[WHAT ONE MUST DO TO BE SAVED]

WHAT ONE MUST DO TO BE SAVED

By Ike T. Sidebottom


Men, women, young people, boys and girls are never saved in mass movement. Too often people throng to the alter in evangelistic meetings and make empty confessions. One follows another, and they are as “the blind leading the blind.” They all fall into the ditch together.

Only the moving power of the Holy Spirit can impress upon the minds and hearts of the unsaved sinners the eternal and unalterable truth of the following scriptures.

“For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.” (Eccl. 7:20)
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9)
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Rom. 3:23)
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom. 6:23)
Any unsaved person, with a normal mind, having read and thought upon these verses, cannot escape being touched by the truth of them. The honest heart will immediately realize that these verses apply to every one in the human family.

As you read these lines, will you be honest with yourself? Will you be honest with God? Will you read these verses again, and again? Will you think soberly, weighing the contents of each verse, and taking each verse as written directly unto you?

If you have ever thought of yourself as being a just person; and one that doeth good, and sinneth not: then remember that your opinion of yourself clashes with the unalterable Word of God. He says you are not just, you cannot do good and live apart from sin. I urge you to bow before the Word of truth, accept it without a reservation, and take your place as an unjust sinner, standing in need of God’s mercy and grace.

Have you ever considered the fact, that as a member of the human family, as one of that great number described in the Bible as mankind, you have a deceitful heart that is desperately wicked. Yes, our hearts, both yours and mine, are not only deceitful, but “deceitful above all things.” Our hearts are not only wicked, but “des-perately wicked.”

The thing that is most important for us to learn, is that we can do nothing about this terrible condition. We are wholly dependent upon God’s mercy and grace. Apart from His mercy, we would have been in hell long ago. Apart from His grace, we would, at this present time, be entirely without hope.

Perhaps you feel that your clean, moral life; your good works; your membership in some church or lodge; or the fact that you give liberally to the church, to charity, etc., should be sufficient to give you a standing before God. Be not deceived by such thoughts. God has spoken, and His Word is that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Without Christ, the very best of people are far short of His glory.

The last verse in the above quotations carries the one hope for you, or for any other member of the human family. Even though, the wages of our sin brings eternal death to our souls, God has provided for the quickening, or making alive of those who are dead in trespasses and sins. This quickening power is in His love gift to the world, even the gift of His own dear Son. God’s gift of eternal life to sinners is included in the gift of His Son.

“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.
For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.
He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name Of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:16-18)
The truth in these verses cannot be measured in heights nor depths, in length nor breadth. The only begotten Son of the Father came down from the heights of glory to live among men. He humbled Himself and became “obedient unto death, even the death of the cross,” which took Him to the depths of hell, as our substitute. The love manifested at Calvary reaches to the east, to the west, to the north, to the south, even as far as the habitation of any lost soul. The “whoso-ever” of the above quotation includes you, it included me, it included all who have lived from the day of Adam to the last man that shall live on the earth.

I would like to emphasize to any unsaved person reading these lines that you are not numbered among the unsaved because of any or all of the sins you have committed. The Word says, “he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” He does not say that people are condemned because they are guilty of this sin or that sin, but because they have not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

We need to remember that the only difference between the saved and the unsaved is that the saved have the Saviour, and the unsaved have no Saviour. “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Therefore all are condemned. Every son of Adam, who has reached the age of accountability, stands condemned before God until he or she believes in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

I trust that our unsaved readers will not hesitate to believe. Regardless of what your sins may be, even if you have gone into the very mire of sin, do not hesitate to trust Him who died for your sins. His blood cleanses from all sins.

I also hope that you will not feel that it is necessary for you to be in some revival meeting or some church gathering in order to be saved. You do not even need to be in the presence of a preacher. You only need to realize your lost and undone condition, as set forth in the first list of quotations mentioned above, and then believe that which is set forth in the last list of verses quoted above.

In closing I say to you, in all sincerity, that which Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4:

“I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”

[The rest of us will be staying in Heaven, at least that is what the Word of God says.]

I dunno...i'm entertaining the thought that we'll be spending eternity with Our Lord...for 7 years in Heaven, then 1000 years here on earth...then Eternity in the new Jerusalem...at least that's what i read in Revelations! Later

In His SErvice,
Joshua

The rest of us will be staying in Heaven, at least that is what the Word of God says.

[10 MORE DAYS]

10 MORE DAYS

[REMEMBER]

REMEMBER


Whenever you know a desolate hour
And are steeped in misery,
Remember that Christ was lonely too,
In bleak Gethsemane.

Whenever you feel that all of the world
Has turned its back on you,
Remember that Christ knew what it was
To feel abandoned too.

Whenever you feel that your burden
Is greater than you can bear,
Remember that He too heartbreakingly knew
A moment of dark despair.

And remembering these things
Just bear in mind,
His victory was finally won
When He bowed His head and humbly said,
“Not My will, but Thine, be done!”


—Author Unknown

[HE GAVE HIS SON]

HE GAVE HIS SON

By Ethel Clarkson


He might have given the starry realms
As purchase price for me,
But starry worlds could never take
My guilt and set me free.

He might have given all the world
Because He made it, too,
But worlds cannot for sin atone—
God knew that would not do.

The universe entire was His,
And that He might have given;
But blood alone can sin atone
And make me meet for heaven.

And so He gave His blessed Son
To die on Calvary;
No other gift could cleanse my soul—
Christ was His gift to me!



Herein is love, not that we loved God,
but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be
the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:10)

[MY NEED]

MY NEED

By Grace E. Troy

I thought I needed many things
Along life’s toilsome way,
When days were long and heavy cares
Left scarcely time to pray.

I thought I needed many things
For those I held most dear,
When they were sad and longed for rest
Or change of portion here.

When it was Thee, I needed Lord,
To satisfy my heart,
To fill my days with rest and peace,
And every grace impart.

And those I loved but needed Thee,
Not change of scene or place,
But faith just now, through sun or shade
Thy loving hand to trace.

Just Thee alone, My blessed Lord,
For every time and place;
Just Thee alone — until we all
Shall see Thee face to face.





"But my God shall supply all your need
according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
(Philippians 4:19)

[5 Guests, 1 Users]

5 Guests, 1 Users
Brother Love  


Do you know Christ as your Savior?  Do you tell others about Him?

[GRACE WALK - Weekly Devotional]

GRACE WALK - Weekly Devotional


On Turning Fifty


Forgive my self-indulgent, personal musing this week. This week is a major mile-marker in my life. My birthday is July 7th and I turn fifty years old. I hated turning thirty. I felt like youth had disappeared and I had received a life-long sentence to be served in the adult world.


Forty didn’t bother me. It was that year that I left the local church pastorate. I began traveling then, speaking in different churches as I continue to do now.


This week, fifty arrives and I’m honestly excited. I’ve been doing much study on the number 50 in the Bible and it’s all good. The fiftieth year was a Year of Jubilee among the people of Israel. It was a Sabbath of Sabbaths, a special year among special years. During that year, those in bondage were set free. (See Leviticus 25:10, 41:54) Is was considered a “year of liberty.” (See Ezekiel 46:17) It was proclaimed by trumpets. (See Leviticus 25:9, Psalm 89:15) Debts were forgiven. (See Leviticus 25:28) Families were restored. (See Leviticus 25:10)


Every 50 years God’s covenant people were to remember where they came from and how they got to where they were. They were to commemorate the past, celebrate the present and anticipate the future. That’s what I want to do this week.


In reality, the Year of Jubilee is personified in the person of Christ. Spiritually speaking, every year is a fiftieth year. That’s what Isaiah was alluding to when he wrote, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring Good News to the afflicted. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted; to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the Favorable Year of the Lord and the Day of Vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn” (Isaiah 61:1-2).


In Christ, the Favorable Year of the Lord is every year. But for now, I’ll focus on this year and claim it as my own personal Year of Jubilee. Maybe I’ve overrun the bounds of sound biblical interpretation and application, but that’s okay. It’s a big birthday and I don’t think my Father minds. How about you? Your age may not be fifty, but you can join this party too. Join me in the celebration?


The Year Of Jubilee

This is the season of Jubilee

Singing and dancing for you and me

Thanking and praising because we're free

Oh this is the year of Jubilee


Put your hands together

Everybody praise the Lord

Put your hands together

Sing and shout and praise the Lord


Everything that was stolen shall be returned unto me

Mother, father, sister, brother they will all go free

Everything that was stole shall be returned unto me

Singing dancing praising shouting increase and victory


This is the season of Jubilee


Words and Music by Tom Bynum

Performed by: Ron Kenoly

© 1998 Integrity's Praise! Music

Steve McVey is the President of Grace Walk Ministries, a discipleship ministry located in Atlanta, GA. If you have been sent this devotional by a friend and want to know more about Grace Walk Ministries, visit our web site at www.gracewalk.org.


This devotional may be duplicated if printed with no changes in its entirety and with the following acknowledgment: “Copyright, 2004,used by permission. Steve McVey, Grace Walk Ministries, www.gracewalk.org ”




2 Tim 2:15  Study to show thyself approved unto God, a  workman  that needeth  not  to  be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.    
 

 

[10 MORE DAYS]

10 MORE DAYS

[knockin' on heaven's door by Bob Dylan]

knockin' on heaven's door by Bob Dylan

Don't you feel small by the Moody Blues

Losing my Religin by R.E.M.

Say it with love by the Moody Blues

Dust in the wind by Kansas

Just to name a few

[Two Minutes With The Bible]

Two Minutes With The Bible

UNIONS OR UNITY?

By Cornelius R. Stam

Here is a company of Bible-believing Christians joined
together in, let us say, an evangelistic endeavor. All are
trusting in the shed blood of Christ for salvation, though
some are Baptists, some Presbyterians, some Episcopalians
and some represent other denominations.

Are all these believers one? Yes, in Christ, for "there is
one body" (Eph. 4:4).

What united them? The "one baptism" (Eph. 4:5) by
which the Holy Spirit unites all believers to Christ and to
each other: "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one
body whether we be Jews or Gentiles..." (I Cor. 12:13).

Yet these same believers, all trusting in the finished
work of Christ for salvation, remain sadly divided as far
as fellowship in the work of the Lord is concerned. They
may have blessed fellowship in their evangelistic endeavor,
but at its conclusion they go back to their mutually exclu-
sive church organizations.

The reason? Basically it is that they have confused "the
gospel of the kingdom," proclaimed by Christ on earth and
His twelve apostles, with "the gospel of the grace of God,"
proclaimed by the ascended, glorified Lord through the
Apostle Paul (Acts 20:24; Eph. 3:1-3).

Striving over baptismal modes and meanings, most of
them still require their particular forms of baptism for
entrance into their churches, while explaining at the same
time that the ceremony has no saving value and that it is
not required by God for entrance into the true Church.

Can’t we stop being Presbyterians, Baptists and Meth-
odists and just be Christians? Why should the Church of
Christ remain divided and weak, when God says:

"WE BEING MANY ARE ONE BODY IN CHRIST, AND EVERY ONE
MEMBERS ONE OF ANOTHER" (Rom. 12:5).

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Subscribe at:

http://www.bereanbiblesociety.org/twominut.html
Two Minutes With The Bible By Pastor Stam

Mailing Address:
Berean Bible Society
N112 W17761 Mequon Road
P.O. Box 756
Germantown, WI 53022

Web Site:
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Email: berean@execpc.com

2 Tim 2:15  Study to show thyself approved unto God, a  workman  that needeth  not  to  be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

SAY brother ?You know I just thought ,after peter walked on the water and ,he was talking with others who did not know much about him .and he said say you know the other day ,I was walking on the water .They must have said ?gee this guy is really off .You think when he walked away ?they said gee that guy sure iis a lair .how could he walk on water .must be one of thiose JESUS people lol

[Heavy Dude, thanks and Merry Christmas to you and yours.]

Its about time Joel (Your starting to think) Joel do you have Eternal Life (OSAS)?

I'm not sure what you are getting at.  Yes I have eternal life, and I believe in the Perseverance of the Saints.  

I find it interesting, though, that you did not answer my argument, nor did you answer my previous argument in this thread.  

Joel

He won't...

  Your my favorite

Brother?  I must say that, while I disagree with you on virtually everything you tend to say, and think that you are without a doubt the most backward believer I've ever met, you still have one of the most solid basis' and understandings of God's saving grace and willingness to share that with others I've seen here.  With all that said...

I LOVE YOU BROTHER LOVE!!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
 

Heavy Dude, thanks and Merry Christmas to you and yours.

[Eve ate Adam out of house and home.Your Gem For TodayNever Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch]

Eve ate Adam out of house and home.

Your Gem For Today


Never Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch