Francis Chan on the luke-warm church

HT: Truth Matters

Genuine Salvation Results in a Changed Life

"When you are converted, you want to do what you didn't want to do before, and you don't want to do what you wanted to do before. There's a change in the heart; there's a cleaning up, a change in orientation, and holiness becomes attractive, instead of something you have to put up with to figure out what you can get away with. As long as young people are asking, 'Can I get away with this?' or 'Can I get away with that?' I wonder if they're regenerate. If they're asking, instead, 'How can I grow in holiness?' then I suspect they've begun to understand." ~ D.A. Carson

Are You Ready?

How Can A Man Be Right With God?

How can a sinner be right with God on judgment day? What is the only way to heaven?

MP3: http://illbehonest.com/How-Can-A-Man-Be-Right-With-God-Charles-Leiter

Believe On The Lord Jesus Christ

"To the question: what must I do to be saved? The old gospel replies: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. To the further question: what does it mean to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? Its reply is: it means knowing oneself to be a sinner, and Christ to have died for sinners; abandoning all self-righteousness and self-confidence, and casting oneself wholly upon Him for pardon and peace; and exchanging one's natural enmity and rebellion against God for a spirit of grateful submission to the will of Christ through the renewing of one’s heart by the Holy Ghost."

J.I. Packer
HT: Truth Matters

Time For a Change?

Fueled by unfulfilled promises, unrealized hopes and mounting difficulties, "It's time for a change" is frequently heard from both politicians and the general public.

There Have Been Changes in the Past

Within the recent past, changes have occurred with surprising suddenness. Governments once thought to be stable have been toppled. Financial institutions have failed. Once-successful businesses have collapsed. More serious than all, the moral fabric of society has been shattered by turning away from God and the principles of His Word, the Bible. The "Do what feels good" philosophy—casting off restraint and the rejection of authority which is really lawlessness, the essence of sin—has broken up families, ruined lives and brought the disillusion, disease, death and destruction we see all around us.

There Will Be More Changes

When Jesus Christ was asked what the signs of His second coming would be, He replied, "Ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars … and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows" (Matthew 24:6-8).

Also, the Holy Spirit through Paul in 2 Timothy chapter three reveals the coming apostasy, the "falling away," which is the result of professed Christians deliberately rejecting revealed truth concerning the Person of Christ and His work on Calvary. This has already set in, and in verse 13 we read, "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived." This rapidly increasing apostasy will soon bring a swift change. Instead of God's grace being still offered to all men whereby they may be saved, His judgment will fall upon this godless world of unbelievers to their eternal destruction.

There Must Be a Personal Change

To escape the judgment of God upon sin you need to be changed. The Lord Jesus desires to change you from death to life, from darkness to light, from sin to salvation, from judgment to glory. To enable this change He died on the Cross for you. There He "suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18). That work is finished and sin's penalty has been paid. The proof of God's acceptance of that payment with Jesus' shed blood on your behalf is seen in that He rose from the dead. The Lord Jesus lives, and now from heaven, through His Word, declares the way by which you may be changed.

What Must You Do To Be Changed?

The Lord Jesus declares, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3,5). To repent means to change your mind as to the wrong course you are following without God. It means you accept His verdict that you have sinned and come short of His glory, and you can do nothing to save yourself. You must REPENT!

Secondly, He says, "Ye must be BORN AGAIN" (John 3:7). New birth is spiritual birth from above—from God. It is brought about by receiving Christ as your Saviour and Lord. "As many as received Him, to them gave He power [authority] to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name" (John 1:12). To receive Him is to believe on Him. To believe He died for you makes you a child of God. You receive everlasting life, and thus become a completely new creature in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17). This is the change you must have, or else perish in eternal separation from God.

The Time For a Change Is Now

"Now is the accepted time; behold, NOW is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians. 6:2). Trust Christ and be changed in this day of His grace. "Flee from the wrath to come" (Luke 3:7).
—D.T.J. (mwtb.org)

Divine Sovereignty The Fuel of Death-Defying Missions

Clip from T4G 2012
Speaker: David Platt
Watch the full message here.

The Doctor's Bible

W.P. Mackay left home to attend college and medical school at the age of seventeen. His mother was a very godly Christian, and upon his departure she gave him a Bible, writing her name and his, and a verse of Scripture inside the cover. But the son had no use for his mother's God or for the Bible she had given him. He did not consult its pages; and soon after, while drunk, he pawned it in order to purchase more alcohol.

His studies at school engrossed him, and the Bible was forgotten. Eventually he graduated with high honors and took a good job at a large hospital. He became very rich, and could afford to follow every desire and lust he had. All the while, he boldly denounced God and the Bible.

After a while, the only thing that seemed to give him a thrill at all was when an ambulance would unload a dying accident victim or when a patient came under his care whose condition was so critical that the chances of survival were very slim. This allowed him to pit his skill against a situation that his colleagues would declare impossible. If the patient pulled through, it only gave Dr. Mackay another opportunity to boast of his skills to the other doctors. But God was about to deal with him, bringing the doctor to his senses in a remarkable way.

One day an accident victim was brought to the hospital, the lower part of whose body was crushed and horribly mangled. In spite of this condition, on his face was a serene look of peaceful calm so unusual that it amazed Dr. Mackay who was accustomed to seeing people suffer.

"What's the diagnosis, doctor?" asked the patient with a smile.

"Oh, I guess we'll pull you through," replied Dr. Mackay.

"No, doctor, I don't want any guess," the man said. "I want to know if it is life or death. Just lay me down easy anywhere, doctor. I am ready. I am not afraid to die, because my trust is in the precious shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. He paid the penalty for my sins at Calvary." His face radiant with Christian love, the patient continued, "I know I am going to be with the Lord Jesus Christ if I have to die. But I would like to know the truth; just what is my condition?"

"You have at the most three hours to live," was the answer. Hardened as he was, Dr. Mackay could not but feel sympathy for the dying man. "Is there anything special you would like us to do for you?" he asked.

"Thank you," said the man. "In one of my pockets is a two week's pay check. I wish you would send it at once to my landlady, and ask her to send me the book."

"What book is that?" asked the doctor.

"Oh, just the book," the man answered. "She will know."

Dr. Mackay arranged for the man's request to be carried out and then started on his rounds through the hospital. But those words kept ringing in his ears—"I am ready, doctor, just lay me down easy, anywhere. I am ready."

Dr. Mackay had never been known to inquire about a patient for any personal motive, but for the first time in his life he wanted to know how this one was getting along. He returned to the ward where the injured man had been placed, and seeing the nurse whom he had assigned to the case, he asked her how the man was.

"He died a few minutes ago," the nurse informed him.

"Did he get the book?" asked the doctor.

"Yes, it arrived shortly before he died."

"What was it, his bank book?"

"No, it wasn't his bank book," said the nurse.

"It's still there, though, if you want to look at it. He died with it under his pillow."

Dr. Mackay went to the bedside, reached under the pillow, and pulled out the man's book. It was a Bible. As he picked it up, the Bible opened, and there in his mother's handwriting was his own name, his mother's name, and a verse of Scripture. It was the Bible given him by his mother, when he left home to attend college—the one he remembered selling. Overcome with shame to think that he had despised it so, he slipped the Bible under his coat and rushed upstairs to his private office. There he fell upon his knees and asked God to have mercy upon his soul.

All his life he had known through his mother's teaching that Christ alone could save and keep. In repentance now, he accepted Christ as his own personal Saviour and came into the realization that God was his Father, the Lord Jesus was his Saviour, and Heaven was his Home. As soon as he, by faith, placed his burden of sin on Christ's atoning blood, the Holy Spirit entered, he was born of God, and was filled with joy and peace.

God had His eye upon that Bible, and directed events to bring it back to the person to whom it was first given in order to lead him to Christ. After thanking God for saving his soul, the doctor's first thought was to write his Christian mother, and tell her the soul-stirring news. Needless to say, she fell upon her knees, praising God for the salvation of her wayward son.

Someone is praying for you. Perhaps someone in your family, an affectionate friend, or maybe someone you don't even know. But above all, GOD LOVES YOU—and He sent His Son, all the way from Heaven to earth, on your behalf. Won't you trust Him now as your Saviour?

"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).

"Whosoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:15). This is the last warning from the last book in the Bible. Dear reader, be warned thereby, and flee from the judgment and wrath to come.

Like Dr. Mackay, come to the Lord Jesus Christ as a repentant sinner, and cast yourself upon His mercy, believing in your heart that He died for you and rose again. This is the remedy you need. Do it now and know the peace Christ gives, both now and forever.
—L.H. (mwtb.org)

A Mother's Influence

In 1928, pastor W.L. Caldwell preached a message to a mother's day audience. This is what he said,

"Well may we pause to pay honor to her who after Jesus Christ is God's best gift to men, mother. It was she who shared her life with us when as yet our members were yet unformed. Into the valley of the shadow of death she walked that we might have the light of life. In her arms was the garner of our food and a soft couch for our repose. There we nestled in the hour of pain, there was the playground of our infant glee.

Those same arms later became our refuge and stronghold. It was she who taught our baby feet to go and lifted us up over the rough places. Her blessed hands plied the needle by day and by night to make our infant clothes. She put the book under our arms and started us off to school. But best of all she taught our baby lips to lisp the name of Jesus and told us first the wondrous story of the savior's love."

Pulled Out of the Pit of Fear

Four Filters for Praying in Jesus' Name

Source: http://www.desiringgod.org

The Desperate Need For Holiness

Daniel Webster's Greatest Thought

Daniel Webster was one of America's best known statesmen and orators. Many stories have been handed down concerning his career of brilliant speeches and ability to captivate audiences. It is worthy to note that he once said of himself, "If there is anything in my style or thoughts to be commended, the credit is due to my kind parents in instilling into my mind an early love for the Scriptures."

One time, it is told, he was asked what he regarded as the greatest thought that ever occupied his mind. He replied: "The sense of my individual responsibility to God."

That man is responsible to God, and must meet Him, the Scriptures plainly testify. This thought is not pleasant to those who are living in their sins and out of relationship to Him, and consequently are not prepared to face the tremendous issues involved. But whether the issues are faced or not, the fact remains: "Every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Romans 14:12). We all are responsible to God, as the Word of God declares, and we must do with Him and cannot escape our responsibility.

To do with Him now, in the day of grace, by coming to Him in confession of our sins, and to accept His Son, Jesus Christ, as our Saviour, meets our responsibility on His terms, and bestows upon us His gracious forgiveness, making us one of His children forever. Not to come to Him in this day of grace, being left behind at the coming of Christ for His own (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17), or to die in our sins, forever closes the door of opportunity that God has opened for us in Christ to fulfill our responsibility to Him. To all such He will say in perfect righteousness: "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41).

Another incident in Daniel Webster's life gives his testimony to the fulfillment of his responsibility by his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. During a summer holiday in a district far away from the Capitol, he went each Sunday to a little country church building. His niece asked him why he went there, when he paid little attention to far abler sermons in Washington.

"In Washington," he replied, "they preach to Daniel Webster the statesman. But this man has been talking to Daniel Webster, the sinner, and telling him of Jesus."

Reader, will you allow me to do the same for you? For just a few moments, completely set aside any thoughts you may have about your name or title, your reputation and station in life, your religion or lack of religion, and think of yourself as God sees you in His sight—a sinner in need of the Saviour. I should like to tell you of what can meet the desperate need of your soul, bring peace to your conscience and joy to your heart. It is all summed up in the one word that meant so much to Daniel Webster: JESUS!

The great God has thought of you with thoughts of deepest, truest compassion. Your sins made it impossible, however, to take you into favor, for He is holy and hates sin, and "is of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look upon iniquity" (Habakkuk 1:13).

But He has found a way to extend His mercy to sinners without compromising His holiness in the least degree. He sent Jesus, His own Son, to come "into the world to save sinners" (1 Timothy 1:15). On the Cross of Calvary, Jesus willingly stood in the sinner's place to bear the consequences of the sinner's sins, and to exhaust the judgment righteously due to the sinner. "God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). "Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree" (1 Peter 2:24). This is what Jesus has done. This is the work that He accomplished when He hung as our Surety on the Cross, and cried, "It is finished" (John 19:30). He atoned for our sins by His sufferings and death. The judgment due to us fell upon Him, and now God freely pardons and saves the sinner who trusts in Jesus, the resurrected, living Saviour.

God is Just, and "the Justifier of him who believeth in Jesus" (Romans 3:26).

"The sinner who believes is free,
Can say, 'the Saviour died for me!';
Can point to the atoning blood
And say, 'This made my peace with God!'"

No wonder Daniel Webster, whose greatest thought was his responsibility to God, should, as a confessed sinner love to hear of JESUS!

Reader, this same Jesus longs and waits to receive you and save you from your sins and their dreadful, eternal consequences. He says: "Him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31).
—D.T.J. (mwtb.org)

Which Jesus?

Time to Choose

Soon, many Americans will cast their vote for their favorite candidate. Most people take this decision very seriously and will thoroughly examine each candidate’s qualifications, character, and background. Whether they are Republican, Democrat, or Independent, most voters have the same concern: to choose the candidate who most closely represents their own political viewpoint, morality, and vision for the future. Our elected officials are called upon to make many important decisions in the face of increasing challenges, and choosing the right candidate is an important responsibility worth careful consideration.

Who Do You Serve?

While America will soon decide who will serve as its elected officials, let me ask you, dear reader, who do you serve? The Bible tells us that we serve one of two things: we either serve sin by disobeying God, or we serve righteousness by obeying Him (Romans 6:16). We may think that by “doing our own thing” we really don’t serve anyone or anything but ourselves, but that’s not true. There is no neutral ground. Jesus said, “He that is not with Me is against Me” (Matthew 12:30).

You see, before being saved—before we turn to God in repentance and faith—all we can do is serve sin. Until then, there is nothing we can do to please God or serve Him because we are “dead in sins” (Ephesians 2:1-5). In the eyes of God, even “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).

A Serious Problem

Let’s not minimize the awfulness of sin. God hates sin! The Lord must, and will, punish all sin. No sin will be forgotten about or overlooked. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). “After this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God … and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works” (Revelation 20:12). There’s just no way around it. If we disobey God and serve sin, we will answer to God.

The God-Given Solution

But, thank God, the Lord Jesus Christ suffered and died for us, bearing our sins, so that we might be saved. “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree” (Galatians 3:13). Yes, Jesus Christ hung on a tree (the cross), shed His precious blood in our place, and received the wrath of God upon Himself so that all who trust in Him may have the forgiveness of sins. “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

Make the Right Choice

“Then said they unto Him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent” (John 6:28-29). It is only through faith in the Lord Jesus that we can cease being slaves of sin and begin to serve God (Romans 6:18).

Let me ask you again: who do you serve? This is the most important choice you will ever make, and the time to choose is now: “choose you this day whom ye will serve” (Joshua 24:15). “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2). “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31). —C.T.C. (mwtb.org)