A Life Changing Word
by J. Allen Blair
Occasionally, I meet a person who tells me he is too deep in sin to be saved. It is obvious this person doesn’t know anything about the abundant grace of God: Jesus said, I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Mark 2:17).
A Most Important Word
I want to tell you about one of the most important words in the Bible. It is the word that brings a sinner back from the far country to his father’s house. It is the word Jesus used when He began to preach. It was one of Peter’s words when he addressed the multitudes on the day of Pentecost. It is a word which cannot be spoken in hell and which no one in heaven ever needs to use. What is this word? Repent.
Repentance is expressed in every part of the Bible from beginning to end. It was the concern of the preaching of the prophets, of the apostles, and of Jesus Christ. After Christ rose from the dead, He told his disciples to go forth and preach repentance and remission of sins in His Name.
Restoration through Repentance
In the Old Testament, we read of Manasseh. His father, Hezekiah, was one of the godliest men in the Bible. (We are not told, but probably he had a godly mother also.) Yet, Manasseh’s reign was one of wickedness, idolatry and cruelty. In the midst of his wicked prosperity, the Assyrians took him captive, mutilated him, put him in an iron cage, and carried him as a prisoner to Babylon. Manasseh, softened by his suffering, repented of his sins and called upon God. When he had been restored to the throne of Jerusalem, he devoted the strength and energy left to him in the remaining years of his reign to undo the great evil that he had done to Israel. With sorrow and contrition, he threw away the strange gods, repaired the altar of God, and did what he could to persuade the nation (which he had before seduced) to turn again and follow the true God. 22
Never Too Hardened to Repent
Manasseh sinned against his godly training and became a monster of unbelief. Now and then, you see such a person. If you have listened to the bitterness of such an unbeliever, you realize how wonderful was the repentance of Manasseh. Suffering, hardship, and pain sometimes only intensify man’s rebellion against God; but if accepted in humility, it can turn a person back to God. That is what happened in the case of Manasseh. His was as a deathbed repentance, for Manasseh brought to God only the dregs of his life. Yet for that reason, Manasseh’s repentance is all the more memorable. After half a century in sin, Manasseh returned to God. Thank the Lord; no one is ever too far gone or too hardened in his transgression to repent.
The God of Mercy
If you should be one who has turned from God to live in sin, listen to the words of Isaiah 55:7, Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. The invitation of God is open to all regardless of how deep into sin one has gone. If he or she will repent and trust in Jesus Christ, God will receive and save them immediately.
Repentance, Not An Option
We read in Acts 17:30-32, God commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. Repentance is not optional. It is absolutely necessary if one is to be saved. For God has commanded all men everywhere to repent.
Repentance Is Turning Around
Repentance involves a sense of sin, sorrow for sin, and severance from sin by God’s grace. He who repents realizes that he is a sinner, deplores his sin, and forsakes his sins. Repentance is more than a change of opinion. It is a change of heart and life. Very briefly, it is turning from sin to put faith and trust in the living Christ.
Repentance Is Possible for You
Maybe you are one who is saying “Well, I’d like to turn from my sin, but I am in so deep there is no way I can get out. I have tried, time and time again, to turn away from my evil.” Wait a minute, dear friend. Did you turn to Jesus Christ? Did you turn to our living Lord, the Son of God, who possesses all power in heaven and in earth? He is the One who can give deliverance from sin. He is the One who gives eternal victory over sin, if claimed and received by faith. It isn’t enough just to turn from sin. I urge you to turn to Christ. Tell Him of your spiritual needs. Recognize Him as the sin bearer, the One who shed His blood at Calvary for your sins. He is the One who rose again from the dead, that you might be forever saved. Let Him perform the miracle in your heart and life.
Jesus Is The Transformer
Only Jesus Christ can give you victory over sin. Do not look for another way. There is none. Christ declared, in John 14:6, I am the way. Indeed, He is. He has saved millions. He can save you. He has transformed those who were wallowing in the lowest depths of sin. He can do the same for you. He can deliver you from lust. He can take drugs out of your life. He can break your alcohol habit. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, He cannot do. Your case is not impossible for Him. It may be for others, but not for Jesus Christ. He is the all-sufficient Savior. Give Him a chance to prove to you what He can do for you.
You Can Be Changed!
He transformed the life of a weak Manasseh and He can transform the life of a murderer, the worst criminal, or a self-righteous hypocrite. At this very moment, I urge you to call on Christ and give Him the opportunity to work in your life. The way to discover what He can do is to see for yourself by your own experience. Invite Jesus to become your Savior and Lord and you will see in a most wonderful way what Christ can do.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him (Psalm 91:15).
New Web Address and Email Address
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The addresses you have been using will still get you to the website and to our mail box for the next few months. Use either set, today!
Declare Your Dependence
Gary Janes
Countries all around the world celebrate their day of independence and the dates are based on significant events. July the 4th is Independence Day in the United States of America. Those of us who are blessed to live in freedom share a foundational belief that being independent is an inalienable right.
We can all enjoy these celebrations, but independence is not the goal in the Christian's life. Dependency on the finished work of Jesus Christ is foundational to a relationship with God through Christ. Hebrews chapter nine speaks of the contrast of the Old and New Covenants. Under the law, humanity depended on the blood sacrifice to effect a relationship with God. This was but a temporary fix and the sacrifices had to be performed over and over on a regular schedule. Reading in verse six of the ninth chapter, we are blessed with the permanency of the sacrifice of Christ which satisfied the holiness of God the Father. Jesus doesn't die over and over. And, our relationship with God doesn't have to be renewed, rather it needs to be nourished by prayer (talking to God) and by reading His Word (God talking to us). Just as our countries can date their days of independence on a significant event, so we can date our day of dependence on this signifi cant event.
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2).
Fireworks are an integral part of the celebration of independence and are awe inspiring. We give gratitude for our Day of Dependence with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29).
Planned Giving
Making financial arrangements for settling estates and distributing funds, often done for donations to ministries after one's death, is a good thing. But what about your giving habits now? Are they planned or sporadic? Support from our listeners to the radio and subscribers to this newsletter is a necessary element in the ministry.
Prayerfully consider a gift of any size on a regular basis. Small gifts are just as important as large gifts. We'll thank you and use it wisely!
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again (Luke 6:38).