GOSPEL NUGGET #662

 Five Words To Hang My Eternal Destiny On

Someday, I would have to face God. He is holy and perfectly righteous, and I am a sinner. Scary thought!

But I know I can boldly face Him. I have five words with me. On these five words, I hang my eternal destiny. Five words that I am banking on, relying on, and counting on to make it. Five words that I have tucked in my heart all these years. I may forget everything else in the Bible, but I will never ever forget these. Five words that convey an eternal and divine truth for a sinner like me. Five words that represent a fact that God Himself ordained and brought to pass in reality.

I could never rely on my righteous deeds. Aside from being imperfect; they are filthy rags in the sight of God (Isaiah 64:6).

If ever, yes, if ever God should call me into account, here's what I am going to say: "Lord, I know that I am a sinner. I know that all my righteous deeds are filthy rags in Your sight. I know that my works could never save me. But (1) CHRIST (2) DIED (3) FOR (4) MY (5) SINS and I am counting on it for my salvation. On the truth of these five words, I can face You boldly, a sinner as I am."

GOSPEL LIGHT #661

 God And Covid

What is God doing during this Covid crisis?

First of all, God is in control. The raging Covid crisis is not making God raise both His hands and shake His head in utter disappointment and frustration. He wants to make it all go away but He just can't.

No, on the contrary, Covid is God's dog on a leash. He can make it sit still anytime He wants but He can choose to allow it to go on and bark like mad. It can be God's instrument for a number of reasons for different people.

* Punitive --- He might be using it to punish certain people. Covid is God's punisher.

* Instructive --- He might be using it to make certain people learn something. Covid is God's instructor.

* Corrective --- He might be using it to rectify and correct certain people. Covid is God's rebuker.

* Preventive --- He might be using it to prevent some things from happening. Covid is God's hedge and wall.

* Redemptive --- He might be using it to bring people to spiritual salvation. To be sure, covid made many people think about the brevity of life and eternal realities. Covid is God using a megaphone on these people to bring them repentance and faith in Christ for salvation.

One crisis, different purposes to many different people at one and the same time. If you are still not right with God now, my friend, don't waste this virus. Allow it to draw you to Christ for salvation.

GOSPEL LIGHT #660

 Why is there pain, suffering, and death in the world?

It's a fallen world. A world that fell into sin. It's a world ruined by sin. This is not the world as it was originally created. That's why we have pain, suffering, and death.

What is God doing about it? In the future, there will be a new heaven and new earth with a new humanity. In that new universe, there will be no more pain, suffering, and death. The best of all is that there will be no more sin.

Right now, God is recruiting people to be part of that new universe. Every single time you hear the message that you must repent and trust in Christ and His death on the cross for salvation, God is recruiting you, calling you to be part of that new universe to come.

GOSPEL LIGHT #659

Christ Our Seventh Year 

De 15:1 "At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release of debts.
De 15: 2 "And this is the form of the release: Every creditor who has lent anything to his neighbor shall release it; he shall not require it of his neighbor or his brother, because it is called the LORD'S release.

There was to be a seven-year cycle for the Jews. At the end part of the seven-year cycle, meaning, the seventh year, a release of debts was to be made. This is called the Lord's release. They were to be released from their obligation in paying off their debts.

Blessed seventh year! The seventh-year is the Sabbatical year. It was a year of rest and release, even release from the obligation of paying one's debts. 

Christ is the real Sabbath. 

Mt 11:28 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Eph 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins...

The word "forgiveness" here can also mean remission or release. In Christ, a sinner can have remission or release from his sins!

Enough of your years of being a slave to sin's guilt and power! Come to Christ, enter the seventh year as it were through faith in Him, and enjoy the Lord's release! 

GOSPEL LIGHT #658

1Co 2:2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

The Corinthians were enamored with philosophy (which they deemed as brilliant ideas) and great oratorical skills. The apostle Paul did not seek to please men. He did not strive to be popular. He did not try to impress people.

When the apostle Paul came to Corinth and sought to save souls, he only preached Christ and Him crucified. He intentionally did not talk about anything else. He was a man of one message. When you are with him in his evangelistic ministry, it would seem as if he only knew of one thing --- Christ and Him crucified. 

Paul did not believe that the education of brilliant ideas was the hope of mankind. Salvation, not education, was man's greatest need. 

He did not preach good works. Why? He knows that it could not save a sinner.
He did not preach good character. Why? For the very same reason.
He did not preach the Law, the Ten Commandments. Why? For the very same reason still. 

Now, good works, good character, and the Law have their proper place, but, they are not for the salvation of the sinner. To the apostle, if a sinner must be saved, it is only through "Christ and Him crucified." 

My friend, do you want to be saved? I have only one message for you: "Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary for your sins." Trust Him and what He did there in Calvary for your salvation.  

GOSPEL LIGHT #657

The Tragic Case Of The God Ignorers

MT 24:38 “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 

MT 24:39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Many people in Noah's day were caught unaware when the Flood came. They were totally unprepared. Imagine their surprise. It was all because of their willful neglect of God's warning through Noah. They were a bunch of God ignorers. 

You look at their lives, on the whole, they seemed to have lived normal lives. Nothing dark about them is said. No out and out sin is mentioned. But what is glaring in their lives is the thing that is not mentioned at all, which is conspicuous by its absence --- God. The whole of their lives can be described as "eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage." That's all and nothing more. And we have many who are exactly like this in our time! 

Ps 50:22 “Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue:

My friend, are you someone who has been ignoring God all this time? Repent. Take God seriously! Be warned; a sweeping judgment will come over this world. Come to Christ in faith, enter the ark, as it were, and find salvation. 

GOSPEL LIGHT #656

Open Notes Exam

Ps 118:14: "The LORD ... He has become my salvation."

According to the verse what or who has become his salvation? 

a) His good works 
b) His good character
c) His sacrifices 
d) His prayers
e) His confessions 
f) His church membership
g) The Lord

Correct Answer: Letter g, the Lord has become his salvation. What's the answer of your heart? To whom or to what are you trusting for your salvation? Are you trusting in the Savior who died for your sins at Calvary's cross?