Miss Salvation Beauty Pageant
The Miss Universe beauty pageant is a good illustration of salvation. Each participating country would send their own representative beauty queen to the contest. If she wins, they all win. They do not win because of their own beauty and brains, no, they win through her. It's her beauty and brains that won it for them. She alone did it all.
In the same way, a sinner is not saved because of what he or she did. No, a sinner is saved because of the Lord Jesus Christ. He became Man to be our representative and substitute. He alone did it all on the cross of Calvary.
None of us is beautiful enough in God's eyes to win the Miss Salvation beauty contest, so to speak. We are all sinners---spiritual hags. But we have Christ, and the moment we put our trust in Him, His victory is our victory, we are saved.
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Friday, December 23, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #492
Many are wondering if they have truly trusted in Christ for salvation. Inwardly, they are asking: "Have I really trusted in Christ? What is it really to trust in Jesus for salvation?"
I hope this helps. In Latin, faith or trust is fide, as in conFIDEnce. Confidence is actually made of two words: "con" which means with and "fide" which means faith.
To have faith, therefore, is to have confidence. Are you confident that what Christ did on the cross was enough and sufficient for your salvation?
That's what it is to trust in Christ for salvation.
I hope this helps. In Latin, faith or trust is fide, as in conFIDEnce. Confidence is actually made of two words: "con" which means with and "fide" which means faith.
To have faith, therefore, is to have confidence. Are you confident that what Christ did on the cross was enough and sufficient for your salvation?
That's what it is to trust in Christ for salvation.
GOSPEL NUGGET #491
A preacher was once preaching about sin and its burden when a young man interrupted him and mockingly said: "You keep on telling us about the burden of sin! Well, how much does it weigh exactly? 80 pounds? 10 pounds? I feel none. I feel no burden at all about my sins."
The preacher replied: "If I lay a 400-pound weight on a dead man's chest, will he feel it?"
"He won't feel a thing because he's dead!" the young man replied.
"Exactly!" the preacher quipped.
My friend, how about you? Are you burdened about the spiritual crimes you have committed? Are you weighed down by guilt? Do you sense the conviction of the Holy Spirit? Don't resist His conviction anymore.
Repent take God seriously and change your attitude about sin and yourself. Take sides with God against yourself---view yourself as sinner in need of salvation and come to Christ, in faith, for salvation.
The preacher replied: "If I lay a 400-pound weight on a dead man's chest, will he feel it?"
"He won't feel a thing because he's dead!" the young man replied.
"Exactly!" the preacher quipped.
My friend, how about you? Are you burdened about the spiritual crimes you have committed? Are you weighed down by guilt? Do you sense the conviction of the Holy Spirit? Don't resist His conviction anymore.
Repent take God seriously and change your attitude about sin and yourself. Take sides with God against yourself---view yourself as sinner in need of salvation and come to Christ, in faith, for salvation.
Thursday, December 15, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #490
A wanted ad for an engineer looked like this:
* Candidate must possess at least a Bachelor's/College Degree, Engineering (Civil) or equivalent
* At least 3 years of working experience
* Must have passed the FE Exam and currently hold EI or EIT
* Knowledge and use of Microsoft Office, CADD and GIS software a plus
Reading the qualifications, not many will surely qualify for the job. Certain standards must be reached and certain achievements must be accomplished in order to land the job.
A lot of people think like this about salvation. They think that in order to be saved they must, first of all, achieve and accomplish a lot of things in order for God to save them. Nothing could be further from the truth.
You see, based on the Bible, a wanted ad detailing the qualifications of a sinner in order to be saved looks like this:
* The applicant must be a sinner. Any kind of sinner---the moral sinner, the religious sinner and the immoral sinner.
* The applicant must realize that he or she is helpless and powerless in saving himself or herself.
* The applicant must be repentant and trusting or relying on the Savior and what He did on the cross alone for salvation.
If you possess the foregoing qualifications, then, praise God, welcome to the company...the company of saved sinners!
* Candidate must possess at least a Bachelor's/College Degree, Engineering (Civil) or equivalent
* At least 3 years of working experience
* Must have passed the FE Exam and currently hold EI or EIT
* Knowledge and use of Microsoft Office, CADD and GIS software a plus
Reading the qualifications, not many will surely qualify for the job. Certain standards must be reached and certain achievements must be accomplished in order to land the job.
A lot of people think like this about salvation. They think that in order to be saved they must, first of all, achieve and accomplish a lot of things in order for God to save them. Nothing could be further from the truth.
You see, based on the Bible, a wanted ad detailing the qualifications of a sinner in order to be saved looks like this:
* The applicant must be a sinner. Any kind of sinner---the moral sinner, the religious sinner and the immoral sinner.
* The applicant must realize that he or she is helpless and powerless in saving himself or herself.
* The applicant must be repentant and trusting or relying on the Savior and what He did on the cross alone for salvation.
If you possess the foregoing qualifications, then, praise God, welcome to the company...the company of saved sinners!
Sunday, December 4, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #489
Jesus Is The Light That Lights The Way To God
Ex 25:31 "You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be of hammered work. Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and flowers shall be of one piece.
What's the purpose of the lampstand here?
The tabernacle was divided into two chambers. The first chamber was called the Holy Place. Here we find the table of showbread, the altar of incense, and the lampstand.
Then as we proceed further, we enter a second chamber, which was called the Most Holy Place. Here, we find the Ark of the Covenant. It is here that the Shekinah glory of God rests. One must pass through the Holy Place to get to the Most Holy Place, where God’s presence was.
Without the light of the lampstand in the Holy Place, the way to the Most Holy Place would be in total darkness.
Applying this to salvation---without the Lord Jesus Christ, man would be in total darkness as to the way to God.
Just as it is impossible for a man in total darkness to find his way so it is also impossible for a sinner to find his way to God on his own. He must find his way under the light of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the Light that lights the way to God.
Sunday, November 27, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #488
Lu 2:30 ...my eyes have seen Your salvation
These are the words of Simeon when he saw and carried the baby Jesus in his arms. His words give us insight into the nature of salvation.
You see, the source of salvation is something that is external to us. You can't find it in you; it's found and accomplished by someone else, not you, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ. You need to look away from self to Him to find it.
When Simeon uttered these words, he was not looking at a mirror. No, he was looking straight into the face of Him who will die for his sins and rise from the dead sometime in the future. He looked in the right direction. In verse 25, Simeon is described as a "just and devout man" and yet, when it comes to the salvation of his soul, he did not look at who he was; he did not look selfward.
My friend, in order to find salvation, don't look inward. Rather, look outward onto Him, through faith in Him, who died for you at Calvary. There, see for yourself, the salvation of the Lord.
These are the words of Simeon when he saw and carried the baby Jesus in his arms. His words give us insight into the nature of salvation.
You see, the source of salvation is something that is external to us. You can't find it in you; it's found and accomplished by someone else, not you, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ. You need to look away from self to Him to find it.
When Simeon uttered these words, he was not looking at a mirror. No, he was looking straight into the face of Him who will die for his sins and rise from the dead sometime in the future. He looked in the right direction. In verse 25, Simeon is described as a "just and devout man" and yet, when it comes to the salvation of his soul, he did not look at who he was; he did not look selfward.
My friend, in order to find salvation, don't look inward. Rather, look outward onto Him, through faith in Him, who died for you at Calvary. There, see for yourself, the salvation of the Lord.
Monday, November 14, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #487
Ex 25:22 "There (at the mercy seat) I will meet with you;"
The mercy seat is the lid or the covering of the ark. It was there that the blood was sprinkled by the high priest once a year.
It is called the place of propitiation or the place of satisfaction. God’s holiness, justice and wrath against sinners demand satisfaction. And it could only be satisfied by the death of a sacrifice.
You see, His holiness, justice, and wrath demand the death penalty. When the high priest comes in to offer his sacrifice and sprinkle it on the mercy seat or the lid or the covering of the ark, there, at that point, God’s holiness, justice and wrath against sin was symbolically satisfied. And at that point, the place becomes a seat of mercy.
Man was separated from God because of sin. Many are attempting to connect with God through their sacrifices, good works, their man-made religion etc…all in vain.
The mercy seat or the place of propitiation was a symbol of Calvary and what the Savior did there when His blood was shed. The only appointed point of contact between God and Man is the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s mercy seat. It is the only place where God promised fallen and sinful man: “There I will meet with you. I will be patiently waiting for you there.”
My friend, come to Christ. Come to Calvary in faith, where He shed His blood for you, and be reconciled to God through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The mercy seat is the lid or the covering of the ark. It was there that the blood was sprinkled by the high priest once a year.
It is called the place of propitiation or the place of satisfaction. God’s holiness, justice and wrath against sinners demand satisfaction. And it could only be satisfied by the death of a sacrifice.
You see, His holiness, justice, and wrath demand the death penalty. When the high priest comes in to offer his sacrifice and sprinkle it on the mercy seat or the lid or the covering of the ark, there, at that point, God’s holiness, justice and wrath against sin was symbolically satisfied. And at that point, the place becomes a seat of mercy.
Man was separated from God because of sin. Many are attempting to connect with God through their sacrifices, good works, their man-made religion etc…all in vain.
The mercy seat or the place of propitiation was a symbol of Calvary and what the Savior did there when His blood was shed. The only appointed point of contact between God and Man is the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s mercy seat. It is the only place where God promised fallen and sinful man: “There I will meet with you. I will be patiently waiting for you there.”
My friend, come to Christ. Come to Calvary in faith, where He shed His blood for you, and be reconciled to God through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Friday, November 4, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #486
Martin Luther And His Reformation
He was a young man who was groomed to be a lawyer. A lightning strike that nearly hit him changed his course. The brevity of life, the fear of death and the awful reality of the insatiable fires of hell set him on a journey in search for the salvation of his soul.
He then became a monk, a priest and a professor of the Bible. He did everything to save his soul. He memorized large portions of the Bible. He prayed fervently for hours. He confessed his sins over and over again. He went on pilgrimages. He made himself suffer like fasting for days without drinking water, went for many nights without sleep, exposed himself to cold weather, worked like a horse and many other things. The experience brought him to the edge of death and damaged his health for the rest of his life.
He said: "If ever a monk got to heaven by monkery, I would have gotten there." Still, he found no peace and assurance in his heart. Then, he turned to the Scriptures and there discovered the truth that would change his life and millions of other people worldwide.
He realized that justification and salvation are free. God offers them as a gift, received only through faith in Christ alone. He then told others about it, risking life and limb for it, but was met with opposition from the established religious system of his day. But God was with him and the truth that he proclaimed, and he won!
My friend, if you are seeking peace with God, justification and salvation, you can only find it in Christ and what He did on the cross for you. What He did was good enough for God and it should be good enough for you. The only thing you have to do is to receive it by faith in Christ.
Ask Martin Luther!
He was a young man who was groomed to be a lawyer. A lightning strike that nearly hit him changed his course. The brevity of life, the fear of death and the awful reality of the insatiable fires of hell set him on a journey in search for the salvation of his soul.
He then became a monk, a priest and a professor of the Bible. He did everything to save his soul. He memorized large portions of the Bible. He prayed fervently for hours. He confessed his sins over and over again. He went on pilgrimages. He made himself suffer like fasting for days without drinking water, went for many nights without sleep, exposed himself to cold weather, worked like a horse and many other things. The experience brought him to the edge of death and damaged his health for the rest of his life.
He said: "If ever a monk got to heaven by monkery, I would have gotten there." Still, he found no peace and assurance in his heart. Then, he turned to the Scriptures and there discovered the truth that would change his life and millions of other people worldwide.
He realized that justification and salvation are free. God offers them as a gift, received only through faith in Christ alone. He then told others about it, risking life and limb for it, but was met with opposition from the established religious system of his day. But God was with him and the truth that he proclaimed, and he won!
My friend, if you are seeking peace with God, justification and salvation, you can only find it in Christ and what He did on the cross for you. What He did was good enough for God and it should be good enough for you. The only thing you have to do is to receive it by faith in Christ.
Ask Martin Luther!
Saturday, October 1, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #485
In the lake of fire, you would wish one sin less. It would be tremendous relief from the searing agony that will be eating up your body and soul.
How you would wish to be allowed to go back in time to undo just one sin. It would be an immense favor like going out of hell itself. Every single sin would feel like it's the only one sin that did you in there. It would seem like it's the only one sin that caused you to suffer there forever and ever. But then, alas! the reality is, there are so much more and it's eternally too late.
There, you will realize that EVERY. SINGLE. SIN. MATTERS. Every single sin, every single transgression and every single iniquity will come back to you to haunt for all eternity. Those that you have forgotten you are destined to remember.
You only live once, all the rest is an entire eternity of facing up to what you've done.
On that Day, you would wish that you had taken sin seriously and heeded this message---Repent and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, trusting in Him and what He did on the cross for your salvation.
Friday, September 30, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #484
What Is The Meaning Of Life?
It's not uncommon for people to seek the meaning of life everywhere else except in the One who started it all---God, the author, the source and the originator of life.
The opposite of life is death. Death means separation. When your spirit separates from your body, you experience physical death. But when it is right there intact in your body, you enjoy physical life.
Again, death means separation.
Now, if death means separation, then life means union. Life is meaningless without being connected to its source---God. But sin has separated us from God. We will continue to wander aimlessly and meaninglessly through life until we are reconciled to God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Come to Christ. Don't endure anymore the pain of an empty and meaningless existence. Come to Him and find Life. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life (the connecting link to God).
It's not uncommon for people to seek the meaning of life everywhere else except in the One who started it all---God, the author, the source and the originator of life.
The opposite of life is death. Death means separation. When your spirit separates from your body, you experience physical death. But when it is right there intact in your body, you enjoy physical life.
Again, death means separation.
Now, if death means separation, then life means union. Life is meaningless without being connected to its source---God. But sin has separated us from God. We will continue to wander aimlessly and meaninglessly through life until we are reconciled to God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Come to Christ. Don't endure anymore the pain of an empty and meaningless existence. Come to Him and find Life. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life (the connecting link to God).
Sunday, September 25, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGETS #483
Ps 69:4 "...Though I have stolen nothing, I still must restore it."
A thief in the Old Testament, if caught, was to make restitution for what he had stolen. His wrong must be made right by restituting the owner (see Exodus 22:1-15).
If you think about it and reflect it to our relationship with God, far too many times, we have become thieves against God---we stole from God so many times. How many times have we taken away the honor, the love, the worship and the obedience that rightfully belonged to Him?
There are sins of commission and sins of omission. Sins of omission are those things that we ought to have done but did not do. Now, we must make restitution. The problem is we can’t do it. We are spiritually bankrupt. All we have are filthy rags.
Enter the Lord Jesus Christ. Psalm 69:4 is a Messianic Psalm. A Psalm prophesying about the Lord Jesus Christ:
“Those who hate me without a cause Are more than the hairs of my head; They are mighty who would destroy me, Being my enemies wrongfully; Though I have stolen nothing, I still must restore it.”
Though we are the thieves, He was the one who made the restitution by His death on the cross of Calvary.
To be right with God, we must avail of the restitution He made on Calvary’s cross by faith in Him. Are you right with God through Christ?
A thief in the Old Testament, if caught, was to make restitution for what he had stolen. His wrong must be made right by restituting the owner (see Exodus 22:1-15).
If you think about it and reflect it to our relationship with God, far too many times, we have become thieves against God---we stole from God so many times. How many times have we taken away the honor, the love, the worship and the obedience that rightfully belonged to Him?
There are sins of commission and sins of omission. Sins of omission are those things that we ought to have done but did not do. Now, we must make restitution. The problem is we can’t do it. We are spiritually bankrupt. All we have are filthy rags.
Enter the Lord Jesus Christ. Psalm 69:4 is a Messianic Psalm. A Psalm prophesying about the Lord Jesus Christ:
“Those who hate me without a cause Are more than the hairs of my head; They are mighty who would destroy me, Being my enemies wrongfully; Though I have stolen nothing, I still must restore it.”
Though we are the thieves, He was the one who made the restitution by His death on the cross of Calvary.
To be right with God, we must avail of the restitution He made on Calvary’s cross by faith in Him. Are you right with God through Christ?
Thursday, September 22, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #482
God's Tokhang
"Tok" is the abbreviated version of the Bisayan word "Toktok" or knock in English. "Hang" is the abridged word for "Hangyo" or "implore" in English.
In the Philippines, there's this nationwide police operation wherein policemen would go and knock on the doors of identified drug pushers and addicts and implore them into surrendering and giving up their ways. Those who turn themselves in are rehabilitated and promised assistance to start a new life. Those who refuse will have only themselves to blame later on.
This is a good illustration of God imploring sinners to repent and be reconciled to Him! God, through the Holy Spirit, comes to us and knocks on the doors of our hearts, beseeching us to repent and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
In John 16:8, we read this about the Holy Spirit: "...He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment"
In Acts 17:30, it says: "...God...now commands all men everywhere to repent..."
In 2 Corinthians 5:20, we read this about God's messengers: "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God."
Anyone who comes in faith, trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ will be a new creation in Him endowed with all the enabling grace to live a new life. Those who refuse will have only themselves to blame for their judgment.
My friend, God has identified us all as sin-pushers and sin addicts but God is knocking at the door of your heart right now. He is imploring you to come and turn yourself in and trust in the Savior for salvation. Will you heed God's Tokhang in your life right now?
"Tok" is the abbreviated version of the Bisayan word "Toktok" or knock in English. "Hang" is the abridged word for "Hangyo" or "implore" in English.
In the Philippines, there's this nationwide police operation wherein policemen would go and knock on the doors of identified drug pushers and addicts and implore them into surrendering and giving up their ways. Those who turn themselves in are rehabilitated and promised assistance to start a new life. Those who refuse will have only themselves to blame later on.
This is a good illustration of God imploring sinners to repent and be reconciled to Him! God, through the Holy Spirit, comes to us and knocks on the doors of our hearts, beseeching us to repent and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
In John 16:8, we read this about the Holy Spirit: "...He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment"
In Acts 17:30, it says: "...God...now commands all men everywhere to repent..."
In 2 Corinthians 5:20, we read this about God's messengers: "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God."
Anyone who comes in faith, trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ will be a new creation in Him endowed with all the enabling grace to live a new life. Those who refuse will have only themselves to blame for their judgment.
My friend, God has identified us all as sin-pushers and sin addicts but God is knocking at the door of your heart right now. He is imploring you to come and turn yourself in and trust in the Savior for salvation. Will you heed God's Tokhang in your life right now?
Monday, September 12, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #481
* Without Christ, the best that the world could offer in terms of morality will never be good enough for God to accept.
- With Christ, the worst that the world could produce will be welcomed by God in heaven.
* Without Christ, the world's hero will be reduced to zero in God's reckoning.
- With Christ, the world's Nero will be primero in God's eyes.
Christ is our making point or breaking point. To have Him is heaven. To be without Him is hell.
- With Christ, the worst that the world could produce will be welcomed by God in heaven.
* Without Christ, the world's hero will be reduced to zero in God's reckoning.
- With Christ, the world's Nero will be primero in God's eyes.
Christ is our making point or breaking point. To have Him is heaven. To be without Him is hell.
GOSPEL NUGGET #480
In Order To Save Yourself You'll Have To Be As Powerful As God
* First of all, the universe (Creation) is just God's finger play.
Ps 8:3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained
When God created the universe, He never broke a sweat. It was all finger play on the part of God and the universe came into being.
* Secondly, in the redemption of a soul, however, God exerted effort. He rolled up His sleeves and really went to work. This time, He bared His arm not His fingers, so to speak.
Isa 53:1 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
The context of Isaiah 53 is about the Lord Jesus dying on the cross for man's salvation. He took extra
efforts this time. God (that is, God the Son) left the glories of heaven, became a Man, took the form of a servant, obeyed to the point of death and died a criminal's death.
Here's the point --- for a sinner to save himself, he must be as powerful as God. He must have the strength of His arm, not His fingers, to save himself. For even if he has the power to flick the universe into existence that would still be not enough to save himself. For in the work of salvation, it requires not merely the strength of God's finger but the power of His arm.
If you don't even have the power to jerk and tap the universe into existence, what makes you think you can save yourself by your own efforts?
My friend, turn to the Lord Jesus. Turn to the Savior of sinners. It is He alone who can save your soul. After all, He is God who became Man without ceasing to God, who died for your sins and rose again from the dead. Will you trust in the Arm of God, the Power of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, for your salvation?
* First of all, the universe (Creation) is just God's finger play.
Ps 8:3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained
When God created the universe, He never broke a sweat. It was all finger play on the part of God and the universe came into being.
* Secondly, in the redemption of a soul, however, God exerted effort. He rolled up His sleeves and really went to work. This time, He bared His arm not His fingers, so to speak.
Isa 53:1 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
The context of Isaiah 53 is about the Lord Jesus dying on the cross for man's salvation. He took extra
efforts this time. God (that is, God the Son) left the glories of heaven, became a Man, took the form of a servant, obeyed to the point of death and died a criminal's death.
Here's the point --- for a sinner to save himself, he must be as powerful as God. He must have the strength of His arm, not His fingers, to save himself. For even if he has the power to flick the universe into existence that would still be not enough to save himself. For in the work of salvation, it requires not merely the strength of God's finger but the power of His arm.
If you don't even have the power to jerk and tap the universe into existence, what makes you think you can save yourself by your own efforts?
My friend, turn to the Lord Jesus. Turn to the Savior of sinners. It is He alone who can save your soul. After all, He is God who became Man without ceasing to God, who died for your sins and rose again from the dead. Will you trust in the Arm of God, the Power of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, for your salvation?
Thursday, September 1, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #479
A Ship, A Storm, An Anchor, The Ground And Salvation
Storms are a very real threat to a mariner's life. How many stories have been told about ships going down, taking precious lives with them, never to rise again. The ground is the only sure and reliable source for stability and safety.
In order to access the ground in the middle of the ocean in a raging storm, mariners would throw an anchor down into the water. An anchor is a heavy device that is attached to a boat by a rope or chain and that is thrown down into the water to hold the vessel in place by fastening itself to the ground. The strength of the ground holds the ship securely and steadily.
The whole thing is a picture of salvation. We are sinful vessels en route to a raging storm of judgment and condemnation. Nothing in us can keep us safe from it. No ship throws its anchor on itself. We must venture outside of ourselves to look for deliverance. Ships must look for the ground.
Christ is the only stable ground to fasten our anchors on. As we entrust our salvation to Him, as we commit our deliverance to Him, lo and behold, we find ourselves rescued, preserved and sustained for anyone who puts their trust in Christ and what He did on the cross for salvation will be saved.
Storms are a very real threat to a mariner's life. How many stories have been told about ships going down, taking precious lives with them, never to rise again. The ground is the only sure and reliable source for stability and safety.
In order to access the ground in the middle of the ocean in a raging storm, mariners would throw an anchor down into the water. An anchor is a heavy device that is attached to a boat by a rope or chain and that is thrown down into the water to hold the vessel in place by fastening itself to the ground. The strength of the ground holds the ship securely and steadily.
The whole thing is a picture of salvation. We are sinful vessels en route to a raging storm of judgment and condemnation. Nothing in us can keep us safe from it. No ship throws its anchor on itself. We must venture outside of ourselves to look for deliverance. Ships must look for the ground.
Christ is the only stable ground to fasten our anchors on. As we entrust our salvation to Him, as we commit our deliverance to Him, lo and behold, we find ourselves rescued, preserved and sustained for anyone who puts their trust in Christ and what He did on the cross for salvation will be saved.
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #478
1Co 15:3 ...Christ died FOR our sins...
The doctrine of substitution, the blessed fact that Christ died FOR our sins instead of us dying for it, should be enough to convince anyone that salvation is not the result of our own efforts. A substitute is someone who takes our place and functions in our behalf---instead of us, Him!
When a player takes the place of another player on the court during a game, who does all the playing? No one co-plays with a substitute. When a worker is substituted by another to function in his place, who does all the work? No one co-works with a substitute. If Christ is our substitute, who does all the saving?
Now, if Christ died for our sins, then it follows that He has taken cared of our salvation. The very thing that could damn us (our sins) has been addressed and answered in the fullest measure.
What's there left for us to do in order to enjoy what He did? Nothing but to rest in faith and be satisfied with what He did for us.
The doctrine of substitution, the blessed fact that Christ died FOR our sins instead of us dying for it, should be enough to convince anyone that salvation is not the result of our own efforts. A substitute is someone who takes our place and functions in our behalf---instead of us, Him!
When a player takes the place of another player on the court during a game, who does all the playing? No one co-plays with a substitute. When a worker is substituted by another to function in his place, who does all the work? No one co-works with a substitute. If Christ is our substitute, who does all the saving?
Now, if Christ died for our sins, then it follows that He has taken cared of our salvation. The very thing that could damn us (our sins) has been addressed and answered in the fullest measure.
What's there left for us to do in order to enjoy what He did? Nothing but to rest in faith and be satisfied with what He did for us.
Thursday, July 28, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #477
Misconceptions About Salvation # 16 --- The minimization of sin
One of the most common misconceptions about salvation today is the minimization of sin. Sin is minimized in many people's minds that they get horribly wrong about salvation. You see, if you are wrong about sin and self, you will be wrong about salvation. The cause of this misconception is the failure to see sin as it really is..
You see, sin is a spiritual heinous crime against God. A sinner is a spiritual criminal in God's eyes. Hell is God's infernal prison house. Every single sin is big enough to plunge us to hell. And just as you only have to commit one single crime to be viewed as a criminal in the eyes of civil authority here on earth, so you only have to commit one sin to make you a spiritual criminal in God's eyes. .
You and I are criminals, spiritual criminals. There is no such thing as a good sinner because there is no such thing as a good criminal. All criminals are bad. The term "good sinner" is an oxymoron. It's a combination of words that do not agree with each other. "Good sinner" is like saying "an honest liar" or "a respectful rapist" or "a loving murderer." .Friends, it's time to face the truth hard in the face. Houston, we have a problem. And that problem is us. We are sinners. We are spiritual criminals. None of us is good enough for God. To be confident about ourselves in meeting with God is to be blind as to who we are in His eyes. Our rightful place is to be humble and see our desperate need for the Savior.
GOSPEL NUGGET #476
EZE 36:31 “Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and your abominations.
Though the verse is talking primarily about Israel in the future when they will eventually repent and turn to the Lord, it could be applied to any individual sinner now who repents.
You see, repentance is also a change of attitude towards self. Instead of viewing ourselves as good sinners unlike those "bad" sinners out there, we now take sin seriously and view ourselves in a different light. We now loathe ourselves in our own sight for all the sins we've done. We now view ourselves as spiritually bankrupt and mourn over our condition before God.
We take the lowly place and acknowledge our needy condition. It is at this point that we are ready for the good news of what the Lord Jesus Christ did on the cross. Looking away from ourselves to Him, entrusting ourselves to Him, who died on the cross for all our sins, we receive forgiveness and salvation.
Have you allowed God to bring you to this humbling experience of yourself? Do you now realize that, as a sinner, you can't even stand yourself? Have you come to the Savior because of it? Come now, humble yourself and turn to the Savior.
Though the verse is talking primarily about Israel in the future when they will eventually repent and turn to the Lord, it could be applied to any individual sinner now who repents.
You see, repentance is also a change of attitude towards self. Instead of viewing ourselves as good sinners unlike those "bad" sinners out there, we now take sin seriously and view ourselves in a different light. We now loathe ourselves in our own sight for all the sins we've done. We now view ourselves as spiritually bankrupt and mourn over our condition before God.
We take the lowly place and acknowledge our needy condition. It is at this point that we are ready for the good news of what the Lord Jesus Christ did on the cross. Looking away from ourselves to Him, entrusting ourselves to Him, who died on the cross for all our sins, we receive forgiveness and salvation.
Have you allowed God to bring you to this humbling experience of yourself? Do you now realize that, as a sinner, you can't even stand yourself? Have you come to the Savior because of it? Come now, humble yourself and turn to the Savior.
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #475
Ex 25:22 "And there (in the mercy seat) I (God) will meet with you...
Here we find God instructing Moses about the construction of the mercy seat. The mercy seat was the place on top of the ark of the covenant where the blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled. And it is here where God meets with man. Tremendous thought! God meeting with man!
The mercy seat was a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Him, God meets with man, who was separated from God because of sin. There is only one place/person where man can be reconciled to God---the mercy seat/the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is the result of God's mercy. And the place/person where you can find it is in Christ Jesus.
My friend, as a sinner, you are separated from God. But you can come to God in Christ Jesus. Come to Him now in repentance and faith and be reconciled to God.
Here we find God instructing Moses about the construction of the mercy seat. The mercy seat was the place on top of the ark of the covenant where the blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled. And it is here where God meets with man. Tremendous thought! God meeting with man!
The mercy seat was a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Him, God meets with man, who was separated from God because of sin. There is only one place/person where man can be reconciled to God---the mercy seat/the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is the result of God's mercy. And the place/person where you can find it is in Christ Jesus.
My friend, as a sinner, you are separated from God. But you can come to God in Christ Jesus. Come to Him now in repentance and faith and be reconciled to God.
Monday, July 11, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #474
Mt 27:40 "...save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross."
He did not save Himself in order to save sinners. He did not spare Himself so we could be spared. Instead of coming down from the cross for Himself He would come out of the grave for us.
Learn a humbling spiritual fact about ourselves here. We could never save ourselves. The fact that the Lord Jesus did not spare Himself implies that we could never do it. His death is a must for the sinner's salvation.
My friend, don't attempt to save yourself. Accept the humble fact that you, as a sinner, can't do it. Instead, come to the One who could have saved Himself but chose to remain for your salvation.
He did not save Himself in order to save sinners. He did not spare Himself so we could be spared. Instead of coming down from the cross for Himself He would come out of the grave for us.
Learn a humbling spiritual fact about ourselves here. We could never save ourselves. The fact that the Lord Jesus did not spare Himself implies that we could never do it. His death is a must for the sinner's salvation.
My friend, don't attempt to save yourself. Accept the humble fact that you, as a sinner, can't do it. Instead, come to the One who could have saved Himself but chose to remain for your salvation.
GOSPEL NUGGET #473
Chinese Character For Righteousness
Let me share with you what I learned from Hudson Taylor who was probably one of the greatest missionaries to China ever; one of the greatest Christians to ever walk this planet. He said: "If I have 1000 lives I would give it all to the spreading of the Gospel in China."
In his evangelism to the Chinese people he used this wonderful illustration about the Gospel. You see, the Chinese character for righteousness is actually composed of two characters, with one on top of the other. The top character is yang, which means a lamb, while the bottom character is wo, which means self. Together the word "righteousness" in Chinese is formed.
You want to be viewed by God as righteous? Then put yourself under the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus, who takes away the sin of the world. Under the atoning blood of the Lord Jesus, your sins disappear from God's sight, all He sees is the Lord Jesus, the Righteous One. Before He sees you, He sees the Lord Jesus over you.
Come to Him in faith. Take refuge in what He did on the cross. Put your trust in Him for your justification.
Let me share with you what I learned from Hudson Taylor who was probably one of the greatest missionaries to China ever; one of the greatest Christians to ever walk this planet. He said: "If I have 1000 lives I would give it all to the spreading of the Gospel in China."
In his evangelism to the Chinese people he used this wonderful illustration about the Gospel. You see, the Chinese character for righteousness is actually composed of two characters, with one on top of the other. The top character is yang, which means a lamb, while the bottom character is wo, which means self. Together the word "righteousness" in Chinese is formed.
You want to be viewed by God as righteous? Then put yourself under the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus, who takes away the sin of the world. Under the atoning blood of the Lord Jesus, your sins disappear from God's sight, all He sees is the Lord Jesus, the Righteous One. Before He sees you, He sees the Lord Jesus over you.
Come to Him in faith. Take refuge in what He did on the cross. Put your trust in Him for your justification.
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #472
Lk 19:41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it
Lk 19:42 and said, “If you... had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.
Lk 19:43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side.
Calamity and destruction will descend on Jerusalem because they had rejected their Messiah. 70 AD came, and Jerusalem, particularly its temple, was leveled to the ground. More or less 1 million Jews were killed when the Romans came and sacked Jerusalem. IF ONLY THEY HAD KNOWN WHAT WOULD HAVE BROUGHT THEM PEACE it would have been different. The Prince of Peace, the Lord Jesus, was right there, offering Himself to them, but they rejected Him.
My friend, you don't have to be like the Jews. My friend, like everybody else in the world, you are a sinner, a spiritual criminal in the eyes of God, at enmity with Him, subject to His just judgment that will be executed upon you when the time comes.
But here's what will bring you peace with God: Jesus Christ, the Savior. He died for your sins and rose again from the dead. Through Him you can be reconciled to God. Now that you have known the way of peace with God, come to Christ in repentance and faith, trusting in what He did for you at the cross. Come and be at peace with God.
Lk 19:42 and said, “If you... had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.
Lk 19:43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side.
Calamity and destruction will descend on Jerusalem because they had rejected their Messiah. 70 AD came, and Jerusalem, particularly its temple, was leveled to the ground. More or less 1 million Jews were killed when the Romans came and sacked Jerusalem. IF ONLY THEY HAD KNOWN WHAT WOULD HAVE BROUGHT THEM PEACE it would have been different. The Prince of Peace, the Lord Jesus, was right there, offering Himself to them, but they rejected Him.
My friend, you don't have to be like the Jews. My friend, like everybody else in the world, you are a sinner, a spiritual criminal in the eyes of God, at enmity with Him, subject to His just judgment that will be executed upon you when the time comes.
But here's what will bring you peace with God: Jesus Christ, the Savior. He died for your sins and rose again from the dead. Through Him you can be reconciled to God. Now that you have known the way of peace with God, come to Christ in repentance and faith, trusting in what He did for you at the cross. Come and be at peace with God.
Monday, June 27, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #471
One of Satan's greatest lies today is the widespread idea that one can just get away with his sins or spiritual crimes by compensating it with good works. It has made many wallow in so much sin, confident that they can just offset their debts with it.
They would not dare this on a human judge but they brazenly do it in the face of the Most Holy Judge of the universe. God is not that holy and just in their concept. They have a lesser view. To them, God is lenient. Just an old grandfatherly and soft figure who will just sweep their crimes under the rug. Partly, it is the result of centuries of indoctrination by a false religious establishment that dominates the land.
And so, you have people committing premarital sex, getting drunk, breathing out cuss words and other spiritual crimes, believing that they can just pay it up with their good deeds. Their ignorance of God is setting them up for a big surprise in the day of reckoning.
On that day, they will realize, eternally too late, that every single sin is a heinous spiritual crime in the eyes of God that deserves condemnation in the lake of fire. That it is through what the Lord Jesus did on the cross, not their good works, that can meet the demands of God's justice and holiness.
My friend, come and settle your crimes at the cross. On God's terms, not yours. Repent now, abhor sin, and run to the Savior, trusting in Him and what He did on the cross for salvation.
They would not dare this on a human judge but they brazenly do it in the face of the Most Holy Judge of the universe. God is not that holy and just in their concept. They have a lesser view. To them, God is lenient. Just an old grandfatherly and soft figure who will just sweep their crimes under the rug. Partly, it is the result of centuries of indoctrination by a false religious establishment that dominates the land.
And so, you have people committing premarital sex, getting drunk, breathing out cuss words and other spiritual crimes, believing that they can just pay it up with their good deeds. Their ignorance of God is setting them up for a big surprise in the day of reckoning.
On that day, they will realize, eternally too late, that every single sin is a heinous spiritual crime in the eyes of God that deserves condemnation in the lake of fire. That it is through what the Lord Jesus did on the cross, not their good works, that can meet the demands of God's justice and holiness.
My friend, come and settle your crimes at the cross. On God's terms, not yours. Repent now, abhor sin, and run to the Savior, trusting in Him and what He did on the cross for salvation.
Friday, June 24, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #470
The Obedience Of One The Blessing Of Many
Ge 26:3 "Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.
4 "And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed;
5 "because Abraham obeyed My voice...
We have before us a story of the obedience of one which resulted in the blessing of many. It was Abraham's obedience and yet the blessing was shared by many. Applying this to the Lord Jesus and His salvation, it was the Lord Jesus who obeyed God to the point of death, yes, even the death of the cross. And yet, it resulted in the salvation of many sinners.
Phil 2:8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
RO 5:19 For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.
My friend, don't rely in what you do for salvation. Rather, rely on the saving obedience that the Lord Jesus did for you at the cross. His obedience was for your blessing, and you can have it if you put your trust in Him and what He did on the cross alone for your salvation.
Ge 26:3 "Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.
4 "And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed;
5 "because Abraham obeyed My voice...
We have before us a story of the obedience of one which resulted in the blessing of many. It was Abraham's obedience and yet the blessing was shared by many. Applying this to the Lord Jesus and His salvation, it was the Lord Jesus who obeyed God to the point of death, yes, even the death of the cross. And yet, it resulted in the salvation of many sinners.
Phil 2:8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
RO 5:19 For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.
My friend, don't rely in what you do for salvation. Rather, rely on the saving obedience that the Lord Jesus did for you at the cross. His obedience was for your blessing, and you can have it if you put your trust in Him and what He did on the cross alone for your salvation.
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #469
The Cavaliers' Winning The Championship And Salvation
2016 is a historic year for the Cleveland Cavaliers. For the first time since they joined the league since 1970, after so many years of being on the losing end, they finally laid their eyes and hold for themselves the coveted Larry O'Brien trophy as champions.
The Cavs fans are ecstatic. The atmosphere in Cleveland is electric. High fives and hugs are given. "We finally won it!" jubilantly they congratulate each other. It was the team who played hard on the court, gave their all and earned it. The fans merely watched on the sidelines but the victory was shared by all.
My friend, this is a picture of the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Spiritually, we are on a losing team. As sinners, we are all spiritual losers. But the Lord Jesus came, went to Calvary, gave everything He had and there obtained salvation for us all.
We did nothing but sin. But we can enjoy the salvation He wrought on Calvary if we come to Him by faith. Come to Christ my friend and claim your salvation and then give me a high five. Team Jesus did it for us!
Monday, June 13, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #468
Roman Catholics, by the millions, wear a brown scapular with a promise from the so-called Madonna of Mt. Carmel that "anyone who dies clothed in this [scapular] shall not suffer eternal fire; and...they shall be saved."
They hang all their eternal destiny upon this one object. They have made it their savior. They have been led away from the grace and salvation of Christ. God's Word says: .
Ga 1:9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
Ac 4:12 "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
Joh 3:36 "He who believes (trusts) in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe (trust) the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
Salvation is not found in the scapular of the Mary of the Roman Catholic Church but in what the Lord Jesus Christ did on the cross 2000 years ago. The salvation that was accomplished there was already finished, complete, sufficient and all-availing for all of time that the only thing one has to do is to trust, rely and place one's confidence in it for salvation.
They hang all their eternal destiny upon this one object. They have made it their savior. They have been led away from the grace and salvation of Christ. God's Word says: .
Ga 1:9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
Ac 4:12 "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
Joh 3:36 "He who believes (trusts) in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe (trust) the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
Salvation is not found in the scapular of the Mary of the Roman Catholic Church but in what the Lord Jesus Christ did on the cross 2000 years ago. The salvation that was accomplished there was already finished, complete, sufficient and all-availing for all of time that the only thing one has to do is to trust, rely and place one's confidence in it for salvation.
Friday, June 3, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #467
Premarital Sex Is Harlotry To God
De 22:20 "But if the thing is true, and evidences of virginity are not found for the young woman,
21 "then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done a disgraceful thing in Israel, to play the harlot in her father's house. So you shall put away the evil from among you.
The essence of harlotry is sex without the commitment of marriage. Some prostitutes engage in sex for money, others may do it because of sinful lust. The bottom line: It is sex without the commitment of marriage.
Premarital sex is a serious, serious sin. It incurred the death penalty in Israel. It is disgraceful, evil and a scandal that the men in the city are to rise against it. Judgment awaits you if you are guilty of this, reader. To God, you may not be selling your body for money, but the fact remains that to God, you are a prostitute.
Turn to Him in repentance and trust in the Savior that He sent to die for your prostitution against Him. He died for your crimes and rose again from the dead.
De 22:20 "But if the thing is true, and evidences of virginity are not found for the young woman,
21 "then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done a disgraceful thing in Israel, to play the harlot in her father's house. So you shall put away the evil from among you.
The essence of harlotry is sex without the commitment of marriage. Some prostitutes engage in sex for money, others may do it because of sinful lust. The bottom line: It is sex without the commitment of marriage.
Premarital sex is a serious, serious sin. It incurred the death penalty in Israel. It is disgraceful, evil and a scandal that the men in the city are to rise against it. Judgment awaits you if you are guilty of this, reader. To God, you may not be selling your body for money, but the fact remains that to God, you are a prostitute.
Turn to Him in repentance and trust in the Savior that He sent to die for your prostitution against Him. He died for your crimes and rose again from the dead.
Thursday, June 2, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #466
Mt 15:30 Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.
We have here a lookalike of spiritual salvation. What happened here in the physical realm is comparable to the spiritual realm. You see, we are all sinners. We all have a spiritual defect. We all have a spiritual handicap.
We are spiritually lame---we don't walk right.
We are spiritually blind---we don't see right.
We are spiritually mute---we don't talk right.
We are spiritually maimed---we don't do things right.
We are wrong. We are not right.
Just as the lame, the maimed, the mute and the blind were laid down at Jesus' feet, we also need to be humble, acknowledge our handicap and helplessness, and allow and not resist the ministry of the Holy Spirit to lay us down at Jesus' feet, in a condition of dependence upon Him for deliverance.
Come to Christ. Lie at His feet, trusting in Him and what He did on the cross and be spiritually healed.
We have here a lookalike of spiritual salvation. What happened here in the physical realm is comparable to the spiritual realm. You see, we are all sinners. We all have a spiritual defect. We all have a spiritual handicap.
We are spiritually lame---we don't walk right.
We are spiritually blind---we don't see right.
We are spiritually mute---we don't talk right.
We are spiritually maimed---we don't do things right.
We are wrong. We are not right.
Just as the lame, the maimed, the mute and the blind were laid down at Jesus' feet, we also need to be humble, acknowledge our handicap and helplessness, and allow and not resist the ministry of the Holy Spirit to lay us down at Jesus' feet, in a condition of dependence upon Him for deliverance.
Come to Christ. Lie at His feet, trusting in Him and what He did on the cross and be spiritually healed.
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #465
One hot summer, Jhanna, a skinny, little nine-year old girl, tagged along with her older friends for a summer getaway in a plush beach resort.
Far out into the deepest part of the waters, Jhanna and her friends delighted themselves with the ocean. They dove and plunged and splashed into the water below from a wooden raft which they used as a base.
Jhanna, the tiniest of the group, fearlessly ventured into the deep with reckless abandon again and again even though she did not know how to swim. She was confident that she had her older friend, Clair, an expert swimmer, to come and extricate and recover her back on top.
The whole thing is a picture of saving faith. Faith in the Savior for salvation is throwing our helpless selves into the saving work of the Savior on the cross of Calvary, fully confident that He is able to rescue us from sinking into condemnation.
My friend, you are a sinner and you can't save yourself. Come to Christ. Take the plunge of faith into Him. Commit your soul's salvation to Him and His work on the cross and you will be saved.
GOSPEL NUGGET #464
Job 33:24 Then He is gracious to him, and says, 'Deliver him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom'
Applying this verse to salvation, these are fitting words in the redemption of a sinner who trust in Christ. God in heaven because of His grace declares: 'Deliver him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom.'
We, as sinners, are sliding down the pit of hell. But because of God's undeserved favor and on the basis of the ransom the Lord Jesus provided on the cross, a sinner trusting in the Savior can be rescued out of it. His salvation is not based on anything the sinner has done but on the ransom that was found.
Mr 10:45 "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
1Ti 2:6 who gave Himself a ransom for all...
Come to the Savior in faith. Place your confidence in Him as the ransom that could deliver your soul.
Applying this verse to salvation, these are fitting words in the redemption of a sinner who trust in Christ. God in heaven because of His grace declares: 'Deliver him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom.'
We, as sinners, are sliding down the pit of hell. But because of God's undeserved favor and on the basis of the ransom the Lord Jesus provided on the cross, a sinner trusting in the Savior can be rescued out of it. His salvation is not based on anything the sinner has done but on the ransom that was found.
Mr 10:45 "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
1Ti 2:6 who gave Himself a ransom for all...
Come to the Savior in faith. Place your confidence in Him as the ransom that could deliver your soul.
Friday, May 20, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #463
Saved By The Death Penalty Of Another
The principle of the death penalty, that is, life for life, is manifestly at work in the salvation of a sinner. We are all sinners, spiritual criminals, with the death penalty of God's justice hanging over us. The penalty for sin, any kind of sin, is death. Yes, we are all on death row, spiritually speaking. We await our execution.
But the Lord Jesus took our place. He went to the cross and was executed there for us. On the cross, He made available a provisionary payment for our crimes.
Now, God comes to us and offers the pardon procured at the cross. The question is---Will you be saved by the death penalty of Another? Will you be vicariously executed in Christ or will you be personally executed in hell? Will you trust in Him and what He did on the cross for your salvation? Will you accept the pardon?
The principle of the death penalty, that is, life for life, is manifestly at work in the salvation of a sinner. We are all sinners, spiritual criminals, with the death penalty of God's justice hanging over us. The penalty for sin, any kind of sin, is death. Yes, we are all on death row, spiritually speaking. We await our execution.
But the Lord Jesus took our place. He went to the cross and was executed there for us. On the cross, He made available a provisionary payment for our crimes.
Now, God comes to us and offers the pardon procured at the cross. The question is---Will you be saved by the death penalty of Another? Will you be vicariously executed in Christ or will you be personally executed in hell? Will you trust in Him and what He did on the cross for your salvation? Will you accept the pardon?
Thursday, May 19, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #462
Job 16:21 Oh, that one might plead for a man with God, As a man pleads for his neighbor!
This was Job yearning for a mediator, a go-between between God and man. Job's longing is answered in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. He came and became the middle person for man to be reconciled to God.
The Lord Jesus became our neighbor when He became Man 2000 years ago. He is our fellow, our kin, one like us, in a sense, our neighbor, who lives at Humanity Street like we do. And there on the cross He died for our sins and rose from the dead.
We can commit our case, our soul's salvation to Him, and be assured that God will hear Him. For our neighbor is also God's neighbor, in fact, God's own unique Son.
This was Job yearning for a mediator, a go-between between God and man. Job's longing is answered in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. He came and became the middle person for man to be reconciled to God.
The Lord Jesus became our neighbor when He became Man 2000 years ago. He is our fellow, our kin, one like us, in a sense, our neighbor, who lives at Humanity Street like we do. And there on the cross He died for our sins and rose from the dead.
We can commit our case, our soul's salvation to Him, and be assured that God will hear Him. For our neighbor is also God's neighbor, in fact, God's own unique Son.
Sunday, May 15, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #461
Change Is Coming
The Philippine presidential elections of 2016 went to Rodrigo Duterte as the landslide winner after the smoke cleared. People bought into the promise of a coming change if Duterte should be installed into office. "Change is coming" is the banner slogan of the Duterte campaign.
Whatever change people are expecting would only be skin deep. A makeover at best. Real and genuine change comes from within. Moving to a different house with a new administrator may reform but it surely will not and cannot transform.
It may treat the symptoms but it can never address the cause. The fundamental problem does not lie primarily without. No, it lies deep within out of reach for any of us to deal with. What we see through our windows is a reflection of who we see on our mirrors. Before we seek to solve our country we must first find a solution to ourselves.
Change can only come through Christ and in Christ. He alone is able to reach down to the bottomless depths of the human heart and effect change from there---where it matters and solves the problem.
You want change? You want transformation? Come to Christ!
The Philippine presidential elections of 2016 went to Rodrigo Duterte as the landslide winner after the smoke cleared. People bought into the promise of a coming change if Duterte should be installed into office. "Change is coming" is the banner slogan of the Duterte campaign.
Whatever change people are expecting would only be skin deep. A makeover at best. Real and genuine change comes from within. Moving to a different house with a new administrator may reform but it surely will not and cannot transform.
It may treat the symptoms but it can never address the cause. The fundamental problem does not lie primarily without. No, it lies deep within out of reach for any of us to deal with. What we see through our windows is a reflection of who we see on our mirrors. Before we seek to solve our country we must first find a solution to ourselves.
Change can only come through Christ and in Christ. He alone is able to reach down to the bottomless depths of the human heart and effect change from there---where it matters and solves the problem.
You want change? You want transformation? Come to Christ!
Monday, April 25, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #460
Junking Junk Food And Repentance
Many today live on junk food laced with killer substances that will eventually destroy them. They gobble up and load themselves with food that are harmful to the body. And then they reap the consequences---a life of pain, suffering and misery.
Many today live on junk food laced with killer substances that will eventually destroy them. They gobble up and load themselves with food that are harmful to the body. And then they reap the consequences---a life of pain, suffering and misery.
All these usually happen under the caring and loving rebukes of friends and loved ones, who are ignored, and in many cases, chafed upon.
Then the red line is crossed, the irreversible condition is reached and death stares at them in the face. How they wish they could turn back time.
Applying all these to salvation, you see, sin is like junk food. And repentance is losing appetite over it. My friend, repent. View sin as the spiritual junk food that it is and lose your appetite over it. A fleeting and momentary savor of sin is no bargain to an eternity of misery.
Come to Christ. Come to Him in repentance and faith, trusting in Him and what He did on the cross for your salvation.
Joh 6:48 "I am the bread of life.
Joh 6:35 And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
Friday, April 22, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #459
"Believe On The Lord Jesus Christ And You Will Behave"
Great theology often comes from the lips of little children. In a Vacation Bible School, a little boy was made to memorize Acts 16:31 which says: "Believe (trust) on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved..."
Like many little children, he had trouble pronouncing a certain letter. His was the letter "s." When it was his turn to recite the verse, he lisped and faltered on the word "saved." Instead of saying "Believe (trust) on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be SAVED," he said "Believe (trust) on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will BEHAVE."
We may find it funny, but if you think of it, in one sense, what he said was true. Salvation does bring a transformation in one's life.
Tit 3:3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.
4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,
5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
They were once misbehaving (verse 3) but when they were saved, it became a thing of the past. When they got saved, they behaved.
My friend, come to the Lord Jesus Christ. Trust in Him and what He did on the cross for your salvation and you will not only be saved but you will also behave.
Great theology often comes from the lips of little children. In a Vacation Bible School, a little boy was made to memorize Acts 16:31 which says: "Believe (trust) on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved..."
Like many little children, he had trouble pronouncing a certain letter. His was the letter "s." When it was his turn to recite the verse, he lisped and faltered on the word "saved." Instead of saying "Believe (trust) on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be SAVED," he said "Believe (trust) on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will BEHAVE."
We may find it funny, but if you think of it, in one sense, what he said was true. Salvation does bring a transformation in one's life.
Tit 3:3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.
4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,
5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
They were once misbehaving (verse 3) but when they were saved, it became a thing of the past. When they got saved, they behaved.
My friend, come to the Lord Jesus Christ. Trust in Him and what He did on the cross for your salvation and you will not only be saved but you will also behave.
Monday, April 11, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #458
“…I
bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself.” (Exodus 19:4)
God bearing Israel on eagles’ wings is a picture of grace. God, through His grace, brought them to Himself. Eagles are also known for their powerful wings. God, through His power, brought Israel to Himself.
It is the same in the salvation of a sinner. As sinners, we were separated from God because of our sins. But through the grace of God in Christ Jesus, who is the power of God to salvation, not through our own efforts, we can be brought to Him.
Just as an eagle spreads its wings to carry its young so the Lord Jesus stretched out His hands on the cross to bring us to God:
1PE 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God…
If you are still unsaved right now, come to Christ, cling to the cross in faith and you will be brought to God. We cannot bring ourselves to God. We must be brought to Him. And it is only through Christ.
God bearing Israel on eagles’ wings is a picture of grace. God, through His grace, brought them to Himself. Eagles are also known for their powerful wings. God, through His power, brought Israel to Himself.
It is the same in the salvation of a sinner. As sinners, we were separated from God because of our sins. But through the grace of God in Christ Jesus, who is the power of God to salvation, not through our own efforts, we can be brought to Him.
Just as an eagle spreads its wings to carry its young so the Lord Jesus stretched out His hands on the cross to bring us to God:
1PE 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God…
If you are still unsaved right now, come to Christ, cling to the cross in faith and you will be brought to God. We cannot bring ourselves to God. We must be brought to Him. And it is only through Christ.
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #457
Ge 12:14 So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful.
15 The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house.
Ge 12:16 He treated Abram well for her (Sarah's) sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
Abraham was treated well by Pharaoh for Sarah's sake. Abraham became exceedingly wealthy because of her. It was Sarah's beauty, but it was Abraham's blessing.
Picture of salvation alert! It is exactly the same with the salvation of a sinner. A sinner is spiritually bankrupt before God, but, God, because of Christ, can bless him "with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ."
A sinner is someone who is spiritually hideous to God, he deserves nothing but judgment. But God can treat him well, not because of him, but because of Christ.
Abraham was treated well because of his connection to Sarah. In the same way, we will also be treated well, saved by God, if we are connected to Christ by faith in Him and what He did on the cross.
Are you connected to Christ? Has He become your "Sarah" to God?
15 The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house.
Ge 12:16 He treated Abram well for her (Sarah's) sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
Abraham was treated well by Pharaoh for Sarah's sake. Abraham became exceedingly wealthy because of her. It was Sarah's beauty, but it was Abraham's blessing.
Picture of salvation alert! It is exactly the same with the salvation of a sinner. A sinner is spiritually bankrupt before God, but, God, because of Christ, can bless him "with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ."
A sinner is someone who is spiritually hideous to God, he deserves nothing but judgment. But God can treat him well, not because of him, but because of Christ.
Abraham was treated well because of his connection to Sarah. In the same way, we will also be treated well, saved by God, if we are connected to Christ by faith in Him and what He did on the cross.
Are you connected to Christ? Has He become your "Sarah" to God?
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #456
In a very famous hymn written by Isaac Watts way back in the 1700s, he wrote the following: "Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, Save in the death of Christ my God!"
Anyone who knows the salvation of God in Christ could not agree more. The saved cannot say that he saved himself by his efforts for salvation is "not of works" (Eph. 2:9).
He cannot assume that it was his character that did it "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 6:23).
He cannot assert that it was his religious achievements that caused it for prior to salvation, his righteous deeds are like "filthy rags" (Isa. 64:6) and "rubbish" (Philippians 3:8) in God's sight.
His claim to salvation is in none of these. For salvation is not founded on all of these. Rather, salvation is based on what the Lord Jesus Christ did on the cross. His boast is not on self and what self has done but on what the Savior did on the cross.
Is He your boast? Is He your salvation? Have you trusted in Him alone for salvation?
Monday, March 7, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #455
What Have You Been Doing All These Years Why You Haven't Found God Yet?
You're now twenty or thirty or even forty something and you haven't found God yet? What?!!? What have you been doing all these years? Did you even seek for Him? What kind of a fool are you why in all these years you're still there?
Twenty, thirty and forty years is a pretty long time. How careless you are with your soul. You will be the one to blame when God, in judgment, will strike you dead. You wasted all those years.
God is not hard to find when one seeks for Him with a repentant heart. Every truly seeking soul will find Him in Christ Jesus.
He will realize that he is a sinner in need of salvation and that it is only through Christ and what He did on the cross that he can be reconciled to God.
Thursday, March 3, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #454
Ex 15:22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water.
Ex 15:23 Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah..
Ex 15:25 So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet...
.
In verse 25, we see a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the tree that made the bitter waters sweet. Spiritually speaking, we are like the bitter waters. We are spiritual criminals who are totally unacceptable to God.
But the Lord Jesus Christ came and died on the cross for us. He provided a payment for all our crimes against God. And at the moment of trusting in Him and what He did on the cross, He imputes to us His own righteousness, making us totally and perfectly acceptable to God. In ourselves, we are bitter. In Christ, we are made sweet.
Notice two things here:
First, it was only when the Israelites realized their needy condition that God showed the tree. In the same way, the message of the cross of Christ will remain obscure to us, if we haven’t seen our needy, helpless and hopeless condition in saving ourselves.
Secondly, the mere existence of the tree was not enough. It had to be thrown into the waters for the waters to be made sweet.
In the same way, the availability of the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and the fact of His death on the cross for us will do us no good, if it is not applied to us.
It is at the moment of faith, of trusting in the Savior and what He did on the cross, that we are saved.
GAL 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE”—
2CO 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Ex 15:23 Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah..
Ex 15:25 So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet...
.
In verse 25, we see a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the tree that made the bitter waters sweet. Spiritually speaking, we are like the bitter waters. We are spiritual criminals who are totally unacceptable to God.
But the Lord Jesus Christ came and died on the cross for us. He provided a payment for all our crimes against God. And at the moment of trusting in Him and what He did on the cross, He imputes to us His own righteousness, making us totally and perfectly acceptable to God. In ourselves, we are bitter. In Christ, we are made sweet.
Notice two things here:
First, it was only when the Israelites realized their needy condition that God showed the tree. In the same way, the message of the cross of Christ will remain obscure to us, if we haven’t seen our needy, helpless and hopeless condition in saving ourselves.
Secondly, the mere existence of the tree was not enough. It had to be thrown into the waters for the waters to be made sweet.
In the same way, the availability of the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and the fact of His death on the cross for us will do us no good, if it is not applied to us.
It is at the moment of faith, of trusting in the Savior and what He did on the cross, that we are saved.
GAL 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE”—
2CO 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Monday, February 29, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #453
Sin is man's greatest problem. Here's why. What are the problems that usually plague man today? Let's name a few:
* Financial problems
* Family problems
* Relationship problems
* Crimes
* Corruption
* Diseases
* Family problems
* Relationship problems
* Crimes
* Corruption
* Diseases
One hundred years from now, you won't be bothered by these problems anymore because you'll be dead. But there's one perennial problem that will haunt you for all eternity if you don't avail yourself of its solution today.
That problem is separation from God because of sin. Every single sin is a spiritual heinous crime against God with life sentence in the lake of fire as the penalty.
Settle this problem now by coming to Christ in repentance and faith, trusting in what He did on the cross for your salvation. He died for your crimes and rose again from the dead.
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #452
Ex 15:2 The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation...
Notice the words: “...He has become my salvation.”
It is an acknowledgment that they cannot save themselves and so “He” (the Lord) must be the source their salvation.
Sadly, many people today are saying instead: “I, me and myself have become my own salvation. I can save myself by my good works, by my being religious and by my good character.”
.
It is nothing but pride and a delusion. It’s like Israel saying: “I can defeat all of Pharaoh’s armies. I can divide the waters for me to safely pass through. I will wear my Nike shoes and just do it. I can save myself.”
No. No. No. Salvation is of the Lord. And He (through the person of the Lord Jesus Christ) must become your salvation in order for you to be saved.
Has He become your salvation by coming to Him in faith, trusting in Him and what He did on the cross alone for salvation?
Sunday, February 21, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #451
Ex 14:2 "Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea.
.
.
Researchers who went and explored the actual site specified in this verse discovered that this land area is actually a cul-de-sac. It is a dead-end. God led them to a place where it was humanly impossible to escape.
From the human standpoint, Israel’s position was a hopeless case. They were actually cornered. In front of them was a sea, behind them were the Egyptians coming after them, flanking them on the sides were mountains. And it was all God’s plan.
God intentionally placed them there to make them realize how helpless and hopeless they were in themselves in saving themselves from the Egyptians. At this point, all they could do was look up, stand still and totally rely on His mighty saving arm to deliver them. Their only hope was Him.
.
In the salvation of a sinner, God always works toward this end. He seeks to bring us to the end of ourselves and make us realize that we have always been like that ever since----helpless and hopeless in ourselves to save ourselves.
Spiritually speaking, we can’t escape God’s judgment. We are all cornered. We are all shut up in one corner awaiting destruction. Our only hope is the grace and mercy of God in Christ Jesus manifested when He died on the cross for our sins.
Spiritually speaking, have you been at your Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; in front of Baal-zephon, opposite it, by the sea?
Come to Christ. He's your only hope.
Saturday, February 20, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #450
Can A Homosexual Be Saved?
First of all, let's define what a homosexual is. A homosexual is someone who is sexually attracted and has sexual desires towards the same sex.
Just as it is wrong and sinful to have sexual desires towards someone else's spouse (it's adultery), so it is wrong to have sexual desires toward members of the same sex. God designed man for the woman and vice-versa.
Just as an adulterer must repent of his or her adultery, so a homosexual must repent of his or her homosexuality.
A man who is resisting his adulterous desires and not practicing it is not an adulterer even though he has a weakness in this area. A person who is resisting his homosexual desires and not practicing it is not a homosexual even though he has a weakness in this area.
When a homosexual comes to Christ for salvation, Christ will give him a new nature that will counter his old sinful nature. He will be transformed into a new man.
If you are struggling with this sin, come to Christ in repentance and faith and He will give you new and holy desires to live the life that God intended you to live.
1Co 6:9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor HOMOSEXUALS, nor SODOMITES,
10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such WERE (past tense) some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
You see, being a homosexual must be a thing of the past if you want to inherit the kingdom of God. You must be washed, sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God.
You see, being a homosexual must be a thing of the past if you want to inherit the kingdom of God. You must be washed, sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God.
Saturday, February 6, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #449
Exodus 12---The Redemption Chapter
Learn something about redemption in this chapter. Redemption is deliverance by payment of a price.
And that’s exactly what we see here in this chapter. Before Israel could be set free, a price has to be paid. What was the price of Israel's redemption? The life of the Passover Lamb that served as a substitute for Israel’s firstborn sons who would have died without it.
In the same way, we are all in bondage to sin. We are in bondage to its power, its penalty and its very presence. No amount of self-effort on our part could free us from sin’s bondage.
The price must be paid. We could not pay the price ourselves but God has provided it in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ when He died on the cross for our sins.
If we avail ourselves of the provision, by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross, we will be redeemed.
Learn something about redemption in this chapter. Redemption is deliverance by payment of a price.
And that’s exactly what we see here in this chapter. Before Israel could be set free, a price has to be paid. What was the price of Israel's redemption? The life of the Passover Lamb that served as a substitute for Israel’s firstborn sons who would have died without it.
In the same way, we are all in bondage to sin. We are in bondage to its power, its penalty and its very presence. No amount of self-effort on our part could free us from sin’s bondage.
The price must be paid. We could not pay the price ourselves but God has provided it in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ when He died on the cross for our sins.
If we avail ourselves of the provision, by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross, we will be redeemed.
Monday, February 1, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #448
The God Of Design
Everywhere we look, if we have eyes to see, design leaps out and stares at us in the face. Consider the following:
* The staggering design found in snowflakes
* The snazzy arrangements and patterns in flowers and leaves
* The stupendous systems operating in the human body
* The spectacular symmetry found in the insect world
* The superb biological machinery of a cell
* The stunning razor-sharp precision of the mathematics behind the universe
* The skillful programming in the DNA
* The snazzy arrangements and patterns in flowers and leaves
* The stupendous systems operating in the human body
* The spectacular symmetry found in the insect world
* The superb biological machinery of a cell
* The stunning razor-sharp precision of the mathematics behind the universe
* The skillful programming in the DNA
If your life has been a mess and screwed up by sin, if it has been nothing but a moral mayhem and a spiritual shamble (it's always like that without God in your life) come to Christ.
He can make you whole again. God is a God of order and design. He can give your life meaning, purpose and design. Come to Him through Christ, repenting and trusting in Him and what He did on the cross for your salvation.
Friday, January 29, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #447
When Morality Becomes A Highway To Hell
Morality becomes a way to hell when it becomes a substitute for the Savior and His work on the cross for one's salvation.
Satan will do anything to promote morality so long as it becomes one's reliance for salvation instead of the Savior. He's not against it but all for it.
In fact, that's what he is doing right now. In many churches today, morality is emphasized while the Savior and His work on the cross is de-emphasized, if not ignored and neglected altogether.
The first and foremost need of a sinner is to be saved, not moralized. A moralized sinner will still go to hell for morality never saved anyone for salvation is not found in anyone or anything else except in the Savior.
Saturday, January 23, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #446
EX 12:21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go
and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover
lamb.
EX 12:22 “You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning.
Notice that the availability of the blood of the Passover Lamb does no one any good if one does not apply it on one’s lintel and doorposts.
He must take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood of the lamb and apply it. Hyssop is a fluffy little plant that was used to apply or sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice.
Hyssop represents faith. We apply and avail ourselves of the benefits of the atonement of Christ by putting our trust in Him and what He did on the cross.
An available and yet untrusted Savior saves no one. He only saves those who put their trust in Him.
He died for your sins and rose again from the dead. Trust Him now for your salvation.
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
GOSPEL NUGGET #445
Asking For Forgiveness Does Not Necessarily Mean Repentance
Pharaoh asked for forgiveness but later on revealed his true heart condition.
* Pharaoh asking for forgiveness: "Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and said, "I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you. Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and entreat the LORD your God, that He may take away from me this death only." Exodus 10:17-18
* Pharaoh later on revealing his true heart condition: "Then Pharaoh said to him, "Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! For in the day you see my face you shall die!" Ex 10:28
Repentance is a change of heart attitude towards God, sin, self and Christ. It is taking God seriously, hating sin, realizing one's helplessness in saving oneself and trusting in Christ for salvation.
It is possible for our mouths to ask for forgiveness somewhat like Pharaoh's and yet, all the while, the heart remains unrepentant as ever. It is true that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, but it is also true that the mouth can profess what it does not have in the heart.
People put labels on a can because that's exactly what's inside of it. But it is also possible to put labels on a can without any substance at all on the inside.
Sadly, a lot of people only have the label in their mouths but never have the substance in their hearts. Are you one of them?
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