Peter cannot save you, neither can a church deliver your soul. Yet, my only Rock and Salvation can, for He is God. I know not what rock thou drinkest from, but I shall cleave unto Christ alone!
Psalms 62:1-2 KJV Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.
1 Corinthians 10:4 KJV And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
Psalms 62:8 KJV Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
Men are but empty shells, mere facades, and powerless without Christ. Therefore, I give Him all of the glory for what He has done in my life and for what He continues to do. A man who attempts to do otherwise becomes a glory and oxygen thief on borrowed ground.
Psalms 62:9 KJV Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.
Psalms 62:11 KJV God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.
Without Christ, we can do nothing.
John 15:5 KJV I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
We can do all things through Christ!
Philippians 4:13 KJV I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Psalms 62:12 KJV Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.
The injustice of this world is not an excuse to neglect praying to our Judge and Creator. He will do His part to avenge all injustices, and we must do our part to pray in faith and trust in Him. Without faith, our prayers are added to the injustice of selfishness, which cares very little about God or man.
Luke 18:1 KJV And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
Luke 18:2 KJV Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
Luke 18:3 KJV And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
Luke 18:4 KJV And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
Luke 18:5 KJV Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
Luke 18:6 KJV And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
Luke 18:7 KJV And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
Luke 18:8 KJV I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
There are certain individuals who claim to be Christians yet believe their righteousness surpasses that of others, even to the point of despising fellow believers.
Luke 18:9 KJV And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
They justify their self-proclaimed righteousness based on their accomplishments and knowledge, while lacking transparency regarding their failures and lack of understanding. However, there is one righteousness that exceeds all others: the righteousness of Jesus Christ. His righteousness brings balance, fostering joy in our successes and humility and transparency in our sin and failures, whereby we are then able to edify others rather than despise them. Do not fall into the ‘certain’ category.
Luke 18:10 KJV Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
Luke 18:11 KJV The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
Luke 18:12 KJV I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
Luke 18:13 KJV And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Luke 18:14 KJV I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Baby dedications are deeply rooted in Scripture, and we should dedicate our infants to the Lord, even from the womb.
Luke 18:15 KJV And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.
Luke 18:16 KJV But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
I won't debate the merits of infant baptism within this context. However outside of this context, if someone believes such baptism ensures salvation, they are mistaken. I believe that if a child passes away, including through abortion, before reaching an age of accountability, they are covered by God's grace. This is reflected in David's response when his child died, entering eternity without the need for baptism.
Luke 18:17 KJV Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.
Next time you are tempted to believe that your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of others and that your righteousness will earn you a spot in heaven, remind yourself of how much you fall short of the righteousness of Jesus Christ and the fact that we are not good without the goodness of Jesus Christ, for God is good.
Luke 18:18 KJV And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Luke 18:19 KJV And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
Many think they are good on their own without Christ, when they clearly are not in the eyes of God.
Luke 18:20 KJV Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
Luke 18:21 KJV And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.
Luke 18:22 KJV Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
Luke 18:23 KJV And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.
It is impossible for any man other than the Son of Man to accomplish all of the above without fail, yet in Him, we are graciously found to be good.
Luke 18:26 KJV And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?
Luke 18:27 KJV And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
We know the Jews of old are first and foremost responsible for the death of Jesus Christ, but so are the Gentiles of old responsible - and, ultimately, so are we, Jew or Gentile today, through our own sin.
Luke 18:32 KJV For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:
Luke 18:33 KJV And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.
Every time we willfully choose to sin, we mock Christ and spit upon Him. God forbid!
Soul winning is only as complex as the Name of Jesus Christ. You don't have to be a theologian to win souls. Simply start by sharing His Name.
Luke 18:36 KJV And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.
Luke 18:37 KJV And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.
Soul winning exceeds the simplicity of Christ when men complicate salvation with their prayer formulas, insisting they are necessary for salvation. In contrast, the blind man simply cried out, 'Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.' When God presents you with His gift of faith that saves us, a simple 'thank you' would even suffice.
Luke 18:38 KJV And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
Luke 18:39 KJV And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
Luke 18:40 KJV And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,
Luke 18:41 KJV Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.
Luke 18:42 KJV And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.
Luke 18:43 KJV And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
We have all participated in the killing of the Lamb of God. Now it's time for all to apply His holy blood by faith and start participating in the Lord's Supper faithfully and regularly.
Exodus 12:5 KJV Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
Exodus 12:6 KJV And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
Exodus 12:7 KJV And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
There is power in the Blood!
Exodus 12:13 KJV And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
Those who have seen the Savior by faith will not see the Destroyer who is coming for the faithless. We all will experience varying degrees of tribulation on this side of heaven, but none in Christ will experience the Wrath of God that will be poured upon this antichrist world and hell.
Exodus 12:23 KJV For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.
Have you taught your children what your duty and service to God consist of in word and deed?
Exodus 12:26 KJV And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?
Exodus 12:27 KJV That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD'S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.
Job experienced tribulation from God that tested his faith, not the wrath of God that would have destroyed his faith. Faith alone spares us from the wrath of God.
Job 29:2-3 KJV Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me; When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness;
Father, all glory to You, our God and King! In Jesus' Name, Amen.
