Joh 18:8 Jesus answered, "I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way"
When a detachment of troops came to arrest the Lord Jesus, He told them "if you seek Me, let these go their way."
The apostles were in danger of being captured by them, but the Lord Jesus interposed for them and they were spared. Without His intervention, they could have all been put to death.
Applying the principle to salvation, the justice of God could have captured me, a sinner worthy of judgment and condemnation. But the Lord Jesus came in between and offered Himself for me, trusting in what He did, I am now scot-free.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Thursday, February 21, 2013
GOSPEL NUGGET #230
Pr 25:25 As cold water to a weary soul, So is good news from a far country.
To a soul that is thirsty and fainting, cold water is refreshing. Much like hearing good tidings from someone we are so longing to see who was far removed from us into a far country.
Applying this to salvation:
Heaven has become "a far country" because of sin. Man was separated from God because of it, but God sent His good news, His glorious gospel saying:
"Sinners can come and be reconciled to Me by faith in Christ, He died for your sins and rose again from the dead!"
To a soul desiring to be reconciled back to God, this news is like cold water to a weary soul. Question is: "Are you weary of your sin and are you desiring to be reconciled back to God? Are you thirsting for His salvation?"
To a soul that is thirsty and fainting, cold water is refreshing. Much like hearing good tidings from someone we are so longing to see who was far removed from us into a far country.
Applying this to salvation:
Heaven has become "a far country" because of sin. Man was separated from God because of it, but God sent His good news, His glorious gospel saying:
"Sinners can come and be reconciled to Me by faith in Christ, He died for your sins and rose again from the dead!"
To a soul desiring to be reconciled back to God, this news is like cold water to a weary soul. Question is: "Are you weary of your sin and are you desiring to be reconciled back to God? Are you thirsting for His salvation?"
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
GOSPEL NUGGET #229
Salvation Principles Taken From Ordinary Events In Life
True Story
A man was about to walk into a company hall for a company gathering when he was stopped by the security guard standing beside the doorway. It was indicated to him that he cannot go in with the attire he was wearing.
He was then led into a room where the company provided the acceptable and proper attire for the attendees. Everyone who will take part in the gathering must obtain the proper attire from this room.
Stepping inside, he was given everything he needed for free. Going back into the hall, the door swung open for him and he was graciously welcomed in.
Applying this to salvation and acceptance with God, we are all sinners and all our righteousnesses are "filthy rags" in God's eyes (Isaiah 64:6). As sinners, we are unacceptable to God in ourselves.
But God has provided a "robe of righteousness" and "garments of salvation" in Christ for free. And because of this provision in Christ, I can go in, I am made acceptable to God.
In Christ, a sinner can be made acceptable to God. You can be in Christ, if you put your trust in Him and what He did on the cross for your salvation.
Isa 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness...
True Story
A man was about to walk into a company hall for a company gathering when he was stopped by the security guard standing beside the doorway. It was indicated to him that he cannot go in with the attire he was wearing.
He was then led into a room where the company provided the acceptable and proper attire for the attendees. Everyone who will take part in the gathering must obtain the proper attire from this room.
Stepping inside, he was given everything he needed for free. Going back into the hall, the door swung open for him and he was graciously welcomed in.
Applying this to salvation and acceptance with God, we are all sinners and all our righteousnesses are "filthy rags" in God's eyes (Isaiah 64:6). As sinners, we are unacceptable to God in ourselves.
But God has provided a "robe of righteousness" and "garments of salvation" in Christ for free. And because of this provision in Christ, I can go in, I am made acceptable to God.
In Christ, a sinner can be made acceptable to God. You can be in Christ, if you put your trust in Him and what He did on the cross for your salvation.
Isa 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness...
Monday, February 18, 2013
GOSPEL NUGGET # 228
Are You A Great Sinner?
Many people think that in the gradation of being a sinner they are not as great a sinner as the murderers, rapists, robbers etc. They say "I am a sinner but not as great as the others."
Really now! What is the great commandment?
Mt 22:36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"
37 Jesus said to him," 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
Loving God with all of our being is the greatest commandment of all. Therefore not to love God with all our being IS the greatest sin of all. Have you loved God with all your being?
You may not have committed murder, robbery, rape etc., you may be a moral person in good standing and respected in the eyes of society, but if you have not loved God with all your being, you are a GREAT sinner! You are no different than the rest.
And so, therefore, we are all great sinners in the eyes of God! We cannot afford to face God this way. We need a great Savior, and that Savior is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Come to Him in faith and receive a great salvation from a great Savior for a great sinner like you.
Friday, February 15, 2013
GOSPEL NUGGET #227
Pr 27:7 The full soul despises a honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
A dripping honeycomb with its enticing sweetness is nothing to a man who has a well-stuffed stomach. But to a starving man, even what is bitter becomes sweet.
There is a principle of salvation that can be gleaned in this verse:
To a sinner who is contented with his goodness and moral achievement, the message that Christ died on the cross for the sinner's salvation means nothing to him. He finds no use for it. He is even bored with it.
But to a sinner, whose eyes are opened to his helplessness and desperate need of salvation by the Holy Spirit, what Christ did on the cross (His bitter experience of agony, suffering, and death there for the sinner's salvation) is precious.
Honestly, whenever you hear about the death of Christ on the cross for sinners, what is your inward and spontaneous reaction? Do you find it precious or monotonous?
Before God saves a sinner, He first creates the need for salvation in his heart. Realizing his need, he will find satisfaction and salvation alone in what Christ did on the cross.
It is this kind of a sinner that has truly trusted in Christ. Therefore, it is this kind of a sinner that is truly saved.
A dripping honeycomb with its enticing sweetness is nothing to a man who has a well-stuffed stomach. But to a starving man, even what is bitter becomes sweet.
There is a principle of salvation that can be gleaned in this verse:
To a sinner who is contented with his goodness and moral achievement, the message that Christ died on the cross for the sinner's salvation means nothing to him. He finds no use for it. He is even bored with it.
But to a sinner, whose eyes are opened to his helplessness and desperate need of salvation by the Holy Spirit, what Christ did on the cross (His bitter experience of agony, suffering, and death there for the sinner's salvation) is precious.
Honestly, whenever you hear about the death of Christ on the cross for sinners, what is your inward and spontaneous reaction? Do you find it precious or monotonous?
Before God saves a sinner, He first creates the need for salvation in his heart. Realizing his need, he will find satisfaction and salvation alone in what Christ did on the cross.
It is this kind of a sinner that has truly trusted in Christ. Therefore, it is this kind of a sinner that is truly saved.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
GOSPEL NUGGET #226
The Story Of The Good Samaritan: A Picture Of Salvation
Lu 10:30 "...A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead."
Here we are in our spiritual need. Spiritually speaking, we are the man who fell among thieves, stripped naked, wounded, helpless and powerless to do anything about his condition.
The priest (Luke 10:31) and the Levite (Luke 10:32) that came were ministers under the Law. And so we might view them as representing the Law---the Law cannot do anything to deliver us and help us in our need.
But a good Samaritan came and had compassion on him (Luke 10:33), he came all the way from a practically foreign region just as Christ came down from heaven for us offering mercy and saving grace.
And just as the good Samaritan poured healing oil and wine on him, so does Christ pour out the joy of salvation and spiritual healing on any sinner who will put his trust in Him.
Just as the good Samaritan kept the man safe on his animal towards the inn, so will Christ keep any sinner safe till the end. Yes, He keeps those whom He saves.
And just as the good Samaritan paid all the expenses for the man at the inn, so did Christ gave His life as a payment for all our sins.
Lu 10:30 "...A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead."
Here we are in our spiritual need. Spiritually speaking, we are the man who fell among thieves, stripped naked, wounded, helpless and powerless to do anything about his condition.
The priest (Luke 10:31) and the Levite (Luke 10:32) that came were ministers under the Law. And so we might view them as representing the Law---the Law cannot do anything to deliver us and help us in our need.
But a good Samaritan came and had compassion on him (Luke 10:33), he came all the way from a practically foreign region just as Christ came down from heaven for us offering mercy and saving grace.
And just as the good Samaritan poured healing oil and wine on him, so does Christ pour out the joy of salvation and spiritual healing on any sinner who will put his trust in Him.
Just as the good Samaritan kept the man safe on his animal towards the inn, so will Christ keep any sinner safe till the end. Yes, He keeps those whom He saves.
And just as the good Samaritan paid all the expenses for the man at the inn, so did Christ gave His life as a payment for all our sins.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
GOSPEL NUGGET #225
1Sa 2:25 "...if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?..."
A sinner in order to be saved from the judgment of God must have an intercessor, who will speak to God for him. And such an intercessor must be one who is both anointed and appointed by God Himself.
Without such an intercessor, we, as sinners, will be left exposed to the dreadful and condign judgment of God. But God, in grace, provided the answer to the question:
1Jo 2:2 And He (the Lord Jesus Christ) Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
My friend, your good works and religiosity can't intercede to God for you. You can't be your own intercessor. You are not only disqualified, being a sinner, but also because it is only Christ who was anointed and appointed to be the sinner's intercessor.
You need an Intercessor who will always be heard by God...you need Christ: "...if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?..." CHRIST
Come to Him in faith.
A sinner in order to be saved from the judgment of God must have an intercessor, who will speak to God for him. And such an intercessor must be one who is both anointed and appointed by God Himself.
Without such an intercessor, we, as sinners, will be left exposed to the dreadful and condign judgment of God. But God, in grace, provided the answer to the question:
1Jo 2:2 And He (the Lord Jesus Christ) Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
My friend, your good works and religiosity can't intercede to God for you. You can't be your own intercessor. You are not only disqualified, being a sinner, but also because it is only Christ who was anointed and appointed to be the sinner's intercessor.
You need an Intercessor who will always be heard by God...you need Christ: "...if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?..." CHRIST
Come to Him in faith.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
GOSPEL NUGGET #224
When God Punishes Sin With More Sin
Ps 81:11 "But My people (Israel) would not heed My voice, And Israel would have none of Me.
12 So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, To walk in their own counsels.
Oftentimes God punishes sin with more sin. Yes, sin will be punished. But there is a sense in which sin is its own punishment. There are two kinds of people here in this world: a) people who say to God: "Your will be done" and b) people to whom God will say: "your will be done"
The former is blessed, the latter, blasted. One of the ways in which God punishes a sinner is that He allows him to have his way, resulting in a life of guilt, fear, misery, heartache, and shame.
In other words, oftentimes when God punishes unrepentant sinners, He just abandons them to themselves. And man left to himself is a danger to himself, he will destroy himself, he is his own worst enemy.
If you still have this God-given desire to repent, don't put it off and don't delay. Repent NOW and turn to Christ in faith. Believe you me, you can't afford being left to your own depraved self.
Ps 81:11 "But My people (Israel) would not heed My voice, And Israel would have none of Me.
12 So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, To walk in their own counsels.
Oftentimes God punishes sin with more sin. Yes, sin will be punished. But there is a sense in which sin is its own punishment. There are two kinds of people here in this world: a) people who say to God: "Your will be done" and b) people to whom God will say: "your will be done"
The former is blessed, the latter, blasted. One of the ways in which God punishes a sinner is that He allows him to have his way, resulting in a life of guilt, fear, misery, heartache, and shame.
In other words, oftentimes when God punishes unrepentant sinners, He just abandons them to themselves. And man left to himself is a danger to himself, he will destroy himself, he is his own worst enemy.
If you still have this God-given desire to repent, don't put it off and don't delay. Repent NOW and turn to Christ in faith. Believe you me, you can't afford being left to your own depraved self.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
GOSPEL NUGGET # 223
The Time Of God's Visitation
Lu 19:43 "For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side,
44 "and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation."
Destruction and judgment were going to fall upon the nation Israel because she did not know the time of God's visitation. God, in the person of Christ, came to them and offered them salvation, but Israel rejected His gracious offers again and again and again.
And so judgment must come and judgment came when General Titus of Rome sacked and leveled Jerusalem to the ground in 70 A.D. and fulfilled to the letter everything that was prophesied in the verses above.
Bringing it close to home, God wants all to be saved and so there will come a time in a sinner's life when He visits him and woes him to repent, to come to Christ in faith.
He comes through a message like this one or through some message you hear on radio, in TV etc. God is visiting you, offering you grace, mercy and salvation. But if you persists in your unrepentant condition, He will leave and He may never come again. And the only thing that awaits you is sure judgment.
Do not harden your hearts in the day of His visitation. Turn to Him in repentance and faith while He is near.
Lu 19:43 "For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side,
44 "and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation."
Destruction and judgment were going to fall upon the nation Israel because she did not know the time of God's visitation. God, in the person of Christ, came to them and offered them salvation, but Israel rejected His gracious offers again and again and again.
And so judgment must come and judgment came when General Titus of Rome sacked and leveled Jerusalem to the ground in 70 A.D. and fulfilled to the letter everything that was prophesied in the verses above.
Bringing it close to home, God wants all to be saved and so there will come a time in a sinner's life when He visits him and woes him to repent, to come to Christ in faith.
He comes through a message like this one or through some message you hear on radio, in TV etc. God is visiting you, offering you grace, mercy and salvation. But if you persists in your unrepentant condition, He will leave and He may never come again. And the only thing that awaits you is sure judgment.
Do not harden your hearts in the day of His visitation. Turn to Him in repentance and faith while He is near.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
GOSPEL NUGGET #222
Mt 11:28 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
We have here a) The Invitation b) The Inviter c) The Invited and c) The Invite
* The Invitation: "Come.."
* The Inviter: "...to Me"..
* The Invited: "...all you who labor and are heavy laden..."
* The Invite: "...and I will give you rest."
Are you one who labors for the salvation of your soul? You strive and work so hard to obey God's law but you find yourself failing over and over again in the attempt. As a result, you are burdened with guilt and shame.
Come to the Savior. The salvation you are laboring for is offered free by Him. The thing you could not do, He did. He completed the work of salvation. "It is finished!" He guaranteed.
All you have to do is come. Come to Him in faith, trusting in His finished work on the cross for your salvation. And as you come, you will find rest. Rest in the realization that the work of salvation was done and accepted to the satisfaction of God 2000 years ago.
Rest from the burden of guilt because He has completely paid the penalty of all of your sins.
Come! Come to Him!
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