SERMONS & TRACTS: 

INDEX:

1. The two roads.
2. Not fables but power.
3. Where is your home?
4. God’s simple plan of Salvation.
5. Who will deliver me?
6. My soul is thirsty.
7. Snake guide.
8. Peace.
9. Who will be lost?
10. Hijacked.
11. No adjustments later.
12. Only one way to God.
13. How to pray effectively?
14. Secrets.
15. God’s robot.
16. Anti smoke.
17. Little red ribbons.
18. Why?
19. Lost.
20. Anti drink.
21. Heart transplant.
22. Now, let’s settle the matter.
23. Balaam and the talking donkey.
24. Fruits.
25. Jesus’ journey: Gethsemane to Ascension
26. Daniel in the lion’s den.
27. Parables told by Jesus.
28. Jesus healed the sick.
29. David and Goliath.
30. The frequent use of the numbers 7 and 12 in the Bible.

1. THE TWO ROADS

CHOOSING THE ROAD

When we begin a trip to a place where we have never been before, we inquire which road we should take. We travel with our eyes wide open, and if we notice that we are on the wrong road, we turn around and look for the right one. Every day you and I are travelling through this world toward eternity, to a destiny that will never end, and which cannot be changed when we once arrive there. Do you know where you are going?

OUR GUIDE BOOK

God, in His love and kindness, has given us a Guide Book, the Bible, which shows us clearly the way to heaven. The quotations in this pamphlet are taken from this Book, “Your Word is a lamp to guide me and a light for my path.” (Psalms 119:105).

THE WIDE ROAD

There are many people on this road. “The gate to hell is wide and the road that leads to it is easy, and there are many who travel it.” (Matthew 7:13). Most of them have their eyes closed. They do not know, or they do not care, that they are on the road to destruction. “What you think is the right road may lead to death.” (Proverbs 14:12). “Their minds have been kept in the dark by the evil god (the devil) of this world.” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

THE LOAD

The people on this road are burdened with sin. “Everyone has sinned and is far away from God’s saving presence.” (Romans 3:23). We cannot hide even one sin from God. “Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7). The loads are chained to their backs. You and I cannot get free of a single sin by our own efforts. The load gets heavier as time goes on, and “Sin pays its wage – death.” (Romans 6:23).

THE LIGHTNING

The lightning in the picture represents God’s judgement. “Everyone must die once, and after that be judged by God.” (Hebrews 9:27). “Then I saw a great white throne and the one who sits on it … And I saw the dead, great and small alike, standing before the throne. Books were opened, and then another book was opened, the book of the living. The dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books … Whoever did not have his name written in the book of the living was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:11,12,15).

THE FIRE

Since God is pure and just, there must be punishment for sin. God’s Word tells us that there is a hell, a place of eternal punishment for those who do not obey God. The Bible says, “They are going to end up in hell, because their god is their bodily desires, and they think only of things that belong to this world.” (Philippians 3:19).

But God is also a God of love, “He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants all to turn away from their sins.” (2 Peter 3:9). In His great kindness and love, He has made a way of escape for all who really want it. Do you want to find the way of life?

THE WAY OF LIFE – THE SAVIOUR

Since we could not free ourselves from our sins, nor from the just punishment for our sins, God has provided a Saviour. “For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not die but have eternal life.” (John 3:16). God, the Heavenly Father, sent His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, from heaven to this world; He lived as a man, but never sinned. He went about doing good: healing the sick, curing the lepers, driving out demons, forgiving those who are sorry for their sins and teaching the people about God. But His great purpose in becoming a man was to die as a sacrifice for us all; to give His Divine, sinless life and His precious blood to pay the penalty for our sins. He let wicked men take Him, whip Him until His back was covered with bloody gaping wounds, put a crown of thorns on His head, and finally nail Him by His hands and feet to a cross, where He hung in pain and suffering. “Christ Himself carried our sins in His body to the cross” (1 Peter 2:24). He died for you and for me.

HIS RESURRECTION

After three days in the grave, Jesus Christ rose from the dead. He walked and talked with His disciples, and after forty days He went up to heaven where He sits at the right hand of God. (Romans 8:34) – a living Saviour, with “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). “And so, He is able, now and always, to save those who come to God through Him, because He lives forever to plead with God for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

HEAVEN

Heaven is the place where God lives in all His glory. The Lord Jesus said, “I am going to prepare a place for you. And after I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to myself, so that you will be where I am” (John 14:2,3). It is a marvellous place, where “He will wipe away all tears from their eyes. There will be no more death, no more grief or crying or pain. The old things have disappeared.” “There shall be no more night … because the Lord God will be their light.” (Revelation 21:4; 22:5). It is a sacred place. “Nothing that is impure will enter the city, nor anyone who does shameful things or tells lies. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of the living will enter the city.” (Revelation 21:27). There is only one way to heaven. “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one goes to the Father except by me.” (John 14:6). “Salvation is to be found through Him alone; in all the world there is no one else whom God has given who can save us.” (Acts 4:12).

HOW TO START THE ROAD TO HEAVEN

1.    “Turn away from your sins and believe the Good News.” (Mark 1:15).

2.    Come to the Lord Jesus Christ, in prayer, just as you are with your load of sin, and ask Him to forgive you. He says, “I will never turn away anyone who comes to me.” (John 6:37). “Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28).

3.    Believe in Christ alone for your deliverance from sin. “The blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from every sin.” (1 John 1:7).

4.    He will give you a new life. He will give you eternal life. Christ said, “Whoever hears my words and believes in Him who sent me has eternal life.” He will not be judged but has already passed from death to life.” (John 5:24). “When anyone is joined to Christ, he is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

5.    You will have peace in your heart. “Now that we have been put right with God through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1). “The testimony is this: God has given us eternal life, and this life has its source in His Son. Whoever has the Son has this life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I am writing this to you so that you may KNOW that you have eternal life – you that believe in the Son of God.” (1 John 5:11-13).

HOW TO LIVE THE NEW LIFE

1.    Read the Bible every day. Besides being a light for our way, it is food for the soul. “Be like new-born babies, always thirsty for the pure spiritual milk, so that by drinking it you may grow up.” (1 Peter 2:2). Ask God to guide and teach you by His Holy Spirit, as you read.

2.    Come near to God in prayer every day, praying in the name of Jesus, “Don’t worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking Him with a thankful heart. And God’s peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6,7).

3.    Speak to others about Christ. “Go back to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how kind He has been to you.” (Mark 5:19).

4.    In temptation, call on the Lord. “He can help those who are tempted, because He Himself was tempted and suffered.” (Hebrews 2:18).

5.    If you do sin again, confess it quickly to God. “But if we confess our sins to God, He will keep His promise and do what is right; He will forgive us our sins and purify us from all wrongdoing.” (1 John 1:9).

6.    Try to associate with other believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. “My commandment is this: love one another, just as I love you.” (John 15:12).

7.    Always obey God. “Whoever loves me will obey my teaching.”(John 14:23).

8.    Do not be afraid, for Christ is with you. “I will never leave you; I will never abandon you.” (Hebrews 13:5).

9.    Give yourself completely to the Lord Jesus Christ. Let Him direct your life according to His will. In this way you will find true happiness.

2. NOT FABLES BUT POWER

It was here where Masoebe, the great witchdoctor, threw down his heathen charms, medicines and witch bones after finding a new life in Christ.

Power to save

“We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His Majesty” (2 Peter 1:16).

Some would have us believe that the Bible is just made up of fables or stories. Stories which are untrue and have been made up by men.

The apostle Peter tells us that when they were on the mountain, they saw Jesus transfigured (or changed) before their eyes. They saw His glory and heard the voice of God from the heavens saying: “This is My Son, Whom I love; with Him I am well pleased” (Matthew 17:5).

The apostle Paul tells us that he is not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, to the Jew and then to the Gentile (Romans 1: 16). Christ came to save sinners. There is no one too bad nor too good whom He cannot save. He is able to save completely those who come to God through Christ Jesus (Hebrews 7:25). He has the power to save the most miserable alcoholic, the gangster, the thief and the liar. He also saved the thief on the cross. He saved the woman of Samaria. He saved the maniac of Gadara who was possessed by a legion of devils. He rebuked the stormy sea and saved Peter from sinking. He saved religious people like Saul of Tarsus who later became the mighty Paul.

Here in Africa, He has saved thousands of souls. Some were drunkards, others immoral and some were powerful witchdoctors. One by the name of Masoebe, was the most powerful witch doctor in his day. He knew how to make use of evil spirits and claimed to have power to make rain. He was a drunkard and immoral man. But one day, when he heard the Gospel being preached and saw how God healed the sick and lame without medicine, he was wonderfully saved. He went back to his home in the high mountains of Lesotho and collected all his medicines, bones and charms and threw them down a high precipice into the deep MALETSUNYANE  waterfalls. He destroyed his tobacco and marijuana and poured out all his beer, as he was determined never to drink any alcohol or smoke any form of tobacco or dagga again. He became a sincere Christian known by every one as a true man of God. No one could have changed that man’s life but Christ.

I knew another young man who was a real gangster who just lived by stealing, cheating and robbing wherever he went. He was more in prison than out of it. But the power of the Gospel saved that man thoroughly and changed his whole life and made him a wonderful preacher of the Gospel. Through his preaching hundreds of gangsters, drunkards, thieves and murderers were truly saved among every class of people, rich and poor, white and black.

The same saving power changed my life more than 60 years ago and has kept me all these years. It saved my brothers and sisters and my dear Mother. It will save you if you let Jesus come into your heart. Religion will not save you but Jesus will. For this was the very purpose of His coming into the world.

At one time we stayed with a widow whose husband had, as it were, been living in hell for over twenty years, almost drinking himself to death and making the lives of his wife and children most miserable. But they kept on praying for him and God saved and delivered him from his sinful ways. Not only can the power of the Gospel save the individual, it can save a whole family, a whole village or town and a whole country. The revival in Wales many years ago saved whole villages. The simple preaching of Jonah saved the city of Nineveh from destruction. God can save entire nations. He said: “Turn to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:22). The Bible and history of the world is full of true evidences of God’s saving power. This is why the angel said to Joseph, before Jesus was born: “You are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

Power to heal

God said to Moses, “I am the Lord who heals you” (Exodus 15:26). God proved the sincerity of His Word for He was their healer for forty years. Not one of the 3 000 000 people was sick or ill. Even when they were bitten by snakes a single look at the sign He provided kept them alive and healed them. Hundreds and thousands of people living today can witness to the healing power of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The leper who came to Jesus was immediately healed. The blind saw, the deaf heard and the dumb spoke. The crippled and the lame walked. Even the dead were raised to life again by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. If there were no healing power in the Gospel and in the name of our Lord Jesus, this article could not have been written, for I myself have been at death’s door several times through serious illnesses, but was healed by the power of His Word. Surely He has borne our sins and sicknesses in His own body on the cross and by His wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).

“Praise the Lord, O my soul … He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases” (Psalms 103:2, 3). Jesus the divine healer, not only heals the sick body but also the soul which is sick from sin. He heals the wounded and broken heart and spirit. “I will restore you to health and heal your wounds” (Jeremiah 30: 17). God who made man out of the dust of the earth is also able to restore health to us and keep us healthy.

I will not forget the son of a chief in Lesotho who injured his back by falling from a horse. He was paralysed from the waist down. He could not move his legs and so lay on his back for more than two years. Through hearing the Gospel message he confessed his sins and found a new life in Christ. In answer to prayer he was instantly healed and was able to ride a horse again.

The healing of Madihotetso, the heiress to the richest Chieftainship of Lesotho, shook the whole country. For years she had been raving mad and had been tied up with chains. No doctor, white or black, could help her. But God set her free after she had been prayed for by one of His humble servants.

I will not forget how the wife of one of the farmers in the Orange Free State became seriously ill after the birth of her first child. During 15 years she had 24 serious operations and was given up to die. She could not move a single limb and could no longer see or hear. Her grave had been dug, the coffin bought and her relatives had been notified to attend the funeral.

But God intervened when one of His servants prayed the prayer of faith. He quoted Mark 16:17, 18 “Those who believe … will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” God touched the woman and she was healed.

The power of the blood of Jesus

It is only by the power of the blood of Jesus that our hearts can be cleansed from all sin. No soap, medicine or chemical can take away sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, purifies us from every sin (1 John 1:7-10). In Revelation 7:9-17, we read of a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, who had washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Peter and John tell us about the redemptive power of the blood of Jesus, that not only purifies us from past sins but from sin itself and from the dominion and power of sin. God purchased us for Himself through the blood of His Son. We know that we were not purchased with silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ the Lamb who was without blemish or defect. (1 Peter 1:18, 19). Jesus purchased us for God by His blood from every tribe, language and people and nation to make us priests to serve God (Revelation 5:9, 10).

The blood of Jesus has power to protect us from the evil power of the enemy. It was the blood of the lamb sprinkled on the doorposts of their houses that protected the children of Israel in Egypt from the destroyer who killed all the first-born. God said: “When I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Exodus 12:13). It was the scarlet rope in the window which saved Rahab and all her people when Jericho fell (Joshua 2:18-21). Likewise the blood of Jesus has power to save you and your household if you believe. “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:31).

The people in the bare and woodless country of Lesotho tied little red ribbons between the wings of their chickens. They knew that a hawk would not attack or take a chicken which had a red ribbon on its back. We also read in Revelation 12: 11 that the saints of God overcame Satan by the power of the blood of the Lamb. The following verse is so true

There is power, power, wonderworking power, In the Blood of the Lamb; There is power, power, wonderworking power, In the precious Blood of the Lamb.

Power of prayer

Believing prayer has limitless power. Prayer changes things. Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you.” (Matthew 7:7). The leper whom no one could help, asked Jesus to heal him and Jesus did. Immediately the leprosy left him. The blind man cried to Jesus and received his sight. Four men carried a man who was paralysed to Jesus, asking Him to heal him and Jesus did. There is more power in prayer than in atomic bombs or any other kind of bomb. Prayer not only saves the individual, it can change entire nations.

Elijah, who was a man like us, prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain for three and a half years. He prayed again and it rained. He also prayed a simple prayer and fire came down from heaven, and burnt up the sacrifice, the wood, the stone and the dust and licked up the water. The whole nation of Israel was brought back to God through one man’s prayer. King Hezekiah prayed to God when the enemy came against him. In answer to his prayer the angel of the Lord killed 185 000 soldiers in the camp of the enemy. Jesus prayed until His face shone and His clothing was white and shining. He prayed throughout the night. He fasted and prayed. He prayed earnestly till His sweat was like great drops of blood. He conquered sin and the devil through prayer. He told us to pray at all times.

Power of faith and love

Jesus said that if we have faith as small as a mustard seed we will move mountains (Matthew 17:20). Nothing is impossible if we trust and believe in God. Through believing in God the Israelites subdued kingdoms, brought about justice, gained what was promised, shut the mouths of lions, stopped the fury of the fire and escaped the edge of the sword. In times of weakness they were made strong, became brave in battle (as David when fighting Goliath) and defeated the armies of the enemy (Hebrews 11 :33, 34). Faith is the victory that overcomes the world (1 John 5:4).

One of God’s greatest powers is love. Love is strong as death. Love wins over our enemy. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. When we were God’s enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son (Romans 5:8-10). It was the power of love that enabled God to give us sinners His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). This love of God constrains us to serve Him, to keep His commandments, to be obedient and to trust Him. It casts out all fear. Nothing is able to separate us from the love of Christ.

” In all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35-39).

Drawing power

Jesus is like a powerful magnet who draws all men to Himself. “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself,” said Jesus (John 12:32). Jesus does not drive us by fear like the devil does, Jesus draws us like a good shepherd leads his sheep. He draws us away from sin and from the sinful pleasures of the world to follow Him to green pastures and to quiet waters. Soon the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first, then we who are still alive and are left will be caught up – in the twinkling of an eye – to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. 1 Corinthians 15:51-58).

Creative power

Before closing, permit me to speak about the creative power of the Gospel which makes saints out of sinners. King David knew something of that power when he prayed, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalms 51:10). After all the victories he had won over the enemies of God, he found that the strongest enemy was in himself, his own filthy heart. The heart is “deceitful … and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Jesus Himself told us that – “from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean’ ” (Mark 7:21-23).

David realised that he could not change his own heart nor make it clean, therefore he prayed earnestly, under deep conviction, that God Who created heaven and earth, would also create a clean heart in him and give him a new spirit. God answered his prayer, according to His promise in the Old Testament: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).

Much more could be said about the power of His Word which is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword. The power of His resurrection and His incomparably great power for us who believe not in fables – but according to the working of His mighty strength, which is exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion (Ephesians 1:19-21).

Jesus said: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” Through that power the whole of Jerusalem was shaken on the day of Pentecost. That power is still the same today. “The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off for all whom the Lord our God will call” (Acts 1 :8, 2:39).

Power in the Name of Jesus

We could speak of the mighty power of the name of Jesus, the only name given unto men whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12). Jesus said, “In My name, they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well” (Mark 16:17, 18). “I will do whatever you ask in My name” (John 14:13, 14; 15:16; 16:23). Peter said to the man who was crippled from birth, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” He jumped to his feet … and went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God (Acts 3:1-9). No wonder His name is called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

“Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11.)

“If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).

Kneel now before Him in prayer, believe now on Him who died and rose for you, and confess Him before men and God before it is too late. Whoever believes in Him will not be ashamed.

J.R. GSCHWEND

3. WHERE IS YOUR HOME?

Most of us have a home or a place we call home. It may not be as grand as others or as well furnished, it may not be as comfortable as others, but it is home to us and no matter where we visit or where we travel, we are always pleased to get back to our own home. The other places we visited may have been more beautiful and better in many ways, but they were not home to us and our own home was always beckoning. There is something about home that makes us welcome and makes us feel that we belong there.

WE ARE ONLY VISITORS HERE.

God’s Word tells us that in this world we are only strangers and pilgrims (1 Peter 2 : 11; Hebrews 11 : 13). Our homes here, no matter how well built they are, are only temporary, soon the walls will begin to crack, the roof will start to leak, the wind will blow through the doors and windows and not long afterwards the plaster will begin to fall off, and slowly but surely, the home begins to crumble. No building on this earth lasts for ever, no, they are only for a season and then they are just ruins and rubble. Look around you and everywhere you will see signs that prove to you that nothing in this world lasts long, but that everything passes, even our homes.

EVERYONE HAS A PERMANENT HOME.

Each one of us, whether we know it or not, has a permanent, everlasting home. These homes are the ones we go to when our lives on this earth come to an end, when our bodies are laid in the grave. Our souls then go to their homes where we will not be strangers, but where we shall be forever and ever. The one home is described to us as a lake of fire and sulphur where the beast and false prophet are, and where the devil will also be sent and all those whose names are not found in the Book of Life (Revelation 20 : 10 – 15). In these mighty waves of fire, in this torment and burning heat there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth; the sneer on the devil’s face, the sickening laughs of the demons will add to the horror and terribleness of it all. There will be no comforter and no help; the condemned will be alone in their agony and torment and will wish that they had listened more carefully to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These waves of fire, this place of torment, this place called hell, will be their home because “Everyone has sinned and is far away from God’s saving presence” (Romans 3 : 23). This is the home of the adulterers, the immoral, idolators, those that use witchcraft, those that have hatred in their hearts, the jealous, the liars, the drunkards, the thief, the deceivers, the dishonest, the murderers, those who love a fight, the lazy, the proud, those who desire the things of this world, the fierce and cruel, the greedy and those who love money and those who love the world and the things of the world (Galatians 5 : 19 – 21; Revelation 21 : 8). This is the home of those who have refused to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour, who have not yet been purified by the Blood of Jesus. “Do not deceive yourselves; no one makes a fool of God. A person will reap exactly what he sows” (Galatians 6 : 7). What we sow in sin and in the flesh we will reap in hell. Just stop and look how a sinner goes to this home, the home that is his because he has never yet accepted the Saviour. The hardened sinner approaches death with his body filled with pain and his soul filled with fear of death. Death has come at a time not expected and not desired and looks cruelly at his victim. The pleasures of sin have passed away and the dreadful and high wages of sin have to be paid (Romans 6 : 23). The distress of hell took hold of his frightened soul and spirit. Although he may want to pray, he is unable to get in touch or communicate with God. His former friends are afraid to stand at his bedside and their empty words of comfort cannot help him and his riches, which he may have gained through deceitfulness, cannot save his soul or ease his pain, nor lengthen his life. Although he tries to think of God, the devil does not give him any opportunity. Everything he loved in this world and lived for, seems to mock him and even his false wordly shepherd is unable to help him. He begins to realise that “it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10 : 31). He hoped to get right with God on his deathbed but finds it is too late. Thousands of people die suddenly without ever having a chance to find God on their deathbeds. Therefore we are told to search for God while He can be found Isaiah 55 : 6). Instead of hearing the comforting word of God, this dying sinner, who rejected the grace and love of God in his lifetime, has now to hear the voice of his Judge, the Saviour whom he rejected, saying: “Away, from me, you that are under God’s curse! Away to the eternal fire which has been prepared for the Devil and his angels” (Matthews 25 : 41). “Everyone must die once, and after that be judged by God” (Hebrews 9 : 27).

NOW, LET US LOOK AT THE BETTER HOME.

In this home there is no night, no lamps and no sun will be needed, for the Lord will be there (Revelation 22 : 5). “What no one ever saw or heard, what no one ever thought could happen, is the very thing God prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2 : 9). There is no language on earth by which one can explain or describe the glory of heaven, it is wonderful and glorious. This is the home of the redeemed. No sinner will ever enter there and “nothing that is impure will enter the city, nor anyone who does shameful things or tells lies. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of the living” (Revelation 21 : 27). You cannot buy this home with money or by working for it. You cannot climb over its walls, no church ceremony can give it to you, there is only one way and that is through Jesus. He said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one goes to the Father except by me” (John 14 : 6). Jesus tells us in John 14 : 2 about the home He is preparing, but this heavenly home is only for those whose sins have been forgiven and whose hearts and lives are clean. Many put on certain clothes in the hope that these will get them to heaven. No, it is the heart above all the needs purifying, and we must live holy, pure lives, not following the things of the world.

Seeing then, that we are all sinners in the sight of God and are all heading for hell, there is only one thing to do “if we confess our sins to God, He will keep His promise and do what is right: He will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing” (1 John 1 : 9). Jesus said: “I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11 : 25,26). “Whoever hears my words and believes in Him who sent me has eternal life. He will not be judged, but has already passed from death to life” (John 5 : 24). Death holds neither fear nor torment for the Christian “Death is destroyed; victory is complete! Where death is your victory? Where death, is your power to hurt? Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15: 54-57). A person who has lived and walked with God is not afraid of death. When the time of his departure arrives he will go gladly, as the Apostle Paul puts it: “I want very much to leave this life and be with Christ, which is a far better thing” (Philippians 1 : 23). A Christian longs to see the face of Jesus who died for him on the Cross. The Holy Spirit also reminds him of the words of Jesus: “Do not be worried and upset. Believe in God and believe also in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s house. And after I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to myself, so that you will be where I am” (John 14 : 1-4).

Now, let us stop for a while and see how a Christian goes to his home. Instead of the fearful death, the angel or messenger of God is seen waiting to carry his spirit back to God. Soul and spirit are released from the mortal body and soar through the open gates of heaven to the arms of the one who died for him. A happy welcome awaits him in the presence of God where he is greeted by his Lord and Master with these commendable words: “Well done, you good and faithful servant! Come on in and share my happiness!” (Matthew 25 : 21). Satan has no power over him anymore, for, “Happy are those who from now on die in the service of the Lord! They will enjoy rest from their hard work, because the results of their service go with them” (Revelation 14 : 13). Would you now do as the prodigal son who was far away from home, saw his miserable life and his need and said: “I will get up and go to my father” (Luke 15 : 18). Surrender you life now to Jesus, do it now right where you are; fall on you knees and confess to God that you are a sinner and ask Him to purify you in His precious Blood, and accept Him into your life, and in so doing, turn your back on Satan and on the road which leads to hell and start on your way to your heavenly home.

M.R. GSCHWEND

4. GOD’S SIMPLE PLAN OF SALVATION

My Friend: I am asking you the most important question in life. Your joy or your sorrow for all eternity depends on it. The question is: Are you saved? It is not whether you are a member of some church, but are you saved? It is not how good you are, but are you saved? No one can enjoy the blessings of God or go to Heaven without being saved. Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:7 “You must all be born again”. God gives us in His Word the only plan for salvation. The Plan is simple, you can be saved today.

First my friend, you must realise you are a sinner. “There is no one who is righteous.” Romans 3:10. “There is no difference at all: Everyone has sinned and is far away from God’s saving presence.” There is no chance to be saved unless you come to realise you are a sinner. Because you are a sinner, you are condemned to die. “For sin pays its wage – death.” “And sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” James 1:15 This means separation from God, in hell forever.

How terrible. Yes, my friend, but it is true. But God loved you so much that He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, as your substitute, who suffered for your sin, and died in your place. “Christ was without sin, but for our sake God made Him share our sin in order that in union with Him we might share the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21. “Christ Himself carried our sins in His body to the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. It is by His wounds that you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24. Jesus had to die. He had to give His blood. “The life of every living thing is in the blood.” Leviticus 17:11. “Sins are forgiven only if blood is poured out.” Hebrews 9:22. Now we cannot understand how our sin was carried by Jesus, but God says in His Word that it was. So, your sin, my friend, was carried by Jesus and He died in your place. It is true. God cannot lie.

The Philippian jailor asked Paul and Silas: “What must I do to be saved?” “And they said believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved – you and your family.” Acts 16:31. Simply believe on Him as the one who suffered for your sin, died in your place, was buried, and rose again that you may be forgiven for your sins. Now call upon Him. “Everyone who calls out to the Lord for help will be saved.” Romans 10:13.

The first prayer for a sinner to pray is given in Luke 18:13. “God have pity on me, a sinner.” Now you are a sinner and surely you are sorry because of it. Right now, wherever you are lift your heart to God in Prayer. It does not take a long, loud prayer, for God wants to save you. Just say: O God, I am a sinner, I am sorry, I will turn away from sin, have mercy on me, and save me. Now just take Him at His Word. “Everyone (that includes you) who calls out to the Lord for help will be saved (will be, not might or can, but) will be saved.” Romans 10:13. Just take God at His Word. When you have done what He has asked, accept salvation by faith, according to His Word, “Believe (in the Lord Jesus Christ) and you will be saved.” Acts 16:31, no church, no society, no good works, only Jesus alone can save you.

The simple plan of salvation is: You are a sinner. Because you are a sinner you must die or else believe Christ who was your substitute and died in your place, was buried, and rose again. Just call on God, realising that you are a sinner and ask Him to have mercy on you and save you. Then just take Him at His Word and by faith accept salvation. You say, “Surely that is not all that I must do to be saved?” Yes, it is all. It is God’s Word. It is God’s plan. My friend, believe it, and follow it today. Now is the time – Today is the day. “Listen! This is the hour to receive God’s favour, today is the day to be saved!” 2 Corinthians 6:2. “Never boast about tomorrow. You don’t know what will happen between now and then.” Proverbs 27:1.

If it is not perfectly clear, read it over and over until you understand it. Do not put this tract down until you do. Your soul is worth more than all the world. “Does a person gain anything if he wins the whole world but loses his life? Of course not! There is nothing he can give to regain his life.” Mark 8:36,37. Be sure you are saved, you need salvation above everything else. If you lose your soul, you miss heaven and lose everything. God help you to be saved today.

He will save you and keep you. “Every test that you have experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps His promise, and He will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, He will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out.” 1 Corinthians 10:13. Do not trust your feelings. They change. Rely on God’s promises. They never change.

After you are saved there are three things to do daily for spiritual growth: Pray – You talk to God. Read your Bible – God talks to you. Witness – You talk about God. “If anyone declares publicly that he belongs to me, I will do the same for him before my Father in heaven.” Matthew 10:32. God loves you! Accept the salvation He wants to give you and experience the fulfilment of knowing that you are a child of God!

FORD PUTTER

5. WHO WILL DELIVER ME?

One Sunday I was preaching the wonderful Gospel in the village of a certain chief in Lesotho. A large crowd, together with the chief and his wife, had gathered to hear the Word of God. The living Word, which is powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, pierced deep into the hearts of the people.

He who does what is sinful is of the devil. 1 John 3:8.

While I was still preaching, the wife of the great chief, the queen, began to weep bitterly. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she stood up and cried out, “Who will deliver me? Please help me, my heart is very sore, I am a miserable and wretched person. Who can help me? Who will deliver me from this awful bondage of sin? What must I do? You all know me, I am the wife (queen) of the chief and I am also one of the prayer women.

For over twenty years I have attended church, but all these things have not helped me, they cannot set me free, sin has bound me. I am a drunkard and a murderess. My hands are defiled and wicked because they are engaged in making beer – that cursed drink! Sin has bound my hands and feet, I am a prisoner of Hell”

She wept again most bitterly and sat down and cried aloud: “Help me! Help me! Who will deliver me? Who will deliver me from these chains of sin? I love God, but sin rules me, sin is dragging me down to hell. I killed my first-born son, I was drunk while carrying him on my back, and in my drunken state I rolled on the ground and squashed the head of my sweet little son, so that he died. Please help me, deliver me from this death! My tribal customs did not help me. Religion did not help me. Who can help me? Who will deliver me?”

I answered and said: “Don’t be afraid. Do not despair. Your trouble is everyone’s trouble. The Bible gives the answer to your heart’s cry. It tells us that sin rules our lives but that there is One Who can deliver us.”

“I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing . . . . . . . . So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.” Romans 7:15- 25. Sooner or later this cry will come to everyone’s heart – “What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me?”

THE ANSWER

“If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36

Jesus is the answer to all our questions: the answer to your question. There is no salvation in any other name but in the Name of Jesus. Acts 4:12. Only Jesus can save us from our sins. Only His shed blood on the cross can cleanse us from all sin. No doctor, no medicine, no witchdoctor, no man, no preacher or priest, no church can save you from sin. Only Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, can save you by His blood, and by the power of His Spirit.

Jesus the Son of God came into this world “To open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.” Isaiah 42:7.

Jesus said, “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin . . . . . but if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:34-36. Jesus Who is the truth, sets you free.

Jesus the Son of God took all our sins in His own body to the cross. Your sins are all nailed to the cross. “Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows . . . . But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:3-7.

If the Son (Jesus) sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36.

Barabbas who was a sinner and a murderer, was condemned to death. He was to be crucified, but Jesus took his place and carried the cross on which Barabbas should have died. Jesus, the Son of God, was crucified in the place of Barabbas, in your place and in my place, the murderer was set free because another one had died his death. You and I are that Barabbas.

The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. If you look in faith to the cross of Christ you will see yourself and your sin nailed to that cross. Jesus has taken your place on the cross that you may live forever. He shed His blood for the forgiveness of your sins. For God so loved you that He gave His only Son, that you should no die, but have everlasting life.

After hearing these words the chief’s wife believed in Jesus and gave her heart to Him. She gave her sinful heart to God, and He gave her a new heart and filled her with His Holy Spirit. He not only forgave her all her sins, but delivered her from the power of sin. For many years since that time, she has been living a beautiful, victorious life. She does not drink beer in any form, does not smoke or snuff tobacco, lives a clean life and is a bright witness to the truth that, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17.

You too, dear reader, can be set free through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus said: “Come to Me ALL you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” Come to Jesus just as you are or where you are. Tell Him all about your sins and your troubles. He will not send you away, if you come with a humble and believing heart. Perhaps you are a church member, but bound in sin. Come to Jesus. He will set you free immediately, in the same way as He healed the leper and healed the blind. Jesus is still the same and can heal the broken-hearted and set the prisoner free. He forgives ALL our sins and heals ALL our diseases. Psalms 103:3.

When you have given your heart to Jesus, tell others of the One Who set you free. We too, would like to hear from you.

J.R. Gschwend

6. MY SOUL IS THIRSTY

“As a deer longs for a stream of cool water, so I long for you O God. I thirst for you, the living God.” (Psalms 42:1,2).

These words of the Psalmist apply to every human being. God has made us – spirit, soul and body. In the same way as our body hungers for food and drink, so our soul is thirsty for God, the living God. If we do not feed our bodies or give it something to drink, we would die, or if given the wrong food or drink, we would get sick. The same applies to our soul, for “man cannot live on bread alone, but needs every word that God speaks.” (Matthew 4:4). “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “He who comes to me will never be. hungry; he who believes in me will never be thirsty. For the bread that God gives is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (John 6:33,35). “I am telling you the truth: he who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live for ever.” (John 6:47,48,51).

Jesus said to the woman of Samaria that if she only knew what God gives, she would ask Him, and He would give her life-giving water to drink. He also told her that whoever drinks the water that He gives, will never be thirsty again. The water that He gives will become in her a spring, which will provide her with life-giving water, and give her eternal life. (John 4:10-14).

Jesus, the Word of God, who became man and lived among us, is the only living bread that satisfies and the only one who gives living water to quench the thirst of our soul. Nothing else in this world can give eternal life and satisfy us. Neither money, pleasure, women, men, fame, honour, drink, dancing, tobacco, drugs, or anything else can satisfy the thirst of our immortal soul. The rich man, of whom Jesus spoke, had all these things but when he finally went to hell he suffered eternal thirst, and desired that Lazarus should dip his finger in water and put it on his burning tongue for he was tormented in the flames of eternal hell – but Lazarus could not help him. (Luke 16:19-31).

Oh, my friend, stop trying to feed your soul on the empty things of this world. They deceive you. They pretend to satisfy you and leave you more hungry and thirsty than ever.

It will be, “like a starving man who dreams he is eating, and wakes up hungry. Or like a man dying of thirst, who dreams he is drinking, and wakes with a dry throat.” (Isaiah 29:8). If you do not feed your soul with the bread of life and give it the water of life, it will die. The pleasure of sin is not food for the soul. God created us and made man a living soul. It is only God who can satisfy the longing and the thirst of our souls. Our souls cry to God, the living God, for satisfaction. If we do not allow our souls to find satisfaction, we will die and suffer eternal thirst and hunger in the never dying flames of hell.

Jesus came down from heaven to feed our souls with the living bread, and to satisfy our thirsty souls with the living water. In the same way as you eat the natural bread and take it into your body, take Jesus into your heart and drink in the Holy Spirit which Jesus sent into this world to become a fountain of life within you, to enlighten and strengthen you and lead you into all truth.

Jesus said, “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood, has eternal life, and I will raise him to life on the last day. For My flesh is the real food, My blood is the real drink. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood, lives in Me, and I live in him. This then is the bread that came down from heaven. The one who eats this bread will live for ever.” (John 6:54-58). Accept Jesus, the gift of God now, the One who fully satisfies the hunger of our soul.

First step to heaven

God has given us a sure road that leads to heaven. We must take the road God provided for us. The ladder that leads to heaven has many steps.

The first step to God is “Repentance from sin.” John the Baptist taught and said: “Turn away from your sins, because the Kingdom of heaven is near!” (Matthew 3:1-2). The apostles told the people to repent. Peter said: “Each one of you must turn away from his sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins may be forgiven.” (Acts 2:38). “Repent then of this evil in your heart, and pray to the Lord that He will forgive you.” “God has overlooked the times when people did not know Him, but now He commands all of them everywhere to turn away from their evil ways.” (Acts 3:19; 8:22; 17:30). To the backslidden churches, Jesus, the head of the church said, “Think how far you have fallen! Now turn from your sins! If you don’t, I will come to you soon and fight against you with the sword that comes out of my mouth. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline so be earnest and repent.” (Revelation 2:5,16). Repenting means turning your back on your old life and turning to follow Jesus and to do the will of God. (Acts 1121; 14:15). Repentance concerns all sinners and unbelievers, as well as all those who are Christians only in name and are living in sin and are spiritually dead. Let them repent of their sins.

Repentance causes a person to turn from sin, to give up idols, witchcraft, drunkenness, sexual immorality, stealing, and telling lies and evil practices. “Turn away from all the evil you are doing, and don’t let your sin destroy you.” (Ezekiel 18.30-32).

Repentance is the gateway to full salvation. (Matthew 3:2; Acts 2:37,38).

Repentance is true sorrow for the sins we have committed. (Matthew 26:75; 2 Corinthians 7:10).

Repentance is to turn from sin. (Luke 15: 18).

Repentance is confessing your sin and not hiding it. (1 John 1:9; Proverbs 28:13).

Repentance is to fully surrender to God. (Luke 9:62).

Repentance is to put right what you have done wrong. (Luke 19:8).

The Holy Spirit convicts of sin and helps us to repent. (John 16:8).

Some that have repented

King David repented and was forgiven. (Psalms 51:.1-12). Daniel repented on behalf of his people and God heard him. (Daniel 9:3-19). The King and the people of Nineveh repented and the whole city was saved. (Jonah 3:5-10). The lost son repented and was welcomed by his father. (Luke 15:21). Peter the Apostle repented and was forgiven. (Matthew 26:75). Saul repented and became Paul the mighty Apostle. (Acts 9:1-22).

False repentance

Some people repent but their repentance is not genuine. Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the snake for their sins. King Pharaoh repented to escape God’s judgement, but his repentance was not genuine. (Exodus 9:27; 10:16). Balaam the Prophet repented, but continued on the wrong way. (Numbers 22.34). King Saul repented but wanted to be honoured at the same time and showed no real sorrow for his sin. (1 Samuel 15:30). Judas Iscariot repented in a false way, he confessed his sin before hypocritical priests instead of going to Jesus, whom he had betrayed. (Matthew 27.3,4).

We must repent and confess our sins to the one against whom we have sinned. The lost son showed genuine repentance. He got up and left the pigs and his master and went straight to his father and said: “Father, I have sinned against God and against you. I am no longer fit to be called your son.” (Luke 15:11-24). He accused no one else but himself, but had faith in his father’s goodness and love.

True repentance

True repentance is known by its fruit and works. The fruit and works of faith show themselves when a sinner truly leaves his sins and shows real sorrow over his sinful ways. The thief will return what he has stolen to the rightful owner where possible. The drunkard will do away with his beer and brandy. The one who trusted in idols and witchcraft will burn his idols and charms. The unfaithful husband or wife will restore right relations in his or her home and leave all sinful relations. Zacchaeus the chief tax collector accepted Jesus in his home and said, “Listen sir! I will give half my belongings to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will pay him back four times as much.” (Luke 19:8).

The writer knows of hundreds of sinners who, after repentance to God, returned all kinds of stolen or wrongly gained things to the rightful owner. Money, clothing, furniture, tools, sheep, fowls, oxen, knives were given up, tobacco, cards, charms and medicines, dices, witch bones, revolvers, etc., etc., were done away with. Many asked those whom they had wronged for forgiveness and found peace. By so doing, many of the owners of the stolen goods which were returned, also found repentance and salvation.

Do not delay, go on your knees now and pour out your heart in repentance to God. According to His promise He will forgive your sins and give you peace and everlasting life.

Hypocrisy

Hypocrisy is a false religion, holding to the outward form of our religion, but rejecting its real power. A hypocrite is a person who pretends to be what he is not, who puts on a false front. (2 Timothy 3:5; Matthew 23:13,14). He pretends to be a holy person but lives in secret sin. He does good things to be seen of men and to get man’s praise. He puts on a cloak of religion to cover his many sins. Jesus compared the hypocrites to whitewashed tombs which are clean and white outside but rotten inside. A hypocrite is more concerned about the outside appearance of purity than about the inward purity. A hypocrite only prays to God in times of trouble, sickness and danger, or when he is in need, but when God has helped him through his trouble, he has no love for God and does not spend time with God in prayer. He is just like Pharaoh who confessed his sin and the sin of his nation when the plagues came upon Egypt and asked Moses to pray, but as soon as the plagues ended, he and his people hardened their hearts. (Exodus 9:27-34; 10:16-20). The hypocrite judges and criticises others severely for small faults, while he himself is guilty of far greater faults. He is quick to detect or to see the speck in his brother’s eye, but cannot see the plank in his own. (Matthew 7:5). He is very fond of outward church ceremonies and the keeping of traditions, but does not like the spiritual worship of God. (Matthew 15:2,7,8,9). The hypocrite likes to make long prayers in public, but has no contact with God in the home.

The sin of hypocrisy is very difficult to cure because it hides itself very cleverly under various cloaks of religious activities. It also causes outsiders and the heathen to hate the Christian religion. God hates hypocrisy with all His heart. The prophet Isaiah says, “God’s judgement is like a fire that burns for ever. Can any of us survive a fire like that? You can survive if you say and do what is right. Don’t use your power to cheat the poor, and don’t accept bribes. Don’t join with those who plan to commit murder or to do other evil things.” (Isaiah 33:14,15). “And the quality of each person’s work will be seen when the day of Christ exposes it. For on that Day fire will reveal everyone’s work, the fire will test it and show its real quality.” (1 Corinthians 3:13). Jesus said, “Be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees – I mean their hypocrisy. Whatever is covered up will be uncovered, and every secret will be made known.” (Luke 12:1b, 2). The whole chapter of Matthew 23 was written to warn us of the sin of hypocrisy. Jesus scolded and warned the Scribes and Pharisees because of their hypocrisy. He called them snakes and sons of snakes and said, “How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You clean the outside of your cup and plate, while the inside is full of what you have obtained by violence and selfishness. Blind Pharisee! Clean what is inside the cup first, and then the outside will be clean too!” “How terrible for you teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look fine on the outside, but are full of bones and decaying corpses on the inside. In the same way, on the outside you appear good to everybody, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and sins.” (Matthew 23:25-28)

In the last days, people will turn away from the truth and will follow lying spirits and the teachings of demons, spread by deceitful liars, whose consciences are dead, as if burnt with a hot iron.” (1 Timothy 4:1-2). They will not escape the damnation of hell.

Deliverance

How can we be delivered from this deadly poison of hypocrisy? The first thing is to allow God, through His Spirit and His Word to convict us where the spirit of hypocrisy may have got hold of us. True repentance and full confession before God, and where necessary before man, is the beginning of deliverance from this great and deep-rooted sin. We must fully realise that the all-seeing eye of God can see every sin. We may hide from the eyes of others, and may deceive ourselves, but we can never deceive God. He knows the thoughts and intentions of the heart and His ear can hear what is spoken in secret. We must remember that our every thought is known in heaven. We cannot hide from the eye of God. “Whatever is covered up will be uncovered, and every secret will be made known.” (Luke 12:2 ) The hypocrite’s hope will perish, for a hypocrite will not stand before Him. What is the hope of the hypocrite, when God takes away his soul? Will God hear his cry when trouble comes to him? The sacrifices of God are a humble spirit. “My sacrifice is a humble spirit, O God. You will not reject a humble and repentant heart.” (Psalms 51 :17). You can therefore find deliverance through humble repentance and confession to God and turn from the life of hypocrisy to live a true Christian life in which the fruits of repentance and of the Spirit are seen.

Don’t be a bat

A bat looks like a bird and yet it is not a bird. It looks like a mouse but it is not a mouse. It is neither a bird nor a mouse. It likes darkness more than light. It is a picture of many so-called Christians who go to church of Sundays, and the rest of the week they live· a life of sin. One day they pretend to be Christians, the next day they are like the sinner of the world, and the unbeliever. They appear to be Christians, but in their hearts they still cling to the old heathen idols, agree with the devil, who is the god of this world, and commit all kinds of sin. They try to serve God and Satan. They are like the bat, neither one thing nor the other, and they like darkness better than light. Don’t be a bat. Be a Christian. ” I wish you were either one or the other.” God said, “But because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold –I am going to spit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:15,16).

7. SNAKE GUIDE

Sin is deliberately breaking the law of God, in thought, word or action. It is rebellion against a holy God, our creator. It is a fearful, ugly, deadly snake. Just as a bite from a snake is deadly, so the result of sin is death, not only physical death but eternal separation from God.

We must look at sin as it is in reality, as God looks at it, and not as the devil, who is the originator of sin, would have us look at it. Satan, who is a liar from the beginning, presents sin in such an appealing and tempting way, that it easily captivates people. If people could see the true nature of sin, they would hate and despise it, or even try to exterminate (kill) it in the same way as they would a snake. Sin is a hideous monster. It ruins the individual as well as entire nations. It is our bitterest and most cruel enemy.

It is foolishness to think that you can play with sin, for sooner or later it will bite you and ruin you for ever.

A certain warden at a Snake Park, who was physically a strong man, arrived at work half drunk one cold winter morning. The snakes were all curled up and stiff from the cold. The warden picked up one of the most poisonous snakes and placed it under his shirt against his chest. “You poor thing,” he said, “I will warm you up.” He held it tightly against his chest. The snake did warm up and out of gratitude bit him! In spite of all the injections the doctor had given him, within half an hour he was dead! In the past I had pleaded with him to give his life to God and also warned him not to play with snakes, but without effect. You cannot carry sin in your heart and not be bitten!

No wonder God hates sin with all the hatred it deserves for it plunged humanity as well as God’s creation, into utter misery, sorrow, and despair. It caused the death of Jesus Christ the Son of God, on the cross of Calvary. Before God created the world, God in His great love made a perfect plan of salvation and deliverance for man. Jesus, His only Son, was made sin for us, so that we could become righteous before God by believing in Him and His sacrificial death on Calvary.

Sin is ugly, degrading, sickening, cruel, selfish, defiling and enslaving. It torments its victims night and day and plunges them into an eternal hell. As an example look what alcohol does to a man, who has been made in the image of God. It makes him a peacock, a monkey, a lion, and finally a pig.

When a person becomes drunk, the spirit of pride and recklessness take hold of him. He squanders his money while his wife and children starve. He drinks more and begins to brag and act like a monkey. He keeps on drinking and feels so strong and bold as a lion and fights with everyone, even beating and killing his own loved ones.

The burning fire of alcohol increases his thirst and affects his mind. His head begins to go round and causes him to stagger about and finally he wallows in the mud like a pig. Such a man will land in an eternal hell if by the grace of God, he does not repent and call on God to deliver him through Jesus Christ.

“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There is none righteous, not even one.” (Romans 3: 23, 10). “The soul who sins is the one who will die.” (Ezekiel 18: 4). “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness …. the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from every sin.” (1 John 1: 7 – 10).

God loves sinners

God loves the sinner, but hates sin. He is anxious to separate the sinner from sin. Jesus did not come to call the (self) righteous, but sinners to repentance (Matthew 9: 13). He came to look for and save those who are lost. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5: 8). John the Baptist, when he saw Jesus coming, said: “Look the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1: 29). He not only came to forgive us our sins, but to take them away, to deliver us from its power and dominion and to set us free from the law of sin which forces us to do what we would not and prevents us from doing the good we would like to do.

How good it is when a man (or woman) comes to the place where he realises that he is a lost sinner and cannot set himself free. (Romans 7: 18 – 23). He will then cry out: “What a wretched man I am! who will rescue me?” (Romans 7: 24). In looking to Jesus, Who carried his sins and sicknesses in His own body on the cross, he will be able to say: “I thank God because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8: 2).

“Do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires … for sin shall not be your master because you are not under law, but under grace.” (Romans 6: 12 – 14).

Our faith in Jesus Christ is the victory that overcomes the world. The one who overcomes the world (and its sin), is the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God, Who took away our sins by His death on the cross (1 John 5 : 3 – 5, 12, 18).

Jesus not only came to redeem us with His blood and cleanse us from all sin, He also came to baptize us with the Holy Spirit and with fire, to endue us with power from on high. He makes us conquerors over sin, the flesh and Satan and gives us the crown of life and of glory (James 1: 12, 1 Peter 5: 4, Revelation 2: 10; 3: 11).

“To him who overcomes I will give the right to sit with Me on My throne just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Revelation 3: 21).

“The great dragon was hurled down, that ancient serpent called the devil or Satan, who leads the whole world astray … he was thrown into the lake of burning sulphur … and will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (Revelation 12: 9; 20: 10).

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a snake and put it on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live’ … Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.” (Numbers 21: 8, 9).

“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of man must be lifted up, … that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3: 14 – 16).

Have faith in God. “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16: 31).

J.R. GSCHWEND

8. PEACE

“If you only knew today what is needed for peace!” Luke 19 : 42. When we look around and see the things that are happening in the world today, it is quite clear to us all that there is no peace in the world. Everywhere you hear of fighting, murder, wars and rumours of wars. It does not matter which newspaper you open, you will find there the terrible things that people are doing to each other because of sin, hatred and jealousy. The great men of the world have been trying for many years now to bring peace to the world, and none of them have ever yet succeeded. Not only is the world in this condition, but it is sad to say that many of our homes also do not have peace in them. Worst of all, though, is the fact that there is a very large number of people in the world today, who do not have peace in their own souls and this is where the root of all the trouble lies.

WHY IS THERE NO PEACE?

In the beginning God created the world as well as the grass, flowers, trees and all the animals that live under the water as well as those that live on the ground. God also created Adam and Eve and in this entire creation there was peace. Adam and Eve were not afraid of any of the animals, and the animals lived peacefully and happily together. The sheep could walk next to the lion and the lion would not harm it. Above all, there was peace between God and man, and God used to come in the cool of the evening and walk and talk with Adam and Eve. They had no fear in their hearts towards God and looked forward to His coming to visit them.

Then Satan, who is the enemy of peace, entered into the snake and tempted Adam and Eve to sin, because where sin is, there is no peace. Satan, the father of lies, told them that they would not die even if they disobeyed God and took of the fruit which God had told them not to eat. Just as many people still, to this very day, listen to the voice of the devil, so Adam and Eve did what the devil tempted them to do and sinned against God. At that very moment, the peace they had enjoyed, left them – all the peace and beauty which God had created was now destroyed in one act of sinning, and fear entered the hearts of Adam and Eve.

That evening when God came as usual to talk to them, they hid themselves and were afraid of God’s presence. “Sin came into the world through one man and his sin brought death with it” and even we who all live today have sinned and are far away from God’s saving presence. (Romans 5 : 12; 3 : 23). One sin generally leads to another, and today the whole world is sick with sin, and this is why there is no peace on earth.

GOD WANTED TO RESTORE PEACE AGAIN TO THE WORLD.

God looked down from heaven and saw all the hatred, fear, sin and sadness, and in His great love He sent His Son to be born in a stable. Year after year at Christmas time, we are reminded of the words of the angel, “Don’t be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people. This very day in David’s town your Saviour was born – Christ the Lord! Suddenly a great army of heaven’s angels appeared with the angel, singing praises to God: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom He is pleased.” (Luke 2 : 10 – 14). Jesus was sent to this earth “to shine from heaven on all those who live in the dark shadow of death, to guide our steps into the path of peace.” (Luke 1 : 79). Ephesians 2 : 14 also tells us that “Christ Himself has brought us peace.” God has sent the Prince of Peace to this world, and if the people of those days had only accepted the Prince of Peace they could have lived in harmony once again.

WHAT DID PEOPLE DO WITH THAT PEACE?

Like Adam and Eve, the Jews and the other people of that time, preferred to disobey God and to follow Satan’s advice. They rejected the Prince, and when Pilate put Jesus and Barabbas before them, they shouted, “Away with Jesus! Give us Barabbas!” In other words, they were saying “Take away the Prince of Peace and give us hate, wars, murders and sin.” These people had their own free will and they could have chosen for themselves without being forced, but even so they chose Barabbas. The days in which we are living are exactly the same. God has given us a choice. We can have Jesus as our Saviour and as our King, and He will bring peace into our lives. He says, “Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid.” (John 14 : 27). The sins within our lives have taken us far away from God, and in our sinful state we have no peace in ourselves, but Jesus is always standing with outstretched arms waiting to receive us back, to restore us, to make us sons of God and to give us peace again.

We are told in Romans 5 : 1 “Now that we have been put right with God through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” There is nothing in this world that can give us peace. Money, riches and fame cannot give it, drink cannot give it; and putting our names on a church roll cannot give it. There is only one way to receive peace for our souls and that is to come to the Lord Jesus, confess our sins to Him and turn away from them, and “If we confess our sins to God, He will keep His promise and do what is right: He will forgive us our sins and purify us from all wrong doing.” (1 John 1: 9). The peace which Jesus gives is a peace far beyond human understanding (Philippians 4 : 7). It cannot be explained by man, but we can experience it in our lives if we are willing to turn away from sin and sinful friends, and to turn to the Lord Jesus Christ and to serve Him only. We may be able to live without peace but we cannot afford to die without peace, “For God’s Kingdom is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness and peace.” (Romans 14 : 17). Therefore, if we do not have the peace of God in our hearts when we die, we certainly will not be welcomed into His heaven of peace.

If we have not accepted the Prince of Peace into our lives and we die in our sinful condition, then there is only one place for us, and that is the eternal fires of hell. You cannot afford to die in the condition in which you are now because you will be eternally lost, and the Word of God tells us that “The smoke of the fire that torments them goes up for ever and ever.” It is an everlasting hell to which the sinner is going, and we have all sinned. “There is no one who is righteous.” (Romans 3 : 10). If you want to go to heaven, there is only one thing to do and that is to make peace with God and have God’s peace in your heart “And let the peace that Christ gives you, guide you.” (Colossians 3 : 15). At Christmas time we are reminded of Jesus’ coming to this world to bring peace. At Easter time we are reminded of how the people rejected Him and crucified Him. Dear friend, are you also going to be one of those who have rejected the Master, or are you going to open your life and let Him in? There is only one way of having God’s peace in your heart, and that is by kneeling down before Him now, confessing to Him that you are a sinner, and asking Him to purify you and to make you His very own; no matter how good you think you are, you need to be saved; no matter how bad you may think yourself to be, He is willing to accept you and will not turn anyone away. If you have never yet experienced God’s peace within your soul, then accept it now and you will have a great and glorious joy which words cannot express. (1 Peter 1 : 8).

At a certain Gospel service an old man stood up and said, “I have lived during the reign of four kings. In the first we were always at war, and a terrible time it was. During the reign of the second we suffered a great famine, and we ate rats and grass and wood. During the third, our enemies defeated us and we became their servants. But during the reign of this third king we were visited by another King, a great King, a good King, a peaceful King, a King of Love – Jesus the Lord from heaven! He has defeated the enemy, and He has conquered our hearts. That is why we now live in peace and plenty, and hope soon to live with Him in heaven.”

Dear friend, surrender your life now to Jesus. At this moment, stop on your downward road to hell, turn around and serve the King of kings and Lord of lords. You may find that many of your friends will leave you, but remember that Jesus has said, “The peace that Christ gives must guide you in the decisions you make.” (Colossians 3 : 15).

M.R. Gschwend

9. WHO WILL BE LOST?

There are many people who would rather not think about this subject for fear they may discover the real truth about hell. They are afraid that they may see themselves slipping down to hell at a very fast speed. Most people try to quieten their conscience with the words: God is a God of love and will never cast anybody into hell. With this they imagine that the matter of their eternal life has been dealt with and that their sinful life will be accepted in heaven. “Surely you know that the wicked will not possess God’s Kingdom. Do not fool yourselves; people who are immoral or who worship idols or are adulterers or homosexual perverts or who steal or are greedy or are drunkards or who slander others or are thieves – none of these will possess God’s Kingdom.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). “But nothing that is impure will enter the city, nor anyone who does shameful things or tells lies. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of the living will enter the city.” (Revelation 21:27).

There are others again who try to prove that there is no hell at all, and another group have a teaching made by man, that after death we will be purified by fire and after that will enter heaven. It is strange what people will try to do to avoid the truth about hell. Some avoid it by saying that there is no life after death, that when we die that is the end, there is nothing beyond the grave. God’s word tells us that, “Everyone must die once, and after that be judged by God.” (Hebrews 9:27). Another section of the population of the world believe that only those who die as Christians will live again, the others die and that is the end. A surprisingly large number of people from many parts of the world believe that when you die you come back to the world in the form of a flower, or a cow, or a snake or some other animal or creature. There are many more lies which people believe in order to soothe their minds about hell.

Is there a hell?

The one person whom we can believe above everyone else is the Lord Jesus. He spoke much about hell and we will therefore take a few of the many Scriptures out of the Word of God and see what He says. “Whoever calls his brother a worthless fool will be in danger of going to the fire of hell.” (Matthew 5:22). “So if your right eye causes you to sin, take it out and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose a part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into hell. If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose one of your limbs than for your whole body to go to hell.” (Matthew 5:29-30). “But those who should be in the Kingdom will be thrown out into the darkness, where they will cry and grind their teeth.” (Matthew 8: 12). “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather be afraid of God, who can destroy both body and soul in hell.” (Matthew 10:28). “And as for you, Capernaum! Did you want to lift yourself up to heaven? You will be thrown down to hell! If the miracles which were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would still be in existence today!” (Matthew 11 :23). “Just as the weeds are gathered up and burnt in the fire, so the same thing will happen at the end of the age: the Son of Man will send out His angels to gather up out of His Kingdom all those who cause people to sin and all others who do evil things, and they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where they will cry and grind their teeth.” (Matthew 13:40-42, 49, 50).” ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ the king asked him. But the man said nothing. Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot, and throw him outside in the dark. There he will cry and grind his teeth.”‘ (Matthew 22:12,13). “You snakes and sons of snakes! How do you expect to escape from being condemned to hell?” (Matthew 23:33). “These, then, will be sent off to eternal punishment, but the righteous will go to eternal life.” (Matthew 25:46). These are but a few Scriptures out of only one book of the whole Bible and there are many, many more.

What is hell like?

One day Jesus drew back the curtain and gave us a glimpse of hell. In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus gives us a picture of what hell is like. He shows us something terrible which the eye of man has never seen before. Fires of hell burning with great might and in the centre of this great sea of fire, is a man. This man is not asleep, he is awake, he is alive and he is conscious of all that is going on around him. He can see, he can feel, he can hear and he can taste with his tongue. This man once walked and lived on this earth as we do now. He had heard the preachers or prophets, just as many of us hear them. The sad thing is that he took no notice of what Moses and the prophets told him, just like today, so many take no notice of the Word of God and of the preachers of the Word. This man did not think and was not at all worried about life after death. He could have thought that God was a good God and would therefore not throw him into hell, and even if he did land there, there were enough priests to pray him out of hell. My friend, in spite of all this, he landed in hell and here we see him in these flames of fire.

Look at his face and see the misery, look at his eyes and see the great fear of hopelessness, listen to his terrible cry as he calls out to Father Abraham, “Take pity on me, and send Lazarus to dip his finger in some water and cool my tongue, because I am in great pain in this fire! … Then I beg you, Father Abraham, send Lazarus to my father’s house, where I have five brothers. Let him go and warn them so that they, at least, will not come to this place of pain.” Father Abraham told him that they had Moses and the prophets and that they should listen to them. But this man in the flames of hell said that if someone were to rise from death and go and warn them, they would listen. But Abraham said if they would not listen to the prophets, then they would not listen to anybody even if he rose from the dead.

How many of our friends and relatives are in the painful fires of hell this day and wish that they could come back and warn us of the truth and reality of hell? They cannot come back, we have the Word of God and must believe it. Jesus rose from the dead and how many believed Him? Only just a few.

The suffering in hell is not just for a short time but is for ever. “Away from me, you that are under God’s curse! Away to the eternal fire which has been prepared for the Devil and his angels!” (Matthew 25:41). “Then the Devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur … and they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever … Whoever did not have his name written in the book of the living was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:10-15). “There the worms that eat them never die, and the fire that burns them is never put out.” (Mark 9:48).

Hell is a place of torment and suffering and pain. The Bible tells us that there will be crying and grinding of teeth. Fire causes pain and people do not weep and cry and grind their teeth if they are dead, as some believe, or if there is no life after death. There is life after death for we read in Revelation 20:12, “And I saw the dead, great and small alike, standing before the throne.” If we go to hell after death, then we will suffer for ever and ever the torment and pain of its fire.

Who goes to hell?

Hell was prepared for the Devil and his angels. All those who sin and listen to Satan’s voice and whose names are not written in the book of the living, also go to this place of damnation. (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:15). This includes all of us, you and me, “Everyone has sinned and is far away from God’s saving presence.” (Romans 3:23). “Sin came into the world through one man, and his sin brought death with it. As a result, death has spread to the whole human race because everyone has sinned.” (Romans 5:12). Because of Adam’s sin, death has come upon us all, and you and I have to die. In the same way, sin has come upon you and me and we are all sinners in the sight of God. We have a sinful nature with a desire to sin and disobey God. People do not have to be taught to sin, they do it naturally. People have to be taught to obey God, to give their lives to Him and to serve Him. Because of the sinful nature of all men, we are all far away from God’s saving presence and are heading for hell. Whether we want to know it or not, we are sliding down to a terrible hell.

There are many who pray, “Lord, Lord”, and repeat certain church ceremonies every week, but do not know the Lord as their Saviour, and have not been born again. They will also, most certainly be found in hell. (Matthew 7:21-23). There are also those who profess to be Christians but do not bring forth good fruit, who will also be thrown into the fire. (Matthew 7:19). The acts of our sinful nature which should not be found in us are, “Immoral, filthy and indecent actions; in worship of idols and witchcraft. People become enemies and they fight; they become jealous, angry and ambitious. They separate into parties and groups; they are envious, get drunk, have orgies, and do other things like these. I warn you now as I have done before: those who do these things will not possess the Kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21). If we call ourselves Christians then the world should see in us, “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-24). Those found in hell will be those who have not been purified by the precious blood of Jesus, those who have not turned from their sins, who have not accepted the Gift of God, which is eternal life, and those who, through disobedience, treat cheaply the blood of God’s covenant which purified them from sin. (Hebrews 10:29).

The Lord spoke to Nicodemus, who was a Jewish leader and told him that, “I am telling you the truth; no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again.” (John 3:3). The Lord was telling him that even though he was a leader and a very good man, he still needed to be born again to enter heaven. If we are not born again, no matter how good-living we are, we will, certainly go to hell.

“What then, of the person who despises the Son of God? Who treats as a cheap thing the blood of God’s covenant which purified him from sin? Who insults the Spirit of grace? Just think how much worse is the punishment he will deserve! For we know who said, “I will take revenge, I will repay”; and who also said, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God! (Hebrews 10:29-31).

Who sends us to hell?

Many people say that because God is love He will never send us to hell. How is it then that people go to hell? God in His great love has made a way of escape for us and it is left to each one individually to decide where he or she wants to spend eternity. God has left this choice with you and me, and we are free to decide for ourselves about heaven and hell. If we want to go to heaven, the way is clearly shown to us. If we neglect to accept God’s way of salvation or if we choose not to accept it but rather to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a while, then we are sending ourselves to hell, because that is the way to go there. You and I are shown the way both to heaven and to hell, but it is you and I who decide which road to take and who walk the road to its destination.

How shall we escape?

God made a way of escape for us which needs no money, which does not require you to have a high education, which does not require you to live a good life before you accept it, and which does not ask you to work for it. God’s way is free, it is for the sinner as well as the good person. It can be understood and accepted by a child who has no learning as well as by an adult. It is wonderful, glorious and brings peace and joy. God’s way takes the heavy load of sin from off our shoulders, and God’s yoke is easy and His load is light. (Matthew 11:28-30). God’s way is being sorry for and turning from our sins. We must be truly sorry for the sins we have done and turn from them. “But now I am happy … because your sadness made you change your ways … For the sadness that is used by God brings a change of heart that leads to salvation.” (2 Corinthians 7:9,10). “Do those things that will show that you have turned from your sins.” (Matthew 3:8). “I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who do not need to repent.” (Luke 15:7). “This is what is written: the Messiah must suffer and must rise from death three days later, and in His name the message about repentance and the forgiveness of sins must be preached to all nations.” (Luke 24:46,47). “Surely you know God is kind, because He is trying to lead you to repent.” (Romans 2:4). When, by the conviction of the Holy Spirit, we have seen what great sinners we are and we are sorry and repent, then we must also confess our sins to Him, for “He will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing.” (1 John 1:9).

We must also believe and accept in faith what Jesus has done for us “As Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the desert, in the same way the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life. For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not die but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to be its judge, but to be its saviour. Whoever believes in the Son is not judged; but whoever does not believe has already been judged because he has not believed in God’s only Son. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not have life, but remain under God’s punishment.” (John 3:14-18, 36). “I am telling you the truth: whoever hears my words and believes in Him who sent me has eternal life. He will not be judged, but has already passed from death to life.” (John 5:24). “For it is by God’s grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God’s gift, so that no one can boast about it.” (Ephesians 2:8).

Because Adam sinned, death and sin came upon all men, but because Jesus, the sinless One, the Son of God, died for you and me in our place, we can have everlasting life. “For just as all people die because of their union with Adam, in the same way all will be raised to life because of their union with Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:22).

You see therefore, that what we have to do is very little and costs nothing. We only have to be sorry for our sins and turn from them, confess, and believe and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. The One who does all the paying and giving is the Lord Jesus. He paid for your salvation with His own life on the Cross of Calvary, He purifies our hearts with His precious blood, He forgives us our many sins. He gives us the right to become the children of God and He accepts us and makes us His very own. (John 1: 12). What a wonderful, glorious, and free salvation Jesus offers. Receive this salvation and accept Jesus now!

An ungodly man was once trying to convince a Christian that his religion was of no use and that he would never be any better for it. The unbeliever asked, “What has your Jesus done for you?” The Christian said, “He has saved me.” The ungodly man questioned, “And what is that?” and while he spoke there was an unbelieving smile on his face. The Christian replied, “Step with me to the door and I will show you.” So together they walked to the door and stepped outside. The Christian then picked up a quantity of dry leaves and made a large circle or ring of them. He then looked for a worm and having found one, he placed it in the centre of the ring. Then he took some matches and set fire to the dry leaves around the worm, while the unbeliever looked on with amazement. As the heat of the fire approached the poor worm, it began to wriggle and writhe and show symptoms of distress, but it could not get out of the burning ring. The Christian then quickly darted his hand through the smoke and picked the worm out of its dangerous position and placed it on the green grass out of reach of the fire and of all danger.

“There,” said the Christian, “that is what Jesus has done for me. I was exposed to the flames of hell, they were surrounding me and there was no possibility of escape. I was a great sinner condemned and ready to perish, but Jesus rescued me by dying for my sins, snatching me like a stick from the fire. (Zechariah 3:2).

Dear friend, as you are surely going down to the fires of hell, will you not look up to Jesus? Turn from and confess your sins to Him, believe and accept Him and let Him save you. Do not wait a moment longer but accept Him now! Wherever you are, open your heart to the Lord Jesus now. He loves you. He does not want you to die. He wants to save you, He is just waiting to hear you cry. Call out to Him now and He will stretch out His nail pierced hand and pick you up out of the fire and put you on the green grass away from danger of eternal damnation. He will put you on the road which leads to heaven. Trust Him now!

M.A. Gschwend.

10. HIJACKED

This modern age has produced a new drama – Hijacking! In some cases it has led to tragedy. One boards the plane to California and lands in Cuba. The destination indicated on the air-ticket is New York, yet one finds oneself in the Near East. One starts out for one place and ends up in another. Hijacking has become an extremely serious problem, and has developed disturbing political aspects from its connection with illegal exaction. Most of us will probably never experience what it is like when somebody clutching a pistol or hand-grenade has taken control of an aeroplane. Nevertheless, figuratively speaking millions are flying in hijacked aircraft and are not going where they intended to go. The greatest and most dangerous hijacker there is, is Satan. He could not care less whether you once started out in life with good, perhaps completely religious ideals. He knows that only one thing matters, where one arrives!

If you carelessly delight in your life-flight, and presume that all is in relatively good order, in spite of many violent gusts, so much the better for him. His strongest weapons are disguise and deceit. He does not wear a name-plate around his neck to proclaim to all the world who he is and what he intends doing, for who would take him on board? To achieve what he has resolved to do, he disguises himself by proclaiming his own harmlessness. “Who still believes in a devil today?” Thus, and in similar ways he pretends to be innocent. Eventually all seems to be in order. He also proclaims the harmlessness of sin. “Everybody does it, surely there can be no harm in it!”. Thus sin is made the norm, and thus he captures your thoughts, your actions and eventually your whole life. He hijacks you to where you never wished to go. Think a moment and let honesty alone be your guide! Which ideals did you formerly set before yourself as goals? You saw the mistakes and vices of others, and said to yourself, “that shall not happen to me, that I will never do!” Nevertheless, today you are doing these very things. You do now precisely what you did not want to do. This is your inner condition, your character. Such are your deeds, your environment, occupation, marriage and family. What has happened? The enemy, Satan, has captured your ideas and intentions and has placed you on a false course. Honestly speaking, you know this for yourself!

You meant to pilot your life yourself. You have maintained that you could do and choose as you like. However, you know all too well that these are, in fact, no more than empty words. You think and do many things which you would actually rather not do. You like to imagine that you are free, yet you cannot even give up some small bad habit. You seem to be strong in your own eyes, yet you cannot overcome temptation! You mock and laugh at the believers in Christ, yet deep within you wish to be free and happy as they are.

Every life-pattern which is not resolutely and decidedly God-directed, is on a false course. Whether it is directed by pure material things and worldly pleasures which make life pleasant, or whether you, in rebellion against your inner conviction and against God, seek satisfaction from the despicable and deceitful sensation in worldly music, sex and drug intoxication.

Friend, the devil is sitting in the cockpit of your life, and he holds you tight in his powerful grip. One day you will find out and realize to your dismay, that you have landed in a place completely different from that where you intended to be – the eternal damnation of Hell!

This is the hour of truth for you. What are you going to do? There is one thing however you cannot do. You cannot overcome your hijacker. He is stronger than you are. You have actually only one hope. Only one can help you – Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world. The Bible says: “All of us were like sheep that were lost.” (Isaiah 53:6). That is one fact, and the other is, “The Son of Man (Jesus Christ) came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10). I AM the way, the truth, and the life; no one goes to the Father except by me. (John 14:6). Jesus alone can set you free from sin and Satan. He alone can place your life back on to the right course.

Do now the only correct thing. Send God an S.O.S. amid the distress of your heart. Say, “Lord, save me from sin and from Satan!” If you are really honest and sincere in your call, Jesus Christ will set you free! By your uncompromising surrender to Him, Jesus will give you peace and a new meaning and purpose to your life.

Decide NOW what you want to be. Abducted and misled by Satan or led by Christ, the Good Shepherd that leads to green pastures and quiet waters. (Psalm 23:2). Jesus said, “If the Son sets you free, then you will be really free.” (John 8:36).

A. Sperling

11. NO ADJUSTMENTS LATER

The woodsman stood by the stump of a large, tall tree which he had just felled, surveying his work with regrets. He had made no effort to investigate the nature of the terrain hidden by heavy underbrush and now found to his dismay that the tree lay in a very narrow, rocky gully which made recovery of the logs an impossibility.

While the tree was standing, the woodsman had the power of decision to determine in which direction it would fall, but once it was separated from its stump, a change in its position was beyond his ability, no matter how earnestly he desired it.

My friend you are approaching the day when you will wish that you had the opportunity that is yours at this moment, but your ability to adjust will, like the woodsman mentioned above, be forever past. Your condition at death, saved or unsaved, must remain eternally fixed.

Many people mistakenly believe that death is annihilation (end of existence) when it is separation of the soul (the real person) from the body. At the time this change takes place, an agent of either God or Satan will be on hand to make claim, according to ownership. There will be great rejoicing for those whose names have been written in the book of life, Revelation 21:27 and complete sorrow and misery for the ones who have neglected or refused the way of salvation provided through Jesus Christ.

The Scriptures were given by God for our admonition, and they are full of warnings that death is the deadline, the end of our probationary period. There will positively be no adjustments after the soul is separated from the body “No matter in which direction a tree falls, it will lie where it fell.” (Ecclesiastes 11:3). If you are waiting for a more convenient time, be assured that it will never come, for God makes no mistakes about the time when he calls. “Listen! This is the hour to receive God’s favour; today is the day to be saved!” (2 Corinthians 6:2).” “If you hear God’s voice today, do not be stubborn.” (Hebrews 3:15).

Some people say that they will attend to these things when they come to them but do not wish to be troubled about them now, to such let us say: You have read these lines and thereby received knowledge of the urgency of this matter. If you delay action and death overtakes you, you will die in your sins and will be accountable to God for the knowledge that has come your way. “If you get more stubborn every time you are corrected, one day you will be crushed and never recover.” (Proverbs 29:1).

If you have sufficient courage to face the facts, you will try to do something about your spiritual wellbeing. To help you in your search for salvation, five important steps are listed below:

First: You must be thoroughly convinced in your own mind that you are a sinner and completely helpless to do anything to obtain your own salvation. “Everyone has sinned and is far away from God’s saving presence.” (Romans 3:23).

Second: Repent and turn with sorrow from all known sin. “I tell you that if you do not turn from your sins, you will all die.” (Luke 13:3).

Third: Confess to God that you are a sinner in need of salvation and ask Him to receive you and write your name in the book of life. Revelation 21:27. His Word says: “If we confess our sins to God, He will keep His promise and do what is right; He will forgive us our sins and purify us from all wrongdoing.” (1 John 1:9). “I will never turn away anyone who comes to me.” (John 6:37).

Fourth: Believe that Jesus Christ died in your place in order that you might have eternal life. Now, if your sorrow is genuine and you surrender to God completely, you will have confidence to receive Jesus as your Lord and Saviour through believing in God’s Word. In so doing, His Spirit will witness with your spirit that you have been born again. Romans 8:16. You have complied with HIS conditions, and you enjoy His protection just like the children of Israel when the angel of death passed over the land of Egypt (Exodus 12). But remember, a mere mental assent to the truths presented here will not substitute for a genuine surrender of heart and will to God. “No one can please God without faith, for whoever comes to God must have faith that God exists and rewards those that seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6. (Read Hebrews 11, full chapter).

Fifth: Fly your colours. Do not hide your newfound faith. You are now a Christian by the grace of God. Tell others about it. You will suffer persecution, but God will make up for that by letting “His peace, which is far beyond human understanding” (Philippians 4:7) come into your heart. He will give you the joy of winning others to Him if you are faithful with your testimony. Jesus said: “If anyone declares publicly that he belongs to me, I will do the same for him before my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32). So, your responsibility is to tell others to believe as explained in Romans 10:9-10, “If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised Him from death, you will be saved. For it is by our faith that we are put right with God; it is by our confession that we are saved.” Oh, friend: We have done all that we are able in this short article to help you, but God will surely enlighten you if you will obtain a Bible and search the Scriptures diligently, for there you will find faultless instructions in the way of eternal life. “How then, shall we escape if we pay no attention to such a great salvation?”

Neil D. Cameron

12. ONLY ONE WAY TO GOD

“I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one goes to the Father except by me.” (John 14:6). Many ways to find God are being offered to people by false religious teachers but in all the confusion it is good to hear our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ say: “I am the Way.”

If there ever was a time when we need to listen to His voice, it seems that that time is now. No one will deny that we are living in uncertain times, but when Jesus first spoke these words, the times were just as uncertain. There was much religious and traditional teaching, but very little truth. Jesus said to the Pharisees (a religious sect), “It is no use for them to worship me, because they teach man-made rules as though they were my laws!” (Matthew 15:9).

No doubt, there are many in this confused world today who like Thomas, are asking the question: “How can we know the way?” Perhaps they may not be asking it aloud, but the question is in many troubled hearts just the same. At one time there was that doubt in my own heart and mind, but thank God it is no longer there because when Jesus said: “I am the Way,” that was enough for me.

Ever since Adam disobeyed God in the garden of Eden, man has been trying to find the way to get back to God. Some will even deny that man ever went astray. They say in effect, that when a child is born into the world, it is already pure and all that is needed is just to keep it that way. So they proceed in their vain efforts to do just that. They seem to think that if they can get them to church, give them a proper training and at a certain age, get them accepted as a church member, that in time this will get them into heaven. We therefore hear much talk about training young people, but very little about the need for young people to accept Christ as Saviour.

Of course, it is perfectly natural for man to think that he can work his way back to God. When Adam and Eve sinned against God in the garden of Eden, they tried to cover themselves to hide their nakedness. They ran away from God and hid themselves in among the trees of the garden. When Adam sinned instead of confessing his sin to the Lord, he ran away from Him. There was only one way for Adam to be brought back to God and be made acceptable in His presence, and God took the first step. He looked and called for Adam and found him hiding among the trees. “The Lord God made clothes out of animal skins… and He clothed Adam and Eve.” (Genesis 3:21). Notice that the Lord did the searching, the finding and providing. In this we see God’s provision for poor, guilty sinners.

Jesus Christ is God’s Son. God is the One who sent Him into the world. God is the One who laid all our sins on Him. “He endured the suffering that should have been ours, the pain that we should have borne. All the while we thought that His suffering was punishment sent by God. But because of our sins He was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment He suffered, made whole by the blows He received. All of us were like sheep that were lost, each of us going his own way. But the Lord made the punishment fall on Him, the punishment all of us deserved.” (Isaiah 53:4-6).

We sometimes hear it expressed that man went astray through Adam’s disobedience, but is restored through Jesus Christ. The Bible says: “For Christ died for sins once and for all, a good man on behalf of sinners, in order to lead you to God. He was put to death physically, but made alive spiritually.” (1 Peter 3:18).

There is only one way to God and that way is not a system of rules or regulations or a code of conduct, but through a glorious living Person, Jesus Christ, who came down from heaven, and lived a life that was absolutely without sin. Even those who hated Him the most, could not find any fault in Him and Judas, the one who betrayed Him, acknowledged that he had betrayed an innocent man. (Matthew 27:4). So we see that the innocent One who suffered for the guilty, brings the guilty to God in an acceptable way.

“Every living man is no more than a puff of wind.” (Psalms 39:5). This statement from God’s Word makes it clear that we are only frail and weak at best, and that what He requires from us is to realize our need of Him and of His saving power.

People in good health do not need a doctor, so it is with the self-righteous, they think they do not need a Saviour, but God said: “Even our best actions are filthy through and through.” (Isaiah 64:6). It will take something better than our best actions to make us fit to stand before God. It would require a right relationship with God and that we only find in Christ. “God has brought you into union with Christ Jesus, and God has made Christ to be our wisdom. By Him we are put right with God; we become God’s holy people and are set free.” (1 Corinthians 1:30).

“Christ was without sin, but for our sake God made Him share our sin in order that in union with Him we might share the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 ). Our sins stand between us and God but Jesus Christ suffered the punishment for them on the cross thereby pleasing God. “He is able, now and always, to save those who come to God through Him.”

Jesus is the faithful witness. (Revelation 1 :5) and He has promised that He will not turn away any who come to Him (John 6:37). To come to Him simply means to turn from your sinful life, to turn your back on the world, to ask God to forgive you and purify you. When you have accepted the Lord and His forgiveness, He will give you His peace and joy.

There is only one way to God, dear reader, may you hear the Lord Jesus Christ as He says: “I am the Way”. Kneel down now and talk to Him and tell Him about your life, tell Him you are sorry, ask Him to forgive you, to be merciful to you a sinner, to purify you, to make you His child and to give you everlasting life. He promised that He will do it, so believe Him and get up with assurance in your heart that He has heard you and the work is done.

Go then and sin no more, and if you find that you are weak, ask the Lord Jesus to strengthen you and give you victory over sin. Be determined to turn from the things of the world, and you will find that He will not only give you peace and joy which the world cannot give, but you will find such a delight in serving God that you will not even miss the pleasures of the world, for the things of the world are but for a moment, but what God gives, is for ever.

Turn now to Him who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

The deceiver

Satan cheated Adam and Eve by giving them a lie for the truth. He offered them what did not belong to him and he gave them sorrow for joy and death for life.

False righteousness

Satan will offer you a false righteousness, as your own righteousness which is filthy through and through instead of the true righteousness of Jesus, obtained only by turning from sin and putting your faith in Jesus Christ.

False peace

Satan will give you a false peace by telling you that all people are God’s children and will go to heaven. Jesus said to the Pharisees: “You are the children of your father, the Devil, and you want to follow your father’s desires.” (John 8:44). John the apostle writes: “Whoever continues to sin belongs to the Devil, because the Devil has sinned from the very beginning. The Son of God appeared for this very reason, to destroy what the Devil had done. Whoever is a child of God does not continue to sin, for God’s very nature is in him; and because God is his Father, he cannot continue to sin. This is the clear difference between God’s children and the Devil’s children: anyone who does not do what is right or does not love his brother is not God’s child.” (1 John 3:8-10).

We can only become the children of God by being born again. “Some, however, did receive Him and believed in Him; so He gave them the right to become God’s children. They did not become God’s children by natural means, that is, by being born as the children of a human father; God Himself was their Father. No one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again. A person is born physically of human parents, but he is born spiritually of the Spirit.” (John 1: 12, 13 & 3:3,6). Satan tells you that there is no hell, no God, no judgement and no resurrection. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, shows you your sins and shows you Jesus the Sin-bearer, the Son of God who takes away the sin of the world.

False joy

The devil tries to give you false joy, and will give you worldly desires. These, however, cannot satisfy the longing of your soul. Neither beer nor liquor can quench the thirst of your soul. Jesus offered the Samaritan woman at the well lifegiving water that would quench her thirst. (John 4.5-13). Jesus is the fountain of life. If we drink of the water that He gives, that water will be in us like a living spring which leads to eternal life. Do not be deceived by the devil’s false, empty joy that only ends in eternal sorrow in hell.

False light

The devil appears as a false light. He likes to appear as an angel of light. Before his fall he was the most beautiful angel, but is so no longer. He tries to make sin appear very attractive and beautiful, so as to tempt you and to hold you captive, but this light is a false light. When Jesus the Son of Righteousness appears, the devil’s light will fade away. God’s light will reveal the ugliness of the so-called glory of Satan.

False way

The devil tries to lead you the wrong way. There is only one way that leads to heaven. Jesus said: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” Satan tells you that he has a better way, a broader road on which many walk, but he does not show you the end of that road which leads to hell.

“What you think is the right road may lead to death. Stupid people always think they are right.

Wise people listen to advice. Righteousness is the road to life; wickedness is the road to death.” (Proverbs 14:12 & 12:15,28).

False riches

The riches which the devil gives are false riches. The rich man was deceived, for when he died he went to hell. Judas was tempted by thirty pieces of silver. By betraying Jesus, he lost eternal life, eternal peace, eternal joy and eternal riches. Satan will give you a stone for bread, a scorpion for an egg and a serpent for a fish. In Jesus we have eternal riches that will never fade away. (Matthew 7:7-11).

Much more could be said but this is sufficient to warn you to follow the true Shepherd who gave His life for you. Follow the true light which is Jesus. Receive the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit, be a branch of the true vine. Listen to Jesus the true Prophet and not to the devil’s prophets. Turn from your idols, (false gods) and serve the true God.

Be a true worshipper and worship God in spirit and in truth. Jesus is the true Bread that satisfies and gives eternal life.

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, what a man sows he will reap.

Do not let the devil deceive you any longer but follow Jesus Christ who said: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.”

13. HOW TO PRAY EFFECTIVELY

Many believers are concerned for unsaved or backsliding loved ones, but are praying in fear and anxiety instead of expectant faith. This has made me look for a definite way of praying and also for a definite promise on which to base our faith.

The believer’s authority

First of all, we must know who we are in Christ, and exercise our authority as believers, against the devil and his opposing forces. We must know that through Jesus we have complete victory. (Romans 8:37), for Jesus completely defeated the devil at Calvary (Hebrews 2:14; 1 Jn. 3:8) and overcame all the power of the devil. (Luke 10:19). This is God’s Word, and He means what He says. The devil does not believe he is defeated, however, for he does not believe anything and continues to hinder and discourage those who will give in to him (1 Peter 5:8). In other words, Satan tests us to see if we will give in to his attack or not, and unfortunately, too many believers forget who they are in Christ, and that Satan is a defeated enemy, and they give in to him. However, we must resist the devil and not give in to him. (James 4:7). We must persist and persevere, in spite of seeming impossibilities, and we shall reap the harvest (Galatians 6:9), for with God nothing is impossible, and He will reward those who seek Him with confidence and expectant faith. (Hebrews 11:6). Jesus often said “Let it happen, then, just as you believe” Matthew 8:13; 9:29. What is faith?

Examples of everyday faith

The farmer sows his seed, and though he sees nothing happening, by faith he knows he will receive a harvest at the right time. A man seats himself in a train bound for some distant destination. He is unconcerned about his journey. By faith in the railway, he believes he will reach his destination. Many railway points, junctions and crossings will have to be negotiated, but that is the railway’s responsibility. He sits back and reads or sleeps. And as we bring our need to the Lord, let us commit that need to the Lord, and leave the miracle to Him. Let us not be concerned with the difficulties and problems of bringing about the answer. That is God’s business, and His ways are different from yours and His thoughts are not like yours. (Isaiah 55:8-9). When you take your watch to the watchmaker for repairs, he insists that you leave it with him until repairs are effected. He cannot repair it if you take it away with you. Likewise, we must leave our need with the Lord, and not be full of fear and doubt. Only one thing is impossible with God, and that is to answer our prayer when we try to work out the problem ourselves, in fear and uncertainty. This is unbelief, and without faith no one can please God. Read Hebrews 11:6. Let us be like Paul and Silas in Acts 16:25. Having asked God for help, they thought about His greatness and faithfulness, and in spite of their wounds and hopeless circumstances, they sang praises to God, and God shook the prison and released them. That was faith in the greatness of God and not in the hopelessness of their circumstances. Faith does the impossible.

The devil’s subtle devices and our attitude

Let us have faith in God, and not in our circumstances; let us fight against the negative thoughts that Satan will put in our minds. He will suggest to us that the situation is getting worse instead of better. He will show us the appearance of things as the evidence of a worsening situation. i.e. the symptoms and medical report in the case of sickness. He will even cause a dear friend to speak to you in a way designed to cause fear and doubt. He will draw your attention to a similar circumstance in somebody’s life that ended in tragedy. He will heap up evidence before your mind that points overwhelmingly to defeat. But thank God, as believers we do not need to look at appearances, symptoms and to the talk of people, for we look at the evidence of faith, for Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is to be certain of the things we cannot see. Faith is that which we see until such time as it materializes into the answer to our prayer. This period of waiting requires our patience; it requires our persistent expectation of God’s undertaking in spite of all odds; it requires our constant warfare against the devil’s onslaught of doubt and negative persuasions; it requires our constant atonement to God and His unfailing promises in spite of all apparent failure. This brings us to consider His promises written in His Word.

God’s promises

These are written contracts in black and white, between God and the believer, and established forever. Psalms 89:34 says God will not take back even one promise He has made. We can safely place our faith in God’s Word, for God is able to carry out His promises and there are over a thousand. (1 Kings 8:56). Abraham was absolutely sure that God would be able to do what He had promised. (Romans 4:21). He waited year after year. Sarah was getting older, and the possibility of a son at her age of seventy odd was humanly speaking impossible in the natural, but he allowed no thought of that to enter his mind. God had promised – therefore it was God’s responsibility. He took hold of the promise – God’s contract with him. Nothing would sway his faith. In God’s time, he received his son. God is never too late and never too early. Be encouraged therefore, and keep believing. God is greater than your need.

Salvation

Let us too, take hold of God’s promise for our need. Is it for a loved one to be saved? One who seems far from God? The disciples mentioned a difficult case to the Lord. “Who then can be saved Lord?” they asked in Matthew 19:25-26. Jesus said: “This is impossible for man, but for God everything is possible.” God will soften that stony heart; He will change that attitude. Pray and leave the impossible to God, ignore the appearances, and keep thanking and praising God, for His miracle working power. Reprimand Satan for his opposition and take charge over his evil power in the Name of Jesus, even as Paul did in Acts 16:18. Don’t hesitate to use your authority as a believer. John 14:13; Acts 3:6,16. As that loved one perhaps rebels more forcibly than ever before, recognize that it is Satan causing this. War against Satan continually in the spiritual realm through the medium of the prayer of faith, commanding him to set the captive free in the Name of Jesus. Don’t be discouraged when there seems to be no apparent change. I say “apparent”, because we cannot see the change that is taking place inside the heart and mind of the person. The opposition is definite evidence of a spiritual warfare going on. (Ephesians 6:12). and as believers we are on the victory side. Show love and grace, even though you may be criticized and insulted. At the right time, God will have His way. “He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants all to turn away from their sins.” (John 6:37; 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9).

Healing

Much the same attitude should be adopted should you pray for the healing of a sick body. Be bold and strong in faith. Exercise your authority as a believer, and claim healing according to God’s promises. Psalms 103:3 “He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.” Matthew 8:17 “He Himself took our sickness and carried away our diseases.” 1 Peter 2:24 “… It is by His wounds that we have been healed.” Mark 16:17,18 “… they will place their hands on sick people, who will get well.” These are positive statements of fact. The sick will get well. It is not a statement of “perhaps” or “maybe” or “if”, but a positive “will get well”. Therefore let us place our faith on these positive statements of fact, God’s Word of written contract between believer and Himself, and expect an answer to our prayer. At the right time this faith will materialize as a reality. God cannot fail.

How to increase your faith

Romans 10:17 says “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ.” We have faith in people we know. We know if they are trustworthy and capable. We mold our faith according to our knowledge of their character. How can we have faith in God if we don’t know Him, His attitude to us and His will for us? Therefore let us get to know God’s will for us by reading His Word and spending time in meditation, getting to know Him better. 1 John 5:14-15 says this gives us courage and faith that expects to receive from our loving Heavenly Father, who is longing to pour His blessings on His children. Keep believing and expecting. God will honor simple faith.

14. SECRETS

Young and old, men and women like to have secrets in their lives, as well as telling secrets to each other. In this picture you see two little girls telling each other matters which they think nobody else knows. A secret is an affair which few people know and ought to be kept private. We may have secrets from men but from God we cannot hide anything. He knows the deepest thoughts of our hearts. There is no secret that can be hidden from God.

Moses said: “You place our sins before you, our secret sins where you can see them” Psalms 90:8. “God is going to judge everything we do, whether good or bad, even things done in secret” Ecclesiastics 12:14. “God through Jesus Christ will judge the secret thoughts of all” Romans 2:16. God will not only judge the outward actions of men, but their most hidden sins and secret deeds, their inner motives and aims. “Whatever is hidden away will be brought out into the open, and whatever is covered up will be uncovered” Mark 4:22. “God’s curse on anyone who makes an idol of stone, wood, or metal and secretly worships it” Deuteronomy 27:15. “The adulterer waits for twilight to come; he covers his face so that no one can see him” John 24:15. We may succeed in hiding our evil deeds before men all our lifetime and die without our secret sins having come to the light. But we cannot escape God. The day is surely coming when the dead, small and great, stand before God. “I saw the dead, great and small alike, standing before the throne. Books were opened, then another book was opened, the book of the living. The dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. Whoever did not have his name written in the book of the living was thrown into the lake of fire” Revelation 20:12-15.

It is therefore essential to confess our secret sins to God, and where needed to men as well. If we do so, God will forgive us; for the precious blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin 1 John 1:7. David asked God to deliver him from all hidden faults Psalms 19:12.

God alone has knowledge of all secrets. “Who knows the mind of the Lord?” “There are some things that the Lord our God has kept secret” Deuteronomy 29:29. In His love he has revealed many of His secrets to men, first of all through His prophets and then through His Son Jesus Christ, who came to reveal His Father, and His Father’s will to us. In Amos 3:7 we read “The sovereign Lord never does anything without revealing His plan to His servants, the prophets”. “He takes righteous men into His confidence” Proverbs 3:32.

Through Jesus Christ, God has revealed all the secrets of His love to us. It is no secret today that “God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not die but have eternal life” John 3:16. It is no secret that “everyone must die once, and after that be judged by God” Hebrews 9:27. It is no secret that “all of us must appear before Christ, to be judged by Him. Each one will receive what he deserves, according to everything he has done, good or bad, in his bodily life” 2 Corinthians 5:10. It is no secret that “He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants all to turn away from their sins” 2 Peter 3:9. He therefore commanded us to “go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples” Matthew 28:19. It is no secret that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” and made “Christ to be our wisdom. By Him we are put right with God’s holy people and are set free” Hebrews 13:8, 1 Corinthians 1:30. Millions today testify of His saving grace, of His power to forgive all our sins and heal all our diseases. We know for sure that Jesus “endured the suffering that should have been ours, the pain that we should have borne. Because of our sins He was wounded. We are healed by the punishment He suffered” Isaiah 53. We also know that “if we confess our sins to God, . . . He will forgive us our sins and purify us from all wrongdoing”. “The blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from every sin” 1 John 1:9,7. It is no secret that Jesus the Lamb of God not only came to take away our sins, but also to baptize us with the Holy Spirit and fire Matthew 3:11. It is no secret that Jesus the Son of God died on the cross for our sins, that He rose again from the grave and went up to Heaven where He is “able, now and always, to save those who come to God through Him, because He lives forever to plead with God for them” Hebrews 7:25. He is preparing a place for His followers in heaven, so that we will be where He is through all eternity John 14:1-3. It is no secret that if we “continue to endure, we shall also rule with Him” 1 Timothy 2:12. We also know for sure that Jesus is coming back again. “There will be the shout of command, the archangel’s voice, the sound of God’s trumpet, and the Lord Himself will come down from heaven. Those who have died believing in Christ will rise to life first; then we who are living at that time will be gathered up along with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.

It is no secret that when the fig tree (Jewish nations) has begun to blossom and all the trees (Gentile nations); the Coming of Christ to set up His kingdom of peace on earth will be near. Everybody knows that this is happening ever since the Jewish State of Israel has been established while intensive nationalism has made many small and bigger nations independent in government. We therefore expect the Coming of Christ for His people at any time.

It is no secret to us that men will become worse and worse in these last days. “Many will give up their faith at that time; they will betray one another and hate one another … Such will be the spread of evil that many people’s love will grow cold, “in preparation for the revealing of the antichrist, the god of this world, who is deceiving the nations with empty promises making them believe a lie Matthew 24:10-13. But we also know that the dragon, that ancient serpent, which is the Devil or Satan will soon be chained and thrown into the bottomless pit, so that he cannot deceive the nations any more until the thousand years are over” Revelation 20:2-3.

It is no secret that Jesus is the only way, the truth and the life; and that no one can go to the Father except by Him John 14:6. We also know that there is no salvation beyond the grave, that today is the day of salvation and that the day is coming where nobody can be saved. It is no secret that Satan is a liar, a deceiver and a murderer, trying to pull you down into an eternal hell prepared for him and his angels John 8:44. We therefore beg you to be reconciled to God. Tell Him all your troubles and confess your sins. He will purify you from all sin, create a pure heart in you and accept you as His son and daughter, making you an heir of God and joint heir with Christ. Come now. Pray where you are, before it is too late.

If you want to know more of God’s unrevealed secrets get hold of God’s inspired book the Bible. It will tell you all you need to know now and for eternity. It is no secret what God can do. What He has done for others He will do for you.

I tell you a secret

Do not steal

The first sin which God convicted me of was the sin of stealing by taking that which did not belong to me. It was during the first world war when I was taken prisoner and threatened to be shot. While crying to God for help, he first convicted me of my sins. One day the whole prison cell was filled with the glorious light of God. In that wonderful light I was shown all my sins right back into childhood. God reminded me of the time, when as a small boy of about six years, I had taken a small coin of money that did not belong to me. Another boy, a playmate of mine had lost 2 1/2 cents while we were playing. I knew where the coin had rolled to, but did not tell him. Afterwards I went and picked the money up and bought myself some sweets. In the eyes of God I had stolen, and stealing is sin. I had long forgotten about it, but God did not forget and reminded me and showed me how ugly stealing is in God’s sight, Who said “Do not steal” Exodus 20:15. He showed me all my other sins which were many, but the first sin of which I was found guilty before God was the sin of stealing. Although it was a small sum of money, but to my playmate it was a lot, all that he had, and God wrote it down in His book where all our sins are entered in, to be read openly at the day of judgement. Together with all my other sins I confessed this sin and asked for forgiveness. I knew that this sin together with all the others would take me to hell. As I could expect to be shot any day, it was terrible to think I had to go to an eternal hell where the fire is never put out and the worms never die Mark 9:48. For hours I cried aloud to God for forgiveness. Suddenly Jesus appeared to me, hanging on the cross. I could see the many ugly wounds, the crown of thorns on His head, and cruel nails in His hands and feet. His face was all twisted and disfigured owing to all the pain and sorrow that came over Him. Blood was flowing from His wounds. While looking at His blood in amazement I suddenly was made to realize that all my sins were washed away by His precious blood. I knew that all my sins were forgiven through the Blood of Jesus. “The Blood of Jesus, His son, purifies us from every sin” 1 John 1:7. The peace and joy of God came into my heart. God also set me free from my sins and from prison, to serve Him, the living God. He helped me not to steal any more.

The first sin.

The first sin committed by man was an act of stealing. Adam and Eve had plenty of the best fruits to eat in Paradise. Hundreds of fruit-laden trees surrounded them, besides the wonderful tree of life, from which they could eat freely. God had only one tree reserved for Himself, the tree “that gives life and the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad”

Genesis 2:9,17. Satan, who is a thief and a murderer, persuaded Eve to steal that which did not belong to her. This was the first theft ever committed by man. It brought separation from God, untold misery and death to humanity up to this day. The originator of the sin of stealing is Satan himself. Stealing, therefore, in whatever form it may be, is partnership with the devil whom Jesus called a thief and a murderer and a liar John 10:10.

God said: “do not steal”. Exodus 20:15. He also told His people that “If a man steals a cow or a sheep and kills it or sells it, he must pay five cows for one cow and four sheep for one sheep” Exodus 22:1. You may never have stolen a cow or a sheep, but you have stolen many other things, perhaps clothing, soap, sugar, food, money, jewelry, tools, fowls, fruit, potatoes, pumpkins, mealies, instruments, bicycles, cars or anything that does not belong to you. Perhaps you have just borrowed it from the owner with no intention at all of ever returning it again. This too is just like stealing. You may have bought furniture, clothing or anything else on credit without ever intending to pay for it all. This too is another way of stealing. Maybe you see somebody possessing a lot of things, which you are in need of, and you think that he or she will not miss it if you take it. Before God this too is stealing and sinful. Perhaps, as a heathen, you were in a circumcision school and stole the pumpkins, mealies or even a sheep, not looking at it to be wrong. However, God calls it stealing. Perhaps you call yourself a Christian and yet you continually take the things that do not belong to you, maybe from your master or mistress, from your very friends or from your own relations or from strange people. Selling things beyond their actual value is just another way of stealing the money out of people’s pockets.

It would take too long to describe here the many ways of stealing. It is enough to know that God said “do not steal”. Let me conclude by quoting some more scriptures to show what God has to say about stealing.

“Do not steal or cheat or lie. Do not take advantage of anyone to rob him. Do not hold back the wages of someone you have hired, not even for one night” Leviticus 19:11,13. (Masters failing to pay the wages of their servants are guilty of stealing). “Whoever kidnaps a man, either to sell him or to keep him, as a slave, is to be put to death” Exodus 21:16, Deuteronomy 24:7.

Achan, an Israelite, stole a beautiful cloak, silver and gold, from the things that God said were to be destroyed while Jericho was being attacked. God blamed the whole tribe of Israel for his sin and blamed them for stealing. They lost the battle against Ai. Thirty six men were killed because of the sin of stealing of Achan. Achan’s sin of stealing was found out and all Israel stoned him and his sons and daughters, his donkeys and sheep and all he had. “Then the Lord was no longer furious” Joshua 7.

Absalom stole the hearts of the people of Israel and with that the kingdom from his godly father David. But he was killed. To steal the hearts of people by flattery or bribery is sin and does not pay 2 Samuel 15:6.

Immoral woman steal the hearts of men by telling them that “stolen waters are sweeter”. They lead them to the depths of hell. There are likewise immoral men who steal other men’s wives, breaking up homes and bringing misery and judgement on themselves Proverbs 9:13-18.

Stealing very often leads to murder and death Jeremiah 7:9. If a thief was caught breaking into a house and killed, those that killed him were not guilty of murder Exodus 22:2. “The Lord has an accusation to bring against the people who live in this land. “There is no faithfulness or love in the land, and the people do not acknowledge me as their God. They make promises and break them; they lie, murder, steal and commit adultery” Hosea 4:1,2. “Every thief will be removed from the land” Ezekiel 5:3,4. “For sin (stealing ) pays its wage – death” Romans 6:23. Just last week a man stole a sheep, killed it and put the carcass into a bag which he fastened on the back of his bicycle. As he was riding along, one of the feet of the sheep got through the bag into the wheel of the bicycle. The thief fell and was killed on the spot.

Hundreds and thousands have lost their lives while in the act of stealing, or have become murderers without intending to do so. Maybe you have been stealing for years without being found out, but be sure your sin will find you out. Jesus said “Whatever is hidden away will be brought out into the open, and whatever is covered up will be uncovered” Mark 4:22.

Greed leads to stealing, unless we desire the gifts and blessing of God. Greed is called idolatry because it makes a God out of the things of this world Colossians 3:5. God said: “Do not desire another man’s house; do not desire his wife, his slaves, his cattle, his donkeys, or anything else that he owns” Exodus 20:17. Jesus said that greed and stealing come out of the heart together with murders, adultery, pride and deceit Mark 7:21-23. If you want to be set free from the desire and habit of stealing, give your heart to God and He will give you a new and clean heart filled with His love and His Holy Spirit. He will set you free from the habit of stealing.

Is it right for a person to cheat God? God blames the Israelites for cheating Him by not paying the tenth part of their income to Him. He said: “A curse is on all of you because the whole nation is cheating me. Bring the full amount of your tithes to the temple, . . . I will open the windows of heaven and pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things:. Please read Malachi 3:7-12. The tenth part of our income does not belong to us, but to God. Let us also be careful that we are not found guilty of stealing God’s honor by boasting of what we have done Acts 12:21-23. In Romans 13:8- 10 we read “Be under obligation to no one – the only obligation you have is to love one another . . . Do not commit adultery; do not commit murder; do not steal; do not desire what belongs to someone else . . . Love your neighbor as you love yourself. If you love someone, you will never do him wrong”. Jesus said: “Ask and you will receive; seek, and you find; knock, and the door will be opened to you” Matthew 7:7. Be concerned with His Kingdom, and He will provide you with these things (food and clothes)” Luke 12:22-31.

Many men and women that have never worked but lived by stealing whatever they could, are today honest well-to-do Christians. They have confessed their sins to God and man. Where they could they repaid the things they had stolen. God forgave them and gave them new hearts and a new spirit, the Holy Spirit of truth.

Therefore, the Apostle Paul says: “Don’t give the Devil a chance. The man who used to steal must stop stealing and start working, in order to earn an honest living for himself and to be able to help the poor” Ephesians 4:27,28.

Let Jesus come into your heart and home and you will not have to steal any more. When Jesus came into the house of Zacchaeus, a tax collector, who stole the people’s money by overtaxing them, Zacchaeus said: “Listen sir! I will give half my belongings to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will pay him back four times as much”. Jesus said to him: “Salvation has come to this house today” Luke 19:1-10.

Greed and stealing (theft) come out of the heart of man. If you want to be free from the sin and habit of stealing, give your heart to Jesus. He will give you a new heart filled with His love, and He will set you free.

J.R. GSCHWEND

15. GOD’S ROBOT

A Robot is a mechanical warning light which directs people as they travel through the big cities of the world. It tells people when they can proceed, and warns people when they should stop.

God in His wisdom and love towards humanity found it necessary to place certain stop signs in this world. Even in the garden of Eden where Adam and Eve had freedom to eat the fruit of every tree in the garden and enjoy the perfect companionship of their creator, God was obliged to put a robot or a stop sign before them. The tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad, was that stop sign telling them not to eat of its fruit for fear of death. Genesis 2:16-17

Later when mankind increased, God found it necessary to increase the stop signs in making many more laws which gave the people on earth guidance on certain matters to know how far to go and where to stop. Such laws were not only given to mankind but to nature and everything else on earth and in heaven. God had put stop signs before the mighty sea, setting a boundary to the waters, preventing them from covering the earth again. There are stop signs for children as well as adults, stop signs for eating and drinking as well as for sleeping, for playing and for working. “So far and no further” we are told by nature. There are stop signs in single life and married life, in business, in sports, in factories, in hospitals, in schools, in army life as well as in science. In mountain climbing or on the sea, in aviation as well as mining for gold deep down in the depths of the earth, we meet those numerous stop signs. Ignoring these stop signs can cause terrible disaster and do tremendous harm.

In these modern days we are all acquainted with the traffic stop signs. It is really wonderful to see how, with few exceptions, motorists observe these helpful stop signs. Disobeying them can prove disastrous and a heavy fine can be imposed. Should a passenger train, a ship, or a plane ignore certain stop signs, hundreds of lives could be lost.

Our modern atom bombs and other still more destructive bombs are at the moment controlled by certain stop signs. Should any of them through some human error or negligence be ignored, the greatest part of humanity may be wiped out.

The greatest and most important stop sign for the safety, restoration and salvation of humanity was put on Calvary nearly two thousand years ago when Jesus Christ the Son of God died for us on the cross. It is the most powerful robot ever placed on earth to stop humanity on the way to destruction. “Everyone has sinned and is far away from God’s saving presence” (Romans 3:23), and are all heading towards eternal destruction. Ever since Adam and Eve deceived by Satan, ignored the first stop sign in the garden of Eden, humanity has taken the broad road to destruction. Truly God tried to put a stop to the mad rush towards destruction by putting up more and more stop signs through His few faithful followers, but it was not long before the stop signs were ignored, run over and trampled on.

During a certain time when the destroyer passed through the land of Egypt killing the firstborn in every home as well as among the cattle, God commanded His chosen people Israel to put up a stop sign. The head of every home had to kill a perfect lamb and sprinkle its blood on the door posts of the home. Exodus 12:5-7,12. This was to be the stop sign to the destroyer, keeping him from bringing death to the first born of that home. There was not a house on the night of judgement where there was not one dead, except where the stop sign of the blood of the lamb had prevented the destroyer from entering. Exodus 12:13. The lamb had given its blood for the firstborn, just the same as Jesus the Lamb of God, gave His life for you and me. John 1:29

Later when the armies of Israel had surrounded the mighty walls of Jericho, Rahab the prostitute had been told to put up a stop sign by fastening a red cord to the window of her home which was built on the city walls. She believed and acted according to her faith in the God of Israel and fastened the red cord to the window. While the walls of Jericho fell, the destruction came to a stop at Rahab’s home and she and her house were saved. Joshua 2:18-19, 6:17 ,22-23

The greatest and most powerful stop sign, the cross of Calvary commands us with heavenly authority to:

Stop hardening your heart through unbelief. Heb. 3.12

Stop drinking, swearing, cursing, blaspheming the name of God, telling lies and dirty jokes. Colossians 3:8

Stop all pride, “which comes before the fall”, which leads to destruction. Proverbs 16:18

Stop living in immorality, adultery, homosexuality or any sinful use of our bodies, which are designed to be the temples of the living God.

Stop the sinful lust of smoking cigarettes or dagga, snuffing or chewing tobacco, the use of certain drugs and tablets harmful to the human body which is the temple of God. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

Stop all forms of gluttony, living to eat instead of eating to live. Proverbs 23:21

Stop all indifference towards God and His kingdom, spiritual laziness and putting salvation off for another convenient day which may never come. Just one step further past the stop sign can mean your eternal condemnation, for God’s Word says, today if you hear my voice, do not harden your heart. Hebrews 3:15

Stop going to fortune tellers, worshipping idols, trusting in witchcraft and consulting the dead instead of calling on the living God. idolatry and witchcraft are the works of the flesh and are condemned by God. Deuteronomy 18:10-12, Isaiah 8:19-20

Stop all complaining and grumbling and be thankful to God. Ephesians 5:20

Stop all gossip and slander, but rather speak about others as you would have them speak about you. Proverbs 26:20-23

Stop feeding that jealous nature, which is destructive and can lead to hatred, murder and death. Matthew 5:21-22

Stop all anger and hatred. Remove it from your heart and ask God to give you a peaceful, loving spirit. Philippians 4:5-7

Stop the love of money which corrupts even the best of men. For many who desired money have stopped trusting in God and brought many sorrows upon themselves. Remember Judas and his final end. 1 Timothy 6:10

Stop that selfish, greedy spirit which is never satisfied.

Stop all hypocrisy which Jesus hated more than many other sins, i.e. pretending to be what you are not. 1 Peter 2.1

Stop fearing this and fearing that, instead of trusting God. Jesus said, “Fear not, believe.” Trust in God! Isaiah 41:10

Stop and see yourself alive with Christ sharing in His new life as well as in His divine nature. 2 Peter 1:3-4

Stop and see the love of God who gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Stop telling lies, for the devil himself is the father of all lies. Stop and accept Christ as your Savior. John 8:44 10:9

Stop at the cross, God’s robot, and turn from and confess your sins to God as well as to those against whom you have done wrong. “If we confess our sins to God, He will keep His promise and do what is right, He will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing.” 1 John 1:9. “The blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from every sin.” 1 John 1:7

Stop at the cross and see the salvation of the Lord which He bought for you. “Because of our sins He was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment He suffered, made whole by the blows He received. He endured the suffering that should have been ours, the pain that we should have borne.” Isaiah 53:5,4. “Christ was without sin, but for our sake God made Him share our sin in order that in union with Him we might share the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

Stop asking the advice of people when God has spoken to you and has made His will known to you.

Stop trying to serve two masters. It cannot be done. You cannot serve God and the world. Luke 16:13

Stop and look to Him the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, your sin and my sin. John 1:29

Stop all unbelief, distrusting God. Have faith in God.

Stop trusting in your own abilities or desiring the evils of the past. Remember Lot’s wife. Proverbs 3:5

Stop thinking evil and think of things that are true, honorable and pure. Philippians 4:8

Stop looking around you in fear. Look to Jesus.

Stop and resist the devil in the name of Jesus and he will run from you. James 4:7

This heavenly stop sign of the cross not only helps us to accept and see God’s great salvation and gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus, it also makes a holy and righteous God stop when He sees a sinner turning from his wrong ways. We as guilty sinners have deserved God’s judgement and condemnation to spend eternity in hell. But when God sees such a sinner at the cross He stops and reveals Himself as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of everyone, as the One who forgives all our sins and heals our diseases. Instead of being condemned by the law we find grace and love and peace. Through the cross God sees us delivered and purified by the blood of His Son Jesus Christ. The cross says stop to the anger of God which otherwise would have come upon us. Jesus prayed, “Forgive them, Father! They don’t know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34.

Besides this the cross is also a powerful stop sign against Satan and all demon powers that would try to destroy us and drag us down to hell. For the cross witnesses to our deliverance. It also commands the accuser, the devil to stop accusing us, for by the sacrificial death of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven (Ephesians 1 :7) and He does not remember the sins we have confessed.

Go

But the cross is not only a stop sign. It commands us to go. It gives us the green light into His presence. Through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit we now have free access to the Father, our Father whose sons and daughters we have been made through faith in Jesus Christ. The curtain is torn from top to bottom and whoever wants to may come, and drink of the water of life freely. Jesus said: “I am the way, I am the door.” John 10:9.

Go forgiven sinner, through the narrow but open every person. Mark 16:15 gate into heaven.

Go on faithfully until you enter heaven, where Jesus has prepared a home for you, and will wipe away all tears from your eyes. Revelation 21:4

Go and tell your own people of this wonderful, free full. Luke 14:23. salvation. Tell your neighbors, your friends and even your enemies that Jesus saves.

Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every person. Mark 16:15.

Go out quickly into the streets and lanes, and bring in all people.

Go out to the country roads and lanes and make people come in, so that the Lord’s house will be full. Luke 14:23

Go and sin no more.

J.R. GSCHWEND

16. ANTI SMOKE

“Please show me the evils of smoking?” somebody may ask, to which we give the following reply:

One of the seven deadly sins is carnal desire. (Colossians 3:5-6). This is a sensuous, unsatisfied appetite; an uncontrollable craving; an evil passion. The human body has no need for tobacco in any form. Tobacco is not a food that satisfies but is purely a poisonous drug that creates an ever increasing, unsatisfied appetite, which is called carnal desire. (Colossians 3:5-6). Carnal desire is numbered among the seven deadly sins which are called: pride, greed, carnal desire, anger gluttony, jealousy, laziness.

The fact that nearly everybody smokes, does not remove, or excuse the evil of this habit. God’s Word declares that “There is no one who is righteous.” “Everyone has sinned and is far away from God’s saving presence.” (Romans 3:10,23). “All of us were like sheep that were lost, each of us going his own way.” (Isaiah 53:6). Because a certain evil has become universal, is no excuse for indulging in it.

God condemns needless or sinful waste. Why spend money on what does not satisfy? Why spend your wages and still be hungry? “They wear themselves out in useless labor, and all they have built goes up in flames.” (Isaiah 55:2; Habakkuk 2:13). To waste money, time, and health, whether it is on alcohol, tobacco or any other harmful item is certainly not God’s will. The millions of pounds that enrich tobacco firms is a stiff price to pay for smoke and ashes, jangled nerves and broken hearts, sore throats, bronchial inflammation, and death from lung cancer. The fact that the superintendent of a London Hospital declares that over 100,000 people in England have died in ignorance from lung cancer owing to cigarette smoking in the past twenty years, and that at least another 250,000 will slowly die in the next decade, owing to this sinful practice, proves it is evil. Other even more shocking figures could be given from all over the world, and even Medical Science is beginning to realize the awful price that tobacco victims are paying. The tobacco smoker, especially the one who inhales the smoke, is slowly, yet surely, committing suicide on the instalment plan. “The man who dies at the age of 40 or 50 from disease of degeneracy, when he could have lived to the age of 70, 80 or 100 years, has as verily committed suicide as the one who turns on the gas jet,” write Dr. H. Bress.

How does tobacco kill?

Many people, who have suffered from leprosy for many years, die of cancer, pneumonia, heart disease or other diseases. Tobacco does the same, it kills indirectly and escapes the blame.

“Cigarette smoke has a violent action in the nerve center, producing a degeneration of the cells of the brain, which is quite rapid amongst boys. No boy or man that smokes can work in my laboratories.” Th. A. Edison. “Converts in a church backslide as a rule if they do not give up tobacco.”

– J. McAuley.

“A baby born of a cigarette smoking mother is sick. It is poisoned and may die within two weeks of birth. The postmortem shows degeneration of the liver, heart, and other organs. Sixty per cent of all children born of mothers who are habitual cigarette smokers, die at an early age, mostly before they are two years old.” – Dr. Ch. L. Barber.

Fathers and mothers, as murderers of their own offspring, will have to answer before God at the day of judgement.

I would not be surprised if what we read in Ezekiel 8:17,18 refers to the evil of smoking and snuffing tobacco; “They are not satisfied with merely doing all the disgusting things you have seen here and with spreading violence throughout the country. No, they must come and do them here in the Temple itself and make me even more angry. Look how they insult me in the most offensive way possible! (A reference to a pagan rite of putting a branch to the nose). They will feel all the force of my anger. I will not spare them or show them any mercy. They will shout prayers to me as loud as they can, but I will not listen to them.” A Holy God hates this evil practice of fashion, the tobacco evil.

Church-going people would condemn anybody who dared to smoke in the church building, especially during a church service. Maybe you have not been taught that because Christ gave His body to be crucified and was raised again from the dead, He has chosen our bodies and hearts, to be cleansed from all sin through Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit, to be His temple. “Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and who was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourselves but to God; He bought you for a price. So, use your bodies for God’s glory.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). “Sin must no longer rule in your mortal bodies, so that you obey the desires of your natural self. Nor must you surrender any part of yourselves to sin to be used for wicked purposes. Instead, give yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life, and surrender your whole being to Him to be used for righteous purposes.” (Romans 6:12,13). “So, if anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you yourselves are His temple.” (1 Corinthians 3:16,17).

Why do we keep, and then pollute that which God has chosen to be His temple i.e. our bodies?

Tobacco and Satan

A certain Town Councilor, a friend of mine, was converted to Christ and surrendered his life to God. He was delivered from liquor but remained a slave to tobacco. He tried his best to give up smoking but could not overcome this evil desire. Now and again he would throw the cigarettes, pipe, and tobacco away, but on his way to the office the following day, he could not pass the first shop without buying a good supply again. Realizing more and more that he was still a poor slave to this weed, he became discouraged and desperate.

One cold winter evening he sat alone in his sitting room, warming himself at the fireside smoking his pipe. He was feeling very ashamed of being such a slave to his pipe and so contemplated throwing it into the fire again. He knew that if he did so it would just mean that he would have to buy a new pipe the following day. He sat thinking about the matter very earnestly when he suddenly saw the devil standing in the comer of the room, sneering and laughing at him, as much as to say: “I have you bound, you cannot escape me!” This was so real that he fell on his knees, realizing that after all, this craving for smoking was nothing else than the devil’s power. He cried to God to completely deliver him from Satan’s bondage. God did deliver him, and he never smoked again for 34 years, after which he passed on to heaven.

Somebody asked the question: “May a Christian smoke?” “No, a Christian must burn and not smoke,” was the reply. A smoking lamp is a poor, offensive light. Our lights must burn for all the world to see! (Matthew 5:14-16)

A large book could be written to prove the evil of smoking from the spiritual, moral, physical, and economical point of view. Smoking, like drunkenness and any other sinful habit, is a selfish desire. It compels others, children included, who appreciate fresh air, to breathe in foul, smoky air, not to speak of the fumes a smoker spreads wherever he moves about.

Deliverance

The truth of Romans 7:15-25 applies also to tobacco slaves of any form: “Since what I do is what I don’t want to do. What an unhappy man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is taking me to death.”? Jesus came to deliver us from every bondage, every evil desire, every form of slavery and has made us kings and priests in His kingdom. Christ has come to make us new creatures, with clean lips and clean hearts. Nothing that pollutes shall enter heaven. Physical death does not deliver us from filthy habits, for the last chapter in the Bible declares that: “Whoever is filthy must go on being filthy.” (Revelation 22:11).

Surrender your life to Jesus and He will set you free; “If the Son sets you free, then you will really be free.” (John 8:36). If you cannot gain the victory through Christ by yourself, try and get in touch with a godly minister, or any real, spiritual child of God that can believe and pray with you according to Mark 16:17,18 and James 5:14-20; Romans 6;11-14; 8:1-2.

“Resist the devil, and he will run away from you.” (James 4:7). Be filled with the real fire of the Holy Spirit and you will stop smoking, a slave set free. You will then enjoy life to the full (John 10:10) and be able to sing joyfully:

17. LITTLE RED RIBBONS

One Sunday morning, when still a newcomer to Lesotho, I went out into a mountain village. On entering the village, I noticed a hen and twelve chickens running about. I noticed too, that every one of the little chickens has a little red ribbon fastened to its back behind its little wings. It was such a funny sight to see the little chickens hopping about with their little ribbons on their backs. This made me enquire from the owner of the hen why the chickens wore the ribbons. “Didn’t you know that it is to protect them from being taken by the hawks?” questioned the owner. He told me that as there was no other protection for chickens in that bare and woodless country, the hawks would fly down from the surrounding mountains and take one chicken after another, but if they had a red ribbon tied to their backs, they were unharmed.

I thought deeply about this matter, and while I was on my way to the church where I was to preach, I felt that God had given me the sermon for that Sunday morning.

Before starting to preach, however, I asked the congregation whether it was correct that the little red ribbons would, without fail, protect the little chickens from being taken by the hawk or any other wild bird.

They assured me that the hawk had never yet taken a chicken wearing a red ribbon. I was also told that if red ribbons were tied to the backs of ten chickens and the eleventh had no red ribbon, the hawk would swoop down and take the chicken without the ribbon from among all the others. This encouraged me to speak on the protection that we, as Christians, have under the Blood of Jesus Christ. Just in the same way as the children of Israel were protected from the destroyer by the blood of the lamb which was sprinkled on the door posts, so we are protected by the Blood of Christ. Rahab, the harlot of Jericho, and her father’s household and all that were with her, were protected and kept alive through the red cord which she fastened outside the window. The Blood of Jesus Christ which purifies us from every sin (1 John 1:7), certainly has power to protect us from the big hawk, which is the devil. In fact, it is the only true protection against all witchcraft and demon power. In Revelation 12:11 it says – “They won the victory over him by the Blood of the Lamb and by the truth which they proclaimed”. I have experienced, during forty years of mission work, that all the attacks of the most powerful witch-doctors and evil powers of Satan remained powerless against the protecting power of the Blood of Jesus Christ.

The fact that the hawk would only take the one that had no red ribbon on its back, from among all the others, shows that salvation is a personal matter. It is not enough that our father, mother, brothers or sisters are saved. Each individual must know for himself that he or she is under the Blood of Jesus Christ. It was possible that these red ribbons, being bleached by the sun, would become greyish in color, so that if the ribbons were not replaced by red ones, the hawk would come down and take hold of the chickens in spite of the ribbons. This shows that it is not enough to have been purified by the Blood of Jesus Christ and to let this then become a forgotten experience.

We must know that we are clean through the Blood of Christ and continually under its protection. If your sins are not forgiven and your heart not purified by the Blood of Jesus Christ, the big hawk, the devil, is sure to take hold of you. Run therefore to Jesus and confess all your sins to Him and then be sure that “If we confess our sins to God, He will keep His promise and do what is right: He will forgive us our sins and purify us from all wrongdoing.” (1 John 1:9). …. “and the Blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from every sin” (1 John 1:7), and also delivers us from the power and dominion of sin. The fact that the little red ribbons are fastened to wings reminds us of the wings of prayer which God has given us. “Those who trust in the Lord for help will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like eagles …” (Isaiah 40:31). This is to say that our faith in Jesus Christ must go together with our prayers, which means that we have to ask God to purify us from sin and to entrust ourselves in prayer to the protection of His Blood.

Someone asked whether a little green or a blue ribbon would be just as good a protection as a red one, to which I had to reply that our own actions, however fine that may look from the human point of view, cannot protect us from the devil. (Isaiah 64:6).

In closing, I might just testify that during the last forty years, I have never heard of or seen the hawk taking a chicken, which had a little red ribbon for protection. Neither have I seen any child of God conquered by the devil, while they remained under the protection of the Blood of Jesus Christ.

J.R. Gschwend

18. WHY?

Why am I suffering this sickness? This is the question we so often ask when sickness comes, or when an accident happens, or trouble comes.

1. God says, “stop and know that I am God” Psalms 46:10 In the activities of our busy lives we rarely give God an opportunity to speak to us. Our lives become so “full” that there is no place for God. In an hour of loneliness and trouble God spoke to Jacob. He woke up and said, “The Lord is here! He is in this place, and I didn’t know it.” Genesis 28:16. In the time of distress and suffering God is present to speak to us.

2. Sickness may be God’s discipline to us “Happy is the man whom God corrects. Do not resent it when He rebukes you” Job 5:17. “And this small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble.” 2 Corinthians 4:17. So we are told to “Consider ourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come our way (or trouble).” James 1:2. “Even in my suffering I was comforted because your promise gave me life.” Psalms 119:50. “I am filled with trouble and anxiety, but your commandments bring me joy.” Psalms 119:143.

3. Sickness provides an opportunity to see God’s power at work. When disciples of Jesus asked about a man’s blindness, “Teacher, whose sin caused him to be born blind? Was it his own or his parents’ sin?” Jesus answered, “His blindness has nothing to do with his sins or his parents’ sins. He is blind so that God’s power might be seen at work in him.” John 9:2-3. So then, this very sickness or trial provides an opportunity to see how God answers prayer. All of God’s promises are true. We can come to God in prayer. He is our Helper and Friend. He hears our cry and can give us His help. All He asks is that we believe. “Everything is possible for the person who has faith.” Mark 9:23.

What, then, is God’s will for me in this sickness?

1. Make sure of a right relationship with God. Confess and put away all sin.

“But if we confess our sins to God, He will keep His promise and do what is right: He will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing.” 1 John 1:9.

Find peace with God in knowing your sins are forgiven. “Now that we have been put right with God through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Rom. 5:1. Have peace of mind. “Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid.” John 14:27.

2. You can pray to God in your hour of need. He says: “Call to me when trouble comes; I will save you, and you will praise me.” Psalms 50:15. “Let us have confidence, then, and approach God’s throne, where there is grace. There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it.” Hebrews 4:16.

3. You can rely on God’s promises that never fail. He has said, “I will never leave you; I will never abandon you.” Hebrews 13:5. “Do not be afraid – I will save you. I have called you by name – you are mine. When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you; your troubles will not overwhelm you. The hard trials that come will not hurt you.” Isaiah 43:1-2. “The good man suffers many troubles, but the Lord saves him from them all.” Psalms 34:19. “Give yourselves to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will help you.” Psalms 37:5. “You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3.

4. Do not despair “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. And they shall never die. No one can snatch them away from me.” John 10:27-29. “The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need. Even if I go through the deepest darkness, I will not be afraid, Lord, for you are with me” (Psalms 23:1-4)

Can I ask God to heal me?

The Bible encourages us to ask for healing. “Large crowds came to Him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the dumb, and many other sick people, whom they placed at Jesus’ feet; and He healed them.” Matthew 15:30. “He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.” Psalms 103:3.

The work of Jesus showed God’s will to heal. “Jesus went round visiting all the towns and villages. He taught in the synagogues, preached the Good News about the Kingdom, and healed people with every kind of disease and sickness.” Matthew 9:35. Read Matthew 4:23-24; Matthew 8:16-17; 11:5; Luke 10:9.

The suffering and death of Christ provided healing for mankind. “But because of our sins He was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment He suffered and made whole by the blows He received.” Isaiah 53:5. “Jesus drove out the evil spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. He did this to make what the prophet Isaiah had said come true, “He Himself took our sickness and carried away our diseases.” Matthew 8:16-17. His resurrection means that He is a living Saviour, able to continue His healing ministry. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8. “Jesus Christ makes you well.” Acts 9:34; Acts 3:16; Acts 5:16.

“Everything is possible for the person who has faith”.

19. LOST

To be lost in a jungle with hungry beasts and deadly snakes is most frightening. To be lost in a desert where there is no water, no road, and no guide, will lead to death. To be lost on the high sea without a compass, without food and water, without sails or mechanical power, without protection from the heat or cold, is disastrous. To be lost in the high mountains covered with snow and ice, is certain death. But worst of all is to be lost in a world of sin and degradation, for it leads to spiritual destruction, death and hell. The psalmist writes “I have strayed like a lost sheep” Psalms 119:176. Sheep need to have a shepherd or they will fall prey to hungry lions, bears or wolves. They need a true shepherd like David, who killed the lion and the bear. He was willing to lose his life for the sheep. We need Jesus, the only reliable and true shepherd who gave His life for us, and leads us to green pastures and to quiet waters. Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd, and know My sheep and they know Me.” John 10:14.

It is not enough for sheep to have a shepherd. The shepherd must be a true shepherd. God said to Jeremiah, “My people have been lost sheep, their shepherds have led them astray.” Jeremiah 50 : 6. Do not follow self-righteous shepherds, who are blind leaders of the blind. Follow Jesus who came to look for and to save those who are lost. He will continue to look for and to save those who are lost. He will continue to search, until He finds them.

Many years ago I met two hunters in South West Africa, who at one time had been lost in the Kalahari Desert. They travelled to the desert with their wives and children in a wagon drawn by donkeys. Arriving at a mountain they pitched their tents. One day the two men, who had gone out hunting for game, found traces of a herd of antelope. They followed these and were led deeper and deeper into the desert. Towards evening the first hunter spotted the antelope, shot a couple of them, and then went to look for his companion, but was unsuccessful. The other hunter, without telling his companion, had followed another spoor which he expected, would lead to the same herd.

While the first hunter continued to search for his friend, darkness set in, and he lost his direction altogether. He walked through the greater part of the night, hoping that he would see the fires of the camp which would lead him to safety. He kept on walking for two and a half days, until he sank down completely exhausted, lost and overcome by thirst. His tongue had swollen and was bleeding and hanging from his mouth. He was lost and dying of thirst in the hot desert sand. Lying in that dying condition he turned to God for help. He could not utter an audible word of prayer but God, who sees the heart of man, heard his cry. Suddenly the dying hunter saw in the distance a cross, and from the cross came a loud cry, “I thirst !” He knew it was the cry of Jesus. It went through his whole being like a stirring life-giving power. His thirst vanished as he realized that Jesus, the Son of God, had suffered in his place on Calvary’s cross. 1 Samuel 16 : 17, John 19 : 28.

He stood up perfectly refreshed, all tiredness and weariness having left him. He thanked God that Jesus had suffered in his place, so that he could be refreshed and revived. He thanked God with all his heart for meeting him in such a wonderful way. He then looked around and wondered which direction to take to find his people. As he looked he saw to his surprise, a beautiful hand hovering about four feet above the ground, pointing a finger in a forward direction. As he moved toward it, wondering whether the hand he saw was real, it moved ahead of him. “It is God’s hand and God’s finger”’ he said to himself and followed it for almost a day and a night. When he moved the hand continued to move, when he stood still, the hand stood still. Finally the hand stopped over a fountain of cool water. He drank until his thirst was quenched. As he looked up and realized that the hand had disappeared, he saw from behind the nearby sand dunes, the tents of the camp.

Arriving at the camp he found his people were praying that God would bring him back safely to them. He also discovered the other hunter was among those who were praying for him. He too had been lost and God also brought him back to his family in a remarkable way. Having followed the wrong track, he found himself lost in the desert, and wandered throughout the night searching in vain for the camp. Towards dawn he saw to his surprise, his eight year old son, beckoning to him from a nearby dune. He wondered how the boy could have covered such a distance alone. Although the boy’s footprints were not visible, the vision was so clear, that he started towards the dune, and so it went on, until he had crossed six dunes. On reaching the seventh, from where the little boy had been waving, he could see the tents of the camp in the distance. He soon found himself at the bedside of his son who was sleeping soundly. He realized then, that God had given him a vision, to bring him to safety.

We are after all, like hunters, hunting after the things of this world, be it riches, fame, comfort, money, pleasure, success and so many other things, so that we forget to search for the Kingdom of God first. We get lost in the spiritual desert of this world. Our souls thirst after God, the living God, until we cry out to Him in despair, until Jesus is revealed to us as the fountain of Life. Jesus said, “I have come to look and to save those who are lost.” He looks for the lost sheep until He has found it. He looks for you and me. How does a sheep get lost ? By desiring that which is evil, by disregarding the call of the shepherd, by staying behind while the shepherd and his sheep move on, through listening to the voice of the tempter, or by running ahead of the shepherd and choosing its own pastures.

How did the Prodigal son get lost ? He desired the sinful pleasures of the world. He was ungrateful to his father, he was possessed with the love of money which is the root of all evil. The god of this world blinded his eyes, so that he could not see himself gradually, but surely drifting into the mud of sin, away from God and his father, who continued to pray for him. While he herded the pigs and suffered hunger, he awoke out of his foolishness. He left the pigs and the master, who had not allowed him to fill his empty stomach with the husks the pigs were fed on and returned to his father. “I have sinned against heaven (God) and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” He did not accuse anybody else but himself, by admitting that he had sinned. His loving father welcomed him home by saying, “This son of mine was dead (spiritually) and is alive again; was lost and is found.” Luke 15 : 11 – 32.

Suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it ? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.” Luke 15 : 8 – 10.

Mary and Joseph lost Jesus in the temple at Jerusalem, and looked for Him for three days, until they found Him. Thousands of earnest church members are still lost, as far as Christ is concerned. They have never truly found Him, have never been born again through the Word and the Holy Spirit, by accepting Jesus as their personal Savior. They are lost as far as the Kingdom of God is concerned, for Jesus said: “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Matthew 3 : 2. “Unless Man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3 : 3. Remember, Jesus is still searching for those who are lost.

He is looking for you, and if you are looking for Him, you will experience the happiest meeting of your life. Maybe you have lost your peace, your purity, your joy of sins forgiven, your testimony before God and man. Search until you find it in Jesus. Maybe you have lost your health, your position, your work, your income or maybe your money. Bring your troubles, your heartaches, to the Lord who is able to restore everything unto you, whatever it may be. But remember, “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for Me will save it.” Luke 9 : 24. You may gain the whole world, and lose your own soul which is of greater value than all the riches of this world.

We are all, without exception, totally and hopelessly lost because of our sins. “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word has no place in our lives.” 1 John 1 : 8, 10.

Not one of us, needs to remain in the lost condition. “For the Son of Man, came to seek and to save what was lost.” Luke 19 : 10. The Lord is very near to you, and if you seek Him, you will find Him, but you must do it now. “Seek the Lord while He is near.” Isaiah 55 : 6. You can be sure that a seeking Savior and a seeking sinner, will always find each other. If you look for Him, you will find Him. Matthew 7 : 7. When you have found Him and have surrendered your life, your will, and your future to Him, then He, the Good Shepherd of the sheep, will lead you into green pastures and into eternal life. Psalms 23 : 2. You who are lost, call upon Him now. Do not hesitate, for “Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord, will be saved.” Acts 2 : 21.

COME OUT

Come out from the rulership of sin. Come out of Satan’s dominion. Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords. The kingdom of darkness has been conquered by Jesus the King of Light and the King of Peace. Come out from the slavery of sin, the slavery of Satan. Jesus has come to set you free. He has paid the price of redemption on Calvary’s tree. He died for you to set you free. Galatians 5 : 1, Hebrews 2 : 14 – 15.

Come out from the slavery of fear, the fear of death, by which Satan has kept you in bondage all the days of your life. Jesus has conquered sin and death and has made an open show of them on the Cross, where He died for you and me. He entered into the realm of death and conquered death. He rose from the grave to live forever. We live because He lives. We are crucified and dead to the world, sin and self because Jesus was crucified and died in our place. But He rose for our justification that through Him we might have eternal life. Romans 4 :25.

Satan, who once was the protecting angel, the guarding angel of this world, exalted himself above God and said, “I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But God said: “You are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit.” (Isaiah 14: 12 – 16).

Satan the god and king of this world is conquered. He cannot rule mankind any longer, except they submit themselves to him out of their own free will.

God tells us to come out from under the rulership of sin and Satan. He has appointed Jesus to be the ruler of mankind and King of all. “Therefore, come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 6 : 17.

20. ANTI DRINK

“Show me someone who drinks too much, who has to try out some new drink, and I will show you someone miserable and sorry for himself, always causing trouble and always complaining. His eyes are bloodshot, and he has bruises that could have been avoided. Don’t let wine tempt you, even though it is rich red, though it sparkles in the cup, and it goes down smoothly. The next morning you will feel as if you had been bitten by a poisonous snake. Weird sights will appear before your eyes, and you will not be able to think or speak clearly. You will feel as if you were out in the ocean, sea-sick, swinging high up in the rigging of a tossing ship. ‘I must have been hit’, you will say; ‘I must have been beaten up, but I don’t remember it. Why can’t I wake up? I need another drink.” (Proverbs 23:29-35)

There was no intoxicating drink in the garden of Eden. Fermentation, corruption, sickness and death came into the world through progressive sin. In the time of Noah fermentation was probably new and its consequences unknown to him. His drunkenness brought a curse upon Canaan. (Genesis 9:20-27)

What does God say about drunkenness!

The Word of God is quite clear about the sin of drunkenness and declares that: “No drunkard will possess God’s Kingdom.” (1 Corinthians 6:10). Unless he turns away from this evil habit.

The evil of alcohol

”Suppose a man has a son who is stubborn and rebellious, a son who will not obey his parents, even though they punish him. His parents are to take him before the leaders of the town where he lives and make him stand trial. They are to say to them, ‘Our son is stubborn and rebellious and refuses to obey us; he wastes money and is a drunkard.’ Then the men of the city are to stone him to death, and so you will get rid of this evil.” (Deuteronomy 21:18-21). “You and your sons are not to enter the Tent of my presence after drinking wine or beer; if you do, you will die.” (Leviticus10:9). “Drinking too much makes you loud and foolish, It’s stupid to get drunk.” (Proverbs 20:1). “Kings should not drink wine or have a craving for alcohol. When they drink, they forget the laws and ignore the rights of people in need. Alcohol is for people who are dying, for those who are in misery.” (Proverbs 31:4-6). “You are doomed! Heroes of the wine bottle! Brave and fearless when it comes to mixing drinks! (Isaiah 5:22).

“Even the prophets and the priests are so drunk that they stagger. They have drunk so much wine and liquor that they stumble in confusion. The prophets are too drunk to understand the visions that God sends, and the priests are too drunk to decide the cases that are brought to them. The tables where they sit are all covered with vomit, and not a clean spot is left.” (Isaiah 28:7-8).

Strong drink is not food and is not essential for our wellbeing. It is intoxicating and confuses the mind of the drinker. It not only goes to the stomach, but also to the head, and dominates the whole person. Therefore the Apostle Paul says: “Do not get drunk with wine, which will only ruin you; instead, be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18).

Alcohol turns a person into a peacock, a monkey, a lion and finally a pig. When a person has drunk a little bit, pride comes into the heart. He thinks himself to be more clever and more handsome than anyone else. He also thinks of himself to be rich and begins to squander his money by standing others to a drink and so wastes his money while his wife and children are perhaps starving, in want of clothing and a proper home. He does not realize that this spirit of pride and wantonness has hold of him. In the eyes of other people he is like the peacock which spreads out its feathers to show off its beauty, and its colour.

After drinking a little more he begins to talk a lot about himself, praising himself and mimicking others. When he finds that his foolish talking makes others laugh he gets more bold and talks more foolishly than ever. He begins to brag about great things which he has never done. He does not realize that he is acting like a monkey.

As he keeps on drinking he begins to feel as strong and as bold as a lion. He thinks he can fight anyone and everyone, and is not afraid of anything. He feels lika a giant and breaks and smashes everything that comes his way. He feels delighted when people run away in fear and terror. He begins to roar like a lion, and causes his wife and children to run away from him in fear, while he breaks up the home and begins to fight everybody, and is not afraid to stab with a knife or to kill.

In addition, while he keeps on drinking because alcohol is a consuming fire which increases his thirst, they affect his mind. His head begins to spin and he begins to stagger all over, with eyes protruding, he now begins to see all sorts of things. Drink has got the better of him and finally he wallows on the ground like a pig. The peacock, monkey and lion finally give place to the pig. He even begins to grunt like a pig and so makes himself lower than a pig. This is a true picture of a drunkard. God therefore said that no drunkard shall inherit the Kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:10).

Deliverance from drunkenness

“Wake up and weep, you drunkards; cry you wine-drinkers.” (Joel 1:5). True sorrow and confession of this sin to God will set you free if you believe in the gift of salvation which belongs to you through Jesus Christ, “It is at night that they get drunk. But we belong to the day, and we should be sober. God did not choose us to suffer His anger, but to possess salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ; who died for us.” (1 Thessalonians 5:7-10)

Jesus came to save sinners, which includes drunkards. “If the Son sets you free, then you will be really free.” (John 8:36). Jesus said to the woman of Samaria: “If only you knew what God gives, … you would ask Him, and He would give you life-giving water.” “But whoever drinks the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring which will provide him with life-giving water and give him eternal life.” (John 4:10-14). “Whoever is thirsty should come to me and drink. As the Scripture says, ‘Who-ever believes in me, streams of life-giving water will pour out from his heart.’ ” (John 7:37-38). “O God you are my God, and I long for you. My whole being desires you; like a dry, worn-out, and waterless land, my soul is thirsty for you.” (Psalms 63:1). “As a deer longs for a stream of cool water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for you, the living God.” (Psalms 42:1-2).

Your soul, dear reader, is thirsting after the living God, Who alone can satisfy that thirst. Strong drink will never do it. It is like a man trying to quench a fire by pouring paraffin or petrol on to it. Jesus alone can satisfy the thirst of your living soul, as well as any other thirst whether it be for riches, fame, power, pleasure, or women. “He who believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35). “Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires; God will satisfy them fully!”

Nothing in this world can satisfy the thirst of the human soul. Neither money, cattle, women, beer, wine, tobacco, dancing, or any earthly pleasure can truly satisfy. Jesus is the satisfying Bread and the Water of Life. “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35).

Come to Jesus, come today. Streams of living water are flowing from Jesus Christ. When Jesus hung from the Cross for you and me, He cried: “I am thirsty.” (John 19:28). Jesus the fountain of living water, died of thirst, to take away that sinful thirst from you and to satisfy you. Get on your knees and cry to God, and He will give you to drink from the Fountain of Life.

“Come whoever is thirsty; accept the water of life as a gift, whoever wants it.” (Revelation 22:17). “Come, everyone who is thirsty – here is water!” (Isaiah 55:1). “As the fresh water brings joy to the thirsty, so God’s people rejoice when He saves them.” (Isaiah 12:3).

21. HEART TRANSPLANT

If any organ in our body needs health and efficiency, it must be the heart. The heart is the organ that does the most work. It is like a double action bomb. First, it circulates blood throughout the body and then sends vitalizer through the kidneys for purification. To say Blood is to say Life (Leviticus 17:11) and when the heart does not function properly, the blood circulation is interrupted, and finally, death comes.

 This very interesting machine is only the size of a fist and weighs approximately 500 grams in an adult person. This wonderful muscular organ, is divided into four compartments, all of this being wrapped by a membrane called the pericardium. This fantastic device normally beats about 70 times per minute and that means 4,200 times per hour. In a day it would be 100,800 beats, and in a year it would give the total of 36,792,000 beats. And if we apply this to a person who has reached the age of 70 years, is equivalent to saying that his heart has beaten 2,575,440,000 times

The volume of blood that a normal heart must pump per year is 2,457,000 litres, that is, enough blood to fill more than 245 Truck Tanks of 10,000 litres capacity.

Also calculating the pressure that the heart produces in 12 hours of operation, with that pressure, it could lift from about 30 centimetres off the ground, a load equivalent to a weight of 65 Tons. Another astonishing and incredible medical investigation into the efficiency of the human heart and the blood circulation through veins, arteries and capillaries of the human body, covers a route of 22,224 kilometres. Converting this into geographic distance, we would have a sea voyage from New York in the United States to Hong Kong on the coast of China passing through the Panama Canal. What a faithful organ the heart is!

The heart works uninterruptedly every day regardless of working days and holidays; never ask for a break, or a holiday, he is not even seeking retirement or social benefits. It works faithfully even when its owner sleeps peacefully or indulges in exerting tasks.

Of course, this organ will work with maximum efficiency and will be kept in perfect condition, when it is not abused with harmful interferences, such as: hatred, violence, envy, deep jealousy, passions, depressing sadness, narcotic vices, such as alcohol, opium, heroin, morphine, cocaine, and nicotine.

It is surprising to know how dependent we are on the Heart! If we lose one eye, we will still have the other one to see.  A deaf Ear does not prevent us from hearing with the other.  An injured leg can be orthopedically trained.  Many people manage to do great jobs with only one arm and one hand; yet we have only one heart!  Although Science in recent times has surprised us with amazing Cardiological advances, let us cite the case of Dr. C. Barnard, from South Africa, who managed to perform one of the first Human Heart transplants with positive results.  What a blessing to many human beings who were born with defective hearts!  Now there will also be hope for those born with cardiovascular problems, affected by rheumatic fevers, arteriosclerosis, arterial hypertension, diabetes, syphilis, cancer, etc. They see a new light of hope being reborn to live a little longer and better, yet the value and place of the natural heart is incalculable and irreplaceably precious.

The integral happiness of man, however, cannot be achieved only, by having a physically healthy heart. For the Human being, the years on earth are few, and these are full of problems and difficulties. Today there are undoubtedly other values in human life, in addition to Perfect Health, that contribute to the achievement of a plain and happy life. The irrefutable truth towards the “human beings” is this: that Physical Health is directly linked to the Brain, and from there emanate waves of impressions, emotions, affections and feelings being radiated through the Heart and the nervous system, through the whole body.

The wise Solomon says in his Proverbs: “Above all guarded things, guard your heart because it gives life to it.” (Proverbs 4:23).

 The directive of the heart precedes from the mind. We hear a lot daily about a person who has a heart of gold, a noble heart, or of a person who has a heart of stone or is cruel-hearted. There are individuals who do not even realize that they have a heart, for all their thoughts are exposed. Today, there are still very young people who are already disheartened. In all these cases, even in the difficult hours of life, we should practice cordiality, as far as possible with all people, even the irrational.

According to the Divine diagnosis, the human heart suffers more spiritually and morally than physically. And it is precisely a depressing emotional state that causes physical illness and affects the heart. For this reason, many competent surgeons complement their efficient work with the application of Psychotherapy and Psychopathology. Experience has shown that depressed people hardly respond to clinical psychotherapeutic treatment in general or to surgical interventions. The heart of man is mentioned for the first time in the Holy Scriptures (The Holy Bible), where God asserts the following: “And every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was continually only evil.” (Genesis 6: 56).

Many centuries later, the prophet of God named Jeremiah affirms: “The heart is deceitful above all things and wicked, who will know it?  I the Lord search the heart, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.” (Jeremiah 17: 9-10). Hundreds of years have already passed, since the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, preached: “But what comes out of the mouth, comes out of the heart, and this pollutes man. Because evil thoughts, murders, evil thoughts come out of the heart, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies. ” (Matthew 15: 18-19). Is it that since those times of Christ, things have improved on earth? No! Absolutely No! Humanity still suffers from the same evil, as their hearts continue to be corrupted towards evil.

The conquest of science is admirable. Cardiologists in several countries are now performing heart transplant operations, and some with apparent success. But it was the divine creator who promised the heart transplant more than 3,000 years ago by announcing: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you, and remove the heart of stone from your body, and I will give you a heart of flesh. ” (Ezekiel 36:26).

We will do well to attend to God’s offer that is still in effect, the Spirit and the Bride say: Come, and let the one who is thirsty come and whoever wants to take the water of Life freely. (Revelation 22:17).  Surgical intervention by specialists in organic diseases, in many cases, could prolong a person’s life; However, such a life will not cease to be short and limited, ending one day inevitably with death.

If science makes such efforts to prolong the life of a human being, how much more should we lay hold of the divine promise of Jesus Christ, knowing that: “It is necessary that all of us appear before the Tribunal of Christ, so that each one receives according to what he has done while he was on earth, be it good or bad?  Knowing that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold, all have become new. ” (2 Corinthians 5: 10,17).

 If your conscience is accusing you that “your heart is not right before God” (Acts 8:21), ask then with the Psalmist David: “Create in me, O God, a clean heart and renew within me a righteous Spirit.” (Psalm 51:10).  Know that if you do this, there is a 100% guarantee from God, promising healing to the spiritual Illness of your heart. Because God has promised and wants to give you a new heart and eternal life!

22. NOW, LET’S SETTLE THE MATTER

God, whom we call “Our Heavenly Father”, created the heavens and the earth with everything on it in six days.

By the seventh day God finished what he had been doing and stopped working. GENESIS 2:2

He also created man and let them rule over all the animals and plants on earth.

He told him, “You may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden, except the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad. You must not eat the fruit of that tree; if you do, you will die the same day. GENESIS 2:16-17

However, man disobeyed God.

The woman saw how beautiful the tree was and how good its fruit would be to eat, and she thought how wonderful it would be to become wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, and he also ate it. GENESIS 3:6

This disobedient act was sin in God’s eyes and brought separation between man and God.

It is because of your sins that he doesn’t hear you. It is your sins that separate you from God when you try to worship him.  ISAIAH 59:2

Man had to leave paradise and continued to sin against God. Sin was to be struck with death, and a sacrificial lamb without blemish was to be slain.

Then tell the people of Israel to take a male goat for a sin offering, a one-year-old calf, and a one-year-old lamb without any defects for a burnt offering.  LEVITICUS 9:3

Sin increased so much so that God called his own people a sinful nation.

You are doomed, you sinful nation, you corrupt and evil people! Your sins drag you down! You have rejected the Lord, the holy God of Israel, and have turned your backs on him.  ISAIAH 1:4

However, God the Father invites this sinful nation to come and tell Him the matter.

The Lord says, “Now, let’s settle the matter. You are stained red with sin, but I will wash you as clean as snow. Although your stains are deep red, you will be as white as wool.  ISAIAH 1:18

Only God can forgive sins, and only a perfect sacrifice would be enough for the forgiveness of sins. Only Jesus, the son of God could make this sacrifice.

Christ was without sin, but for our sake God made him share our sin in order that in union with him we might share the righteousness of God. 2 CORINTHIANS 5:21

There is no other way I can be acquitted.

Jesus answered him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one goes to the Father except by me. JOHN 14:6

I am the gate. Those who come in by me will be saved; they will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that you might have life—life in all its fullness. JOHN 10:9-10

The coming of Jesus, the perfect sacrifice, was predicted long before his birth.

A child is born to us! A son is given to us! And he will be our ruler. He will be called, “Wonderful Counselor,” “Mighty God,” “Eternal Father,” “Prince of Peace.” ISAIAH 9:6

She will have a son, and you will name him Jesus—because he will save his people from their sins. MATTHEW 1:21

Jesus came to earth to pay for our sins with his own life, just as it was predicted.

But because of our sins he was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment he suffered, made whole by the blows he received.  ISAIAH 53:5

While we are still unsaved, we remain trapped in sin and need someone to come and deliver us. Mary, the mother of Jesus, also calls the Lord her Saviour.

my soul is glad because of God my Savior. LUKE 1:47

For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.  JOHN 3:16

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not have life, but will remain under God’s punishment. JOHN 3:36

Jesus began his preaching with the same words as John the Baptist.

From that time Jesus began to preach his message: “Turn away from your sins, because the Kingdom of heaven is near. MATTHEW 4:17

God remains faithful, He will forgive our sins.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there is no truth in us. But if we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right: he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing. 1 JOHN 1:8-9

Of course, it will do us no good if we continue to sin and do not stop.

You will never succeed in life if you try to hide your sins. Confess them and give them up; then God will show mercy to you.  PROVERBS 28:13

Certainly not! We have died to sin—how then can we go on living in it. ROMANS 6:2

To honor the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil ways and false words. PROVERBS 8:13

Jesus was born as a man and came to live among men.

He came to his own country, but his own people did not receive him. Some, however, did receive him and believed in him; so he gave them the right to become God’s children. They did not become God’s children by natural means, that is, by being born as the children of a human father; God himself was their Father. JOHN 1:11-13

Jesus offered the perfect sacrifice for our sin.

It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. MARK 15:25

With one sacrifice, then, he has made perfect forever those who are purified from sin. HEBREWS 10:14

Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to many who witnessed it.

Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is not here—he has been raised! Look, here is the place where he was placed.  MARK 16:6

The Lord confirms that we must come and discuss the matter with Him.

Listen! I stand at the door and knock; if any hear my voice and open the door, I will come into their house and eat with them, and they will eat with me. REVELATION 3:20

Return to the Lord, and let this prayer be your offering to him: “Forgive all our sins and accept our prayer, and we will praise you as we have promised. HOSEA 14:2

If I have accepted Jesus and He is my Savior, then I am a new person.

Jesus answered, “I am telling you the truth: no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again. JOHN 3:3

If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from death, you will be saved. For it is by our faith that we are put right with God; it is by our confession that we are saved. ROMANS 10:9-10

Let us pray:

Lord, I confess that I am a sinner and cannot save myself. I believe with all my heart that You sent Jesus to earth where HE died on the cross and paid for my sins. Lord, I want to accept You as my Saviour, and settle my case with You. Please help me to get rid of all sins in my life, and also hate what is wrong.

Please make me Your child so that from now on I can live as a new person, like someone who has been born again. Please take full control over my life so that it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. I pray this in the Name of Jesus, my Savior. Amen.

23. Balaam and the Talking Donkey

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we delve into the pages of the Book of Numbers to explore a captivating and insightful narrative about God’s extraordinary means of communication. Our focus lies on Balaam, a diviner chosen by Balak, the king of Moab, to curse the Israelites. Little did Balaam know that his journey would become an unforgettable encounter with the divine – an encounter involving a most unexpected messenger.

Balaam, a diviner from the city of Pethor, found himself caught in the geopolitical tensions between the Moabites and the Israelites. King Balak, fearing the Israelites’ strength, sought Balaam’s services to curse them. Though initially reluctant, Balaam set out on a journey with the intention of cursing the chosen people of God.

As Balaam embarked on his mission, riding his donkey, an extraordinary event unfolded. An angel of the Lord, standing in their path, was invisible to Balaam but seen by the donkey. Frustrated by the angel blocking their way, the donkey spoke to Balaam, saying, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?”

(Numbers 22:28, NIV).

Balaam’s reply is crucial to understanding the depth of the situation. Instead of being astounded by the talking donkey, he responded in anger, unaware of the divine intervention at play. He said to the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now” (Numbers 22:29, NIV).

God’s Message through an unlikely Messenger:

In this miraculous encounter, God used a donkey to convey a powerful message. The donkey, speaking with human-like understanding, questioned Balaam’s actions and brought attention to the angel of the Lord. The divine purpose behind this extraordinary event was to redirect Balaam’s path and remind him of the importance of aligning with God’s will.

Lessons for Today:

1. Divine Guidance: God can use unconventional means to guide and direct our paths. In our lives, we must be attentive to God’s messages, even if they come through unexpected messengers or unusual circumstances.

Human Obedience and Humility: Balaam’s initial disobedience and anger remind us of the importance of humility and obedience before God. We should seek to align our will with His and remain open to correction.

1. God’s Sovereignty: The story underscores God’s sovereign control over all creation, including animals. It challenges us to acknowledge God’s authority in every aspect of our lives.

Conclusion:

As we reflect on Balaam and the talking donkey, let us open our hearts to God’s messages, regardless of how they are delivered. May we cultivate a spirit of obedience, humility, and attentiveness to God’s leading, recognizing that He can use the most unexpected messengers to guide us on the path of righteousness.

24. Fruits.

The words of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 6, verses 43 to 45 depict a powerful analogy using the imagery of a tree and its fruits to convey essential truths about our inner selves.

Scripture Reading: Luke 6:43-45 “43 No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

Explanation of the Tree: Let us ponder upon the tree mentioned in these verses. In the natural world, we understand that a healthy tree produces good fruit, while a diseased or corrupted tree yields bad fruit. Similarly, Jesus uses this analogy to illustrate a profound spiritual truth about our lives.

1. Roots of Character: Just as a tree’s roots determine its health and strength, our character forms the foundation of our lives. Good character, rooted in virtues such as love, kindness, and integrity, produces positive fruits in our actions and relationships.

2. Branches of Actions: The branches of a tree symbolize our actions and behaviors. Just as branches extend from the trunk, our actions are an outward expression of our inner disposition. If our hearts are filled with goodness, our actions will reflect that goodness.

3. Fruits of Influence: Fruits represent the outcomes and effects of our lives. Good fruits, such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, bless not only our own lives but also the lives of those around us.

Quotes and Sayings: Let us now reflect upon some wise sayings from various individuals that resonate with the teachings of Jesus in these verses:

• “The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, and the fruit of love is service.” – Mother Teresa

• “You can tell more about a person by what he says about others than you can by what others say about him.” – Audrey Hepburn

• “A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.” – Saint Basil

Explanation of Verse 45: Now, let us focus on verse 45, where Jesus declares, “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” This profound statement highlights the inseparable connection between our hearts and our words.

In our daily lives, our words often reveal the true condition of our hearts. If our hearts are filled with love, positivity, and gratitude, our words will reflect these qualities, uplifting and encouraging those around us. However, if our hearts are harboring bitterness, anger, or malice, our words will betray these negative sentiments, causing harm and discord.

For example, imagine a situation where someone receives an unexpected promotion at work. If their heart is filled with jealousy and envy, they may struggle to genuinely congratulate their colleague, and their words may come across as insincere or even resentful. On the other hand, if their heart is filled with joy and contentment, their words of congratulations will be heartfelt and sincere, fostering harmony and goodwill in the workplace.

Conclusion: As we contemplate the teachings of Jesus in Luke 6:43-45, let us strive to cultivate hearts that are rich in goodness, kindness, and compassion. May our lives be like fruitful trees, bearing abundant blessings for all to enjoy. And may we always remember that our words have the power to reveal the true condition of our hearts, inspiring us to speak with love, grace, and sincerity in all our interactions.

25. Jesus’ journey: Gethsemane to Ascension

These events summarize Jesus’ journey from Gethsemane to his crucifixion, resurrection, post-resurrection appearances, last words, and ascension into heaven as described in the New Testament.

1. Jesus Prays in the Garden of Gethsemane:

   • Jesus agonizes in prayer before his arrest.

   • Scripture: Matthew 26:36-46, Mark 14:32-42, Luke 22:39-46

2. Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus:

   • Judas betrays Jesus, leading to his arrest.

   • Scripture: Matthew 26:47-56, Mark 14:43-52, Luke 22:47-53, John 18:1-12

3. Jesus Before the Sanhedrin and Peter’s Denial:

   • Jesus faces the Jewish council, where false accusations are brought against him.

   • Peter denies knowing Jesus three times.

   • Scripture: Matthew 26:57-75, Mark 14:53-72, Luke 22:66-71, John 18:12-27

4. Jesus Before Pilate:

   • Jesus is brought before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor.

   • Pilate finds no fault in Jesus but succumbs to the crowd’s pressure and sentences him to death.

   • Scripture: Matthew 27:1-26, Mark 15:1-15, Luke 23:1-25, John 18:28-40, 19:1-16

5. Scourging, Mockery, and Carrying the Cross:

   • Jesus is scourged and mocked by Roman soldiers.

   • He carries his cross to Golgotha, the place of the crucifixion.

   • Scripture: Matthew 27:27-32, Mark 15:16-21, Luke 23:26-32, John 19:1-17

6. Crucifixion:

   • Jesus is nailed to the cross and crucified between two criminals.

   • He speaks seven statements from the cross, including “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

   • Scripture: Matthew 27:33-56, Mark 15:22-41, Luke 23:33-49, John 19:17-37

7. Death and Burial:

   • Jesus dies on the cross and is buried in a tomb.

   • Scripture: Matthew 27:57-66, Mark 15:42-47, Luke 23:50-56, John 19:38-42

8. Resurrection:

   • Jesus rises from the dead on the third day, conquering death.

   • The tomb is found empty by Mary Magdalene and other women.

   • Scripture: Matthew 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-18

9. Post-Resurrection Appearances:

   • Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18) and other women (Matthew 28:9-10).

   • Jesus appears to disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35).

   • Jesus appears to the disciples in a locked room (John 20:19-23), including Thomas (John 20:24-29).

   • Jesus appears to disciples at the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-14).

   • Jesus appears to more than 500 believers (1 Corinthians 15:6).

10. The Great Commission:

    • Jesus commands his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations.

    • His last words include the commission to spread the gospel and baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

    • Scripture: Matthew 28:16-20

11. Ascension:

    • Jesus is taken up into heaven in the presence of his disciples.

    • Scripture: Acts 1:6-11

26. Daniel in the lion’s den

Lions:

Lions, known as the kings of the jungle, are majestic creatures found primarily in Africa, although a small population exists in India. They inhabit grasslands, savannas, and dense brush, where they form social groups called prides. Here are some interesting facts about lions:

Habitat: Lions are mostly found in sub-Saharan Africa, although they used to roam much of Africa, Europe, and Asia. They prefer grasslands, savannas, and open woodlands.

Social Structure: Lions are highly social animals and live in groups called prides. A pride usually consists of several related lionesses, their offspring, and a few adult males.

Diet: Lions are apex predators, meaning they are at the top of the food chain. They primarily feed on large herbivores like zebras, wildebeests, and buffalo. A single lioness can consume around 11 pounds (5 kilograms) of meat in one feeding, while a male lion may eat up to 15% of its body weight in one meal.

Hunting: Lions are predominantly nocturnal hunters, using the cover of darkness to ambush their prey. However, they can also hunt during the day, especially when necessary.

Life Span: In the wild, lions typically live for 10 to 14 years, while those in captivity may live up to 20 years or more.

Roaring: Lions are famous for their roar, which can be heard up to 5 miles away. Roaring is mainly used for communication within the pride, marking territory, and intimidating rivals.

Conservation Status: Unfortunately, lions are classified as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with their population declining due to habitat loss, poaching, and conflict with humans.

Daniel’s Story:

Daniel’s story is from a book in the Bible called Daniel. It’s in the Old Testament, which is the part of the Bible that talks about things that happened before Jesus was born. Daniel was a man who loved God and prayed to Him every day. But some other people were jealous of Daniel because he was so good and wise. They tricked the king into making a rule that no one could pray to anyone except the king.

When Daniel heard about this rule, he didn’t stop praying to God. So, the jealous people told the king, and the king had to obey his own rule. He had Daniel thrown into a den, which is like a big pit, full of lions! Lions were kept in dens back then, and they were hungry.

Rescue of Daniel:

But something amazing happened in that den! God sent an angel to protect Daniel. The angel shut the lions’ mouths so they couldn’t hurt Daniel. When the king came back the next day, he was so happy to see Daniel alive and well! He knew that Daniel’s God had saved him.

Daniel’s Fate:

The king was so impressed by what happened that he made a new rule. This time, everyone had to respect and honor Daniel’s God because He had saved Daniel from the lions. Daniel became even more important in the kingdom, and he continued to serve God faithfully.

Quotes about Daniel:

There are some famous quotes about Daniel’s story. One is from the Bible itself: “Daniel’s God rescues and saves his people; He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth.” – Book of Daniel 6:27

Another one is from a famous English writer, Rudyard Kipling: “For the strength of the pack is the lion, and the strength of the lion is the pack.”

Link to Jesus:

Yes, there is a connection between Daniel’s story and Jesus. Daniel’s story shows how God can rescue and protect His people, even when things seem impossible. This helps us understand that Jesus, who came to save us, has the power to rescue us from anything, even death. Jesus is often called the “Lion of Judah” in the Bible, showing His strength and power.

What we learn from Daniel:

From Daniel’s story, we learn that it’s important to trust God no matter what. Even when things are hard or scary, we can believe that God is with us and will help us. We also learn about being brave and standing up for what’s right, even when others try to stop us. Just like Daniel, we can keep praying and trusting God, knowing that He hears us and will take care of us.

27. Parables told by Jesus.

1. The Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:3-23, Mark 4:1-20, Luke 8:4-15): Jesus compares the spreading of God’s word to seeds sown on different types of soil. Some seeds fall on the path, rocky ground, among thorns, or on good soil. The seeds that fall on good soil represent those who hear the word, understand it, and bear fruit.

2. The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43): A man sows wheat in his field, but an enemy also sows tares among the wheat. When both plants grow together, the servants suggest pulling up the tares, but the owner advises waiting until the harvest to avoid uprooting the wheat.

3. The Parable of the Mustard Seed (Matthew 13:31-32, Mark 4:30-32, Luke 13:18-19): Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a mustard seed, which starts small but grows into a large tree, providing shelter for birds.

4. The Parable of the Leaven (Matthew 13:33, Luke 13:20-21): Jesus likens the kingdom of God to leaven that a woman mixes into flour, causing it to rise.

5. The Parable of the Hidden Treasure (Matthew 13:44): A man discovers a treasure hidden in a field and sells all he has to buy the field and obtain the treasure.

6. The Parable of the Dragnet (Matthew 13:47-50): Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a dragnet that catches fish of every kind. After sorting the good fish from the bad, the bad ones are thrown away.

7. The Parable of the Lost Sheep (Matthew 18:10-14, Luke 15:3-7): A shepherd leaves his flock of ninety-nine sheep to search for one lost sheep until he finds it and rejoices.

8. The Parable of the Lost Coin (Luke 15:8-10): A woman loses one of her ten silver coins and diligently searches for it until she finds it, rejoicing with her friends.

9. The Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32): A younger son demands his inheritance early, squanders it in reckless living, and hits rock bottom. He then returns home, expecting rejection, but his father welcomes him with open arms, celebrating his return.

10. The Parable of the Unjust Steward (Luke 16:1-13): A steward is accused of squandering his master’s possessions and is about to be fired. In a desperate attempt to secure his future, he reduces the debts of his master’s debtors, gaining favor with them.

11. The Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man (Luke 16:19-31): A rich man lives in luxury while a poor beggar named Lazarus lies at his gate, longing for scraps from his table. After they both die, Lazarus is comforted in paradise, while the rich man suffers torment in Hades.

12. The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35): A servant owes a great debt to his master but begs for mercy and receives forgiveness. However, when he encounters a fellow servant who owes him a smaller amount, he refuses to forgive him and has him thrown into prison.

13. The Parable of the Vineyard Workers (Matthew 20:1-16): A landowner hires workers throughout the day to work in his vineyard but pays them all the same wage at the end of the day, regardless of the hours worked.

14. The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37): In response to a question about who qualifies as a neighbor, Jesus tells the story of a man beaten and left for dead on the side of the road. Religious leaders pass him by, but a Samaritan—a despised outsider—stops to help, showing compassion and generosity.

15. The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14): Two men go to the temple to pray—a Pharisee who boasts of his righteousness and a tax collector who humbly asks for mercy. God exalts the humble tax collector but humbles the proud Pharisee.

16. The Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22:1-14): A king hosts a wedding feast for his son but encounters resistance from the invited guests, who refuse to come. In response, the king invites others from the streets, filling the banquet hall.

17. The Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13): Ten virgins await the arrival of the bridegroom, five of whom are wise and prepared with enough oil for their lamps, while the other five are foolish and unprepared.

18. The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30): A master entrusts his servants with different amounts of money (talents) before going away. Two of them invest and double their talents, while one buries his out of fear.

19. The Parable of the Growing Seed (Mark 4:26-29): Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a man scattering seed on the ground, which sprouts and grows, though he does not understand how.

20. The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree (Luke 13:6-9): A man plants a fig tree in his vineyard but finds no fruit on it for three years. He decides to cut it down, but the gardener pleads for one more year, promising to fertilize and tend to it.

21. The Parable of the Two Debtors (Luke 7:41-43): Jesus tells a story of two debtors—one owing a large sum and the other a smaller amount. When both are forgiven by their creditor, Jesus asks which debtor would love the creditor more.

22. The Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:16-21): A rich man experiences a bountiful harvest and plans to build larger barns to store his wealth, believing he can then relax and enjoy life.

23. The Parable of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-8): Jesus tells of a persistent widow who repeatedly pleads with an unjust judge for justice against her adversary. Though the judge initially refuses, he eventually grants her request to avoid being worn out by her persistence.

24. The Parable of the Unjust Judge (Luke 18:2-5): Similar to the previous parable, Jesus tells of a persistent widow seeking justice from an unjust judge. Though the judge initially refuses, he eventually grants her request to avoid being worn out by her persistence.

25. The Parable of the Friend at Midnight (Luke 11:5-8): A man goes to his friend’s house at midnight to borrow bread to feed unexpected guests. Though initially reluctant, the friend eventually gives him what he needs because of his persistence.

26. The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14): Two men go to the temple to pray—a Pharisee who boasts of his righteousness and a tax collector who humbly asks for mercy. God exalts the humble tax collector but humbles the proud Pharisee.

27. The Parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14:15-24): A man prepares a great banquet and invites many guests, but they all make excuses not to come. In response, the man invites the poor, crippled, blind, and lame to fill his house.

28. The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31): A rich man lives in luxury while a poor beggar named Lazarus lies at his gate, longing for scraps from his table. After they both die, Lazarus is comforted in paradise, while the rich man suffers torment in Hades.

29. The Parable of the Ten Minas (Luke 19:11-27): A nobleman goes away to receive a kingdom and entrusts ten minas to his servants, instructing them to engage in business until his return.

30. The Parable of the Vineyard Workers (Second) (Matthew 20:1-16): A landowner hires workers throughout the day to work in his vineyard but pays them all the same wage at the end of the day, regardless of the hours worked.

31. The Parable of the Growing Seed (Second) (Mark 4:26-29): Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a man scattering seed on the ground, which sprouts and grows, though he does not understand how.

32. The Parable of the Lamp under a Basket (Matthew 5:14-15, Mark 4:21-25, Luke 8:16-18, Luke 11:33-36): Jesus encourages His disciples to let their light shine before others, rather than hiding it under a basket.

33. The Parable of the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-18): Jesus describes Himself as the good shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep, contrasting Himself with hired hands who flee when danger arises.

34. The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31-46): Jesus describes the final judgment, where the Son of Man separates the righteous from the unrighteous, likening them to sheep and goats respectively.

35. The Parable of the Two Sons (Matthew 21:28-32): A father asks his two sons to work in the vineyard. The first initially refuses but later changes his mind and goes, while the second agrees but does not go.

36. The Parable of the Fig Tree (Matthew 24:32-35, Mark 13:28-31, Luke 21:29-33): Jesus compares the signs of the end times to the budding of fig trees, indicating that when they begin to bud, summer is near.

37. The Parable of the Wicked Tenants (Matthew 21:33-46, Mark 12:1-12, Luke 20:9-19): A landowner plants a vineyard and leases it to tenants but sends servants to collect the fruit. However, the tenants mistreat and kill the servants, even killing the landowner’s son when he comes.

38. The Parable of the Growing Seed (Third) (Mark 4:26-29): Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a man scattering seed on the ground, which sprouts and grows, though he does not understand how.

39. The Parable of the Sheepfold (John 10:1-18): Jesus describes Himself as the gate for the sheep, through whom they enter and find pasture.

40. The Parable of the Vine and Branches (John 15:1-17): Jesus compares Himself to a vine and His followers to branches, urging them to remain connected to Him in order to bear fruit.

41. The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders (Matthew 7:24-27, Luke 6:46-49): Jesus compares those who hear His words and put them into practice to a wise builder who constructs his house on a solid foundation, which withstands the storms.

42. The Parable of the Rich Fool (Second) (Luke 12:16-21): A rich man experiences a bountiful harvest and plans to build larger barns to store his wealth, believing he can then relax and enjoy life.

43. The Parable of the Unfruitful Fig Tree (Second) (Luke 13:6-9): A man plants a fig tree in his vineyard but finds no fruit on it for three years. He decides to cut it down, but the gardener pleads for one more year, promising to fertilize and tend to it.

44. The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard (Second) (Matthew 20:1-16): A landowner hires workers throughout the day to work in his vineyard but pays them all the same wage at the end of the day, regardless of the hours worked.

45. The Parable of the Great Supper (Second) (Luke 14:15-24): A man prepares a great banquet and invites many guests, but they all make excuses not to come. In response, the man invites the poor, crippled, blind, and lame to fill his house.

46. The Parable of the Unjust Steward (Second) (Luke 16:1-13): A steward is accused of squandering his master’s possessions and is about to be fired. In a desperate attempt to secure his future, he reduces the debts of his master’s debtors, gaining favor with them.

47. The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Second) (Luke 18:9-14): Two men go to the temple to pray—a Pharisee who boasts of his righteousness and a tax collector who humbly asks for mercy. God exalts the humble tax collector but humbles the proud Pharisee.

28. Jesus healed the sick.

1. The Leper.

   A leper approached Jesus, pleading for healing, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus, moved with compassion, touched the man and said, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Instantly, the leprosy left him, and he was healed. This incident is recorded in Matthew 8:1-4, Mark 1:40-45, and Luke 5:12-16.

2. The Centurion’s Servant.

   A centurion approached Jesus, seeking healing for his paralyzed servant. Amazed by the centurion’s faith, Jesus declared that the servant would be healed. When the centurion returned home, he found his servant completely healed, just as Jesus had promised. This account is recorded in Matthew 8:5-13 and Luke 7:1-10.

3. Peter’s Mother-in-law.

   Jesus visited the home of Peter, whose mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever. Jesus touched her hand, and the fever left her immediately. She got up and began to serve Jesus and his disciples. This story is found in Matthew 8:14-15, Mark 1:29-31, and Luke 4:38-39.

4. The Paralytic Man.

   A paralyzed man was brought to Jesus by his friends. Unable to reach Jesus due to the crowd, they lowered him through the roof of the house where Jesus was teaching. Seeing their faith, Jesus forgave the man’s sins and then instructed him to rise, take up his mat, and walk. Immediately, the man stood up, picked up his mat, and went home, glorifying God. This incident is detailed in Matthew 9:1-8, Mark 2:1-12, and Luke 5:17-26.

5. The Man with the Withered Hand.

   On the Sabbath, Jesus encountered a man with a withered hand in a synagogue. Knowing the Pharisees were watching to see if he would heal on the Sabbath, Jesus asked the man to stretch out his hand. When he did, it was restored whole, and the Pharisees began to plot against Jesus. This incident is detailed in Matthew 12:9-14, Mark 3:1-6, and Luke 6:6-11.

6. The Syrophoenician Woman’s Daughter.

   A Canaanite woman approached Jesus, begging him to heal her demon-possessed daughter. Initially, Jesus seemed hesitant, stating that he was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. However, the woman persisted, expressing her faith, and Jesus commended her for it. He then granted her request, and her daughter was healed instantly. This story is recounted in Matthew 15:21-28 and Mark 7:24-30.

7. The Deaf and Mute Man.

   Jesus encountered a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment. Jesus took him aside, put his fingers into the man’s ears, spat, and touched the man’s tongue. Looking up to heaven, Jesus sighed and said, “Be opened.” Instantly, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak plainly. This miraculous healing is recorded in Mark 7:31-37.

8. The Blind Man at Bethsaida.

   Jesus healed a blind man at Bethsaida by spitting on his eyes and laying his hands on him. Initially, the man saw people but they looked like trees walking. After Jesus touched his eyes again, his sight was fully restored. This event is recorded in Mark 8:22-26.

9. The Ten Lepers.

   While traveling between Samaria and Galilee, Jesus encountered ten lepers who cried out to him for mercy. In response, Jesus instructed them to show themselves to the priests. As they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. Only one, a Samaritan, returned to thank Jesus, prompting Jesus to praise his faith. This narrative is found in Luke 17:11-19.

10. The Blind Man at the Pool of Siloam.

Jesus encountered a man blind from birth. He spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud on the man’s eyes. He then instructed the man to wash in the pool of Siloam. Upon doing so, the man received his sight. This miraculous healing is detailed in John 9:1-12.

11. Malchus’ Ear.

During Jesus’ arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, one of his disciples, Simon Peter, drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. Jesus immediately healed the servant’s ear, restoring it to its original state. This incident is recorded in Luke 22:50-51 and John 18:10-11.

29. David and Goliath.

The story of David and Goliath is indeed one of the most iconic and inspiring tales in the Bible, found in the Old Testament in 1 Samuel 17. This event occurred during David’s early life before he became king, when he was still a young shepherd boy.

In the narrative, Goliath, a Philistine champion, challenged the Israelites to send out a champion to face him in single combat. Goliath was described as a giant, standing over nine feet tall, and was heavily armored, making him an intimidating adversary.

Here is a detailed account of what happened:

1. Goliath’s Challenge: Goliath, a Philistine champion, challenged the Israelites, taunting them and their God, and demanding that they send out a champion to fight him (1 Samuel 17:4-7). This challenge created fear and panic among the Israelite army.

2. David’s Arrival: David, the youngest son of Jesse and a shepherd boy, arrived at the Israelite camp to bring provisions for his brothers who were serving in the army. He heard Goliath’s challenge and was dismayed by the fear of the Israelite soldiers (1 Samuel 17:17-22).

3. David’s Confidence in God: Despite his youth and lack of experience in battle, David volunteered to fight Goliath. He expressed his confidence in God’s strength, stating that he had faced and defeated wild animals while tending his father’s sheep, and he believed God would deliver him from Goliath as well (1 Samuel 17:32-37).

4. Saul’s Skepticism: King Saul initially doubted David’s ability to fight Goliath, but eventually agreed to let him try, after David insisted and convinced Saul of his capabilities (1 Samuel 17:33-40).

5. David’s Encounter with Goliath: David refused Saul’s amour, opting instead to face Goliath with only his sling and five smooth stones from the brook. As Goliath approached, David ran to meet him, slung a stone from his sling, which struck Goliath in the forehead, causing him to fall (1 Samuel 17:41-49).

6. David’s Victory: David then took Goliath’s own sword and killed him, demonstrating that it was not by human strength or weapons but by God’s power that he triumphed (1 Samuel 17:50-51).

7. Israel’s Triumph: The Israelites were emboldened by David’s victory and pursued the Philistines, defeating them in battle (1 Samuel 17:52).

The story of David and Goliath offers numerous inspirational lessons that can motivate people of all ages using David’s example, along with quotes from various individuals:

1. Courage in the Face of Adversity: David’s courage in facing the giant Goliath despite being young and inexperienced can inspire people to confront their own challenges with bravery.

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.'” – Mary Anne Radmacher.

2. Faith in God’s Strength: David’s unwavering faith in God’s strength and guidance, as demonstrated by his reliance on God to defeat Goliath, can motivate individuals to trust in their faith during difficult times.

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

3. Using Unique Skills and Talents: David’s decision to face Goliath with his sling and stones, rather than conforming to traditional methods of combat, highlights the importance of using one’s unique skills and talents to overcome obstacles.

“In a world full of trends, I want to remain a classic.” – Iman.

4. Belief in One’s Abilities: Despite others doubting his capabilities, David remained confident in his ability to defeat Goliath, teaching us to believe in ourselves even when faced with skepticism.

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt.

5. Perseverance and Determination: David’s determination to see the task through, despite the odds stacked against him, serves as a reminder of the importance of perseverance in achieving one’s goals.

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius.

6. Empowering Others: David’s victory not only inspired the Israelites but also empowered them to pursue the Philistines, showcasing the ripple effect of one person’s actions on a community.

“Empowerment is the process of enabling or authorizing an individual to think, behave, take action, and control work and decision-making about their job in autonomous, independent, self-directed ways.” – Stephen Covey.

People of all ages should face their challenges with courage, faith, and determination, just as David did thousands of years ago.

30. The frequent use of the numbers 7 and 12 in the Bible.

A list of instances where the number seven appears in the Bible, follows:

1. Creation in Seven Days (Genesis 1:1-31): The story of creation spans seven days, with God resting on the seventh day.

2. Noah’s Ark (Genesis 7:1-10): Noah took seven pairs of clean animals and birds onto the ark.

3. Sevenfold Promise of Blessing (Genesis 15:18): God makes a covenant with Abraham, promising to give his descendants the land of Canaan, among other blessings.

4. Seven Fat Years and Seven Lean Years (Genesis 41:26-27): Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dream, predicting seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine.

5. The Sabbath Day (Exodus 20:8-11): God commands the Israelites to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy, resting on the seventh day.

6. Seven Priests and Seven Trumpets at Jericho (Joshua 6:1-20): Joshua commands seven priests to carry seven trumpets and march around Jericho for seven days.

7. Seven Weeks of Harvest (Leviticus 23:15-16): The Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) occurs seven weeks after the offering of the first fruits.

8. Seven Candles of the Menorah (Exodus 25:31-40): The lampstand (menorah) in the tabernacle had seven branches.

9. Seven Days of Passover (Exodus 12:15-20): The Feast of Unleavened Bread, part of the Passover celebration, lasts for seven days.

10. Seven Days of Consecration for the Priests (Leviticus 8:33-36): Aaron and his sons undergo a seven-day consecration process to become priests.

11. Seven Times Seven Years for the Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:8-13): Every fiftieth year is designated as the Year of Jubilee, following seven cycles of seven years.

12. Seven Days of Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:34-43): The Feast of Tabernacles lasts for seven days, followed by an eighth day of solemn assembly.

13. Sevenfold Sprinkling of Blood (Leviticus 4:17): The priest sprinkles the blood seven times before the Lord in the tent of meeting.

14. Seven Days of Cleansing from Leprosy (Leviticus 14:7): The ritual for cleansing a person with leprosy involves a seven-day process.

15. Seven Days of Unleavened Bread (Deuteronomy 16:3): During the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Israelites are to eat unleavened bread for seven days.

16. Seven Golden Lampstands (Revelation 1:12-13): John sees seven golden lampstands, which represent the seven churches in Asia.

17. Seven Seals, Seven Trumpets, and Seven Bowls (Revelation 5:1, 8:2, 16:1): The book of Revelation contains multiple occurrences of sets of seven, including seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls of God’s wrath.

18. Seven Branches of the Candlestick in the Tabernacle (Exodus 25:31-39): Instructions for the construction of the golden candlestick with seven lamps.

19. Seven Lambs for a Sin Offering (Numbers 29:32-34): Part of the offerings to be made during the Feast of Tabernacles includes seven lambs as a sin offering.

20. Seven Feasts of the Lord (Leviticus 23:1-44): The Lord institutes seven feasts for the Israelites to observe, including Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.

21. Seven Days for the Consecration of the Altar (Exodus 29:35): Instructions for the consecration of the altar, which includes a seven-day period.

22. Seven Priests with Seven Trumpets to Destroy Jericho (Joshua 6:4-13): Joshua instructs seven priests to march around Jericho with seven trumpets for seven days before the walls fall.

23. Seven Days of Mourning for Jacob (Genesis 50:10): After Jacob’s death, his sons mourn for him for seven days.

24. Seven Days of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12:15-20): The Feast of Unleavened Bread is observed for seven days following the Passover.

25. Seven Times in a Day for Praise (Psalm 119:164): The psalmist declares his praise for God seven times a day.

26. Seven Loaves to Feed the Multitude (Matthew 15:32-38): Jesus feeds four thousand people with seven loaves of bread.

27. Seven Spirits before God’s Throne (Revelation 1:4): John mentions seven spirits before God’s throne, representing the completeness of the Holy Spirit.

28. Seven Fat and Seven Lean Cows in Pharaoh’s Dream (Genesis 41:1-4): Pharaoh dreams of seven fat cows being devoured by seven lean cows, which Joseph interprets as seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine.

29. Seven Thunders in Revelation (Revelation 10:3-4): John hears seven thunders uttering their voices, but their message is sealed and not recorded.

30. Seven Times Hotter Furnace for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3:19-23): King Nebuchadnezzar orders the fiery furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual before throwing the three Hebrew men into it.

Here is a comprehensive list of instances where the number twelve appears in the Bible:

1. Twelve Tribes of Israel (Genesis 35:22-26): Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, had twelve sons who became the progenitors of the twelve tribes of Israel.

2. Twelve Spies Sent to Canaan (Numbers 13:1-16): Moses sent twelve spies, one from each tribe, to explore the land of Canaan before the Israelites entered it.

3. Twelve Stones Representing the Twelve Tribes (Exodus 28:21): The high priest’s breastplate had twelve precious stones, each representing one of the twelve tribes of Israel.

4. Twelve Wells of Water at Elim (Exodus 15:27): After crossing the Red Sea, the Israelites camped at Elim, where they found twelve wells of water.

5. Twelve Pillars at Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:4): Moses set up twelve pillars at the foot of Mount Sinai, representing the twelve tribes of Israel, after making a covenant with God.

6. Twelve Cakes of Bread on the Table of Presence (Leviticus 24:5): The Table of Presence in the tabernacle had twelve cakes of bread, representing the twelve tribes of Israel.

7. Twelve Stones from the Jordan River (Joshua 4:1-9): After crossing the Jordan River, Joshua instructed twelve men to take twelve stones from the riverbed to serve as a memorial.

8. Twelve Judges of Israel (Judges 3:9-11): The book of Judges mentions twelve individuals who served as judges over Israel.

9. Twelve Officers of Solomon (1 Kings 4:7): King Solomon appointed twelve officers to oversee his administration.

10. Twelve Stones in Elijah’s Altar (1 Kings 18:31-32): Elijah rebuilt the altar of the Lord with twelve stones, representing the twelve tribes of Israel.

11. Twelve Disciples Chosen by Jesus (Matthew 10:1-4): Jesus chose twelve disciples to be his apostles, representing the foundation of the Christian Church.

12. Twelve Baskets of Leftovers from Feeding the Five Thousand (Matthew 14:20): After Jesus miraculously fed five thousand people with five loaves and two fish, twelve baskets of leftovers were collected.

13. Twelve Foundations of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:14): John describes the New Jerusalem as having twelve foundations, with the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb written on them.

14. Twelve Stars on the Woman’s Crown (Revelation 12:1): John sees a woman clothed with the sun, with twelve stars on her head, representing the twelve tribes of Israel.

15. Twelve Gates of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:12): John describes the New Jerusalem as having twelve gates, with each gate made of a single pearl and named after one of the twelve tribes of Israel.

16. Twelve Thrones for the Twelve Apostles (Matthew 19:28): Jesus tells his disciples that in the renewal of all things, they will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

17. Twelve Baskets of Leftovers from Feeding the Four Thousand (Matthew 15:37): After Jesus miraculously fed four thousand people with seven loaves and a few small fish, twelve baskets of leftovers were collected.

18. Twelve Legions of Angels (Matthew 26:53): Jesus tells Peter that he could ask the Father, and he would send twelve legions of angels to his aid.

19. Twelve Gates of the City of God in Ezekiel’s Vision (Ezekiel 48:30-35): In Ezekiel’s vision of the restored land, he describes a city with twelve gates, named after the twelve tribes of Israel.

20. Twelve Years of Jesus’ Age when He Visited the Temple (Luke 2:41-52): Jesus was twelve years old when he visited the temple in Jerusalem with his parents.

21. Twelve Armies of Israelites Fighting the Midianites (Judges 6:35): Gideon gathered twelve armies of Israelites to fight against the Midianites.

22. Twelve Stones Set up by Joshua in Gilgal (Joshua 4:20): Joshua set up twelve stones taken from the Jordan River as a memorial at Gilgal.

23. Twelve Oxen Supporting the Bronze Sea (1 Kings 7:25): Solomon’s Temple had a large basin called the Bronze Sea, which was supported by twelve oxen.

24. Twelve Gates of the Temple in Ezekiel’s Vision (Ezekiel 48:31-34): In Ezekiel’s vision of the temple, he describes twelve gates, each named after one of the twelve tribes of Israel.

25. Twelve Governors of Solomon’s Kingdom (1 Kings 4:7-19): King Solomon appointed twelve governors to oversee his kingdom, each responsible for supplying provisions for one month of the year.

26. Twelve Prophets Mentioned by James (James 5:10): James mentions twelve prophets in his epistle while encouraging patience in suffering.

27. Twelve Basketfuls of Broken Pieces from Feeding the Four Thousand (Mark 8:19-20): After Jesus fed four thousand people with seven loaves and a few small fish, twelve basketfuls of broken pieces were collected.

28. Twelve Wells Dug by Isaac (Genesis 26:18): Isaac’s servants dug twelve wells in the land of Canaan.

29. Twelve Stones from the Jordan River Set Up by the Israelites (Joshua 4:1-24): After crossing the Jordan River, Joshua instructed twelve men to take twelve stones from the riverbed to serve as a memorial.

30. Twelve Stones on the Breastplate of the High Priest (Exodus 28:15-21): The breastplate of the high priest had twelve precious stones, each representing one of the twelve tribes of Israel.

The numbers 7 and 12 hold symbolic significance in the Bible, representing completeness, perfection, divine order, governance, and wholeness. Their frequent use in scripture underscores their importance in conveying spiritual truths and divine messages.

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