THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST: ONLY ONE RESPONSE WILL DO

As we all watch the Passion of the Christ, visually detailing
the horrific death of Jesus the Christ, I fear greatly that
although we might have thoughts of sorrow, sadness and compassion,
I fear that we may miss the response that Jesus the Christ 
desires from every one of us.  

First, I hope you can read the medical reports of Jesus' crucifixion
to review just what pain He endured on our behalf:

	http://www.russpickett.com/jesus/medasp.htm
	http://www.kgnet.com/jesus/physician.html

A MESSAGE OF REPENTANCE

When Jesus began His ministry, He preached one message, a message
of repentance.  In fact, His very first command recorded in the Gospel is:

	"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
	Jesus in Matthew 4:17

Repent comes from the greek word "metanoeo", which literally means 
"to change one's mind".  So when He says repent, He is charging us
to have a change of mind...it is no longer of ourselves that we can be saved,
trust in Him...turn to God, that we might receive forgiveness.
It is not even in our power to repent from sin, but it is something 
we must do by faith, trusting in God's power rather than our own ability.  

Again Jesus preaches:

	"Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most
	of His mighty works had been done, 
	because they did not repent."
	Jesus in Matthew 11:20

	"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.
	Repent, and believe in the gospel." 
	Jesus in Mark 1:15

When Jesus sent out his disciples, it is written:

	"So they went out and preached that people should repent."
	Mark 6:12

Jesus preached to the Pharisees:

	"...unless you repent you will all likewise perish."
	Luke 13:3 and 13:5

After Jesus ascended to heaven, Jesus' disciples taught this same command.

Peter preached to the Jews:

	"Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of
	Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall 
	receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
	Acts 2:38

As Peter preached to the Jews on Solomon's porch, he said:

	But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for 
	a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life,
	whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.
	And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong,
	whom you see and know.  Yes, the faith which comes through Him
	has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
	Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also
	your rulers.  But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all 
	His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.  
	
	Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted
	out, so that time of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
	and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom 
	heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things,
	which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the 
	world began.  For Moses truly said to the fathers, 'The LORD your
	God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren.  Him you 
	shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you.  And it shall
	be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly 
	destroyed from among the people.
	Acts 3:14-23

Paul later preached to the philosophers in Athens, Greece.
It is written in Acts 17:

	Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, 
	"Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; 
	for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, 
	I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. 
	Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: 
	God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven 
	and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped 
	with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, 
	breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of 
	men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their 
	preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they 
	should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, 
	though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and 
	have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, "For we are also 
	His offspring.' Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought 
	not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something 
	shaped by art and man's devising. Truly, these times of ignorance God 
	overlooked, 

		but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 

	because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in 
	righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance 
	of this to all by raising Him from the dead." 
	Acts 17:22-31

Paul's pattern of teaching as stated before King Agrippa at Caesarea:

	"Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 
	but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout 
	all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, 
	turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.  For these reasons
	the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.  Therefore, 
	having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both
	to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets
	and Moses said would come -- that the Christ would suffer, that He
	would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the
	Jewish people and to the Gentiles."

JESUS MESSAGE TO THE CHURCHES TODAY

Jesus, now in the throne room of heaven, sitting at the right hand of God,
spoke to John in the heavenly vision saying:

	"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord,
	"who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty....
	I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen.
	And I have the keys of Hades and of Death...."
	The Revelation of Jesus Christ 1:8 & 1:18

He both praises and rebukes the seven churches, saying:

	"repent, and do the first works..." Revelation 2:5
	"Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth." Revelation 2:16
	"And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent."  Revelation 2:21
	"Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation,
		unless they repent of their deed."  Revelation 2:22
	"...hold fast and repent..."  Revelation 3:3
	"...be zealous and repent..." Revelation 3:19


GOD's FINAL WARNING TO MANKIND

In Revelation 14, God, who is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish,
sends three angels throughout the world, proclaiming God's final warning to 
mankind:

	Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having
	the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth--
	to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people--
	saying with a loud voice, 

	"Fear God and give glory to Him, 
	for the hour of His judgment has come; 
	and worship Him who made heaven and earth, 
		the sea and spring of water."
	Revelation 14:6-7

After this, God pours out His wrath upon mankind.  As it says in John 3:36

	"He who believes in the Son has everlasting life;
	and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life,
	but the wrath of God abides on him."

ALL THINGS MADE NEW

After the great white throne judgment in Revelation 20:11-15,
We remember in the movie when Mary comes up to Jesus while
He carries the cross to Golgotha, He looks at Mary and says:
"I make all things new."  This actually comes from Revelation 21:5.
It is written:

	"And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Behold,
	the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them,
	and they shall be His people.  God Himself will be with them and be their God.
	And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death,
	nor sorrow, nor crying.  There shall be no more pain, for the former 
	things have passed away."
	Revelation 21:3-4

I pray that we will be faithful to the One who gave His life for us!

	"and that He died for all, that those who live
	should live no longer for themselves,
	but for Him who died for them and rose again."
	2 Corinthians 5:15