Let's Not Beat Around the Bush

The meaning for this common phrase came from bird hunting where some participants roused the birds by beating the bushes while others caught them in nets. So, 'beating about the bush' was the beginning of the actual capture. In grouse hunting, bush beaters are still used today. Many people use this phrase when they feel that someone is speaking misleadingly and are intentionally trying to evade the truth.

Doesn’t it irritate you when someone just won’t get to the point and just keeps babbling on and on? Well, I don’t want to take much of your time, please take just 3-5 minutes and read the most important truth in the whole wide world. Most people live their whole lives and never hear this truth plainly.

The simple truth of the Gospel of Christ is the hardest to make clear. It seems so easy and yet man will confuse and doubt it. They say, “What, no good works, no good feelings!” All these are fruits of salvation – but salvation does not depend upon good works – they are a result of salvation. Salvation is in Christ, wholly in Christ – in Christ alone – and the moment you do trust Him genuinely and really to be your sole and only Savior you have received God’s Son and God has received you. Plead His blood. God cannot, cannot, resist the cry of the blood of Christ. God cannot be deaf to the cry of His own Son’s blood. Are you sick of your sin and longing to be saved? Do your sins condemn you? Do the lusts accuse you, does your conscience accuse you? Come to God and take Christ’s blood with you, and God will, He must smile upon you. Take the BLOOD only with you to God and plead for mercy.

Your sins shed Jesus' blood, and helped nail Him to the cross. The blood of Christ, the blood alone, will forever wash your sins away and make you whiter than snow in God’s sight. Simply have faith in His blood and you are saved instantly and forever. Look to Christ as a poor guilty sinner. He only receives sinners. Rest on Christ’s blood and simply accept Him as your All in All. All your sin has been atoned for through the Lamb of God. He will expunge and wipe out your debt of sin if you will just call on Him for mercy. God has appointed a Day of Judgment, when you will face Him. You have an appointment with the Almighty, a date with Deity. That appointment must be kept; it cannot be postponed or cancelled. You cannot dodge this one. God has set a day, and you had better enter it on your calendar, for it is already on His. And you will abide by His Calendar, not yours.

There will no second chances in eternity. No verdicts will be reconsidered; no appeals will be placed in God's court. But something can be done about it now - but not then. There are many things that you cannot be sure of in this life, but you can count on that appointment with the Almighty. God cannot lie, and He keeps His Word every time. God has not only appointed a day, He has ordained a Judge – the Lord Jesus Christ; and He will judge the world in righteousness. You don’t always get a square deal here on earth, but all your full account (all your thoughts, words, and deeds) will be straightened then. God has a standard of righteousness that MUST BE MET, and He will never be compromised with the present-day fuzzy notions of right and wrong. All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

Now the Righteousness that God requires at the judgment in Jesus Christ Himself. You could never keep God's law (The 10 Commandments) perfectly and attain to God's righteousness, but His dear Son lived a sinless life for you, and on Calvary’s Cross was made to be Sin for you, that you might be made the righteousness of God in Him. When you trust Christ alone, His Righteousness becomes yours. Then, when God looks on your soul, He will see His righteousness, and not yours. The moment believe in Christ’s shed blood alone, you will be ready for the appointed day, for, clothed in His righteousness alone, you will be faultless to stand before the White Throne Judgment of God.

There was a woman years ago who had a lawsuit coming up in court. She meant to secure the services of a leading lawyer in her town but delayed going to his office. One week before the court date, she finally went to him and asked his help in the approaching litigation, but he said, "I am very sorry, I have just been appointed the judge of this county. I could have pleaded your case earlier, but now I can only judge you." The Savior will be your Advocate (lawyer) if you commit your case to Him now; but if you procrastinate and fail in that, He will be your Judge on that appointed day, for God has ordained Him (Jesus) to be the Judge of the whole world. God does not merely invite you to repent and come to Christ, and He does not suggest repentance; He commands it. God commands you to repent and believe the Gospel of His Dear Son, and all disobedience is sin. There is no fear of God before the eyes of this generation.

Dear Sinner, God is satisfied only with Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ’s sinless life and bloody death (Atonement) satisfied God’s justice perfectly for the sins you have committed. You may say, “But.” Away with your “buts!” You want to bring something to add to Christ – is He enough to reconcile God and not enough to reconcile you? “But,” “but”, again. So God thinks the Precious Blood to be a sufficient price for your sin and you think it is not? Believe and trust in Christ as you are. Whoever you may be, whatever your past life has been, whatever your present feelings now are – entrust your soul with Christ and God declares that your sins are put away forever.

You must put your salvation into Christ’s hands, it is His business to save you and He will do it, if you only trust Him to do it. Stop trying to save yourself, and trust Him alone. Look to Christ’s bleeding, He bled for your sins. Look to Christ sweating drops of blood, Christ scourged, Christ nailed to the Cross alone. Look to the risen Lamb of God now and be saved.

The Old, Old Story

Here's the Old, Old Story of Jesus and His love to sinners:   The whole world is lost in sin, and God must punish all sin, so He sent His dear Son, Christ Jesus into the world to suffer, bleed, and die to pay the penalty due to human sin. Jesus never sinned Himself, but He bore my sins, and suffered the wrath and vengeance of God that divine justice called for on my behalf. Jesus came voluntarily to take my sins upon Himself, so that He might honor the divine Law of God, and pay the penalty due to divine Justice for me. God's only Remedy for my guilt is His Son's own Atoning Blood.  Jesus was perfectly obedient to the Law, and yielded Himself up to the death penalty for my sake.

This is the Gospel Message:  God became a Jewish man in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. He was obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross. There is no putting away human sin without a sinless blood Sacrifice. There is only one Sacrifice that can put away human sins, and that is Jesus Christ the Righteous.  The Lamb of God is the one Sacrifice for all sins forever. He is divine, yet human; the Son of God, yet the Son of Mary. Jesus was God and man in one sinless Person. Jesus is the great God, the true God, the living God, the mighty God, God over all blessed forever. He yielded up His sinless life, the Just for the unjust, the Sinless for the sinful, that He might bring us to God, and reconcile us back to our Creator.  Now whosoever believeth in Christ Jesus shall live forever and ever.

And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

The human mind is easily distracted and tends to forget the Gospel message so soon. You are the very sinner Jesus came to earth to save. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners:  He did this especially for you.  Trust your sinful soul to Christ, He is God's great atoning Sacrifice for sinners, and you shall be saved from the love and practice of sinning. The sinner that believes on the Son of God hath everlasting life. *John 3:16*

The Lord Jesus Christ is the only Person who is God as well as man. The Blessed Savior descended from Heaven to earth; the Lord of hosts became a human being; He lived in the midst of sinful men. He was despitefully entreated, scorned, hated, and nailed to a Cross. Jesus bled away His life on the Cross, that He might redeem us sinners. Jesus left His heavenly home and became a poor man, so He could die for His enemies.  The dear Lamb of God left His glory and throne above to bear my sins and their punishment on dark Calvary.

 Up Calvary's mountain, one dreadful morn, walked Christ Jesus, God Incarnate, weary and worn; facing for me death on the Cross, that He might save me from endless loss. No one but Jesus ever loved me so. Jesus was wounded for my transgressions; He bore my sins in His own body on the tree. For my guilt, He gave me mercy and grace. For my rebellion, He gave me compassion and kindness. My sins were so great, that God Himself put on human flesh, He loved me so, I trust to His blood, and now I am safe forever. *I John 3:2*

Jesus died in my place, bearing on Calvary my sin and disgrace. He was numbered among the transgressors, He was despised and rejected by me; a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. He was despised, and I esteemed Him not. I esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. He died so I could be freely forgiven; He became Sin so He could make me righteous and acceptable before God. I am forever saved by His Precious Blood. As my atoning Sacrifice He died, that the divine justice of God might be satisfied, and all my sins were laid on Him. Now, all my transgressions against God's holy law are gone forever, only because Jesus was wounded for me.

Now mark it down, and get it down pat - Someone must pay for your sins - it must either you or Christ Jesus, it's up to you.  It was God Himself who died for you on Calvary's Cross. *I John 3:16* God laid down His life for you. Jesus was none other that the One who made the heavens, but He came down to Earth, to pay your way to Heaven with His own blood. God descended from the highest throne of glory, put on human flesh, and loved you to death. In Jesus' blood alone, there is power and merit enough to make Atonement to Almighty God, so guilty sinners can be accepted in the Beloved.

Jesus laid aside His eternal glory to become a Jewish peasant. He lived a life of pure Holiness, and then died a death of brutal scorn, shame and agony. His torn body was taken down from the Cross, and was laid in a borrowed tomb, and the third day, He rose again from the dead, then 40 days later, He ascended into Heaven, and now He sits at the right hand of God.

Liars, gossipers, thieves, slanderers, drunkards, sodomites, backbiters, gluttons, swearers, adulterers, whisperers, haters of God, harlots, murderers, and whoremongers are all welcome at the Cross. The filthier you are, the welcomer you are. The Precious Blood that flowed from Immanuel's veins is not for dignified, self-improved, religious, self-righteous folks. The Atoning Blood is only for guilty wretches that are tired and fed up with their sins.

Men always forget that infinite Mercy is only found at the Cross, and think that it is to be found somewhere else, and try to slip away from the humbling scriptural fact of their lost and helpless estate. They imagine a vain thing, that there is some other back door of escape; they think they are not as bad as the Scriptures declare. The sinner must be debased, and Christ must be exalted - this is the humbling plan of Gospel Grace. The Gospel doctrines are completely contrary to the self-righteous carnal mind. The Gospel is humbling to human pride, and insulting to self-esteem.

Your soul is deeply ingrained with your iniquities. Idolatry and rebellion against God are ingrained in your sinful nature. The plain, unflattering, humbling Gospel of Christ declares that you cannot help save yourself, and that Jesus must do all the saving, or you will perish in your sins. The sinner's Savior is not to your taste. The Gospel for lost sinners is not for respectable folks like you. You may think you can help save yourself from sin, just try it, and you will perish in the doing of it. The Gospel is never palatable to self-glorying human nature. The Gospel will never flatter the dignity of man, or the excellency of self-help. The Gospel is only for vulgar sinners.

Vain human nature cannot endure the true, pure Gospel message. The noise and static of worldly gain, competition, cares, and pleasures - these all drown out the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost, the eternal voice of Truth. The Almighty God became a sinless human being and laid down His life as a Substitute for the ungodly, and He did it all out of pure Love for His enemies. *Romans 5:9* Jesus is the Friend of sinners. As long as you neglect Christ, you are ruining yourself, you are living on the borders of the grave and Hell. If you don't watch it, before long, your soul will be lost to all Eternity. You must escape the wrath to come by simple faith in Jesus' blood, or be driven forever from God's presence, and from all hope of joy and peace.

All your vain glory and self-excellence must be withered up by the unseen and unrecognized work of the Holy Ghost. Only the Spirit of God can surely show a man his lost and condemned state, and then point that sinner to the Lamb of God for mercy and forgiveness. He uses the divine Law to reveal the evil which lurks in all of your thoughts, words, actions, desires, tendencies, and imaginations. You see, Salvation is all a work of God, God planned out our Salvation. Christ Jesus came and accomplished our Salvation with His own Blood, and now the Holy Ghost convinces and enlightens us to our need of Salvation, gives us the Faith to believe on Jesus, and then He gives us His great Salvation. Now understand - God must get all the glory when it comes to Salvation, and you must get none - this is the Good Old Way. Believe the Gospel, and you shall find rest for your soul. *Matthew 11:28*

The Gospel will never flatter human goodness, but deals directly with your sins and misery. It is a very humbling day when a man truly understands that for every idle word he has spoken, he will be brought to account before God, and that all of his evil desires and unclean imaginations will all come under divine scrutiny of his Maker. Don't let this world's empty glory deceive you and cost you your soul. Only Christ Jesus' Blood and Righteousness can save you from the Hell you deserve. This is the Old, Old Story of Jesus and His Love.

God with us, Christ for us

Every man is a sinner, and all sins must be punished, every one of them.  All of your past sins are either on your soul right now, or they are on the the Lamb of God. The only way to get rid of your sins is simple faith in the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. God with us, Christ for us. God manifest in the flesh bleeding and dying to save sinners. Immanuel, God with us; Christ Jesus the Lamb of God died for us. Incarnation, Substitution, Redemption, Propitiation, and Salvation are the all-important truths. Christ IS the Gospel, the Gospel is Christ Himself. Where Christ is precious, sin is heinous. If you feel, confess, and own your guilt, then Christ is the Savior you need. As a sinner, look to Jesus for everything you need. Quit your hold on sin, and lay hold on Christ by simple faith in His precious blood.

Trust Christ personally for everlasting salvation. Quit your dirty ways and wicked thoughts, and turn to Jesus Christ. Quit your false righteousness. Christ is the only Savior, it is His chief business to save the ungodly. The King of Heaven stooped to rescue His enemies from the wrath to come. Incarnate Deity, Bleeding Omnipotence, Immortal Love Crucified for my sins on Calvary's Cross. Christ's bleeding love is all you'll ever need. Cut your sinful connections, quit your evil companions. Renounce your secret sins. Jesus is the sinner's Friend.

Think of what you are, and despair; then think of the who the Savior is, and take heart. The Great Substitution of Christ is the sinner's only hope. Quit your love and life of sin, trust Christ, love Him. The bleeding Savior is the substance of the Gospel. Jesus Christ was God and man mysteriously united in one Person. God Almighty Incarnate died for your sins especially. Quit your sinning: leave it, and loathe it. If you try to be something, you shall be nothing. Just be nothing, and let Jesus Christ be everything - that's it in a nutshell. Give up your trust in Darwin, or you will die in your sins.

Salvation is only given away freely, it can't be earned. The Great Physician has none but "gratis" patients. Ask Christ for grace to overcome your vile habits. Come to the Cross, and receive "Everything" for nothing. If you die with your face toward Darwin, you will surely perish. The Substitution of Christ for sinners is the center of the Gospel. Take Christ for your Substitute. Trust in what Jesus did, and your sins are no more. Whosoever believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting life. Ponder the pierced One, meditate on the Mediator. Only the Holy Ghost can convince a man of his sinfulness.

Take time to think much of the spitting, scourging, bleeding, nailing, and piercing. Jesus made a perfect Atonement with His own blood for human sin. His life of doing good, working miracles of mercy, caring for the fallen, suffering poverty and shame, weariness and hunger, Gethsemane and the bloody sweat, Calvary and the gory death of the cross. He lived a life of service and suffering; He came not to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. God Himself covered His infinite glory with a shell of human flesh, and in mercy dwelt here on earth among the sons of men. Divine Justice is no respecter of persons. Only Christ's bloody death paid the full penalty to Divine Justice for you.

The marrow of the Gospel is Jesus suffering for our sins. He His own self bear our sins in His own body on the tree. On the Cross Jesus bore the whole weight of divine justice in your place.Meditate earnestly upon Jesus' sinless life, His full blood Atonement, and His resurrection. The Precious Blood is the only satisfaction to Divine Justice. A sinner is freely justified in the sight of God by faith in the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ. Read the Bible, believe the Bible, obey the Bible. Keep Christ always at the front, think much upon Him.

Be obedient to the Faith - believe that Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh, trust Him because He suffered in your place, trust to His bloody death that satisfied divine justice completely for you, rely upon the Blood Atonement which Christ has rendered, that's what it means to be saved - Be obedient to the Faith. Frequently think of Christ. You naturally think of food often throughout the day, because your body lives upon it. Your appetite makes food impossible to forget. Likewise think of Christ continually, He is the Bread of Life that satisfies the hunger deep within your soul.

Personally quit your sins, lay hold on Jesus Christ for eternal life. Count on Jesus, not on Darwin. Self-loathing and self-denial are some first signs of spiritual life. As a cup hangs on a nail, likewise we must hang on Christ completely for all our salvation from sin. Cheerfully consent to be nothing, and let Jesus be everything. God with us (I Timothy 3:16); Christ for us (Romans 5:8; Romans 8:32; I Corinthians 5:7; II Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13; Titus 2:14; I John 3:16; Galatians 2:20).

Right with God?

And Jesus spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. The Pharisee went home dignified, the publican went home justified.

Now when the Pharisee which had bidden Jesus saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if He were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth Him: for she is a sinner.

Some people boast that they are right with God. They would never boast and speak like that if their eyes were opened to their own sinfulness. Open eyes make humble hearts. These kind of folks that *think* they are so right with God begin to think they are righteous, and then they begin to despise others first in heart, and then in word.

* We hear many today use the term 'right with God'. Whatever that means - a person who is right with God will never say that he is, and he normally doesn't feel like he is within - a broken and contrite spirit (Psalm 34:18; 55:17; Isaiah 57:15; 66:2). These self-deluded folks will say, "O yes, I remember back when 'I got' right with God, I stopped or started doing this or that." Only the Holy Ghost can make you right within, not yourself. This is very ignorant, immature, and vain speech. 

Wherefore let him that 'thinketh' he standeth take heed lest he fall. For if a man "think himself" to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. Even while Paul was writing Romans 7, he was struggling with sin as he wrote the very holy scriptures. But still today, here in miserable and wretched Laodicea, we still have many silly stuffed-shirt professors boasting of their stand with God. The only One who was ever truly right with God in the truest sense was the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. All glory be to Him alone forever and ever.

* We must trust only in Christ's rightness with God, not ours at all. We are perfect in Him, not in anything we've done or will do. Every day we sin and stumble and fall, but just like a child learning to walk, we want to get right back up, we look up and by the help of our Father's hand we take a few more steps by His grace - only by His grace. (Prov 24:16; Psa 119:176)

* Paul, one of the holiest saints that ever lived, one of the most free from impurity, always felt his sins most. He whose garments were the whitest, best perceived the spots upon them. He whose crown shined the brightest, always knew when he had lost a jewel. He who gave the most light to the world, was always able to discover his own darkness.

* The law of God deals with sins of thought, — the imagination of evil is sin. The transit of sin across our heart, leaves the stain of impurity behind it. The law, too, extends to every act, — tracks us to the privacy of our homes, goes with us to church, and if it discovers so much as the least sign of wavering from the strict path of sinless integrity, it condemns us. When we think ourselves most excellent, we are really defiled with sin and spoiled with impurity.

* Just when "you thought" you were 'right with God' (whatever that means) here comes a whole new army of sins over the hill after you. Oh dear saved sinner, put the Lord's armor on, and the let the captain of your salvation lead you in the battle. Below is a small list and just a few of the dark soldiers you will face in the heat of the battle every day, there is no discharge in this war. Here are the some of the sins that religion never tells you about or brings up, because religion cannot help you overcome them - only the living Savior can do that. And for you poor self-righteous sinners, that are trying your best to live a good life and trying to eke out your own self-salvation and help Jesus out with your own works - there's no hope for you - this army of dark fiends will swallow you up daily and eternally when you die in your sins - Be wise, Flee to the Rock that is higher than you.

Here is the host of hell, a few of the dark legions that your soul is up against:

Deceit, laziness, carnality, pride, covetousness, lascivious and sensual habits, secret sins, uncleanness, self-righteousness, filthy songs and dance, profane oaths, gambling, pilfering, stealing from work, cheating on your taxes or expense report, defrauding others, not paying someone what you owe them in money, time, or devotion; lust, drunkenness, lustful stares and glances, evil eye, impure thoughts, dirty jokes, thoughtless jeers and jesting, foolish talking, lewd movies and web sites, unholy thoughts, evil desires, lustfulness, wanton and lewd speech, vile gestures, blasphemous words, hatred of God's people, malice, loose conversation, sins of the ear, listening to talebearers and gossips, tauntings of unbelief, self-will, slanderous communication, trifling and idle words, slothfulness, dirty ways, vile profanities, greediness, loose pleasures, pictures, vain music, vain conversation, lewd songs, stinting on the job, gestures, impure imaginations that lead to unlawful gratification of evil passions. 

Idolatry that exalts self and the creature in the place of the Creator; the golden calves of wealth, technology, science, philosophy, fashion, power, position, possessions; jealousy and emulation, secret dislikes and envying of others, bickering and quarreling; disliking of those not of your clique or denomination, arguments, contentions, inclined to quarrel, combative, belligerent, it sickens you when another is praised or promoted, you pine away if another prospers, fleshly desires to equal or excels others religiously, jealous rivalries, quick temper, strife, sensitiveness to being offended, regard to one's own dignity, desires to have the preeminence, temptations to create your own doctrine-Bible-Gospel-conviction so that others will notice or follow you, religious delirium, foul looks, smutty desires, lewd affections, impure fantasies, disgraceful acts, fraud, ashamed of the Savior, impure novel or magazine, cold worship, dusty Bible, forsaken prayer closet, hard thoughts toward God, idleness, self-pity, religious show and performance, thinking yourself better than others, gluttony, flippant attitude, make excuses for sins, blame others for your failures and lot in life, perjury, drawing attention to your self, when you enter the room - you think to yourself - "Here I am everyone!", forsaking the assembling and unity with the saints, dishonesty, evil habits, carnal indulgences, intemperance, bitter envyings, worldliness, evil passions, ill words, filthy pleasures, unlawful gain, vile fantasy, deeply-ingrained superstition, a lustful eye, fickleness, presumptuous sins, private rebellion and wandering, envious of others' things, high looks, proud thoughts, self-confidence, vain glory, nasty desires, licentious thoughts, vile glance, cherishing unclean desires, angry thoughts, foul expressions, unholy resolve to retain some favorite sin, impure stares, obstinate determination to be saved in your own way, unbelief in God's goodness and truthfulness, propensities and compulsions to rebel and wander, sensual indulgence, defiant attitude toward God, violations of conscience, money-grubbing, the thought of foolishness is sin, music and movies that inflame lusts, atheistic and blasphemous thoughts, profanity, immoral affections, fleshy thoughts and acts, foul thoughts and secret unchaste desires, yielding to temptation, sinful mirth and merriment, backbiting of neighbors and enemies, selfish choices, wasting of time and money, bad stewards of our bodies and souls, impure doctrine, laxity of faith, lascivious thought crossed your mind, impurity stirs your imagination, repeat a fact or rumor to your neighbor's disadvantage, loving something more than God, make a god of your family, pleasures, job, belly, or self; worship of mammon, taking God's most holy name in vain, neglect God's word, rebelled against your mother's or kick at your father's advice or command, dishonoring of parents, misinterpret someone's motives or designs, evil surmisings, unwillingness to forgive, drinking from the foul ditch-water of human merit, leave God out of your decisions and choices, secret indulgence of lewdness, inward corrupt desires.

* Be wise - Stay Humble, Look to the Blood of Jesus continually, and always prayerfully depend on the Power of the Holy Ghost. Stay humble or you will stumble; Ponder or you will wander. The Lord and you must weed the garden of your heart, if you want to feed others from that garden. Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.

27 Ways to Escape

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make A WAY TO ESCAPE, that ye may be able to bear it (I Corinthians 10:31).

* (Matthew 11:28-30) Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.

* (Mark 14:38) Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.

* (Luke 9:23) And Jesus said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

* (John 12:34) A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

* (Acts 13:30) But God raised Him from the dead.

* (Romans 8:13) For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

* (I Corinthians 15:57) But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

* (II Corinthians 2:14) Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

* (Galatians 6:14) But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

* (Ephesians 1:7) In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

* (Philippians 4:13) I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

* (Colossians 2:6-7) As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him: Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

* (I Thessalonians 4:16-17) For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

* (II Thessalonians 2:16-17) Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.

* (I Timothy 1:17) Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

* (II Timothy 2:1) Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

* (Titus 2:11-12) For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.

* (Philemon 1:25) The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

* (Hebrews 12:2-3) Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

* (James 4:6) But God giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

* (I Peter 2:11) Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.

* (II Peter 3:18) But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

* (I John 4:19) We love Him, because He first loved us.

* (II John 6) And this is love, that we walk after His commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

* (III John 11) Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.

* (Jude 21) Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

* (Revelation 5:12) Saying with a loud voice, *Worthy is the Lamb* that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

Salvation and Sanctification

Man-made works religions teach you to believe something about Jesus, and then you must follow on perfecting yourself, and then God may accept you on Judgment day, if your good outweighs your bad. Human religion believes that you should give Jesus a nod, and then you continue the process of perfecting yourself, so that when you die you might be acceptable to God. But the Bible says, you can't make yourself acceptable to God because you're a miserable sinner. Natural religion, the way of Cain, teaches that you must help clean yourself up, help make yourself acceptable to God in your own way. But this is the sure way to the Lake of Fire.

You're not acceptable at all, but the matchless merits of Christ are, and when Christ's Righteousness is merited to your account, only then will you be seen as perfect in God's sight for Christ's sake. At that moment, you are one time Justified freely forever and made acceptable to God for the Atonement's sake, because of what Jesus did for you. You are completely forgiven forever of all your sins - past, present, and future - forgiven immediately in an instant of time. You are seen as Perfect in God's sight for Christ's sake, not because of anything you have ever done or ever will do. And then at that point, the Holy Spirit begins His process of Sanctification in your spirit, soul, and body (He works in your private and public life, slowly purging the filthiness and naughtiness away). Sanctification is growing in purity and holiness within and without by the power of the Holy Spirit, not by your good works or religious efforts.

After you are born again by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ gives you strength to grow in private and public purity, but you will never be Perfect, until you die and go to heaven where you will be Glorified, and only then will you be absolutely free from the presence of all sin. You do good things not to be saved, but simply out of gratitude because you are saved. Sanctification and Godliness lead us to struggle against our sinful tendencies and evil habits. We don't try to satisfy God with our works, we only try to glorify Him out of ardent gratitude for His heavenly love toward us. After you are Born Again, you don't do good works to gain favor with God, or have more of your sins forgiven, or work your way to Heaven, or keep yourself saved. Oh no, the Atonement satisfies God once and for all. You do good works because you are already saved. The Holy Spirit is doing HIS good work in you and through you. You go to Heaven based only on Christ's merits, not yours.

Now always remember - you go to Heaven, not because of what you did, but because of what Jesus did for you on Calvary's Cross (Propitiation), and what the Holy Ghost did in you by His mighty power (Imputation). Sanctification is when the Holy Ghost opens up new dark closets in your life, and shows you that you need to Repent and Turn from that particular sins in your life. This doesn't mean that you were never saved, it only means that you are growing in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior.

Human nature always wants to do something so it can gain favor with God and attain eternal life. Human nature despises Christ Jesus and will not acknowledge and submit to Christ's Perfect Righteousness as the only necessity for salvation from the wrath of God (Romans 10:3). Simple faith in the Finished Work of Jesus Christ is the only way to New Jerusalem. Jesus did everything so you could go to Heaven freely by trusting only what He did for His enemies. Jesus is so good, and you are so bad.  Your human works do not cause Sanctification. Only the Holy Ghost can sanctify a sinner. Works do not sanctify us, the Holy Ghost living and working in us produces His Good Works as we yield to the effectual working of His mighty power. Works don't make us holy, the Holy Spirit makes us holy. Without Christ you can do nothing. Christ is everything, you are nothing, that is all. Sanctification is not perfection, but Direction, the Holy Ghost gives us strength to Turn and Obey, and hate the things we once loved, and love the things we once hated.

If you think your works make you holier in any way, then you are trying to work your way to Heaven, and you will surely be Rejected by God when you die. You cannot work yourself to Heaven, so just give up now and quit your doing, and trust only in Christ's doings. Jesus did it all for you long, long ago, so you couldn't get any credit, or brag, or get any glory for your salvation from your vile sins. God by His good pleasure produces good works in our lives. You can never be sanctified by your good works. Our good works don't cause us to be sanctified or acceptable in God's sight. If you think you can do anything to merit God's favor, you are self-righteous, and you will surely perish. Flee your self-righteousness, renounce your own works, look wholly and simply to the Lamb of God dying and rising for sinners.

You can't resolve to make yourself any better, oh no, the Holy Ghost must do it all, He causes us to supernaturally desire to love God and to please Him in all that we think, say, or do. The Holy Spirit works and sanctifies us through His words, the Holy Bible (John 17:17,19; Acts 20:32; Ephesians 5:26). You read God's word, and the Holy Spirit helps you perceive divine truth and gives you a real desire to be pure and to please the God who created you, the living Savior who was crucified and raised from the dead to save your soul.

Jesus did everything for you to get to Heaven, right now, repent of your Self-Righteousness and simply trust and rely ON Christ's Perfect Finished Work. Think much on God's Holiness, the sinfulness of your sin, and very much on Christ's Great Sacrifice of Atonement for human sin. Fix all your confidence on Christ Himself. Go directly to Christ Jesus, the Most High Mediator, Trust completely in Him alone, and not in yourself at all. Real sinners must be saved by Grace (Ephesians 2:5, 8-9; Acts 15:11; II Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5; Romans 4:6), justified by Faith in Jesus' blood (Romans 3:23-25,28; 5:1; Galatians 2:16; 3:11,24; I Corinthians 1:30), and sanctified by the Power of the Holy Ghost (Acts 26:18; I Corinthians 1:2; 6:11; Philippians 2:13; II Thessalonians 2:13; I Peter 1:2; Romans 15:16; Hebrews 10:10; 13:12; I Thessalonians 4:3-4; 5:23; II Timothy 2:21; I Peter 3:15; Jude 1:1).

A Few Tokens of Sanctification:

* Increasing comfort and delight in the Holy Scriptures.

* Increasing interest in prayer and the spirit of prayer (your physical body is the temple of the Holy Ghost and a house of prayer).

* You have a greater readiness to witness to lost people, and to see fellow believers grow in purity.

* You don't care what the world thinks, and you glory in the reproach of Christ and rejoice when you suffer shame for His name's sake.

* Your conscience is growing more tender and you desire to please the Lord, by hating, departing, and abstaining from the presence of evil.

* You are less affected by change of place and circumstances.

* You have a sweeter enjoyment of fellowship and corporate worship, you long to learn from God through the teaching and preaching of His word.

* Love the searching and probing of God's grace through the Spirit and Word of God.

* You value time more and more and you don't want to waste your life on vanity.

* You have a less desire to hear, see, and know for mere curiosity, you want to obey and apply the word of God practically to your life, not just hear the word of God.