A Wedding or Funeral?

[Christsfreeservant]

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Matthew 7:13-14 ESV​

Jesus Christ is the only gate we can go through to enter into God’s eternal kingdom (Jn. 10). He is also the Way, the Truth and the Life, so he is the only way to salvation from sin and to eternal life (Jn. 14:6). And both the gate and the way (the road, pathway) are narrow (restricted), such as no one can come to God the Father except through faith in Jesus Christ.

All roads do not lead to heaven. All religions do not believe in the same God. There is only one God – Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit. So, anyone not believing in Jesus does not believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And, anyone not leaving his sinful lifestyle behind him to follow Jesus Christ, in a walk of obedience by the Spirit of God, does not believe in Jesus Christ (Lu. 9:23-26; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

But, there is a gate and there is a way that is being promoted today as though it is the right way to faith in Jesus Christ, to forgiveness of sins, and to eternal life with God. But, it is false, for it is a lowering of God’s standards, and it is an altering of his gospel of grace to make it more appealing and acceptable to human flesh. It is not the peace that Jesus gives, either, for it leaves its followers still captive to sinful practices.

For, it does not require that we walk (in practice) according to the Spirit of God to have eternal life with God, and it does not teach that if we walk (in practice, in lifestyle) according to our flesh, that we will die in our sins (Rom. 8:1-17; Gal. 5:16-21; Gal. 6:7-8; Eph. 4:17-24; Eph. 5:3-6; Rom. 2:6-8).

And, some even go so far as to say that we don’t have to repent of our sins, we don’t have to obey our Lord’s commandments, and we don’t have to submit to the authority of Christ and to his Word over our lives, but all we have to do is to profess faith in him, and then we are saved, and we are going to heaven, even if we live like hell from that moment forward.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” Matthew 7:15-20 ESV​

So, we need to beware false teachers who are teaching a false gospel message. And, please know this: They are liars, deceivers, manipulators, charmers and very likeable. And, they are smooth talkers, and so they know how to present the lies in a way that makes them sound like they are truth, but they are a snake’s bite, and if you aren’t discerning, you can get bit.

So, please test everything you read and see and hear against the Word of God (in context) to make sure that what you are reading and hearing lines up with scripture. For they will use scripture so that it has the appearance of being biblical, but when you compare it with scripture, you realize they are teaching a false god, a false Jesus, and a false gospel disguised to look real.

And, you will know them by their fruits, by their lifestyles, by their behaviors and by whether or not their words match how they live, or whether or not their words match God’s Word, too. And, remember that they are going to come to you in sheep’s clothing, i.e. they are going to profess faith in Jesus Christ. But, don’t buy into everything they say just because they say it is from God, but test it against God’s Word (in context) so you are not led astray, PLEASE! For, you could be buying a house built on the sand.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” Matthew 7:21-23 ESV​

Just because you confess with your mouth Jesus Christ is Lord and say you believe that God raised him from the dead, it does not mean that you are saved from your sin and bound for heaven. Why? Because we have to read Romans 10:9-10 in the context of the whole of Romans where Paul clearly states that if we walk (in practice, in lifestyle) according to our flesh that we are going to die in our sins, but if we walk (in practice, in conduct) according to (in agreement with) the Spirit of God, then we have eternal life with God.

Just because we call Jesus our Lord, or we use the term “Lord” to address him, doesn’t mean he is our Lord (master-owner). For, we have to submit to his Lordship, and yield our lives over to him, and leave our sinful lifestyles behind us, and walk in obedience to his commands for him to be our Lord.

For, it is only those who do the will of God who have the promise of eternal life with God in heaven. Yet, this is not teaching sinless perfection. This is talking about what we practice, how we live, what we do as a matter of course, our habits, our “go to.” If what we practice is sin, then we will die in our sins, but if what we practice is God’s righteousness, then we have eternal life with God (Gal. 6:7-8; Rom. 2:6-8; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24).

If you ignore this teaching, because you don’t like what it says, and so you form your own gospel of grace instead, which gives you permission to continue in your sinful practices without guilt, then please be informed that one day we are all going to stand before God, and some who have claimed him as their Lord, but who lived for themselves, instead, are going to hear, “I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of lawlessness.”

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24-27 ESV​

The cheap grace gospel is the house built on the sand. And, that is because it does not require that we obey the Lord’s commands. And, again, some people even go so far as to openly state that we DON’T have to obey God’s commands, but that we can still be saved, be forgiven, and still go to heaven when we die. For, they say that obedience to our Lord’s commands is works-based salvation. But, that is pure heresy! It is a lie straight from hell! So, don’t buy into it. For, Jesus says we do have to obey his commands!

Even though the cheap grace gospel promises you forgiveness of sin, an escape from hell, and the promise of eternal life with God in heaven, it will not make good on its promise. It will never come to fruition, because it is a house built on the sand. It is a lie. It is a deception. And, it is a snake bite.

But, if we listen to our Lord and his teachings, and the teachings of the New Testament Apostles, IN CONTEXT, and we don’t just listen, but we DO what He says, as a matter of practice, then we are wise, and our salvation is secure, and we have the hope of eternal life with God in heaven which cannot be taken away from us (Jn. 10:27-30; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; 1 Jn. 2:3-6; Eph. 4:17-24; Lu. 9:23-26; Tit. 2:11-14; Jn. 8:12).

But, we have to be doers of the Word and not hearers only (Jas. 1:19-25).

I Will Lift My Eyes

An Original Work / December 12, 2012
Based off Psalms 121-125

I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.
My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.
He will not let your foot slip, and He who watches will not sleep.
Our Lord watches over you, and your life He will keep.
I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.
My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.
I give thanks to Him.

I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.
I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n.
Because of His great love for us, He made us alive with Christ.
Through the kindness of our Savior, He gave us new life.
I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.
I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n;
My home, now in heav’n.

Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.
Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.
Those who trust will ne’er be shaken. God will supply all we need.
Our Lord has done great things for us. He’s our friend, indeed!
Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.
Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.
I can count on Him.