Repent!
Repent --- take God seriously
Repent --- hate and abhor sin
Repent --- realize that you are a sinner bound for judgment, helpless and hopeless to save yourself
Repent --- turn to the Savior, trusting in Him alone and what He did on the cross for salvation
Yes, repent! Repent now!
Friday, December 29, 2017
Thursday, December 28, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #534
Eph 5:8 ...you were once darkness but now you are light in the Lord
2Co 4:4 ... the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ ...
Mal 4:2 ...The Sun of Righteousness shall arise...
Joh 1:5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Mt 13:43 "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
As sinners, we are all in a state of darkness. "Darkness" speaks of ignorance, error and sin. Try walking in the dark; you just don't know anything around you (ignorance). You will err and do all kinds of wrong things; you stumble, slip and hit something etcetera (error and sin). As sinners, we are ignorant of God and His ways and we commit all kinds of wrong and we love it so to a point that we can be called "darkness" ourselves!
But the light of the gospel came, the sun of righteousness, the Lord Jesus Christ, has risen to shine its beams on the world, us. If we come out and expose ourselves to Him by faith our whole being will be irradiated with His light, His righteousness will be imputed to us so much so that we ourselves can be called as "light in the Lord." Then we ourselves, who were once darkness "will shine forth as the sun."
My friend, will you come? Will you allow the Light of the world to shine in your heart and shine forth as the sun or Son? Will you come by faith and receive freely the bright beams of righteousness that He offers?
2Co 4:4 ... the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ ...
Mal 4:2 ...The Sun of Righteousness shall arise...
Joh 1:5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Mt 13:43 "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
As sinners, we are all in a state of darkness. "Darkness" speaks of ignorance, error and sin. Try walking in the dark; you just don't know anything around you (ignorance). You will err and do all kinds of wrong things; you stumble, slip and hit something etcetera (error and sin). As sinners, we are ignorant of God and His ways and we commit all kinds of wrong and we love it so to a point that we can be called "darkness" ourselves!
But the light of the gospel came, the sun of righteousness, the Lord Jesus Christ, has risen to shine its beams on the world, us. If we come out and expose ourselves to Him by faith our whole being will be irradiated with His light, His righteousness will be imputed to us so much so that we ourselves can be called as "light in the Lord." Then we ourselves, who were once darkness "will shine forth as the sun."
My friend, will you come? Will you allow the Light of the world to shine in your heart and shine forth as the sun or Son? Will you come by faith and receive freely the bright beams of righteousness that He offers?
Sunday, December 24, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET # 533
During World War 1 in 1914, England and Germany were at war against each other. Five months into the war about 800,000 soldiers were wounded and killed all in all already.
But something happened on December 25. From the camp of the British soldiers, a "Merry Christmas" sign was raised, then they sang a Christmas carol. The Germans also sang a Christmas carol of their own. Soon, carols were heard from both camps.
Then soldiers from both camps emerged from their trenches unarmed and met with their counterparts right in the middle of the cross fire zone. They sang Christmas songs, conversed with each other , exchanged gifts and played a soccer game! The Germans won 3 to 2.
Later on, however, when additional troops came, the war resumed. The amazing thing was this --- in memory of the Incarnation, enemies experienced peace with each other, although temporarily.
Today, as we celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, let us never forget that peace and reconciliation with God is possible because 2000 years ago the Lord Jesus Christ became a Man. Because of Him, if we trust in Him alone for salvation, we can "play soccer" with God for all eternity.
Monday, December 18, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #532
"...Peace be with you."When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side." Joh 20:19-20
Man as a sinner is at enmity with God. He needs to have peace with God and the peace of God. But this peace has its foundation and basis on what the Lord Jesus Christ did on the cross. You see, right after He said: "Peace be with you" He then showed them His nail marks.
Col 1: 20: "... having made peace through the blood of His cross."
You see, it's only through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary that an enemy of God can become at peace with Him. Come therefore and take refuge, by faith in Him, yes in the Peace Maker and what He did for you on the cross so that you might enjoy peace and reconciliation with God.
Man as a sinner is at enmity with God. He needs to have peace with God and the peace of God. But this peace has its foundation and basis on what the Lord Jesus Christ did on the cross. You see, right after He said: "Peace be with you" He then showed them His nail marks.
Col 1: 20: "... having made peace through the blood of His cross."
You see, it's only through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary that an enemy of God can become at peace with Him. Come therefore and take refuge, by faith in Him, yes in the Peace Maker and what He did for you on the cross so that you might enjoy peace and reconciliation with God.
Monday, December 11, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #531
Mr 8:27 ... "Who do men say that I am?"
Although the question was asked two thousand years ago, the Lord is still asking that very same question today to everyone. It’s a question for the ages. The prize for the right answer from the heart is eternal life.
“Who is the Lord Jesus to you in your life?” Do you trust in Him as the Christ? Do you rely on Him as the anointed priest and sacrifice for your sins for the salvation of your soul?” If yes, then 1st John 5:1 assures us: “Whoever believes or trust that Jesus is the Christ is born of God…”
If you are still unsaved, I urge you to trust in Him as the Christ. He is the Christ who died for your sins and rose again from the dead.
Although the question was asked two thousand years ago, the Lord is still asking that very same question today to everyone. It’s a question for the ages. The prize for the right answer from the heart is eternal life.
“Who is the Lord Jesus to you in your life?” Do you trust in Him as the Christ? Do you rely on Him as the anointed priest and sacrifice for your sins for the salvation of your soul?” If yes, then 1st John 5:1 assures us: “Whoever believes or trust that Jesus is the Christ is born of God…”
If you are still unsaved, I urge you to trust in Him as the Christ. He is the Christ who died for your sins and rose again from the dead.
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET 530
Are You Blind?
Yes, are you blind? Are you blind to the fact that God is an absolutely holy God and that He demands perfect righteousness from you? Are you blind to the vileness of sin and its control over you? Are you blind to the grim reality that it takes only one sin on your part for you to be a sure candidate for the lake of fire? Are you blind to your spiritual condition that you are helpless and powerless to save yourself? Are you blind to your own utter weakness with regard to righteousness?
Are you blind to the all-sufficiency of Christ and His work on the cross for your salvation? Are you blind to the attractions of His work for you on the cross of Calvary?
If you say "yes" to all these questions then, my friend, let me warn you that your willful blindness will lead you to eternal darkness the very moment when it will be lights out for you here.
God grant you grace, will you open your eyes? God is an absolutely holy God. Perfect righteousness, no less, is His demand. Sin is your greatest problem. You really can't save yourself. Christ and His work on the cross is your only hope.
Yes, are you blind? Are you blind to the fact that God is an absolutely holy God and that He demands perfect righteousness from you? Are you blind to the vileness of sin and its control over you? Are you blind to the grim reality that it takes only one sin on your part for you to be a sure candidate for the lake of fire? Are you blind to your spiritual condition that you are helpless and powerless to save yourself? Are you blind to your own utter weakness with regard to righteousness?
Are you blind to the all-sufficiency of Christ and His work on the cross for your salvation? Are you blind to the attractions of His work for you on the cross of Calvary?
If you say "yes" to all these questions then, my friend, let me warn you that your willful blindness will lead you to eternal darkness the very moment when it will be lights out for you here.
God grant you grace, will you open your eyes? God is an absolutely holy God. Perfect righteousness, no less, is His demand. Sin is your greatest problem. You really can't save yourself. Christ and His work on the cross is your only hope.
Sunday, December 3, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #529
Big Yellow Taxi
In a hit song written by Joni Mitchell "Big Yellow Taxi," a line struck me which says: "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you got till its gone. They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."
I thought of many people in the world about how they treat the Lord Jesus Christ. He is Paradise Himself and yet they reject Him for a whole parking lot of things. They don't know what they got in Him until He is gone forever by their rejection of Him.
1 Co 2:8 ... none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
There are many people right now in a place of torment who took for granted the Lord Jesus while they were living. Now that they are there they now realize His true value. They thought little of Him and what He did for them on the cross but they now realize too late that He is Paradise Himself. They "paved paradise and put up a parking lot" so to speak.
Will you be one of them? Will you pave paradise and put up a parking lot?
In a hit song written by Joni Mitchell "Big Yellow Taxi," a line struck me which says: "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you got till its gone. They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."
I thought of many people in the world about how they treat the Lord Jesus Christ. He is Paradise Himself and yet they reject Him for a whole parking lot of things. They don't know what they got in Him until He is gone forever by their rejection of Him.
1 Co 2:8 ... none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
There are many people right now in a place of torment who took for granted the Lord Jesus while they were living. Now that they are there they now realize His true value. They thought little of Him and what He did for them on the cross but they now realize too late that He is Paradise Himself. They "paved paradise and put up a parking lot" so to speak.
Will you be one of them? Will you pave paradise and put up a parking lot?
Thursday, November 9, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #528
From Faith To Faith
Ro 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
Ro 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."
The gospel of Christ refers to the good news that He died for our sins and rose from the dead. It is the message a sinner must trust in order to be saved and imputed the righteousness of God.
A sinner only has to put his faith in it? Yes
No, amount of works whatsoever? Yes, it is from faith to faith or by faith from first to last. Not faith at the first stage and then works in the second stage. No, it's by faith alone all the way through.
Ro 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
Ro 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."
The gospel of Christ refers to the good news that He died for our sins and rose from the dead. It is the message a sinner must trust in order to be saved and imputed the righteousness of God.
A sinner only has to put his faith in it? Yes
No, amount of works whatsoever? Yes, it is from faith to faith or by faith from first to last. Not faith at the first stage and then works in the second stage. No, it's by faith alone all the way through.
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #527
EX 30:34 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Take for yourself spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, spices with pure frankincense; there shall be an equal part of each.
EX 30:35 “With it you shall make incense, a perfume, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, and holy.
The perfume-incense here is a picture of Christ.
The incense was burned perpetually on the golden altar. Every single day, twice daily, the priest would burn the incense. The perfume incense here speaks of the Lord’s prayers and intercession for us.
HEB 7:25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
You see that? “He always lives to make intercession for them.” They are kept saved because of His perpetual intercession.
HEB 9:24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;
Now, the fragrance of the perfume incense represents the Lord Jesus’ perfections and merits that are very fragrant and acceptable to God. We stink and stench. We are totally repulsive to God. But we have Christ, our fragrance before God. Again, Ephesians 5:2 describes Christ and His work on the cross as a sweet-smelling aroma to God.
If you are unsaved, if you still stink and stench before God, I have good news for you. I have God’s holy perfume to offer to you. It’s free and you can put it on by faith in Christ and His work on the cross.
EX 30:35 “With it you shall make incense, a perfume, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, and holy.
The perfume-incense here is a picture of Christ.
The incense was burned perpetually on the golden altar. Every single day, twice daily, the priest would burn the incense. The perfume incense here speaks of the Lord’s prayers and intercession for us.
HEB 7:25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
You see that? “He always lives to make intercession for them.” They are kept saved because of His perpetual intercession.
HEB 9:24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;
Now, the fragrance of the perfume incense represents the Lord Jesus’ perfections and merits that are very fragrant and acceptable to God. We stink and stench. We are totally repulsive to God. But we have Christ, our fragrance before God. Again, Ephesians 5:2 describes Christ and His work on the cross as a sweet-smelling aroma to God.
If you are unsaved, if you still stink and stench before God, I have good news for you. I have God’s holy perfume to offer to you. It’s free and you can put it on by faith in Christ and His work on the cross.
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #526
Php 3:4...If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so
Php 3:5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;
6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
Unsaved man without the Spirit of God is nothing but flesh. "Flesh" refers to self in its fallen state. If ever there was a man who could be confident about himself with regard to being accepted by God, it would be Paul. Paul has a word to anyone who claims that he has climbed the heights of religious prestige and accomplishment, Paul says: "I more so!" Everyone is only second to Paul in this regard.
If a man could be accepted by God in terms of ancestry Paul had it. Orthodoxy? He got it. Accomplishment? With zeal his hands were full of it. Morality? He had a blameless corner on it. Paul was high up there way above the rest of us.
But he did an accounting of it all, he took up his spiritual ledger, he compared his gains and losses and said: "But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ" (Php 3:7).
Ancestry, orthodoxy, accomplishments and morality relied upon for salvation could never save him. They are losses to the degree in which they drive him away from gaining salvation. All these things that he thought were advantages and gains for him as far as achieving salvation was concerned were nothing but a disadvantage, a "loss," compared to the salvation he can have in Christ by faith.
My friend, if the apostle Paul had to come down the heights of religious privileges and advantages in order to bow down in faith at the feet of Christ for salvation, then how much more us who are way below the ladder? We are nothing but flesh. We could not do anything to save ourselves. The best of men are only men at their best. And it's not enough. Come to Christ!!!
Php 3:5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;
6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
Unsaved man without the Spirit of God is nothing but flesh. "Flesh" refers to self in its fallen state. If ever there was a man who could be confident about himself with regard to being accepted by God, it would be Paul. Paul has a word to anyone who claims that he has climbed the heights of religious prestige and accomplishment, Paul says: "I more so!" Everyone is only second to Paul in this regard.
If a man could be accepted by God in terms of ancestry Paul had it. Orthodoxy? He got it. Accomplishment? With zeal his hands were full of it. Morality? He had a blameless corner on it. Paul was high up there way above the rest of us.
But he did an accounting of it all, he took up his spiritual ledger, he compared his gains and losses and said: "But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ" (Php 3:7).
Ancestry, orthodoxy, accomplishments and morality relied upon for salvation could never save him. They are losses to the degree in which they drive him away from gaining salvation. All these things that he thought were advantages and gains for him as far as achieving salvation was concerned were nothing but a disadvantage, a "loss," compared to the salvation he can have in Christ by faith.
My friend, if the apostle Paul had to come down the heights of religious privileges and advantages in order to bow down in faith at the feet of Christ for salvation, then how much more us who are way below the ladder? We are nothing but flesh. We could not do anything to save ourselves. The best of men are only men at their best. And it's not enough. Come to Christ!!!
Monday, October 2, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #525
Mr 7:21 "...out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 "thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.
23 "All these evil things come from within and defile a man."
“Out of the heart of men” comes all kinds of sin and evil. Man has a plague within. It's called the depravity of man. Not all may have committed the sins enumerated here but we all have the potential and capacity to do it.
My friend, if you are still unsaved, realize that you have a desperate heart problem. Religious therapy of praying, kneeling, going to church etcetera won’t do it. Regular exercise of good works won’t do it. It’s that desperate. My friend, you need a heart transplant. Go to Ezekiel 36:26 please:
“Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
And you can only experience this heart transplant if you come to Christ in faith. Come to Him, trusting in Him and what He did on the cross for your salvation.
Thursday, September 21, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #524
“...the atonement money..." Ex 30:16
God is teaching Israel here that sin is also a spiritual debt in the reckoning of God. And our sins (our debts) must be paid for.
Applying the principle to ourselves, we are all sinners before God, we are all debtors. Each of us is responsible to pay the debt. But the price is too costly and infinite to pay and we are spiritually bankrupt. But God provided us an atonement money in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.
If we want to pay out debts, we must appropriate for ourselves the Lord Jesus Christ and His work on the cross by faith, then and only then can we pay our debts before God.
There is no other "atonement money" that can pay our debts before God. We only have Christ. Come to Him now in faith and have your debts all paid for.
God is teaching Israel here that sin is also a spiritual debt in the reckoning of God. And our sins (our debts) must be paid for.
Applying the principle to ourselves, we are all sinners before God, we are all debtors. Each of us is responsible to pay the debt. But the price is too costly and infinite to pay and we are spiritually bankrupt. But God provided us an atonement money in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.
If we want to pay out debts, we must appropriate for ourselves the Lord Jesus Christ and His work on the cross by faith, then and only then can we pay our debts before God.
There is no other "atonement money" that can pay our debts before God. We only have Christ. Come to Him now in faith and have your debts all paid for.
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #523
The CGR Or The Commission Of God's Rights
In the Philippines, September 12, 2017, many people reacted strongly against congress' decision, particularly that of the lower house, that the Commission of Human Rights would be allocated a mere 1000-peso annual budget for the following year, 2018. It is practically a move to dissolve the commission.
A sea of dissenting voices was heard all over. Many people of the land clamored for the upholding of human rights. And yet, one glaring thing about this nation is that practically, as a nation, for decades,
God's rights were not upheld!
What about God's rights to be obeyed and honored in this nation?! What about upholding God's just claim that there should be no immorality in the land?! What about crying down premarital sex, the addiction to sexual lust, in this land, a thing that He hates? Why is it that practically no one went against the showing of Fifty Shades of Gray in this land? Why did it become a hit here in this nation? What about the filthy mouths of the youth of this nation, a thing which is as common as the air?
What about the rampant cheating or corruption in schools, which are later on carried and practiced in the workplace either in the private or government sector when they graduate? What about the utter hypocrisy of this nation? It professes to be Christian and yet it tops in corruption, teenage pregnancy, etcetera in world surveys?
And the things I mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg. Miles and miles of shameful list are still down there at the bottom. In all these things, God's rights as God are flung to the ground. You clamor for your rights?! What about His rights?! Huh?!
First things first --- recognize God's rights. Turn, repent and come to the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Seek first to be right with God, then and only then can you be right with each other.
In the Philippines, September 12, 2017, many people reacted strongly against congress' decision, particularly that of the lower house, that the Commission of Human Rights would be allocated a mere 1000-peso annual budget for the following year, 2018. It is practically a move to dissolve the commission.
A sea of dissenting voices was heard all over. Many people of the land clamored for the upholding of human rights. And yet, one glaring thing about this nation is that practically, as a nation, for decades,
God's rights were not upheld!
What about God's rights to be obeyed and honored in this nation?! What about upholding God's just claim that there should be no immorality in the land?! What about crying down premarital sex, the addiction to sexual lust, in this land, a thing that He hates? Why is it that practically no one went against the showing of Fifty Shades of Gray in this land? Why did it become a hit here in this nation? What about the filthy mouths of the youth of this nation, a thing which is as common as the air?
What about the rampant cheating or corruption in schools, which are later on carried and practiced in the workplace either in the private or government sector when they graduate? What about the utter hypocrisy of this nation? It professes to be Christian and yet it tops in corruption, teenage pregnancy, etcetera in world surveys?
And the things I mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg. Miles and miles of shameful list are still down there at the bottom. In all these things, God's rights as God are flung to the ground. You clamor for your rights?! What about His rights?! Huh?!
First things first --- recognize God's rights. Turn, repent and come to the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Seek first to be right with God, then and only then can you be right with each other.
Friday, August 18, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #522
Do Not Trust In Your Own Repentance For Salvation
To trust in one's repentance for salvation is but trusting in oneself to be saved. It is looking inward instead of looking Christward. To be sure, repentance has an essential place in the equation of salvation, but it is certainly not saving faith's object.
Repent, yes, absolutely, but trust in your own repentance? No!
For one, none of us has ever repented as we should. We can only repent imperfectly. Moreover, our repentance could never atone for our sins. And our sins must be atoned in order for us to be saved.
To trust in something that fluctuates, to trust in something that never promises an atonement for our sins would only result in uncertainty.
Yes, repent, repent deeply, but look away yonder to Calvary where the Savior has provided a perfect, complete and permanent once-for-all atonement for all your sins. Place your faith, your trust and your confidence where it should --- in the Savior and His work on the cross.
To trust in one's repentance for salvation is but trusting in oneself to be saved. It is looking inward instead of looking Christward. To be sure, repentance has an essential place in the equation of salvation, but it is certainly not saving faith's object.
Repent, yes, absolutely, but trust in your own repentance? No!
For one, none of us has ever repented as we should. We can only repent imperfectly. Moreover, our repentance could never atone for our sins. And our sins must be atoned in order for us to be saved.
To trust in something that fluctuates, to trust in something that never promises an atonement for our sins would only result in uncertainty.
Yes, repent, repent deeply, but look away yonder to Calvary where the Savior has provided a perfect, complete and permanent once-for-all atonement for all your sins. Place your faith, your trust and your confidence where it should --- in the Savior and His work on the cross.
GOSPEL NUGGET #521
Ro 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.
Israel was, and still is, God's elect earthly people. And yet membership into that nation did not automatically guarantee one's salvation. Notice, that Paul here had to earnestly pray for Israel's salvation.
Today, many people think that membership with the one external, visible, organized religious community would ensure one's salvation. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Just as being a member of the nation Israel did not automatically result in the salvation of a Jew, if he or she did not place his or her trust in the Savior and what He did on the cross, so joining and participating with an external, visible, organized religious community cannot save if one has not repented and trusted in Christ for salvation.
Just as salvation for a Jew then was not about being a member of the nation Israel, so salvation right now is not about being a local member of a church and participating in it. Salvation, my friend, is about being united to Christ through the bonds of living faith.
Israel was, and still is, God's elect earthly people. And yet membership into that nation did not automatically guarantee one's salvation. Notice, that Paul here had to earnestly pray for Israel's salvation.
Today, many people think that membership with the one external, visible, organized religious community would ensure one's salvation. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Just as being a member of the nation Israel did not automatically result in the salvation of a Jew, if he or she did not place his or her trust in the Savior and what He did on the cross, so joining and participating with an external, visible, organized religious community cannot save if one has not repented and trusted in Christ for salvation.
Just as salvation for a Jew then was not about being a member of the nation Israel, so salvation right now is not about being a local member of a church and participating in it. Salvation, my friend, is about being united to Christ through the bonds of living faith.
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #520
MK 6:51 Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped...
The wind was raging hard against the disciples as they strained at the oars. But when the Lord came into their boat it suddenly stopped.
In the same way, until we claim the Lord Jesus as our Savior, by trusting in Him, the wrath of God will continue to blow hard against us, until we find ourselves capsized in the lake of fire.
Turn to Him and trust in Him and what He did on the cross for your salvation. Claim Him as your Savior.
The wind was raging hard against the disciples as they strained at the oars. But when the Lord came into their boat it suddenly stopped.
In the same way, until we claim the Lord Jesus as our Savior, by trusting in Him, the wrath of God will continue to blow hard against us, until we find ourselves capsized in the lake of fire.
Turn to Him and trust in Him and what He did on the cross for your salvation. Claim Him as your Savior.
GOSPEL NUGGET #519
Ex 29:37 “...whatever touches the altar shall be holy.
As sinners, we are therefore unholy in the sight of God. God is holy but we are unholy. God will never accept anyone who is unholy in His presence. God as a consuming fire against unholiness will break out against anyone who is unholy.
But the Lord Jesus came and offered Himself on the altar of Calvary. Symbolically, the altar here in Exodus 29:37 is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross. Any sinner who touches the altar by faith will be made positionally holy in the eyes of God.
The apostle Paul, speaking of those who have repented and placed their faith on Christ, has this to say about them:
Col 1:21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled
22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight--
As sinners, we are therefore unholy in the sight of God. God is holy but we are unholy. God will never accept anyone who is unholy in His presence. God as a consuming fire against unholiness will break out against anyone who is unholy.
But the Lord Jesus came and offered Himself on the altar of Calvary. Symbolically, the altar here in Exodus 29:37 is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross. Any sinner who touches the altar by faith will be made positionally holy in the eyes of God.
The apostle Paul, speaking of those who have repented and placed their faith on Christ, has this to say about them:
Col 1:21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled
22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight--
Saturday, July 15, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #518
The Pencil And The Eraser
I got this illustration from a video that I saw. I thought that I should turn it into something evangelistic.
You see, as the pencil goes on doing about his writing life, he oftentimes makes mistakes here and there, every now and then, making a mess of himself. But then the eraser comes along and erases it all for him. Each time, the eraser gets hurt and loses a little bit of himself, and then, eventually, he will go. He gave his life for the pencil, so to speak.
That pencil is you. The paper is your life. The eraser is the Lord Jesus Christ. We have made a mess of our lives. Strewn across the pages of our lives are the multitudinous sins that we have committed. Each page is dotted and blemished with sins. Our own efforts to cross it out only leaves darker marks on our lives.
Then the Lord Jesus came. To blot out our sins, He suffered the agony of the cross and lost His very life. What we could not do, He can and He will, if we entrust the cleaning up our lives to Him. Come to Him in faith and have your sins blotted out.
Saturday, July 1, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #517
The Prescription For Salvation: Faith Alone or Good Works Too?
Here's an unhealthy man plagued with some kind of a disease. And here are three physicians all coming to him to offer him their services.
Physician #1 says: "My prescription for you is this---'Act like you are well and you will be made well. Yes, act like you're good and you will be in good health. Yes, good works will do it.'"
Physician #2 says: "My prescription for you is this---'Take this medicine and act like you are well. The combination of both will cure you. Yes, it's this medicine plus good works that will do it.'"
Physician # 3 says: "My prescription is this---'Take this medicine, the very medicine that the others are prescribing you. Yes, it's proven effective. That alone will cure you. You don't have to act like you are well to get well. The medicine is enough."
My friend, there are people who say that salvation is by works. Still others say that salvation is by faith plus works. The Bible says that salvation is by faith alone in the Medicine (the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross). You take Him in by faith and you will be saved for there is only one medicine for a sinner's salvation; not our works but the Lord Jesus Himself---the Savior.
Ac 16:30 And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
31 So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved...
Here's an unhealthy man plagued with some kind of a disease. And here are three physicians all coming to him to offer him their services.
Physician #1 says: "My prescription for you is this---'Act like you are well and you will be made well. Yes, act like you're good and you will be in good health. Yes, good works will do it.'"
Physician #2 says: "My prescription for you is this---'Take this medicine and act like you are well. The combination of both will cure you. Yes, it's this medicine plus good works that will do it.'"
Physician # 3 says: "My prescription is this---'Take this medicine, the very medicine that the others are prescribing you. Yes, it's proven effective. That alone will cure you. You don't have to act like you are well to get well. The medicine is enough."
My friend, there are people who say that salvation is by works. Still others say that salvation is by faith plus works. The Bible says that salvation is by faith alone in the Medicine (the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross). You take Him in by faith and you will be saved for there is only one medicine for a sinner's salvation; not our works but the Lord Jesus Himself---the Savior.
Ac 16:30 And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
31 So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved...
Saturday, June 10, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET 516
"We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.'"
In a Creator-creature sense, God, as our Creator, is our Master, and we, His creatures, are His servants. It is our duty to obey and serve Him. His commands are just, right and good. Even our own consciences approve of it. We ought to do what is just, right and good. It is our responsibility. No one thanks a person for doing what he ought to do. We don't get brownie points doing it.
The doing of God's commands and serving Him are our duty. It is our responsibility. We don't get salvation points from God doing it. We don't cause Him to be indebted to us in the exercise of what we ought to do. We don't ingratiate ourselves to God doing our duty.
Many people believe that salvation is God's "Thank You!" to sinners who serve Him and do their duty. Not so. Salvation is God's undeserved favor, offered to those who don't deserve it, to be received freely by faith in the Savior and what He did on the cross.
Lu 17:7 "And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?
8 "But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?
9 "Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not.
10 "So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.'"
In a Creator-creature sense, God, as our Creator, is our Master, and we, His creatures, are His servants. It is our duty to obey and serve Him. His commands are just, right and good. Even our own consciences approve of it. We ought to do what is just, right and good. It is our responsibility. No one thanks a person for doing what he ought to do. We don't get brownie points doing it.
The doing of God's commands and serving Him are our duty. It is our responsibility. We don't get salvation points from God doing it. We don't cause Him to be indebted to us in the exercise of what we ought to do. We don't ingratiate ourselves to God doing our duty.
Many people believe that salvation is God's "Thank You!" to sinners who serve Him and do their duty. Not so. Salvation is God's undeserved favor, offered to those who don't deserve it, to be received freely by faith in the Savior and what He did on the cross.
Lu 17:7 "And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?
8 "But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?
9 "Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not.
10 "So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.'"
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #515
To think that the primary issue of God with a sinner is his conduct is to miss the deeper and graver issue of man's separation from God. Man's primary problem is not his need to be nice, sweet and charming. You can be all that and still be bound for hell.
Cempark is one of the nicest places to be in all the world. The people are calm, serene and quiet. They don't fight against each other. Year in and year out, there are zero crimes in the neighborhood. Practically, the residents are perfectly well-behaved.
Cempark is short for cemetery park. The whole place is a cemetery and the residents are all dead people. I don't have a problem with their conduct. They are all very fine folks to me. The problem is that they are all dead.
You can have all the good manners and right conduct in the world but if you have not trusted in Christ and what He did on the cross for salvation, you will still end up in hell, forever separated from God.
First things first, come to Christ, have life and be reconciled to God!
Monday, May 29, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #514
“Joining the jihad is our way of taking a shortcut to heaven.”
These are the words of Islamic jihadists. Islam teaches that in order to secure heaven and be joined with the Houris or the beautiful women of Paradise, one must be a martyr for Allah. That is, one must be involved in a holy war or jihad and die in it. In the Hadith of Muslims, one of their sacred books, it says that that a martyr's privileges are guaranteed by Allah; forgiveness of their sins with the first gush of their blood.
In other words, you are saved by sacrificing and giving your life to God, shedding your blood for Him. Salvation is not free. It must be earned at the cost of your life-blood.
How different it is with the way of Christ! He Himself sacrificed His life to God for us. He gave Himself to make salvation free for us all. Salvation for free at the cost of His life-blood.
Come to Christ for salvation so free. Come to Christ---God's only cut to heaven.
Friday, May 5, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #513
Can You Really Trust And Count On Yourself To Make It To Heaven?
Many people bank on themselves, who they are and what they have done, to make it to heaven and be with God forever to enjoy Him. They have faith in themselves and in their performances even though they admit that they are sinners.
Can a criminal be confident about his case before a thoroughly just judge who knows all about his crimes personally? Can a sinner be positive and upbeat about his record before a holy and just God when even his own conscience accuses him of his sins and transgressions?
Face to face with the Ten Commandments, with all its demands that includes perfect obedience even down to the inward motions of our hearts, can we really be satisfied with ourselves and be bold with ourselves that we will be saved?
If pride and self-righteousness are set aside, truth be told, we know that we can't make it. We can't trust in ourselves to be saved. We have failed so many times. We have missed the mark that God wants us to hit all the time. It's an open and shut case---we are sinners, plain and obvious, deserving judgment.
No, we cant rely and trust in ourselves. But God has given us the Lord Jesus Christ, our Representative and Substitute. He died for our sins and rose from the grave. In Him, not in ourselves, we can put our trust for our salvation. Have you?
Many people bank on themselves, who they are and what they have done, to make it to heaven and be with God forever to enjoy Him. They have faith in themselves and in their performances even though they admit that they are sinners.
Can a criminal be confident about his case before a thoroughly just judge who knows all about his crimes personally? Can a sinner be positive and upbeat about his record before a holy and just God when even his own conscience accuses him of his sins and transgressions?
Face to face with the Ten Commandments, with all its demands that includes perfect obedience even down to the inward motions of our hearts, can we really be satisfied with ourselves and be bold with ourselves that we will be saved?
If pride and self-righteousness are set aside, truth be told, we know that we can't make it. We can't trust in ourselves to be saved. We have failed so many times. We have missed the mark that God wants us to hit all the time. It's an open and shut case---we are sinners, plain and obvious, deserving judgment.
No, we cant rely and trust in ourselves. But God has given us the Lord Jesus Christ, our Representative and Substitute. He died for our sins and rose from the grave. In Him, not in ourselves, we can put our trust for our salvation. Have you?
Saturday, April 29, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #512
Werewolves and Villagers
The game Werewolves and Villagers is fun. The villagers must identify and hunt for the werewolves before it will kill all of them. The werewolves only come out under the cover of night when everybody goes to sleep. In the daytime, they look pretty normal, they don't show their fangs, they pretend like they are ordinary folks in the village.
This is a picture of us all. There is a werewolf in all of us. In God's sight, none of us is a villager. We know that we are spiritual werewolves deep within. We know what we did in secret under the cover of night when no one was looking no matter how we deny or cover it. We are "...brute beasts...to be caught and destroyed. " 2 Peter 2:12.
We may ascend the stairs of respectability in the village or in society. We may be voted as the Most Outstanding Villager Of The Year but at the core of our being we are all sinners. We have devoured someone at least at one point in our lives either in outward behavior or in our hearts and minds.
What we need is a new nature. We need to be transformed. And that can only take place if we are transformed into a new creature by faith in Christ. Come to Christ in faith and be born again into a new creature, yes, into a true villager in the community of God's people and village.
The game Werewolves and Villagers is fun. The villagers must identify and hunt for the werewolves before it will kill all of them. The werewolves only come out under the cover of night when everybody goes to sleep. In the daytime, they look pretty normal, they don't show their fangs, they pretend like they are ordinary folks in the village.
This is a picture of us all. There is a werewolf in all of us. In God's sight, none of us is a villager. We know that we are spiritual werewolves deep within. We know what we did in secret under the cover of night when no one was looking no matter how we deny or cover it. We are "...brute beasts...to be caught and destroyed. " 2 Peter 2:12.
We may ascend the stairs of respectability in the village or in society. We may be voted as the Most Outstanding Villager Of The Year but at the core of our being we are all sinners. We have devoured someone at least at one point in our lives either in outward behavior or in our hearts and minds.
What we need is a new nature. We need to be transformed. And that can only take place if we are transformed into a new creature by faith in Christ. Come to Christ in faith and be born again into a new creature, yes, into a true villager in the community of God's people and village.
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #511
EX 28:40 “For Aaron’s sons you shall make tunics; you shall also make sashes for them, and you shall make caps for them, for glory and for beauty.
Let's apply this verse to salvation:
The purpose of the tunics or coats, sashes and caps is for glory and for beauty. They are all a picture of Christ. In ourselves, as sinners, we are dishonorable and ugly, spiritually speaking. In God's sight, we can only weave for ourselves "filthy rags" with the righteous deeds that we do.
ISA 64:6 ...all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment...
But once, we put on Christ, by faith in Him, He becomes our glorious and beautiful garment. He becomes our glory and our beauty before God. And so, put on Christ! Trust in Him for salvation and be gloriously and beautifully arrayed in Him in God's sight.
Let's apply this verse to salvation:
The purpose of the tunics or coats, sashes and caps is for glory and for beauty. They are all a picture of Christ. In ourselves, as sinners, we are dishonorable and ugly, spiritually speaking. In God's sight, we can only weave for ourselves "filthy rags" with the righteous deeds that we do.
ISA 64:6 ...all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment...
But once, we put on Christ, by faith in Him, He becomes our glorious and beautiful garment. He becomes our glory and our beauty before God. And so, put on Christ! Trust in Him for salvation and be gloriously and beautifully arrayed in Him in God's sight.
Saturday, April 22, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #510
Joh 5:6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"
Let's apply this to spiritual salvation:
Before a sinner is saved, he must first see his need for salvation. In a lot of cases, this requires a long time. It takes us, fallen creatures of pride, a long time to come to the end of ourselves. That we are helpless and incapacitated to save ourselves is the last thing that we will ever realize, if ever.
We'd love to think that we are okay, when the truth of the matter is that we have been "lying there" for a long time in that condition. Not until we humbly acknowledge our condition that God, in His mercy and grace, through the Lord Jesus Christ, will come with His salvation.
Are you one who, in pride, is constantly resisting His conviction? Or are you one who has been brought to acknowledge your sinful and helpless condition before God?
Have you realized that that you are not well in the eyes of God that you can readily say a humble "Yes" when He comes and says: "Do you want to be made well by faith in Me and in what I did on the cross for you?"
Let's apply this to spiritual salvation:
Before a sinner is saved, he must first see his need for salvation. In a lot of cases, this requires a long time. It takes us, fallen creatures of pride, a long time to come to the end of ourselves. That we are helpless and incapacitated to save ourselves is the last thing that we will ever realize, if ever.
We'd love to think that we are okay, when the truth of the matter is that we have been "lying there" for a long time in that condition. Not until we humbly acknowledge our condition that God, in His mercy and grace, through the Lord Jesus Christ, will come with His salvation.
Are you one who, in pride, is constantly resisting His conviction? Or are you one who has been brought to acknowledge your sinful and helpless condition before God?
Have you realized that that you are not well in the eyes of God that you can readily say a humble "Yes" when He comes and says: "Do you want to be made well by faith in Me and in what I did on the cross for you?"
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #509
Mr 4:26 And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground,
27 "and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.
Let's apply this to saving faith. This is a good illustration saving faith.
We read here of a man casting seed upon the soil. He goes to bed at night and gets up by day and the seed grows without his help. You know, saving faith is like that.
It was an act of faith on the part of the man to cast his seed upon the soil not knowing exactly the how of the process of growth of the seed. All he had was the confidence that the soil could make it grow. You see, saving faith is casting ourselves upon the Savior.
Our condition is bad, because, unlike the seed in this parable, we have no life in ourselves. We are spiritually dead. We can’t save ourselves. We can’t transform ourselves.
But when we cast ourselves upon the ground of the Savior and what He did on the cross, leaving our flourishing entirely to Him, behold, like the man who went to sleep and did nothing to make the seed grow, all he did was cast the seed; we become alive and are transformed by the Savior.
My friend, if you are still unsaved right now, come now to the Savior, cast yourself upon Him for salvation.
27 "and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.
Let's apply this to saving faith. This is a good illustration saving faith.
We read here of a man casting seed upon the soil. He goes to bed at night and gets up by day and the seed grows without his help. You know, saving faith is like that.
It was an act of faith on the part of the man to cast his seed upon the soil not knowing exactly the how of the process of growth of the seed. All he had was the confidence that the soil could make it grow. You see, saving faith is casting ourselves upon the Savior.
Our condition is bad, because, unlike the seed in this parable, we have no life in ourselves. We are spiritually dead. We can’t save ourselves. We can’t transform ourselves.
But when we cast ourselves upon the ground of the Savior and what He did on the cross, leaving our flourishing entirely to Him, behold, like the man who went to sleep and did nothing to make the seed grow, all he did was cast the seed; we become alive and are transformed by the Savior.
My friend, if you are still unsaved right now, come now to the Savior, cast yourself upon Him for salvation.
Friday, March 17, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #508
Pr 30:26 the rock-badgers are not a mighty people, yet they make their houses in the rock.
The rock-badgers here (shephanim in the NASB) are actually rock hyraxes. It's a small furry animal that looks like a guinea pig. They are weak and defenseless in themselves against large animals like leopards, birds etc. Their best defense is to hide among the rocks.
Salvation is exactly like that. Spiritually speaking, we, sinners, are like rock-badgers. We are helpless in ourselves against the oncoming wrath of God that we deserve. Our only hope is to hide behind the Rock of Ages, the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross for our salvation.
Flee from the wrath to come! Make the Rock of Ages, through faith, your refuge!
The rock-badgers here (shephanim in the NASB) are actually rock hyraxes. It's a small furry animal that looks like a guinea pig. They are weak and defenseless in themselves against large animals like leopards, birds etc. Their best defense is to hide among the rocks.
Salvation is exactly like that. Spiritually speaking, we, sinners, are like rock-badgers. We are helpless in ourselves against the oncoming wrath of God that we deserve. Our only hope is to hide behind the Rock of Ages, the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross for our salvation.
Flee from the wrath to come! Make the Rock of Ages, through faith, your refuge!
Friday, March 10, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #507
Heb 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet WITHOUT SIN.
Ro 3:28 for we reckon that a man is justified by faith, WITHOUT WORKS of law.
These two verses tell us about the nature of the Savior and of salvation. The Savior was without sin and salvation is without works.
The Lord Jesus would be disqualified as a Savior if we can find even one single blot of sin in His record. In the same way, there would be no salvation for a sinner who adds even one single work to the equation of salvation.
Just as the Savior must be without sin in order to be our Savior so salvation must be without works on the part of the sinner in order for him to be saved. He must receive it as a free gift through faith in Christ.
Ro 3:28 for we reckon that a man is justified by faith, WITHOUT WORKS of law.
These two verses tell us about the nature of the Savior and of salvation. The Savior was without sin and salvation is without works.
The Lord Jesus would be disqualified as a Savior if we can find even one single blot of sin in His record. In the same way, there would be no salvation for a sinner who adds even one single work to the equation of salvation.
Just as the Savior must be without sin in order to be our Savior so salvation must be without works on the part of the sinner in order for him to be saved. He must receive it as a free gift through faith in Christ.
Monday, March 6, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #506
Misconceptions About Salvation
#17 "I was converted and became a Christian when I experienced extraordinary things."
Having dreams that an angel visited you or having weird and strange sensations in your body or having the hairs on your nape bristling or seeing visions of a white light or hearing celestial voices and all the other hoogie-boogie out there do not mean conversion at all.
You can have all the out-of-this-world experiences that people talk about, even if they are all genuine and true, if you have not trusted in the Savior for your salvation in all of this, you are not converted, you are not a Christian.
Wrong---For God so loved the world that whoever experiences extraordinary things shall not perish but have eternal life.
Right---For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever trust in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. Yes, even without those mystical and unearthly experiences.
GOSPEL NUGGET #505
Misconceptions About Salvation
#16 Saving faith is believing that Christ was a real historical figure and that what He did on the cross was truly a historical event.
The cause of this misconception is the failure to understand what saving faith in the Bible means. Saving faith is not merely believing that the Lord Jesus Christ did really exist as a historical figure and that He did really die on the cross as a historical event 2000 years ago.
That's not what saving faith in the Bible means at all. Yes, that's a prerequisite to saving faith but it's not saving faith. You can believe that the Lord Jesus did really exist and that He did really die on the cross without any doubts as to its historicity but if you have not trusted in Him and what He did on the cross for salvation, you won't be saved.
Saving faith is not merely believing in the factuality of the Lord Jesus Christ and what happened to Him on the cross, it's way more than that. It's about entrusting, relying and having confidence in Him and His death on the cross specifically for your salvation.
Believing that Jesus did really exist and that He did really die on the cross, nothing more, nothing less and nothing else is but the faith of demons.
Sunday, March 5, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #504
God's Sparklean Laundry Station
Our laundry shop will be officially opening on March 16, 2017. We called it Sparklean Laundry Station. For a reasonable price, we can wash your clothes sparklingly white and clean. It will be open Mondays to Saturdays from 9 in the morning to 8 in the evening.
Send in your dirtiest laundry and our heavy-duty washing machines will be more than a match for it. Every stain will be removed. Every blemish will be cleared. Every spot will become immaculate.
It's the same with God's laundry, in fact, it's infinitely better. We all have our dirty laundry. We have defiled, stained and tarnished ourselves by our sins. No man-made efforts could remove and make it clean.
Jer 2:22 For though you wash yourself with lye, and use much soap, Yet your iniquity is marked before Me," says the Lord GOD.
Our only recourse is the laundry station that God had opened 2000 years ago at the cross of Calvary. There, as we send in our dirty lives, the heavy-duty work of Christ on the cross, "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:7).
God's Sparklean Laundry is open 24/7 at all hours of the day from Mondays to Sundays for a price of nothing. It's free! Just entrust your dirty life to Him and what He did on the cross and you will be made white as snow. Every stain will be removed. Every blemish will be cleared. Every spot will become immaculate.
Do drop by at God's Sparklean Laundry Station now!
Our laundry shop will be officially opening on March 16, 2017. We called it Sparklean Laundry Station. For a reasonable price, we can wash your clothes sparklingly white and clean. It will be open Mondays to Saturdays from 9 in the morning to 8 in the evening.
Send in your dirtiest laundry and our heavy-duty washing machines will be more than a match for it. Every stain will be removed. Every blemish will be cleared. Every spot will become immaculate.
It's the same with God's laundry, in fact, it's infinitely better. We all have our dirty laundry. We have defiled, stained and tarnished ourselves by our sins. No man-made efforts could remove and make it clean.
Jer 2:22 For though you wash yourself with lye, and use much soap, Yet your iniquity is marked before Me," says the Lord GOD.
Our only recourse is the laundry station that God had opened 2000 years ago at the cross of Calvary. There, as we send in our dirty lives, the heavy-duty work of Christ on the cross, "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:7).
God's Sparklean Laundry is open 24/7 at all hours of the day from Mondays to Sundays for a price of nothing. It's free! Just entrust your dirty life to Him and what He did on the cross and you will be made white as snow. Every stain will be removed. Every blemish will be cleared. Every spot will become immaculate.
Do drop by at God's Sparklean Laundry Station now!
GOSPEL NUGGET #503
MK 3:21 ....“He has lost His senses.” NASB
The Lord Jesus was very busy serving people that He didn't even eat a meal. He neglected His own physical need. His own people concluded that He has lost His senses.
When they said this, they meant He was beside Himself or insane. They were wrong of course. He, the Lord Jesus, was not.
But, you know, in one sense that is true. He lost His senses for you and me. There, on the cross, He felt His body temperature lowering by degrees. His blood pressure went down. He felt His pulse becoming irregular, while His perspiration increased.
Then He lost His sense of sight and then, finally, His sense of hearing. He lost His senses for you and me---He died for our sins.
He did it to make available for you and me the salvation that we could never earn. Will you come to Him in faith, trusting in Him alone for salvation?
Sunday, February 5, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #502
The Perimeter Fence And The Gate Of The Tabernacle
In Exodus 27 verses 9 to 21, we read of the perimeter fence of the Tabernacle and its gate. The whole thing is a picture that points to Christ.
The walls surrounding the tabernacle speak of the holiness of God. It separates and shuts out sinners from entering the tabernacle. God is a holy God and His holiness shuts sinners away from Him.
The gate of the tabernacle is the only way people could get in. The gate is a picture of Christ. Anyone who enters the gate will find himself surrounded with walls made of fine linen. Fine linen in the Bible is a picture of righteousness.
As one enters the gate, which represents Christ, he finds himself in a new position and a righteous standing. In Christ, a sinner is justified. In Christ (not in himself), a sinner is wrapped, so to speak, in divine righteousness.
Come to Christ. Enter into Him by faith!
In Exodus 27 verses 9 to 21, we read of the perimeter fence of the Tabernacle and its gate. The whole thing is a picture that points to Christ.
The walls surrounding the tabernacle speak of the holiness of God. It separates and shuts out sinners from entering the tabernacle. God is a holy God and His holiness shuts sinners away from Him.
The gate of the tabernacle is the only way people could get in. The gate is a picture of Christ. Anyone who enters the gate will find himself surrounded with walls made of fine linen. Fine linen in the Bible is a picture of righteousness.
As one enters the gate, which represents Christ, he finds himself in a new position and a righteous standing. In Christ, a sinner is justified. In Christ (not in himself), a sinner is wrapped, so to speak, in divine righteousness.
Come to Christ. Enter into Him by faith!
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #501
Trampling The Son Of God Underfoot
Heb 10:29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?
Many trust in themselves that they are not that bad a sinner as others. That they have not committed heinous crimes makes them think that they are on the higher rung on the spiritual ladder above the worst of criminals.
The fact of the matter is this: Yes, they might not have killed anyone, they might not have robbed banks, they may not have committed rape and other atrocities but if they have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ, then they have committed something far worse---they have trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant a common thing and insulted the Spirit of grace.
My friend, if you have rejected Christ and His offer of salvation, realize the enormity of your sin. Repent and turn to Him now in faith, trusting in Him and what He did on the cross for your salvation.
Heb 10:29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?
Many trust in themselves that they are not that bad a sinner as others. That they have not committed heinous crimes makes them think that they are on the higher rung on the spiritual ladder above the worst of criminals.
The fact of the matter is this: Yes, they might not have killed anyone, they might not have robbed banks, they may not have committed rape and other atrocities but if they have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ, then they have committed something far worse---they have trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant a common thing and insulted the Spirit of grace.
My friend, if you have rejected Christ and His offer of salvation, realize the enormity of your sin. Repent and turn to Him now in faith, trusting in Him and what He did on the cross for your salvation.
Monday, January 23, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #500
Lu 15:2 ...This Man (Jesus) receives sinners...
Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Come, ye weary, heavy-laden,
Lost and ruined by the fall;
If you tarry till you’re better,
You will never come at all.
Lost and ruined by the fall;
If you tarry till you’re better,
You will never come at all.
Lo! th’ incarnate God ascended,
Pleads the merit of His blood:
Venture on Him, venture wholly,
Let no other trust intrude.
Pleads the merit of His blood:
Venture on Him, venture wholly,
Let no other trust intrude.
Let not conscience make you linger,
Not of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requireth
Is to feel your need of Him.
Not of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requireth
Is to feel your need of Him.
Excerpts from the hymn "Come Ye Sinners, Poor And Needy"
GOSPEL NUGGET #499
Why so many sacrifices in the Old Testament? There were daily, weekly, monthly and yearly animal sacrifices to be made. Day after day, week after week, month after month and year after year it was bloody.
It was to make Israel realize 1) the enormity of sin, 2) the importance of maintaining fellowship with God and 3) the absolute necessity of a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins.
That such number of sacrifices were needed should point them to the enormity of sin. That such frequency of sacrifices must be made should point them to the importance of maintaining fellowship with God and the absolute necessity of a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins.
All these, we see at the cross, when the Lamb of God was sacrificed for the sins of the world.
Reader, learn a lesson---sin in your life is utterly evil and atrocious. The only thing that can deal with it is the great sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on the cross, when He died for your sins and rose again from the dead.
The animal sacrifices in the Old Testament could never take away sin. It only served to remind Israel of their sins continually. But coming to Christ in faith settles it once and for all.
Sunday, January 22, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #498
Lu 17:19 ..."Your faith has made you well."
It's an elliptical statement. You have to read between the lines when you read this: "Your faith in Me has made you well." If you read the context, the leper here was pleading for the Lord Jesus Christ to heal him, and the Lord granted his request.
He knew who he was. He knew that he had a disease which he can't do anything about. But he also knew Christ and what He can do. He had faith in Him and he was made well. Faith in Christ was enough for Christ is enough. It's a case of being made well by faith alone.
It's a picture of salvation. It's a portrait of what He can do for us sinners. We are incurably sick spiritually. We need healing badly. The Lord Jesus Christ comes to us through the Gospel message, and the moment we put our faith in Him and what He did on the cross for us, we will be made well...we will be saved.
It's an elliptical statement. You have to read between the lines when you read this: "Your faith in Me has made you well." If you read the context, the leper here was pleading for the Lord Jesus Christ to heal him, and the Lord granted his request.
He knew who he was. He knew that he had a disease which he can't do anything about. But he also knew Christ and what He can do. He had faith in Him and he was made well. Faith in Christ was enough for Christ is enough. It's a case of being made well by faith alone.
It's a picture of salvation. It's a portrait of what He can do for us sinners. We are incurably sick spiritually. We need healing badly. The Lord Jesus Christ comes to us through the Gospel message, and the moment we put our faith in Him and what He did on the cross for us, we will be made well...we will be saved.
Monday, January 16, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #496
In the 1100s men had this superstition that making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem would acquire for them salvation and forgiveness of sins. Muslims and Roman Catholics battled for the city of Jerusalem.
Men set their faces to go to Jerusalem at all costs. Hearts were broken. Limbs were torn. Lives were lost. All for the belief that salvation could be found in a place called Jerusalem.
Ro 10:6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down from above)
7 or," 'Who will descend into the abyss?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach):
If only they knew that salvation was just a faith-in-Christ so near, the dark and painful history of the Crusades would never have happened.
My friend, are you seeking salvation? You don't have to go anywhere. Just listen and trust in your heart, where you are, God's Good News of a message that Christ died for our sins and rose again from the dead and you will be saved.
Men set their faces to go to Jerusalem at all costs. Hearts were broken. Limbs were torn. Lives were lost. All for the belief that salvation could be found in a place called Jerusalem.
Ro 10:6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down from above)
7 or," 'Who will descend into the abyss?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach):
If only they knew that salvation was just a faith-in-Christ so near, the dark and painful history of the Crusades would never have happened.
My friend, are you seeking salvation? You don't have to go anywhere. Just listen and trust in your heart, where you are, God's Good News of a message that Christ died for our sins and rose again from the dead and you will be saved.
Friday, January 6, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #495
The Sin Of Representing God Through An Image
Isa 46:5 "To whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal And compare Me, that we should be alike?
6 They lavish gold out of the bag, And weigh silver on the scales; They hire a goldsmith, and he makes it a god; They prostrate themselves, yes, they worship.
7 They bear it on the shoulder, they carry it And set it in its place, and it stands; From its place it shall not move. Though one cries out to it, yet it cannot answer Nor save him out of his trouble.
8 "Remember this, and show yourselves men; Recall to mind, O you transgressors.
No man-made image of God can be made to represent God in His Godhood. Any image made by man to represent God in His Godhood will only turn out to be a caricature, and, therefore, an insult to Him. God, who is infinitely great, cannot be placed in a box, so to speak, which an image, in effect, practically does.
For one, how could we ever portray the infinite with the finite? Impossible. It's absurd, it diminishes Him, it limits Him and it is making Him small. And so, even if you don't worship the so-called image of God, by that very fact, by that very image, you are sinning against Him.
My friend, if you are guilty of this, repent, turn to Christ, trust in what He did on the cross and be forgiven.
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
GOSPEL NUGGET #494
The Sin Of Wearing Almost Nothing In Public
Immodesty is an inward attitude of the heart that is often manifested in outward behavior. One of the characteristics of an immodest woman is the desire to draw attention to herself, by the use of revealing clothes, in order to attract the opposite sex who should not be seeing her that way.
Truth be told---women have this desire to be looked at with desire and attraction by the opposite sex. Men, on the other hand, are visual. They are enticed and aroused by what they see in women. We are designed this way. Wives love to be desired by their husbands and husbands are attracted to what they see in their wives. In the context of marriage, there is nothing wrong with that. However, it can go off bounds in many cases.
Immodesty is doing it for the wrong audience with the wrong motivation. Immodesty is the brand-mark of whores. Prostitutes often dress up the way they do in order to attract the wrong person with the wrong motivation.
The sin of wearing almost nothing in public is the sin of whores! It is playing the temptress. It is being the devil's right hand to tempt men to commit lust in their hearts. How many men have become unfaithful to their wives inwardly by the kind of clothing women wear. Only God knows.
Lu 17:1 Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!
2 "It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
If you have been dressing like a whore, repent! It's a sin. Turn to Christ in repentance and trust in Him and what He did on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins.
Immodesty is an inward attitude of the heart that is often manifested in outward behavior. One of the characteristics of an immodest woman is the desire to draw attention to herself, by the use of revealing clothes, in order to attract the opposite sex who should not be seeing her that way.
Truth be told---women have this desire to be looked at with desire and attraction by the opposite sex. Men, on the other hand, are visual. They are enticed and aroused by what they see in women. We are designed this way. Wives love to be desired by their husbands and husbands are attracted to what they see in their wives. In the context of marriage, there is nothing wrong with that. However, it can go off bounds in many cases.
Immodesty is doing it for the wrong audience with the wrong motivation. Immodesty is the brand-mark of whores. Prostitutes often dress up the way they do in order to attract the wrong person with the wrong motivation.
The sin of wearing almost nothing in public is the sin of whores! It is playing the temptress. It is being the devil's right hand to tempt men to commit lust in their hearts. How many men have become unfaithful to their wives inwardly by the kind of clothing women wear. Only God knows.
Lu 17:1 Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!
2 "It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
If you have been dressing like a whore, repent! It's a sin. Turn to Christ in repentance and trust in Him and what He did on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins.
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