Salvation-Saved From What?

Saved From What?

By

Dr. Harold Sightler (1914–1995)

“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”—Matt. 1:21.

In the first chapter of Matthew, we have the clearest declaration concerning the manner of the birth of Jesus found in the Bible. The inspired record sets forth in no uncertain terms the virgin birth, and this truth is repeated several times. Joseph had to be convinced, for his first impression was that Mary had committed fornication. He was “minded” to put her away privately, not being willing to make a public example of her. This is what Joseph was proceeding to do when he was arrested by the angel of the Lord with this statement concerning the true facts of what had happened.

After the angel had instructed Joseph as to the manner of Mary’s conception, he then announced the great purpose of this miracle. In our text, the angel sums up the entire purpose of the coming of Jesus into the world: “Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” This is one of the great statements of the Bible. It is a truth that has been proven over and over again. Its wonderful message is the sweetest ever heard by mortal ear. The power of this truth has transformed the lives of multitudes.

The great motivating power that sends us out to preach is the message that Jesus saves. This is the same motivating power which fills the ranks of missionaries. No sacrifice is too great and no price is too high for this message. It drives us on with new hope upon each opportunity to witness or preach. We have experienced its life-transforming power, and we have seen it work in the lives of others.

I. Things From Which None Are Saved

Though Jesus saves—blessed truth—notice three things from which none of us are saved today.

1. None Saved From Suffering

First, I am saved, but I am not saved from suffering. Go to the hospitals today, and you will find as many Christians there as lost people. Go to the rest homes, and you will find as many feeble and weak Christians as non-Christians. Yes, sometime or other every last one of us will suffer. We may be well today, but some tomorrow will bring us to the hospital in pain and agony. This life is marked by suffering. Sin is producing its fruit. Ours is a fallen race, and a mark of this Fall is suffering.
Well do I know that Jesus has power to heal our bodies. He is the Great Physician. No disease is too great for this Healer. Every time we recover from an illness, it is because He is the Healer. We ought to pray for the healing of our bodies and for the healing of our loved ones. Yet, there will come a time when it is not God’s will to heal. When the day comes we shall die. All suffer in this life. We enter the world with a cry, and we leave the world with the same. The journey is marked by times of suffering and sickness.
May I rejoice with you over the day when there will be no more pain. The time will come when all will receive a new body. This body is to be fashioned like unto the glorious body of our Lord. Then there will be no more suffering and sickness. In I John 3:2, we read, “Beloved…it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” When that day comes, there will be no more pain, suffering or sickness.

2. None Saved From Sorrow

Second, I am not saved from sorrow. Tears are the portion and lot of us all here upon this earth. For many years, I could say that I had never had a broken heart. I had never sorrowed. All in my family were well and strong. I had never lost a loved one by death. I had never trod the valley of sorrow. I had never shed bitter tears. However, never again can I say this. In 1951, I was plunged into a valley of tears and sorrow unparalleled in all my past. My family circle was forever broken in the tragic passing of my child. She was killed in an automobile accident. My wife was very seriously injured. For five months she lingered near death. She will carry the marks of this accident to her grave. My heart was broken. Tears came freely then, and often since. I was saved then as much as ever, but I was not saved from sorrow.
Sometime in the lives of us all sorrow will come. This sorrow will make us long for the day when Jesus will wipe away all tears from our eyes. He has given to us this promise: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” (Ps. 30:5). The time will come when no saved person will ever weep, when our hearts will never bleed again.

3. None Saved From Shame

Third, I am not saved from shame. All will agree that there is a shame in the old rugged cross. The world has never been friendly to grace. They that live godly will suffer persecution. This world does not understand the saved. The saved can never become adjusted to this age. The Bible warns that this world will be “despisers of those that are good” (II Tim. 3:3).
One needs only to take his Bible in hand and walk down a busy street to see the eyes of others lifted in scorn.
There is shame in the Book. There is shame in a testimony. There is shame in a witness. They that stand for God understand this shame and gladly bear it.
Some golden daybreak those who now suffer shame will be placed on exhibition in Glory. The angels and all the heavenly creatures will be permitted to look upon the token of God’s grace. The redeemed of all ages will be gathered together onto this place of exhibition. No shame then; only glory by and by.

II. Things From Which We Are Saved

I have noticed three things from which we are not saved; now I want us to notice three things from which Jesus does save us.

1. I Am Saved From Sin

The text says, “He shall save his people from their sins.” Someone has accused us of believing in a “sinning religion.” Though we do not claim sinless perfection, we do rejoice that, by His grace, we have been saved from sin—saved from the power of sin. Grace has broken the power of sin. “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Rom. 5:20). Jesus gives His people power to say no to the Devil and sin. He liberates from the bondage and pits of sin. He lifts us out.
We are also saved from the penalty of sin. The Bible says, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die,” and, “…the wages of sin is death.” It is true that the penalty of sin is death, but to us who are saved, this penalty is paid by our Lord Jesus Christ. In Romans 8:1 we read, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” We are passed from condemnation to eternal life.
Then one day we will be saved from the presence of sin. The redeemed are to be lifted from the earth and from its sin. The day will come when we will be taken to a place where there is no sin. Jesus promises that “there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination” (Rev. 21:27). Neither the Devil nor his demons will be able to enter into that City. It is prepared for the redeemed.

2. I Am Saved From Self

I am not my own; I am bought with a price. After Jesus saved me, He demanded my body, soul and spirit. All I am and all I have are His; I must be about His business. I must go where He wills that I go and say that which He wills me to say. To use the words of Paul, I am a bond servant of Jesus—we are His slaves. All saved people are able to give this same testimony.
Sometimes unsaved people are heard to say that they will do as they please. God’s people must not say this. We gladly pledge our allegiance to Jesus. We gladly do as He pleases. Herein lies the reason men and women will give their lives on the mission field. Here is the answer to the great sacrifice some people make in order to serve Jesus: we are saved from self.

3. I Am Saved From Satan

This makes the Devil mad. He does not want me to proclaim deliverance from his power. Blessed be the day when Jesus saved me from Satan. I am free indeed. The Devil cannot do more than nag me. He cannot put his dirty hands upon me except in God’s will. He cannot get to me except God permit him to do so. The Bible describes Satan as a roaring lion going up and down in the earth seeking whom he may devour. I rejoice that there are some whom he cannot devour—the redeemed. To the saved he is more a roar than anything else.
Claim the deliverance and rejoice in it. The Devil can do no more than try to hinder you from so doing. Claim freedom by faith. When Jesus saved you, He saved you from Satan.

Many times the Devil has threatened my life. In nearly audible impressions he tells us that he will take our lives. But he is a liar; my life is in Jesus, and the Devil can do nothing about it.

Sowing And Reaping

“WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND”

Galatians 6:7 " Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

An assistant manager of a large department store saw a boy standing at the bottom of the escalator one day. The assistant became suspicious. He watched the boy for a while. The had his eyes glued on the moving handrail. Finally the assistant went over to the lad and questioned him. "Something wrong young man?" he asked? "No sir "., replied the boy, not taking his eyes off the handrail, "I'm just waiting for my bubble gum to come back."

We know that specifically, the primary application of this passage is to the PLACE and the PURPOSE of GIVING.

We see the precept in verse 6, the principle behind the precept in verses 7 and 8, and then the promise in verse 9.
However, this also applies to every other area of our lives,.……….what goes around comes around!

Jan 15, 1986 Raleigh N.C. a man went to a party and had too much to drink and his friends plead with him to let them take him home. He says no because he only lives a mile away. About five blocks from the party, the police pull him over for weaving and they ask him to get out and walk the line.
Just as he starts, the police radio blares out that a robbery is taking place about a block away. The police tell him to stay put because they will be right back after the go check out the robbery.
The guy waits and waits and finally decides to drive home. When he gets there, he tells his wife he is going to bed, and to tell anyone who might be looking for him that he had the flu and has been in bed all day.
A few hours later, the police knock on the door. They ask if the man lives there and the wife says that he does. They ask to see him and she replies that he is in bed with the flu and has been all day. The police have his driver's license. They ask to see his car and she asks why. They insist on seeing his car, so she takes them to the garage and opens the door where they find the police car, lights still flashing.


This explicit warning implies:
1. That you can be deceived- 2. That many are deceived- 3. That we must therefore, earnestly, and actively, seek not to be deceived!

If we are honest with God and yourself, this is a very sobering and solemn subject to each and every one of us!
We are right now reaping, and will reap, positively & negatively the results of what we’ve sown physically, financially and spiritually.


A Navy SEAL was attending some college courses between assignments. One of the professors was an avowed atheist. One day he shocked the class when he came in, looked to the ceiling, and flatly stated, “God, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I’ll give you exactly 5 minutes.”
The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. Ten minutes went by and the professor proclaimed, “Here I am God. I’m still waiting.”
It got down to the last couple of minutes when the SEAL got out of his chair, went up to the professor, and punched him right off the platform. The professor was out cold. The SEAL went back to his seat and sat there, silently. The other students were shocked and stunned and sat there looking on in silence.
The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the SEAL and asked, “What is the matter with you? Why did you did that?”
The SEAL calmly replied, “God was busy ,So He sent me.”
God’s judgment moves slowly but crushes completely! …..there is coming a payday someday!

"mock"- Greek- “to stick your nose up at” to sneer.
They think some fancy footwork will get them free from facing the penalty!

* What happens in Vegas does NOT STAY in Vegas!!!!!!

* Cigars and Insurance A Charlotte, NC, man having purchased a case of very rare, very expensive cigars insured them against fire. - then smoked his entire stockpile of cigars - the man filed a claim against the insurance company. In his claim, the man stated the cigars were lost "in a series of small fires".
The insurance company refused to pay, - The man sued.... and won.
Rather than endure a lengthy and costly appeal process the insurance company accepted the ruling and paid the man $15,000 for the rare cigars he lost in "the fires".
After the man cashed the check, however, the insurance company had him arrested on 24 counts of arson. - the man was convicted of intentionally burning his insured property and sentenced to 24 months in jail and a $24,000 fine.

" that shall he also reap."

Many eastern religions teach what they call Karma. The Chinese religions call this Ying Yang.
"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction,"

No one gets around this law. This, like the law of gravity-is universal. You may not reap the moment when you sow, but you will reap what you sow.

Law Enforcement has new technology that will take a picture of your license plate if you exceed the speed limit.

In Great Britain, London police sent a photo and citation to one motorist showing him running a red light.
The motorist in turn sent the police a photo of a check for the citation. Not to be outdone, the police then sent the motorist a photo of handcuffs. He quickly paid in cash.

Some people sing, “if it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all, gloom , despair, and agony , oh me”. It’s not bad luck. It’s probably bad sowing!
It’s a **choice**, not **chance** a CONSEQUENCE of sin…past & present have a effect on the future!

If you spend more than you earn, and gamble all you gain, you might as well expect poverty.

If you smoke for 15 yrs, don’t be surprised when you reap emphysema.
You may not reap Cancer, but you will reap to one degree or another ill effects of alcohol or tobacco abuse of your body.

Diabetes is often the result of reaping- same is so for high blood pressure.

Your chickens WILL come home to roost!

Whatsoever “THAT”- not something else but “THAT’!
What is reaped will be of the same SORT as what was sowed.
What you SOW is what’s gonna GROW in your GARDEN!
You WILL reap the results of what you sow!

If you plant WHEAT you won’t get WATERMELONS! If you plant CORN you won’t get CUCUMBERS!

I once read of a little boy who used to escape his bedroom after being punished. he would crawl out of his bedroom window down an old fruit tree to the ground. One day, his father told him that he was going to chop down the fruit tree, because it hadn't borne any fruit for a number of years. That evening, the boy and his friend bought a bushel of apples, and during the night, tied those apples on the barren branches. The next morning, the man could not believe his eyes. He said to his wife, "Honey, I just can't believe it! That old tree hasn't yielded any fruit for years, and now it's covered with apples. And, the most amazing thing is that it's a pear tree!"

Sooner or later, you will get what’s coming to you!
Job 4:8 “Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.”
OT Parallel passage …..
Numbers 32:23 “But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.“

Church members sow their wild oats all week and pray for crop failure on Sunday!
The only way to change the harvest is to change the sowing.

Don’t get caught in the web and you won’t be dinner for the spider!
Don’t act surprised when you get stuck in sin!

Hosea 10:12 “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.”

Getting the Point

“THE GIFT OF THORNS”

What would you think if someone came to work-house. Wherever you were, and gave you a big bunch of .....thorns?
Would you think somebody was angry at you? Didn’t like you anymore? Well that’s what happened to Paul in 2 Corinthinas 10.
“There was given to me a thorn in the flesh.”
God gave Paul some thorns-not because He was angry at him but b/c He loved Him!!!


Every generation since Adam has a sure reminder of the curse on creation—via THORNS!

Genesis 3:18 “ cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee”

In a way…..life IS a BED OF ROSES! …but all the Roses have THORNS!!!

No matter where you go- trouble is waiting for you when you get there. Nobody has it made- we are all stuck with Thorns in our life!

Trials…tribulations… and troubles. Discouragement… Disappointment, and Disasters!

Thorns come in a thousand frustrating forms.
Surely suffering is a thorny issue. If you have never asked the question, "Where is God when it hurts?" One day you will. You may not need my message this moment, but you may need it in the next minute or the next month.

The greatest Christian of all, the Apostle Paul, knew what it was to have problems.

Notice………..

1. THE THORN AS AN ASSIGNMENT "was given me"

- God uses Thorns in our lives to TEACH

Trials are designed to call your faith to the witness stand ~ to validate what you declare you believe.

A faith that cannot be TESTED cannot be TRUSTED!

TESTS are to do two things:
1.) Show us what we learned 2.) Teach us what we haven’t learned yet!

A little boy girl had been promised the privilege of climbing to a nearby hilltop where his big brother played. But when he came within sight of the steep, rough path, he drew back. "”There isn't a smooth spot anywhere. It's all bumpy and stony!". His big brother, "How else would we climb if it wasn't? The stones and bumps are what we step on to get there."

God allows affliction, and puts in our path what some might consider to be stumbling blocks.

Even in so called ACCIDENTS- we see his APPOINTMENTS.


2. THE THORN AS AN AILMENT "in the flesh"

- God uses Thorns in our lives to TENDERIZE

Suffering can come in many shapes and sizes from many sources!

As to the nature of this thorn there have been many equally inconclusive guesses.
Some say it was poor eyesight. Some say it was a speech impediment. Some say it was a physical handicap. Some say it was his mother-in-law. Whatever it was- it hurt!.

Its best that we do not know what Paul’s problem was. Why? Because I am preaching to people who have thorns and are experiencing buffetings right now. If Paul had named his thorn, then we might conclude that the promises of God associated with that thorn were only good for others with the same problem. But, since we don’t know what he suffered from, we can apply the promises he received to the situations we face!)

3. THE THORN AS AN ASSAILANT "Messenger of Satan to buffet me"

- God uses Thorns in our lives to TEAR DOWN

Matt 13:22 Thorns always try to choke out the word of God!!!

One thing we know for sure about Paul’s thorn is this: it may have been carried out by Satan, but it was conceived by God! Whatever it was, it was part of God’s plan!

God could have kept Daniel out of the lions’ den- or kept Job from Satan’s assault- or the3 Hebrews out of the fiery furnace. However, God had a purpose for each of the trials they endured.

Don’t be sad because the roses have thorns, but rather rejoice because the thorns have roses.
Thorns outnumber roses 10 to 1!

If a man gives his wife Roses freshly picked- the wife wont look at bouquet and said “Why’d you bring me a bunch of thorns!?” No! Why can’t we be like that? We have all these good things-but focus on the thorns!

Would you be a better believer if all things went well? If you never had a hurt?
Or is it the opposite true?
There is a tendency and a temptation when things are going great to think that things are going so great, because you are so great, that God is so good to you, because you are so good to Him.

* This thorns Purpose was to Prevent Paul from getting proud.

That which hurt him helped him !!!!
“God resisteth the proud, but gives grace unto the humble”!

* When God allows some suffering in your life…

Do You GET THE POINT?

“THE END IS NEAR”

“THE END IS NEAR”

In Matthew24:3 Jesus was asked, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?"

It is increasingly obvious that the time of our Lord's coming is drawing near. Prophecy is being fulfilled daily, and at a faster pace than ever before.
Even people who do not know the Bible can sense something is about to happen.

REMINDS ME OF THE MONKEY WHO ACCIDENTALLY GOT HIS TAIL CUT OFF AND THEN SAID, "IT WON'T BE LONG NOW."

I’m not saying for sure that it all will end today or tommorw- but I am saying it CAN!
Now his coming may not necessarily be immediate but it is always imminent.
"But of that day and hour no man knows, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only" (Mt. 24:36).


I think of the mirrors on our cars. On them are the words, "Objects are closer than they appear." The reason is that the mirror is convex, allowing a much wider angle of vision. The Bible gives us a wide angle vision of the future and everything seems to say, "The return of Jesus is closer than we may think."

Some may look at a sign that reads—THE BRIDGE IS OUT, and say, "Oh, someone is just trying to scare us into taking another road; let’s go on the same way." They go on and plunge to their death. The sign was not meant to scare people, but to warn them of impending danger. The sign was put there, because someone cared and didn’t want others to die.

God wants you to know, WHEN YOU SEE THESE THINGS COME TO PASS (the prophecies from the Bible in this message), KNOW YE THAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS NIGH AT HAND-Lk 21:31.

The amazing accuracy of prophecy is astounding! In reality, it is IMPOSSIBLE for a lost man to believe the 2nd Coming. That’s right! Any man that TRULY believes Jesus is Coming would be stirred to salvation!

Here are a few SIGNS of the TIMES that the END is NEAR!!

1.The RISE & RATE of Knowledge & Travel

Daniel 12:4 "But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase."
90% of all the engineers and scientists who have ever lived are alive today.

One super computer can do in a minute what it would have taken thousands of men a year to do. This is the age of information, communication, and transportation.

They don’t call it the INFORMATION SUPER HIGHWAY fornothing!

2. THE REALITY OF NUCLEAR WARFARE

Some signs sound strangely similar to plagues, like the effects of nuclear radiation. Zechariah foresaw these future plagues when he wrote, "And this shall be the plague...their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths" (Zech. 14:12-15).
hTis was a mystery to previous generations They could not comprehend what we easily assimilate.

Irate IRAN will soon have nuclear capability---so will South KOREA , andRUSSIA still does!

3. The REBIRTH of Israel

If you are not interested in Israel or in the Jewish people, then I know that two things must be true about you. On the one hand, you haven't been reading your newspaper, and on the other hand, you haven't been reading your Bible. I guarantee you if you will read your newspaper and you will read your Bible you will become vitally interested in the nation of Israel.


May 14th 1948 was the most important day in the 20th century

Israel Is the fig tree described in Matthew; "as soon as its branch becomes tender and starts putting forth its leaves", the end times are at hand (see Matt. 24:32-34). "who has heard of such things... shall a land be born in one day... shall a nation be delivered in one moment... yet as soon as Zion was in labor she delivered her children" (Isa. 66: 8-10, Mic 5:3.


Also, there is……………

4. The RETURN of Jews TO THEIR HOMELAND
*see Zephaniah 3:10-11

In 1984, Operation Moses saw the airlift of 15,000 Jews who had already fled to refugee camps in Sudan to escape starvation. In 1991, Operation Solomon flew 20,000 Jews to Israel from Ethiopia itself. A further airlift began in June of 1999, aimed at transporting the last 3,000 members of the Quara Jewish community from northeastern Ethiopia to Israel.
Israel's children are now, in our own time, returning home from Russia and other places in the world. "...as the Lord lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I had driven them... and they shall dwell in their own land" (Jer. 23.7-8).

5.THE RULE OF Jerusalem No Longer Gentile

Gentiles controlled Jerusalem from 70 A.D. until the Six Day War of 1967.
Jerusalem would be "trampled by the gentiles until the times of the gentiles is fulfilled" (Luke 21:24). The "times of the gentiles" has been fulfilled as a result of the Six Day War of 1967, since Jerusalem is now under the control of Israel. Therefore, since Jerusalem cannot be under gentile rule in the terminal age, the current situation of the Jews controlling Jerusalem is a sign that we are in the terminal age.

6. THE REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE

For several end time prophecies to be fulfilled, the temple will have to be rebuilt.
In Revelation 11:2 John is told to measure it.
In Daniel 9:27 we see that the Antichrist will commit the abomination of desolation there.

Some archeologists believe that the temple mount is actually 340 feet south of the Dome of the Rock site, putting the Dome of the Rock within the Court of the Gentiles. This may be the court outside the temple that is left out.
A group in Israel called the Temple Mount Faithful have obtained most of the clothing, instruments and other equipment required for temple worship and are actively preparing for the laying of the third temple's cornerstone.

7. THE RED HEIFER

In recent years there has been the amazing APPEARANCE OF THE RED HEIFER AFTER 2000 YEARS
Numbers 19:2-7
A red heifer will be required to be used in the process of purification described in the book of Numbers.
In May 1997 the first Red Heifer was born in 2000 years. Another red Heifer was born in Israel in March of 2002.

8.The RELIGIOUS apostacy of the hour

New Age theories and philosophy –Secular humanism- no right or wrong Environmentalism, rampant pantheistic pagans worship Mother earth -not Father God, and are more concerned with bugs and birds than babies!

Matthew 24:5 "For many will come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and will mislead many."
Matthew 24:11 "And many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many."

In the last several years many have claimed to be the Messiah. Jim Jones and David Koresh are examples of these false christs as well as countless others who are not as newsworthy. These false prophets are a prelude to the ultimate false christ, the antichrist.


9.the RECENT PLAGUES & PHENOMENA
"there will be famines, pestilence, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows" (Matt. 24:7-8). AIDS, the Ebola Virus , the Asian bird flu and other diseases are proof that we are living in the terminal age .

Do I need to mention EARTHQUAKES ? The total number of earthquakes in recent years is indeed rising. For example, it was reported that in 1986, the total number of earthquakes was 12,718. In l990, it was 16,612. In 1994, it was 19,371.
This will culminate during the Battle of Armageddon. At that time, there will be an earthquake that will shake the world. The cities of the nations will fall. Every island will flee away.

10. THE REUNITED ROMAN EMPIRE

In Daniel 2:32-33, 2:40-43 we find that the 4th kingdom of iron is the Roman empire according to Daniel's interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream. The two legs are the division of the Roman empire into an eastern portion called the Byzantine empire which ended in the 1400's and a western portion based in Rome which ended in the 400's.
The nations of Europe since the Roman empire dissolved have never adhered or formed one empire but continue as separate nations, however, the European Union now has 15 Member States and is preparing for the accession of 13 eastern and southern European countries.

On May 10, 2006 three members of a family in Florida became the first people to receive the biochip implant. Each device, made of silicon and called a VeriChip, is a small radio transmitter about the size of a piece of rice that is injected under a person's skin. It transmits a unique personal ID number whenever it is within a few feet of a special receiver unit. VeriChip's maker describes it as "a miniaturized, implantable, radio frequency identification device (RFID) that can be used in a variety of security, emergency and healthcare applications."

11. The RUMORS OF WAR

The winds of war are raging around us and the rest oftheworld ……Matthew 24:6 "And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.

Matthew 24:7 "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes."

More people were been killed in warfare in the 20th century than at any other time in history, and the 21st looks to surprise it. As the death toll rises in the Middle East, more and more countries work feverishly to develop devastating weapons of mass destruction. Add to that the expanding threat of terrorism and unpredictable dictators ALL OVER THE Middle and Far East, and the potential for the outbreak of war exists in nations, kingdoms and places across the globe.


12.The ReSEMBLENCE TO THE DAYS OF NOAH & LOT

"but as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be" (Matt. 24:36-39).

50 years ago, many people never locked their doors at night. People could leave their keys in their car. Merchants could leave their merchandise on the sidewalk without guards, and there was little or no profanity on television, radio, or in the movies. One of the biggest problems in public school was gum chewing. Those days are long gone.
And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold." (v.12) Three things always go together: lawlessness, lovelessness, and lukewarmness.


The end is NEAR the coast is CLEAR and we almost outta HERE!

If you knew that tomorrow was your last day on earth, how would you live differently? Luke 21:28
Jesus, speaking of His return, said, "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."

The END is NEAR!!!

A TITANIC TRUTH

"A TITANIC TRUTH"

Guest Blog by Pastor Steve Powell

Pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church

Tillers Corner, Alabama

A few weeks back our family went to see the Titanic exhibition in Atlanta.

The exhibit is set up as an interactive tour. At the beginning of the tour, each person is given a card with the name of someone who was on the ship. You are given some slight biographical information on the person such as sex, age, reason for the trip, family on board, class of cabin, etc. but you are not told whether the person survived. It made for interesting conjecture among us, trying to figure out if “our” person “made it” or perished when Titanic went down. Since the great majority did not survive, you know from the beginning that the odds are against your passenger. If they were an adult male, the odds were even less. If you were a poor, adult, male, you didn’t hardly stand a chance. As we continued the tour, seeing all kinds of artifacts pulled from the wreckage, photos of the ship, and items about the voyage, the lighting grew more dim, and the atmosphere was purposely made more morbid and threatening. From the excitement of leaving port you moved to the horror of the collision with the iceberg. I had been given the name of an adult male, relatively poor. Viewing scenes of wreckage from the destruction of the great ship, I began to hope against hope, that “my” person somehow survived. At the end, I was not surprised, however, to find his name among those who were lost at sea. I heard someone say that it would be wonderful if a person could go back in time and warn the people about what was going to happen. “Think of all the lives you could save!” they said.

I, however, had the unpleasant knowledge that even a time traveler would have little or no effect on the fate of these people. If you could go back and be on Titanic, you would be utterly frustrated. No matter what you said, or how passionately you might plead, or how much proof you offered, almost everyone would continue on exactly as they had before. That is the nature of people. They would rather go on in ignorant bliss and would resent someone disturbing that bliss.

The worst part of all, is that you would be on board that ship with those same people that were destined for disaster. Even if your safety were guaranteed, if you knew that you would be whisked to safety right before the disaster, you would not be happy. You would mourn for the people that were going to die. They would not be mere names on a slip of paper. They would be living, breathing people, with hopes and dreams, and families. Some of them you might not like, and they might not like you. But some of them would become your friends. Some would be very likeable, admirable, warm and engaging people. You might even find some that were kin to you. And though you might enjoy their company, you would have the knowledge that each day you were drawing closer to at time when those same people would be crying in terror and pain, freezing or drowning in frigid waters. Some would be on lifeboats watching their husbands and fathers going under with the great ship. The weight of that knowledge would temper every thing that you experienced. Folks may tell you to “lighten up” and “quit being so dramatic” and maybe “have some fun”. After all, you were on an unsinkable luxury liner. Couldn’t you just relax and let everyone enjoy the trip?

Eventually you would be forced to make a decision, whether to “chill out” and let them go ignorantly to their deaths, or be a fanatic, a nuisance, and hope to convince some to be prepared for disaster. Either way, it would certainly be no vacation.
Fortunately we will never have to make that decision. The disaster of the Titanic is history now, and that page of time is forever turned. But, as Christians, we live, work and associate with people every day in a very similar circumstance. We have the certain knowledge of a great disaster for them that makes the sinking of the Titanic pale in comparison. That knowledge allows us to be safe from the horror but lays a heavy burden on our shoulders for the people we come in contact with. Our desire is to warn them about what is to come, but so very few will even heed the warning.

I listened to a certain radio host who was talking about going to pre-marital counseling with a Baptist preacher. The host said that the preacher had insulted him horribly and left a really bad taste in his mouth for organized religion. He said, “I go in there for marriage advice, and the first thing this guy asks me is, ‘Are you a Christian?’ I wanted to tell him that I was an idol worshipper. I mean, what an insulting question. How dare he ask that?”

As I listened I tried to comprehend why this man should feel so insulted. What if he had gone to a doctor for a checkup before his marriage and the doctor asked him, “Are you healthy? Do you have any major physical problems?” Would the radio host be insulted at the doctor’s question? In fact, the question asked by this preacher is exactly the first question that should have been asked. The Bible specifically states that a believer is not to be unequally yoked with an unbeliever. It is the same thing as marrying a live person to a dead one. The preacher was merely asking, “Are you alive?” It is more than a concern for this man’s marriage; it is concern for his eternal fate.

Most people in America consider themselves to be a Christian. They, like this radio host, are very insulted if you ask them about their spiritual condition. And yet, the Bible tells us that the vast majority of people, no matter what they call themselves, are doomed to an eternity of eternal damnation. Like the folks on the Titanic, they have contented themselves with false sense of security and do not want that feeling to be challenged. They are very resentful if you dare question it. If you had asked a passenger on the Titanic, “What will you do if the ship sinks?” You would probably been answered with a sharp rebuke for daring to ruin their voyage by making them think about such a thing. After all, they were on an unsinkable ship, what could go wrong?

In hindsight, we see that many things went wrong. The Titanic disaster has raised a lot of questions. Why did the ship not have enough lifeboats? Why was she moving so fast in an area noted for icebergs? Why did the ship sink so quickly? Why did the captain ignore repeated warnings? If hard questions had been asked before the ship left for sea, then there would not have been a disaster. Instead, buoyed by false confidence and arrogance, questions were put aside and the ship steamed full speed ahead to a terrible fate. Even as the ship was sinking, many refused to believe it was happening. That is the way that people are. We do things like avoiding medical checkups because we are afraid that the doctor might actually find something. After all, what we don’t know won’t hurt us. It might, however, just kill us. It might even doom us for all time.

Every day I see people that I know and love. I run into friends and strangers alike I see friends that I care about deeply. I see family that means the world to me. I wish I could pretend that they were all going to be safe and sound for all time. But I have the terrible knowledge that a great many of them are headed for disaster. They are cruising full speed ahead, heedless of warnings, confident in their safety, unquestioning of their future. They worry about retirement. They worry about mortgages. They worry about the stock market, college tuition and health costs. But very few of them worry about their eternal destiny. When we leave this planet, all the worries of this world will be left behind. Many will realize then, that there was only one concern that absolutely had to be acted upon here on this earth; where they ended up when up when their time was up.

False hope. False confidence. False assurance. It sent the Titanic to the bottom of the sea, and many of its passengers along with it. The same will send many a soul to Hell.

In the third chapter of the Gospel of John, a man named Nicodemus sneaks over to see Jesus in the night. Nicodemus is a religious leader; a Pharisee. He is a teacher of the Word of God. He is a leader of the people, an instructor in righteousness. He is worried about his eternal destiny. Jesus looks into the heart of Nicodemus and answers the question that has driven this man to lay aside his pride and to seek answers. Jesus tells him, “Verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

Jesus elaborates, “Except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.”

That message, my friend, is to the point, final and unchangeable. It is the most important thing that you will ever hear or read. It holds the key to where you will spend your eternity also. Jesus answered not just for Nicodemus, but also for you and me. YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN!

This is the knowledge that bears such a weight in the heart of a true Christian. We know that unless a person is born again by the Spirit of God, they are doomed for eternity. They cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. Instead of being insulted, when asked whether he was a Christian, that radio host should have asked himself, “Have I ever been born again?” The question is not, have you ever been baptized, or have you ever joined the church, or have you ever prayed a prayer, or have you ever had a religious experience. The question is, have you ever been born again by the Holy Spirit of God?

It’s a question that every person needs to ask. It’s the most important question you will ever answer. It is a very specific question with very specific guidelines. You can only be born again by the blood of Jesus Christ. He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” (John 14:6) You can only come if the Holy Spirit convicts you of being a sinner. You must come with a repentant heart. You must come in faith, having nothing to offer for your salvation but the blood of Jesus. You must be born again!

I wish that every person had some sign that a pastor could see that would let them know who is saved and who is not. That knowledge, however, is only between each individual and God. The “proofs” of salvation are not for someone else to judge your eternal fate. They are given for you to know if you are saved. I can’t look at a diabetic and tell if they need insulin, at least not until they start showing severe symptoms. The diabetic person has to keep a check on their own blood sugar level, for their own benefit for their own well being. That is why God gives several “indicators” for each of us to check our spiritual health. You can call them “proof of life.”

First, have you ever come to Jesus in repentance and, in faith, asked Him to forgive you of your sin? Did you then make a public profession of your faith? That public profession does not save you, but it shows yourself and others that you really believe. Did you obey the first command of God to be baptized? (Again, the baptism does not save you, but it shows that you believe and obey, that you are willing to be identified with Jesus.) Do you have the witness of the Holy Spirit in your heart? Has God placed a love for the other children of God within you? Do you desire to please Jesus and to have a loving relationship with Him? Do you have any of the “fruits” of the Spirit, such as peace about your eternal fate, faith in the Word of God and love for others? If you cannot answer “yes” to these questions, then you need to realize that you may be on the road to eternal disaster.

People do not like to think about Hell. It is a very unpleasant topic. Jesus, however, spoke a lot about Hell. He was very specific about its reality. The icy waters of the North Atlantic provided only a few moments of suffering for those lost on the Titanic. Many of those same poor souls awoke in the flames of eternal damnation. In Luke, chapter 16, Jesus tells of a man suffering in the flames of hellfire, who begs for someone to go and tell his brothers to repent, that they would not come to the same horrible fate he suffered, but he is told that even if one rose from the dead to warn them, they would not repent. That is the way of people. We would rather stay comforted in false assurance, than take heed to an uncomfortable warning.

Jesus has risen from the dead. He has warned us. Pastors, preachers and evangelists proclaim over and over the dire warning of Almighty God. And yet, every day we pass through a world that is oblivious to the disaster waiting just ahead. Each person, charting his or her individual course of disaster. Full speed ahead. As I pass among them, I just want to grab, shake them and pound some sense into them, but I know it would do no good. The Bible tells us that only a small number will be saved, that only a portion will hear the truth. They did not listen to Jesus then and they are not listening to us now. So we go about with this terrible knowledge, while we shake hands at the grocery store, and enjoy a meal in restaurant, that the majority of those around us will perish. Even looking out over our own congregation, we know that there are those sitting on our pews that will never see the Kingdom of God. At family gatherings or with good friends, people that we really like and care about, that knowledge hangs over us. It is a burden that is almost crushing. Our best consolation is that God says that one day, He will wipe away the tears from our eyes.

Only God will be able to wipe them away those tears because it is a depressing and sorrowful thing to realize that people that we know and love are not going to make it. Some will find the narrow path to eternal life, but most will sail down that broad highway to destruction.
So, dear friend or family member, if you see me with a bit of sadness in my eyes, if I seem a might downcast sometimes, it is only because I care about you, and I worry about you, and I dearly hope that we will be able to share eternity together. Jesus Christ died for you and He loves you dearly. Friend, there is still time to turn your ship around. I pray that you will heed the warning. God, who knows the future, has reached out to you in time to save you. Now, how you receive that warning is entirely up to you.

Eternity awaits!

~Steve Powell

Pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church
Tillers Corner, Alabama

Your Sunday Best

Your Sunday Best
Guest Blog By
Brother Ritechus N. Dignation

(sure to ignite & inspire .....)

I’m fired up again. I mean I’m really stirred up. I just came from church, but from the way folks were dressed, you would have thought we were at the county fair. Last week, I attended a funeral and the dearly departed was dressed better than the bereaved. I’ve seen folks dress better for a hog call’in.

It used to be that people took pride in themselves and dressed up for church, weddings, funerals and other special occasions. Now anything goes and nobody bats an eye at the sorry and ungodly way folks cover their hide (or don’t cover, in some cases).

Now I know the old argument “What’s on the inside is more important than what’s on the outside”, is technically true, but the label on a can also tells you what’s inside. My wife used to buy those unlabeled, dented cans for a quarter at the grocery store, but I got tired of eat’in cat food casserole. What’s on the outside is pretty important in my book.

My wife and daughter went to a bridal shower where the bride and other guests wore tacky jeans and shorts. They were out of place in their nice skirts and dress shoes. People tell me to loosen up cause times have changed. Dadgum right and that’s the problem. A sense of propriety, pride and decency have been lost in this generation and no one seems to care or notice but old fogeys like me. We’ve come a long way, baby, but we’re going in the wrong direction.

Nakedness in public is the norm, and not just from the younger folks. I see older people who know better, showing way too much skin, from top to bottom. Mothers and Grandmothers ought to be ashamed for leading young girls astray. The Bible says the older women are to teach the younger and brother they’ve done exactly that, but they have put the emphasis on modern apparel and not modest apparel.

And preacher, dress up. Comb your hair, tuck in your shirt and put on a tie. It ain’t gonna kill you to look professional. After all, you can’t out dress your calling.

Brother Ritechus N. Dignation.
Joseph Harris