HEAVEN

 GOD’S WAY OR NO WAY

     In Matthew 7:13-14, JESUS said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it! Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it!” The words of JESUS warns us to look until we find the narrow gate and then to enter in through it! It will not be an easy way, but it is the WAY that leads to LIFE!

     There is a verse in a song that I heard at the beginning of a radio program back in my earlier days. It was, “Heading down the road of life, don’t know what I will find, but I’m searching for the best one and leave the rest behind!”

     In John 14:6, JESUS said, “I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE! No one comes to the FATHER except through ME!” In Acts 4:12, Peter affirms that JESUS is the WAY and said, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under HEAVEN given among men by which we must be SAVED!” JESUS IS GOD’S WAY AND THE ONLY WAY!

     There is words of an old song that says, “DETOUR...there’s a muddy road ahead! DETOUR! I should have obeyed that DETOUR SIGN!” If you choose any other way, you will be following the crowd through the wide gate and the broad way that only leads to destruction! Too late you will regret not heeding the warnings of JESUS!

     GOD gave us the greatest GIFT that could ever be received...the GIFT OF HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON! “For GOD SO LOVED the world that HE gave HIS only begotten SON, that whoever believes in HIM should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16)! Why would anyone refuse so great a gift, have everlasting life, and spend eternity in heaven? IT IS GOD’S WAY OR NO WAY! Therefore, choose GOD’S WAY!

     If you have never accepted GOD’S WAY and received GOD’S GIFT, “If you confess with your mouth the LORD JESUS and believe in your heart that GOD has raised HIM from the dead, you will be saved! For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation! For ‘whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved’” (Romans 10:9-10 & 13)!

     THINK ABOUT IT...OK!

     Note…Scripture references from the NKJV BIBLE.

     IN CHRIST...WRT

BORN AGAIN

  "YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN"
“BORN TWICE...DIE ONCE”
“BORN ONCE...DIE TWICE”

     In the past few years, I have noticed the misuse and the incorrect use of the term "born again." There is only one correct use for the words "born again" and ONLY ONE WAY for a person to be "BORN AGAIN."
     We have the record of Nicodemus coming to JESUS one night. John tells us that JESUS “knows what is in man.” Therefore, knowing what was in Nicodemus’s heart, JESUS said, “You must be BORN AGAIN.” Nicodemus wanted to know how a person could be "BORN AGAIN." JESUS explained to him that it was being "BORN OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT" (read John 3:1-8).
     But Nicodemus did not understand and asked JESUS "how can these things be?" JESUS explained that it required looking to HIM "THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE      EVERLASTING LIFE” (read John 3:9-16).
     If I could have only one verse of SCRIPTURE from GOD’S WORD, JOHN 3:16 would be it. This one verse shows us how much GOD LOVES US. We are told that “All have sinned and fall short of the GLORY OF GOD” (Romans 3:23). And “GOD demonstrates HIS OWN LOVE toward us, in that while we were still sinners, CHRIST DIED for us” (Romans 5:8).
     GOD has provided A WAY for us to be SAVED and JESUS said, "I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE. No one comes to the FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME" (John 14:6). We are told that “The SON OF MAN has come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). JESUS said, “And I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Luke 11:9-10).
     If you have never been “BORN AGAIN” so that you will have ETERNAL LIFE, don’t you think that it is about time? “Seek the LORD while HE may be found, Call upon HIM while HE is near” (Isaiah 55:6). And “If you confess with your mouth the LORD JESUS and believe in your heart that GOD HAS RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, YOU WILL BE SAVED. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to SALVATION. For 'WHOEVER CALLS UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED'” (Romans 10:9-10 & 13).
     Note that it says "believe in your heart!" It must be more than head knowledge! A person can know about JESUS and not be saved! We must "believe in our heart" TO BE SAVED and HAVE ETERNAL LIFE! WE MUST "BELIEVE IN OUR HEART" AND HAVE FAITH TO TRUST JESUS FOR OUR SALVATION!
     "He (she) who believes in the SON has EVERLASTING LIFE; and he (she) who does not believe the SON shall not see LIFE, but the wrath of GOD abides on him (her)” (John 3:36). You may say "I believe...but." JESUS said to the father who brought his son to HIM to be healed, "IF YOU CAN BELIEVE, all things are possible to him (her) who believes." And "Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, 'LORD, I believe; help my unbelief'" (Mark 9:23-24).
     It is one thing not to understand and to be able to comprehend it all. That will not keep you from being saved and receiving GOD’S BLESSINGS. But unbelief will! You must be sure that you have been “BORN AGAIN” and that YOUR NAME has been WRITTEN in the “LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE.” And the only way that you can have your name written in the “LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE” is to be “BORN AGAIN.”
     John wrote, “Anyone not found written in the BOOK OF LIFE was cast into the LAKE OF FIRE.” The previous verse says, “This is the second death.” And John tells us about a NEW HEAVEN and a NEW EARTH. He wrote, “But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are WRITTEN in the LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE” (Read Revelation 20:11-15 &21:1- 27).
     JESUS told Nicodemus "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the SPIRIT is SPIRIT. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be BORN AGAIN'" (John 3:6-7). That tells us that there is a physical birth and a spiritual birth. Therefore if you have only been BORN ONCE...you will DIE TWICE, but if you have been BORN TWICE...you will only DIE ONCE!
     To those who have not been "BORN AGAIN" JESUS says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears MY VOICE and opens the door, I will come in to him...” (Revelation 3:20). And "The one who comes to ME I will by no means cast out" (John 6:37b). “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of SALVATION” (2 Corinthians 6:2). Remember that JESUS says “YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN” and "CHRIST IN YOU (is) THE HOPE OF GLORY" (Colossians 1:27b).
     THINK ABOUT IT…OK!
     Note...SCRIPTURE references from the NKJV.
     IN CHRIST…WRT

A FRIEND OF SINNERS

ARE YOU A FRIEND OF SINNERS?

     I can just imagine the response of some people if you were to ask them that question. Who me…no…I don’t think so! If this is your response, then you must be a very lonely person because GOD’S WORD makes it very clear that we are all sinners and “There is none righteous, no, not one...For all have sinned and fall short of the GLORY OF GOD” (Romans 3:10 & 3:23). “Just as through one man (Adam) sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).

     If you do not consider yourself to be one of this group, then this GOSPEL is not for you because JESUS said, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Luke 5:32). “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that CHRIST JESUS came into the world to SAVE SINNERS” (1 Timothy 1:15).

     There has never been but one sinless person born of woman who has walked on this earth and that was the SON OF GOD...the LORD JESUS CHRIST! Yet HE is the one whom they called “A FRIEND of tax collectors and sinners” (Luke 7:34c). I am so thankful that JESUS is a friend of sinners, for I am one, and so are you!

But Acts 16:31a says, “Believe on the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and you will be saved.” That I did on February 16, 1975, and GOD SAVED ME! And now, “In HIM I have redemption through HIS BLOOD, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of HIS GRACE” (Ephesians 1:7).

     And if you are a CHRISTIAN, then like me, you are just a sinner who has been SAVED BY GRACE “For by GRACE you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the GIFT OF GOD, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

     “GOD demonstrates HIS OWN LOVE toward us, in that while we were still sinners, CHRIST DIED FOR US” (Romans 5:8). JESUS SAID, “For GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE” (John 3:16).

     Have you received GOD’S GIFT OF SALVATION by believing on the LORD JESUS CHRIST? “If you CONFESS with your mouth the LORD JESUS and BELIEVE in your heart that GOD HAS RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, you will be SAVED. For with the heart one believes to RIGHTEOUSNESS, and with the mouth confession is made to SALVATION. For ‘WHOEVER CALLS upon the NAME of the LORD shall be SAVED’” (Romans 10:9-10 & 13).

     If you have done that, then thank GOD that JESUS is a friend of sinners! “For there is NO OTHER NAME under HEAVEN given among men by which we must be SAVED” (Acts 4:12b). And now, may you, “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. To HIM be the GLORY both now and forever. AMEN” (2 Peter 3:18).

     THINK ABOUT IT...OK!

     Note...Scripture references from the NKJV.

     IN CHRIST...WRT