Nothing gave greater offence to the scribes and Pharisees than the divine mission of Jesus to save sinners. No greater and more virulent accusation could they allege against Him, than that, He extended His compassionate regards to the vile ...and the wretched, admitting the most flagrant offenders to His mercy, and inviting the most notorious sinners to His fellowship. And yet this, His greatest reproach, was His highest honor. Pluck this jewel from His mediatorial crown, and it has lost its costliest gem. Extract this note from the "joyful sound," and you have hushed its sweetest melody. Remove this object of His mission from His coming, and you have reduced His incarnation, sufferings, and death to a gigantic waste.

Oh, with what glory does the fact that, "This man receives sinners," invest the Son of God! How should our hearts glow with gratitude, praise, and love! If the individual who makes two blades of grass to grow where only one grew before, is regarded as a public benefactor; if we deck the person of him who, at the risk of his own, saves the life of another, what shall we feel towards the Son of God who, in the plenitude of His compassion and love, bowed the heavens, and came down to save countless myriads of our race from the "bitter pains of eternal death"!

Yes, "He receives sinners." He receives them as sinners--lost, undone, self-destroyed sinners--sinners too vile and too helpless to save themselves--who, if He does not save them, never can be saved. He receives sinners of all conditions and of every hue, of every depth of guilt and character of crime. Oh, if there were a sinner out-sinning all sinners--every sin tainting, every crime attaching to him--an abandoned profligate, an unbelieving scorner, a reviling blasphemer, a red-handed murderer, a profane infidel, a daring atheist, a moral parricide whose transgressions have broken a mother's heart and bowed a father's gray hairs in sorrow to the grave--sins as scarlet and red as crimson--as a cloud for darkness, and as the sands on the sea shore for multitude--if, I say, there be such a one whom He would not save, and could not save, then would there be silence in heaven and exultation in hell at the announcement that Jesus Christ had ceased to save to the uttermost bounds of sin and guilt all who, in penitence and faith, came to God through Him.

It follows, then, that, receiving them just as they are, He receives them freely, apart from all fitness or worthiness, of their own. "By grace are you saved." "Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved." What a joyful sound! Come, then, O my soul, to Jesus, without hesitation or delay.

Just as I am I and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot;
To Him whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come.

Assured of the fact that you yourself have come to Jesus and are saved, be it your aim to bring others to Him, that they may be saved too. Oh, live and labor, if need be, suffer and die for Him, whose greatest glory is, that He receives and saves sinners, who has received and saved you!

"He receives sinners." Hear it, you that are afar off, wandering in ignorance and sin. Hear it, you who, amid the tortures of a guilt-oppressed conscience, are inquiring, "What must I do to obtain mercy and forgiveness?" Hear it, you who once walked in the way of holiness, but have turned aside to sin and folly. Hear it, you who are resigning yourselves to dark despair, tempted to terminate a present misery by the self-infliction of a future, a more fearful and interminable one. Oh, hear it, all you poor and wretched, you humble and penitent, you broken-hearted and burdened--"This man receives sinners, and eats with them." "Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
--Octavius Winslow

I Believe in Jesus

Many today claim to believe in Jesus.  You hear it on the radio, TV, highways and bi-ways… pretty much everyone believes.  Christians believe in him as do Muslims, Buddhists, new-age, and old-age.  Homosexuals, bisexuals, nudists, fornicators, adulterers and idolaters… they all believe in Jesus.  It is very common for someone to bless the Lord (in whom they claim to have faith in) on one side of his mouth while cursing on the other… sometimes at the same time in the same sentence.  Most all politicians believe… it would be political suicide to NOT believe.  Even atheists mention the name of Jesus when cursing (and they usually turn to Him in fox-holes and on test day). 

The real questions here are:  What does it really mean to believe in Jesus?  Does belief in Him save you from your sins?  If you claim to know him, do you really?  What are the evidences of knowing Him?  What happens when a man/woman truly puts his full confidence in Jesus?  Does simply repeating a prayer after a preacher mean you are a Christian?  Can you be a believer without repentance? 

Jesus in Mark 1:15 preached his first sermon which was short and to the point: “Repent ye and believe the gospel.”  The greek work for “believe” is Pisteuo which means “to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in.”  When a person truly believes in Jesus, he:

-          Believes he is the only begotten son of God

-          Believes he is the Messiah

-          Believes he is the Savior of the world

-          Believes he is the only way to heaven

-          Believes he died on the cross for us and rose again on the 3rd day.

Unless a person believes that Jesus is and did all of these things, this person’s faith and belief is on the wrong things.  A person must be fully persuaded and put his confidence in the work that Jesus did on the cross.  Simply believing in all of these things puts a person on level with the devil.  He is fully persuaded of these things too.  In fact, according to James 2:19 the devils believe and they tremble.  Faith without works is dead. 

Works do not save a man from hell.  Works do not justify a man before God.  Truly putting your faith in Christ does that.  However, a man that has truly put his full confidence in Christ will have a change in his life.  If a man were to stand in middle of the road and have an encounter with a Mack truck, he would no doubt have a few major changes in his life.  How much bigger is our Lord than a Mack truck?  A believer will begin to bare good fruit.  Jesus said in Matt 7:16 that you will know them by their fruits.  If you have put your faith in Christ, you will begin to bare good fruit in your life.  John 3:3 says that you must be born again in order to get to heaven.  You must have a new life in Christ.  When you put your faith in Him, you will be born-again.  Ez 36 talks about where God will put in his people a new heart… a heart of flesh.  He will put his spirit within us.  He will cause us to walk in his ways.  Becoming born-again is exactly what Ezekiel was talking about.  God changes our lives completely.  If you claim to be a Christian and nothing has changed in your life, you aren’t a Christian!  And, if you are not a Christian, you are hell-bound.

Jesus also said, “repent!”  Repentance is to change your mind.  To think differently.  When a man truly changes his mind, his actions follow.  When a young man goes to the dentist for the first time, he is going ignorantly and thus thinks that all will be pleasant.  However, once the drills start whirling and once the dentist begins picking and prodding, the young man realizes that this definitely is not a good experience.  He repents of his opinion.  He has changed his mind.  And, no doubt, the next time Mom says it’s time to go to the dentist; the young man is nowhere to be found.

True repentance results in change.  A truly repentant person stops his sin… otherwise he really wasn’t repentant.  If a person claims to know Christ and yet doesn’t stop his sin, this person hasn’t experience the Holy Spirit rebirthing him and this person hasn’t repented.  When a man realizes his exceeding sinfulness and is shamed by it, this is a step towards repentance.  When a man cries out for mercy and cries out for the Lord to change his sinful desires, this man is on the road to repentance.  When a man refuses to continue in a sinful habit because he knows the price that Jesus paid on the cross for that sin, this man has repented.  

Faith without works is as dead as belief without repentance.

Simply repeating a prayer after a preacher doesn’t save you.  Only putting your faith in Him does that.  Too many people think that since they prayed a little prayer when they were 9 years old that they are eternally secure.  The problem with this is that unless this 9 year old truly repented and believed, he wasted his time.  True faith costs something.  It’s easy to believe in Jesus when it doesn’t cost anything.  How about if you have a gun to your head and unless you deny Christ you will get your brains blown out.  Will you believe then?  How about if somebody offers you $20 Billion to deny your faith… will you serve Jesus then?  What if Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments?”  To the homosexual, that would mean to give up his homosexual activities.  Do you love Jesus enough to give him EVERYTHING?  If not, then you truly haven’t been saved and are hell-bound.

Turn to Jesus.  Put your actions where your mouth is.  If you claim to know Him, act like it.  If you are acting like a sinner, perhaps you are one.  If you curse like the world and engage in sinful activities like the world… it’s probably because you haven’t truly repented.  James tells us that if a person cannot control his tongue, his religion is in vain.  The Apostle Paul tells us that we should not let any corrupt communication proceed out of our mouth.  And yet, scores of “believers” pollute the air with language that would make the boldest sailor blush.  

Finally, putting your faith in Jesus isn’t about going to church on Sundays and Wednesdays.  It’s not about how much $ you put in the offering plate.  It’s not about good works like picking up trash in your neighborhood or helping your neighbor with the groceries.  All of these things are good, but these things aren’t what it’s all about.  It’s all about having a close, intimate relationship with Jesus.  It’s about loving Jesus to the point where you don’t want to hurt him.  It’s about your every move and your every desire revolving around what Jesus wants you to do.  It’s about total surrender to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  It’s about his ways, not your ways.  It’s about the fruit of the Spirit, not the works of the flesh.  Surrender to Him today… 

Do you "Really" believe there is a furnace of fire prepared for the devil and his angels, burning with unquenchable and everlasting fire, and that all unbelievers whose names are not written in the lamb's book of life shall be cast into that burning lake of fire, suffering what the bible calls "the second death"...do you actually believe in The eternal damnation of the impenitent wicked? 

 

Do you take it seriously that The wrath of God is already revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness? (See Rom 1:18)

 

do you honestly believe what the bible says, that "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God?"

(John 3:18 NKJV)

 

did jesus mean it when he said, "whosoever believes in the son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the son shall not see life, but the wrath of god remains on him?

(john 3:36 esV)

 

If you truly do believe these things tell me how you can stroll through life like it's a walk in the park while countless millions around you are on a collision course with the wrath and judgment of almighty god, facing an eternal firey doom?

 

Jesus suffered to save and redeem us and to free us from the penalty and the power of sin. He commissioned us when he said, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

 (Mark 16:15)

 

There isn't time to delay! "Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest."

(John 4:25)   "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." (Luke 10:2 ESV) 

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said,"Here am I! Send me." And he said, "Go, and say to this people..." (Isaiah 6:8-9 ESV)

Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. as the father has sent me,even so i am sending you." (John 20:21 ESV)

And now at this late hour he is calling all who will hear him to "Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled." (Luke 14:21-23)

he who has ears to hear, let him hear (Matthew 11:15 ESV)

   Who cares? by General william booth (1829-1912) founder of the salvation army   on one of my recent journeys, as i gazed from the coach window, i was led into a train of thought concerning the condition of the multitudes around me. they were living carelessly in the most open and shameless rebellion against god, without a thought for their eternal welfare. as i looked out of the window, i seemed to see them all...millions of people all around me given up to their drink and their pleasure, their dancing and their music, their business and their anxieties, their politics and their troubles. ignorant- willfully ignorant in many cases- and in other instances knowing all about the truth and not caring at all. but all of them, the whole mass of them, sweeping on and up in their blasphemies and devilries to the throne of god. while my mind was thus engaged, i had a vision.    I saw a dark and stormy ocean. over it black clouds hung heavily; through them every now and then vivid lightening flashed and loud thunder rolled, while the winds moaned, and the waves rose and foamed, towered and broke, only to rise and foam, tower and break again.   in that ocean i thought i saw myraids of poor human beings plunging and floating, shouting and shrieking, cursing and struggling and drowning; and as they cursed and screamed they rose and shrieked again, amd then some sank to rise no morE. And I saw out of this dark angry ocean, a mighty rock that rose up with it's summit towering high above the black clouds that overhung the stormy sea. and all around the base of this great rock i saw a vast platform. onto this platform, i saw with delight a number of the poor struggling, drowning wretches continually climbing out of the angry ocean. and i saw that a few of those who were already safe on the platform were helping the poor creatures still in the angry waters to reach the place of safety.   on looking more closely i found a number of those who had been rescued, industriously working and scheming by ladders, ropes, boats and other means more effective, to deliver the poor strugglers out of the sea. here and there were some who actually jumped into the water, regardless of the consequences in their passion to "rescue the perishing." and i hardly know which gladdened me the most- the sight of the poor drowning people climbing onto the rocks reaching a place of safely, or the devotion and self-sacrifice of those whose whole being was wrapped up in the effort for their delieverance.   As I looked on, i saw the occupants of the platform were quite a mixed company. that is, they were divided into different "sets" or classes, and they occupied themselves with different pleasures and employments. but only a very few of them seemed to make it their business to get the people out of the sea.   But what puzzled me most was the fact that though all of them had been rescued at one time or another from the ocean, nearly everyone seemed to have forgotten all about it. Anyway, it seemed the memory of its darkness and danger no longer troubled them at all. And what seemed equally strange and perplexing to me was that these people did not even seem to have any care- that is any agonizing care- about the poor perishing ones who were struggling and drowning right before their very eyes... many of whom were their own husbands and wives, brothers and sisters and even their own children.

Now this astonishing unconcern could not have been the result of ignorance or lack of knowledge, because they lived right there in full sight of it all and even talked about it sometimes. Many even went regularly to hear lectures and sermons in which the awful state of these poor drowning creatures was described.

I have always said that the occupants of this platform were engaged in different pursuits and pastimes. Some of them were absorbed day and night in trading and business in order to make gain, storing up their savings in boxes, safes and the like.

Many spent their time in amusing themselves with growing flowers on the side of the rock, others in painting pieces of cloth or in playing music, or in dressing themselves up in different styles and walking about to be admired. Some occupied themselves chiefly in eating and drinking, others were taken up with arguing about the poor drowning creatures that had already been rescued.

But the thing to me that seemed the most amazing was that those on the platform to whom He called, who heard His voice and felt that they ought to obey it- at least they said they did- those who confessed to love Him much were in full sympathy with Him in the task He had undertaken- who worshipped Him or who professed to do so- were so taken up with their trades and professions, their money saving and pleasures, their families and circles, their religions and arguments about it, and their preparation for going to the mainland, that they did not listen to the cry that came to them from this Wonderful Being who had Himself gone down into the sea. Anyway, if they heard it they did not heed it. They did not care. And so the multitude went on right before them struggling and shrieking and drowning in the darkness.

And then I saw something that seemed to me even more strange than anything that had gone on before in this strange vision. I saw that some of these people on the platform whom this Wonderful Being had called to, wanting them to come and help Him in His difficult task of saving these perishing creatures, were always praying and crying out to Him to come to them!

Some wanted Him to come and stay with them, and spend His time and strength in making them happier. Others wanted Him to come and take away various doubts and misgivings they had concerning the truth of some letters He had written them. Some wanted Him to come and make them feel more secure on the rock- so secure that they would be quite sure that they should never slip off again into the ocean. Numbers of others wanted Him to make them feel quite certain that they would really get off the rock and onto the mainland someday: because as a matter of fact, it was well known that some had walked so carelessly as to loose their footing, and had fallen back again into the stormy waters.

So these people used to meet and get up as high on the rock as they could, and looking towards the mainland (where they thought the Great Being was) they would cry out, "Come to us! Come and help us!" And all the while He was down (by His Spirit) among the poor struggling, drowning creatures in the angry deep, with His arms around them trying to drag them out, and looking up- oh! so longingly but all in vain- to those on the rock, crying to them with His voice all hoarse from calling, "Come to Me! Come, and help Me!

And then I understood it all. It was plain enough. The sea was the ocean of life- the sea of real, actual human existence. That lightening was the gleaming of piercing truth coming from Jehovah’s Throne. That thunder was the distant echoing of the wrath of God. Those multitudes of people shrieking, struggling and agonizing in the stormy sea, was the thousands and thousands of poor harlots and harlot-makers, of drunkards and drunkard makers, of thieves, liars, blasphemers and ungodly people of every kindred, tongue and nation.

Oh what a black sea it was! And oh, what multitudes of rich and poor, ignorant and educated were there. They were all so unalike in their outward circumstances and conditions, yet all alike in one thing- all sinners before God- all held by, and holding onto, some iniquity, fascinated by some idol, the slaves of some devilish lust, and ruled by the foul fiend from the bottomless pit!

"All alike in one thing?" No, all alike in two things- not only the same in their wickedness but, unless rescued, the same in their sinking, sinking... down, down, down... to the same terrible doom. That great sheltering rock represented Calvary, the place where Jesus had died for them. And the people on it were those who had been rescued. The way they used their energies, gifts and time represented the occupations and amusements of those who professed to be saved from sin and hell- followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. The handful of fierce, determined ones, who were risking their own lives in saving the perishing were true soldiers of the cross of Jesus. That Mighty Being who was calling to them from the midst of the angry waters was the Son of God, "the same yesterday, today and forever" who is still struggling and interceding to save the dying multitudes about us from this terrible doom of damnation, and whose voice can be heard above the music, machinery, and noise of life, calling on the rescued to come and help Him save the world.

My friends in Christ, you are rescued from the waters, you are on the rock, He is in the dark sea calling on you to come to Him and help Him. Will you go? Look for yourselves. The surging sea of life, crowded with perishing multitudes rolls up to the very spot on which you stand. Leaving the vision, I now come to speak of the fact- a fact that is as real as the Bible, as real as the Christ who hung upon the cross, as real as the judgment day will be, and as real as the heaven and hell that will follow it.

Look! Don’t be deceived by appearances- men and things are not what they seem. All who are not on the rock are in the sea! Look at them from the standpoint of the great White Throne, and what a sight you have! Jesus Christ, the Son of God is, through His Spirit, in the midst of this dying multitude, struggling to save them. And He is calling on you to jump into the sea- to go right away to His side and help Him in the holy strife. Will you jump? That is, will you go to His feet and place yourself absolutely at His disposal?

A young Christian once came to me, and told me that for some time she had been giving the Lord her profession and prayers and money, but now she wanted to give Him her life. She wanted to go right into the fight. In other words, she wanted to go to His assistance in the sea. As when a man from the shore, seeing another struggling in the water, takes off those outer garments that would hinder his efforts and leaps to the rescue, so will you who still linger on the bank, thinking and singing and praying about the poor perishing souls, lay aside your shame, your pride, your cares about other people’s opinions, your love of ease and all the selfish loves that have kept you back for so long, and rush to the rescue of this multitude of dying men and women.

Does the surging sea look dark and dangerous? Unquestionably it is so. There is no doubt that the leap for you, as for everyone who takes it, means difficulty and scorn and suffering. For you it may mean more than this. It may mean death. He who beckons you from the sea however, knows what it will mean - and knowing, He still calls to you and bids to you to come.

You must do it! You cannot hold back. You have enjoyed yourself in Christianity long enough. You have had pleasant feelings, pleasant songs, pleasant meetings, pleasant prospects. There has been much of human happiness, much clapping of hands and shouting of praises- very much of heaven on earth.

Now then, go to God and tell Him you are prepared as much as necessary to turn your back upon it all, and that you are willing to spend the rest of your days struggling in the midst of these perishing multitudes, whatever it may cost you.

You must do it. With the light that is now broken in upon your mind and the call that is now sounding in your ears, and the beckoning hands that are now before your eyes, you have no alternative. To go down among the perishing crowds is your duty. Your happiness from now on will consist in sharing their misery, your ease in sharing their pain, your crown in helping them to bear their cross, and your heaven in going into the very jaws of hell to rescue them.

Now what will you do?

I Will Set No Worthless Thing Before My Eyes, But I Have Set The Lord Always Before Me!

A series of meditations on how

To draw closer to Jesus by setting

Your affections on God alone.

“But his delight is in the law of the LORD,

and on his law he meditates day and night.”

(Psalm 1:2 ESV)

Set no worthless thing before your eyes

“I will set no worthless thing before my eyes... I will know nothing of evil” (Psa 101:3-4).

Meditation 1: There are many “worthless” things that clamor for your heart. But David said “I will set before my eyes no “vile” thing...I will have nothing to do with evil” (NIV); or as the KJV puts it, “I will set no “wicked” thing before my eyes.” In the NT we are admonished to “Abstain from all appearance of evil (1Th 5:22 KJV).

To accomplish this:
First of all, you must actively will to set no worthless thing before your eyes; it’s not something that will take care of itself. You must purpose in your heart to not set worthless things before your eyes. Be thorough and don’t be content to allow some worthless things to remain; rather, strive to set NO worthless thing before your eyes!

Secondly, to “set” anything “before the eyes” is to fix your affections on something as an end in itself; to set your heart upon something as a goal in sight, as something worthy to be desired or attained.

Thirdly, what is a ‘worthless” thing?  By definition, something is considered worthless when there is no intrinsic or lasting value in it; or when referred to a person it means there is no moral character or virtue in them, or there is no dignity or excellence in them. Anything that is of no real value toward advancing our love and affection for God and our fellow creatures in thought, word, or deed is a worthless thing! That has been my conclusion, but you must judge for yourself. Of course, anything that God has forbidden by word or in principle is a worthless thing.

Therefore, resolve in your heart this instant to set no worthless, vile, or wicked thing before you eyes! Let it be your purpose to abstain from all appearance of evil. Now, watch and pray so that you don’t fall into temptation (see Mat 14:38)!

Others around you may flirt with many questionable things of this world, but you “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col 3:2 KJV).  It is the pure in heart that shall see God (see Mat 5:8)! In his presence is fullness of joy, and pleasure for evermore (see Psalm 16:11), while the joy of the hypocrite only lasts for a moment, and the enjoyment of the pleasures or sin are only for a season (Job 20:5; Heb 11:25). Set your heart, therefore, on things that have lasting joy and pleasure attached to them. Others around you may be absorbed with the things of the world, but don’t become distracted yourself by the shiny trinkets the world sets before your eyes, remember that they are worthless!

“As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal”  (2Co 4:18 ESV).

Set the Lord always before yourself

“I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken” (Psa 16:8).

Meditation 2: It is not enough to not be distracted and have your heart set on worldly and worthless things. Set your heart on God, and on the things and ways of God ALWAYS! Fix your love and affections on heavenly things “not on things on the earth.” Can the scripture be any plainer? And the promise--because he is at your right hand, the object of your trust and affection, no matter what storms of life assail you, no matter what weapon is formed against you, it shall not prosper, and you shall never be shaken!

To accomplish this:

First, think often of the worthiness of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is truly worthy of all your love and affection when compared to the worthless things of the world that vie for your love. 

1. He is worthy because of who he is: He is God (John 1:1). He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords; All power has been given unto Him in heaven and in earth; all judgment has been given unto the Son; all things were created by Him and for him; He is the head of the body, the church; the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, and the first and the last; and He is the savior of all who trust in Him! He is worthy of all our praise and admiration, our worship and exaltation.

The glory He had with the Father before the world existed was veiled in human flesh, but on the Mountain of Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John had a brief glimpse of the glory of Christ when “he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light (Mat 17:2 ESV)!

Paul had a brief glimpse of the glory of the risen Christ while on the road to Damascus when “about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around him and he fell to the ground...and he could not see because of the brightness of the light” (see Acts 22: 6-11).

And Apostle John saw the glorified Jesus on the Isle of Patmos: “The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters... and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead (Rev 1:14-17 ESV).

Isaiah saw him high and lifted up, before His incarnation. He said, “Woe is me, for I am undone...for my eyes have seen Lord.” So think often of how worthy Jesus is of your love and admiration. Also realize that in His holy presence t