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DECEPTION

There is a story told about three men who went into a hotel to stay for the night. The hotel owner told them it would be $30. for the night for the three of them. They gave him the $30. And went up to the room with the key provided.

After they were gone, the owner had a change of heart and decided that he had charged them too much for the room, so he gave $5. to the bellboy and told him to take it up to the men in the room. On the way up to the room the bellboy got to thinking: these men are going to have a hard time dividing $5. between the three of them, so he decided to keep $2. for himself and give them just three.

Now, because they each got back $1., they were only paying $9. a piece for the room; three times 9 is 27, plus the two dollars the bellboy kept is $29., so what happened to the other dollar.

It is obvious that we are not seeing the picture clearly from this little story because we know there really was $30. to begin with. Something about the way the story was presented isn't right.

Many times, the way the Gospel of Jesus Christ is presented, is not quite right either, and then when people read their Bible, there are things that just don't add up. With this story about the three men, we tend to get our mind fixed on certain things which make it impossible to figure out and to see it properly.

Concerning the way that the Gospel of Christ is presented much of the time, people also tend to get their mind fixed on certain things which make it impossible to see properly all that Christ has done for us. In the story of the three men we tend to want to keep our eyes fixed on the $30. and perhaps the $27., because those things seem so obviously important.

The Christian tends to want to keep his eyes fixed on self, feeling it is of obvious importance "what we can do." In the story of the three men: if we can place our eyes on the $25. That they actually paid, then things begin to become a little more clear.

When the Christian begins to keep his eyes on Christ, instead of on himself, then, the Bible and all that Jesus accomplished for us will also begin to become more clear. You see, the story of the three men actually becomes more understandable if we work back to the $25. instead of working ahead to the $30., because the men actually only paid $25.

They each received a dollar back which means they paid $27., but it is not plus the $2. the bellboy kept is $29., but rather minus the $2. the bellboy kept equals $25. It can be worked out to come up to $30., if we realize that the $2. the bellboy kept is actually part of the $27. they paid and the three dollars they got back make $30. Just as this play on numbers can be deceiving and lead us to a logical but ever so wrong conclusion, so likewise is the Word of God manipulated much of the time, leading us to a logical but ever so wrong conclusion. In the story of the three men, it is important to keep our eyes on the fact that they only paid $25.

In the Gospel, we must keep our eyes on the fact that Jesus paid it "all." If we keep our eyes on Christ and "off from self," then God is able to give us Grace to deliver us from every problem and the sin which does so easily beset. Not that we will not ever have another problem but God's Grace will deliver us from whatever the devil throws at us. And that is the only way to be delivered: by keeping our eyes on Him and all that He accomplished at Calvary and off from self (This is why it was necessary for Jesus to deliver us from the curse of the Law; because law works on the premise of what self can do).

Just as someone trying to figure out the story of the three men: if he does not get his eyes off from the way the story has been presented to him; then he can only come out to a wrong conclusion. And if the Believer can't get his eyes off from those things which are many times presented as having something to do with our salvation or sanctification and place his eyes squarely on Christ and all that He accomplished on Calvary as the "only" method of salvation and sanctification then when that believer reads the Word, he will continually come up with wrong conclusions. The entirety of the Bible points to Christ.

To Who Christ is and to what He has done or will do and especially for us.