"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!!!

"The Rock of Refuge"

“The Rock of Refuge”

 

Be a rock of refuge for me, where I can always go.   Give the command to save me, for You are my Rock and Fortress.        Psalm 71:3

 

I think this Psalm is one of my FAVORITES if not my FAVORITE, mainly because it was penned to seek God’s HELP in OLD AGE.  For those of us who sport beautiful GRAY hair and even have a few wrinkles here and there, it is a manifest of sorts, giving us the REAL FACTS of growing old, and what we can expect, while we are “walking” or living by FAITH. 

 

We can be ASSURED that we have a ROCK of REFUGE, and we REALLY do NEED it, because the devil doesn’t let up on you, just because you are MATURING in AGE.  If you continue to read this Psalm, you will see that the Psalmist, in verse four says:  “Deliver me, my God, from the power of the WICKED, from the grasp of the UNJUST and OPPRESSIVE.”  So, there you go, you still have battles to fight, even in your latter years. 

 

Even with the CONTINUED SPIRITUAL BATTLES, we must endure, the TRUE BELIEVER, like the Psalmist, can say:  “But I will HOPE CONTINUALLY, and will PRAISE You MORE and MORE.  My mouth will TELL about Your RIGHTEOUSNESS and Your SALVATION ALL DAY LONG, though I cannot sum them up.  I come because of the mighty acts of the Lord God; I will proclaim your RIGHTEOUSNESS and Yours alone.  Even when I am OLD and GRAY, God, do NOT abandon me.  Then I will proclaim Your power to ANOTHER GENERATION.”  (Vv14-16, 18)

 

No matter what age we are, we MUST ALL come to the ROCK of REFUGE the SAME WAY.  If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then this is what you MUST DO:  TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  Then 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 then have the ASSURANCE that the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, is your ROCK of REFUGE, at ANY TIME and in ANY SITUATION.  So do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

GRACE: The Sure Foundation"

“GRACE:  The Sure Foundation”

 

May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal encouragement and good hope by grace, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good work and word.       2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

 

It is not an EASY road, for the TRUE BELIEVER of today, we often face trials and discouragements all along the way.  Our trials and discouragements may pale in comparison to those of the FIRST BELIEVERS of Jesus Christ.  But, nevertheless, they can bog us down, and cause us Spiritual anxieties and frustrations, which can alter our work for the Lord.

 

Paul’s prayer for the TRUE BELIEVERS in Thessalonica, was that they would have ETERNAL ENCOURAGEMENT.  Notice the Apostle begins his prayer with:  “May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father,”  this indicates the UNITY between the Son, Jesus and His Father, God, who has LOVED us and given us ETERNAL ENCOURAGEMENT and GOOD HOPE.  This is given to us by God’s GRACE, which is the FOUNDATION for the ETERNAL ENCOURAGEMENT and the GOOD HOPE.

 

The ETERNAL ENCOURAGEMENT, is KNOWING that whatever we face NOW, on this earth is TEMPORARY, and what we will face in Heaven will last throughout ETERNITY.  JOY, PEACE, LOVE, all these and MORE.  That SHOULD give us GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT and GOOD HOPE for the FUTURE that awaits EVERY TRUE BELIEVER.  Therefore, by GOD’S AMAZING GRACE we can have a SURE FOUNDATION and the ENCOURAGEMENT and STRENGTH we need to be DILIGENT in EVERY GOOD WORK and WORD.  Do you have that SURE FOUNDATION?

 

You can have that ETERNAL ENCOURAGEMENT and GOOD HOPE for NOW and the FUTURE, if you will TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  Then you MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then you MUST CONFESS your sins to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and receive ETERNAL ENCOURAGEMENT and GOOD HOPE, and ESCAPE an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"The Redeemed"

“The Redeemed”

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy.     Psalm 107:2

 

The Psalmist tells us to PROCLAIM the GOODNESS of the Lord, for He has REDEEMED us from the hand of the ENEMY, whom, to the TRUE BELIEVER is the devil.  Even though this psalm was penned for those who had been delivered from their distresses of wandering in the wilderness, without food and water, it can be applicable to God’s Children of today.  Those who He has DELIVERED and REDEEMED.

 

Here are some reasons why the REDEEMED, today, should SAY SO.  First, Christ REDEEMED us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written:  “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” (Deut. 21:23) Jesus Christ was hung on an OLD RUGGED CROSS, and took on ALL the sins of ALL mankind, He became sin, in order to DELIVER us from the CURSE.  He REDEEMED us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through HIM, so that by FAITH we might receive the promise of the Spirit.   (Galatians 3:13-14)   We RECEIVE the blessing of JUSTIFICATION apart from the WORKS of the LAW, it is AVAILABLE to ALL who BELIEVE.  And that ALL who BELIEVE would be able to RECEIVE the PROMISE of the HOLY SPIRIT.

 

We, who are TRUE BELIEVERS, are no longer slaves to our SINS, but because of His PLAN of REDEMPTION, we have become His Children; and since we are His Children, we also have been made an HEIR to ALL the GLORIES of HEAVEN.  For the GRACE of God has appeared that offers SALVATION to ALL people.  It teaches us to say “NO” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this PRESENT AGE, while we WAIT for the BLESSED HOPE---the APPEARING of the glory of our GREAT GOD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, who gave Himself for us to REDEEM us from ALL WICKEDNESS and to PURIFY for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is GOOD.   (Titus 2:11-14)  And this is WHY the REDEEMED of the Lord SHOULD SAY SO!!

 

Can you PROCLAIM that you are REDEEMED?  In order to do that you MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and to 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 become part of the REDEEMED and SAY SO!!  You will then become an HEIR to an ETERNAL HOME in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS.  And you will ESCAPE HELL with ALL its HORRORS.  So do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

 

 

"Confession Brings Mercy"

“Confession Brings Mercy”

 

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

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love; according to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions.      Psalm 51:1

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

 

MERCY is NOT receiving what we deserve, which is spending an ETERNITY in Hell, because mankind is WICKED and SINFUL by nature. And cannot SAVE themselves, by WORKING, PAYING or CONNIVING their way into Heaven.  So they are at the MERCY of a RIGHTEOUS, HOLY GOD, who is waiting for them to COME to Him with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. 

 

The very first step is to ACKNOWLEDGE our SINS, just as the Psalmist David says:  “Then I ACKNOWLEDGED my sin to You, and did NOT cover up my iniquity.”  He goes on to say:  “I will CONFESS my transgressions to the Lord.”   He was more than willing to CONFESS or tell God of ALL his transgressions.  And because of the CONFESSION, David received FORGIVENESS, and MERCY for his sins.

 

We, who are TRUE BELIEVERS, MUST KNOW that we too, SHOULD CONFESS our SINS to GOD and to THANK HIM for His MERCY.  In Psalm 51:1&2, David again cries out to God; “Have MERCY on me, O God, according to your UNFAILING LOVE; according to your GREAT COMPASSION blot out my transgressions.   Wash away ALL of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”   God’s MERCY is prompted by His UNFAILING LOVE for ALL mankind.  It is His desire that NONE should PERISH, but ALL would come to REPENTANCE.  That is MERCY.

 

1 John 1:9, is a PROMISE, which exemplifies that CONFESSION BRINGS MERCY.  It says: “IF we CONFESS our sins, He is FAITHFUL and JUST and WILL FORGIVE us our sins and PURIFY us from ALL unrighteousness.  This was carried out through the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE of GOD’S ONLY SON, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, who died on an old, rugged cross, but He didn’t stay dead or in the grave. He was RISEN from the DEAD and the GRAVE, and is ALIVE TODAY, in HEAVEN, awaiting God’s nod that it is TIME to go get His Children, the REDEEMED, who, because of their CONFESSION and GOD’S MERCY, will receive an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS.  Is this your DESTINY?  Have you CONFESSED your sins and received His MERCY?  You can if you will, 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 receive His MERCY, by CONFESSING your sins, and ESCAPING an ETERNITY in HELL, in exchange for an ETERNITY in HEAVEN.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"In Whom Do You Trust?"

“In Whom Do You Trust?”

 

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”      Psalm 91:2

Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.     Psalm 62:8

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.      Psalm 118:8

 

For the TRUE BELIEVER, this SIN-LADEN, CORRUPT, LAWLESS, DEPRAVED, world, in which we live, is TREACHEROUS, to say the least.  We not only face PHYSICAL DANGERS, but definitely SPIRITUAL DANGERS as well.   Those who escape the hidden snares of the great deceiver, the devil, KNOWS beyond any doubt that their escape was/is made POSSIBLE through the fact that the LORD is their REFUGE and FORTRESS, and in HIM ALONE do they TRUST.

 

GOD is our place of REFUGE or SAFETY, from the perils of this LOST and DYING world.  Mankind, who places their TRUST and seeks REFUGE from each other or from material things, will find that this is FUTILE and DANGEROUS.  If they, themselves, are SEEKING REFUGE, and are looking to each other, what makes them qualified to be a REFUGE or FORTRESS, or even a person, in whom you could TRUST with your PHYSICAL and SPIRITUAL well-being? 

 

As TRUE BELIEVERS, we SHOULD put ALL our TRUST in God, at ALL TIMES.  When we are in NEED, He is our REFUGE and our STRENGTH.  It is BEST to take REFUGE in the LORD than to TRUST in MERE HUMANS.  We can have CONFIDENCE in His POWER, and TRUST His HAND, especially when we think that there is NO WAY, because He will PROVIDE a WAY.

 

However, for the UNBELIEVER, it’s a whole different scenario.  ALL people, both BELIEVERS and UNBELIEVERS will face DEATH at some point in time.  We ALL are like sheep and are destined to die. But the DESTINY of the UNBELIEVER is DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT from the BELIEVER.  For those who have put their FAITH and TRUST in God, for their SALVATION, they will spend an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS. But for the UNBELIEVERS, those who have REJECTED GOD and His SALVATION, their DESTINY will be an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE.  So the question is:  IN WHOM DO YOU TRUST with your ETERNITY?  MANKIND or the ALMIGHTY GOD?

 

In order to ESCAPE spending ALL of ETERNITY in HELL, you MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  Then 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 TRUST HIM to be your REFUGE and FORTRESS, and to be able to spend your ETERNITY in HEAVEN.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

"The Glorified Body"

“The Glorified Body”

 

But our citizenship is in Heaven.  And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.      Philippians 3:20

 

The UNREPENTANT person has their mind on earthly things and earthly accomplishments.  Believing, in some cases, that earthly things and earthly accomplishments, like doing good deeds or helping the less fortunate will gain them merit with God.  But you MUST REMEMBER Ephesians 2:8&9, “For it is by GRACE you have been saved, through FAITH and this is NOT from yourselves, it is the GIFT of God---NOT by works, so that NO ONE can boast.”   For, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?  Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Mat. 16:26)

 

Now, I have said that to tell you that you MUST come to Jesus Christ for the SALVATION of your soul, in order to become a CITIZEN of Heaven.  We, who are TRUE BELIEVERS, and have our CITIZENSHIP in HEAVEN, are EAGERLY awaiting our SAVIOR from there.  And when He comes to take us Home, which of course, is the RAPTURE of ALL the TRUE BELIEVERS, and by the POWER that enables Him to bring EVERYTHING under His control, He will TRANSFORM our lowly, weak, flawed bodies to be LIKE His GLORIOUS body.  It will be made PERFECT in EVERYWAY, in the twinkling of an eye.   NO more PAIN, SICKNESS, HEARTACHE or DEATH, just a HOME in HEAVEN for ALL ETERNITY.  Is this your DESTINY?

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then it is NOT your DESTINY.   You are DESTINED to spend ALL of ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE.  In order to become a CITIZEN of HEAVEN, and to be TRANSFORMED into a GLORIFIED BODY, like our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, you MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and to TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  BELIEVING, 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.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and receive your CITIZENSHIP in HEAVEN, and have a TRANSFORMED, GLORIFIED, PERFECT, BODY, just like JESUS.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting, and coming SOON!!!