"Eternal Life"

“Eternal Life”

 

For you granted Him authority over all people that He might give eternal life to all those you have given Him.  Now this is eternal life:  that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.       John 17:2-3

 

ETERNAL LIFE:  Everlasting, forever, unchanging

 

We know that when we close our eyes in death, our soul departs the body, and it goes SOMEWHERE, to spend an ETERNITY.  I know some may believe that there is NOTHING after this life. But there TRULY IS an ETERNITY for everyone who has EVER been born.   How do I know this, and how can I be SO CERTAIN?  Well, because the Word of God tells us MANY TIMES about ETERNAL LIFE, and I BELIEVE it, because it is TRUTH.  GOD cannot LIE and will NOT LIE.

 

But the VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION IS:  Where will YOU spend your ETERNITY?   You see, ETERNAL LIFE is MORE than an ENDLESS EXISTENCE.  EVERYONE exist somewhere forever.  In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25, verse 46, it says:  Then they, (the UNBELIEVER), will go away to ETERNAL PUNISHMENT, but the RIGHTEOUS, (TRUE BELIEVER) to ETERNAL LIFE.”  These are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ.   And it means that the UNBELIEVER will spend ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPING.  It will be FOREVER SUFFERING and the intensity will be beyond human comprehension.   But for the TRUE BELIEVER, it will be an ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS.  NO IMMORALITY, NO DEVIANT BEHAVIOR, NO HATRED, NO LAWLESSNESS, NO UNGODLINESS of ANY KIND.  There will be NO SUFFERING, NO SICKNESS, and NO DEATH.   JUST JOY UNSPEAKABLE and GLORY PERSONIFIED.  

 

God gave Jesus the AUTHORITY over ALL people, and He has the AUTHORITY to give ETERNAL LIFE.  ETERNAL LIFE that the TRUE BELIEVER would KNOW the ONLY TRUE GOD, and His SON, JESUS CHRIST, who DIED for ALL MANKIND, but was RAISED to LIFE, so that they might have ETERNAL LIFE with JESUS and the HOLY FATHER.  To KNOW God and His Son, Jesus was MORE than knowing ABOUT them.  It is having a CLOSE, INTIMATE, and RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with them.  LOVING and ACCEPTING their gift of SALVATION and becoming a part of their FAMILY.

 

To ESCAPE an ETERNITY in HELL, you MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  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.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION and ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"FAITHFUL and JUST"

“FAITHFUL and JUST”

 

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.       1 John 1:9

 

Faithful:  Constant, loyal, dependable

 

CONFESSION is characteristic of a TRUE BELIEVER, they are very much AWARE of the fact that they are in the FLESH and are prone to FALL to TEMPTATIONS, because of the desires of the FLESH.  Therefore, because of the deep desire to PLEASE God, and to HONOR the WORK of Christ on the cross, for the SALVATION of their SOULS, they MUST make CONFESSION on a DAILY BASIS.   It does NOT mean that they will lose their SALVATION, because that has been SEALED by the HOLY SPIRIT.  It is because they have been made RIGHTEOUS and SIN is CONTRARY to RIGHTEOUSNESS.   Therefore, they MUST CONFESS their SINS to God. A TRUE BELIEVER CANNOT LIVE HABITUALLY in SIN. 

 

The POSITIVE part of that CONFESSION is that GOD is FAITHFUL and JUST and He will FORGIVE us of our sins, and PURIFY us from being tainted with UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.  Meaning, He is CONSTANT with His FORGIVENESS.  And He is JUST or RIGHTEOUS in His judgment of the sin.  We have His PROMISE of FORGIVENESS, and we can count on it because He is FAITHFUL, not only with His FORGIVENESS, but in KEEPING His PROMISES.

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you do not KNOW of this LOVE and FORGIVENESS.  But you can, if you will TRUST in His AMAZING GRACE, which He is offering to you NOW.  If you continue to REJECT His SON, Jesus Christ, you will be destined to spend ALL of ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL of its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE.  In order to ACCEPT His SON, and His gift of SALVATION.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART that, Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for you, before God.  Then CONFESS your sins to Him, because He is FAITHFUL and JUST to FORGIVE your sins, and to offer to you His gift of SALVATION.  You MUST ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and RECEIVE an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"ETERNITY"

“ETERNITY”

 

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

“For My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”       John 6:40

“Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. “    John 6:47

 

There are many diverse views concerning what takes place when one closes their eyes in death.  I BELIEVE that the ONLY view that has ANY VALIDITY to it is the one we find in God’s Holy Word. 

 

There are ONLY TWO TRUE scenarios that will take place, according to God’s Holy Word. One for the TRUE BELIEVER and one for the UNBELIEVER.  Whenever, I hear of people dying tragically and quickly without any warning, I can’t help but wonder if they were READY to face ETERNITY.  MANY are NOT.  The Bible teaches us that life is like a vapor, which vanishes quickly.  Our ETERNAL DESTINATION depends on what we have done with God’s Son, Jesus Christ.

 

These Scriptures PLAINLY tells us ALL we NEED to KNOW about SALVATION.  Whoever BELIEVES and ACCEPTS the Son of God, has ETERNAL LIFE in Heaven, but whoever REJECTS the Son of God will NOT have ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN, but will receive God’s WRATH, which results in spending ALL of ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL it’s HORRORS and NO WAY of ESCAPE.  They will be SEPARATED from ALL that is GOOD and from GOD, Himself. 

 

John 6:40, tells us that: It is the Father’s will that EVERYONE who looks to the Son and BELIEVES in Him shall have ETERNAL LIFE, and they will be RAISED up at the Last Day.   NOTICE that it does NOT say that those who have kept the Law, obeyed the Golden Rule, attending church or having a church membership, or doing good deeds, or giving a lot of money, will get you an ETERNITY in HEAVEN.

 

 In order to obtain SALVATION and ETERNAL LIFE, you MUST COME to the CROSS of Christ, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO GOD.  You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS died for YOU and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  And you MUST CONFESS your sins to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  Then ACCEPT God’s gift of SALVATION, and ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN.  Are you READY to FACE ETERNITY?  If NOT, do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

 

 

"The Obedient Son"

“The Obedient Son”

 

Though He was God’s Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered.  After He was perfected, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him.                      Hebrews 5:8-9

 

Jesus, the SON of the Living God, came to earth as a newborn babe, grew-up to be a man.  But even though He was the Son of God, He was man, and being a MAN, He LEARNED OBEDIENCE by that which He suffered.  And He was ALWAYS subject to His Father God’s will.  

 

In Luke’s Gospel, he tells us that:  “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52).  His incarnation into becoming a human being, gave Him experiential knowledge about the human condition.  He was able to EXPERIENCE SUFFERING, which became a REALITY, and He was able to SYMPATHIZE with His followers.  He was OBEDIENT to His Father’s will, EVEN unto DEATH 

 

Through His OBEDIENCE and SUFFERING, although He has ALWAYS BEEN PERFECT, in EVERY way, He was PERFECTED in becoming the SAVIOR of ALL mankind.  If He would have stayed in Heaven, He could not have been our PERFECT SAVIOR.  However, through His Birth, Death, Burial, RESURRECTION, and having been ASCENDED into Heaven.  He COMPLETED the work of SALVATION. 

 

This SALVATION was accomplished by OBEDIENCE.  We know that SALVATION comes by FAITH. So what is right?  This SALVATION came by OBEDIENCE of FAITH.  You cannot have FAITH without being OBEDIENT to the WORD and WILL of God.  So SAVING FAITH is the kind of FAITH that will bring OBEDIENCE.  Are you OBEDIENT to GOD?

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to Him, you are DISOBEDIENT, and you are facing an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE.  But if you will be OBEDIENT to the WILL of God, He will give you an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS.  To do that you MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  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 CONFESS your sins to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and be an OBEDIENT CHILD, with an ETERNITY in HEAVEN.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Inexpressible and Glorious Joy"

“Inexpressible and Glorious Joy”

 

Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.        1 Peter 1:8-9

 

In the life of a TRUE BELIEVER, they will face trials, which will try their FAITH, and some will experience more than everyday trials, they will be confronted with PERSECUTION, because of their FAITH.  Yet in the face of these trials and persecutions, they persevere, and in some cases their FAITH is strengthened.  This is POSSIBLE because of the LIVING HOPE of an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL the other Saints, and with the One who paid the price for our REDEMPTION. The One we call the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  He PAID with His PRECIOUS BLOOD and purchased our SALVATION. 

 

This LIVING HOPE is a result of the INEXPRESSIBLE, GLORIOUS JOY, which we can and do experience when we become a part of God’s Family, and when we have that SURE HOPE of a FUTURE INHERITANCE, waiting for us in Heaven.  Our ability to EXPERIENCE this JOY is because our FOCUS is on the One who makes it POSSIBLE, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

 

The Apostle Peter, may have REMBEMBERED the WORDS of our Lord when He told Thomas, “Blessed are those who have NOT seen and yet have BELIEVED.”  (John 20:29)  The True Believers of today, do NOT now SEE Him, but like the Apostle, they LOVE and BELIEVE in Him.  This is the WORK of the HOLY SPIRIT, who indwells the HEART of EVERY TRUE BELIEVER.  And because of the FAITH, HOPE and LOVE of the TRUE BELIEVER, they EXPERIENCE INEXPRESSIBLE and GLORIOUS JOY, regardless of the trials and persecutions.  It is NOT the OUTWARD circumstances that gives us JOY, but it is the STEADFAST FAITH, the LIVING HOPE and the DEEP LOVE we have for our SAVIOR and LORD.  Do you have that INEXPRESSIBLE, GLORIOUS JOY in your HEART?

 

God LOVES YOU, and wants you to EXPERIENCE that INEXPRESSIBLE, GLORIOUS JOY, and to possess that LIVING HOPE of an INHERITANCE in Heaven.  This can ONLY happen, when you are WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for you, before God.  Then CONFESS your sins to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION and LOVE JESUS, even though you have NOT SEEN Him.  Then EXPERIENCE that INEXPRESSIBLE, GLORIOUS JOY, and the LIVING HOPE of AN ETERNAL INHERITANCE in HEAVEN.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

"Lawlessness: The Cause and the Cure"

“Lawlessness: The Cause and the Cure"

 

Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.  You know that He appeared to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin.  No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen Him or known Him.                      1 John 3:4-6

(Jesus Christ), who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works.      Titus: 2:14

 

“The CAUSE for LAWLESSNESS is SIN.  When a person has NOT given their HEART and LIFE to God, they are LIVING in SIN, and are PRACTICING LAWLESSNESS, although they may not be breaking any of MAN’S laws, they are BREAKING GOD’S LAWS.  Most people KNOW that Jesus came to earth to take away sins, and He is SINLESS, which means He has NO SIN in Him, and for that reason, the person who PRACTICES LAWLESSNESS or SINNING cannot ABIDE in CHRIST, until they are WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM their SINFUL, LAWLESS lifestyle, and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. 

 

This does NOT mean that those who HAVE given their HEART and LIFE to GOD is SINLESS, ONLY ONE has ever LIVED a SINLESS LIFE, and that being, JESUS CHRIST.  What it means is; that the TRUE BELIEVER, will struggle with the desires of the flesh, and may at some time fall to TEMPTATION, but the difference is, they DO NOT PRACTICE or CONTINUE to LIVE in it.  But they will TURN AWAY from it.  And CONFESS any SINS they may have fallen into.  They KNOW that they cannot have FELLOWSHIP with God or His Son, Jesus Christ, as long as there is SIN, LAWLESSNESS abiding in them.  God’s HOLY SPIRIT, who indwells the TRUE BELIEVER will CONVICT them, and LEAD them to REPENTANCE.  And their DEEPEST DESIRE is to PLEASE GOD, and LAWLESSNESS does NOT PLEASE Him. 

 

The CURE for LAWLESSNESS, is found in Titus 2:14, JESUS CHRIST, the SON of the LIVING GOD, is the CURE for the LAWLESSNESS of ALL mankind.  He GAVE HIMSELF to REDEEM us from ALL LAWLESSNESS, and to PURIFY a PEOPLE for His OWN POSSESSION, who are FAITHFUL and EAGER to do GOOD WORKS.  Without this CURE, you will SURELY DIE a SPIRITUAL DEATH, and end up SPENDING ALL of your ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE.  Are you LIVING a LAWLESS LIFESTYLE, SINNING against God and His LAWS?

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to Him, then you are LIVING in LAWLESSNESS, and your DESTINY is HELL.  But God, in His INFINITE MERCY and AMAZING GRACE, is offering you the CURE for this FATAL SIN-SICKNESS.  All you MUST DO is TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  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 CONFESS your sins to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  And you MUST ACCEPT HIS gift of SALVATION and RECEIVE the CURE, and LIVE for ALL of ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

 

"Two Groups of People"

“Two Groups of People”

 

For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.     Psalm 1:6

 

There are TWO GROUPS of people, spiritually speaking.  We have the group that are the HAVE NOTS.  They are those who HAVE NOT given their HEARTS and LIVES to God, and they HAVE NOT accepted His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ as their SAVIOR and LORD. 

 

Then there is the HAVES, you got it, they are the ones who HAVE given their HEARTS and LIVES to God, and they HAVE accepted His Son, Jesus Christ as their SAVIOR and LORD.

 

So, now, let’s look at some very IMPORTANT FACTS about these two groups:  First we will see what the Word of God has to say about the HAVE NOTS:  Sinners are trapped and caught by their own evil deeds.  They get lost and die because of their foolishness and lack of self-control (Prov. 5:22-23).   But rebels and sinners will both be broken, and those who forsake the Lord will perish (Isa.1:28).   Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them:  “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of His Holy Ones to judge EVERYONE, and to CONVICT ALL of them, of ALL the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of ALL the defiant words ungodly SINNERS have spoken against Him.  These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.”  (Jude 1:14-16).  Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked, for the evildoer has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.  (Prov. 24:19-20)

 

Now let us look at those who are the HAVES:  Everyone who BELIEVES that Jesus is the MESSIAH, has been born of God, and everyone who LOVES the Father also LOVES the one born of Him.  For this is what LOVE for God is:  to keep His commands.  Now His commands are NOT a burden, because whatever has been born of God conquers the world.  This is the VICTORY that has conquered the world:  OUR FAITH.  (1 John 5:1, 3, 4).  “Whoever BELIEVES and is baptized will be SAVED, but whoever does NOT BELIEVE will be CONDEMNED.” (Mark 16:16).   The one who BELIEVES IN THE Son has ETERNAL LIFE, but the one who REFUSES to BELIEVE in the Son will not see life; instead the WRATH of God remains on them.  (John 3:36).  Anyone who BELIEVES IN Him is NOT CONDEMNED, but anyone who does NOT BELIEVE is already CONDEMNED, because he has NOT BELIEVED in the name of the ONE and ONLY SON of GOD.  (John 3:18)

Which group do you belong to?  Mark 1:15, is part of a sermon that the Lord Jesus preached.  It is an invitation, He is inviting YOU to COME to Him.  “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God has come near.  REPENT and BELIEVE in the GOOD NEWS!”  If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are part of the HAVE NOTS, and you will face an ETERNITY in Hell with ALL its HORRORS, if you don’t TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  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 CONFESS your sins to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION and become one of the HAVES, and inherit an ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN with ALL its blessings.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!