and die in your place, that he rose from the dead, and he alone offers you eternal life--then you have a choice. 

You can choose to follow him or reject him. If you trust in Jesus, you will get God's free gift of life. If you reject him, you will die in your sins, forever separated from the God who loves you. My prayer is that you will make the right call. Turn away from your sins and trust in Jesus today. Give him your life, and accept his everlasting life. Living for Jesus is not always easy (it rarely is), but it is joyful. It is meaningful. It is true. Are you ready? 

If you would like to know more about following Jesus, please shoot me an email at jsettecase@gracepointe.us. 

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For this article, I was greatly helped by Bob Deffinbaugh's commentary, "The Deliverance of the Demoniac or 'Unholy Fear' (Luke 8:26-39)" at Bible.org. 
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Joel Settecase is the Associate Pastor for Evangelism & Student Ministries at Grace Pointe Plainfield, located at 143rd St. & Route 30. Sunday service time is 9:00 AM.