In a world full of worry and fears, people tend to worry most about the people in their lives, and the possessions in their lives. As far as possessions are concerned, people worry about keeping them, maintaining them, improving them, insuring them, and protecting them. There is, however, one valuable possession of mine, about which I spend no time worrying. That possession is the most important of all possessions. I speak of my salvation.
Here are a few reasons I need not worry about the condition of my soul:
I Believe "In Jesus," "On Jesus," "In the Name of Jesus," and "On the Lord Jesus Christ"
Of course, when I say, "I believe," I am not merely referring to an acceptance of the historical fact of His life, death, burial, or resurrection. By "believing," I am not referring to an affirmation of the existence of God, or of His Son, Jesus Christ. Every devil in hell believes in God's existence. Every devil in hell believes that Jesus died on the cross. When I say, "I believe," I am saying "I am relying," "I am trusting," "I am confiding," "I am resting" on Jesus Christ and His work on Calvary solely for my salvation. I am not trusting in my works, my prayers, my good works, my righteousness, my outward appearance, my talent, or anything else of mine for my salvation. I am relying completely on Jesus Christ and His work on Calvary for my salvation. I called upon the name of the Lord, believing that God would keep His promise (this is faith), and He does the saving. I am not sitting in a parked car, looking at a bridge in front of me, saying, "I believe that if I were to try to cross, the bridge would hold me up." I prove that I believe in the bridge by driving on it! I have confidence that the bridge will hold me up, even over the depths of death! Many look at the cross of Jesus Christ, and say, "I believe Jesus died on the cross." They may even say, "I believe Jesus died on the cross for me." But they need to ahead, make Jesus Christ Lord of their entire life. Believe! Put your weight upon Him! Trust Him! Rest solely on His work for your salvation. I can put my whole life in His hands, and I know He is the Saviour and Keeper of my soul! I rest on Him! There are literally dozens of verses in the New Testament that state plainly that, to have eternal life, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ!" I believe every one of them!
The Father is Pleased with Christ's Work on the Cross
Isaiah 53:10 - "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand."
Matthew 3:17 - "And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
In the above verses, Isaiah 53 deals specifically with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ upon the cross. "It pleased the Father to bruise Him." The Father is pleased with Christ's work upon the cross. At Christ's baptism, Matthew records that the Father spoke out of heaven, declaring, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!" Not "barely" pleased, but "well" pleased! When I stand before God, I will be clinging to Jesus Christ and His work on Calvary, because it is the absolute only work with which the Father is pleased.
Promises to Believers
John 5:24 - "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 10:27, 28 - "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."
John 11:25, 26 - "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?"
Now, dear reader, you may not agree with the content of these verses, but know this: both the content and the context of these verses are clear. These verses are NOT AT ALL taken out of context. I am using them to bring forth promises to believers regarding eternal life. The first promise listed states clearly that those hear the word and believe on Him "shall not come into condemnation."
The next promise listed states that Christ's sheep hear His voice, are known of Him, and follow Him. They are given eternal life, and "they shall never perish." Never is a strong word. You tell me when "never" will get here, and I'll tell you when my eternal life will expire.
The next promise listed states Christ's conversation with Martha. Jesus tells her explicitly that whosoever lives and believes in Him will "never die." Then, He asks her a question He is still asking today: "Do you believe this?"
It is Finished
When on the cross, Christ bowed His head, and declared to all humanity - "It is finished!" There's no other work to complete it! Nothing else will validate it! Nothing else will make it any more worthy of our trust. According to Galatians 2:21, if righteousness comes by the law, Christ is dead in vain. When you add the best works you have to His finished work on the cross, the entire work of Christ is nullified! No works of any law can be added to it! It is finished! All you need to do is believe it! Cling to it! Trust in it! He is our propitiation through FAITH IN HIS BLOOD (Romans 3:25).
I hear some say, "I am striving to make heaven my home." Don't be offended, but "I'm NOT!" I am not working my way to heaven. I am not striving to earn a place in heaven. Jesus said in Matthew 11 - "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I WILL GIVE YOU REST." How do we enter into this "rest?" Hebrews 4:10 gives us the answer - "For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his." When you enter into His rest, you cease from your own works! I am not working to go heaven. Christ did the work necessary for this, and I am RESTING completely in what He did!
Christ did the saving work, and while we simply trust, rest, confide - BELIEVE - we can't do anything but BE SAVED! When it comes time for you to draw your last breath, if your soul is trusting in Christ alone, you can't go anywhere except to God's heaven!
TO BE CONTINUED...
Here are a few reasons I need not worry about the condition of my soul:
I Believe "In Jesus," "On Jesus," "In the Name of Jesus," and "On the Lord Jesus Christ"
Of course, when I say, "I believe," I am not merely referring to an acceptance of the historical fact of His life, death, burial, or resurrection. By "believing," I am not referring to an affirmation of the existence of God, or of His Son, Jesus Christ. Every devil in hell believes in God's existence. Every devil in hell believes that Jesus died on the cross. When I say, "I believe," I am saying "I am relying," "I am trusting," "I am confiding," "I am resting" on Jesus Christ and His work on Calvary solely for my salvation. I am not trusting in my works, my prayers, my good works, my righteousness, my outward appearance, my talent, or anything else of mine for my salvation. I am relying completely on Jesus Christ and His work on Calvary for my salvation. I called upon the name of the Lord, believing that God would keep His promise (this is faith), and He does the saving. I am not sitting in a parked car, looking at a bridge in front of me, saying, "I believe that if I were to try to cross, the bridge would hold me up." I prove that I believe in the bridge by driving on it! I have confidence that the bridge will hold me up, even over the depths of death! Many look at the cross of Jesus Christ, and say, "I believe Jesus died on the cross." They may even say, "I believe Jesus died on the cross for me." But they need to ahead, make Jesus Christ Lord of their entire life. Believe! Put your weight upon Him! Trust Him! Rest solely on His work for your salvation. I can put my whole life in His hands, and I know He is the Saviour and Keeper of my soul! I rest on Him! There are literally dozens of verses in the New Testament that state plainly that, to have eternal life, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ!" I believe every one of them!
The Father is Pleased with Christ's Work on the Cross
Isaiah 53:10 - "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand."
Matthew 3:17 - "And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
In the above verses, Isaiah 53 deals specifically with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ upon the cross. "It pleased the Father to bruise Him." The Father is pleased with Christ's work upon the cross. At Christ's baptism, Matthew records that the Father spoke out of heaven, declaring, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!" Not "barely" pleased, but "well" pleased! When I stand before God, I will be clinging to Jesus Christ and His work on Calvary, because it is the absolute only work with which the Father is pleased.
Promises to Believers
John 5:24 - "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 10:27, 28 - "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."
John 11:25, 26 - "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?"
Now, dear reader, you may not agree with the content of these verses, but know this: both the content and the context of these verses are clear. These verses are NOT AT ALL taken out of context. I am using them to bring forth promises to believers regarding eternal life. The first promise listed states clearly that those hear the word and believe on Him "shall not come into condemnation."
The next promise listed states that Christ's sheep hear His voice, are known of Him, and follow Him. They are given eternal life, and "they shall never perish." Never is a strong word. You tell me when "never" will get here, and I'll tell you when my eternal life will expire.
The next promise listed states Christ's conversation with Martha. Jesus tells her explicitly that whosoever lives and believes in Him will "never die." Then, He asks her a question He is still asking today: "Do you believe this?"
It is Finished
When on the cross, Christ bowed His head, and declared to all humanity - "It is finished!" There's no other work to complete it! Nothing else will validate it! Nothing else will make it any more worthy of our trust. According to Galatians 2:21, if righteousness comes by the law, Christ is dead in vain. When you add the best works you have to His finished work on the cross, the entire work of Christ is nullified! No works of any law can be added to it! It is finished! All you need to do is believe it! Cling to it! Trust in it! He is our propitiation through FAITH IN HIS BLOOD (Romans 3:25).
I hear some say, "I am striving to make heaven my home." Don't be offended, but "I'm NOT!" I am not working my way to heaven. I am not striving to earn a place in heaven. Jesus said in Matthew 11 - "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I WILL GIVE YOU REST." How do we enter into this "rest?" Hebrews 4:10 gives us the answer - "For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his." When you enter into His rest, you cease from your own works! I am not working to go heaven. Christ did the work necessary for this, and I am RESTING completely in what He did!
Christ did the saving work, and while we simply trust, rest, confide - BELIEVE - we can't do anything but BE SAVED! When it comes time for you to draw your last breath, if your soul is trusting in Christ alone, you can't go anywhere except to God's heaven!
TO BE CONTINUED...
