“Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with timbrel and harp. For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation. Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand” (Psalm 149:3-6).
People like to cheer. Whether it’s watching a small boy step up to the t-ball stand and actually hit the ball or cheering for a professional baseball player when he hits a winning home run. We get excited and jump with joy and shout. Political rallies also bring out much enthusiasm, as our favorite candidate promises lower taxes, less government, more freedoms, and much more. The problem is that home run hitters don’t always hit the ball over the fence, and political promises are easily forgotten.
I wonder why we get so thrilled over these temporary things but have no joy in what really matters. What matters for eternity is putting our faith in Jesus Christ. Why put your faith in a mere human to bring joy and happiness when Jesus forgives the sins of a truly repentant person and gives eternal life?
Jesus is the only One who deserves our praise, but very few church services have any enthusiasm. Preachers preach watered-down sermons to the point that these sermons have become lullabies, and many people use that time to take a nap. I attended a church once where the preacher spent a good chunk of the sermon boasting of his many theological degrees and quoting rock and roll singers and secular psychologists. There was no joy in the Lord.
The first of the Ten Commandments says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).
In today’s world, we seem to have forgotten that truth. Christians aren’t under the Law because Jesus fulfilled the Law, but He didn’t destroy it. “Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil” (Matthew 5:17).
That means that Jesus shed His own blood as the sacrifice for our sin, and you must believe in that sacrifice for redemption. God’s moral law is still in force. We know that we sin if we steal, lie, covet, etc., but through Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven. We no longer have to shed the blood of animals in order to cover our sin. Animal blood could never take sin away. Jesus was God incarnate; His blood was pure and untainted by sin. Salvation only comes by true faith in Jesus. He was fully God, so He could redeem us, and He was fully human so that He was our kinsman. Because of Jesus Christ, we can live eternally with Him.
Why don’t Christians get excited over that? Preachers need to study Scripture to see how Peter spoke to people on the day of Pentecost and brought 3,000 men to salvation. The Apostles had no problem confronting sin, even though it was politically incorrect to call sin, sin. God’s truth was more important to them than being seeker-friendly. Jesus was God and chose to step into His creation. He knew that He would be killed, but His love was perfect, and He fulfilled every prophecy concerning His life and death. His sacrifice is something we need to really understand and praise Him with all of our heart. Put your faith in Jesus, not a man.
In today’s world, sin is sugar-coated and made not to seem as bad as it truly is. Preachers “tickle ears” and compromise God’s truth so they don’t offend the congregation. Sin is truly ugly, and when it’s accepted within Christian circles, it’s disgraceful.
God created all things. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:1-4).
Jesus is the Word and created all that exists. That’s exciting! Still, people choose to believe lies about evolution and take the glory away from God. Think of living in a beautiful garden with all the food you could possibly want. Read about it in Genesis chapter 1. There were no genetically-tampered-with vegetables, no pesticide-poisoned food, or other manmade dangers. It was food the way God made it to be. The water was pure and plentiful. There was only one thing that was forbidden, and that was eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
“And the LORD God commanded the man saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17).
God wasn’t being mean, just protecting Adam and Eve from eternal death. If you have diabetes and go to a lunch buffet, you find lots of good nourishing food available for you to eat. There are also desserts. These are not to be eaten by diabetics. Is that mean, or is it protecting your health and life? It was the same way in the Garden of Eden. There was plenty to eat, and only one thing was forbidden. Eve listened to Satan’s lies, and Adam listened to Eve, and they found out what God meant about death.
As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
Thank God for His mercy and grace. Sin and death entered the world because of a man, and that sin still separates humans from God. Redemption came when God shed His own blood as our final sacrifice to take sin away. Isn’t it time that you placed your faith in Jesus? Isn’t it time you share the joy of your salvation?
Because of false teachings from pulpits and books written by people who twist God’s truth, sin doesn’t seem so bad. Sin is bad, and you must repent. It’s true about God’s love and forgiveness, but don’t forget about repentance and turning from sin. Many people believe that Jesus was a historical figure but don’t repent of their sin. Faith has to be real and should motivate you to do good works in the name of Jesus.
“Thou believest that there is one God: thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble” (James 2:19).
Head knowledge of Jesus makes you acknowledge that He lived, but heart knowledge makes you want to live for Him. It will make you excited that He forgave your sins, and it will move you to a desire to turn away from sin and live for Him. Jesus is the only way to salvation, and no man could have ever taken sin away.
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).
The only way we can show Jesus how much we love Him is to live to please Him. Our joy needs to be in Him. We can’t have that joy if we hold on to our sin and live for the world.
There was joy in being with Jesus. I would love to have been there to hear His words. Did He say we had to repent of sin?
“Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God. And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:14-15).
By His example, Jesus taught His disciples how to preach. “And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits; and commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse: but be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats” (Mark 6:7-9).
How many preachers today are content with so little? Certainly not Rick Warren or Joel Osteen or any mega-church preacher. They also don’t preach the true Gospel or repentance.
The Disciples preached truth. “And they went out, and preached that men should repent. And they cast out many devils and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them” (Mark 6:12-13).
Perhaps if we put our faith in Jesus rather than in a man, we could have the power of the Holy Spirit work through us, just as the disciples did. They cast out demons rather than accepting the sin these devils caused. They healed the sick. What a blessing!
Today, people are deceived into believing that there are many ways to Heaven. Wrong. Jesus is the only way. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).
No man could ever bring salvation. Instead of cheering for humans, following human leaders, or buying into worldly ways, we need to give our lives to God. Jesus Christ gave everything to purchase our redemption; that’s exciting and humbling. God loved us enough to sacrifice Himself so we can live. Repent and follow Him, not a man. Jesus is the only way of salvation. All roads do not lead to Heaven. If there was any way to Heaven except through faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, then God wouldn’t have had to become human and shed His blood for our salvation.
Study Biblical prophecy. It fills a very large portion of Scripture, so God thinks it’s important. He wants us to know what’s ahead. It will also show you how important faith in Jesus is today. There will be many wars, and wickedness will abound. The time of Jacob’s Trouble is approaching… the Great Tribulation. It’s easy to be afraid as we watch world events. Christians have the Blessed Hope found only in Christ. We will be taken Home prior to the events of the Great Tribulation. What a blessing! And it only comes through faith in Jesus.
Politicians promise if we vote for this man or that man, all will be well. Only Jesus can give true Hope.
Study prophecy, and it will help you to witness to people. We are living in a time when many prophecies are being fulfilled, and even non-believers can feel there’s something big about to happen. Beware of AI, microchip implants, and other “miracles of science.” If you study prophecy and keep tuned to what people like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Klaus Schwab, George Soros, and others have planned for humanity, you will be dumbfounded. They are bringing about the Mark of the Beast and other end-time prophecies. This is a witnessing tool that will show people they must trust Jesus, not a man.
A very good source of information is videos by Billy Crone. Share the Gospel with a friend and lead them to repentance and faith in Jesus.
The world around us seems to be falling apart, and wickedness is winning the spiritual war, but Scripture tells us something different. The Rapture is drawing near.
Jesus described the Tribulation period in the Olivet Discourse. “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except these days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (Matthew 24:21-22).
Christians won’t be here for the Tribulation, and we should be full of worship and praise for our Lord because of this. We must put our faith in Jesus Christ because if we put our faith in a man, he just might be the Anti-Christ.
Only Jesus deserves our praise. So, if you’re tempted to go to a rock concert and scream and yell praises to a band that sings about drugs, sex, and demonic things, ask yourself, “What have these people done to earn my praises?” Ask yourself that same question when you go to a sporting event or a political rally. Why don’t Christians find joy in walking with the Lord? Ask yourself every day, “What did Jesus do for me?” and then praise Him accordingly.
Put your faith in Jesus, not a man.
God bless you all,
Nathele Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
Recommended prophecy sites:
www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com
All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.
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“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).