A popular singer in the US on her trip to Israel said the following:
I’ve never felt such a sense of spirituality or connection to God... something I’ve been missing for a few years now. Spirituality is so important to me... to be baptized in the Jordan river – the same place Jesus was baptized – I’ve never felt more renewed in my life."
She further said: "This trip has been so important for my well-being, my heart, and my soul. I'm grateful for the memories and the opportunity to be able to fill the God-sized hole in my heart. Thank you for having me, Israel."
Two things:
* First, she puts emphasis on the feelings she experienced about the whole thing. "I’ve never FELT such a sense of spirituality or connection to God... something I’ve been missing for a few years now" and "I’ve never FELT more renewed in my life."
Martin Luther said: "...feelings come and feelings go, and feelings are deceiving; My warrant is the Word of God, nought else is worth believing."
* Second, spirituality, connecting with God and life renewal are to be had in Christ Jesus, not in some ceremony or ritual in some location, even if the place was once trodden upon by the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Word of God, the sure and reliable standard better than any experience or feeling, says that you can only be spiritual if you have the Holy Spirit. And you can only have the Holy Spirit through faith in the Savior.
What's more, is that it also says that connection to God, being reconciled to God and being born again (resulting in a renewed life) are also obtained by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross. You don't have to go anywhere to a special place in order to have these when the Savior and all His benefits are just a faith away.
1Pe 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God...
2Co 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Sunday, September 29, 2019
GOSPEL NUGGET #584
"... dies without mercy..." Heb 10:28
"... died in faith..." Heb 11:13
Let's apply these to salvation:
My friend, take your pick. Either you die without the mercy of God, expressed on the cross of Calvary when Christ died for you, applied to you or you die trusting in it.
The former is dying without mercy. The latter is dying in faith. The former is to "die in your sins" (John 8:24). The latter is to die forgiven and saved.
Why don't you receive His mercy, His salvation and His forgiveness by putting your trust in Christ and what He did on the cross for you? So that when the curtain falls on your life you will die not without mercy but die the death of the forgiven.
"... died in faith..." Heb 11:13
Let's apply these to salvation:
My friend, take your pick. Either you die without the mercy of God, expressed on the cross of Calvary when Christ died for you, applied to you or you die trusting in it.
The former is dying without mercy. The latter is dying in faith. The former is to "die in your sins" (John 8:24). The latter is to die forgiven and saved.
Why don't you receive His mercy, His salvation and His forgiveness by putting your trust in Christ and what He did on the cross for you? So that when the curtain falls on your life you will die not without mercy but die the death of the forgiven.
Friday, September 27, 2019
GOSPEL NUGGET #583
Joh 12:32 "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."
A young man approached an evangelist and said: "If it is true that Christ would really draw men all to Himself then why is it that there are men and women today who are not effectively drawn to Him? Why are there people, thousands of them, who are not drawn to Christ?"
"Do you believe in gravity?" the preacher asked.
"Well, of course, I do!" replied the young man.
"What is gravity?" the preacher probed.
"Well, according to some people, gravity is an invisible force which draws all matter to the center of the earth," said the young man.
The evangelist then looked up and pointed to the chandelier lights of the church building they were in and said: "If what you say is true then why is it that those lights up there do not fall to the ground?"
"It's simple sir, they are fastened to the ceiling by a rod," the young man answered.
And so, you see, the Lord Jesus Christ draws all men to Himself but God, in His sovereignty, allowed man to resist Him, and thus, they can resist Him if they will.
My friend, the Lord Jesus Christ is drawing you to Himself right now, without His drawing, you can never come to Him. His drawing in the spiritual realm is as real as gravity in the physical realm. Would you be drawn to Him now and come to Him in repentance and faith; trusting in what He did for you on the cross for your salvation? Or would you hold on to your sin?
A young man approached an evangelist and said: "If it is true that Christ would really draw men all to Himself then why is it that there are men and women today who are not effectively drawn to Him? Why are there people, thousands of them, who are not drawn to Christ?"
"Do you believe in gravity?" the preacher asked.
"Well, of course, I do!" replied the young man.
"What is gravity?" the preacher probed.
"Well, according to some people, gravity is an invisible force which draws all matter to the center of the earth," said the young man.
The evangelist then looked up and pointed to the chandelier lights of the church building they were in and said: "If what you say is true then why is it that those lights up there do not fall to the ground?"
"It's simple sir, they are fastened to the ceiling by a rod," the young man answered.
And so, you see, the Lord Jesus Christ draws all men to Himself but God, in His sovereignty, allowed man to resist Him, and thus, they can resist Him if they will.
My friend, the Lord Jesus Christ is drawing you to Himself right now, without His drawing, you can never come to Him. His drawing in the spiritual realm is as real as gravity in the physical realm. Would you be drawn to Him now and come to Him in repentance and faith; trusting in what He did for you on the cross for your salvation? Or would you hold on to your sin?
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
GOSPEL NUGGET #582
Pr 22:3 A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, But the simple pass on and are punished.
Let's apply this proverb to salvation:
You know that you are guilty of sins far too many to number. You know that judgment awaits you. Your own conscience testifies to this. Will you be prudent enough to prepare for it and seek to secure yourself from it? Or will you be a simpleton, be careless and thoughtless about it all, just pass on in life like there is no judgment for you?
My friend, don't be a fool. Be repentant and be prudent enough to hide from the coming wrath and judgment. Come to Christ. Take refuge in what He did for you at the cross. Trust in Him alone for salvation. Hide in Him.
Let's apply this proverb to salvation:
You know that you are guilty of sins far too many to number. You know that judgment awaits you. Your own conscience testifies to this. Will you be prudent enough to prepare for it and seek to secure yourself from it? Or will you be a simpleton, be careless and thoughtless about it all, just pass on in life like there is no judgment for you?
My friend, don't be a fool. Be repentant and be prudent enough to hide from the coming wrath and judgment. Come to Christ. Take refuge in what He did for you at the cross. Trust in Him alone for salvation. Hide in Him.
Saturday, September 14, 2019
GOSPEL NUGGET #581
"Fools mock at sin... " Proverbs 14:9
Fools are people who do not take sin seriously. They are not grieved by it nor are they concerned about the sin in their lives. Sin is a light matter to them.
The word "sin" could also mean sin-offering that it could be rendered "fools mock at sin-offering." Those who make light of sin are people, who, as a necessary result, also make light of the sacrifice for sin. Those who make a lightweight of sin makes a lightweight of the Savior.
But fools can only make a mockery of sin for so long. At the lake of fire, they will all realize that sin is fatally serious and what the Savior did on the cross, infinitely precious.
Repent my friend. Take sin seriously and the Savior earnestly. Come to Him in faith and be saved!
Fools are people who do not take sin seriously. They are not grieved by it nor are they concerned about the sin in their lives. Sin is a light matter to them.
The word "sin" could also mean sin-offering that it could be rendered "fools mock at sin-offering." Those who make light of sin are people, who, as a necessary result, also make light of the sacrifice for sin. Those who make a lightweight of sin makes a lightweight of the Savior.
But fools can only make a mockery of sin for so long. At the lake of fire, they will all realize that sin is fatally serious and what the Savior did on the cross, infinitely precious.
Repent my friend. Take sin seriously and the Savior earnestly. Come to Him in faith and be saved!
Monday, September 9, 2019
GOSPEL NUGGET #580
Mt 21:31 ... Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.
The Lord Jesus was addressing the religious people in Israel here in this verse, namely the chief priests and the elders of Israel. This is a shocking statement that He made. Scandalous! The blood pressure of the religious men who heard this must have shot up.
The tax collectors were considered traitors to the nation of Israel and they were generally corrupt. The harlots were considered the low lives in Israel.
But the one thing that was going for them was that they did not have a false conscience to make them believe that they were okay with God. Moreover, they did not have any false piety to make them trust in themselves that they were righteous. They were obvious sinners to others and most importantly to themselves that they felt a desperate need to repent and come to the Savior. And so, coming to the Savior, in repentance and faith, they enter the kingdom of God.
The highly religious men in this instance, however, were the opposite. They did not find anything wrong with themselves, they became satisfied with themselves and they saw no need for the Savior.
And so, they did not repent when they should have repented and they did not come to the Savior in faith when they should have for their salvation. Hence, they failed to enter the kingdom of God.
Don't let this happen to you, my friend. Realize that you are a sinner. Realize that you cannot save yourself. Realize that you need to come to the Lord Jesus in repentance and faith for salvation.
The Lord Jesus was addressing the religious people in Israel here in this verse, namely the chief priests and the elders of Israel. This is a shocking statement that He made. Scandalous! The blood pressure of the religious men who heard this must have shot up.
The tax collectors were considered traitors to the nation of Israel and they were generally corrupt. The harlots were considered the low lives in Israel.
But the one thing that was going for them was that they did not have a false conscience to make them believe that they were okay with God. Moreover, they did not have any false piety to make them trust in themselves that they were righteous. They were obvious sinners to others and most importantly to themselves that they felt a desperate need to repent and come to the Savior. And so, coming to the Savior, in repentance and faith, they enter the kingdom of God.
The highly religious men in this instance, however, were the opposite. They did not find anything wrong with themselves, they became satisfied with themselves and they saw no need for the Savior.
And so, they did not repent when they should have repented and they did not come to the Savior in faith when they should have for their salvation. Hence, they failed to enter the kingdom of God.
Don't let this happen to you, my friend. Realize that you are a sinner. Realize that you cannot save yourself. Realize that you need to come to the Lord Jesus in repentance and faith for salvation.
Monday, August 26, 2019
GOSPEL NUGGET # 579
Ro 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?
Paul being an experienced preacher that he was knew the objections to his doctrine of salvation by grace. In his journeys, he heard all kinds of opposition to the gospel that he preached. Here he is voicing out a common objection to his message of salvation by grace.
.
Now, every conclusion has a premise. Paul in chapter 5 verse 20 taught that where sin abounded grace super abounded. Based on that teaching of Paul, his hearers might conclude and say: “If that is the case Paul, if grace super abounds where sin abounds, does that mean then that we are to continue in sin that grace may abound?”
In our times, we have a similar objection whenever we faithfully preach the Gospel of grace. We tell them that salvation is not by works but by grace through faith. And people react, sometimes vehemently at us and say: “If that is true, then it is no longer necessary to live in holiness and righteousness. After all, salvation is not by good works but by grace through faith?”
Every time I hear that objection in my evangelism, I smile inwardly. Because I know that I preached the same message of salvation that Paul preached. Brethren, every single time we preach the message of grace, that salvation is not by works, but by grace through faith, we would invariably elicit a conclusion similar to this here in verse 1 from the unregenerate minds of unbelievers. Do not be surprised. The world does not understand the grace of God.
Teaching or a message that says: "A sinner can be saved by good works and good character" would never draw out such a reaction and objection. No, Paul received such an objection and protest because his message was: "A sinner is not saved by good works and good character; a sinner is saved by faith alone in Christ alone." . P.S. We are not talking about the results of salvation here. That is another topic. We are simply emphasizing the principle of salvation that it is not by works.
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