IMPOSSIBILITY OF HIS COMING

                                       IMPOSSIBILITY OF HIS COMING

    Thinking about the surety of the Word of God I wanted to make a simple statement anyone could understand, an idea most could grasp readily. I didn’t want to get all ‘preachy’ and lose those who seem to think anything not stated in scientific terms is just nonsense, even though science has been proven wrong myriad times over the course of history (Romans 1:22).

Does the Bible predict the coming of Jesus Christ and his life?

    1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 is agreed to be a mathematical impossibility, the point at which something is considered to be impossible. Also stated as 1 in 10 to the 50^th power. 1 in 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 [Keep in mind many in Christian circles believe there are over 200 prophecies of the Messiah] is the probability of any one person fulfilling even a mere 16 of these prophecies or 1 in 10 to the 45th power.  The chance that any one person could have fulfilled all 200 prophecies in just one lifetime of 33 years is an astounding, mind bending impossibility…or a miracle.

    Therefore the predictions of the Bible concerning the birth, life, death and ministry of Christ are an absolute impossibility. Or…they were a God ordained miracle showing the entrance of the Son of God into the World to redeem you and me. God sealed the argument with a staggering impossibility making a miracle the only logical conclusion. Science has proven that Jesus Christ could only have been the miraculous result of a Divine and loving God.

    The problem is not mathematics or science. The problem is the heart of man. Psalm 53:1-3 “The fool hath said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good. (v.2) God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. (v.3) every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” The evidence (and this is only the surface) is overwhelming and yet many still turn their backs on God and choose (it is a choice) to deny what in right in front of them. The Bible is the Word of God. Its declarations are sure and eternal:

    1. Man is a sinner, we all sin. Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”      We are currently sinners guilty before God.

    2. The wages (or payment) of sin is the death of the sinner. Romans 6:23a “For the wages of sin is         death (physical and spiritual)….

    3. The payment for your sin debt has already been paid by another. Romans 5:8 “But God                        commendeth (or proved) His love for us in that while we were sinner Christ died for us.” He did not        wait for us to become good (while we were yet sinners) because He knew we never could.

    4. The payment Christ made on our behalf is free to us as a gift. Romans 6:23b “…but the gift of God     is eternal life through (or by means of) Jesus Christ our Lord.” He grants salvation through His Blood     to us as a gift.  It is a gift that we must receive. Romans 10:9-10, 13 “That 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. (v.10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth         confession is made unto salvation. (v.13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be     saved.”

    Have you received Christ as your Savior. You can. If you understand that before God right now you are lost and condemned to hell as a sinner. And if you are willing to repent (turn away from) of your sin and ask God to come into your heart to save you right now He will. Pray a prayer like this one:

“God I know I am a sinner and I am sorry for my sin. And, right now, I ask Jesus to come into my heart to take control of my life and forgive me of my sin.  I believe Jesus’ sacrifice was enough and that God accepted it and raised him from the dead.  Thank you for saving my soul, amen.”

    If you did pray today and ask God to save you please send me a message. I would like to help you get started in your new life as a believer. I currently attend South Side Baptist Church in Harrisville on route 16 just past the police station and invite you to join us. For more information please message me.

Which Door Would you choose

 Which Door?

I didn’t really mean to eavesdrop but sometimes you just happen to be in that perfect spot. Even at that, I would normally have made an effort not to listen even if I could hear. But this was different. I heard one man address another in a cordial manner as ‘preacher’ which, as you can imagine, caught my attention. I never could hear the “preacher’s” words. He was just out of earshot. So, some of what I was hearing I was interpreting based on a one sided conversation. The ‘preacher’ said something, after “hello”, about heaven. I am certain of that because the response that came caused me to want to jump up and interject. The other man simply said that when he stood before God he would take whatever comes.

I have heard people say this sort of thing before and it always strikes me the same way. They seem to have a casual nonplussed understanding of what that final day will be like. I had all I could do to retain my seating. I wanted desperately to jump up and join this man at his table for a lengthy conversation. However, not being invited to do so left me wondering how I might explain to my wife how I managed to get kicked out of McDonald’s. So, I reluctantly left this gentleman to his ‘preacher’ friend.

I wonder how many people allow themselves such a casual concept of the final judgment. If we understood what God has done to save humanity we would race to Him and flee the terrors hell. 

As I thought about his response to the ‘preacher’ I was struck with an image. Imagine sitting in a place like McDonalds. You see several gruff looking young men gather outside the exit door. And for no less than one hour you watch as people try to leave. But everyone who exits that door is beaten violently and left for dead on the sidewalk. Your meal is over. Your coffee is finished. You need to leave. No police have arrived to assist. Will you just get up and say to yourself, “Well, I will take whatever comes” and walk out that door?

Now imagine that just as you stand and begin your approach to that exit door someone reaches out and takes your arm. As they do they say to you, “Wait! Don’t go out there. There is another exit door over there just across the room. It is a safe exit.” Do you really suppose that you would simply say to your would-be-savior that you didn’t want to use the other door, and that you would just take whatever comes, knowing that you would be violently beaten without mercy? The answer is clear. Nobody would choose to suffer if the choice truly was their own.

So, why then, do so many make such foolish statements as our gentleman at McDonald’s? Because they don’t believe there is any real danger. They choose to ignore the warnings. Jude 1:13 “... to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.” Mark 9:43-44 “And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: (v.44) where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” Luke 16:23-24 “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. (v.24) And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”

God really made it so easy. Yet, so many miss it. He will open the door of Heaven to anyone who will come, provided they come His way. He does not allow us to make our own path. All He wants for us to do is to understand that we really are sinful (Romans 3:23*), that there really is a payment or penalty for that sin (Romans 6:23*) and to understand that His Son Jesus Christ paid that penalty for us already (Romans 5:8; I Peter 2:24*). If we can honestly understand and acknowledge this then He says, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13*).

How do we call upon Him for salvation? Romans 10:9-10 gives us the best example, “That 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. (v.10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Simply put, it would be a prayer something like this:

"God I know I am a sinner and without Jesus I am lost forever. I am sorry for all of my sin and today as best I know how I am turning away from sin and asking Jesus Christ to be my Lord. I believe Jesus died in my place to pay the price I owed. Right now I ask Jesus to come into my heart and save me. I believe Jesus was raised from the dead as evidence that my sin was forgiven. Thank you for saving me, Amen."

You see there really are only two doors exiting this life. One leads to eternal suffering the other to eternal joy. You can walk through the door of destruction but it will be your choice. You won’t be able to blame God because Jesus, all the while, is calling out to you from the other door having done everything necessary to ensure your safety.

Every time you hear this kind of message or read it, you make a choice. If you walk away without accepting Christ into your heart, without being born again, you have chosen the door of destruction…at least for that moment. If God has given you this one opportunity it is one more than He owes you.

What is your choice today, which door?

*Bible Passages cited:
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 5:8 But God commendeth (or proved) his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
1Peter 2:24 Who his own self 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.
Romans 10:9-10 (gives us the best example), “That 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. (v.10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.