GOSPEL LIGHT #757

 Be In The Man To Whom Heaven Is Open

..."Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." Joh 1:51

God's holiness has locked heaven from a sinner. Yeah, sin has bolted it shut. But here's a Man to whom heaven is wide open. And the Bible says that we could be united to Him. There is such a thing as being "in Him" in the reckoning of God. And the way to it is through faith in what this Man did on the cross of Calvary.

In Him, we are as beloved by God as He is beloved by God.

MT 3:16 After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, THE HEAVENS WERE OPENED, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him,

MT 3:17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “ This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased

Ro 1:7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Many times in Romans, the apostle Paul viewed the Romans here as being in Christ. Christ was and is God's beloved Son; so were the Roman Christians here "beloved of God."

So beloved that heaven opens up to them. Be in the Man to whom heaven is open.

GOSPEL LIGHT #756

The Atonement That Demands No Works 

LEV 23:28 “You shall not do any work on this same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the LORD your God.

LEV 23:30 “As for any person who does any work on this same day, that person I will destroy from among his people.

The day of atonement or Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the nation Israel. It was a day when the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle (and later in the Temple) to make atonement for the sins of the nation of Israel. It was a day of complete rest; no work was to be done on this very day. Absolutely no work should be done on this very day. To emphasize it, the Lord told Moses "...any person who does any work on this same day, that person I will destroy from among his people." Let's apply this to the salvation of a sinner --- No human works should be mixed with the atonement. Salvation should be through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ alone. It is not faith in the atonement plus works.

It is faith in the atonement of Christ...and no other.

GOSPEL LIGHT #755

Starved To Death In The Middle Of A Banquet 

In a grand hall, a man sat amidst a gathering at an extravagant feast, with an endless table overflowing with food in every direction. The air was filled with enticing aromas, revealing a banquet prepared with lavish care—everything offered freely and without limit. Yet, what a fool! He died of starvation!

Of course, this is just a made up story to highlight the tragedy of neglecting what is abundantly and freely offered. However, the following is not a made-up story; this is a true account:

Here’s a man who repeatedly heard the gospel of eternal life and free salvation preached every Sunday, yet he never acted on it. Despite the abundance of salvation truths that surrounded him, he did not appropriate what Christ had provided for him. Ultimately, he died unsaved. 

What a fool to die of drowning when the lifebuoy was just there the whole time, almost reaching out for him, tapping him every now and then to get his attention!

What a fool to succumb to a disease while the medicine sat just within reach, clearly labeled and readily available, as though it were begging to be used!

My friend, are you someone who has heard the abundant offers of the gospel many, many times already? Don't delay any longer. Every passing moment is another step closer to eternity, and the gospel—God’s free gift of salvation—is laid before you, not just once, but time and time again. 

The Lord Jesus Christ has already accomplished the all-sufficient and all-efficacious work on the cross. He offers you the bread of life and the water of life freely, without price, but you must take it. To reject or ignore this invitation is not just a mistake—it is eternal folly. You have been called to the banquet of grace, don’t starve to death in the middle of a banquet!

GOSPEL LIGHT #754

Soar Like Zoar - Little City, Great Escape 

GE 19:21 He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this request also, not to overthrow the town of which you have spoken. 

GE 19:22 “Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the town was called Zoar.

Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed but Zoar was spared. Why? Because of the righteousness of one man - Lot. Lot came into the lives of the people of Zoar and so they were spared from destruction. Lot was their righteousness so to speak. 

This illustrates the value of Christ for a sinner. Just as Zoar was spared from destruction because of the righteousness of one man—Lot—so too those who have Christ as their righteousness are spared from God's judgment.

Each of us is like Zoar, which means small and insignificant, confronted with impending judgment. But the moment the Lord Jesus Christ arrives in our lives, just as Lot arrived in Zoar, He becomes our righteousness, and His righteousness is a powerful request to God not to overthrow us, small and insignificant sinners as we are. 

You can make Christ as your righteousness right this moment if you trust in Him and what He did on the cross for your salvation. 

GOSPEL LIGHT #753

The Gospel According To The Silkworm 

It's from a silkworm that we get silk. Silk is a luxurious, natural fiber known for its smooth texture, tensile strength and shimmering, light-reflecting appearance. 

Silkworms would spin a cocoon of silk around themselves. To extract the silk fibers, the cocoons are boiled. The boiling process separates the silkworm from the silk fibers. However, in the process, the silkworm is killed. The silkworm must be sacrificed in order for us to have silk.

The Bible says that man's righteous deeds are like filthy rags. In Isaiah 61 verse 10, we read of "the garments of salvation" and "the robe of righteousness" that God provides to cover a sinner. 

In order for this to be possible, the Lord Jesus had to come and suffer on the cross. In Psalm 22 verse 6, we read the pre-incarnate Christ describing Himself like this: "...I am a worm, and no man..." Worms are creatures which men trample down. Psalm 22 is a Messianic psalm that depicts the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Just as the silkworm gives its life, the Lord Jesus gave His life so that we might be clothed in righteousness and glory.

The garments of salvation and the robe of righteousness are ready for you to wear. Will you put them on by faith in Christ? 
 

GOSPEL LIGHT #752

The "Try Christ" Delusion 

There are people who egg others to "Try Christ." One time I personally heard an evangelist encouraged others to "Try Christ" for their salvation. I wanted to shout "No! That's wrong!"

The Bible nowhere enjoins us to "try Christ" like no one, in his right mind, would tell us to try a parachute. A wag once said: "If at first you don't succeed then skydiving is definitely is not for you."

Our eternal destiny is an infinitely higher jump than any skydiving there is, with eternal consequences. You can't come back to earth, live again, and make another jump into eternity trying another option until you find what works.

When God saves a sinner, He convicts him of his sin; He would make him realize that he is helpless and powerless to save himself. Then He would illumine him about the sufficiency of what Christ did on the cross for his salvation. He has to convince us first about our helplessness and Christ's adequacy.  

A man jumps out of a plane not to "try" his parachute, but because he is certain of two things:

First, he knows he cannot fly or levitate on his own.
Second, he is convinced that his parachute will support him and land him safely.

He is not trying his parachute. No, he is trusting in it. We don't try Christ. We don't experiment with Him. No, we trust Him. 

P.S. "Trying Christ" is the language of those who have not realized their own helplessness in saving themselves and a lack of understanding of the sufficiency of Christ's work on the cross.

GOSPEL LIGHT #751

 

The Forbidden Tree Vs The Foreordained Tree 

Just as the fall came by eating the fruit of the forbidden tree so salvation comes by eating the fruit of the foreordained tree.

The Lord Jesus was foreordained by God to die on the cross of Calvary for our sins. He Himself prepared and accomplished 100% salvation for us all. Salvation is simply the fruit of what He did on the cross. Now, our part is to simply receive and enjoy its blessings by faith in what He did.

God's curse on those who ate of the forbidden tree was this "...in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." God’s blessing with regard to the foreordained tree is this “in the day that you eat from it you will surely live and be saved.”