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What Can You Do About Sin? It’s
all around you...it taints you, your family, your friends and
neighbors, and it will cost us all our lives. It is the very source
of death itself. Is there anything you can do about it?
Yes, there is a LOT you can do. The trick is, it has to begin with
you. You have sinned…
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans
3:23)
And your own sins have to be removed somehow. That Somehow is Jesus
Christ. It is only through Him that sins are taken away. John the
baptizer said of Him, “Behold, the Lamb of God Who takes away the
sin of the world.” (John 1:29, 36) Jesus came to conquer sin by His
own death. His blood alone can take away sin, your sin. Here are the
things He instructed us to do in response:
Believe in Him as the Son of God: “For if you do not believe that I
am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24) - "For God so loved
the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes
in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
But be warned, faith ALONE will NOT save you. “You see then that a
man is justified by works, and not by faith only.” (James 2:24) Once
you’re over this shock, read on...
Repent of your sins: “...unless you repent, you will all likewise
perish” (Luke 13:3, 5)
Repentance is not just regret for past sins, but is the action of
turning away from them and walking in a new direction.
Confess your faith in Christ: "Therefore whoever confesses Me before
men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.”
(Matthew 10:32)
Be baptized into Christ for the remission (forgiveness) of sins:
“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel
to every creature.16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved;
but he who does not believe will be condemned.’” (Mark 16:15-16)
Once you have come to understand and obey these words of the Lord,
you are born again, you are then “in Christ” and you are a new
creature. Your sins have been taken away by the blood of the Son of
God by grace through faith and obedience to His will.
From that point onward, you strive to obey His word and walk in this
world without sinning. The fact is, none of us is perfect at this,
so the blood of Christ must continue it’s work in us. If we sin
after we have been born again (and we all do), we confess our sins
to God through Christ, and He is faithful and just to forgive us and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Then you can
encourage others to enjoy this same gift as well. ~ By
Roger Lindsey
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The Genesis
Flood in Histories Other Than the Bible
Evidences of a worldwide flood
can be found in more than 270 flood stories and historic records
found in many parts of the world. Following is just one of these
stories:
Found in the histories of the Toltec Indians of ancient Mexico is a
story of the first world that lasted 1,716 years and was destroyed
by a great flood that covered even the highest mountains. Their
story tells of a few men who escaped the destruction in a "toptlipetlocali,"
which means a closed chest. Following the great flood, these men
began to multiply and built a very high "zacuali," or great tower,
to provide a safe place if the world were destroyed again. However,
the languages became confused, so different language groups wandered
to other parts of the world.
The Toltecs claim they started as a family of seven friends and
their wives who spoke the same language. They crossed great waters,
lived in caves, and wandered 104 years till they came to Hue Hue
Tlapalan (southern Mexico). The story reports that this was 520
years after the great flood. ~
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Is Jesus the Focus of All
Human History? Part III
(Continued from last issue)
When was Jesus to come?
Yes, the “right” time was clearly foretold.
Nebuchadnezzar had been sent by God to punish the Israelites, but
Nebuchadnezzar didn’t realize he was being used for this purpose.
Therefore a fascinating drama plays out in the book of Daniel. First
God sent a series of troubling dreams to the Babylonian king. Then,
God sends Daniel to interpret those dreams.
Daniel 2: 29. As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind
upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that
revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.
(You might like to read the entire story in Daniel 2:28-45.)
Here is the bottom line. He describes a series of succeeding world
empires starting with the current Babylonian empire then the
Persians, the Greeks, and finally the Romans. As he completed the
description of the Romans Daniel describes something incredible to
Nebuchadnezzar.
“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a
kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not
be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume
all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou
sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and
that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver,
and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall
come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the
interpretation thereof sure.” Daniel 2:44-45
Yes, it is cryptic, but Jesus will set up this worldwide empire
during the days of the Romans. The Romans will pass on into history,
but Jesus’ kingdom will not. Note that this is being spoken as the
first vestiges of the Roman republic are being established in far
away Rome. The Roman empire will not be established for nearly
another 500 years! Yet its’ rise and fall are being described by
God.
Many have tried to destroy Jesus’ kingdom. It has turned out to be a
spiritual kingdom. It is defended by peace, but it is incredibly
powerful. Every kingdom that has tried to make war against it has
beat itself up trying.
Today even in Muslim realms, you will find Christians. The Soviet
Union tried to obliterate Christianity. What happened to them?
Christianity is not defended by guns and bombs, it may seem a little
strange, but each time someone decides to war against Christianity….
What is the result? It pretty much comes out as Daniel described it
in 600 BC doesn’t it?
So… out of all of human history, this kingdom, defended by peace,
was to break out onto the world stage during the Roman period.
(Daniel’s prophecy coupled with Isaiah’s.)
From where was the revolution of peace to begin?
Isaiah 2
1. The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and
Jerusalem.
2. And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of
the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains,
and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow
unto it.
3. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to
the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he
will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of
Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from
Jerusalem.
4. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many
people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their
spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against
nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
5. O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the
Lord.
So… The revolution of peace was to go forth from Jerusalem.
After Jesus’ resurrection, He prepared the disciples to break out
from Jerusalem. They didn’t see the significance but Jesus did. He
put them where the belonged… Not only the right time was essential
but also the right place. The right place of His birth was now
history. The right place for the beginning of his conquest of the
kingdom of darkness was about to begin . . .
“To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many
infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of
the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled
together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from
Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he,
ye have heard of me.” Acts 1:3-4
Note the kingdom was their topic of conversation and He commanded
the Apostles to stay put. That it was coming and they needed to be
at the right place at the right time. Sound familiar? No other place
at no other time would do. It was all prepared beforehand. And must
be….as it was supposed to be!
Acts 1: 8. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is
come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem,
and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of
the earth.
Isaiah (700 BC) had prophesied at length concerning “where.”
Daniel (600 BC) had told them “when.”
Jesus saw to it that “they” were “there” “then!”
On the day of Pentecost it all began… Jesus had paid for and all of
history came together and the world changed. The kingdom of peace
exploded onto the world stage, and the combined forces of the spirit
realm and this world were powerless to stop Him.
Jesus' rebuke stung some of them…. "Then he said unto them, O fools,
and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken ."
Luke 24:25
The power of the prophecies was undeniable and would continue to be
an obvious means to make the case for Jesus down to this day. Let's
not underestimate the power of Bible prophecy. God forbid Jesus
would call any of us fools… “But this is that which was spoken by
the prophet Joel;
And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour
out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters
shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old
men shall dream dreams:” Acts 2:16-17
Again and again the prophecies of Jesus and His kingdom would pour
forth from the lips of His servants. 700 years earlier Isaiah had
set the stage by saying,
“And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in
order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things
that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them. Fear ye
not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and
have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside
me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.” Isaiah 44:7-8
Yours in Christ
Jerry Blount
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