"Hardened Hearts"

“Hardened Hearts”

 

See to it brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.  But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.  We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.        Hebrews 3:12-14

 

 

The writer of Hebrews warns the readers of this epistle, of the DANGERS of having a SINFUL, UNBELIEVING HEART.  A HEART that TURNS AWAY FROM the LIVING GOD.  A HEART that may be HARDENED by SIN’S DECEITFULNESS.  We should not LIVE in SIN’S CESSPOOL of LIFE.

 

Instead of TURNING AWAY FROM the LIVING GOD, we MUST TURN AWAY FROM our SINFUL LIFESTYLE, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, a HEART that is FERTILE GROUND for the work of the HOLY SPIRIT, and not for the work of the devil.  Some people wish to live according to their OWN standards, and NOT according to GOD’S standards. This action can bring about the HARDENING of the HEART, when practiced over a period of time. 

 

We should ENCOURAGE one another DAILY, TODAY, RIGHT NOW, to let God work in their HEART and NOT become deceived by SIN’S DECEITFULNESS, but to open our HEART up to GOD’s LOVE, AMAZING GRACE, and ABUNDANT MERCY. 

 

You MUST be STEADFAST in your WALK with God.  You MUST TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL lifestyle, and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING, your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART that Jesus died for YOU.  And is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and let Him SOFTEN your HEART with His LOVE, AMAZING GRACE, and ABUNDANT MERCY.  Be READY, WILLING and ABLE to LIVE for Him, for ALL of ETERNITY.  Do this NOW, while you still can.   He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

 

 

"Serious Heart-trouble"

“ Serious Heart-trouble”

 

But you know that He appeared so that He might take away our sins.   And in Him is no sin.  No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning.  No one who continues to sin has either seen Him or known Him.       1 John 3:5-6

 

Jesus Christ came to the earth, to TAKE AWAY the SINS of ALL mankind.  His WHOLE SINLESS body became SIN, as He hung on the cross, as our ULTIMATE SACRIFICE.  He took the beatings, the torture, and DEATH, in OUR place. 

 

The One who knew NO SIN, became SIN for US, so that in Him we might become the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God.  (2 Corinthians 5:21)  No one who, PROFESSES to be a TRUE BELIEVER, will KEEP ON SINNING, if they TRULY POSSESS God’s gift of SALVATION. 

 

This CHANGE from a SINFUL LIFE-STYLE to a RIGHTEOUS LIFE-STYLE, happens in the HEART and NOT just in the MIND.  When it is a TRUE CHANGE, it comes from a CHANGE of the HEART and MIND, which will cause the person to TURN AWAY FROM their OLD, SINFUL LIFE-STYLE and do EVERYTHING they can to EMBRACE  their NEW, RIGHTEOUS LIFE-STYLE.  They then become a NEW CREATION. (2 Corinthians 5:17)   This is how a person and others, can KNOW that they are a TRUE BELIEVER.

 

Being a TRUE BELIEVER doesn’t mean that they are SINLESS.  As long as we are in the FLESH and living on this earth, we will sin, but the difference between a TRULY SAVED person and an UNSAVED person is their LIFE-STYLE, which determines the CONDITION of the HEART.  A TRULY SAVED person, when they fall into sin, will come under CONVICTION, and will KNOW that they have SINNED, and will SEEK God’s FORGIVENESS.  But an UNSAVED person chooses to LIVE in their SINS, even if they have walked an aisle and prayed a prayer, because to them it’s just their NATURAL LIFE-STYLE.  And becoming a TRUE BELIEVER, requires a LIFE-CHANGING, TRANSFORMATION that begins in the HEART. 

 

Sad to say, but MANY will miss an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, by the distance from the MIND to the HEART.  All because they STILL have SERIOUS HEART-TROUBLE.  I know some who THINK they are SAVED, but they have NO EVIDENCE of a LIFE-CHANGING, experience, which leads me to BELIEVE that they are still LOST.  It is my prayer that they and the many that are like them, will soon come to the SAVING KNOWLEDGE of Jesus Christ.  Are you one of the many who THINK they are SAVED, but are STILL living the SAME, OLD, SINFUL LIFE-STYLE?  If so, you have some SERIOUS HEART-TROUBLE that will cause you to have a SPIRITUAL DEATH, and send you to an ETERNITY in Hell, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE.  In order for you to be TRULY SAVED, you MUST TURN AWAY FROM your OLD, SINFUL LIFE-STYLE, and TURN TO God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and be CURED of your SERIOUS HEART-TROUBLE.   Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"The Fate of the Wicked and the Hope of the Blameless"

“The Fate of the Wicked and the Hope of the Blameless”

 

Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace.  

But all sinners will be destroyed; there will be no future for the wicked.                                    Psalm 37:37-38

 

This Psalm speaks of the contrast of the FATE of the WICKED person and the HOPE of the SAVED person.  You are told about the FATE of the WICKED in verses: 2, 7, 9, 10, 15, 17, 20, 22, 28, 34, 36, and 38.  As you can see, there are MANY verses that tells us what is in store for the WICKED.  They are headed for DESTRUCTION and NO FUTURE of PEACE or PROSPERITY, only the ETERNAL HORRORS of Hell, with no way of ESCAPING. 

 

However, the SAVED person will receive ETERNAL LIFE in Heaven and RIGHTEOUS REWARDS.  They will enjoy PEACE and PROSPERITY.  While on earth, they will spend their days under the Lord’s care, and their INHERITANCE will ENDURE FOREVER.  (v18)   The Lord makes FIRM the steps of the one who delights in Him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand. (VV 23-24)  For the Lord loves the JUST and will NOT forsake His FAITHFUL ONES.  (V 28)  The RIGHTEOUS will INHERIT the land and dwell in it FOREVER.  (v29)  The SALVATION of the RIGHTEOUS comes from the Lord; He is their STRONGHOLD in time of TROUBLE.  The Lord HELPS them and DELIVERS them; He delivers them from the WICKED and SAVES them, because they take REFUGE in Him.   (VV 39-40).  

 

As you can see, the OUTLOOK for the SAVED is SO MUCH better than what is facing those who decide to REJECT God’s gift of SALVATION, and to continue to live WICKED, SINFUL LIVES that will send them straight to an ETERNITY in Hell.  What is your decision?  WICKED or SAVED?  Spending an ETERNITY in HELL or HEAVEN? 

 

In order to SPEND your ETERNITY in HEAVEN, here are some things you MUST DO!  TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and receive an ETERNAL INHERITANCE of Heaven, and LIVE in PEACE and PROSPERITY, ESCAPING HELL with ALL its HORRORS.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

"Relationship with God through His Word"

“Relationship with God through His Word”

 

 

Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says. 

But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it---he will be blessed in what he does.         James 1:22, 25

 

Some people believe that they have a RELATIONSHIP with God, if they go to church every Sunday, or if they own a Bible, even if they don’t read it.  Some believe that they don’t have to read it because the preacher, will read it and even explain it.   So to them that’s all it takes to have a RELATIONSHIP with the Almighty God.

 

And if you do READ God’s Word (the Bible), do you meditate on what you have read, and then do you ACT upon what you have read, like DOING what it says?  Or do you just kind of SCAN through it, not really KNOWING what you just read, much less APPLYING it to your life?

 

How can you have a RIGHTEOUS RELATIONSHIP with God, if you don’t PLEASE Him?  And how can you PLEASE Him if you don’t know how to PLEASE Him?  Hearing the Word, without actions that will bring corrections to your lifestyle, is of little use to establishing a RELATIONSHIP with God.   You MUST look INTENSELY into the Scriptures and DO what it instructs you to do, in order to bring about self-change.   Learn what is wrong in your life, then FOLLOW the Word of God to find what NEEDS to be done to correct it.  

 

Being STEADFAST in READING and STUDYING the Scriptures, will help guard against FORGETTING and will MOTIVATE you to put what you READ or HEAR into ACTION, or DOING what they tell you to do.   Applying the Word to your life will help you to have a RIGHTEOUS RELATIONSHIP with God, through His Word.

 

If you are a TRUE BELIEVER, you have the Holy Spirit to HELP you understand the Word, if you will only ask Him.  If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you have NO RELATIONSHIP with the ALMIGHTY God, and you cannot UNDERSTAND His Word, until you 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, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and be BLESSED in what you do.  READ, STUDY, and APPLY the Word to your life, and have a RIGHTEOUS RELATIONSHIP with the Holy God of the Universe.   Do this NOW, while you still can, He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

 

 

"Be on the WINNING TEAM!"

“Be on the WINNING TEAM!”

 

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

 

Jesus told this to His disciples, after He had told them that He was about to leave them, and would send them the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit who would guide them into ALL truth.  Jesus told them, “I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.  He wanted to leave them with some GOOD NEWS, and ENCOURAGEMENT so that they would NOT fall away from the mission they were called to do, that is to spread the Word that “Jesus Saves!”

 

Jesus wanted His disciples to have PEACE in their HEARTS.  ALL TRUE BELIEVERS, are living a dual existence.  They are living IN CHRIST, and living IN the WORLD too.  In Christ, the TRUE BELIEVER has PEACE in their HEART.  In the World they have TROUBLES.  The world system works against CHRISTAINITY.  We see a lot of that today, by the way Christians are treated by society. 

 

But Jesus WON the VICTORY over the system.  He came and RUINED Satan’s plans, and his kingdom.  Jesus died and ROSE AGAIN, a VICTOR over SIN, DEATH and the GRAVE.  And one day SOON, He will COME BACK to gather His Children, the TRUE BELIEVERS, to their ETERNAL HOME in Heaven.   Jesus’ disciples could experience PEACE in their HEARTS, no matter what this old, wretched, sinful world brought them.  They were VICTORS, they could TAKE HEART, or BE COURAGEOUS, because their STRONG-MAN, Jesus had already won the VICTORY.  They were/ are on the WINNING Team. 

 

ALL TRUE BELIEVERS are on the WINNING TEAM, TEAM JESUS!  How about YOU?  Are you on the WINNING TEAM?  If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are on the LOSING Team, and headed for an ETERNITY in Hell, with ALL of its HORRORS, with NO WAY of ESCAPE.  God, however, wants you on the WINNING TEAM, TEAM JESUS. In order for you to make His team, you MUST, TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, 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 a member of the WINNING TEAM, TEAM JESUS, and have PEACE in your HEART, an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, and receive the CROWN OF LIFE, to lay at the feet of the GREAT OVERCOMER, JESUS CHRIST.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Standing Firm to the End"

“Standing Firm to the End”

Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.   Matthew 24:12-13

 

 

This verse of Scripture is speaking of a time that has not yet come, it is the END OF THE AGE.  It will take place in during the Great Tribulation.  And concerns those who are brought to a “saving knowledge” of Jesus Christ, at that time.  It will be a HORRIBLE time, in which to live on the earth. 

The TRUE BELIEVERS of that day, will experience PERSECUTION and APOSTASY, to the extent that their LOVE for the Lord will grow cold.  They will be weakened by their Spiritual battles and their FAITH will also become weak.

 

But for the one who STANDS FIRM to the END, they will be SAVED.  This is NOT speaking of one’s personal SALVATION, but of a PHYSICAL deliverance, of those who become TRUE BELIEVERS during the TRIBULATION.  They will enter Heaven in their physical bodies. 

 

I believe that there is a lesson for US today, in this Scripture.  And that lesson is:  We too, MUST STAND FIRM to the END.  We MUST NOT let our LOVE for the Lord to grow cold.  But we should keep a FIRE burning in our HEARTS for God and His Work, on this earth, until Jesus Christ RETURNS for His Bride, (the TRUE BELIEVERS). 

 

The TRUE BELIEVER MUST STAND FIRM in their FAITH and PERSEVERE, so friends, be STEADFAST in your FAITH, NOW more than EVER.  Don’t back down, and don’t give up!  Depend on the POWER of God’s Holy Spirit, who indwells EVERY TRUE BELIEVER.  KEEP ON, KEEPING ON for CHRIST.

 

A TRUE BELIEVER MUST STAND FIRM, and HOLD FAST their FAITH.  Because there is coming a day, when they will receive a REWARD for their FAITHFULNESS.  And they will be able to lay it at the nail-scarred feet of the BLESSED KING of Heaven.

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are headed for an ETERNITY in Hell, the place of ETERNAL torment, torture, heartache, agony, pain and despair, with NO WAY of ESCAPE.  However, God, in His INFINITE MERCY and AMAZING GRACE, is offering you the opportunity to ESCAPE HELL and GAIN HEAVEN, by TURNING AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURNING TO God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and STAND FIRM in your FAITH, ESCAPE HELL and GAIN HEAVEN.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

"The Lamp of the Body"

“The Lamp of the Body”

 

“The eye is the lamp of the body.   If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.   But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.  So if the light within you is darkness---how deep is that darkness!”         Matthew 6:22-23

 

How is your Spiritual eyesight?  The Pharisees had a problem with their Spiritual eyesight, with their eyes they greedily wanted what they did NOT have, and generally what belonged to someone else.  They COVETED money and wealth.  They were in SPIRITUAL DARKNESS.  Their desire for money was so strong that it caused them to falter in their service to God.

 

Our eyes are the windows of our souls, they can cause us to have many different desires, some GOOD and HEALTHY, or some that are BAD and DANGEROUS.  The things we see are sometimes things that we don’t have, and if we allow the desire of COVETEOUSNESS to enter our HEARTS, we are allowing SIN in, which will break our FELLOWSHIP with God, that is, if we are His TRUE CHILDREN.

 

Our EYESIGHT is then obscured by the SIN and in MOST cases will cause us to enter DEEPER into the DARKNESS of SIN.  And will DISHONOR our RELATIONSHIP with God.  If your SPIRITUAL EYESIGHT is BAD, then your WHOLE BODY will be in FULL DARKNESS.  However if you will  FLEE from the TEMPTATION, and NOT give it even a TINY place in your HEART, your SPIRITUAL EYESIGHT will be GOOD and your WHOLE BODY will be in FULL LIGHT.   

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you have SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS, and are living in the DARKNESS of your SINFUL LIFESTYLE.  You are headed for an ETERNITY in Hell with ALL of its HORRORS.  God, however, is giving you the opportunity NOW, to have your SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS removed, so that you might WALK or LIVE in the LIGHT.  To do that you MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and LIVE in the LIGHT as He is in the LIGHT, and receive an ETERNITY in Heaven, with ALL its GLORIES.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Trust and Rely"

“Trust and Rely”

 

“Who among you fears the Lord?  Who obeys the voice of His Servant?  Who walks in darkness and has no light?  Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God.”       Isaiah 50:10

 

These questions were posed to the remnant of Israel.  The nation of Israel was acting in REBELLION AGAINST God and His ways.  They were facing some DARK and HARD times. Even though Jesus had not yet come to earth to be the Sacrifice, for the sins of mankind, He was part of the Godhead, the Trinity, and was God’s SERVANT, and Israel was NOT being OBEDIENT to God’s Servant.   So, Isaiah had something to say to the Nation of Israel, with some questions that MUST be addressed.  

 

First of all, “Who among you FEARS the Lord?”  I believe what Isaiah is saying is:  “Who among you REVERENCES and HONORS the Lord?”  Do we, as TRUE BELIEVERS, honestly and earnestly, REVERENCE and HONOR the Lord, or do we just give Him “lip-service?”  “Who obeys the voice of His SERVANT JESUS?”  Are we FOLLOWING the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ, or are we REJECTING it and only OBEYING His voice when it is convenient for our own benefits?  “Who walks in darkness and has no light?”  Isaiah was trying to encourage the Nation of Israel to TRUST and RELY upon God and His Servant, Jesus. 

 

It was a DARK time for Israel.  They were about to face some hard persecution and Isaiah was trying to convince them to STAY FAITHFUL to God even though they were going to be living or walking in DARKNESS.  When we have hard times, do we exercise our FAITH, by TRUSTING and RELYING on Jesus and our God, or do we TURN AWAY FROM Him and try to walk without LIGHT? 

 

These are all questions that we, as TRUE BELIEVERS, MUST ANSWER.  And maybe, even make some changes in our RELATIONSHIP with God and the Lord Jesus Christ, by TRUSTING and RELYING on their abilities.

 

 Where do you stand in your RELATIONSHIP with God?  Are you in REBELLION against Him and His Word?  Have you REJECTED His Son and Servant, the Lord Jesus Christ, time and time again?  If your answer is YES to both of these questions, then you are headed for an ETERNITY in Hell, with ALL its HORRORS, unless, you TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and TRUST and RELY on Jesus and Father God.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

"Seeking and Calling = Mercy and Pardon"

“Seeking and Calling = Mercy and Pardon”

 

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.   Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts.   Let them turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on them and to our God, for He will freely pardon.      Isaiah 55:6-7

 

“For God so LOVED the WORLD that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOEVER BELIEVES in Him should NOT perish but have EVERLASTING LIFE.  (John 3:16)     The Jews do not have the sole possession of SALVATION, because they are God’s covenant people.   I believe that John 3:16 is pretty clear about who can receive God’s gift of SALVATION.  It tells us that God loved the WORLD, which means EVERY RACE and CREED.  He opens up His arms to a LOST and DYING WORLD.  But those who come to Him for SALVATION, MUST COME BELIEVING and TRUSTING in Jesus Christ, as their SAVIOR and LORD. 

 

Isaiah tells us to SEEK the LORD while He may be FOUND; and to CALL on Him while He is NEAR. There will come a time when it will be too LATE, that time will be when God comes as JUDGE to bring FINAL JUDGMENT on those who have TURNED AWAY FROM Him and REJECTED His gift of SALVATION.  SEEKING and CALLING on the LORD, indicates that the person is WILLING to TURN AWAY from their SINFUL LIFESTYLE, and DESIRING God’s FORGIVENESS. 

 

When this happens God will have MERCY on their wretched soul, and He will FREELY PARDON them from an ETERNITY in Hell, and give them the HOPE of HEAVEN for ALL of ETERNITY.  If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are headed for Hell with ALL of its HORRORS.

 

 In order to ESCAPE HELL and its HORRORS, you MUST TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO God, with a  TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, His MERCY and His PARDON. And spend an ETERNITY in Heaven with ALL its GLORIES.   Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

 

"The Power and Wisdom of God"

“The Power and Wisdom of God”

 

Yet to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom, because God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.         1 Corinthians 1:24-25

 

Man’s POWER cannot come anywhere close to the POWER of the ALMIGHTY God.  There is NOTHING or NOBODY that is as POWERFUL as the ALMIGHTY God.  In Deuteronomy 3:22, 24, Moses was speaking to the nation of Israel, and said:  “Don’t be afraid of them, for the Lord your God fights for you.” Then Moses begged the Lord:  “Lord God, You have begun to show Your GREATNESS and POWER to Your servant, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can perform deeds and mighty acts like Yours?” 

 

Moses and the Israelites had SEEN God’s POWER at work.  They KNEW, firsthand, how powerful God is.  It is God who gives mankind the POWER they need.  And He is STILL an ALL POWERFUL GOD.  Who else can control the Universe and keep all the planets in the RIGHT PLACE and ORDER?  Who has the POWER over the oceans and seas.  Who else can save a wretched, lost, sinful soul from an eternity in Hell?  The answer is CLEAR; the ALMIGHTY GOD.

 

Nobody or nothing has the WISDOM of the ALL KNOWING GOD.  It is NOT the plan of man, that will save that poor wretched, lost, sinful, soul from an eternity in Hell, but through the WISDOM of God, whose wisdom confounds the wisest human mind.  The WISDOM of mankind cannot begin to appreciate the plan of God.  The Prophet Isaiah tells us that God’s thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not His ways.  This is the Lord’s declaration:  “For as heaven is higher than earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”  (Isa. 55:8,9)  

 

So you see there is SALVATION in NO other person or thing, which will SAVE you from an ETERNITY in HELL.  NO ONE has the POWER and WISDOM to carry out the PLAN of SALVATION, except the ALMIGHTY GOD, and He is ACCOMPLISHING His plan through the PREACHING of Christ CRUCIFIED for mankind’s SALVATION. 

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are STILL a poor, wretched, lost, sinful soul that is bound for HELL and ALL its HORRORS.  This is what you MUST do to experience the POWER and WISDOM of the ALMIGHTY GOD.  You must TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle and TURN TO God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and become a TRUE BELIEVER, who is on their way to an ETERNITY in Heaven, because of the POWER and WISDOM of GOD.   Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"All Who Believe, All Have Sinned, And ALL are Justified"

“All Who Believe, All Have Sinned, And All are Justified”

 

This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.       Romans 3: 22-24

 

The RIGHTEOUSNESS that is given by God, through FAITH in Jesus Christ, is given to ALL who BELIEVE.  The Apostle Paul states this, in order for people to come to the REALIZATION that there is NO DIFFERENCE between the Jew and the Gentile.  Any “special privileges” the Jews may have had would NOT exclude them from God’s CONDEMNATION of the SIN in their life.

Paul goes on to say, “For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  When we are born, whether we are Jew or Gentile (non-Jew), we are ALL born with a SINFUL NATURE, which means we have the desire within us to SIN against God.  The phrase, “and fall short of the glory of God” is in the present tense and means we  “KEEP FALLING SHORT of the Glory of God, which is the manifestation of His divine attributes.  We must STRIVE HARD to become more and more CHRIST-LIKE in our daily living, this is the DESIRE of the Almighty God. 

 

Paul also gives us HOPE through the act of God’s JUSTIFICATION, when he said:  “And ALL are JUSTIFIED FREELY by His GRACE.”  Meaning that we are ALL DECLARED RIGHTEOUS by His JUSTIFICATION, which is given to ALL TRUE BELIEVERS, because of God’s AMAZING GRACE or UNMERITED FAVOR.  God would NOT do this without dealing with that individual’s sin, FIRST, before making and declaring them RIGHTEOUS.  And this part of God’s REDEMPTIVE PLAN, came through he REDEMPTIVE WORK done on the OLD RUGGED CROSS of CALVARY, by His ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Have your sins been FORGIVEN, are you DECLARED RIGHTEOUS, have you been FREELY JUSTIFIED by the GRACE of God, through the REDEMPTIVE WORK of the LORD JESUS CHRIST?  If you have NOT done this, you have the opportunity NOW to have the HOPE of Heaven and be able to ESCAPE the HORRORS of HELL for ALL of ETERNITY, if you will TURN AWAY FROM your sins and TURN TO God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking His for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, be JUSTIFIED, and headed for an ETERNITY in Heaven.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

 

 

 

"Condemnation or Justification?"

”Condemnation or Justification?”

 

Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.  For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.       Romans 5:18-19

 

The actions of ONE man’s DISOBEDIENCE to God and His will, brought JUDGMENT on ALL mankind, which, in turn, brought about CONDEMNATION, the process of declaring guilty of wrong-doing or convicting someone of committing a wrong-doing.  This offense then brought CONDEMNATION and JUDGEMENT upon ALL MANKIND.  And because of ONE man’s DISOBEDIENCE, MANY were made sinners, because the SIN-NATURE, entered into the HEART of mankind. And we NOW have what we have today, hatred, malice, deceit, depravity, disobedience and despair, just to name a few of the sins that plague mankind. 

 

However, God’s plan included ONE Man, Jesus, who through His RIGHTEOUS ACT as our SACRIFICAL Lamb, PAID the PRICE for our SINS, by His ONCE FOR ALL ACTION of dying, being buried in a tomb, and in three days was raised to LIFE. So mankind could have EVERLASTING LIFE in Heaven with Him and Father God. 

 

The whole situation is this:  By ONE man’s SIN or DISOBEDIENCE, A SINFUL NATURE entered the HEART of ALL mankind. Thanks to Adam!  And we NEED a SAVIOR, ONE who can take away our SINFUL NATURE, and make us RIGHTEOUS before the Almighty God.  Thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ.  Because of His ONE OBEDIENT ACT, we have HOPE and can RECEIVE His FREE GIFT of SALVATION and an ETERNITY in Heaven. 

 

Here is what you NEED to do if you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God. First, you MUST TURN AWAY FROM your OLD SINFUL LIFESTYLE, and TURN TO God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His FREE GIFT of SALVATION, and receive JUSTIFICATION, NOT CONDEMNATION.   Do it NOW while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

"Forgiveness, Belief, Justification"

“Forgiveness, Belief, Justification”

 

“Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.  Through Him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the Law of Moses.”        Acts 13:38-39

 

Jesus Christ came to earth to REDEEM fallen mankind. He came to set them FREE from the bondage of their sins, that through Him, we obtain the FORGIVENESS of our sins, when we BELIEVE that He has come to be OUR sacrifice.  Jesus said, “I am the WAY and the TRUTH, and the LIFE.  NO ONE comes to the Father except through ME.  (John 14:6)  

 

The ONLY WAY a person can receive FORGIVENESS, is to BELIEVE that through the shed blood of JESUS CHRIST, our REDEEMER, we have FORGIVENESS of ALL our sins, because He died in our place, and took on our sins, on an old rugged cross, and was RESURRECTED, brought back to life in three days.  He conquered DEATH and the GRAVE.  And we NOW have HOPE for an ETERNITY in Heaven.

 

When we RECEIVE the FORGIVENESS of our sins, and because we BELIEVE, we then have JUSTIFICATION, which we could NOT obtain by obeying the Law of Moses.  ONLY through JESUS CHRIST are we JUSTIFIED. JUSTIFICATION, is the process of being SET FREE from the PENALTY of our sins, because of our FAITH in Christ, and His REDEMPTIVE work on the cross.  And we are ACCEPTED by God as RIGHTEOUS and ADOPTED into His Family.   He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our JUSTIFICATION.  (Rom. 4:25)

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you have not received FORGIVENESS of your sins, and because you do NOT BELIEVE, you will NOT receive JUSTIFICATION and will be found GUILTY, and you will be sentenced to an ETERNITY in HELL, where you will experience ALL of its UNENDING HORRORS.  However, God has provided a way for you to ESCAPE Hell.  You MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and receive FORGIVENESS, because you BELIEVE, then you will have JUSTIFICATION, through Jesus Christ.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"LIFE---Temporary and Eternal"

“LIFE---Temporary and Eternal”

 

You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you.  Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure.   Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be.         Psalm 39:5-6

 

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”          Matthew 6:19-21

 

What does LIFE mean to you?  Is it SO IMPORTANT that you’re constantly working and scheming up ways to increase your EARTHLY TREASURES, in order to leave an ENORMOUS  INHERITANCE for your family to fight over?  And causing you to spend ALL your time trying to achieve more and more. 

 

Don’t get me wrong on this, I think you SHOULD provide for your family and take care of their needs NOW and when you are gone.  But the point I’m getting at is like what King David penned in the thirty-ninth Psalm.  He states that our DAYS are a MERE HANDBREADTH; not very long.  Everyone is but a BREATH, even those who seem SECURE.  Everyone goes around like a PHANTOM/SHADOW rushing around heaping up WEALTH, worldly possessions, and NOT knowing who will end up with it.  

 

Jesus tells us to NOT STORE up for ourselves treasures on earth, things that are NOT ETERNAL, where moths and vermin will destroy, and thieves will break in and steal.  Things that will not give us ETERNAL REWARDS that will NEVER rust, decay, nor where they will be ruined by moths, and vermin nor will you be robbed of them. 

 

The TRUE BELIEVER, should WORK for SPIRITUAL, ETERNAL REWARDS that will last throughout ETERNITY.  Rewards that we can lay at the feet of our LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, who gave His life that we might have ABUNDANT LIFE. 

 

For the UNBELIEVER, they will NOT receive ETERNAL REWARDS, only ETERNAL CONDEMNATION, because of their sinful lifestyle.   In order to have ETERNAL LIFE in Heaven with ETERNAL REWARDS, you MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and STORE UP for yourself ETERNAL REWARDS and an ETERNAL HOME in Heaven.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

 

 

"The Good Deposit"

“The Good Deposit”

 

Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you---guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.        2 Timothy 1:14

 

One of the MOST IMPORTANT things the Apostle Paul did for Timothy, was to TRUST him with the SOUND TEACHING of the GOSPEL.  Timothy was to NOT let any beliefs or theories that are contrary to the TRUTHS of God’s Word erode or taint it.

 

The “Good Deposit” Paul was referring to in this Scripture was the TRUTH of the GOSPEL, which Paul had taught Timothy.  Preserving the TRUTH of the GOSPEL is so demanding and difficult that human strength is NOT ENOUGH to preserve it.  Maintaining the integrity and purity of the TRUTH of the GOSPEL, MUST be done through the STRENGTH and WISDOM of the HOLY SPIRIT, who indwells the TRUE BELIEVER at the time of their CONVERSION.

 

It is of the UTMOST IMPORTANCE that ALL TRUE BELIEVERS KNOW the TRUTH of the GOSPEL, and to be able to PRESERVE it, through the work of the HOLY SPIRIT.  There are some who WANT and NEED to KNOW the TRUTH of the GOSPEL.  Do You?

 

The TRUTH is; that Jesus Christ came to earth to SEEK and to SAVE LOST MANKIND from their sins.  He GAVE His OWN life as a SACRIFICE by DYING on an old rugged cross for YOU and ME.  Then He CONQUERED DEATH by His RESURRECTION from the dead.  In order for us to be able to spend ALL ETERNITY enjoying ALL the GLORIES of Heaven, with Him and Father God, instead of the alternative, which is spending an ETERNITY in Hell, with ALL its HORRORS.

 

For us to be able to GUARD the “GOOD DEPOSIT,” we MUST KNOW IT, BELIEVE IT and have the HOLY SPIRIT indwelling us, so we can depend on His STRENGTH and WISDOM in such an IMPORTANT and DEMANDING TASK.   If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you DON’T have the HOLY SPIRIT indwelling you, and your destiny is HELL with ALL its HORRORS.   You MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and receive the Holy Spirit, and KNOW, and GUARD the “GOOD DEPOSIT.”   Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Fellowship with the Almighty God"

“Fellowship with the Almighty God”

 

If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.          1 John 1:6-7

 

In verse five, we see that God is LIGHT; in Him there is NO DARKNESS at all.  So if we claim to have FELLOWSHIP with Him and yet walk or live in the DARKNESS, we LIE and do not live out the truth.  In other words we are living a lie.  

 

The Apostle Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians, was instructing them on how to LIVE as TRUE BELIEVERS in the Lord Jesus Christ.  In chapter six, verse fourteen, Paul tells them:  “Do NOT be yoked together with UNBELIEVERS.  For what do RIGHTEOUSNESS and WICKEDNESS have in common?  Or what FELLOWSHIP can LIGHT have with DARKNESS?” 

 

If a person is an UNBELIEVER in Jesus Christ, then they are living in DARKNESS.  They CANNOT have it BOTH ways.  They CANNOT live in DARKNESS, and have FELLOWSHIP with God, who is LIGHT.  They may fool some people by CLAIMING to have FELLOWSHIP with God, but it is IMPOSSIBLE, it’s like mixing water and oil, they separate, because there is NOT a COMMON element that brings them together, where they become ONE.  They just DON’T MIX, and so it is with LIGHT and DARKNESS, RIGHTEOUSNESS and WICKEDNESS, have NOTHING in common. 

 

In order to have SWEET FELLOWSHIP with Father God, who is LIGHT.  You MUST WALK or LIVE in the LIGHT.  And to be able to WALK or LIVE in the LIGHT, you MUST be a TRUE BELIEVER.   You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, living in DARKNESS, and TURN TO God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your Heart, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and WALK or LIVE in the LIGHT.  And ENJOY the SWEET FELLOWSHIP of GOD and His SON, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!! 

"Acknowledge, Confess, Forgive"

“Acknowledge, Confess, Forgive”

 

I acknowledge my sin to You, and I did not cover my iniquity: I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.      Psalm 32:5

 

The nature of mankind is SINFUL, and because of that SINFUL nature, it has brought about an environment of depravity, hopelessness, despair, corruptness, and many other despicable attributes of a FALLEN world.  King David, KNEW that his sins were always before him.  He was seeking God’s favor, and he KNEW that in order to gain God’s favor, he MUST ACKNOWLEDGE that he was a sinner and he MUST ACKNOWLEDGE his sins to Almighty God.

 

Again, in Isaiah 59:12, we are encouraged to ACKNOWLEDGE our sins.  The prophet Isaiah states:  “For our offenses are many in Your sight and our sins testify against us.  Our offenses are ever with us, and we ACKNOWLEDGE our iniquities.

 

So in order to have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with God, the first thing we NEED to do is to ACKNOWLEDGE that we are a sinner and then ACKNOWLEDGE or CONFESS our sins to God.

 

Romans 10:10, tells us that with the HEART one believes and is JUSTIFIED, and with the MOUTH one CONFESSES and is SAVED.  So we see that both the HEART and the MOUTH are integral parts of God’s SALVATION PLAN.

 

When a person ACKNOWLEDGES that they are a SINNER, and then CONFESSES their sins to God, then, and ONLY then will they experience God’s FORGIVENESS, and have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with Him.  1 John 1:9 says:  If we CONFESS our sins, He is FAITHFUL and JUST to FORGIVE us our sins and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.

 

If you have not ACKNOWLEDGED that you are a sinner, in NEED of a Savior, and have NOT CONFESSED your sins to God, then you are NOT His child, and you are destined to spend ALL ETERNITY in Hell, with ALL of its HORRORS.”  You MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with Him.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!