“HOPE or NO HOPE!”

“HOPE or NO HOPE”

 

“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do NOT grieve like the rest of mankind, who have NO HOPE”.                      1st Thessalonians 4:13

 

The Apostle Paul wanted the Thessalonian believers to know the TRUTH about the RAPTURE of the CHURCH, the Body of Christ. So, Paul began his instructions, especially dealing with the relationship of the Lord’s return to the BELIEVERS who had DIED.

Paul introduced his instructions in a way that there was NO GUILT on the THESSALONIAN BELIEVERS for their LACK of knowledge, AFTER ALL, they were NEW BELIEVERS. The Christians who die are, by some, known as those who have fallen ASLEEP, which was a term that was COMMON in the New Testament for those who had died. 

This does not mean the SLEEP of the SOUL but just the BODY. The Apostle Paul wrote that a BORN-AGAIN person who is ABSENT from the BODY is PRESENT with the Lord. (1st Corinthians 5:8) It is referring to the “sleep” of the BODY in the earth that will remain until it is RESURRECTED and CHANGED into a GLORIOUS body and reunited with the SOUL. (1st Corinthians 15:35-57)

It was the desire of the Apostle that the THESSALONIANS not be IGNORANT NOR GRIEVING like the UNBELIEVERS over the DEATH of FELLOW BELIEVERS. Grieving is a NORMAL human emotion. And Christians DO GRIEVE over the loss of LOVED ONES; it is an emotion that even JESUS possessed.  However, the GRIEF of Christians differs from that of unbelievers. The UNBELIEVERS have NO HOPE of BODILY RESURRECTION nor of spending an ETERNITY in HEAVEN with FATHER GOD and His SON JESUS CHRIST.   

Are YOU a TRUE BELIEVER who has HOPE of a BODILY RESURRECTION? OR are you an UNBELIEVER who has NO HOPE?  And YOUR ETERNAL DESTINY is headed in the direction of spending an ETERNITY in HELL with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE once you are there.  Life is unpredictable, and fragile, you don’t know what tomorrow might hold. You have NO GUARANTEE that you will draw your NEXT BREATH.  What will you do about your ETERNAL DESTINY? 

To become a TRUE BELIEVER, you MUST COME to JESUS CHRIST, God’s ONLY Son, who is the ONLY WAY to receive ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN and to ESCAPE and ETERNITY in HELL with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE once you are there.  You MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, 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 sure that you have the HOPE of an ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN.  Do the above NOW while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

“Below Or Above”

“Below or Above”

 

Jesus answered the Pharisees, “You are from below, but I am from above.  You belong to this world, but I don’t .  This is why I said you will die with your sins UNFORGIVEN. If you don’t have FAITH in Me for who I am, you will die, and your sins will NOT be FORGIVEN.”   John 8:23-24

 

The Pharisees lacked SPIRITUAL PERCEPTION, and they were judging Jesus on HUMAN STANDARDS. Jesus told them, “My testimony is TRUE, I KNOW where I came from (Heaven) and where I am GOING (Heaven).”  The Divine Son of God is not capable of giving FALSE testimony. Nor is He capable of executing FALSE judgment.

When they asked Him about His Father, Jesus told them:  “You know NEITHER Me nor My Father.” Now, I don’t think this set very well with the Pharisees, so Jesus explained that KNOWLEDGE of the FATHER is interwove together with the KNOWLEDGE of the SON. Then He told them: “If you KNEW Me, you would KNOW My Father.” Anyone who REJECTS Jesus is incapable of KNOWING God. Because the two are INTERWOVEN. 

Then Jesus told them that He was going somewhere they could not go. Instead they would DIE in their SIN, because of their REJECTION of Him. But the Pharisees thought He was talking about SUICIDE, which indicated that their SPIRITUAL INSIGHT had NOT IMPROVED. This, then prompted JESUS to get STRAIGHT to the POINT: “You are from BELOW, but I am from ABOVE. You belong to this world, but I don’t. This is WHY I said, you will DIE with your SINS UNFORGIVEN. If you don’t have FAITH in ME for who I am, you WILL DIE, and your SINS will NOT be FORGIVEN.

Are you with the UNBELIEVING PHARISEES, and have REJECTED JESUS as SAVIOR and LORD of your LIFE?  If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to HIM, then YOU too will DIE with your SINS UNFORGIVEN, just like the PHARISEES.  And your DESTINY will be an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there. And you will reside BELOW. 

The GOOD NEWS is, you can COME TO JESUS and with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, be SAVED from an ETERNITY in HELL.  But you MUST DO THIS:  ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, who is GOD’S SON and the ONLY WAY to be SAVED.  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 SINS and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and belong to the ABOVE and NOT the BELOW.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can!!!  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

“The LIGHT”

“The LIGHT”

 

Once again Jesus spoke to the people.  This time He said, “I AM the LIGHT for the WORLD! FOLLOW ME, and you won’t be walking in the DARK.  You will have the LIGHT that gives LIFE.”   John 8:12

It was the Feast of Booths, and LARGE menorahs were lit and gave LIGHT to the Temple complex, this commemorated the FIRE that guided the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings and in anticipation of the Messiah who would bring LIGHT to the nations. 

After seven days of the illumination in the Temple, Jesus declared that HE was the LIGHT OF THE WORLD and ANYONE who FOLLOWED HIM would NOT WALK in DARKNESS. And they will have LIFE. 

 I have a green plant that I have placed in front of a large window, and it gets the morning sun. That plant has a vine-like stem full of leaves, and EVERY MORNING that plant’s vine-like stem is draped over the windowsill, and its leaves are REACHING towards SUN to be able to SOAK UP the RAYS and to have LIFE within. And I think if I moved the plant somewhere where it does NOT get the DIRECT SUNLIGHT, it would DIE.  It needs LIGHT to be able to LIVE. 

This is the same way with us. We NEED JESUS, the LIGHT of the WORLD, if we want to have ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN with ALL its BLESSINGS. The plant knew IT NEEDED the SUNLIGHT, to have LIFE.  So, it FOLLOWS the SUNLIGHT and it basks in the LIFE- GIVING RAYS.  But when it is in a place where the DARKNESS is, it begins to DIE. And no matter how well you take care of it, it will DIE, because it NEEDS the LIGHT. 

And that is how it is with people who are living in the DARKNESS of an EVIL, PERVERTED WORLD.  They are DYING in the DARKNESS, because they won’t come into and ACCEPT the ONE WHO is the LIGHT of the WORLD. The ONLY ONE who can GIVE them ETERNAL LIFE. 

Are YOU living in DARKNESS or have you come into THE LIGHT, JESUS CHRIST, and ACCEPTED His GIFT of ETERNAL LIFE. IF you are living in DARKNESS you can come into the LIGHT and LIVE for ALL ETERNITY, in HEAVEN, and ESCAPE an ETERNITY in HELL with ALL its HORRORS.

This is what you MUST DO:  ADMIT that you are a SINNER, living in DARKNESS, and you are in NEED of the LIFE-GIVING SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST.  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 come OUT of the DARKNESS and into the GLORIOUS LIGHT. Do this NOW while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Do not be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

“The Suffering Servant”

“The Suffering Servant”

 

You don’t gain anything by being punished for some wrong you have done. But God will bless you if you have to suffer for doing something good.  1st Peter 2:20

Peter urges the Christian slaves to HONOR God by SUBMITTING to their masters, whether they were GENTLE or CRUEL.  The CHRISTIAN SLAVES should SHINE the LIGHT of CHRIST by being OBEDIENT to their MASTERS, with a STRONG POSSIBILITY that they might SUFFER UNJUSTLY. However, PETER reminds them; it is BETTER to do GOOD and SUFFER for it than to do EVIL and SUFFER. 

One thing Peter addressed in his letter, was: “If we endure SUFFERING for doing what is RIGHT, it brings FAVOR with God.” The MOST IMPORTANT reminder to the Christians is that WE ARE CALLED to SUFFER because CHRIST also SUFFERED for US, giving us an EXAMPLE so we MIGHT FOLLOW in the FOOTSTEPS of CHRIST. Christ did NOT SIN or EVER tell a lie.  He was ABUSED, but He NEVER tried to get even.  When He SUFFERED, He made NO THREATS.  Instead, He had FAITH in GOD who JUDGES FAIRLY.  (Vv22-23)

Our SINS, PAST, PRESENT, and FUTURE were CARRIED to the CROSS by the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and they were NAILED to the CROSS because He was NAILED to that OLD RUGGED CROSS.  The purpose for this was: That we might LIVE in RIGHTEOUSNESS.  RIGHTEOUSNESS is the STANDARD God REQUIRES.  So, if you’re SAVED, JESUS CHRIST, has given you the ABILITY to TURN SIN OFF and TURN RIGHTEOUSNESS ON.  The ROTTEN OLD DEVIL doesn’t want you to know that.  And he DEFINITELY don’t want you to do it.  But we can say “NO” to sin and “YES” to RIGHTEOUSNESS, and “NO” to SATAN and “YES” to GOD’S Agenda.

Whose AGENDA are YOU FOLLOWING?  If YOU have NOT GIVEN your HEART and LIFE to GOD, through your ACCEPTANCE of His PLAN of SALVATION, then you are FOLLOWING the Devil’s AGENDA, which means; if you CONTINUE in this manner, your DESTINY will be to SPEND ALL ETERNITY in HELL with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE once you are there. 

However, God ‘s Plan is for YOU to COME to JESUS and ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST.  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 SINS and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and FOLLOW CHRIST, the SUFFERING SERVANT. He’s your ONLY WAY to an ETERNITY in HEAVEN with ALL its BLESSINGS.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can!!!  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

“The PERFECT Savior”

 “The PERFECT Savior”

 

For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors.  And the ransom He paid was not mere gold or silver.  It was the precious BLOOD of Christ, the SINLESS, SPOTLESS, Lamb of God.   1Peter 1:18-19

 

God chose Christ Jesus, His Son, to be the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE for our sins before the world began. God is OMNISCIENT meaning He is ALL-KNOWING; He knew that mankind would SIN against Him.  He knew they would be DISOBEDIENT, and that they would REBELL against Him and His laws. Nevertheless, He LOVED the CROWN of His CREATION, so much that He PROVIDED a WAY for US to be SAVED from the ravages of our transgressions. 

And so, His plan was to provide a WAY for mankind to be FREE from the BONDAGE of their SINS and to be able to have a RELATIONSHIP with GOD and JESUS, His ONLY SON, the One who became the RANSOM for our SINS. And to become that SACRIFICE, He MUST have the qualities of an ULTIMATE SACRIFICE, which required a PERFECT, UNBLEMISHED and SPOTLESS LAMB (JESUS), who is the LAMB of GOD, the ONLY ONE who is ABLE to TAKE AWAY the SINS of ALL mankind, for ALL ETERNITY.  JESUS was GOD’S SACRIFICIAL LAMB.

He SUFFERED, BLED, and DIED on an OLD RUGGED CROSS.  In AGONY and DISGRACE, He, who KNEW NO SIN, became SIN, so that mankind might have a WAY to be SAVED from the JUDGMENT of their sins, and to be able to have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with their CREATOR GOD. And to be able to have HEAVEN with ALL its BLESSINGS as THEIR ETERNAL HOME. And to be able to ESCAPE an eternity in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE once you are there.

Jesus Christ, GOD’S ONLY SON, the PERFECT SAVIOR, and LORD.  Have you come to Him for the FORGIVENESS of your SINS?  Or are you continuing to live in DISOBEDIENCE and REBELLION to the FATHER GOD and His SON, JESUS CHRIST. 

To receive JESUS as your PERFECT SAVIOR and LORD, You MUST do the FOLLOWING THINGS TO RECEIVE SALVATION and a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with GOD.  You MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR.  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, the PERFECT SAVIOR, and be FREE from a DESTINY of HELL for ALL of ETERNITY.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  HE’S WAITING and COMING SOON.  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

“

“You Are Part of God’s Divine Plan “

“You Are Part of God’s Divine Plan”

 

You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in Your Book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are Your Thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, You are still with me!   Ps. 139:16&17

Our God is an AWESOME GOD!  He is MIRACULOUS and FULL of LOVE for His Children.  King David penned this PSALM. And I MUST SAY; “These verses STIR my HEART.  We are not here through the process of EVOLUTION, and we are NOT here by CHANCE. In fact, David penned: “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. (V13) You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.” (V15)

God has known YOU from ETERNITY PAST and He has NEVER FORGOTTEN who YOU are, nor the PLANS He has for YOUR LIFE.  David wrote:  You saw me before I was born.  Everyday of my life was recorded in Your BOOK. Every MOMENT was laid out before a SINGLE DAY had passed.  And just like King David, God knows ALL your days from the BEGINNING to the END. Your NO ACCIDENT, but YOU are part of GOD’S DIVINE PLAN.

Do you have someone who REALLY LOVES YOU UNCONDITIONALLY? GOD DOES!! Just like He LOVED and STILL LOVES King David.  God LOVES with an UNFAILING, UNCONDITIONAL AGAPE LOVE. A LOVE that is ETERNAL it will NEVER DIE, and it will NEVER FADE AWAY. And David had the ASSURANCE of being in GOD’S Presence and that he had and ALWAYS WILL have an INTIMATE relationship with the LIVING GOD. 

No matter who you are or what station in life you have, you have been a PART of GOD’S DIVINE PLAN from conception on. He has ALL your days written in His Book and has PLANNED each one before a SINGLE one began. HIS PLAN is the BEST of the BEST.  He knows what lies ahead of you and can PROTECT YOU FROM DISASTER.

But you MUST be HIS CHILD, to be able to EXPERIENCE such a relationship.  Here is where your DIVINE PLAN BEGINS:  If you have NEVER given your HEART and LIFE to JESUS CHRIST, God’s Only Son, who GAVE His LIFE on an OLD WOODEN CROSS, which was the PRICE He paid to SAVE your SOUL from spending ALL of ETERNITY in HELL with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE once you are there.  You MUST 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 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 HIS DIVINE PLAN for your LIFE. Do the instructions above, NOW, while you STILL CAN!!! HE’S WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

 

 

“A Heart Filled with JOY!”

“A Heart Filled with JOY!”

 

The Lord is my strength and shield. I TRUST Him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with JOY. I burst out in songs of Thanksgiving. (Ps. 28:7)

Has there ever been a time in your life that you were dealing with something that was so profoundly bothering, that you became extremely distraught, wondering where to TURN, or what to do?  Well, King David had that kind of PROBLEM. But he knew that the LORD was his STRENGTH and SHIELD. And he knew something else EXTREMELY IMPORTANT if he was going to be VICTORIOUS over such a DILEMMA, he MUST TRUST GOD!

David did TRUST GOD, with ALL his HEART, and GOD did hear His plea and answer his requests. He KNEW that GOD would HELP him to OVERCOME his problems, and He did. And the result was a HEART FILLED with JOY!

And what prompted David to break-out in SONGS of PRAISE and THANKSGIVING to God? He TRUSTED God to HELP him. God HEARD and ANSWERED David’s prayer. David had CONFIDENCE that God would HELP him, he not only TRUSTED in GOD with ALL his HEART, but he KNEW that GOD was His STRENGTH and SHIELD and that FILLED the KING’S HEART with JOY.

When you are a TRUE BELIEVER of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, the SON of the LIVING GOD, it means that you have COME to Him with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, BELIEVING and ASKING for His FORGIVENESS for your SINS and have SURRENDERED to Him for the SALVATION of your soul.  Then God wants to be YOUR STRENGTH and SHIELD and to FILL your HEART with JOY.

However, if YOU have NOT come to JESUS with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART and have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to Him for the CLEANSING of your SOUL, you will NOT be ABLE to have a heart filled with TRUE JOY. You MUST do the above to receive Him as your SAVIOR and LORD and your STRENGTH and SHIELD to be able to have ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN, and a HEART FILLED with JOY.

Do the ABOVE NOW, because He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!