Ok, so your gonna die right? Right. And You don't know when right? Right. So do you ever think about it? I mean REALLY think about it? Cus if this life is this short in light of how long you'll be dead, don't ya think its kinda important to think about it while your here? Right. Lets think about this just for a few moments.....You've got: The Bible, Koran, Book of Mormon, Vedas, Watchtower Society Bible, and all the other religious books which discuss what happens after death right? Ok, and did you know that the Bible is the only one that clearly explains why mankind needs a savior and its the only one with so much evidence to point to its validity and reliability? Also, lets take a quick look at Jesus. Most of these books talk about Him. The question is: what was He? God in the flesh? good man? good prophet? lunatic? flat out liar? Did you know that there is more evidence to prove that Jesus was alive and performed miracles (nonbelievers called these miraculous Satanic acts) than there is of any other ruler of His time ever being on the throne? Never looked up the facts did you?Jesus could only be one of three things: Liar, lunatic, or LORD because....If He really did claim claim to be the Messiah promised for thousands of years who has been with the Father since before the creation of the world and He wasn't.....that would make Him a liar....NOT a good man....NOT a good prophet because He's not a good man......and not who He said He was right?And do you know of anyone who would be so dedicated to the lie that he himself has fabricated of himself to the point that he would lead men to believe it and also go through a life of being ridiculed and rejected by this world, sweat blood over a prayer that he knew was a lie, go through the lashings of the cat of nine tails and many others, be spat upon by strongly religious men of his day, be fixed with a crown of thorns, and go through the most gruesome execution of his day which lasted for hours, while being between two no name thiefs? I don't.Someone doesn't do that if they know that they are living a lie. Someone who does that is known as a lunatic...NOT a good man and NOT a good prophet.So, He MUST be EXACTLY who He said He was right? Right.I don't know of anywhere ever in history where it has been prophesied: the location of their birth, the exact way they would be born, the family they would be born into, details about their daily life, and an absolutely perfect description of their death, burial, and resurrection, and what would happen after their death.But this was so with Jesus. These things were prophesied over 700 years before He even showed up on the scene. I would call that supernatural wouldn't you? And if your wondering if these prophesies are really that old, they are because we have found the dead sea scrolls and other portions of the Old Testament prophesy's that were written this long ago.Ok, so Jesus really existed, but why did He come...or more specifically why was He sent?The 10 Commandments....God put them in the Old Testament to show His people how absolutely impossible it was for them to be righteous apart from Him....I mean lets just look at a few: Thou shalt not bear false witness (lie)....Thou shalt honor they father and mother.....Thou shalt not covet (desire something not your own)....Thou shalt not steal.....etc. etc. Have you ever lied, stolen, coveted? Then when Jesus comes on the scene He claims to be the One to "fulfill the law (10 Commandments) and He says that if you lust, thats adultery and if you hate or call someone a name out of anger, thats murder. So the bar is raised.....now NO ONE is declared righteous and understands that they can't be on their own.So when people sinned (broke 10 Commandments) they would have to get a pure sacrifice, one without blemish or spot, and slit its throat so that all the blood flowed on the altar.....they would then have to burn the body on the altar. If they did this with a broken heart over their sins God would forgive them, if they didn't do this....God's justice was done and they were killed on the spot. So we all have broken these commandments (sinned) and need a pure spotless sacrifice with a broken heart over our sinfulness to God. The blood of that sacrifice atones (cleanses/takes away) our sin and puts us in a right relationship with God. Hmmm.......who do we know the Old Testament states will be our sacrifice so that we don't have to sacrifice useless animals anymore? Jesus Christ. He wasn't even born of man, so He had no sin in Him. He also lived a life of complete righteousness and NEVER sinned. He called Himself "I AM" and the "King of kings" and referred to Himself as the promised Messiah of the Old Testament...He even said He was God when He quoted David calling Him his Lord. He poured out His blood for us and even though He never sinned, we killed Him. He "took" the sins of the world (you and me) upon Himself....the shame, guilt, sorrow, hate, disgust, filth, punishment.....all upon Himself. But you say, "Oh but God is loving and forgiving" that is right....but don't forget, God is just and righteous....that means He HAS to judge sin or He wouldn't be a good God. So He judged His only Son for you and me to have a way to be cleansed.So what must we do to be saved? REPENT (see your sins like God sees them (He hates them with intense hatred) and turn from them to the only One who can cleanse you, Jesus Christ) and TRUST in Him to save you. God promises to make you a new creation if you will humble yourselve before Him. This means He will cleanse you from the inside out and will give you new desires, desires to pursue Him. It comes AFTER you recognize the absolute filthiness of your sin and surrender to Him.Many people think that the Bible merely says to believe....but the Bible says that the demons believe and they even tremble...how many of us tremble before God? The demons do and their destined for Hell. Jesus said that He is calling ALL men EVERYWHERE to REPENT AND BELIEVE. If the demons can't just believe and be made righteous, then how in the world can we believe we can? We've gotta acknowledge our sin before a Holy God and turn from it in order to be saved. How can you tell your saved? Its not because you once prayed a prayer and gave your heart to Jesus, its because you will bear fruits of repentance....your life will be different. We are called to plead with others for God to be reconciled to Him according to 2 Corinthians, so that is what I'm doing. God is real....sin is real.....Hell is real....Jesus is real....He really went through the crucifixion for you.....He really wants you to know Him, I mean really know Him....please turn to Him.If you call yourself a Christian and do not read God's Word everyday without fail and do not fellowship with other believers, and do not pray daily or share the good news of the Gospel with the lost and dying around you, you are lying to yourself and are a child of the devil according to the Bible. Repent, before its too late....those were Jesus' first words in His ministry, "Repent and believe in the gospel, for the Kingdom of God is at hand."More to come momentarily on this blog.
Many times I’ve sat on the front pew just prior to the sermon time looking at the steps to the pulpit. In these moments each Sunday morning I’m reminded of the great task with which I have been entrusted and my own weakness to perform it. After hours of painstaking study and prayerful preparation, I still stare at those steps and feel under qualified, knowing I’ve only scratched the surface of the message. There is a certain holy trembling a preacher feels before climbing those steps to proclaim God’s eternal Word. In centuries past, preachers like Charles Spurgeon and Martyn Lloyd-Jones had to climb winding staircases to reach the “sacred desk”, but many pulpits today are just a few steps above the floor. Whether you have many steps or none at all, it is an other-worldly task we have been given. The following are a few practical steps preachers can take before climbing the real ones on Sunday morning... 1. Get in the Word We must immerse ourselves in the text at the outset o
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