Exposition IV

When a person tries to run away from God, he throws away the real potentiality that God has given him.

Paul says ; of those who could have found God but who turned away from Him: 'God gavethem up to their lusts... God gave them up to their own dishonourable passions... God gave them up to a base mind' (Romans 1:24, 26, 28). In the end, God did not run after them but underlined their own decision and 'gave them up.

George Macdonald has said: 'The one principle of hell is- "I am my own".' Christ once said 'Everyone who commits sin [that is, goes his own way, not God's, in his pursuit of freedom] is a slave to sin' (John 8:34). That is true, although it is part of the wretched deceitfulness of sin that a person may not realise how captive he is until there is a crisis (or the Holy Spirit overshadows them and convicts them of sin, reveals the righteousness of God in Christ andjudge the power of wickedness that has kept them in darkness).

A sick person occasionally has an unnatural sense of well-being - euphoria. There is also such a thing as spiritual euphoria.

Martin Luther, in his book, writes: 'Scriptures sets before us a man who is not only bound, wretched, captive, sick and dead but who, through the operation of satan, his lord, adds to his other miseries that of blindness, so that he believes himself to be free, happy, possessed of liberty and ability, whole and alive.'

The Samaritan woman, as she talked with Jesus, began to discover the truth of these words. Jesus said to her, 'Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again (John 4:13). Yes, she said to herself, this is just like my life: always needing further excitement, always wanting another kick, every day looking for something to satisfy my thirst. That was her second sad surprise: her pursuit of freedom left her enslaved to her desires, always seeking fresh satisfaction.

Her situation could be summarised by her third painful discovery. _Her pursuit of life ended up with mere existence_. She existed physically, but she did not live. She missed altogether the quality of life that God has planned for her. Many people, even famous people with astonishing success in the eyes of the world, have at the end of their lives had the humility to realise that without Christthey have simply existed and never lived. Darwin eventually confessed that by concentrating on only one aspect of life, he had lost the power to enjoy poetry, music, and even nature itself (and this is just a few).

H. G. Wells, having rejected the Christian faith and worked out his own philosophy, admitted that he was utterly baffled and bewildered. His last book, significantly, was called _Mind at the end of its Tether_, and in this, he says, 'Homo sapiens is played out'. A spiritual rebel, despite every apparent promise of happiness, freedom and life, will always find himself cut off from God, both now and in eternity. God is the only person who really loves and cares (Jonah 4:2).

*CHRIST RELEVANT:*

What is Christ's relevance in such a situation? After He met with her, the Samaritan woman could have given us the answer with considerable conviction. Christ came, first of all, *not with condemnation or judgement: he came to satisfy and to save* 'For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him' (John 3:17). Of course, there is condemnation and judgement for those who do not want the help that Christ offers. Tragically, the prevailing attitude today is that of sheer apathy. 'Why should I bother?' 'What's the point?' 'Why all the fuss?' This is the answer that the Bible gives: 'This is the judgement' ( this is...the condemning factor which brings the full wrath of God, judgement) 'that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light' (John 3:19).

In other words, they said 'Why bother?' Now that's the condemnation! 'He who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God' (John 3:18). I remembered the day that by the Spirit of God, I thought, 'how can men who jumped and still shouts UP NEPA! (Power holding company), whose faces brighten up at the supply of power reject the Light of the world? When there was light, they could see the items in their rooms, identify things, etc. Why won't they repent and accept Christ?

The scripture answers it(See John 3: 19-2. They are selfish, proud at heart and do not want their deeds to be exposed, as they confess to God and confess to the body of Christ, and if need be, restitute too). A person does not have to be against God before he is in danger of the judgement. He simply has to be apathetic: *' I don't greatly care. I'm not honestly bothered. I can get on well without your help, thank you very much- although, of course, when I am in difficulties I may pray to you, and I shall expect you to rush to my aid.'* That is the condemnation, says Christ: treating God as your servant.

Thanks for reading. I wish you love this season and a happy time in good health.