It seems the whole world is panicking over the coronavirus. The whole world is overreacting and living in fear! Let us be different from the world and refuse to live in panic and fear. But let us turn our eyes upward to God. He is our refuge and strength and a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1). Here is a good quote below that is relevant to us today by Dr. Martyn Lloyd- Jones.
0 Comments
Faithfulness
1. We need to be faithful as “stewards” of God. We need to be faithful of how we use our time and live each day for the glory of God. “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2). “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). 2. We need to be faithful with our spiritual gifts and talents to use them for the glory of God; the edification of the saints; and in reaching the lost. His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ (Matt. 25:21). “He who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness” (Rom. 12:8). Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men” (Eph. 4:8). 3. We need to be faithful with our money to use it for the advancement of the Kingdom of God. “Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?” (Luke 16:11). “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come” (1 Cor. 16:2). “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work” (2 Cor. 9:6-8). 4. We need to be faithful in church attendance; prayer meetings; Lord’s supper; and fellowship. “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Heb. 10:25). 5. We need to be faithful in our love to one another. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). Looking to God In Times of DepressionHope for the Depressed
What to Do When Depressed? Psalm 42 Many times, we get down and depressed. What are we to do when we get depressed? Many people turn to drugs and alcohol which will only give temporary relief and is a “false” comforter. Instead of turning to a “false” comforter, let us turn our eyes upward to our “true” comforter who is God. He is our only hope. He is the only One who can help us and lift us up from despondency.
10 Things to Remember when Depressed 1. Remember God “O my God, my soul is cast down within me; therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, and from the heights of Hermon, from the Hill Mizar” (Psalm 42:6). “When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer went up to You, into Your holy temple” (Jonah 2:7). “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God” (Psalm 42:11). 2. Cast All Your Cares Upon Him “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22). 3. Wait on the Lord “Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14). “Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord” (Psalm 31:24). 4. Don’t be Anxious but Pray “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7). “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray…” (James 5:13). 5. Keep your mind on God “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3). “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10). 6. The Lord will never leave you nor forsake you Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Heb. 13:5-6). Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:35-39). 7. Look to Jesus our compassionate and Great High Priest “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:14-16). “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25). “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-30). 8. Rejoice in Trials & Afflictions. God has a purpose behind them. “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2-4). “Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer” (Rom. 12:12). “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Rom. 5:3-5). “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes” (Psalm 119:71). 9. Abide in His Word “Remember the word to Your servant, upon which You have caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life” (Psalm 119:49-50). “You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word” (Psalm 119:114). “I rise before the dawning of the morning, and cry for help; I hope in Your word” (Psalm 119:147). “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning— Yes, more than those who watch for the morning” (Psalm 130:5-6). “Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word” (Psalm 119:67). 10. God will give you His perfect peace; comfort, and grace to go through all your trials. Remember afflictions are only temporary. Look forward for the new heavens and the new earth. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Cor. 1:3-4). “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Cor. 10:13). “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:16-18). “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:4). O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There’s light for a look at the Savior, And life more abundant and free! Refrain: Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace. Through death into life everlasting He passed, and we follow Him there; O’er us sin no more hath dominion-- For more than conqu’rors we are! His Word shall not fail you—He promised; Believe Him, and all will be well: Then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell! Where are You Going?My question to you is, “Where are you going?” There are only two places that every one of us will go to after we die: either Hell or Heaven. There is no such a thing as purgatory. There is no second chance! Once we die, our eternal destiny is settled. According to statistics, 6,316 people die every day. You might be next. Are you ready? Are you on the broad way that leads to destruction or the narrow way that leads to life? Are you sure that if you die today, you will go to heaven? Please listen carefully as I bring before you the Gospel. We are all sinners “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12). “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:10). “But the Scripture has confined all under sin…” (Gal. 3:22). “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” (Matt. 15:19). “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). We all deserve hell “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:19-21). “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:9-10). “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Rev. 21:8). Law-Keeping and Good Works Cannot Save Us. We are justified by faith in Jesus Christ. “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is no one who calls on Your name, who stirs himself up to take hold of You; for You have hidden Your face from us, and have consumed us because of our iniquities” (Isaiah 64:6-7). “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified” (Gal. 2:16). But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” (Gal. 3:11). Salvation if by grace alone; faith alone; and through Jesus alone “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). Jesus is the only way to God and to Heaven Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:11-12). “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5). Turn from your sins and put your faith in Jesus! Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:7). “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. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17). For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Rom. 10:13). The Deity of Christ“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting" (Micah 5:2). “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:1-3). “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20). “Of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen” (Rom. 9:5). “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they” (Heb. 1:1-4). But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” And: “You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain; and they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will fold them up, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not fail.” (Heb. 1:8-12). (See Psalm 102:25-27 which is talking about Yahweh). Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:27-28). “Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). “Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1). “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form” (Col. 2:9, NASB). “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist” (Col. 1:16-17). Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:58). (Compare with Exodus 3:14). Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” (John 8:24). “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Rev. 1:8, NASB). “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:5-11, NASB). “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:7). Heaven or Hell?Luke 16:19-31 Today, I will be speaking to you on a very important and serious matter. It is about your eternal destiny. It is about where every one of us will end up after death. There are only two places that everyone will end up after death and they are either Heaven or Hell. There is no middle place. There is no purgatory. Purgatory is a Roman Catholic human invention and is not found in the Bible. There is no annihilation or reincarnation either. These are all lies from the devil. Once you die you will either go to Heaven or Hell. There is no second chance to be saved. Once you die, your eternal destiny will be sealed for all eternity. It is very important that you take heed to what I say. This is a very sobering matter! Hell is a real place and Jesus preached more on Hell than on Heaven when He was here on the earth. Preaching on Hell is not very popular today. But I must preach to you the whole counsel of God. Paul said, “For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). I must warn you to “flee from the wrath to come” (Matt. 3:7). The Devil and all his demons will be cast into Hell and he wants you to go with him. Therefore, it is of utmost importance, that you take heed to the words of Jesus on how to avoid going to Hell.
First, I will be talking to you about the terrors of Hell and then I will tell you how to avoid going there. 1. HELL IS NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS Hell is no respecter of persons. If you are without Christ, you will surely end up there though you might be rich, famous and prosperous on the earth. The rich man, in Luke 16:19-31, with all his wealth did not know Christ and went straight to hell. It does not mean that all rich people will go to hell. There are rich people who are Christians who will end up in Heaven. But most rich people in the world do not feel the need for Christ and their money and possessions are their “god.” “So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom” (Luke 16:22-23). “And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Matt. 19:24). 2. HELL IS A PLACE OF EXTREME TORMENT Hell is a place of extreme torment, pain and suffering. There is no joy in hell. No laughing and no joking in hell. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame’ (Luke 16:23-24). “So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 13:4-50). 3. HELL IS A PLACE OF EVERLASTING PUNISHMENT Hell is a place of everlasting punishment. There is no rest in Hell. Charles Spurgeon, the great preacher said: "In hell there is no hope. They have not even the hope of dying--the hope of being annihilated. They are forever--forever--forever lost! On every chain in hell, there is written "forever". In the fires there, blaze out the words, "forever". Above their heads, they read, "forever". Their eyes are galled and their hearts are pained with the thought that it is "forever". Oh, if I could tell you tonight that hell would one day be burned out, and that those who were lost might be saved, there would be a jubilee in hell at the very thought of it. But it cannot be--it is "forever" they are cast into the outer darkness." “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matt. 25:46). “…when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Thess. 1:7-9). “And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name” (Rev. 14:11). 4. HELL IS A LAKE OF FIRE Hell is a lake of fire. The sinners will be the fuel for the fire just like wood is the fuel for the fireplace. The sinners will be burning up forever and forever but will never be consumed. They will never die. They will feel pain forever and forever. They will be conscious forever and ever when they suffer. The fires we recently had in California are just a small picture of the fires of hell that will never be quenched. “Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Rev. 19:30). “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev. 20:10). “Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death” (Rev. 20:14). “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:15). 5. HELL IS A PLACE OF DARKNESS Hell is a place of “outer darkness”. Most people are afraid of being in the dark. You won’t believe how dark hell would be! “But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 8:12). “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’” (Matt. 22:13). “And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’” (Matt. 25:30) 6. HELL IS A PLACE OF EVERLASTING CHAINS Hell is a place of “everlasting chains”. You will be chained and there is no way to get out! You will be chained along with the Devil, Hitler and the worst of sinners. “And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day” (Jude 1:6). 7. HELL IS A PLACE OF EVERLASTING GUILT Hell is a place of everlasting guilt. It will be too late to get saved. The people in hell will be tormented with their guilt of sin forever and ever. “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’” (Matt. 22:13). 8. WHY DID GOD CREATE A HELL? God is a holy God and He demands punishment for sin. God’s justice and holiness demands that sin be punished. “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness” (Hab. 1:13). “For our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:29). “The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, And will not at all acquit the wicked. The Lord has His way In the whirlwind and in the storm, And the clouds are the dust of His feet” (Nah. 1:3). THE ONLY WAY OF ESCAPE & THE URGENCY OF TAKING HEED TO THE GOSPEL 1. THE URGENCY OF BELIEVING THE GOSPEL It is very urgent that we take heed to the gospel NOW! There is no guarantee of tomorrow. We all have an appointment to keep and that appointment is death. The Bible says, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27). We are all going to die one day. There is no guarantee we will live to be 70 or 80 years old. Many people die as a child; as a young person; middle age; and as an older person. According to statistics, 105 people die each minute around the world. We are born to die. Many people will say “O, I don’t have time to think about the gospel. I am too busy with my life and my career and my dreams.” Remember what God said to the rich fool: But God said to him, “‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:20-21). Do not harden your heart when you hear the gospel: “While it is said: Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion” (Heb. 3:15). “…Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). 2. YOUR CONDITION BEFORE GOD We are all sinners by nature and by practice. All our good deeds before we are saved are like “filthy rags” in the sight of God. We are tainted by sin. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). “What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin” (Rom. 3:9-13). “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is no one who calls on Your name, who stirs himself up to take hold of You; for You have hidden Your face from us, and have consumed us because of our iniquities” (Isaiah 64:6-7). 3. YOU ARE A LAWBREAKER We have all broken God’s law in our hearts. “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matt. 5:21-22). “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell” (Matt. 5:27-30). 4. YOU NEED TO REPENT You need to repent and turn from your sins. “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17). “But unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:5). “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). “He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy” (Prov. 28:13). “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:7). 5. JESUS IS YOUR ONLY HOPE TO BE SAVED. BELIEVE IN HIM! PUT YOUR TRUST IN HIM! LOOK TO HIM AND BE SAVED. HE IS THE ONLY MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MAN. HE IS THE DOOR BY WHICH WE CAN BE SAVED. “Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:22). “Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 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. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God” (John 3:14-21). “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:11-12). “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20). 6. WE ARE JUSTIFIED BY FAITH AND NOT BY WORKS. SALVATION IS BY GRACE AND NOT OF WORKS. WE CANNOT EARN OUR WAY INTO HEAVEN. WATER BAPTISM, COMMUNION, GOING TO CHURCH AND DOING GOOD DEEDS CANNOT SAVE US. WE MUST BE “BORN AGAIN.” “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:8-10). “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law” (Rom. 3:28). Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:12-13). PSALM 2 |
AuthorPeter Sarkis Archives
November 2020
Categories
All
|