TM & DM MINISTRIES
HOW TO ERASE OUR SIN
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
being justified freely by His grace through
the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."
(Romans 3:23-24)
There is only one way to erase our sin!
I was raised Greek Orthodox. In the Orthodox Church, I learned the first lessons of the Christian faith. Because the church taught about salvation more by works than by grace and because I was baptized as an infant, I thought I was a good Christian. I never realized that I was a sinner because I was a good moral person. I thought a sinner was only someone who had committed a big sin such killing somebody or robbing a bank.
I had this mentality until a man of God sat down and plainly talked to me about God's love and the price that Jesus Christ paid for me on the cross. He described God's simple plan and told me that Christ died for my sins and offered me eternal life. With all his boldness, he told me that I was a sinner because the Bible said, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God..." (Romans 3:23). As he unfolded God's plan of free salvation, my spiritual eyes were opened. For the first time, I realized that I was a sinful man, and I needed a Savior. On March 17, 1970, I repented and by faith accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and Lord. He forgave me and gave me eternal life, and at the same time filled all the emptiness I had in my heart. From that day on, my life has never been the same!
Sin is anything opposed to the law or the will of God. Sin is rebellion against God which separates us from Him. Sin always destroys, separates, and leaves us without hope. It drives us away from the one who loves us with an eternal love and makes us slaves spiritually, emotionally, and physically. It damages our relationship with God and other believers. Also, sin unmasks the lost man to the wrath of God. It always is expensive and keeps us paying and paying. Sin began with Lucifer's fall from heaven because of his pride and rebellion against God. (Isaiah 14:13) If Satan got kicked out of heaven for sin, what makes us think we will make it to heaven with sin? The Bible tells us, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us...we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:8, 10). "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy" (Proverbs 28:13).
The apostle Luke tells us what happened when Jesus called his disciples to follow Him. Peter was out fishing all night, and he did not catch any fish. Jesus told him to throw out the net one more time, and immediately, there were more fish in the net than he could pull. Peter realized that he was in the presence of the Lord, and he said to Jesus, "Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord" (Luke 5:8). Christ did not go away. Instead, he said to him, "Follow me." Christ came near to Peter because he wanted to give him a new life. If you feel an awareness of your own sin, do not be afraid. This will be a good sign that He is working in your life, and be thankful for that. When that happens, it will be the turning point in your life as it was in mine. Pastor and Author, Colin Smith, said, "You are never closer to Christ than when you are most aware of your own sin."
The Bible clearly teaches that all of us have sinned, and it is impossible for us to remove it. It is a permanent, irremovable stain, but He provided a way to erase our sin. PRAISE GOD! Only God can remove our sin through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. He died on the cross for us. He rose again and offers forgiveness and eternal life to all who put their trust in Him.
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"All have sinned..." (Romans 3:23),
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"We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6),
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"Unto him [Jesus] that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood" (Revelation 1:5),
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"Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" (Isaiah 1:18).
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"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out..." (Acts 3:19).
Always, remember that God hates sin, but He loves the sinner. We always have to teach and preach this.
• Once, a young preacher, out of fear, preached what his people wanted to hear to not offend them. The only problem was that he had never experienced God's blessings in his
life, his people, and his ministry. He came to the point of giving up from his disappointment. Around that time, an older preacher and saint of God gave him some advice that turned everything around. He told him, "God called you to serve and please Him and not to worry about the people being offended or not. Go back and preach about sin and tell them that the Lord died for sinners and loves them." The young preacher obeyed and put the new challenge into practice. In a few months, he was surprised when showers of blessings came from the Lord upon his life, his people, and his ministry.
• Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman told of a distinguished minister, Dr. Howard, from Australia, who preached very strongly on the subject of sin. After the service, one of the church officers came to counsel him in the study. "Dr. Howard," he said, "we don't want you to talk as openly as you do about man's guilt and corruption because if our boys and girls hear you discussing that subject, they will more easily become sinners. Call it a mistake if you will, but do not speak so plainly about sin."
The minister took down a small bottle and, showing it to the visitor, said, "You see that label? It says strychnine—and underneath in bold, red letters the word 'Poison!' Do you know, man, what you are asking me to do? You are suggesting that I change the label. Suppose I do and paste over it the words, 'Essence of Peppermint;' don't you see what might happen? Someone would use it, not knowing the danger involved, and would certainly die. So it is, too, with the matter of sin. The milder you make your label, the more dangerous you make your poison!" — Source unknown
• The same thing happened to me many years ago. A small church in the Chicago area had voted me to be their pastor until they could find a full-time pastor. Even though I had a full-time job for several months, I served them without pay. One day two decons told me not to continue to preach about a biblical topic that bothered them. Their comments made me resign because I didn't want to compromise the Word of God. After I left, they hired two or three pastors, but none stayed for long. Finally, this church did not exist anymore, and many of those people ruined their lives and their families by not being faithful to the Holy scriptures.
• One of the earliest stories I ever heard about D. L. Moody, that great evangelist of the nineteenth century, took place when he was temporarily called away to another city and left a young English preacher named Henry Moorhouse to speak during his absence. Upon returning from his trip, he asked his wife, "Well, what about the young preacher?"
"Oh," she said, "he is a better preacher than you are. He is telling sinners that God loves them."
"He is wrong!" said Moody, 'God doesn't love sinners."
"Well," she said, "you go and hear him."
"Is he still preaching?" asked Mr. Moody.
"Yes, he has been preaching all week and has only taken up one verse, John 3:16" was her reply.
When Mr. Moody went to the meeting, Moorhouse got up, and said, "I have been hunting and hunting all through the Bible, looking for a text, and I think we will just talk about John 3:16 once more." Mr. Moody always testified that it was on that night that he first got hold of a clear understanding of the gospel and the love of God. Think what it meant in Moody’s life, and in the lives of tens of thousands who were reached through his ministry, to know that God loves sinners! — Adapted-mwtb.org
The question is: Do you realize that you are a sinner too, and you need a Savior? I am not saying that, but the Bible says:
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"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
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If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8).
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For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
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For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10).
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"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners..." (1 Timothy 1:15).
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"I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:32).
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"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
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"When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Mark 2:17).
Dear Friend, the only medication which can cure our sin is the grace of God. "But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one [Adam] many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.” (Romans 5:15).
If you are not a redeemed sinner yet, it is time for you to come to the Lord with empty hands but you need to admit that you are a sinner, repent, believe, and receive Jesus Christ as your personal savior to experience His forgiveness of your sins and the free gift of eternal life. Only God's grace saves us from sin and eternal death. "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." (Ephesians 2:8,9) You do not have to go to a Greek Orthodox, Catholic, or another priest to forgive your sins. They are men like you with sins and cannot solve their own sins. How can they solve yours? Only God has the power to forgive sins. "who can forgive sins but God only?" (Mark 2:7). God as a merciful and loving father forgives and erases your sins not to remember anymore.
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"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8:12;Jeremiah 31:34)
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"He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea." (Micah 7:19)
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"I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins." (Isaiah 43:25)
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"As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:12)
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"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah 1:18)
ONLY Jesus made payment for your sins - past, present, and future and equipped you with the same power He had to conquered sin and death. (John 16:33) to overcome sin and live a victorious life. "Behold, I have given you...over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you" (Luke 10:19). ONLY Jesus can erase your sins with His blood, and not anyone else in heaven or on earth can. For this purpose, He became " the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." (John 1:29). He is our atoning sacrifice. He died on the cross to pay our sins so that we will be able to spend eternity in heaven with Him. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). From the moment we come into the personal, saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are no more under the condemnation of sin because Christ has destroyed the power of sin.
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"Without shedding of blood is no remission [of sins]." (Hebrews 9:22)
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"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;" (Ephesians 1:7).
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"Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood" (Revelation 1:5), (Hebrews 9:22).
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"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed ...But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." (1 Peter 1:18-19).
Numerous theologians and Christian authors do not even talk about the blood or the power of "Jesus' blood" for man's redemption. Instead, they use other words that do not exist in the original text of the New Testament. Blood is very important and necessary to the doctrine of Christ's atonement and is mentioned over 300 times in the Bible. It is at the heart of the gospel, and it is through "the blood of his cross" that Jesus reconciled us to God (Colossians 1:20-23). In some Christian churches, they do not even sing hymns like "Saved By The Blood" and "Power In the Blood," because of their humanistic beliefs. They keep the real teachings of the Bible at a distance and do not allow the power of the Holy Spirit to work in their lives, and they miss God's power and blessings. We are redeemed and "justified by his blood" (Romans 5:8,9). Never forget, only Christ and His sacrifice on the cross can redeem your soul. Do not be deceived by the fake "yellow gospel" of works that is powerless to save your soul.
We have to make sure that all of us who have been redeemed, stay off the road of sin in our race to glory. Sin breaks our hearts because it hurts the heart of God. We have to focus on Jesus as the goal of our lives and put everything else aside.
If we fall into sin, we must immediately ask for forgiveness to restore our good relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
by Ted Matamis, copyright © 2022. All rights reserved.
Bridge to ETERNAL LIFE - Jesus built us a bridge with 2 boards and 3 Nails
God's Math: 1 CROSS + 3 NAILS = 4 GIVEN
BIBLE VERSES
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:23, 24)
"The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23).
"For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10)
"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners..." (1 Timothy 1:15)
"I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Luke 5:32)
"On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mark 2:17)
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us..." (1 John 1:8)
"He who sins is the slave of sin." (John 8:34)
"Be sure your sins will find you out." (Numbers 32:23)
"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us...we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." (1 John 1:8, 10).
"He that covers his sins shall not prosper: but whoever confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy." (Proverbs 28:13)
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)
"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21)
"But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear." (Isaiah 59:2)
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)
"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 if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins." (1 Corinthians 15:3,17)
"To him [Jesus] give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins." (Acts 10:43)
"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)
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life." (John 6:47)
"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." (Ephesians 2:8,9)
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Sin is anything that is contrary to the law or will of God.
When you sin you can ask two questions:
The wrong question: What can I do to fix this?
The right question: What has Jesus done to fix this?
QUOTES
• Sin: Jesus Is The Answer
"The world's greatest need is not for a teacher,
because the world's problem is not ignorance -
it is not a patriot because our problem is not nationalism,
not a philanthropist, because the problem is not poverty.
But the world does need a Savior because the world's problem is sin!"
— Evangelist, Bailey Smith
"Sin is believing the lie that you are self-created, self-dependent and self-sustained."
”Forgiveness is the remission of sins. For it is by this that what has been lost, and was found, is saved from being lost again." — Quotes by Theologian and Philosopher, Augustine
"Every sin is the distortion of an energy breathed into us."— Writer, Theologian and Scholar, C.S. Lewis
"After grief for sin there should be joy for forgiveness."— Bible Teacher and Authort, A.W. Pink
"God will forgive the sinner, but He will still judge the sin." — Evangelist, Author, and Bible teacher, Beth Moore
"God loves us the way we are, but he loves us too much to leave us that way." — Minister and Evangelist, Dr. Leighton Ford
"In the gospel, we discover we are far worse off than we thought, and far more loved than we ever dreamed." — Christian Music Singer, Steven Curtis Chapman
"The first duty of every soul is to find not its freedom but its Master." — Theologian, Peter T. Forsythe
"Sin is a deliberate treason against the majesty of God, an assault upon His crown, an insult offered to His throne."
"You and your sins must separate or you and your God will never come together. No one sin may you keep; they must all be given up, they must be brought out like Canaanite kings from the cave and be hanged up in the sun."
"As the salt flavors every drop in the Atlantic, so does sin affect every atom of our nature. It is so sadly there, so abundantly there, that if you cannot detect it, you are deceived.”
"Faith is the surest of all sin-killers."
"Great thoughts of your sin alone will drive you to despair; but great thoughts of Christ will pilot you into the haven of peace."
"I do not know when I am more perfectly happy than when I am weeping for sin at the foot of the cross."
"I would sooner be holy than happy if the two things could be divorced. Were it possible for a man always to sorrow and yet to be pure, I would choose the sorrow if I might win the purity, for to be free from the power of sin, to be made to love holiness, is true happiness."
"If Christ has died for me - ungodly as I am, without strength as I am - then I can no longer live in sin but must arouse myself to love and serve Him who has redeemed me. I cannot trifle with the evil that killed my best Friend. I must be holy for his sake. How can I live in sin when He has died to save me from it?"
"If I had a brother who had been murdered, what would you think of me if I...daily consorted with the assassin who drove the dagger into my brother's heart; surely I too must be an accomplice in the crime. Sin murdered Christ; will you be a friend to it? Sin pierced the heart of the Incarnate God; can you love it?"
"If there be a man before me who says that the wrath of God is too heavy a punishment for his little sin, I ask him, if the sin be little, why does he not give it up?"
"If you will not have death unto sin, you shall have sin unto death. There is no alternative. If you do not die to sin, you shall die for sin. If you do not slay sin, sin will slay you.”
"Look to the cross, and hate your sin, for sin nailed your Well-Beloved to the tree. Look up to the cross, and you will kill sin, for the strength of Jesus' love will make you strong to put down your tendencies to sin."
"Remember that if you are a child of God, you will never be happy in sin."
"Repentance is as much a mark of a Christian, as faith is. A very little sin, as the world calls it, is a very great sin to a true Christian."
"Sin to a believer is horrible, because it crucified the Saviour; he sees in every iniquity the nails and spear."
"We must keep from sin. If Christ has indeed saved us from sin, we cannot bear the thought of falling into it. Those who take delight in sin are not the children of God. If you are a child of God, you hate it with a perfect hatred, and your very soul loathes it." — Quotes by "Prince of Preachers", Charles Spurgeon
• Three Marks
Pastor and Author, W. Tozer said that "People who are crucified with Christ have three distinct marks:
They are facing only one direction.
They can never turn back.
They no longer have plans of their own."
"I'm against sin. I'll kick it as long as I've got a foot, and I'll fight it as long as I've got a fist. I'll butt it as long as I've got a head. I'll bite it as long as I've got a tooth. And when I'm old and fistless and footless and toothless, I'll gum it till I go home to Glory and it goes home to perdition!"— Evangelist, Billy Sunday
"If you find a reluctancy to go into the presence of God, there may be unconfessed, unrepented sin in your life. Part of your quiet time is to get your heart clean and pure. Each of us needs to take ourselves by the nap of our necks and confess and repent before we come into God's holy presence to fellowship."— Pastor and Author Dr. Adrian Rogers
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The Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible.
—Evangelist D.L. Moody
Naught have I gotten but what I received;
Grace hath bestowed it since I have believed;
Boasting excluded, pride I abase;
I’m only a sinner, saved by grace!
Refrain:
Only a sinner saved by grace!
Only a sinner saved by grace!
This is my story, to God be the glory—-
I’m only a sinner saved by grace!
Once I was foolish, and sin ruled my heart,
Causing my footsteps from God to depart;
Jesus hath found me, happy my case;
I now am a sinner, saved by grace! (Refrain)
Tears unavailing, no merit had I;
Mercy had saved me, or else I must die;
Sin had alarmed me, fearing God’s face;
But now I’m a sinner saved by grace!
(Refrain)
Suffer a sinner whose heart overflows,
Loving his Saviour to tell what he knows;
Once more to tell it would I embrace--
I’m only a sinner saved by grace! (Refrain)
— Hymn by James M. Gray
The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.
Refrain:
Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.
When hoary time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.
Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.
— Hymn by Frederick M. Lehman
O The Deep, Deep Love Of Jesus (Music)
O the deep, deep love of Jesus!
Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free,
rolling as a mighty ocean
in its fullness over me.
Underneath me, all around me,
is the current of thy love;
leading onward, leading homeward,
to thy glorious rest above.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus!
Spread his praise from shore to shore;
how he loveth, ever loveth,
changeth never, nevermore;
how he watches o'er his loved ones,
died to call them all his own;
how for them he intercedeth,
watcheth o'er them from the throne.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus!
Love of ev'ry love the best:
'tis an ocean vast of blessing,
'tis a haven sweet of rest.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus!
'Tis a heav'n of heav'ns to me;
and it lifts me up to glory,
for it lifts me up to thee.
— Hymn by S. Trevor Francis
What Is Sin?
Anything that fails to conform to the law of God. Evil is a complex phenomenon in the Scriptures.
The idea of sin is conveyed by a variety of expressions with meanings like missing the mark, rebelling, going astray, transgressing, stumbling, etc.
Basically, "sin is lawlessness" (1 John 3:4), referring to an inward attitude as well as to the breaking of written commandments.
All people commit sin (1 Kings 8:56; Rom. 3:23). To deny that we have sinned is to make God a liar (1 John 1:10);
all his dealings with humanity are on the basis that we are sinners. But the blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin (1 John 1:7).
— The Shaw Pocket Bible Handbook, Walter A. Elwell, Editor
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What is Sin?
Man calls it an accident,
God calls it abomination.
Man calls it a defect,
God calls it a disease.
Man calls it an error,
God calls it an enmity.
Man calls it a liberty,
God calls it lawlessness.
Man calls it a trifle,
God calls it a tragedy.
Man calls it a mistake,
God calls it a madness.
Man calls it a weakness,
God calls it willfulness.
— Moody Monthly
Sin will take you farther than you ever thought you'd stray
Sin will leave you so lost, you think you'll never find your way
Sin will keep you longer than you ever thought you'd stay
Sin will cost you more than you ever thought you'd pay
Sin
Sin is a blasting presence, and every fine power shrinks and withers in the destructive heat. Every spiritual delicacy succumbs to its malignant touch...
Sin impairs the sight, and works toward blindness.
Sin benumbs the hearing and tends to make men deaf.
Sin perverts the taste, causing men to confound the sweet with the bitter, and the bitter with the sweet.
Sin hardens the touch, and eventually renders a man "past feeling." All these are Scriptural analogies, and their common significance appears to be this—sin blocks and chokes the fine senses of the spirit; by sin, we are desensitized, rendered imperceptive, and the range of our correspondence is diminished.
Sin creates callosity. It henders the spirit, and so reduces the area of our exposure to pain. — John Henry Jowett in The Grace Awakening, C. Swindoll, Word
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What Is Sin?
Sin is anything that is contrary to the law or will of God. For example: if you lie, you have sinned. Why? Because God has said not to lie (Ex. 20:16). If you do what God has forbidden, then you have sinned. In addition, if you do not do what God has commanded, you sin (James 4:17). Either way, the result is eternal separation from God (Is. 59:2). Sin is lawlessness (1 John 1:3) and unrighteousness (1 John 5:17). Sin leads to blindness (John 9:41) and death (Rom. 6:23).
Paul, in the book of Romans, discusses sin. He shows that everyone, both Jew and Greek [Gentile], is under sin (Rom. 3:9). He shows that sin is not simply something that is done, but a condition of the heart (Rom. 3:3:10-12). In Ephesians, Paul says that we are "by nature children of wrath" (Rom. 2:3). Yet, "while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly" (Rom. 5:6).
The power of sin is centrifugal. When at work in a human life, it tends to push everything out toward the periphery. Bits and pieces go flying off until only the core is left. Eventually, bits and pieces of the core itself go flying off until in the end nothing at all is left. "The wages of sin is death" is St. Paul's way of saying the same thing.
Other people and (if you happen to believe in him) God or (if you happen not to) the World, Society, Nature—whatever you call the greater whole of which you're part—sin is whatever you do, or fail to do, that pushes them away, that widens the gap between you and them and also the gaps within your self.
For example, the sin of the Pharisee is not just (a) his holier-than-thou attitude which pushes other people away, but (b) his secret suspicion that his own holiness is deficient too, which pushes part of himself away, and (c) his possibly not-so-subconscious feeling that anybody who expects him to be all that holy must be a cosmic lunatic, which pushes Guess Who away.
Sex is sinful to the degree that, instead of drawing you closer to another human being in his humanness, it unites bodies but leaves the lives inside them hungrier and more alone than before.
Religion and unreligion are both sinful to the degree that they widen the gap between you and the people who don't share your views.
The word charity illustrates the insidiousness of sin. From meaning a free and loving gift it has come to mean a demeaning handout.
"Original Sin" means we all originate out of a sinful world which taints us from the word go. We all tend to make ourselves the center of the universe, pushing away centrifugally from the center everything that seems to impede its freewheeling. More even than hunger, poverty, or disease, it is what Jesus said he came to save the world from.— Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking, A Theological ABC
Thirty-one New Testament Descriptions of Sinful Mankind
1. Alienated from God (Eph. 4:18).
2. Blind (John 12:40; 2 Cor. 4:4; 1 John 2:11).
3. Carnally or fleshly minded (Rom. 8:6, 13).
4. Corrupt (Matt. 7:17-18; 1 Tim. 6:5).
5. Darkened (Matt. 6:23; John 3:19; Rom. 1:21; Eph. 4:18; 1 John 1:6-7).
6. Dead in sin (John 5:24; Rom. 8:6; Col. 2:13; 1 Tim. 5:6; 1 John 3:14).
7. Deceived (Titus 3:3).
8. Defiled or filthy (Isa. 64:6; Titus 1:15; 2 Pet. 2:20; Rev. 22:11).
9. Destitute of truth (Rom 1:18, 25; 1 Tim. 6:5).
10. Disobedient (Matt. 7:23; Eph. 2:3; Titus 3:3).
11. An enemy of God (James 4:4).
12. Evil (Matt. 6:22; 12:33-34; John 3:20).
13. Foolish (Matt. 7:26; Eph. 5:15; Titus 3:3).
14. Going astray (1 Pet. 2:25).
15. Hateful (Titus 3:3).
16. Hypocritical (Matt. 6:2, 5, 16; 23:13, 28).
17. Impenitent (Rom. 2:5; Heb. 3:8).
18. Malicious and envious (Titus 3:3).
19. Pleasure or world-loving (2 Thess. 2:12; 1 Tim. 5:6; 2 Tim. 3:4; Titus 3:3; 1 John 2:15).
20. Proud (Rom. 1:30; 1 Tim. 6:4; 2 Tim. 3:4; James 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:5).
21. Refusing belief (John 3:35; Titus 1:15).
22. Rejecting truth (2 Tim. 4:4).
23. Resisting God (Acts 7:51).
24. Guided by Satan (John 8:44; Eph. 2:3).
25. Lovers of self (2 Tim. 3:2).
26. Self-satisfied (Rev. 3:17).
27. A slave of sin (John 3:34; Rom. 6:16-17, 20; Titus 3:3).
28. Subordinating God (Rom. 1:25).
29. Unconscious of bondage (John 8:33; Rom. 7:7).
30. Unrighteous (1 Cor. 6:9; Rev. 22:11).
31. Vain in their imaginations (Rom. 1:21).
— J. L. Meredith, Meredith’s Big Book of Bible Lists
The Truth About Sin
Sorrow, frustration, and complete discouragement filled the young man's heart as he told his story. He had fallen to a temptation he thought no longer gripped his emotions. For the moment, the consequences of his sin seemed unbearable. Would he lose his family? His job? And the hope of another chance with God?
Sin will take you further than you ever wanted to go. It will promise you more and deliver nothing but heartache and fear. Like a drama played out on the stage of life, sin promises contentment and satisfaction, but it delivers nothing but the opposite. Ask anyone who has experienced the ramifications of sin's powerful blasts, and you quickly will receive a sorrowful list of consequences due to sin’s handiwork.
Deception: Sin's folly
One of the most deceiving aspects of sin comes when we mistakenly believe we no longer have a problem with temptation. Oswald Chambers illustrates this, "Joab stood the big test, he remained absolutely loyal and true to David and did not turn after the fascinating and ambitious Absalom, but yet towards the end of his life he turned after the craven Adonijah. Always remain alert to the fact that where one man has gone back is exactly where anyone may go back. (1 Corinthians 10:13) You have gone through the big crisis, now be alert over the least things; take into calculation the "retired sphere of the leasts."
Peter admonishes us to, "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, stand firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world" (1 Peter 5:8-9).
One of the first lessons we need to learn when facing sin is that we need a Savior. We can do nothing apart from Him, and certainly, we cannot face the tempter of our souls victoriously without God's strength and protection.
All sin is rebellion against God. It drives a wedge between you and the one who loves you with an eternal love. Sin should break our hearts because it hurts the heart of God.
Most of us would say that sin's origin was here on earth in the Garden of Eden. But actually, sin began with Lucifer's fall due to his pride and rebellion against God. (Isaiah 14:13)
Temptation gained its first foothold in the Garden when the serpent (Satan) tempted Eve to doubt God's goodness and plan for her life. Sin always entices us to act independently of God. This is what Satan did in heaven. He drew one-third of the angels away from God in an effort to overthrow the Lord.
When we take a serious look at the times we have yielded to temptation, we quickly see that those were the times when we chose to act independently of God by disobeying His Word. Sin blinds us to the truth of God and leaves us feeling ashamed, fearful, and separated from the Lord.
After debating the issue of his own sin and personal lack of ability to conquer the temptations that plagued him, the apostle Paul cried out to God, "Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:24).
There was and is only one answer, and in the next verse Paul exclaims, "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (v. 25). Only Christ has the power and the ability to break sin's grip of death on our lives.
Sin has affected us in three ways:
• It enslaves us spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Before the fall, Adam and Eve did not know the power of sin. Only after they yielded to sin did they discover the dramatic impact of sin.
• It impairs our relationship with God and other believers. This was demonstrated in the Garden after the fall. Adam had enjoyed sweet fellowship with the Lord, but sin introduced shame and fear into that relationship. For the first time, Adam hid when God came to meet him.
Sin deceives us into thinking that God has distanced Himself from us. This is sin's greatest deception: fear of the one who loves us most. The enemy has one mission: destroy man's relationship with God. The enemy will do anything to keep us from knowing and experiencing the intimate, saving love of God.
Sin also drives a wedge between us and other believers. When our fellowship with God is hampered, we quickly discover that the sweetness of our fellowship with other believers disappears.
• It exposes the lost man to the wrath of God. God's prevenient grace is the only way an unsaved person can experience eternal salvation. Those who have never accepted Christ as their Savior are under the penalty of sin, which is eternal death and separation from God.
The Only Cure for Sin
God's grace is the only cure for our sin. Paul writes: "The free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many" (Romans 5:15).
According to God's law, sin demands a sacrifice. This is why God instituted sacrifice for sin. In the Old Testament this was carried out through the obedience to the Law. However, the coming of Christ, God's Son, eternally changed this. No longer are we commanded to offer certain sacrifices for certain sins. Christ is our atoning sacrifice. (John 1:29) His death on the Cross was sufficient payment for our sins—past, present, and future.
His demonstrated grace and forgiveness of mankind in no way is an excuse to continue in sin. Instead, it is a call for a deeper commitment of love and fellowship with God.
What we could not do for ourselves, God did for us. There is no way for man to free himself from the bondage of sin. Trying to be good, disciplined, and committed will never earn us enough credit in God's eyes. The only way we can stand in His presence as forgiven and cleansed from all sin is through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Confession alone does not atone for sin. We must identify with Christ's death on the Cross, and the only way to do this is by accepting Him as our Savior. He saves us from sin and eternal death.
God's Provision for Sin
As long as we live, sin will fight for dominance in the life of the believer. The lost man is helpless to defend himself against the evils of temptation. Therefore, sin can easily lay claim to his life through passions and lusts. However, those who believe in Christ have a supernatural strength residing within them. Because their lives are hidden in Christ, they can say "no" to sin and "yes" to holiness and purity in Christ.
The way we do this is through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus understood the power of temptation. He faced temptation and came away the victor. The way He dissolved the power of the enemy was through the Word of God.
This is our only defense against the schemes of Satan. While believers are no longer under the penalty of sin, they will have to endure the war that Satan wages against each child of God.
Is there a temptation that you have been struggling to conquer? You can overcome this, but only through faith in Jesus Christ.
• God has provided a way for you to experience the goodness of His grace for eternity. In Romans 8:1, He tells us there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Once we come into the personal, saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are no longer under the condemnation of sin. Christ had destroyed the power of sin.
John writes: "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world" (1 John 2:1-2).
Christ's love for us is so great that He continues to intercede on our behalf. Therefore, when God views our lives, He only sees the faithful atoning work of Jesus Christ flowing through our lives.
While sin hurts the heart of God, it does not shock or surprise Him. He knew all about you before you were born and, still, He has chosen to love you for all eternity.
The truth about sin is this: it always destroys, separates, and leaves us feeling abandoned without hope. However, we have a deliverer. Jesus Christ has overcome the world and along with it He has conquered sin and death. (John 16:33) The same power God equipped Jesus with is ours. "Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you" (Luke 10:19). Christ lives in us and enables us to live victoriously.
If you have fallen into sin:
• Ask God to apply His forgiveness to your life. Agree that what you have done is not right or in keeping with His holiness. Pray that He will restore the sweetness of your fellowship with Him.
When we sin, we step outside of God's perfect will for our lives. However, we are never outside His perfect love. Sin stirs the Holy Spirit to deliver a swift sense of conviction to our hearts. When we suffer in sin, this is God's way of gaining our attention and drawing us back to Himself.
• Be determined to turn away from sin. (John 8:7) This is true repentance. The pattern of sin must be broken once it gains a foothold in the life of a believer. Remember even a tiny foothold can quickly become a broad and powerful stronghold. If you feel like this has happened in your life, know that Christ stands ready to deliver you. Be tough with sin. It is tough with you and only seeks to destroy your potential. Therefore, do not resist God's Spirit even if this means talking with your pastor, a trusted Christian counselor, or friend.
• Apply the Word of God to your heart. Never trust your feelings. Trust the Word of God and what it says about you as a forgiven, eternally beloved child of God. If you do not read the Bible daily, ask the Lord to give you a love for His Word. Study it, meditate on its truths, and allow God to speak to your heart through its teaching. (Matthew 4:4) The Word of God was Christ's victory over Satan, and it is yours too. (Luke 4:1-13)
• Use your failure as a tool to share your faith with others. You may or may not tell all the aspects surrounding your salvation or deliverance from sin. However, God can and will use your life to encourage others who have fallen into sin. Peter is a rich example of this. His denial of Christ has been used repeatedly by God to demonstrate His eternal love and forgiveness.
Even though Peter fell, Jesus lifted him up and commanded him to continue on in His work for the kingdom of God. (John 21:15-17) God saves us so we will bring glory to His name. He forgives us so we will understand our personal need for a Savior. He encourages us so we will not give up and we might continue on to encourage others who have fallen. — Discover how you can be free from sin when you order Dr. Stanley's series The Truth about Sin from our Bookstore. — Tim Luke, editor /In Touch Ministries
The Gift of God
God's Way to Forgiveness, Fellowship, and Heaven
God’s way to forgiveness of sin, fellowship with Him, and eternal life in Heaven
In order to receive God’s forgiveness, fellowship and eternal life, you must repent. In St. Luke chapter 13 verse 3 Jesus said, "except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." Therefore, you must repent. You must come to God with a sorrowful mind and heart concerning God and sin, accompanied with a desire to turn away from a lifestyle of sin, the attitude and actions that offend a holy and righteous God.
You must believe that Jesus Christ was and is God, the Son, and that upon the cross every single sin you ever committed past, present and future was placed upon Him.
You must believe that upon the cross Jesus Christ took personally for you God's wrath—the punishment and penalty due to you and your sins. I Peter chapter 2 verse 24 states that Jesus "bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed."
You must believe that Jesus Christ died for you, was buried, and on the third day He rose from the dead. The very moment you come to God with true sorrow for your sinfulness, with a desire to turn from sin and place complete trust in the Person and work of Jesus Christ as God's only way to Heaven, God will forgive all your sins, past present and future. You will have a personal relationship with Him and God will now hear and answer your prayers giving you the desires of your heart in accordance to His perfect plan and will for your life. Through the tribulations of life, all things will now be working together for good and upon death you will spend eternity in Heaven with the One who loved you and died for you, God your Savior.
1 John chapter 5 verse 13 states, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." — Copyright © 2009 by RoxAnne Tauriello/www.roxanneshow.tv
Forgiveness: Are You Interested?
The Offense:
The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Psalms 14:2-3)
Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. (Ecclesiastes 8:11)
None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity. The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace. (Isaiah 59:4,8)
Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the Lord, nor the judgment of their God. (Jeremiah 5:3-4)
There is no fear of God before their eyes. (Romans 3:18)
The Judgment:
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Genesis 2:16-17)
As I live, saith the Lord God…Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. (Ezekiel 18:3-4)
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. (James 1:13-15)
For the wages of sin is death… (Romans 6:23)
The Only Way of Forgiveness: Blood
This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, … The life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. (Leviticus 17:2, 11)
For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission [forgiveness]. (Hebrews 9:19-22)
The Blood of Animals???
Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? (Micah 6:6-7)
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. (Psalms 51:17)
For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. (Hebrews 10:1-4)
No, The Precious 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)
This is He that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. (1 John 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. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth… He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was He stricken. And He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth. 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. He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied: by His knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities. (Isaiah 53:6-11)
Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am He, and that I do nothing of myself. (John 8:28)
For it pleased the Father that in [the Son] should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the Blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself. (Colossians 1:19-20)
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:5)
In whom we have redemption through His Blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. (Ephesians 1:7)
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. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Much more then, being now justified by His Blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His [resurrected] life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. (Romans 5:9-11)
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out. (Acts 3:19)
Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man [Jesus] whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead. (Acts 17:31) — By MWTB
SET FREE!
It’s a stifling hot August night in Georgia. Over 700 inmates and 50 community workers have gathered in the auditorium of the Atlanta penitentiary. Chuck Colson, who has come to speak to the prisoners, looks over the restless crowd—half white, half black—and begins speaking…
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A lot of you think of Christians as those nice, white, middle-class people who go to church on Sunday and never get into trouble. And you say, “No, that’s not for me. I don’t want any part of that. They can afford to be nice. They don’t know what it is to be hungry. They don’t know what it is to see their children starving. They don’t know what it is to be in prison.” And you’re right—most of them don’t.
Let me tell you a little about the man Jesus Christ, because he did know about these things and He cared. Jesus was God and he was man. And when he was nailed to that cross, he hurt. He suffered there for every one of us.
Let me tell you what he said in his very first sermon: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19).
And then, who did He assemble around Him? A dozen men who had no special place in society. He and his twelve men began to preach and perform miracles that only God could perform. But the people rejected Jesus. They wanted a ruler who would overthrow their Roman oppressors.
But Jesus said (and I paraphrase) “No, I am proclaiming a different kind of a kingdom—the kingdom of God being built on this earth. And because God’s values are not man’s values, I come for the poor, the sick, the hungry, the homeless, the imprisoned.” He is the one who comes to help the downtrodden and the oppressed—to set you free!
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The impact of Colson's words was remarkable. That night many men found freedom in Jesus Christ. One man with a tough, unshaven face said, “You probably won’t understand this, but tonight was what my life has been leading up to. All 39 years were nothing; just tonight matters.”
God had set him free from his spiritual “imprisonment” by sin! Today you also can be set free, too, no matter where you are in life. Jesus Christ has already suffered the full punishment for your sin. Now God offers you a full pardon if you will...
Admit
Admit that you have a spiritual need. You must agree with God that you are a sinner. The Bible says that “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God….the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 3:23, 6:23).
Repent
Change your mind about whatever you’re trusting in to make you right with God, and instead trust only in Jesus, what the Bible calls “repentance toward God and … faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21).
Believe
Believe that Jesus died for you on the cross. “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Receive
Receive Jesus as your Savior. “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).
You can receive God’s pardon by praying to him, telling him what you now believe:
“Lord, thank you that you loved me so much that you sent your Son to die for me. I know that without Jesus Christ’s sacrifice I would be separated from you and your love forever. I place my faith in him for forgiveness of my sins and the gift of eternal life. I want him in my life to be my Savior.”
— By Dr. Charles Colson/ Crossway.org
"He who sins is the slave of sin." (John 8:34)
Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins and
fill the emptiness in our life!
What is the importance of God's LOVE?
I have for you some really great news! GOD LOVES YOU! I want you to think about that for a minute. The very one who created the universe, who is eternal, who has all power loves you! In our lives, we have many people who love us: our parents, children, and friends. I am thankful that I have a family and many friends who love me, but I am ECSTATIC that God loves me.
Dear Friend, how can we know that God loves us? Well, I could quote many scriptures but I prefer to paint a picture for you. In this picture we see the Son of God leave Heaven to come to the earth. He was born in poverty and though a king, was treated like the lowliest of people. He went about doing good, healing people, loving people, and showing kindness in so many different ways. The picture becomes ugly, however, as we see man take him and severely flog Him. We see man repeatedly hit Him in the face. We see man place a crown of thorns on His head. We see man strike Him on the head with a stick. We see man spit in His face. We see man mock Him. Finally, we see man lay Him on a cross and drive nails into His hands and feet. We then listen as He utters these words, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." Why did Jesus suffer to this degree? The answer is because He loves YOU! That's right, the Son of God loves you! Jesus died because He wants you to spend eternity in Heaven with Him. (Jesus Christ on the cross, Animation)
"God loves us the way we are, but he loves us too much to leave us that way."
— Leighton Ford
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While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
(Romans 5:8)
Pastor Steve wanted to rekindle his congregation's passion for Christ. The pastor of the small town announced he would preach a special evening message on God's love. Darkness fell and the people gathered. All lights were extinguished and the only light came from a candle Pastor Steve held. Walking up the steps to the platform, he carried the single taper over to a picture of the crucifixion he had hung there. First of all, he illumined the crown of thorns, next, the two wounded hands, then the marks of the spear wound. A hush fell over the congregation. The pastor then blew out the candle and left the church. There was nothing else to say.
Dear Friend, are you unsure about God's love for you? Don't let your doubts keep you in the dark. Christ suffered and died for you. He took the punishment you deserved upon him when he died on the cross. God deeply loves you. Enough said!
"In the gospel, we discover we are far worse off than we thought, and far more loved than we ever dreamed."
— Steven Curtis Chapman
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God's Love: Invitation John 3:16
"No matter how bad you are, how evil you are, or how sinful you are God loves you. God is crying out to your soul and heart. "I love you. I love you. I love you." What is your response to the love of God? Will you say no and laugh in the face of God? Will you refuse God's love and spit into his face? Or will you say yes to God, yes to Jesus, and yes to the Holy Spirit? Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior . Trust Jesus to save you and let him be the boss of your life. What will it be? The decision is yours! Are you on the side of God or are you his enemy?" — Dr. Billy Graham
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Testimonies
"...I was born in Turkey and was raised as a Muslim. Islam was my belief, culture, and identity. I believed in the Koran with all my heart. I wanted to be a Muslim, not because I was born in a Muslim family but because Islam is the truth. Therefore, I decided to learn about other religions. One day a Christian friend invited me to a Christian meeting at his church. When I went there I saw that there were Christian Turks at that meeting. I could not believe that because how could a Turk become a Christian in a country in which they could easily learn about Islam? I thought that these Christian Turks were socially weak and could not exist themselves, therefore they were involved in such an activity. One day, this Christian friend invited me and my best friend to his house to watch a movie called "Jesus". During the movie, I realized that the Christianity I discovered was different from the one I thought that I knew. This time, I started reading the New Testament. Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.' (John 14:6). Because I believe that people can make mistakes but God does not, my prayer was similar to this: God, I want to know you, I want to serve you, I am not seeking the pleasure of paradise or some religious respect among others, but I only want to know you. I do not want to make a mistake. Please show yourself so that I may know that you are God. After this prayer, I had a different experience in my life. When I opened the Bible the answer to my questions was right in front of my eyes. I asked for several signs from God to show me that I should follow Jesus. And he always showed those signs. In 1994, I decided to follow Jesus. Since then, God always increased my faith in Him. Do you really want to know God? Open your heart for the truth, pray and watch!" — Y. (TURKEY)
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"In Queenstown, a couple greeted me and said I looked a bit lost. These were to become the most significant words in my life. This couple had a genuine and visible interest in me. I remember acknowledging inwardly there was something about this Jesus they were talking about, and hey, I saw it in them. Sometime later, on a mountain climbing expedition, I heard a Blowfly fly right past me in a dead straight line. This still small voice said, "That Blowfly knows where it is going... BUT DO YOU?" Months later, I began reading the New Testament. The Righteousness and Peace of Jesus stood out. The beauty of the creation in the New Zealand mountains around me began reflecting His character. When I later accepted Jesus, I could not contain my sudden joy! I had to dance round my flat!.." — NEW ZEALAND
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"...I was at the end of my undergraduate career then and was taking an additional class at a community college while looking for work in computers. I was talking with two friends of mine when they asked me to come to their Bible Talk. I went and saw how much they were unified in pure love with one another (I had not seen that in any church or parachurch group I had been in). I then studied the Bible with them, got rid of all the misunderstandings I had about God, and started a real relationship with him by being born again! I was then baptized and began my new life! I was no longer a slave to pornography, anger, swearing, or booze! God changed my life and can change yours, too! " — T. (U.S.A.)
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"...Two years ago one time I went to some youth night at a church in Frederick, Maryland. I wasn't looking forward to it. So I show up and there is praise and worship. Through the service, the Lord touched my heart. After the service, I gave my life to Him. When I did it, I felt all my hurt, depression, anger and everything lifted out. All my sins and my emptiness went away. I've never had this happen before and I had never been so happy in my life. So you can believe me or not but God sucked all of my pain and sadness away, just like a vacuum. ...." — D. McL (U.S.A.)
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A few years ago an American Christian lady asked me to talk to her ex-husband to help him to come to the Lord. Because of religious differences, they lived separately for many years. One night she invited her ex-husband and us for dinner at her house. Her husband was a religious Christian as Catholic and Greek Orthodox person. I didn't argue with him even when he challenged me. By God's love and kindness, it took me less than 20 minutes to convince him, through the Word of God, that he was a sinner, deserved hell and only Jesus Christ was able to save him from eternal punishment. After admitting that he was a sinner I lead him to the Lord without any difficulty. The Holy Spirit right away opened his Spiritual eyes and he rejoiced in his salvation and also asked me to talk to his friends.
Dear friend, do you have a hard time reaching your relatives and friends? Possibly, many times they frustrate you because they are spiritually blind and it is impossible for them to understand you. In this case, keep a good testimony and never argue with them, but only demonstrate God's love and use God's Word to convince them that they are sinners and tell them that only Jesus Christ died for their sins and paid their debt. Your abilities can never save a person; only the power of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit are able to bring conviction to their hearts and direct them to the Savior Jesus Christ. — Ted Matamis, Founder and Editor of the Spiritual Note.
"The first duty of every soul is to find not its freedom but its Master."
— Peter T. Forsythe
Testimony
of David Berkowitz famous serial killer - Son of Sam- Son of Hope
His Testimony is available in several languages: See Love, forgiveness, and hope in action. (English)
"David Berkowitz: In His Own Words" (Videos)
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Live, Love, Laugh!
"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine"
-Proverbs 17:22
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Are We Ready For Heaven?
In 1991 a Gallup poll showed that 78 percent of Americans expect to go to heaven when they die. However, many of them hardly ever pray, read the Bible, or attend church. They admit that they live to please themselves instead of God. I wonder why these people would want to go to heaven.
In an article titled, "Are We Ready for Heaven?" Maurice R. Irwin points out that only 34 percent of the American people who call themselves Christians attend church at least once a week. He says, "We sing, 'When all my labors and trials are o'er, and I am safe on that beautiful shore, just to be near the dear Lord I adore will through the ages be glory for me.'
However, unless our attitudes toward the Lord and our appreciation of Him change greatly, heaven may be more of a shock than a glory. — Our Daily Bread
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Has He Saved You Yet?
"All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
Jesus Christ came into the world to save you from the guilt and consequences of your sins. He willingly died and shed His blood at Calvary to pay your penalty and to provide for your cleansing. Not only does His salvation deliver you from eternal death and hell, but because He is risen from the dead, it gives you the present possessions of eternal life, forgiveness of all your sins, and the sure hope of being in heaven with Him forever. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31). Read: 1 Timothy 1:15; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; 1 John 1:7, John 5:24
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You Owe an Apology to God
Woodrow Wilson's father was a minister in the South. One day he joined a group of men caught up in a heated discussion. One of the men lost his temper and swore loudly. Only then did he see the Reverend Wilson in their midst. The man apologized profusely and said, "Sir, I had forgotten that you were present. Please pardon me." Dr. Wilson replied, "It is not to me that you owe an apology, but to God." — Larry Brook, The Quiet Hour
Our God has a big eraser!
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Two drunks
Two drunks found their way to the dock where their boat was tied. The two men wanted to return home to their island that night, so they got in the boat and began to row. Though they stroked hard all night, they did not reach the other side of the bay. When dawn broke, they were in exactly the same spot from which they started. They had neglected to loosen the mooring-line and raise the anchor! — D. L. Moody "An evil man is held captive by his own sins; And he will be held with the cords of his sin." Proverbs 5:22
Dear Friend, do you seem to simply be treading water in your voyage of faith? You will get no where with God until you let go of those sins and habits that hold you to shore. Cut anchor today and start cruising with the Lord!
"Habit, if not resisted, soon becomes necessity." —Theologian and Philosopher, Augustine
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Don't tolerate sinful habits; weed them out before they take root!
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"Fools make a mock at sin."
(Proverbs 14:9)
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We have heard the joyful sound:
Spread the tidings all around:
Climb the mountains, cross the waves;
"Casting all your care upon him [Jesus]; for he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)
HYMNS and SONGS (MUSIC CLIPS- AUDIOS)
Grace Greater Than All Our Sin
Jesus What A Friend For Sinners
O The Deep, Deep Love Of Jesus
When This Passing World Is Done
HYMNS, SONGS and SERMONS (VIDEOS)
What Is Sin? An Explanation for Kids
The apple incident - Original Sin
When Sin Creeps In - A Word from God
Grace Greater Than Our Sin / Amazing Grace
TRUST GOD FIRST (Powerful Message)
SERMONS (AUDIOS)
The Blessing of God's Forgiveness
The Promise of God's Forgiveness
The Fullness and Finality of God's Forgiveness
God's Greatest Expression of Love
God's Love Demonstrated Indisputably
SERMONS FROM THE PAST AND PRESENT
The Old Time Gospel Ministry: Old Time Sermons
Old Fashioned Preaching - The Truth Set On Fire!
Independent Fundamental Baptist Sermons
Nationwide Independent Baptist Fellowship Sermons
About Spurgeon - The Spurgeon Archive
C.H. Spurgeon's Morning & Evening Christmas Devotional
Sovereign Grace Audio Treasures
Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins but only forgives the ones who admit that they are sinners and ask for forgiveness like the thief on the cross, the apostle Paul who persecuted His church, the killer David Berkowitz, and myself who trusting for twenty-five years in religion and not on Christ.
PRAISE THE LORD! Jesus set free many others around the world every day over the centuries. He waits for you too, to set you free if you are still a slave to SIN.
INTERESTING WEBSITES
What is Sin? Biblical Meaning and Definition
What is the definition of sin?
The Believer and Sin (1 John 3:4-10)
The Plan of Salvation Made Plain to Sinners from the Word of God, by Dr. John R. Rice
Does God forgive big sins like murder?
Jesus Loves Me - Seniors Version
David Berkowitz, Son of Sam- Son of Hope
Salvation - What must I do to be saved?
E-GREETING CARDS FOR EVERY OCCASION
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Jesus shed His blood on the cross to save us from our SIN.
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Jesus' precious blood is the foundation of our redemption.
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Jesus died because He wants to deliver us from the condemnation of SIN and spend eternity in Heaven with Him.
Jesus' Sacrifice For Freedom
Many Americans have died to protect our freedoms to enjoy in this life but none of them extend after death. It is worth seeing what our Creator says about finding life, liberty, and happiness for eternity.
"All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." "Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin." (Romans 3:23, John 8:34)
No one perfectly meets God’s standard; all are polluted by sin. God’s word and our own experience acknowledges that everyone is a sinner, and we live under the power of sin.
"God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day." (Psalm 7:11)
God is righteous, so He must judge sin. Because we have all sinned, we are predetermined to face His judgment. But there is hope! The Son of God, Jesus Christ, came to earth as a man and made the greatest sacrifice for our spiritual freedom when He laid down His life.
God "made Him [Jesus] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Jesus Christ lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose from the grave three days later. On the cross, He satisfied the judgment of God, paying the price for our sin. Now, anyone who places their faith in Him is saved. "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." (John3:16)
"If the Son [Jesus] therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." (John 8:36)
None of us can free ourselves from the effects and the punishment of sin. But all who trust in Jesus Christ, because of His loving sacrifice, find ultimate freedom! God forgives their sins and prepares a home for them in Heaven.
"Sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." (Romans 6:14)
Because their sins have been washed away by the blood of Jesus, Christians no longer fear Judgment Day. "no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1). Not only this but the followers of Jesus are set free from the power of sin in their lives by God’s amazing grace. They can use the power of God’s word and His Holy Spirit to overcome sin and have a victorious life by pleasing God. Let’s make sure we don’t miss out on the greatest freedom of all. If you are under the power of sin, call out to the Lord today. Put your trust in Jesus Christ, who died for you and rose again. He will break the chains of bondage and bring you freedom forever!
"If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." (Romans 10:9)
Never forget that Jesus died for all people but only those who trust Him by faith and are saved by grace are forgiven, set free, and become children of God.
"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)
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
The Word of God gives us the assurance when we are saved that we have eternal life and nothing will separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
"These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life..." (1 John 5:13)
"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)
If you are not a redeemed child of God right now, with a sincere prayer, invite Jesus Christ to come into your life to become your personal Savior and you will be free forever.
"Dear God, I know I am a sinner. I know my sin deserves to be punished. I believe Christ is the Son of God, who died for me and rose from the grave. I want to turn from my sin and trust Jesus alone as my Savior. Thank you for the forgiveness and everlasting life I can now have through faith in Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen."
by Ted Matamis, copyright © 2022. All rights reserved.
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free,
and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage."
(Galatians 5:1)
"Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."
(John 8:36)
Have a blessed day!