Why do
some perish while others survive?
Did you
know your bathroom is the most dangerous spot on earth for you
to be in, taking a bath specifically.
There is
no safe place.
Even in
the hospital, 98,000 people die from the wrong medication or
procedures each year.
A
popular television commercial comes on blaring "Are you
ready for the football?" I suppose that in its way it says it
best. What it means is do you have all your snacks and beer
lined up so you won t miss anything... especially the
commercials? In reality that approach is sort of scriptural... I
think? Are you prepared for the coming of death; or, are you
prepared for the coming of Christ?
Have you
ever survived? I mean sure death? I have many times.
I was
dense. It took many years before I realized God was watching
over me. To this day I do not know why, but He saved me many
times.
Was I
worthy?
Am I even now worthy?
Only in God’s eyes. Yet now as with a man in a fiery plane
crash in the Canary islands, I was saved, not earning it.
It is simply a gift from God.
Read on if you seek the truth...
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ARE
YOU READY FOR CHRIST?
HE
IS READY FOR YOU!
Robbie L. Rogers
I once heard a
man speak. He was one of the few survivors from one of the worst plane
crashes in this countrys history. It was a fully loaded 747 that crashed on a landing, bursting into flames. He was burned badly, yet,
helped some passengers escape.
What would you
do in times of emergency?
Most did not
panic like you would suppose. Instead they simply sat there,
refusing to recognize the condition they found themselves in.
Frozen, without hearing. Refusing the urging he gave to them to
move. To get up and save themselves . Instead they perished.
The last
recorded words of the captain who was flying the aircraft were those of
cursing God. Many who perished were Christian. Many were
not. Some might have been praying. We don’t know.
The survivors
were all changed, wondering why they were spared. One
man desperately tried to save many; instead he realized he could only
save some. Enveloped in flames he ran through the isles and climbed over
seats. He shouted, not in vain cursing God, instead he proclaimed scripture, the word of God.
Matthew 25:6-13 "At
midnight they were roused by the shout, Look, the bridegroom is
coming! Come out and welcome him!
"All the
bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps.
Then
the five foolish ones asked the others, Please give us some of your
oil because our lamps are going out. But the others replied, We
dont have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for
yourselves.
"But while
they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready
went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. Later, when the
other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, sir,
open the door for us! But he called back, I dont know you!
"So stay
awake and be prepared, because you do not know the day or hour of my
return."
What we are told
here is, first, be ready for we know not when the hour
comes, secondly dont let those around you who claim to be
ready steal your inheritance by false teachings and unrighteous acts,
instead stand ready according to the word of God.
There are now
overwhelming numbers of people who are attempting to water down the
message and reality of Christ, saying there really is no sin. They
portray sinful living as righteousness by simply saying Jesus did not
really mean what He said; He meant this and that. They are claiming
that living in sin according to all the scriptures is not a problem with
God, that in fact He embraces their lifestyle.
They will find out
that in the end the rewards for such lies is damnation into eternal death.
Matthew 25:31- 46
"But
when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then
he will sit upon his glorious throne. All
the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate them as
a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He
will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. Then the
King will say to those on the right, Come, you who are blessed by my
Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world. For
I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I
was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.
I was naked, and you gave me
clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you
visited me.
"Then these
righteous ones will reply, Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and
feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you
hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When
did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?
And
the King will tell them, I assure you, when you did it to one of the
least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!
"Then the
King will turn to those on the left and say, Away with you, you cursed
ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his demons! For I was hungry, and you didnt
feed me. I was thirsty, and you didnt give me anything to drink.
I was a stranger, and you didnt
invite me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me no clothing. I was
sick and in prison, and you didnt visit me.
"Then they
will reply, Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a
stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you? And he will
answer, I assure you, when you refused to help the least of these my
brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me. And
they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into
eternal life."
Jesus is saying
here that many will say, in the later times, "Didnt we feed and
cloth you?" But, Jesus who will judge the world, knows his sheep, and
His sheep will know His voice.
Jesus, I believe, is speaking directly to those who are doing the pulling
aside when He says I do not know you. Nevertheless, He is also
speaking to those who were drawn aside and believed they were doing His
work but living the lifestyle of a sinner.
The worst condemnation will of course be upon those people in leadership
positions in such churches. Scriptures tell us better a milestone
tied around their neck than to harm a little one. He was speaking
about His children as little ones there.
How can we be ready?
How can we find the
peace that passes all understanding; that saving grace that saved a retch like me, even from a sure death.
I want to ask you
a profound question, what is the difference between a stinky sheep and
stinky goat?
What, you say?
You gotta be kidding!
Yeah, well... I
must confess, I at times feel as though I am a wet and stinky goat in sheep's clothing.
Many of the qualities of a goat I seem at times to
possess.
Those holy sheep, however, sometimes follow the leader, like a buffalo, right off
the cliff, I think.
Goats dont do
that, do they; they go their own way, doing what they want to do. Not only
that, they rebel against the intrusion of any form of leadership. They butt
whoever they want whenever they
feel like it, they eat what they want when they want, and basically, oh
oh, personify
the American way of life. Do it to the hilt, your way, we
Americans say. Are you ready for the football?
Still some goats faint, feet stiff in the
air; and, out of
fear they do nothing. They dont
hear God or stand on His word. They cling to their own understanding.
Two
opposite ends of the stick wouldnt you say, goats and sheep.
Jesus is speaking
metaphorically here and not considering us as hard headed people who go
around butting into each other or fall off cliffs because of poor
leadership.... or is He?
Do you feel that
way? The way of a goat, or a sheep?
I guess we all
often feel like a close relative to the goat.
Remember the cute little guy
from Greek fables, he plays the pan flute like Zamfir, he is half man and
half goat isn't he. Many believe he was Satan. No matter, as Gods sheep
we will not be fooled. We will know Jesus voice... wont we?
Jesus IS
not talking about us blindly following leadership; but, He is talking
about doing so with God, in all things having faith, in all things
believing in the direction God leads us, no matter what. Like sheep
following the Good Shepard... because we trust Him and His leadership.
John 10:1-16
"I assure you, anyone who
sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate,
must surely be a thief and a robber! For
a shepherd enters through the gate. The
gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice and come
to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
After he has gathered his
own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they
recognize his voice. They
wont follow a stranger; they will run from him because they dont
recognize his voice."
Those who heard
Jesus use this illustration didnt understand what he meant, so he
explained it to them.
"I
assure you, I am the gate for the sheep,"
he said. "All others
who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not
listen to them. Yes,
I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. Wherever they
go, they will find green pastures. The
thiefs purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give
life in all its fullness.
"I
am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he
sees a wolf coming. He will leave the sheep because they arent his and
he isnt their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the
flock. The
hired hand runs away because he is merely hired and has no real concern
for the sheep.
"I
am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me,
just as
my Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the
sheep. I
have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them
also, and they will listen to my voice; and there will be one flock with
one shepherd.
"The Father loves me
because I lay down my life that I may have it back again.
No one can take my life from me.
I lay down my life voluntarily. For I have the right to lay it down when I
want to and also the power to take it again. For my Father has given me
this command."
Speaking of
hearing His voice, remember, you must know the character of God, Jesus,
and the Holy Spirit through reading the word and having direct a
fellowship with them through prayer, communion through the breaking of
bread at the alter, and by reading the Bible, Gods word.
Remember too that
we are promised that Jesus will not lose one of us, He has promised all
mighty God that fact.
That means you and
me, doesnt it?
John 6:35-51 Jesus
replied,
"I am the bread of
life. No one who comes to me will ever be hungry again. Those who believe
in me will never thirst. But
you havent believed in me even though you have seen me. However,
those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject
them. For
I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do
what I want. And
this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he
has given me, but that I should raise them to eternal life at the last
day. For
it is my Fathers will that all who see his Son and believe in him
should have eternal lifethat I should raise them at the last day."
Then
the people began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, "I
am the bread from heaven." They
said, "This is Jesus, the son of Joseph. We know his father and
mother. How can he say, I came down from heaven?"
But Jesus replied,
"Dont complain about
what I said. For
people cant come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me,
and at the last day I will raise them from the dead.
As it is
written in the Scriptures, they will all be taught by God. Everyone who
hears and learns from the Father comes to me. (Not
that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have
seen him.)
"I
assure you, anyone who believes in me already has eternal life. Yes, I am the bread of life! Your ancestors ate manna in the
wilderness, but they all died. However,
the bread from heaven gives eternal life to everyone who eats it.
I am the
living bread that came down out of heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will
live forever; this bread is my flesh, offered so the world may live."
Now bearing that
scripture in mind, if God is on your side, what can mere man do? What can
death hold over you. It is merely a barrier to cross.
God has promised
he will not dessert you, no matter what.
Roman 8:31.
"What can we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for
us, who can ever be against us?"
Not only that...
remember we are promised that we will sit on the judgment seat
with Jesus to judge the world and the angels too.
1 Corn 6:211
"Dont you know that someday we Christians are going to judge
the world? And since you are going to judge the world, cant you decide
these little things among yourselves? Dont you realize that we
Christians will judge angels? So you should surely be able to resolve
ordinary disagreements here on earth. If you have legal disputes about
such matters, why do you go to outside judges who are not respected by the
church? I am saying this to shame you. Isnt there anyone in all the
church who is wise enough to decide these arguments? But instead,
one Christian£ sues anotherright in front of unbelievers!
To have such
lawsuits at all is a real defeat for you. Why not just accept the
injustice and leave it at that? Why not let yourselves be cheated? But
instead, you yourselves are the ones who do wrong and cheat even your own
Christian brothers and sisters.
Dont you
know that those who do wrong will have no share in the Kingdom of God? Dont
fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, who are idol worshipers,
adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, thieves, greedy people,
drunkards, abusers, and swindlersnone of these will have a share in the
Kingdom of God. There was a time when some of you
were just like that, but now your sins have been washed away, and you
have been set apart for God. You have been made right with God because of
what the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God have done for
you."
Okay, again we
come to doing the will of God; becoming sanctified, like Holy sheep destined for the
alter not hell. Dont curse God. In times of peril, trust Him!
Live a goodly life
to silence ignorant men, being ready when someone asks why you have the
hope in you. It is Gods will that your good lives should silence those
who make foolish accusations against you.
Run through the fiery darts and
wreckages of life that you see about you.
Be in fellowship with
Christians, strengthening them as well as yourself.
Luke 22:32 "But
I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail.
So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen and build up
your brothers."
Not doing your
will but doing that of Gods, living everything in faith.
John 6: 38.
"For
I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do
what I want."
Reading the
scriptures, so you can have understanding.
John 6:44
"For
people cant come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me,
and at the last day I will raise them from the dead."
Be an active
Christian, attending Church.
John 6:53. "So Jesus said again, `I
assure you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his
blood, you cannot have eternal life within you."
Do it without
grumbling.
Philippians 2:14 "In everything you do, stay away from
complaining and arguing."
Where do you get
all these ideas, this right thinking, you ask?
Through direct fellowship with God
(prayer), through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. You see He
has promised that if any of us lacks wisdom He will give it to us, and I
above all seek it, for I wish also that I might always know his voice when
he says to you and me, "Come up here." Through His
promises I know I will hear that call... will you?
If
you desire to know more about this Jesus Christ who loves you, and you
want to ask Him into your heart, receiving His Saving Grace please
click Here. |