Today, Christians would do well to ask themselves what Christ-like behavior do people see in us? If they were to examine us very closely, what would their examination reveal to them about the Gospel of Jesus Christ? It would be tough to beat the lasting testimony of a young man of about 30 years of age. Actually, it isn’t accurate to say he is around 30 years old. Rather, this man is now about 1,300 years old—at least that is the approximate age of his recently discovered body. He wasn’t from around here. The man’s partially mummified body was discovered back in 2016 in the African country of Sudan. Archaeologists came across the man’s body while studying the site of a medieval monastery located in the desert of northern Sudan. It is not clear whether the body was one of the monks serving at the monastery or someone who may have been a native of Sudan. But, one thing is very clear—this man was a Christian and he didn’t mind the world knowing about it!
The big discovery, however, did not come about in 2016 when the body was first discovered. No, the really huge discovery took place recently when the remains of this man were closely examined using full spectrum photography. It was then that the researchers found something surprising. They were able to clearly see a tattoo that had been etched on the man’s right foot. It showed what is known as a “Christogram.” A Christogram was an ancient symbol of the early church that combined the Greek letters “chi” and “rho” to form what most everyone during ancient times recognized as a symbol for the name of Christ. It was an outward sign to the world that you were a follower of Jesus. If you had a tattoo like this one, it showed that you weren’t in the least bit ashamed for the world to know that you were a Christian! But, that is not all the tattoo included.
There were more Greek letters stamped on the man’s foot. They were the letter “alpha” and “omega.” This was an obvious reference to Revelation 22:12-13, where Jesus said: 12 “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (NIV) [1] The man’s little tattoo put out a very big message. Jesus was there at the beginning (the “alpha”) as Creator of the world. And, He is coming again very soon at the End of Time (the “omega”) to judge the world. When He had completed the creation of the world and everything in it, including human beings, God declared that it was “very good.”[2] And things remained very good until human beings decided they knew how to live better than God knew how they should live. Those first two humans, Adam and Eve, decided to openly violate God’s commandment. He told them not to eat the fruit of a certain tree. No sooner than God commanded that, they couldn’t wait to take a big bite of the forbidden fruit. And so, they sinned. Except for a series of amazingly, merciful and loving events provided by God, Adam and Eve and all their descendants, from the beginning to the end, would have died in their sin. The judgment for unforgiven sin is death, in the eternal sense, in a place called Hell. On Judgment Day, that’s what would have happened to them. In fact, that is exactly what would happen to you and me as well—but for those amazing intervening events that I mentioned. What were those events? They were the birth of Jesus, His ministry on this earth, His death on the Cross, and His resurrection from the dead.
You see, the Bible teaches in John 3:16 that God so loved the world, He sent His only Son, Jesus, into this sinful world so that anyone who believes in Him shall not perish in that eternal, hellish sense, but shall have eternal life in God’s Heavenly Kingdom.[3] So, getting into Heaven is bound up in “believing.” But, what does “believing” in Jesus Christ involve? Well, the world (led by its ruler, Satan[4]) tries to lead you astray when it comes to understanding what it takes to “believe in Jesus.” As a side note, don’t worry too much about that Satan-being-the-ruler part, the world’s management will be changing very soon. In the meantime, Satan and his minions will try to convince you that there are only two requirements to gain eternal life as promised in John 3:16. Satan will lead you to think that all you need to do is to acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God. Then, just love everybody else in the world. That’s it!—that’s all you need and nothing else. Really? Well, the problem with that is the world and Satan have a habit of lying. They specialize in telling half-truths that can be the deadliest lies of all. So, when the Bible speaks of “believing” in Jesus, or “having faith” in Him, what does it really require?
It is not enough to merely acknowledge in your head that Jesus is the Son of God. If that were enough, Satan would be saved, for he knows for sure that Jesus is God’s Son. In order to truly “believe” in Jesus, your faith and trust in Him must be so strong that you are willing to surrender to Jesus as your Lord and Savior. So, how do you go about accepting Jesus as your Savior? Well, this leads to another question: If you surrender to Him as your Savior, then what is it that He is saving you from? The answer is: Jesus saves you from your sin.
Now, some people might say, “Well, I haven’t got any sin to speak of—at least no more than the next guy.” There are some real problems in thinking that way. Most people who say that actually mean they are no more sinful than the other people with whom they associate. But, that doesn’t say much. Because, even under that false standard, if the people you hang out with are more like Al Capone than Mother Teresa, then your sin is relatively great! The other problem with thinking that way is that it makes a wrong assumption when it comes to how you will be judged on Judgment Day. That wrong assumption is that Jesus will be judging humanity by grading on a curve. He doesn’t do it that way. Jesus is a strictly “pass-fail” kind of Judge. You won’t be allowed to enter the Kingdom of Heaven with even the tiniest speck of sin. The reality is that all of us have much more than a speck of sin. In fact, without Christ, we are tattooed from head to toe with sin. None of us could claim the status of someone like the Apostle Peter. But, even Peter, upon realizing the extent of the sin in his life, fell on his knees before Jesus and begged: “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m too much of a sinner to be around you.” Luke 5:8 (NLT2) Or, consider the Prophet Isaiah when he realized how sin-stained he was in the presence of a Holy God. Isaiah hung his head in shame and cried: “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.” Isaiah 6:5 (NLT2)
Yes, we are ALL great sinners—for as Paul pointed out: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 (NASB) So, that takes us back to what it means to “believe” in Jesus as your Savior. “Believing” in Jesus as your Savior means you believe HE IS THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN SAVE YOU FROM YOUR SINS—those sins that bar your entry to Heaven and stamp your ticket to Hell! It is the belief that, when Jesus died on the Cross, He took on your sins and paid for them with His life’s blood. Yes, Jesus loves you that much. His love is bound up in His willingness to sacrifice Himself on the Cross for you. That is one of the reasons Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13 (NIV) But, Satan is very clever in taking this truth and twisting it into a lie to trick people.
Lately, Satan has been very successful in providing a distorted view of Jesus’ love in a manner that has caused people to lose sight of the need for salvation. When people lose sight of the need for salvation, they naturally lose sight of their need for a Savior. When that happens, the very foundation of their belief in Christ crumbles as well. Consequently, once their belief becomes a false one, the salvation promised in John 3:16 is no longer available. So, how does Satan go about telling his evil lie? He starts by attempting to deceive people into seeing Jesus solely as their “friend,” their “pal”, their “good buddy.” Sometimes Satan concocts phrases like “radical love” and “radical inclusivity” and fuses them together to cause confusion about the nature of Jesus’ love. Many people get so lost in the deception of Satan’s fog that they begin to emphasize love without the need for repentance. In other words, they tend to think that Jesus loves them so much that He would never impose on their sinful lifestyles and expect them to change—to actually turn away from their sin. And yet, that is exactly what Jesus demands of all of us. Yes, Jesus longs to be your Savior, if you will allow Him to be by repenting of your sin. The Gospel Message is not merely, “Jesus is my bud.” Rather, the Gospel Message is that Jesus offers you salvation once you believe in Him enough to turn from your sin. To think otherwise is an eternally fatal mistake. He gave up His life; you can give up your sin.
I expect that man who had the “alpha” and “omega” tattoo on his foot understood this. That little marking on his foot indicates that he was very much aware that Christ has been battling against Satan from the “beginning” and will continue to do so until Jesus’ final victory in the “end.” In the meantime, a fierce spiritual battle is raging all around us in which Satan continues to distort God’s truth. There are warnings against this in both the Old Testament and in the New Testament. The Prophet Isaiah warns us to expect Satan’s minions to do all they can to cause moral confusion. Isaiah proclaimed: “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” Isaiah 5:20 (NASB) This is a call for us to be on the alert for false teachers and preachers. Be vigilant. But, note this: It is only going to get worse the closer we come to the End of Time. In this regard, the Apostle Paul wrote: 1 “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. . . 13 Evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2nd Timothy 3:1-13, NASB) 3 “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will reject the truth and chase after myths. 5 But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.” (2nd Timothy 4:3-5, NLT2) These Scriptures resonate across the centuries and urge us to stand strong in the truth despites the world’s best attempts to mock God’s Word and have it relegated to the trash bin.
More and more, Satan has introduced the false, but subtle, notion that those who preach the Gospel of repentance are hateful people. He circulates the lie that Christians who insist upon the reality of sin are “haters” of sinners. Satan would have people believe that if anyone hints that a sinner needs to repent, then they must be hateful, judgmental hypocrites even to suggest such a thing. Today, Satan’s motives in doing this are no different than in the “beginning” when he so deviously fooled Adam and Eve. But, Satan knows his days are numbered. So, when the “end” comes and he is tossed in the Lake of Fire, he is determined to take as many people with him as possible. When we fail to teach the need for repentance from sin because we are afraid it might offend someone, we play into Satan’s hands and become his ally. But, let me be clear on this point: We cannot condemn or judge anyone. That is not our function. But, neither can we stand idly by without informing those who simply don’t understand when their conduct is sinful and separates them from God.
The sad thing is that many people today, including some Christians, don’t realize their lifestyles are sinful. The heterosexual who cheats on his wife by having an affair with another woman thinks its “no big deal—everyone does it.” But, it is a big deal—so big, in fact, that God gave us the 7th Commandment to apprize us of the gravity of the sin of adultery.[5] Somebody hacks a computer and gets someone else’s credit card information that’s used to purchase online merchandise for themselves. They look at it as being clever and see nothing wrong with their illicit conduct. Afterall, the credit card company is the one who bears the loss—or so they think. But, it isn’t being clever. Rather, it’s stealing and falls under the 8th Commandment just as much as the actions of a robber in holding up a bank.[6] Some might respond by saying, “Fine—but, I have never committed adultery, or stolen a thing in my life.” What about that peek into a porn site? If you are a married man or woman, Jesus says that qualifies as adultery.[7] And that roll of toilet paper you took from your employer’s restroom was just as much a sin as committing grand theft auto. Sometimes people sin without even knowing their conduct is sinful. For instance, have you ever read your horoscope in a newspaper, or used a Ouija board? Well, if you did, then you certainly sinned because such activities fall under the biblical prohibitions against divination, sorcery, and hidden arts.[8]
It is not my purpose in saying these things to make anyone feel bad. It is not my purpose to judge them or to exhibit some “holier-than-thou” attitude. But, I would be remiss in not informing them of the Truth of God’s Word that does identify those things as sins. That is why Paul stated:14 “How can they call to [Jesus] for help if they have not believed? And how can they believe if they have not heard the Message? And how can they hear if the Message is not proclaimed?” Romans 10:14 (TEV) Yes, the Gospel Message is one of love. But don’t ever forget what Jesus said about those who love Him. Jesus put it a couple of ways: [First], “If you love Me, obey My commandments.” John 14:15 (NLT2) And second, “You are my friends if you do what I command.” John 15:13-14 (NIV) Now, what comes out of all that is this: You can neither truly love Jesus nor be His friend unless you obey God’s Word. So, when we preach the Gospel Message as it defines what it truly means to love Christ, we must do so in terms of our obedience to His Word. People will not know how to obey what the Bible commands unless they hear what it says about those things that are sin in their lives. But, that is the last thing that Satan wants us to do. Satan hates it when we tell people the nature of their sin and that Jesus is the remedy to their sin. Satan will do everything within his power to shame you into thinking that by spreading the truth of the Gospel, you are spreading hate. IT IS ONE OF HIS BIGGEST LIES!
The Bible teaches that when the End of Time comes, there will be many people who will be deceived by Satan’s false prophets. We are certainly seeing that happen today. There are those false prophets who are delighted to talk about those terms I mentioned earlier—such things as the “radical love” and “inclusivity” of Christ.” They do this while stifling any discussion about the sins in our lives or the need for repentance from sins. Look—there is no question about it: Jesus is “inclusive” in the sense that His means of salvation is available to EVERYBODY. It doesn’t matter the color of your skin, your national origin, your ethnicity, or the size of your bank account. But, at the same time, Jesus is very much exclusive in this sense: Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 (NKJV) The only way you can come to God the Father through Christ is BY THE WAY OF THE CROSS! This, by its very nature, requires the confession of your sins followed by repentance.
So, how do we spread the Gospel Message about sin and repentance along with message of salvation through Christ? How do we overcome Satan’s lies that we are being judgmental, hypocritical hate-mongers? Well, first of all, you have to understand what hate really is. It’s not hate when you preach the truth of God’s Word; it’s hate when you water it down and fail to preach it. What we cannot afford to do is to take the path that many liberal churches and Christian organizations have been pursuing. They seem to think that if you mention a person’s sin when first witnessing to them, you’ll never get them into the church. But, the reality is that those churches in America that have offered Satan’s watered-down version of the Gospel are losing members in droves. The very liberal Presbyterian Church USA has experienced a 62% decline in membership since the early 1980’s and continues to see a steady loss of members each years.[9] The United Methodist Church has lost over 6,000 churches that have left the denomination since 2019 mostly over the main body’s support of LGBTQ issues.[10] Their false Gospel repels people; it doesn’t attract them. Why is that? The answer is because the Holy Spirit refuses to work with half-truths and lies. Those things are the tools of Satan. You see, the approach cannot be the same old liberal message of: “I’m O.K.—you’re O.K, so let’s go to church because Jesus loves everyone regardless of their sin.” No—the message must be: “I’m a sinner—you’re a sinner, so let’s go to Church because only Jesus can save us from our sins!” That is the road we must walk.
Jesus said: 13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” Matthew 7:13-14 (NLT2) Make certain your walk with Christ is through the narrow gate. When you look down at your feet and see a rocky, narrow road with a Cross at the end, you’ll know you are on the right path. But, whatever you do, make sure you are not walking a different road—the one that’s smooth, wide and wildly popular with the world. It is a false path that touts the false, “radical love” of the world. The problem is the world’s phony love is devoid of Christ’s sacrificial love that demands redemption from sin. Today, the sad truth is that you could thoroughly examine some Christians and not find a mark of Christ anywhere about them. They have allowed the world of compromise to erase any evidence that they are true believers in the sense of what God requires us to believe. Don’t be like one of them. God’s people preserve the truth of the Gospel Message. They don’t compromise it in order to make themselves popular with the world around them.
In closing, let me share with you two quotes. One is from a Christian music artist of the 1990’s by the name of Steve Camp. He put things in perspective when he said: “The question is, do you compromise yourself slightly to gain more exposure for the Gospel Message? But, in doing so, have you then watered down the truth and made it a half-truth—which makes it into a lie? That’s a real concern. Jesus asked His followers to choose the narrow way, but He added, ‘If you follow me, don't be surprised if the world hates you.’”[11]
The second quote from Franklin Graham is a bit longer, but no less pertinent in this world that constantly pressures Christians to be silent when it comes to proclaiming our need to repent from our sins. Rev. Graham said:
Believers should never be caught off guard by the culture around us—the culture of a world system behind which lies the evil one. . . The omnipotent, eternal, majestic voice of Almighty God can never be canceled. The voice of the church, the blood-bought bride of the Lamb of God who sits on Heaven’s throne, can never be silenced. Our message as His followers should always be to be ready to speak the truth of God’s Word, but to do so in love and with respect, “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.”[12] And remember, for those who repent and trust Christ for the forgiveness of sin, all your sins—past, present and future—were cancelled at the Cross.[13] And one day soon—very soon, I believe—Jesus will return in glory and splendor and cancel all opposition to His rule and authority. May He come quickly![14]
Yes, Franklin Graham’s words are right on the mark. And, if you truly bear the mark of Christ—if His name is tattooed on your heart—then you don’t have a thing to worry about. For Jesus Christ is, indeed, the Alpha and Omega—the Beginning of your salvation and the End of your sins!
Darvin Satterwhite, Pastor
Forest Hill Baptist Church
February 25, 2024
©2024 All Rights Reserved as follows:
Anyone is at liberty to use this sermon or any portions thereof for educational or religious purposes, with or without credit. The pastor believes the material presented herein to be true to the teaching of Scripture, and desires to further, not restrict, its potential use as an aid in the study of God’s Word. The publication of this material is a grace ministry of Forest Hill Baptist Church in Louisa, Virginia. Visit us on our Face Book page at https://www.facebook.com/4409sspotswoodrdgordonsvilleva.
[1] Michael Foust, “Ancient ‘Christ Tattoo’ Discovered on 1,300-Year-Old Body Near Sudan Monastery,” ChristianHeadlines.com,https://www.christianheadlines.com/contributors/michael-foust/ancient-christ-tattoo-discovered-1300-year-old-body-near-sudanmonastery.html?utmsource=ChristianHeadlines%20Daily&utm campaign=Christian%20Headlines%20Daily%20%20ChristianHeadlines.com&utm_medium=email&utm_content=9328545&recip=559663686&aps=719e9df3abb16b7ccd6948d78d02d50ab32a0b12a19384b57993499ac8097618&lctg=559663686 (February 16, 2024).
[2] Genesis 1:31 “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” (NASB)
[3] John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (NASB)
[4] John 12:31 “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.” (NASB)
[5] Exodus 20:14 “Do not commit adultery.” (TEV)
[6] Exodus 20:15 “You must not steal.” (NLT2)
[7] Matthew 5:27-28 27 “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (NLT2)
[8] Deuteronomy 18:10 “There shall not be found among you anyone. . . who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer. (NASB) Leviticus 19:26 “Do not eat meat that has not been drained of its blood. “Do not practice fortune-telling or witchcraft.” (NLT2)
[9] Grey Smith, “PC(USA) Membership Declines by 62% (#1984),” So What Faith, https://sowhatfaith.com/2022/04/25/pcusa-membership-declines-by-62/#:~:text=Since%20the%20denomination%20was%20formed%20in%201983%2C%20the, members%2C%20which%20equals%20an%20annual%20decline%20of%204.1%25 (April 25, 2022).
[10] Associated Press, “United Methodists Lose One-Fifth of US Churches in Schism Driven by Growing Defiance of LGBTQ Bans,” https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2023-07-06/one-in-five-united-methodist-
congregations-in-the-us-have-left-the-denomination-over-lgbtq-conflicts#:~:text=As%20of%20June%202023%2C% 20more%20than%206%2C000%20United,nation%27s%20second-largest%20Protestant%20denomination.%20%28AP%20Photo%2 FCharlie%20Riedel%2C%20File%29 (July 6, 2023).
[11] Steve Camp, quoted by Bob Darden in Billboard (April 20, 1991), cited in Christianity Today, “Reflections,” Vol. 35, No. 8, p. 32 (July 22, 1991).
John 15:18-19 18 “If the world hates you, remember that it hated Me first. 19 The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.” (NLT2)
[12] 1st Peter 3:15 “Always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.” (NASB)
[13] Colossians 2:13-14 13 “You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the Cross.” (NLT2)
[14] Franklin Graham, Decision Magazine, “The Voice of God Can Never be Cancelled,” Vol. 62, No. 3 (March 2021), p. 5.
