GOSPEL NUGGET #608

 "... the priests shall offer your burnt offerings and your peace offerings on the altar; and I will accept you,' says the Lord GOD." Eze 43:27

The priests and the offerings here in Ezekiel and in the Old Testament as a whole were actually a picture of Christ. Christ is the true Priest, He is the true offering for our sins (Heb 3:1, Joh 1:29).

We, in our sins, are totally unacceptable to holy God. That God would accept us is our urgent and pressing need. And here, we read the sweet words "I will accept you,' says the Lord GOD."

But before God will accept us something is imperatively needful. There must be a sacrifice for our sins. And so, the great high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ came with a sacrifice (the sacrifice of Himself as the Lamb of God who would take away our sin).

If we accept His sacrifice for us, if we trust in it then and only then can we hear God's welcome: "I will accept you.'

Do you long to be accepted by God? Then have you trusted in the Savior and His sacrifice on the cross for it?

GOSPEL NUGGET #607

Viruses, Pandemics, False And Genuine Repentance

False Repentance---It is when a pandemic takes place, and, for fear of divine judgment (That's all. Nothing more, nothing less and nothing else), you suddenly become religious and do things to appease God.

When the threat subsides, when the pandemic passes away, you then gradually revert back to what you were before...exactly like what you did when the earthquakes hit us years ago.

You are only fooling yourself, not God. God knew all along that yours was a false kind of repentance. The reason why you're not dead right now is that God gave you another chance to do it again, this time genuinely.

It is to be feared that many dying people who exhibit a semblance of repentance are like this. It felt real to them but not to God. They and their families thought that they will rest in peace.

Genuine Repentance---It is when a pandemic takes place, and, for fear of divine judgment, you flee from the wrath to come, you change your attitude toward God, you now take Him seriously, you now hate sin and revere God.

It further matures and develops to a point that even if the threat subsides, even when the pandemic passes away, even if there is no bliss of heaven or the threat of punishment in hell, you turn away from sin because sin is sin and God is God who hates sin.

And it culminates in you turning to Christ, trusting in Him alone and what He did on the cross for salvation.

GOSPEL NUGGET 606

The Gospel According To The Corona Virus

* First, Corona demonstrates to us that we live in a fallen world.

* Second, Corona draws us to the pervasiveness of sin. Just as the virus is pandemic so sin is pandemic. It's everywhere. It has affected us all.

* Third, Corona depicts to us our helplessness. Just as humanity right now is helpless against the virus so we are helpless and powerless to save ourselves from sin.

Just as Corona drove us to look for a cure so the fact that we are helpless and powerless against sin should make us look to the Cure that God has provided for us all --- the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

But first things first --- you will only look for a cure from Corona if you are, first of all, troubled and distressed by Corona.

In the same way, we can only genuinely look to the Savior if we are, first of all, bothered, upset, distressed and brought to despair to the reality of sin in our lives.

If such is your case, then come to the Savior my friend. He died for your sins and was raised from the dead. Come to Him and find salvation from the deadliest plague of all --- sin.

GOSPEL NUGGET #605

The pandemic of the Corona Virus and how the world responded to it is a clear demonstration as to how we ought to treat sin in our lives. Yes, even those sins that are microscopic and imperceptible to us. Repentance is seeing sin for the virus that it is, shunning it like the contagion and seeking deliverance from it.

Repentance is sin distancing and doing everything to avoid contamination. If we are alarmed with the Corona Virus we should all the more be alarmed at sin in our lives.

Have you repented of your sins? Have you come to the Savior for salvation from it?

GOSPEL NUGGET #604

Facts About Hamartia Virus * It's worse than the Corona Virus * It's pandemic. It has affected everyone. * The death rate is 100%. For every 1 person infected with it, that person will die. * The symptoms vary from person to person. How to know if you are infected with it? * Have you become dishonest in your life? * Was there a point when you became sinfully angry with anyone? * Have you disobeyed God ever? If you say "yes" to any of these questions then you are infected! Hamartia is the Greek word for Sin. Hamartia virus is the sin virus. If we are alarmed with the Corona virus we should all the more be alarmed at sin. The only cure for it is the Lord Jesus Christ. Come to Him. Be healed, be cleansed and be renewed!

GOSPEL NUGGET #603

Bantayan Island Jaunt

Going to salvation land is pretty much like going to Bantayan Island. Carmelle booked us at Anika Resort but enjoying the island and the resort can only be ours if we appropriate the island and the resort for ourselves.

In the same way, the Lord Jesus "booked" us, so to speak, at Salvation Island and Resort, when He paid for it at the cross of Calvary. But having it and enjoying it can only be ours if we appropriate salvation for ourselves.

And the beautiful place of Salvation Island and Resort is just a faith away. 

GOSPEL NUGGET #602

Every day in our kitchen an illustration of salvation takes place. Cooking is a stranger to me, so my wife does all the cooking. Yeah, she does all the hard work in the kitchen (afterward, though, as agreed, I do all the washing of the dishes). When all is done, I just go over there and enjoy a hearty meal.

That's a picture of salvation. Christ did all the "cooking" at Calvary, and, when all is done, we, as needy sinners, made to hunger for salvation by the conviction of the Holy Spirit, are free to sit down, and, by faith, enjoy a good serving of salvation which He prepared.

He cooked; we eat and enjoy.