The door of Hope begins to close...
“Not saved”! Dear reader, is this your sad condition? Warned of the judgment to come, urged to escape for your life, and yet at this moment “not saved”? You know the way of salvation—you’ve read it in the Bible, heard it from the pulpit, had it explained to you by friends—yet if you neglect it, you are “not saved.” You will be without excuse when the Lord judges the living and the dead (Acts 10:42). The Holy Spirit has given His blessing to the word that was preached in your hearing, and “times of refreshing” (Acts 3:19) have come from the divine presence—are you still without Christ? Hopeful seasons have come and gone—your summer and your harvest have past—are you yet “not saved”? Years have followed one another into eternity, and your final year will soon be here: youth has passed, adulthood is going—are you still “not saved”? Let me ask you: Will you ever be saved? Is there any likelihood of it? If the most advantageous seasons have left you unsaved, will other occasions change your condition? If God’s various means have failed with you—the best of means, used with perseverance and the greatest affection—what more can be done for you? If affliction and prosperity have each failed to impress you, then tears and prayers and sermons have been wasted on your barren heart. In such a case, isn’t the probability against your ever being saved? Isn’t it more likely that you will continue as you are until death locks the door of hope forever? Do you cringe at this thought? It is only reasonable: the person who has not washed in so many waters will in all probability go filthy to his or her end. The “convenient time” never seemed come—why should it ever come? It is logical to assume that it never will arrive and, like Felix with the apostle Paul (Acts 24:25), you will find no convenient times until you are in hell. Oh, think of what hell is, and of the dreadful possibility that you could be cast into it! Reader, if you should die unsaved, no words can picture your doom. Write out that dreaded condition in tears and blood, talk of it with groans and gnashing of teeth—you will be punished with everlasting destruction, away from the glory of the Lord and from the glory of His power. I would be happy if my voice could startle you into earnestness. Oh, be wise! Be wise in time, and before another year begins, believe in Jesus who is able to save to the uttermost (Hebrews 7:25). Set apart these last hours of the year for solitary thought, and if the need of deep repentance is felt in you, that is good. If that feeling leads you to a humble faith in Jesus, that is the best of all. Oh, be sure this year doesn’t end with you in a state of unforgiveness before God. Don’t allow the celebration of the new year to surround a joyless spirit! Now, now, now believe and live. “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” Genesis 19:17 NKJV
Read this one carefully. There is a door of opportunity.
You are either on the inside looking out or the outside looking in. You cannot be in both places.
That door has predetermined time when it will close...and it WILL close.
Are you still looking around at this world, still not willing to let go of things or people or ideals to take hold of the truth?
Wow the turmoil in writing this today. My Dear Reader, the turmoil is within you is the battle of the ages.
As one put it, a revival of the heart must begin in prayer. If you haven't come to Christ, you must begin with belief in Him. You must then acknowledge that what He has said concerning sin DOES apply to you. "It's not yet time." Shouldn't be your response.
You cannot determine when your time is apropos. Every single life is determined by God for its duration. It's up to all to make the most of it while you have it to live.
If all your time and thoughts are consumed by this world and not your future, you're going to miss it when that door closes.
Close it will. The world today was never even dreamed of by a people even 2 generations ago. Yet when we look at history it's all evident this world today was going to be this way. History as God has revealed it, not history as the world has filtered out for many generations. Satan got the Bible kicked out of schools for a reason. The true history it contains shows that the God of the Bible is real and true.
In that book it clearly states the need of people for a Savior in the person of Jesus Christ. In it sin is defined and shown to be real. The penalty of sin is explicitly explained. The door of Hope is opened after Christ's resurrection. The Father has determined when it will close.
You, my Friend, need to make sure of which side of hope you are standing.
Who cares if 2021 is worse than 2020. Nothing matters in this physical world if you die apart from Christ. If you die holding onto your sin like a blanket, rather than the filthy garment that it is, you WILL lose your only chance of hope.
You may be thinking that this is all a sham. Well look around you. What's being taught as evolution has been proven to be a sham. It was introduced to try to get people away from one truth. That the Bible is real. It is the living Word of God.
As the battles rage, while people wear their rose colored glasses, denying that sin is anything of consequence. It will escape their notice when the Rapture occurs.
If your desire is to hold onto your things, your ideals, your emotions, rather than acknowledging your need to be saved, you will be here when the real battles begin to be waged. When the loss of life will be in the billions.
Is all that you hold dear that important to you? Jesus said that those who want their life will lose it. Those who lose it for His sake, the sake of the Kingdom will find it.
This was a hard post to write. You have no idea how great the Spiritual warfare was to complete it. Satan does not want to lose one more person to Christ.
Know today, this first day of this new year, whether or not Jesus is your hope. He is mine, and that's the most important thing to know. I am safe in His hands and He promises to always be with me. I haven't stopped sinning since coming to Christ. But I am forgiven. I can be obedient to Jesus. My falls may be great but He promised to set me back on my feet to continue our walk together. He promises the same for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment