Persuaded and Directed

And Abraham said unto the rich man in hell, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. And Paul reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. And Paul went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. And when they had appointed Paul a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences. For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that Christ Jesus is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct. Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being His counsellor hath taught Him? Now God Himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you. And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ. O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!

Here is the tender persuasion and direction of the Gospel: You have absolutely nothing to do in the matter of your Salvation, but to humbly accept in faith the one sinless offering made once for all by God manifest in the flesh - Jesus Christ. Cast your deadly doings down at the foot of His Cross; cease from all your own works; cease from your own righteousness; cease from resting in your religious performances. Cease from all this, and in simple faith accept, receive, take hold of, the Divine finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. God wants no sacrifice from you; God asks for no other atonement but His Son's; God looks for nothing on your part to propitiate His wrath towards you, or present you with acceptable in His sight. The Lord God is only satisfied with the Divine finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ, with His sinless obedience, and with His Precious shed blood. And now if you sense the burden of sin on your soul, and abjure and renounce all your own doings, and rest in the finished work of the Lamb of God — the one eternal redemption that Jesus has offered, God the Father will love and embrace you, and take you into an everlasting covenant. All is done! Christ Jesus has done it all, Christ has suffered all, and all He asks you is in faith to receive His glorious and sinless blood sacrifice; simply believe in *Him*, and be saved now.

Christ Jesus' sinless blood Atonement is finished and whosoever tries to add to that must surely expect eternal doom. You cannot make recompense for your sinful offenses. “It is Finished.” The recompense for all human sin has been made already at Calvary's Cross by the Lamb of God. You can never gain a righteousness in which God will accept such a wretch as you. “It is Finished." A perfect Righteousness has been wrought out already by God's Son and is now available to you as a Free Gift if you will take it without any payment of your own. You have no need to trouble yourself about adding to Christ's Righteousness. "It is Finished." Jesus came to save poor despairing wretches that deserve death and damnation. You cannot escape from sin, and you cannot be saved from its punishment in your own goodness. Dear Sinner, the way of salvation has already been finished once for all.  Simply trust to Christ's Finished Work and your soul is eternally safe.

Human nature hopes that God will accept it, if it does some things, forgetting that the way of acceptance with God is already finished. God does not accept men because of any anything they do or feel, but simply and only for what Christ did for them on Golgotha, and that is finished. Let not your heart be troubled - Jesus has done it all. Human nature thinks that you must be this, and attain to that, and then you may be assured that you are saved. But you can only be assured of Salvation - if you simply believe in what Christ Jesus has done for you long ago on Calvary's Cross. You are full of imperfections, but God does not regard your imperfections, but He covers them all with Christ’s righteousness and justifies the ungodly freely for Jesus' sake. You cannot be what you should be, yet God does not look at you, as what you are in yourself, but as what you are in Christ.

The Best Friendship

The Lord Jesus Christ is beyond all comparison the best of friends: He is a friend in need, and a friend indeed. The sinner has no real friend, except the Crucified and Risen Savior. Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. Jesus died in agony and was put to shame for His enemies. Jesus is THE Friend of sinners, but sinners are not His friends until their hearts are changed. Friendship cannot be all on one side: one-sided friendship is better called mercy, grace, or benevolence.  Friendship in its full sense is mutual. Friendship can only exist where there is a response. Jesus had a great love wherewith He loved us even when we were dead in trespasses and sins. Jesus befriended us when we were His enemies. There must be an intimacy in true mutual friendship. Zabud the son of Nathan was principal officer, and the king's friend (I Kings 4:5). He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend (Proverbs 22:11).

Friendship is like a pair of scales, there must be something to balance on the other side; there must be a return of kindly feeling from the person loved. We must do what Jesus tells us out of love to Him. It is the highest honor in the world to be called the friend of Jesus Christ. Are you a friend of Christ? Some forget their lowly friends if they rise to a position of power and respectability among men, but Jesus, the Most High God, will never forget you if you want to be His friend. Obedience to Jesus is better than this earth's wealth and rank. Jesus values His friends not by what they have, or what they wear, but by what they do in private when no one is watching but Him. Aspire to the high dignity of being contained within the circle of Jesus' personal friendship. Yield sincere, hearty obedience to Christ Jesus, be eager to do it, this is life's one essential need. Make Christ your only joy and delight. 

Love + Forgiveness + Friendship + Joy + Hope + Safety = Christ Jesus

True friends are eager to know what they can do to please their friend. Jesus asks obedience of all of us.  None of us are exempt from doing His will and obeying His words; no matter how high or low our earthly condition, we must all obey cheerfully. We must use our talents for His glory. Prove the sincerity of your love. Be willing to yield Him hearty, loyal service. Be careful about your own personal active obedience to His blessed will. Avoid what Jesus forbids. Do helpful acts for Jesus, this proves sincerity. Words are only wind, they must be backed up with deeds of kindness. Friendship only lives on the bread of matter of fact. Jesus says, "Show me a proof of your love."

The friendship Christ expects from us is continuous friendship. Not just on Sunday, but all through the week; not just in public, but in private; not just in word, but in deed. Well doing is the evidence of friendship with Jesus. Seek in every place, at all times, under all circumstances, to do as Jesus bids you, out of a cheerful spirit of gratitude to Him for bleeding and dying for you. Tender, loving subjection to His will and way is what this friendship requires.

We must not pick and choose what command we will keep, this is self-will and not true obedience. Don't become a self-righteous gnat strainer or a camel swallower. Religionists think that misery and merit go together, so they abuse themselves that they might please God. The Lord will be never be pleased by self-inflicted, self-invented carnal abuse and efforts. This is religious will-worship. But grace always teaches cheerful obedience. The smallest command from Christ is most important. Do small things for Jesus - do those things no human tongue will ever praise. Religious professors love to attend to public things that men can see, but the friends of Jesus never neglect the private matters which only Jesus sees. Live alone for Jesus, give yourself up entirely and wholly to His cause and work. Worship God according to His will, according to the Scriptures. There is no grace in apparel; excellence lies in doing what Christ has commanded. Attending religious services in a consecrated 'building' is not a proof of friendship with Christ.

Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it. Earnestly endeavor to carry out His will and live in happy fellowship with Him, be His friend indeed. Do things simply because Jesus commands them. Rebels can never be the King's friend. We must love to do His pleasure and think and act rightly. Never perform duties out of fear of punishment or love of a reward - that is not the fruit of real love. Make Jesus' person your delight and His will your law. Lovingly follow Him, obey Him out of a friendly cheerful spirit. Religious professors must be whipped by harsh sermons, or stirred by exciting meetings, to do their duties. Religionists always live under pressure. But the love of Christ constraineth us. True hearts do what Jesus says without warnings, dogging, urging, threatening, and forcing. At the Cross, duty becomes delight, and precepts are as sweet as promises.

The worldlings and religionists who do not obey Jesus are no friends of His. Nothing burns Christ's cheek like a Judas kiss. A man who does not obey Christ doesn't give the Savior His proper place. Jesus deserves honor and due respect from all of us. Joyful submission to each other is part of obedience to Christ. The man that does not do Christ's commandments cannot be His friend. Can two walk together except they be agreed? The will of Christ is obnoxious to the worldling, and His gracious commands are wearisome. Christ is for purity, human nature is for sin. Christ is for spiritual-mindedness; human nature is carnally-minded. Christ is for love, human nature is for self. Christ is for glorifying the Father, human wisdom is for honoring self.

A man is known by the company he keeps. Loose morals and unrighteous practices are not traits of Jesus' friends. Go among sinners for their eternal good, but beware of men. Always stay on good terms with Christ. Live near to Him, enjoy practical personal friendship and daily communion with Him. Our hearts often break because we have grieved our loving Redeemer, we often go and tell Him our misery and grief, confessing our sin, He knows all our weaknesses and faults. Fellowship and familiarity with Jesus ceases when we begin to become familiar with known sin. There cannot be happy friendship between us and God our Savior if we persevere in any known wrong act. Conscience often reminds us that such and such a thing ought to be given up. If sin lies at the door, the Lord will not smile upon us. Secret sin always poisons our communion with Christ. We cannot hug what Christ abhors.

Study God's word and search out His will. What is the rule of Christ? Search the Scriptures for yourself - every man must bear his own burden and render his own account to God. Be loyal to Christ - try and find out what His will is for your life. Let there be no question, no hesitation, no delay. Resolutely seek to please God in all things. Sin will always try to disturb the intimacy between you and Christ - watch and pray. Jesus IS our Best Friend; therefore, He will not tolerate sin in our lives. Do the Lord's will no matter what crosses, losses, and trials of life may come your way. Bravely bear shame for His name. Losses borne in defense of the Gospel are really gains. Jesus is the Companion of those who are cast out for the truth's sake. The honor of being Christ's friend infinitely outweighs the world's opinion. Follow the Lamb, and let Him be responsible for any results. Right is always right, and will always end in God's blessing; and wrong is wrong, and will always end in a curse even though for a while it may seem like things are going well. The devil will deceive us into thinking that great benefit will arise out of our disobedience. Many people sin because of promised gain or worldly advantage, and they think it will all turn out well in the end, but it will not. If you do evil that good may come, you cannot walk with Christ and be His friend.

Jesus doesn't ask for lavish spending, but ourselves, our heart's obedience. To obey is better than sacrifice. Personal private obeying, and then cheerful giving - this is the order of true friendship. Giving money without the heart is like giving the chaff and keeping the wheat. You must be saved from your sins first, you must be cleansed within by the Atoning Blood of Christ before anything of yours will be accepted. God will not accept any works from a leprous hand. Your heart and hand must both be changed before your offerings and friendship can be pure in God's sight. Steadily, carefully, persistently, cheerfully, do the will of God from the heart in daily life, from your first waking moment till your eyes close in the evening. Always set the example of honesty, uprightness, and piety. Do all things as to Christ because He has saved you.

True friendship with Christ is worth a thousand kingdoms. Let all your actions be friendly towards Christ your Redeemer, always think and act as Christ's friend, let your conduct always honor Him. If something will dishonor Christ, have nothing to do with it. Live as if Jesus was always present, because He IS. Behave as you would act under the actual presence of Christ. You would never do anything unkind or dishonest in His actual presence. Keep Christ always before your thoughts, set the Lord always before you. Live as if Christ could come at once and detect you in the very act. Hearty sincere obedience will gladden you with the presence of the Lord, and in His presence there is always fulness of joy. It is always safe to be Jesus' friend, for He never leaves His friends. This is the Best Friendship.

The Glorious Gospel

God’s infinite wisdom devised the matchless way of Substitution, by which, through the death of the Son of God, men might be saved. Gaze by faith upon the crucified Savior at the foot of the cross. The gospel message is wrapped up in one word – Substitution. You deserve to be lost and ruined, but Christ died in your stead. You cannot enter heaven unless you have a perfect Righteousness. You need a better righteousness than your own. You can never have one of your own because you sin against God's Law every day without fail. But Christ has a perfect Righteousness and He says to you, “Here, take My spotless garment, put it on, you shall stand before God as if you were Me, and I will stand before God as if I had been the condemned sinner. I will suffer for your sins, and shall be rewarded for My sinless works, which you did not do, but which I did for you."

Christ Jesus has died, why then should we die? It was once needful that every sinner should die for his sins; but now it is no longer needful. If the sinner now dies and goes to hell, it is because he is chose to do so; because he will have nothing to do with the Substitute. That Substitute is the Lamb of God, who suffered for sin—the Just for the unjust. He is not afar off, but at hand. He is a sufficient, a willing, a loving Substitute. It is not our money nor our merits that Jesus asks; it is simply our consent and trust. He was willing to become the Sin-Bearer; are we willing that He should become 'our' Sin-bearer? The Father consents; the Son consents; the Holy Spirit consents; do 'we' consent? Then the great transaction is done; the great exchange is made. Christ gets our sins, we get His righteousness. Jesus gets our death, we get His life. For what is faith but our consenting to have Him for our Surety and Substitute? Here we rest. We hand over to Jesus Christ all our sins and burdens. He takes them from us, and buries them out of sight in His own grave. No other person save the Divine Substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, can relieve us of our sin-guilt. No other can remove our fears or give rest to our troubled conscience. Christ Jesus can and will do it all. For this He died and rose again. For this He ascended on high, and now He ever liveth to make intercession. There is only one hope, before the day of judgment arrives, before the passing of that awful sentence by that perfect Judge – settle out of court.

Settle out of court! Meet the Judge before your court date comes – for then, it will be too late. Fall upon the mercy of the Judge and claim the payment of His Son’s death for your sin as your only escape. Cry out to God for mercy through the blood of Christ now. Call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ - invoke Him to save you. Just as a loving mother will come to the aid of her baby's desperate cry, Jesus will come and save you immediately.

Before the throne of God 2,000 years ago, fiery Justice drew his sword, and went out after sinners, to find them, and to cast them into the pit. Justice’s sword thirsted for the blood of all that had sinned; Justice said, “They are sinners; I will have them, I will thrust this sword in their hearts, for they are sinners, and they must perish.” Then Christ Jesus came forward, and asked him, “Whom seekest thou?” “Sinners!” answered Justice. Then said Jesus, “if you seek the sinner, here am I.” “What!”said Justice, “are you the sinner?” “No, not the sinner, but I am the sinner’s Substitute; all the sinner’s guilt is imputed to me; all his unrighteousness is mine, and all my righteousness is his; I, the Savior, am the sinner’s Substitute; take me and let them go free.” And Justice accepted the substitution; took the Savior, crucified him, nailed him to the Cross of Calvary. In the Garden, Jesus cried, “If ye seek me, let these go their way.” Who are they that are to go their way? Why, the very one whose former way was one of iniquity, and whose end would have been destruction, if the curse had not been made to fall upon the head of Jesus!

Hopefully, you understand the doctrine of the Atonement, but let me tell you it again, just in case you don’t. Sin is a devilish thing, which God must punish; the eternal laws of the universe demand that there shall never be an offense committed against the rules of God which shall escape without a penalty. Man, by his sin, had made this world so obnoxious to Jehovah that God could not deal with its inhabitants apart from Christ’s sacrifice. God is infinitely merciful, but he is also infinitely just; and the world had become a putrid thing.

The whole world must would have gone down into hell if Christ Jesus had not come into the world to save sinners. The penalty of sin is eternal death, but the Lord God has been pleased to open a way of mercy by sending his only begotten Son into this world as our Substitute. God became a man, Jehovah became a human being, and He suffered in human flesh what you ought to have suffered. Jesus Christ endured at the hand of God what all sinner ought to endure. Now today, God never pardons a sin without first punishing it- He punished it on Christ for you. God will never punishes the sinner who trusts Christ, but Christ rejecters must bear their iniquity and its judgment. If you trust Jesus Christ, God cannot put two to death for the same offense, nor can he ask for payment twice of one debt, therefore you are free forever, for Christ’s payment for sin is eternal. Christ paid the debts of all sinners that trust in Him entirely and obtained their full and free pardon when he rose again from the dead, and now every soul that believeth in him is clear at the bar of divine justice, because it is written, “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died.” “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

There is only one hope for a poor sinner from the justice of Jehovah; and that is in the “Man of sorrows, the One that was acquainted with grief,” who “gave His back to the smiters, and His cheeks to them that plucked off the hair.” The eternal refuge for your soul was made by Jesus of Nazareth; the refuge is lined with the blood of His own heart; and the door is so wide that the biggest sinner can get in, but the man who has any righteousness of his own will find that the door is not large enough to let him carry his righteousness with him. Poor soul! Do you have a refuge today? Do you not know that the law which God gave on Mount Sinai has been broken by us all, and that God, the “jealous God,” who will “by no means clear the guilty?” And do you not know, sinner friend, that you must offer something to God, to make up a recompense and compensate for what you have done against God and His holy law? Do you not know, that God is so angry with the sinner who sins, that God will damn that man, unless there is Someone who will be damned for him, and suffer the punishment in his stead?

And do you not know, that Christianity is the only religion of Substitution-that Jesus Christ the Son of God became a Jewish man; that He might take the punishment our sins deserved; and that He bore the Father’s wrath we ought to have borne, that Jesus took the guilt we committed, just as the scapegoat in the old testament did, and carried it away into the wilderness of forgetfulness; so that now a sinner who puts his trust in that Substitution can escape everlasting punishment. God’s justice was satisfied completely with the blood of Christ and God cannot demand payment twice for the same sin- “First at my bleeding Substitute’s hands, And then again at mine.” His dear wounds bled for your sins. Repent (turn away and reject) your self-righteousness, carnal pride, and love of sin, and Simply Trust your sinful soul with Christ Jesus Himself alone.

The True Riches

For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.  As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.  For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich.  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? Or despisest thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.  In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace; Wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.  More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.  The law of Thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.  Therefore I love Thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.  How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!  A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

Preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man. But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ. Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.  Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. 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.

Thanksgiving Day Facts

Each Thanksgiving Americans eat approximately 45 million turkeys, spend the afternoon watching football, and blame their drowsiness on the tryptophan from the turkey instead of that third slice of pumpkin pie. Let's take a moment to give thanks for Thanksgiving; and to remember our troops in prayer who are overseas spending Thanksgiving separated from their family and friends.

In 1620, the ship "Mayflower" brought the Pilgrims from Plymouth, England to Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It was a 4-masted ship. It was 25 feet wide, and 100 feet long, and weighed around 180 tons. It had three main decks: upper, lower, and cargo.  Steering was done from below deck in the Steering Room.

The passengers lived in the lower deck and rarely went topside.  The "Mayflower"' was built to transport cargo and supplies, not people.  But on September 6, 1620, 102 passengers and 26 crew members left Plymouth, England bound for America.  There were 51 men, 21 boys, 20 women, and 10 girls onboard.  The average age onboard was 32 years old.  The oldest passenger was 64 years old, and the youngest passenger was a baby boy who was born onboard the ship during its voyage; they named the little boy Oceanus.

The Pilgrims were originally headed for the Hudson River in New York, but they were blown off course by storms.  On November 11, the ship dropped anchor.   It took 66 days to complete their 2,750 mile journey to Cape Cod, MA.  Their average speed during the trip was less than 2 mph.  They spent their first winter onboard "Mayflower" while they built their homes. The Pilgrims later settled near Plymouth Harbor.

Only 53 passengers and half the crew survived the first winter. When the weather improved, they established Plymouth. On April 5, 1621, the Mayflower sailed back to England. The colony grew from less than 100 to over 3,000 people over the next 70 years. John Adams, FDR, and Clint Eastwood are all direct descendants of the Mayflower passengers.

To most Americans, the Pilgrims of Plymouth, MA, are the inspiration for today's Thanksgiving feast. After the winter of 1620 killed almost half of their people, the colonists formed a relationship with the neighboring Wappanog tribe who taught them about fishing, planting, and hunting. By autumn of 1621, the colonists had collected enough food to feed the community for the coming winter. The Wappanog tribe joined the colonists for a three-day feast in honor of their bounty. The feast probably did not include our traditional turkey, more than likely the colonists and Wappanogs dined on roast goose and venison, along with corn, squash, pumpkin, nuts, carrots, codfish, clams and lobster. The Indians killed five deer as gifts for the colonists, so venison was on menu as well.

The first Thanksgiving dinner took place in Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts, in October (not November) of 1621.  Fifty English colonists and 90 Wappanog Indian men attended the dinner.  Very few women, if any, were present.  The meeting lasted for three days. It was the harvest season in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and the Puritans threw a harvest festival to celebrate.  The men went ‘fowling,’ that is, hunting wild birds. A large group of Wappanogs brought five deer to the feast. They ate and shot guns.

This 1621 harvest meal is now commonly thought of as the first Thanksgiving. The colonists did not repeat this festival every November.  George Washington advocated for Thanksgiving to be an official holiday on October 3, 1789, and the first National Thanksgiving holiday took place on Thursday, November 26, 1789.  Thanksgiving did not become an annual tradition nationwide until the 19th century.

Yet for later generations of colonists, New England days of Thanksgiving had little to do with the 1621 harvest festival. Theirs was a religious holiday descending from Puritan days of fasting, prayer, and giving thanks to God. Every autumn, the governor of each colony would declare days of Thanksgiving for bountiful harvests, victorious battles, or drought ending rains.

In 1777, the Continental Congress decreed that all thirteen of America's colonies celebrate a national day of thanksgiving that year in celebration of their victory over the British at Saratoga. By the mid-nineteenth century, many states celebrated the holiday; however, the date could vary by weeks or even months. The modern Thanksgiving holiday would not exist if it were not for a young lady name Sarah Josepha Hale.  She was a determined magazine editor who set about establishing the national Thanksgiving Day where all Americans could collectively give thanks to God.  She was inspired to do so after reading a diary of early Pilgrim life and wanted to recreate that first Thanksgiving feast.

Sarah Hale passionately believed that such a day would help unite a nation headed towards civil war. Hale began a one-woman letter writing campaign urging politicians to establish an annual day of thanksgiving. Beginning in 1827, Hale waged a nearly 30-year campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday.  She also published recipes for pumpkin pie, turkey, and stuffing. These are now main parts of today's Thanksgiving Day meals.

The holiday didn’t become official until Abraham Lincoln declared it so in 1863. He might have been inspired to do so by magazine editor Sarah Josephna Hale, who suggested that Thanksgiving become a holiday.  Sarah Hale's efforts were finally rewarded by Abraham Lincoln who saw the unifying potential of the holiday. In 1863, four months after the victory at Gettysburg, President Lincoln declared the last Thursday of November to be "Thanksgiving Day".  By the way, Sarah Hale was America's first female magazine editor, and she also authored of the famous poem "Mary Had a Little Lamb."

By the 20th century, Thanksgiving was a welcome day of leisure from a six-day work week. In the 1920's, the National Football League was formed. In an effort to boost attendance, the fledgling Detroit Lions devised the concept of a Thanksgiving Day game and the rest as they say is history.

Parades also became a Turkey Day tradition and department stores quickly saw their value as a kickoff to Christmas shopping season. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade began in 1924 and year after year millions of New Yorkers brave the cold to watch the festivities.  Thanksgiving Day is now the traditional start to the Christmas shopping season.  This month-long shopping spree is crucial to American businesses.  So crucial that in 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the Thanksgiving holiday up a week to increase the shopping season and boost the economy.  The people did not like this, so in 1941, Congress declared the official Thanksgiving holiday to be the fourth Thursday of November.

One of the strangest traditions of Thanksgiving began in 1989 when President George H.W. Bush granted the first official pardon to a turkey. So every November since then, the President has granted a pardon to one or two turkeys sending them into a safe retirement at Mount Vernon.

In case you were wondering, an average of 650 million pounds of turkey is eaten in the U.S. during Thanksgiving. Minnesota leads turkey production, followed by North Carolina, Arkansas, Missouri, Virginia, and Indiana.  The Detroit Lions have been playing football on Thanksgiving since 1934, and the Dallas Cowboys since 1966.  The total average caloric intake on Thanksgiving Day including snacking, main event, dessert and drinks — is about 4,500. For a 180-pound man to burn off the roughly 2,000 extra calories consumed, he would need to walk for five hours, so you better get moving on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Most of all, Thanksgiving is about God and family. With modern life moving faster than ever, Thanksgiving gives us a day to take a well-deserved break to reconnect with loved ones, and remember just how much we have to be thankful for.  Happy Thanksgiving!  God's so good!

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the 

Lord Jesus Christ, 

and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High.

Thanksgiving - A Bible Word

Thanksgiving is a Bible word -- It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord Jesus Christ, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High: Offer unto God thanksgiving -- I will praise the name of my God with a song, and will magnify Him with Thanksgiving. Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the people. Let us come before the Lord Jesus Christ's presence with Thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms. Be ye thankful. O give thanks unto Christ Jesus; for He is good; for His Mercy endureth for ever. I will give thanks to His holy name, and glory in His praise. Unto Thee, O God of heaven, do we give thanks, only unto Thee do we give thanks. I will offer to Thee Immanuel the sacrifice of Thanksgiving, and will call upon your name. Praise ye the Lord. Enter into His gates with Thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto JESUS, and bless and magnify His name. O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is so good: for His tender mercies endureth for ever. We give thanks unto Thy holy name, and triumph in Thy Cross. O give thanks to the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS: for His lovingkindness endureth for ever. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us Thanksgiving to God. Rooted and built up in Jesus Christ our Lord, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with Thanksgiving. And they fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and *Thanksgiving*, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for saving my soul,

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for making me whole;

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for giving to me;

Thy great Salvation so rich and free.

A Man Fell In A Hole

A man fell in a hole, and he couldn't get out.  A traveler passed by:  He told the man to meditate to purify His mind and when he reached nirvana, all his suffering would cease.  The man did as he was told, but he remained in the hole.

Another man appeared at the top of the hole:  he explained that the hole didn't exist, and neither did the man, it was all an illusion.  However, the man who did not exist was still stuck in the hole that was not
there.

Another visitor arrived, he instructed the man to perform good deeds to improve his karma, and though he would still die in the hole, he 'might' be reincarnated as something magnificent.

Another man looked down from above, he taught the man to pray five times a day facing Mecca and to follow five important pillars.  If he was faithful, one day, "perhaps," the Allah would set him free.  You will never know what Allah will do to you until you die.  Hope for the best. The man prayed as best he could, but he was losing strength, and in the hole he remained.

Two other visitors calling themselves elders appeared at the top of the hole with nice ties on and riding bicycles:  They instructed the man to be baptized and join their church, do good works, and 'maybe' when he died he would become a god and escape hell, but just as before the man was still stuck in the hole.

Two other men visited the man:  they told him to attend five meetings a week where he would be taught from their literature.  To gain salvation he must also 'witness for Jehovah' door-to-door and distribute literature, acquire donations, and forward all monies to their headquarters.  He must study their material for at least six months and answer numerous questions before a panel of elders.  You must do good works, but you will never get out of the hole.

A few days later, another man arrived at the top of the hole.  He told the man in darkness below, just repent, believe, be baptized for the remission of sins, and endure to the end and you will be saved.  You have to be baptized in my church or your sins can never be washed away.  You will never know 'for sure' if you're going to get to heaven until you are actually dead.  You also must take communion at my church weekly.  So just pray and hope for the best.  He did all the things this man commanded but he still remained in the hole.

A man in a black suit with a collar on backwards appeared at the top of the hole:  He instructed the trapped man to be baptized, join his church, confess his sins, pray the rosary, do good deeds, pray to Mary, give to the church, and 'maybe' you will get out of the hole when you die, after you spend time in purgatory.  Nevertheless, the man remained in his misery at the bottom of the hole.

Then some other Man appeared; there was something different about Him, He called down to the man in the hole and asked Him if wanted to be free.  This Man threw a rope into the hole, lowered Himself down into the pit, took hold of the man, and carried Him into the light.  And the man in the hole that
could not get himself out was Saved by the power of this merciful Man.

The man trapped in the hole in this story is a Sinner.  The hole is a picture of Sin. The different people that visited him were from different 'religions'.  There are two types of religions in this world - DO and DONE.  The DO religions ask you to do, do, do and leave you hopeless and doomed.  The DONE religion - Salvation and free forgiveness of sins through the Lord Jesus Christ's blood and righteousness alone, gives you true assurance of eternal life and peace from God.  Jesus DID it all when He died for us, and was buried and rose again the third day. "It is finished!" was the cry of Jesus from the Cross.  Jesus built a 'city of refuge' for us at the Cross, all we have to do is flee to Him at Calvary's Cross and hide there from the wrath of God.

The final Man that visited him and carried the sinful man out of the horrible pit was the Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of sinners.  This man receiveth sinners.  Jesus only receives sinners, no one else.  We are all trapped in the hole called Sin, but worldly religions can never rescue us from Sin.  Religions only can make vain conjectures about what you should do to escape the hole.  You cannot climb out of your sinful condition on your own through religion.  As a matter of fact, the harder you work to attain salvation from sin, the more weary and miserable you become and the hole you're stuck in just grows deeper and darker every day.  Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.  He is visiting you today in the hole of Sin through this message.  Just call out for help, send out a distress call, and Jesus will save you by His grace.  Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:13

Psalm 40:1-3 --  I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.

THE LORD'S DELIGHT

Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:  But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.

Jeremiah 9:23-24:  Lovingkindness, Judgment, Righteousness -- Men always glory in their wisdom (education), in their might (physical, mental, and moral), and in their riches (money).  But those three temporal things can never take away your sins against God.  But the Lord God through Christ Jesus desired to have grace and mercy on sinners and show His LOVINGKINDNESS to undeserving, ungodly wretches like us, so He brought JUDGMENT on His Precious Son at Calvary, God laid our sins on Him, and it pleased God to bruise Him, so that we could have God's RIGHTEOUSNESS freely by faith in the Sinless Crucified and Risen One.  This is what JEHOVAH delights in today.  But we must FIRST 'understand' our sinful condition and need before we can truly KNOW THE LORD.  Only the Holy Ghost can help us understand our sinful and dangerous condition and our need of a sinless Savior.  We were all made of one blood by God at birth (Acts 17:26), and we must all be saved by ONE BLOOD at our second birth (Acts 20:28; I John 1:7).  Now pay close attention and carefully hearken: Your soul will only be eternally safe when you trust only in God's blood that was spilt for your sins, especially you.  God's own blood was shed by the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is the ONLY THING that will keep a sinner out of hell in 2015.  If you sincerely trust to God's blood for the salvation of your sinful soul, God will say to you: "When I see My Blood, I will pass over you." (See Hosea 2:19-20)

The Preaching of the Cross!

What is the Preaching of the Cross?  Buckle your seatbelt, here we go!  The 21st Century preacher spends much time on the subjects of love and peace, because he is afraid of persecution and hurting his bank account. He preaches a Christ-less, bloodless gospel. He talks to his entire audience as though they were all saved people, so he spends much time on social issues, so the people won’t get furious with him for pointing out they are lost sinners going to Hell for rejecting Christ. God didn’t show much love to Jesus Christ on the Cross when He let him be tortured to death and suffer capital punishment on a bloody tree because of our sins He was bearing in His own body.  Keep on reading, swallow all of the medicine.

The modern religionist will not let his friends know that he thinks they are going to Hell, even though he knows the Bible says they are. He tries to slip through the modern world without being detected. The liberal minister’s message is this, “If you don’t believe somewhat and repent a little bit, you are liable to go some place that I am afraid to pronounce.” His message is this: “Let Jesus come into your life.” This is an acceptable message to a Christ-rejecting, God-hating, Bible-denying reprobate. The modern apostate will talk much about “living right” or “doing good” to get your “prayers answered” so you can get healed or get your income up.

As long as you teach any System of salvation by good works, you can get along, you can be accepted. All people are self-righteous, that’s human nature. Human nature is me first, and you next. All people try to justify themselves when they do wrong. All religions have a set of works to get to heaven. Many religions disagree on what the works are to get saved, but they all believe in works, that’s human nature. They all believe a man is saved by doing good. If you just be a good fellow, and live a good life, you’ll make it. If you do the best you can, you’ll be all right.

The religious ministers try to dress up the message of the cross today, so it’s attractive, pretty, nice and sweet, respectable, decent, and by all means prosperous. They try to cover it up, they don’t want to offend anybody. Don’t want to upset anybody, they just tiptoe through the tithers, the preaching of the cross will affect their checkbook. The world’s Christianity is respectable today. Nobody is offended on Sunday morning, well-dressed people sitting on a pew listening to a rock band. Try to get around the reproach of Christ. Crucified, died a shameful death, death of a criminal. The old “RUGGED” cross is about blood, spit, tears, crown of thorns, nails, spear, mocking, and derision. Jesus bore your sins, and was made a curse for you. Jesus became a laughingstock and hung naked and died all alone. To be identified with someone who has suffered capital punishment is to suffer loss. Keeping company with criminals is not a respectable thing.

The cross is shunned, they dance around it. It doesn’t bring any glory to them, only Christ Jesus, the Lamb of God who was God manifest in the flesh. They avoid it. Religion wants a Christ, without the Cross. The Lamb that was slain deserves ALL THE GLORY. They are satisfied with a religious self-life. Most churches today are glorified self-help groups and community centers with a steeple on top. They don’t want to offend anyone with the cross.

What is the preaching of the cross? The preaching of the cross is the shame and scorn that a true servant and witness of the gospel receives when he believes and testifies to sinful man that he is so depraved, and so helpless, and so hopeless that he can only get to Heaven by the substitutionary death of someone else, and that his sacraments, traditions, scriptural arguments and alibis, church membership, “golden rule,” and ten commandments are absolutely worthless.

According to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the best you can do, and the best you can live will land you flat on your back in Hell. Your good works are actually ‘sinful’ because you deny the shed blood of Jesus Christ to save you completely, and choose to trust in yourself. That message from the Scriptures is what causes trouble when someone witnesses to the fact. As long as a man doesn’t say that or imply that, he is safe. Here it is again, “Unless a man is saved by grace through faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ, he will go to Hell no matter how good he is.” This is the preaching of the cross. The religious sinner depending upon his good works, sacraments, church membership, and baptism to save him feels enlightened, happy, and content, because he has never been told where he is going without Christ’s righteousness – Hell itself. “Flee from the wrath to come” is not a pleasant message, but it is the Bible’s message.

The preaching of the Cross offends two groups of people: the religious (Jews) and the educated (Greeks). The Jews represent religious works, and the Greeks represent worldly wisdom and education.

Who is the Jew? Who does he represent? This is someone that has been brought up religiously and he is quite in the habit of saying prayers; he attends public worship regularly. He gives to his church or religion and is orthodox and devoted to his beliefs. He has no fellowship with drunkards and gamblers, very righteous and moral man in the community, a religious man. He hears about the Cross and wonders at it, but he can’t see his need for the Cross. He has no sense of his sin. He doesn’t feel his need for atoning blood, it is nothing to him. He doesn’t need mercy, or God’s righteousness, he is self-sufficient with his own self-righteousness. He has need of nothing.

When the Cross is preached, he stumbles, He thinks within himself, “If I accept the works of the cross, this is death to my reputation, position, and my good name, my goodness will have to go. Hmmmm. What will my church think? What will my priest or pastor think? What will my family think?” There is no self that dies so hard as religious self. The self-religious man commits spiritual suicide when he rejects the work of the Cross.

Who is the Greek? Who does he represent? The Cross of Christ is foolishness to him. These are those that give themselves to philosophy, education, and self-help. Manly and earthly wisdom despises the cross. No flesh will glory in God’s presence. Human culture and their accomplishments and achievements will never give Christ any glory. Man will always glory in man. The glory of human efforts wither when they come near the cross, therefore, they stay away, at a distance. They look and try to understand from afar, but they cannot understand without yielding to the blood of Christ. Publicans and harlots go in the kingdom of God before you.

It is Finished! What was it that was finished? His lifework and His atoning Sacrifice on our behalf. He had interposed between our souls and Divine Justice and He had stood in our place to obey and suffer on our behalf. He began this work early in life, even while He was a Child. He persevered in holy obedience 33 years. That obedience cost Him many a pang and groan. Now it is about to cost Him His life and, as He gives away His life to finish the work of obedience to the Father, and of redemption for us, He says, “It is finished.” It was a wonderful work, even to contemplate—only Infinite Love would have thought of devising such a plan! It was a wonderful work to carry on for so long—only boundless patience would have continued at it—and now that it requires the offering of Himself and the yielding up of His earthly life, only a Divine Savior, very God of very God, would or could have consummated it by the surrender of His breath! What a work it was! Yet it was finished while you and I have lots of little things lying about that we have never finished. We have begun to do something for Jesus that would bring Him a little honor and glory, but we have never finished it. We did mean to glorify Christ—have not some of you intended, oh, so much? Yet it has never come to anything. But Christ’s work, which cost Him heart and soul, body and spirit—cost Him everything—even His death on the Cross! He pushed through all that till it was accomplished and He could say, “It is finished.”

The preaching of the Cross lies in the Biblical doctrine and truth of the blood atonement. The blood shed by Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh, is the only thing that will reconcile a sinner to God. The blood of Christ is the only thing that will satisfy the justice and wrath of God that a sinner deserves because of his wilfull sinning against a holy God. Sin is a direct attack against the holiness of God. The carnal mind is enmity with God.

What a lost sinner cannot tolerate is this message: “The best you can do will send you into Hell quicker than greased lightning.” He will not stand to be told this.

The natural man in his sins and walking in darkness thinks that he is basically good, and these thoughts are backed up by years of preaching that never tell him he is no good. The unsaved, unregenerate man thinks that except for a few minor weaknesses and character flaws, he can easily “turn over a new leaf” and get eternal life by following his conscience or the teachings of his church and doing good. Man’s imagination in scripture is said to be “evil from his youth” (Gen 8:21). Christ died to save you “from this present evil world” (Gal 1:4).

The preaching of the Cross attacks the basic problem in man – his self-loving pride. The Bible says, “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isa 64:6). “Every man at his best state is altogether vanity” (Psa 39:5). “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.” (Eccl 7:20).

The preaching of the cross is that your wisdom and your righteousness and your integrity and your good works in God’s sight only come to pile of filthy rags that are only fit for the city dump. You are as bad as bad can be. If God turned you upside down and shook you for a week, not one speck of goodness would fall out of you. The worst form of badness is human goodness when it becomes a substitute for the new birth. That is what unsaved people dead in trespasses and sins cannot stand to be told.

Man’s wisdom says that everyone has his price, and since people are basically good, a fellow just has to do enough good to reimburse God for the debt of his sin. The cross of Jesus Christ is the deathblow to human pride and man’s glory.

To be saved you have to be identified with a criminal. Jesus Christ was “numbered with the transgressors.” He was crucified between two thieves and took capital punishment as a criminal. Is that your crowd? You say to yourself, “No! that’s not my crowd.” Then you will go to Hell just as sure as you’re reading this message. That is the preaching of the cross.

So-called ministers today attempt to ‘dress up’ the Cross so they can profit from it. Men attempt to beautify that which was an ugly instrument of execution. There is nothing beautiful about the Cross. The cross is connected with shame, torture, murder, tears, nails, blood, spit, thorns, sorrow, pain, agony, suffering, and death. To be saved from sin and Hell, you have to classify yourself with thieves and murderers. Christ was “numbered with the transgressors” (Isa 53:12). “Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom 5:6). “Christ Jesus came into the world to save SINNERS” (I Tim 1:15).

The “preaching of the Cross” teaches that the one way to God is through the life, death, and resurrection of a crucified Saviour, who died an agonizing, bloody death for sinners. The cross cuts out good works of any kind. Your repentance won’t do (Judas repented and went to Hell, Matt. 27:3). Your water baptism won’t do, because Simon the sorcerer was baptized and wasn’t saved (Acts 8:13). Even ‘your’ belief won’t do if it isn’t based on the FACTS of the Gospel and the Person Who Died For You, because Paul said you could have “believed in vain” (I Cor 15:2).

The one way to Heaven is through the works of another man, not yourself. YOUR works count for absolutely nothing. Your good works are no good. There it is again: that’s the message that gets people furious. You won’t hear this message on the radio, on TV, or on a church pew today. The preaching of the cross is foolishness to this world, because the Gospel shows a man his foolishness and reveals to him clearly that he is sinner with no hope. Roman law under Caesar reserved the Cross for the worst of criminals: think of the disgrace and shame of hanging naked on a cross for hours in front of howling mob. Jesus “endured the Cross” for your sins, and “despised the shame” (Heb 12:2), so you could be freely saved by grace.

Jesus was numbered with the transgressors. Are you classified with crooks, or do you think you’re ‘somebody special that doesn’t need a Saviour.’ If you’re not willing to take your place with crooks, you cannot be saved. Jesus was made to be sin for us. He bore your sins in His own body on the tree. Somebody deserved some terrible punishment for sin – Hell, and Jesus took it all for you. Jesus was punished for your sin. The Justice of God fell on Him for sinners.

The Lord Jesus Christ said, “No man can come unto the Father but by me” (Jn 14:6). “That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him” (Jn 5:23) “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” (Gal 4:16) “All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.” (Mt 11:27) If turn up your nose at Jesus Christ, you will go to hell. Modern man doesn’t think his sins need an Atonement. He thinks he is all right without it. He says to himself, “Well, I’ve never killed anybody, I’m as good as most folks, It all depends on how you look at it, all truth is relative. That Bible is full of mistakes and it was written by man.” Sinful man think they can do it themselves, they think they can get to heaven without Christ. It makes the world feel better if you don’t bring up they are going to hell, they want you to trust in your own righteousness, just like they are. The preaching of the cross pricks the conscience and cuts to the heart.

The Cross is an offence to a sophisticated society:  You know the good and well-to-do, the decent and respectable folks, with their good breeding, perfect manners, refinements, the polished, high browed, with a high idea of themselves, made good in themselves, they would be a good people and help Christ a little, God has done a lot for them, but they will do the rest and then be saved by themselves.

But, they too must come and fall down at Jesus’ feet, give up their doings, give God all the glory, put away their pride, tell him they have nothing, they are nothing, they will never be anything more than nothing.

Christ died for the ungodly, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, come to Christ with nothing besides your sin, come blind, come sick, come lost, or you cannot and must not come at all. The cross is repulsive to carnal sophisticated man and despicable, disgusting, horrid and hideous, objectionable, nauseating, and offensive.

The Lamb of God died for the good-for-nothings, the lost, the no-gooders, bums, scum of the streets, the riff-raff of society, the wretched, misfits, outcasts, mutts and scoundrels, strays, offscouring of society, rabble-rousers, Barrabas, thieves, malefactors, the one-percenters, undesirables, dregs of society, rascals, despicable, deplorable, disgusting, the vile, the worthless, transgressors, the very lowest grade, the public offenders, scorned, the hated, the worst of characters, desperate sinners, the chief of sinners, the baser sort, out-of-the-way sinners, vilest of the vile, scum of the city, refuse of the earth, dregs of society, whom no man seeks after.

The Pharisees said of Jesus, “this man receiveth sinners,” Luke 15:2 They wanted to slander Christ, but they actually gave him his most glorious title.  Christ doesn’t receive everybody, He only receives sinners. Christ Jesus receives not the self-righteous, not the good, not the clean hearted, those who think don’t need a Saviour. He received the broken in spirit, the contrite in heart, those ready to confess they have broken his law, and stirred up his wrath. Those ready to confess their sins, who seek mercy through Immanuel’s veins, Jesus offered himself up on the cross for these few sinners. Jesus came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance, none but these ever come to Him. A self-righteous man will not come to Christ for mercy, do not consider themselves to be in need, they will never approach the throne of Grace. A self-righteous man cannot repent, his own goodness won’t let him. He will trust in God’s mercy and deny all his self-confidence. He thinks he has no sin great enough, so why should he repent, this would insult his dignity, approach to God, Heh! I haven’t sinned that much to say that I need God.

His knee will not bow and ask for pardon, His lips shall not seek forgiveness, He will not ask for mercy. He will not put himself in the place of a sinner, and cast away his own righteousness. He will not take off his polluted robe of self-righteousness. He will forsake his own refuge of lies and all of his own hopes,

The self-righteous man cannot come to God, or put his trust in Christ. He doesn’t need the living Christ. He needs no saviour to save him. He has his hands full of his own works. He will not say, Wash me, Heal me, Give me freedom, give me liberty, give me life. His very self-righteousness chains him, and palsies his arm, blind his eyes.

He will not give Christ the glory, a great sinner brings great glory to Christ alone when he is saved. The self-righteous if he could attain heaven by himself, would glorify himself, he would not glorify Christ.

The real sinner magnifies the word “forgiveness” Col 1:14 The sinner, and the sinner only will come to Christ. Only the sinner will magnify and glorify Christ. Jesus received sinners to wash them clean in His blood, to heal them with His medicine. The sick and dying.

He receives those looking for mercy, love, atonement, and righteousness. He takes the black and filthy sinner. Poor sick Sinners, He will not reject you. Receive His great atonement, and be clothed with his righteousness.

Only real, actual sinners come to Christ, not religionists merely confessing they are sinners, only those who FEEL their lost, ruined, hopeless. These are freely invited to come to Jesus Christ and to be saved by HIM. Come poor sinner, come. If you feel that you need a Saviour, Christ Himself made you feel it. Down on your knees, down on your knees.

Mercy’s door is open night and day, but there’s a sign over the door, “FOR HOPELESS SINNERS ONLY.”

Convicted, guilty, lost sinners, Christ says COME. Your distress and guilt is the work of the Holy Spirit. He is calling you now. Believe in Jesus, He is able to save you to uttermost, only trust in Christ and he will save you, at once.

He came all the way from Heaven to seek you and find you out in your wanderings and to save you and rescue you. He shed his very heart’s blood for you on the cross to redeem (buy back) your soul from death and Hell. He wants a sinner. He longs after perishing sinners. He wants sin-blackened souls, to wash them white, he seeks dead souls to make them alive.

Look this way to the cross with me: See Jesus eyes, he has pity for you, Look into his side, it was opened that you may hide your sins in it. See those drops of crimson blood, every drop is trickling down to the ground for you, Hear his death shrieks, he is crying out for your sake, Yes for you, if you are a sinner.

Say this: “Dear God, Have mercy upon my soul through the Precious Blood for Jesus’ sake.”

Only the man who is sick unto death will come to the Great Physician, who has a sense of his guilt, who feels he cannot save himself, has to rely upon a saviour.

A man once told Dr. G. Campbell Morgan, “the Cross is offensive to me. It is ugly and unsightly and I don't like to hear about it." Dr. Morgan replied, "I agree, for it speaks of your sins."

How do you picture the slaying of a little lamb in your mind? It is a ghastly and even sickening experience. Jesus Christ did not die upon a pretty white cross. He was nailed to a stake, a tree, a piece of wood. To sophisticated society, it is not pleasing.

THE CROSS IS AN INTELLECTUAL OFFENCE.
 See Matthew 11:25-26 Paul divides the human race into two classes-those who perish and those which are saved. These two classes feel differently about the message of the Cross. To those who perish, it is foolishness. To those who are saved, it is the power of God.

The wise and prudent in Matthew 11 are those people who think they know; those people who believe that the wisdom of this world or their religion is enough; that all things can be understood by religious searching and that human intellect is sufficient. It is from these people that the message of the gospel is hidden. They cannot see nor understand. To them the gospel is foolishness.



The babes in Matthew 11 are not physical infants nor just those believers who are of a young age. Nor are they just the ignorant or those who are lacking in intelligence and understanding. 'Babes' are the direct opposite to the 'wise and prudent.' Babes are those who have come to see their insufficiency. They are those who have the wisdom to see what they do not know. They recognize their limitations in spiritual manners. They consider themselves
as helpless as babes and are ready to listen and learn.

Keep in mind that when God set up the cross of His Son, it was on a hill shaped like a skull. On top of man's skull He placed the cross. The message of the cross is not contrary to man's intellect, light years above it.

THE CROSS IS A SPIRITUAL OFFENCE.
 This is what Paul was saying to the Galatians. The Gospel has made them free. They were set at liberty to serve the Lord. Paul admonished them-

Galatians 5:1, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”

Do you know what the yoke of bondage was? It was trying to be accepted of God on the basis of religious rites and ceremonies. When a man falls for the message of man’s words or a religious denomination as a basis of salvation, he falls from the message of grace. You cannot have it both ways. Salvation is either by grace or works, but not both.

If the Cross obliterated true Judaism of the Old Covenant, how much more did it obliterate the false, man-made Judaism represented by the scribes, Pharisees and Judaizers? God accepts nothing but the sacrifice of Christ. This slays man's pride. It offends him. The cross takes all glory from man and places it on God.

Come, come to Christ, come at his own invitation. To believe is to trust in Christ – to drop into his great and powerful and loving arms that can catch the heaviest laden sinner that ever breathed. To believe to fall flat on the promise – to let Him do all for you and let Him save you by HIS GRACE. Your good is your own peril, your righteousness is your own destruction, flee to the cross with empty hands and cling to the bleeding Lamb for forgiveness and mercy and lovingkindness.

Here’s the Simple Gospel Message: God in Heaven looked down upon the sinful race of man; He beheld them lost and ruined. Out of love to them He sent His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who was born of the virgin Mary. He lived some 33 years a life of spotless, sinless innocence and perfect obedience to God. Jesus Christ was God manifest in the flesh, but He was also a man. God was manifest in the flesh to suffer in the place of sinners. Jesus was the Sinner’s substitute. He went about doing good all the days of His life. In due time, He was delivered up by the traitor Judas Iscariot. Jesus was condemned as a criminal, scourged, mocked, and His head received a crown of thorns. He did all this for you.

The Lord God Almighty – the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ - took all the sin of man, and deliberately laid it upon his dear Son. His Son, willingly bearing that load of sin as the Substitute, went up to the Cross, and there He bore what was due for all that weight of sin, even the penalty of darkness, desertion, and death. By bearing the chastisement, He put away sin. He hung upon the Cross—His face was all stained with blood and bruises and with the spit of the rough soldiers. His blood trickled down the Cross, the red drops of God’s blood poured from Immanuel’s veins for you. Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe, sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.

God the Son was crucified on a Cross for miserable sinners, and He bowed His head and gave up the ghost. He was buried and after three days He rose again, and showed Himself to His disciples for 40 days. When the 40 days were finished, He ascended up to Heaven in the sight of them all, where He now sits at the right hand of God, and shall also come again by-and-by the second time to judge both the quick and the dead. "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” (I Tim 1:15)

You desperately need to flee to Jesus Christ, now for mercy. You don’t have to bring your good feelings, good intentions, or good works—just come and take freely what God has done for you through the finished work of His Precious Son. You don’t even need to bring repentance and faith in order to obtain God’s Grace—you are to come and accept repentance and faith as the gifts of God and the work of the Holy Spirit. What broad gates of mercy these are! How wide is the entrance which Love has prepared for your soul!

The load of sin on a man’s soul wearies him and brings shame and guilt. Sins haunts a lost man, the sins of your past will not leave your memory. Man is longing to be clean inside and forgiven. There is a tempest in your heart today that you cannot still – the Hurricane of Sin will not stop blowing on your soul. There is a void and empty place in your soul that only God can fill. Stop doubting and rejecting Christ today. Just now, come with your sins, at Jesus’ crucified, bleeding feet lowly bow. Come and no longer delay. Bring your burden of sin, come to Jesus now just as you are.

Quit trying to save yourself, and ‘let Him’ save you and wash your sins away. Can you point to a place in your life where you have received God’s Son as your Savior. Not turning over a new leaf, getting religious, or joining a church. You may say, “I’m afraid I can’t live it.” Don’t worry about that, no one live a life good enough to get to Heaven. You need a Sinless Savior that lived, died and rose again the third day for you. Do you want a ‘fresh’ start? Flee from the wrath to come. Will you come to Jesus? He will save you forever. Are you sighing for rest and peace within?

Jesus said, “Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). Do you feel your sin burden? Do you sense your danger? Do you understand your soul’s deep need? Do not risk another day without Christ as your Savior. In this evil world you will not find peace for your troubled mind. God will accept you if you come to Him on His terms – trust His Son alone to save your soul and nothing else. Look to Calvary where the Lamb of God bled for you. Come and fall down at the foot of the cross. Today, accept God’s Son, accept God’s grace. Salvation is free gift from God to a lost, undeserving sinner.

The shoes of God’s grace only fit on lost sinners. The robe of God’s righteousness only fits on a hell-deserving sinner. You may have wandered far away, but Jesus is still standing at your heart’s door today. He is seeking you today. It is bad manners to keep someone waiting, don’t keep God waiting, let Jesus come in heart today. He is knocking at your heart’s door now.

Are you lonely today? The Friend of Sinners, Jesus Christ, wants to live in your heart today. You soul may be trouble and weary and burden of sin may so heavy, but Jesus can take all your guilt away. Rely totally on Him to save you. Call upon His name right now and He will save you on the spot. Jesus is near, Jesus is near, waiting patiently for your decision, don’t turn Him away again. Don’t neglect so great salvation. Don’t slam the door of mercy in your own face.

There is no other way to Heaven but by Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus will lift your sin burden, give it all to Him. If your soul is thirsty today, you can take the water of life freely. It is flowing freely at your feet now. Stoop down, drink and live.

Have all your religious plans and efforts failed and left you empty? You are walking alone on life’s road today, you are weary from strife and heartaches. You are disappointed, wandering here and there, dragging chains of doubt and loaded down with sins and cares. Sin struggles with you, the devil is trying to blind you again, the world is alluring you away into darkness. You are stumbling in the darkness of sin and shame. You are groping in the dark toward on the brink of hell and the lake of fire. Bring your case to the Lord Jesus, ‘only’ He can heal your broken and sin-sick heart.

The temptations of sin have overcome you and you are full of distress. Your soul is sick and your heart is sore. You can trust a Man that died for you. The Man Christ Jesus went up Calvary’s mountain and died in your place when no one else would or could.

What will you do with Jesus, which is called Christ? Neutral you cannot be. Submit, obey the gospel, believe and live, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ alone today. Don’t turn away and remain into the darkness of sin and in the chains of Satan. There are danger and death in delay. Today is the day of salvation, tomorrow is only on the devil’s calendar. Why are you waiting? You’ve wasted many precious years in sin and pride. “Come, O come! Why will ye not come? Come now to Jesus”!

Think of Christ; that is the way to come to him. Think much of Christ, of His death, His blood, His resurrection; Believe him, believe in him, believe on him; — that is, trust Him alone, and all is done. Now, that is coming to Christ, — just putting your self into his hands.

The Lord knew that sinners would be hard to convince, he has told everybody who hears the gospel to try and bring you: “Let him that heareth say, Come.” If you were to receive an invitation to a dinner, it is possible that you would go the first time you were asked; but if you had a dozen letters inviting you, you would say, “Dear me, this is amazing; I have twelve letters, from twelve different people, all inviting me to this dinner.” How many times have you been invited to come to Jesus.

The Lord Jesus Christ himself says, “Come.” On one occasion, on the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.” And another day the Savior said, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Jesus is calling you, the Holy Spirit is calling you, and his people have called you; even the prophet Isaiah is still calling.

Dear Sinner Friend, Isaiah has been in heaven for thousands of years, yet at this moment he cries out of the holy Book of Isaiah, “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” Isaiah still speaks today calls you to come to Christ. The call to your soul is from heaven. I hear Christ calling from the throne. I hear the Spirit calling. I hear the church calling. I am calling to you today for I am one of those who have heard the gospel for myself. Listen, then, oh, listen! Was there ever such a chorus of united invitation? Did ever so many hearts combine before about any one thing? Will you not come? Will you not come? Why will ye die in your sins? Why will ye die when the water of life flows at your feet? “Stoop down, and drink, and live.” Believe in Jesus alone – and His righteousness is yours freely – God imputes righteousness without works (Rom 4:6). Trust in the bleeding Savior, the Risen Savior, the Eternal Savior. There is no conceivable reason for rejecting and doubting Him. Trust Jesus to save you and you are saved immediately by grace.

Hallelujah For The Cross!

Up Calvary's hill my Savior went for me, and there He bled and died for my crimes against God.  On that dark day, the sinless Lamb of God was slain.  He fought the fight against sin, death and hell - It is Finished! was His cry; Jesus won and Satan lost.  The Lord Jesus Christ became my Sin-Bearer and Substitute on that day, all my guilt was charged against Him and He satisfied divine justice and suffered the full penalty due to all my sins. Jesus paid it all for me.  God can now freely forgive my sins, and justify my soul completely for Jesus' sake.  Christ Jesus' blood was shed on the Cross to save a cursed wretch even such as me. I commit my soul over into the hands of the Lamb of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Praise ye JEHOVAH for the Cross. The good I've done could never help save my soul, for my sin debt was too great for my self-righteous deeds to pay.  The Love of God through the Precious Blood of Jesus made a way. I was a slave to my sins and self-righteousness, but Jesus tore the bars away and set me free from Satan's prison house.  The Love and Hope of the Cross will take me through this life and then safely out into Eternity when I breath my last breath.  The Cross, it standeth fast, defying every blast.  The winds of hell have blown, this world its hate hath shown, yet the Cross is not overthrown.  It is the old Cross still - Its triumph let me tell - The grace of God there was shown, through Christ the blessed Son, Who did for all my sins atone.  'Twas there my sin debt was paid - all my sins on Jesus were laid - So round the Cross I sing, of Christ my sin-offering, Of Christ my living King.  Hallelujah for the Cross, it shall never suffer loss.  The Cross Alone is All my Hope!

I take, O Cross, thy shadow for my abiding place - I ask no other sunshine than the Son-shine of Jesus' face, content to let the world go by, to know no gain or loss, my sinful self my only shame, my Glory all the Cross.  As my redeemed soul rests beneath the Cross, two wonders I confess - the wonders of His bleeding love, and my own worthlessness.

The Cross stirs up antagonism in human nature. The simple mentioning of the Cross arouses resistance and hostility, because the natural man is at enmity with the God who died on the Cross. The Cross puts down human pride. The Cross ends all human boasting. True faith has nothing to brag about but Christ. Human nature is so proud that it would rather go to Hell than trust only to Jesus Christ to be saved from the love of sin. Human nature wants to pay its own way. The substitutionary suffering and bloody death of Jesus Christ is crude preaching in the world's ears today. The Cross upsets human wisdom. Men pride themselves in their knowledge and learning, their philosophy, their art, culture, and intellect. Men today are worried about their diet, weight, blood pressure, losing their hair, but they are not concerned about losing their soul. The Cross fulfilled the verdict of the Law; the Law's penalty was executed upon Jesus Christ. You cannot pass the test of the divine Law by your own efforts. In Christ I am perfectly pardoned and justified.

The world pokes funs at anyone today that calls something a sin, or anyone who believes that a sinless Man died on a Cross and suffered divine justice and bled to death to pay our sin debt. Men today think that education or culture can remove sin, and that Calvary's Blood is not needed. Every man must go to heaven heart first, not head first. The message of the Cross is that only simple faith in a crucified Incarnate God will save you from the punishment due to your sins, and anything you try to do to help save yourself will only add to your damnation.

The Cross destroys human righteousness. When human nature gets under conviction, it gets busy trying to justify itself. *Mark 6:20* Self-righteous men try to turn over a new leaf. They try to quit smoking and cussing, they start going to church, maybe get baptized. You can't clean up your act; you're a sinner. Salvation is not spelled d-o; it is spelled d-o-n-e! Jesus Christ died especially for you. Religion is doing. Salvation is trusting to Christ Jesus Himself, the living God who died for sinners. You better trust your way to heaven - trust only to the sinless Blood of God manifest in the flesh. This is the way you are saved from divine justice: quit your doing altogether, and simply rest in what Christ has already done for you. The preaching of the Cross is offensive to human goodness. Only faith in Christ Crucified is necessary to salvation.

You are steeped in bad habits. Ye must be born again. Jesus knows how to save you. Just take God's gift. God wrapped up eternal life in His Son. You must be saved by grace through childlike faith in the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. I don't know how to save myself, Jesus, I just turn my soul over to you, please save me. The devil is the author of doubt. When you pull up the weeds of doubt in your heart, there's usually some secret sin hanging on the roots of them. You can't work for Jesus to get Him. You can't earn salvation, but God will give you salvation, if you will just take Jesus freely. God put salvation in Christ, and God offers to give you His Salvation in Christ.

You can't buy a ticket to heaven. Never trust works to save you. How long would you have to work to earn a house in heaven? There's much too big a price to pay for a home in heaven. Do you think you can earn a thing as valuable as Eternal Life? You're like a guy working down at Wal-Mart for minimum wage trying to buy Fort Knox - and that's impossible. Believe what Jesus claims to be, believe He'll do what He says He can do, and believe He is able and willing to do it. You better not take any chances with your soul. Jesus paid my note, my note is cancelled, I accept it. I'm only trusting Jesus Christ, not myself. Everything you have, you either got it honestly, dishonestly, or someone gave it to you. You had to buy it, steal it, or find Someone to give it to you. Salvation is already bought with the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. Salvation is God's gift, that's all. God offers you eternal life, and He put eternal life in His Son. A Christian is a person who has Christ, that's all. *I John 5:12*

You can't earn grace. Grace is receiving something you don't deserve - the Free Forgiveness of Sins. There's one thing you better be sure of and that's your Salvation. Every religion in the world except Biblical Christianity tells you have to do this and that to get to Heaven. The Gospel tells you to trust Christ's Precious Atoning Blood, that's all. If you try to save yourself, you'll have to go to Hell forever. The world is trying to get Salvation dishonestly. I owe something to Jesus Christ, because He died for me. You only go to Heaven because you've received a pardon freely from Jesus Christ. Nothing but the Blood of Jesus Christ will do for a dying sinner. I trust Jesus Christ, I can't save myself. You can't go to Heaven on anything you've done, You go to Heaven by trusting what Christ has done. If you are trusting in anything you've done, you are lost. You better be dead sure of your Salvation. If you think you can do anything to earn Salvation, you are not sure of it. Salvation is something God gives a sinner for Jesus' sake. You can't tell this message too often. Jesus bought me a pardon, I am trusting Jesus only. You better play it safe, simply trust Jesus' blood, that's all. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain!

Human nature says, "I try to do the best I can. I believe in God, but I don't believe what the Bible says. You mean to tell me that if I am a good husband, pay my bills, and live a good life, I won't go to Heaven? I've never committed adultery, or committed murder." You need to be saved the same way as the man who has openly committed every sin in the book. You don't go to Heaven by being good. You go to Heaven, because Jesus is Good - He died for you. It is not the number of sins, but the evil nature of sin that damns a soul. The offense of the Cross always brings upon the genuine Christian slander, mockery, disdain and ridicule.

Why don't you just turn your case over to Jesus? If you believe in a bank, you'll turn your money over to them. The carnal mind says, "You don't have to obey God, just live your own life. Make something out of yourself, be a god yourself, no one has any right to tell you what to do. I want to live my own life; I don't want anyone to telling me how to live my life. I am my own boss." You've been self-centered, you've talked about, slandered and cheated your neighbor. You've missed the standard of the word of God. You've sinned, and you need to let God make you right. The "flesh" is just what you are naturally. The Spirit is what you are divinely, supernaturally. Lasciviousness is looseness, and loose thinking leads to loose living.

Human nature can't handle this message - You are a sinner steeped in guilt, you owe a sin debt, you deserve to go straight to Hell when you die, you can't help save yourself, you need to be saved from the love of sin and divine justice, Jesus bled to death to pay your sin debt, and then God raised Him from the dead. God provided a sinless Substitute in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. He was born of a Jewish virgin named Mary. God subjected Jesus to every temptation and test we have ever had. He lived here on earth for 33 years without committing a single sin. God laid on Jesus our sins. God transferred our guilt to Jesus Christ and then punished Him in our place to satisfy His own divine Justice, and demonstrated amazing love for His enemies. Place your faith in the divine Substitute for sinners. Jesus is the gracious God, He is merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness. God through the Blood of Jesus can take the dirtiest, guiltiest sinner and wipe his slate clean in a second. Yield to the gracious Savior now, and let Him rescue you from the wrath to come. Lord Jesus, please stand in my place as my Substitute, I know nothing, I am nothing, please have mercy on my guilty soul through your Precious Blood.  Hallelujah for the Cross - Worthy is the Lamb that was slain for the ungodly!

Religionated or Regenerated?

Most people today have been religionated by man, not regenerated by the Holy Ghost. The religious man must have some righteousness or other, he knows he's a good-for-nothing rascal, he knows he doesn't have a moral righteousness, so he tries to get a religious, ceremonial one. The Roman Catholic that swears and drinks all week is very often the most superstitious and reverent man at mass. He will take off his hat and speak reverently immediately when he enters the church building.  But he will cuss and swear and smoke as soon as he steps outside in the parking lot, and his conscience never bothers him because it is seared. But he is frightened to do so inside a religious building or in front of his priest. He feels he will be lost forever to speak a wrong word in a sanctuary. He will never forget to tithe or go to confessional, and he feels so much better about himself after he has completed his weekly religious activity.

A religion of ceremonies and garb is so much easier than true and pure religion. To say your Hail Marys, eat your wafer, and sip your wine is easy enough; it is soon over, and it doesn't check your conscience. Turning to the Lord with full purpose of heart is much too hard for someone delighting in sin. Since outward religion is so easy, people like it better. Self-salvation through religiousness flatters a man's pride - he thinks he can get rid of his own guilt in his own way. Human nature loves working for its own forgiveness. The more religion binds a man up, the better he likes it. If the religion doesn't touch the heart, the better people like the religion. Empty religion pleases human nature, because the Gospel is too pure, too simple, too humbling.

Trusting in Christ alone casts down self-righteousness and man's high looks. Man will turn to anything rather than to the pureness of Christ. The religion of ceremonies does not require the giving up of your favorite sins. The lost man will take the sacrament from the priest when it comes time to die. He can drink, swear, smoke, lust, cheat and cuss as much as he likes. He just has to get confirmed, and then get a little holy oil on his deathbed, and sometimes go to church on Christmas and Easter. Take a nice Bible with you, be very attentive and observant, and the priest will think you are all right. This type of religion suits most men, he has no trouble with this kind of religion. They can keep on with their sins and think they are going to heaven with them. With the Gospel, sin and the sinner must part. Without holiness no man shall see the Lord. Ye must be born again. And let every one that nameth the name of Christ, depart from iniquity.

The pure Gospel that goes after a man's sins is never palatable to human nature. Human nature doesn't care what you tell it to do, as long as you don't tell it to Repent and Believe on Christ. The main problem with human nature is that it is always trying to find a means by which it can earn the Salvation that the Lord Jesus Christ wants to give away. If you are a sinner, you can't do good deeds. *Romans 3:12* Nobody could buy Salvation but Jesus, and He paid for it with His own life's blood. You can tell a man to observe this thing or the other, and he will do it. The harder it is, the better he will like it. But if you tell him, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. *Acts 16:31; Matthew 1:18-21* His pride is all up at once, for he hates the pure and simple Gospel, and seeks to drive the very thought of it from his soul. If you die without Christ, you will be held responsible before God for all your sins. If you think you deserve Salvation, or that you can earn eternal life, or that you can pay for the forgiveness of sins, you are lost, that's for sure.

You go to church regularly, and act so piously, you've been confirmed and baptized, you dress modestly, and never do anything wrong that people know about. You say the Gospel is for harlots, blasphemers, thieves, and drunkards, but not for good people such as you are. You think you can save yourself. But if you try it, and you will perish in the doing of it. The same free grace that saves a degraded prostitute must save you, or you can never be saved. Come along to the Cross with the rest of us sinners. We are all guilty, some more, some less, but we are all hopelessly guilty.

You've never been converted, you don't fear God. You love your sin and your drunken companions. You must go down into the pit of hell with the harlots and the profane. You are careless and thoughtless and Christless. You could do as well without a God as with one. Where are you going when you die? Without Christ, you are going to dwell the devils and fiends. They will be your companions forever. You are going to make your bed in hell and abide in everlasting torment. Ye must be born again. Don't reject Christ again like you've done in the past.

The thought of God and the world to come strikes you with terror, and with no delight. You are not reconciled to God, you have not the Spirit of adoption, your sins are not forgiven, you must become a child of God by grace through faith in the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. Seek Jesus with all your heart, and He will found of you. Your proud nature will not stoop. You will not bend the kneed, and come down among us common sinners. Only the Spirit of God can bring you there. Only Christ's bleeding love can save you from your sins. Your past sinful life deserves the wrath of God. If you ever get to Heaven, you will have to get there through the Righteousness of Another. You must be rewarded for what Another man has already accomplished for you.

Come now and receive Christ's mercy, trust to His Precious Blood. You will die soon, and face the Judgment, all your deeds laid bare in the sight of your Maker, and all your sins will be punished for Eternity.  You have a debt to pay if you die in your sins. Only Christ Jesus' Precious Blood can offer you an escape from the wrath to come.  Seek to know Christ personally. Jesus promised and He can deliver to you eternal life freely, only He can deliver the goods, He is able and willing, He is dependable, He always keeps His word. Cleave to Him with purpose of heart. Go directly to the only place of mercy, the bloody foot of Calvary's Cross. Lie down in the dust and cry to God - Lord, have mercy upon me a sinner for Jesus' sake. Come now, I beseech and entreat you, have mercy on your poor soul.