This posting is really from something I found on another blog regarding our nation and its Christian roots. This will especially apply to the ACLU and other atheists who seem to hate our country and deny the existance of God - at their own peril. The ACLU stands for the American Civil Liberties Union. Personally I think it should really stand for the American Communist Lawyers Union. Anyway, who’s civil liberties do they protect? It seems like only those people who are not Christians or who don’t believe in God. Why are they so adimate about protecting the beliefs of atheists? Seems to me a little discriminating which goes against the whole notion that they are an organization that defends our basic rights. It is funny how, it's ok for a person who does not believe in God to make comments like, “Organized religion is generally a stain on humanity,” or "Believing in God is a crutch for the weak minded." Now don't get me wrong, I'm fully behind someone's right to say things because his or her right to free speech is included and protected in the constitution. What I do take issue with is, if that same person does not believe in God, why is it such a big deal to him to get God out of the public’s view? Is he/she, trying to control what people believe or not believe? If in that person's mind God does not exist, why do they attack the belief system of those who do believe in God? I mean...since they're so much smarter then us why not leave us to our “superstitions.” If God does not exist with them then why worry about how we incorporate God into “our” lives? It seems to me a little history lesson is needed here.
The constitution’s intent on government and religion was that government would have no say in what religions this country would practice. In other words, our founding father's did not want the government to dictate one specific religion to the people, forcing them to worship in that manner. Instead, our founding fathers decided that people would be free to worship as they pleased. That means that if the people wanted to see “In God We Trust” on their money then the government would have no say in that. That means that if the people wanted to display the Ten Commandments in public, then the government would have no say in weather or not they could. The constitution never stated that you are protected from being offended from a simple term such as, “In God We Trust.” The ACLU and all it’s followers seem to have the belief that the constitution has some kind of protection clause so that they and their followers won’t ever get offended. There is no protection for offense...if there was then free speech would not fit into the equation and we might as well live in communist Russia or China. So, were our founding father really Christians? The ACLU and their ilk would have you believe otherwise but below are some quotes from some famous Americans, our founding fathers and others who loved our nation and fought for its religious liberties. I apologize if some of these also appear in my previous post.
HISTORY: Immediately after creating the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress voted to purchase and import 20,000 copies of Scripture for the people of this nation. Patrick Henry, who is called the "firebrand of the American Revolution," is still remembered for his words, "Give me liberty or give me death"; but in current textbooks, the context of these words is omitted. Here is what he actually said: "An appeal to arms and the God of hosts is all that is left us. But we shall not fight our battle alone. There is a just God that presides over the destinies of nations. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone. Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it Almighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death." These sentences have been erased from our textbooks.
Was Patrick Henry a Christian? The following year, 1776, he wrote this: "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great Nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here."
Consider these words that Thomas Jefferson wrote in the front of his well-worn Bible:"I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus. I have little doubt that our whole country will soon be rallied to the unity of our creator." He was also the chairman of the American Bible Society, which he considered his highest and most important role.
On July 4, 1821, President Adams said: "The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: "It connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity."
Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States reaffirmed this truth when he wrote: "The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country."
In 1782, the United States Congress voted this resolution: "The Congress of the United States recommends and approves the Holy Bible for use in all schools.
"William Holmes McGuffey is the author of the McGuffey Reader, which was used for over 100 years in our public schools, with over 125 million copies sold, until it was stopped in 1963.President Lincoln called him the "Schoolmaster of the Nation." Listen to these words of Mr. McGuffey:"The Christian religion is the religion of our country. From it are derived our nation, on the character of God, on the great moral Governor of the universe. On its doctrines are founded the peculiarities of our free Institutions. From no source has the author drawn more conspicuously than from the sacred Scriptures. For all these extracts from the Bible, I make no apology."
Of the first 108 universities founded in America, 106 were distinctly Christian,including the first, Harvard University, chartered in 1636. In the original Harvard Student Handbook, rule number 1 was that students seeking entrance must know Latin and Greek so that they could study the Scriptures: "Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is to know God and Jesus Christ, which is eternal life, John 17:3; and therefore to lay Jesus Christ as the only foundation for our children to follow the moral principles of the Ten Commandments."
James Madison, the primary author of the Constitution of the United States, said this: "We have staked the whole future of all our political constitutions upon the capacity of each of ourselves to govern ourselves according to the moral principles of the Ten Commandments."
Most of what you read in this article and my previous post has, sadly, been erased from our textbooks. Unfortunately, revisionists have rewritten history to remove the truth about our country's Christian roots. You are encouraged to share this with others, so that the truth of our nation's history will continue to be told.
God bless
Robert
Being once dead in sin, now raised by God's mere mercy, to newness of life.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Can God Truly Bless America?
Last Sunday, before the 4th of July, our church prepared a booklet of quotes by our founding fathers called “Our Godly Heritage” that I thought I’d share with you. These quotes show that, although these men may not all have been Christians, most of them believed in God and knew the importance of keeping God in our schools and government.
Unlike the atheists of the ACLU and other socialist organizations who are constantly trying to remove any vestige of God from the public eye claiming they are offended by anything Godly. Why is it, when liberals make an offensive movie or TV show we are just told to look the other way and ignore it. But when Christians try to display something that is of good character, like the 10 Commandments, we’re told that’s offensive and are taken to court to have it removed? We are constantly having the proverbial “separation of church and state” rammed down our throats, but that statement has been completely misused and taken out of context. Would Thomas Jefferson be in favor of how his quote is being implemented in our society today? This is what he really said – his whole quote in context – you be the judge:
“The First Amendment has erected a wall of separation between church and state, but that wall is a one directional wall. It keeps the government from running the church, but it makes sure that Christian principles will always stay in government.”
That’s a far cry from what its being portrayed as today. It is a sad testament to how we continue to try to jettison God from all aspects of our lives. Today we’ve kicked the Bible and prayer out of our schools and instead of teaching morality, we teach the false religion of evolution where: (no one + nothing = everything). Then when tragedy strikes, we all cry and scream for God to bless America. C. S. Lewis, writing in his book, "The Problem of Pain," wrote, "The lost 'enjoy' forever the horrible freedom they have demanded and are therefore self-enslaved." What a testament to the condition of our society today.
Below are some other quotes from other great American’s:
1) “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this; it connected in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.”
John Quincy Adams, sixth president of the United States
2) “If we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story…and a byword through the world.”
John Winthrop, 1630
3) “We stake the whole future of American civilization and all our political institutions, not on the power of government, but upon the capacity of each one of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.”
James Madison
4) “The moral principles and precepts contained in the Scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws. All the miseries and evils which men suffer…proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible.”
Noah Webster
5) “He who shall introduce into public affairs the principles of primitive Christianity shall change the face of the world.”
Benjamin Franklin, 1774
6) “We have this day restored the Sovereign to whom alone men ought to be obedient. He reigns in Heaven and from the rising to the setting sun, may His Kingdom come.”
Samuel Adams made this statement immediately
after signing the Declaration of Independence.
7) “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Patrick Henry
8) “The great and vital element in our system is the belief of our people in the pure doctrines and Divine truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
A resolution passed by the US House of
Representitives, 1854
9) “Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise; and in this sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian…This is a Christian nation.
A U.S. Supreme Court Declaration, 1892
Imagine how nice things would be if our courts were this Godly today?
10) “It is impossible to rightly govern…without God and the Bible.”
George Washington
11) “If we in our prosperity shall be true to the Christian religion, if we and they shall live always in the fear of God and shall respect His Commandments…we may have the highest hopes of the future fortunes of our country…but if we in our prosperity neglect religious instruction and authority, violate the rules of eternal justice, trifle with the injunctions of morality, and recklessly destroy the political constitution which holds us together, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us that shall bury all our glory in profound obscurity.”
Daniel Webster
Can anyone say 9/11 or Katrina?? Yes I believe God is removing His hand from our nation today as was predicted in Scripture. See Romans 1:18-32. It’s a clear picture of the US today.
12) “It is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.”
“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our heart, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.”
Abraham Lincoln, 1863
It almost sounds like Abe Lincoln is talking about our day. The Apostle Paul predicted this very thing in the last days, almost 2000 years ago. See if this doesn’t sound like where we are today. He wrote to Timothy:
“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power…” 2Tim 3:1-5
So if we really want God to bless America, we need to repent of our sinfulness toward Him and become a Christian nation again. If we want God to bless America again, like He did during our first 170 years we should do what He says in 2Chronicles 7:14:
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven and I will forgive their sins and will heal their land.”
May God have mercy on us all.
God bless.
Rob
Unlike the atheists of the ACLU and other socialist organizations who are constantly trying to remove any vestige of God from the public eye claiming they are offended by anything Godly. Why is it, when liberals make an offensive movie or TV show we are just told to look the other way and ignore it. But when Christians try to display something that is of good character, like the 10 Commandments, we’re told that’s offensive and are taken to court to have it removed? We are constantly having the proverbial “separation of church and state” rammed down our throats, but that statement has been completely misused and taken out of context. Would Thomas Jefferson be in favor of how his quote is being implemented in our society today? This is what he really said – his whole quote in context – you be the judge:
“The First Amendment has erected a wall of separation between church and state, but that wall is a one directional wall. It keeps the government from running the church, but it makes sure that Christian principles will always stay in government.”
That’s a far cry from what its being portrayed as today. It is a sad testament to how we continue to try to jettison God from all aspects of our lives. Today we’ve kicked the Bible and prayer out of our schools and instead of teaching morality, we teach the false religion of evolution where: (no one + nothing = everything). Then when tragedy strikes, we all cry and scream for God to bless America. C. S. Lewis, writing in his book, "The Problem of Pain," wrote, "The lost 'enjoy' forever the horrible freedom they have demanded and are therefore self-enslaved." What a testament to the condition of our society today.
Below are some other quotes from other great American’s:
1) “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this; it connected in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.”
John Quincy Adams, sixth president of the United States
2) “If we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story…and a byword through the world.”
John Winthrop, 1630
3) “We stake the whole future of American civilization and all our political institutions, not on the power of government, but upon the capacity of each one of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.”
James Madison
4) “The moral principles and precepts contained in the Scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws. All the miseries and evils which men suffer…proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible.”
Noah Webster
5) “He who shall introduce into public affairs the principles of primitive Christianity shall change the face of the world.”
Benjamin Franklin, 1774
6) “We have this day restored the Sovereign to whom alone men ought to be obedient. He reigns in Heaven and from the rising to the setting sun, may His Kingdom come.”
Samuel Adams made this statement immediately
after signing the Declaration of Independence.
7) “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Patrick Henry
8) “The great and vital element in our system is the belief of our people in the pure doctrines and Divine truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
A resolution passed by the US House of
Representitives, 1854
9) “Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise; and in this sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian…This is a Christian nation.
A U.S. Supreme Court Declaration, 1892
Imagine how nice things would be if our courts were this Godly today?
10) “It is impossible to rightly govern…without God and the Bible.”
George Washington
11) “If we in our prosperity shall be true to the Christian religion, if we and they shall live always in the fear of God and shall respect His Commandments…we may have the highest hopes of the future fortunes of our country…but if we in our prosperity neglect religious instruction and authority, violate the rules of eternal justice, trifle with the injunctions of morality, and recklessly destroy the political constitution which holds us together, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us that shall bury all our glory in profound obscurity.”
Daniel Webster
Can anyone say 9/11 or Katrina?? Yes I believe God is removing His hand from our nation today as was predicted in Scripture. See Romans 1:18-32. It’s a clear picture of the US today.
12) “It is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.”
“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our heart, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.”
Abraham Lincoln, 1863
It almost sounds like Abe Lincoln is talking about our day. The Apostle Paul predicted this very thing in the last days, almost 2000 years ago. See if this doesn’t sound like where we are today. He wrote to Timothy:
“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power…” 2Tim 3:1-5
So if we really want God to bless America, we need to repent of our sinfulness toward Him and become a Christian nation again. If we want God to bless America again, like He did during our first 170 years we should do what He says in 2Chronicles 7:14:
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven and I will forgive their sins and will heal their land.”
May God have mercy on us all.
God bless.
Rob
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Are You Sure You'll Go To Heaven When You Die??
I guess the most important question one can ask is - "Will I go to Heaven when I die?" Unfortunately, today many people think that they'll get to Heaven because they've lived a "good life" and they're a "good person." Basically, they believe that the good deeds they do while here on earth will outweigh the bad that they've done and warrent them access into Heaven. However, nothing could be further from the truth.
Unfortunately, people get their notion of goodness by comparing themselves to other people - what is called a "horizontal comparison." They look at others in society and say, "well at least I'm not as bad as he is because I've never committed murder." Or "I'm not as bad as she is because I've never stolen anything." They then go on to falsely believe they are good people - and they are - humanly speaking. But by God's standards - "we have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.... Isaiah 64:6
Instead of comparing ourselves to other human beings we need to compare ourselves to our Righteous and Holy God. His standards are perfection. The only way we could get into Heaven by being a "good person" is by being perfect. Is anyone out there perfect?? I know I'm certainly not. God says: "For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am holy." Leviticus 11:44a.
The reason I start with holiness is because holiness is God's standard. Perfection is God's standard. Without holiness which is perfection, no one will get into Heaven. We all need to stop thinking we're good enough to get into Heaven and that God will just overlook our sins and let us in. I start with holiness because God tells us in Scripture, "You will not be able to serve the Lord for He is a holy God, He is a jealous God, He will not forgive your transgression or your sins." Joshua 24:19. The Bible also tells us, "Without holiness no one will see the Lord." Hebrews 12:14 and even Jesus Himself said, "Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect."
Unfortunately, because of sin we have fallen far short of God's standard. The Bible says, "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23. You may be asking, "What if I don't believe I'm really a sinner or really that bad? Well Scripture has anticipated that question as well. "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." 1John 1:8
So you may say, "Prove it; Can prove that I'm a sinner?" Well, let’s look at Exodus 20, God's law, His 10 commandments and see how your life stacks up. We'll take a look at just a few of the commandments:
#3 - "You shall not take the name of the Lord you God in vain." Have you ever in your whole life used God's name as a curse word? If you have that's like taking the holy name of God and throwing down on the ground and trampling it under your feet. Can you imagine finite little us doing that to the name of the infinite and holy God of the universe? God says, "I will not leave him unpunished who takes My name in vain."
#7 - "You shall not commit adultery." You may say, I've never done that, I've never cheated on my spouse. But remember, God doesn't just look at the deed, He looks at the intent of the heart. Jesus put it this way, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery;' but I say to you, that everyone who looks upon a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart." Matthew 5:27-28
#9 - "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." Essentially this means 'you shall not lie.' Have you ever told a lie in your entire life? - now don't lie. You may be saying, 'well everyone does that and sometimes you can't help it.' But remember, one day you will have to stand before God and give an account for your actions, words and thoughts. Either way, you still have broken this commandment.
So we've looked at only 3 commandments and you've probably broken at least one if not all three. Even if you broke one, you're still guilty before God and one sin, that's right, just one little white lie is enough to condemn you to hell for all eternity. "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all." Are you beginning to see your hopeless condition before a perfect, holy and righteous God?
You may now be saying "why are you telling me this and giving me all this information of hopelessness?" "This doesn't make me feel very good." "I thought God was a God of love?" The reason I start with these things my friend is this. Before we can truly appreciate the love, mercy and grace of God, we first must come to the realization of how hopeless we are before Him. We must realize that there is absolutely nothing we can do to earn our salvation. It is then and only then that we can truly come to the end of ourselves and be able to truly appreciate what it is God has done for us. If I were to just tell you, out of the blue that Jesus loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life, without first showing you your hopeless situation and need for a Savior, what would be the point. You would say, "well that's nice but I'm fine, I don't need a savior. That stuff is for real sinners." Why would someone who thinks they're a good person, need a savior? They wouldn’t. The reason we need a savior is because we are all completely helpless to earn our salvation. Eternal Life in Heaven is a gift from God and as with human gifts, they can’t be earned. If you have to pay for a gift, then it’s not really a gift is it? Instead, it becomes an obligation. Every person who has ever lived is in the same boat. Headed toward a hopeless eternity in the Lake of Fire, a place of outer darkness, where Jesus said there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Hopefully by now you've been able to see that God is holy and just, that we are all sinners and as such stand condemned already before God. Hopefully you've seen that no one is able to earn they're salvation through good works. Only God can forgive sin and only God can grant us salvation.
So don't dispair. There really is good news. In fact, not just good news - GREAT NEWS!!!
"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 came into being by Him, and apart froom Him nothing came into being that has come into being." John 1:1-3. "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14
The Gospel - The word Gospel literally means good news. And what is the good news? It is this: That because of our sinfulness, Jesus came down from His throne in Heaven, was born of a virgin and was made man. Because of our hopelessness, Jesus Christ, the Sovereign King of kings and Lord of lords, who had perfect harmony and fellowship with the Father throughout eternity, chose to condescend down to earth and be made like sinful man so that through Him sinners might be saved. The Bible says, "He who knew no sin was made sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21. Can you just picture this?? Here is the Son of God, getting up off His throne and laying down His kingly robes to come down here, be born of a virgin in a dirty old stable and taking the form of sinful man. And He didn’t come as a royal earthly king born in a palace to rule the world. Instead He humbled Himself even further and became a servant and grew up as a carpenter.
He then lived a perfect life that we are unable to live, thereby fulfilling God's law for us by keeping all His commandments. Why is this important, because, as mentioned earlier, we are all sinners and incapable of living a perfect and holy life to please God. We needed someone to stand in our place and live a perfect life, thereby fulfilling the law of God for us. Jesus said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." Matthew 5:17.
Think of it, Jesus never committed one evil deed, never spoke one bad word and never thought one wicked thought. The Bible says, "He was tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 4:15. Even though that fulfilled the law, the penalty for our sins still had to be paid. So Jesus, who was completely innocent, stepped in between us and God's wrath and died a humiliating and torturous death at the hands of men, a death that He did not deserve. He went to the cross as a lamb led to a slaughter and while on the cross, He took upon Himself the very wrath of God which was meant for sinners. God punished His only Son, in our place. And God loves people so much that the Bible says, ‘It pleased Him to do so.’ Jesus got what He did not deserve so that we could escape what we do deserve - eternal punishment. He shed His blood and died as the atonement for our sin. And by His death on the cross, a way of salvation for sinners was provided.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.” John 3:16-17.
He died bearing our sins. Speaking of Jesus, the Bible says, “He made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:7-8
Now that's Amazing Grace!! That's Amazing Love!! That God loved people so much that He was willing to crucify His only Son so that those who repent of their sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ will have eternal life. AMAZING!!
There is an acrostic for the GRACE we receive: Gods Riches At Christ’s Expense
But the story doesn’t end there, it gets even better. Three days after His death, Jesus rose from the grave and defeated death. He came alive from the grave to show that He had paid for our sins in full and satisfied the justice of God. “…that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures… 1Cor15:3-4. In one fell swoop He conquered sin, conquered death and conquered Satan. He returned to His throne in Heaven and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father.
What does this mean for us? What should our response be to this? Our response, in a phrase, must be to have a repentant faith. We need to repent and to trust Jesus as Lord and Savior. Acts 17:30, "God is now declaring that all men everywhere should repent." Repent and turn to God, it says in Acts 26:20. We are to turn from our sin and ask God to forgive us through Christ. We need to trust Jesus, to believe that He died for us and that He will save us. Acts 16:31, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved."
Eternal life cannot be earned because it is a free gift to us that cost God everything. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:89. God does not want us boasting about how smart we were or how good we were to get into Heaven. Salvation is all about God and His sovereign grace. “In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.” Ephesians 1:11
So I urge you now to put your trust in Christ. The Bible says to “seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near,” Isaiah 55:6. So I implore you to be reconciled to God. “Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2Cor 6:2
If you’ve read this and still think you’re good enough to get to Heaven of your own volition, then I do not write this to you. Even Jesus said, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Mark 2:17. If you feel you’re righteous enough to get into Heaven by another way – through your good works, or even some other man made religion, then I say, good luck. Remember this though, and it may sound exclusionary but the truth usually is: “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6. And again, “Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3.
But, to those of you who have had your hearts pricked and are able to acknowledge your need for Jesus to be your Savior and are ready to submit to Him as Lord of your life, the eternal rewards are beyond your imagination. “But, as it is written, what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1Cor2:9
If you’ve read this and have never repented of your sins and accepted Jesus Christ and your Lord and Savior, then I truly believe that you are not here by accident. This has been a divinely appointed time set by God for you to hear His Gospel message. Today is the day of salvation. “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13.
So where do you go from here?? I’d say follow these steps:
1) Get yourself a Bible and read it every day. I suggest starting in the Gospel of John. Two good translations I highly recommend are the New American Standard Version (NASB) and the English Standard Version (ESV)
The Apostle Paul tells us, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” 2Timothy 3:16
2) Get yourself under the faithful preaching and teaching ministry of a church where Jesus Christ is preached and honored, and be baptized. Also, be sure your church uses the Bible as its final authority.
3) Pray to God every day. For examples follow some of the prayers of saints offered in Scripture. For a good book on prayer, I would recommend a book by E.M.Bounds, The Necessity of Prayer and any other of his books on prayer.
The following was borrowed from the website: www.gospeloutreach.net
Suggestions for Christian Growth:
Spiritual growth results from trusting Jesus Christ. "The righteous man shall live by faith" (Galatians 3:11). A life of faith will enable you to trust God increasingly with every detail of your life, and to practice the following:
Go to God in prayer daily. (John 15:7)
Read God's Word daily (Acts 17:11); begin with the Gospel of John.
Obey God moment by moment. (John 14:21)
Witness for Christ by your life and words. (Matthew 4:19; John 15:8)
Trust God for every detail of your life. (1 Peter 5:7)
Holy Spirit -- allow Him to control and empower your daily life and witness. (Galatians 5:16-17; Acts 1:8)
God's Word instructs us not to forsake "the assembling of ourselves together." (Hebrews 10:25) Several logs burn brightly together; but put one aside on the cold hearth and the fire goes out. So it is with your relationship with other Christians.
If you do not belong to a church, do not wait to be invited. Take the initiative; call the pastor of a nearby church where Christ is honored and His Word is preached. Start this week, and make plans to attend regularly.
In the course of your new life in Jesus Christ, you will continually struggle with sin. Sometimes you will, in a moment of weakness, succumb to temptation and sin. Please do not lose hope or be discouraged. Know that you are not alone and that other Christians go through these struggles. The Apostle Paul faced the same thing in his walk with Christ. Of his life he said,
"For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:18-24)
But Paul does not leave it there. He goes on to say,
"Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin."
While you will always struggle with sin until the day the Lord comes to take you home to heaven, do not lose heart. If you turn to the Lord in repentance and confess your sins, He will forgive you and make you clean again. 1 John 1:9 says,
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
As a new child of God you can be assured of salvation. Salvation is not a "maybe" or an "I hope to be". It is a sure thing that is based on the promises of God's Word. The Apostle John said:
"And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:11-13)
Also as a new child of God you can share the same assurance that the Apostle Paul had:
"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6)
Unfortunately, people get their notion of goodness by comparing themselves to other people - what is called a "horizontal comparison." They look at others in society and say, "well at least I'm not as bad as he is because I've never committed murder." Or "I'm not as bad as she is because I've never stolen anything." They then go on to falsely believe they are good people - and they are - humanly speaking. But by God's standards - "we have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.... Isaiah 64:6
Instead of comparing ourselves to other human beings we need to compare ourselves to our Righteous and Holy God. His standards are perfection. The only way we could get into Heaven by being a "good person" is by being perfect. Is anyone out there perfect?? I know I'm certainly not. God says: "For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am holy." Leviticus 11:44a.
The reason I start with holiness is because holiness is God's standard. Perfection is God's standard. Without holiness which is perfection, no one will get into Heaven. We all need to stop thinking we're good enough to get into Heaven and that God will just overlook our sins and let us in. I start with holiness because God tells us in Scripture, "You will not be able to serve the Lord for He is a holy God, He is a jealous God, He will not forgive your transgression or your sins." Joshua 24:19. The Bible also tells us, "Without holiness no one will see the Lord." Hebrews 12:14 and even Jesus Himself said, "Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect."
Unfortunately, because of sin we have fallen far short of God's standard. The Bible says, "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23. You may be asking, "What if I don't believe I'm really a sinner or really that bad? Well Scripture has anticipated that question as well. "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." 1John 1:8
So you may say, "Prove it; Can prove that I'm a sinner?" Well, let’s look at Exodus 20, God's law, His 10 commandments and see how your life stacks up. We'll take a look at just a few of the commandments:
#3 - "You shall not take the name of the Lord you God in vain." Have you ever in your whole life used God's name as a curse word? If you have that's like taking the holy name of God and throwing down on the ground and trampling it under your feet. Can you imagine finite little us doing that to the name of the infinite and holy God of the universe? God says, "I will not leave him unpunished who takes My name in vain."
#7 - "You shall not commit adultery." You may say, I've never done that, I've never cheated on my spouse. But remember, God doesn't just look at the deed, He looks at the intent of the heart. Jesus put it this way, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery;' but I say to you, that everyone who looks upon a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart." Matthew 5:27-28
#9 - "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." Essentially this means 'you shall not lie.' Have you ever told a lie in your entire life? - now don't lie. You may be saying, 'well everyone does that and sometimes you can't help it.' But remember, one day you will have to stand before God and give an account for your actions, words and thoughts. Either way, you still have broken this commandment.
So we've looked at only 3 commandments and you've probably broken at least one if not all three. Even if you broke one, you're still guilty before God and one sin, that's right, just one little white lie is enough to condemn you to hell for all eternity. "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all." Are you beginning to see your hopeless condition before a perfect, holy and righteous God?
You may now be saying "why are you telling me this and giving me all this information of hopelessness?" "This doesn't make me feel very good." "I thought God was a God of love?" The reason I start with these things my friend is this. Before we can truly appreciate the love, mercy and grace of God, we first must come to the realization of how hopeless we are before Him. We must realize that there is absolutely nothing we can do to earn our salvation. It is then and only then that we can truly come to the end of ourselves and be able to truly appreciate what it is God has done for us. If I were to just tell you, out of the blue that Jesus loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life, without first showing you your hopeless situation and need for a Savior, what would be the point. You would say, "well that's nice but I'm fine, I don't need a savior. That stuff is for real sinners." Why would someone who thinks they're a good person, need a savior? They wouldn’t. The reason we need a savior is because we are all completely helpless to earn our salvation. Eternal Life in Heaven is a gift from God and as with human gifts, they can’t be earned. If you have to pay for a gift, then it’s not really a gift is it? Instead, it becomes an obligation. Every person who has ever lived is in the same boat. Headed toward a hopeless eternity in the Lake of Fire, a place of outer darkness, where Jesus said there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Hopefully by now you've been able to see that God is holy and just, that we are all sinners and as such stand condemned already before God. Hopefully you've seen that no one is able to earn they're salvation through good works. Only God can forgive sin and only God can grant us salvation.
So don't dispair. There really is good news. In fact, not just good news - GREAT NEWS!!!
"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 came into being by Him, and apart froom Him nothing came into being that has come into being." John 1:1-3. "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14
The Gospel - The word Gospel literally means good news. And what is the good news? It is this: That because of our sinfulness, Jesus came down from His throne in Heaven, was born of a virgin and was made man. Because of our hopelessness, Jesus Christ, the Sovereign King of kings and Lord of lords, who had perfect harmony and fellowship with the Father throughout eternity, chose to condescend down to earth and be made like sinful man so that through Him sinners might be saved. The Bible says, "He who knew no sin was made sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21. Can you just picture this?? Here is the Son of God, getting up off His throne and laying down His kingly robes to come down here, be born of a virgin in a dirty old stable and taking the form of sinful man. And He didn’t come as a royal earthly king born in a palace to rule the world. Instead He humbled Himself even further and became a servant and grew up as a carpenter.
He then lived a perfect life that we are unable to live, thereby fulfilling God's law for us by keeping all His commandments. Why is this important, because, as mentioned earlier, we are all sinners and incapable of living a perfect and holy life to please God. We needed someone to stand in our place and live a perfect life, thereby fulfilling the law of God for us. Jesus said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." Matthew 5:17.
Think of it, Jesus never committed one evil deed, never spoke one bad word and never thought one wicked thought. The Bible says, "He was tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 4:15. Even though that fulfilled the law, the penalty for our sins still had to be paid. So Jesus, who was completely innocent, stepped in between us and God's wrath and died a humiliating and torturous death at the hands of men, a death that He did not deserve. He went to the cross as a lamb led to a slaughter and while on the cross, He took upon Himself the very wrath of God which was meant for sinners. God punished His only Son, in our place. And God loves people so much that the Bible says, ‘It pleased Him to do so.’ Jesus got what He did not deserve so that we could escape what we do deserve - eternal punishment. He shed His blood and died as the atonement for our sin. And by His death on the cross, a way of salvation for sinners was provided.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.” John 3:16-17.
He died bearing our sins. Speaking of Jesus, the Bible says, “He made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:7-8
Now that's Amazing Grace!! That's Amazing Love!! That God loved people so much that He was willing to crucify His only Son so that those who repent of their sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ will have eternal life. AMAZING!!
There is an acrostic for the GRACE we receive: Gods Riches At Christ’s Expense
But the story doesn’t end there, it gets even better. Three days after His death, Jesus rose from the grave and defeated death. He came alive from the grave to show that He had paid for our sins in full and satisfied the justice of God. “…that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures… 1Cor15:3-4. In one fell swoop He conquered sin, conquered death and conquered Satan. He returned to His throne in Heaven and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father.
What does this mean for us? What should our response be to this? Our response, in a phrase, must be to have a repentant faith. We need to repent and to trust Jesus as Lord and Savior. Acts 17:30, "God is now declaring that all men everywhere should repent." Repent and turn to God, it says in Acts 26:20. We are to turn from our sin and ask God to forgive us through Christ. We need to trust Jesus, to believe that He died for us and that He will save us. Acts 16:31, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved."
Eternal life cannot be earned because it is a free gift to us that cost God everything. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:89. God does not want us boasting about how smart we were or how good we were to get into Heaven. Salvation is all about God and His sovereign grace. “In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.” Ephesians 1:11
So I urge you now to put your trust in Christ. The Bible says to “seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near,” Isaiah 55:6. So I implore you to be reconciled to God. “Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2Cor 6:2
If you’ve read this and still think you’re good enough to get to Heaven of your own volition, then I do not write this to you. Even Jesus said, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Mark 2:17. If you feel you’re righteous enough to get into Heaven by another way – through your good works, or even some other man made religion, then I say, good luck. Remember this though, and it may sound exclusionary but the truth usually is: “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6. And again, “Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3.
But, to those of you who have had your hearts pricked and are able to acknowledge your need for Jesus to be your Savior and are ready to submit to Him as Lord of your life, the eternal rewards are beyond your imagination. “But, as it is written, what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1Cor2:9
If you’ve read this and have never repented of your sins and accepted Jesus Christ and your Lord and Savior, then I truly believe that you are not here by accident. This has been a divinely appointed time set by God for you to hear His Gospel message. Today is the day of salvation. “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13.
So where do you go from here?? I’d say follow these steps:
1) Get yourself a Bible and read it every day. I suggest starting in the Gospel of John. Two good translations I highly recommend are the New American Standard Version (NASB) and the English Standard Version (ESV)
The Apostle Paul tells us, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” 2Timothy 3:16
2) Get yourself under the faithful preaching and teaching ministry of a church where Jesus Christ is preached and honored, and be baptized. Also, be sure your church uses the Bible as its final authority.
3) Pray to God every day. For examples follow some of the prayers of saints offered in Scripture. For a good book on prayer, I would recommend a book by E.M.Bounds, The Necessity of Prayer and any other of his books on prayer.
The following was borrowed from the website: www.gospeloutreach.net
Suggestions for Christian Growth:
Spiritual growth results from trusting Jesus Christ. "The righteous man shall live by faith" (Galatians 3:11). A life of faith will enable you to trust God increasingly with every detail of your life, and to practice the following:
Go to God in prayer daily. (John 15:7)
Read God's Word daily (Acts 17:11); begin with the Gospel of John.
Obey God moment by moment. (John 14:21)
Witness for Christ by your life and words. (Matthew 4:19; John 15:8)
Trust God for every detail of your life. (1 Peter 5:7)
Holy Spirit -- allow Him to control and empower your daily life and witness. (Galatians 5:16-17; Acts 1:8)
God's Word instructs us not to forsake "the assembling of ourselves together." (Hebrews 10:25) Several logs burn brightly together; but put one aside on the cold hearth and the fire goes out. So it is with your relationship with other Christians.
If you do not belong to a church, do not wait to be invited. Take the initiative; call the pastor of a nearby church where Christ is honored and His Word is preached. Start this week, and make plans to attend regularly.
In the course of your new life in Jesus Christ, you will continually struggle with sin. Sometimes you will, in a moment of weakness, succumb to temptation and sin. Please do not lose hope or be discouraged. Know that you are not alone and that other Christians go through these struggles. The Apostle Paul faced the same thing in his walk with Christ. Of his life he said,
"For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:18-24)
But Paul does not leave it there. He goes on to say,
"Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin."
While you will always struggle with sin until the day the Lord comes to take you home to heaven, do not lose heart. If you turn to the Lord in repentance and confess your sins, He will forgive you and make you clean again. 1 John 1:9 says,
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
As a new child of God you can be assured of salvation. Salvation is not a "maybe" or an "I hope to be". It is a sure thing that is based on the promises of God's Word. The Apostle John said:
"And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:11-13)
Also as a new child of God you can share the same assurance that the Apostle Paul had:
"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6)
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