Some of you may be old enough to remember the movie Weird Science, where a pair of teenagers ‘created’ a female friend. This friend ended up wreaking havoc, much like in Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat. Both of these stories ended on a good note. At the end of the day just before the parents returned home, all was well.
A not-so uncommon event
A teenager, 15 years old, was left home by his parents for a few days. This was to be the first time he was left alone for more than a few hours. He was instructed NOT to have anybody over, and that the house should be in good order when they get back. His first friend comes up and says, “Hey, your parents won’t be home for a few days. Why don’t you invite some friends over?” “Nah, “he replied, “I’m not supposed to have anyone over. They trusted me and I want them to know they can trust me.”
A couple hours later, another friend stopped by. This friend explained to him, “You should have some friends over. Don’t worry about your parents – we’ll clean up the mess ourselves. They will see they can trust you and your friends, and that they won’t be needed since we can do this ourselves.” “I just don’t know. I really want them to trust me, and I don’t want to make them mad.”
Finally, a third friend came by. “Let’s throw a party.”
I don’t think so…”
Finally giving in
“Look, we will have everything cleaned up. They won’t be back until Sunday anyways. We have all this time, so don’t worry! What would you think if you spent all this time sitting alone in your house thinking they are going to come home and punish you for not doing what they said, even though they left to go do the same thing they’re telling you not to do? Heck, who says they’re coming back home at all? You have a great chance to do what you want – have some fun! We will clean up and they will never know, that is, if they even care!”
“All right, let’s do it!”
We can just imagine how this turns out. We may have even experienced a similar situation, or knew someone who did, when we were younger.
Why we need to stay on guard
Mankind was created to have direct fellowship with God. They walked and talked together, face to face. God even allowed Adam to name and subjugate all the animals. It was one day when God was away that one of the animals, the serpent, came to “outwit” the instructions God gave to Adam. By giving in, Adam brought rebellion against God that would be passed down to and through all of us. Adam and all his descendants became destined for the same punishment set aside for the serpent simply because he followed the serpents will and not God’s.
You can read more on the story of the serpent by clicking here.
All is not lost
However, God’s plan was not that mankind be subject to this punishment, so He made a way for us to be freed of it. He came down and made Himself like us, Jesus, the only begotten of the Father, to live among us for a short time. The Son of Man was tempted with the same desires we have – He was betrayed by His friends, He was rejected and killed by the same people that claimed to teach about Him.
Through all of this, He remained obedient and faithful. He did not do this to end the evils of this world, at least not until the time He has already set aside, but to give us a second chance to be obedient. This obedience does not come through laws or traditions – only to believe.
John 3:18 – The one who believes in him is not condemned. The one who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.
Let’s lift up the name of Jesus together!
The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® https://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
