MESSAGES
As we enter into the year 2000, I'm reminded that another year has come and gone—the year 1999. There will never be another 1999. Nineteen ninety-nine has come to an end.
When I was young, a year seemed a long time. When I was in elementary school I wondered if I would ever get through the sixth grade. Jr. High seemed to pass a little quicker, and High School even faster. Its now been 32 years since I graduated from High School, and I have to tell you that time has not slowed down any.
I use to say to people, "I remember the year 1963 when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas." As I grew older it was it was, "I remember the decades of the 50's - 60's - 70's - 80's – 90's. Ah! Those were the good decades." Now I will be saying, "Yep! The 20 th Century was quite a century." Oh how time passes quickly.
When I think about this year coming to an end, two things come to mind. First, that the future is absolutely certain. As a Christian I know what my future holds in store for me sooner or later. I know that I am going to heaven and will one day be with the Lord. That I know beyond a shadow of a doubt.
I don't say that based upon anything I've done, other than putting my faith and trust in what Jesus Christ has done for me on the cross of Calvary. The Bible tells me that Jesus Christ died for my sin that I might be forgiven by God, and receive eternal life.
The Bible says, "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 Bible says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). The Bible says, "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13). My future is certain in regards to my salvation because of my faith in Jesus Christ. What about you? The future is also absolutely certain for those who don't know Christ as their Savior and Lord. The Bible says they will experience the wrath and judgement of God.
The second thing that I'm reminded of as 1999 comes to an end is the future is uncertain. In other words, I don't know if my health will become poor. I don't know what's going to take place in the next 24 hrs. I don't know if I might have the biggest trial of my life this coming year.
So, in one sense our future is certain and in another sense our future is uncertain. I know the ultimate future for myself, but not the immediate future. The Bible says, "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth" (emphasis added; Proverbs 27:1).
All things in life will eventually come to an end. Your public school came to an end, your military service came to an end, perhaps a relationship you were in came to an end, and your work will come to an end as you retire. Everything comes to an end.
Allow me share with you some things that the Bible tells us come to an end. All nations will come to an end, all flesh will come to an end, all life will come to an end, and all opportunities will come to an end.
The Bible tells us that all nations will come to an end. In Genesis 12 we read where God said to Abram, "Get out of your country, from your kindred and from your fathers house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (vs. 1-3).
God was telling Abram that what He was going to do with the entire world would be brought about by His plan with one nation—the nation Israel.
Out of one nation came one tribe, which came one family, which came one man—Abram. From this one man we find the genealogy of the Son of God—Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that everything God has done for the world, He has done through this one nation. A nation He loved very much, and yet a nation who had no love for Him.
God allowed them to go into bondage under Egypt, and He delivered them after 430 years, and brought them into the Promised Land. Tragically, they continued to be unloving and disobedient to God, and eventually God allowed their existence to cease.
The nation of Israel came to an end. For 2500 years there was no Jewish nation. Not until 1948 was Israel recognized once again as a nation.
God had brought an end to the nation He loved more than any other nation. That being true, God have mercy on this nation of ours—the United States of America. God have mercy on this nation who has kicked God out of every institution, who has eliminated prayer from our schools, who has removed the 10 Commandments from our classrooms, who sacrifices 1.5 million unborn children each year in the name of choice . God have mercy on this nation who, "Calls good evil and evil good" (Isaiah 5:20).
The nation Israel came to an end for 2500 years, and this nation of ours and many like it will one day soon all come to an end.
The Bible tells us that all flesh will come to an end. God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth" (emphasis added; Genesis 6:13). Just as God destroyed the generation of Noah's day with a flood because they were a wicked, immoral and violent people, so He will do the same in the latter times.
Jesus in His Olivet Discourse said, "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of man be" (emphasis added; Matthew 24:37-39). Jesus is telling us that at His "Second Coming" things will be no different than they were in Noah's day.
Men had no time for God then, and they have no time for God today. In Noah's day men were living as if death and God's judgment would never touch them. Today we live eating, drinking and marrying , as if death and judgment will never overtake us.
When the door of that ark was closed, it was closed for good. When the wrath of God came down in a flood, it was too late for anyone else to enter the ark. No matter how hard they tried; no matter how hard they pounded on the side of that ship; no matter how hard they might have yelled, "Noah! Let us in!" it was too late. Imagine how many fingernail marks are on the side of that ark as the people attempted to cling to it—to no avail.
The truth of the matter is that there will come another flood, not in the literal sense as before, but worse than before. God said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever. . ." (Genesis 6:3). There will come a day when God will give up on man. His wrath will come down upon us for one final time, and God pity the person who has not received His salvation before that time comes.
The Bible tells us that all life will come to an end. The Bible says, "It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). I'm reminded of the words of God to Hananiah in Jeremiah 28, "This year you shall die. . ." (vs. 16; emphasis added). Perhaps this next year some of you might not be alive. Your life might come to an end.
Perhaps you're thinking, "There you go! You pastors are always trying to scare people!" I'm not trying to scare you as much as I'm trying to wake you up to the fact that death is real and we will all die. Though I'm not trying to scare you, I am scared for you if you don't know Christ as you Savior and Lord.
Just a few days ago we all celebrated New Years Eve. But do you know that you will celebrate the next New Years Eve? None of us know when our life will come to an end. You in your professions have a greater chance of being killed than the average worker. Are you ready for your life to end?
The Bible tells us that all opportunities come to an end. Jesus said to His disciples on two different occasions, "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work" (emphasis added; John 9:4), "Do you not say, there are still four months and then comes the harvest? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest" (emphasis added; John 4:35).
As we observe the life of Christ we see Him having encounters with many people. There was the religious leader Nicodemus; the woman caught in adultery; the Samaritan women at Jacobs well; the paralyzed man by the pool of Bethesda; the man who had been blind since birth; and Zaccheus the tax collector—just to name a few.
With each of these people, Jesus shared with them the love of God and their need for God. Ultimately they all put their faith and trust in Him for their salvation.
Jesus ceased every moment and opportunity to share Gods love. I believe that God not only gives His people moments of opportunities to share His message of love with others, but He also gives other people moments of opportunity to hear His message.
I am using this moment to share with you God's Word and God's love. I hope and pray that you are using this moment to hear Gods Word and to know His love. God gives us wonderful moments of opportunities to share the God of salvation , and for others to receive the salvation of God . Sometimes when those opportunities have passed and gone, they're gone forever.
I'm reminded of Esau when he sold his birthright to his brother Jacob for a bowl of soup. The Bible says, "When he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears" (Hebrews 12). Esau could not reclaim what he had given away in the spur of a moment. His opportunity to receive Gods blessing came and went. He let it slip by, all for a bowl of soup. Esau was more concerned in what the world could do for him instead of what God could do for him.
Don't you men and women let the opportunity of God's blessing of salvation slip by you today. It may never come again.
Perhaps you're thinking, "I'm fairly young. I have plenty of time." I pray you, but no one knows for certain when his or her life will end. Take a moment and look at your life! Look back to the crib. It wasn't that long ago. Now look ahead to the grave, and to its tombstone. It won't be that long—when compared to eternity—that your tombstone will be placed. Everything comes to an end. Your life will come to an end. Are you ready for it to happen?
When I was young I use to think I would live to be at least 70 years old. My thinking was, "I'll be so old that I'll have problems walking and seeing. My hair will turn gray, my teeth will be replaced, and my memory will begin to fade." I thought perhaps I might even have a deathbed experience. I would call all my family to my side in order that I can say my Good-bys. As I do, I would then take my last breath and die. Perhaps that will be the way I die, but more than likely it will not.
In my 50 years of life I have seen hundreds of people die—good people and bad people, saved people and lost people.
I have been by the bedside of a dying person as the doctors unplug them from life support. I have watched people take their last breath. I have had young men die in my arms. I have helped put lifeless bodies into body bags. I have seen and worked on the bloody, broken mass of people who are so bandaged up that you can't see their facial features. I have seen people burned beyond recognition and die. I have seen the look of fear in the eyes of those who died without hope, and I have seen the look of peace on those who knew Christ as the Savior and Lord.
My point is this. Most do not have a bedside salvation or experience.
All things come to an end, to include you. For some it comes slowly and for others it comes quickly. For some it comes expectedly, but for most it comes unexpectedly. It comes to us whether we are ready for it or not. It comes to us whether we are saved or not.
Are you ready for that time? No! Then why are you waiting? Don't put it off any longer! The Bible says, "Today is the day of salvation." Invite Christ in to your life now.
Here's piece of reality for you: Just as heaven is real and God wants you there with Him, so hell is real and the devil wants you there with him .
God loves you and offers you forgiveness of sin and hope of heaven, but you must come to Christ. Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me" (emphasis added; John 14:6).
Perhaps you're thinking, "But pastor Steve, I'm just not good enough. I have done so many horrible things. How can God forgive me?" The Bible says, "But God demonstrated His love for us that even while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (emphasis added; Romans 5:8). There is no person so sinful that the grace of God cannot reach you, and there is no person so desperate and wicked that you cannot receive the forgiveness of God.
Jesus Christ died for the most moral man alive and for the most sinful man alive. The Bible says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" (emphasis added; John 3:16).
The year 1999 has come to an end, the decade's of the nineties has come to an end, the 20 th Century is coming to an end. Do you know that you'll be here this time next year? Perhaps your life will come to an end. I encourage you who do not know Christ to turn to Him and be saved.
Jesus is saying to you, "Come to Me, all who are burdened and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden in light" (Matthew 11:28-30). Will you choose to believe in Him, trust in Him and follow Him? Making a decision about Jesus Christ is truly a matter of life or death.
Do you want salvation? Do you want to know that your sins are forgiven? Do you want the hope of heaven? Jesus said, "He who is not with Me is against Me" (emphasis added; Matthew 12:30). You are either for Jesus Christ or you are against Him. There is no middle road. You can either stand up and be counted for Christ, or you can lie down and be counted out. You can enter into His presence, or you can be separated from Him eternally. You can receive Him or reject Him.
What must you do? First, you must recognize the fact that you are a sinner and in need of a Savior. Second, confess your sin before God and receive His forgiveness. Third, invite Christ into your life as your Savior and Lord. Fourth, repent of your ways by beginning to follow Jesus Christ. As you do, you have your sins forgiven, and you have the hope of heaven.
Pray this simple prayer of invitation: "Lord Jesus, come into my life. I know that I am a sinner. Please forgive me for my sins and cleanse me of all my unrighteousness. I believed that You died for me, were buried, and that You rose from the dead on the third day. I invite You into my life as Savior and Lord. Help me to turn from my sins and to follow You from this moment on. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen!"
If you sincerely prayed that prayer from your heart, the Bible says that you have become a child of God, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (emphasis added; John 1:12).
Let me be the first to welcome you into the family of God! Please e-mail me and let me know of your decision for Jesus Christ. I would love to hear from you.
God bless you,
Pastor Steve |
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