“The Urgency of REPENTANCE”

 “The Urgency of REPENTANCE”

 

John the Baptist went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people SHOULD be baptized to SHOW that they had REPENTED of their sins and turned to God to be FORGIVEN.   Luke 3:3

 

The Prophet Isaiah spoke of John when he said: “He is a voice SHOUTING in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for the LORD’ S coming!  Clear the road for Him! The valleys will be filled, and the mountains and hills made level.  The curves will be straightened, and the rough places made smooth. And then ALL people will see the SALVATION sent from God.” (Isa. 40:3-5)

John’s preaching was that people needed to prove by the way they live that they have REPENTED of their SINS and have turned to GOD. He warned them that being descendants of Abraham was NOT GOOD ENOUGH to secure their ETERNAL SAFETY.  They MUST have FAITH and WORKS, to PROVE their REPENTANCE.   And one of the ways that they SHOULD show their REPENTANCE is to be BAPTIZED. BAPTISM is the OUTWARD PICTURE of an INNER CHANGE of HEART.  BAPTISM does NOT SAVE anyone.   

God’s Gift of SALVATION is by HIS GRACE when you first BELIEVED, not by BAPTISM. BAPTISM is IMPORTANT to us because it is telling others of our INNER CHANGE. A NEW LIFE CHANGE.  OLD things have PASSED AWAY and BEHOLD ALL things become NEW.

God is SO RICH in MERCY, and He loved us so much, that even though we were DEAD because of our sins, He gave us LIFE when He RAISED CHRIST from the DEAD.  It is ONLY by GOD’S GRACE that we have been SAVED!  It is NOT by ANYTHING we have DONE!!

Those who are BELIEVERS in CHRIST JESUS and His SACRIFICE of GIVING His LIFE to SAVE our sinful souls, are PRAYING DILIGENTLY for His RETURN, which could be at ANYTIME !!

We are very anxious to begin our ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN with OUR KING. But that is ONLY for the TRUE BELIEVERS.  If you have NOT GIVEN YOUR LIFE to God, then you will not be able to SPEND your ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN but will spend your ETERNITY in HELL with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE once you are there. 

TIME is VERY SHORT, by the signs of the times, we could be within SECONDS of the RAPTURE of the ones who HAVE ACCEPTED God’s INVITATION to come to HIM with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. If you HAVE NOT DONE that then your destiny may be an ETERNITY in HELL.  Jesus is COMING SOON are YOU READY? 

You can be, if you will SURRENDER to CHRIST JESUS, when the SPIRIT MOVES YOU!! When you start to feel guilty for the way you are living, then you MUST SURRENDER to Him and ADMIT that you are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, who PAID in FULL, with His LIFE, for your REPENTANCE.  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.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN to GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and REMEMBER, the URGENCY of your REPENTANCE.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

 

“The Promise and the Oath”

 “The Promise and the Oath”

 

 God bound Himself with an OATH, so that those who received the PROMISE could be PERFECTLY SURE that He would NEVER change His mind. So, God has given both His Promise and His Oath. These two things are UNCHANGEABLE because it is IMPOSSIBLE for God to LIE. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for REFUGE can have GREAT CONFIDENCE as we hold to the hope that lies before us. Hebrews 6: 17-18

 

A good example of the PROMISE and the OATH is, concerning the PROMISE GOD had made to Abraham. Twenty-five years passed between God’s PROMISE of a son and the birth of Isaac. Many years passed before the day that Abraham FAITHFULLY offered his SON, ISAAC, as a SACRIFICE.

God had promised Abraham that He would BLESS HIM with MANY DESCENDANTS, to many to number. Since there was NO ONE GREATER to SWEAR BY, God took an OATH.  When people take an OATH, they call on someone GREATER than themselves to hold them to it. And since there is NO ONE GREATER than GOD, He bound HIMSELF with an OATH, so that those who RECEIVED THE PROMISE could be PERFECTLY SURE that He would NEVER CHANGE His Mind.

God’s PROMISE is His PROCLAMATION of what He WILL do, and His OATH is His ANNOUNCEMENT that He is READY to it. 

In the meantime, those LONG years of waiting, between the PROMISE and the OATH, was a kind of PROVING GROUND for ABRAHAM. It was a LONG GAP of PREPARATION.  During GAPS, God is PREPARING the PROMISE for the PERSON and PREPARES the PERSON for the PROMISE.

With the PROMISE that God made to ISRAEL, the PROMISE WAS TO deliver the land of CANAAN to them.  But during their time of PREPARATION, they REFUSED to MOVE FORWARD. And GOD’S OATH became a NEGATIVE ONE: “They will NOT enter My REST” (3:11) And this is why we NEED to PERSEVERE in FAITH. 

God is FAITHFUL to FULFILL His PROMISES and SEAL them with an OATH, if we will PERSEVERE during those long gaps.  KEEP in MIND that those GAPS are PREPARATIONS for the PROMISE and to make us READY for what GOD wants to do THROUGH His Children (Us)

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to GOD, through His SON, JESUS CHRIST, who GAVE His LIFE to SAVE YOUR SOUL. Your ETERNAL DESTINY will be an ETERNITY in HELL with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there.  However, He PROMISES, that IF you will ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, and BELIEVE with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for YOU and that He is ALIVE in HEAVEN making intercession for you, before God, You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS. You MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and STAY STRONG in YOUR FAITH, and STEADFAST during those GAPS, and like ABRAHAM TRUST and OBEY God. Do this NOW, while you STILL can!!!  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

“Chosen By Grace”

 “Chosen By Grace”

 

No, God has not rejected His own people, whom He chose from the very beginning.  Do you realize what the Scriptures say about this?  Elijah the prophet complained to God about the People of Israel and said, “LORD, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” God’s reply: “No, I have 7,000 others who have NEVER bowed to Baal.”  Romans 11:2-4

 

So, it is the SAME today, there are a few of the people of Israel, that have remained FAITHFUL because of GOD’S AMAZING GRACE. And His UNDESERVED KINDNESS in CHOOSING them, resulted in their FAITHFULNESS to GOD.  And since it is through GOD’S KINDNESS, then it is NOT by THEIR GOOD WORKS. If God’s Choice had been based on what people do, then His GRACE would NOT be REAL GRACE.

The Jews did not fall to their ruin when they STUMBLED, but they were DISOBEDIENT, So, then SALVATION CAME to the GENTILES, to make the JEWS JEALOUS of them.  The sin of the JEWS brought RICH BLESSINGS to the Gentiles. And how much greater the blessings will be when the COMPLETE NUMBER of JEWS are added to the CITIZENSHIP of HEAVEN. 

Now, the question is: Are you a CITIZEN of HEAVEN?  A TRUE BELIEVER of the LIVING GOD?  If you are NOT JEWISH then you are GENTILE, and you have the opportunity, along with the JEWS to become a CHILD of God and to receive an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS, and to ESCAPE an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE once you are there. To be able to do that, you MUST COME to JESUS CHRIST, God’s ONLY SON, who GAVE His Life to SAVE YOUR SOUL.  You MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS. 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.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS. You MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and BE CHOSEN by GOD’S GRACE.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can!!!  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

“How Can I Know?”

 “How Can I Know?”

 

The instructions of the LORD are PERFECT, reviving the soul. The decrees of the LORD are TRUSTWORTHY, making the wise the simple.  The commands of the LORD are right, bringing JOY to the HEART.  The commands of the LORD are CLEAR, giving INSIGHT for LIVING.  Psalm 19:7-8

This Psalm of David tells us of the GREATNESS of the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, whose Creation PROCLAIMS the POWER and CREATIVITY of the HOLY GOD, who created EVERYTHING!!  In verses 1-4, we are told of His AWESOME POWER to create the HEAVENS that PROCLAIM His Craftsmanship. DAY after DAY they continue to speak; night after night they make Him KNOWN. They SPEAK without a SOUND or WORD; their VOICE is NEVER heard.  Yet their MESSAGE has gone throughout the earth and their WORDS to ALL the world.

What a MIGHTY GOD we serve!! 

In verses 7-10 we see the AWESOME WISDOM of our LOVING HEAVENLY FATHER. They tell us that the INSTRUCTIONS of the LORD are PERFECT, reviving the soul.  The DECREES OF THE lord are TRUSTWORTHY, making WISE the SIMPLE.  The COMMANDMENTS of the LORD are RIGHT bringing JOY to the HEART.  The COMMANDS of the LORD are CLEAR, giving INSIGHT for LIVING. REVERENCE for the LORD is PURE, lasting FOREVER. The LAWS of the LORD are TRUE; each one is FAIR. They are more desirable than GOLD, even the finest GOLD. They are SWEETER than honey, even honey dripping from the comb.

They are a WARNING to the SERVANT; there’s a GREAT REWARD for those who OBEY THEM.

Then David asks, “How can I KNOW all the sins lurking in my heart?” Well, the answer lies in the information above.  Just BELIEVE IT and OBEY IT!!

Then the King prayed:  “CLEANSE me from these HIDDEN FAULTS.  Keep your servant from DELIBERATE SINS!  Don’t let them CONTROL me.  Then I will be FREE of GUILT and INNOCENT of GREAT SIN.”

May the WORDS of my MOUTH and the MEDITATION of my HEART be PLEASING to You, O LORD, my ROCK and my REDEEMER. 

THREE IMPORTANT THINGS that will HELP with KNOWING when you commit HIDDEN FAULTS:1. PRAYER, 2. READ YOUR BIBLE, 3. MEDITATE on what you read. The Holy Spirit will bring to MIND your FAULTS, whether they are HIDDEN or DELIBERATE.

If you have NOT come to JESUS for the FORGIVENESS of ALL your SINS, you can do that NOW, if you have been feeling GUILTY for the way you are living, that is the HOLY SPIRIT of God, telling you it’s TIME to COME TO GOD THROUGH JESUS, and ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, who gave His life to SAVE your SOUL from an ETERNITY in HELL, with all its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there.  You MUST BELIEVE with ALL your HEART that JESUS is ALIVE in HEAVEN making intercession for you before God.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to HIM and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFE-STYLE and TURN TO God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and KNOW about your HIDDEN FAULTS, so you can CONFESS and be CLEANSED, and RAPTURE READY!! Do This NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!! Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

“The Contrasts of the Destinies of the RIGHTEOUS and the WICKED”

 “The Contrasts of the Destinies of the RIGHTEOUS and the WICKED”

 

Look at those who are honest and good, for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace. But the rebellious will be destroyed; they have NO future.  Psalm 37:37-38

 

This psalm was written by David, a man after God’s own heart.  In this psalm we see a CLEAR contrast between the DESTINIES of the GOOD and HONEST, and the WICKED.  First, we will see David’s instructions to those who were RIGHTEOUS, he tells them: “Don’t WORRY about the WICKED nor ENVY those who do WRONG. Because they will soon FADE AWAY like the GRASS, and they will SOON WITHER like Spring flowers.” Instead, the righteous should: Take DELIGHT in the LORD, and He will give them the DESIRES of their heart. When you do this, you can expect God’s MOVEMENT in your life when your THINKING and DESIRES match HIS. 

The next thing the RIGHTEOUS should do, is to COMMIT EVERYTHING they DO to the LORD. TRUST HIM, and He will HELP them. When they do this, He will make their INNOCENCE RADIATE like the DAWN, and the JUSTICE of their CAUSE will SHINE like the NOONDAY SUN.

Then He tells them to BE STILL in the PRESENCE of the LORD and WAIT PATIENTLY for Him to ACT.  And they SHOULD NOT WORRY about EVIL PEOPLE who PROSPER or FRET about their WICKED SCHEMES. 

They SHOULD NOT be ANGRY, and they SHOULD turn AWAY FROM their RAGE.  They SHOULD NOT lose their TEMPER—it ONLY LEADS to HARM.  Because the WICKED will be DESTROYED, but those who TRUST in the LORD WILL POSSESS the LAND. And they will LIVE in PEACE and PROSPERITY.

It is better to be GODLY and have little than to be EVIL and rich.  The LORD establishes and protects the ways of the RIGHTEOUS.  HE PROVIDES food for them.  He LOVES and PROTECTS the RIGHTEOUS giving them SECURITY in the land. The WICKED lie in wait to DESTROY, but the LORD will not FORSAKE HIS OWN.  And those who WAIT on the LORD will ENJOY security. 

We NEED to realize that in this WICKED WORLD we live in, The LORD is our SALVATION and STRONGHOLD for those who take REFUGE in Him.  Which is YOUR DESTINY?  Are YOU GUILTY of PERSECUTING GOD’S Children?   Are you a part of the WICKED GROUP? Or have you been to JESUS, the ONLY SON of the LIVING GOD, and the ONLY WAY to have SALVATION? If you are PART of the WICKED, then your DESTINY will be AN ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE once you are there. But YOU NOW have the OPPORTUNITY to CHANGE your DESTINY, if you will: ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST. And if you will BELIEVE with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for YOU and that He is ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for you before God. You MUST CONFESS your SINS to HIM and ASK for His FORGIVENESS. You MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s GIFT of SALVATION and COMMIT EVERYTHING you DO to the LORD, TRUST Him, and He will HELP YOU.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.   He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!! Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

 

 

 

 

“The Sin of DISCRIMINATION”

 “The Sin of DISCRIMINATION”

 

 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking ALL of it.  James 2:10

 

This is an especially IMPORTANT topic for the TRUE BELIEVER, to keep in their HEART and mind.  Nevertheless, it is an ESSENTIAL part of are RELATIONSHIP with GOD the FATHER and His SON, JESUS CHRIST.   We who are the Children of God, need to exemplify His Character.

James learned FAITHFULLY from his Master, Jesus. And when he asked about the GREATEST COMMANDMENT. Jesus explained that the law has TWO sides to it; LOVE GOD and LOVE your NEIGHBOR.  You cannot claim to LOVE God and at the same time HATE your brother and sister, whom you have seen, and yet LOVE God, whom you have NOT SEEN. God has given us this command:  Anyone who LOVES GOD MUST also LOVE their brother and SISTER.  (1ST John 4:20,21)

James tells us that as TRUE BELIEVERS, we should SPEAK and ACT as those who are going to be JUDGED by the LAW that gives FREEDOM, because JUDGMENT WITHOUT MERCY will be shown to ANYONE who has NOT BEEN merciful.  MERCY TRIUMPHS over JUDGMENT.  (12-13)

 DISCRIMINATION or PARTIALITY are SINS and SHOULD have NO PART in the FAMILY of GOD. Mainly because it is NOT a PART of GOD’S CHARACTER nor that of HIS Son.  What IF JESUS said: “I’m ONLY going to go to the CROSS and SACRIFICE for the JEWS, the GENTILES will have to find another way.”  That would be DISCRIMINATION and PARTIALITY, but THANK GOD, that DISCRIMINATION nor PARTIALITY aren’t a part of either of their CHARACTER. 

If you are a TRUE BELIEVER, and you REALLY KEEP the ROYAL LAW found in Scripture, “Love your NEIGHBOR as yourself,” you are doing RIGHT.  But if you SHOW FAVORITISM, you SIN and are CONVICTED by the LAW as a LAWBREAKER. And REMEMBER: “JUDGMENT WITHOUT MERCY will be SHOWN to ANYONE who has NOT been MERCIFUL.”

If you are NOT a TRUE BELIEVER and have NOT come to JESUS for your SALVATION, you are destined to be JUDGED without MERCY on JUDGMENT DAY, and will be condemned to an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there. You have the OPPORTUNITY NOW to change your DESTINY.

ADMIT that you are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, God’s ONLY SON, who GAVE His Life to SAVE your SOUL.  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 CONFESS your SINS to Him and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION, and LOVE ONE ANOTHER, with a MERCIFUL HEART.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  HE’S WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

“A Done Deal”

 “A Done Deal”

 

But Jesus lives on forever, and His Work as priest does not pass on to someone else. And so, He is ABLE, NOW, and ALWAYS, to SAVE those who come to GOD through Him, because He LIVES FOREVER to plead with God for them.  Hebrews 7:24-25

 

This makes JESUS the HIGH PRIEST that MEETS our NEEDS.  He is MORE than qualified. He did not become a priest because of His lineage, He was from Judah, and NO priest had ever come from Judah. Jesus was made a PRIEST by the VOW made by GOD. And there was NO SUCH VOW when the others were made priests. God made a SOLEMN PROMISE, and He will NOT take it back:  He said to Jesus: “You will be a PRIEST FOREVER.”  This difference, then, also makes JESUS the GUARANTEE of a BETTER COVENANT.

Another difference of the Priesthood of JESUS was that the other priests DIED and could not continue their work. But JESUS LIVES FOREVER, and His work as priest does NOT pass on to someone else.  And He is able, NOW, and ALWAYS, to SAVE those who will COME to God through Him, because He LIVES FOREVER to intercede with GOD for them.

He does not need to offer sacrifices EVERY DAY for His own sins, He is SINLESS, and then for the sins of the people.  He has offered ONE SACRIFICE, ONCE and for ALL, when HE offered HIMSELF.

Therefore, there is NO OTHER WAY to come to GOD except through His ONLY SON, JESUS CHRIST, who took on ALL the SINS of ALL HUMANITY, in order for them to have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with the Heavenly Father.  He is the ONLY WAY to be able to have an ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN and to ESCAPE an ETERNAL LIFE in HELL with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE once you are there.

The MAIN point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the MAJESTIC GOD in Heaven.  There He ministers in the Heavenly Tabernacle, The TRUE place of WORSHIP that was built by the Lord and NOT by human hands.

We, who have given our HEARTS and LIVES to JESUS, have an ETERNAL ADVOCATE, who LOVES us UNCONDITIONALLY and is ALWAYS AVAILABLE to US, all we need to do is CALL on the NAME of JESUS.  If you have NOT come to Him, when the HOLY SPIRIT touches your HEART, you cannot have that RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with the HEAVENLY FATHER, and your ETERNAL DESTINATION will be an ETERNITY in HELL.  Unless you COME to JESUS and ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST. 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 CONFESS your SINS to HIM and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL lifestyle and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and make it a DONE DEAL on your part.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’ t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!