"Hold Firmly and Have Confidence"

“Hold Firmly and Have Confidence”

 

Let us, then, hold firmly to the faith we profess.  For we have a great High Priest who has gone into the very presence of God---Jesus, the Son of God.  Our High Priest is not one who cannot feel sympathy for our weaknesses.  On the contrary, we have a High Priest who was tempted in every way that we are, but did not sin.  Let us have confidence, then, and approach God’s throne, where there is grace.  There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it.        Hebrews 4:14-16

 

Our FAITH is a CRUCIAL element in our SALVATION.  The Author of the book of Hebrews, whom I believe to be the Apostle Paul, exhorts us to HOLD FIRMLY to the FAITH we PROFESS.  He is urging us to GRASP it FIRMLY, put a GRIP on it, and HOLD it FIRMLY.  We SHOULD do this because we have a GREAT HIGH PRIEST, who has entered into the very presence of the Almighty God---that High Priest is JESUS, the Son of God, and He is EVER interceding for us.

 

He KNOWS our weaknesses and can FEEL sympathy for us, because He too was tempted in EVERY way that we are tempted, but the difference is He was SINLESS.   He NEVER committed nor did He EVER FALL to temptation, but He did feel the pressures that we feel when we are tempted and tried. 

 

Therefore we CAN have the CONFIDENCE to approach God’s Throne of Grace, and cry out to Him, and receive His MERCY and GRACE to HELP us whenever we NEED it.  However, if you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, you have NO FAITH to HOLD ON TO, and NO CONFIDENCE in His POWER to SAVE.  You are LOST and DOOMED to spend ALL ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL it HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE.    But God is giving you the opportunity NOW to change your DESTINY.  First of all, you MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  Then You MUST CONFESS your sins to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  And you MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART that, JESUS died for YOU, and is ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for you, before God.  Then you MUST ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and RECEIVE JESUS as your SAVIOR, and your High Priest.  And HOLD FIRMLY to your FAITH, and have CONFIDENCE in God’s POWER to SAVE.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Forever Thankful"

“Forever Thankful”

 

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses.  You are saved by grace!             Ephesians 2:4-5

 

As a nation, we are looking forward to the day set aside for a time of THANKSGIVING.  A time when families gather together to eat, and visit with each other.  I wonder how many will offer a prayer of THANKSGIVING to God for ALL He has done.  For some it may be the ONLY time they offer a prayer of THANKSGIVING. 

 

For the TRUE BELIEVER, it SHOULD be a time, like MANY other times, when they REFLECT on ALL that God HAS done and IS currently doing in their lives. And to offer a prayer of THANKSGIVING, with a HEART-FELT ATTITUDE of THANKSGIVING.  Two of the MOST IMPORTANT things for them to be FOREVER THANKFUL for are:  God’s MERCY and His GRACE.

 

His MERCY, because of His GREAT LOVE they do NOT RECEIVE what they DESERVE.  They were spiritually dead to God, and without the HOPE of Heaven.  The Apostle Peter says: “Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”   (1 Peter 2:10)   Once they were headed for an ETERNITY in Hell, with ALL of its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE, but when they gave their HEART and LIFE to God, He gave them the RIGHT to be called the CHILDREN of GOD, and to spend ALL ETERNITY in Heaven with Him.  So they SHOULD be FOREVER THANKFUL for His MERCY.

 

His GRACE, because they WILL RECEIVE blessings they do NOT DESERVE.  For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  They are justified FREELY by His GRACE through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:23-24)  They have RECEIVED FREELY God’s gift of ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN.  They are SAVED BY GRACE! 

 

MERCY and GRACE are what EVERY TRUE BELIEVER SHOULD be FOREVER THANKFUL for.  What about YOU?  Have you RECEIVED God’s MERCY and GRACE or are you DOOMED to an ETERNITY in Hell, with NO WAY of ESCAPE?  If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are NOT experiencing His MERCY and GRACE, but are living in DISOBEDIENCE to God and facing JUDGMENT.  You NOW have the opportunity to change your destiny.  You MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. You MUST CONFESS your sins to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART that, Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then you MUST ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and be FOREVER THANKFUL for His MERCY and GRACE.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"A Doubting Faith"

“A Doubting Faith”

 

Jesus spoke to them at once.  “Courage!” He said.  “It is I.  Don’t be afraid!”  Then Peter spoke up.   “Lord, if it is really you, order me to come out on the water to you.”  “Come!”  answered Jesus.  So Peter got out of the boat and started walking on the water to Jesus.   But when he noticed the strong wind, he was afraid and started to sink down in the water.  “Save me, Lord!” he cried.  At once Jesus reached out and grabbed hold of him and said, “What little faith you have!  Why did you doubt?”        Matthew 14:27-31

 

I believe that we are living in the “Last Days,” days that CHALLENGES our FAITH.  And the Apostle Peter was having “ONE OF THOSE DAYS!”  Peter was in a boat, out on the Sea of Galilee, with the other disciples.  They had left Jesus on the shore, at His request, so He could send the crowds of people on their way.  Then Jesus went into the hills to PRAY.  The disciples’ boat was out in the middle of the Sea, and the wind had picked up and was giving the disciples quite a ride.  It was somewhere between three and six in the morning, when Jesus came WALKING on TOP of the water towards the disciples’ boat.  When they saw Him, they thought He was a ghost.  And they became TERRIFIED.  Jesus spoke to His disciples, telling them to have COURAGE! and to NOT BE AFRAID!

 

Peter desiring more ASSURANCE, that this was REALLY JESUS, so he called out to the Lord; “Lord, if it IS REALLY you, order me to come out on the water to you.”  Now Peter was known to be somewhat IMPETUOUS at times, and this might have been one of those times.  Nevertheless, the Lord answered Peter:  “COME!”  So Peter got out of the boat and STARTED WALKING ON the water to Jesus.  But, as soon as Peter noticed the STRONG WIND, he became afraid and started to SINK into the water.  “Save me, Lord!”  he cried.  IMMEDIATELY Jesus grabbed hold of him and said to Peter, “What little faith you have!  Why did you doubt?”  They made it safely to the boat.  At that time, Peter’s FAITH had became a DOUBTING FAITH.  He DOUBTED that Jesus was TRULY in CONTROL and had the POWER to bring him safely to Him. 

 

Do you have a DOUBTING FAITH, a FAITH that when CHALLENGED, begins to SINK in the SEA of your dilemma or life’s IMPOSSIBLE situations?  Are you like Peter, and QUESTION GOD’S WORD, wanting MORE ASSURANCE, instead of putting ALL your TRUST in HIM? 

 

Maybe, your FAITH is in YOURSELF or SOMEONE ELSE.  Maybe you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to GOD, and you are DESTINED to an ETERNITY in Hell, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE.  Unless, you TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  Then you MUST CONFESS your sins to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART that, JESUS died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then you MUST ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and don’t have a DOUBTING FAITH, but have a STRONG and STEADFAST FAITH in the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

"The Harvest"

“The Harvest”

 

“Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.  Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true.  I sent you to reap what you have not worked for.  Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”          John 4:36-38

 

There are two very IMPORTANT workers in the PROCESS of a HARVEST, the SOWER and the REAPER.  This was a lesson from the Lord Jesus Christ for His disciples.  He began with saying to them:  “Open your eyes and LOOK at the fields!  They are RIPE for HARVEST.”  Jesus was not talking about fields of grain.  But He was talking about the masses of LOST people, whose HEARTS were /are FERTILE ground for SOWING and REAPING. 

 

He tells them, they will draw a wage and the HARVEST is for ETERNAL LIFE.  They will be REAPING what someone else has SOWN.   The SOWERS might have been the Old Testament Prophets or it might have been John the Baptist.  Either way, the SOWER has the harder task. 

 

Jesus, once told this parable of the Sower and the Seed:  “Once there was a man who went out to sow grain. As he scattered the seed in the field, some of it fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.  Some of it fell on rocky ground, where there was little soil.  The seeds soon sprouted, because the soil wasn’t deep.  But when the sun came up, it burned the young plants; and because the roots had not grown deep enough, the plants soon dried up.  Some of the seed fell among thorn bushes, which grew up and choked the plants. But some seeds fell in good soil, and the plants bore grain: some had one hundred grains, others sixty and others thirty.” (Matthew 13:3-8)   

 

The SOWER, often times, doesn’t have the opportunity to witness an immediate fulfillment of his work.  While the REAPER experiences the JOY of the HARVEST. Just like the JOY in Heaven at the time of SALVATION for the LOST of mankind.   Whether you are a SOWER or a REAPER, you can REJOICE with EXCEEDING GREAT JOY over the HARVEST of LOST SOULS. 

 

If you are neither SOWER nor REAPER, because you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are LOST and DOOMED for an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE.  Your HEART is like the ground in the parable. It might be like the ROCKY GROUND, and NOT able to receive ETERNAL LIFE in Heaven.  In order to CHANGE your destiny, you MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  Then CONFESS your sins to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART that, Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then you MUST ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and become either a SOWER or a REAPER in God’s HARVEST.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Believe or Not Believe"

“Believe or Not Believe”

 

Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.        John 3:18

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.         John 3:36

 

BELIEVING on the Lord Jesus Christ and His work of REDEMPTION on the Cross for the SALVATION of mankind is the foundation upon which we build our FAITH.  Whenever a person comes to Christ for the SALVATION of their SOUL, they go from being CONDEMNED to NOT being CONDEMNED, because they have come from NOT BELIEVING to BELIEVING. And that transition determines their ETERNAL DESTINY.

 

John says that, whoever BELIEVES in the Son of the Living God has ETERNAL LIFE, meaning they will spend ALL ETERNITY in Heaven, and they will ENJOY ALL the BLESSINGS of Heaven.  But for those who DO NOT BELIEVE, and REJECTS God’s Son and His gift of SALVATION, they will NOT see that ETERNAL LIFE, but they WILL experience God’s wrath, and His CONDEMNATION, which is an ETERNITY in Hell, with ALL of its Horrors, and NO WAY of ESCAPE. 

 

You have the option NOW, to either BELIEVE or NOT BELIEVE, the choice is YOURS.  You will DETERMINE where you will spend your ETERNITY.  Will you BELIEVE and NOT be CONDEMNED or will you NOT BELIEVE and be CONDEMNED?  Where will you spend your ETERNITY? 

 

You CANNOT have it both ways, you MUST CHOOSE.  If you choose to BELIEVE, then you MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle and TURN TO God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST CONFESS your sins to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  Then you MUST BELIEVE with ALL your HEART that, Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION and spend your ETERNITY in HEAVEN, and enjoy ALL of its BLESSINGS.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

"Victory Over the World"

“Victory Over the World”

 

“I have told you these things, so that in be you may have peace.  In this would you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”         John 16:33

 

Jesus was preparing His disciples for His departure.  He would be leaving them through death and going back to His Father.  But He would NOT leave them alone.  He was going to send them a Helper, Comforter, and Guide, the Holy Spirit of God, who would come and indwell them.  This was the THINGS He was talking about. 

 

They were saddened by His announcement that He would DIE.  But He wanted them to know that they would NOT be ALONE. And that should have given them PEACE.  

 

TRUE BELIEVERS live in a dual existence:   In Christ, where they experience PEACE and JOY, and in the world, where they experience TROUBLE and HATRED.   The WORLDLY system goes AGAINST God and His people.  It opposed the MESSAGE and MINISTRY of Jesus.  But Jesus won the VICTORY over the world and its system.  He came and conquered Satan and his kingdom. JESUS is the VICTOR.  This was one of the things He wanted His disciples to KNOW and to REJOICE over His VICTORY. 

 

‘TAKE HEART!”  means to “BE COURAGEOUS!” Jesus wants ALL TRUE BELIEVERS to KNOW that we ALL are OVERCOMERS with Him, over this SINFUL, WORLD.  We MUST STAND STRONG on our FAITH, and BELIEVE that JESUS CHRIST brought us VICTORY OVER the WORLD.   Are you a VICTOR with JESUS?  Or are you an ENEMY of the LIVING GOD?

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to GOD, then you are His ENEMY and are DOOMED to an ETERNITY in Hell, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE.  God’s is NOW giving you the opportunity to change your DESTINY by:  TURNING AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURNING TO God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST CONFESS your sins to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  Then you MUST BELIEVE with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST then ACCEPT God’s gift of SALVATION, and become a VICTOR over this OLD SINFUL WORLD.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Those Who Love Me"

“Those Who Love Me”

 

“If you love me, you will obey my commandments.”      John 14:15

“Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me.  My Father will love those who love me; I too will love them and reveal myself to them.”        John 14:21

 

When a person is DEEPLY, TRULY in LOVE with someone, they will try their BEST to say and do what they believe that person wants and expects of them.   Jesus tells His disciples:  “IF you LOVE Me, you WILL OBEY my commandments.”  The type of TRUE LOVE a BORN AGAIN, TRUE BELIEVER has is manifested by their OBEDIENCE to Christ’s commands or words. 

 

I think that Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew, chapter five, is a very good and concise example of how the TRUE BELIEVER SHOULD OBEY Him, and would TRULY be a MANFESTATION of the TRUE BELIEVER’S LOVE for His SAVIOR.   It also would HELP the TRUE BELIEVER to GROW in their FAITH.  And to have a CLOSER RELATIONSHIP with God and His Beloved Son.   

 

This does NOT indicate a “WORKS” type religion, but it MANIFESTS the TRUE BELIEVER’S LOVE and OBEDIENCE to Jesus Christ and His words.  The REWARD for doing this is BEING LOVED by GOD, the FATHER, and the Son. And Jesus says He will show Himself to the TRUE BELIEVER, this is done through the work of the Holy Spirit, who indwells the believer, at the time of SALVATION.  SAVING FAITH is the result of OBEDIENCE, which comes from FAITH in the ONLY ONE who can give you SALVATION and an ETERNITY in Heaven. 

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to GOD, then you are on your way to an ETERNITY in Hell, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE.  In order to change your DESTINY from HELL to HEAVEN, you MUST FOLLOW GOD’S PLAN by:  TURNING AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURNING TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST CONFESS your sins to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  Then you MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and SHOW your LOVE for Christ, by being OBEDIENT to His commands.   Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!