101
Righteous or Just Good
A
frequent response to the Gospel is, I’m a good Catholic,
Baptist, Jew, etc., but one I’ve never heard is, “I’m a righteous
Catholic, etc. Why
do those claiming ...
102
Your Most Valuable Possession
A cook and
butler of the late F.W. Woolworth liked one of his china sets - plain white with a
blue border and gold rim - and used it frequently, handling it ...
103
Behind the Funeral Parlor
Behind the
casket, the flowers, the eulogies, lies a very different unseen, but equally real
world where the deceased continues to exist. Scripture
describes ...
104
After 105 Years
On Oct 9,
1996, the oldest person to do so became a U.S. citizen at age 105, prompting the
question, Why? What does it matter at
her age? What does matter ...
105
You'll Exist For Ever
... in
heaven or hell, but it’s here on earth that you must choose heaven, for all are
born on the road to hell, Christ Himself warning, “Ye must be born again. ...
106
Your First Step to Heaven
... is to
admit that you’re a sinner without a shred of righteousness, refusal to take that
step keeping you on the road to hell, and making God a liar, for He ...
107
Did You Know?
...
that death is followed by judgment, as it is written, “It is appointed unto men
once to die, but after this the judgment” Heb 9:27?
Did you know that there are ...
108
THANKS FOR THE CHEAP GIFT!
How would you
respond if one to whom you gave two gifts - one very costly; the other, paltry -
thanked you for the latter, but ignored the former? That's the ...
109
Island of Tears
Of 20 million immigrants checked at Ellis Island, 240,000 were
denied admission to America, their combined lament eventually giving the place
the name Island of Tears.
110
John Newton Slave Trader
... wrote
the popular hymn “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound.” What transformed him? He
learned from Scripture that he himself was a slave - of sin, but that ...
111
Six Days Left to Live
Six days before receiving a letter from a friend, a woman living
abroad was notified of her friend's death, and when the letter arrived she
commented, "Little did ...
112
The First Christmas Tree
The first Christmas tree was
unique. It had neither lights nor
ornaments, yet it attracted a multitude, which included the political and religious
leaders of ...
113
Do You Know?
...when
you became a sinner? The common
misconception is that it occurs when one first consciously does wrong, but God says
that all are born sinners, ...
114
The Night Belshazzar Died
Belshazzar's
impious feast ended abruptly when God wrote on the wall the announcement of his
death. As that night's revelry suddenly gave place to ...
115
Defying the Unseen God
It
is one thing to defy God when He isn't seen; quite another to defy Him to His
face. Belshazzar's
mockery ended abruptly when he saw just God's fingers, ...
116
Fear
Omitted
from today's popular, but unscriptural Gospel, is the mention of anything that would
produce fear in the heart of the listener, yet there can be no ...
117
Saved
...
is a word that has almost vanished from the preacher's vocabulary, despite the
universal need of salvation announced in Ac 4:12, "We must be
saved," and ...
118
Why Did Christ Die?
"All
have sinned ... the wages of sin is death ... He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities ... the Lord hath laid on Him ...
119
Cat Drops Dead
Last
week, while preparing coffee, a retired unsaved friend of mine heard a little thud
behind him. His apparently healthy cat
had dropped dead. What tragedy it ...
120
Except Ye Repent
...
ye shall all likewise perish" Lk 13:3 - Christ's warning to the most religious
but unconverted people of His day, is still His warning to those who are also ...
121
One Shall Be Taken
...and
the other left" Mt 24:40, relates to Christ's return, its meaning depending on
whether His coming is to remove His Church to heaven, or 7 years later to ...
122 The
Prodigal Son
Upon returning from the far country where he had lived as a
profligate, the prodigal son confessed to his father, “I have sinned against
heaven, and in your sight, and am no more worthy to be called your son,” Luke
15:21.
123
Three Scuba
Divers
...tied
their boat to a buoy over a wreck they wanted to explore, jumped over the side, and
later discovered that the current was so strong they couldn't swim ...
124
If There is No Hell
...then
you're wasting your time going to church, for the Bible
is fiction, Jesus Christ a liar, and Christianity a farce.
If there is no hell Christ's death was ...
125
Six Hundred Years Before Christ
...
God said that on April 6, AD 32, Christ would ride into Jerusalem on a young ass, and
then be crucified. He said also that only Babylon, Persia, Greece, ...
126
Send Lazarus
...
that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am
tormented in this flame," was the plea of the rich man in hell, Lk 16:24. ...
127
The Coming Catastrophe
The
accuracy with which most of Biblical prophecy has been fulfilled justifies the belief
that the rest will also be precisely fulfilled.
The next foretold great ...
128
What is the Great White Throne?
It
is the place of judgment for all who die without having been "born again,"
Jn 3:3,7, and it is not to determine whether they may enter heaven, but to appoint
...
129
No Place of Repentance
...
though he sought it carefully with tears" Heb 12:17, is written of Esau, who had
scorned God's offer of blessing, but then discovered too late the value of what ...
130
Condemned for Another's Crime
The
fact that all are condemned for the sin committed by Adam, Ro 5:12-21, evokes the
response, Unfair!
But is it?
When the President of the USA declares war on ...
131
Take Heed
... (lest)
that day come upon you unawares" Lk 21:34, is the warning of Christ relative to
the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, and its future destruction in ...
132
Saved From What?
You may
know that the Bible teaches the need of being saved, e.g., the Philippian jailor
asked, "What must I do to be saved?" and was told, "Believe on the
Lord ...
133
Heaven or Hell - Your Choice
Contrary
to popular belief, you don't have to die to find out whether you're going to heaven,
for Scripture warns that all are going to hell, and can be fitted for ...
134
Born Dead
There are
two kinds of life: physical, and spiritual; and natural birth has given us only the
physical, which fits us to live only here on earth, so that spiritually ...
135
Is There Another You?
Natural
birth brought you into this world as you, and death will take that same you out of
it; but Jesus Christ offers a new birth exempt from death, and without ...
136
Your Funeral
Your
funeral service will probably include a eulogy which will cause some to wonder
whether the eulogist is talking about the person they knew in life, for death ...
137
The Sign of Jonah
Jonah is
the butt of ridicule, yet not to believe the story is to make Christ a liar, for He
said, "As Jonah was three days and nights in the whale's belly; so ...
138
The Great Harlot
...that
sitteth upon many waters" Rev 17:1, is the great false church which is Satan's
counterfeit of the true Church, and as the true Church consists of ...
139
The Mark of the Beast
Who or
what is "the beast" mentioned in Revelation?
He is the man, who in the fast approaching Tribulation period, will rule the
old Roman Empire revived as a ten kingdom confederation.
He will be
140
All Odds Against You
About 600
years before Christ, God said that Christ would enter Jerusalem on April 6, 32 A.D.,
riding on an ass's colt, and He did. Could
anyone but God have made ...
141
Paul's Thanksgiving
...
is recorded in 2 Co 9:15,
“Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable (incomparable) gift,” i.e., the Lord
Jesus Christ. He gave that thanks
because he recognized ...
142
God Says
“There is none righteous ... for all have
sinned” Ro 3:10-23.“The wages of sin is death” Ro 6:23, but there are two
deaths: first physical when the body goes to ...
143
Your First and Last Breath
Your
first breath brought you into this world; your last will take you into another:
heaven by choice, or hell by default, and both eternal.
Heaven must be prepared ...
144
When Will Messiah Come?
According
to Dan 9:25 and Zechariah 9:9 He should have come in AD32, entering Jerusalem on an
ass’s colt. Is it just coincidence
that Christ rode into ...
145
How Shall We Escape?
The above caption is from Hebrews
2:3 “How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?” a question which
raises two others, Escape from what? and, What is this great salvation?
146
Prepare to Meet Thy God
This warning to Israel in Amos
4:12, applies to all men, for “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this
the judgment” He 9:27. There are
however two
147
The Harvest is Past
The
complete quotation, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not
saved” (Jer 8:20), is the lament of an Israel going into captivity, because her ...
148
Almost Persuaded
“Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost
thou persuadest me to be a Christian” (Ac 26:28).By what was Agrippa almost
persuaded? Paul’s preaching of the
Gospel, ...
149
Righteous or Just Good
A frequent response to the Gospel is, I’m
a good Catholic, a good Jew, a good Hindu, etc., but one I’ve never heard is,
“I’m a righteous Catholic, a righteous Jew, ...
150
The Closed Door
In Rev
3:20 Jesus Christ is seen knocking at the door of men’s hearts, but Mt 7:14
declares that few open the door, i.e., trust Him as Savior.
In Lk 13:24-29 ...
151 Eternal Existence or Eternal Life
These two
things aren’t the same. Eternal existence is the state into which we are
brought by birth, but people are so taken up with the affairs of earthly life
...
152 Four Stairways
In a park in
Spain are four stairways, each facing in a different direction, providing four
different views, but leading nowhere, a guard rail preventing ...
153 Only One Heartbeat Left
Some day your heart will give its last beat. What if it should
be today?
Think for a moment. Where will you be? What will you be doing? ...
154 It's Not Funny When God Laughs
The only Biblical references to God’s laughing relate to His
mocking derision when those who refused His salvation are abandoned to eternal
judgment, e.g., ...
155 The Biggest Coin
A man held out
a handful of coins to his grandson and invited him to take one. The boy took a
nickel, but then asked, “May I take a dime instead?” “Sure” replied ...
156 A Matter of Life or Death
The crux of the
Gospel is the need to save yourself from hell. But if there is no hell then
neither is there a heaven, for it is the same book, the Bible, that ...
157 God's Last Offer
Today God’s invitation is, “Turn unto me and be saved” Isaiah
45:22, but He warns, “My Spirit shall not always strive with man” Genesis 6:3.
A day is coming when ...
158 Germ Warfare
The potential
for mass destruction through germ warfare is a grim reality which has many world
leaders deeply concerned. Against the background of this threat, what ...
159 Waiting for Proof
The mockers at Calvary demanded that Christ prove His claims by
coming down from the cross, and He refused, not because He couldn't, but because
His miracles had ...
160 All Have Sinned
This is God's indictment of all men, added to which is His
warning, "The soul that sins shall die" Ezekiel 18:20, "For the wages of sin is
death" Romans 6:23, death ...
161 God Speaks Once, Yea Twice
On a Saturday night three years ago an acquaintance had gone to
New York to see a show. While eating in a restaurant he slumped over the table -
dead of a heart ...
162 Is This Just Coincidence?
Christ’s riding
into Jerusalem on the ass’s colt on what is now called Palm Sunday, was not only
the fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9 “Thy King cometh unto thee riding ...
163 "Dost Not
Thou Fear God?"
A man about to die asked this question of his companion as they
each hung on a cross on either side of Christ. Obviously neither had thought
much about God until ...
164 The Age is Ending
How do we know? The Church is in the seventh and final stage as
outlined in Revelation 2-3. Jewish autonomy was restored in 1948, and it is
written that ...
165 How You Became a Sinner
Contrary to common belief we were born sinners, our sins being
simply the evidence, not the cause, of our sinful state, and to die in that
state is to enter the lake ...
166 Your Last Breath
A dramatic change will occur when you breathe your last breath.
You will be finished for ever with the things of earth. You will have no
family, home, money, job ...
167 Two Time Bombs
If you suddenly
discovered that there were two ticking time bombs in your house, would you go
off to work feeling that it would be alright to notify the police in ...
168 Two Roads, Two Destinations
According to the Bible there are only two eternal destinations:
heaven or hell, each man, without choice, being born on the road to hell, but
being given the ...
169 An Impassable Gulf
An impassable
gulf separates hell from heaven, Christ Himself, assuring a man in hell the
impossibility of its ever being crossed, "They which would pass from here ...
170 Tracing Your Roots
Few can trace
their roots beyond a few generations, but ultimately each man's genealogy goes
back to Adam - a very bad root, for by disobeying God he ...
171 Death
The last thing you must do is die, yet few ever give a thought to
what will result from that last act. It will be profitable for the funeral
director, and your ...
172 The Last Message
Dear Reader, For most of the 33 years I've lived in Fairfield
I've published these weekly Bible messages, but now age has made it necessary
for my wife and me to ...
173 500 Years Before Palm Sunday
... Zechariah
foretold that Christ would ride into Jerusalem on "a colt the foal of an ass"
Zecariah 9:9, and Daniel prophesied that He would then be executed,...
174 Tragic Flight to London
On
Friday April 30, 1999 a friend of mine flew to
London to visit
her sister. Upon arrival she got up to retrieve her bag from the overhead
compartment, but
...
175 Thirty Pieces of Silver
520 years before Christ it was prophesied that He would be sold
for 30 pieces of silver, and the money given to the potter, Zechariah 11:13. The
God Who gave ...
176 The Crowd was Wrong
They said Columbus would sail off the edge of the earth; they
laughed at the Wright brothers' attempts to fly; they booed Wagner's music; they
called Westinghouse ...
177 A Christmas Gift
Among the gifts
you will receive this Christmas there is almost sure to be something you
wouldn't be caught dead wearing, or something that you need even less than a ...
178 Jordan and the Dead Sea
Multitudes who profess to have been born again, can give no
convincing testimony as to how, where, and when their conversion occurred. Many
of them have been ...
179 The
First Christmas Tree
The first Christmas tree was unique. It had neither lights nor
ornaments, yet it attracted a multitude which included the political and
religious leaders of the city outside which it stood.
180
Only One Mortal Sin
There is pardon for every sin except that of dying without
having been born again, that new birth occurring the moment you are willing to
…
181 The
Greatest Sinner
He was fervently religious, a diligent student of Scripture,
faithful in prayer, and in obeying all the requirements of his religion, making
every effort to keep the ...
182 A Fraction
Of A Second
On September 20, 2000, a brief period of glory ended abruptly at
the Olympic Games, for Susie O’Neill, the idol of Australia, as a competitor
reached the finish ...
183 Are You
Insulting God?
Contrary to what you might believe, God is not insulted by
murderers, thieves, prostitutes, drug addicts, etc., but by the religious
churchgoer who believes ...
184 The
Headhunters
The emperor of China once sent a trusted ambassador Wu Fong, to
establish order among the mountain tribes of Formosa. He by his kindness and
strict but fair rule won ...
185 Cure For
Alcoholism
A friend of mine was being entertained one evening to a very good
dinner in a very comfortable home. As he looked at the father and mother in the
midst of their ...
186 The Wrong
Road
On Friday evening October 28, 1966, near Greenwich, CT, five cars
smashed together on the Connecticut Turnpike. The toll of death and destruction
amounted to five ...
187 Priceless
- But Free
A sign in a tax collector’s office read, “Pay your taxes with a
smile.” Those who tried it, however, discovered that the sign wasn’t to be
taken literally: the ...
188 How To
Find Happiness
Nothing in the world is so much sought after and yet so seldom
found as happiness. Different things mean happiness to different individuals,
but almost without ...
189 Liberty Or
Death
Those of us privileged to live in America are so accustomed to
freedom that we rarely stop to visualize what life would be like without it.
Freedom, like many of our ...
190 Suicide
Attempt
One night many years ago a man walked up to the toll station of
the High Level Bridge over the Tyne river in England, and taking out the last
coin he possessed, paid ...
191 Frozen To
Death
Many years ago the frozen bodies of a woman and child were found
near a railroad track. They had died as the result of a terrible mistake made
by a passenger on ...
192 A Pardon
Refused
In 1829 George Wilson of Philadelphia was convicted of murder and
sentenced to death. Friends, however, obtained a pardon, but Wilson’s refusal
to accept it ...
193 The Mark
Of Cain
Since atonement for sin could not be made other than by the
shedding of blood, see Leviticus 17:11, Cain’s presentation of a bloodless
vegetable offering from ...
194 The
Smuggler
Finding escape from a pursuing coast guard boat impossible, a
smuggler ordered the contraband tobacco to be thrown overboard, but the attempt
was useless, for in ...
195 How Good -
How Bad?
Have you ever wondered just how good you have to be in order to
enter heaven, or how bad you have to be to go to hell? Most people have an idea
that if you do the ...
196 An
Elephant And Two Bridges
Many years ago in India an elephant stopped at the approach to a
bridge, and began to cross only after much goading by its driver. Neither the
man nor the elephant ...
197 Two Roads
To Eternity
Life is a journey along two roads running in opposite directions:
one road bringing souls into heaven; the other, plunging them first into hell,
and then into the ...
198 The
Funeral
Unlike the celebration of a wedding or a birth, the occasion that
brings us together today is not a happy one, for death and joy are rarely if
ever found together, ...
199 The
Unfinished Stairway
One of
the early chapters of R.L.Stevenson’s famous novel Kidnaped contains the
account of an attempted murder. David Balfour, the youthful hero of the book,
...
200 Free Coal
One winter many years ago in Britain, when houses were heated by
open coal fires, a wealthy man made free coal available to the poor people of
the village. ...
