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I am the Way, Truth Life
By A.W. Pink

      "I am the way." Christ spans the distance between God and the sinner. Man would fain manufacture a ladder of his own, and . . . climb up to God. But that is impossible. That is the way which seems right unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death (Prov. 14:12). It is Satan who would keep the exercised sinner on his self-imposed journey to God. What faith needs to lay hold of is the glorious truth that Christ has come all the way down to sinners. The sinner could not come to God, but God in the person of His Son has come out to sinners. He is the Way, the Way to Heaven, the Way to eternal blessedness.

      I am the truth." Christ is the full and final revelation of God. Adam believed the Devil's lie, and ever since then man has been groping amid ignorance and error. "The way of the wicked is as darkness; they know not at what they stumble" (Prov. 4:19). "Having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart" (Eph. 4:18). A thousand systems has the mind devised. . . "There is none that understandeth" (Rom. 3:11). . . Truth is not to be found in a system of philosophy, but in a Person--Christ is "the truth;" He reveals God and exposes man. In Him are hid "All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:3). What tremendous folly to ignore Him! . . . . with all your learning have you bowed before Him who is the Truth?"

      "I am the life." Christ is the Emancipator from death. The whole Bible bears solemn witness to the fact that the natural man is spiritually lifeless. He walks according to the course of this world; he has no love for the things of God. The fear of God is not upon him, nor has he any concern for His glory. Self is the center and circumference of his existence. He is alive to the things of the world, but he is dead to heavenly things. The one who is out of Christ exists, but he has not spiritual life. . . . The one who believes in Christ has passed out of death unto life (John 5:24). "He that believes on the Son has everlasting life" (John 3:36). Then turn to Him who is the Life.

      "I am the way." Without Christ men are Cains--wanderers. "They are all gone out of the way" (Rom. 3:12). Christ is not merely a Guide who came to show men the path in which they ought to walk: He is Himself the Way to the Father. "I am the truth." Without Christ men are under the power of the Devil, the father of lies. Christ is not merely a Teacher who came to reveal to men a doctrine regarding God: He is Himself the Truth about God. "He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father." "I am the life." Without Christ men are dead in trespasses and sins. Christ is not merely a Physician. . . "I am come," said He, "that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).

      "No man comes unto the Father but by Me" (John 14:6). Christ is the only way to God. It is utterly impossible to win God's favor by any efforts of our own (Exposition of the Gospel of John, p. 212-214).

If we get to the Father by Jesus, how do we get to Jesus?

I believe Jesus said, "I, and the Father are one."

Through heartfelt prayer.



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

Mat 7:7  Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Mat 7:8  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.


1Ti 2:5  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6  Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

If Jesus is the head of the church, shouldn't you go through the church?

1Ti 2:5  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6  Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Mathurin,

I love the other answers given. When we really want to talk to Jesus, we do it with prayer and reverence. HE loves to hear our prayers. HE is everywhere with outstretched arms - welcoming all who desire to know HIM. You don't have to go to a church to find HIM. If you really mean it, HE will come to you in your home or elsewhere. HIS church isn't made with human hands. HIS church is HIS BODY, THE CHURCH WHICH IS THE BODY OF CHRIST. All believers who have accepted HIM as LORD over thier lives belong to HIS BODY and ARE HIS BODY forever.

Mathurin, HE is the CREATOR, and HE knew you before the foundation of the world. HE made you as an intelligent being with the ability to make choices between right and wrong. Since you can and have made choices about everything, you can also choose to accept HIM or reject HIM. There are eternal consequences to this decision. In many ways, you may hear HIM calling you, but HE won't force you to come to HIM.

Mathurin, are you thinking about a decision for JESUS? If you are, I'm sure that you have other questions. Please ask them and let us try to answer the questions that are holding you back or causing doubt. Please let me tell you - JESUS is REAL and HE lives in my heart. HE is with me constantly, and I will be with HIM forever. If I die tonight, I know where I'll be - ALL Christians do. We speak of HIM as an absolute REALITY because we know HIM, and HE is the core of our being. YES! - Almighty God - your CREATOR will walk with you every step in your life if you want HIM and accept HIM.

Love In Christ,
Tom

1Corinthians 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Revelation 3:20  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Ephesians 2:1-7  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 1:12-14  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

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

Galatians 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

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.

The Church IS the body of Christ. Jesus Christ IS the head of that body. I am part of that body.  You are part of that body. Blackeyedpeas is a part of that body.  Pastor Roger is a part of that body.  Your statement above alludes to us GOING THROUGH ourselves.  Jesus Christ lives in us.  When we pray, we are supposed to be praying to the Father, in the name of Jesus Christ.  We have no need to pray to Jesus directly.  When Jesus' disciples asked Him how they should pray, Jesus said, "Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. They kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."  You know the rest.

I believe Jesus also said to pray for one another.  In our prayers to the Father, through Jesus Christ, we ask the Father to bless, answer their prayer, heal, etc.  We are asking living people to pray for us or they ask us to pray for them.  There is no intercessor between us and Jesus, because we are supposed to be praying to the Father thru Jesus. Jesus is our only mediator.  Jesus said, "I and the Father are One."  There are three persons in ONE God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.  Our ONE God is the only ONE who is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent.  Some Christians pray to dead saints or Jesus' mother, Mary.  I don't really understand that because they don't possess the three O's.  How could I pray to saint so and so here in the US, and someone else in Europe be praying to that same saint at the same time?  That saint isn't omni anything.  Praying, or asking a saint to pray for us, isn't the same as asking our friends to pray for us, but this is just my opinion.

Hope some of what I said helps you.




 

Amen, Chris.

This is more than just your opinion brother. It is the very word of God.

No, you go through the head.
The church is the body, the head of the body is Jesus Christ. Christians are all members in particular of that body reacting to the will of the head.
The body and its individual members always follow the head. Consider your physical body and its individual members, hands, legs, feet, etc. Is it not your head that is in charge of what they do? The members of your body must go through the head to do their thing. Likewise with Christ and His church and its members.

ollie

You get to the top by starting at the bottom, I think.  You get to the head by going through the body, and being a part of it (if you like that phrasiology better).  Jesus said his church would be one flock  and that there would be one shepherd and he would stand by it until the consummation of the world.   Naturally implied is that there will be one set of doctrinal truths and I think it would be important to know that information in order to serve the Lord the way he set it down to be done.

You get to be a member of the body by going to the head. A member of the body may lead you to the head but it must ultimately be you beseeching the head to become a member. No one can do this for anyone else, not a priest, not a pastor, not a church janitor. It must be you talking to Jesus, asking for forgiveness, asking Him to come into your heart.

By the Father.   :)

Brothers and Sisters,

I think that we are on several sheets of music. I give thanks that the Gospel of the Grace of God is simple enough for a child to understand. I think that we make things too complicated many times when we discuss Salvation with the lost, especially on the forum.


Jesus Christ is God made manifest in the flesh, and HE loved me enough to die for me on the CROSS.

HE took the punishment that I deserved for my sins in HIS own body to save me from the curse of sin and death.

I believe with all of my heart that JESUS CHRIST died for me. I have confessed my sins and asked JESUS to be the LORD over my life. That's what JESUS wanted to be in the first place, so HE is my LORD and SAVIOUR forever.

I belong to JESUS and no power in the universe can take me from HIS mighty hands. I am no longer condemned to eternal destruction, because the precious blood of JESUS on the CROSS paid for me. So, I am a purchased possession of JESUS for eternity. It gives me great joy to know beyond any doubt that JESUS will always be with me, and I will be with HIM for eternity.


Love In Christ,
Tom

Romans 10:17  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

It's  nice to know that you have nothing to worry about.  Here's a fitting saying:  The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.  

Mathurin,

I have my worries and struggles of daily life, but JESUS is with me every step of the way. Our journey in this life on earth is short, but a Christian's citizenship is in Heaven, not here. Becoming a Christian does not mean that everything will be easy in this life. In fact, it is a struggle. God didn't promise us anything easy here, but God did promise us an eternity with JESUS in Heaven. There won't be any pain or sorrow there.

Mathurin, do you know where you will spend eternity?

Love In Christ,
Tom

Philippians 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Author: Woodrow Kroll
Source: Lessons on Living from Isaiah
Scripture: 1 Peter 2:6 Matthew 21:42 Isaiah 28:16

Building on the Cornerstone

Isaiah 28:16

Therefore thus says the Lord God: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not act hastily."

Building on the Cornerstone

Historically, the cornerstone was the most important part of any building. The total weight of an edifice rested on this particular stone, which, if removed, would collapse the whole structure. The cornerstone was also the key to keeping the walls straight. The builders would take sightings along the edges of this part of the building. If the cornerstone was set properly, the stonemasons could be assured that all the other corners of the building would be at the appropriate angles as well. Thus, the cornerstone became a symbol for that which held life together.

In the days of Isaiah, the leaders of Israel had chosen to rest their security on a different cornerstone. They chose to put their trust in their own political savvy. Through various military alliances, they thought they could hold their nation together. Ultimately, however, this shaky cornerstone failed and Israel was taken captive by the Babylonians.

Yet God declared through Isaiah that He would establish a cornerstone that would never fail—a stone that could be trusted because it had been tried and proven to be precious and sure.

The New Testament writers recognized that this stone was Jesus Christ. The Savior said of Himself, "Did you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone'" (Matt. 21:42). The apostle Peter repeated Isaiah's prophecy and added, "And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame" (1 Pet. 2:6).

When the pressures of life bear down on you, there's only one cornerstone capable of handling the weight. When your need for guidance is urgent, there's only one cornerstone you can trust to keep your life straight. That cornerstone is Jesus. Trust Him with every aspect of your lives, and you will find that He never fails. He's not just a Rock; He's the Cornerstone.

A solid life begins with an immovable cornerstone.

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Brothers and Sisters,

I don't believe in coincidence. Two of the daily devotions that I love to read and study today dealt with Salvation. I posted them here and pray that God will use them for HIS Glory.
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Two Minutes With The Bible - THE LOGIC OF THE PLAN OF SALVATION


Jun 15

THE LOGIC OF THE PLAN OF SALVATION

By Cornelius R. Stam

In I Cor. 1:22 we are told that "the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom." This is doubtless why God chose Paul, with his profound intellectual background and acumen, to proclaim "Christ crucified," the "wisdom of God" as well as the "power of God" (I Cor. 1:23,24).

Paul was a gifted logician as well as a theologian, and nowhere is this more evident than in his epistle to the Romans, where, by divine inspiration, he presents the logic of God’s plan of salvation. Again and again, throughout the epistle, he uses that word so prominent in mathematics and in logic: "therefore."

"Therefore thou art inexcusable..." (Rom. 2:1). "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight" (3:20).

"But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested.... Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith, without the deeds of the law" (3:21,28).

"Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; by whom also we have access..." (5:1,2). "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus" (8:1).

"Therefore, brethren, we are debtors..." (8:12). "I beseech you therefore... that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service (Rom. 12:1).

It is an inexorable, unchangeable law that sin results in death. But the Lord Jesus Christ, "who did no sin," took our place and "died for our sins." Thus it is also an unchangeable law that "He that hath the Son hath life." "The law of the Spirit" is "life in Christ." The moment one trusts Christ as Savior the Spirit gives him life, the life of Christ, which is everlasting -- indeed, eternal life (Rom. 8:2; I John
5:12).

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June 15

A Better Sacrifice under Grace

For such a High Priest was fitting for us . . . who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices . . . for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself . . . Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.  (Heb_7:26-27 and Heb_9:12)

Another better aspect of the new covenant of grace is the sacrifice we have in Jesus Christ, our great High Priest. The sacrifices under the old covenant were offered repeatedly, and they involved the blood of animals. In both respects the sacrifice of Jesus is far better.

The priests under the law presented their same sacrifices day after day. These sacrifices could not remove sin. "And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins" (Heb_10:11). These sacrifices provided a temporary covering of sin, anticipating the effective work of the Messiah to come. However, at the same time, in these sacrifices was a constant remembrance of sin and guilt. "In those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year" (Heb_10:3). As the blood was shed, the ultimate consequence of sin (death) was being played out before the people. "And according to the law almost all things are purged with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission" (Heb_9:22). Eventually, Jesus died as the perfect,  "once-for-all" sacrifice. "For such a High Priest was fitting for us . . . who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices . . . for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself." This was a sacrifice that could actually remove sin. "Once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself . . . so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many . . . But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God" (Heb_9:26, Heb_9:28 and Heb_10:12).

The ineffectiveness of the sacrifices under law is that mere animal blood was being shed. "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins" (Heb_10:4). Thus, our High Priest under grace offered His own blood. "Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption." The blood of Christ was uniquely effective. It was the "precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot . . . The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! " (1Pe_1:19 and Joh_1:29).

Dear Lamb of God, what a marvelous sacrifice You gave by grace! One death for all the sins of the world makes eternal redemption available to all who believe. I gratefully rejoice in this wondrous gift!

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Day-By-Day By Grace
Written by Pastor Bob Hoekstra
(Courtesy of Bob Hoekstra and Living in Christ Ministries)
http://www.calvarychapel.com/livinginchrist/ (http://www.calvarychapel.com/livinginchrist/)

Colossians 1:28  Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

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Author: Rick Meyer
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June 16

Just There

A certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was— Luk_10:33

The Lord Himself as a Good Samaritan

Our Lord, true poet that He was, had a great liking for pictorial teaching, and in all the pictures of His gallery none is more remarkable than this one. The scene, familiar to them ail; the robbery, an occurrence they all dreaded; the ecclesiastics whom they knew so well; the Samaritan, whom they all despised—these made a glowing vivid picture, which nobody but a master could have painted, and nobody but the Master ever did. It is a beautiful etching of benevolence, and as such it is immortal. But men have loved, right down the ages, to find in it something more than that. They have loved to find in this Samaritan a delineation of the Lord Himself, in His infinite compassion for mankind. Many thoughts come leaping to the mind when we set the story in the light of Christ. This Samaritan was long in coming. He had everything the man required (Luk_10:34). But there is another beautiful feature in his pity that is so eminently true of Christ that we do well to dwell on it a little.

As the Samaritan, so the Lord Came Where He Was

Than feature is that the Samaritan came just where the man was—came right up to him, and handled him, where he lay battered on the hedge-bank. When he saw, as he came down the hill, that in the hollow yonder there had been a struggle—when he saw that battered figure by the road, with the robbers probably in concealment, how naturally he might have halted till some Roman convoy had come up; but, says Jesus, he came just where he was. I feel sure our Lord intended that. Christ was unrivalled in suggestive phrase. The Priest saw him; the Levite looked at him; the Samaritan came right up where he was. How perfectly that exquisite touch applies to the Lord, who was the teller of the story, in His infinite compassion for mankind!

It Was He Himself Who Came

Think for a moment of the Incarnation. Tell me, what was the Incarnation? It was the Son of God, seeing the need of man, and coming in infinite mercy where he was. Not speaking as by a trumpet from high heaven; not casting down a scroll out of eternity; not sending Gabriel or any of the angels to proclaim the loving fatherhood of God. No, this is the glory of the Incarnation, that when man was bruised and battered by his sin, Christ, the Son of God, the good Samaritan, came just where he was. He came to the inn, where the travelers were drinking; to the cottage, where the mother prayed; to the village, where the children romped; to the fields, where happy lovers wandered. He came to the marriage feast and to the funeral; to the crowded city and the sea; He came to the agony and to the cross. Show me where folk are lying ill at home, and I can show you Jesus there. Show me where men are tempted of the devil, and I can show you Jesus there. Show me where hearts are crying out in darkness, "My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" and the beautiful and amazing thing is this—that I can show you Jesus there. Where man has suffered, Jesus Christ has suffered. Where man has toiled, Jesus Christ has toiled. Where man has wept, Jesus Christ has wept. Where man has died, Jesus Christ has died. He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows, and made His grave with the wicked in His death. The good Samaritan has come .just where he was.

Contrasted with John the Baptist

And when we follow the footsteps of the Lord, does not the same thing at once arrest us? Why, that is just what the people marked in Christ, when they contrasted Him with John the Baptist. If you wanted John, you had to search for John. You had to leave the city and go into the wilderness. And there, "far from the haunts of men," was John the Baptist, a solitary figure. But Christ was genial, kindly, and accessible, a lover of the haunts of men, the friend of publicans and sinners. Simon Peter was busy with his nets, and Christ came where he was. Matthew was seated at the receipt of custom, and Christ came to him. The poor demoniac was in the graveyard, there to be exiled till he died, and the glorious thing about our good Samaritan is that He came exactly where he was. Where is that bright girl from Jairus' home? We have been missing her happy smile these days. Where is Lazarus? We used to see him daily. Is he ill? We never see him now. Where are the spirits who were disobedient at the time the ark was a-pre-paring? I know not; I only know of each of them that Christ came where he was. Go to the penitent thief upon the cross, and tell him there is someone who can save him. Only he must come down, and leave the city, and fly to the wilderness and he will find him. There are many who offer paradise on these terms when men are powerless and cannot move a finger; but Christ came where he was. That is exactly what He is doing still. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. No one needs to fly away to find Him. The Word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth. "Just as I am," is a very gracious hymn: but I want someone to write me another hymn: "Just where I am, O Lamb of God, You come."

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By George H. Morrison
_______________________

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Author: Rick Meyer
(The goal of Rick Meyer is to freely distribute Bibles to every country on earth in their own language, and that goal gets closer by the day. Thanks to countless Christian individuals and organizations with big hearts, many excellent Bible Study tools are also being distributed with e-Sword around the world, free of charge.)

Lord Jesus, cause me to know in my daily experience the glory and sweetness of Thy name, and then teach me how to use it in my prayer, so that I may be even like Israel, a prince prevailing with God. Thy name is my passport, and secures me access; Thy name is my plea, and secures me answer; Thy name is my honour and secures me glory. Blessed Name, Thou art honey in my mouth, music in my ear, heaven in my heart, and all in all to all my being!   -C. H. Spurgeon

Lord Jesus, You are all of the good things to come that were foreshadowed in the law. Help me to avoid being caught up in the shadows of the law. May Your Spirit draw me to the unlimited spiritual substance that is found in You alone, Amen.

Bob Hoekstra