The god of this age, Satan, has fogged over the minds of unbelievers…dulling their perception of God and causing them to be indifferent and apathetic. In I Corinthians 1:18, Paul says that the message of the Cross sounds like foolishness to the unbeliever…something so ridiculous and stupid as not to be believed. It’s only when the light of the Gospel breaks through this fog, dawning upon the minds of unbelievers that they can see clearly the uncertain path before them. The Gospel message is called the Good News for a reason…it’s not only proclaiming the Kingdom of God and salvation through Christ, but it’s the truth piercing through the fog, illuminating our wretchedness, but also offering forgiveness, peace, and hope.
Tag: gift of salvation
Isaiah 60:1 ” Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.”
The Apostle Paul, in Ephesians 5:14, paraphrases this verse in Isaiah when he writes, “Wake up O sleeper, rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you.” Jesus is the light of the world, and when this truth illuminates our being, we become painfully aware of just how deplorable our sinful life is. We clearly see ourselves for what we are…miserable, wretched humans…spiritually dead and doomed to eternal punishment. But both verses encourage us by saying, “Don’t wallow in sin anymore – a new day is dawning – rise up out of the muck and mire, and receive your salvation.”
I Chronicles 16:23 ” Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim His salvation day after day.”
If you had never heard the Good News of Jesus…where would you be today? It’s a very sobering thought, and for many of us, we’d probably be dead. Now whether it was spiritual or physical death, we’d all be doomed to spend eternity in hell. But instead, someone brought us the Good News…proclaiming deliverance and victory over the guilt and punishment of sin. And so we stand here today, forgiven and set free. So why wouldn’t we want to proclaim His salvation to others?
Isaiah 42:6-7 ” I will keep You and will make You to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.”
The Prophet Isaiah again speaks of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. These verses speak of the promise to come for both Jew and Gentile… of life, salvation, wisdom and justice in place of spiritual blindness, falsehood, and ignorance. At the very beginning of His Ministry, Jesus confirms this in Luke 4:18-19, “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Jesus is the covenant between God and us…He’s the bridge over the deep chasm that keeps us far from God… for no one can come to the Father except through Him.
Psalm 67: 1-2 ” May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine upon us, that Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.”
When people look at you, what do they see? Do they see Jesus smiling back at them from behind your eyes? You can’t help but do this if you have a firm grip on just how kind and gracious God has been to you. If you really understand the depth of God’s favor and protection…His plan and purpose for your life…the victory over sin and death He has afforded you…how can you do anything but manifest His love through you?
I Chronicles 16: 35 ” Cry out, ‘Save us, O God our Savior; gather us and deliever us from the nations, that we may give thanks to Your holy name, that we may glory in Your praise.’ “
The thread of our Lord Jesus Christ is woven throughout the Scriptures. The Hebrew word in this OT verse for “Save us!” is Yasa. The personal name of Jesus comes from this root word, Yasa. This can be found in Matthew 1:21 as the angel of the Lord is revealing to Joseph the miraculous conception of his soon-to-be wife. “Mary will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” “Save us!” can also be found later in Matthew as Jesus is making His triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the crowds along the road are crying out “Hosanna!” or “Save us!” Jesus was and still is the Savior of our souls and the world today.
Mark 13:13 ” All men will hate you because of Me, but he who stands firm to the end will be save.”
What a wonderful promise is within this verse. For there’s assurance and hope that as we persevere with faith…as we stand firm to the end, we will be saved. But the world doesn’t understand this faith and trust Christians have in Jesus. For it says in John 15:21, “They will treat you this way because of My name, for they don’t know the One who sent Me.” For Believers though, knowing the Lord, is loving Him…loving Him, is putting our trust in Him…for we know trusting Him to the end will never disappoint.
Matthew 16:26 ” What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? “
For many, they’re playing a version of the old game show, “Lets Make a Deal” with God. They’re bartering “good works and deeds” in hopes it will get them a free pass into heaven. Or they’re pinning their eternal hope on the shirt-tails of a Believing Grandparent. Neither will work…for there is no earthly commodity that exists that’s a fair exchange for our soul. We can’t trade anything we have for the free gift of salvation Jesus offers us…and no amount of good deeds will get us any closer to heaven. So the answer to the question, “What can a man give in exchange for his soul?” is simple…there is nothing.
Matthew 16:25 ” For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it.”
It tells us in John 12:25 that, “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” Everyday is a struggle, where our affections are pulled one way or the other. The glitter and lure of the world is great, with its promises of immediate gratification and unending ecstasy. But the cold hard truth is that our excessive fondness for things of the world will only lead us down a path to self-destruction and death. For the world tells us to live today to the fullest… to eat, drink, and be merry, with no regard for tomorrow. But the Lord tells us that there is life beyond the grave, and that the world is blinding us from this truth. If I want to save my life, I must lose it in the person of Jesus Christ…I must turn my focus and affections from the temporal to the eternal…from the fleeting to the everlasting.
I Chronicles 16:23 ” Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim His salvation day after day.”
When was the last time you actually thanked God for saving you? When was the last time you expressed profound gratitude and appreciation for delivering your soul from the guilt and punishment of sin? If it’s been a while, then take the time right now to stop and thank Him. But as important… when was the last time you told someone else about Jesus? Isaiah 52:7 exclaims, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!” Telling someone the Good News of Jesus isn’t hard if you can imagine it this way…you’re simply a beggar telling another beggar where they can get bread.
Safetypinlove 