GospelNotes.life

Author: Adam

  • The Rich Young Ruler

    The story of the rich young ruler that asked Jesus what he must do to have eternal life is found in Matthew 19:16-21 and Mark 10:17-27.

    The rich young ruler came to Jesus asking what he needed to do to get eternal life. He assumed that it was by keeping the law perfectly, and he thought he had kept the law perfectly. But Jesus knew his heart and sought to teach him that he hasn’t been following the law perfectly and that by the young man’s standard he wasn’t saved. So Jesus told him all the things to do in the law which he thought he was doing, except for one thing that Jesus brought up that he wasn’t doing, showing the young man that he hadn’t been keeping the law perfectly. This was to get the young man to say to himself, “Uh oh. How can I be saved then if I’ve failed at keeping the law?” And then Jesus told him to do the right thing by using his rich abundance to supply the lack of others by selling his stuff and giving to the poor (not for salvation, but because he wouldn’t need those worthless possessions anymore and the poor always need help and that’s the right thing to do), and then to follow Him so that he could learn that salvation is through believing in Him and not by following the law.

    Mark 10:17-27:
    As He (Jesus) was setting out on a journey, a man (the rich young ruler) ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do so that I may inherit eternal life?” But Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone (Yes, Jesus is good as He is God, but what He’s doing is setting up to show the man who wants to be justified by the law that only God is good and not humans per the law’s standard). You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not give false testimony, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth.” Looking at him, Jesus showed love to him and said to him, “One thing you lack (here Jesus shows the young man that he failed to keep the law perfectly): go and sell all you possess and give to the poor (because it’s the right thing to do by using his rich abundance to supply the lack of others by selling his stuff and giving to the poor [not for salvation, but because he wouldn’t need those worthless possessions anymore and the poor always need help and that’s the right thing to do]), and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me (to learn that eternal life is gained by believing in Him rather than by following the law).” But he was deeply dismayed by these words, and he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property. And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” (Because most people trust in their works: “being a good person” rather than by faith in Christ alone) And the disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus responded again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were even more astonished, and said to Him, “Then who can be saved?” Looking at them, Jesus said, “(Jesus coming full circle here:) With people it is impossible (following the law), but not with God; for all things are possible with God (His salvation through faith in the gospel).”

  • Christ’s Love in Perspective

    The Bible tells us that Jesus loved us so much that He gave His life to save us, and that there is no greater love than to lay down your life for another. Let’s put that love into perspective:

    Imagine you were a saved believer in Christ, and that your favorite parent/sibling/spouse/child/friend (choose one) was an unbeliever. Now imagine that God told you, “I’ll get that person saved by getting them to realize how fragile life is and that their next breath isn’t promised, but in order for them to realize that, you yourself must be put into a most brutal and painful car accident that will nearly take your life.” Would you willingly jump at the opportunity? Deeply, deeply consider and meditate on this. (If I’m being honest, I had to think many more times than “twice” about this, and still haven’t made a decision, questioning if there could possibly be an easier way)

    Next, imagine that it wasn’t your favorite person in the world that you are going to go through that for, but rather it is for someone that has been the most awful to you.

    Jesus gladly jumped at the opportunity to die a most painful death to save us horrible, rotten, sinful humans who for the most part have despised, made fun of and rejected Him. Why? Because that’s how much He loves us. Yet even He, the night before His death, asked the Father if our salvation could be secured a different and easier way. And when He was told “No”, He went to the cross anyway.

  • Why You Won’t Find James 2 on This Website

    First, the antichrist’s number 666. I find it odd that there’s 66 books in the King James Version type of bibles.

    Second, God loves to test the genuineness of our faith. In the very second and third verses of James 1 it says: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.”

    And in 1 Peter 1:6-7 it says: “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ

    James has a lot of good nuggets of godly knowledge and wisdom that he’s learned from Christ that are found throughout his book, but at the end of the day, the book of James (especially James 2) is as good as the rest of the apocrypha – uninspired by God, and cannot be because it plainly contradicts the entirety of the rest of scripture.

    Hundreds of years ago when those who were discussing what books should be in the Bible, the book of James was a heavily debated book. And the Lord told me that the reason He allowed Satan to sneak it in there was for it to be a test of faith for us (as I said earlier in this note, He loves to test the genuineness of our faith). If you can take the entirety of scripture (100’s of verses) that says that salvation is by faith in Christ alone, no works, and negate all of that for 2 simple James 2 verses that plainly say that salvation is by works, then you have failed the test of faith and are not worthy of God. The Lord tests our faith with James 2: are you going to keep your pride and say that Christ’s sacrifice wasn’t enough and that you need to have works to prove your salvation, or are you going to humble yourself completely and say, “Man, I know James 2 says my faith without works is dead, even though the rest of scripture says it’s not by works, but I’m deciding to throw out James 2 and go all in on Christ and put all my eggs in His basket and not trust in any of my own works.” Proverbs 16:18 — Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.

    I’ve heard every way under the sun from people trying to reconcile James 2 to the rest of scripture and what it “really means”, twisting it to try and make sense of it, but when you just stop and let go and accept it for what it plainly says, it says your faith is useless without works and that others were saved by works, meaning you must have works to be saved. Plain and simple.

    See faith alone scriptures in the note: The Knowledge and Wisdom of God

  • Freed From the Law and Sin (Romans, chapters 3-8)

    This note explains the somewhat confusing and complicated chapters of Romans 3-8.

    The first thing to understand is the dichotomy of the inner man vs the outward man. A brief overview: we are actually a soul, that has a spirit, and lives inside our fleshly body. For more details, see the note: The Inner Man vs the Outward Man (opens in a new window)

    The next thing to understand is that “sin” is not just some abstract concept or idea. It’s a literal living thing that lives in our fleshly bodies:

    • Sin “entered” the world when Adam ate of the forbidden fruit. (Romans 5:12)
    • Sin “lives” in our fleshly bodies. (Romans 7:17-18; Romans 7:20; Romans 7:21-23)

    What is a law?
    When you’re under a law, you must obey it. If the law says, “You shall not steal”, then you cannot steal. And with laws, there’s consequences for going against it. For the law (the 10 commandments), it’s condemnation and death with eternal hellfire.

    What is a master-slave relationship?
    Likewise, if we were under bondage as a slave to a master, the slave must obey their master. If the master says, “Steal”, then you must steal.

    What is the rule about being under laws?
    The rule that God instantiated about laws is that when you die, you are released from the law you were under.

    The same goes for master-slave relationships. When you die, you are no longer the slave of the master you were owned by.

    We are all born under the law, and sin quickly becomes our master. As slaves of our master (sin) we obey its commands to break the law. And when we break the law, we are condemned to death and eternal hellfire as just punishment.

    So the question is: “If we get freed from laws and masters by death, how do we get freed from the law (the commandments) and our master (sin)?” The answer: we must die, and then we will be released from our master (sin), and from the law that condemns us. Here’s how we “die”:

    For this next part, you must understand the gospel: 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 — that Christ (1) died to pay for all our sins (2) was buried and (3) rose again the third day.

    The next logical question is: “How do we die?” The answer: when we believe the gospel, we are spiritually crucified with Christ. It is like our body/flesh was literally put to death on the cross (the gospel: step 1). So there, we just died (and the sin within us along with us). The moment we believed the gospel, our flesh died and we were released from our former master (sin), and from the law that condemned us when we sinned. Our dead outward bodies and the sin within were then buried (the gospel: step 2), and we as our inner man was spiritually reborn of incorruptible Seed and raised back to life (the final gospel step 3), and now our new selves are now slaves to God and are under His law of grace. All this is what’s meant by being baptized (following Christ) into Christ’s death, burial and resurrection.

    So, Christ redeemed us (freed us) from our master (sin), as well as the law that condemned us when we sinned, when we believed in His death on the cross (for the payment for our sins), His burial and His resurrection. And that believing He did that for us, we are then baptized (following Him) into His death, being set free from sin and the law, and are raised to new life under our new master (God) and His law of grace.

    We are now a slave of our new Master, God, who redeemed (freed) us from our old master, sin. What does God command us to do? He commands us to believe the gospel for salvation, and to “be holy”: “Be holy, for I am holy”. (If I’m saved by faith, why be holy? See note on: The Ways of God vs the Ways of the World [The best note on this site. Opens in a new window])

    And not only are we God’s slave now, we are now also under the law of grace, being set free (redeemed) from the former law that condemned us. What does the law of grace say? It says: “If you do sin and break the other law, you are forgiven instead of condemned.”

    And just because we’re now under the law of grace (forgiveness) instead of the law of condemnation, it doesn’t mean that we should use that as an excuse to let our flesh sin and break the old law. We absolutely could, but we are told not to. Instead of totally disregarding the old law, we uphold it because we agree that its statutes are good (it’s good not to steal, it’s good not to murder, it’s good not to lie, etc.). We’re just not condemned by it when our flesh does break it, because we’re no longer under it, as we’re now under the law of grace.

    Now, there’s the spiritual reality of our flesh being dead, but then there’s also the physical reality: that our flesh is not dead yet and is very much alive and sin still lives in it. But we’re to reckon/consider/pretend our flesh to be dead, which means that we are free from our former master (sin), and since we’re no longer sin’s slave, we no longer obey it when it tells us to sin. We are to act/behave as if our sinful flesh is actually dead and deprive our flesh of its desire to sin. Instead, we obey our new Master (God), who commands us to be holy. And when our flesh overtakes us and we fail to be holy in the flesh, remember, we are no longer under the old law that condemned us for it, we are now under the law of grace that forgives us.

    Does “being dead to sin” mean that we won’t sin anymore? No. Remember, spiritually we’re dead to sin, but the physical reality is that our sinful flesh is still alive and desires to sin. We’re simply to pretend it’s dead and deprive it of its desire to sin to the best of our ability. See this note on how to do this: The Ways of God vs the Ways of the World (The best note on this site. Opens in a new window)

    Even Jesus (God) took on human nature and had a fleshly body with sin in it. But since He was also God within that flesh, He was able to deprive that sin of its desires, thus fulfilling the law (something us humans couldn’t do). (Romans 8:3)

    On the cross, God the Father put all our sin in Christ’s fleshly body. Jesus bore our sin in His flesh on the cross, and God put His body/flesh to death, along with all our sins in it: 1 Peter 2:24 — “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree (the cross), that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes (wounds) you were healed.”

  • Why the Law Was Given

    The law (the 10 commandments) was not given to save people by following it. It was given to:

    1. Show us what is right and wrong morally.
      1. Paul says in Romans 7:7 that he would not have known what coveting was unless there was a law that said, “You shall not covet.”
      2. Galatians 3:19.
    2. Hold us all accountable (make us guilty) before God.
      1. Galatians 3:22.
      2. Romans 3:19.
      3. As a just and fair God, He has to have something to judge us by if we don’t place our faith in Christ for salvation. And if we don’t believe in Christ for salvation, then He will justly judge our actions by the law, and we will receive fair punishment in hell for all eternity.
    3. Point us to Christ for salvation.
      1. Galatians 3:24-25.
      2. The law says, “Man, you’re guilty of breaking me and are condemned. You better believe in Christ to get those sins forgiven, or else you’re going to hell.”

    On a side note: If the law were to be the means to be saved, it would have to be followed perfectly, never once broken in your entire life. (Galatians 3:10)

    Timeline of events:

    1. First, God promised to Adam and Eve that a Messiah (their Savior) would come through their Seed. (Genesis 3:15)
    2. Second, God promised again to Abraham that all the nations would be saved through faith in the Seed (Christ) that was to come through his lineage. (Galatians 3:5-9)
    3. 430 years later, God gave the law. It doesn’t override the original two promises of salvation by faith in the Messiah (Savior). (Galatians 3:15-18)
    4. Around 1500 years after the law was given, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, fulfilled God’s original promise of sending a Messiah through the lineage of Abraham, that all who believe in His death, burial and resurrection would be saved.

    God didn’t give the law 430 years after His promise of salvation by faith and say, “Ok, scratch that. I change My mind. Salvation is no longer by faith in the Messiah (Christ) that is to come through Abraham’s lineage, but is now through following the law perfectly.” Salvation was originally and always has been by faith, and the law was implemented later for the three reasons mentioned first in this note. (Galatians 3:15-18)

    Truthfully, man has always known that God would provide a Savior for man for their sin, all the way back to Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:15). Before the Messiah came, faith in God and His plan of redemption through a Messiah is what saved before the resurrection. After Christ’s resurrection, faith in Jesus Christ (the now known Messiah) saves now.

    God, who cannot lie, originally promised Adam and Eve that they would be saved through their offspring, and was again promised to Abraham that through his lineage the Messiah would come, and all who place their faith in Him would be saved. The law was only given to: (1) Show us what is right and wrong morally (2) Hold us all accountable (make us guilty) before God (3) Point us to faith in Christ for salvation.

  • Preventative Measures

    Want to prevent illness and evil from happening to you? Psalm 91 has your answer. It basically boils down to: “If you believe that Christ will keep you from all evil and illness, then He will.” He is able, and He is willing. You don’t have to know how it works, just know that it does.

    Psalm 91:

    1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
    Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
    2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
    My God, in Him I will trust.”

    3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
    And from the perilous pestilence.
    4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
    And under His wings you shall take refuge;
    His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
    5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
    Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
    6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
    Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

    7 A thousand may fall at your side,
    And ten thousand at your right hand;
    But it shall not come near you.
    8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
    And see the reward of the wicked.

    9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
    Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
    10 No evil shall befall you,
    Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
    11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
    To keep you in all your ways.
    12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
    Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
    13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
    The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

    14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
    I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
    15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble;
    I will deliver him and honor him.
    16 With long life I will satisfy him,
    And show him My salvation.”

  • Sins: Paid, Forgiven, Removed, Forgotten

    All of our sins were paid for on the cross 2000 years ago, and the nanosecond you believed the gospel, your sins were:

    1. Forgiven
      Ephesians 1:7 — In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
    2. Removed
      Psalm 103:12 — As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
    3. Forgotten
      Hebrews 8:12 — For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.

  • The Savior brings The Good News

    Not good news:
    Behold! I am the messiah! I bring you good news on how to get to Heaven: keep the whole law perfectly and never once stumble! Good luck!

    Good news:
    Behold! I am the messiah and have come to pay for all of your sins so that you can get into heaven! Just believe in Me! That’s it!

  • Faith is Power

    It’s all about faith. NOT works. It’s impossible to please God without faith. That’s what He desires and cares about – faith in the unseen. Faith in the impossible – “for all things are possible with God.” We live in a physical, visible world with hard limits and tough work. The kingdom of God is invisible, limitless, of power and ease – with God’s ability to speak things into existence. Faith is power. God wants faith! Not works! It’s the power to get things done. It’s the power to save. But you MUST not doubt, or you should not expect to receive.

    Biblical definition of faith
    Hebrews 11:1 — Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

    The kingdom of God is power
    1 Corinthians 4:20 — For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.

    Blessed are those who trust in God
    Jeremiah 17:7 — “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.

    Know that anything is possible with God
    Matthew 19:26 — Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
    Jeremiah 32:27 — “I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?
    Jeremiah 32:17 — “Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.

    Without faith in God, nothing can happen
    Hebrews 11:6 — And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

    God’s power has the ability to do anything outside of human limits. Don’t let the “wisdom of humanity” that says certain things can’t be done fool you into thinking something’s not possible, when it is indeed possible with God through unwavering, childlike faith
    1 Corinthians 2:5 — so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

    You must believe and trust in God with all your heart
    Proverbs 3:5 — Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

    Faith in the gospel is the arm of God’s power to save
    Romans 1:16 — For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.

    Believe with all your heart and do not doubt, and it will be given to you
    Mark 11:22-24 — “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

    God works miracles among you by your faith, not by your deeds
    Galatians 3:5 — So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard [the gospel]?

    Even the smallest amount of faith is extremely powerful. Imagine what a lot of faith can do!
    Matthew 17:20 — He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

    Peter walked for a moment on water because of his faith, and when he began to doubt his faith, he began to sink.
    Matthew 14:22-31, especially verses 28-31

    You must not doubt your faith. Have childlike faith!
    James 1:6-7 — But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

    God does not perform many miracles where there is no faith
    Matthew 13:58 — And he [Jesus] did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

    And of course, what you ask for in faith must be reasonable and of the things of God. Example: you can’t have faith in winning the lottery and expect to win.
    James 4:3 — When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

    Live reasonably and don’t put God to the test with your faith. Example: don’t ask God to keep you from getting the flu and then go out of your way to lick a petri dish full of the flu virus.
    Luke 4:9-12 — The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

    Your faith will NOT be put to shame by those saying, “Uh huh! Where’s your God now?!?”
    Romans 10:11 — As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”

    Faith in Action – just a few of MANY examples of the power of God’s healing by faith:

    1. A man that had faith that Jesus could heal, not even needing Him to be present, but just by saying the word

      Matthew 8:5-13, especially verses:

      7-8: Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

      10: When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.
      
13: Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.
    2. A woman that had faith that Jesus could heal, not even needing Him to speak, but just by her touching Him

      Mark 5:24-34, especially verses:
      
27-29: When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

      34: He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
    3. Men that had faith that Jesus could heal, not even needing to touch Him, but just by being in His shadow!

      Acts 5:15 — As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s [an apostle of Christ with Christ’s authority to heal] shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.

    Blessed are those who have not seen, yet still believe.
    John 20:29 — Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

    God wrote His ENTIRE Old Testament and New Testament Bible around faith – faith in Him – and the abundant promises and blessings of having such faith. Upon acquiring such childlike faith, do you really think He’s then going to go back on all His promises and let you down and shame you because of the faith He demands, and then point your hope to that of the world and of men?

    The enemy whispers in your ear day and night and tells you that having faith and believing that something of God’s will – and believing it will indeed come to pass – is pride. He also gets you to doubt your faith by whispering in your ear, “Oh no, that’s just not possible. Don’t believe it because if you do, it won’t come true and you’ll just be let down and feel foolish.” Those are huge lies from Satan. Satan wants you to place your faith in what’s seen – the world and men – and to take your eyes off God and His truth.

    God says, you now have faith that I can do what you ask, but do you have faith that I will do what you ask?

  • Grace. Mercy. Justice.

    Grace = getting [good things] what we don’t deserve.

    Mercy = not getting what we do deserve [punishment].

    Justice = getting what we do deserve.

    Ephesians 2:8-9 — For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

  • The Stock Market of Salvation

    Stocks:

    • Christ alone – $777/share.
    • Christ + works – $0.01/share.
    • Judaism – $0.01/share.
    • Buddha – $0.01/share.
    • Allah – $0.01/share.
    • Atheism – $0.01/share.
    • The Mark of the Beast – $0.01/share.
    • All of the Above – $0.01/share.
    • Other – $0.01/share.

    Rules:

    • You get $777 to spend.
    • You can’t hedge your bets. You can only put all of your money into one stock. You have to, “put all your eggs in one basket.”
    • Only one stock will produce dividends. The rest will tank and you will lose your shirt.

    Stock Tips:

    • John 14:6 — Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
    • Ephesians 2:8-9 — For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

  • Do.Not.Mix.Faith.And.Works!

    4 types of people:

    • Those who have faith in Christ alone — the truth and only way.
    • Those who mix faith in Christ and their works — the most dangerous.
    • Those who reject Christ and try to work their way to heaven.
    • Those who flat out reject the concept of God altogether.

    To those who mix faith in Christ and their own works, it is the most dangerous and they will be rejected by the Lord:

    Matthew 7:21-23 — “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ [see they have “faith”] will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father [John 6:40 – believe on Jesus alone] who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name [bringing their work of prophesying] and in your name drive out demons [bringing their work of casting out demons] and in your name perform many miracles [bringing their works of miracles performed]?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers [We are all evil and all have sinned. None of us are righteous by our own works.]!’

  • My Identity as a Child of God

    John 8:35 — Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.

    What am I as a child of God?

    • An adopted son.
    • A citizen of Heaven.
    • A member of His household.
    • Blessed with every spiritual blessing.
    • Holy.
    • Blameless.
    • Chosen by God.
    • Heir.
    • Loved.
    • Redeemed.
    • Forgiven.
    • Receiving grace upon grace.
    • Sealed by the Holy Spirit.
    • Access to the Father.
    • Able to approach God with freedom and confidence.
    • To know how wide, long, high and deep Gods love is for me.

    How does God view me?

    • A legitimate son.
    • A citizen.
    • A member of his household.
    • Blessed.
    • Holy.
    • Blameless.
    • Heir.
    • Loved.
    • Redeemed.
    • Forgiven.
    • Seated in the Heavenly realms.
    • Accessible to Himself.

  • Jesus Bought Me Everlasting Life

    Jesus and I walked into a large store, owned and operated by God the Father. Jesus said to me, “Pick out anything you want and it will be my gift to you.” So I spent hours upon hours searching through the store. Finally I came upon the item of Everlasting Life. I turned to Jesus and said, “This is what I want…Everlasting Life.” He said, “OK”, grabbed the package and we went up to the register to checkout. God the Father was behind the register. Jesus put the Everlasting Life on the counter and the Father rang it up. He said to me, “That will be a cost of ‘the blood of a single sinless man.’” Jesus stepped in and said to the Father, “No one but Myself can afford this. I am purchasing this Everlasting Life as a gift for him. Here is my blood.” The Father took the payment in full, handed Jesus the package of Everlasting Life and said, “The transaction is finished — paid in full — nothing else needed.” As Jesus and I left the store, Jesus handed me the package of Everlasting Life and said, “This is a gift from me to you. You did not earn it for yourself. It is simply an irrevocable gift from Me, paid for with my blood. Thank you for accepting it. I love you, my son. Enjoy!”

  • Why I’ll Gladly Worship God Forever

    • I’m loved unmeasurably.
    • Gentle, kind, good to and patient with me.
    • A peace that transcends all understanding.
    • The fullness of joy in His presence.
    • Pleasures forevermore in His right hand.
    • A new, sinless, immortal body that:
      • Never gets sick.
      • Can teleport.
      • Fly.
      • Talk telepathically.
      • Doesn’t feel pain.
      • Doesn’t get tired or need to sleep.
    • A mansion.
    • Eye has not seen, ear has not heard nor mind has conceived what awaits those who love Him.
    • No more death.
    • No more fear.
    • No more sin.
    • No more pain.
    • No more suffering.
    • No more sadness.
    • No more depression.
    • No more tears.
    • No more boredom.
    • No more curse of hard toil and labor.
    • No more condemnation.

  • A Changed Life?

    Faith + nothing = salvation
    Faith + works = “a changed life”, false gospel

    Faith alone in Christ alone. Don’t be a fruit (works) inspector. The only fruit to inspect is the fruit of faith. Everyone grows at different rates. Everyone stumbles daily.

  • Childlike Faith

    A child doesn’t need to know the inner workings of something, or even how it works at all. They don’t need to see it. Nor do they have anything to bring to the table or offer. They are just told something simple and told that it’s true, and they simply believe.

    Believe with childlike faith the true, pure, unadulterated – and above all – simple Gospel message and you will be saved: that Christ died on the cross to pay for your sins, was buried and on the third day rose from the dead. It’s that beautifully simple, and it confounds and frustrates the prideful and wise who think they can be “good enough” to earn their way into heaven.

    Matthew 19:14 — Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these [who have nothing to offer and simply just believe who He says He is].”

    Acts 16:30-31 — He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
    They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household [as in – tell your household to believe in Jesus as well and they too shall be saved along with you – those who believe].”

    1 Corinthians 1:18-19 — For the message of the cross [the simple gospel] is foolishness to those who are perishing [the prideful, wise and learned], but to us who are being saved [those with childlike faith] it is the power of God [to save — Romans 1:16]. For it is written: “I [God] will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

  • Gospel Equations

    Equation for area of a square:

    True: area = length x width
    False: area = length + width

    Equation for salvation:

    True: salvation = faith + nothing
    False: salvation = faith + works

  • The Only Unforgivable Sins

    Unbelief = sin

    Well, and taking the mark of the beast is unforgivable.

  • The Book of John: Faith, not works.

    John 1:7 – He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.

    John 1:12 – Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

    John 3:15 – that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.

    John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

    John 3:18 – Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

    John 3:36 – Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

    John 4:14 – but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

    John 5:24 – “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.

    John 6:28-29 – Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

    John 6:35 – Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

    John 6:40 – For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

    John 6:47 – Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.

    John 6:50-51 – But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

    John 6:54 – Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.

    John 7:38-39 – Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

    John 8:24 – I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”

    John 10:9 – I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.

    John 11:25-26 – Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

    John 12:36 – Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.

    John 17:3 – Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

    John 20:31 – But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.