Why does lost human nature continually try to add its counterfeit pennies, nickels and dimes to the Priceless Ransom which Christ Jesus paid for with His own sinless Blood on Calvary's Cross? Answer: Deadly innate self-righteousness. Self-help is the surest way to Hell. You can't help your sinful Soul, but I know THE MAN who can. (I Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 10:12) Human nature says, "I will NOT have THIS MAN to reign over ME." Morality and outward religion will never save your immortal Soul from your sins. Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The Bible upsets you, because it is against your Sins, and you know it, that is why you avoid the Bible and get upset when someone brings it up. You secretly love Sinning and insanely serve Worldly Lusts, but you despise and avoid the Holy Bible. Your root problem is this: you want to rule yourself, enjoy your Sins, and go to Hell.
The world is always giving out its vain AWARDS (Grammy, Oscar, Emmy, Tony, Nobel Peace, and the like) to one another, and patting one another on the back for spreading SIN and DARKNESS for Satan and denying Christ. But wanton heinous transgressors, hardened criminals, and even respectable church-goers are all still welcome at the CROSS today. Your unchaste, dishonest, profane, vile habits and worldly companions only degrade your poor Soul, blind your carnal mind, and take you further and further from Christ Jesus. Devilish songs, dirty jokes, and rudiments of a worldly culture have defiled your memory and conscience. Yet lackest thou one thing, and there is One thing is most Needful for your Soul.
You may be scrupulously strict in your moral conduct and religious rubrics, but they can never take away even one of your sins that you have knowingly committed against God. You may be remarkably religious outwardly, but full of deadness and darkness inside. You may enjoy the company of true Christians (Matthew 13:30), but you are still dead in your sins until the Spirit of God operates within you, and the Blood of Christ reconciles you to God. The rich young ruler thought that Salvation was found in things: he should have asked, "Whom lack I yet?" Salvation is only found in one Person/one MAN: The Eternal Lamb of God; Religion is all about temporal things. JESUS said, "COME FOLLOW ME."
You do not lack orthodoxy or sound doctrine, but you lack Christ within your heart. You are no doubter, skeptic or infidel, but a believer in the orthodox faith, but have never received Christ Himself by Faith. You may not doubt the words of God, you may not be a heretic. You could have the most solemn respect for religion when you enter an ecclesiastical building on Saturday or Sunday. You never question the existence of God, deity of Christ, or the judgment to come. You do not lack for zeal or sincerity in religion.
One day, a rich young ruler came running to the Savior, and kneeled down at JESUS' feet, and cried, "Good Master, What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (Mark 10:17-22) He became very thoughtful and anxious about eternal life. What lack I yet? The rich young ruler had a self-righteous brain, and an uneasy conscience; he had a very religious head and a rotten heart. He ignorantly thought he could attain unto a righteousness acceptable in the Holy sight of God. There was a secret something that could fill the aching void in his troubled heart: Christ Himself. The rich young ruler wanted rest in his Soul; he had education, but he lacked personal knowledge, connection, communion with Christ.
The spirituality of the Law is very broad: within us, we have many unchaste thoughts, vile glances, filthy imaginations, hatred of God and man, selfishness, and covetous desires/greed. All of our inward transgressions and iniquities break the Law of God every day. The thought of foolishness is SIN. Eternal Salvation is not attained by your striving and doings, but by inwardly submitting, believing, trusting, receiving Christ Himself. Everlasting Life does not come to the Soul by human efforts and improvements, but by simple trust in JESUS' doing and dying for sinners. Christ Jesus has FINISHED SIN's ATONEMENT, all by Himself, Once and for All (John 19:30; Hebrews 10:10); you must receive His ATONEMENT freely, without any of your dead works, or you will surely die in your Sins. The Divine Power of the Spirit of God must implant into you His Divine Nature and give you Precious Faith in the Precious Blood. Be still, Receive JESUS, and Know that He is God. Nothing short of JESUS' Precious Blood and Infinite Grace can remove the heavy LOAD of SIN that you have produced within your Soul over the days, weeks, and years of your life.
You may have a very lovely religion, but still lacking LIFE from above. The Holy Spirit must give you a true and vital interest in your Soul's immortal welfare. One thing thou lackest: full surrender of your heart to God in Christ. The rich young ruler could not endure to be poor, because great possessions, money, clout, influence, and position were his idols and his heart's wicked strongholds. He belonged to the upper respectable circles of society, but he was not a child of the KING. He shunned the reproach of Christ. He called Jesus a Good master, but he would not turn, follow JESUS, learn of HIM, and fully give up his heart to God. Jesus said, Give up this world, and COME AND FOLLOW ME! But when the rubber hit the road, the young ruler refused to let JESUS RULE OVER HIM. He desired/craved temporal treasure here on earth, not eternal treasure in Heaven. He would not make JESUS his Master, Savior, Shepherd, Friend, Counsellor.
Ye are not your own, ye must be bought with a PRICE. Give yourself up to Christ: your Self, body, members, soul, spirit, faculties, substance, talents, time, your ALL. We are only stewards of His Gifts. Turn your entire Life's title deed over to JESUS; let Him own and reign over you. Believe what JESUS says to you in the Scriptures; believe on Him; do what He commands you, live only to serve and honor Him out of gratitude and love. Everything of your is forever safe which you give over to Christ. Give your most prized possession, your immortal Soul, over to Christ Himself for safekeeping, before you wind up losing it forever in the lake of fire.
Take Christ Jesus into your inmost being, live on Him, or your Soul will die in Sin and perish. Temporal riches here, Eternal poverty hereafter. When you lack this one thing - Christ Himself; you lack ALL! Living Faith in the living Savior, Faith must given to us by the Spirit of God. Give up your idol: if you are not loving God now/today, you are loving an idol. Give up your Sins, or give up Christ and lose your Soul. Which shall it be for you? Christ and Heaven, or your Sins and Hell. Down with your idols, down with your self-righteousness, Up with Christ. Receive Christ with your heart, take up your cross, Confess Christ with your mouth and deeds. The fearful and unbelieving are afraid to own Christ before an ungodly, mocking world.
After you are Born Again of the Spirit of God inwardly, Fully give up your heart, soul, mind and body to Christ daily. Be JESUS' light, Be His dear child, Be His flower shedding His fragrance before His enemies on earth. Sell all that you can of what you have, consecrate your all to God, give up your hindrances. Your Soul is hindered by possessions, bad company, lasciviousness, evil concupiscence. Endure His reproach, be sneered and pointed at. Trust always in the CROSS, let Christ's Precious Blood Atonement be your Soul's true rest and delight. Always glorying in Christ's Finished Precious Blood Atonement which cleansed you, and boasting in His Perfect Righteousness which has covered your Soul.
Jesus now says to YOU: Receive ME, Follow ME, Obey ME, Follow in MY steps, take MY yoke upon you and learn of ME. Close in with Christ, Get HIM, Receive HIM. Give up your whole heart to CHRIST JESUS now; Receive HIM into your empty dark Soul. Give up thinking you can help save your Soul. Give up/turn your back on your favorite idols, darling lusts, pet evils, secret sins, worldly amusements. Do not fling away your dear Soul into the vile dumpster of this world in order to enjoy the pleasures of SIN for a season. Give up your Sins and their deceitful fascinations. Give up the world and its vain toys. Your only Hope is to take CHRIST, and willingly swallow down His Gospel Medicine (Emmanuel's own Precious Blood) into your own Soul. Take the Precious Medicine that Christ has prescribed for your dead Soul, or you will perish in your Sins. May the Holy Spirit convince you of your sinfulness and persuade you to come to Christ JESUS now and Receive HIM into your heart.
