GOSPEL NUGGET #385

Isa 51:5  "...And on My arm they will trust."

The arm of the Lord is a figurative way of referring to His might and power. It is an almighty arm. It is an all-powerful arm. Yes, it is a strong and able arm.

It needs no assistance. It requires no support. It does not cry out for help. His arm is more than adequate and enough to deliver from any difficulty and extremity.

And it is the very arm that God flexes in the salvation of a sinner. The very same power that created the universe, liberated Israel from Egypt and parted the Red Sea is the very same power wielded in the salvation of a soul. It is Christ Himself, the power of God.

1Co 1:24 ...Christ the power of God...

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.

Heb 7:25 ...He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him...

Do you want to be saved? Trust in the Savior and what He did on the cross. He is able. He is the arm of God.

GOSPEL NUGGET #384

Jg 7:2 And the LORD said to Gideon, "The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, 'My own hand has saved me.'

Although what the Lord is talking about here is physical deliverance, the intent and design of His rescues and redeeming acts are the same---no creature should deprive Him of the glory that rightfully belongs to Him.

And it is just exactly so with spiritual salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 says:

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.

If you can contribute something meritorious to effect your salvation, then you have robbed God of the full glory that rightfully belongs to Him alone.

The scheme of salvation must be in a way that our mouths can only glorify
God 100% of the salvation that was wrought on our behalf. The only way for that to take place is salvation by grace through faith in the Savior and what He did on the cross. A salvation that is not the result of our own efforts. A salvation that we could never proudly claim: "My own hand has saved me."

GOSPEL NUGGET #383

Ps 32:10 "...he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him."

Many find fault and oppose the doctrine of salvation by faith alone. They say that it is not enough. One must do other things besides putting one's faith in the Savior and His work on the cross in order to be saved.

However, this verse clearly says that faith, trusting in the Lord, can make the Lord surround the trusting one with His mercy. When we trust in the Lord, when we take refuge in Him, we are acknowledging our helplessness and impotency. It is an act of humility. And anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.

Lu 18:13 "And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'

14 "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross and you will be saved!

GOSPEL NUGGET #382

Why Do Saved Sinners Have To Confess If All Their Sins Are Already Forgiven By God?

If you are someone who has trusted in Christ alone for salvation, then you must know that the death of Christ took care of the penalty of all your sins, past, present and future.

Since the penalty has been paid, you don't have to pay for it yourself. The Lord Jesus took care of it. Salvation forgiveness has been granted to you at the moment of faith. An eternal relationship between you and God has been established.

However, with unconfessed sin in your life, the fellowship (the fellowship not the relationship) is broken. You are still a child of God, but you don't enjoy having dinner with your Heavenly Dad down in the dining table. You are relegated to your room alone.

The fellowship is only restored if we humble ourselves, go to Dad and confess our sins. When that is done, we can sit down and enjoy a hearty and happy fellowship with Dad and the rest of His family.

Learn to distinguish between salvation forgiveness (Acts 10:43) from parental forgiveness (1 John 1:9). The condition of the former is faith while the condition of the latter is confession. The former is for an unsaved sinner, the latter is for a saved sinner.

If you are still unsaved, you don't confess to be saved. You can confess all you want but if you have not trusted in Christ alone for salvation, you will remain unsaved. Admitting that you are sick is no substitute for taking the medicine.

GOSPEL NUGGET #381

People Who Feel Worthy Of Heaven Will Not Go There

Yes, it's true. People who feel confident that they are worthy of heaven, that they deserve to be in heaven, will surely not go there. You ask: "Why?"

Answer:

Because salvation and eternal life are not given to those who deserve it. All are sinners and therefore deserve to be condemned. People who feel that they are worthy of heaven, that they deserve it, are trusting in their own worth.

They are trusting and relying on themselves. They are not trusting and relying on the Savior and what He did on the cross.

Ac 16:30 And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
31 So they said, "Believe (trust or rely) on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved...

Salvation is by trusting and relying on the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross for our salvation. It is not by trusting and relying on ourselves. It is not by being confident of our worth before God. Salvation is given as an undeserved favor (grace). It is offered to those who do not deserve it in the first place.

One of the first steps to salvation is to acknowledge that you don't deserve it at all to begin with.

GOSPEL NUGGET #380

Ru 2:10 "...Why have I found grace in your eyes...seeing I am a stranger?"

Mt 27:46 "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

If the words of Ruth in the first verse are heard from the mouth of an inquiring sinner, the second verse is the answer to it. The former found grace because the latter was forsaken. 

The blessing, the grace and the favor of salvation is offered to a spiritual stranger or a sinner because it was denied to the One who paid the penalty of our sins.

Favor to one because of the Forsaken other! As they say, grace is God's riches at Christ's expense. Will you freely accept, by faith in the Savior, the salvation which He wrought on the cross for you?

GOSPEL NUGGET #379

Le 17:11 “…it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.”

Latch on the truth presented in the verse at the head of this short article. Remember it. Pay close attention to it. Treasure it. Lean on it. Embrace it. Be content and be satisfied of it. Never add or subtract anything to it. The salvation of your soul depends upon it.

To “atone” means to cover so as to cleanse. Our souls are defiled by sins. Sin has turned it into a leper. And in the eyes of God, only the sacrifice of blood offered by the Lord Jesus Christ when He died on the cross, nothing else, can atone for it.

False, man-made systems have twisted it. Unbelief would not accept it. We hear many saying: “It is good works that make atonement for the soul.” Others say: “It is religion that makes atonement for the soul.” Still some say: “It is religious activities that make atonement for the soul.”

All these reject the blessed truth of God that says “…it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.”

Have you entirely placed your faith and reliance in what the Lord Jesus Christ did for you when He shed His blood on the cross?

GOSPEL NUGGET #378

Ps 10:14 ...The helpless commits himself to You...

A principle with regard to salvation can be gleaned from this verse. It is an established principle that only those who realize and are painfully aware of their helplessness in saving themselves commit their salvation wholly and entirely to the Savior.

It is only when we realize that we are weak that we look for Another who can be strong for us. It is only when we become aware that we can't stand on our own that we lean on Another.

God gave us the Ten Commandments and commanded us to obey it perfectly in order for us to learn and realize that we are helpless and powerless in ourselves to obey it in its entirety perfectly from the inside out. The intention is to humble us. To make us see our helplessness.

It is only then that we are ready to totally commit, rely, have faith and throw ourselves to the finished perfect work of the Savior on the cross for our salvation. "The helpless commits himself to You."

GOSPEL NUGGET #377

Left Behind The Movie

The movie depicts what could possibly take place when the Rapture happens. The Rapture refers to the event prophesied in the Bible about the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for people who have truly repented and trusted in Him and what He did on the cross alone for salvation in this age of grace.

1Th 4:15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be CAUGHT UP together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

It is the time when the Lord Jesus will snatch up or seize up those who belong to Him. It will take the world by surprise, for the Rapture is imminent, one that could happen any moment.

Those who are left behind, who heard the call of the Lord to repent and trust in Him for salvation but have rejected and refused the offer will be taken in by the lie of the Antichrist to worship him.

Will you be left behind? You don't have to be. You can repent and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross for salvation and be assured of the hope of the Rapture.

GOSPEL NUGGET # 376

Ps 34:8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;

God does not only want us to intellectually know about His salvation, He also desires that we experientially know His salvation. The gospel lodged in the head is not enough. It must be embraced by the heart.

There is a mountain of difference between a person who knows about Mount Everest by devouring books about Mount Everest and a person who knows Mount Everest because he has been there himself. The former is intellectual head knowledge, the latter is experiential knowledge; he experienced Mount Everest himself.

When they talk about Mt. Everest, you can sense in the latter an x-factor in him. It's different. You know he's been there.

Sadly, many know about the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith in Christ and yet they have not truly trusted in Christ alone for salvation. God does not only want us to acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, He also wants us to embrace Him and experience His salvation for ourselves.

He does not only want us to acknowledge the Bread from heaven, He also desires that we partake of it by putting our trust in Him and what He did on the cross for our salvation.

GOSPEL NUGGET #375

Worse Than Ebola

Ebola is a dreadful virus. The mortality rate is high and it has no cure. In many cases, escaping from the clutches of death is like going through the eye of a needle.

But you know what, there is something more terrible and worse than Ebola. It is sin. The mortality rate is not high, it is sure and certain. It is across the board. It is the ultimate cause of death. Many are alarmed at Ebola but only a few are alarmed at sin. Worse, we are all infected with it. It's already in us.

There is only one way to survive from sin. One must come to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. He died for our sins and rose from the dead. Anyone who repents and trusts in Him will be saved.

GOSPEL NUGGET #374

Isa 46:13 I bring My righteousness near...

Man is a sinner who has no righteousness that is acceptable to God. In God's sight our righteous deeds are stained by sin. It is filthy rags to Him (see Isa. 64:6).

Man is therefore helpless and powerless to produce righteousness for God to accept. The Law or the Ten Commandments makes this obvious and easy to see. God demands perfect obedience to His Law but no one can obey it perfectly.

Man has no righteousness for God, but God, in grace, has righteousness for him. He has brought righteousness so near to man through the Gospel. So near that it is just a matter of a heart's trust on his part to obtain it.

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):

Anyone who trusts in the Savior and what He did on the cross will be given a righteous standing before God.

GOSPEL NUGGET #373

Misconceptions About Salvation

#14 "I don't need to accept Jesus to be saved. He just saves me and that's it."

A man wrote that he does not have to accept the Lord Jesus in order to be saved. Jesus just saves him. He then said in effect that you don't ask a drowning man to be saved, you just rescue him without offering your help.

There are three things that are problematic here:

First, the Bible clearly teaches that the Lord Jesus must be received in order for one to be saved and become a child of God. "But as many as RECEIVED HIM, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name." Joh 1:12

Second, he failed to realize two important stages in the redemption process: a) Redemption Accomplished b) Redemption Appropriated and c) Redemption Applied

The Lord Jesus Christ accomplished redemption when He died on the cross. But that accomplished redemption must be appropriated by faith in order for it to be applied to the believing or trusting sinner. In his thinking, the first stage (a) is all it takes for one to be saved.

Third, he based his error on an illustration that only emphasized certain aspects of salvation. The drowning man illustration only goes so far. Yes, it's true that salvation is a rescue and a deliverance from danger. But salvation is also a proposal of a relationship.

Salvation is also about being united to God in a relationship with Him. Since it is also about having a relationship with God, it is therefore something that is offered and not imposed. And any proposal of a relationship must be received or accepted in order for it to be established.

GOSPEL NUGGETS #372

Transfer Your Trust And Reliance To The Lord Jesus 

Isa 45:22 "Look to Me, and be saved... 

The pre-incarnate Lord Jesus is the one who is inviting people here to look to Him and find salvation. The word "look" in the Hebrew here means to turn. Imagine a person looking and facing someone else and then turns around to face another person. That's the idea here. 

A lot of us have been relying on a lot of other things and persons for our salvation besides the Lord Jesus. We have been looking up to our own goodness, our own religiosity, our own efforts expecting to be saved by them.

The Lord is saying: "Turn to Me. Look unto Me. Turn away from trusting anything and anybody else. Transfer your trust and reliance to Me for salvation."

Faith is the instrumental cause of salvation, but faith isn't saving if its object is not on the Savior and what He did on the cross. The instrumental cause of salvation (faith) must set its sight on the efficient cause of salvation (the Savior).

Transfer your faith and reliance for salvation on the Lord Jesus Christ! If you do that, He promises that you will "be saved."

GOSPEL NUGGET #371

An Atheistic Detective Who Became A Christian

J. Warner Wallace is a celebrated cold case detective. You can see him featured many times on TV in the US. A cold case detective is one that solves crime cases that turned out cold after months of fruitless investigation by others before him.

J. Warner Wallace is an expert detective who was an atheist. One day, he set out to apply his expertise on the claims of Christ. An expert detective took the challenge to investigate Christianity, particularly the resurrection of Christ.

He bought a Bible for 6 dollars and then began to examine the evidence. He would not spend more than 6 dollars wasting his time. He actually began with a bias against the case!

One thing that leaped out to his notice was the fact that the Gospels is an eyewitness testimony. This caught his interest. He had something to really weigh and assess. In the end, he could not resists the sheer force of the evidence. It was too solid. He trusted Christ as His Savior.

My friend, have you taken the time to examine the evidence for yourself? Have you read the "affidavits" of the eyewitnesses who saw Christ's resurrection?

The truth that Christ died for our sins and resurrected from the dead is rock solid. You can trust in Him and what He did on the cross for your salvation.

GOSPEL NUGGET #370

The Myth That Reading The Bible Makes One Insane

There are many myths about the Bible. One of them is the one I wrote above. They might as well say that God makes one go insane. God was the one who inspired the Bible. He used human authors to produce it. And then reading it makes you go loco?

It is essentially a blasphemy against God. A bad press for its divine Author. Sure, there were cases of unstable minds who twisted the Bible to their own destruction, but it was definitely not the Bible's fault.

Nobody faults secular manuals when people do not follow its instructions to their own misery. Why say that against the Bible? If the truth be told and read, here's what it says:

2Ti 3:15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

The Bible does not make one go nuts. On the contrary, it makes one wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Read the Bible. Find out what Christ Jesus did for your salvation. Trust in Him and what He did and you'll be saved.

GOSPEL NUGGET #369

The Good Man Challenge

A preacher stood before a group of people offering a hundred dollars to anybody in the crowd who is truly good. One man stepped forward and claimed to be a good person.

"Have you told a lie in your life?" the preacher went at his conscience. 
"Yes" was the answer. 
"How many? Ten? Twenty? Fifty? More than a hundred?" the preacher went deep. 
"More than a hundred" the man replied with obvious uneasiness.
"What do you call someone who tells lies?"
"A liar" the man replied with guilt on his face.
"Have you stolen something? Have you borrowed something that you did not return?" the preacher further queried.
"Yes" the man replied looking down.
"What are you then?" the preacher probed deeper.
"A thief" replied the man almost in a whisper.
"No" the preacher countered, "you are a lying thief to be exact according to your own admission."

The preacher then told the man frankly that he cannot give the one hundred dollar bill to him based on who he was. He was not a good man at all. But the preacher said: "I will offer this one hundred dollar bill to you as an undeserved favor. Will you accept it?"

The man's face beamed with joy and nodded. He could not believe his ears. The preacher then approached him and laid on his hand a crisp one hundred dollar bill.

The preacher then said: "You see, God is like that to us sinners. We are all sinners. We don't deserve to be saved. But God offers His salvation to us for free as an undeserved favor. Anyone who humbles himself and relies solely on Christ and what He did on the cross will be saved."

GOSPEL NUGGET #368

Blessings For Free

Jos 24:13 'I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.'

Israel enjoyed God's blessings without breaking a sweat. It was all given for free. They did not earn it. They did not labor for it. They did not build it. They did not plant it. All were freely theirs for the taking.

You see, God can give blessings for free. It should not surprise us therefore that He can offer the blessing of salvation for free as well. He has been doing it to people who trust in Christ and what He did on the cross for salvation ever since. Look:

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.

2Ti 1:9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, NOT ACCORDING TO OUR WORKS, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,

Tit 3:5 NOT BY WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH WE HAVE DONE, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,

Ro 4:5 But to him who does NOT WORK but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,

Ro 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith APART FROM THE DEEDS OF THE LAW.

GOSPEL NUGGET #367

Taking Sin Seriously

Sin is serious. Fatally serious. It is a heinous crime against the Almighty of the universe. It is to fly in the face of a thrice holy God. It is an act of revolution against Him.

It is shocking. A scandal in heaven. Traumatic to the holy angels to see. They gasp. Their eyes dilate. They put their hands over their mouths with their lips quivering.

They take sin seriously because they take God seriously. They know how holy God is and so they know how horrible and horrifying sin is. And yet many of us mortals can just afford to think lightly of it. Our attitude towards sin is an insult to God. We don't love God and so we don't hate sin.

When God says "Repent," He means change your attitude towards sin. Hate and abhor it. Flee from it like its a poisonous cobra. Fling it away like it's poison.

Have you taken sin seriously? Seriously enough to hate it and run to the Savior for salvation from it?

GOSPEL NUGGET #366

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

There is a growing movement circulating around in the internet, especially Facebook, about finding a cure for ALS or Lour Gehrig's disease. It is a fatal neurological disease that has no cure.

It is called the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Famous celebrities in their symbolic support to find a cure to freeze this disease would be poured water on using an ice bucket.

You know, a similar thing happened 2000 years ago. Unlike the symbolic gestures of these celebrities, the Lord Jesus actually poured His blood on account of our sins. He took the "challenge." He died on the cross to pay the penalty of our sin.

We are incurably sick spiritually and are in dire need of salvation. Anyone who trusts in Him and what He did on the cross alone for salvation will be spiritually cured...saved.

GOSPEL NUGGET #365

Who Are Actually Saved By God?

God sent His Son into the world to save sinners. As such, the Lord Jesus Christ is the potential and the provisional Savior of all sinners. However, salvation does come with a condition.

Here read it for yourself:

Joh 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOEVER BELIEVES (trusts) IN HIM should not perish but have everlasting life.

1Co 1:21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached TO SAVE THOSE WHO BELIEVE (trust in Jesus).

1Ti 4:10 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO BELIEVE (trust in Jesus).

The Lord Jesus is the potential and the provisional Savior of all, but He is only the actual Savior of those who trust in Him and what He did on the cross for salvation.

GOSPEL NUGGETS #364

The Hole In Our Hearts

I remember a story about a man who went into a doctor's clinic for his severe depression. The doctor told him to go into a certain theater where a very funny clown would perform regularly. The doctor guaranteed him that it would surely help his depression.

The man replied: "Doc, I am the clown."

Nothing in this world satisfies. There's this eternal hole in our hearts that only an eternal God can fill. The things of this world are only mere temporary distractions to make you forget about the hole for awhile. In the end, when you are by yourself, you know that it is still there.

It's like a famished and dehydrated man who dreamed that he was in a banquet house. He stuffed himself full. He drank to his heart's content. He had a good time. Only to wake up to the sad reality that it was all a cruel dream.

As they say: "There is this God-shaped hole in our hearts that only God can fill." Let's be tired and weary already in chasing substitutes. Come to Christ.

He died for our sins and rose again from the dead.

GOSPEL NUGGETS #363

Mt 18:2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them,

Mt 18:3 "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

The Lord Jesus is not teaching us here to be childish but to be childlike in our attitude. One must become like a little child for him to enter the kingdom of heaven.

What is it to be like a little child? It is to be marked by humility. Humility is seeing ourselves as to who we really are in the eyes of God nothing more, nothing less and nothing else.

Just as a little child has no exalted opinion about himself, so a humble person does not view himself highly in the eyes of God. He knows who he is and acknowledges the fact that he is a sinner, worthy of God's judgment and condemnation.

He takes the lowly place. He does not look up and say to God: "Look, I did this and I did that. I have been a good person, and so, therefore, I now have earned the right to be saved by You."

No, a humble person simply submits obediently to the terms that God has laid for a sinner to be saved. Just as a little child is dependent on his parents for sustenance, so a humble person depends and relies on Christ and what He did on the cross for salvation.

Have you become as a little child?

GOSPEL NUGGET #362

State Of The Soul Address

Just recently the president of the Philippines gave his annual state of the nation address (SONA) to millions of Filipinos watching on TV and to those listening on radioland.

It is important to us as a nation to be updated about the condition of our nation, where we are heading and what we are doing about it.

It is even more important to know and realize our soul's condition before God. Knowing who we are in the eyes of God is an essential step towards salvation.

Read ye God's address about the condition of our souls:

Ps 14:2 The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men...
3 They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.

In His eyes, we are all sinners. We have not been walking in God's way. Our moral condition is depraved and corrupt. The spiritual economy of our souls is bankrupt. There is none who does good.

We all need to come to the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, trusting in Him alone for salvation.

GOSPEL NUGGET #361

John 21:9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread.

John 21:12 Jesus said to them, "Come and dine."....

The disciples were busy when the Lord Jesus invited them to eat breakfast. When they came, everything was completely ready for them. All they had to do was eat and enjoy what He prepared for them.

If you allow me to apply the principle to salvation, it was He who prepared for us the blessing of salvation. It was He who made it ready for us when He died on the cross of Calvary.

We don't have to work and prepare and make it ready ourselves. The salvation banquet was already done when He said: "It is finished." Now, He simply offers it to us freely saying: "Come and dine."

In love and grace, He condescended to become our spiritual cook and waiter. If salvation were a dish, we don't have to cook it ourselves. No, the dish is already cooked and laid ready on the dining table. Look and behold! Even the chair is already pulled out for us! We only have to sit down and eat.

Will you come and simply receive by faith and enjoy and be satisfied with the salvation that He prepared for you? Will you come and dine?

GOSPEL NUGGET #360

Hazing In Fraternities And Salvation

A lot of young people desire and long for acceptance so much from their peers that they are willing to undergo physical torture just to be accepted. We often hear of college students being mauled to their deaths far too many times in a hazing session.

By the grace of God, salvation is not like that. God can and will accept any sinner who will come to Him through faith in Christ Jesus.

It was Him who underwent a "hazing" session for us when He was scourged, spat upon, beaten black and blue and then crucified on the cross of Calvary.

Come to Christ, trusting in Him and what He did on the cross and you will be accepted by God as His child and you will be welcomed into His "fraternity" as one of the brothers in His family.

GOSPEL NUGGET #359

Salvation: The Fruit Of The Cross (Illustrated By A Tree And Its Fruit) 

Fruits are prepared and produced by trees. All of it. A fruit cannot say, for instance, that he somehow contributed to his own existence. No, he is the result of the work of the tree 100%. 

The tree does all the work in bearing fruit and then offers it for all who would have it for free. Our part is to simply enjoy and eat it.

Salvation is pretty much the same way. The Bible says that the Lord Jesus "bore our sins in His own body on the tree" (1 Peter 2:24). On that tree (the cross of Calvary) 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.

GOSPEL NUGGET #358

Man's Best For God VS God's Best For Man

Many people attempt to save themselves doing their best for God. They try to do this, they try to avoid that, laboring and working real hard to be the best that they can be for God.

But man's best is never and will never be good enough. The best that man can do is imperfect obedience. As they say, the best of men is simply men at their best. Man's best can never save himself.

Many are unmindful of the fact that God did His best for man in Christ Jesus at the cross of Calvary. Calvary was God doing His best for man's salvation. Only God can perfectly satisfy God. And God was perfectly satisfied with what He did in Christ Jesus at Calvary.

Now, God is not calling upon men to come and do their best for Him to be saved. No, rather He is calling upon men everywhere to come, rely and trust in the best that He did for man in Christ Jesus.

GOSPEL NUGGET #357

Would A Donation Of A Billion Dollars Be Enough To Pay For Your Sins?

Let's suppose you are a billionaire. Let's suppose, even further, that you are about to die. Would a donation of a billion dollars to charity be enough to atone and pay for all your sins?

The answer is a resounding "No!" Sin is a spiritual heinous crime that must be paid by death. It is either death or no payment at all. Sin is that serious. Any heinous crime is serious.

A billion dollars as a penalty for sin is to belittle the holiness of God. It is an insult. Sin is an affront to the holiness of God. And no amount of money can pay for dishonoring His holiness.

Ps 52:7 "Here is the man who did not make God his strength, But trusted in the abundance of his riches, And strengthened himself in his wickedness."

There are people today who embolden themselves to commit sin, believing that they could pay off their sins by giving donations to charity.

They never understood the fact that it is only through the death of Christ on the cross that sins can be paid and atoned for. Instead of trusting and relying on what Christ did on the cross for the payment of their sins, they trust and rely on their riches.

If you belong to this crowd, eternal disappointment will surely be your lot for it is His death and not your dough that can pay for the penalty of your sins.

GOSPEL NUGGET #356

Salvation Test

The Bible teaches that salvation is a gift that one can possess right now, while one is still alive. Having salvation is conditioned on faith in Christ. "Whoever believes/trusts in Him shall not perish but HAVE eternal life."

The question is: "Are you saved? Do you have eternal life?" Let me help you answer that question by asking you some guide questions.

* Have you seen yourself as a sinner or a spiritual criminal before God? (1 John 3:4)
* Have you realized that there is nothing you can do at all to save yourself? (Isa. 64:6, Titus 3:5)
* Who or what are you relying on for salvation?
* Are you confident that what Christ did on the cross was sufficient for your soul's salvation?
* Is Christ and His work on the cross your only hope of salvation? (Acts 4:12)
* Have you relied on Him and what He did on the cross as the only way to God? (John 14:6)

If you have seen yourself as a sinner before God, if you have realized that there is absolutely nothing you could do to earn salvation, and have therefore trusted and relied and depended on the Savior for salvation,
then you are saved.

Read the words of the contract: "Whoever believes/trusts in Him shall not perish but HAVE eternal life."

GOSPEL NUGGET #355

The Real Purgatory 

The word purgatory comes from the word purge. To purge is to rid away whatever is impure or undesirable. In a word, it means to cleanse. According to some, purgatory is a temporary place where one can be purged of one's venial sins.

The Bible, however, points to a person rather than to a place for the purging of a sinner's sins. The real "purgatory" is a person.

Heb 1:3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when HE (Jesus) HAD BY HIMSELF PURGED OUR SINS, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

God will only remit and forgive our sins on the basis of divine justice being satisfied. God's justice demands that our spiritual crimes must be paid.

This one just demand cannot be bypassed and overlooked. Divine forgiveness cannot be at the expense of divine justice. The penalty of sin is always death. Someone must pay the death penalty before cleansing and forgiveness can be issued.

All these are satisfactorily answered by Christ Himself when He died for our sins. It is solely in Him and what He did on the cross that a defiled sinner can find cleansing and purification.

Come now in repentance to God's real Purgatory, trusting in Him and what He did on the cross for cleansing and the purging of all your sins.

GOSPEL NUGGET #354

Are You Committing Spiritual Suicide?

Suicide is the rejection of God's gift of natural life that He offers to us daily. Every second, every minute God sustains us with natural life. Every breath we take is a gift from Him.

Suicide is like pinching one's nose and saying: "I won't be having that anymore. I refuse to receive it. I want to end the supply of life right now."

We say that a person who rejects and refuses natural life is a fool. But you are a greater fool if you have rejected and refused God's offer of eternal life in Christ Jesus.

How many times has God called upon you to repent and come to Christ and receive eternal life for free? How many times have you put Him off and neglected His free offer?

Did you not ever realize that every single time you reject His offer, you are, in effect, committing spiritual suicide? You have chosen death instead of life for yourself.

Will you still do it this time?

GOSPEL NUGGET #353

Napolist And The Book Of Life

It is every politician's nightmare. It is a dreadful thing to have one's name listed in the Horror Roll of the infamous lady. Public scorn, condemnation, shame and hatred would be their lot. They can kiss their political careers and ambitions good bye.

No one wants to be in the list. They would move heaven and hell to sanitize their names from it. They would cross the seven seas for it, if that is what it takes to not have their names included.

It is entirely different with the Book of Life. It is a list where you want your name to be in. It is the list of the blessed as opposed to the Napolist (a list of the blasted).

Re 20:15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

Is your name in the Book of Life? Have you received eternal life by trusting in the Savior and what He did on the cross? If yes, then you can be sure that your name is in it.

GOSPEL NUGGET #352

Mass Murderer Elliot Rodger

A 22-year old young man named Elliot Rodger stabbed and opened fire on people inside his school campus, injuring many, while sending at least six people to eternity on the spot.

The day before he went berserk and snapped, he did a video of himself expressing his rage and utter disappointment he felt about his life. His primary complaint was that he still remained a virgin even at age 22. He wanted to have the attention of young women in his school but they just would not give it to him.

He envied good-looking young men and women in his school because of the kind of sex they are having, while he remains to be alone in life. In his video, he specifically said that he would target beautiful women and good-looking men in his hellish rage.

He repeatedly put the emphasis on his not being able to have sex with women. His life, and apparently, the life of others, depended upon it. His rhetoric was all centered on self.

Elliot Rodger was both judged and a judgment by God.

He was judged. Rejecting God, he fell into the control of his sinful desires. It became the be all and the end all of his life. It took him to the deep abyss of depravity that eventually led to his demise.

He was a judgment. God will judge fornicators. God allowed Mr. Rodger to go on his deadly downward spiral so as to judge the young men and women who engaged in fornication, rampant in their school.

Rejecting God's salvation in Christ is fatal. It leaves the door wide open for the monster inside of us to come out, putting self and others in danger. Don't put off coming to Christ, God, in judgment, might leave you to your depraved self.

GOSPEL NUGGET #351

Hell Is An Unnecessary Tragedy

God does not want anybody in hell. Hell was not originally intended for us. The Lord Jesus once said: "Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels." Mt. 25:41

Hell is God reluctantly saying: "Your will be done." He always does so with a grieving heart.

Eze 33:11 "'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?'

He flung the door, as it were, very wide open for us. He woos us to him. He enables us to step in. The tragedy is that we refuse. We reject His gracious offer. We decline His salvation by our unrepentance and unbelief.

We choose hell for ourselves. God does not want us to be there. He is not "willing that any should perish." (2 Peter 3:9) But we choose to be there. Hell is such an unnecessary tragedy.

Will you be there unnecessarily? Why die when you could live? Why suffer when you could be in bliss? Why remain guilty when you could be forgiven and justified? Why be in hell when you could be in heaven with God?

Come to the Savior, trusting in Him and what He did on the cross alone for salvation.

GOSPEL NUGGET #350

The Danger Of Spiritual Complacency

Pr 6:9 How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep-
11 So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, And your need like an armed man.

Though Solomon, the man behind these words, was addressing a lazy person here, these verses can be applied to spiritual salvation.

Endless suffering awaits those who have refused to be awakened to God's repeated calls to come to repentance and faith in Christ Jesus for salvation.

Many are not alarmed at their condition. Sleeping while the house is devoured by the flames, so to speak, they can afford to live at ease, be indifferent and be complacent with the sinner that they are in God's sight, seeing no need to come urgently to the Savior.

Somebody said: “A little more sleep, a little more slumber and thou shalt wake in hell to sleep no more forever!”

And so, awake to your critical spiritual condition before God. Rise and run to the Savior, trusting in Him and what He did on the cross alone for salvation.

GOSPEL NUGGET #349

Operation Naburos Island 

It is a virgin island off Misamis Occidental, verdant with lush greeneries. Shaped like a pregnant woman lying on her back, the local folks came to call it Naburos Island or Pregnant Island.

After trekking a few rough Misamis Occidental miles, our vehicle had to stop. Standing over a humble wharf, there loomed before me Naburos Island. Excitement and apprehension were horsing around inside my heart.

Excited at the prospect of being in a virgin island for the first time, I was also apprehensive because of the intimidating sea that we had to cross over. Julius Caesar once said: "I came. I saw. I conquered." Hey, not me! I came. I saw, but I cowered a little bit inside. I prayed. My swimming abilities left me years ago, when I contracted an ailment.

The only means to convey us to the island was through a small pump boat. I had to entrust myself to it. It proved itself reliable when it docked us safely to the island.

That gave me a wonderful illustration of salvation. If the island represents God in heaven, then the boat represents the Lord Jesus Christ. We sinners are powerless in ourselves to save ourselves. We can never bring ourselves to God.

We need the Savior. He died for our sins and rose again from the dead. Now, any sinner who entrusts himself to the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross will be saved and will be brought safely to God.

GOSPEL NUGGET #347

Lu 19:10 For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost."

A man stepped deep into a cave carrying a torchlight in his hand. His curiosity made him wind his way hundreds of meters into the heart of the hollow of the earth.

The cave was not only a maze, a confusing and a complex network of interconnected paths and passages, it was also as dark as a black night. It was so dark that opening one's eyes made no difference from that of closing one's eyes. There was a total absence of light. Everyone is blind if not for the light that they would carry.

Horror and fear gripped his soul when his light suddenly flickered out. Alone, desperate, and lost, he sat down helplessly pondering about his plight.

Look at him. Consider his condition. That's how we are in the eyes of God spiritually speaking. We are lost and we could never bring ourselves out into the light.

We need Someone who will come to us to be our Light and become our Way to God. That Someone is the Lord Jesus Christ. We are helplessly lost in the cave of sin, destined to die alone in spiritual darkness.

And the Lord Jesus, through this message, comes to you, as it were, in your lost condition and offers His hand and says: "Trust Me. I came to seek and save the lost. I died for your sins and rose again. Rely on Me and I will save you out of this to God."

Will you take His hand? Will you trust in Him and what He did on the cross alone for salvation?

GOSPEL NUGGET #346

He Took All The Difficult So That You Can Have All The Easy

After explaining the way of salvation that it is by grace through faith in Christ and not by works (Eph. 2:8-9), a lot of people find it surprisingly simple.

They would say: "Why, that's too simple. I thought it should be complicated! It's too easy. It can't be the way of salvation!"

In reply, I would point them to the cross and explain to them: "It is simple like that because Somebody died to make it simple for us. It was the Lord Jesus who died for our sins. It should have been us there, but He took all the difficult so that we can have all the easy."

My friend, it's now easy and simple for you because it was difficult and hard for Him. He took all the difficult so that you can have all the easy.

He swallowed all the bitter so that you can have all the sweet. He took all the rough so that you can have all the smooth. He took all the low so that you can have all the high. He took all the storm so that you can have all the calm. He took all the pain so that you can have all the gain.

Will you now receive freely the salvation that He alone worked so hard for you? Will you put your trust in Him and what He did on the cross for your salvation?

GOSPEL NUGGET #345

"The Glory of God is man fully alive." --- Irenaeus

Man was created in God's image. And therefore for man to be fully displaying God is to glorify God. And he can only fully display and reflect God if he is fully alive spiritually.

A clear mirror perfectly reflects the person looking at the mirror. And all his glory is displayed fully therein. We are all cracked and shattered mirrors. We can only reflect a bad and shameful image. We can only be intact to fully display God in Christ. 

We are spiritually dead because of sin, but we can be "fully alive" if we come to Christ, trusting in Him and what He did on the cross for salvation. 

GOSPEL NUGGET #344

The World's Most Successful Lawyer

Sir Lionel Luckhoo is considered as one of the greatest lawyers in the history of Britain. With a string of 245 consecutive successful cases, knighted by Queen Elizabeth II twice, it is enough for the the Guinness Book of World Records to dub him as the "World's Most Successful Advocate."

Mr. Luckhoo was a skpetic to the claims of Christ at the beginning. Somebody challenged him to bring to bear his abilities, his legal genius, on the claims of Christ as recorded in the Gospel records of the New Testament.

Accepting the challenge, he sat down and began the work of examining the Gospel records. At the end, he came out a believer in Christ, a sinner who pinned his soul's salvation to Christ and what He did on the cross. The force of the evidence was too compelling. He had to say:

"I say unequivocally the evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is so overwhelming that it compels acceptance by proof which leaves absolutely no room for doubt."

My friend, have you read the "affidavits" of the eyewitnesses of Jesus' resurrection? Have you read and studied the Gospel records for yourself? Have you taken the time to do so?

I have. I was once a skeptic too. But the evidence was too rock-solid. I had to place my trust for my soul's salvation in the Man who rose from the dead.

GOSPEL NUGGET #343

Mother's Day

God's saving grace is much like the love and compassion and care of a mother. We did not set out to labor and work to earn our own mother's love in the womb. It was already there first. The child did not do anything to deserve this. It is not earned, it is freely and lovingly offered and given.

How many mothers die a little inside each time their sons and daughters disobey, mistreat and even talk back to them. We made her look fat, caused her so much discomfort that she had to vomit often, kicked at her, cause her so much agony and pain when we came out. And yet, she still steadfastly opened her tired and weary arms to us at birth. Many a mother's love is an undeserved favor.

This is a wonderful illustration of God's saving grace. You don't have to earn God's salvation. You are not called to work hard for it. It is simply offered and given freely as an undeserved favor.

Sadly, just as there are many sons and daughters who spurn their mother's love and care, so there are many in the world who reject God's offer of salvation through faith in Christ.

This Mother's Day, will you accept and receive God's salvation as a free gift just as, I think, you freely received your own mother's love? Will you trust in Christ and what He did on the cross for salvation?

GOSPEL NUGGET #342

Confucius, Buddha, Mohammad And Christ 

A man once dreamed of having fallen into a deep pit and was down there helpless, in despair and was knocked unconscious. 

* Confucius came and offered him an advice: "If you get out of trouble, be sure never to get in again. Learn from your mistakes." 

* Buddha came and said: "I will help you if you can climb high enough to a state of Nirvana."

* Mohammad came and asked: "Have you been good? Did you do all those things I prescribed? The five spiritual exercises I told you to do?"

* Christ came and saw his helpless condition, He slipped himself down to him, revived him and offered His strong hand and said: " I placed my life on the line for you. Look at the scars on my hands just to get to you. Come and Trust me. I can get you out of this." The man took His hand and was pulled out saved.

A sinner is helpless and hopeless in himself to save himself. He is not saved by philosophy, self-effort and good works. What he needs is a strong and capable Savior who can deliver him out from the pit of sin's condemnation, control and company.