Marriage: April 2012

Friday, 20 April 2012

No 2same sex marraige

THE BIGGEST THREAT TO BRITAIN TODAY IS SIN!

IMMORALITY

Wake up, Same-sex marriage is offensive to the Lord God

What is going on? Britain is normally associated with great things like living and keeping God’s laws found in the Judeo-Christian Scriptures. This country is not normally famous for breaking Biblical Laws, but implementing the laws. In fact British people have long history of leading a Biblical life in all corners of the Earth. Britain, continue to walk on the path. Do not copy other countries in breaking God’s laws. Your country was founded on Christian roots, you have great history and connections with many brilliant nations; the Commonwealth countries. Great Britain, do stay in your rightful place that is amongst the greatest countries in the world. Stop behaving like a brainless little country with no sense of moral values. Otherwise you are no longer a friend of the Lord God and will be thrown out by many countries that see you as a mother country. Keep the Biblical model of marriage and stop meddling with it.

There is a force that aims to redefine the idea of marriage and family. Resist it. We cannot reinvent our fundamental institutions without going against the created order. To think God’s creation is malleable – that the sexes are interchangeable or that men and women can find personal fulfilment in other ways is a fantasy. And as the pairing of any two (or group of) people who consent regardless of gender, age, or model of sexual expression. It all comes down to the desire for an autonomous self – the old sin of Adam and Eve. (Dr David Jeremiah)

‘Christianity is the main foundation of Western Civilization, the root of our most cherished values. Atheism is motivated not by reason but by a kind of cowardly moral escapism.’ (Dinesh D’Souza)

Listen to the advice of the men of God (Pope Benedict, Lord Carey, the Archbishop Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop John Sentamu, the Archbishop Peter Smith and Cardinal Keith O’Brien) on marriage. They all say legalising same-sex marriage is wrong.

The Bible says in Daniel 1:20 ‘Godly men advisers are ten times better than pagan advisers. Godly men are placed in a unique position where they could be a blessing to the whole country and build up the society for the better‘. The Judeo-Christian God claims to have created marriage and that He alone has the exclusive right to dictate who marries. As we go through the pages of the Bible, we will realise marriage is God’s gift to mankind.

Genesis 2:23-24 the man said, “this at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman because she was taken out of Man. Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

When no suitable companion is found among all the living beings, God fashions a woman from the man’s own flesh – Genesis 2:23-24 highlights the sense of oneness that exists between the man and woman. Adam joyfully proclaims ‘this at last is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh’. This sentence and Eve’s creation both point that marriage creates the closet of all human relationship. It is also important to observe that God creates only one Eve for Adam, not several Eves or another

Adam. Heterosexual monogamy is the divine pattern for marriage. (The English Standard Version Study Bible)

It is a fantasy to think that by violating God’s Laws on marriage and the family will bring freedom and happiness in our society. Happiness came from the word ‘blessing’ and blessing comes only from God. Removing the Word of God in marriage and the family will unleash untold destruction, anxiety and distress in our country. Before trying to recreate Sodom and Gomorrah in Britain, think about what happened to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. The males of Sodom and Gomorrah wanted to have sex with the Angels of the Lord (also males) a result the whole area and all the inhabitants were destroyed and buried under the Dead Sea.

Genesis 19:24-25 the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulphur and fire from out of heaven(verse 24) These words emphasize the divine nature of the punishment, the consequence of which is the total destruction of all the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah and all the vegetation (verse 25). The theme of universal destruction echoes the flood story. This judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah, the flood of, Chapters 6-9, and later destruction of the Canaanites when the people of Israel entered the Promised Land (Deut. 20:16-18) all vividly demonstrate God’s righteous wrath against sin! His mercy in rescuing the godly from destruction, and the certainty of the final judgment to come (2 Peter 2:4-10) (the English Standard Version Study Bible)

It is clear from the Bible that God prohibited a man having sex with another man or a woman having sex with another woman. Open the Bible and read the following verses for yourself.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 warns men who practise sex with other men will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Romans 1:26-27 warns about females having sex with another female and same sex sexual practice in general. ‘For this reason God gave them up to dishonourable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another; men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.’

Leviticus 18:22 tells us, ‘You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.’ This prohibited all same sex sexual practice. Also see 1Timothy 1:10

Leviticus 20:13 ‘If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination...’

Do not be deceived: Hell is a real place (please watch ‘The Gates of Hell on Sky! It gives a glimpse of what Hell is like) and please don’t let anyone send you there. Do remember, once you’re born, you’ll always exist somewhere. When you die, you will exit somewhere, either in Heaven with God or to Hell with the Devil. One thing is for sure, you’ll always exist in one of these two places. How long? Well, remember it is not just for 70, or 7000 years but for eternity. Anyone who encourages you to sin against the Lord God, that person does not care about you. You surely don’t want to spend your endless time in Hell! (Says a preacher)

Well, let put it this way, if the Bible is right, you have lost everything and your body and soul are condemned in hell. But on the other hand if you are right, you have lost nothing by obeying the Lord God. (Pastor John Hagee)

Proverbs 3:5 says, ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.’

Isaiah 55:9 God says, ‘For as the heavens are higher that the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’

Jesus Christ loves you!

It is Sin

THE BIGGEST THREAT TO BRITAIN TODAY IS SIN!

IMMORALITY

Wake up, Same-sex marriage is offensive to the Lord God

Adam. Heterosexual monogamy is the divine pattern for marriage. (The English Standard Version Study Bible)

It is clear from the Bible that God prohibited a man having sex with another man or a woman having sex with another woman. Open the Bible and read the following verses for yourself.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 warns men who practise sex with other men will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Leviticus 18:22 tells us, ‘You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.’ This prohibited all same sex sexual practice. Also see 1Timothy 1:10

Leviticus 20:13 ‘If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination...’

Proverbs 3:5 says, ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.’

Isaiah 55:9 God says, ‘For as the heavens are higher that the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’

Jesus Christ loves you!

Mores at: Christ Loves UK & Christ Loves London websites

THE GOOD NEWS

The Good-News

Two vital important questions

Pastor Derek Walker is an excellent Bible Teacher from the Oxford Bible Church - the following was taken directly from his book, ‘The Good-News!’ It is best to read the book yourself.

‘Do you know for sure that you are going to be with God in heaven?

STOP!

If God were to ask you: “why should I let you into my heaven” what would you say?

Man thinks there are many ways to get into heaven!

Good works. Follow the 10 Commandments. Obey the Golden-Rule. Be nice. Do not hurt anybody. Avoid committing crimes and being better than most people. Give to charity. Be religious. Be sincere.

The trouble with all these ways is that they depend on us. But none of us is perfect. We can’t keep all the rules all the time. We all fail and so we can never be sure that we have done enough to earn our place in heaven. In fact the harder we try, the more we realise our imperfections. If you are not sure of your eternal life in heaven then get ready to hear:

The Best News you could ever hear! This news is that:

Heaven (Eternal Life) is a free-gift!

The Bible says: “...the GIFT of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23)

God wants us to have a close personal relationship with Him and to experience His Abundant Life both now and for all eternity. So He offers it to us as a free-gift.

Since Eternal Life is a free-gift, like all genuine gifts: It is not earned or deserved.

No amount of personal effort, good works or religious deeds can earn a place in heaven for you.

“By grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Suppose out of love, you gave a friend an expensive gift and they say: “Here is a pound for it.” How would you feel? Insulted? Yes, because any true gift must be accepted freely. If you pay anything for it, then it is no longer a gift. No gift can be paid for or be earned or deserved. The same is true for eternal life. It is not earned or deserved. God refuses any payment for it because He offers it to all men as a gift. In fact it is an insult to try and pay for it. It can only be received on a free-gift basis.

Why is it that no one can earn his way to heaven? Because: Man is a sinner

The Bible makes it clear that we are all guilty in the right of God, for All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)

Our own experience tells us that we often fail to come up to our own standards, let alone God’s standard of perfection.

Sin defined. Sin is anything that displeases God and transgresses His law. It is not just crimes like murder, rape or robbery. There are sins in deed, for instance: cheating, losing our temper, stealing and immoral behaviour; and sins in word such as lying, gossiping cursing and swearing; as well as sins in thought such as lust, pride, bad thoughts and hatred. Sins of commission are things we do that we should not. As well as these, there are sins of omission such as failing to love God, to pray to Him and worship Him, as well as failing to love our neighbour as ourselves. All these sins show that each of us is a sinner by nature and undeserving of eternal life in heaven.

Even if I am really good and only commit three sins a day, then in one year that would be 1000 sins! In a lifetime, 70,000 sins. In fact it would be worse than this. What do you think would happen to a habitual offender in a court with 70,000 transgressions on his record?

This means that: Man cannot save himself

No amount of good works, religious rituals or trying hard will impress God enough to allow you into heaven. You cannot earn your way into heaven.

If you wanted to save yourself by good deeds, do you know how good you would have to be? What is God’s standard?

Jesus said: “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)

God has only one standard – Perfection! A perfect God, in a perfect heaven, requires perfection. But imperfect man does not meet the standard and so he cannot save himself.

With such a high standard, no one can save himself, for God also says “Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:19) It just takes one sin to make us guilty.

In exams, there is a passing-grade, which you need to get to move onto the next class. God has a passing-grade in His class of life. Some of us may get 5%, another 10%, others 20%, but it makes no difference, we all fail! Why? God’s passing grade is 100% (perfection). Because of sin no one can pass on their own performance.

God gave His Laws in the Bible to show man His high standards, and in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus showed that God requires perfection in our heart-attitudes as well as in our actions. “Cursed is every one who does not continue to do all the things that are written in the book of the law”(Galatians 3:10)

It’s as impossible to reach heaven by our own efforts as it is to swim the Atlantic! Some may get further than others but all would fall a long way short of the goal. So, even though some people are better than others, we all fall short of God’s standard. The gulf between us and heaven’s glory is far greater than the Atlantic Ocean.

Trying to save yourself is also like serving up an omelette that contains some rotten eggs mixed in with some good eggs. It would be unacceptable. The bad eggs spoil the whole omelette. Similarly, when we try to serve our lives up to God, they are unacceptable because they contain the rotten eggs of our sins mixed in with our good works.

Do you now see why it is impossible for us to save ourselves?

God is merciful and therefore does not want to punish us. This is because “God is love” (1 John 4:8)

He says: “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3) He wants us all to go to heaven.

But the same Bible that tells us that God loves us also tells us that...

God is just therefore He must punish sin

He says: “I will by no means clear the guilty” (Exodus 34:7) and “The soul who sins shall die.” (Ezekiel 18:4)

We all believe in justice. If a criminal robs and murders someone, then we know he should be punished. We would be outraged if he were let off. He must pay the penalty for his actions. Just as a human judge must pronounce sentence upon a criminal, so God also must punish the guilty. God cannot turn a blind eye to sin. If a human judge is required to punish law-breakers because of justice, how much more must the Just and Holy Judge of the universe punish every sin? Otherwise God would be unjust. Therefore all men are under the sentence of death.

We have a major problem – we have all sinned and the penalty for sin is eternal death. We need forgiveness so that we can have a right relation with God. On the one hand, God loves us and does not want to punish us (He wants us to go to heaven); on the other He is Just and must punish our sin, which would mean us going to hell.

God solved this problem for us in the Person of Jesus Christ.

Who exactly would you say Jesus Christ is?

A good man, a great teacher, a prophet perhaps? The Bible tells us He is all these things but also so much more. He is God – the Creator of the whole universe. He created you. He also became a man and lived among us. Jesus Christ is the unique God-Man, both fully God and fully man.

“In the beginning was the Word (Jesus) and the Word (Jesus) was with God and the Word was God ...and the Word (Jesus) became flesh (a man) and dwelt among us.” (John1:1, 14)

So you see, He was and is God!

2000 years ago, God became a man, clothing Himself in human flesh. God loved us so much that He sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, to come and save us from our sin and from hell and give us life.

What did Jesus do?

When Jesus died on the cross, all our sin was laid on Him. “All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6)

God hates our sins but because of His love for us, He has placed them all on His Son. Christ bore our sins in His body on the cross. When He cried, “It is finished”, He announced that He had paid the price for our forgiveness in full.

He died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and to purchase a place in Heaven for us.

He was buried and our sin was buried with Him. On the third day He rose from the dead and is alive forevermore!

He now offers you the gift of eternal life that He purchased through His death.

This gift is received by faith - Faith is the only key that opens the door to heaven. Many try to use the key of their good works to get in, but will fail.

The Bible says that “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16)

But what is saving faith?

Faith is believing the Good News.

Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Do you believe that He died for your sins? Do you believe He rose again on the third day? Do you believe He offers you forgiveness and eternal life?

If you said “yes” to these questions you have the first ingredient of faith, called intellectual assent, which is believing certain historical facts.

But this alone will not save you, for the Bible says the devil believes in God and in these facts. So just believing in God is not saving faith. Something else is required and that is a personal response to Jesus Christ. Faith must be of the heart as well as the head.

Saving faith is trusting in Jesus Christ alone for Eternal Life.

Faith means trust. If you really believe someone, you trust in them. Now perhaps you have prayed and trusted God for a temporary crisis such as financial, family or physical needs. Now this is good, but it is not saving faith.

Saving faith is trusting in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, forgiveness and eternal life. It is entrusting your whole being to Him for your eternal destiny. It means resting, depending and relying upon Christ alone and what He has done, rather than what you or I have done to get us to heaven.

“Believe (trust) on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31)

True faith is trusting in Christ alone. This means that you transfer all your trust from your own goodness and from what you have been doing to Jesus Christ and what He did for you on the cross.

Imagine you are sitting in the chair of your good-works and you can see the chair of Christ across the room. You may believe it is there but until you get out of your chair and sit (trust) in Christ, He does not hold you up.

Faith is like the hand of a beggar receiving the gift of a King. We don’t deserve the gift of eternal life and we cannot pay for it, but we can have it today if we reach out and receive it by faith.

You have just read the greatest story ever told about the greatest offer ever made by the greatest Person who ever lived –Jesus Christ.

Would you like to receive the gift of eternal life?

It’s up to you! It’s the most important choice you will make.

Because this is such an important matter, let’s clarify what this means: it means putting all your trust in the resurrected living Jesus Christ, receiving Him into our heart and life as your Saviour and Lord.

Jesus said: “Behold I stand at the door (of your heart) and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and dine with him and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20)

When He comes in, He comes as your Saviour. He forgives your sins and gives you eternal life. He also comes into your life as your Lord for He is God. There is a throne-room in your heart, and the throne is rightly His. He made you. He bought you with His blood and He wants to take His rightful place on the throne of your life. So trusting in Jesus Christ as your Saviour also means surrendering to Him as your Lord.

If this is what you really want, you can come to God in prayer right where you are. You can receive His gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ right now.

“For all who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved” (Romans 10:17)

If you want to receive Jesus and His gift of eternal life, then call on Him, in prayer, asking Him for this gift right now, and He promises that you will be saved.

Say this prayer from your heart to God.

Dear God, I come to You, I confess that I have sinned. I have gone my own way. I do not deserve eternal life. But I believe you sent Jesus to save me. I believe He is the Son of God. I believe that on the cross He paid the penalty for my sins. I believe that He rose from the grave on the third day.

Right now, Lord Jesus, I invite you into my heat. I receive you as my Saviour and Lord. Please forgive my sins and take control of my life. I receive your free gift of eternal life. I give my life to you. I trust you alone for my salvation.

Thank you for saving me. Amen

If you have genuinely prayed this prayer, look at what Jesus promises to those who truly believe in Him:

“Truly I say to you, whosoever believes (trusts) in Me has (possesses now) eternal life” (John 6:47)

If you have received Christ as your Lord and Saviour, you are now a child of God!

Welcome to the Family of God!

“For as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born of God” (John 1:12-13). Today is your spiritual birthday, a day that you will always want to remember!

The Bible says you are a brand new person on the inside. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) you are now alive to God and your past is forgiven. Your inner-man (your spirit) has been reborn, and you now have God’s life and love-nature in you. “The love of God has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to us.” (Romans 5:5) you now have a new capacity to love God and other people. Isn’t it wonderful what God has done for you! You are the love-child of a love-God and you should seek to express that love.

What’s next?

The Christian life is all about loving God in response to His wonderful love for us.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Matthew 22:37

What does it mean to love someone? You will want to spend time with them, enjoy their company, talk with them, get to know them and develop a close relationship with them if we love God, we will spend time listening to Him and speaking to Him.

The Bible is God’s Word to us. When we read it, God speaks to us. Spend some time each day reading the Bible and ask God to speak to you through His Word. A good way to start is to read the Gospel of John (at least a chapter a day.) You’ll find promises that God makes to you personally and commands that He gives you for your own benefit. When you understand what God’s will is for you, put it into practice in your life. You’ll learn more about Him, what He likes and dislikes. As you become aware of anything wrong in your life, repent of those sins, confessing them to God.

Spend time each day conversing with God.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made know to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

Worship regularly at a church that teaches you the Bible and honours Jesus Christ.

“I was glad when they said to me, let us go into the house of the Lord.” (Psalm 122:1)

When we receive Christ, we start the Christian life as a spiritual baby who needs to grow in our new relationship with God. In order to grow into strong Christians, we need to get together with other Christians and learn more about this New Life. “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word of God, so that you may grow.” (1 Peter 2:2)

We are not meant to live the Christian life alone but in fellowship with other believers who will help us grow in our faith. We are all in the same family and we need to meet together regularly. Being part of a Bible-believing Church is God’s will for us. “Not forsaking the gathering of ourselves together, as is the manner of some.” (Hebrews 10:25) The first Christians who gladly received God’s Word often joined together and “continued steadfastly in the apostles teaching, and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers.” (Acts 2:41-42)’ (the above is taken directly from Pastor Derek Walker’s book: THE GOOD-NEWS! For more details please contact the Oxford Bible Church Ministries)

Jesus Christ loves you!

Marriage: BRITIAN'S BIGGEST THREAT TODAY IS SIN

Marriage: BRITIAN'S BIGGEST THREAT TODAY IS SIN: THE BIGGEST THREAT TO BRITAIN TODAY IS SIN! IMMORALITY Wake up, Same-sex marriage is offensive to the Lord God What is going on?...

The Good-News

Two vital important questions

Pastor Derek Walker is an excellent Bible Teacher from the Oxford Bible Church - the following was taken directly from his book, ‘The Good-News!’ It is best to read the book yourself.

‘Do you know for sure that you are going to be with God in heaven?

STOP!

If God were to ask you: “why should I let you into my heaven” what would you say?

Man thinks there are many ways to get into heaven!

Good works. Follow the 10 Commandments. Obey the Golden-Rule. Be nice. Do not hurt anybody. Avoid committing crimes and being better than most people. Give to charity. Be religious. Be sincere.

The trouble with all these ways is that they depend on us. But none of us is perfect. We can’t keep all the rules all the time. We all fail and so we can never be sure that we have done enough to earn our place in heaven. In fact the harder we try, the more we realise our imperfections. If you are not sure of your eternal life in heaven then get ready to hear:

The Best News you could ever hear! This news is that:

Heaven (Eternal Life) is a free-gift!

The Bible says: “...the GIFT of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23)

God wants us to have a close personal relationship with Him and to experience His Abundant Life both now and for all eternity. So He offers it to us as a free-gift.

Since Eternal Life is a free-gift, like all genuine gifts: It is not earned or deserved.

No amount of personal effort, good works or religious deeds can earn a place in heaven for you.

“By grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Suppose out of love, you gave a friend an expensive gift and they say: “Here is a pound for it.” How would you feel? Insulted? Yes, because any true gift must be accepted freely. If you pay anything for it, then it is no longer a gift. No gift can be paid for or be earned or deserved. The same is true for eternal life. It is not earned or deserved. God refuses any payment for it because He offers it to all men as a gift. In fact it is an insult to try and pay for it. It can only be received on a free-gift basis.

Why is it that no one can earn his way to heaven? Because: Man is a sinner

The Bible makes it clear that we are all guilty in the right of God, for All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)

Our own experience tells us that we often fail to come up to our own standards, let alone God’s standard of perfection.

Sin defined. Sin is anything that displeases God and transgresses His law. It is not just crimes like murder, rape or robbery. There are sins in deed, for instance: cheating, losing our temper, stealing and immoral behaviour; and sins in word such as lying, gossiping cursing and swearing; as well as sins in thought such as lust, pride, bad thoughts and hatred. Sins of commission are things we do that we should not. As well as these, there are sins of omission such as failing to love God, to pray to Him and worship Him, as well as failing to love our neighbour as ourselves. All these sins show that each of us is a sinner by nature and undeserving of eternal life in heaven.

Even if I am really good and only commit three sins a day, then in one year that would be 1000 sins! In a lifetime, 70,000 sins. In fact it would be worse than this. What do you think would happen to a habitual offender in a court with 70,000 transgressions on his record?

This means that: Man cannot save himself

No amount of good works, religious rituals or trying hard will impress God enough to allow you into heaven. You cannot earn your way into heaven.

If you wanted to save yourself by good deeds, do you know how good you would have to be? What is God’s standard?

Jesus said: “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)

God has only one standard – Perfection! A perfect God, in a perfect heaven, requires perfection. But imperfect man does not meet the standard and so he cannot save himself.

With such a high standard, no one can save himself, for God also says “Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:19) It just takes one sin to make us guilty.

In exams, there is a passing-grade, which you need to get to move onto the next class. God has a passing-grade in His class of life. Some of us may get 5%, another 10%, others 20%, but it makes no difference, we all fail! Why? God’s passing grade is 100% (perfection). Because of sin no one can pass on their own performance.

God gave His Laws in the Bible to show man His high standards, and in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus showed that God requires perfection in our heart-attitudes as well as in our actions. “Cursed is every one who does not continue to do all the things that are written in the book of the law”(Galatians 3:10)

It’s as impossible to reach heaven by our own efforts as it is to swim the Atlantic! Some may get further than others but all would fall a long way short of the goal. So, even though some people are better than others, we all fall short of God’s standard. The gulf between us and heaven’s glory is far greater than the Atlantic Ocean.

Trying to save yourself is also like serving up an omelette that contains some rotten eggs mixed in with some good eggs. It would be unacceptable. The bad eggs spoil the whole omelette. Similarly, when we try to serve our lives up to God, they are unacceptable because they contain the rotten eggs of our sins mixed in with our good works.

Do you now see why it is impossible for us to save ourselves?

God is merciful and therefore does not want to punish us. This is because “God is love” (1 John 4:8)

He says: “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3) He wants us all to go to heaven.

But the same Bible that tells us that God loves us also tells us that...

God is just therefore He must punish sin

He says: “I will by no means clear the guilty” (Exodus 34:7) and “The soul who sins shall die.” (Ezekiel 18:4)

We all believe in justice. If a criminal robs and murders someone, then we know he should be punished. We would be outraged if he were let off. He must pay the penalty for his actions. Just as a human judge must pronounce sentence upon a criminal, so God also must punish the guilty. God cannot turn a blind eye to sin. If a human judge is required to punish law-breakers because of justice, how much more must the Just and Holy Judge of the universe punish every sin? Otherwise God would be unjust. Therefore all men are under the sentence of death.

We have a major problem – we have all sinned and the penalty for sin is eternal death. We need forgiveness so that we can have a right relation with God. On the one hand, God loves us and does not want to punish us (He wants us to go to heaven); on the other He is Just and must punish our sin, which would mean us going to hell.

God solved this problem for us in the Person of Jesus Christ.

Who exactly would you say Jesus Christ is?

A good man, a great teacher, a prophet perhaps? The Bible tells us He is all these things but also so much more. He is God – the Creator of the whole universe. He created you. He also became a man and lived among us. Jesus Christ is the unique God-Man, both fully God and fully man.

“In the beginning was the Word (Jesus) and the Word (Jesus) was with God and the Word was God ...and the Word (Jesus) became flesh (a man) and dwelt among us.” (John1:1, 14)

So you see, He was and is God!

2000 years ago, God became a man, clothing Himself in human flesh. God loved us so much that He sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, to come and save us from our sin and from hell and give us life.

What did Jesus do?

When Jesus died on the cross, all our sin was laid on Him. “All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6)

God hates our sins but because of His love for us, He has placed them all on His Son. Christ bore our sins in His body on the cross. When He cried, “It is finished”, He announced that He had paid the price for our forgiveness in full.

He died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and to purchase a place in Heaven for us.

He was buried and our sin was buried with Him. On the third day He rose from the dead and is alive forevermore!

He now offers you the gift of eternal life that He purchased through His death.

This gift is received by faith - Faith is the only key that opens the door to heaven. Many try to use the key of their good works to get in, but will fail.

The Bible says that “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16)

But what is saving faith?

Faith is believing the Good News.

Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Do you believe that He died for your sins? Do you believe He rose again on the third day? Do you believe He offers you forgiveness and eternal life?

If you said “yes” to these questions you have the first ingredient of faith, called intellectual assent, which is believing certain historical facts.

But this alone will not save you, for the Bible says the devil believes in God and in these facts. So just believing in God is not saving faith. Something else is required and that is a personal response to Jesus Christ. Faith must be of the heart as well as the head.

Saving faith is trusting in Jesus Christ alone for Eternal Life.

Faith means trust. If you really believe someone, you trust in them. Now perhaps you have prayed and trusted God for a temporary crisis such as financial, family or physical needs. Now this is good, but it is not saving faith.

Saving faith is trusting in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, forgiveness and eternal life. It is entrusting your whole being to Him for your eternal destiny. It means resting, depending and relying upon Christ alone and what He has done, rather than what you or I have done to get us to heaven.

“Believe (trust) on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31)

True faith is trusting in Christ alone. This means that you transfer all your trust from your own goodness and from what you have been doing to Jesus Christ and what He did for you on the cross.

Imagine you are sitting in the chair of your good-works and you can see the chair of Christ across the room. You may believe it is there but until you get out of your chair and sit (trust) in Christ, He does not hold you up.

Faith is like the hand of a beggar receiving the gift of a King. We don’t deserve the gift of eternal life and we cannot pay for it, but we can have it today if we reach out and receive it by faith.

You have just read the greatest story ever told about the greatest offer ever made by the greatest Person who ever lived –Jesus Christ.

Would you like to receive the gift of eternal life?

It’s up to you! It’s the most important choice you will make.

Because this is such an important matter, let’s clarify what this means: it means putting all your trust in the resurrected living Jesus Christ, receiving Him into our heart and life as your Saviour and Lord.

Jesus said: “Behold I stand at the door (of your heart) and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and dine with him and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20)

When He comes in, He comes as your Saviour. He forgives your sins and gives you eternal life. He also comes into your life as your Lord for He is God. There is a throne-room in your heart, and the throne is rightly His. He made you. He bought you with His blood and He wants to take His rightful place on the throne of your life. So trusting in Jesus Christ as your Saviour also means surrendering to Him as your Lord.

If this is what you really want, you can come to God in prayer right where you are. You can receive His gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ right now.

“For all who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved” (Romans 10:17)

If you want to receive Jesus and His gift of eternal life, then call on Him, in prayer, asking Him for this gift right now, and He promises that you will be saved.

Say this prayer from your heart to God.

Dear God, I come to You, I confess that I have sinned. I have gone my own way. I do not deserve eternal life. But I believe you sent Jesus to save me. I believe He is the Son of God. I believe that on the cross He paid the penalty for my sins. I believe that He rose from the grave on the third day.

Right now, Lord Jesus, I invite you into my heat. I receive you as my Saviour and Lord. Please forgive my sins and take control of my life. I receive your free gift of eternal life. I give my life to you. I trust you alone for my salvation.

Thank you for saving me. Amen

If you have genuinely prayed this prayer, look at what Jesus promises to those who truly believe in Him:

“Truly I say to you, whosoever believes (trusts) in Me has (possesses now) eternal life” (John 6:47)

If you have received Christ as your Lord and Saviour, you are now a child of God!

Welcome to the Family of God!

“For as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born of God” (John 1:12-13). Today is your spiritual birthday, a day that you will always want to remember!

The Bible says you are a brand new person on the inside. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) you are now alive to God and your past is forgiven. Your inner-man (your spirit) has been reborn, and you now have God’s life and love-nature in you. “The love of God has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to us.” (Romans 5:5) you now have a new capacity to love God and other people. Isn’t it wonderful what God has done for you! You are the love-child of a love-God and you should seek to express that love.

What’s next?

The Christian life is all about loving God in response to His wonderful love for us.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Matthew 22:37

What does it mean to love someone? You will want to spend time with them, enjoy their company, talk with them, get to know them and develop a close relationship with them if we love God, we will spend time listening to Him and speaking to Him.

The Bible is God’s Word to us. When we read it, God speaks to us. Spend some time each day reading the Bible and ask God to speak to you through His Word. A good way to start is to read the Gospel of John (at least a chapter a day.) You’ll find promises that God makes to you personally and commands that He gives you for your own benefit. When you understand what God’s will is for you, put it into practice in your life. You’ll learn more about Him, what He likes and dislikes. As you become aware of anything wrong in your life, repent of those sins, confessing them to God.

Spend time each day conversing with God.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made know to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

Worship regularly at a church that teaches you the Bible and honours Jesus Christ.

“I was glad when they said to me, let us go into the house of the Lord.” (Psalm 122:1)

When we receive Christ, we start the Christian life as a spiritual baby who needs to grow in our new relationship with God. In order to grow into strong Christians, we need to get together with other Christians and learn more about this New Life. “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word of God, so that you may grow.” (1 Peter 2:2)

We are not meant to live the Christian life alone but in fellowship with other believers who will help us grow in our faith. We are all in the same family and we need to meet together regularly. Being part of a Bible-believing Church is God’s will for us. “Not forsaking the gathering of ourselves together, as is the manner of some.” (Hebrews 10:25) The first Christians who gladly received God’s Word often joined together and “continued steadfastly in the apostles teaching, and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers.” (Acts 2:41-42)’ (the above is taken directly from Pastor Derek Walker’s book: THE GOOD-NEWS! For more details please contact the Oxford Bible Church Ministries)

Jesus Christ loves you!

Wednesday, 4 April 2012

BRITIAN'S BIGGEST THREAT TODAY IS SIN

THE BIGGEST THREAT TO BRITAIN TODAY IS SIN!

IMMORALITY

Wake up, Same-sex marriage is offensive to the Lord God

Adam. Heterosexual monogamy is the divine pattern for marriage. (The English Standard Version Study Bible)

It is clear from the Bible that God prohibited a man having sex with another man or a woman having sex with another woman. Open the Bible and read the following verses for yourself.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 warns men who practise sex with other men will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Leviticus 18:22 tells us, ‘You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.’ This prohibited all same sex sexual practice. Also see 1Timothy 1:10

Leviticus 20:13 ‘If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination...’

Proverbs 3:5 says, ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.’

Isaiah 55:9 God says, ‘For as the heavens are higher that the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’

Jesus Christ loves you!

THE BIGGEST THREAT TO BRITAIN TODAY IS SIN!

INJUSTICE

Keep the promise you made to the Israelites

The United Kingdom laid the foundation for the Israelite state so she most see it through until our Lord Jesus Christ Returns.

Blessed Britain! Balfour Declaration 1917

Foreign Office, November 2nd, 1917.

‘Dear Lord Rothschild,
I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of His Majesty's Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet:
"His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country".
I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.

Yours sincerely
Arthur James Balfour’

Listen to the expert in biblical prophecy

Thomas Newton, Bishop of Bristol, England 1761 to 1782 was the expert in biblical prophecy he summarizes the warning that accompanies Israel’s uniqueness:

‘The preservation of the Jews is really one of the most signal and illustrious acts of Divine Providence...And what but a supernatural power could have preserved them in such a manner as none other nation upon earth hath been preserved? Nor is the providence of God less remarkable in the destruction of their enemies, than in their preservation...We see that the great empires, which in their turns subdued and oppressed the people of God, are all come to ruin...And if such hath been the fatal end of the enemies and oppressors of the Jews, let it serve as a warning to all those, who at any time or upon any occasion, are for raising a clamour and persecution against them.’ (Dr David Jeremiah)

‘But things changed between 1917 and 1948 and it has never been the same since - the United Kingdom withdrew her support for Israelites and broke the promise she made in 1917. She even abstained from voting; she wouldn’t support Israel’s efforts to hold on to her land in 1947.

The decline of the United Kingdom as the world’s superpower started from the years in which she stopped her support for the Jewish people in their attempt to re-establish themselves in their homeland – in other words, what happened to this country is exactly parallel to her walking away from her promises to Israel – the survival of Britain depends on the survival of the Israelites in their own land – the Holy Land.’ (Dr David Jeremiah)

The Bible in Genesis 12:3 states clearly - I will bless those who bless you (Israel) and I will curse him who curses you (Israel) and in you (Israel) all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

Why the Israelites?

Genesis 12:1-3 - The Lord God chose a man named Abraham and promised to create a people for Himself through that man and his wife, Sarah. Those descendants became God’s chosen people. (Deuteronomy 7:6-8; Psalm 33:12). God made a promise to Abraham and kept it – and that promise has never been rescinded (Jeremiah 31:35-37). He created a people to demonstrate His loving character to the rest of the world. (Dr David Jeremiah)

History confirms

People who curse Israel will find themselves in direct conflict with Israel’s God. Any country that bless and support Israel will themselves become the receiver of God’s favour and blessing. Tracing the history of nations that have had significant contact with Israel is to trace the providential hand of God in history – the United Kingdom is a modern example (Dr David Jeremiah)

Britain’s finest Prime Ministers were all Zionists!

During the dark days of war, the British people were afraid. Their hearts were failing them with fear. The Zionist Winston Churchill, a man of strength, courage and faith would go to the microphone across airways and speak to them – and the people listened. He encouraged them and inspired them to new hope – he calmed the people and lifted up their morals. (Dr David Jeremiah)

The Zionist Harold Wilson, this great man of God lived the Judeo-Christian Scriptures - he even wrote a prophetic book for Israel ‘the Chariot of Israel.’ As a result, God blessed him and his country.

The Zionist Lady Thatcher brought sunshine to Britain because of her knowledge and obedience of the Judeo-Christian Scriptures. Her Party was known as the ‘Jewish Party’ and this pleased the Lord God and brought blessings to the country.

The same happens to our brothers and sisters across the pond

America’s finest Presidents

In President Abraham Lincoln’s Bill over 120 years ago, he included a statement, ‘That a nation only is blessed whose God is the Lord. (Pastor Derek Prince of Britain)

President Harry Truman in 1948 openly declared America’s support for the founding of the new nation of Israel because he had been raised reading the Bible and knew enough to know that God had a plan for Israel and that he wasn’t going to stand in the way. (Dr David Jeremiah)

The current and finest Prime Minister in the world today is Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He is wise and courageous.

Most recently, Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada publically declared he will do whatever it takes to define Israel. He understands the Judeo-Christian Scriptures and puts them to practice. He is God fearing and courageous!

Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. (Jeremiah 33:3)

Jesus Christ loves you!

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