GOSPEL NUGGET #616

The Tree Of Life --- Removed, Redeemed and Restored 

* The Tree of Life Removed

Ge 3:23 therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

When man fell into sin, the tree of life was removed from fallen man. God barred it so that man could not get to it.

* The Tree of Life Redeemed

Ga 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree")

1 Pe 2:24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree...

If you think about it, the cross of Christ, which was made from a tree, was in a very real sense a tree of life. Out of it, life could be had. When He died on the cross He, in effect, redeemed the tree of life back to man. This we will see in the new heavens and the new earth to come.

* The Tree of Life Restored

Re 22:2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Here, we see the tree of life restored back to redeemed man. 

Between the tree of life removed and the tree of life restored is the tree of life of redemption. My friend, the way back is through the cross. Trust in it for your redemption! 

GOSPEL NUGGET #617

"Behold My hands..."  Lu 24:39

Behold His hands and see His compassion and redemption

* Behold and see His compassion:  

Isa 49:15 "Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you.
16 See, I HAVE INSCRIBED YOU ON THE PALMS OF MY HANDS; Your walls are continually before Me.

Those nail prints on the palms of His hands demonstrate His love and compassion for us sinners. He has regarded our helpless condition. 

* Behold and see His redemption:

 Phm 1:19 I, Paul, am writing WITH MY OWN HAND. I WILL REPAY---not to mention to you that you owe me even your own self besides.

Those nail prints on the palms of His hands guarantee that He has paid the penalty of our sins. 

* What must you do?  "Look to Me, and be saved..." Isa 45:22 

Behold His hands. Behold His compassion and redemption. Behold it in faith, trusting in what He did on the cross for you and be saved. 

GOSPEL NUGGET # 615

The Power Of Soap

One time an evangelist and an atheist were at it. The atheist said: "I don't believe there is power in the blood of Jesus. If Jesus died for the world then why is it that the world today is worse than ever!"

The evangelist replied: "There is also soap in this world and yet many people are still dirty. Let me explain to you how soap works in case you don't know. You can' be clean if you get near a soap. It won't do a thing for you even if you work in a soap factory. You have to reach for it, hold it with your own hand, and apply it on you. Then you will see the power of soap."

It's the same way with the blood of the Lord Jesus my friend. It's availability by the death of the Lord Jesus for you won't do a thing for you. You have to reach out to it in faith and then you will see its power in your life to save you. 

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 of those who believe (that is,  especially of those who trust in the Lord Jesus and what He did on the cross).

GOSPEL NUGGET # 614

How To Save Yourself As A Sinner

Here's how --- You go back in time and undo all your sins and then henceforth live a perfect sinless life.

The first is impossible. You can't go back in time. Time machines are only real in real fantasies.
The second, that is, living a perfectly sinless life, is equally impossible. We are sinners by nature and we can't go against our nature. Sin just flows naturally from us.

Your only option? Here it is ---

Have all your sins, past, present, and future atoned and taken away by a Savior. Get yourself a perfect record in the sight of God through Someone who will act as your Substitute and Representative.

And the Lord Jesus is all that. He died for all our sins and He has perfect righteousness that can be ours by imputation if we trust in Him and what He did on the cross. 

Don't save yourself! Have yourself saved by the Savior.

GOSPEL NUGGET #613

The Biggest Mining Scam Of All Time Did You Know That the biggest mining scam of all time was pulled off by a man working in Indonesia. The scam involved 6 billion dollars. He duped Indonesians, Americans, and many other investors. He even bamboozled his way to the US stock market by managing to include his company to be recognized and listed there. The conman's name was Michael De Guzman. In the end, when his fraud was exposed, he jumped off a helicopter to his death. This happened in the 1990s.
But the biggest scam of all is in the area of the salvation of our souls. What profit is it for a man if he gained all the gold in the world but in the end, he loses his soul? My friend, in salvation, be sure that you are searching and looking for it in the right area --- in Calvary where the Savior died for your sins. It's in Him, and not in any other, where you can find the gold of salvation.
Ac 4:12 "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

GOSPEL NUGGET #612

God's Perfect Standard

Mt 22:37 Jesus said to him," 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'

Ga 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them."

Jas 2:10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

God demands total and entire devotion to Him (Mt. 22:37), everyone who does not continue to abide in all the things which are written in the law shall be cursed with judgment (Gal. 3:10), the law is a unit like a chair with its four legs is a unit; break a single leg and you have rendered the chair as practically useless; break a single commandment in the law and you are guilty of all (James 2:10). 

Adam and Eve on the demerit of a single sin were driven out of Paradise. In our society, you only have to commit a single lonely crime in order for you to be viewed as a criminal. It's the same way with God's standard.

God demands perfection.

This is bad news for us sinners. We could not measure up. We are utterly in dire need of a Savior. My friend, come to Christ, the perfect righteousness which you could not give is freely imputed to anyone who trusts in Him for it.

GOSPEL NUGGET #611

Truly, after a long study of human nature during years and years of ministry, it is repentance that prepares a sinner to appreciate and accept the Gospel by faith. Repentance is the heart implementing a No-Sin At All policy. It is this pulsating and throbbing desire to be right with God in every area of one's life. It is this heart-attitude that is willing to be inconvenienced and disrupted in whatever way possible in order to attain its goal of being right with God. * It is marked by diligence. Every effort is made to attain the goal.

* It is characterized by indignation. It is indignant at sin.

* It exhibits fear --- the fear of displeasing God and committing a sin, even a single sin in the mind.

* It palpitates with desire --- the desire to have a right standing with God.

* It is passionate with zeal --- it is intense in obtaining its goal.

* It will eventually realize it bankruptcy, powerlessness, and helplessness in obtaining its goal. It is the humbling realization of one's sinner-hood. Try as he might, he just could not attain the very thing it desires. Desperate, helpless, powerless, yet longing and yearning. You can just imagine what this type of sinner will do when it hears the Gospel offering a right standing with God as a gift through faith in Christ!