“…In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins…”
(Colossians 1:14)
Several years ago I was approached by some cult members in my driveway. A spokesman for the group was telling me all the good things about his religion. I asked him how long he had been a member of that organization. Then I asked him if he were doing all the things required by his organization to go to heaven when he died. “I think so. I hope so,” he said.
I asked, “What about your sins you committed before you joined your organization. Has anything been done about those?” He had no answer. When I started sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ the others all said to him, “Get in the car. Let’s go.”
Organizations cannot save or forgive sins. No church can save or forgive sins. Religion cannot take us to heaven or wash away our sins. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse us from our past, present and future sins.
Sunday, January 7, 2018
Saturday, January 6, 2018
A Sure Ticket to Hell
“…Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.”
(Acts 24:25)
One sure ticket to hell is to put off making a decision until later. Putting it off is a decision. Another translation of this verse says, “Leave for now, but when I find time I’ll call for you.”
Paul, the Christian, was standing before Felix the governor. Paul reasoned with him of righteousness, temperance and judgment to come. These words caused Felix to tremble with conviction.
Someone hears the Bible preached and explained. The Holy Spirit uses it to bring conviction. The person is called to decision. He may accept the message, believe on the Lord and be saved. Or, he can postpone it and do as Felix did. But, there is no guarantee that there will be a better time. There is no record that Felix ever found a better time.
Many possible things can happen. His decision was to postpone or put it off. But, it was his decision. That decision is a sure ticket to hell for eternity. It is best to receive Christ now and get your guarantee to a better life here and heaven for eternity.
(Acts 24:25)
One sure ticket to hell is to put off making a decision until later. Putting it off is a decision. Another translation of this verse says, “Leave for now, but when I find time I’ll call for you.”
Paul, the Christian, was standing before Felix the governor. Paul reasoned with him of righteousness, temperance and judgment to come. These words caused Felix to tremble with conviction.
Someone hears the Bible preached and explained. The Holy Spirit uses it to bring conviction. The person is called to decision. He may accept the message, believe on the Lord and be saved. Or, he can postpone it and do as Felix did. But, there is no guarantee that there will be a better time. There is no record that Felix ever found a better time.
Many possible things can happen. His decision was to postpone or put it off. But, it was his decision. That decision is a sure ticket to hell for eternity. It is best to receive Christ now and get your guarantee to a better life here and heaven for eternity.
Friday, January 5, 2018
Ownership
“For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.” (Psalm 50:10)
Almost everyone agrees with the first part of our text. We do not claim ownership over the creatures in the woods, such as the black bear, the raccoons, the coyotes, the squirrels and so forth.
The second part of the verse is where folks have trouble. The cattle on a thousand hills belong not to us, but to Almighty God. We want to claim ownership and say with some degree of pride, “That’s mine.” We put up fences and say all the cattle inside the enclosure are ours. We put brands on cattle to acknowledge to others our ownership. Not only does God own the cattle on a thousand hills, He owns the cars in a thousand garages. He owns all the buildings and business on a thousand streets in a thousand towns and cities.
He allows us to claim ownership only that we might be stewards over that which is His. We have nothing which He did not loan to us for a little while. The whole world is His and everything in it.
Almost everyone agrees with the first part of our text. We do not claim ownership over the creatures in the woods, such as the black bear, the raccoons, the coyotes, the squirrels and so forth.
The second part of the verse is where folks have trouble. The cattle on a thousand hills belong not to us, but to Almighty God. We want to claim ownership and say with some degree of pride, “That’s mine.” We put up fences and say all the cattle inside the enclosure are ours. We put brands on cattle to acknowledge to others our ownership. Not only does God own the cattle on a thousand hills, He owns the cars in a thousand garages. He owns all the buildings and business on a thousand streets in a thousand towns and cities.
He allows us to claim ownership only that we might be stewards over that which is His. We have nothing which He did not loan to us for a little while. The whole world is His and everything in it.
Thursday, January 4, 2018
Home-sick for Heaven
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)
Billy Graham has written a book entitled, “Nearing Home.” In his nineties when he wrote it, he describes the journey before and the destination following the journey. It makes a Christian’s heart quicken just thinking of nearing home.
This world is not the home of the child of God. We’re just passing through. “Our citizenship is in heaven, from whence we also look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 3:20) I remember an uncle who worked as a young man away from home helping harvest corn in the days long before combines. When he was telling me those experiences he said, “There is no sickness worse that home-sickness.”
While we Christians are away from home living down here let us behave and live like we belong up there.
Billy Graham has written a book entitled, “Nearing Home.” In his nineties when he wrote it, he describes the journey before and the destination following the journey. It makes a Christian’s heart quicken just thinking of nearing home.
This world is not the home of the child of God. We’re just passing through. “Our citizenship is in heaven, from whence we also look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 3:20) I remember an uncle who worked as a young man away from home helping harvest corn in the days long before combines. When he was telling me those experiences he said, “There is no sickness worse that home-sickness.”
While we Christians are away from home living down here let us behave and live like we belong up there.
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
Has it come to That?
“…Then began men to call upon the name of the LORD. (Genesis 4:26)
I heard of a lady in a hospital room with her very ill husband. He had been there many days. The doctors came in with all their charts and stethoscopes. The doctors had a consultation among themselves. Her family physician gently said, “If you know how to pray we strongly suggest you do so.” To which she replied, “Has it come to that?” It always comes to that eventually. When we get desperate enough we will pray.
In our text, man began to call on the Lord after Adam and Eve bore their first children. It was after sin entered the world through the temptations of the devil to disobey God. It was after one of the sons killed the other. Desperate times call for desperate prayers.
Has our country mired deeply enough in the quick-sand of sin to cause us to pray? When we go under, with one hand raised in desperation for someone to rescue us, will we pray to Almighty God or will we continue to think we do not need Him?
Yes, it has come to that.
I heard of a lady in a hospital room with her very ill husband. He had been there many days. The doctors came in with all their charts and stethoscopes. The doctors had a consultation among themselves. Her family physician gently said, “If you know how to pray we strongly suggest you do so.” To which she replied, “Has it come to that?” It always comes to that eventually. When we get desperate enough we will pray.
In our text, man began to call on the Lord after Adam and Eve bore their first children. It was after sin entered the world through the temptations of the devil to disobey God. It was after one of the sons killed the other. Desperate times call for desperate prayers.
Has our country mired deeply enough in the quick-sand of sin to cause us to pray? When we go under, with one hand raised in desperation for someone to rescue us, will we pray to Almighty God or will we continue to think we do not need Him?
Yes, it has come to that.
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
That’s Good
“And God saw everything that He had made and, behold, it was very good…”
(Genesis 1:31)
Something that is “awesome” is awe inspiring. It is fantastic. It could be described as “Out of this world.” It makes you say “wow.” Sometimes worship services are described by such adjectives.
When God spoke the world into existence He used the word, “good.” When He made the first ray of light He said it was good. When He made the oceans, the sun and moon, vegetation, animals, fowl of the air and fish in the waters, “He said, “That’s good.” After He made the sun and moon He said, “That’s good.” When He made man with his thousands of miles of nerves, all the bones and his blood flow system which cannot be duplicated by man, God said, “That’s good.”
A church service need not be awesome, fantastic or wonderful. If God will say when we leave church or at the close of a service, “That’s good,” that should be enough.
(Genesis 1:31)
Something that is “awesome” is awe inspiring. It is fantastic. It could be described as “Out of this world.” It makes you say “wow.” Sometimes worship services are described by such adjectives.
When God spoke the world into existence He used the word, “good.” When He made the first ray of light He said it was good. When He made the oceans, the sun and moon, vegetation, animals, fowl of the air and fish in the waters, “He said, “That’s good.” After He made the sun and moon He said, “That’s good.” When He made man with his thousands of miles of nerves, all the bones and his blood flow system which cannot be duplicated by man, God said, “That’s good.”
A church service need not be awesome, fantastic or wonderful. If God will say when we leave church or at the close of a service, “That’s good,” that should be enough.
Monday, January 1, 2018
Identifying with Others
“…And I sat where they sat…” (Ezekiel 3:15)
Ezekiel, the prophet and priest of God, had been taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar along with ten thousand other leaders of his nation. Ezekiel could identify with the captives in Babylon because he also was a captive. “…I sat where they sat…”
God declared that He had made Ezekiel a watchman unto the House of Israel. Who better to be a watchman looking out for the welfare of his brothers than one who sits where they sit. God became a man and sat where we sit. He is the “Word made flesh.” He is “Emmanuel, God with us.” The Bible declares that our High Priest, “Jesus, is touched with the feeling of our infirmities; and was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15) He understands pain, sorrow, hunger, fatigue, thirst because He sat where we sat.
God chooses men, not angels, to be His missionaries, pastors, evangelists and other witnesses to the lost because we have sat where they sit.
Ezekiel, the prophet and priest of God, had been taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar along with ten thousand other leaders of his nation. Ezekiel could identify with the captives in Babylon because he also was a captive. “…I sat where they sat…”
God declared that He had made Ezekiel a watchman unto the House of Israel. Who better to be a watchman looking out for the welfare of his brothers than one who sits where they sit. God became a man and sat where we sit. He is the “Word made flesh.” He is “Emmanuel, God with us.” The Bible declares that our High Priest, “Jesus, is touched with the feeling of our infirmities; and was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15) He understands pain, sorrow, hunger, fatigue, thirst because He sat where we sat.
God chooses men, not angels, to be His missionaries, pastors, evangelists and other witnesses to the lost because we have sat where they sit.
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