The Things That Really Matter

Adam was the first man on earth, and when he ate the forbidden fruit, he disobeyed God. He sinned and died spiritually.  Sin has now passed onto all of us.  Sin ruins everything, and we’re stuck with it.  *Romans 3:10,12,23*  Most of the world will end up in Hell, all because of their sins.  In our hearts we hate to obey God, we are capable of so many rotten things.  So when we die in our sins and face the holy and righteous Creator God, we will have no excuse and be thrown into the lake of fire.  The devil will do anything to deceive you, and lead you to destroy your own soul.  Everything you do, say, or think is being recorded every day in God’s book of remembrance.

If you die in your sins unforgiven, your sins will condemn before the Great White Throne Judgment.  Absolutely nothing is hidden from the eyes of God.  Every day your sins and your sin-debt keeps piling up in God’s sight.  Things will only get worse for you as you grow older without Christ, because Satan hates your soul.  The devil doesn’t care if you were born dirt poor or filthy rich – your soul is his target.  The devil will send some of his rotten crowd into your life to destroy and steal your soul through God-less education, sex, pornography, entertainment, drugs, or alcohol, or he’ll turn you into a spiritual self-righteous zombie by trapping you into one of his religious systems.   The devil will  make you think your good works, or his phony ‘holy men’ will help get you into heaven somehow.

Satan will attempt to deceive you into trusting anything, anything but Christ Jesus Himself.  Satan and his devils are doing everything they can to cover up, ridicule, and hide the Gospel of Christ from your mind.  *II Corinthians 4:4*  Almost all religions teach this:  God will weigh your good deeds against your evil deeds.  If your good works outweigh your bad, God will let you into heaven at the end.  Religion makes you think you are holy and clean, you pretend to right with God, but religions put all their followers into spiritual bondage and eventually hell itself.  Sin is very expensive - it will cost you much money, time, family, career, physical health, mind, your  immortal soul.  Your sins cost the Lord Jesus Christ His life.

Emmanuel, God with us, left His home in glory and came here to Earth to die for your sins on Calvary's Cross.  I was lost in my sins, but Jesus sought me and found me.  His Blood has reconciled me back to God.  He freed me from from sin's bondage and penalty; His tender love constrains to hate my sins, love Him more, and abstain from fleshly lusts which war against my soul.  O wretched man that I am!  who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Come now to Calvary in poverty and contrition, come defiled and undone within.  Free remission and forgiveness is available in Jesus' Blood.  Make the wondrous cross and the atoning blood of the spotless Lamb of God your only plea.  I have no merit of my own which I can bring to God.  I have trusted only to the merits of the finished work of God Incarnate.  The sinless Son of God was made to be Sin for me. *II Corinthians 5:21* My only claim to full Salvation is based on Jesus' Blood.  The Cross alone is my hope's firm foundation.   At the end of life's brief term, my soul will be resting, resting safe and secure on the Savior's wounds and stripes, and His Precious Blood will be the key that opens Heaven for me.

Jesus Christ Himself, God manifest in the flesh (I Timothy 3:16), the Creator of the universe (Colossians 1:16), paid for all your sins with His own life blood, so you could be freed from the penalty and power of your sins.  Jesus keeps the universe from flying apart every day (Colossians 1:17).  Jesus is in complete control.   God looked down from heaven and saw the hopelessness of sinful mankind who couldn’t keep His holy law.  He saw all the sinners desperately trying to get to heaven by their dead, religious works...So God in mercy did something to save them from hell.

A sinless blood sacrifice was needed, someone must come and be the Victim for man’s sin.  The only thing that could wash away human sin was God’s own blood.  Jesus’ blood was holy, pure, and without sin.  No one on earth had blood like Him.  So here’s what God did for us:  At the perfect time in history, Jesus (God the Son) left His royal and majestic throne in heaven to do the unthinkable, He would perform the greatest act of love ever known.  He would die for ungodly sinners, He condescended to earth to save you.  The time had finally come to fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies of God becoming a Jewish man.

A young Jewish virgin named Mary was the chosen vessel for this miracle.  God, the Holy Ghost, put Jesus into her womb.  The Creator of the universe was born as a little baby without sin.  God Almighty (Jesus) humbled Himself and allowed Himself to be born in a smelly stable with animals.  They called His name Immanuel, God with us.  Jesus was God living on earth, He came to die and save our souls from a devil’s hell.  He loved everyone He ever met on earth; He lived a spotless, sinless life.

Jesus’ words and teaching declared war on man’s religion.  His gospel message cost Him His life.  He claimed to be the Son of God and God Himself.  The very people He created, hated Him.  Jesus lived a sinless life and then at the end He was betrayed and arrested.  The Jewish priests held an illegal trial at night, on the eve of the Passover, using false witnesses.  Even the high priest demanded Jesus’ death.  The priests brought Jesus to Pilate to be condemned, but Pilate, the Roman governor, repeatedly found Jesus to be innocent.  But the howling mob demanded Christ’s death.  And eventually, Pilate caved in to their wishes and ordered Jesus to be scourged with a whip, and then to nailed to a Cross to die.

All this fulfilled Biblical prophecy.  God, who created all of us, allowed Himself to be wounded for our transgressions (sin).  They even spit on the Son of God, and jerked His beard out.  The Roman soldiers cut Jesus’ body to ribbons with their scourge, and yet He still survived.  Crucifixion was the cruelest form of torture in that day.  It delayed death until the worst pain had been inflicted on the victim.   Jesus held back His angels and let the murderous crowd crucify Him like a common criminal, and through it all, He still loved them and forgave them.  Right before He died, He cried out, “It is finished!”  Jesus completed salvation’s work in full that day on Calvary’s Cross.

Finally, Jesus bowed His head and gave up the ghost and died.  Jesus shed God’s holy blood that dark day to wash away your secret and public sins.  Jesus died especially for you.  Jesus endured all this for your rotten sins; He had to be sacrificed for your sins, to get you into heaven.  Jesus Christ died for us sinners, His enemies.   Jesus shed His divine blood (God’s blood) as a sinless human sacrifice.  Jesus died for your sins, your guilt and shame He bore in His body, then He was taken down and buried in a borrowed tomb.  But three days later, Jesus arose from the dead victorious, He triumphed over death, Satan and hell, and was later seen by over 500 witnesses.

Sinner friend, the way to Heaven is very, very simple – God made it that way.  Just trust only in Jesus to save you; rely "only" on what He did for you, and in an instant, He’ll freely forgive you for all your sins – past, present, and future.   This isn’t religion; this is how a lost sinner can enter into a real and lasting relationship with God Almighty Himself.  You can become a member of God’s family through His redeeming grace and forgiving mercy.  You are very selfish and you sin every day against your Creator.  You will face Jesus one day at the Judgment.  Will Jesus be your Savior, or will He be the most terrifying judge you could ever imagine?   If you don’t put your trust in Jesus to forgive your sins, you will hear these awful words from Jesus’ mouth on Judgment Day:  “I never knew you, depart from Me!”  Don’t let this happen to you!

At death, all lost and Christless sinners will be cast into hell.  Only Jesus can save your neck.  You're absolutely no good, only Jesus can get you into Heaven.  Heaven or Hell...what will it be for you...the choice is completely yours.  What are you waiting for?  Death is on your trail.  Don’t procrastinate; seek ye the Lord while He may be found.  The Bible says there is only way to Heaven (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).  Nobody else can save your soul but Jesus Himself.  Trust Christ alone now, never trust yourself, a church, or a religion at all.  Confess that you are no good, and that your religion is no good, and that you cannot save yourself from sin.

Repent of your unbelief and love for sin.  Salvation is free, you cannot earn it – it is a free gift from God through Christ Jesus.  Who are you going to believe, the Bible or the Pope?  The Lord Jesus Christ or Darwin?  Be wise now - Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved (Acts 16:31), that is, saved from the love of sin and everlasting punishment that is due to your sins.  Don't just accept Christ Jesus, ask God to accept you and save you through Jesus’ most Precious Blood now.