"Salvation is the greatest act of God's love", says Pastor Billy Crone in the following video. What is salvation and how do you obtain it? It is all about faith in the Lord and believing that Jesus Christ is the Savior whose shed blood at Calvary can wash your sins away if you but believe in Him and trust Him. I frequently share Romans 10:9,10, 13 and here it is again:
"(9) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
Salvation is not mere head knowledge of Jesus. It is not a formula prayer that saves you. You need, however, to pray to the Lord for forgiveness, and truly repent of your sins. God looks at the heart; if your heart is sincere and you totally surrender your will and your life to Jesus, that is what salvation is all about. It is living totally for the good Lord and His will. It is faith and belief in Jesus Christ.
The following 19 minute video by prophecywatchers.com features host Gary Stearman and Pastor and author Billy Crone in which they beautifully explain salvation and in which Pastor Crone gives his personal testimony of how he was saved. Such an uplifting and informative video !
In the video, Billy Crone likens sin to a cancer....which needs to be eradicated. Only Jesus can perform the needed "operation" to clear out the sin and make us a new creation.
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are past away; behold, all things are become new." - 2 Corinthians 5:17
As Pastor Crone says, "Nobody has a brighter future than God's children."
"And that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again." - 2 Corinthians 5:15
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16
Have a happy and a grace filled weekend, centered on Christ.
Resurrection Day is this coming Sunday, as all Christians know. They will hear sermons and Scriptures concerning Jesus' resurrection from the dead. He suffered a cruel and painful death; but He did it out of love for us - us undeserving humans that can be so stubborn and self-willed. Oh how He loves us !! We should thank Him everyday for His sacrifice because we who believe in Him will have everlasting life !
For believers, therefore, death is not the end, but the beginning. The beginning of life in eternity with our blessed Lord Jesus Christ; and in a new resurrected body.
"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?" - John 11:25-26
We have all sinned and deserve death, God's punishment. ( Romans 3:23). But God in His great love and mercy, sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins; to die in our place, taking the punishment that we deserved, so that those who believe in Him and in His resurrection may have eternal life. (Romans 10:9,10,13).
Charles Spurgeon has said, "This love of Christ is indeed measureless and fathomless; none can attain unto it" ......"Herein is love! and truly it is love that "passeth knowledge". O let this love fill our hearts with adoring gratitude, and lead us to practical manifestations of its power."
Jesus' resurrection is the foundation of the Christian faith. I urge you to read 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Also study Isaiah 53 which prophesied about Jesus, and was written during the prophet Isaiah's later years and he lived till around 681 BC.
"When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, "It is finished": and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost." - John 19:30
John is the only Gospel that mentions that Jesus said this. It is no doubt the cry mentioned at Matthew 27:50 and Mark 15:37.
The fact that Jesus said "it is finished" signifies several things:
(1) The work of man's redemption was completed.
(2) Every obstacle was removed, symbolized by the tearing of the veil.
(3) The way of mercy was opened.
(4) Jesus had met man's desperate need as a transgressor.
(5) He had satisfied the law's demand in God's government.
(6) He had answered every Scriptural type with an antitype.
(7) He had fulfilled every ancient prophecy concerning Himself.
(8) Thus, in one word, Christ exhaustively discharged that entire
former dispensation in a new one.
Christ triumphed over the devil and his cohorts (evil angels) and must have sent unimaginable alarm into hades itself. (Colossians 2:15).
In ancient times, telelestai (finished) would be written across invoices to indicate "paid in full". It is the same word used in John 19:28. All was finished. Jesus had given His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). God's will had been done. The means of the world's salvation had now been provided.
How could we ever become self-important and self-righteous, knowing that we, as sinners, deserve death and punishment except for the love and mercy of the Lord, We should be very humbled and very grateful for all Jesus did for us, by dying in our place.
Let us sing praises to Him, and in true gratitude worship Him as our Master and Savior !
Following is a worship song you are probably familiar with:
"For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many." - Mark 10:45
"And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple." - Luke 14:27
"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." - John 3:3
"For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved." - John 3:17
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." - John 14:6
If you are not a believer in Jesus Christ, I urge you to make the choice today to repent of your sins, and pray to the Lord for forgiveness. Believe with all your being that Jesus is the Savior, and that He is waiting to pardon you if you will turn to Him in faith and repentance.
Jesus loves you !!
Choose Him ! Choose Life Eternal !
Romans 10:9,10,13 tells us: (9) "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
Some people think we are already in the prophesied Tribulation period. They need to study their Bible more to discern that that is not the case. To begin with, the Rapture of the Church has not yet occurred, and that must happen before the Tribulation because the Lord's people are not appointed to wrath.
"Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him." - Romans 5:9
"For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Thessalonians 5:9
The above two Scriptures tell us how to escape the 7-year Tribulation. We need to be followers of Jesus Christ; we need to be born-again (John 3:16). We need to repent of our sins, pray and ask God for forgiveness, and put our faith and trust in Jesus as our Savior, Lord, and Master. We must put God and Jesus first in our lives.
"Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved." - Acts 16:31
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." John 14:6
Once saved by faith in Jesus, you will be raptured to be with the Lord in heaven sometime soon before the 7-year Tribulation occurs and will be in heaven while the Tribulation is taking place on the earth. What a blessed hope ! (Titus 2:13). God is loving and merciful to His people.
Following is a video featuring Gary Stearman and Bob Ulrich of prophecywatchers.com. It deals with myths of the tribulation, and gives great insight into Scriptures concerning the Tribulation and answers questions such as "The reasons why the Tribulation has to happen." They also discuss a new DVD they are offering which is about a girl who wakes up one day and finds herself in the Tribulation period.
If you read the Book of Revelation in the Bible, you will discern that the Tribulation is full of God's wrath and judgment on the ungodly left on the earth after the true believers in Christ are raptured to heaven. You do not want to go through the horrors of the time of "Jacob's Trouble" (Jeremiah 30:7). Turn in faith to Jesus Christ now before it is too late !
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.: - Ephesians 2:8-9
Many years ago I saw the movie "Tender Mercies".....it first came out in 1983 and starred Robert Duvall as a country music star who came upon hard times. It was nominated for 5 Academy Awards and Robert Duvall won best actor for his role in that film, which was rated PG. I am not here to give a review of the story line. Rather, I wanted to say that one of the characters in the film quoted from the Bible about God's tender mercies, and that impressed me and stayed with me as I had not been aware of that verse. I don't remember anything of the verse except the two words, "tender mercies." Later, as I began to read my Bible once again, I came across several verses mentioning God's tender mercies. That touched me and in turn drew me closer to the Lord, as it made me realize He had always been near and watching over me. In reflecting on that fact, I could recall events where He had literally saved me from one catastrophe after another. He saw me through many trials. I was so dense spiritually back then that I didn't comprehend His loving care and tender mercies at the time He ministered to me. Now I understand and I have such love for Him and gratitude in my heart for all that He has done in my life, my heart, my soul, and my mind.
The dictionary defines mercy as compassionate treatment, a disposition to be kind and forgiving. The word mercy among the Jews signified the pardon of injuries and almsgiving. To understand mercy, we need to go to the meaning of the Latin word "misericordia". It is made up of two words: miserans "pitying", and cor , the "heart"; or miseria cordis, "pain of heart". This virtue of mercy which we humans should also display is "an alive emotion of the heart which manifests itself by entering into the miseries of our neighbor" and to feel for him deeply and to empathize with him.
"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." Jesus at Matthew 5:7
But back to God's tender mercies....
God showed extreme mercy to mankind by sending His Son to die to redeem sinful mankind...those who would turn to Jesus in repentance and faith in His shed blood to wash their sins away. What love! What mercy ! God is awesome !
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - Jesus at John 3:16
"The Lord is good to all; and His tender mercies are over all His works." - Psalm 145:9
"Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; Who crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies." - Psalm 103:4
"God in His infinite mercy has devised a way by which justice can be satisfied, and yet mercy can be triumphant. Jesus Christ, the only begotten of the Father, took upon Himself the form of man, and offered unto Divine Justice that which was accepted as an equivalent for the punishment due to all His people." - Charles Spurgeon
Following is a sermon by Charles Spurgeon on the mercy of God. It is short...3 minutes long.
"Embrace in one act the two truths - thine own sin, and God's infinite mercy in Jesus Christ." - Alexander MacLaren.
"God's mercy with a sinner is only equaled and perhaps outmatched by His patience with the saints, with you and me." - Alan Redpath
What about you and me? We should follow what Luke 6:36 says, "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful." In other words, God's perfection should be our example and our goal. "We, who want so much mercy from God, must learn to show mercy to our fellow-men. It is impossible to look to Him for mercy when we fail to show mercy to others, or we fail to forgive others ! Not just show mercy in words, but by good deeds". Help the poor, the depressed, those under extreme trials. What a sincere and loving and pure motive it is when men make up their minds to endeavor to resemble the most high God in deeds of mercy and loving-kindness. Let us, like God, be "not weary in well-doing." God is love, and it takes love on our part to do acts of mercy. One commentary tells us, "True mercifulness is a characteristic of those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, and they alone would be merciful.in God's way, seeking not to please themselves, but to do God's will."
Christ was an example of mercifulness...He always kept God's glory and honor in view. "Christ's mercifulness recognized sin as the source of every man's misery, and our mercifulness is often so indifferent to the deepest needs of the men and women around us." We need to examine ourselves and ask ourselves if we are truly following Jesus' example.
"All that is really good is the outcome of the law of love, and its first result and inseparable companion is mercy." (A bible commentary quote.)
Following is a moving song by Gordon Mote titled "Mercy Walked In" :
"I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever; with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations." - Psalm 89:1
"With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright." - Psalm 18:25
"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." - Lamentations 3:22-23
"He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love." - 1 John 4:8
This Inspirational weekend post continues, in part, the discussion begun about the Tribulation Period
from last weekend (scroll down one post). World events are still happening as the Bible predicted -- and close to home here in the United States with attacks on innocent people in California, for one instance. I highly recommend that you thoughtfully and prayerfully read Matthew 24 about the signs of the end times.
Let me also quote from 2 Timothy 3: 1-5 : "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."
The good news is, we are so far into the last days that all such evil will not last much longer and true believers have a wonderful hope to look forward to with the Lord in heaven. Take heart and wait patiently for the Lord.
As to why, since God is love, He will unleash His wrath relentlessly in the Tribulation period, the above Scriptures help answer that question; we must remember that God is Holy, pure perfection. He is also a God of justice and cannot leave sin unpunished. God's vengeance is perfect and holy and His wrath is fearsome and something to be terrified of, unless you are saved by grace. In which case the blood of Jesus shed at Calvary has made atonement for your sins and God's wrath will not come upon you then. "Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him." - Romans 5:9
Another reason (besides justice and vengeance from God) for the Tribulation period is to bring people to salvation. God's wrath can bring people to repent and to turn to Him. "For when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness." - Isaiah 26:9
Just like now, when God will use trials and heartaches to get our attention for us to turn to Him in faith and repentance, so during the Tribulation God's wrath will cause many to turn to Him.
It reminds me of the verse at 2 Peter 3:9 , "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
One thing I did not make clear enough in last weekend's post is that the Mark of the Beast referred to in Revelation 13:16-18 means the Mark of the antichrist; beast is another term for the antichrist in Revelation. A rather fitting term for someone so evil.
Like I have stressed before, believers have a hope and a future; they will not be around during the Tribulation but will be in heaven then with the Lord. It is time to get right with the Lord if you have not done so before now. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16
"Love is the sum of all virtue, and love disposes us to good." - Jonathan Edwards
And here is to you having a wonderful weekend ! This post is about love - again. So much can be said about love that it is impossible to put it all in one blog post. Now I will focus primarily on how much God loves us using Scriptures, videos, and my own reflections on the subject.
Below is a video that shows how much Jesus loves us.
"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." - I John 4:10
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Jesus speaking at John 15:13.
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16
We humans cannot totally comprehend the great love God has for us; God is love, it is His very nature. I John 4:8, 16. Everything He does is out of love; yes, even when He disciplines us or allows hardships to overcome us. Because trials and hardships help mold us into what God desires us to become; we can grow spiritually from His correction.
Another music video below concerning Jesus' love for us. "Above All" by Michael W. Smith
"While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.." - Romans 5:8
When I consider all that God and Jesus have done for me and all true believers, it fills me with so much love and gratitude that I could never explain the depth of it all in words. What amazing love ! Even when I am experiencing trials, I still have peace in my soul because of the Lord's great love and the fact that I am aware of His presence and helping hand.
"Doubt not His grace because of thy tribulation, but believe that He loveth thee as much in seasons of trouble as in of happiness." - Charles Spurgeon
