PROLOGUE
John 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.”
God so loves each and every human being in the world that He sacrificed His very own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ because the pure blood of Jesus Christ was the only sacrifice which could save all of mankind.
1 Peter 1:18-19 “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.”
Jesus Christ's pure blood was the penalty for my sins as well as for yours and every single other person's in the entire world - from that historic moment of His crucifixion until the end of time. How amazing is that? One man sacrificed His very own life-blood for all of human kind. Although people live in sin, in a world surrounded by sin, in the kingdom of satan, God loves us so much that He sacrificed His only Son in exchange for our lives.
Ephesians 1:7 “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”
There is nothing, outside of accepting the LORD JESUS CHRIST, that you can do to have the assurance of your salvation and eternal life in heaven. If you do this one thing, sincerely, with a true, repentant heart, then God accepts that the price for your life has been paid in full. In fact He puts a stamp of approval on your name which reads “PAID IN FULL”! Wow! How amazing is that? Just a gesture on your part, but a huge sacrifice for God, and the most agonizing death imaginable for our LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST!
Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”
Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
As the blood was a token upon the houses of the Israelites, protecting them, so the blood of Jesus is a token upon you and me that we belong to God – that we are His children.
Exodus 12:13 “And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.”
Ezekiel 11:19 “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh.”
John 1:7b “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
CHAPTER 1 – GOD'S LOVE FOR THE SINNER
Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”
We see from the above scripture in the Bible that all have sinned – sin is therefore universal – it includes every single human being in the entire world. There is not one person who is not a sinner. We are all born sinners.
Psalm 51:5 “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.”
Psalm 58:3 “The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.”
Romans 5:8-12 “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 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. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom we have now received the atonement. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”
From the time of the fall of man (when Adam and Eve sinned) each and every human being became sinners. Adam and Eve were without sin until the fall of man. Yet, through their sin, we automatically became sinners.
Isaiah 59:2 “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.”
The cause of sin entering the world can be laid squarely at the feet of one being – satan.
1 John 3:8 “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning.”
He caused sin, his sin cannot be forgiven, the penalty for his sin will be required of him at the time determined by God.
Isaiah 14:12-14 “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”
Unlike us, who receive redemption through Jesus Christ, satan will one day be condemned and thrown into the eternal lake of fire.
Isaiah 14:15 “Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.”
John 17:12 "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Thy name: those that Thou gavest Me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition (Satan); that the scripture might be fulfilled."
Thus, if you feel the need to be angry because you are conceived into this world a sinner, then don't be angry with God, be angry with satan. He is the one who has robbed us of the peaceful existence God intended for man on earth.
Psalm 139:13-18 “For Thou hast possessed my reins: Thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from Thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in Thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with Thee.”
What happened the moment sin entered the world? Mankind was no longer able to face God. Adam and Eve hid in the garden when they heard God's voice. They became aware of their nakedness and shied away from Him.
Genesis 3:7-8 “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.”
Before this day Adam spent time in God's presence and had fellowship with God. God walked with him and talked with him. Yet, suddenly this amazing intimacy was gone. It evaporated... A darkness set in... The same darkness which satan distributes and causes wherever he is present. Sin separated man and God. Because of sin man cannot stand in God's presence, because God is pure and sinful mankind cannot stand before Him. Holiness and sin does not and cannot mix. It is like water and oil which separates naturally the moment you pour the two together into one glass.
Isaiah 59:2 “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.”
Malachi 3:7 “Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from Mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts”
God does not hear the prayer of a sinner:
Isaiah 59:1-2 “Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.”
Only through Jesus Christ can a repentant sinner's plea reach God.
John 9:31 “Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth His will, him He heareth.”
Sin not only separated mankind from God – it also caused death to enter into the world. Adam and Eve had the opportunity to live eternally in God's presence. Yet, when sin entered, so did death – not only physical death, but also spiritual death.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.”
Ezekiel 18:4 “Behold, all souls are Mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”
Ezekiel tells us the soul that sins shall die – we are all born sinners however, children up to the age of understanding as well as the severe mentally handicapped (who cannot understand) belong to God. We see this in the example given us of David's child who died. David mourned and fasted whilst the child was sick, but once the child had died David got up, washed himself, dressed, ate and worshipped the Lord. David was comforted by the fact that the child had been taken to heaven. This is how we know that the child was saved.
2 Samuel 12:22-23 “And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”
We have all been given free will to accept God's gift of salvation in His Son Jesus Christ. Once you reach the age of understanding, but continue in your sins, refusing the gift of grace from God, then you remain spiritually dead until your time for physical death comes and you reach your final destination or you accept Christ prior to your death.
Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”
Deuteronomy 30:19 “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.”
Jesus is the only way in which you and I can become spiritually alive.
John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me."
Sin not only causes spiritual death, it also causes sorrow.
Romans 7:24 “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”
Whilst we are sinners, we do not experience true joy. True joy is not fleeting happiness which may come from an unexpected gift, the overflow of money, a holiday, or whatever else causes people to be happy. True joy comes only from the knowledge of Jesus Christ, from experiencing God's presence which in turn can only come from the infilling of the Holy Spirit in a born again child of God. This is true joy. The world does not know or experience true joy. True joy replaces sorrow – it helps you to cope with even the deepest sorrow.
Romans 15:13 “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”
Psalm 16:11 “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore”
Even if you are having a bad day (no, God's children are not exempt) you will find that true joy comes again in the morning as you turn to Jesus in prayer, worship, read the Bible and experience the renewing of the Holy Spirit! True joy replaces any sorrow – the heartache of a lost child, the sorrow through the death of a loved one, the worry of financial burdens, the pain caused by poor health – all these earthly sorrows and burdens are easier to endure if you have true joy.
Psalm 30:11 “Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: Thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness”
If you take your burdens and place them at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ, you will experience joy again. Your burdens might be something trivial, or huge like a 20kg sack of potatoes which you drag along with you day after day, after day. It leans heavily on your shoulders and causes your heart as well as your entire body to be filled with pain. You have to drag yourself out of bed in the morning as you face yet another purposeless day. You find it impossible to rid yourself of this feeling of doom which constantly surrounds you like a dark, thick cloud. Every time you think you see just a shimmer of light shining through, the cloud thickens and encapsulates you in its depressive darkness.
But, there is hope. Jesus invites you:
Matthew 11:28“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
What an awesome invitation from our Lord!
Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me."
He is knocking at the door of your heart right now. Will you open the door for Him? Will you invite Him into your life? Do you want your burdens lifted? Do you want to experience joy? Do you want that dark cloud which surrounds you to be blotted out by the bright light emitting from the Lord Jesus? Do you want to jump out of bed joyously singing praises to the Lord each morning? The choice is yours entirely. You can remain in the dark pit of depression and darkness or you can open the door and let the Light in.
John 8:34 “Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.”
Through grace we have been saved. Not through anything any one of us can do for himself, but by the grace of God through Jesus Christ!
Titus 2:11 “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.”
Ephesians 2:7-8 “That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”
Sin causes us to be in bondage. It is like a dangerous prisoner in transit - he walks with great difficulty, dragging his feet which are chained with heavy ankle bracelets. Heavy chains are wrapped around his hands, his feet, his body, preventing his escape to freedom. This is how satan binds every one of his prisoners. The chains which bind you may not be visible, but the anxiety, the depression, the fear, the suffocation is as real as the prisoner's heavy chains.
Psalm 107:10-14 “Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron; Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High: Therefore He brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.”
This is what sin does to every person – it presses tightly upon them, restricting breathing, causing bouts of anxiety, fearfulness, a depression that never lifts, never ceases... They are servants of sin and thus servants of satan as he continues to hold them captive in his tight grip. There is no getting loose from the grip, no escaping.
A boa constrictor or python throws coils around it's victim's body, then squeezes the very life out of them until they finally suffocate. This is the tactic satan chooses to use on every person he can get hold of. Similar to a huge snake, he hunts his prey and once he gets them in his tight grip there is no getting loose.
1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
Medication may bring temporary relief to a person who is in bondage, but as soon as the medication wears off, the feelings of bondage return, sometimes even stronger than before.
Romans 6:16 “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”
Again, Jesus invites every person in bondage to come to Him and be free:
Matthew 11:28“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
John 8:36 “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
Romans 6:14 “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”
John 8:12 “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
But, still some continue to remain in satan's grip...because he has blinded the minds of unbelievers lest they see the light of the Gospel of Christ and he loses them as his captive slaves...lest they turn from captivity to freedom...
2 Corinthians 4:4 “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
...until they finally end their lives in captivity only to find that the hell that awaits them eternally is even worse than the hell they chose on earth... not because God condemned them, but because they condemned themselves by never turning to God and accepting His free gift which He offered them throughout their lives.
God loves you so much, but He will never force anyone to choose Jesus. He has given us free will to make the choice for ourselves. If you love someone you cannot force them to love you back, regardless of how much you love them. Think of a time when you were young and fell in love with someone yet they never reciprocated your feelings. Love is something which must come voluntarily from the heart. God does not want forced love. He wants you to love His Son and love Him voluntarily, with a true heart.
The death of a sinner is fearful:
Revelation 14:11 “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”
After death the soul is conscious and remembers. We see this with the rich man and the poor beggar, one in heaven, the other being constantly tormented in hell:
Luke 16:22-24 “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”
As we continue reading in Luke 16 we find the rich man in hell, begging Abraham to send the beggar (who was in heaven) to go and spread the Gospel to his family lest they end up where he did:
Luke 16:27-28 "Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.”
But Abraham's answer to him was simple – accept the Gospel whilst you have time, whilst you are on earth, whilst others are telling you about it, because if you should die it will be too late. Accepting the Gospel is your choice until you die... Don't let the regret of this rich man also be yours:
Luke 16:29-31 “Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."
Unfortunately it is a fact that sinners hate the light and love the darkness. Have you ever wiped a glass table just to find that, as soon as the sun shines on it every speckle of dust on it is exposed, no matter how clean you thought you had wiped it – you just never seem to get rid of all of the dust – the light exposes every remaining speckle, every time. In the same manner, sin is exposed by light. Therefore sinners hide their faces from God, because they know He will expose their sin.
John 3:19-20 “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.”
Unbelievers walk in accordance with the world and worldly standard. Satan is the god of this world. He influences people, nations, belief-systems, philosophies, education, trade – nothing in this world is exempt from his attacks. He is the reason for all the evil in this world. He is the reason why people act the way they do. They are under his influence and he impacts their ideas, hopes, views, thoughts and opinions.
Sinners follow satan's agenda. Their minds are blinded by satan to prevent the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ from shining upon them and revealing the truth to them. In his vileness he corrupts people and keeps them captive unto eternal darkness. Scripture calls him a liar, a deceiver, a murderer. He walks to and fro on the earth seeking whom he can devour.
Ephesians 2:2-5 “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”
2 Corinthians 4:4 “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, Who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
Job 2:2 “And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.”
2 Corinthians 2:11 “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”
Ephesians 1:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God”
But God, Who is rich in mercy and love, loved us even when we were still sinners, and quickens us together with Christ.
Ephesians 2:5-6 “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus”
Through His grace we are saved and not through anything that we ourselves can accomplish. Our saving grace is accomplished only through His mercy in sacrificing His only beloved Son. Jesus Christ shed His blood for each and every one of us as a free gift in exchange only for our accepting the gift and receiving Him into our hearts.
John 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.”
2 Corinthians 9:15 “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.”
There is nothing free in this world – everything has its price, whether monetary or by some other means. As the cost of living increases rapidly year after year, most people battle to make ends meet. The majority are heavy-laden with debt, families crumble under the financial strains, access to a good medical aid scheme has become a luxury few can afford. People are turned away from hospitals whilst dying because they don't meet the financial criteria of the hospital boards. Old people are left stranded as they can't afford old age homes... abandoned by the children who have turned to drug abuse and
Impressum
Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG
Texte: Linda Gates
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 08.01.2019
ISBN: 978-3-7438-9260-6
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