NOT WILLING

If the Father deigns to touch with divine power the cold and pulseless heart of the buried acorn and to make it burst forth from its prison walls, will He leave neglected in the earth the soul of man-made in the image of his Creator? --William Jennings Bryan

2 Peter 3:9, The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

The Lord desires that everyone would come to repentance. He desires that none would die without Him. He desires that everyone would die to self and confess Him as Lord and Saviour. Will there be some to reject the Truth of the Gospel? Yes. As a matter of fact, there will be many to reject Jesus Christ as Saviour. However, that does not mean God doesn’t want them to be saved. He does! It means they have believed the lie of Satan. It means they have chosen to live their life, their way, without the love of God in their life. Since they have chosen to live this way, if they don’t repent and confess Him as Saviour before they die, they will live eternally without Him.

Friend, God is not willing that any should perish. That is why He sacrificed His only begotten Son on the Cross of Calvary. That’s why He was buried. That’s why three days later; He arose from the grave, conquering death, hell, and the grave so that you might have everlasting life!

‘TIS WRITTEN THERE

Is your name in the Book of Life?

Revelation 21:27, And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Throughout Scripture, there is reference to the Book of Life. It is a literal book with the names of those that are going to be in Heaven. Those names are precious to God. Those names represent God’s Son’s work here on earth. Those names represent His honor and glory. Those names represent what He accomplished on Calvary. That Book will be opened one day and if your name isn’t there; you’re not going in. As a matter of fact, you will be cast into hell.

is your name written there? Or will you be going on a different journey? One of eternal death? I pray your name is written there! If not, won’t you consider accepting Christ as your saviour today?

OUT OF THE SCRIPTURES

The Bible is our final authority for life!

Acts 17:2, And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,

In the early church, the disciples taught the Apostles doctrine. What was the Apostle’s doctrine; it was the doctrine that Jesus had taught them. It was the Word of God. It was what made the difference in their lives and the lives of those who listened and responded to the Word.

Do you want to make a difference in those whom you love? Want to make a difference in this lost, dying, and hurting generation? Get in the Scriptures and you will get something out of the Scriptures. That is what will make a difference in everyone’s lives!

YOU GOT IT OR YOU DON’T

One is not working his way to salvation. Either he is saved or he is not, there is no in between.

 1 John 5:10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

             Is there any conviction in your life when you sin? When you have evil thoughts about someone is there anything inside you that perks up and tells you that you’re wrong for thinking that way? When you go a day or so without reading the Word of God is there a longing to get back to it? Do you have the testimony of the Holy Ghost of God in you? When you miss church, is there a longing to get back under the preaching of God’s Word? If there is no conviction—then His Spirit is not living within you—that means you are lost in your sin and trespasses. We are not in a process of salvation. Either you got it or you don’t.

PROMISES MADE- PROMISES KEPT

Our God ain’t slack! He takes care of of His business!

2 Peter 3:9, The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Have you ever had someone let you down? Had someone make you a promise and then not come through? In this verse, we have one of the blessed promises from the Lord. He keeps His promises! He keeps His Word!

We are not on God’s time table. God is longsuffering or has a deep seated patience and no matter what people say He cares for us. Yet, day after day and year after year men try to belittle His Word by laughing at those who follow Him. They question, “Where is the second coming?” “If God is so good, then why do bad things happen to good people?” The list goes on and on of how this old world tries to get us to doubt the Word of God.

The last two portions of this verse reveal specifically what the topic of this verse is; God is longsuffering. He is not willing that any should go to hell but in our own self-willed heart we choose to go there if we do not repent and trust Him as Saviour. He wants all to come to Him with a humble convicted heart receiving the free gift of salvation. He wants all to be saved.

Do you have someone that you have been praying for a very long time? Don’t give up! The Lord is willing and very capable of saving that person you have been praying for. Is it a lost spouse; son or daughter; or your best friend? Continue to hold onto the promises of God. Pray for them to accept the free gift of salvation and remember— God ain’t slack! He’s made some promises in His Word and He intends to keep every last one of them!

RECONCILED

           The riches of reconciliation began at the Cross!

Romans 5:10, For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

            The riches we have in Christ are limitless! If we begin to list all the riches we have in Christ, we could literally spend the rest our lives listing them but not even touch the tip of the iceberg! His grace. His mercy. His love. His compassion. His long suffering. His reconciliation.

            The reconciliation we have in Christ began when Jesus Christ got up on the Cross of Calvary. When He was pierced; His blood flowed. When He died; his grace showed. When He arose again; our reconciliation was completed!

            Have you tapped in all of the riches we have in Christ? If not; why not? He has an abundant life awaiting for you!

THE LORD NEEDS YOU

I have now concentrated all my prayers into one, and that one prayer is this, that I may die to self, and live wholly to him. -Spurgeon

Romans 12:1, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

            More than anything else, the Lord wants you to give Him your life. While He desires for you to give your tithes and offerings, use your talents, and invest your time for the ministry, He wants you to be saved above it all. That’s why He led Paul to pen down the Words in Romans 12:1.

            Have you given your life to the Lord? The Lord wants you to be saved. The Lord desires you to be saved. The Lord needs you to be saved! Will you be saved today?

CHRISTMAS IS COMING

"The very purpose of Christ's coming into the world was that he might offer up his life as a sacrifice for the sins of men. He came to die. This is the heart of Christmas." -Rev. Billy Graham

Isaiah 9:6, For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Christ birth in a manger was just the beginning of His earthly ministry. He came to live. He came to serve. He came to die. He came to save sinners. He came to save you! Are you saved this morning?

CONSIDER THIS

Tho' Christ a thousand times in Bethlehem be born, if He's not born in thee, thy soul is still forlorn. --Johannes Scheffler

Mark 8:36, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

Forlorn means unhappy, hopeless, or desperate. Do you find yourself this way sometimes or maybe all of the time? Do you keep searching for something to fill the emptiness you feel inside? Do you continually visit the bottle to find a way to cope with the feelings you are having? Do you think another night in a bed with another man or woman might fulfill your lonely heart? You will never have the peace, hope, or satisfaction you are looking for until you give your life to the Lord.

You may continue to dwell in your sin for a season but realize this, it is for a season. There will come a day when you will stand before the Lord and give an account of your life. If you have heard the truth of the Gospel, what have you done with it? Today, search yourselves and see if there is anything that stands in between you and the Saviour. If it is, get rid of it and start serving Him with your entire life!

ETERNALLY SECURE

We are saved by someone doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves. -Lester

Ephesians 4:30, And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

            I am so thankful God, in His grace and mercy, saw fit to send His only begotten Son Jesus to die on the Cross of Calvary. Without Him coming, we would be without hope and help in this world. You see not only did He come and die, He got up from the grave three days later conquering death, hell, and the grave for you and I. It gives us help; we cannot do anything to get to Heaven in our own strength. We also do not have the strength to keep ourselves saved. But God saved me and He keeps me! Friend, that gives me hope for today and tomorrow!  

            Have you been saved? If so, you didn’t do it in your own strength and power. God keeps us saved in His power as well! I don’t have to worry about working for it. I don’t have to worry about losing it. All I have to do is enjoy the salvation He has provided, walking in His will for our life being eternally secure.

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.

Psalm 35:9, And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation.

WONDERFUL SALVATION

The Greatest of all Miracles= Salvation!

2 Peter 3:9, The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

            Yes, being saved is the greatest of all miracles! It gives peace to the life that has been at war! It gives joy in the life that has been heartbroken! And only a life surrendered in Jesus Christ can one find any lasting contentment in a sin riddled world.

            Have you been saved? Do you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour? Have you repented of your sins and trusted Jesus? If you died today, where would you spend eternity? Jesus died so you want have to—Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved!

Making Our Way the Bible Way

            I believe a man may be as vile as hell itself one moment and be saved the next. - D.L. Moody

Luke 23:43, And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

            Two thieves on their crosses and Jesus on one in the middle of them. One thief was blasphemous; mocking and insulting Jesus saying, “If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.” The other thief had heard about Jesus. He had now seen Jesus. Then He rebuked the other thief and trusted Jesus as Saviour. He said, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.”

            Have you had the privilege of hearing about Jesus? Have you seen Jesus for Who He is and what He has done for fallen man? Have you trusted Jesus as your Saviour? If not, why not? There is nothing stopping you but YOU! Make your way the Bible way! Romans 10:9 says, “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.”

            Do me a favor, if you want to know more about what Jesus has done for you, please GET UP, GET READY, and WATCH OUR CHURCH SERVICE ONLINE TODAY. Don’t put it off. We are not guaranteed tomorrow. We are not guaranteed this evening. We are not guaranteed our next breath! So, make it a priority to know what He has done and what you can do about it before it’s too late. www.facebook.com/CalvaryBaptistofNorthLeniorCounty

THERE IS HOPE, SINNER FRIEND

            It would be easier to find a man that had not done any one sin that to find a man who had done it only once. Sin multiplies. We must either overcome sin, or it will overcome us. -D.L. Moody

Psalm 130:3, If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?

            The Psalmist asked, if we could, in some way, see who has committed sin, who would be able to stand noting they have not? Who would be able to serve the Lord without sin? Truthfully, all of us have committed sin and are unfit to serve the Lord. We are wicked and wicked to the very core. Left to ourselves we would choose wrong over right, darkness over light, and the broadway over the straight and narrow each and every time.

             I am thankful that the Lord didn’t leave us to ourselves though! The Psalmist in verse four of the same chapter said, “But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.” God sent His Son to die on the cross for your and my sin!

            No matter what you have done. No matter how far you have gone. No matter how deep into sin you have drifted, there is hope in Jesus friend! I leave you with this to pray over this morning: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13

WILL YOU?

Coming in contact with the Saviour changes us from being dead to being alive in Jesus! 

2 Corinthians 5:17, Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

There are a lot of things going on under the umbrella of Christianity that is far from Christian. Christian liberty is being stretched into lascivious living. The standards Christianity once had has departed and unless a great revival comes we are fighting a battle that should’ve never been fought. We long for another Great Awakening but it’s not going to happen with soft, shallow Christians at the helm.

Child of God, hold the line! Fill in the gap! Be the man or woman God wants you to be not what the world does. Hip, punk, carnal Christians are being the example our kids don’t need. We need Men and Women, Boys and Girls sold out for the cause of Christ. We need soul winners telling others about Jesus! Will you be counted with Jesus? Will you stand up for Him? Will you? 

NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD

Trust Christ and you shall live. The bloody sacrifice of Calvary is the only hope of sinners. -Spurgeon

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 1 Peter 1:18-19

            While we would have had some Knight in Shining armor to come lift us out of the depths of sin, God sent His only begotten Son to die on the bloody Cross of Calvary to wash away sin! There is nothing else that could pay the sin debt we owed! There was no other sacrifice that would satisfy the need. There was no other way in which for man to be saved but by the shed blood of God’s Son! Let me remind you friend, God’s ways are not our ways!

            Have you repented and trusted Jesus as your Saviour? Have you believed the Gospel message? If not now, when? We are not guaranteed tomorrow! Won’t you believe His Word today? Acts 16:31, “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

NAMES NOT NUMBERS

Names are written down in Heaven not numbers!

Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. Luke 10:20

            Did you ever get the full name treatment growing up? You know when Mama called out your entire name? John Jay O’Dell, get in here right now! You knew it was on! She didn’t call out, child number three or son number two. No, she knew my name and she didn’t want me to make a mistake thinking she called someone else. She wanted to put fear in your backside before you ever laid eyes upon her! And…it did! What a privilege for my whole name being called out by my Mama! It meant she cared for me, she had a desire to see me improve, and most of all; she loved me!

            Friend, there’s a God in Heaven that loves you greater than any Mother could love her own child! He isn’t concerned about the numbers in Heaven as much as He is the names that are written there! Is your name there? Have you been saved? God cares for you so much He sent His Only Begotten Son to die on the Cross for your sin! But praise be to God He didn’t stay there—He arose so our names could be written in Heaven!

DO IT FOR YOURSELF

The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin. Deuteronomy 24:16

             Do you remember the spoiled brats in school? The ones that got everything they wanted in life? The ones who never took responsibility for anything? Mom and Dad did everything for them in such a way they become expecting things to happen for them. They were never taught independence, personal responsibility, or how to do something for themselves. Where are they now? Some ended up in prison. Some have bounced from job to job never growing out of their irresponsible ways. Some have died because they never caught on how to take care of themselves.

            You may be sitting there thinking, what does this have to with anything? Well sooner or later you are going to have to take responsibility for your own actions. Mom and Dad will be gone and what they attempted to do for you will not go anywhere. Their salvation isn’t passed on to you. The sacrificial giving of their time, talents, and treasures will not be applied to your account. When Mom and Dad die, they will not be here to make sure you’re in church anymore. They will not be there to make sure you serve in the church. They will not be there making intercession for you. You must do it for yourself! You must trust Jesus as your Lord and Saviour on your own!

            So, GET UP, GET READY, and GO TO CHURCH this morning! Take responsibility for your own actions. Take responsibility for your own sin. Mama and Daddy cannot do anything with your sin. They must repent of their own sin trusting in Jesus for their own salvation. You must do it for yourself as well!

DON’T BE REFORMED, BE TRANSFORMED!

I believe a man may be as vile as hell itself one moment and be saved the next. - D.L. Moody

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 2:1-2

            I once new a man who had been brought up in a godless household. This man’s father was a hard worker but yet he was lost and full of fruits of the flesh. This man’s mother was a hard working woman, saved but yet she was carnal in her deeds. This man had a good work ethic, loved his wife and son, but yet he was bound for hell. Tormented with his childhood he wondered if Jesus could save a man such as him. One day, he was asked the question of all questions, “Are you saved”, his pastor asked. He answered, with a matter of fact tone in his voice, “No sir”.  His pastor led him to the Lord that night. He repented of His sin and trusted Jesus as his Saviour! He wasn’t reformed, he was transformed into one of God’s Children!

You too can be vile as hell one moment and be saved the next. I’m glad I’m not that man anymore! I’ve been transformed, have you?

YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN!

What we mean by salvation is this-deliverance from the love of sin, rescue from the habit of sin, setting free from the desire to sin. –Spurgeon

Leading up to one, if not the most, well known verses in all of scripture John 3:16, we have the story of Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews. He had an important position within the hierarchy. Nicodemus’ problem was just like so many in the church today, he was unsaved. He didn’t understand what salvation was all about. When Jesus told him, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus was perplexed and didn’t understand what He meant. His response was, “How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?” Nicodemus literally thought Jesus was talking about a rebirth. This is a perfect example of a religious, unsaved man not understanding the things of God.

Throughout the church today we have unsaved men and women in leadership positions. They are spiritually bankrupt, not understanding the simple things in scripture such as, “YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN”. But I am thankful on this day, my physical birthday, that God gives even unsaved religious leaders in the church grace. Just as He did not close the coffers of His grace to Nicodemus, neither will He to anyone who repents and turns to Him. Look at the answer Jesus gave to Nicodemus, “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” John 3:5-7

Have you been born again? Have you trusted Jesus as your Saviour? If not now, when? If not now, why? Here is a little truth, “…now is the day of salvation.” Today, you too can be born again!

JUST TRUST GOD!

If we trust God we will toil for God!

Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: Matthew 1:24

Joseph had just been told his betrothed wife was with child. He hadn’t had any intimate relations with her so he knew the child was not his. I can only imagine how he felt; fear, disbelief, anger, helpless, hopeless, shattered dreams, etc. But in just two Words all of that started to drift away. “Fear not”, was the beginning of a message Joseph need to hear. After he heard the message, Joseph did what the angel of the Lord told him.

Friend, fear not! God has made the way of salvation! He has provided the only means of escaping eternal damnation in Hell! He said in Acts 16:31, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” If you believe then do something about it! GET UP, GET READY, and GO TO CHURCH this morning!