JESUS IS GOD

Jesus is not humanity deified. He is not Godhead humanized. He is God. He is man. He is all that God is, and all that man is as God created him. -Spurgeon

John 10:30, I and my Father are one.

If Jesus wasn’t God, we will stand before God giving an account of our sin before Him. What would you say? If you had to stand before God today, what would you say to Him that would allow you to enter through Heaven’s gate? I’ve done a lot of good things for the Lord. I was a member of such and such church. I was baptized when I was born. I, I, I…. isn’t going cut it! None of your good deeds will get you into Heaven. Church membership won’t get you into Heaven. Baptism doesn’t get anyone through the gates of Heaven.

So, what will get you into Heaven? Let’s look at Romans 10:9, 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. When you hear the need, see the need, confess your need, repent of your sin, and trust Jesus as your Saviour. Jesus saves you because that’s why He came to earth. He saves you because He is God.

JESUS’ HOME

Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal. -Moore

Hebrews 11:10, For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

We sing about it. We talk about it. We shout about it. We preach about it. We rejoice in it. We weep over those who gone before us. We thank God for it. We glory over it. Heaven- Jesus’ home, the place we all long to go to. Some think everyone is going. Some think you must do good works to get there. But, what does the Bible say about it? What does God’s Word say about the path, plan, or prescription to make it to Heaven?

If we were to ask the thief on the Cross what he did to be saved, I believe he would sum it up in one verse; Romans 10:9, 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. No good works. No baptism. No nothing! He believed and he went to Heaven! Do you believe in Him this morning? Will you be going with me and others to Jesus’ Home?

THANK THE LORD FOR OUR FUTURE

            Our heart is in heaven; our home is not here. -Heber

Hebrews 13:14, For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.

            We sing about Heaven, preach about Heaven, think about Heaven, and if you’re a child of God… you’re on your way to Heaven! When I think about Heaven, I think about the streets of gold, walls of jasper, gates of pearl and sea of glass.      I think about the mansion He has built for me. I think about lasting peace. I think about no sorrow. I think about family reunions. I think about all those things but the greatest thing I think about is Jesus! I think about standing before my Saviour and bowing before Him. I think about praising Him personally face to face for all He has done for me.

            Why wait though? I can get a head start today by thanking Him for my future home in Heaven!

SCARY DAYS

The greatest fear one should have is opening their eyes in Hell when they die.

Hebrews 10:31, It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

            I remember growing up in a big old house that was built in the early 1900’s. That house had more creaks than I care to talk about. I was so far away from my parents when I went to bed I thought, “If I screamed, they wouldn’t hear me!” There were literally times I went to bed thinking I wasn’t going to make it to morning. The Boogey Man didn’t have anything on what was living in my attic. However, the older I got, the more I understood there was something even scarier than what was living in my attic.

            Friend, dying without Jesus as my Saviour is the scariest thing I can think of now. Total separation from God forever. Total separation of friends and loved ones forever. That’s pretty scary to this big ole guy!

            Hell is real! Hell is awful! Hell is awaiting you if you have not called out to Jesus to save you! Why not GET UP, GET REAY, and GO TO CHURCH this morning? He knows what you’re going through! He can calm your heart and you too can have the peace of God—forever!

ARE YOU THE LORD’S?

           Take care of your life; and the Lord will take care of your death. -Whitefield

Romans 14:8, For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.

            Being a child of God has its benefits. The number one benefit I can think of this side of eternity is the peace in knowing where I am going when I die. I don’t have to worry, I’m in God’s hands. I don’t have to fret, I’m in God’s hands. I don’t have try and figure it out, I’m in His hands. I don’t have to think about it, I’m in His hands. I don’t have to work any harder, I’m in His hands. Are you the Lord’s? Do you have that assurance? If not, you can! “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” 1 John 5:13  

AND THEN, THEY WERE GONE

         It matters not how long we live, but how. -Bailey

James 4:14, Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

            Yesterday, we had a funeral service for a longtime friend and sister in Christ. As I was reflecting this morning about the brevity of life, I was reminded of how short life really is. It’s as if yesterday I was in high school, chasing girls, working, and enjoying my youth. How much time have I wasted? How much time has gone by without thinking about eternity? How much time have I been spinning my wheels but going no where or doing anything for the Lord?

            Friend, you and I have had many friends and family members to go on before us. We shared a meal with them at the kitchen table, went fishing, took vacations, played cards, spent quality time together and then, they were gone. C.T Studd wrote, “Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

Life is not guaranteed, how are you living this life?

YOU’RE NOT OKAY

         The greatest of all miracles is the salvation of a soul. -Spurgeon

Proverbs 16:25, There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

            Have you ever been around one of those people who know it all? The guy that knows how to work on everything sitting at the shop but when you get to a piece of equipment that isn’t working, they conveniently have something else to do. The mother that knows exactly what YOUR kid needs but her kids are disrespectful, disobedient, and dysfunctional. The fisherman that can out fish you at the table but not on the water. Even the guy that knows exactly what you are doing wrong in ministry but hasn’t done anything for the Lord himself.

            Yes, there are a lot of people who proclaim they know this and that about everything but sooner or later the truth will come out. Some proclaim they are saved because they had some religious experience. Some proclaim they are saved because their Dad was a deacon or their Mom serves in the nursery and sings in the choir. Some think because they do some good things such as; giving money to the church, visiting a nursing home, or giving to a local charity God will let them into Heaven. Friend, that is about as far from the truth as one can get.

            If you believe something like that above, You’re not okay! If you have never repented of your sins and trusted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, you’re on your way to Hell. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” So, are you really okay or are you on the way to hell?

HEAVEN BOUND

No man can resolve himself into heaven. -Moody

Ephesians 2:14-16, “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:”

In these three verse we have the central figure of who reconciliation is about, Jesus. We have the theme of the verse, man’s complete acceptability in God. And we have the means in which Jesus, in and of Himself, accomplished this task, “by the Cross”.     

Pieter DeVries said, “If Christ, by His suffering and death, did not truly bring about reconciliation, there would be no salvation.” So, to put in my own words what DeVries said, If Jesus didn’t come, didn’t get up on the Cross, didn’t die, did not arise, we would still be in our sin and on our way to Hell. But Hallelujah He did come! He did get up on the Cross! He did die and He arose again the third day, conquering death, Hell, and the grave! Without the atoning work of Jesus on the Cross I would be a Hell bound sinner without hope or help in this world we live in.

I’M NOT GOING TO HELL

          It is shocking to reflect that a change in the weather has more effect on some men's lives than the dread alternative of heaven or hell. -Spurgeon

Ephesians 2:8-9, 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.

            Here are some interesting questions concerning getting into Heaven- How much is enough when it comes to giving? How much do I need to give to get a ticket into Heaven? What if I cheat a little on what I owe for taxes? How much good would I have to do in order for God to be please enough to open the gates of Heaven for me?

            Guess what, we will not get into Heaven by giving to the church, paying our taxes, or by being a good person. There are no tickets into Heaven! When the Ethiopian Eunuch ask Peter, “What doth hinder me to be baptized?” Peter answered, “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.” The Eunuch’s response was how I got saved and it’s the same way any lost person will get saved, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

            Are you saved? Do you know Jesus as your personal Saviour? If you died today, do you know where you’ll spend eternity? I know this, you don’t have to go to Hell! If you trust Jesus Christ as your Saviour you’ll go to Heaven! Have you done that? Will you do that? If so, let me know! I would love to pray with you and give you something for your New Life in Christ!

WHAT WON’T BE THERE?

 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4

            We love to dwell on what will be in Heaven. We sing about it, preach about it, and praise the Lord time and time again. There will be streets of gold, walls of jasper, gates of pearl, and the crystal sea are just to name a few. Taking a different view on Heaven, Bro. Doug Ramage wrote a song of what won’t be there; headaches, back aches, age spots, reading glasses, snow, bunions, and arthritis to name a few.

            No matter which view you take, the best thing about Heaven is Jesus! He will be there! He will wipe the tears away! He will destroy death! Peace will reign throughout eternity! The pains of life will be no more!

            I’ll be there, will you be?

ARE YOU RELIGIOUS OR REDEEMED?

It is natural to be religious; it is supernatural to follow Christ. –Unknown

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14

Religion has a person trying to obtain salvation by some service or sacrifice. Christianity says salvation was provided when Jesus died on the Cross, was buried in a borrowed tomb, and when He rose again the third day. Religion will send a person straight to hell! Christianity will set you free from sin, Satan, and self destruction!

What you believe about Jesus is important, what you have done with Jesus is the difference between Heaven and Hell- literally! Are you religious or have you been redeemed?

WHEN DOING GOOD ISN’T ENOUGH

What can wash away my sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus…

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

We need more people doing good in the neighborhoods across America. From picking up trash along the roads to helping our elderly neighbor cut some bushes we need more people thinking less of themselves and more about others. Investing a little time in your community will go a long way.

While doing good will go a long way, it will not get anyone to Heaven. We can never do or be good enough to make our way to Heaven. Scripture says, “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags”. There is only one way to Heaven and Jesus said He was the way. Not a way or one of the ways but The Way. So if you are living life doing good just remember doing good isn’t enough to get you to Heaven! You must repent and “…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

YES, HELL IS REAL!

   It is shocking to reflect that a change in the weather has more effect on some men's lives than the dread alternative of heaven or hell. –Spurgeon

And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Luke 16:23

    One question that lingers in everyone’s mind is, “What’s after this life?” But those same people don’t believe it when you tell them about Heaven or Hell. They don’t believe God would send someone to a place of everlasting punishment. They don’t believe there is only One way to Heaven. Well, when the rich man lifted his eyes in Hell…he began to believe. Don’t be like the rich man—“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

WHERE WILL YOU LIVE ETERNALLY?

Yes, in Heaven or Hell you will lift your eyes for all of eternity, which shall it be?

He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 1 John 5:12

You will live eternally either in Heaven or hell. You will either have eternal life or eternal death. The choice is yours. You have not been pre-ordained to die and go to hell. God has given each of us an opportunity to be saved and redeemed from hell. To go to hell, you don’t have to do a thing—you’re already headed that way! But to get to Heaven, “Ye must be born again!” You must receive Jesus as Saviour, repent, confess known sin, and trust Him with your life.

That is why I am more convinced today there must be a clear presentation of the Gospel not only on our death bed but in everyday life! Have you heard it? Have you believed it? IF not now, when? The Bible says, Today is the day of salvation, don’t let it pass you by friend!

WILL YOU LIVE FOREVER…IN HEAVEN OR HELL?

This world is the land of the dying; the next is the land of the living. -Tryon Edwards

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. Revelation 20:12

There is a misconception sometimes when it comes to Heaven and hell; some people believe hell isn’t real. For some where not to be real, the Bible has a lot to say about it. As a matter of fact, it says more about hell than it does Heaven. So God in His wisdom knew it was important to convey a simple but true message that hell is hot and Heaven is sweet.

Have you ever stopped to think about tomorrow? Have you ever given a thought of what’s after this life? Friend, life isn’t as long as what you think it is. The older I get, the more I see the days fleeting away. Stop for a moment today and ask yourself this question, “Will I live forever…in Heaven or hell?” When you can’t answer, shoot me a message, I would love to help you see what the answer is. 

ARE YOU GOING TO HEAVEN?...

How do you know?

            Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 7:21

            Many people, if asked, say they are going to Heaven. But when you ask them how they know, they can’t really answer the question. When they do answer it goes something like, “Well I’ve been a member of such and such church all of my life.” “My Mom and Dad were founding members of ABC Church.” My Dad is a Deacon at the First Pentecostal Methodist Baptist Church.” “My Mama plays the piano at the Lutheran Holiness Presbyterian Fellowship.” "I'm a pretty good person."

            What people leave out is repentance. They say they are saved based on some untruth they have been told since their youth. What they hardly ever do is pick up the Bible and read it to see what God says about who we are and where we are going. He says, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” He says, “For the wages of sin is death;” Praise God He doesn’t stop there….. He finishes out that same verse by saying, “but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  

            Are you going to heaven? How do you know? A good evidence of salvation is found in your works. James 2:20 says, “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” So friend, what are you doing for the Lord these days? 

AVOID COVETOUSNESS

Just suppose the Lord should have everyone stoned to death for covetousness as was Achan.

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Hebrews 13:5

There are so many things men and women covet after; money, fancy cars, big houses, etc. One thing about all of it though, one day you won’t take it with you. One day you will either have spent it all, given it to family, or it will be worn out.

Child of God, be happy with whatever God has blessed you with. Quit trying to keep up with the Jones’. Paul told Timothy, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6:6”  So in order to have that “great gain” we better start….”seeking first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness….”

Out of peanut butter...again?

An excuse is worse and more terrible than a lie; for an excuse is a lie guarded.

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Romans 1:20

How many lies have we told in our lives? Sometimes the lies we tell are over stupid things that really don’t make a difference. We may as well say, "I'm out of peanut butter." Why? Because one excuse is as good as another. But, For some people lying is a habit; a habit that has transformed their entire lives into one big excuse, one big lie. A habit that will one day lead them to hell.

Are you living a lie? Do the people around you think you are a Christian but in fact you have never confessed, repented and asked the Lord to save you? While you may get away with that lie here on Earth when you stand before the Lord on judgment day He will see right through it. He will say, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:23

What’s your exit strategy?

And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:15

Anyone that has a GPS has been at a location that was not your planned destination before. What happened? Well the GPS needs updates every so often and if you don’t get those updates you may find yourself driving in circles trying to find your way out of a large city.

Friend such is your walk with Jesus. If we are not going to Him for updates, we may find ourselves in a jam. We may find ourselves in more debt than we can handle. We may find our children walking away from the Lord. Some of us may even find ourselves in Hell because we thought we had everything right. But without those updates our exit strategy will fail. We will miss what we need to do to get our names written in the Book of Life.

When is the last time you had an update?

Hell is Hot and Heaven is Sweet!

Don't let scoffers laugh you into hell; they cannot laugh you out of it. -D.L. Moody

I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Revelation 1:18

People are being deceived by the millions. They sit back and laugh at the Christian who will not smoke, drink, chew, or run with those that do. They mock at their stand against abortion and homosexuality. They ridicule those who take a stance that there is only one way into Heaven.

I’ve got one thing to say…STAND THEREFORE! For those who laugh, mock, and ridicule will be the last ones laughing come judgment day!