LOST & FOUND: The Lord knows right where you are!

"But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.' And they began to celebrate."

Luke 15:22-24

Alan Murphy, was devastated; while on vacation in the United States, Murphy lost his digital camera. That loss would cost him all of his vacation pictures from the trip. Disheartened, Murphy, an Irish insurance underwriter now living in Australia, returned home to Sydney.

However, on his 34th birthday, not quite two weeks later, he learned he would be getting the missing camera and the photos back. "I was over the moon," he says now.

At dusk on New Year's Eve[, 2007], Erika Gunderson got into a taxi in New York City and entered a digital-age mystery.

Sitting on the back seat was a nice Canon digital camera. Gunderson asked the driver which previous passenger might have left it, but the cabbie didn't seem to care.

Thus began the saga of several amateur sleuths determined to unite an unknown individual with a camera lost and found in NYC.

Together the friends spent hours culling the digital images stored in the camera's memory, looking for and following up on minuscule clues as to the camera's owner. Lead after lead was followed to a dead-end when one last look by the last of the detectives revealed the interior of a NYC business not far away.

That final effort would put the Canon back in the hands of its owner.

We were lost, but now we're found; no amateur detectives were needed however. No, the Most High God who created us has known where we were all along. We may be lost to eternal life but God has a light on for us to follow home. Praise Him!

Christianity, Illustrations,
Lost & found, Religion

JUSTIFICATION: I'm ninety-five percent saved!

"Jesus answered and said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.'"

John 3:3

Reuters is reporting the Metropolitan Police in London, England, are finding it difficult to bring in sufficient recruits. So the agency has loosened its requirements – ignoring tattoos and criminal records.

“This wouldn't apply to people who had shown criminal intent, like burglary,” a spokesman said. “If you hit the target on 19 of 20 criteria and miss it on one we’d consider your application.” That’s because you get an extra point for insight into the criminal mind.

Not so in heaven … only those with all the qualifications (the blood of Jesus) need apply!

We need to understand, in the same way a theater won’t admit with half a ticket the Lord will either! It's either 100% saved by grace through faith or it's not! Christ's all-sufficient sacrifice is not up for negotiation.

Christianity, Illustrations,
Religion, Justification

GRACE: God? I'm thirsty!

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."

Ephesians 2:8-10

It never failed but that our kids got thirsty the minute we were too far from the house to get them one.

Problem: how do we get water to satisfy their thirst? Solution: take them to the source of water or build a conduit for water to flow from the source to them.

So too with God's grace. It’s in heaven where we cannot go at the moment, far from the thirst of our hearts.

However, God, who spoke the heavens and the earth in existence, has said faith is His conduit for His grace. What a conduit can be to our need for water, faith is to our need for God's grace.

So it makes no sense to seek another solution ... there’s only one link between heaven and earth and that link is faith in the Son of God.

Christianity, Grace,
Illustrations, Religion

PROMISES: It's when and where promised!

If a little boy hears his mom offer a Snickers candy bar from the kitchen window, and all he must do is go to the back door and receive it (assuming he believes she will keep her promise and assuming he desires the candy bar), why would he go to the front door instead? Or to a neighbor's back door?

Why would he expect to receive it anywhere but when and where she promised?

So too is the offer of eternal life. God calls out from glory, wooing us to Himself … all we need to do is comply with His instructions and trust Him to keep His word.

Christianity, Illustrations,
Promises, Religion

ETERNAL LIFE: No hazard alerts are expected!

"Jesus answered and said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.'"

John 3:3

The Australian government recently issued a “hazard alert” for various models of the St. Jude Medical Tempo Pacemaker. They warned that the devices could fail unexpectedly. The pacemakers have “an internal problem which can lead to premature, unexpected device failure”, the warning said.

Man is constantly having to renew things. Jesus told Nicodemus he must be born-again. But He told the woman at the well she could drink of living water and would never die.

Forget the pacemaker, give me the water! [“Alert issued over faulty pacemakers,” Australian Associated Press, June 6 2000]

Christianity, Eternal life,
Illustrations, Religion

GENEALOGY: Here's to my unknown relatives!

So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. "For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.

Acts 17:22-23 [16-34]

Louis Mills tells a story of a woman in his local genealogical group.

The woman told the group how she had spent countless hours accumulating names of all those she suspected were relatives. There was one group that was especially time consuming: they were all Inuit Indians living on an island off Alaska.

She said she had to seek the help of the library staff in order to sort out the confusing relationships … you see they all had the same surname, “Unk.” Though embarrassed, she had a good laugh when a librarian pointed out that Unk. meant "unknown."

Paul spoke of an Unknown God at the Areopagus in Acts 17:23; he spoke of how the people of Athens were “very religious,” but that their relationship with God was confused out of ignorance. He told them of a God not of this world, not made by the craft or craftiness of men, a God who can be known. He told them, that even though they were groping in darkness, they could find Him.

If the world would only go to the Son, “a Man whom He has appointed” [Acts 17:31], He would figure out this unknown relationship.

Jesus, knowing that non-believers have “the work of the Law written in their hearts” [Romans 2:11-16], knows that all men, in ignorance, are seeking after their roots, looking for that family tree which will reveal whether there is or is not a God they can know. God has “overlooked the times of ignorance” but is “now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent” [Acts 17:30].

Paul said elsewhere, “behold, now is ‘the acceptable time,’ behold, now is ‘the day of salvation’” [2 Corinthians 6:2].

[RootsWeb.com, Inc., RootsWeb Review: RootsWeb's Genealogy News, Vol. 2, No. 39, 29 September 1999.]

Christianity, Genealogy,
Illustrations, Religion

SALVATION: Open those doors!

"The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life."

1 John 5:10-12

The Associated Press is reporting Pope John Paul II will open special doors to symbolize entrance into the new millennium. The doors symbolize the gateway of salvation. These special doors are referred to as "Holy Doors"; apparently most basilicas have such a door. John Paul has decreed (for the first time in history) Rome's basilicas will open their Holy Doors at the same time.

The reports say the Roman Church’s celebration of “Holy Years” dates back to the 1400s; each celebration is commemorated by the opening of a Holy Door in at least one of its basilicas.

This year the Pope will open the Holy Doors of every basilica in Rome: St. Peter's, Christmas Eve; St. John Lateran, Christmas Day; St. Mary Major, January 1; and St. Paul's, January 18. St. Peter's has at least two Holy Doors, since the Pope has mandated they will both be opened in a ceremony typifying the church's past and future. [Religion Today]

Jesus said, “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved.” [John 10:9] There is only one Holy Door, and that is through the One who tore down the veil which previously kept the door shut.

Jesus added, “No man comes unto the Father, but through me.” [John 14:6b] He said, “I am the way.”

And Luke recorded for all with ears to hear and eyes to see that there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved. [Acts 4:12]

Four things are really special about Christ as our door: first, He’s never closed for salvation business [Matthew 28:20]; second, no one must decree He be opened; and, third, He doesn’t need to be duplicated every time someone erects a building in His name … His Church is everywhere present.

Christianity, Illustrations,
Religion, Salvation

ETERNAL LIFE: Knowing real “Powerball” coupons from cheap copies!

"But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?' And the man was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called, but few are chosen."

Matthew 22:11-14

Two winning Powerball [Powerball is a multi-state lottery with huge million dollar payoffs] tickets, worth $100,000 each, were invalidated because they were purchased through a broker who used incorrect “play slips.” They were marked by an automatic process rather than by hand, as required.

[San Gabriel Valley Daily Bulletin, unknown date, 1996; 2.]

One thing is for sure, God’s rules of entry are even more rigorous. Those improperly dressed and those improperly washed will be shut out, just as those in Noah’s day were. Jesus said, unless you are born-again, you shall not see the Kingdom of God.

One of the greatest concerns in the ministry today is that many of our people may not be saved … having received improper “play slips”.

Christianity, Eternal life,
Illustrations, Religion

EVANGELISM: What do you expect from a male driver?

"But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have; 'THEIR VOICE HAS GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD.'"

Romans 10:18

Many people get lost today, especially as the world gets smaller and increasingly congested. A few years ago I was told the San Mateo County (California) Convention & Visitors Bureau ordered 50,000 maps of the greater San Mateo area for visiting tourists. The driver of the delivery truck evidently got lost on the way to the bureau; he had to phone in for directions.

The world has had people like this for at least two millennia … the map is right on their coffee table, but they’re still lost and need someone to give them directions.

Christianity, Evangelism,
Illustrations, Religion

REBIRTH: The Spectrum of the Son!

"you must be born again"

John 3:7

"if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature"

2 Corinthians 5:17

Our kids were watching some old Outer Limits reruns on TV; the episode concerned a shift in the radiation spectrum of the Sun, as a result of elevated gamma rays mankind was in danger of annihilation. Man, however, was unaware of the shift or their doom.

Observing this from another galaxy, some friendly aliens developed an antidote. The aliens sent an ambassador to warn earth and offer the antidote. But the human race faced a dilemma: the antidote caused a metamorphosis of all who submitted. In order to be saved, one had to be changed into a new creature.

Christianity, Illustrations, Religion

DOCTRINE: The Bible's Paddle of Discipline!

THE MOST IMPORTANT DOCTRINE IN THE BIBLE

Recently I listened to Stan Buckley (First Baptist Church of Jackson, FL) as he related an anecdote concerning a question put to him when he was a young minister; a mentor ask him, "What is the most important doctrine in the Bible?"

He immediately saw an opportunity to impress his elder-peer with a quick response; he said "Salvation." His friend said, "No, that is not it!" Several others followed and each time he was told, "No, that is not it!"

Finally, in frustration, he pleaded, "Well, what then?" To which his companion said, "The doctrine of sin is the most important doctrine in the Bible!"

As entertaining as this anecdote is, I would strongly disagree. I believe "the doctrine of the fear of God" is the most important doctrine in the bible (see Proverbs 1:7 and Romans 3:18).

This doctrine involves both the doctrine of salvation and the doctrine of sin; it is that which leads to a knowledge of our absolute depravity and God's absolute holiness, as-well-as, our need for forgiveness and salvation ... rebirth cannot occur without it (in my opinion).

Christianity, Doctrine, Illustrations, Religion

ETERNAL SECURITY - Once sealed, always sealed!

BURNED JUST ONCE! [Ephesians 1:13,14; regeneration, seal (of Holy Spirit)]

Our church secretary, Patsy McDonald, just informed me CD’s now have a fail-safe feature burned into them preventing more than one copy from being made. The manufacturers and producers do this to prevent the lose on their valuable products. Once is all they allow.

God has likewise burned a fail-safe feature into the spirit of "the redeemed" [Ephesians 1:13]. We are originally created in God’s image, then regenerated by the precious blood of Jesus and sealed for all eternity by the Holy Spirit to prevent the loss of His most valuable possessions. Once saved is all that He requires. Glory to God!


CROSSING GUARD! [John 1:12,13; atonement, redemption, salvation]

When I was a little boy I was instructed in how to cross the street at intersections, with and without traffic lights. My elders told me the signal lights were preset for a minimum number of people; they told me I would have to wait until that many people had pushed the pedestrian crossing button. So we all pushed the button again and again until the signal changed.

I trusted the wisdom of my elders in those days; I really thought, for the longest time, I could make the signal change by pushing that silly button. Nearly wore my index finger out doing it.

I’m sure you’ve noticed, if you’re paying attention, how many people still push the pedestrian button over and over, believing, as I did, they have some control over the lights. What is amazing to me is how many grownups still do.

Grownups really do amaze me, especially concerning changing things. In the same way the pedestrian crossing button must only be pushed once to let the system know we’re there, we must only receive Christ once, in order to cross over, changing our eternal destiny. There’s no way to change the entry made to the system once that eternal button is pushed. There’s no standing on the corner of Atonement Avenue and Redemption Road saying, “Opps! I didn’t mean that.” The signal won’t flash a message back saying, “You started to cross before the light changed, your right to cross is revoked!” Or, “You’re too slow, go back and start over.”

We’ve all heard “Christians” who tell of the many times they’ve received the Lord, as if they had something to do with crossing over. Or they say, “It didn’t work the first time.” We’ve also heard those who tells us salvation can be lost and we must receive Christ again. We must be perfectly clear on this: salvation is of the Lord, it is a gift of God [Ephesians 2:8]. Once God saves a soul that soul is saved for all eternity. Push the crossing over button once, sincerely, that’s all that’s needed.

LIVING WATER - Drink and never thirst again!

DEHYDRATED SOULS AND SPIRITS! [Jeremiah 17:13; Other topics - Lost, Salvation, Sanctification, Satan, Thirst]

In a message on Ananias and Sapphira, Rev. Jim Henry, Pastor of First Baptist Church in Orlando, Florida, tells of how natives in Africa locate water during their all too frequent droughts.

The natives capture a baboon and feed him salt for a few days … when they release him he races to the nearest water hole in the forest. By following the baboon they are led to a source of water they didn’t know existed.

Satan has been feeding man lies (salt) instead of God’s word (bread) for centuries; because of this condition man has become desert parched.

The non-believer, once free of Satan’s grip, immediately races to whatever the world calls moisture (self-help, gurus, meditation, occultism, mysticism, false religions, whatever). In short order, the lost soul finds his thirst unsatisfied and so races on to the next stop on the devil’s treadmill … discovering again his parched throat is unappeased. [cf. John 14:13]

But the true believer (if ever trapped by a snare of the evil one), when freed from his bonds, races to the source of living water [John 7:38] for he is like a tree firmly planted by streams of water [Psalm 1:3]; the parched condition of his experience is never far from Satisfaction.

FAITH - Living or simple!

BEWARE TWO OF A KIND! [Matthew 7:14-27; Believers, Nonbelievers]

Driving down the street one night I saw a peculiar optical illusion: two identical cats were sitting on the sill in a lighted front window. At first, I thought they were statues; they were both coal black (the absence of light compromises color at night) and indistinguishable in size and shape … except they were facing each other.

Then the cat on the left turned to look at my truck as it drove past. That slight motion quickly told me the cat on the left was sitting on the outside sill while the other cat was sitting on the inside sill. Until there was movement by one or the other, I was incapable of distinguishing between the two; the glass separated the one from the other; preventing them from doing whatever cats desire to do together at night.

The crux of this tale is that in it we see the importance of a Christian’s public witness. Until there is movement by one or the other, believers are virtually indistinguishable from nonbelievers. The Bible clearly teaches that believers are known by their actions and not their words [James 1 & 2].

Some might say both must move in order to know one from the other. However, by default, we know both could be nonbelievers … for we are all sinners and have fallen far from the grace of God [Romans 3:23]. Only when one of God’s fallen accepts Jesus as Lord, does he become a new creation; then and only then, do we see his actions as those of a believer. The second party must be supposed a nonbeliever until some action on his part provides evidence of his faith in the God of our fathers.

At one of his crusades Billy Graham said, “I assume everyone is lost until they confirm to me otherwise.” (my paraphrase) We should never believe anyone is a believer solely on the basis or his or her personal assurance.

“Whatever [a believer does] in word or deed, [he should do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus” [Colossians 3:17]; thus, his words and deeds are recognizable as a believer’s words and deeds.

Jesus clarified the importance of words over deeds in Matthew 7:14-27 when He specifically said, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.” He added, "You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they?”

Care must certainly be taken not to prejudge everything sitting in a window as a statue, but greater care must be taken before we judge everything sitting in a pew a believer. Like the glass in the window, Jesus Christ separates believers from nonbelievers … a believer’s actions will distinguish him from his counterpart.

GOD WILL DO JUST FINE WITHOUT YOU! [Sovereignty]

One night when a diplomat and his valet were required to sleep in the same railcar, the valet noticed his boss having trouble sleeping. “Whazzzzup?” He asked (things have changed). “Oh, I have so many things on my mind; the responsibilities I have to bear.”

“Look, I want to get some sleep, so let me ask you: do you think God was governing the world okay before you were born and don’t you think He'll manage after you're dead and gone?” “Absolutely!” “Okay then, let’s get some sleep, cause He’s gonna do just fine while your alive … right?"

[Adapted from e-Sword Ministries - 2000+ Illustrations, "Faith"]

I SEE YOU! [Matthew 8:5-13]; other topics - omniscience, sight, trust]

A dad stood in the cellar looking up at his son standing at the edge of a trap door. He called up, “I’m right here son, go ahead jump down to me."

The boy hesitated, in uncertain fear. "I can't, dad; I can't see you." Up came the answer, "I know you can't, but I see you!”

We may not see our Father but He sees us!

SINKING IN A SEA OF SIN! [1 Timothy 2:5; Deliverance, Grace, Salvation]

The movie Titanic was a big hit in the last decade. One can almost see and hear the people struggle in the deadly waters of the frigid Atlantic.

Faith links man, who is sinking in a sea of sin, to God, who is our Anchor and our Hope. God uses this link to provide man a way of salvation (Grace); once the link is established, a relationship exists.

The drowning man doesn’t reject a rescue ship’s lifeline in order to grab a pallet which happens to float by ... why? Because the pallet offers only temporary deliverance, whereas the line connects the man to the ship offering deliverance from the jaws of certain death!

God offers the lifeline of faith (in His Son); promising to credit His Son’s righteous to us if we will but trust Him. Abraham did and was reckoned righteous in just this way.

Though faith seems a thin thread to many, in reality it’s an unbreakable cable held by the hands of Almighty God, whose infinite power slowly and surely draws all men to His heavenly shore. [a loose paraphrase of Spurgeon]

There must, of necessity, be a relationship between the drowning man and the rescue ship … the lifeline … or there is no hope of deliverance. Notice, however, it can’t just be a drowning man, a ship, and a lifeline; someone must be on board to pull the man from the water.

THE WINNER’S CIRCLE [1 Kings 3:15; Involvement, Love (of the Father), Parenting]

Gilbert was eight years old and a Cub Scouts for only a short time. Handed a sheet of paper, a block of wood, and four black plastic tires, he return home and gave it to “dad”.

Not an easy task, dad wasn’t real receptive to doing things with his son. But Gilbert tried. Dad read the paper and chuckled at the idea of making a pine wood car with his son. Gilbert’s “stuff” remained untouched for weeks.

Then mom stepped in and the project got underway. Mom had no carpentry skills so she simply read the directions and let Gilbert do the work. He did! Within days the block of wood was becoming a pinewood car; a little lopsided, but looking fine.

Gilbert was feeling quite proud of his “Blue Lightning”; a pride that came from doing something himself. Then came the big night. With his hand full of blue pinewood car hand and his heart filled with pride, he and mom headed to the big race.

Once there, mom saw her son’s was most likely the only car made entirely by a child. All the other cars had cool paint jobs and sleek body styles, perfect for speed. Some children giggled when they saw Gilbert’s wobbly, homely vehicle.

Adding insult to injury, Gilbert was the only boy without a man at his side. A couple of boys from single parent homes at least had an uncle or grandfather by their side.

The race was by elimination. You kept racing as long as you didn’t lose. As you might guess, in the end it was between Gilbert and the sleekest, fastest looking car. As the final race was about to start, mom’s proud but shy eight year-old asked if they could hold the race for him to pray. They smiled at the request but held up the race. Gilbert kneeled in front of all, clutching his funny looking block of wood, and prayed. He prayed for a minute and then stood, smile and said, ‘Okay, I’m ready.”

The crowd cheered. The sleek car roared down the ramp while Gilbert’s wobbled but with surprising speed, reaching the finish line a fraction of a second ahead of the other car. Gilbert leaped in the air and shouted, “Thank you.”

In the “Winner’s Circle,” the Scout Master said, “So you prayed to win, huh, Gilbert?” The small lad answered loudly, “Oh, no sir! That wouldn’t be fair! I just asked God to make it so I don’t cry when I lose.”

Wasn’t it Jesus who said, “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it at all”? [Luke 18:16-17] And wasn’t it Solomon who asked God for wisdom to rule His people when he could have asked for riches or power? [1 Kings 3:5-15] And wasn’t it James who said, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures”? [James 4:3]

Perhaps we have something to learn from our children; maybe even how to be better fathers and role models ... at a minimum, better prayer warriors?

TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN [James 2:17; Other topics - Good News, Gospel]

An old preacher was fond of saying, “There are two parts to the Good News; the first is believing and the second is behaving.” The one who hears but does not do is the one James describes as having dead faith.

WITHOUT EXCUSE! [Romans 1:19-25; Common sense; Experience]

During WWII an American bomber, night flying over North Africa, was chased by an unusually strong tailwind. They weren’t buffeted or threatened, they were simply blown along much faster than they realized.

Unfortunately, the crew calculated distance traveled using fuel consumption and time in the air, ignoring their experience and common sense. This resulted in irrevocably overshooting a course change, which caused them to miss their landing site.

Eventually, they exhausted their fuel and crashed; years later the wreckage was discovered in the Sahara Desert. The crew died because they refused to trust what they had all been trained to trust … their professional discipline founded on experience and common sense.

We too are blown along by a blast, the tailwind of scientific and secular reasoning. Man calculates his position in this world by the things of this world [1 John 2:15,16], ignoring history and his own God-given common sense. This decision can result in an irrevocable journey. However, unlike the crew of the bomber we are terribly buffeted and threatened!

The Bible says, all men must make a course change in their lives [John 3:3] it also says “that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them” [Romans 1:19] and continues:

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

We must trust what God has given us, living by faith [Habakkuk 2:4] and not by sight!

TRUTH: Don't Leave Home Without It!

ALL TRUTH OR NO TRUTH! [Acts 4:12]

When you need a 24' ladder to rescue your family from a burning building and all you have is an 18' ladder ... well, you're short, deadly short! You might as well have no ladder!

Any truth which isn’t ALL truth is NOT truth at all!

The Lord Jesus made it clear He was “the way, the TRUTH and the life” [John 14:6a]. He said, “you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” [John 8:32] and greatly encouraged His followers with these words, “If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” [36]

Jesus also said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Luke quoted Peter as saying, “there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4:12]

The “ladder of success” the world is climbing is infinitely short of that needed to find what they are really after and really need.

IRRELEVANT EXPLORATION! [Various]

Someone searching for gasoline by digging holes in the ground will be horrible disappointed when he finds only crude oil … if he’s lucky.

If its gasoline you want, the ground is the wrong place to be looking … that’s why we have gas stations every few blocks.

The world needs to know their search for happiness and satisfaction is much like searching for gasoline in the ground.

Man in his search for meaning is looking in all the wrong places; searching the world for what comes from God alone is futile.

THE SOURCE OF ALL! [John 8:32; 14:6]

During the era of gold rushes in this country (USA), the cry was: GOLD! GOLD! Men from all over the world came to search, search, and search. But for the most part, their hard work paid off in traces, traces, and traces … signs, signs, and signs! They found trace (flakes and nuggets), they found sign (small veins), yet mostly they heard rumors.

Then there was "fool's gold" and "salted" mines (fakes). They re-mined old mines, some had been mined many times before; and they followed every rumor ever spoken by the lips of man. But search as they might, they never found the Mother Lode, the source of all the gold.

Likewise, men in every age, from all over the world, have rushed to and fro, here and there ... searching for truth; seeking the source of all truth. Two thousand years ago, Jesus resolved that issue forever, He said, “I am the truth.”

Once you’ve feasted on the sweetness of this Truth, you can’t avoid it. It’s as the memory of your mother or your first real love … a constant memory … it becomes part of your life … part of your living … part of the real you.

Once you’ve been set free by the real truth, you are free indeed, a freedom, like it’s twin sister Peace, that passes comprehension.

EASTER - The day to end all days!

BEHOLD, THE LAMB OF GOD! [John 1:29, 36; Other topics - Humility, Jesus, Lamb of God, Salvation]

A few years ago our church decided to change the traditional Easter decorations in the sanctuary.

My wife, Rita, volunteered to find a ceramic lamb for the altar decoration. She searched and searched every craft and church supply store in the area; she spent days looking; she found standing lambs, knelling lambs, and grazing lambs but not one like we wanted. Ours would be a lying down lamb, a cute and “innocent” little, reposing lamb.

Being a Shepherd, I decided I might add just the right spiritual element as she headed to the last store. We examined every self in the place; hoping perhaps one might be hidden behind something. Frustrated, we both headed for the exit, dejected, heads down … then we saw it, on the floor, in a corner, under a shelf, unattended, dirty, ignored, alone. It was perfect! And it was on sale!

The world has also been searching for a lamb to save them from their sins. They’ve been looking for 6,000 years.

They too are looking in all the wrong places, heads up, proud, money no object. They’ve found all kinds of saviors: standing ones, knelling ones, grazing ones and many others as well. But not one turned out to be the “perfect” one!

We have to give them credit, they have looked everywhere imaginable. But, it is only when they seem to have lost all hope, when their heads are down, humbled, and through with doing it themselves that they find Him … Jesus, the Lamb of God!

Jesus was likewise rejected and ignored, the world trying to shove Him out of the way, into a corner or under a shelf.

How much does the Lamb of God cost? The tag says, “Priceless.” He has paid it Himself. This Lamb gave His life for those who rejected Him.


BLESSINGS TOO NUMEROUS! [Psalm 107:31; other topics - Blessings, Conviction, Self-examination]

Pastor Jack Hinton from New Bern, NC was leading worship music at a leper colony in Tobago; time allowed for one more congregational selection. A woman in the congregation, who’d been turned away, turned to face Hinton, revealing a most “hideous” face. The lady’s nose and ears were gone; most of her lips had worn away as well. She lifted a hand, more stub than hand, and asked, “Can we sing ‘Count Your Blessings’”?

Overcome by the situation Hinton fled the room, followed by another team member. The man tried to comfort the distraught song leader, “I guess you’ll never be able to sing that song again”? “Oh, yes I will,” he responded, “but never the same way.”

Warren Wiersbie is credited for saying, “Life is a school in which God trains us for eternity. Trials are ... God’s textbooks in this school of Christian experience.” It often takes the deficiency of another to reveal our own; but in the revelation, we can find fruit for nourishment.

Pastor’s Update; FMB of the Southern Baptist Convention; Richmond, VA, May 1996, p.4; Sermon-Illustrations-Each-Week, 991004-6]


MORE THAN AN IMAGE IS NEEDED! [1 Peter 1:14-19; Atonement, Lamb of God, Blood (the)]

Evidently Peruvian authorities have begun dressing up walls along their nation’s filthiest streets with pictures of Jesus Christ; the purpose seems to be to shame those illegally dumping trash along the streets.

Apparently, just the image of our Lord is believed to have such importance among the general Peruvian population.

Oh that the mere image of the Lord would clean up the streets of our minds and hearts. But it takes the precious blood of the Lamb to cleanse the heart and mind of a sinner.

Oh that it had not been necessary for the Son of God to give His life an atonement for man’s sins … but it was.

The Father tried everything; but we rejected His miracles, rejected His word, killed His prophets, and turned our backs on Him … it was oh so necessary to send His Son.

You see, an image could never pay the ransom … the Jews tried that in the temple for centuries … only the priceless and spotless Lamb of God in person was worthy [Revelation 5:12].

DELIVERANCE: Hello, God?

"Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the stomach of the fish, and he said, 'I called out of my distress to the LORD, And He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice. ... Salvation is from the LORD.' Then the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land."

Jonah 2:1-2, 9b, 10

The great quake of August 18, 1999, in Turkey brought us an interesting story ... a relationship between tragedy and technology.

A CBS report related how a man in an apartment building found himself suddenly cast into the deep. At the moment of the quake he was visiting friends in the basement of the multi-storied structure … building came down on top of them. The edifice encompassed them to the point of death. Trapped, the five used the man’s cell phone to call out to rescuers.

From the stomach of the fish Jonah called out to his Rescuer. He “cried out” from the deep, even though the water encompassed him to the point of death.

We must remember: no matter what encompasses us, we’ve a Rescuer; and we can call out to Him from the deepest of depths.

Christianity, Illustration,
Jonah, Religion, Salvation