Ignoring the Warnings

Have you ever seen those anti-smoking commercials on television?

I think we can all agree that they’re hard to watch.

The ones that I’ve seen feature a lung cancer patient whose throat has been ravaged by years of smoking. It’s hard to look and listen as the patient reveals his or her regret over not quitting the habit sooner.

Whether you’re able to watch those commercials all the way through or not…the message is clear right at the beginning. These people are physically suffering and will continue to suffer for the rest of their lives.

Their fate is assured.

Do you ever wonder why they didn’t heed the warnings?

I believe there’s an analogy here to pay attention to.

The Spiritual Battle for Hearts and Minds

It saddens me that many people are ignoring the warnings and rejecting an even more important message.

Why don’t lost people care about their eternity?

Don’t they realize how serious this matter is?

For their sake, I wish they would realize the spiritual and eternal danger in store for those who don’t believe.

Those ignoring the warnings will face God’s Judgement.

Do you know of any lost people in your life? They need your prayers.

Life After Death

How amazing is God’s grace?

As sinners, we don’t even deserve salvation, but through His grace, eternal life is assured to those who trust in Jesus Christ and His righteousness alone.

God’s promised salvation finally and fully came in the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is Christ alone who is righteous. It is Christ alone who has lived a life free from sin. And it is He alone who willingly took the sinner’s place on the cross of Calvary, bearing the guilt and punishment we deserve. Trusting in Him alone is what saves sinners, not self-help programs, nor human striving after righteousness and God’s approval. – Robert L. Deffinbaugh, Pastor and Bible teacher, Bible.org contributor.

A Humble Mindset

Do any of these excuses sound familiar?

I have all the time in the world

No mythological creature in the sky tells me what to do

Your God is a bully

The Bible is full of errors

Not much gratitude or humility in those statements, is there?

Our sins are ugly and offensive to God.

True Christians recognize this.

Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us, we have to see it as something done by us. – John Stott, Christian pastor (1921-2011.)

Who’s on First?

With all the distractions in this world, it becomes even easier for us to put the Creator of the heavens and earth in second place when He should be first.

We make idols out of things like self-image, celebrities, jobs, media “influencers”, material possessions, relationships, and our own versions of what we think God should be.

As desperately lost people, we deserve His wrath.

But, as true Christians, we recognize what sin is.

We repent by transforming our inherent wicked hearts, trusting that God is sovereign, and that we are pardoned through the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Eternal life through Jesus Christ is a free gift from God and it can be yours!

If you haven’t yet done so, I urge you to contact a Christian friend or loved one or visit with the pastor at a local bible-believing church.

Tell them you want to learn about Jesus.

You need someone you can talk to who esteems the sovereignty of our Holy God and also believes that the Bible is divinely inspired and sufficient for us.

# # #

---

¹John Stott quotation, as quoted from Christian quotes.info

² Robert L. Deffinbaugh quotations, courtesy of bible.org, from the series “The Dark Days of Israel’s Judges – A Study of the Book of Judges – – Israel’s Sodom and Gomorrah (Judges 19-21). 12-13-09. Web. Accessed 20 February, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.icr.org/article/mankind-pinnacle-gods-creation/