Preserved, Restored, Pardoned

  Preserved, Restored, Pardoned..."

In the book of Deuteronomy we read,

"Thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondsman in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee." Deuteronomy 15:15.

I believe it's at St. Mary Woolnoth  an Anglican church in the City of London, that there is a plaque with the words,

 "John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long laboured to destroy."

Newton was a slave trader who helped himself to the female slaves. He was a deserter, flogged by the British Navy, who was reduced to being the slave of a sadistic woman, herself a slave, in Africa.

He came to Christ on March 10, 1748 while steering a near foundering ship in a storm. 

Newton would go on to be the curate at a church in Olney, Buckinghamshire. Along with William Cowper write the Olney Hymns (1779) Two hundred eighty of which he wrote including the hymn Amazing grace.

In 1787 he with William Wilberforce founded the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade. Speaking out against the evil that was the slave trade. Even writing a book Thoughts Upon the African Slave Trade. He would testify against slavery to parliament. Living long enough to see slavery abolished.

It would be easy for us in the twenty-first century to say “well I’m not a bad as Newton” and that might be so. But the apostle Paul wrote,

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," Romans 3:23.

Little sins or big sins or anything in between separates us from God. Sin is falling short of God’s ideal for our life. The apostle John stating.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  

If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." 1John 1:9-10.

Do you believe that you are a sinner falling short of God’s ideal. Do you believe the words of Jesus who said,

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son”. John 3:16-18.

Can you say as John Newton said,

“...by the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned...”

Please think about it.

Our works cannot save us

 Our works cannot save us.

The apostle Paul wrote, 

“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” Titus 3:4,5

In the book of Ephesians we read,

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8,9.

Our works as good as they may be cannot save us. They cannot get us to heaven. It is only by the grace of God that we get to heaven.

The apostle Paul making it very clear writing,

"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Romans 10:9,10.

Do you believe this?

Please think about it.

The Message is Power

 The Message is Power

The apostle Paul wrote,

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, 

but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 

                                                                            1 Corinthians 1:18

  I believe a person has two choices in life. Either you believe in God or you do not. The choice is yours.

  Blaise Pascal wrote,

Belief is a wise wager. 

Granted that faith cannot be proved, 

what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false?

 If you gain, you gain all; 

if you lose, you lose nothing. 

Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists. 

                                                                                Blaise Pascal

 Please think about it.

To the Perishing

  To the Perishing

The apostle Paul wrote,

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18.

Simply put this is the unapologetic view of Christians. We believe the words of Jesus as quoted in John’s gospel. 

“Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  John 14:6.

If we as Christians are wrong then no one has anything to fear. If we are right then the rest of the world has at the very least something very important to think about.

Please think about it.

Belief in Jesus

 "Belief in Jesus"

The Psalmist wrote,

"Be still, and know that I am God; 

I will be exalted among the nations, 

I will be exalted in the earth." 

                                                          Psalm 46:10.

The late American evangelist Billy Graham said,

“The Bible says today is the accepted time, today is the day of salvation... But there will come a time when it will be too late for you.” Billy Graham

The apostle Paul speaking in Athens states,

“In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.  

For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.” Acts 17:30,31.

I am a Christian. A believer in Christ Jesus. I believe God will one day judge the world.

I believe the words written in the book of Ecclesiastes when it states,

"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty of man. 

For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." Ecclesiastes12:13,14.

God will judge each person justly. He will judge us for the sin we have done. That being said God has made away for us to get to heaven. The apostle Paul writes,

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8.

Thus the question becomes are you willing to confess your sins directly to Jesus. The apostle John writes,

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  

If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." 1John 1:9-10.

The ultimate question comes down to do you truly believe in Jesus and that He paid the price for your sin.

Jesus speaking of himself said,

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son". John 3:16-18

Please think about it.

An act of Faith

An act of Faith
Hear is something for you to think about.
The Bible states,
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1.
It does not debate whether there is a God or not. The Bible makes it clear that there is a God who created the heavens and the earth. I as a Christian believe this. There is no middle ground.
Furthermore the New Testament tells us,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  
He was with God in the beginning. 
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  
In him was life, and that life was the light of men....
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. ” John 1:1-4,14.
Here John makes it clear that “the Word was God”, that “through him all things were made; and without him nothing was made that has been made.”
John also tells us that “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
In other words God entered the world He created. God became a man.
I know this seems hard to believe but we Christians believe this. We believe God entered the world He created to show man how far in human terms He would go to point man to heaven.
In coming to earth in the form of Jesus God experienced all there was to be a man. Everything from the mundane such as the feeling of the sun on his face. To walking in the rain.
On earth Jesus experienced the love of family and friends. He attended a wedding and other events.
He experienced the hate of his enemies. The suffering of a merciless beating and the death on a cross for a crime, even the Roman governor, who ordered his execution, admitted he was innocent of.
And we Christians believe He did it for us. The Apostle Paul stating,
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8. 
This is another key belief of Christians we believe we all have sinned. That sin is falling short of God’s ideals. Doing things he never intended us to do. Sin separates us from God.
The apostle Paul telling us,
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23.
The apostle John states,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” 1John 1:9-10.
Christians believe that the only way to heaven is by accepting the saving Grace Jesus offers us. The apostle Paul stating,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8,9.
Christians believe we cannot work our way to heaven. It is a gift offered freely to all who would believe in Christ and confess their sins to God.
Ultimately what you believe about God and Jesus comes down to an act of faith. One must read at least the New Testament for themselves and decide for themselves who Jesus is. It comes down to an act of faith. The writer of Hebrews stating,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  Hebrews 11:1
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6.
Please think about it.