“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Matthew 7:13-14 ESV
Jesus Christ is the only gate we can go through to enter into
God’s eternal kingdom (Jn. 10). He is also the Way, the Truth and the Life, so
he is the only way to salvation from sin and to eternal life (Jn. 14:6). And
both the gate and the way (the road, pathway) are narrow (restricted), such as
no one can come to God the Father except through faith in Jesus Christ.
All roads do not lead to heaven. All religions do not
believe in the same God. There is only one God – Father, Son (Jesus Christ),
and Holy Spirit. So, anyone not believing in Jesus does not believe in the God
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And, anyone not leaving his sinful lifestyle
behind him to follow Jesus Christ, in a walk of obedience by the Spirit of God,
does not believe in Jesus Christ (Lu. 9:23-26; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn.
1:5-9).
But, there is a gate and there is a way that is being
promoted today as though it is the right way to faith in Jesus Christ, to
forgiveness of sins, and to eternal life with God. But, it is false, for it is
a lowering of God’s standards, and it is an altering of his gospel of grace to
make it more appealing and acceptable to human flesh. It is not the peace that
Jesus gives, either, for it leaves its followers still captive to sinful practices.
For, it does not require that we walk (in practice)
according to the Spirit of God to have eternal life with God, and it does not
teach that if we walk (in practice, in lifestyle) according to our flesh, that
we will die in our sins (Rom. 8:1-17; Gal. 5:16-21; Gal. 6:7-8; Eph. 4:17-24;
Eph. 5:3-6; Rom. 2:6-8).
And, some even go so far as to say that we don’t have to
repent of our sins, we don’t have to obey our Lord’s commandments, and we don’t
have to submit to the authority of Christ and to his Word over our lives, but
all we have to do is to profess faith in him, and then we are saved, and we are
going to heaven, even if we live like hell from that moment forward.
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” Matthew 7:15-20 ESV
So, we need to beware false teachers who are teaching a
false gospel message. And, please know this: They are liars, deceivers,
manipulators, charmers and very likeable. And, they are smooth talkers, and so
they know how to present the lies in a way that makes them sound like they are
truth, but they are a snake’s bite, and if you aren’t discerning, you can get
bit.
So, please test everything you read and see and hear against
the Word of God (in context) to make sure that what you are reading and hearing
lines up with scripture. For they will use scripture so that it has the
appearance of being biblical, but when you compare it with scripture, you
realize they are teaching a false god, a false Jesus, and a false gospel
disguised to look real.
And, you will know them by their fruits, by their
lifestyles, by their behaviors and by whether or not their words match how they
live, or whether or not their words match God’s Word, too. And, remember that
they are going to come to you in sheep’s clothing, i.e. they are going to profess
faith in Jesus Christ. But, don’t buy into everything they say just because
they say it is from God, but test it against God’s Word (in context) so you are
not led astray, PLEASE! For, you could be buying a house built on the sand.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” Matthew 7:21-23 ESV
Just because you confess with your mouth Jesus Christ is
Lord and say you believe that God raised him from the dead, it does not mean
that you are saved from your sin and bound for heaven. Why? Because we have to
read Romans 10:9-10 in the context of the whole of Romans where Paul clearly states
that if we walk (in practice, in lifestyle) according to our flesh that we are
going to die in our sins, but if we walk (in practice, in conduct) according to
(in agreement with) the Spirit of God, then we have eternal life with God.
Just because we call Jesus our Lord, or we use the term “Lord”
to address him, doesn’t mean he is our Lord (master-owner). For, we have to
submit to his Lordship, and yield our lives over to him, and leave our sinful
lifestyles behind us, and walk in obedience to his commands for him to be our
Lord.
For, it is only those who do the will of God who have the
promise of eternal life with God in heaven. Yet, this is not teaching sinless
perfection. This is talking about what we practice, how we live, what we do as
a matter of course, our habits, our “go to.” If what we practice is sin, then
we will die in our sins, but if what we practice is God’s righteousness, then
we have eternal life with God (Gal. 6:7-8; Rom. 2:6-8; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph.
4:17-24).
If you ignore this teaching, because you don’t like what it
says, and so you form your own gospel of grace instead, which gives you
permission to continue in your sinful practices without guilt, then please be
informed that one day we are all going to stand before God, and some who have
claimed him as their Lord, but who lived for themselves, instead, are going to
hear, “I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of lawlessness.”
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24-27 ESV
The cheap grace gospel is the house built on the sand. And,
that is because it does not require that we obey the Lord’s commands. And, again,
some people even go so far as to openly state that we DON’T have to obey God’s
commands, but that we can still be saved, be forgiven, and still go to heaven
when we die. For, they say that obedience to our Lord’s commands is works-based
salvation. But, that is pure heresy! It is a lie straight from hell! So, don’t
buy into it. For, Jesus says we do have to obey his commands!
Even though the cheap grace gospel promises you forgiveness
of sin, an escape from hell, and the promise of eternal life with God in
heaven, it will not make good on its promise. It will never come to fruition,
because it is a house built on the sand. It is a lie. It is a deception. And,
it is a snake bite.
But, if we listen to our Lord and his teachings, and the
teachings of the New Testament Apostles, IN CONTEXT, and we don’t just listen,
but we DO what He says, as a matter of practice, then we are wise, and our
salvation is secure, and we have the hope of eternal life with God in heaven
which cannot be taken away from us (Jn. 10:27-30; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; 1
Jn. 1:5-9; 1 Jn. 2:3-6; Eph. 4:17-24; Lu. 9:23-26; Tit. 2:11-14; Jn. 8:12).
But, we have to be doers of the Word and not hearers only
(Jas. 1:19-25).
I
Will Lift My Eyes
An
Original Work / December 12, 2012
Based
off Psalms 121-125
I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.
My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.
He will not let your foot slip, and He who watches will not
sleep.
Our Lord watches over you, and your life He will keep.
I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.
My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.
I give thanks to Him.
I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.
I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n.
Because of His great love for us, He made us alive with Christ.
Through the kindness of our Savior, He gave us new life.
I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.
I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n;
My home, now in heav’n.
Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.
Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.
Those who trust will ne’er be shaken. God will supply all we
need.
Our Lord has done great things for us. He’s our friend,
indeed!
Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.
Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.
I can count on Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment