The following is a summary of how to have confidence in the Bible as the Word of God. It comes comes "Stand to Reason" at www.str.org and uses the fingers of the hand to help remember these six points.
Fingerprints of God—Six Marks of the Bible’s Supernatural Origin
A. (Pinkie) The Bible has supernatural fulfilled prophecy—predictions of the future that are precise, detailed and accurate.
1. The Bible is the only volume ever produced by man in which detailed prophecies
relating to the rise and fall of individuals and empires are given with hairsplitting accuracy.
2. Not like Edgar Cayce or Jean Dickson: 100% right 40% of the time.
3. Daniel gives prophecy so detailed it reads like history written after the fact (note also the “70 weeks” prophecy, Daniel 9:24-25).
4. There were dozens of specific prophecies fulfilled in Jesus’ life alone.
5. Is this sufficient in itself to make the case? Maybe not, but it’s an important piece of evidence in our case.
Sum: supernatural predictions
Chalk one up for the supernatural side.
B. (Ring finger) The Bible has supernatural unity—a tremendous unity throughout in spite of its diverse origins.
1. Diverse origins:
a. Diversity of authorship (Luke—historian, David—shepherd/king, Joshua—general, Matthew-tax collector, Paul—rabbi)
b. Diversity of writing conditions (dungeons, battlefields, the wilderness, jails, palaces)
c. Diversity of controversial topics
2. Profound unity:
a. There is a plan woven through the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
b. It was a plan that no individual writer understood completely.
c. Each one added a little piece to the puzzle which, when assembled, showed God’s plan for the ages.
Sum: supernatural predictions, supernatural unity
Chalk up two for the supernatural side.
C. (Big finger) Big Questions—The Bible has supernatural insight.
1. The Bible answers the big questions of life…
a. In way consistent with the way we experience and perceive the world and…
b. In a way that is internally cohesive. It makes sense.
2. Many religions give answers, but the question is whether they give answers that fit the world the way we know it to be.
3. E.g., Hinduism
a. All distinctions are illusion (“Maya”).
1) There is no ultimate distinction between good and evil.
2) The meaning and goal of life is to “evaporate” back into the Godhead.
b. This doesn’t ring true with the things we seem to know about the world.
4. The Bible, by contrast, takes evil and good seriously, fully acknowledging both the true nobility and true cruelty of man (Francis Schaeffer’s terms).
a. Man’s nobility is real, explained be the fact that we’re made in the image of God.
1) Man has transcendent value.
2) That’s why we fumigate termites, but not people, because human beings are innately more valuable than animals.
b. Man’s cruelty (his sin and true moral guilt) is real, explained by the fall.
5. The Bible also gives the solution to the problem of man’s cruelty (fall): The solution to guilt is not denial; it’s forgiveness.
6. The Bible’s answer resonates with the deepest intuitions we have about ourselves and our world.
Sum: supernatural predictions, supernatural unity, supernatural insight
Chalk up three for the supernatural side.
D. (Index finger) Index to history, historically accurate
This is important for two reasons.
1. First: A book allegedly given by God must get its history right.
a. Israel is one big archaeological dig.
b. In fact, there is a trade journal called Biblical Archaeological Review.
c. The testimony of archaeology and Bible history fit hand in glove.
1) The Bible is the only book that can look to historical evidence to support its unique theological claims.
2) The New Testament documents are the best historical documents of the ancient world when approached using the standard cannons of historical research untainted by naturalistic presuppositions.
a) There is controversy in academic circles about the accuracy of both the Gospels (by the “Jesus Seminar,” etc.) and the accuracy of the Hebrew Scriptures (by the “minimalist” school).
b) These critiques are deeply tainted by a naturalistic (anti-supernatural) bias and, especially in the case of the Old Testament, a refusal to accept any account without independent corroboration, a virtual impossibility when dealing with texts this ancient.
c) A more even-handed approach to the accounts using the standard criteria of historiography minus the bias yields high marks for the Bible as an historical source.
“But isn’t the Quran historically accurate?” This leads to the second point…
2. Second: The Bible accurately records supernatural historical events.10
a. The history the Bible reports is a history of supernatural events, unlike the Quran.
b. These historical documents record Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah, the only way to God. They record His miracles, and His resurrection from the dead.
1) If the Bible is historically accurate, and those are the events that it records, then Jesus is no ordinary man.
2) His words would have tremendous authority.
Sum: supernatural predictions, supernatural unity, supernatural insight, supernatural events
Chalk up four for the supernatural side.
E. (Thumbs up) The Bible supernaturally changes lives.
1. “Thumbs up” was the emperor’s sign that a gladiator had won the right to live for another battle. Thumbs up reminds me that the Bible changes lives.
a. Our lives are not changed because of something we’ve done, turning over a new leaf. We’ve tried that before.
b. Instead, God changes us in a way we never could change ourselves when we obey
the Scriptures.
2. This experience of transformation is universal, the same around the globe. It transcends all economic, ethnic, geographical boundaries.
3. When people consistently obey the teachings of this book, something radical happens, both to individuals and to whole cultures.
Sum: supernatural predictions, supernatural unity, supernatural insight, supernatural events, supernatural impact in human lives
Chalk up five for the supernatural side.
F. (Fist) The Bible is a fighter. The Bible has demonstrated supernatural survival
through time and persecution.
1. Biblical witness
a. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Matthew 13:31)
“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever.”
(Isaiah 40:8)
c. Paul: “The Word of God cannot be imprisoned.” (2 Timothy 2:9)
2. Voltaire, noted French infidel 1778:11
a. “In 100 years Christianity will be swept from existence and passed into history.”
b. But 50 years after his death the Geneva Bible society used Voltaire’s press and house to print stacks of Bibles!
3. There have been many powerful, concerted attempts to destroy this book—externally
(through destruction) and internally (through criticism)—to no avail. The Bible remains
the best selling book of all time.
4. If this book had not been the book of God, men would have destroyed it long ago.
Sum: supernatural predictions, supernatural unity, supernatural insight, supernatural events,supernatural impact in human lives, supernatural survival
Chalk up six for the supernatural side.
G. Conclusion: The Bible has the stamp of the supernatural.
1. Supernatural predictions, supernatural unity, supernatural insight, records supernatural events, has supernatural impact, and has shown supernatural endurance and survival.
2. Does this prove it’s inspired?
a. That depends upon what you mean by “prove.”
b. Yes, it’s possible to be mistaken.
c. But I have built a cumulative case, here.
d. As the evidence mounts, we have a pretty solid case the Bible substantiates its claim of Divine authorship.
Of course, this argument applies only to the autographs, the original documents. The earliest are 2,000 years old, inviting the next challenge…
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
The Law and the Gospel video
Here is the video of the message I gave on August 16, 2009. It is about 40 minutes in length, broken into five parts but combined into one player.
For a copy of the transcript, click on this link.
For a copy of the transcript, click on this link.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
"This Great Salvation" study
Do you want to know what it means to be saved? Sovereign Grace Ministries has a great study about that very topic and it is free to download. Just go to the following link to download a copy: "This Great Salvation".
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The Meaning of the Cross (by Paul Washer)
Today we are going to look at ... it was actually prompted yesterday while I was working on the yard I was also listening to a preacher on the radio. And it struck my attention that when he began the sermon he says: "I'm going to tell you about the meaning of the Cross." And I was surprised that he spent a lot of time talking about the Cross of Jesus Christ, but did not put the emphasis on where the emphasis was do. And did not truly explained the meaning of the cross. And he did something that is so common today. Let me give you just a little bit of background. As you know I have said this before: Wisdom was not born with any one nor it will die with anyone.
Now If I stand up here today and I say that the church at large is basically missing the point about the gospel of Jesus Christ you can look at me and say: "Who are you? Are you Billy Graham? Are you this guy or that guy? How or What gives you the right to stand here and say: 'The church at large is missing the point?"
Well, here's the point. History gives me that right. You see, one of the things that you have to understand is this. There is a difference between a theologian and a pop-theologian. Did you ever hear of pop music? Its the music that is Popular, music that is given to the the populists, it's a music for the day, kind of it just jumps up. It doesn't last very long and one of the reasons is that it is pretty superficial. You know like .....Sonny and Cher "I would die for you, I will even climb a mountain for you!" I never could figure out how climbing a mountain was more than dying for someone. But pop music is very superficial. Also there is what we called pop-theology, which is very superficial. Theology is the study of God and there is a lot of what we call pop-theologians on the radio. They are not truly trained theologians, they just have a following. They haven't give themselves to study, they give themselves more to preaching. And their preaching deals more with illustrations, and stories, and antidotes, and cute little sayings, but as far as the theology, NO!
Now whenever someone comes to you and says like I said this morning: "The church by large has missed the point with regard to the Cross" the first thing that you have to ask then, is this: "Why do you say that?". The answer better be this: "Not only because I have found these things in the Bible but because history backs me up." You see, If you say for example: "I believe a certain thing". If you stick Beny Hinn here and me right here and if you can pull both of us apart and if you ask Beny Hinn why he believes that all the stuff he does and the facts that he makes millions of dollars and he will only stay in five star hotels and all this different things. If you ask him why he does that he will tell you: "Because that is what the Bible teaches." And if you ask me, I will say: "He is completely wrong!" And if you ask me why, I will say, "Because this is what the Bible teaches". Now the question is, both of us are using the Bible as our authority, so who is right? You know that is the big question, who is right? Well there are two things that you need to look at. One of them is called context, and the other is called history.
First of all I want you to understand something. If the Bible says, or if I make a statement the barn is red, it means the barn is red. I'm so tired of speaking on university campuses and hearing students say: "Oh, that's just your interpretation." And I say: "Well here interpret it grammatically, not according to the Spirit, not according to the, just grammatically. Like you would in an English class. What is it saying grammatically?" That's the first one. The second point is this. We have 2000 years of Christian history. Ok? 2000 years of Christian's writing. Thousands of, no, millions of books.
Now, if I teach something on the Cross and you compare what I teach to 2000 years of Christian history, and you don't find it anywhere in 2000 years of Christian history, then you've got to decide who is right? 2000 years of Christians theologians and writers or Paul Washer? Well obviously 2000 years of Christian history and teachers are right. Whenever someone teaches you something one of the good things to do is to compare what they are saying to 2000 years of Christian history. If nobody agrees with them, they are probably wrong, aren't they? And if we as Americans come up with some new theology, or a new way of doing Christianity, yet it disagrees with 2000 years worth of Christians form all over the world, who's probably wrong? We are! You see , and so that's why I say today, that on the teaching of the Cross most of the people are completely missing the point.
And here is, when we hear a teaching on the Cross, and when someone preaches about the suffering of Jesus, what is it that you usually hear about? Physical suffering, right? Isn't that what? And I mean the preacher,- and we need to talk about physical suffering.- But I mean the preacher will talk about physical suffering, and what will happen? Then he will start crying, and everybody in the congregation starts crying. He talks about how the nails went through a certain part of the wrist, because that was the only thing that would hold up a man. And how the nail went through both the feet in a certain place. And then in order to keep alive the person would have to push upon the nail in order to take a breath. Because when you died of crucification you died of suffocation. They'll talk about the spear in the side, they'll talk about the crown of thorns on the head, they'll talk about all these different things, the beating with the whip, how he drug his cross and the blood is flowing down and everything else and then they'll tell you: "By this we are saved".
Now , that draws you to a certain conclusion. How is it that the physical sufferings of Jesus, caused by men, somehow paid for our sins? It doesn't work out theologically. Are we actually .. are our sins paid for because the Romans and Jews rejected Jesus? Are our sins are paid for because they whipped him and beat him? I was in German mennonite camp, a bible camp, in northern, actually in the mountains, the Alps in Romania. And I walked to their theological, they had a theological library, and I walked in there and I saw a thing on the Cross of Christ. So I pull it out and praise the Lord, it was not in German. The only book in there I think that was not in German. And I started looking through it, and this is what the man said: "God sent His son who lived a perfect life..."
Now this is a theologian ...
"God sent His son who lived a perfect life and then according to the plan of God, men rejected him, they beat Him, they crucified Him, they mocked Him, they put crown of thorns on his head, they stuck a spear in his side, and all these different things. And God looked at that suffering, that Jesus suffered, at the hands of men and He considered that to be payment for all our sins against Him. Now, a lot of people say: "Well yeah, that sounds good!" Actually, historically that's a heresy! The deepest form of heresy. I mean you could be wrong about a lot of things, but if you are wrong about the Cross , you are in trouble.
Now here's what I want you to do. I want you to put 2 things together. How is it, what happened on that Cross that would cause God to forgive us of our sins? Now, the first question though is this. Why does the Son of God, God in the flesh, why is it necessary that He die? Why can't God just forgive everybody? Have you ever thought about that? Why can't He just - I mean, we are called to forgive people aren't we? If you sin against me, I'm called to forgive you. I'm not called to require a sacrifice or anything. I'm just told to forgive you. So why can't God simply forgive? That's the first question you need to answer. And I will show you a verse. I want us to go to Proverbs. I am going to condense about a week worth of lectures into 1 thing, so I just want to go to 1 text. Go to Proverbs 17:15. Now look what it says: "He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike, are an abomination to the Lord."
Now let us just consider this one phrase: "He who justifies the wicked is an abomination to the Lord". Now we are in a big problem. Most of the songs we sing today are gonna be about God justifying the wicked. That's what we sing about all the time. "Man , God justifies us, even though we were sinners. God declared us to be right." That's what the justification means. God declared you to be right before Him. And you praise God for that. But there's a a big problem here. Do you see what it is? God says that anyone who declares the wicked to be right, when they are not right, they are an abomination before Him. So if God declared you to be right when you were not right, it's an abomination. He has made Himself an abomination. If God forgives the wicked, He Himself becomes an abomination. In a same way if a judge forgives a murderer and lets him go, he's no longer a Just Judge. It's so amazing to me how so many people - I speak at the university, the students are just furious because I say that God throws men in Hell. They are furious when I say that. But do you know what bothers Heaven? Heaven has a problem with what God has done. Heaven's problem is this. If God is a just God He cannot forgive. He must punish the wicked. That is the thing of the whole Bible. Have you ever wondered why God got all the animals die in the Old Testament? It's a symbol, and a type. But the whole point is that if the sinner sins, he must die. He must die. And if God justifies someone who is wicked, and if he declares a wicked person to be innocent, then God is an
abomination. God has become wicked. Now we are beginning to see why it was necessary for God - the Son to die. God can not simply forgive. The law, the righteous law, demands that the sinner die. Demands it! You just can't push that away. You just can't say ok, well we are going to let them slide this time. If God does that He is unjust, He is wrong, He is sinful, He becomes just like the devil and the devil's accusations against Him now are correct. Can you imagine devil's standing before God? "Hey God, remember when we sinned against you? You were just then, weren't You? You cast us all out of Heaven, Yeah, where's your justice now God? Huh?, where is it? These men, this ball of dirt sins against you, you let him go. Guess what God, you become like me. Congratulations!"
You see the problem? That's the problem. Now the only way that God can forgive sinful men is if God who made the law and God who demands satisfaction, if He Himself comes down and pays the penalty. That's why the doctrine of the Jehovah-witnesses is so blasphemous. Look what they are saying. They are saying that when the world fell God created, created, an innocent being, the Son, He created Him. And than took this innocent being independent from God and put Him on a Cross, to die, to fix the problem. See that's not what happened, the Son of God is not a created being, He is God. You see, the only way the law of God can be satisfied is by God. And you can use this against the Jehovah-witnesses. If Jesus is not God, than everybody is going to Hell, because what is done on that Cross is not enough. God made the law, God has to satisfy it. It has to be God. If Jehovah-witness comes to the door and says that Jesus wasn't God, just sit down and just start weeping. He'll say:
"Why are you crying for?"
"We are all going to Hell."
"Why?"
"Because only God can satisfy God's law. Only He can pay the price. And if Jesus is not God then we are going to Hell. Me and you, and the rest of us." But you see, God in order to forgive the wicked, and still be Just, He must die in the wicked's place. Thats the only way He can forgive is to die in the place of the wicked. Now here's comes the important point. How does He die? What is it about the death of the Son of God that leads to our forgiveness? How does His death satisfy the law? Now, here is something I want you to understand. When someone says they have been saved,- now I'd never do this to a young Christian or, but if they are a seminary students or something they are going to get this, if they say "I've been saved" And I go "From what? From what have you been saved?"
People usually say "Sin!"
" Nope! ... Nope!"
They say: "What you mean "Nope"?"
"Sin wasn't after you. Sin wasn't gonna throw you in Hell. You have sinned, but the sin caused something else. Sin isn't going to throw you in Hell! Sin is not even a person! It's not a living being that's going to judge you, and grab you and throw you in Hell. From what have you been saved? This is going to really rock your boat. I'll tell you from what you have been saved. From what you have been saved is not 'What,' it is 'Who.' You have been saved from God ! You see here's what you need to understand. God is the judge of all the Universe. You have sinned, since you have sinned and made yourself an enemy of God before the just judge, when you stand before Him, He will throw you in Hell!" Now I hear a lot of people say: "God doesn't throw anybody in Hell." Well that's really nice if you write it on the back of a Christian T-shirt, sing it in a contemporary Christian song, but it is not in the Bible.
Jesus said: "You do not be afraid of man who can kill your body, but be afraid of God who can kill your body and throw you in Hell." You see? Again this God of ours is not very politically correct. He is not a tamed lion. People, have you ever heard this statement, we see it in Romans 5, We also see it in Romans 1: "enemy of God," and "hater of God." Have you ever heard that word "enemy of God?" Do you know what the problem is? Contemporary Christianity interprets it differently from the historical Christianity. You will hear preachers say: "When the Bible says that we were an enemy of God , it means that WE were an enemy against God, that WE were rebellion against God, that WE were against God. But it doesn't mean that God was against us, that God was our enemy." And than they will usually say something like this: "It's like you are holding a gun against God, and God wants you to put that gun down, and then you'll be friends."
That's not true! All throughout historical Christianity when it says "enemies of God," you know what it really means? Not only were you God's enemy, holding your gun on Him, God was your enemy holding His gun on You. You put your gun down, fine! He still has His gun on you. You are a criminal, you broke the law, you deserve to die, you can put your gun down to surrender if you want, but you are still going to hell. Because not only you are his enemy, but He is yours.
God says things in the Bible like: "I will hate them." "I will come against them." "I will fight against them." "I'll raise up a standard." Again this God of 21st century Christianity is a lot a different from the biblical one, and a lot different than one that has been preached throughout 2000 years of Christian history. So you see, not only were you making yourself an enemy against God, God was your enemy. And then one from whom you need to be saved is God because He is coming, remember what Amos has said: "Be prepared to meet thy God."
OK? So we realize that we have been saved from God and his punishment. So how is that punishment to be done away with? When Jesus the Son of God was dying on the cross it is not the spears of Romans, or the crowns of thorns, or the nails in His hands that save you. It is not that that pays for the crime. The suffering that the man heaped upon Jesus, God does not look at it and say "OK, good enough!" That's not what paid for your sin! What paid for your sin? Look in Isaiah 53.
This is what paid for your sin: Isaiah 53:10 "But the Lord was pleased to crush Him." Now, you've all read 53 and you've heard gazillions of sermons on the radio and everything about Isaiah 53. But isn't it funny that when you hear sermons on Isaiah 53 it is always verses 3, 4, 5 and 6 talking about the sufferings heaped upon Christ by men. But very rarely do you hear Isaiah 53:10 "It pleased the Lord".
Who's the Lord? The word here is not Adonai, its Yahweh, or as some of you may pronounce it Jehovah. I mean its God. "It pleased God to..." what? "crush Him." This is the Messiah. "It pleased the Lord to crush Him." This word crush, it refers to like... The best illustration I can give you is, imagine... Do you know what a mill stone is? A mill stone is what they used to have was a big stone, usually about this big, round, may be about that tall, I mean a huge stone. And then they placed another stone on top of that, that actually rotated. OK? It turned. And what you would do as you can imagine you put grain, corn and everything, in between those two stones and when they may their way through there, that stone would ground them to powder. That's the terminology being used here. That is what it refers to. It pleased God the Father to crush His own Son and to ground Him into powder.
Now another illustration would be this. Imagine you are standing at the foot of a dam, that's a thousand miles high and a thousand miles wide. And you are standing right there at the foot of this thing and it is filled with water. And in 1 second the wall is pulled out away. What do you think it is gonna happen to you? It means its over. Your body is never gonna be found. Or imagine you are walking one day, and a star 6 thousand times larger that the sun crashes the Earth right on your head. What we are talking about here? How is it that that cross saves you? It's because on the cross all the sin that God hates.... You know have you heard someone says the love of God is so great that you cannot describe it and that if you were to even get a glimpse of how great it is it will drive you mad. It is so great that it will literally drive you mad. And the only way you've ever gonna be able to know more of the love of God is if God supernaturally strengthens you and glorifies your body because standing in His presence and to know His love would be too much joy for you that you will explode. I mean you just want be able to handle it you'll go mad. Well, In the same way God hatred is so great it goes beyond description. And that if you were to even catch a glimpse of it it will drive you mad. It would be like a little wax figure this tall that has a nuclear bomb explode 3 inches away from it. You have no idea. The sin that evokes God's hatred, and I mean that word 'hatred', OK? God hates! The sin that evokes God's hatred was placed on His son. Now, you take all of the sins of God's people, from the first man ever saved on the face of the earth, to the last person ever saved on the face of the earth. All of God's people, all of their sin, is placed on the Son. All of God's justice, just punishment, but also all of Gods just hatred, His just loathing, everything that should be poured out on these sinful creatures throughout eternity, God throws down on His only begotten Son. Crushes Him under the weight of His own justice.
You say: "Brother Paul could you kill your son for me?"
"I'm sorry."
You can argue theologically whether I should or I shouldn't - I couldn't. And I'm evil. The Bible says if you being evil can give good gifts to your children, if you being evil can love your children ... Now here's God, perfect love manifested towards a perfect son, who never did anything but bless His Father and crushes Him under the weight of His holy hatred. When those preachers, you know the cup, you know, Jesus says let this cup pass from me and they say: "Yes, going to the cross He didn't want to go the cross"
No! they are wrong, and yes they are right they just don't know what they are saying. Listen to me, there have been martyrs who have gone, followers of Jesus Christ who have been burned as a steak and while they were burning they have lifted their hands and praise the Lord. Ok? Now let me ask you that question. Do you think they are greater than our Lord Jesus? There have been Christians... I have a picture in my office I keep it right in front of my desk, a huge picture of all these Christians crucified in a Roman theater, and they have been burned after they have been crucified, and lions have been set free on others. I keep that in front of me all the time to remind myself that this is still happening today. And there were many of those who were crucified and sang out with joy as they were pounding the nails . Do you think that they are greater than Jesus? Do you think Jesus would actually cower, and fret, and cry under a punishment that even some of His followers were able to endure with joy? Do you think Jesus is weaker than them?
What you need to understand is Jesus wasn't thinking when He was in that garden "Save me from this hour." "Let this cup pass from me." He wasn't thinking about the nails in His hands, He wasn't thinking about a wooden cross, He wasn't thinking about a spear in his side, or Romans, or anything else. What He was thinking about is this: "Father, I have never been out of your bosom. I have always been in the most perfect, wonderful, beautiful relationship with You. I have all throughout the eternity." God did not created this world because He needed something, because God was always content with His son. You take everybody in this world and throw them straight into the Hell God will still be happy because He's got His Son. I don't want to offend your humanism, but that's just the way it is. God's perfectly happy. He did this, He created us, not because of His need but because of the overflow of His abundance. And here His son is separated from Him.
I remember after my little boy was born and I had a monitor up there in his room and I was outside and had the other monitor just right within the door ... working up on a ladder, probably about 15 feet in the air, and nailing some things.... and he cried ... I didn't even think, I threw the hammer and leaped. I went right off the ladder. I hit the ground running . I was a new father, but I still do the same thing today. I mean, hit the ground running. If we being evil could love our children, and here is the Son, thinking: "I'm gonna be ripped out of the heart of the Father, the Father is gonna to turn His face away from me." Now you may think: "Oh yes, he turned His face away because he didn't want to see His son suffering."
No, you've got it all wrong. He turned his face away because His Son had become detestable! His son had become sin. All of you who are fathers and those who are mothers know. I mean, your kid after gets to a certain age he does something and its: "Is dad looking, is mom looking" I mean he can't do anything unless mom and dad is looking. I can worshiping he grabs my face and goes like this.
The Father turns his face away and says: "No!". He became the abominable thing, an abomination. You and I are an abomination before God in order for us to be forgiven God has to die as an abomination in our place. You and I deserve to be crushed under God's wrath. In order for God to save us and forgive us He was crashed under His own wrath. That's what the Cross is! That's what it means! And now you can to see why if you have ever had a heavenly vision of truly what happened on that Cross it will affect you for the rest of your life. You'll become a prisoner to that thing. You won't be able to get away from it. Let me give you an idea. I used that illustration. I love to use it because of its shock value of it, because it makes the people so mad. A kid said one time: "Well when I go to hell..." He was taking joy in the fact that if he went into Hell, at least there will be people on the outside who would be suffering because they loved him so much, and knew he was going to hell. You know that mentality? "Well I will hurt myself, and it will hurt everybody else who loves me?" I noticed this tendency in him, and I said... "Young man let me just give you an idea what is gonna happen on the day that you stand before God". He said: "OK, I'm not afraid"
I said: "You will be!" I said: "This is what's gonna happen. The moment you stand before God everything that your parents loved about you, it wasn't you, did you know that? It was the common grace of God on you. That's what caused them to love you. Now, at the moment He declares your judgment, that grace is gonna be pulled off of you. And what your parents are going to see is a seething monster that would make a Hitler looked like a choir boy. And do you wanna know something?" I said "when you take your first step into hell, the last thing you are going to hear is all of creation, along with your parents, standing up and applauding and worshiping God, because God has rid the earth of you. So don't think that anybody is gonna be mourning up here in heaven and some how you gonna have vengeance on at least somebody as you suffer there in hell. You will find no satisfaction there!" He said: "That's horrible!" I said: "More horrible than you can ever imagine, repent and believe. Flee from the wrath to come."
Do you want to know something? If it were not for the loving Jesus we wouldn't even have the doctrine of Hell. Do you know that? You look in the Old Testament you can hardly find, it is there, but it's hardly any passages in the whole Old Testament about Hell. You look in the writings of Paul there is almost nothing about Hell. Really! Do you know where everything that we know about Hell, do you know where it comes from? From Jesus! Really! Almost everything we know about Hell comes from Him. The loving Jesus who died to save men spoke more about Hell than everybody else in the entire Bible put together. Why? I think that there is one reason. This is just my opinion. Hell is so horrible that man can not even comprehend it. So the only one who can truly comprehend how horrible hell is, is God Himself. And only God is able to communicate the horrible nature of hell in any way. So remember now when you hear about Jesus dying for you, you know now, that it is more than some whips. Those whips were nothing. I don't wanna depreciate His physical suffering but, folks, the cross is about the son of God being crushed by his own Father. And when he cried out: "It is finished!" that meant PAID IN FULL!
Do you know why God can never pour out his wrath on you, if you are Christian? He can never, never pour out his wrath on you. Never! His judgment his wrath, He can never pour it out on you. Never! It is impossible! He can't do it! He can only act toward you now with the greatest of love, the same love with which He loved His dearly begotten son, is the love He loves you. He cannot love you with anything less. Do you wanna know why He cannot poured His wrath out on you? I'll tell you why. Because His son drank it. It doesn't exist anymore. It is gone! He drank it. There is nothing left for you. There is no more punishment for you if you are a Christian. But if you are not a Christian. Oh, dear friend you don't even wanna know, you don't even wanna know what awaits you.
Lets pray.
Father, we thank You for this day. We ask Lord, your blessing and your help. And Dear God help us to appreciate what You have done for us in giving your son, not an angel did You gave us, not gold, not a piece of the throne that You throw away, but You gave us your only begotten son. And for that we will worship You throughout all eternity. That we have an older brother,
and He is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters because He has died for us. He's taken away our sin, and He's given us his own righteousness.
In Jesus Name.
AMEN
Now If I stand up here today and I say that the church at large is basically missing the point about the gospel of Jesus Christ you can look at me and say: "Who are you? Are you Billy Graham? Are you this guy or that guy? How or What gives you the right to stand here and say: 'The church at large is missing the point?"
Well, here's the point. History gives me that right. You see, one of the things that you have to understand is this. There is a difference between a theologian and a pop-theologian. Did you ever hear of pop music? Its the music that is Popular, music that is given to the the populists, it's a music for the day, kind of it just jumps up. It doesn't last very long and one of the reasons is that it is pretty superficial. You know like .....Sonny and Cher "I would die for you, I will even climb a mountain for you!" I never could figure out how climbing a mountain was more than dying for someone. But pop music is very superficial. Also there is what we called pop-theology, which is very superficial. Theology is the study of God and there is a lot of what we call pop-theologians on the radio. They are not truly trained theologians, they just have a following. They haven't give themselves to study, they give themselves more to preaching. And their preaching deals more with illustrations, and stories, and antidotes, and cute little sayings, but as far as the theology, NO!
Now whenever someone comes to you and says like I said this morning: "The church by large has missed the point with regard to the Cross" the first thing that you have to ask then, is this: "Why do you say that?". The answer better be this: "Not only because I have found these things in the Bible but because history backs me up." You see, If you say for example: "I believe a certain thing". If you stick Beny Hinn here and me right here and if you can pull both of us apart and if you ask Beny Hinn why he believes that all the stuff he does and the facts that he makes millions of dollars and he will only stay in five star hotels and all this different things. If you ask him why he does that he will tell you: "Because that is what the Bible teaches." And if you ask me, I will say: "He is completely wrong!" And if you ask me why, I will say, "Because this is what the Bible teaches". Now the question is, both of us are using the Bible as our authority, so who is right? You know that is the big question, who is right? Well there are two things that you need to look at. One of them is called context, and the other is called history.
First of all I want you to understand something. If the Bible says, or if I make a statement the barn is red, it means the barn is red. I'm so tired of speaking on university campuses and hearing students say: "Oh, that's just your interpretation." And I say: "Well here interpret it grammatically, not according to the Spirit, not according to the, just grammatically. Like you would in an English class. What is it saying grammatically?" That's the first one. The second point is this. We have 2000 years of Christian history. Ok? 2000 years of Christian's writing. Thousands of, no, millions of books.
Now, if I teach something on the Cross and you compare what I teach to 2000 years of Christian history, and you don't find it anywhere in 2000 years of Christian history, then you've got to decide who is right? 2000 years of Christians theologians and writers or Paul Washer? Well obviously 2000 years of Christian history and teachers are right. Whenever someone teaches you something one of the good things to do is to compare what they are saying to 2000 years of Christian history. If nobody agrees with them, they are probably wrong, aren't they? And if we as Americans come up with some new theology, or a new way of doing Christianity, yet it disagrees with 2000 years worth of Christians form all over the world, who's probably wrong? We are! You see , and so that's why I say today, that on the teaching of the Cross most of the people are completely missing the point.
And here is, when we hear a teaching on the Cross, and when someone preaches about the suffering of Jesus, what is it that you usually hear about? Physical suffering, right? Isn't that what? And I mean the preacher,- and we need to talk about physical suffering.- But I mean the preacher will talk about physical suffering, and what will happen? Then he will start crying, and everybody in the congregation starts crying. He talks about how the nails went through a certain part of the wrist, because that was the only thing that would hold up a man. And how the nail went through both the feet in a certain place. And then in order to keep alive the person would have to push upon the nail in order to take a breath. Because when you died of crucification you died of suffocation. They'll talk about the spear in the side, they'll talk about the crown of thorns on the head, they'll talk about all these different things, the beating with the whip, how he drug his cross and the blood is flowing down and everything else and then they'll tell you: "By this we are saved".
Now , that draws you to a certain conclusion. How is it that the physical sufferings of Jesus, caused by men, somehow paid for our sins? It doesn't work out theologically. Are we actually .. are our sins paid for because the Romans and Jews rejected Jesus? Are our sins are paid for because they whipped him and beat him? I was in German mennonite camp, a bible camp, in northern, actually in the mountains, the Alps in Romania. And I walked to their theological, they had a theological library, and I walked in there and I saw a thing on the Cross of Christ. So I pull it out and praise the Lord, it was not in German. The only book in there I think that was not in German. And I started looking through it, and this is what the man said: "God sent His son who lived a perfect life..."
Now this is a theologian ...
"God sent His son who lived a perfect life and then according to the plan of God, men rejected him, they beat Him, they crucified Him, they mocked Him, they put crown of thorns on his head, they stuck a spear in his side, and all these different things. And God looked at that suffering, that Jesus suffered, at the hands of men and He considered that to be payment for all our sins against Him. Now, a lot of people say: "Well yeah, that sounds good!" Actually, historically that's a heresy! The deepest form of heresy. I mean you could be wrong about a lot of things, but if you are wrong about the Cross , you are in trouble.
Now here's what I want you to do. I want you to put 2 things together. How is it, what happened on that Cross that would cause God to forgive us of our sins? Now, the first question though is this. Why does the Son of God, God in the flesh, why is it necessary that He die? Why can't God just forgive everybody? Have you ever thought about that? Why can't He just - I mean, we are called to forgive people aren't we? If you sin against me, I'm called to forgive you. I'm not called to require a sacrifice or anything. I'm just told to forgive you. So why can't God simply forgive? That's the first question you need to answer. And I will show you a verse. I want us to go to Proverbs. I am going to condense about a week worth of lectures into 1 thing, so I just want to go to 1 text. Go to Proverbs 17:15. Now look what it says: "He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike, are an abomination to the Lord."
Now let us just consider this one phrase: "He who justifies the wicked is an abomination to the Lord". Now we are in a big problem. Most of the songs we sing today are gonna be about God justifying the wicked. That's what we sing about all the time. "Man , God justifies us, even though we were sinners. God declared us to be right." That's what the justification means. God declared you to be right before Him. And you praise God for that. But there's a a big problem here. Do you see what it is? God says that anyone who declares the wicked to be right, when they are not right, they are an abomination before Him. So if God declared you to be right when you were not right, it's an abomination. He has made Himself an abomination. If God forgives the wicked, He Himself becomes an abomination. In a same way if a judge forgives a murderer and lets him go, he's no longer a Just Judge. It's so amazing to me how so many people - I speak at the university, the students are just furious because I say that God throws men in Hell. They are furious when I say that. But do you know what bothers Heaven? Heaven has a problem with what God has done. Heaven's problem is this. If God is a just God He cannot forgive. He must punish the wicked. That is the thing of the whole Bible. Have you ever wondered why God got all the animals die in the Old Testament? It's a symbol, and a type. But the whole point is that if the sinner sins, he must die. He must die. And if God justifies someone who is wicked, and if he declares a wicked person to be innocent, then God is an
abomination. God has become wicked. Now we are beginning to see why it was necessary for God - the Son to die. God can not simply forgive. The law, the righteous law, demands that the sinner die. Demands it! You just can't push that away. You just can't say ok, well we are going to let them slide this time. If God does that He is unjust, He is wrong, He is sinful, He becomes just like the devil and the devil's accusations against Him now are correct. Can you imagine devil's standing before God? "Hey God, remember when we sinned against you? You were just then, weren't You? You cast us all out of Heaven, Yeah, where's your justice now God? Huh?, where is it? These men, this ball of dirt sins against you, you let him go. Guess what God, you become like me. Congratulations!"
You see the problem? That's the problem. Now the only way that God can forgive sinful men is if God who made the law and God who demands satisfaction, if He Himself comes down and pays the penalty. That's why the doctrine of the Jehovah-witnesses is so blasphemous. Look what they are saying. They are saying that when the world fell God created, created, an innocent being, the Son, He created Him. And than took this innocent being independent from God and put Him on a Cross, to die, to fix the problem. See that's not what happened, the Son of God is not a created being, He is God. You see, the only way the law of God can be satisfied is by God. And you can use this against the Jehovah-witnesses. If Jesus is not God, than everybody is going to Hell, because what is done on that Cross is not enough. God made the law, God has to satisfy it. It has to be God. If Jehovah-witness comes to the door and says that Jesus wasn't God, just sit down and just start weeping. He'll say:
"Why are you crying for?"
"We are all going to Hell."
"Why?"
"Because only God can satisfy God's law. Only He can pay the price. And if Jesus is not God then we are going to Hell. Me and you, and the rest of us." But you see, God in order to forgive the wicked, and still be Just, He must die in the wicked's place. Thats the only way He can forgive is to die in the place of the wicked. Now here's comes the important point. How does He die? What is it about the death of the Son of God that leads to our forgiveness? How does His death satisfy the law? Now, here is something I want you to understand. When someone says they have been saved,- now I'd never do this to a young Christian or, but if they are a seminary students or something they are going to get this, if they say "I've been saved" And I go "From what? From what have you been saved?"
People usually say "Sin!"
" Nope! ... Nope!"
They say: "What you mean "Nope"?"
"Sin wasn't after you. Sin wasn't gonna throw you in Hell. You have sinned, but the sin caused something else. Sin isn't going to throw you in Hell! Sin is not even a person! It's not a living being that's going to judge you, and grab you and throw you in Hell. From what have you been saved? This is going to really rock your boat. I'll tell you from what you have been saved. From what you have been saved is not 'What,' it is 'Who.' You have been saved from God ! You see here's what you need to understand. God is the judge of all the Universe. You have sinned, since you have sinned and made yourself an enemy of God before the just judge, when you stand before Him, He will throw you in Hell!" Now I hear a lot of people say: "God doesn't throw anybody in Hell." Well that's really nice if you write it on the back of a Christian T-shirt, sing it in a contemporary Christian song, but it is not in the Bible.
Jesus said: "You do not be afraid of man who can kill your body, but be afraid of God who can kill your body and throw you in Hell." You see? Again this God of ours is not very politically correct. He is not a tamed lion. People, have you ever heard this statement, we see it in Romans 5, We also see it in Romans 1: "enemy of God," and "hater of God." Have you ever heard that word "enemy of God?" Do you know what the problem is? Contemporary Christianity interprets it differently from the historical Christianity. You will hear preachers say: "When the Bible says that we were an enemy of God , it means that WE were an enemy against God, that WE were rebellion against God, that WE were against God. But it doesn't mean that God was against us, that God was our enemy." And than they will usually say something like this: "It's like you are holding a gun against God, and God wants you to put that gun down, and then you'll be friends."
That's not true! All throughout historical Christianity when it says "enemies of God," you know what it really means? Not only were you God's enemy, holding your gun on Him, God was your enemy holding His gun on You. You put your gun down, fine! He still has His gun on you. You are a criminal, you broke the law, you deserve to die, you can put your gun down to surrender if you want, but you are still going to hell. Because not only you are his enemy, but He is yours.
God says things in the Bible like: "I will hate them." "I will come against them." "I will fight against them." "I'll raise up a standard." Again this God of 21st century Christianity is a lot a different from the biblical one, and a lot different than one that has been preached throughout 2000 years of Christian history. So you see, not only were you making yourself an enemy against God, God was your enemy. And then one from whom you need to be saved is God because He is coming, remember what Amos has said: "Be prepared to meet thy God."
Remember what Revelation says and talks about:
"He is coming and the captains and the great man of the world will cry out for the rocks to fall upon them to hide them from the wrath of the lamb." He is not coming back with his hand like going: "Oh, I just want to save you but now you have to go to hell." No! He is coming back, it says: "sword of the Spirit." I mean everything else is going on here. He is coming back and He is gonnafight somebody. Because He is mad! Now, the problem that you have to see. There is punishment. We have broken God's law, so now we deserve to be punished. From where does that punishment come? Ask yourself that question. From where does that punishment come? We have grown up under preaching that tells us, well if you sin, you know some bad thing happens to you, that's not God that's just the consequences of sin just like the law of gravity, you jump off the roof you gonna get hurt, you sin you gonna get hurt. It is not God's doing that's just the way that the things are. That's not true. God talks about coming and judgment all the time against people's sin. He does, just read the Bible. All the time! "I will come against you," " I will set my face against you."
"He is coming and the captains and the great man of the world will cry out for the rocks to fall upon them to hide them from the wrath of the lamb." He is not coming back with his hand like going: "Oh, I just want to save you but now you have to go to hell." No! He is coming back, it says: "sword of the Spirit." I mean everything else is going on here. He is coming back and He is gonnafight somebody. Because He is mad! Now, the problem that you have to see. There is punishment. We have broken God's law, so now we deserve to be punished. From where does that punishment come? Ask yourself that question. From where does that punishment come? We have grown up under preaching that tells us, well if you sin, you know some bad thing happens to you, that's not God that's just the consequences of sin just like the law of gravity, you jump off the roof you gonna get hurt, you sin you gonna get hurt. It is not God's doing that's just the way that the things are. That's not true. God talks about coming and judgment all the time against people's sin. He does, just read the Bible. All the time! "I will come against you," " I will set my face against you."
OK? So we realize that we have been saved from God and his punishment. So how is that punishment to be done away with? When Jesus the Son of God was dying on the cross it is not the spears of Romans, or the crowns of thorns, or the nails in His hands that save you. It is not that that pays for the crime. The suffering that the man heaped upon Jesus, God does not look at it and say "OK, good enough!" That's not what paid for your sin! What paid for your sin? Look in Isaiah 53.
This is what paid for your sin: Isaiah 53:10 "But the Lord was pleased to crush Him." Now, you've all read 53 and you've heard gazillions of sermons on the radio and everything about Isaiah 53. But isn't it funny that when you hear sermons on Isaiah 53 it is always verses 3, 4, 5 and 6 talking about the sufferings heaped upon Christ by men. But very rarely do you hear Isaiah 53:10 "It pleased the Lord".
Who's the Lord? The word here is not Adonai, its Yahweh, or as some of you may pronounce it Jehovah. I mean its God. "It pleased God to..." what? "crush Him." This is the Messiah. "It pleased the Lord to crush Him." This word crush, it refers to like... The best illustration I can give you is, imagine... Do you know what a mill stone is? A mill stone is what they used to have was a big stone, usually about this big, round, may be about that tall, I mean a huge stone. And then they placed another stone on top of that, that actually rotated. OK? It turned. And what you would do as you can imagine you put grain, corn and everything, in between those two stones and when they may their way through there, that stone would ground them to powder. That's the terminology being used here. That is what it refers to. It pleased God the Father to crush His own Son and to ground Him into powder.
Now another illustration would be this. Imagine you are standing at the foot of a dam, that's a thousand miles high and a thousand miles wide. And you are standing right there at the foot of this thing and it is filled with water. And in 1 second the wall is pulled out away. What do you think it is gonna happen to you? It means its over. Your body is never gonna be found. Or imagine you are walking one day, and a star 6 thousand times larger that the sun crashes the Earth right on your head. What we are talking about here? How is it that that cross saves you? It's because on the cross all the sin that God hates.... You know have you heard someone says the love of God is so great that you cannot describe it and that if you were to even get a glimpse of how great it is it will drive you mad. It is so great that it will literally drive you mad. And the only way you've ever gonna be able to know more of the love of God is if God supernaturally strengthens you and glorifies your body because standing in His presence and to know His love would be too much joy for you that you will explode. I mean you just want be able to handle it you'll go mad. Well, In the same way God hatred is so great it goes beyond description. And that if you were to even catch a glimpse of it it will drive you mad. It would be like a little wax figure this tall that has a nuclear bomb explode 3 inches away from it. You have no idea. The sin that evokes God's hatred, and I mean that word 'hatred', OK? God hates! The sin that evokes God's hatred was placed on His son. Now, you take all of the sins of God's people, from the first man ever saved on the face of the earth, to the last person ever saved on the face of the earth. All of God's people, all of their sin, is placed on the Son. All of God's justice, just punishment, but also all of Gods just hatred, His just loathing, everything that should be poured out on these sinful creatures throughout eternity, God throws down on His only begotten Son. Crushes Him under the weight of His own justice.
You say: "Brother Paul could you kill your son for me?"
"I'm sorry."
You can argue theologically whether I should or I shouldn't - I couldn't. And I'm evil. The Bible says if you being evil can give good gifts to your children, if you being evil can love your children ... Now here's God, perfect love manifested towards a perfect son, who never did anything but bless His Father and crushes Him under the weight of His holy hatred. When those preachers, you know the cup, you know, Jesus says let this cup pass from me and they say: "Yes, going to the cross He didn't want to go the cross"
No! they are wrong, and yes they are right they just don't know what they are saying. Listen to me, there have been martyrs who have gone, followers of Jesus Christ who have been burned as a steak and while they were burning they have lifted their hands and praise the Lord. Ok? Now let me ask you that question. Do you think they are greater than our Lord Jesus? There have been Christians... I have a picture in my office I keep it right in front of my desk, a huge picture of all these Christians crucified in a Roman theater, and they have been burned after they have been crucified, and lions have been set free on others. I keep that in front of me all the time to remind myself that this is still happening today. And there were many of those who were crucified and sang out with joy as they were pounding the nails . Do you think that they are greater than Jesus? Do you think Jesus would actually cower, and fret, and cry under a punishment that even some of His followers were able to endure with joy? Do you think Jesus is weaker than them?
What you need to understand is Jesus wasn't thinking when He was in that garden "Save me from this hour." "Let this cup pass from me." He wasn't thinking about the nails in His hands, He wasn't thinking about a wooden cross, He wasn't thinking about a spear in his side, or Romans, or anything else. What He was thinking about is this: "Father, I have never been out of your bosom. I have always been in the most perfect, wonderful, beautiful relationship with You. I have all throughout the eternity." God did not created this world because He needed something, because God was always content with His son. You take everybody in this world and throw them straight into the Hell God will still be happy because He's got His Son. I don't want to offend your humanism, but that's just the way it is. God's perfectly happy. He did this, He created us, not because of His need but because of the overflow of His abundance. And here His son is separated from Him.
I remember after my little boy was born and I had a monitor up there in his room and I was outside and had the other monitor just right within the door ... working up on a ladder, probably about 15 feet in the air, and nailing some things.... and he cried ... I didn't even think, I threw the hammer and leaped. I went right off the ladder. I hit the ground running . I was a new father, but I still do the same thing today. I mean, hit the ground running. If we being evil could love our children, and here is the Son, thinking: "I'm gonna be ripped out of the heart of the Father, the Father is gonna to turn His face away from me." Now you may think: "Oh yes, he turned His face away because he didn't want to see His son suffering."
No, you've got it all wrong. He turned his face away because His Son had become detestable! His son had become sin. All of you who are fathers and those who are mothers know. I mean, your kid after gets to a certain age he does something and its: "Is dad looking, is mom looking" I mean he can't do anything unless mom and dad is looking. I can worshiping he grabs my face and goes like this.
The Father turns his face away and says: "No!". He became the abominable thing, an abomination. You and I are an abomination before God in order for us to be forgiven God has to die as an abomination in our place. You and I deserve to be crushed under God's wrath. In order for God to save us and forgive us He was crashed under His own wrath. That's what the Cross is! That's what it means! And now you can to see why if you have ever had a heavenly vision of truly what happened on that Cross it will affect you for the rest of your life. You'll become a prisoner to that thing. You won't be able to get away from it. Let me give you an idea. I used that illustration. I love to use it because of its shock value of it, because it makes the people so mad. A kid said one time: "Well when I go to hell..." He was taking joy in the fact that if he went into Hell, at least there will be people on the outside who would be suffering because they loved him so much, and knew he was going to hell. You know that mentality? "Well I will hurt myself, and it will hurt everybody else who loves me?" I noticed this tendency in him, and I said... "Young man let me just give you an idea what is gonna happen on the day that you stand before God". He said: "OK, I'm not afraid"
I said: "You will be!" I said: "This is what's gonna happen. The moment you stand before God everything that your parents loved about you, it wasn't you, did you know that? It was the common grace of God on you. That's what caused them to love you. Now, at the moment He declares your judgment, that grace is gonna be pulled off of you. And what your parents are going to see is a seething monster that would make a Hitler looked like a choir boy. And do you wanna know something?" I said "when you take your first step into hell, the last thing you are going to hear is all of creation, along with your parents, standing up and applauding and worshiping God, because God has rid the earth of you. So don't think that anybody is gonna be mourning up here in heaven and some how you gonna have vengeance on at least somebody as you suffer there in hell. You will find no satisfaction there!" He said: "That's horrible!" I said: "More horrible than you can ever imagine, repent and believe. Flee from the wrath to come."
I was speaking at the university last week and some students were in invisible protest against me. They came in, sat down on the front rows, cross their arms, pull their hats all down, and pretended to be sleeping And this was their big protest, I guess. I just walked over to the corner and I said: "Listen... listen." and I began to tell them about Hell. And I said, "Now I want you, I will give each of you a quarter so you can go home, go back to your room and call your mom and tell her that all of you are going to hell. And she needs to prey for your soul." You see sometimes in the universities, do you know the biggest argument they use against me? They'll say: "A loving Jesus would never send anyone to hell."
Do you want to know something? If it were not for the loving Jesus we wouldn't even have the doctrine of Hell. Do you know that? You look in the Old Testament you can hardly find, it is there, but it's hardly any passages in the whole Old Testament about Hell. You look in the writings of Paul there is almost nothing about Hell. Really! Do you know where everything that we know about Hell, do you know where it comes from? From Jesus! Really! Almost everything we know about Hell comes from Him. The loving Jesus who died to save men spoke more about Hell than everybody else in the entire Bible put together. Why? I think that there is one reason. This is just my opinion. Hell is so horrible that man can not even comprehend it. So the only one who can truly comprehend how horrible hell is, is God Himself. And only God is able to communicate the horrible nature of hell in any way. So remember now when you hear about Jesus dying for you, you know now, that it is more than some whips. Those whips were nothing. I don't wanna depreciate His physical suffering but, folks, the cross is about the son of God being crushed by his own Father. And when he cried out: "It is finished!" that meant PAID IN FULL!
Do you know why God can never pour out his wrath on you, if you are Christian? He can never, never pour out his wrath on you. Never! His judgment his wrath, He can never pour it out on you. Never! It is impossible! He can't do it! He can only act toward you now with the greatest of love, the same love with which He loved His dearly begotten son, is the love He loves you. He cannot love you with anything less. Do you wanna know why He cannot poured His wrath out on you? I'll tell you why. Because His son drank it. It doesn't exist anymore. It is gone! He drank it. There is nothing left for you. There is no more punishment for you if you are a Christian. But if you are not a Christian. Oh, dear friend you don't even wanna know, you don't even wanna know what awaits you.
Lets pray.
Father, we thank You for this day. We ask Lord, your blessing and your help. And Dear God help us to appreciate what You have done for us in giving your son, not an angel did You gave us, not gold, not a piece of the throne that You throw away, but You gave us your only begotten son. And for that we will worship You throughout all eternity. That we have an older brother,
and He is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters because He has died for us. He's taken away our sin, and He's given us his own righteousness.
In Jesus Name.
AMEN
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Mission Ball
The following is the text from the Mission Ball at www.themissionball.org and it explains the gospel very well. This is also a good ministry to support if the Lord leads you.
God's Simple Plan of Salvation I
The most important question of your life is will you go to Heaven when you die? God says in order to go to Heaven, “you must be born again.”(John 3:7) In the Bible, God gives us the plan of how to be born again. First, you must realize you are a sinner. “For all have sinned and fall short of God’s standard.”(Romans 3:23) Because you are a sinner, you are condemned to die. "the wages of sin is death"(Romans 6:23) This includes eternal separation from God, in Hell. "Everyone is destined to die once and after that comes judgment"(Hebrews 9:27) But God loved you so much he gave his only begotten Son, Jesus, to bear your sin and die in your place. "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."(Romans 5:8) Although we cannot understand how, God said our sins were laid upon Jesus and he died in our place. “God commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him.”(Acts 17:30) Repent means to turn away from your sins and agree with God that one is a sinner, and also agree with what Jesus did for us on the cross. The question: "what must I do to be saved?"(Acts 16:30) The answer: believe in Jesus as the one who bore your sin, died in your place, was buried, and whom God resurrected. His resurrection powerfully assures us that we can claim everlasting life when Jesus is received as our Savior. "But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God."(John 1:12)
God's Simple Plan of Salvation II
"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."(Romans 10:13) Believe, and you will be saved. No church or good works can save you. Remember, God does the saving. God's simple plan of salvation is: You are a sinner and unless you repent and believe on Jesus who died in your place, you will spend eternity in Hell. If you believe on him as your crucified, buried, and risen Savior, you receive forgiveness for all of your sins and his gift of eternal salvation by faith. If His plan is not perfectly clear, read this over and over, without laying it down until you understand it. Your soul is worth more than the entire world. "What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?"(Mark 8:36) Be sure you are saved. If you lose your soul, you miss Heaven and lose all. Do not trust your feelings because they change. Stand on God's promises which never change. After you are saved, there are three things to practice daily for spiritual growth. The first is to Pray, which is when you talk to God. The second is to read your Bible, so God can talk to you. And lastly share your faith with others, so you can talk for God. "So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord."(2 Timothy 1:8) "Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven."(Matthew 10:32) You should be baptized in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ, as a public testimony of your salvation, and then unite with a Bible-believing church.
How do YOU get to Heaven?
Look at the 10 Commandments. The requirement of the 1st is to love God above all else? Have you broken the 2nd by making a god in your mind to suit yourself? That’s called Idolatry. Have you ever used God's name in vain? Have you always honored your parents? Have you hated someone? The Bible says, "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer." The 7th is "You shall not commit adultery." Have you ever stolen or lied? On Judgment Day, will you be found innocent or guilty? Will you go to Heaven or Hell? The Bible warns that all liars, thieves, fornicators, and adulterers will end up in Hell. But God made a way for you to be forgiven. Jesus suffered and died on the cross to satisfy the Moral Law, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Then Jesus rose from the dead, defeating death. That means that God can forgive you and grant you the gift of everlasting life. Confess your sins to God today, put your trust in Jesus to save you, and you will pass from death to life. You have God's promise on it. Pray like this: "Dear God, today I turn away from all of my sins (name them) and I put my trust in Jesus Christ alone as my Lord and Savior. Please forgive me, change my heart, and grant me Your gift of everlasting life. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen." The sincerity of your prayer will be evidenced by your obedience to God. Read His Word, the Bible, and obey what you read.
The 10 Commandments
1-You shall have no other gods before me. 2-You shall not make any idols. 3-You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. 4-Remember the Sabbath Day. 5-Honor your father and mother. 6-You shall not murder. 7-You shall not commit adultery. 8-You shall not steal. 9-You shall not lie. 10-You shall not covet. You will have to face God on Judgment Day. He sees lust as adultery, "Whoever looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart."(Matthew 5:28) He sees hatred as murder, “Anyone who hates another brother or sister is a murderer at heart.”(1 John 3:15) Will you go to Heaven? Here's a quick test. Have you ever told a lie, stolen anything, used God's name in vain, or looked with lust? James 2:10 says, "For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.” Will you be guilty on Judgment Day? If you have done those things God sees you as a lying, thieving, blasphemous, adulterer at heart. The Bible warns that if you are guilty you will end up in Hell. God sent His Son to suffer and die on the cross. Jesus took the punishment upon Himself, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."(John 3:16) Then Jesus rose from the dead and defeated death. Repent (turn from sin) today and trust in Jesus, and God will grant you everlasting life. Read the Bible and obey what you read.
GOD’S WORD I
You need to be saved “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3) All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own (Isaiah 53:6) But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve (Jeremiah 17:10) You will perish unless you repent of your sins and turn to God (Luke 13:3) You cannot save yourself God saved us, not because of good things we did, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5) There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death (Proverbs 14:12) Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me (John 14:6) No one can be made right with God by doing what the law commands. It simply shows us we are sinful (Romans 3:20) God has provided for your salvation Jesus carried our sins to the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds we are healed (1 Peter 2:24) Christ died for sins. Jesus was buried, and was raised from the dead on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it (Ephesians 2:8-9)
GOD’S WORD II
Believe God’s word and be saved Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”(John 6:29) “I tell you the truth; those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life (John 5:24) Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life (1 John 5:12-13) Confess Jesus before men If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person (Luke 9:26) If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. (Romans 10:9-10) Saving faith produces good works What good is it, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? (James 2:14) For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. (Philippians 2:13) Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. (Romans 14:12) But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve, as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)
God's Simple Plan of Salvation I
The most important question of your life is will you go to Heaven when you die? God says in order to go to Heaven, “you must be born again.”(John 3:7) In the Bible, God gives us the plan of how to be born again. First, you must realize you are a sinner. “For all have sinned and fall short of God’s standard.”(Romans 3:23) Because you are a sinner, you are condemned to die. "the wages of sin is death"(Romans 6:23) This includes eternal separation from God, in Hell. "Everyone is destined to die once and after that comes judgment"(Hebrews 9:27) But God loved you so much he gave his only begotten Son, Jesus, to bear your sin and die in your place. "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."(Romans 5:8) Although we cannot understand how, God said our sins were laid upon Jesus and he died in our place. “God commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him.”(Acts 17:30) Repent means to turn away from your sins and agree with God that one is a sinner, and also agree with what Jesus did for us on the cross. The question: "what must I do to be saved?"(Acts 16:30) The answer: believe in Jesus as the one who bore your sin, died in your place, was buried, and whom God resurrected. His resurrection powerfully assures us that we can claim everlasting life when Jesus is received as our Savior. "But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God."(John 1:12)
God's Simple Plan of Salvation II
"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."(Romans 10:13) Believe, and you will be saved. No church or good works can save you. Remember, God does the saving. God's simple plan of salvation is: You are a sinner and unless you repent and believe on Jesus who died in your place, you will spend eternity in Hell. If you believe on him as your crucified, buried, and risen Savior, you receive forgiveness for all of your sins and his gift of eternal salvation by faith. If His plan is not perfectly clear, read this over and over, without laying it down until you understand it. Your soul is worth more than the entire world. "What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?"(Mark 8:36) Be sure you are saved. If you lose your soul, you miss Heaven and lose all. Do not trust your feelings because they change. Stand on God's promises which never change. After you are saved, there are three things to practice daily for spiritual growth. The first is to Pray, which is when you talk to God. The second is to read your Bible, so God can talk to you. And lastly share your faith with others, so you can talk for God. "So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord."(2 Timothy 1:8) "Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven."(Matthew 10:32) You should be baptized in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ, as a public testimony of your salvation, and then unite with a Bible-believing church.
How do YOU get to Heaven?
Look at the 10 Commandments. The requirement of the 1st is to love God above all else? Have you broken the 2nd by making a god in your mind to suit yourself? That’s called Idolatry. Have you ever used God's name in vain? Have you always honored your parents? Have you hated someone? The Bible says, "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer." The 7th is "You shall not commit adultery." Have you ever stolen or lied? On Judgment Day, will you be found innocent or guilty? Will you go to Heaven or Hell? The Bible warns that all liars, thieves, fornicators, and adulterers will end up in Hell. But God made a way for you to be forgiven. Jesus suffered and died on the cross to satisfy the Moral Law, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Then Jesus rose from the dead, defeating death. That means that God can forgive you and grant you the gift of everlasting life. Confess your sins to God today, put your trust in Jesus to save you, and you will pass from death to life. You have God's promise on it. Pray like this: "Dear God, today I turn away from all of my sins (name them) and I put my trust in Jesus Christ alone as my Lord and Savior. Please forgive me, change my heart, and grant me Your gift of everlasting life. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen." The sincerity of your prayer will be evidenced by your obedience to God. Read His Word, the Bible, and obey what you read.
The 10 Commandments
1-You shall have no other gods before me. 2-You shall not make any idols. 3-You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. 4-Remember the Sabbath Day. 5-Honor your father and mother. 6-You shall not murder. 7-You shall not commit adultery. 8-You shall not steal. 9-You shall not lie. 10-You shall not covet. You will have to face God on Judgment Day. He sees lust as adultery, "Whoever looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart."(Matthew 5:28) He sees hatred as murder, “Anyone who hates another brother or sister is a murderer at heart.”(1 John 3:15) Will you go to Heaven? Here's a quick test. Have you ever told a lie, stolen anything, used God's name in vain, or looked with lust? James 2:10 says, "For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.” Will you be guilty on Judgment Day? If you have done those things God sees you as a lying, thieving, blasphemous, adulterer at heart. The Bible warns that if you are guilty you will end up in Hell. God sent His Son to suffer and die on the cross. Jesus took the punishment upon Himself, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."(John 3:16) Then Jesus rose from the dead and defeated death. Repent (turn from sin) today and trust in Jesus, and God will grant you everlasting life. Read the Bible and obey what you read.
GOD’S WORD I
You need to be saved “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3) All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own (Isaiah 53:6) But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve (Jeremiah 17:10) You will perish unless you repent of your sins and turn to God (Luke 13:3) You cannot save yourself God saved us, not because of good things we did, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5) There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death (Proverbs 14:12) Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me (John 14:6) No one can be made right with God by doing what the law commands. It simply shows us we are sinful (Romans 3:20) God has provided for your salvation Jesus carried our sins to the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds we are healed (1 Peter 2:24) Christ died for sins. Jesus was buried, and was raised from the dead on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it (Ephesians 2:8-9)
GOD’S WORD II
Believe God’s word and be saved Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”(John 6:29) “I tell you the truth; those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life (John 5:24) Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life (1 John 5:12-13) Confess Jesus before men If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person (Luke 9:26) If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. (Romans 10:9-10) Saving faith produces good works What good is it, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? (James 2:14) For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. (Philippians 2:13) Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. (Romans 14:12) But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve, as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Save Yourself Some Pain
Becoming a Christian is the most incredible event that will ever take place in your life. You have found peace with your Creator. You have found everlasting life! Be assured--God will never leave you nor forsake you. He has brought you this far and He will complete the wonderful work He has begun in you. God knows your every thought, your every care and your deepest concerns.
Let's now look at some of those possible concerns. First, and of primary concern -- do you have "assurance" of your salvation? The Bible says to "make your calling and election sure" (2 Peter 1:10, italics added), so, let's go through a short "checklist" to make sure that you are truly saved:
Are you aware that God became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ (John 1:14, KJV), and that he
Did you come to the Savior because you had sinned?
Did you "repent" and put your faith in Jesus?
Are you convinced that He suffered and died on the Cross and that He rose again on the third day?
God acquits us from the Courtroom of Eternal Justice on the grounds that Jesus Christ paid our fine. We are "justified" (made right with God) by His suffering death. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was God's seal of approval of the fact that His precious blood was sufficient to pay the fine.
Think of it this way... You have violated the law and face a $50,000 fine. You tell the judge that you are truly sorry for your crime, but he answers, "So you should be -- you have broken the law! Now, can you pay this fine?" He can only acquit you if the fine is paid. If someone else pays your fine, then he can let you go, but he must have "grounds" on which to release you.
The reason we need a substitute (a savior) to pay our moral "fine," is because we have broken God's Law. To see how much we have transgressed this Law (the Ten Commandments), we will go through some of them -- Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever stolen something? Have you ever lusted after another person? If you answered "Yes" to these questions, you admit that you are a lying, thieving, adulterer at heart, and you have to face God on Judgment Day! If you have used His name in vain, then you are guilty of "blasphemy" -- you've substituted God's holy Name for a curse word. Perhaps you've hated someone, then the Bible says that you are a murderer. You have violated God's holy Law, and you're in BIG trouble. On Judgment Day, you will be found guilty and end up in Hell. That's why you need the Savior. Merely being sorry for your sins, or confessing them to God won't help you. You must turn from sin (repent), and your faith must be in Jesus Christ alone. He is the only "grounds" for God to grant mercy towards you. If you're not sure of your salvation, make Psalm 51 your own prayer.
Let's now look at some more important principles that can save you a great deal of pain...
1. Feeding on the Word -- DAILY Nutrition
A healthy baby has a healthy appetite. If you have truly been "born" of the Spirit of God, you will have a healthy appetite. The Bible says, "As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby," (1 Peter 2:2). Feed yourself every day without fail. Job said, "I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food," (Job 23:12). The more you eat, the quicker you will grow, and the less bruising you will have. Speed up the process and save yourself some pain -- vow to read God's Word every day, without fail. Say to yourself, "No Bible, no breakfast. No read, no feed." Be like Job, and put your Bible before your belly. If you do that, God promises that you will be like a fruitful, strong and healthy tree (see Psalm 1). Each day, find somewhere quiet, and thoroughly soak your soul in the Word of God.
There may be times when you read through its pages with great enthusiasm, and there may be other times when it seems dry and even boring. But food profits your body whether you enjoy it or not. As a child, you no doubt ate desserts with great enthusiasm. Perhaps vegetables weren't so exciting. If you were a normal child, you probably had to be encouraged to eat them at first. Then, as you matured in life you were taught to discipline yourself to eat vegetables. This is because they would physically benefit you, even though they may not have at the time, brought pleasure to your taste buds.
2. Faith -- Elevators Can Let You Down
When a young man once looked at me and said, "I find it hard to believe some of the things in the Bible," I smiled and asked, "What's your name?" When he said, "Paul," I casually answered, "I don't believe you." He looked at me questioningly. I repeated, "What's your name?" Again he said, "Paul," and again I answered, "I don't believe you." Then I asked, "Where do you live?" When he told me, I said, "I don't believe that either." You should have seen his reaction. He was angry. I said, "You look a little upset. Do you know why? You're upset because I didn't believe what you told me. If you tell me that your name is Paul, and I say, 'I don't believe you,' it means that I think you are a liar. You are trying to deceive me by telling me your name is Paul, when it's not." Then I told him that if he, a mere man, felt insulted by my lack of faith in his word, how much more does he insult Almighty God by refusing to believe His Word. In doing so, he was saying that God isn't worth trusting -- that He is a liar and a deceiver. The Bible says, "He who does not believe God has made Him a liar," (1 John 5:10). It also says, "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief. . ." (Hebrews 3:12). Martin Luther said, "What greater insult . . . can there be to God, than not to believe His promises."
I have heard people say, "But I just find it hard to have faith in God," not realizing the implications of their words. These are the same people who often believe the weather forecast, believe the newspapers, and trust their lives to a pilot they have never seen whenever they fly in a plane. We exercise faith every day. We trust our car's brakes. We trust our history books, our medical books, and we trust elevators. Yet elevators can let us down. History books can be wrong. Planes can crash. How much more then should we trust the sure and true promises of Almighty God. He will never let us down . . . if we trust Him.
I have often heard cynics say, "The Bible is full of mistakes." It is. The first mistake was when man rejected God, and the Scriptures show men and women making the same tragic mistake again and again. It's also full of what seem to be contradictions. For example, the Scriptures tell us "with God, nothing shall be impossible" (Luke 1:37). We are told that there is nothing Almighty God can't do. Yet we are also told that it is "impossible for God to lie" (Hebrews 6:18). So there is something God cannot do! There's an obvious "mistake" in the Bible. The answer to this dilemma is to be found in the lowly worm.
Do you know that it would be impossible for me to eat worms, although I have seen it done. I once saw a man on TV butter his toast, then pour on a can of live, fat, wriggling, blood-filled worms. He carefully took a knife and fork, cut into his moving meal, and ate it. It made me feel sick. It was disgusting. The thought of chewing cold, live worms is so repulsive, so distasteful, I can candidly say it would be impossible for me to eat them, even though I have seen it done. It is so abhorrent, I draw on the strength of the word "impossible" to substantiate my claim.
Lying, deception, bearing false witness, etc., is so repulsive to God, so disgusting to Him, so against His holy character, that the Scriptures draw on the strength of the word "impossible" to substantiate the claim. He cannot, could not, and would not lie.
That means that in a world where we are continually let down, we can totally rely on, trust in, and count on His promises. They are sure, certain, indisputable, true, trustworthy, reliable, faithful, unfailing, dependable, steadfast, and an anchor for the soul. In other words, you can truly believe them, and because of that, you can throw yourself blindfolded and without reserve, into His mighty hands. He will never, ever, let you down. Do you believe that?
3. Evangelism -- Our Most Sobering Task
It was late in December, 1996. A large family gathered in Los Angeles for the joyous occasion of wrapping Christmas presents. It was a big family because it was the product of two marriages. There were so many gathered that night, five of the children slept in the garage. It was a converted structure, kept warm during the cold night by an electric heater which sat by the door.
During the early hours of the morning, the heater suddenly burst into flames, blocking the doorway. In seconds the room became a blazing inferno. The frantic 911 call revealed the unspeakable terror of the moment. One of the children could be heard screaming, "I'm on fire!" The distraught father vainly rushed into the flames to try and save his beloved children. He received burns to 50% of his body. Tragically, all five of the children burned to death. They died because steel bars on the windows of the garage thwarted their escape. There was only one door, and that was stopped by the flames.
You are back in time. It's minutes before the heater burst into flames. You peer through the darkness at the peaceful sight of five sleeping youngsters. You know that at any moment the room is going to erupt into an inferno and burn the flesh of horrified children. Can you in good conscience walk away? No! You must awaken them, and warn them to run from that death trap!
The world sleeps peacefully in the darkness of ignorance. There is only one Door by which they may escape death. The steel bars of sin prevent their salvation, and at the same time call for the flames of Eternal Justice. What a fearful thing Judgment Day will be! The fires of the wrath of Almighty God will burn for eternity. The Church has been entrusted with the task of awakening them before it's too late. We cannot turn our backs and walk away in complacency. Think of how the father ran into the flames. His love knew no bounds, and our devotion to the sober task that God has given us will be in direct proportion to our love for the lost. There are only a few who run headlong into the flames to warn them to flee (Luke 10:2). Please be one of them. We really have no choice. The Apostle Paul said, "Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!" (1 Corinthians 9:16).
It was the "Prince of Preachers," Charles Spurgeon, who said the words, "Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself. Be sure of that." A Christian cannot be apathetic about the salvation of the world. The love of God in him will motivate him to seek and save that which is lost.
You probably have a limited amount of time after your conversion to impact your unsaved friends and family with the Gospel. After the initial shock of your conversion, they will put you in a neat little ribbon-tied box, and keep you at arm's length. So it's important that you take advantage of the short time you have while you still have their ears.
Here's some advice that will save you a great deal of grief. As a new Christian, a friend of mine did almost irreparable damage by acting like a wild bull in a crystal showroom. He bullied his mom, his dad, and many of his friends into making a "decision for Christ". He was sincere, zealous, loving, kind, and stupid. He didn't understand that salvation doesn't come through making a "decision," but through repentance, and repentance is God-given (see 2 Timothy 2:25). The Bible teaches that no one can come to the Son unless God "draws" him. If you are able to get a decision but they have no conviction of sin, you will almost certainly end up with a still-born on your hands.
In his"zeal without knowledge" he actually inoculated the very ones he was so desperately trying to reach. There is nothing more important to you than the salvation of your loved ones, and you don't want to blow it. If you do, you may find that you don't have a second chance. Fervently pray for them, thanking God for their salvation. Let them see your faith. Let them feel your kindness, your genuine love, and your gentleness. Buy gifts for no reason. Do chores when you are not asked to. Go the extra mile. Put yourself in their position. You know that you have found everlasting life. Death has lost its sting! Your joy is unspeakable -- but as far as they are concerned, you have been brain-washed. You have become part of a weird sect. So your loving actions will speak more loudly than ten thousand eloquent sermons.
It is because of these thoughts that you should hold back from verbal confrontation until you have knowledge that will guide your zeal. Pray for wisdom and for a sensitivity to God's timing. You may have only one shot, so make it count. Keep your cool. If you don't, you may end up with a lifetime of regret. Believe me. It is better to hear a loved one or a close friend say, "Tell me about your faith in Jesus Christ," rather than you saying, "Sit down. I want to talk to you."
It is important to realize that we should share our faith with others whenever we can. The Bible says that there are only two times we should do this -- "in season and out of season" (2 Timothy 4:2). The Apostle Paul pleaded for prayer for his own personal witness. He said, ". . . that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak," (Ephesians 6:19-20).
Remember that you have the sobering responsibility of speaking to other peoples' loved ones. Many times when you open your mouth for the Gospel, you may be the answer to the earnest prayer of another Christian. Perhaps he has cried out to God that He would use a faithful witness to speak to his beloved mom or dad, and you are that answer to prayer. You are that true and faithful witness that God wants to use.
Never lose sight of the world and all its pains. Keep the fate of the ungodly before your eyes. Too many of us settle down on a padded pew and become introverted. Our world becomes a monastery without walls. Our friends are confined solely to those within the Church, when Jesus was the "friend of sinners." So take the time to deliberately befriend them for the sake of their salvation. Remember that each and every person who dies in their sins has an appointment with the Judge of the Universe. Hell opens wide its terrible jaws. There is no more sobering task than to be entrusted with the Gospel of Salvation -- working with God for the eternal well-being of dying humanity.
4. Prayer -- "Wait For A Minute."
It has been well said that God always answers prayer. Sometimes He says, "Yes." sometimes He says, "NO." Sometimes He says, "Wait for a minute," and a day to the Lord is a thousand years to us (2 Peter 3:8). That means that a ten year wait for us, is 14 minutes and 24 seconds to God, so ask in faith, but rest in peace-filled patience.
Surveys show that more than 90% of America prays daily. No doubt they pray for health, wealth, happiness, etc. They also pray when grandma gets sick, and when grandma doesn't get better (or dies), many end up disillusioned, and some end up bitter. This is because they don't understand what the Bible says about prayer. It teaches that sin will stop God even hearing your prayer (Psalm 66:18). It teaches, among other things, that if we pray with doubt, we will not get an answer (James 1:6-7).
Here's how to be heard....
1.) Pray with faith (Hebrews 11:6).
2.) Pray with clean hands and a pure heart (Psalm 24:3-4).
3.) Pray genuine heart-felt prayers, rather than vain repetitions (Matthew 6:7).
4.) Make sure that you are praying to the God revealed in the Holy Scriptures (Exodus 20:3-6).
How do you "pray with faith?" If someone says to you, "You're a man of great faith in God," they may think that they are paying you a compliment. But they aren't -- the compliment is to God. For example if I said to you, "I'm a man of great faith in my doctor," it's actually the doctor I'm complimenting. If I have great faith in him, it means that I see him as being a man of integrity, a man of great ability -- that he is trustworthy. I give "glory" to the man through my faith in him. The Bible says that Abraham "He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform." (Romans 4:20-21). Abraham was a man of great faith in God. Remember, that is not a compliment to Abraham. He merely caught a glimpse of God's incredible ability, His impeccable integrity, and His wonderful faithfulness to keep every promise He makes. His faith gave "glory" to a faithful God.
As far as God is concerned, if you belong to Jesus, you are a VIP. You can boldly come before the throne of Grace (Hebrews 4:16). You have access to the king, because you are the son or daughter of the king. When you were a child, did you have to grovel to get your needs met by your mom or dad? I hope not.
So, when you pray, don't say, "Oh God, I hope you will supply my needs." Instead say something like, "Father, thank you that you keep every promise You make. Your Word says that you will supply all my needs according to Your riches in glory, by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). Therefore, I thank you that you will do this thing for my family. I ask this in the wonderful name of Jesus. Amen"
It was the great missionary, Hudson Taylor, who said, "The prayer power has never been tried to its full capacity. If we want to see Divine power wrought in the place of weakness, failure, and disappointment, let us answer God's standing challenge, 'Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things of which thou knowest not of.'"
How do you get "clean hands and a pure heart?" Simply by confessing your sins to God, through Jesus Christ. His blood cleanses from all sin (1 John 1:7-9). When you confess them to God through Jesus, God will not only forgive your every sin, He promises to forget that sin (Hebrew 8:12). He will even justify you, on the grounds of the sacrifice of the Savior. That means He will count it as though you have never sinned in the first place. He will make you pure in His sight -- sinless. He will even "purge" your conscience, so that you will no longer have that sense of guilt that you sinned in the first place. That's what I mean "to be justified by faith." That's why you need to soak yourself in Holy Scripture -- to read the letters to the churches and see the wonderful things that God has done for us through the Cross of Calvary. If you don't bother to read the will, you won't have any idea of what has been left for you.
How do you pray "genuine heart-felt prayers?" Simply by keeping yourself in the love of God. If the love of God is in you, you will never pray hypocritical, or selfish prayers. In fact, you won't have to pray selfish prayers, if you have a heart of love. When your prayer-life is pleasing to God, the Bible says that He will reward you openly (Matthew 6:6).
How do you know that you are praying to "the God revealed in Holy Scripture?" Study the Word. Don't accept the image of God portrayed by the world, even though it appeals to the natural mind. The world sees God as a loving, kind fatherly-figure, with no sense of justice or truth which appeals to guilty sinners. Look to the thunderings and lightnings of Mount Sinai. Gaze at Jesus on the cross of Calvary -- hanging in unspeakable agony because of the Justice of a holy God. Such thoughts tend to banish idolatry.
5. Warfare -- Praise The Lord and Pass the Ammunition
When you became a Christian, you stepped right into the heat of an age-old battle. You have a three-fold enemy--the world, the flesh, and the devil. Before you became a Christian, you floated down stream with the other dead fish. But now, God has put His life within you, and you will find yourself swimming against a three-fold current. Let's look at these three resistant enemies.
First, the world. When the Bible speaks of the "world" in this context, it is referring to the sinful, rebellious, world system. This is the world that loves the darkness and hates the light (John 3:20), governed by the "god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4)( -- the "prince power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2). The Bible says the Christian has escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. "Lust" is unlawful desire, and is the life's blood of the world --whether it be the lust for sexual sin, for power, for money, for material things. Lust is a monster that will never be gratified, so don't feed it. It will grow bigger and bigger, until it weighs heavy upon your back, and will be the death of you -- see James 1:15.
There is nothing wrong with sex, power, money, or material things, but when these become predominant in God's sight, the Bible calls this "inordinate affection" (Colossians 3:5). We are told, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." "Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." (1 John 2:15, James 4:4).
The second enemy is the devil. As we have seen, he is known as the "god of this world." He was your spiritual father before you joined the family of God (John 8:44, Ephesians 2:2. Jesus called the devil a thief, who came to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10).
The way to overcome him and his demons is to make sure you are outfitted with the spiritual armor of God listed in Ephesians 6:10-20. Become intimately familiar with it. Sleep in it. Never take it off. Bind the two-edged sword to your hand so that you never lose its grip. The reason for this brings us to the third enemy.
The third enemy is what the Bible calls the "flesh." This is your sinful nature. The domain for the battle, is your mind.
If you have a mind to, you will be attracted to the world and all its sin. The mind is the data-processing control panel for the eyes and the ears. It is the center of your appetites. All sin begins in the "heart" (Proverbs 4:23, Matthew 15:19). We think before we sin. This happens because we don't think before we sin. The Bible warns that lust brings forth sin, and sin when it's conceived brings forth death. Every day we have life, we have a choice. To sin or not to sin -- that is the question. The answer to the question of sin, is the fear of God. If you don't fear God, you will sin to your sinful heart's delight.
Did you know that God kills people? He killed a man because he didn't like what he did sexually (Genesis 38:10). He killed a husband and wife because they told just one lie (Acts 5:1-11). Knowledge of God's goodness -- His righteous judgments against evil, should put the fear of God in us, and help us not to indulge in sin.
If we know that the eye of the Lord is in every place beholding the evil and the good, and that He will bring every work to judgment, we will live accordingly. Such weighty thoughts are valuable, for "by the fear of the LORD one departs from evil" (Proverbs 16:6). Jesus said,
"And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!" (Luke 12:4-5).
6. Fellowship -- Flutter by Butterfly
Pray about where you should fellowship. Make sure the place you are going to call your church home calls sin what it is -- sin. Do they believe the promises of God? Are they loving? Does the pastor treat his wife with respect? Is he a man of the Word? Does he have a humble heart, and a gentle spirit? Listen closely to his teaching. It should glorify God, magnify Jesus, and edify the believer. One evidence that you have been truly saved is that you will have a love for other Christians (1 John 3:14). You will want to fellowship with them. The old saying that "birds of a feather flock together" is true of Christians. You gather together for the breaking of bread (communion), for teaching from the Word, and for fellowship. You share the same inspirations, illuminations, inclinations, temptations, aspirations, motivations, and perspirations -- you are working together for the same thing, for the furtherance of the Kingdom of God on earth. This is why you attend church -- not because you have to, but because you want to.
Don't become a "spiritual butterfly." Send your roots down. If you are moving from church to church, how will your pastor know what type of food you are digesting? The Bible says that your shepherd will have to give an account to Him that has entrusted you to him (Hebrews 13:17), so make yourself known to your pastor. Pray for him regularly. Pray also for his wife, his family, and the elders. Being a pastor is no easy task. Most people don't realize how many hours it takes to gather a fresh sermon each week. They don't appreciate the time spent in prayer and in the study of the Word. If the pastor makes the same joke twice, or shares something he has shared before, remember, he's human. So give him a great deal of grace, and double honor. Never murmur about him. If you don't like something he has said, pray about it, then leave the issue with God. If that doesn't satisfy you, leave the church, rather than divide it through murmuring and complaining.
A woman once spread some hot gossip about a local pastor. What he had supposedly done became common knowledge around town. Then she found that what she had heard wasn't true. She gallantly went to the pastor, and asked for his forgiveness. The pastor forgave her, but then told her to take a pillow full of tiny feathers to a corner of the town, and in high winds, shake the feather out. Then he told her to try and pick up every feather. He explained that the damage had already been done. She had destroyed his good reputation, and trying to repair the damage was like trying to pick up feathers in high winds.
The Bible says that there is life and death in the power of the tongue. We can kill or make something alive with our words. The Scriptures also reveal that God hates those who cause division among the brethren (Proverbs 6:16). Pray with the psalmist, "Set a guard O Lord, over my mouth; keep the door of my lips."
Remember the old saying, "He that gossips to you, will gossip about you."
7. Thanksgiving -- Do the Right Thing
For the Christian, every day should be Thanksgiving Day. We should even be thankful in the midst of problems. The Apostle Paul said, "I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation" (2 Corinthians 7:4). He knew that God was working all things together for his good, even though he was going through trials (Romans 8:28).
Problems will come your way. God will see to it personally that you grow as a Christian. He will allow the storms, to send your roots deep into the soil of His Word. We pray more in the midst of problems, but it's been well said that you will see more from your knees, than you will on your tip toes.
A man once watched a butterfly struggling to get out of its cocoon. In an effort to help it, he took a razor blade, and carefully slit the edge of the cocoon. The butterfly escaped from its problem . . . and immediately died.
It is God's way to have the butterfly struggle. It is the struggle that causes its tiny heart to beat fast, and send the life's blood into its wings.
Trials have their purpose. They make us struggle -- they bring us to our knees. They are the cocoon in which we often find ourselves. It is there that the life's blood of faith in God helps us spread our wings.
Faith and thanksgiving are close friends. If you have faith in God, you will be thankful because you know His loving hand is upon you, even though you are in a lion's den. That will give you a deep sense of joy, and joy is the barometer of the depth of faith you have in God. Let me give you an example. Imagine if I said I would give you one million dollars if you sent me an email. Of course, you don't believe that I would do that. But imagine if you did. Imagine if you had knowledge of more than 1,000 people who had sent me an email, and every one received their million dollars -- no strings attached. More than that. You had actually called me, and I had assured you personally that I would keep my word. If you believed me, wouldn't you have joy? If you didn't believe me -- no joy. The amount of joy you have would be a barometer as to how much you believed my promise.
We have so much to be thankful for. God has given us "exceeding great and precious promises" that are "more to be desired than gold." Do yourself a big favor -- believe those promises, thank God continually for them, and "let your joy be full."
An old farmer once had an ungodly relative visit him. After the farmer had bowed his head and thanked God for the food they were about to eat, the relative rudely said, "What did you do that for? There's no God. We live in an age of enlightenment." The old farmer smiled and said, "There is one on the farm who doesn't thank God before he eats." The relative sat up and said, "Who is this enlightened one?" To which the farmer quietly replied, "My pig."
8. Water Baptism -- Sprinkle or Immerse?
The Bible Says , "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. . ." (Acts 2:38). There is therefore no question as to whether or not you should be baptized. The questions are how, when, and by whom?
It would also seem clear from scripture that those who were baptized, were fully immersed in water. Here's one reason why:
"And John was also baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there. . ."
(John 3:23).
If John was merely sprinkling believers, he would have only needed a cup full of water.
The Philippian jailer and his family were baptized at midnight, as soon as they believed. So what are you waiting for?
Who should baptize you? It is clear from Scripture that other believers had the privilege, but check with your pastor, he may want the honor himself.
9. Tithing -- The Last Frontier.
It was once said that the wallet is the "last frontier." It is the final area to be conquered -- the last thing that comes to God in surrender. Jesus spoke much about money. He said that we cannot serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:24). The word "mammon" was the common Aramaic word for riches, which is akin to a Hebrew word signifying "that which is to be trusted." In other words, we cannot trust God and money. Either money is our source of life, our great love, our joy, our sense of security, the supplier of our needs -- or God is.
When you open your purse or wallet, give generously and regularly to your local church. A guide as to how much you should give can be found in the "tithe" of the Old Testament -- 10% of your income. Whether you give this amount or not, make sure you do give something to the work of God (see Malachi 3:8-10). Give because you want to, not because you have to. God loves a cheerful giver (2Corinthians 9:7), so learn to hold your money with a loose hand.
10. Troubleshooting -- Cults, Atheists, Skeptics
If you know the Lord, nothing will shake your faith. It is true that the man with an experience is not at the mercy of a man with an argument. Take for example a little boy who is looking at a heater. His father warns him that it's hot. The child says, "O.K. I believe it's hot." At that point, he has an intellectual belief that the heater is hot. When his Dad leaves the room, he says, "I wonder if it really is hot?" He then reaches out his little hand and grabs the heater bar with his fingers. The second his flesh burns he stops believing the heater is hot. He now knows it's hot! He has moved out of the realm of "faith" into the realm of "experience."
In comes a heater expert and says, "Son, I have a B.A. in the study of heat. The heater is definitely not hot. I can prove it to you." The child would probably say, "Mr Expert, I don't care how many B.A.'s you have. I know that heater is hot -- I touched it! I'm not in the realm of belief, I'm in the realm of experience. Goodbye."
If you have touched the heater bar of God's love and forgiveness, if the Holy Spirit has "born witness" that you are a child of God (Romans 8:16), if you have received the Gospel with "power, the Holy Ghost and much assurance" (1 Thessalonians 1:5), you will never be shaken by a skeptic.
When cults tell you that you must acknowledge God's name to be saved, that you must worship on a certain day that you must be baptized by an elder of their church, don't panic. Merely go back to the Instruction Manual. The Bible has all the answers, and searching them out, will make you grow.
If you feel intimidated by atheists -- if you think they are "intellectuals," read the book, God Doesn't Believe in Atheists. It will show you that they are the opposite. It will also instruct you on how you can prove God's existence, and also prove that the "atheist" doesn't exist.
Finally, the way to prevent sporting injury and pain, is to keep yourself fit. Exercise. The Apostle Paul kept fit through exercise. He said, "Herein do I exercise myself, to always have a conscience void of offense toward God, and toward men" (Acts 24:16). Do the same. Listen to the voice of conscience. It's your friend, not your enemy. Remember the words of Solomon:
"Fear God and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
Keep the Day of Judgment before your eyes. On that Day, you will be glad for the cultivations of a tender conscience.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope the principles expounded have been helpful, and that any knowledge you have gained from it, will some day save you some pain.
Let's now look at some of those possible concerns. First, and of primary concern -- do you have "assurance" of your salvation? The Bible says to "make your calling and election sure" (2 Peter 1:10, italics added), so, let's go through a short "checklist" to make sure that you are truly saved:
Are you aware that God became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ (John 1:14, KJV), and that he
Did you come to the Savior because you had sinned?
Did you "repent" and put your faith in Jesus?
Are you convinced that He suffered and died on the Cross and that He rose again on the third day?
God acquits us from the Courtroom of Eternal Justice on the grounds that Jesus Christ paid our fine. We are "justified" (made right with God) by His suffering death. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was God's seal of approval of the fact that His precious blood was sufficient to pay the fine.
Think of it this way... You have violated the law and face a $50,000 fine. You tell the judge that you are truly sorry for your crime, but he answers, "So you should be -- you have broken the law! Now, can you pay this fine?" He can only acquit you if the fine is paid. If someone else pays your fine, then he can let you go, but he must have "grounds" on which to release you.
The reason we need a substitute (a savior) to pay our moral "fine," is because we have broken God's Law. To see how much we have transgressed this Law (the Ten Commandments), we will go through some of them -- Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever stolen something? Have you ever lusted after another person? If you answered "Yes" to these questions, you admit that you are a lying, thieving, adulterer at heart, and you have to face God on Judgment Day! If you have used His name in vain, then you are guilty of "blasphemy" -- you've substituted God's holy Name for a curse word. Perhaps you've hated someone, then the Bible says that you are a murderer. You have violated God's holy Law, and you're in BIG trouble. On Judgment Day, you will be found guilty and end up in Hell. That's why you need the Savior. Merely being sorry for your sins, or confessing them to God won't help you. You must turn from sin (repent), and your faith must be in Jesus Christ alone. He is the only "grounds" for God to grant mercy towards you. If you're not sure of your salvation, make Psalm 51 your own prayer.
Let's now look at some more important principles that can save you a great deal of pain...
1. Feeding on the Word -- DAILY Nutrition
A healthy baby has a healthy appetite. If you have truly been "born" of the Spirit of God, you will have a healthy appetite. The Bible says, "As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby," (1 Peter 2:2). Feed yourself every day without fail. Job said, "I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food," (Job 23:12). The more you eat, the quicker you will grow, and the less bruising you will have. Speed up the process and save yourself some pain -- vow to read God's Word every day, without fail. Say to yourself, "No Bible, no breakfast. No read, no feed." Be like Job, and put your Bible before your belly. If you do that, God promises that you will be like a fruitful, strong and healthy tree (see Psalm 1). Each day, find somewhere quiet, and thoroughly soak your soul in the Word of God.
There may be times when you read through its pages with great enthusiasm, and there may be other times when it seems dry and even boring. But food profits your body whether you enjoy it or not. As a child, you no doubt ate desserts with great enthusiasm. Perhaps vegetables weren't so exciting. If you were a normal child, you probably had to be encouraged to eat them at first. Then, as you matured in life you were taught to discipline yourself to eat vegetables. This is because they would physically benefit you, even though they may not have at the time, brought pleasure to your taste buds.
2. Faith -- Elevators Can Let You Down
When a young man once looked at me and said, "I find it hard to believe some of the things in the Bible," I smiled and asked, "What's your name?" When he said, "Paul," I casually answered, "I don't believe you." He looked at me questioningly. I repeated, "What's your name?" Again he said, "Paul," and again I answered, "I don't believe you." Then I asked, "Where do you live?" When he told me, I said, "I don't believe that either." You should have seen his reaction. He was angry. I said, "You look a little upset. Do you know why? You're upset because I didn't believe what you told me. If you tell me that your name is Paul, and I say, 'I don't believe you,' it means that I think you are a liar. You are trying to deceive me by telling me your name is Paul, when it's not." Then I told him that if he, a mere man, felt insulted by my lack of faith in his word, how much more does he insult Almighty God by refusing to believe His Word. In doing so, he was saying that God isn't worth trusting -- that He is a liar and a deceiver. The Bible says, "He who does not believe God has made Him a liar," (1 John 5:10). It also says, "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief. . ." (Hebrews 3:12). Martin Luther said, "What greater insult . . . can there be to God, than not to believe His promises."
I have heard people say, "But I just find it hard to have faith in God," not realizing the implications of their words. These are the same people who often believe the weather forecast, believe the newspapers, and trust their lives to a pilot they have never seen whenever they fly in a plane. We exercise faith every day. We trust our car's brakes. We trust our history books, our medical books, and we trust elevators. Yet elevators can let us down. History books can be wrong. Planes can crash. How much more then should we trust the sure and true promises of Almighty God. He will never let us down . . . if we trust Him.
I have often heard cynics say, "The Bible is full of mistakes." It is. The first mistake was when man rejected God, and the Scriptures show men and women making the same tragic mistake again and again. It's also full of what seem to be contradictions. For example, the Scriptures tell us "with God, nothing shall be impossible" (Luke 1:37). We are told that there is nothing Almighty God can't do. Yet we are also told that it is "impossible for God to lie" (Hebrews 6:18). So there is something God cannot do! There's an obvious "mistake" in the Bible. The answer to this dilemma is to be found in the lowly worm.
Do you know that it would be impossible for me to eat worms, although I have seen it done. I once saw a man on TV butter his toast, then pour on a can of live, fat, wriggling, blood-filled worms. He carefully took a knife and fork, cut into his moving meal, and ate it. It made me feel sick. It was disgusting. The thought of chewing cold, live worms is so repulsive, so distasteful, I can candidly say it would be impossible for me to eat them, even though I have seen it done. It is so abhorrent, I draw on the strength of the word "impossible" to substantiate my claim.
Lying, deception, bearing false witness, etc., is so repulsive to God, so disgusting to Him, so against His holy character, that the Scriptures draw on the strength of the word "impossible" to substantiate the claim. He cannot, could not, and would not lie.
That means that in a world where we are continually let down, we can totally rely on, trust in, and count on His promises. They are sure, certain, indisputable, true, trustworthy, reliable, faithful, unfailing, dependable, steadfast, and an anchor for the soul. In other words, you can truly believe them, and because of that, you can throw yourself blindfolded and without reserve, into His mighty hands. He will never, ever, let you down. Do you believe that?
3. Evangelism -- Our Most Sobering Task
It was late in December, 1996. A large family gathered in Los Angeles for the joyous occasion of wrapping Christmas presents. It was a big family because it was the product of two marriages. There were so many gathered that night, five of the children slept in the garage. It was a converted structure, kept warm during the cold night by an electric heater which sat by the door.
During the early hours of the morning, the heater suddenly burst into flames, blocking the doorway. In seconds the room became a blazing inferno. The frantic 911 call revealed the unspeakable terror of the moment. One of the children could be heard screaming, "I'm on fire!" The distraught father vainly rushed into the flames to try and save his beloved children. He received burns to 50% of his body. Tragically, all five of the children burned to death. They died because steel bars on the windows of the garage thwarted their escape. There was only one door, and that was stopped by the flames.
You are back in time. It's minutes before the heater burst into flames. You peer through the darkness at the peaceful sight of five sleeping youngsters. You know that at any moment the room is going to erupt into an inferno and burn the flesh of horrified children. Can you in good conscience walk away? No! You must awaken them, and warn them to run from that death trap!
The world sleeps peacefully in the darkness of ignorance. There is only one Door by which they may escape death. The steel bars of sin prevent their salvation, and at the same time call for the flames of Eternal Justice. What a fearful thing Judgment Day will be! The fires of the wrath of Almighty God will burn for eternity. The Church has been entrusted with the task of awakening them before it's too late. We cannot turn our backs and walk away in complacency. Think of how the father ran into the flames. His love knew no bounds, and our devotion to the sober task that God has given us will be in direct proportion to our love for the lost. There are only a few who run headlong into the flames to warn them to flee (Luke 10:2). Please be one of them. We really have no choice. The Apostle Paul said, "Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!" (1 Corinthians 9:16).
It was the "Prince of Preachers," Charles Spurgeon, who said the words, "Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself. Be sure of that." A Christian cannot be apathetic about the salvation of the world. The love of God in him will motivate him to seek and save that which is lost.
You probably have a limited amount of time after your conversion to impact your unsaved friends and family with the Gospel. After the initial shock of your conversion, they will put you in a neat little ribbon-tied box, and keep you at arm's length. So it's important that you take advantage of the short time you have while you still have their ears.
Here's some advice that will save you a great deal of grief. As a new Christian, a friend of mine did almost irreparable damage by acting like a wild bull in a crystal showroom. He bullied his mom, his dad, and many of his friends into making a "decision for Christ". He was sincere, zealous, loving, kind, and stupid. He didn't understand that salvation doesn't come through making a "decision," but through repentance, and repentance is God-given (see 2 Timothy 2:25). The Bible teaches that no one can come to the Son unless God "draws" him. If you are able to get a decision but they have no conviction of sin, you will almost certainly end up with a still-born on your hands.
In his"zeal without knowledge" he actually inoculated the very ones he was so desperately trying to reach. There is nothing more important to you than the salvation of your loved ones, and you don't want to blow it. If you do, you may find that you don't have a second chance. Fervently pray for them, thanking God for their salvation. Let them see your faith. Let them feel your kindness, your genuine love, and your gentleness. Buy gifts for no reason. Do chores when you are not asked to. Go the extra mile. Put yourself in their position. You know that you have found everlasting life. Death has lost its sting! Your joy is unspeakable -- but as far as they are concerned, you have been brain-washed. You have become part of a weird sect. So your loving actions will speak more loudly than ten thousand eloquent sermons.
It is because of these thoughts that you should hold back from verbal confrontation until you have knowledge that will guide your zeal. Pray for wisdom and for a sensitivity to God's timing. You may have only one shot, so make it count. Keep your cool. If you don't, you may end up with a lifetime of regret. Believe me. It is better to hear a loved one or a close friend say, "Tell me about your faith in Jesus Christ," rather than you saying, "Sit down. I want to talk to you."
It is important to realize that we should share our faith with others whenever we can. The Bible says that there are only two times we should do this -- "in season and out of season" (2 Timothy 4:2). The Apostle Paul pleaded for prayer for his own personal witness. He said, ". . . that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak," (Ephesians 6:19-20).
Remember that you have the sobering responsibility of speaking to other peoples' loved ones. Many times when you open your mouth for the Gospel, you may be the answer to the earnest prayer of another Christian. Perhaps he has cried out to God that He would use a faithful witness to speak to his beloved mom or dad, and you are that answer to prayer. You are that true and faithful witness that God wants to use.
Never lose sight of the world and all its pains. Keep the fate of the ungodly before your eyes. Too many of us settle down on a padded pew and become introverted. Our world becomes a monastery without walls. Our friends are confined solely to those within the Church, when Jesus was the "friend of sinners." So take the time to deliberately befriend them for the sake of their salvation. Remember that each and every person who dies in their sins has an appointment with the Judge of the Universe. Hell opens wide its terrible jaws. There is no more sobering task than to be entrusted with the Gospel of Salvation -- working with God for the eternal well-being of dying humanity.
4. Prayer -- "Wait For A Minute."
It has been well said that God always answers prayer. Sometimes He says, "Yes." sometimes He says, "NO." Sometimes He says, "Wait for a minute," and a day to the Lord is a thousand years to us (2 Peter 3:8). That means that a ten year wait for us, is 14 minutes and 24 seconds to God, so ask in faith, but rest in peace-filled patience.
Surveys show that more than 90% of America prays daily. No doubt they pray for health, wealth, happiness, etc. They also pray when grandma gets sick, and when grandma doesn't get better (or dies), many end up disillusioned, and some end up bitter. This is because they don't understand what the Bible says about prayer. It teaches that sin will stop God even hearing your prayer (Psalm 66:18). It teaches, among other things, that if we pray with doubt, we will not get an answer (James 1:6-7).
Here's how to be heard....
1.) Pray with faith (Hebrews 11:6).
2.) Pray with clean hands and a pure heart (Psalm 24:3-4).
3.) Pray genuine heart-felt prayers, rather than vain repetitions (Matthew 6:7).
4.) Make sure that you are praying to the God revealed in the Holy Scriptures (Exodus 20:3-6).
How do you "pray with faith?" If someone says to you, "You're a man of great faith in God," they may think that they are paying you a compliment. But they aren't -- the compliment is to God. For example if I said to you, "I'm a man of great faith in my doctor," it's actually the doctor I'm complimenting. If I have great faith in him, it means that I see him as being a man of integrity, a man of great ability -- that he is trustworthy. I give "glory" to the man through my faith in him. The Bible says that Abraham "He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform." (Romans 4:20-21). Abraham was a man of great faith in God. Remember, that is not a compliment to Abraham. He merely caught a glimpse of God's incredible ability, His impeccable integrity, and His wonderful faithfulness to keep every promise He makes. His faith gave "glory" to a faithful God.
As far as God is concerned, if you belong to Jesus, you are a VIP. You can boldly come before the throne of Grace (Hebrews 4:16). You have access to the king, because you are the son or daughter of the king. When you were a child, did you have to grovel to get your needs met by your mom or dad? I hope not.
So, when you pray, don't say, "Oh God, I hope you will supply my needs." Instead say something like, "Father, thank you that you keep every promise You make. Your Word says that you will supply all my needs according to Your riches in glory, by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). Therefore, I thank you that you will do this thing for my family. I ask this in the wonderful name of Jesus. Amen"
It was the great missionary, Hudson Taylor, who said, "The prayer power has never been tried to its full capacity. If we want to see Divine power wrought in the place of weakness, failure, and disappointment, let us answer God's standing challenge, 'Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things of which thou knowest not of.'"
How do you get "clean hands and a pure heart?" Simply by confessing your sins to God, through Jesus Christ. His blood cleanses from all sin (1 John 1:7-9). When you confess them to God through Jesus, God will not only forgive your every sin, He promises to forget that sin (Hebrew 8:12). He will even justify you, on the grounds of the sacrifice of the Savior. That means He will count it as though you have never sinned in the first place. He will make you pure in His sight -- sinless. He will even "purge" your conscience, so that you will no longer have that sense of guilt that you sinned in the first place. That's what I mean "to be justified by faith." That's why you need to soak yourself in Holy Scripture -- to read the letters to the churches and see the wonderful things that God has done for us through the Cross of Calvary. If you don't bother to read the will, you won't have any idea of what has been left for you.
How do you pray "genuine heart-felt prayers?" Simply by keeping yourself in the love of God. If the love of God is in you, you will never pray hypocritical, or selfish prayers. In fact, you won't have to pray selfish prayers, if you have a heart of love. When your prayer-life is pleasing to God, the Bible says that He will reward you openly (Matthew 6:6).
How do you know that you are praying to "the God revealed in Holy Scripture?" Study the Word. Don't accept the image of God portrayed by the world, even though it appeals to the natural mind. The world sees God as a loving, kind fatherly-figure, with no sense of justice or truth which appeals to guilty sinners. Look to the thunderings and lightnings of Mount Sinai. Gaze at Jesus on the cross of Calvary -- hanging in unspeakable agony because of the Justice of a holy God. Such thoughts tend to banish idolatry.
5. Warfare -- Praise The Lord and Pass the Ammunition
When you became a Christian, you stepped right into the heat of an age-old battle. You have a three-fold enemy--the world, the flesh, and the devil. Before you became a Christian, you floated down stream with the other dead fish. But now, God has put His life within you, and you will find yourself swimming against a three-fold current. Let's look at these three resistant enemies.
First, the world. When the Bible speaks of the "world" in this context, it is referring to the sinful, rebellious, world system. This is the world that loves the darkness and hates the light (John 3:20), governed by the "god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4)( -- the "prince power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2). The Bible says the Christian has escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. "Lust" is unlawful desire, and is the life's blood of the world --whether it be the lust for sexual sin, for power, for money, for material things. Lust is a monster that will never be gratified, so don't feed it. It will grow bigger and bigger, until it weighs heavy upon your back, and will be the death of you -- see James 1:15.
There is nothing wrong with sex, power, money, or material things, but when these become predominant in God's sight, the Bible calls this "inordinate affection" (Colossians 3:5). We are told, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." "Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." (1 John 2:15, James 4:4).
The second enemy is the devil. As we have seen, he is known as the "god of this world." He was your spiritual father before you joined the family of God (John 8:44, Ephesians 2:2. Jesus called the devil a thief, who came to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10).
The way to overcome him and his demons is to make sure you are outfitted with the spiritual armor of God listed in Ephesians 6:10-20. Become intimately familiar with it. Sleep in it. Never take it off. Bind the two-edged sword to your hand so that you never lose its grip. The reason for this brings us to the third enemy.
The third enemy is what the Bible calls the "flesh." This is your sinful nature. The domain for the battle, is your mind.
If you have a mind to, you will be attracted to the world and all its sin. The mind is the data-processing control panel for the eyes and the ears. It is the center of your appetites. All sin begins in the "heart" (Proverbs 4:23, Matthew 15:19). We think before we sin. This happens because we don't think before we sin. The Bible warns that lust brings forth sin, and sin when it's conceived brings forth death. Every day we have life, we have a choice. To sin or not to sin -- that is the question. The answer to the question of sin, is the fear of God. If you don't fear God, you will sin to your sinful heart's delight.
Did you know that God kills people? He killed a man because he didn't like what he did sexually (Genesis 38:10). He killed a husband and wife because they told just one lie (Acts 5:1-11). Knowledge of God's goodness -- His righteous judgments against evil, should put the fear of God in us, and help us not to indulge in sin.
If we know that the eye of the Lord is in every place beholding the evil and the good, and that He will bring every work to judgment, we will live accordingly. Such weighty thoughts are valuable, for "by the fear of the LORD one departs from evil" (Proverbs 16:6). Jesus said,
"And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!" (Luke 12:4-5).
6. Fellowship -- Flutter by Butterfly
Pray about where you should fellowship. Make sure the place you are going to call your church home calls sin what it is -- sin. Do they believe the promises of God? Are they loving? Does the pastor treat his wife with respect? Is he a man of the Word? Does he have a humble heart, and a gentle spirit? Listen closely to his teaching. It should glorify God, magnify Jesus, and edify the believer. One evidence that you have been truly saved is that you will have a love for other Christians (1 John 3:14). You will want to fellowship with them. The old saying that "birds of a feather flock together" is true of Christians. You gather together for the breaking of bread (communion), for teaching from the Word, and for fellowship. You share the same inspirations, illuminations, inclinations, temptations, aspirations, motivations, and perspirations -- you are working together for the same thing, for the furtherance of the Kingdom of God on earth. This is why you attend church -- not because you have to, but because you want to.
Don't become a "spiritual butterfly." Send your roots down. If you are moving from church to church, how will your pastor know what type of food you are digesting? The Bible says that your shepherd will have to give an account to Him that has entrusted you to him (Hebrews 13:17), so make yourself known to your pastor. Pray for him regularly. Pray also for his wife, his family, and the elders. Being a pastor is no easy task. Most people don't realize how many hours it takes to gather a fresh sermon each week. They don't appreciate the time spent in prayer and in the study of the Word. If the pastor makes the same joke twice, or shares something he has shared before, remember, he's human. So give him a great deal of grace, and double honor. Never murmur about him. If you don't like something he has said, pray about it, then leave the issue with God. If that doesn't satisfy you, leave the church, rather than divide it through murmuring and complaining.
A woman once spread some hot gossip about a local pastor. What he had supposedly done became common knowledge around town. Then she found that what she had heard wasn't true. She gallantly went to the pastor, and asked for his forgiveness. The pastor forgave her, but then told her to take a pillow full of tiny feathers to a corner of the town, and in high winds, shake the feather out. Then he told her to try and pick up every feather. He explained that the damage had already been done. She had destroyed his good reputation, and trying to repair the damage was like trying to pick up feathers in high winds.
The Bible says that there is life and death in the power of the tongue. We can kill or make something alive with our words. The Scriptures also reveal that God hates those who cause division among the brethren (Proverbs 6:16). Pray with the psalmist, "Set a guard O Lord, over my mouth; keep the door of my lips."
Remember the old saying, "He that gossips to you, will gossip about you."
7. Thanksgiving -- Do the Right Thing
For the Christian, every day should be Thanksgiving Day. We should even be thankful in the midst of problems. The Apostle Paul said, "I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation" (2 Corinthians 7:4). He knew that God was working all things together for his good, even though he was going through trials (Romans 8:28).
Problems will come your way. God will see to it personally that you grow as a Christian. He will allow the storms, to send your roots deep into the soil of His Word. We pray more in the midst of problems, but it's been well said that you will see more from your knees, than you will on your tip toes.
A man once watched a butterfly struggling to get out of its cocoon. In an effort to help it, he took a razor blade, and carefully slit the edge of the cocoon. The butterfly escaped from its problem . . . and immediately died.
It is God's way to have the butterfly struggle. It is the struggle that causes its tiny heart to beat fast, and send the life's blood into its wings.
Trials have their purpose. They make us struggle -- they bring us to our knees. They are the cocoon in which we often find ourselves. It is there that the life's blood of faith in God helps us spread our wings.
Faith and thanksgiving are close friends. If you have faith in God, you will be thankful because you know His loving hand is upon you, even though you are in a lion's den. That will give you a deep sense of joy, and joy is the barometer of the depth of faith you have in God. Let me give you an example. Imagine if I said I would give you one million dollars if you sent me an email. Of course, you don't believe that I would do that. But imagine if you did. Imagine if you had knowledge of more than 1,000 people who had sent me an email, and every one received their million dollars -- no strings attached. More than that. You had actually called me, and I had assured you personally that I would keep my word. If you believed me, wouldn't you have joy? If you didn't believe me -- no joy. The amount of joy you have would be a barometer as to how much you believed my promise.
We have so much to be thankful for. God has given us "exceeding great and precious promises" that are "more to be desired than gold." Do yourself a big favor -- believe those promises, thank God continually for them, and "let your joy be full."
An old farmer once had an ungodly relative visit him. After the farmer had bowed his head and thanked God for the food they were about to eat, the relative rudely said, "What did you do that for? There's no God. We live in an age of enlightenment." The old farmer smiled and said, "There is one on the farm who doesn't thank God before he eats." The relative sat up and said, "Who is this enlightened one?" To which the farmer quietly replied, "My pig."
8. Water Baptism -- Sprinkle or Immerse?
The Bible Says , "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. . ." (Acts 2:38). There is therefore no question as to whether or not you should be baptized. The questions are how, when, and by whom?
It would also seem clear from scripture that those who were baptized, were fully immersed in water. Here's one reason why:
"And John was also baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there. . ."
(John 3:23).
If John was merely sprinkling believers, he would have only needed a cup full of water.
The Philippian jailer and his family were baptized at midnight, as soon as they believed. So what are you waiting for?
Who should baptize you? It is clear from Scripture that other believers had the privilege, but check with your pastor, he may want the honor himself.
9. Tithing -- The Last Frontier.
It was once said that the wallet is the "last frontier." It is the final area to be conquered -- the last thing that comes to God in surrender. Jesus spoke much about money. He said that we cannot serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:24). The word "mammon" was the common Aramaic word for riches, which is akin to a Hebrew word signifying "that which is to be trusted." In other words, we cannot trust God and money. Either money is our source of life, our great love, our joy, our sense of security, the supplier of our needs -- or God is.
When you open your purse or wallet, give generously and regularly to your local church. A guide as to how much you should give can be found in the "tithe" of the Old Testament -- 10% of your income. Whether you give this amount or not, make sure you do give something to the work of God (see Malachi 3:8-10). Give because you want to, not because you have to. God loves a cheerful giver (2Corinthians 9:7), so learn to hold your money with a loose hand.
10. Troubleshooting -- Cults, Atheists, Skeptics
If you know the Lord, nothing will shake your faith. It is true that the man with an experience is not at the mercy of a man with an argument. Take for example a little boy who is looking at a heater. His father warns him that it's hot. The child says, "O.K. I believe it's hot." At that point, he has an intellectual belief that the heater is hot. When his Dad leaves the room, he says, "I wonder if it really is hot?" He then reaches out his little hand and grabs the heater bar with his fingers. The second his flesh burns he stops believing the heater is hot. He now knows it's hot! He has moved out of the realm of "faith" into the realm of "experience."
In comes a heater expert and says, "Son, I have a B.A. in the study of heat. The heater is definitely not hot. I can prove it to you." The child would probably say, "Mr Expert, I don't care how many B.A.'s you have. I know that heater is hot -- I touched it! I'm not in the realm of belief, I'm in the realm of experience. Goodbye."
If you have touched the heater bar of God's love and forgiveness, if the Holy Spirit has "born witness" that you are a child of God (Romans 8:16), if you have received the Gospel with "power, the Holy Ghost and much assurance" (1 Thessalonians 1:5), you will never be shaken by a skeptic.
When cults tell you that you must acknowledge God's name to be saved, that you must worship on a certain day that you must be baptized by an elder of their church, don't panic. Merely go back to the Instruction Manual. The Bible has all the answers, and searching them out, will make you grow.
If you feel intimidated by atheists -- if you think they are "intellectuals," read the book, God Doesn't Believe in Atheists. It will show you that they are the opposite. It will also instruct you on how you can prove God's existence, and also prove that the "atheist" doesn't exist.
Finally, the way to prevent sporting injury and pain, is to keep yourself fit. Exercise. The Apostle Paul kept fit through exercise. He said, "Herein do I exercise myself, to always have a conscience void of offense toward God, and toward men" (Acts 24:16). Do the same. Listen to the voice of conscience. It's your friend, not your enemy. Remember the words of Solomon:
"Fear God and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
Keep the Day of Judgment before your eyes. On that Day, you will be glad for the cultivations of a tender conscience.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope the principles expounded have been helpful, and that any knowledge you have gained from it, will some day save you some pain.
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