Wednesday, December 25, 2013

The Old *CHRIST*-mas Story

The Holy Bible is a book entirely about The Lord Jesus Christ - in the Old Testament He is predicted from Genesis 3 to Malachi 4,  in the Gospels He is revealed, in the Acts He is preached, in the Epistles He is explained, and in the book of Revelation He is expected.  The Gospel is simply this - God Incarnate, Christ Jesus, offered Himself up as an Atoning Bloody Sacrifice for human sin, so that sinners could be saved from divine justice freely by the grace of God. 

Christ Jesus created, owned and ruled the entire universe, but He was born in a cattle-shed in Bethlehem-Judah 2,000 years ago.  The Bread of Life was born in the House of Bread.  
In the stable that night, it was cold, dark, and damp, they were surrounded by the stench of animals and manure. The inn was overcrowded that night; there was no room for Jesus. The hearts of men are overcrowded today; there is still no room for Jesus. Jesus’ first crib was a borrowed feed trough. The animals there in the stable that night loaned their home to their Creator. Jesus stooped very low to die for despicable sinners like us. Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich. He humbled Himself and put on the rags of humanity. He lived a life of abject poverty, submission, subjection, perfect obedience, and selfless love. He was born to be the final sacrificial Lamb for the sins of the whole world.

Christ Jesus, the King of Heaven, left glory and His royal throne on purpose. He was born to die so that sinners could be saved from God’s wrath and have eternal life. He came from Heaven to earth, so we could go from earth to Heaven. He was born of a Jewish peasant, a virgin named Mary; He was born so low and destitute. He went from riches to rags, so we could go from rags to riches. He borrowed everything He had through life. The holy child Jesus was nursed by Mary, and baby Jesus learned to walk and talk just like we did. God Himself became a poor man. The Infinite became an infant, The Holy One of Israel became a human, the Most High God became a man, and the Creator became a creature. Immanuel, God with us, came to this sin-cursed earth to die so we could be with God in Heaven. Jesus carried the rugged Cross from Pilate’s judgment hall through the streets of Jerusalem as the cruel mob hooted at Him. He was brutally nailed to the Cross; the soldiers nailed Him there in your place, so you could be saved by God’s redeeming grace.

There on the dark hill called Calvary, Jesus willingly bled and died for dying sinners. No greater love for mortal man has ever been known. The heart of the Atonement is that the pure, spotless, sinless Savior bore our sins (John 1:29) and became Sin for us (II Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13). He suffered the wrath of God that was poured out on human sin when He was nailed to the Cross for hours and hours and then at the last, He cried, “It is finished.” Christ on the Cross was the bleeding God dying in the place of sinful man. Jesus satisfied the justice of God and paid your sin-debt in full. Then they took down His broken body from the tree and carried Him away and placed Him in a lonely, stone-cold tomb. The Jewish and Roman authorities thought they done away with Jesus once and for all. But three days later, on the most glorious Sunday morning ever, the stone was rolled away and the Lord Jesus Christ arose victoriously over death and hell. Then forty days later, Jesus ascended into Heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

The Word was God and He was made flesh; the eternal God condescended to earth. (John 1:14) Christ was more than just a baby in a manger that people think about at Christmas and Easter, He was fully God and fully man. Christ is both God and man, and He is the only One able to reconcile your soul to God. Christ represents us as a man and redeems us as God. (See Matthew 1:18,23; Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:31-35; I Timothy 3:16). Christ’s sinless obedience to the law of God and His atoning blood sacrifice as a man was required to redeem sinful, fallen man. Jesus Christ was born sinless and lived a sinless life, and then He suffered the death penalty for the whole world through His bloody death, and then He came back to life and gloriously resurrected. Jesus bore the wrath of God for your human sin. Your sins are infinite because they were committed against an infinite God and it would take an infinite amount of time to pay the penalty, so God became a man to bear the weight of your sin against an infinite God. Only God could pay this infinite penalty - Christ was fully God and fully man.

Christ Jesus came to earth to bear the sins of the whole world, it pleased the Father to bruise Christ, God laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all, you sins were placed upon Him, Christ bore in His human body on the Cross your weight of sin. He was wounded for your transgressions; He was bruised for your iniquities. Eternal Death was the wages due for your sin, and He paid the death penalty that your sins deserved, He bled and died for you personally. Because Christ is God, He was able to pay the penalty for all your guilt, and then He rose from the dead, and now He offers to you to full and free forgiveness of sins and eternal life freely. Jesus offers salvation freely only to ungodly sinners, to all hopeless wretches that stop trusting themselves and what they are doing, and trust completely in His penalty-paying sinless, blood sacrifice to save their soul.

Christ came to bleed for your sins and die the death you deserved for sinning against a holy God. The Lawgiver came to die for the lawbreakers. For God so loved the world of sinful men that He gave His only Son on Calvary’s Cross. He came to bring God’s bleeding love and the new birth to fallen man. Jesus was born to die on Calvary’s Cross for us vile and rebellious sinners, He was born to set sinners free, Jesus was God Himself in human form with God’s blood flowing through His veins. The death of Christ the Lord was for your immortal soul. It took God’s divine love to save helpless and ungodly sinners like us.

Now, Jesus will save all sinners to the uttermost that come unto God through Him. We deserve to be damned; we have willfully and wickedly offended and sinned against God. We cannot help save ourselves. We can only ruin and imprison our souls, but we could never rescue and redeem our souls. Your sins cannot escape unpunished, so let Christ answer for your sins. Christ Jesus is living right now and is seeking you. Most sinners today either hate Christ or ignore Him, but few trust Him. The very wisest thing you can do is seek mercy from Jesus Christ in prayer. “Great God, save me, I'm a self-ruined sinner! Save me, forgive me, have mercy upon me! I renounce all my merits for I have none; I deserve to be lost and damned; but Lord, please save me now, for Christ’s sake.”

Monday, December 23, 2013

The Best Things 8

The very best thing you can do, when you cannot help yourself, is to cry unto God for Mercy.  The best thing you can do out of love for Christ is to simply obey Him in the little things every day.  If ye love Me, keep My commandments.  The best thing to do is come to Jesus hungry, and He will fill you with good things.  Go often to the Cross, go every day to the Cross with empty hand, and receive everything your soul needs from Christ Jesus the Lord.  The best things come to those who are lowly in heart.  The best thing to do in times of trouble or trial is to lay the matter out before the Lord Jesus and cling to Him alone.

Praising the Lord is the best thing to purge your heart and mind of evil thoughts.  Sometimes troubles and difficulties are the very best things that can happen to us, because they wake us up to reality and Eternity. The very best thing you can do for yourself is to just come to Jesus and rest in Him.  Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.  It is the Lord; let Him do what seemeth Him good.  Poverty can almost always be directly traced to laziness, dishonesty, or drunkenness.  The best things that men do without Christ are not worth anything in the sight of God. If you want to do something good for someone, the best thing you can do is to help bring them to the Lord Jesus Christ.  Your own righteousness is such a damnable thing, that the best thing for you to do with it is to bury it, and run away from it.

Spiritual mercies are the best things - Tread the royal road to heavenly Wisdom - Come ye to the Cross.  Oftentimes the best thing that could ever happen to us is to be taken down a notch or two.  The best thing you can possibly do is first draw near to God, keeping your eye ever upon the Cross, for Christ Crucified is the one and only hope for a sinner - Christ Crucified for you, Christ received by you.  Keep very close to the Cross.  The best thing I ever heard was this:  Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.  For the Christian, his best things are on ahead; but for the lost sinner, he is leaving his best things behind, and he is going on to his worst things.  The best prayer in the midst of temptation is, "Preserve me, O God."  Be of good cheer - Turn your eyes to the Cross - Rest on Calvary's Lamb - Trust Jesus, trust only Him.

The best thing you can do is the next thing that God the Holy Spirit tells you to do, and to do it thoroughly well.  The best faith grasps God's promises found in the Bible.  The best thing to enjoy is Christ's love.  A healthy appetite for Christ Jesus is the best sign of spiritual health; hunger and thirst after everything that is right, and good, and honest, and pure, and lovely, and of good report.  The best antidote for sin is Christ in the heart.  The best place to go first thing in the morning is to the Cross - flat on our faces before the Cross of Christ is the safest place for us.  If you have some food in your mouth that you desire to eat, the best thing to do is swallow it.  Likewise, Christ's word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith which we preach; simply let it go down into your inmost soul.

Christ Crucified is the best message for this world today, and it will never wear out or grow stale. The very best prayer is to cry, "Save me God, convince me of my sin, save me now for Jesus' sake, O God be merciful to me a sinner!"  Look to the Cross of Jesus, escape to the Cross while you may, forsake your sins, trust your soul wholly to Jesus, put all your dependence in His blood and merits; then follow Him, walk in His ways, and you will be safe.

Thanks be unto God which giveth us the Victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  If you want to be happy, and to do the best thing that is possible in your whole life, rave about Jesus Christ and glorify Him all you can.  The oftener you go to the Cross, the richer you get.  When you are tossed about with doubts and fears, do not despair:  the best thing to do is to go straight away to the Cross for saving mercy, just as if you had never gone there before.  Jesus bore the great load of your sins upon Himself there, and bore the consequences as well, so He could set us free from our sins forever.  The very root of all Gospel Truth is the Precious Blood of Jesus.  Christ Crucified is what you want.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Your Sins, Your Soul 4

You need a Mediator between your soul and the living God.  The only Mediator available in the entire universe that can reconcile your soul back to God is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.  *I Timothy 2:5-6*  You must go through the Blood of Jesus Christ's Cross in order to have peace with God. *Colossians 1:20*  Go directly to the Holy God through the Holy Mediator; trust to His great Atoning Sacrifice.  Simply look to Jesus for Everything, and the great transaction is done.  Fix your soul steadily on the Lamb of God.  No one can measure up to God's Righteousness; there is a God, He is Holy, and you need true Righteousness in order to dwell in His presence.  *Romans 10:4; Philippians 3:9* Sin keeps men and women out of Heaven, but God is rich in Mercy.  Jesus took your sins upon Himself, and then He took your place.  Now you can trust Him; He can forgive you and grant you Pardon, Everlasting Life, and Righteousness.  Every sinner needs one thing - Mercy.

You must go to Heaven freely on the merits of Jesus Christ, since you have no merits at all. A sinner can never have any merit before God.  The love of sinning will lead to your soul's destruction.   Your soul needs infinite, irreversible pardon by Precious Blood.  The free pardon of sin and the renewing of the heart is Christ's business exclusively.  Quit your sins - leave them, loathe them.  Come away from yourself and your sins, come to Jesus now for Rest.  Repent of your sins, have done with them, turn from them.  Up and away from all your sins.  Your "god" is whatever you allow to control you (pleasure, possessions, position).  Human nature loves a religion that has a "god" that will get along with us no matter what we do.  Ask Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins. Resolve heartily to quit your old sins.  Now understand - The Holy Spirit must come and help you to change your mind in reference to sinning against God.

You might as well hope to be saved by your sins as by your good works.  The road to Hell by human merit is as certain as the road to Hell by human sin.  You insult the Atonement of Christ when you set up your merit as if was as good as Christ's Atonement.  Come away from your self-righteousness, for it is a deadly and damning thing.  Hang your soul completely on Jesus Christ, just like you would hang your hat on a nail.  Have done with yourself, and take the Blood and Righteousness of Jesus Christ to be the sole hope of your soul.  Come to the Cross now by Faith, and yield the Savior's sweet mercy, tender love, free forgiveness, and generous kindness.  Religion drives you by fear, guilt, and superstition; but Jesus leads you by mercy, grace, love and faith.

Be ye reconciled to God by Christ Jesus' Precious Blood.  Your own righteousness will damn you if you trust in it at all, for it is a proud and vain lie.  There is zero merit in your righteousness, and no dependence should be placed upon it.  The workings of the Holy Spirit in the heart and mind of a man slowly withers human righteousness, merit, strength, ability, wisdom, hopes, reason, pride, confidence, goodness, glory, conceit, doings, attainments, boasting, and intellect.  There must first be a distinct renunciation of all righteousness of your own.

You may be an excellent person in your own estimation; you may think you're up to the mark, and that you've never done much wrong, but no man has a righteousness that can stand the test of the all-searching eyes of God.  Away with your own righteousness, once and for all.  Never place the slightest reliance upon yourself at all.  You have nothing else to trust to but the Blood and Righteousness of Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh.  You must altogether renounce any trust in your own righteousness, that is all there is to it.

Unregenerate human nature is self-conceited, self-applauding, self-absorbed, and self-promoting.  When you are lost, you are your favorite object of devotion; your greatest love is your own reflection in the mirror.  Everything revolves around you, but at the core of your being, you are still dissatisfied. The carnal mind worships the unholy trinity - me, myself, and I.  This is classic human nature - me first, you last.  The favorite topic of any egomaniac's conversation is himself.  He constantly craves that one thing that is out of his reach, and it keeps him from enjoying everything he already has.

You need God when circumstances are uncontrollable, when life is unpredictable, and when your sin is unstoppable.  Jesus' blood was shed to satisfy the Law's demands, and to redeem the sinner from guilt and wrath.  Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ with all thine heart, that is, place all your dependence on Him alone.  The look of Faith to the Bleeding Savior saves the soul.  Own up to your sins, take the place of a guilty sinner.  Never dissemble before the all-knowing, all-seeing Almighty God.

Break off from your idols and filthy habits; keep your heart for Jesus alone.  Herein is Love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the Propitiation for our sins.  *I John 4:10*  The most beautiful verse in the whole Bible - He loved me, and gave Himself for me.  Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.  Christ died for the ungodly.  The Justice and Wrath of God is only  appeased by the Blood of Jesus.  The wrath of God can only be averted at Calvary.  Your sins could never reach the limits of Christ's forgiving love. Whatever you may trifle with, never trifle with your soul.

Follow closely to the Lamb of God, and you will hate your sins more and more.  Follow Jesus watchfully and resolutely.  Simply give up self-rule, and let Jesus rule your life daily. Seek the daily renewing of your mind from the Holy Spirit.  Keep to the simplicity of your faith in Jesus.  Jesus is my All in All; I am nobody; my sins cost Jesus His life, and now His bloody death is my Life.  I simply took His Righteousness, and now my soul is safe forever.  He took all my sins, and died in my place.

The world hates the man that hates his sins.  Enoch had a good testimony - he sought to please God, and not man. Never get an inch beyond the Cross.  Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.  Genuine faith is always self-denying and Christ-exalting.  Grow in dependence upon God; practice great watchfulness and prayer; determine to be thorough in your faith in Jesus.  Cultivate more and more of the fear of the Lord in your daily which is the beginning of wisdom.  This is a daily fear of not doing the Lord's will.  By this, your joy is maintained.  Seek more instruction, receive more correction.  Only God's Son can keep you safe in time and Eternity, remember that.

Friday, December 20, 2013

Good Timber

The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.

The man who never had to toil
To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.

Good timber does not grow with ease:
The stronger wind, the stronger trees;
The further sky, the greater length;
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.

Where thickest lies the forest growth,
We find the patriarchs of both.
And they hold counsel with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife.
This is the common law of life.

-Douglas Malloch

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Here's a Gift, for You

It's just about Christmas time again, and people the world over will gather around Christmas trees and open up presents. You may receive a present from someone that you don't particularly enjoy being around, but you'll pick up the present, and open it anyway. You won't set the gift aside. You'll open the gift and receive it from someone you haven't even spoken to all year. You may take a gift from someone at work that you can't stand just out of common courtesy. But when the God of Heaven offers you His dear Son as the Gift of Eternal LIfe, then you say, "Take it back, I don't want it, because it's from Jesus Christ. If it's from God, I don't want it."

You'll take a gift from a family member or co-worker you can't stand or have nothing to do with, but you'll reject the Gift of God - Jesus Christ Himself. You have grossly insulted the Most High God. You say to Him, "I don't want eternal life or the forgiveness of sins, if I have to take it from your Son that bled to death for me, I'm not all that bad a person anyway." Human nature always boasts and trusts in itself. The way to Heaven is not you not being all that bad. You're completely bad every day. You must freely accept the Greatest Gift (Forgiveness of Sins) from the Greatest Giver (God manifest in the flesh-Jesus Christ).

Born among cattle in poverty sore, living in meekness by Galilee's shore, dying in shame as the wicked ones swore - Jesus, Wonderful Lord.  As Jesus fasted alone in the wilderness, He was weary, hungry and tempted for you.  He was the Friend of the friendless, the Helper of the weak, the Light of the world, but in gross darkness He died on Calvary bearing your sins in His own body.  Your sins nailed Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, to the Cross; He suffered untold torment that day for your soul.  He was led up Calvary's hill by the Roman soldiers like a sheep to the slaughter; He suffered unspeakable anguish and pain as He bore your sins and their punishment.  He was despised and rejected, and treated like a criminal for your sake.  He was wounded for your transgressions; He was bruised for your iniquities. He gave Himself to redeem you from the love of sin.  Bleeding Love paid the Ransom for your guilty soul.  Why did they nail Jesus, the innocent Lamb of God, to Calvary's tree?  Why? tell me, why was He there?  All my iniquities on Jesus were laid; He nailed them all to the tree - Jesus, the debt of my sins fully paid-- He paid the Ransom for me.

A gift can never be earned or paid for, nothing is freer than a gift. Some people put their faith in what they do, and some put their faith in what they don't do, and some put their faith in what they learned out of a college textbook, but mark it down, every man puts faith in something or someone. You will never be good or religious enough to satisfy God, only Christ's Atonement can satisfy God's holiness and justice. Human nature is self-righteous and for some reason thinks its good in itself, and that Jesus doesn't need to save it. Doctors only look for sick people, and Jesus only looks for sin-sick souls in need of His Precious Blood - the only Remedy for human sin. Christ Jesus came into the world to save *sinners*. Exercise personal faith in Jesus' blood now.

Now understand - You can't undo your past, you can't right all your wrongs, you can't pay the penalty due to your sins. The sins of a lifetime can't be put away by human effort. You can't un-ring a bell, and you can't undo your sins. Sin is kind of like toothpaste coming out of a tube, once it's out, you can't get it back in. Once you've sinned, only God can come and clean up the awful mess you have made. Only Christ Himself can take your sins away (John 1:27). Human merit can't ever help take away sins against a holy God. Natural human goodness will never meet God's holy requirements.

You have taken things that haven't belonged to you, you have spoken words this week that were not true, you have put things ahead of God every day of your life, you have dishonored your parents many times, you have coveted after forbidden things, you have looked on women and committed adultery in your heart and thoughts (Matthew 5:28). Even a lascivious glance or a lustful leering of the eye is a sin, a covetous desire is theft, a wrongful anger is murder, all these are infringements of God's divine commands.

The divine Law of God is spiritual, it also deals with your thoughts, desires, imaginations, and secret wishes, as well as your words and deeds. You have spoken evil of others, destroyed their reputation, gossiped and slandered others behind their back. You have defrauded others by trickery in trade, loafing on the job, or being dishonest in your business dealings. No man stands guiltless before the Law of God. You have failed to give God glory in your life (Romans 3:23). You're a very bad person, the Bible calls you a Sinner over and over and over.

What you do best, is Sin. You're a sinner just like everyone else. You're much worse than you could ever understand. But human nature says, "Trust yourself, believe in yourself, you can do it. You're not all that bad. There's nothing you can't be if you just set your mind to it. You can be anything you want to be." But that is all delusion - You can't trust yourself. Why won't you just simply trust Someone who loved you to death? Before you're saved, the more you do to help saved yourself, the more you sin. This is a matter of eternal life and eternal death. Faith is the simple act of forsaking yourself, and implicitly trusting Christ's Person and Precious Blood. Trust the only Giver of eternal life and the only Forgiver of human sin.

Your Sins, Your Soul 3

Your sins will ruin and damn your soul if you keep on loving them. If you are distressed over your sins, you are very welcome at Calvary today.  Your sins are great, but Christ is much greater.  His Precious Blood takes away every stain of guilt instantly and eternally.  Come now to the compassionate High Priest, and trust your case into His dear hands.  His hands were pierced on account of your sinning against God. Trust all your transgressions with the Lamb of God.  Trust only to Him - He came into the world to save sinners.  Fall on your face, and be nothing before Jesus.  Accept God's Righteousness, adore His bleeding Son, trust in His infinite compassion.  You control your own destiny - if you receive and trust to Christ Jesus, you will go to Heaven; if you reject Christ and continue to love your sins, you will go to Hell.  If you want to go to Heaven, trust the atoning blood of God manifest in the flesh; if you want to go to Hell, just trust anything else.

If you really want the Truth, you can find Him in the Bible; start by looking in Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John 19; He is always there.  Only the grace and mercy of God can convert your soul.  The Gospel is so divinely simple - listen closely to these blessed Gospel facts - You are a sinner, guilty and condemned by breaking God's Law, loving sin, and rejecting God's Son; but God was incarnated in Christ Jesus; He lived on Earth a life of holiness, love, and compassion.  He died upon the Cross because of our sins; He bore our sins in His own body, and was condemned in our place; then He was buried; and on the third day, He rose again from the dead; and then 40 days later, He ascended into Heaven to sit at the right hand of God on high, where He now lives forevermore to make intercession and saves sinners to the uttermost.  The most damning lie over the ages is -- that if you do your best and help Jesus out, you might go to Heaven when you die.  Sinning against God is a slow form of eternal suicide.  Your whole life hurts until you come to Jesus for Rest.  *Matthew 11:28*

Christ died for the ungodly; He saves sinners from the love of sin.  Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.  To believe means to trust and receive Christ now, never trust yourself.  Contrition, a sense of guilt, and a dread of God's anger leads the soul to lay hold on Everlasting Life in Christ Jesus. Rest your faith squarely on the Mediator's great Substitution for sinners.  At the Cross, God extends His lovingkindness and forgiveness  to the most undeserving sinners.  When you neglect or reject Christ, you are running a great and fearful risk of losing your soul forever. Believe on Christ, stake everything upon Him now.  It is Christ that died.

Sin is so terrible and evil, that is why Jesus Himself had to did for it.  It will be a dreadful thing if you wake up in Hell one day where hope will never come to you again.  You were born wrong, and you've been up to no good.  Ye must be born again.  Every man's conscience knows there is a Judgment and dreadful Hell awaiting and reserved for unforgiven sinners.  Break off your sinful connections; quit your evil companions.  Seek mercy through Christ Jesus.  Quit your love for sin, or quit all hope.  Jesus will blot out all the past black record of sins that are against you.  Trust only to Christ the Great Forgiver of sinners.  Christ Jesus is really able to forgive your sins freely.  Human nature savors not the things that be of God, but rather the things that be of men.  Evil human nature hankers after idols; it will worship and desire anything but Christ Jesus.  The atheist chooses to love his sins instead of Christ and winds up in Hell where he belongs.

Your soul is very valuable, because it is immortal.  Your body is only temporal, it will deteriorate and die before long.  Death is man's greatest impersonal enemy.  Money and education and the doctors cannot keep death away from you.  The greatest surprise of life is the brevity of life; it passes so fast.  What do you care most about, your child's clothes or your child?  Your child of course.  Man takes care of their body and forgets their soul.  Your body is the house, and your soul is the tenant of that house.  You must check out of the house sooner or later.  If you think your mid-life crisis was something, wait till you encounter your end-of-life crisis, and you die in your sins are wind up in the lake of fire for rejecting Jesus Christ.  All sin-loving Christ rejecters go straight to Hell when they die.

You cannot be unborn, and you cannot undo your sins.  You are going to live somewhere forever.  Your sins have separated you from God.  Ye must be born again within by the Holy Spirit.  The Lord Jesus Christ is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.  God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. What have you done about your soul?  What if you lost your soul?  You can't win in this world, and you can't take anything with you.  The Precious Blood of Christ was the priceless Ransom that was paid to free your soul from sin.  You are juggling your soul with the vain things of this world.  Don't drop your soul and lose it.  Stop procrastinating, stop putting off dealing with Jesus Christ Himself. A decisive decision now for Jesus is needful.  Eternal life and the forgiveness of sins is an absolute Gift from God to us for Jesus' sake.

Trust your soul on God's Blood and Promises.  Take care of your soul, trust Jesus with your soul, or you will lose your soul. Trust God in human flesh implicitly with your life and soul, Jesus Christ who bled to death upon Calvary's Cross, and who rose from the dead, Jesus who paid down the Ransom for your soul, trust Him right now.  Trust Christ for yourself, take Him, receive Him into your hungry and thirsty soul, just like you would take food and water into your body.  God through the blood of Jesus Christ is able to blot out all of your sins in a moment, and then there will be nothing in His book against you, your sins will cease to be.  Acknowledge your sinfulness, poverty, filthiness, guiltiness, and nakedness; seek Christ Jesus earnestly; ask Him for a new heart and a right spirit within.

There is evil in you by nature; you were born that way; and now you must be born again. *Romans 3:23; Jeremiah 17:9; John 3:7*  Accept the great Atoning Sacrifice of Calvary, believe that your sins were laid on Him.  Sin is the transgression of the divine law of God. *I John 3:4*  Trust to Jesus, and your sins will not damn you.  If you come to Christ, your sins shall be all put away forever.  Your unbelief and love for sin keep you away from Christ; and your love for sin will destroy you.  The thought of foolishness is sin.  A proud heart, a high look, and the plowing of the wicked is sin.  Your bragging and boasting about what you have done is sin.  Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

Your righteousness does not measure up, for you have missed the mark by sinning against God over and over and over.  Trust to Christ's Atoning Blood alone, your soul's safety depends on it.  You really, really need Christ's forgiveness.  Take your soul to Christ right away for His safekeeping.  It is a sin for you to think you can do anything without God's help.  Go to Christ the great Attorney, and sue for a divorce between your soul and sin, between your soul and self-righteousness.  The first essential thing to be done is for you to come to Christ and to leave all other trusts.

Christ really died for me, I have trusted in Him, and He has put away my sins forever and ever.  Jesus is my Truth, my Life, and my Way.  The infinitely holy and just Maker does not count my sins against me for Jesus' sake, but instead He held them against His Son on the Cross.  May the smart that sin brings wean you from transgressing against God.  We all need to quickly forgive others, for God in Christ Jesus has graciously and frankly forgiven all our sins. The devil says, "Take what is yours; you deserve the best."  The devil will tempt you, taunt you for your faith, and try to hurt you.

Remember your sins, learn humility, make much of the Cross, the Blood, the Gospel.  The most honorable thing to do - get up, and risk reputation, income, life, and everything for Jesus Christ's sake.  Avoid careless walking, walk circumspectly.  Charity and purity for Jesus' sake is good way.  Ability without humility is a disability.  Simple honesty and purity baffles crafty, cunning, sin-loving men. Be sincere in all your dealings with God and men.  Let your faith be thorough and true.  Truly believe and repent.  Depend continually upon the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the words of God to make and keep you faithful from day to day.  Win souls, fight your sins, do practical work for God.

Sunday, December 8, 2013

*The Unspeakable Gift*

Every once in a while when Paul was writing his letters, his heart would be filled to overflowing with thankfulness to God, and he would write down a succinct phrase to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ whom he loved.  In II Corinthians 9:15, Paul wrote one of these phrases as the Holy Ghost moved him - Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.  The Gift of Heaven came wrapped in very plain paper so very few people would choose Him - He came wrapped in the flesh of a Jewish peasant.  Paul could not describe the indescribable Savior.  Christ Jesus is God's unspeakable Gift to every one of us sinners.  Have you ever received God's Gift to you, His own Son?

God loved you with an everlasting love on Calvary's Cross. The love of Christ constraineth us. *John 3:16* He SO loved us. Payment is for the Law, but under the Gospel everything is a free gift. God gives us Jesus, He gives us eternal life, free grace, eternal glory, unmerited love, everything. Moved by adoring love alone we give ourselves back to God and His people. The sun in the sky gives light and heat, and God gives mercy and peace to sinners. God gives to us, we thank Him, we give to others, and then they thank God for the kindness He has inspired in us. We are only empty cups that are filled at the everlasting Spring, from us the thirsty drink, but they praise the Fountain where we are filled.

The human mind cannot estimate the Gift of God. You cannot comprehend the value of God's own dear Son. His love is inconceivable, infinite, and unspeakable. Christ Jesus Himself is the unspeakable Gift. *II Corinthians 9:15* Most preachers say far too little about Christ today in their sermons. You cannot extol Him too highly. God commended His love to sinful man through the bloody death of His sinless Son. In the death of His Son, God declared His bleeding love to guilty men, and His hatred to Sin.  Jesus gave His life's Precious Blood on Calvary's Cross especially for you.

The Cross is a hospital for sick sinners, the Cross reveals man's evil, but provides The Remedy for it. Sinners are spared because Jesus died. We freely proclaim Christ's salvation to bankrupt sinners - Christ's great redemption, His matchless Propitiation. The wise man lays the whole stress of his salvation on Christ alone.

You cannot magnify the Lord Jesus too highly. He is the sinner's Friend, the mighty Savior, the gracious Pardoner. He bore the sins of the whole world, He was numbered with the transgressors. God made Him to be Sin for us, though He knew no sin, that we might be made the Righteousness of God in Christ. Jesus condescended to earth in divine Love taking our place, He stood in the sinner's place, that we might stand in His place, and be accepted in the Beloved. We are never weary of this divine Truth, it fills us with consolation and hope.

This is the sublime truth - The Substitution of the Incarnate God for us. His love for guilty sinners is unfathomable. Jesus Christ is not only the Father's Son, but He is God Himself in the flesh. Jesus said, "I and my Father are one." God gave up His only begotten, well-beloved Son, it pained His heart, the Cross cost God everything. God is grieved by my sins, He can feel my infirmities and sorrow. He is a living God, a caring God, a feeling God. Christ Jesus is the Unspeakable Gift.

The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. He became a Jewish man, so He could become man's Substitute. God's infinite love was put on display at Calvary. How wide, how high, how deep, how broad, was the gift of God to the sons of man. God's Son was despised and spit upon that day, He was maltreated and murdered by sinners. The Incarnate God had all of human sin imputed to Him, the entire world's transgressions were laid upon Him. Jesus bore our sins in His own body on the tree. Sin was a horror to His perfect pure spirit. He was covered in a bloody sweat in Gethsemane. Up on the Cross, the iron rod of God's divine wrath was bruising and pounding the innocent soul of the Son of God.

The blood of God flowed from Jesus' veins on Calvary's Cross. God was bereaved of His dear Son. Sinful ingratitude stung His heart, evil malice bit Him. The pangs tore His heart, His loss and grief is inexpressible. Jesus was bound like a felon, accused like a criminal, mocked as a impostor, scourged as a transgressor, rejected as a vile wretch, and crucified as worthy of death. He was nailed to the Cross like a thief, He bore the agony of all our sins. It pleased JEHOVAH God to bruise Christ, He put Him to grief. He was made to be Sin for us. Jesus descended from heaven's majesty to Bethlehem's manger, from the throne of JEHOVAH to the arms of Mary. He stooped down from Heaven's peace to endure the contradiction of sinners against Himself, shameful contempt was poured upon Him. The Resurrection and the Life died for you. The Perfect One bore our sins for us.

Christ's Precious Blood was shed to deliver us from Hell itself - that hopeless place where the Gospel is never heard, where they rest not day nor night, where the voice of mercy can never enter. The hopeless cry in Hell is, "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still." The greatest blessing we enjoy is the free forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of God's Grace. We are washed in God's own Blood, clothed in the Righteousness of God's own Son. We are adopted into the eternal family of God, heirs of God, joint-heirs with Jesus Christ, all the covenant blessings. All things are yours, the world, life, death, things present, things to come, all are yours, ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's.

God spared not His own Son, He gave Jesus to us and also has freely given us all things through Him. The gift of Christ baffles the carnal mind, and dumbfounds human intellect. At Calvary there is boundless mercy, unutterable mercy, divine Love. Tongues of flesh can never fully declare the wondrous love of Christ Jesus. The sense of forgiven sins through the Atoning Sacrifice will guide you in your daily life. Heaven cannot match Jesus, and no one on earth can describe Him. Nothing else can content a man's conscience, and nothing else can Satisfy God's justice and vengeance on Sin, but Jesus' perfect Blood Atonement.

God has given you Jesus Christ, now give Him yourself. Ye are not your own, ye are bought with a price, so glorify God now in your spirit and in your body. Present your body a living sacrifice daily. Bless God for your creation, your reasoning, your continued life, the movement of your limbs, your sleep through the night, how you enjoy good health, to be out of the hospital, out of prison, and out of hell. Glorify God for all these mercies. But most of all thank Him for His unspeakable Gift - Christ Jesus the Lord. Show forth His praises, but actions in private, speak louder than words in public.

Give yourself away to the Lord Jesus Himself every day (Romans 12:1-3). Don't just talk about it, really do it, live for Him who died for you. Give your substance to God, give freely and cheerfully. Break all your alabaster boxes joyfully for His dear sake. This is not to purchase merit with God, but is a love token and gratitude to His grace. Submit in gracious joy to His divine will. Always give God thanks and Christ glory. Salvation is all of grace from beginning to end. Salvation is altogether a Gift, it is not of works at all, it is not of human merit, the forgiveness of sins is only of God's grace, and grace alone. Christ is All - He is the Gift of God. Birds excite each other to sing in the morning dawn, we should do the same concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. Lead and encourage others to praise and serve the Lord. Eagerly seek out those that do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and tell out His Good News to them. Let this be the motto of your life - Thanks be unto God for His Unspeakable Gift - *II Corinthians 9:15*.

Believe, believe, simply believe on Jesus' blood and name. Be very diligent readers and searchers and doers of the holy Scriptures - the AV1611. Think much about Christ and His Blood Atonement. The first and main thing is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Make diligent examination of Jesus' character and life, death, and resurrection. Sit at the foot of the Cross, view the Son of God bleeding and dying for sinful men. See your sin crucifying the Savior, let His Blood wash your sins away.

Christ is the Son of God, think of the merits of the Incarnate God bearing human guilt. His Atoning Sacrifice is so great. Know, hear, read, and believe more and more about Christ Himself. Receive Him personally into your inward parts. It is Christ Himself that you need, take Him, believe Him now, trust Him, not yourself, even now, and you are saved. Stick with the Scriptures, rely upon the truth alone. Truth alone can work results that are true. Keep on teaching and preaching Jesus Christ all long as you have breath. Cheerfully proclaim the Gospel truth about the bleeding, dying, risen, exalted, coming Savior. Christ Jesus is the Unspeakable Gift *II Corinthians 9:15*.

Immanuel-God with us

* The Lord Jesus Christ is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the Almighty, the first and the last, and the LORD OF LORDS (Rev 1:8; I Timothy 6:15; Rev 19:16; 21:6; Psalm 136:3; Isaiah 46:9-10).
* Jesus was from everlasting (living since everlasting); Jesus is eternal. Micah 5:2
* Jesus was honored same as the Father. John 5:23
* Jesus is be prayed to – Acts 7:55-60; I Cor 1:2; Psa 116:41; John 14:14
* Isaiah called Jesus, The mighty God, the everlasting Father. Isaiah 9:6
* Jesus never corrected Himself; there was guile found in His mouth, and He did no sin. I Peter 2:22
* Jesus is God Almighty manifest in the flesh (I Timothy 3:16). Jesus knew the thoughts of man. He controlled the weather. He controlled the animals. (fish) John 21:6; Matt 17:27; Luke 5:4-8
* God the Father and Christ Jesus are one. John 10:30
* Paul followed both God and Jesus, they are one – I Cor 11:1, Eph 5:1
* John 5:17-18 God was Father, making himself equal with God.
* When Jesus said, “I am the Son of God.” They understood him to say that He was God Almighty.

Religious folks believe Jesus was just a good man and a moral example we should follow, but they don’t believe Christ Jesus was God in the flesh living, bleeding, dying, and raised from the dead for guilty sinners. A good man doesn’t profess to be God. If you said your pastor was a good man, but he went around town saying he was God, he wouldn’t be a good man. But Jesus Christ is a good man. He would be a liar and deluded if He wasn't really the Creator God. He’s not just a wonderful person and a great teacher. Jesus was either the Lord, a liar, or a lunatic. According to the holy scriptures, Christ Jesus is the Almighty, the Great I AM. *John 8:58; Mark 14:61-62; Revelation 1:8*

* I told you I was the Christ, and ye believed me not. John 10:24-25
* I am the Father made visible, so you could see Him. John 14:7
* Jesus cleansed the leper, raised the dead, walked on water, read people's minds, controlled the weather, and the fish.
* Jesus forgave sins in Mark 2:7; Matt 9:1-7; Luke 5:20; 7:48.

Other proof texts for the Deity of Christ:
* Rev 19:16 (LORD OF LORDS); Rev 5:12 (Jesus worshipped in Heaven)
* The Angel of God, the LORD Exo 14:19; 13:21; Acts 27:23
* Rev 1:8; Rev 4:8; I John 5:20; I John 5:7; II Pet 3:18, 1:11; Isa 43:11; Tit 1:3-4
* Jude 25; I John 4:14
* Christ given the preeminence in all things (Col 1:18).
* John 4:42; Phil 3:20
* Titus 2:10,13; I Tim 4:10; I Cor 11:19
* I John 2:22-23; Col 2:9
* God is in you (I Cor 14:25); Christ is in you (Col 1:7; Gal 2:20) God and Jesus are the same.
* I Cor 8:6; Acts 14:15; John 1:3; Col 1:16-18 (The living God created all things, Jesus is the living God)
* Eph 4:32; Col 3:13 God forgave, Christ forgave (God and Jesus are the same)
* John 5:18; 10:33
* John 5:23; John 10:24
* Mark 14:61-62 Jesus declared to the be Christ; the great I AM.
* John 14:9 He that hath seen, hath seen the Father
* Hos 13:4 (God is the Savior, Christ is the Savior) I Tim 1:1; Phil 3:20
* John 4:25-26; 1:41
* Mark 11:2 - Jesus saw the colt tied and He knew the responses of the men before they happened. (Jesus is omnipresent and omniscient) John 3:13; Mark 14:14-16
* John 10:24-25 - Jesus said He was the Christ to the Jews over and over.
* I Cor 2:8; Mark 2:7
* I Cor 11:1 Eph 5:1
* II Pet 2:1-2; 3:16-18

Is Jesus Christ God Almighty (Gen 17:1; Rev 1:8)?
* Isaiah said so, Isaiah 7:14; 9:6
* Paul said so, Rom 9:5; Titus 2:13; Heb 1:8; Col 2:9
* John said so, John 1:1; I John 5:20
* Peter said so, II Peter 1:1
* Jude 1:4; Isaiah 45:21
* John 14:9-10 John 10:30-33 I John 5:7
* Zechariah 12:10; John 19:37
* Mark 2:7; Luke 5:21
* Titus 3:4-6; Luke 8:39
* II Peter 3:18; Isaiah 42:8
* Deut 32:4; I Cor 10:4
* Col 3:23-24 Act 27:23
* John 1:1,3,14
* John 8:58; Exo 3:14 (Jesus was the great "I AM")
* Romans 8:9 Spirit of God, Spirit of Christ
* John 2:19; Rom 8:11; Gal 1:1
* Acts 13:30
* Phil 2:6 (equal with God)
* Col 1:16-17
* John 14:7; 10:33
* II Peter 3:18 Jesus is the Saviour; Isaiah 42:8 God is the Saviour
* I John 1:2; 5:20
* Matthew 1:23 (God with us)
* John 10:28
* Heb 1:8
* Mt 18:20; 28:20 Omnipresent
* Jesus is the great I AM: John 6:35;41,48,51; 10:7,9; 10:11,14; 14:6; 8:12; 9:5; 12:46; Luke 2:32; John 15:1,5; 11:25; Rev 1:17; 2:8; 22:13
* Jesus cleanses us from sin: I John 1:7-9; Rev 1:5; Rom 5:9

* In Acts 9, Paul said, ‘Lord who are you?’, I am Jesus, Paul trembled when he found out Jesus was God.

* Jesus said we are to worship God only (Luke 4:8), they worshipped Jesus and He received their worship and didn't rebuke them. See Matt 2:11; 8:2; 9:18; 14:33; 15:25; 28:9; Mark 5:6; 15:19; Luke 24:52; John 9:38; Rev 5:14 Peter wouldn’t let Cornelius worship Him (Acts 10:25-26). The angel in Revelation wouldn’t receive worship. (Rev 19:10); but Jesus received worship all through the Gospels.

Set Your Heart

Now set your heart and soul to seek the Lord Jesus Christ. Set your heart to hear and obey the words of God. Even though you are born again, you must still seek the Lord fervently. Seeking the Lord is the description of the whole believer's life. Seek Jesus as your Friend, Sanctifier, and Example. Endeavor to obey Christ in everything, every part of your life, private and public. Put off the old man, put on the new man. Test and try everything you think and do and say by God's holy word. Do not willfully sin.  Make God the real purpose of your life, not yourself.  Live according to God's purpose; make Jesus the focus and center of your life; seek and follow Him.

Be very particular to seek out the will of the Lord daily. Nothing is little in God's work, loyalty to His great royalty comes out in tenderness of conscience concerning little things. Do not carelessly offend the Lord in little things. Falls come by slow degrees. Human character slowly rots silently and inwardly, and then falls publicly. The sly, secret inward rot is the real destroyer of souls. Live more watchfully, seek the Lord with heart and soul in all things - in private, in family, in business, in church. He that walks and lives hastily without consideration will assuredly err. Take counsel of God, watch to know the will of the Lord, and walk uprightly and surely. Set your heart on the Lord Jesus Christ, let Him be your absolute King and Master; in a word - Let Jesus rule your life.

Yield cheerful obedience to Jesus daily. *Luke 9:23* Give the best and worst of your abilities and faculties to Christ and His cause. Do what you can do - little works, great works, humbly serve others in secret; that's what Jesus did. *Matthew 8:4; Luke 8:56* Personal, private obedience done with a single eye to God's glory.  Leave worldly honor and ease; live only to glorify Him who made you, who died for you, who redeemed you with His precious blood, He who created you the second time.  Live for this one thing - to reflect the glory of Christ's blessed name.  Seek ye the Lord.  Jesus is willing, able and mighty to save sinners.

Your time on earth is evaporating quickly, life is so short. Don't waste and squander your life away. Put your foot down, and serve the Lord where you are right now. Look ahead, steer wisely, look at the Bible chart, settle your course, be not turned aside by this world's many distractions. Serve God with a determination, that cannot be shaken. Resolve to glorify God, hold fast to His truth (AV1611), follow in the humble footsteps of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Set your heart - have an intense affection towards God's glory and service. Nobody does right by accident, no man ever became and stayed holy by chance. Keep thyself pure for Jesus' sake - that is the right desire and motive.  There must be a persistent resolve, a fervent desire, a panting, a pining after obedience to God.

Serve God with your intellect - head and heart both must be used in God's service. The whole man must be present and energetic. God must be honored with our brains as well. Plot and plan to win souls, speculate and scheme to glorify God. Set jewels in the Redeemer's crown. Let this be your motto - "All for Jesus."  Every thought of brain, every affection of beating heart, every movement of hand, all should be for Him at its best in His royal service. The yoke of Christ should be laid on every part, power and passion of your being.

Serve the Lord by the union and concentration of all your faculties. Christ's life should be the sunlight, and our holy zeal a burning magnifying glass, focusing on a spot here on Earth, burning to success for Jesus. Don't give your precious time and resources to trifling matters; don't serve a dozen masters, only One. Let your strength and influence belong to Jesus Christ. Your time is not your own. Help the cause of Christ, the cause of righteousness and liberty. Keep your soul undivided and entire for the service of the living God. Throw your whole life and soul into the Gospel.

Follow Christ fully. Be a full-time Christian (Monday-Saturday, not just Sunday) - don't halt between the world and Christ. Serve JEHOVAH JESUS with your whole heart, with the concentrated energy of your entire nature at its best. But when? The golden word - the silver syllable, the little word - Now! Now is the only time worth having, because indeed it is the only time we ever have. Now, now, now - let us give ourselves heart and soul to the service of the blessed God.  Follow Jesus with a good courage and a holy enthusiasm; for He is with you whithersoever you may go.

Now is the time to set your heart and soul to serve God. Now is the time for holy activity, God is with you all the time.  God never dwells among sluggards or has communion with slothful men. Jesus Christ never traveled slowly, it was always quick marching with Him, He covered a lot of ground every day here on Earth; He went about doing good.  Quicken your steps. Don't lose delight in His ways. Our first care should be to please the Lord in all things. Serve God with all your might. In the prime of your vigor, serve the Lord. Declare Christ's Blood and Righteousness to the lost. Seek to rescue souls in sin, guilt, despair, and terror.  Point them to the good way - The Lamb of God. *John 1:27*

Set your heart with determination on God and His ways.  Follow Christ, don't be self-willed. Practice what you know. Let the truth be a matter of daily life and conversation, not just a mere doctrine. Voluntarily and gladly serve the Lord. Fearing God (a desire to please Him) is the beginning, growth, and maturity of true wisdom. Men by nature have divided and distracted hearts, divided between God and the world, between the fear of God and the fear of man. We must cleave to God, Him only, a single and sincere heart, with a single view to God's glory, a sincere affection for Him.

We need simple confidence in Jesus, a hearty obedience to the Holy Spirit, a desire to be like Jesus, a constant yearning to be near to Jesus. A loving fear of God and an ardent love to Jesus who bled to death for us. Respectful affection for God, out of a sense of His divine goodness, holiness of heart and life, public profession and private purity. Quit empty outward religion, worship God in spirit and in truth. Have done with outward forms, rites, and ceremonies. A living man will not remain in the grave and coffin of sin. Know nothing save Christ Crucified. Hasten to forget evil done to you. The fear of God - worshipping Him, serving and glorifying Him, endeavoring to extend Christ's kingdom.

Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth: heavenly communion, walking with the living God, fellowship of the Spirit, every good gift is from above. Faith, love, patience, zeal, greater charity, humbleness of spirit, likeness to Christ, aiming at the glory of God in everything. Live honestly, sincerely, and righteously. Seek to know here on earth the peace, rest, victory, service, communion, and holiness of Heaven. Prepare for the Heaven Christ is preparing for you. Have a desire for things above, study diligently things above.

God Himself - make Him the subject of your thoughts, desires, emotions, and love. *Psalms 37:4; 43:4; 62:5; 73:25*

Jesus - Fix your mind on Him, meditate upon His divine person, His perfect finished work, His intercession, second coming, love for you, precious blood, your security in Him, and union to Him. Let your first thoughts and last thoughts of every day be sweetened with His presence. Jesus has His affection set on you, so you should set your affection on Him. Infinite Love bled from Immanuel's veins. Look always to Calvary's Cross - remember the Lamb of God and the coming King.

New Jerusalem - the saints above spend Eternity there, a place of holiness and rest. Mansions, new body, and unmixed joy.

Go directly to Jesus for aid. Jesus is my all in all, and I am nobody. My sinful life cost Jesus His bloody death, and His death is my Everything. You must sink lower and lower, and Christ must be lifted higher and higher. Grow in dependence upon God.  Keep at the foot of the Cross. His presence and blessing is more important than carnal lust. Prayer is the yearning of the spirit after God, the passionate longing to get in touch with the Creator, and to be reconciled to Him and have communion with Him through His Precious Blood. Helpless childlike dependence on the Lord Jesus. Real faith prays. Genuine, hearty, sincere Christian service. A genuine Christian is a living Gospel. Love the Gospel, delight in the Scriptures, rejoice in Holiness.

Friday, December 6, 2013

Out On a Limb

Many a man may see his portrait here!  The compulsive gambler or spendthrift hacks away his income and falls into destitution and disgrace.  The drunkard, drug addict, and glutton cuts at his health and strength, his family’s comfort, and household peace, and when he has finished his foolish work, he drops into ruin, through his own carelessness.  The man of lustful thoughts, and licentious habits, is chopping with fervor, at his own body and soul, and defiles his will and conscience, while his lusts hurl him into addictions, misery, and death. The Bible will disturb your sinning.  God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

Self-righteous reader, you may not be committing the sins I’ve just hinted at; but let me ask you, whether you are not photographed in this picture?  If you are trusting in your own goodness, you are like a man sitting on the limb of a tree hacking away at it with your axe.  You are resting upon the limb of your good works or your religion, yet every day, your faults, your thoughts, your idle words, your imperfections, your secret sins, are rendering your branch less and less able to bear your weight.

Every time you sin in the dark you take a hack at the limb of your life.  Your love for your favorite sin will soon lop off what your soul is resting on.  Soon the limb of your self-righteousness will give way and you will plunge into eternity.  Your own goodness is never a firm support for your immortal soul, and if you know yourself very well at all, and are honest enough to confess your shortcomings (sinful thoughts, words, and deeds), you will at once perceive that your goodness is a very frail support, and quite unworthy of your confidence.  Had you never sinned, and consequently, never made one gash in the limb of your integrity, I might tolerate you trusting in it.  But since you have cut at it again and again by your willful sinning (secret and open sins), the limb is ready even now to snap beneath you.  I beg you to leave your limb for a surer resting-place – the true Branch, the Lord Jesus Christ – cling to Him alone.  Your self-righteousness will make you think you’re just fine without Christ, but you’re not.  Flee from your own goodness – it will soon damn you.  You need changing on the inside - God looks on the heart.  Christ died only for ungodly sinners.  The ‘very best’ you can do will land you in hell.  Sinners are saved from hell by grace alone.

All reliance on self in any form or shape is gross foolishness.  Feelings, works, prayers, baptisms, almsgivings, religious observances, are all too frail to support a sinful, heavy-laden soul like yours.  Jesus is able to save sinners to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.  Trust Jesus (His blood and righteousness), and He will never fail you.  Cry to the King of Heaven for His gracious aid.  Oh, sinner friend, are you ready for death, the grave, and the judgment, for in just a few days you must know more of them than now.  Your youthful days make you silly in your sin and cause you to dream that your earthly life will last forever, but it will not.  Think of your latter end, and seek the Friend of sinners, who will be with you in life and in death, even Jesus, the sinner’s Saviour.  Only Jesus’ blood can protect you from the wrath of God that is to come upon all sin.  You will need the ‘blood mark’ from Jesus on your soul when your die.  God will look for the ‘blood mark’.

The Lord Jesus Christ was God manifested in the flesh.  God became a Man and lived a sinless life.  Your sins against God deserved justice and death, so JESUS went to the cross and died in your place, the JUST for the unjust.  JESUS now lives and bids you trust Him.  Trust your soul with Him, simply rest in His finished work.  Sin not against Christ by continuing to trust in something you can do to save yourself.  Your good works are no good.

Do you have any apprehensions about facing death?  Be honest.  The arrows of death fly ‘right by you’ from God’s throne into the earth every day.  One day soon one of these death arrows will hit you.  If you have not believed on Christ, God is angry with you right now.  Every moment that you do not believe on Christ, you are sinning against God by your unbelief.  It is nothing but God’s mercy that is keeping you alive from day to day.  God only has to will your death, and before the next time the clock shall tick, you could be in hell forever.  Oh that you were wise and would consider your latter end.  Is your favorite sin really worth perishing in eternal fire and being shut out from God’s mercy forever?  Why will you continue to swallow the devil’s sin bait when you know that the hook of damnation is in it?

What will you do with Christ?  Don’t miss being saved by Him; your chance is now.  Whatever you do with Jesus now; that is what Jesus will do with you when you die.  Christ Himself said, “He that is not with Me, is against Me.”  Choose sides now - Christ or Sin.  Now if you are for Him, trust Him.  If you are for Him, show it.  Prove you are WITH HIM, and against SIN.

Let this one word ring in your ears: “Eternity.”  Let “Eternity” drive out the love of sin and your rejection of Christ that will damn you in the end.  The wages of sin is still death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.  Here is the secret:  The terrors of death and judgment will only leave you after the Precious Blood of Jesus is applied to your conscience and soul by placing your absolute trust in what Jesus did for you.  Jesus Christ died for empty sinners.  Christ receives sinners only.  Flee to the cross, He will in no wise cast you out.  Fall flat on your face and rest beneath the precious blood of Christ.  Jesus Christ CAN save you - Now is the time.  “Plead the Blood!” Cry out to God as a sinner for mercy for Jesus’ sake.

The Greatest Gamble

Gambling expenditures now top $550 billion annually in the United States.  That’s more money than Americans spend per year on movies, books, amusements, and music entertainment combined.  It’s about $1.5 billion per day or an increase of roughly 3,000% in the past 20 years.  Some 55 million Americans play lotteries once per month, spending $88 million per day.  During 2012 U.S. lottery sales totaled over $56 billion.  A 2012 Gallup Poll on Gambling in America found that 60% of American adults reported buying a lottery ticket in the past 12 months.  America is filled with compulsive, greedy gamblers.  They want something for nothing fast.

Americans are gambling their money away.  But, the ‘Greatest Gamble’ you are betting on is the eternal destiny of your soul.  You may be gambling your soul on a BET that there is no Judgment and eternal punishment for Sins – The Lake of Fire.  You will lose that BET, because God’s word promises,  “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after THIS [short life] the judgment.”  Satan has a casino (the world) and dealers (news media, religions, world system) dealing you a hand of lies from his stacked deck.  Are you going to bet all your chips (your soul) that Sin isn’t real, and that Hell is a just a myth, and that the Lord Jesus Christ really didn’t die for you?  That’s a Risky Bet – you only get one chance.

Have you kept all The Ten Commandments perfectly? If not, that means you are a Sinner, and you will be guilty on the day of Judgment and end up in Hell.  That’s not God will.  For God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to take the punishment for your sins.  Have you ever lied, stolen, or taken God’s name in vain?   If so, you are a liar, a thief, and a blasphemer.  Have you ever violated your conscience and sinned against the light you knew about right and wrong?

Gambling is a transgression of the Tenth Commandment; the Bible says “Thou shalt not covet”.  The root of gambling is greed, the lust for money, and covetousness in the heart.  The Bible says, “The love of money is the root of all evil.”   JESUS said, “Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”  If you’ve ever looked at someone with sexual lust, you have committed adultery.  Sin comes from your heart and thoughts and finally is revealed in your words and deeds.  Sin is real and it must be dealt with before you die or you will perish.

The stakes are high when you gamble with your life – your very soul is at stake.  What would you take for your soul?  People often joke about selling their soul to the devil.  What most people don’t realize is this:  if you’re lost in your sin and going to Hell, your soul already belongs to Satan.  You don’t have to sell your soul to Satan, he already owns it.  When you Reject or Neglect Jesus Christ, you commit the ‘damning sin’.  How shall you escape the judgment of God, if you neglect so great salvation?  JESUS said, For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?  Are you playing spiritual Russian Roulette with your soul?  Flee from the wrath to come – escape for your life.

The wrath and judgment of God are hanging over your head like a ton of bricks right now. *John 3:36*  Be honest, if there’s really a Hell, wouldn’t you want to be warned?  What are you going to do about your sins?  Someone has to pay for them.  You cannot ignore divine justice.  Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.  Now understand -- The only thing in the entire universe that can protect your soul from God's divine justice is the Atoning Blood of the Lamb of God.

You are taking a chance with the eternal destiny of your soul every day.  You drive your car, or board an airplane, go through surgery, or go to sleep without knowing your soul is saved from sin by Jesus Christ.  You may have beaten the odds of death in the past, but your time is running out.  What if sin is real?  What if there really is a Hell?  You would be a fool to have not counted the cost and lose your soul forever.  As sure as Hell, there will be a Judgment.  Jesus said, ‘But he that believeth not, shall be damned.’

But there’s Good News:  The only way to escape the wrath of God on your soul is to Repent towards God and place your Faith alone in Jesus Christ’s Blood and Righteousness.  Jesus suffered and died on the Cross while bearing your sins, taking the punishment for your sins, then He rose from the dead and defeated death and hell.  Jesus lived a Sinless life, so He could give you the Gift of His Perfect Righteousness, and make you acceptable in God’s sight on the day of judgment.  Your good works won’t do. You cannot earn favor with God by your good works and religiousness.  Jesus came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.  Only the Blood of Jesus Christ can wash away your sins where God can't see them.  Please don’t turn Jesus away today.

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner; I am so guilty and worthy of your eternal wrath. I have loved sin, rejected your Son, and broken Your laws many times.  I repent towards You and turn from my sins (name them).  Please have mercy on my soul.  This day I receive your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, into my heart and put my trust in His Precious Blood and Perfect Righteousness alone.  Please forgive me and give me the gift of eternal life.   Help me to serve you and confess you openly.  In JESUS’ Name, Amen.

The Matchless Message 2

Please take a few minutes out of your busy schedule and read “The Matchless Message” from the Holy Bible.  First, the bad news:  You’ve sinned against God; you’ve strayed far away from God.  You’ve violated your conscience over and over; you’ve broken the law of God all your life.  You’re guilty indeed; your sins deserve eternal death and the wrath of hell.  It is an awful thing to be the enemy of God.  God must punish your sins, or He cannot be a just God.  Someone must answer for every sin you’ve ever committed.

God’s divine justice must be vindicated, and the dread sentence of eternal death must fall upon someone’s head.  Life is very short, eternity is long, Hell is real, be wise and prepare for the inevitable, death.  The vengeance of God must be satisfied.  God is holy and just, He can never condone your sin, nor can He compromise His holy standard.  The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The LORD cannot ignore your sinful rebellion, nor can He relax His divine justice toward you. God can never dismiss your sins; someone must pay your sin's penalty due to the law of God.

BUT GOD in mercy became a human being in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.  The Invisible God took upon Him human form; He came down among sinful men.  He lived the life of a humble and poor servant.  He lived a sinless life, and at the last, He bore all human sin in His human body.  He was the divine Substitute for guilty sinners like you.  Jesus stepped in between sinners and the wrath of God.  Christ died for the ungodly.  He bore the punishment for your sin in your place.  He became the Sin-Bearer for you.  He went up to the Cross all alone.  He suffered and died a human death and shed God’s holy blood on Calvary’s Cross.  Jesus is God, He is man, and He is the Substitute for sinners.

Jesus endured the whole wrath of God against sin, dying in the place of the guilty, “the Just for the unjust, that He might bring you to God.”  God sentenced Himself to die in your place.  Christ suffered what you ought to have suffered. God punished Jesus for all the sins that you will commit.  God shed His own life-blood for your sins.  Christ died for your sins, He was buried, and He rose again the third day according to the scriptures.

Jesus came to give His life a ransom for all – those who will trust Him alone. Jesus is alive right now and is willing to save all sinners that come to Him and trust Him. Through Christ Jesus’ death, God’s holiness is honored, His divine justice is satisfied, His wrath is appeased, your sins are all punished and put away, you are allowed to escape the eternal death you deserve, and you are given eternal life freely, if you will simply trust what Christ Jesus did for you.  Only trust Christ and His good works.

You are guilty of sinning against God, you’ve been disobedient to God's law, you’re guilty of crimes against God Himself; you've been caught red-handed by the Lawgiver; you are condemned already; you are imprisoned in sin without hope; you deserve an eternal death sentence; BUT you can receive an undeserved release and free pardon; and you can be part of a prisoner exchange; Christ Jesus will take your place and be executed for you, and you go free forever.  I owe all my Salvation to the Cross.

You deserve Hell, but Jesus took your Hell, and if you will trust Him alone, there is nothing left for you but Heaven.  Simply let Christ exchange His life for yours.  This is what Christ wants to do for you:  He wants to take your eternal death, and give you eternal life; He wants to take your sinfulness and give you His perfection; He wants to take your guilt and give you His innocence; He wants to take your vileness and give you His righteousness; He wants to take your shame and give you His glory.  He wants to take your Hell and give you Heaven freely.  Jesus will only save ungodly sinners.

Life is short, death is sure, sin the curse, Christ the cure.  Free salvation can be yours right now.  Acquaint yourself with Christ, and be at peace.  Abandon your self-righteousness, stop trusting yourself and what you can do – rest in Jesus only.  Leave your sins and works behind.  Flee to the Cross for refuge.  Take Jesus to be your soul’s only confidence. Trust God’s heart, trust His Son’s blood and works, trust the Holy Spirit’s working, trust God’s promises to save sinners.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.  Believing is, relying upon, or trusting Another with your soul’s eternal safety.  Trust only in the bleeding sacrifice of the Lamb of God slain for guilty sinners.  Trust your soul with the Son of God, confide your eternal destiny into His dear hands.  The very wisest thing you can do is forsake your sins and good works and trust Christ alone.  After you trust Jesus alone, each day, read your Bible, and pray to God earnestly to be saved from the love of sin and from returning to your old sins.

Only One Mediator

There is one God, and One Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus; who gave Himself a ransom for all.  The Lord Jesus Christ is the only way to God, not the Pope, or Muhammad, or the Dalai Lama, or Joseph Smith, or any other sinner.  God only became a Man one time in history.  His name was Jesus Christ.  Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.  Only Christ died for the ungodly.  Someone must answer to God for your sins.  You were born in sin, you’ve sinned your whole life, and you will sin till you die.  If your sin and its guilt are not transferred to Christ, you must pay for your sins forever in hell.  Sinners needed a sinless man to come and bear their guilt and die in their place.  Christ obeyed the law of God perfectly for you and satisfied the justice of the law by dying for your sins on the Cross.  You need Christ’s Righteousness to enter Heaven’s gate.

All have sinned, the soul that sinneth, it shall die eternally.  You have sinned against God, and now you must die an eternal death.  You have sinned and broken God’s law many times.  You have lied, stolen, cheated, lusted, and rejected Christ.  The wrath of God abides on you now.  Your good works are no good and filled with selfishness.  But there’s good news:  Christ Jesus suffered the wrath of God in your place and rose again the third day.  The very best you can do will land you in hell.  Your sin or your religion is not worth going to hell over.  Run to Jesus now by faith, flee from the wrath of God.  God is ready to pardon you today.  Jesus only saves real sinners that realize they are hopeless and hell-bound. 

Jesus took on Himself all your guilt for your sin against God.  Jesus suffered the eternal death penalty for you.  Jesus Christ wants to give you His own perfect relationship with God.  Christ was made a curse for you (He endured the wrath of God), He did put upon Himself your sinfulness, and laid your sins upon His own shoulders, saying, “I willingly take the blame and shame for the sins which you have committed.  I will die in the your place and die your death.  If you trust in Me, you can now go free, free from judgment and hell, you can now enjoy God and Heaven through My perfect righteousness.”  Jesus did this not by constraint, but of His own good will, it behooved Him to bear your sin’s punishment, the wrath of God; not for His sins, but for your sins.  Christ died in your sins, so you could be forgiven freely.  Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.  Ye must be born again.

Jesus makes a glorious exchange with us sinners.  He took upon Him our sinfulness, and He gives unto us His innocent nature, that is, His righteousness.  We being clothed with His eternal goodness are freed forever from the curse and condemnation of the law.  Christ says, “As touching My own person, I am blessed and need nothing, but I will humble Myself, and will put upon Me your sinfulness; that is to say your human sin, and I will die in your sins, and suffer your eternal death, to deliver you from the wrath of God freely. Only trust in Me, and I will save you.  Please come to Me now and exchange your sin for My Righteousness.”  There is only One Mediator, His name is Christ Jesus, and He bled for you.  The self-righteous man tries to pass the buck and tries to hide from God behind his religion or education and comes up with excuses, so he can keep on loving his sins and rejecting Christ. 

Christ Jesus bore the guilt of your sin; He suffered the punishment which you ought to have suffered for your sins against God.  So now, if you believe on Him, that is, trust that Christ was punished for you, you can never ever be punished for your sins.  God cannot punish the same sin twice, that would be unjust.  God didn’t turn away His wrath on human sin, but He poured it all out on His Son on Calvary; God did not ignore your sin-debt, but it was paid for in drops of God’s precious blood from Christ’s veins.  Christ shed God’s blood so that you would be spared from the wrath of hell-fire.  Jesus tasted death for you; He has an interest in you.  He died especially for you.   Look away from yourself, turn from sin, just look unto Jesus now, only His Precious Blood can wash your sins away.  God became a Man and died for your sins.  Simply and wholly place your trust in what Jesus did for you. All you have to do now is come to the Cross by faith and take receipt freely, and you can go free forever. 

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

The Best Things 7

The best prayers are little prayers - Lord, help me; Lord, save me; Lord, remember me; O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul through Jesus' Blood; God be merciful to me a sinner for Jesus' sake.  Look Thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, deliver my soul from death.  The best and most acceptable work in all the world is when you leave your own righteousness and love for sin, and come and trust to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

The best thing any sinner can ask for from God is Mercy through the Blood of Jesus.  Sometimes the best thing you can do is just go to bed and start over again in the morning.  Christ Jesus who is infinitely wise is the best Guide we can have in this life.  Often the best prayers are those that have no words.

The best way to live is to ask the Lord Jesus to make your choices for you.  The best news that any tongue could tell is this - Christ died for the ungodly, so He could give you free eternal life.  One of the best ways to worship God is to deny yourself, strive against your sins, and follow Jesus in your daily life.  Rejoicing in the Lord is one of the best preparations for the trials of this life.  The best sermons are preached with our feet, with our life, by our walk and conversation.

The best way to receive Christ is to receive Him.  Private purity is the best of wisdom.  The best revealer of the true God is the Holy Bible.  The best man is only a man at his best, and when a man is at his best, he is nothing but altogether vanity.  The best and safest path is following close to Jesus, as a little child follows his mother.  The best sweetener for troubles is meditation upon the Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus is not just good, but He is the best; and He is not only the best, He is the Best of the Best.

Jesus is the Best Physician for He heals all our soul's diseases.  The best way to spread the Gospel is to spread the Gospel.  The best answer for the gainsayers is to keep on witnessing for Jesus and doing good for His name's sake more than ever.  The best wisdom is to care much about pleasing God in all things.  The best hiding-place and resting-place for your soul is in Christ Jesus.  The best Quickener of your mind and spirit is the Holy Spirit.  When we think we haven't prayed at all, we have often prayed the best.  The best way to keep sin out of your heart is to keep it full of Christ and His words.  The best church service is when Jesus is there.