Sat, May 31st - 11:04PM

Romans 6:16-19

Romans 6:16 Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. 17Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. 18Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.

19Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy. (NLT)

Millions of people are slaves and don’t even realize it. They are slaves to sin. They are slaves to their sinful nature that keeps them in bondage. Satan keeps them in bondage by deceiving them into thinking there is nothing better out there for them so they might as well live it up until they die. You can see this attitude in our slogans such as YOLO (you only live once). This is the same attitude of eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. When you have been led to believe there is nothing better out there than there is really nothing to live for. That is why you see so many young people just drifting through life, living day to day, and spending their time getting high and drunk with no real plans for the future. Why bother when there is nothing to live for? They have been blinded to the fact that this life is only temporary but yet the choices we make in life have not only lifelong consequences but eternal consequences. The choices you make in this life will determine where you spend eternity.

Christ died on the cross to free us from the bondage of sin and deception. Christ died so that whosoever would believe in Him and accept Him as Lord and Savior can have their sins forgiven, be freed from the bondage of sin, and have eternal life through Him. 

John 3:16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

This is the desire of God that we believe in Him and come out of the life of sin and rebellion and be the children of God.

John 1:12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

It is God’s desire that all of mankind would repent and leave their lives of bondage to sin behind but sadly the god of this world has blinded them of the truth so they might not be saved that is why it is important for all Christians to bring the light of Christ into this world of darkness. 

2 Corinthians 4:4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. 6For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (NASB)

Wed, May 28th - 9:53PM

Romans 6:15

Romans 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

There are people who actually believe that because we are under the grace of God we can do whatever we want now. Have a debate with a group of people over sin and this is sure to come up yet just as the Bible says here just because we are saved by the grace of God this does not mean we are free to sin. God is still a God of justice and righteousness that hates sin, after all sin is disobedience to the will of God. If you claim to be a Christian and you are still living a life of sin then there was no real conversion anyway. Yes Christians are going to sin because we are human and we are going to make mistakes but there is a difference between committing a sin and living in sin and we also know when we do fail God that God forgives those who repent and seek His forgiveness. If you are living in an immoral lifestyle than you are living in sin and you have not be born again as a child of God. Many people seem to forget that the Bible also calls for believers to live a life of discipleship, holiness, and sanctification. Being a Christian is more than a one-time prayer. It is a lifetime of living as a disciple of Christ that lives according to His teachings and not the ways of the world.

As 1 John 3:8-9 tells us, those who commit sin is of the devil and whosoever is born again does not commit sin.

1 John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

Tue, May 27th - 10:45AM

Romans 6:12-14

Romans 6:12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. (NASB)

So who is your master? Is it God or sin? Is it God or self? Is it God or Satan? In reality if you are not serving God than you are serving Satan. A lot of people think they are independent and that no one is their master but themselves but this isn’t true, if you are not a child of God than you are a child of Satan. If sin is still is in control of your life then it means you are still serving Satan.

When we are saved we make Christ the Lord of our lives. It means He is the master of our lives and we are His servants. It means we no longer live to fulfill our own selfish desires and the sinful desires of our flesh but that we live to please God and do His will and not our own. If you are still living your life in a manner to please yourself and take no thought in living to please God than it means you still haven’t fully committed to making Christ the Lord of your life. The servant lives to please the Master and to do His will and if you haven’t fully committed to this kind of commitment then you are still a servant of sin and ultimately Satan. As the Bible says you can’t serve two masters. If you are not serving God then you are serving Satan. If you are not a child of God then you are a child of Satan. No matter how independent you think you are you actually are not independent at all for you have fell for the same old lie that Satan told Eve when he told her she could be her own god.   

There are no neutrals in this battle between God and Satan. If you are not a born again, saved by the grace child of God then you are a child of Satan and a servant of Satan rather you realize it or not and this should scare you to death knowing you are a servant of Satan. 

Sun, May 25th - 11:08PM

Romans 6:6-7

Romans 6:6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7for he who has died is freed from sin. (NASB)

How many people consider themselves a slave to sin? If you ever been around someone who is an addict you know exactly what I am talking about. The addiction takes over their life. Their whole life revolves around fulfilling that need and they will do anything to fulfill that need. The addiction becomes the god of their life.

If you ask most people they would never consider that they have broken the first of the Ten Commandment which is not to have any gods before God but whatever you put before God is a god. Whatever your life revolves around is the god of your life rather that is drugs, alcohol, sex, money, power, etc. Whatever your life is centered on is the god of your life and if isn’t God than you have sinned and disobeyed God. As Jesus said you can’t serve two masters. Either your life is centered on God and He is the God of your life or your life is centered on some other god. 

Jesus died to break us free from the bondage of sin. He died that through His sacrifice on the cross those who repent of their sins, seek God’s forgiveness and make Christ the Lord of their life can be free from the bondage of sin and have eternal life through Him. 

As John 3:3 says unless we are born again we will not see heaven. That is we must be born again spiritually. We are all born once physically and we are all born into a world of sin and with a sinful nature but the Christian who is born again is born again spiritually and is no longer under the bondage of sin through his faith in Christ. If you want to be free from the bondage of sin than you must be born again through Christ. True liberty and freedom can only be found through Christ. 

Thu, May 22nd - 8:02PM

Romans 6:1-2

Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Many people have this mistaken idea that once they are saved it doesn’t matter what they do after that because God isn’t going to hold them accountable. That is nowhere close to what the Bible teaches. God always holds us accountable for our actions until we seek His forgiveness. 

When the Disciples betrayed Jesus during His arrest and trial He held them accountable for betraying Him. He didn’t just say, “That is all right, I understand.” If you read John 21 you see Jesus confronting Peter about denying Him three times. Eleven of the Disciples sought His forgiveness and one hung Himself. If Judas would have sought forgiveness he would have received it to.

As the verses say we are dead to sin so we should no longer live in it. Now we are human and we are going to slip up from time to time but if we seek God’s forgiveness through Christ we will receive it. But if you are living in sin, sinning continuously, then you are not living the Christian life and were probably never truly converted to begin with. As 1 John 2:3-6 says if we love God than we obey His commandments. We can’t say we love God and then live in rebellion against His will.

1 John 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 6He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

One major problem is that many Christians never moved past the point of conversion. They remain babes in Christ instead of growing spiritually mainly because they have no desire to grow spiritually. They are spiritually lazy. And honestly a lot of the blame lies with the churches and their leaders. Over the years discipleship has been pushed to the back corner or completely left out of the focus of many churches. This is a major reason we have spiritually weak Christians that very easily fall back into sin but the ultimate responsibility lies with the Christian themselves to grow spiritually in Christ so that they can resist temptation and sin.

Wed, May 21st - 7:37PM

Romans 5:21

Romans 5:21so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (ESV)

The only path to eternal life is through Christ. Christ died as a sin sacrifice for the sins of mankind so that whosoever believes in Him and makes Him Lord and savior of their lives can have eternal life. It is only through Christ that you can be made right in the eyes of God. 

John 3:16 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.

There are no other paths to heaven because God provided no other paths than through His Son Jesus Christ. All other paths are false paths that were created by man and not God and only lead to hell instead of heaven.

John 14:6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Romans 10:9That 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

The idea that all paths lead to heaven or in other words you can get to heaven through any religion is a man-made politically correct concept that is not Biblical and is not what God says at all because God said if you want eternal life than you must do so through the way He provided and that is through accepting Christ as Lord and Savior.

We are saved by the grace of God through our faith in Christ. That is the one and only way that God has made for us to be able to obtain eternal life.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Mankind rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden and has been living in a state of rebellion ever since but God in His love and grace provided a way for man to escape the just punishment of his sins and rebellion by provided the sacrifice for our sins Himself. Christ came to earth to die for the sins of mankind so that whosoever repents of their sins and asks for forgiveness of their sins and makes Christ the Lord of their life can have their sins forgiven and have eternal life through Him. 

Tue, May 20th - 3:22PM

Romans 5:20

Romans 5:20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. (NLT)

What the Jews of Paul’s time failed to understand there was no way that they could keep the Law perfectly. Man is a flawed being and we are prone to sin that is why we need a Savior. The only one who ever kept the Law perfectly was Christ. That is why He offered His life as a sinless, perfect, and holy sacrifice for our sins. 

The Law reveals to us just how imperfect we are and just how far we are from God’s holy standard of holiness. That is why you can never be good enough on your own to earn salvation just as the Bible says we all have sinned and stand guilty before God. Christ offered His life as a sin sacrifice for us so that through Him and Him alone we can be made right before God. There is no other way you will ever be made right in the eyes of God.

Take the Ten Commandments for example, every one of us has broken at least one and probably most of us have broken all of them. If you have every put anything before God than you have put others gods before God. If you have every stayed home from church to watch football, or get more sleep, or go somewhere else than you have put a god before God. Every one of us has probably at some point disrespected our parents, or stole, or told a lie and Jesus said anger is the same as murder and lust is adultery so we are all guilty. The point is you can never be good enough on your own without Christ and we hear this all the time,” I am a good person why do I need got to church or why do I have to become a Christian, I can be good on my own.” The point is without Christ as your Savior it is impossible to be good enough for God to forgive you of your sins. God provided a way through Christ for you to be good enough for Him but if you reject that way than you are still guilty of your sins before God and heading to hell. 

Tue, May 20th - 3:22PM

1 Kings 22:17

1 Kings 22:17 And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace.

This verse has a familiar ring to it don’t it?

Matthew 9:36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 37Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

Ezekiel also talks about lost sheep without a shepherd:

Ezekiel 34:1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? 3Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. 4The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. 5And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. 6My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.

Anybody familiar with the Bible knows that shepherd is often a metaphor for a leader more specifically a spiritual leader. In 1 Kings 22 Micaiah is prophesying that King Ahab will be struck down in battle and the Kingdom of Israel is going to be left without a leader but we also know that King Ahab was an evil king that surrounded himself with false prophets and pagan priests and led Israel away from God instead of toward God. In Matthew Jesus has large crowds following Him wanted to hear His message. The nation of Israel had its religious leaders but they were corrupt and their hearts were far from God and they were leading the people away from God through dead religious traditions instead of toward God. And in Ezekiel it is the same thing. The leaders of Israel had led the people away from God so God handed the kingdoms of Israel and Judah over to captivity. But Ezekiel goes on to talk about the Shepherd to come:

Ezekiel 34:23 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. 24And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it.

Now this wasn’t going to be King David, since David had long been dead, but a descendant of David who was to be the Good Shepherd.

John 10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 4And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 5And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. 6This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.

7Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 8All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 9I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 10The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

11I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep

Sun, May 18th - 10:41PM

Romans 5:15-17

Romans 5:15 But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. 16And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. (NLT)

Salvation through Christ is a gift from God. As John 3:16 says God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son so whoever believes in Him can have eternal life.

John 3:16 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

Mankind rebelled against His creator. God could have turned His back on mankind and let us destroy one another and continue to spiral out of control through sin until will eventually die and head to hell but God loved us so much that He provided the sacrifice for our sins Himself. Mankind could have never redeemed itself but God Himself provided a way for man to be made right with God through Christ. Christ died on the cross as a sin sacrifice for the sins of mankind so that whosoever believes in Him and accepts Him as Lord and Savior can have their sins forgiven and eternal life through Him. There is nothing we can due to earn salvation. Salvation is a gift from God. As Ephesians 2:8 says we are saved by the grace of God through faith. Through our faith that Christ is the Son of God who died for our sins, that rose from the grave on the third day, and is returning for His church someday. 

How do you become saved?

Romans 10:9That 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. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Acts 16:30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

We are saved by our faith in Christ through the grace of God.  Nothing more, nothing less. 

Sun, May 18th - 10:40PM

1 Kings 22:13-14

1 Kings 22:13 The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the other prophets without exception are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably.”

14But Micaiah said, “As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what the Lord tells me.” (NIV)

King Ahab had basically surrounded himself with a bunch of false prophets that only told the king what he wanted to hear. Basically what we would call yes men today. Men that only told the king what he wanted to hear to please him and Micaiah was being told to do the same but he refused and declared he can only tell the king what the Lord tells him to tell the king and we can see if you read ahead in the chapter that Micaiah paid for his honesty by being thrown into prison and being fed only bread and water but he remained true to God. 

The same is going on today. Many Christians are under pressure to conform to society. To drop our Biblical convictions and say what society wants to hear. They want to hear it is ok to kill unborn babies that are inconvenient to the mother to have. They want to hear it is ok to forsake God’s idea for marriage and what a family should look like and that it is ok to ignore the Bible’s teaching on what God’s standard for sexuality is and sadly many Christians and churches have done just that. They have surrendered to the pressures of society to conform. They seem to forget that Christ warned us we would be hated for His name. They seem to forget that those who are in the light will be hated by those in the dark and that Christ told us to be in the world but not of the world.

If you stand true to the Word of God those who are living in sin are going to hate you for it. I know a lot of people have a hard time with that but it’s the truth. Those living in darkness hate the light.

John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

Fri, May 16th - 8:11PM

Romans 5:12

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Notice it says that all have sinned. We are all sinners. We all have been disobedient to God and broken His commandments. In 1 John 1:8 John says if we say we have no sin we are deceiving ourselves.

1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

There is only one man that walked before God without sin and that was Jesus Christ and you are not Him. You have sinned and you will sin again because we are human and humans make mistakes but thank God we have a Savior that if we confess our sins to Him He will forgive us of our sins.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness

Now this is not a free excuse to continue to sin because John also said:

1 John 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Now what does all of this mean? It means we all have sinned which means we are all guilty before God but God gave His Son as a sin sacrifice for us so that whosoever confesses their sin, repents from their sinful live and accepts Christ as Lord and Savior can have their sins forgiven and eternal life in Him. This also means once we become a child of God we make a commitment to quit following sin and to follow the commandments of God knowing if and when we do mess up God forgives those who confess their sin and seek forgiveness in Him. 

Thu, May 15th - 7:29PM

Romans 5:10-11

Romans 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

Do you get that? Christ died for us when we were the enemies of God. When you are living in sin you are living in rebellion toward God. That what sin is, it is disobedience toward the will of God. It is disobeying God. Mankind has been living in a state of rebellion toward God since Adam and Eve. God created the world and man but man in the Garden of Eve rebelled against the sovereignty of God and has been living in rebellion every since but God in His grace and love provided a way Himself for man to escape the just dues of his rebellion and sin. God sent His Son to die on the cross as a sin sacrifice for mankind so that whosoever believes in Him and accepts Him as Lord and Savior can have their sins forgiven and eternal life through Him. 

John 3:16 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.

Christ is the one and only Way for mankind to be reconciled with God. There is no other way because God provided no other way.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

There is no other way that you can be made right before God than accepting salvation in Christ and making Him Lord of your life. In fact if you try any other way it just shows you are still living in rebellion toward God and that you are still trying to follow your way instead of God’s way. You can never be good enough on your own to earn heaven. In fact if you are trying to do this it shows that you in your arrogance think that you don’t need Christ as your Savior and His sacrifice on the cross means nothing to you. No other religion can make you right before God because all other religions are creation of man and not of God. Once again it is man trying to provide his own path to salvation and ignoring the will of God. 

The only way for you to be made right before God is to accept salvation in Christ.

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.

Wed, May 14th - 8:10PM

Romans 5:6-9

Romans 5:6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. (NASB)

Christ died to save us from the wrath of God. The judgment and wrath of God isn’t popular subjects to talk about in our world of feel good Gospel messages where we only talk about love, blessings, and peace but this takes away from the truth of the Gospel message. Christ died so as sinners we can have salvation through Him.

God created man but man rebelled against God in the Garden of Eve and man has been living in rebellion against God ever since but Christ still died on the cross for us so that whosoever believes in Him and accepts Him as Lord and Savior can have their sins forgiven and have eternal life through him. This is the love of God:

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Christ died for us even though we were living in rebellion against God so that if we accept Him as Savior we can have our sins forgiven and escape the punishment of our sins and the wrath of God.  The Bible says we all have sinned (Romans 3:23) and that we all deserve the punishment of our sins (Romans 6:23) but God provided a sin sacrifice for our sins (John 3:16) so that whoever believes in Him can be saved from the punishment of God. (Romans 10:9) That is the truth of the Gospel message. God Himself provided a way for us to escape the just punishment of our sins and rebellion but if you reject the way God has provided to escape His judgment and continue to live in rebellion than what choice does God have then allow you to receive the punishment for your sins and rebellion because the Bible is clear we will all stand before God someday to be judged. If you have accepted Christ as your Savior you have nothing to fear because your sins have been forgiven but if you die still living in rebellion toward God than you will receive the just dues for your rebellion toward God. 

Revelation 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12And 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. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Tue, May 13th - 7:41PM

Romans 5:3-5

Romans 5:3And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

What, glory in our tribulations? That is not what all of these word of faith and prosperity preachers being telling us on TV. They tell us if we suffer it is because we don’t have enough faith. But is that true? Didn’t Christ suffered and die? Granted that was His plan all along? But what about His disciples? Every one of the Disciples lost their lives for the Gospel except Judas who hung himself of course and John who didn’t as a martyr but did spend many years in prison for his faith. Paul the person who wrote this died for the faith. In fact persecution was a way of life for the early church. Did that mean they lacked faith?  Of course not. What about those thousands of Christians around the world who face persecution on a daily basis in places like China, North Korea, Vietnam, Nigeria, the Middle East, and other Muslim countries does it mean they lack faith? Of course not, if anything they know more about true faith than any word of faith preacher could every imagine. 

Christ promised His followers they would be hated for His name?

Matthew 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

The early church survived being persecuted by the Romans and the Jews because of their faith and the church grew stronger because of their faith. The persecuted church in the world today survives because of their faith and this faith produces strong Christians who know they can face anything because of their faith in Christ. These are lessons the American church has forgotten and we have grown soft and complacent. We take our religious freedoms for granted. So is it any wonder we storm clouds ahead for the American church today? 

Mon, May 12th - 9:01PM

Romans 5:1-2

Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

In Romans 5:1-2 Paul continues his discussion on justification by faith. The Jews of Paul’s time thought they were made right with God through the Law but Paul states we are justified by our faith in Christ. As the Bible points out we are saved by our faith in Christ that He died for our sins and that through Him we are made right with God and as the Bible points out without faith it is impossible to please God.

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.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Hebrews 11:6But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Now notice Hebrews 11:6 doesn’t say it is difficult to please God without faith. It says without faith it is impossible to please God. In other words it is not happening without faith. It is faith that Christ is who He claimed to be. The Son of God that died on the cross for our sins so that whosoever believes in Him and accepts Him as Lord and Savior can have their sins forgiven and eternal life through Him because as John 14:6 states Christ is the only Way to God and heaven. There is no other ways. You can never be good enough on your own to make it to heave and no other religion is going to get you there. Faith in Christ is the one and only Way to heaven.

Now that isn’t just saying yeah I believe in God so I am good. Look at what James says in James 2:19-20

James 2:19Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

James says the demons also believe in God to. Does that mean they are saved? No, of course not. They believe in God because they know God is real because they do battle with Him every day but they do not serve Him. A lot of people believe there is a God but they do not serve Him. They believe in God but He is not Lord of their lives. They are still living a self-centered life where self is the Lord of their lives not God. Until you accept Christ in faith as your Savior and make Him Lord of your life and turn from your life of sin and live to please God you are still guilty before God and heading to hell.  

Sun, May 11th - 8:38AM

Romans 4:23-25

Romans 4:23 And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded 24for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God. (NLT)

As the verses say we are counted as righteous before God when we believe in God who raised Jesus from the dead who died on the cross as a sin sacrifice for our sins and was raised again on the third day.

A lot of people even many who claim to be Christian don’t understand why Christ died on the cross and what is significant about His death and resurrection to the Christian faith. There are many who believe Jesus never intended to die on the cross but that it happen because He angered the Jewish authorities. Well it is true He angered the Jewish authorities but to say He never intended to die on the cross is to ignore all of the verses prior to His death where He warned His disciples that this would happen. Jesus came to earth to die as a sin sacrifice for mankind.

In the Old Testament animals were offered as sin sacrifices for sin. The animal bore the punishment for our sins so that man didn’t have to. The Bible says that the penalty for sin is death. If the life of man was required of him every time he sinned there would be no one left because we are all guilty of sin. So in the Old Testament animals were offered up in our place and the animal bore the punishment of God for our sins but in the New Testament Christ the perfect sinless lamb of God was offered up as a sin sacrifice for all of mankind so that whosoever believes in Him and accepts Him as Lord and Savior can have their sins forgiven and eternal life through Him. 

Just as many Christians fail to grasp the significance of the resurrection of Christ. I heard one liberal Christian author say the resurrection of Christ if it happened at all has no real significance to the Christian faith. How foolish, the resurrection of Christ is very significant to the Christian faith. Anybody could have died on the cross and claimed to be a messiah but since Christ did rise from the grave we know He is who He claims to be, the Son of God, God in the flesh. We know death had no hold over Him and we know death has no hold over the children of God. We know He has conquered death and the grave and Satan is defeated. The resurrection of Christ gives us assurance that all those who have died in the faith and will die in the faith before Christ returns will also be resurrected to join Christ with the Father. The resurrection gives us assurance that as the Bible claims Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Paul said if Christ didn’t rise from the grave then all faith is in vain (1 Corinthians 15:14) because we are worshipping a dead Savior and we are still guilty of our sins before God but we know this is not the case because we know Christ did rise from the grave and we worship an Almighty Savior and our sins are forgiven through Him.

Sun, May 11th - 8:38AM

1 Kings 19:19-21

1 Kings 19:19 So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. And Elijah passed over to him and threw his mantle on him. 20He left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” 21So he returned from following him, and took the pair of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the implements of the oxen, and gave it to the people and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah and ministered to him. (NASB)

These verses have a familiar ring to anyone?

Luke 9:61Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” 62But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Just as Jesus was telling those who would follow Him that they had to leave their old lives behind Elijah was telling Elisha the same thing. That is the significance of Elisha killing his animals and burning his plowing equipment. He had no intention of returning to his old life again.

Now don’t go out a burn everything you have, this is not what I am saying. Not everyone is called to leave their homes and travel to the corners of the earth all though many such as missionaries are called to do this but when we make a commitment to Christ we are called to leave our old selfish sinful lives behind us. We no longer live to please ourselves and to do what we want but we now live to please God and to do His will even if that does mean leaving our homes and going where He has called us to go.

One of the biggest barriers to people making a commitment to Christ is they don’t want to leave their old lives behind and commit to a life of following Christ. Many want to travel through this world with one foot in the church and one foot in the world and that just doesn’t work. You can’t be a God pleaser and man pleaser at the same time. They want different things. As Jesus said you can’t serve two masters. But this is what many churches and Christians are trying to do. Many churches and Christians are trying to appease society and please God at the same time and it just doesn’t work. What ends up happening is no one respects them. Their fellow Christians don’t respect them because they are willing to compromise their beliefs to please others and those outside the church don’t respect because they are not willing to compromise enough to please them. Jesus told His disciples if they followed Him they would be hated because of Him. That is something we have to deal with. If we make a real commitment to follow Christ we are going to be hated because of our beliefs. So are you willing to make that type of commitment to follow Christ?

Sat, May 10th - 11:03PM

Romans 4:13-22

Romans 4:13 Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. 14If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. 15For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)

16So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. 17That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.

18Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” 19And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.

20Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. 22And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. (NLT)

The Jews thought they were right with God because they kept the Law but yet as Paul points out the Jews consider themselves descendants of Abraham but Abraham lived before God gave the Law to Moses. Abraham was right in the eyes of God because of his faith. 

We are made right with God through our faith in Christ and nothing else. The Bible declares that we are all sinners worthy of death and the wrath of God but Jesus died as a sin sacrifice on the cross for us so that whosoever believes in Him and accepts Him as Lord and Savior can have their sins forgiven and eternal life through Him. It is through Christ alone that we are saved.

John 14:6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

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.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Now a lot of people think once they are saved they are free to do whatever they want. This is of course nowhere close to the truth because the Bible also declares those who love God obey Him:

1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Now we are not saved because we obey the commandments of God but we obey the commandments of God because we are saved.

The Bible declares we are all guilty of sin and deserve the punishment of God but God provided a way for you escape your just dues if you accept Christ as your Lord and Savior. We will stand before God someday to be judged. If you are saved by the blood of Christ you have nothing to fear your award is heaven but if you have not accepted salvation in Christ and made Him Lord of your life God is going to judge you for your rebellion and rejection of Him. 

Fri, May 9th - 11:16PM

Romans 4:1-12

Romans 4:1Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? 2If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. 3For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”^a

4When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. 5But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. 6David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it:

7“Oh, what joy for those

whose disobedience is forgiven,

whose sins are put out of sight.

8Yes, what joy for those

whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.”

9Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles? Well, we have been saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith. 10But how did this happen? Was he counted as righteous only after he was circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised? Clearly, God accepted Abraham before he was circumcised!

11Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith. 12And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised (NLT)

The Jews of Paul’s time thought they were right with God because they were descendants of Abraham, they were circumcised into the Jewish community, and because they kept the Law but as Paul continues to point out we are justified by our faith in Christ not in any thing we do. We are saved by our faith in Christ not in any ritual, tradition, or belonging to any church. Baptism doesn’t make us right with God, doing sacraments doesn’t make us right with God, going to church, or belonging to a church doesn’t make us right with God. We are saved by our faith in Christ that He is the Son of God that died on the cross for our sins and that He rose from the died and that He is seated at the right hand of God.

Romans 10:9That 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.

We can never do enough to earn salvation by our own means. This doesn’t mean we don’t obey God because as John points out if we love God we will obey Him.

1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

This means we can never be good enough on our own to earn salvation but those who are saved should obey Him. 

It was Martin Luther’s study of justification by faith in Romans that led to the Protestant Reformation. He come to understand that despite the teaching of the Catholic Church he was not good in the eyes of God because he belonged to the Catholic Church or because he followed the teachings of the Catholic Church. He realized he would never be good in the eyes of God until he came to Christ in faith that He is the only way to salvation and accepted salvation in Christ through faith and you will never be good in the eyes of God until you also come to Christ in faith and accept Him as Lord and Savior of your life but this is only the beginning of the Christian life. Living the Christian life is a lifetime of faithful obedience to Christ where we make Christ Lord of our lives instead of ourselves. 

Fri, May 9th - 11:15PM

1 Kings 19:14-18

1 Kngs 19:14Then he said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

      15The LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram; 16and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. 17“It shall come about, the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death. 18“Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.” (NASB)

I tell you sometimes I feel like Elijah. Elijah had seen Israel turn away from God and fall into idol worship and evil and he felt he must be the only one left that still followed God but God reminded him that He still had many followers beside Elijah. 

I said I feel like Elijah sometimes because I look at our nation and wonder where the true followers of Christ are and where is the true church of God? 73% of Americans claim to be Christian but I am thinking if this is true then why is this country in such moral decline? Why it is this country seems to be free falling into immorality and wickedness? Why is that babies are murdered every day in this country in the name of women’s health? Why is there even a debate about what is marriage when God’s standard for marriage is very clear?

I wonder where is the true church of God when all I see is plenty of false teaching. I turn on Christian TV and I see prosperity preachers preaching a message of greed, I see word of faith preachers turning God into some kind of magical genie that sits in heaven waiting to give us whatever we want if we say the right words and have enough faith, and I see feel good preachers preaching feel good messages but never preach on salvation, sin, and repentance. The mission of any church or preacher should be to preach Christ and Him crucified for the sins of mankind. Their mission should be to preach salvation to a dying world not how to get rich, or blessed, or to get whatever you want from God to fulfill your selfish desires.

The truth is of that 73% who claim to be Christian most have never made a real commitment to Christ. Most consider themselves Christian because they believe there is a God even though they have no desire to obey Him or follow Him or because their parents were Christian or they grew up in a Christian environment. In reality many of these 73% never go to church. It is estimated only about 20% of Americans attend church regularly and many of those who do attend regularly are nothing but pew warmers. Meaning they have no real desire to get involved in church and have no desire to be part of any type of ministry. These are the real numbers behind the state of the church in the U.S. and in the state of our country. The answer to our nation’s problems is Christ and He is the change that this country needs but that change won’t come about until the true men and women of God make the change happen. 

Until we get back to the fundamental teachings of Christianity and leave the garbage theologies behind we want see true change in this country. Until the men and women of Christ get off the pew seats and take the message of salvation to the lost this country is going to continue to slid into immorality and wickedness. Trust me I am not trying to sound holier than thou and I know I am not the only one who feels like and there are many ministries and Christians who are doing the right thing but I was once a pew warmer myself. I was perfectly happy going to church every Sunday morning never getting involved in any meaningful way with the church until someone showed me the true state of the church and what was needed of followers of Christ to correct the problems and that this is what God expects of all His children. Before Christ returned to heaven after His resurrection He gave His disciples the Great Commission to preach the Gospel to the whole world. This wasn’t a commission just to those eleven individuals but to all followers of Christ to preach the true message of salvation to the loss of the world.

Matthew 28:19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen

Thu, May 8th - 8:22PM

Romans 3:24-31

Romans 3:24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

27Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.

29After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. 30There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.^j 31Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law. (NLT)

We are made right with God through our faith in Jesus Christ.

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. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (KJV)

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Is this a free pass to continue to sin? No.  Is this a free pass to disregard the commandments of God? No. Those who truly love God will obey Him and make Him Lord of their lives. No longer is self lord of our lives but God is Lord over our lives. 

Christ died as a sacrifice on the cross for our sins. The Bible says the penalty for sin is death. Under the old covenant lambs were offered as a sacrifice for sins of man. The lamb bore God’s punishment so that man didn’t have to. Under the new covenant established by the blood of Christ, Christ bore the sins of man on the cross. He died for all of mankind so that all can be saved through Him. This is not universal salvation as the Universalists teach but this is a free gift to all those who accept Christ in faith and make Him Lord of their lives. This is a free gift to all who turn from their lives of sin, accept Christ as Savior in faith that He is the Son of God that died for them and rose again from the grave, and they make Him Lord of their lives. As the Bible says there is only one Way to heaven (John 14:6) and only way to salvation. (Acts 4:12) all other ways are false ways that only lead to hell. The Bible is quiet clear until you come to Christ in faith and accept Him as Lord and Savior you are still guilty of your sins in the eyes of God and worthy of the penalty of your sins.

Wed, May 7th - 8:40PM

Romans 3:23

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

The Bible says that we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. If we all have sinned then we are all worthy of the penalty of our sins which is death. That is spiritual death, eternal separation from God in hell.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Revelation 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12And 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. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

But Christ died on the cross as a sin sacrifice for our sins so that whosoever believes in Him and accepts Him as Lord and Savior can have their sins forgiven and eternal life through Him. Salvation in Christ is the one and only way to heaven. You can never be good enough on your own to earn heaven. Sacraments, traditions, going to church, or belonging to church will not earn you salvation. The one and only way to heaven is through you faith in Christ as Savior.

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.

Ephesians 2:8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

But this is just the beginning of the Christian life after salvation comes a lifetime of faithful obedience to following the will of God. This means obeying His commandments, obeying His will for our life, and making Him Lord of our lives. Under the old sinful life we did what we wanted and we lived to fulfill our desires and our wants. Under the new Christian life we live to please God and do His will and to please Him. No longer is self the Lord of our lives but God Almighty is Lord of our lives. 

The Jews of Paul’s time thought they were right before God because they made a big show of following the Law and their traditions but as Jesus pointed out again and again their hearts were far from God. You might fool others but you can’t fool God. God knows who truly are following Him and who is putting on the show of being a follower. 

Tue, May 6th - 8:17PM

Romans 3:21-22

Romans 3:21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. (NLT)

We are saved by our faith in Christ:

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 (KJV)

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (KJV)

As Paul pointed out earlier the purpose of the Law was to make us aware of sin and of God’s holy standard for holiness. No man except Christ was able to keep the Law perfectly that is why Christ qualified as the sinless sacrifice for our sins. Christ died on the cross so that whosoever believes in Him and accepts Him as Lord and Savior can have their sins forgiven and eternal life through Him. You can never be good enough on your own to earn salvation. Doing sacraments or following church tradition or belonging to a certain church will not get you to heaven. We are saved by our faith in Christ. Christ is the one and only Way to heaven.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (KJV)

Acts 4:10Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. 11This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. 12Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (KJV)

The Jews of Paul’s time thought they were right with God because they tried to keep the Law but as Jesus pointed out to them time and gain their religion was nothing but a show of righteousness. While they made a show of being holy on the outside their hearts were far from God. You can fool others but you can never fool God. God knows the heart of all of us and knows those who truly believe and those who are only making a show of being holy before God. 

Many people today have been fooled into thinking because they are a “good person” they deserve to go to heaven but by whose standard are they a good person? The Bible says we have all sinned (Romans 3:23) and that we all deserve death for our sins. (Romans 6:23) The only way you can ever be made right in the eyes of God is through Christ. Until you repent of your sins and accept Christ as Lord and Savior you are still guilty before God and deserve hell. 

Mon, May 5th - 8:09PM

Romans 3:19-20

Romans 3:19 Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; 20because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. (NASB)

The Law of course is the Old Testament Law of Moses that was given to the Hebrews as they traveled to the Holy Land. It was the commandments of God given directly to the Jews directing how they were to live as the chosen people of God. As Christians we are no longer under the Law of Moses. Christ established a new covenant with his death for all believers and as Paul points out the Law can’t make us justified before God anyway.

 It is through the Law that comes the knowledge of sin. The Law reveals the nature of God. It is through the Law that man was made aware of what is right and pleasing in the eyes of God and what is considered sin. It is the Law that revealed the evil nature of man and how far he was from the holy standard of God because many people have convinced themselves they are good people but yet the Law reveals how far we actually are from God’s standard of what is good in His sight.  

The Jews of Jesus and Paul’s days especially the Pharisees thought they were right before God because they tried to keep the Law but as Jesus pointed out to them time and time again that all though they made a show of living right before God their hearts were far from God. Their worship of God was nothing but a show because in reality their hearts were far from God and full of evil. God Himself came to them in the flesh and their hearts were so far from God that they hated Him so much they wanted Him dead. 

Keeping the Law, doing sacraments following any kind of religious tradition or trying to live a good life on your own will never make us right in the eyes of God. As Ephesians 2:8 points out we are saved by the grace of God through our faith in Christ.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast.

And as Romans 10:9 points out we are saved by our belief in Christ.

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.

Christ died on the cross so that whosoever believes in Him and accepts Him as Lord and Savior can have their sins forgiven and eternal life through Him. That is how we are made right in the eyes of God, through our faith in Christ. Now that doesn’t mean we don’t obey the commandments of God. This is not a free license to sin. Because before we come to Christ we must repent of our sins. In other words we must leave the life of sin behind.  That is what it means to make Christ Lord. We no longer serve sin but now we serve Christ as His servants and we live to do His will.

Sun, May 4th - 8:13AM

Romans 3:9-18

Romans 3:9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;

10As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

11There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

12They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

13Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:

14Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

15Their feet are swift to shed blood:

16Destruction and misery are in their ways:

17And the way of peace have they not known:

18There is no fear of God before their eyes.

There are two competing world views in the world today. We have the humanist worldview that says man is basically good and that man is able to come up with the answers to the world’s problems on his own and that man is the ultimate authority on the earth and if we get the right people in government they can fix the world’s problems. This is basically the world view of most liberals. That is why they fight so hard over politics. They believe the answer to the world’s problems can be solved through political means if we get the right leaders in place who can bring about the right change. Sound familiar?

Then we have the Biblical worldview that says man is evil and that the only way man can ever be made right before God is through Christ. In the Biblical worldview God is the ultimate authority in the lives of men and God is the answer to the world’s problems because man is the problem. Man brought sin into the world and the evil that is in the world today is the result of the evil of man.

The humanist worldview is a worldview devoid of God. If man is good instead of evil then he doesn’t need a Savior. If man has the answers then there is no need for God.

In the Biblical worldview the only hope for man is God. Man can’t save himself and is doomed to destruction with God. 

The humanist worldview is the same old lie that Satan has been selling to man since the Garden of Eve.

Genesis 3:4And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Satan convinced Eve that she could be a god onto herself and this is the same old lie that Satan is selling mankind today. That we can be our own gods without God which by the way is the basic belief behind New Age religions which isn’t new but the same old lie from the Garden of Eve. But just a few chapters later this is what God had to say about the state of man:

Genesis 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

We are all sinners before God because each and every one of us has broken the commandments of God but God gave His Son to die on the cross for us so that whosoever believes in Him and accepts Him as Lord and Savior can have their sins forgiven and washed clean of our unrighteousness before God. This is how we are made right before God.

John 3:16 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.

Thu, May 1st - 10:36PM

Romans 2:16

Romans 2:16In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

There is a coming day of judgment for all of mankind and if you read the Bible you have probably heard the term the day or judgment day. The Bible is clear each and every one of us will give an account of our lives to God. If you have been born again and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior then you have nothing to fear your sins are forgiven and your award is eternity with the Father but if you have not seek forgiveness of your sins in Christ and made Him Lord and Savior of your life then you should be very afraid because you will stand before the Almighty God to answer why you picked sin over forgiveness, evil over holiness, wickedness over good, rebellion over obedience. What could you possibly tell God why you rejected Him and His free gift of forgiveness in Jesus Christ? 

Romans 14:10But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ

2 Corinthians 5:10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Revelation 20:11And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12And 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. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

The only way to heaven is through Christ and if you have rejected The Way that God provided for you to escape His judgment then why should He pardon your sins? Christ died on the cross as a sin sacrifice for our sins so that whosoever believes in Him and accepts Him as Lord and Savior can have their sins forgiven and eternal life through Him but if in your arrogance and rebellion choose to reject this free gift of salvation then why should God forgive you? God is only giving you what you asked for eternal separation from Him in hell.