Saturday, October 19, 2013
GOSPEL NUGGET # 283
The Human Fly And The Spider's Web (A True Story)
In the 1920's and 30's, there were people who presented themselves as human flies. They were men who actually did incredible stunts. They would climb tall buildings using their bare hands without any tools and implements whatsoever.
One time one of these men performed in front of a large crowd. Breathlessly, people watched him skillfully move up the building. He would go from one ledge to another. He would reach out for something, and then for another, as he gradually pulled himself up one story higher above another.
On a certain window ledge, he stood for a moment, looking for something solid to grab hold of. Then he saw this jutting piece of stone on one part of the building. After examining it, he then leaped forward in order to take hold of it. But to the horror and shock of the crowd, he fell down...down...down to his death.
When the police hurried to his side, they found in his hand a spider's web. What he thought as gray stone was actually a spider's web.
You know, many people today are like that man. When it comes to the salvation of their souls, they are depending on a "spider's web." They believe that their morality, their religiosity and their philanthropy are enough to hold them up and save them.
They are putting their whole trust and confidence in what they do for God to save them, instead of what God has done for them in Christ at Calvary. They do not know that none of these will work. They will be fatally disappointed and suffer an eternal fall.
Salvation is only found in the solid Rock, the Lord Jesus Christ. He died for our sins and resurrected, and anyone who leans on Him, trusts in Him for salvation will be saved.
Lean on God's solid Rock and not on your spider's web.
GOSPEL NUGGET # 282
Earthquakes, False And Genuine Repentance
False Repentance---It is when an earthquake takes place, and for fear of divine judgment (That's all. Nothing more, nothing less and nothing else), you suddenly become religious and do other things to appease God.
When the threat subsides, when the earthquake and the aftershocks pass away, you then gradually revert back to what you were before.
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 now is because God gave you another chance to do it again, this time genuinely.
Genuine Repentance---It is when an earthquake takes place, and for fear of divine judgment, you change your attitude towards God, you now take Him seriously, you now hate sin and revere God because God is God.
It matures and develops to a point that even if the threat subsides, even when the earthquake and the aftershocks pass away, even if there is no bliss of heaven or the threat of punishment in hell, you turn away from sin because God is God and He hates sin.
And you turn to Christ and trusts in Him alone and what He did on the cross for salvation.
False Repentance---It is when an earthquake takes place, and for fear of divine judgment (That's all. Nothing more, nothing less and nothing else), you suddenly become religious and do other things to appease God.
When the threat subsides, when the earthquake and the aftershocks pass away, you then gradually revert back to what you were before.
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 now is because God gave you another chance to do it again, this time genuinely.
Genuine Repentance---It is when an earthquake takes place, and for fear of divine judgment, you change your attitude towards God, you now take Him seriously, you now hate sin and revere God because God is God.
It matures and develops to a point that even if the threat subsides, even when the earthquake and the aftershocks pass away, even if there is no bliss of heaven or the threat of punishment in hell, you turn away from sin because God is God and He hates sin.
And you turn to Christ and trusts in Him alone and what He did on the cross for salvation.
Friday, October 4, 2013
GOSPEL NUGGET # 281
The Marble Champion And Salvation (A True Story)
There was this ten-year-old kid who was a champion in town when it came to marbles. He won all the games, and his record was impeccable.
One day, as he was playing with the other kids, as usual, he won all their marbles. He was the winner, they were the losers. Then standing in front of them all (they were looking so downcast), he announced: "Let me tell you a story."
Then he told them the story about the Lord Jesus and His free offer of salvation. How He died for sinners like us and how He has made salvation freely available for us all, to be received by faith.
Then he asked: "Do you want your marbles back?" They all nodded enthusiastically. He then gave all of it to them freely, to those who were willing to have it.
It was a "marblelous" illustration of salvation. Here we are, spiritual losers... sinners. Spiritually we have nothing, we are bankrupt. But the Lord Jesus Christ, the great champion came, and through His death and resurrection purchased and "won" salvation for us.
And now He offers it to us all for free. What He won at the cross, He now offers to all.
Are you willing to have God's marvelous salvation? You can have it right now by trusting in the Savior and what He did on the cross alone for salvation.
Monday, September 30, 2013
GOSPEL NUGGET # 280
Ex 17:6 "Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink." And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
The people of Israel were craving for water. Their mouths and throats were dry with thirst. There was nothing more precious to them at that time than the sight of water.
"Give us water, that we may drink" (verse 2), they cried.
So Moses with his rod struck the rock and immediately water came out of it, streaming like a river and flowing like a fountain, satisfying the people's thirst.
This is nothing less than a picture of the salvation of the Lord Jesus. Here we are needy sinners in desperate need of salvation. God struck the Lord Jesus on the cross, He poured out all His wrath on Him, when He died for our sins.
As a result, out came from Him, available and free salvation for all. Anyone who has seen and realized their desperate need can come and freely drink, by faith in Him, the refreshing waters of salvation which He freely offers to all.
Come and drink!
Friday, September 20, 2013
GOSPEL NUGGET # 279
Our Own "Pork Barrel Scam"
Ro 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
The pork barrel scam controversy is sizzling hot nowadays in the news. It has become staple news already since it came out many weeks ago. People are talking about it.
Many are angered by it, others are dismayed, some are reeling in shock, while a few could care less. What we need to know, however, is that we are all "scammers." Yes, we all have our own "pork barrel scam."
How many times have we "robbed God", so to speak, of the glory that was due Him?
How many times have we selfishly chosen sin instead of aiming for God's glory in our lives?
How many times, in our lives, have we conspired with self, sin and Satan and "plundered God", so to speak, of the glory that rightfully belonged to Him?
If we are honest with ourselves, many a time, we have chosen to act like pigs or shall I say porks, instead of behaving like humans originally made in the image of God.
My friend, we are all "scammers"; we are all sinners. We can choose to run away, we can choose to deny it or we can, by God's grace, choose to accept the pardon that God is offering to us right now in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anyone who repents and trusts in what He did on the cross will be pardoned and forgiven. He died for all our "scams."
Ro 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
The pork barrel scam controversy is sizzling hot nowadays in the news. It has become staple news already since it came out many weeks ago. People are talking about it.
Many are angered by it, others are dismayed, some are reeling in shock, while a few could care less. What we need to know, however, is that we are all "scammers." Yes, we all have our own "pork barrel scam."
How many times have we "robbed God", so to speak, of the glory that was due Him?
How many times have we selfishly chosen sin instead of aiming for God's glory in our lives?
How many times, in our lives, have we conspired with self, sin and Satan and "plundered God", so to speak, of the glory that rightfully belonged to Him?
If we are honest with ourselves, many a time, we have chosen to act like pigs or shall I say porks, instead of behaving like humans originally made in the image of God.
My friend, we are all "scammers"; we are all sinners. We can choose to run away, we can choose to deny it or we can, by God's grace, choose to accept the pardon that God is offering to us right now in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anyone who repents and trusts in what He did on the cross will be pardoned and forgiven. He died for all our "scams."
Thursday, September 19, 2013
GOSPEL NUGGET #278
GOSPEL NUGGETS
Romans 11:35: “....WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN?”
The answer to the question of course is "No one!" Who in the universe did ever put God under obligation to him? Let's apply this principle to salvation.
Does God save a sinner because he has done something for God that makes God under obligation to save him?
Is there such a sinner that gave so much good works to God that God had to pay him back with salvation? Can man really put God in debt with man as the creditor? Is it really possible that the infinite source and owner of everything can actually become a debtor to anyone?
Tell me what has man given to God that did not originally come from God Himself in the first place? Is it really possible that a depraved sinner can give something to a holy God that a holy God becomes indebted to him?
When you do good works, when you obey God’s commands, when you do His will, when you pray to God, when you worship God, do you really think that you are doing these things for God’s benefit and welfare? Have you not realized that it is instead the other way around?
Deut. 6:24 says: “…the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God for OUR GOOD ALWAYS and for our survival, as it is today.”
God does not owe us anything at all. Instead, we owe everything to God, including our very selves. Even our very ability to give comes from Him. This question shuts out all human merit. This verse closes the doors on gaining salvation by good works and law-keeping as many people believe.
All are sinners, and so all must look up to God, expecting to receive from Him, as an act of His mercy and not as a repayment of a debt which God owed to us.
Salvation is not a payment made by God to us. God is no debtor to any sinner or any other spiritual criminal. It is freely given by God to those who trust in the Savior at the expense of what Christ did on the cross when He died for sinners.
Romans 11:35: “....WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN?”
The answer to the question of course is "No one!" Who in the universe did ever put God under obligation to him? Let's apply this principle to salvation.
Does God save a sinner because he has done something for God that makes God under obligation to save him?
Is there such a sinner that gave so much good works to God that God had to pay him back with salvation? Can man really put God in debt with man as the creditor? Is it really possible that the infinite source and owner of everything can actually become a debtor to anyone?
Tell me what has man given to God that did not originally come from God Himself in the first place? Is it really possible that a depraved sinner can give something to a holy God that a holy God becomes indebted to him?
When you do good works, when you obey God’s commands, when you do His will, when you pray to God, when you worship God, do you really think that you are doing these things for God’s benefit and welfare? Have you not realized that it is instead the other way around?
Deut. 6:24 says: “…the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God for OUR GOOD ALWAYS and for our survival, as it is today.”
God does not owe us anything at all. Instead, we owe everything to God, including our very selves. Even our very ability to give comes from Him. This question shuts out all human merit. This verse closes the doors on gaining salvation by good works and law-keeping as many people believe.
All are sinners, and so all must look up to God, expecting to receive from Him, as an act of His mercy and not as a repayment of a debt which God owed to us.
Salvation is not a payment made by God to us. God is no debtor to any sinner or any other spiritual criminal. It is freely given by God to those who trust in the Savior at the expense of what Christ did on the cross when He died for sinners.
Monday, September 9, 2013
GOSPEL NUGGET #277
Objections To The Gospel
#9 "You keep on saying that we are to trust in Christ alone and what He did on the cross for salvation, what's wrong with trusting in both Christ and ourselves and what we could do or trusting in Christ plus someone else for salvation?"
Answer:
Just as "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other" (see Matthew 6:24) so no one can trust in two Saviors equally without trusting one more than the other.
Plus, to trust in two Saviors, when there is only one Savior appointed by God, is giving glory to one whom glory should not be attributed. It is idolatry.
Moreover, trusting in two Saviors, when there is only one Savior appointed by God, is dishonoring and failing to recognize the full glory of the Lord Jesus as Savior.
In order to be saved, God commands all sinners to trust the Savior alone, the Lord Jesus Christ. Not the Savior plus what self is and what self did, not the Savior plus someone else, no He commands "Believe/trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." (Acts 16:31).
#9 "You keep on saying that we are to trust in Christ alone and what He did on the cross for salvation, what's wrong with trusting in both Christ and ourselves and what we could do or trusting in Christ plus someone else for salvation?"
Answer:
Just as "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other" (see Matthew 6:24) so no one can trust in two Saviors equally without trusting one more than the other.
Plus, to trust in two Saviors, when there is only one Savior appointed by God, is giving glory to one whom glory should not be attributed. It is idolatry.
Moreover, trusting in two Saviors, when there is only one Savior appointed by God, is dishonoring and failing to recognize the full glory of the Lord Jesus as Savior.
In order to be saved, God commands all sinners to trust the Savior alone, the Lord Jesus Christ. Not the Savior plus what self is and what self did, not the Savior plus someone else, no He commands "Believe/trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." (Acts 16:31).
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