GOSPEL NUGGET #188

The Sinner's Inability To Save Himself

The sinner is powerless to save himself. When man fell into sin, he became debilitated, defiled, desperate, dead and deviated. 

* DEBILITATED

Romans 5:6 describes a sinner as someone who is "without strength". Just as a paralyzed man is without strength to help himself so is a sinner without strength to save himself. 

* DEFILED

Isaiah 64:6 describes a sinner as "unclean" and is someone who can only produce righteousness that are "filthy rags" in the eyes of God.

Now, think: If ever we can save ourselves, it would only be through our righteous deeds. There is no other option. We are either doing right or doing something sinful. Obviously, doing something sinful will not contribute to our salvation. In fact, it's one of the reasons why we need to be saved.

But if our righteous deeds are filthy rags in God's sight, then we have no chance of saving ourselves. The only possible way is closed.

* DESPERATE

In Matthew 19:25-26, the Lord Jesus taught that it is "impossible" for man to save himself.

* DEAD

Ephesians 2:1 describes a sinner as someone who is spiritually "dead". Being spiritually dead in the Bible primarily means separated from the source of life who is God. In order to be alive, life must come from Someone outside ourselves. For being dead, we are impotent to generate life for ourselves.

* DEVIATED

In Luke 19:10, the Lord Jesus describes a sinner as someone who is "lost". A lost person is someone who is incapable of finding his way. He needs someone to help him find his way back home.

We are debilitated, defiled, desperate, dead and deviated. In one word, we are depraved. We need the Deliverer---Jesus!

GOSPEL NUGGET #187

Ps 40:2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.

King David is the speaker here in this verse. David's physical deliverance is a picture of spiritual salvation. Notice three things here: 

I. MY HELPLESS CONDITION BY NATURE: I was in "a horrible pit" and in "the miry clay". 

II. HIS SALVATION BY GRACE: "He"..."brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay" 

III. MY SPIRITUAL POSITION BY REDEMPTION: He "set my feet upon a rock and established my steps".

I now have a new stable standing in Christ, who is the rock of my salvation. Spiritually, I was in a horrible pit and a miry clay. I could never pull myself out. But Christ came and delivered and then set me on an immovable rock, a stable foundation that shall not be moved. He has made me safe and secure. 

And what He did to me He can do for you. Trust in Him, who alone can deliver you from the pit.

GOSPEL NUGGET #186

Ge 6:14 "Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.

The ark was covered inside and out with pitch. It served as the coating for the Ark. No water could get inside the Ark, yes not even a single drop of the waters of judgment could get in. 

It is a picture of the blood of Christ shed on the cross. In Christ, a sinner who seeks refuge will be completely secure from God's wrath and judgment, yes not one bit of condemnation will fall on him.

GOSPEL NUGGET #185

How Are We Not Saved? 

Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that NOT OF YOURSELVES; it is the gift of God,
9 NOT OF WORKS, lest anyone should boast.

How are we NOT saved? Two things: a) Not of ourselves and b) Not of works. Combine the two ideas and we have: "We are not saved by trying our best to be saved."

Our best is not good enough. We are saved by God's Best--- His one and only Son --- when we put our trust in Him alone for salvation. 

Don't TRY your best. TRUST in God's Best!!!

GOSPEL NUGGET #184

GOSPEL NUGGETS

The Liberal Preacher And The Dying Woman (A True Story)

One time a knock on a liberal preacher's door was heard in his study.

(A liberal preacher is someone who does not believe in miracles in the Bible, he does not believe that Christ died for the salvation of sinners. For him, it was just an example of how we should love others, he believes that the Bible is full of errors. He's actually a false preacher)

A little girl who was poorly dressed came and pleaded with him: "Can you help me get my mother into heaven? She's at home. She's dying. She sent me out to find a preacher to help her get into heaven. My Mama is dying."

He went with her to a poor section of town and there he saw a woman who was dying on her deathbed with half of her life gone. He then told her about the Sermon on the Mount, about living right, doing good and other great and wonderful moral truths. 

The woman looked distraught and said: "You don't understand. I have lived a sinful and wicked life. Now, I am dying. It is too late for me to do all of that. Don't you have a message for a woman like me?" 

The preacher realized that he did not really have any message for the dying woman. And then he remembered the story of her mother before he came to a liberal seminary about the Savior who shed His blood, about His death on the cross for sinners. 

He then told her about the cross, about grace and the free offer of the salvation that is in Christ to unworthy sinners. And there, the dying woman received peace with God and was marvelously saved. It was at that time too that the preacher himself got saved. 

The only hope for sinners like us is the Lord Jesus and what He did on the cross.

GOSPEL NUGGET #183

Mt 27:22 Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said to him, "Let Him be crucified!"

Zero in on that pointed question "What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" and make it personal: "What then shall I (state your name) do with Jesus who is called Christ?"

This is a question that every sinner will answer for himself. To relegate the consideration of this question to a later time is to reject Him. It's now or reject Him for another convenient time. Jesus who is called Christ, who died for the sins of sinners and rose again from the dead. "What shall I do with Him?" 

Am I going to ignore Him? Am I going to reject Him? Or am I going to put all my trust and confidence in Him and what He did on the cross for my salvation? Should I let Him be my Savior 100%? 

Should I put my whole trust and reliance in Him for my complete and eternal salvation? Should I trust in Him alone or should I trust in Him + my good works, religious achievements and my good moral character for the salvation of my soul?

GOSPEL NUGGET #182

Righteousness---Imputed, Imparted, Implanted and Imported

Man is by nature a sinner. And therefore there is no one who is righteous among us. We can't be perfectly righteous by our own efforts, we are powerless to do so. 

Even if we suddenly have the ability to be perfectly righteous from now on, we must bear in mind that we already sinned this morning, yesterday, last week, last month. It's just too late. We cannot go back in time and start all over again.

We need an imported righteousness. Enter Christ Jesus who died for our sins. He provisionally paid the penalty of our sins that if we put our trust in Him we shall be reckoned righteous and made righteous.

Righteous positionally---This happens when God imputes Christ's righteousness to our spiritual bank accounts. 

Righteous practically---This happens, when, God, on the basis of having imputed to us the righteousness of Christ, imparts to us Christ's righteousness as well.

Righteous perfectly---This happens when God implants perfect righteousness to us at the Rapture. 

Observe, this righteousness does not come from us. It is an alien righteousness. It comes from God. It is imputed, imparted and implanted. It therefore is an imported righteousness.