Make Sure That You "Hold Fast To The Gospel."

We dare not lose ourselves in beautiful thoughts about the future. When we think of the future, we are reminded that there is work to be done here on earth. The Bible does not encourage us to get all starry-eyed about the future. The Bible speaks about the future in terms of both salvation and judgment. In 1 Corinthians 15, the emphasis is on salvation. Nevertheless, there is also the warning against turning from Christ and bringing ourselves under judgment. Paul opens this great resurrection chapter by describing the Gospel in this way - it is “the Gospel, which you received, in which you stand, by which you are saved” (1 Corinthians 15:1-2). This is a marvellous description of how the Gospel changes our lives, but notice the next few words - “if you hold it fast - unless you believed in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:2). We must hold fast to the Gospel. We must remain faithful to Christ. If we turn back from following Him, the Bible speaks to us of the future - not in terms of the great salvation which we await, but rather in terms of the great judgment from which we must flee. To those who have become careless, the Word of God says, “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3).

‘Christ Jesus Came Into The World To Save Sinners.’

Ezekiel 25:1-17
We read here about God’s judgment upon sinful nations - Ammon (1-7), Moab (8-11), Edom (12-14) and Philistia (15-17). God speaks to us. He says to us, ‘You will know that I am the Lord’(5,7,11,17). He speaks to us as our Judge. He speaks to us about ‘sin, righteousness and judgment’(John 16:8-11). We are sinners. God is righteous. There will be a Judgment. This is God’s way of showing us how much we need His love. He shows us how much we need to be saved so that we might learn to be truly thankful to Him for the Good News of His love, the Gospel of our salvation - ‘God so loved the world that He gave His only Son...’; ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’; ‘Christ died for our sins’(John 3:16; 1 Timothy 1:15; 1 Corinthians 15:3). Let us ‘rejoice in God our Saviour’(Luke 2:47).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Look To The Lord. Catch A Glimpse Of His Glory.

Ezekiel 9:1-10:22
For many people, the time of blessing had come to an end and the time of judgment had begun. Some, however, would escape the judgment, They had been obedient to God. He protected them in the time of judgment: ‘Put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done... Do not touch anyone who has the mark’(9:4,6). They were marked out as God’s faithful people. They had continued to worship the Lord when so many others were turning away from Him. For many people, life can be summed up in these sad words: ‘The glory of the Lord departed’(10:18). ‘I looked and I saw...’(10:1,9): In a time when many show no interest in the Lord, there are those who look to Him and catch a glimpse of His glory - ‘the glory of the God of Israel was above them’(10:19).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Disobedience Can Lead To Only One Thing - Judgment.

Ezekiel 7:1-8:18
‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says to the land of Israel: The end!’(7:2). Why did God say, ‘This is “the end”’? He had been taking a good look at what was going on among His people: ‘the utterly detestable things the house of Israel is doing here, things that will drive Me far from My sanctuary’(8:6). He came to this conclusion - ‘This is the end of the road. It’s the end of the time of blessing. It’s now time for judgment’: ‘The end is now upon you and I will unleash My anger against you. I will judge you according to... all your detestable practices...’(7:3-4). Why did God say, ‘This is “the end”’- the end of a time of blessing, the beginning of a time of judgment? The answer is clear: If there is no obedience, there can be no blessing. Disobedience can lead to only one thing - judgment.
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com