America: The Last Great Hope

I had the privilege of talking with the brilliant Trevor Loudon today on my radio show.  This week I am leading up to my broadcasts next week from the RNC in Tampa.  

After chatting about the "Occupy RNC" thugs for awhile, our conversation changed to a discussion I wanted to have with Trevor.  Now remember, he is a "Kiwi" from New Zealand, but he might be more "American Patriot" than all of us combined.  

I asked him "what do you think happens if Obama wins in November?"
His answer was chilling.  Basically he said, that America was the world's last great hope.  That the evil presences in the world would carve up all of the world with the military might of America gone, which is why Barack Obama is too be feared.  "Bill, there will be no place to hide".  Wow.

After our conversation I went on to add my thoughts.  I believe we can draw a line between the failing of the Christian church in America with the failing of this country.  When Christians started being afraid to stand on God's Word, when churches became country clubs and movie theaters, when the Church got wimpy and "tolerant" we can see that America went right along with that.  God has had His hand on this country from the beginning and since we don't seem to want Him around anymore, he is politely removing His hand and we are now facing the consequences. 

So, will this election change America?  Maybe.  Will our turning our eyes, ears and hearts back to God change America.  YES most definitely!  America IS the world's last great hope but only if that hope is based on the principles and foundations set by the Hand of the Creator of all things, the Lord God.

Who do YOU Worship?

You have heard of "tree huggers" right? How about "tree worshippers"? That's right, people who actually "worship" trees.
I found this video while trolling for another story and I couldn't resist.




Whether or not you feel we are truly in the "end times" (of course the "end times" have been the "end times" since the moment Jesus was caught into the clouds but let's forget that for the moment), this is a really, really scary video.
Let's look at Paul's writing in the book of Romans:
Romans 1:25 - THEY EXCHANGED THE TRUTH OF GOD FOR A LIE AND WORSHIPPED CREATED THINGS RATHER THAN THE CREATOR, WHO IS FOREVER, AMEN!

Note in the video they are lifting their hands in praise of the trees, just as we are commanded in Scripture to "lift Holy Hands" to God. Notice the holding hands in prayer towards the trees. Just as we are commanded to "pray unceasingly" to our Father in Heaven.
Note the comment about the "rock and all of the life it has". Remember when Jesus said in Luke 19:40 - "I tell you, if they keep quiet, the rocks will cry out".
Now, Jesus was of course saying, that if WE don't praise him, and we continue to withhold our worship of the True God, then the he'll allow the rocks to worship Him.
Of course He is being somewhat facetious, but the point is, WE don't worship rocks, they don't have life. God IS life, and we owe Him our worship.
Worship of created things is an abomination to God, a breaking of his Commandments and just plain STUPID!

I won't say this "scares" me, but it does drive home the point, that we are closer than ever to the return of Christ, Amen!

The National Day of Prayer: Censored!!

Today, May 7, 2009 is the annual National Day of Prayer. Now I don't have the time nor the energy to find the origins of this tradition, nor do I care how it started, I just like it.
Of course the Bible tells us many times to pray. Paul said to "Pray constantly" and similar statements, but this day is set aside, much like Sunday is set aside, as a day to stop what we are doing and take a little extra time to pray.
Our new President has decided that this "public display of prayer" is not befitting of his White House and so yesterday he declared that the day would not be observed "publicly" but instead, he would be in "private" prayer.
Now I am just fine with private prayer, in fact the best praying time I have is in my "prayer closet", but this is the direction our fearless "leader" is taking us. Slowly but surely his TRUE inner thoughts are being exposed, not by anyone but himself.
He says we are "not a Christian nation" and with his Chicago church and political background I could see where he gets that from.

All this to say, of course we don't care what this buffoon says, we will pray anyway and we will pray most assuredly for him.


I, however am taken back to the many times I observed the dear older, gray haired saints of my church. They pray like no one else I know. They pray humbly, deeply and most emphatically from their hearts. I praise and thank God for this simple means of communication that He allows between his creation and the Creator Himself. What an awesome God.

Pray today, pray everyday, pray "unceasingly"!

Christians: What are you Hiding?

I was struck recently by some of the passages of scripture I was reading, that we as Christians probably "hide" a lot of our behavior, habits and activities from others, but we can't hide them from God.
This of course brings us into the "what's moral for you is not moral for me" argument, but I am challenged to think, "will it cause my brother" or perhaps a non-believer who looks up to me (for whatever reason) to miss seeing the Cross due to my behavior?
The easy ones are drinking, smoking, overeating, but what "hidden" things might there be?
Now I am not calling out any of these things as "sin". I am looking for discussion on how does our behavior, habits or activities, might be construed as "immoral" to our brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as those who KNOW we call ourselves Christians, yet they might be confused by our outward appearance.
This is a discussion post today, so, DISCUSS!

Nehemiah, a man of prayer!

As we study the book of Nehemiah in Sunday School I have found something very cool about this great man. He was an absolute MAN OF PRAYER!
He prayed before EVERY decision, EVERYTHING he did as he led the Remnant of Israel back to Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the city walls.
Look at these verses from the Book, reminder that the book was written by Ezra, as he said: "the words of Nehemiah".
1:4 - For some days I mourned and fasted and PRAYED before the God of Heaven.
4:4 - Hear us, O our God, for we are despised.
4:9 - But we PRAYED to our God.
5:19 - Remember me with favor O my God, for all I have done for these people.
6:9 - But I PRAYED, now strengthen my hands.
6:14 - O my God, because of what they have done.
13:14 - Remember me for this O my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done...
13:22 - Remember me for this, O my God, and show mercy to me....
13:29 - Remember them, O my God, .......
13: 31 - Remember me with favor, O my God!

So, we see that not only was he a man of prayer, but he has such a close and personal relationship with God that he consistently says: "MY GOD".
Read the rest of Nehemiah and you see that God was faithful not only to Nehemiah, but also to the Remnant, as they were blessed through Nehemiah's faith in prayer!
That is a wonderful example for us!
Nehemiah's obedience, led to direct blessing by God.
Look also at his complete understanding of WHO God is:
1:5 - O Lord, God of Heaven, the Great and Awesome God.
These are not random words, this is true FEAR of God, the kind of FEAR that we are to have, which is an awesome sense of wonder and awe.
We often hear preachers, pastors etc, preach on the LOVE OF GOD or Jesus, but not often do we hear our nessecity for the FEAR of God. Nehemiah understood that.

Gloom and Doom on the Horizon

I caught myself being sucked into the mainstream media's whole "the sky is falling" mentality the other day and didn't even recognize it at first.

Headlines today scream: "Don't let Fear Overcome You".

Fear of the economy, gas prices, tomatoes, China, Iran, the war in Iraq, etc etc.

These are all concerns, but just that, concerns.

If we are trusting in the God who holds the wind and rain and sun and stars in His might Hands, then what is there to fear?

The battle is ours! He who is in the world is not the winner, it is the ONE who created the world who will win every time!

"Fear not! I am with you even unto the ends of the Earth!"

I don't know what is coming next, only He does, and since ALL Authority on Earth is put here by him (not our lousy little votes), He will do His will, and, it will be GOOD!

If you are reading this, and you have not put your trust in Christ, I implore you, look past politics, look past sports, movies and all the other stuff I put up here now and then, most of it is purely garbage that I waste time with(Bill's WASTE OF AIR remember?), this is YOUR life.

Are you willing to take the chance that YOU are right and God is wrong?

Read the Book of John. Seek out a Christian who loves God and loves people. Ask them why they are so content and happy even if perhaps they are in a tough situation.

Once again I have found myself perusing great sermons and one that always comes back and speaks to me is the one that John R. Rice was most famous for:

What Must I Do to be Saved?

By John R. Rice
What must I do to be saved? Here in the simplest, shortest form is put the question to which every man must learn the answer, or spend eternity lost, away from God, suffering the torments of the damned!

Thank God, this question is asked and answered in the Word of God so simply that every soul can understand it. There are other questions in God's Word which affect the soul's welfare, and many places in the Bible is the plan of salvation made plain, but only one place is this question given word for word, and there, too, we find the answer.

Paul and Silas were in jail in the city of Philippi and at midnight they sang and prayed until God broke down all the doors and broke the stocks which held their feet, with a mighty earthquake. The poor jailer, frightened and convicted of his sins, came to these two preachers and asked this question. Read it in Acts 16:29-31:
"Then he called for a light and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."
"What must I do to be saved?" "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved"! There is God's plan of salvation, the only plan He has for every man, woman and child who was ever born into the whole world.

WHAT MUST I DO?
Sinner, there is something you must do if you would be saved. There was hope for this jailer because he saw himself a lost sinner and came trembling to inquire, "What must I do?" Reader, you are a sinner. The Word of God from beginning to end emphasizes that fact. In Isaiah 53:6 we learn:
"ALL we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned EVERY ONE to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us ALL."

We have all gone astray! The Lord is not content for sinners to be left believing themselves good. In Romans the third chapter, how positive, how certain is the Word of God that every man, woman and child is a sinner!

"What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are ALL under sin; As it is written, There is NONE righteous, NO, NOT ONE: There is NONE that understandeth, there is NONE that seeketh after God. They are ALL gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is NONE that doeth good, NO, NOT ONE"!--Rom. 3:9-12.

In verses 22 and 23 it is stated again that "there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." That is the reason Jesus said to Nicodemus in the third chapter of John, "Marvel not that I said unto thee, YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN." And a little later in the same chapter, verse 18, He said that the man who has not believed in Jesus is already condemned.

Certainly these Scriptures must make it clear to every man who believes the Word of God that he is a sinner, and until he has believed in Christ and has been saved, he is a lost sinner and needs saving. The heart is wrong, and only God can make that right. Then if you want to be saved, you must admit in your own heart, "I am a sinner. I am lost and need to be saved." No one ever was saved without coming for salvation as a sinner.

CHRIST DIED TO SAVE SINNERS, NOT GOOD MEN
Oh, I beg you, see it today! You are a poor, lost sinner, a Hell-bound sinner! Your heart is black. You have hardened your heart, you have resisted the call of God, you have rejected Christ. However good you are in man's sight, you are a terrible sinner, and unless you turn to Christ you must spend eternity in Hell. A SINNER! That is what you are. Admit it in your own heart, confess it to God. You are a sinner and you need saving worse than you need anything else in the world.
If you have settled in your heart that matter, then you are ready to learn God's answer to your question, "What must I do to be saved?"

BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
Here is God's simple way to be saved. You are a sinner, your heart is wrong, you cannot save yourself, you are already condemned. The thing you are to do then, to be saved, is to simply trust the Lord Jesus with that matter. When you do trust Him, then you have God's promise, "Thou shalt be saved."

I do not mean that you are simply to believe that there is a God or that there is a Saviour. Devils believe that and tremble (James 2:19). You can believe that a certain physician is a good doctor without calling him to be your doctor when you are sick. You can believe that a certain man is a good lawyer without taking him as your lawyer to defend your case. You are not just to believe the truth about Jesus; you are to believe on Him, that is, depend upon Him, risk Him, trust Him; and when you do, you are saved.

NOT SAVED BY GOOD WORKS
Of course, you do not deserve salvation. There is nothing you can do that will make you worthy of it. You cannot be saved by keeping the Ten Commandments, for the Scripture clearly shows that you have not kept them. Romans 3:20 says:
"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his own sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."
The same thing is told in Galatians 3:11 which says:
"But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith."
Many, many Scriptures repeat again and again that there is no salvation through human goodness.
"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost."--Titus 3:5.
"FOR BY GRACE ARE YE SAVED THROUGH FAITH; AND THAT NOT OF YOURSELVES; IT IS THE GIFT OF
GOD: NOT OF WORKS, LEST ANY MAN SHOULD BOAST."--Eph. 2:8, 9.

We had as well admit, then, that no man deserves saving and no man can save himself. Salvation must be free or the sinner could never get it. In fact, it takes blood to pay for sin, for the Scripture says:
"Without Shedding of Blood Is No Remission"--Hebrews 9:22
"For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."--Rom. 5:6.
"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."--Isa. 53:6.
Peter tells us that all of us are bought by the blood of Christ:
"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."--1 Peter 1:18, 19.

Every lamb, bullock, heifer, goat, turtle dove and pigeon offered in the Old Testament times on the altar pictured this: that man, a guilty sinner, must have some innocent one to shed his blood to pay for one man's sins. Jesus died for our sins, and, thank God, salvation is bought for every man in the world, if he will have it, as the free gift of God.

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

Dear sinner, remember that church membership will not save you. If you have been baptized that cannot save you. Baptism does not save, does not keep anybody saved. It is only an act of duty for those who have already found Christ as their Saviour. A moral life or lodge membership or good citizenship--these must all fail to bring salvation, for it is "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us" (Titus 3:5). Don't depend, then, on what you do, but on what Jesus did and promises to do for you.

WHAT ABOUT REPENTANCE?
Does not the Bible say that we must repent? Yes, the Bible plainly says that "God ... commandeth all men every where to repent" (Acts 17:30), and again, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3, 5). This was the preaching of John the Baptist, of Jesus, of Peter and of Paul, that men should repent. And certainly repentance is God's plan of salvation. The trouble here, however, is that men misunderstand what repentance means, and there has grown up an idea that repentance means a period of weeping and mourning over sin, or sorrow for sins.

This idea comes from the Douay Version of the Bible which instead of "repent" says "do penance." So the place of inquiry, where people should be taught the plan of salvation from the Bible, in revival meetings, became "the mourner's bench" and thousands of people have been taught that God would not hear their prayer nor forgive their sins until they went through a process of sorrow and mourning over their sins!

Do not misunderstand me. God is anxious for you to have a penitent, broken heart over your sins. You have gone away from God. You have trampled under foot the blood of Jesus Christ, wasted years of your life which you can never live over again. You have served your father, the Devil. There is plenty for you to weep over, and I am not surprised if you feel deep shame and sorrow in your heart that you have so mistreated the God who made you and the Saviour who died for you. I am not surprised if you cannot keep back the tears! But what I want you to know is that tears or no tears, however much sorrow you may have in your heart, or not have, those things do not save you.

You ought to be sorry for your sins and ashamed of them. "Godly sorrow worketh repentance" (2 Cor. 7:10)--the right kind of sorrow leads to immediate repentance, but mourning is not itself repentance.
"Could my tears forever flow, Could my zeal no respite know, These for sin cold not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone."

To repent literally means to have a change of mind or spirit toward God and toward sin. It means to turn from your sins, earnestly, with all your heart, and trust in Jesus Christ to save you. You can see, then, how the man who believes in Christ repents and the man who repents believes in Christ. The jailer repented when he turned form sin to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

INSTANT SALVATION!
The jailer did not go through a period of mourning. He was told to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ; he did just that and was saved, and his whole family was saved the same way, immediately, the same hour of the night. Everywhere you look through the New Testament you find that people were saved all at once without any process, without any period of mourning.

Zacchaeus, up a tree, trusted Jesus and made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully (Luke 19:6-9). Jesus said,
"This day is salvation come to this house." When Peter told Cornelius and his assembled household that they could be saved by believing, immediately "while Peter yet spake these words," the Scripture says, the Holy Spirit came on them and they were happily saved (Acts 10:44-48). The thief on the cross, wicked sinner that he was, who a few minutes before had been railing at Jesus, was saved immediately when he inquired of Jesus (Luke 23:42, 43). In the first chapter of John, verses 35 to 49, we see where Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip and Nathanael were all converted, one by one, immediately by faith in Christ. There is no record of any person in Bible times who was ever told to wait, or mourn, or weep over his sins before trusting Jesus and being saved! One who believes in Christ has repented. Repentance and faith are the same thing put in different words, and neither requires a long period of time, nor a process of mourning and sorrow.

Salvation is instantaneous. All that keeps you today from being saved is the wickedness of your heart that holds on to sin and will not run to Jesus to trust in Him for salvation. I beg you, turn in shame and sorrow from your sins this minute, and trust in Christ and be saved!

CAN ONE BE SAVED WITHOUT PRAYER?
In the Bible there are many cases of sinners who prayed like the thief on the cross or the publican in the temple. In fact, Romans 10:13 says:
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
Many people believe that a sinner cannot be saved without a period of prayer, without consciously calling on God. However, the Bible does not say that a sinner must pray in order to be saved. In fact, immediately following the verse in Romans 10:13 is an explanation which shows that calling on God is an evidence of faith in the heart and that it is really faith which settles the matter. Read it again.
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?"--Rom. 10:13, 14.

The Lord encourages the sinner to pray, and the Lord hears and answers the sinner's prayer, if that sinner trusts in Jesus Christ for salvation when he prays. He heard the prayer of the thief on the cross, of the publican in the temple, of blind Bartimaeus. But the Scripture says, "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?" Certainly every one who is to be saved must believe. Prayer is evidence of faith. No matter how long one prays, if he does not trust in Christ, he can never be saved. If he trusts in Christ without conscious prayer, then he is saved already. There is just one plan of salvation and just one step a sinner must take to secure it. That step is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ!

Some way we preachers have left the impression on this poor world of sinners that God is hardhearted and that it takes many tears and loud cries and long periods of sorrow before He will hear and save the sinner. We have left the impression that God does not care whether sinners are saved or not, and that sinners must some way touch the heart of God and get Him ready to forgive. What a slander on a good and holy God who "so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Man's sins are already paid for, God's wrath is already turned away from any sinner who wants to be saved. Both the Father and the Son are a million times more anxious to save every sinner than the sinner can be to get saved! Thank God, I do not have to beg God to forgive my sins. He will do it the minute I am willing to trust it with Him.

HOW TO GET THE CHANGE OF HEART
This simple way of being saved by faith seems so easy, and it is. Some sinner may say, "But I thought one must have a change of heart." So you must, dear sinner, but that is God's part. Jesus was talking to Nicodemus when He said, "Ye must be born again," and in the same chapter He tells Nicodemus how to get the new birth.
"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."--John 3:16.
The change in your heart, sinner, is God's part and you may be sure He will attend to that. Your part is to simply believe in Him. Whatever else is necessary in your eternal salvation, the Lord attends to when you trust in Him, or believe in Him.

HOW SHOULD I FEEL?
Some people have an idea that the change of heart is a matter of feeling. Some do not want to claim Christ as Saviour until they have the mysterious feeling that they want. Do not let the Devil deceive you here. I believe in heartfelt religion, and thank God for the joy which He gives to me day by day. But the Bible nowhere tells how one must feel before he is saved, nor does it anywhere say how you feel after you are saved. In fact, people do not feel the same. Feeling varies with the person saved.
Some cry when they are saved, some laugh, and a few shout aloud the praises of God. One is no more saved than the other.

What you want, dear sinner, is salvation, and you should be satisfied to feel any way that will please the Lord, just so He forgives your sins.

Be sure you notice another fact, too, and that is that you cannot feel right until you get right. Rejoicing does not come before you trust the Lord. One does not feel the result of medicine before he takes it. The Children of Israel in the wilderness, bitten by fiery serpents and at the point of death, were not healed and did not feel healed until they looked to the brass serpent on the pole (Num. 21:6-9). People are not saved by feeling; they are saved by trusting in Christ. The prodigal son, away from home in the hog pen, decided to arise and go to his father, but he did not feel good. He was without shoes, clothed in rags, without the ring of sonship, without any evidence of his father's forgiveness, perishing with hunger! Yet he arose and came to his father, not by feeling, but by faith in his father. Thank God, his father received him, like God receives every sinner who will come. And when the prodigal boy sat down at his father's table, with shoes of the gospel of peace, clothed in the garments of righteousness of Christ, with the ring of sonship on his finger, eating the fatted calf at the right hand of the father, happy in his love, then he has plenty of feeling. Feeling comes after salvation. Leave the feeling with the Lord and come to the Saviour by faith today.

After you are saved, you will get peace and joy out of following the Lord in baptism, reading His Word, winning souls and otherwise pleasing Him. You need to go to the Lord again and again day by day for the joy of a Christian life. But thank God that salvation is settled once and for all when you simply depend upon Christ as your Saviour.

WHAT ABOUT PUBLIC CONFESSION?
Every person who is saved ought to publicly confess Christ. Matthew 10:32 and Romans 10:9 plainly teach that God will claim as His child any of us who will claim Christ as our Saviour, but we simply confess with the mouth what we have already trusted in our hearts. Concerning that very matter Romans 10:10 says:
"For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

To claim Christ as your Saviour simply proves that you trust Him in the heart. Likewise with all other promises in the Bible about how to be saved. "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out," says John 6:37; and salvation is promised in John 1:12 to as many as receive Jesus. But you could not come to Christ without trusting Him, and John 1:12 shows that receiving Jesus is the same as believing on His name.

Dear sinner, do not make this a difficult matter. There is one simple step between you and Jesus. When you trust Him, everything else is settled, and you have repented, you have come to Christ, you have received Him, you have done everything necessary to be saved. Take the answer in Acts 16:31 at face value: "BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND THOU SHALT BE SAVED"!

In dozens of Scriptures all through the Bible salvation is promised to those that believe. Read carefully the following Scriptures and see that again and again, many, many times, God has promised all any poor sinner would ever need when he believes on the Lord Jesus Christ.
"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that BELIEVE on his name."--John 1:12.
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever BELIEVETH in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 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."--John 3:14-16.
"He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that BELIEVETH not is condemned already, because he hath not BELIEVED in the name of the only begotten Son of God."--John 3:18.

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that BELIEVETH not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."--John 3:36.
"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."--John 5:24.

"And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and BELIEVETH on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."--John 6:40.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that BELIEVETH on me hath everlasting life."--John 6:47.

"To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever BELIEVETH in him shall receive remission of sins."--Acts 10:43.

"And by him all that BELIEVE are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses."--Acts 13:39.

Read again the Scripture we started with:
"What must I do to be saved?"
"BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved."--Acts 16:30, 31.

Trust Jesus, the Great Physician

If you were sick and about to die, and there was some good doctor whom you could trust, would you not risk him to take your case, give you the necessary treatment, and with God's help get you well? Then just like that, trust in Christ, depend on Him for your salvation, and turn it over to Him today. With the same kind of faith that will call in a doctor and risk him for your body, you can call in the Lord Jesus Christ and risk Him to forgive your sins and save your poor lost soul! He said, "They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick" (Luke 5:31). He is the Great Physician and will heal your soul instantly if you will trust Him. As you would trust a doctor, submit to his treatment, depend on him for results, so trust Jesus today about your soul. To be sure, human doctors fail many times. Their results at best are gradual, and so no doctor is a perfect picture of Jesus. The doctor can work no miracles, but Jesus can, and the change that is needed in that poor, wicked heart, He will make immediately, instantly, without any further effort on your part, when you trust Him!

JESUS IS OUR LAWYER
If you had committed a crime and were thrown in jail, probably the first thing you would do would be to send for some lawyer in whom you had confidence and trust him with the entire matter of your defense. In God's sight you are a criminal, condemned already and with the wrath of God upon you day by day. But God has provided somebody to take the part of us poor sinners, criminals before the bar of God's justice, and Jesus is that lawyer, for the Scripture says:

"If any man sin, we have an advocate [or lawyer] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our's only, but also for the sins of the whole world."--1 John 2:1, 2.

Jesus will not only be your lawyer to defend your case; He has already paid the penalty and you may safely trust Him to have you immediately pardoned and justified! Why not simply risk Jesus as you would risk a good lawyer? Jesus is better than any lawyer, of course, and you do not have to pay Him a fee, and He never fails.

A WEDDING
A young man and young woman stand together, side by side, before the preacher. The preacher says, "You will join right hands." Then to the young man he says, "Do you take this young woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love her and cherish her until death do you part?" He answers, "I do." To the young woman the preacher says: "Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband until death do you part?" She answers, "I do." Then the preacher says: "I pronounce you man and wife," and they are married in the sight of God and man.

What a simple picture of salvation! Jesus is the bridegroom and we who trust Him are to be His bride. Already Jesus has loved you and has long urged you to accept His love. Jesus invites you to accept His love. Jesus invites you to believe in Him right now and be saved and so become a part of His bride. Will you not right now with the same simple faith of that young woman who takes a husband, accept Jesus as your Saviour and say to Him, "I do."?

MAKE IT SURE--CLAIM HIM TODAY!
The way is plain and you can be saved this moment if you will.
Surely it has become plain, dear lost sinner, that it is your own fault if you are lost! Do you hate Jesus Christ? Will you hold on to your sin and go to Hell for your stubbornness? Nothing in the world could show your wickedness like postponing this matter. You can be saved right now, this minute. I beg you, do it now. Turn your whole heart from sin to trust in Christ. Choose for Heaven against Hell, choose for Christ against Satan. Do not let Satan deceive you any longer. If you delay, it may result in a hardened heart, a wasted life and a tortured soul in Hell! And if you are not saved, when God has made the way so plain and paid the price for your sins, then you have no one to blame but yourself. Will you trust Jesus Christ today and be saved?

"Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth."--Prov. 27:1.

"Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."--2 Cor. 6:2.

"Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts."--Heb. 3:7, 8.
God has given you this heartbeat, this breath, this moment in order to trust Christ, but there is no promise of another. I beg you do it right now, and then claim Him as your Saviour.

One who trusts Jesus Christ as personal Saviour should publicly claim Him before men. "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:10).

After trusting Jesus Christ you should join a church and be baptized. I hope you will find a good Bible-believing church and attend faithfully.

"Love your Neighbor as Yourself!"

Ever thought about what Jesus said in Luke 10:27?
Can you love your spouse, your children, your friends, your family, you NEIGHBOR, if you don't love yourself?

Jesus is so awesome, He gives us permission and in fact commands us to LOVE ourselves!!
In an egotistictical way? No.
In an arrogant way? No.

2 Corinthians 5:17: "If anyone is in CHRIST, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come!"
Psalm 139: 13-14: "I am fearfully and WONDERFULLY made! For you created my inmost being!"

How cool is God? He loves us so much he forgave us our sin, made us new creatures and allows us eternal life with Him, and God don't make Junk!
So, LOVE YOURSELF as God Loves You!

"The Chickens Come Home to Roost" Sermon?

After the whole Rev. Wright fiasco, "chickens coming home to roost" and more, I began to re-read the great preachers of the 20th Century.

John R. Rice, one of my favorites, was a very controversial preacher, mainly because he had the "audacity" to use the Bible as his main reference point.

Below I have copied one of his most famous, on preachers and what they have as responsibilities. It is rather long, so read it or don't, but if you do, pray for your pastor, that he might follow this lead!

The Kind of Preaching We Need
By Dr. John R. Rice (1895–1980)

We are told in the Bible, “It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (I Cor. 1:21). So God cannot get along without preaching, if He is to get men saved. All the Sunday school organization, all the educational and social work the church can do cannot substitute for God’s plan. “It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”

Lost men cannot get along without preaching, because they cannot be saved without the preaching of the Word.

It is true that an individual may preach to an individual. A Sunday school teacher may preach to her pupil. A father or mother may preach to a child. But the Bible plan is also that there shall be preaching of a God-appointed and God-anointed man before congregations. That is the example and precept of the Bible, both in the Old and New Testaments.
Preaching, then, is of surpassing importance in God’s plan of saving men. Nothing can take the place of preaching. Hence, we need a revival of great preaching. Christianity flourishes when preaching flourishes. When men stand in pulpits and give book reviews or moral essays instead of preaching in the Bible sense, then Christianity languishes. When men, timid men, give little sermonettes instead of bold and powerful and commanding discourses, Christianity is on the wane.

The individual soul winner is a preacher too. The Great Commission command in Mark 16:15 is that every Christian is to have a part in going to all the world and is to “preach the gospel to every creature.” That means preaching to individuals by individuals. So the soul winner needs, in some degree, to preach or teach the same Gospel and the same warnings and press for decisions just like the preacher in the pulpit. The soul-winning preacher and the personal soul winner need to know what kind of preaching of the Gospel God wants.
Since preaching is of such momentous importance in God’s plan, it is worthwhile to study earnestly what kind of preaching we need. And we can find the kind of preaching we need by turning to the Bible and considering the precepts and the examples given by the Word of God for preaching. What does the Bible say men ought to preach? And how did the Bible preachers preach? The answer to these questions is sorely needed today.

Let us turn to the Bible, then, and see the kind of preaching needed.

I. We Need Preaching of the Gospel of Salvation by the Blood of ChristHere is the first and strongest of all requirements concerning preaching. Every preacher is to preach the Gospel, for it is the Gospel alone that saves. In Romans 1:16 Paul tells us by divine inspiration, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
And what is the Gospel? In I Corinthians 15:1–4 Paul tells us the Gospel he preached and by which his converts were saved: “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”

Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures and was buried and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. That is the Gospel. That is the Gospel Paul received, the Gospel he preached, the Gospel by which his converts were saved. It is the same Gospel that every preacher everywhere should preach today. No preaching is Christian preaching that does not preach salvation by the atoning death of Christ.

A horrible curse is pronounced on any who preach any other gospel than that of salvation by the blood of Christ. In Galatians 1:6–9 is this apostolic declaration in the inspired Word of God: “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 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. 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.”

Even if an angel from Heaven should preach any other gospel, “let him be accursed”! Even if Paul the apostle himself should come and preach another gospel, “let him be accursed”! And again the curse is pronounced: “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.”

Any man who preaches salvation by character is a condemned, lost sinner with the curse of Almighty God upon him! Any man who preaches a so-called “social gospel,” which is no gospel at all, “let him be accursed,” let him be damned. He is a doomed, Christ-rejecting sinner. He is not even a Christian, and he has no right to preach. He is a blind leader of the blind. He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, Jesus Christ Himself being witness. To men like him, Jesus said, “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” (Matt. 23:33).

In II John, verses 9 to 11, is another plain command of God about those who do not bring the true Gospel, or the true doctrine of salvation by Christ: “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.”

Again we are told that anybody who does not stand true to this doctrine that Christ Himself, God’s Son, is come in the flesh to save people, that He died and rose again—anyone who does not receive that doctrine—does not have God. He is not a Christian. He is a Hell-bound, wicked sinner. The curse of God is upon him. No Christian should ever go to hear any such man preach. No Christian should ever give a penny to his support. Such a man should not even be entertained in your home. You should never bid him Godspeed. To support him, to lend your encouragement, to give him fellowship is to be a partaker of his wicked deeds in damning souls by denying the true Gospel.

No Christian should ever support or encourage or receive into his home a modernistic preacher, one who does not believe the Bible and who has not trusted in the Christ of the Bible, the virgin-born Son of God who died for our sins and rose bodily from the grave and ascended to Heaven and is coming again. One who does not believe this Gospel is not a Christian and is not fit to preach.

In every church in the land where there are sincere Christians, they should immediately oust any preacher who does not preach the Gospel of salvation by the blood. If they cannot oust the preacher, they should themselves leave and never give another penny to the support of such a church and such a modernist, unbelieving infidel.

The first essential thing about preaching is that it is to be Gospel preaching, true to the blood, true to the Bible teaching of salvation by faith in Christ, who died an atoning death and rose from the grave to be our Saviour. Oh, beloved preachers, preach Christ and His blood and His salvation freely offered to dying sinners!

II. We Need Preaching of the Word of God, the Bible
We need Bible preaching! A slanderous and unscriptural book against evangelism by a seminary president says that evangelists ought to preach nothing but the simple Gospel of how to be saved. But when Paul wrote to Timothy telling him to “do the work of an evangelist,” he gave him a solemn charge to preach all the Word of God.
“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”—II Tim. 4:1,2.
That is in the same passage where Paul commands Timothy to “do the work of an evangelist.” The evangelist as well as the pastor is to “preach the word.” The foreign missionary is to “preach the word.”
You see that the Gospel of salvation is not all of the Bible. The Bible has other things besides the plan of salvation. The Ten Commandments are not in the plan of salvation. The Sermon on the Mount is beautiful and good, and it ought to be preached, but it is not the plan of salvation by the blood of Christ. First Corinthians 13, the love chapter, teaching brotherly charity, is in the Bible, but it is not the plan of salvation. A preacher should preach the whole Word of God. His preaching should be Bible preaching.

A Bible preacher is to “preach the word.” He is to reprove with the Word of God. He is to rebuke with the Word of God. He is to “exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (teaching); that is, his exhortation should be on a Bible basis and made in Bible terms and backed up by Scriptures quoted or read. Preaching should start with a Bible text or passage and expound that text or passage. Preaching should make clear the meaning of the Scriptures. Points made should be proven by the Scriptures and illustrated by scriptural examples. There is room for logic, there is room for illustrations; but these are secondary. The Word of God itself must be preeminent in preaching.

I have before me a sermon submitted by an eminent and greatly used man of God for publication in the sword of the lord. But I cannot publish it as it is. It starts off without a Scripture as a text. It is not based upon any Bible passage. Later it uses two Scriptures to prove a point or two, and there is mention made of three or four other Scriptures, phrases from the Scriptures. But it is not a Bible sermon. It is true and good. But the theme itself was not found in a Scripture, and the outline was not found in the Scripture. It is not a Bible exposition. It has some Scriptures in it, but it is not a Bible sermon in the sense that it is founded directly and obviously on the Word of God.

I believe that some preaching ought to be topical preaching, that is, preaching on a subject. But in such a case, the subject ought to be found in the Scriptures, and then the points the preacher makes under that subject ought to be proved, every one, from the Scripture itself.

A beautiful example of Bible preaching is found in chapter 8 of Nehemiah. There all the people were gathered together in the street that was before the water gate, and Ezra the scribe brought the Law of Moses. There Ezra stood upon a pulpit of wood and opened the Book in the sight of all the people. Then a number of godly preachers helped to explain the Scriptures. “So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading” (Neh. 8:8). That was Bible preaching. They read the Word of God and explained the sense and caused the people to understand the meaning. And it was not dry-as-dust preaching either, for the people were so moved that they mourned and wept and repented of their sins.

At Pentecost we have a great example of Bible preaching. Peter stood up before the people and quoted five verses from Joel, chapter 2, and preached a marvelous sermon on the pouring out of the Holy Spirit and the plan of salvation. Read that story in Acts 2:14–39, and then remember that “with many other words did he testify and exhort.” And in the brief part of the sermon which is given, there is also a clear exposition of Psalm 16:8–10. Peter started with Scripture and expounded that Scripture and other Scriptures and added fervent exhortation and explanation.

Read Matthew 5, part of the Sermon on the Mount. There surely you will be impressed with the preaching of Jesus, that He again and again took an Old Testament Scripture and expounded the deeper meaning, more than was apparent on the surface. Do not be misled by the teaching of infidels and modernists that Jesus was doing away with the Law. He plainly said, ‘I am not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it.’ He plainly said that not one jot or tittle should pass away until all should be fulfilled. But in each case, He used the Scripture and explained the deeper meaning of the Scriptures.

So, preacher, start with the Scripture. Find the theme, the real subject itself, in the Scripture. Find the outline in the Scripture; or if the outline itself is just logically deduced, then find Scriptures to back up every statement and quote them. Use many Scriptures to make clear the point and use Bible illustrations wherever possible. There is living power in the Word of God. The Scripture itself brings conviction to people who are not convicted, brings light to people in darkness, brings salvation to those who are lost. We need Bible preaching.

III. We Need Preaching Against Sin
Bible preaching would necessarily be preaching against sin. Paul commanded Timothy, “Preach the word…reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” There has to be scriptural rebuke and reproof for sin if it be true Bible preaching, preaching like that of the great men of God in the Bible.

Consider the preaching of the prophet Isaiah. In chapter 1 of his prophecy is eloquent and beautiful yet startling preaching against sin. With burning words, with bold onslaught, Isaiah reminds the people of their desolate country, their cities burned with fire, the land devoured by strangers, the nation stricken and sore and wounded. He denounces their hypocritical sacrifices and says that God despises their oblations, the incense, their holy days and feasts. He says that God will hide His eyes and will not hear their prayers because their hands are full of blood. In that one chapter, he denounces them for oppression of the poor, for their rebellion against God, for their spiritual harlotry. He says that their princes run with thieves, that everyone looks for bribes, that leaders do not give honest protection to widows and orphans. And that is only one example from many in the preaching of Isaiah. He preached against definite sins.
When Nathan the prophet came before David, he gave a thrilling example of a God-called and God-anointed preacher preaching against sin. Before him was King David in his robes, with the power of life and death over every subject. Yet Nathan boldly preached him a sermon, using a parable to show the wickedness of David’s sin. Then when the anger of David was aroused against the hypothetical rich man who had taken his neighbor’s little ewe lamb, Nathan with crushing and powerful effect pointed his finger in the face of King David and said, “Thou art the man”
(II Sam. 12:7), and showed him the horrible sin which he had committed in taking Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, and murdering Uriah. It was a tense moment. Nathan might have lost his life. But he stood up for God and openly denounced sin. God give us more Nathans today in the pulpit, as well as in private conversations!

How painfully sharp, how pointed and untactful was the preaching of John the Baptist! “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance” (Matt. 3:7,8). Then he warned leading Jews that they should not be saved just because they were children of Abraham and that they were likely to be hewn down like fruitless trees to be cast into the fire of Hell.

And the preaching of John the Baptist was just as bold when he faced Herod the king and told him plainly that he had no right to take his brother’s wife (Matt. 14:3,4). The preachers today who plead that they must preach only “a positive message,” that preaching against sin is a “negative message,” certainly do not follow the pattern of this great man of God, one of the greatest ever born of women, as Jesus said. John the Baptist preached against sin, against particular sins. And he did it boldly. He hurt people’s feelings, he made people angry, he caused a disturbance. But he was faithful to God and to the Bible.

Oh, preachers, witness the preaching of Stephen! That day he had on his coronation robes! I think he must have whispered sweetly in his own heart, O Lord Jesus, today I will see Thy face! Today is the day of my martyrdom and of my crowning and of my glory! Acts, chapter 7, tells the story.

What an array of Scriptures Stephen recalled and summarized in telling the history of how Israel had rejected the prophets of God and resisted the Spirit. What a scriptural sermon! And the thrilling narrative mounted to its climax, and the people stood spellbound when Stephen suddenly turned upon them with the fire of God in his eyes and in his voice and said: “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.”—Acts 7:51–53.
“Murderers”! “Betrayers”! ‘Persecutors!’ “Stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears”! “Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost”! That is Bible preaching against sin!

It is true that it brought the wrath of the crowd upon Stephen. It is true that he was beaten into a bloody mass, stoned to death in their anger. But he went home to Heaven that day, and Jesus, who usually sits on the right hand of the Father, rose to receive him! (Rev. 3:21; Acts 7:56).

Oh, to go to Heaven like Stephen did! Oh, to go with lips purified by bold preaching in Christ’s name, preaching against sin, preaching in the power of the Holy Ghost!
How Jesus preached against sin! He preached against covetousness; He preached against unbelief; He preached against adultery or even looking on a woman to lust after her. He preached against grudges and said that if men did not forgive, neither would the Father in Heaven forgive them. He said to the Pharisees and scribes, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.” He told the religious leaders who were impenitent that they had been granted the use of God’s vineyard, the leadership over His people, but that they would be cast out and the vineyard rented to others. Men hated Jesus because He preached against sin. God forgive us preachers who never anger anybody by preaching like Jesus!
Some preachers preach on love but never preach against sin. The Lord Jesus loved men, loved sinners enough to die for them, but how He hated sin! Remember when He made a whip, drove the traders from the temple, overturned the tables of the moneychangers, scattered the money on the stone floor! Preaching ought sometimes to be like that. With holy boldness preachers ought to hate sin and expose sin.

How sharply Paul the apostle preached against sin. On his first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas came to Paphos. When Elymas the sorcerer withstood them and tried to keep Sergius Paulus, the deputy ruler of the country, from being saved, Paul faced him, filled with the Holy Ghost, and said, “O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?” (Acts 13:10). And the hand of God came on him as Paul by faith foretold, and the man was blind for a season for his sins, and the deputy was wonderfully saved.
Young preacher, do not be taken in by the sophistry of the time-serving preachers who do not preach against sin. Do not be influenced by denominational leaders who fear you will cause a disturbance in your church. Do not be too much moved by the pleadings of your wife, who is afraid that you will have your salary lowered or that you will be out of a job with no place to go. Be faithful to Christ, and Christ will be faithful to you. “Them that honour me I will honour” is the promise of God (I Sam. 2:30).

It is true that a preacher ought not to be a coward, to say in the pulpit what he dare not say to an individual who needs it. It is true that preachers ought to preach with love and compassion and tears. But that does not change the fact that we are plainly commanded to rebuke and reprove, that we are to preach the Word about particular sins. The preacher who never has a word to say against drunkenness and adultery and lewdness and covetousness and blasphemy is a dumb dog who cannot bark. He is a Balaam preaching for profit. He is fallen into the snare of the fear of man. We need preaching against sin, against particular sins.

IV. We Need Preaching About Hell and Judgment
It is not honest preaching of the Bible that does not preach Hell. Man is a sinner. If he does not repent, he will die unconverted, forever away from God. Men ought to be warned of the horrible fate of dying without Christ.
I am sick of hearing people say, “I do not believe in scaring men.” I do! I wish I could have scared Hitler and told him what would happen to him for his crimes against mankind and against God. If I could have told him the truth and could have made him believe it, I would have saved the world the horrors of World War II.

I wish I could warn every boy of what will happen if he goes into a life of crime. I wish I could make people afraid of crime.
I wish I could scare every girl about the dangers of the dance and petting, and the horrors of the life of a harlot and the damnation that will come to her.
I wish I could scare every lad about the terror that is in whiskey and beer and wine. A man who is not afraid of liquor is a fool.
I tried earnestly and was successful in making my children afraid of the fire when they were little. There are some things of which any sensible person in his right mind ought to be afraid. And there is nothing in the universe as frightful as the fact of Hell, a Hell full of Christ-rejecting sinners, who went to Hell because they would not repent. I am for the kind of Bible preaching that makes people want to avoid Hell.

There is coming a judgment when Christ-rejecting sinners will be dragged out of Hell to face God and give an account of their sins. That is a horrible and fearful thought. It ought to be preached.
All Bible preachers preached on these themes of Hell and judgment and the wrath of God.
Isaiah preached on Hell. He said, “Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming” (Isa. 14:9). He preached, “Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it” (Isa. 5:14).

Again and again Isaiah preached woe and judgment. In chapter 5, verse 16, he gave six woes upon Israel. He said that “the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.”
But Jesus was the great “Hell preacher.” He preached, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28).
It was Jesus who preached that “whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matt. 5:22).
It was Jesus who preached, “So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 13:49,50).
It was Jesus who preached in the same chapter, “As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 13:40–42).
Jesus announced that He Himself, the Son of Man, would one day “say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41). And He said, “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal” (vs. 46).
It was Jesus who told, in Luke 16:19–31, that horrible, terrifying story of the rich man who died and went to Hell and there lifted his eyes, tormented in flames, and begged for Lazarus to be sent to dip his finger in water to cool his parched tongue.
I say, Jesus Christ was a hellfire preacher. One who does not preach Hell and judgment is not true to Him.
It was Jesus who said that all judgment was given to the Son. Christ will sit on a throne, judging sinners, sending them away to the lake of fire.

Paul preached, like other Bible preachers, on Hell and judgment and the wrath of God. I very often preach on the first Sunday night of a revival campaign on Hell or on the last judgment. And I do it with a good precedent, for Paul, the first time he ever preached at Athens, preached, “He hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead” (Acts 17:31).

When Paul stood before Felix, he preached on sin and judgment. “And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled” (Acts 24:25). When Paul preached on righteousness, temperance and judgment to come, that was Bible preaching. And when Felix trembled under the deep conviction of the Holy Spirit, that was Bible results. Away with these nice, easy sermons that do not stir anybody’s fears, do not bring any fears, do not bring any tears, do not lead men to repent! Away with this preaching that leaves sinners asleep in their sins, undisturbed and self-satisfied! O God, give us the kind of preaching that makes men tremble as they think about Hell and judgment to come!

V. We Need Preaching That Demands Repentance
It is foolish to try to teach men to trust in Christ for salvation, unless we include in that teaching the plain need for a wicked heart to turn from sin. Everywhere the Bible says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” or its equivalent, it is understood that no one can turn TO Jesus Christ without turning FROM sin. Inevitably and necessarily, faith in Christ comes only to the penitent heart, the heart willing and anxious to do right and to please God, longing for goodness and purity. People who repent do not always do right about everything, but they want to do right. I do not mean that salvation is an extended process. I do not even mean that there are two separate steps in salvation, but it is foolish and unscriptural to teach any salvation without repentance.
Bible preachers all preached repentance.
Ezekiel called on Israel to repent: “Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” (Ezek. 33:11). Every preacher ought to preach with that imperative pleading in his voice and message today.
John the Baptist preached, “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 3:2). And Jesus began to preach exactly the same message: “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (4:17).

The preaching of Jesus is illustrated by Luke 13:1–5: “There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilæans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilæans were sinners above all the Galilæans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

When Jesus gave the Great Commission to His apostles, He commanded that “repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47).
Peter preached at Pentecost, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 2:38).

When Peter had returned from winning Cornelius and his household to Christ and explained the matter to the apostles and brethren in Judea, “When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life” (Acts 11:18). It was determined then that repentance was offered to Gentiles. Even Gentiles can repent and be saved. There is no salvation without repentance. We need preaching on repentance.
Paul, preaching to the men of Athens, said, “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30).
Oh, may God give us a heart to demand that men repent toward God and trust His Son for salvation. That is the kind of preaching we need.

VI. We Need Preaching That Demands Immediate Decision for Christ
The fatalists, the hyper-Calvinists who say some men are predestined to be lost, do not want preachers to give a public invitation and to press for a decision. Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, in his book slandering evangelists and opposing mass evangelism, says that it is wrong to give a public invitation for people to accept Christ, wrong to press for immediate decision. But there he is unscriptural and contrary to Bible precept and practice. Down through the centuries, the great soul winners have pressed upon people to decide, and at once, for God or against Him.
When Moses, on Mount Sinai for forty days, left the children of Israel to their own devices, they asked Aaron to make them a golden calf, and then they danced around this golden calf naked and drunken and said, “These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt” (Exod. 32:4). The wrath of God burned hot against this idolatrous people. Moses, with a broken heart, set out to discipline the people. Before the leading idolaters were to be put to death, he called for a division, a public and immediate decision. “Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord’s side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him” (Exod. 32:26). Then Moses commanded the Levites who would stand for God to take their swords and go throughout the camp, slaying the wicked. It was a hard decision for men to make, to come out on the Lord’s side publicly and set out to kill their own brothers and loved ones, but that is what Moses demanded, and that decision they made—made boldly for God. It is God’s plan. Bible preachers should call for immediate decision for Christ.

Joshua was an old man. Soon he would be leaving the nation Israel, and others would take over the leadership. So he called together the heads of tribes and the officers of the nation to Shechem. There he put before them a simple proposition and demanded their decision. In Joshua 24:15 it is recorded that he said to them, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” The people insisted that they would serve the Lord, and he made the proposition harder, and they went on record that they would serve the Lord.
“Choose you this day whom ye will serve,” ought to be an under-current in the preaching of every Bible preacher. That means public invitation. That means putting people on the spot. That means insisting that they decide at once, here and now, for or against Jesus Christ.
Jesus pressed His disciples with the question, “Whom say ye that I am?” And how pleased He was when Simon Peter answered and said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:15,16).

Again Jesus put His disciples on the spot and said, “Will ye also go away?” (John 6:67). The multitude quit following Jesus. They found He demanded repentance and a changed life and heart. It was not all to be easy eating of unearned food and following a King who would do all the work. So Jesus pressed upon His disciples that they too must decide. And, thank God, they had sense enough to answer, in the words of Peter, “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God” (John 6:68,69).

So Jesus pressed upon the woman who was healed when she stooped down and touched the hem of His garment, and He insisted that she claim Him openly and publicly (Luke 8:43–48).
John the Baptist demanded immediate decision and pressed upon people to come out openly and be baptized, therefore confessing their sins and confessing their faith in the coming Messiah.
Paul went “night and day with tears,” urging people to repent and come to Christ. Everywhere he demanded repentance and got it.

There should be a compelling urgency that demands immediate decision in every gospel message. Jesus said that the man who made a great supper and bade many sent his servant back again and again and commanded him, “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled” (Luke 14:23). That is the way the Lord Jesus wants us to win souls and to preach. There should be a compelling note, an insistent note, a bold and powerful urgency, demanding people to decide today for Christ and Heaven.
Some years ago in Dallas, Texas, in the Galilean Baptist Church, Dr. P. B. Chenault was preaching in a series of meetings. The last night came. He preached on “Today and Tomorrow.” He had two texts. One was in Hebrews 3:7: “Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, TO DAY if ye will hear his voice…).” The other text was Proverbs 27:1: “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” The fervent, godly preacher made his final appeal. He laid upon all of our hearts that TODAY was the only day that someone present might ever have; that today was the day of salvation. He urged the folly of neglecting and postponing any duty and especially of neglecting salvation, since none of us could know what a day might bring forth. The service came to a close. After an earnest session of prayer and affectionate good-byes, Brother Chenault, with his wife and baby, drove away into the night toward another engagement in Illinois.

Mrs. Rice and I retired. But at 2:30 in the morning, I was awakened by the insistent ringing of the telephone. Dr. Chenault had had his speeding car wrecked by a drunken driver, and he, with crushed head, had gone to meet the Saviour he loved. Ah, how it pressed upon my heart that we should be faithful in preaching for immediate decision.

No man knows what will be tomorrow. I think the dear Saviour must have laid upon Dr. Chenault's heart the need for preaching that sermon his last night on earth.

We need preaching that demands immediate attention and immediate decision on the great issues of life and death, salvation or damnation, Christ or Satan, Heaven or Hell.
Let us pray that God will raise up anointed preachers; bold, Bible preachers and personal soul winners:
Who will preach the true Gospel of salvation by the blood;
Who will preach the Word of God, the Bible;
Who will preach against sin, against particular sins, preaching boldly;
Who will preach on Hell and judgment as did Christ and Bible preachers;
Who will preach demanding repentance, a heart-turning away from sin and turning toward God;
Who will preach demanding immediate decision for Christ.

Does God Still Talk To Man?

Once again a wonderful discussion in Sunday School leads me to ask the reader this question.
We are studying I Samuel and were discussing the part in chapter 9 when God literally tapped Samuel on the shoulder and said "that's the guy" speaking about Saul as His choice for Israel's king.
We discussed the topic of God speaking directly to Samuel.
My stance is that Samuel was so close in his walk with God that he LITERALLY spoke with God and God spoke with him. How was this possible and can I do this today?
1 - Relationship
2 - Obedience

I believe that these are the two keys to knowing God in such an intimate way. I am only just now, after many years of not working very hard on this, trying to know God deeper and more intimately.
God never changes, we know that, but we sure do.
Why wouldn't God literally speak to man now as He did then? I believe He does and we don't always hear Him because we might be lacking in those two things above.

God help me to build a better relationship with you by reading Your Word and listening to your voice and help me to be obedient when I do hear Your voice and read Your Word.

Wow, talk about letting you in on my thoughts! What say you?

God, the same yesterday, today, forever

If that is true, which I do believe, then why do we continue to as Christians dwell on the "God is love, peace, mercy, flowers, waterfalls and bluebirds singing", when He is a God of great Judgement as well?
Are we missing half the story?
Our Sunday School class has been studying 1Samuel and specifically the "Ark Effect" in chapters 3-7. Read that sometime and then convince me that God isn't bringing judgement even now?

Someone in class pointed out that God could even be bring on some of the diseases and sicknesses we have now. That we might blame sin or the Devil when in fact it could be God. I don't know that I believe that for sure but, take a minute and a concordance and look up the term "hand of God" and see what it says. It was the same everywhere in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament, therefore if God doesn't change, his Hand is the same today.
Quote scripture to back up your thoughts please. Lets have Biblical discourse.