The Truth of the Lord Jesus Christ

The Gospel of Grace and Security

Chapter 8 Verse 28 through 39

What is the security of the believer?

1) First, we must understand that God the Father is the Author of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ.

2Co 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. 

2Co 5:18  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 

2Co 5:19  To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

2) It is God who "justifies" each believer by Jesus Christ.

Rom 3:21  But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 

Rom 3:22  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 

Rom 3:24  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 

Rom 3:25  Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 

Rom 3:26  To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. 

3) This assurance of salvation is the greatest gift that has ever been conceived!

Php 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: 

The day of Jesus Christ is the day Christ returns to get His Church. He will meet His Church in the clouds.

Joh 10:27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 

Joh 10:28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 

Joh 10:29  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. 

Joh 10:30  I and my Father are one.

Becoming a Christian with eternal security is not a fairy tale!

The death of Jesus Christ was not a game God was playing, but a serious thing He has done for us!

Becoming a Sanctified Christian is a life-long struggle to resist temptations and flee from ungodly activities.

How do I know that I have eternal security? Because my God cannot and does not lie!

Heb 6:17  Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: 

Heb 6:18  That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 

Heb 6:19  Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; 

Heb 6:20  Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

When God raised His Son Christ Jesus from His death, He gave us the basis of our "faith" in His truth!

Without this "faith" there is no eternal security for anyone!

1Co 15:12  Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 

1Co 15:13  But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: 

1Co 15:14  And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 

1Co 15:15  Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. 

1Co 15:16  For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 

1Co 15:17  And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 

1Co 15:18  Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 

1Co 15:19  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 

1Co 15:20  But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 

1Co 15:21  For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 

Everything that has happened since the time of Creation, are things that have worked for the good of all those who love God.

More about this eternal security in our lesson today.

Remember no one comes to God on their own. No one comes to God without them first being called by God the Holy Spirit.

*****Rom 8:28  And we know that "all things" work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 

Those who love God and are called by Him will definitely be freed from the bondage of sin, and the corruptions of this life, and will be ushered into glory.

Nothing shall prevent the plan of God from being fulfilled in each believer!

No part of the plan of God will fail!

God works out all the details of salvation for those who love Him!

"All things" goes far beyond just the things of this world!

Remember God has made a New Heaven and a New Jerusalem.

Since this is true, then we have to know that God has it in His power to control all things or to allow all things that have happened in this world and all these things have been for the believer.

We may not totally understand these things right now, but when we have that "faith", we can know all these things are true.

Daily, moment by moment, God is arranging all things for the good of the believer and we must understand these things as we see life unfold around us.

Anything that happens in this world happens because God has allowed it to happen!

God is not the cause of terrible things!

We already know that God does not cause terrible things, but He does allow some terrible things to happen and to continue if they serve His purpose.

For all those who do not love God, why then do they expect God to look after them?

They should point the blame at the true cause and in most cases, these causes come from bad government and wicked men influenced by Satan.

These are the ones who live in a fantasy world and not the believer, who know the truth!

God will not force His care upon anyone!

God has a purpose for each and every believer!

God wants the love that freely flows from the heart of each of us who love Him to be seen by the world.

2Th 2:13  But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 

2Th 2:14  Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

God places His Spirit inside each believer to bring them to holiness!

1Th 4:7  For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. 

This is that process of "sanctification".

God delivers all those who are positioned in Christ Jesus!

God has His own purpose, which is to deliver each believer, it is His will!

*****Rom 8:29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

What is omniscience? We sometimes forget God is intellectually omniscient. 

He knows the ending and the beginning of everything at the same time! 

He knows all those who will accept His gift of salvation and those who will not, yet He offers His free gifts to every living soul.

It is choices God offers after He explains His truth.

Act 15:18  Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.

If you understand this verse as it is written, you will see that these who choose the "faith" in the Lord Jesus Christ are those who have been predestined. 

Those seeking to be like Jesus are the ones Born Again into the family of God!

God does not choose some to go Heaven and then the remainder to go to Hell!

God gives this choice to us!

If you end up in Hell it is because of the choices you have made the main choice being to ignore the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Does He know, sure He does!

He also knows if I am able to go to work tomorrow or not or my plans a month away.

God knows the things we go through moment by moment, day by day, year by year.

The Bible is not only a love letter from God, but it is a book that teaches us about the choices we make and if they are good choices or bad choices and what happens when we make bad choices.

We must understand that no matter how much we struggle, no matter how great the opposition we face, no matter how great the suffering, God is going to complete His purpose for each believer, each child of God!

God has ordained that His Son Jesus is to have many adopted brothers and sisters, and this is the method He has chosen.

If you truly the Lord Jesus Christ, then you will be welcomed into the family of God. This is what He has predestined! 

You cannot be rejected for you sins of the past or the sins of the future.

That word "conformed" means to be like Christ. That title Christian means to be like Jesus Christ.

That word "Image" means likeness. We could attempt to work to be more like Jesus, but we do not have the ability to be perfect as He is!

This then is a gift of God when we are glorified!

2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 

Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 

Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 

1Jn 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 

1Jn 3:3  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 

Our Holy God has given each of us that believe Him these assurances that we will one day be alive in the image of His dear Son Jesus the true Messiah!

2Ti 2:19  Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

Since God knows all these things then we can be sure that if you love the Lord Jesus Christ you will be part of this calling.

No one who has put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will be left out!

*****Rom 8:30  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. 

Predestination includes individual salvation.

Predestination includes our status as the adopted children of God.

Predestination includes our eventual perfection.

Predestination includes our ultimate glorification.

Predestination secures our eternal inheritance.

Predestination is the will of God for each believer!

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 

Predestination is a promise from God for those who have accepted the work of Jesus Christ for their salvation!

It is not a question of if God will do all these things.

It is God's purpose for those who love Him and His Son and who are filled with His Holy Spirit!

This is why it is called the "Grace" of God!

Tit 2:11  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 

Tit 2:12  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 

Tit 2:13  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 

Tit 2:14  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. 

God calls us to Christ and when we respond and come to Christ, then we are "justified".

This calling must be answered which this is the time we have a choice. Not everyone answers the call of God!

We know that this is the work of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit knows if He will be accepted or not.

Gen_6:3  And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man,

Those who answer God's calling will begin that road called sanctification as a child of God and God in His patience will bring His child through this life pursuing the image of Jesus Christ.

Php 3:13  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 

Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 

Php 3:15  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. 

God will never forget about His adopted children.

*****Rom 8:31  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 

Rom 8:32  He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 

Rom 8:33  Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. 

God will never be against those who are His adopted children!

So, when God is for us, it does not really matter who is against us!

The only thing they can do is the thing we want and that is to join our Heavenly Father in His house!

He is expecting us at any time because He lives in eternity!

We cannot make God loves us more and we cannot make God love us any less, because He has that perfect love!

Gal 1:3  Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, 

Gal 1:4  Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: 

Gal 1:5  To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 

Since God gave His Son Jesus for us why would we ever think He will not provide our needs!

He is bound by His own oaths to take care of His adopted children.

This provision includes spiritual, eternal, and material things in this life.

These material things are the necessities of this life that we need to survive, and these things are freely given.

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 

Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast. 

God has already "justified" each of His adopted children, so He does not hold sin against any of us!

Only God can judge us in this manner!

Heb 13:6  So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. 

No one can separate us from the love of God.

*****Rom 8:34  Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 

If there were anyone who had the power to condemn us for our sin it would be the Lord Jesus Christ who died for that sin.

Once Christ died for us and rose from that death, He became our Savior and Saviors do not condemn!

Our penalty for all sin we have and will commit in our lifetime has been paid by our Savior!

Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Our faith is not just based upon His death.

Our faith is based upon His resurrection.

Our faith is based upon His return to take His church home.

Our faith is based upon His one-thousand-year rule of this earth.

Our faith is based upon His Second Coming.

Our faith is based upon His intercession for us today and every day until He takes us home!

Our old life is passed away and we have begun living our new life once we have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, though He is much more than our Savior!

He sits at the right hand of God defending His brothers and sisters.

Eph 1:19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 

Eph 1:20  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 

Eph 1:21  Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, "but also in that which is to come": (There is a New World coming and we will still be in the family of God with these promises)

Eph 1:22  And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 

Eph 1:23  Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. 

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who rules and reigns over all this universe. Some would say cosmos.

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

No one can take His love from us!

No one can make these promises to fail!

*****Rom 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 

Rom 8:36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 

Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

As Christians God has not raised us to be sheep to be slaughtered, He has made us to be Conquerors of this wicked world!

How can our nation, which was once known as a Christian nation, turn their back on such a loving God?

How can a world headed for destruction turn their back on such a loving God?

How can so-called believers turn their back on God knowing all the promises He has made to us?

The world is in distress, but I am not, and neither are most Christians.

The distresses of this life are readily seen including this Covid plague but as a Christian I am not distressed over it.

The Church realizes we are the enemy of the world because we stand against sin.

To be abused, or mocked, even ridiculed for my beliefs does not harm me.

As we go through these things, we need to remember these words of God the Holy Spirit.

I know persecution is much worse in other places, than it is here in the U.S. but we all must cling to these promises of God.

Remember a great many missionaries depend on the Churches of America for support!

If we do our part, I know the Lord will do His part!

No matter our circumstances or the severity of our situation Christ will carry us through it.

2Ti 4:18  And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 

These are not just words we read.

These are the promises from a loving God!

Even when we reach that time called "old" Christ Jesus does not forget us.

Isa 46:4  And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you. 

*****Rom 8:38  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Rom 8:39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

There is no power in this universe that can separate us from the love of God!

Death is only our first step to Heaven’s doorway!

If God allows our death to come, then He is ready for us to come home!

Joh 5:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

Nothing in this life can separate us from the love of God.

There is no angel, no power, no heavenly, no spiritual creature, no being from another dimension can keep us from the love of God.

There is nothing that is present and nothing in the future can keep us from the love of God.

There is no height, nor depth, nothing from outer space, or the depths of earth can separate us from the love of God.

Even if there is something that comes about that we cannot know about, even this cannot overcome the love that God has for us and the completion of His will for us.

Jehovah God and His Messiah and His Holy Spirit are all powerful and they all live within me!

1Jn 4:8  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 

1Jn 4:9  In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 

Amen

Will Many Be Saved

The Certainty Of Christ's Compassion

Book of Luke 13


Compassion is a warm feeling with and for other beings.

Compassion is suffering along with others who are suffering.

Compassion is a mixture of love and sorrow.

Compassion is a fundamental and a distinct conception of God.

It was God's compassion for a small group of people that set them free from the bondage of Egypt and form them into the nation of Israel.

The Old Testament full of God's acts of compassion, pity, and mercy.

When God made Himself known to Moses, He described Himself for the benefit of Moses.

Exo 34:6  And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
Exo 34:7  Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

God said He was a compassionate God and not some unloving being.

What did Moses do?

Exo 34:8  And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.

And Moses said "I have found Grace".

Until we have found the "Grace" of God, which is in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ we will never understand our compassionate God.

Because God is so full of compassion, then He expects those that love Him to be the same.

Mic 6:8  He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

God's greatest act of compassion was when He sent the Lord Jesus Christ to redeem His people!

God gave up His own Son, to the death of the cross, in order to release us from the bondage of sin!

Therefore all who know the God, the Father of Christ, and are filled with the Holy Spirit, and call themselves the children of God, will also show compassion and mercy to all those who do not know the Lord as their "personal" Savior!

Eph 4:31  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
Eph 4:32  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the epitome of compassion!

We begin with who can be saved:

*****Luk 13:22  And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.

The ministry of Christ Jesus was coming to an end and He was on the way to Jerusalem to Calvary's Cross.

This did not stop Him from preaching and teaching along the way, Jesus still remembered the work He was sent to do.

Jesus reached out to as many as He physically could.

Along the way a disciple asked Jesus a question that even many of us have asked and is still asked today.

Are there many or few who will be saved?

The word saved means to participate in God's Kingdom.

The truth is the door of "faith" has a narrow entrance.

The door of "faith" is found on our knees just as Moses found out when He fell on his face before the Lord.

The door of "faith" begins when we acknowledge God for who He is!

*****Luk 13:23  Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,
Luk 13:24  Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

The question should never be how many will be saved but how many will be lost!

Notice the Lord Jesus did not respond to just the one who asked but took the time to teach all who were with Him.

There are so many today who think that everyone who dies goes to Heaven and they are wrong.

There are also those who think there is no place called Heaven or Hell and they are certainly more wrong.

There are also those that think only certain predetermined ones will get into Heaven and they are wrong also.

The first word Jesus uses is "STRIVE".

The word strive means to struggle, to compete (as for a prize), to endeavor (to accomplish something).

To strive is to make an effort, to labor hard, to exert yourself, to contend.

The Jews taught that all would be saved just because they were Jews by birth and circumcised, this is not so.

The Lord Jesus Christ taught that nationality meant nothing toward entering into God's Kingdom!

The Lord Jesus taught that religious rituals meant nothing toward entering into God's Kingdom!

The Lord Jesus theme has always been that many are called but few are chosen!

Mat 22:14  For many are called, but few are chosen.

**The truth is that many people are curious about Heaven but not curious enough to truly seek the Lord in a personal manner!

They will certainly discuss the issue of salvation but they are unwilling to deny themselves of their own desires.

**Birth and ritual are not enough to save anyone. Not circumcision, Not Baptism in any form nor any other religious ritual and certainly not someone wearing some explosive device to kill others.

The entrance to the place of salvation is a narrow gate!

**In other words the way through this gate is specific, very specific!

This truth always seems to drive the liberal community crazy.

**There are not many ways to get to God's Kingdom, there is only One Way!

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Why is Jesus Christ hated so much in our world?

This one Scripture gives us the answer. You cannot enter into God's Kingdom but by Jesus Christ!

We cannot pick and choose our own way to get to Heaven!

**To get into God's Kingdom is not a cake walk!

We must all "strive" to get there!

It takes a whole-hearted dedication and effort, but let's not confuse the issue because you cannot work your way to Heaven either.

No amount of work can pave our way into God's Kingdom as many try and will fail.

**To "strive" means we must diligently seek God by "faith"!

Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

First there must be "faith".

Next there must be "repentance".

Isa 55:6  Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
Isa 55:7  "Let the wicked forsake his way", and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and "let him return unto the LORD", and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

**This means we must deny ourselves and give ourselves to God.

In the military, to repent is to do an about face. Go 180 degrees from where you were headed,

We are our own worst enemy.

Rom 7:22  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

Few are willing to pay the price of self-denial!

Most will say that self-denial is just to high a price to give up this world we live in now.

Luk 9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, "let him deny himself", and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Luk 9:24  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

When God closes that narrow gate, no one can open it!

*****Luk 13:25  When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:

What is the truth?

The truth is God will call us to salvation only so many times and some can move too late.

God says: the Holy Spirit will not always strive with man.

And we will not ever come until we are not called by the Holy Spirit!

Eph 4:4  There is one body, and one Spirit, "even as ye are called in one hope of your calling";
Eph 4:5  One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Eph 4:6  One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

We know that God loves everyone enough to call them at least once!

We also know that God is a God of the second chance!

But we also know God can see into the heart and He knows those who will never accept Him.

1Co 1:26  For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

Those who "strive", those who truly seek the Lord will find Him but the truth is, in the future many will seek the Lord but they will not find Him.

When is the proper time to seek the Lord?

2Co 6:2  (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, "now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation".)

Salvation is the thing that needs to be sought!

There is nothing to gain by delay!

In fact you lose every moment you delay!

And you may forfeit your salvation by delay!

Today is the day of salvation!

Today, all that strive to enter into God's salvation will be accepted!

There are many who try to clean themselves up of the things they do that are not pleasing to God but they still use the world's standards and not God standards.

When we seek the good opinion of the world, rather than the will of God who calls us out of the world, then we are not acceptable to God.

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

There is no one that meets God standards!

There is only one means to be justified in the eyes of God!

Rom 3:24  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

That is why it is called "Grace".

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

There are no works that we can do ourselves to make us acceptable to God!

There is coming a day when the Master of the House "shall" rise up and shut the door to salvation.

There is a time limit to salvation!

The door to salvation will not always be opened!

Our death is certain but it is also certain that we do not know the time of our death!

We must not be fooled, the door to salvation is closed at a person's death.

There is no such thing as praying someone out of Purgatory!

For many today, the door to salvation will be shut in the next minute or the next hour or the next day!

There will be many who will cry on the day of judgment but it will be to late.

In fact at the Second Coming of Christ it will be too late and Christ could return at any moment!

Heb 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Mat 25:41  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

Mat 25:46  And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

If you doubt the words of Jesus Christ, then you will find yourself unable to get into God's Kingdom because the door, the gate, the entrance will be closed!

Jer 8:20  The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.

It is then that God will hear all sorts of excuses to no avail.

*****Luk 13:26  Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.

There will be a great many who will come up short on the day that salvation is redeemed!

They will have given up everything except that one thing that will keep them out of God's Heaven.

They were "almost" believers.

They were "almost" through the gate.

They were "almost" guests at the marriage supper of the Lamb.

When your name is not in the Lamb's Book of Life, Jesus will utter those terrible words "I never knew you".

They may have attended church.

They may have fellowshipped with God's people.

They had heard the Word of God, as it was taught.

They had actually been close enough to see the work of God.

They may have actually passed out some tracts.

They may have lived in places where they could witness for the Lord without breaking any law.

They may have freely allowed anyone to speak of Jesus Christ.

HOWEVER, they were only professing believers, they were not genuine believers!

They had accepted all the privileges of the Gospel but they had never "strived" to have a close and personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are to strive to have a close and a very personal relationship with our God!

Mat 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

*****Luk 13:27  But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
Luk 13:28  There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.

The first thing that will happen after "Judgement" is that there will be "an absence from God".

No matter where you are located on this earth or what circumstances surround you, God does have His eyes on your situation.

After "Judgement" that will not be the case.

They may think they can just run away feeling relief that God will no longer be seeing their sinful lives but this is also a false belief.

The truth is, they will stand without the power of motion, awe-struck and chilled at the doom that they face.

To depart from God is to be doomed to a place where there is no escape!

And God says there is no one who does not know of Him.

There is no such thing as an Athiest!

Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Rom 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Rom 1:22  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

On the day of "Judgement" it is God who will say He does not know those who have rejected Him!

To be without God is to be in a place of extreme sorrow!

Left behind are all things that are perfect, all things of beauty, all things of peace and tranquility and they will be replaced with all things of fear, and lonesomeness.

They will find that Christianity was not a bondage to God, but evilness and suffering will then become the bondage of those who are told to depart.

This person will feel the sting of a life time of sin upon himself, he will be helpless at that time, and be hopeless for all eternity future!

The truth is:

Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

To refuse the "gift of God" is to require payment for all that sin, which is death!

There will be much weeping!

There will be the  gnashing of teeth!

They will actually get to see those that they have known personally, living in Heaven's glory, while they have been shut out!

The one thing they failed was to "strive" in seeking the Lord!

They will now be filled with rage, fury, and despair from which there is no escape!

Even on this day, God will look one more time to make sure that their name is not in the Book.

Rev 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

BUT, they will see all those to whom the gate will be opened!

*****Luk 13:29  And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.

God could have allowed all of us die in our sin but we see that there is no one who cannot be saved!

There is no where on the face of this earth that the "Gospel" of Jesus Christ cannot reach!

Those that are saved and enter into God's Kingdom will come from all nations!

**Those that will enter into God's Kingdom will come from all cultures and all societies but we also know that not many will have been rich in material things.

There may still be a great Gentile revival and conversion one day.

It could happen before the rapture of the church but it could also happen during the 7 year tribulation period.

It could be that we are already near the end of this great revival today!

The truth is, that the Lord Jesus died for the sin of the whole world!

The truth is, that Jesus Christ provides the only means of entering into God's Kingdom!

It is God who is the ultimate ruler of His entire created world!

It is only by "faith", and by striving that we can enter into God's Kingdom, but this is not working your way into Heaven.

This "striving" is seeking the face of God and not the arm of God!

Isa 45:22  Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

**It is only the saved who will sit down in the Kingdom of God!

Rev 3:21  To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

**God is no respecter of persons, the saved will come from all classes of people!

Gal 2:6  But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: "God accepteth no man's person":) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me:

There is nothing about us that makes us beautiful before God but "our faith in the promises of Jesus Christ"!

We are to never over-rate nor under-rate the difficulties which lie in our way to Heaven.

We must view them exactly as they are!

What ever difficulties we have in obtaining the "faith" necessary to enter in God's Heaven, God's Kingdom will be well worth the "striving" it takes.

If we knock, it will be opened to us!

But we can wait too late to knock!

We must not trust in Church privileges because there are none. There is only the "Grace" of God which shows us His love and His compassion for us.

It is still God's plan and we must follow God's plan!

There will never be some man-made plan to enter into Heaven!

No matter the time or the season of the Lord, we are the disciples who have become the fishers of men at this time, and we are to be busy about the work the Lord has given us to do but this work only comes after He has saved us!

The truth of the Word of God is "that we will reap what we sow"!

No one on this earth can stop the plan of God!

*****Luk 13:31  The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee.
Luk 13:32  And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

The truth is, the Lord Jesus Christ has always been rejected and opposed by the majority of people.

He was opposed by the the religionist and we can see also by the rulers.

There is not one single class of people that flock to Jesus in true belief of Him!

Most of the world just ignores the Lord Jesus Christ!

Many try to stop those who witness for Jesus.

Many just ridicule and abuse those that try to follow the Word of God.

But there are still those who persecute and kill those who know the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior.

There were a few Pharisees who were not hostile toward Jesus and they warned Him of Herod's plot to kill Him.

But many just wanted Jesus to leave the area and go preach His message somewhere else.

Herod at one time had been fascinated with John the Baptist and wanted to meet Jesus but the politics had changed and he had changed with them.

Many of those that did not recognize Jesus as the Savior still recognized Him as a good man and they knew to murder Him was still sin.

In either case we can see Jesus was not concerned about plots to kill Him!

Jesus was actually in the area ruled by Herod at that time, which was Galilee and we know that thousands were following Jesus from place to place as He preached "the Kingdom of God".

The whole area was aroused by the Messiah!

There had been many before that had claimed to be the Messiah but none of those spoke with the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In any case when the subject of the Messiah arose, those in power would begin to tremble.

In many cases the subject of the Jewish Messiah would cause an uproar of the people.

We can be sure that even Rome was paying attention to what was happening around Jesus Christ!

The governments of all people have a dread and a fear of all people who give their loyalty to God instead of the state!

The truth is, that the Kingdom of Christ is not of this earth and God instructs all those trust Him in "faith" to be subjects of their government "unless those governments go against the Word of God".

If that government is truly subject to the people's needs there should never be an uprising by the people!

The truth is, righteousness, justice, and love are not at the top of the list of what most governments truly want!

Most governments are so caught up in spending money for frivolous things that they find their resources in the taxes that sin generates!

Jesus said Herod was a "fox".

What are the attributes of a fox?

Foxes are sly and crafty and sometimes treacherous.

Most people who attack Christianity are sly, crafty, and sometimes treacherous.

Why?

What are the attributes of the Devil?

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

The Devil is sly, crafty, and always treacherous!

Gen 3:1  Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Jesus said nothing could happen to Him until His ministry had been "perfected"!

The Greek word "teleoo" means completed or accomplished.

The pure fact is, that the "Gospel" of Jesus Christ cannot be stopped by any man!

The witness of Jesus in His person did stop but not before what He came to accomplish was finished!

Notice it was not the cross that completed the ministry of Jesus, it was His resurrection!

It was Jesus rising from the dead, having conquered death, that completed the work for man's salvation!

Rom 1:4  And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

Rom 4:24  But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
Rom 4:25  Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

Nevertheless the ministry of Jesus will continue because it is not in the power of man to stop the will of God!

*****Luk 13:33  Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.

That word "must" means that the work Jesus was sent to accomplish "must" take place before He could be killed!

Jesus had to die in Jerusalem and Herod had no jurisdiction there!

Jerusalem was and still is the center of the Jewish nation.

Jerusalem was and is recognized by all Jews the capitol city of Israel.

The Temple stood in Jerusalem.

The Sanhedrin Court was in Jerusalem.

If a prophet of God was to die, that decision would be made in Jerusalem.

Jesus was saying, when people kill God's Son, it would be done under the circumstances that God had set forth in His Written Word.

Jesus was to die in Jerusalem but He was to die for the benefit of all mankind!

Many today still do not understand the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ but they all will one day!

And Jesus said:

*****Luk 13:34  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!

The truth is, that the sinners of that day and the sinners of our day and the sinners in the days to come cannot destroy the willingness of Jesus Christ to save them!

The soul is a precious thing to God!

When Jesus looked ahead to Jerusalem He wept!

Not for the things He was sent to accomplish but because He would be rejected.

Jesus would have saved them all but "they would not be saved".

Today our world is filled with many who just will not be saved!

They and their homes will be forsaken by the Lord!

*****Luk 13:35  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

That house can be just a house but it can also be a church, a local group, a city, or a nation if they reject the work of the Lord Jesus Christ to save them, they will be forsaken and God will leave them alone.

They will spend eternity away from the presence of God.

Rom 1:24  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Rom 1:25  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
Rom 1:26  For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
Rom 1:27  And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

All we have to do is look and see what is happening in our world today, to know that these words are true!

God is giving up on our world!

Pro 1:28  Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
Pro 1:29  For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
Pro 1:30  They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
Pro 1:31  Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
Pro 1:32  For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

Has God reached this point, only He knows but the evidence is growing that He has.

*****Luk 13:35  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

There is still the day that the Lord will return to complete the promises He made to Israel.

The Lord will return and He will rule supremely.

Psa 118:26  Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD.

The truth is that everyone who has rejected the Lord Jesus Christ will see the Lord return and it will be too late to accept Him at that time!

Those who foolishly believe that they can come to Christ at any time need to listen to what is said here.

There is a day to each of us when we will no longer see the Christ as the Savior that He is and it is too late for salvation.

God definitely has a deadline that once it has been reached none will be able to see Him until He returns and at that time all will bow the knee to the Lord of His creation!

1Co 15:25  For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
1Co 15:26  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Here again it would be hard to say that most of the world has not reached this point already!

Still the fact remains that we who know the Lord must remain busy spreading the "Gospel" up until the very moment that Christ returns!

There is never a good time to quit on God!

Questions?

Let's Pray!

The Gospel Message is Unique

The Uniqueness Of The Gospel

Book of Galatians 1:6-12


The word unique means a thing unparalleled, or one of a kind. A thing that has no equal, and is unmatched in it's kind and in it's excellence.

Uniqueness is the quality of being unique!

What is pluralism? Pluralism is a worldview that says one's religion is not the sole and exclusive source of truth, and thus the acknowledgement that at least some truths and true values exist in other religions.

What is humanism? Humanism is a worldview that emphasizes reason, scientific inquiry, and human fulfillment in the natural world and rejects the importance of a belief in God.

Humanism is the world of the Atheist. The Atheist say that there is no God or that there is no such thing as a Supreme being.

Humanism is the world of the Agnostic. The Agnostic says we live in a world that cannot know that a God exist. Their belief is based on an assumption that for something to exist it must be scientifically verifiable. Since God cannot be proven by known science, then God cannot be discussed as an option for life.

Evolution is based on Humanism which says that there is no God and then they seek to explain away Creation by the design of our Supernatural God by using false science. Science by definition is based on facts and Evolutionists have no facts to prove their false science!

The Bible describes all these people as lost!

Eph 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, "and without God in the world":

These are Gentiles that do not know God!

1Th 4:5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, "even as the Gentiles which know not God":

As Christians we know that we may all have fit into these categories at one time.

Paul informed these Galatians that even if you do not believe in God you are still serving a false god!

Gal 4:8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, "ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods".

Polytheism says that there are many gods.

Pantheism says that everything can be a God and God can be everything. God is all and all is God!

Deism is a belief that there may be a God but He cannot be personal and He will not relate to mankind and mankind cannot relate to Him. Deist may acknowledge a god but they deny a sovereign God of any religion!

God says:

Pro 16:25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

So, how does God respond to all these things? King David was inspired by the Holy Spirit to give us the answer.

Psa 19:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
Psa 19:2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
Psa 19:3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
Psa 19:4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
Psa 19:5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
Psa 19:6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

The greatest lie that is told today is, that there is truth in all religions and it does not matter which religion you choose to believe, as long as you believe something good.

It is taught that there are many roads to Heaven and the only choice you need to make is to get on one of those many roads.

This is pleasant sounding and this false thing is used by many governments and many false religions in order to try to appease it's people but this is all a lie!

This is totally false and no false thing can be of the truth!

In the words of Jesus, He said now is the time for the truth!

Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

And Jesus also said it is only the truth that can make you free!

Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall "make" you free.

And Jesus said that it is the Word of God that is true!

Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

If the Word of God is true then all others are false according to the Word of God!

And the Apostle Paul added:

2Co 13:8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.

What is the truth?

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.

What is the truth?

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

There is absolutely nothing in these two verses that cannot be easily understood!

When we are bombarded everyday by the teachings of this world, we can sometimes drift from the truth of the Word of God but there is only one "Gospel".

There is only one source of "Good News" for this world we live in!

And there is only one Judgment!

When we stand before God and we will all stand before God, "and every knee will bow before our Holy God", we will have to give an account of our relationship to the truth of God!

It is our eternal living soul that hangs in the balance!

Mar 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
Mar 8:37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

So lets begin:

*****Gal 1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

In many of Paul's letters it would be at the time of his introduction that he would brag about the faith of the believers, but not this day.

Not only was the apostleship of Paul at stake, the life of the early church was at stake and the precious souls that the Lord Jesus Christ had died for, were all at stake!

It is God's "Gospel", that must be obeyed, preached, taught, and it alone!

Even before God's first breath of creation God knew the outcome, so God's plan all along was to save us by Jesus Christ!

Paul was astonished at how easily these "Babes in Christ" had been so quickly led astray by false doctrine.

We sometimes forget that Satan does not like to loose to the Lord and he will immediately attack those that have recently trusted in the Lord.

Satan cannot rob them of their salvation but he can make them useless servants of the Lord!

That word "another" means "another of a different kind".

That means any "Gospel" that is not centered on the "Gospel of Grace" and that "Grace" can come only by Jesus Christ!

Jesus Christ died so that we could be delivered from sin and death and then by this same means have an eternal home with God in the New Heaven and on the New Earth!

What are the facts? When any person surrenders to the truth of Jesus Christ and truly believes that Christ took their sins upon Himself and then died for them, God counts them as sinless as His Son was sinless.

It does not get much simpler than that!

It is not this world that we have to please, it is only our Father in Heaven that we have to please and this is His plan of salvation!

God does not need my help to save me and God does not need my help to keep me saved, God just needs me to believe and trust in the work of His dear Son. That's why it is called "Faith"!

How do we become acceptable to God? There is only one way!

We must look to the Lamb of God!

Joh 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world".

What was Paul's message?

1Co 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
1Co 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

It is the "Gospel of Jesus Christ" that must be protected from all those that would pervert the Word of God!

Men of a false gospel had come into the newly formed churches of Galatia and had preached their false doctrine and this brought confusion to people who did not have a Bible but only the "Gospel" as preached by the Apostle Paul and those who traveled with him.

As we follow the "Gospel of Grace" we must be very aware that there will always be those who just cannot accept the simplicity of salvation by Jesus Christ.

It is this verse 6 that gives us the purpose that Paul wrote this Holy Ghost inspired Book to the Galatians.

We already know that the other Apostles were preaching the same "Gospel" as Paul because there is no other "Gospel" by which we can be saved!

*****Gal 1:7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

In verse 6 the Greek word "heteros" was translated into our English word "another" which meant another of a different kind.

Now in verse 7 we see the Greek word "allos" is translated into our English word "another" but it has a slightly different meaning of "another of the same kind".

In other words the so-called gospel of these false teachers and preachers did not just have minor variations that can be seen throughout Christianity but the message that they had was altogether opposite of the "Gospel of Grace" which is a "gospel of works".

The Apostle Paul was giving a strict warning to these Galatian Christians and we must also give a strict warning today!

God had these words in the Book of Revelation.

Rev 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
Rev 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

We have been warned not to alter or pervert the Word of God in any way!

Any person that turns away from the "Gospel of Grace" is turning away from God Himself!

You see it is not some preacher or teacher that leads us into salvation, it is God Himself who sends us His Holy Spirit to bring us under conviction and then leads us to Jesus Christ.

When we turn away from God's message we are rejecting the "Love of God"!

Joh 3:16 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.
Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

We must remain grounded in the "Love of God"!

Eph 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
Eph 3:18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
Eph 3:19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

There is no other place to turn when the "Gospel of Grace" is rejected!

We should be more like Peter. Peter was just a fisherman but even Peter realized that there is no other place to turn but to Christ Jesus!

Joh 6:65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
Joh 6:66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
Joh 6:67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
Joh 6:68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

It is only the Lord Jesus Christ who spoke the Words of eternal life!

It is only the message of Jesus Christ that can get us into God's New Heaven!

There may be many who teach and preach in this world "but there is only one message of truth"!

Jesus said:

Mat 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Mat 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits.

And the Apostle Paul cautioned all believers as we see in the Book of Hebrews:

Heb 13:9 Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.

And we must caution each other, and teach each other and all our children and all our friends to avoid any message other than the "Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Gospel of Grace", for anything else is just a lie of Satan!

*****Gal 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

***What are the facts? We have a God who because He is God, absolutely cannot contradict Himself!

That word "accursed" means to excommunicated, doomed, damned, cast into Hell!

We can see that God is very serious about the truth of the "Gospel"!

Without the "Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Gospel of Grace" no person can be saved from the wages of death! No person could be reconciled to God! No person could have eternal and everlasting "life"!

The Apostle Paul may have been the most committed servant of God that has ever lived, but if Paul had deviated even one time from the message of the "Gospel of Grace", he would have been accursed and he knew this!

Paul said no matter how much you care for me, if I return to you preaching some other gospel than the "Gospel of Grace", I will be condemned to Hell!

The "Gospel" is much greater than the Apostle Paul!

***The "Gospel" is much greater than any Angel!

Though an Angel come from Heaven but preached not the "Gospel of Grace" even that Angel would be doomed to an eternal and everlasting Hell.

We already know that God will actually send an Angel from Heaven, after the "Rapture" of the Church and during the seven year Tribulation Period but that Angel will preach the same "Gospel" as the Apostle Paul.

Rev 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Rev 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

There is only one "Everlasting Gospel"!

We can see that the"Gospel of Grace" also includes the truth of Creation by the Design of God as well as the "Death, the Burial, and the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ"!

Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

It is also during the Tribulation Period that the false prophet will come forth with his message of a false gospel as he does today.

2Co 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
2Co 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
2Co 11:15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

We just cannot allow ourselves to get caught up in the false message that is taught today in our world!

We must the Word of God literal!

There is still only one way for salvation!

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

And this warning is worth repeating, over and over again!

*****Gal 1:9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

If the "Gospel" is greater than God's hand selected Apostles, and greater than God's most powerful Angels, then the Gospel is far greater than any man and anything that man says!

Any preacher or teacher that preaches or teaches a "Gospel" other than the "Gospel of Grace" will be doubly cursed!

I can think of some mighty big names that I will not mention who have changed their message to be inclusive of many routes to Heaven and have accepted humanism and have accepted evolution or some part of evolution and these scriptures tell us of their terrible ending.

Jesus told His disciples:

Mat 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Mat 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Mat 7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

We should not judge the growth of our Church by it's size or by it's numbers. We should judge the growth of our Church by the fruit of the believers, that is produced from the truth of the "Gospel of Grace" the "Gospel of God"!

The "Gospel of God" is a life or death message and therefore the most important message that can be taught in this world we live in!

*****Gal 1:10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

Not only was Paul accused of being a false Apostle.

Not only was Paul accused of preaching and teaching a false gospel.

Paul was also accused of being a people pleaser.

Paul was accused of using his ministry only for his own livelihood.

Paul was accused of living a life of deception.

Paul was accused of using the "Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ" to satisfy his own personal greed!

How did Paul respond to these accusations?

That word "now" tells us that Paul said there was a time he was guilty of all these things.

Paul was saying, there was a time when he was so zealous of God that he tried to please men instead of God.

This was when Paul served the High Priest and the Sanhedrin Court.

Paul was saying, there was a time when was seeking his own glory and profited greatly in the Jewish religion.

Paul was saying, yes at one time he was a man-pleaser but that time "was not now"!

And Paul fired back: Am I "now" seeking to please men? No!

Am I "now" seeking to please God? Yes!

Paul said: "for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ"

What is the one thing that God has given to every human being that sometimes gets us in the most trouble?

THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE!

Paul had made his choice to serve the Lord Jesus Christ!

We cannot serve the Lord Jesus Christ and at the same time serve any man!

The act of choice means we have to decide between one or the other!

Jesus Christ had these words for each of us.

Joh 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

We must become a slave to the Lord Jesus Christ!

God's "Grace" is free and unconditional but we must still make a "Choice" and that "choice" must be to serve the Lord Jesus Christ and not mankind.

There were still those that said Paul could not be a true Apostle of the Lord so Paul added these words.

*****Gal 1:11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
Gal 1:12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

It is certainly true that Paul had not followed the Lord Jesus when He was upon this Earth.

The same can be said for each of us also!

Paul's critics said that Paul's "gospel" was then man-made.

Still in our day the lamest excuse that is most offered is when the lost say the Bible was written by men and therefore just man’s words.

The Apostle Paul uses that word "certify".

Paul said "I want you to clearly understand the Gospel I preach is not of me or any other man"

That word "Gospel" means "good news", not "good works", not "good advice".

The "Gospel" is the "good news" of the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, with the forgiveness and the salvation that only He can provide!

The "Gospel" is not some improved information about some Divine Laws which must be kept in order to be reconciled with God!

The Word of God is not man-made!

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

***The "Gospel" was not handed down to Paul, like some tradition.

2Ti 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

**The "Gospel" was not learned by Paul, from some educational institute.

**The "Gospel" was not taught to Paul by some other man.

Eph 3:3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
Eph 3:4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
Eph 3:5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
Eph 3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
Eph 3:7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.
Eph 3:8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
Eph 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

The "Gospel" that Paul preached came by direct revelation from Jesus Christ!

The "Gospel" that Paul preached is not some basis for a new religion!

The "Gospel" of the Lord Jesus Christ as preached and taught by the Apostle Paul is the only basis for salvation in this dark dreary world we live in!

Tit 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
Tit 1:3 But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;

If Jesus Christ is not revealed in our lives than we are not saved and are still bound for a burning Hell!

If you do not know for sure, then it is time to make a choice!

Questions?

Let's Pray!